Daily Heritage November 17

Nov 16/17 spread.qxp_SHOWBIZ TEMP 11/16/17 7:55 PM Page 1
News
DAILY HERITAGE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017
WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH
Resource Wildlife Dept.
to protect primates
BY KOJO ANSAH
• Participants after the training programme
AN ENVIRONMENTAL activist, Dr
Edward Wiafe has called on
government to resource the wildlife
department to enable it execute its
mandate to protect wildlife in the
country.
The Dean of the Environmental
Science Department of the
Presbyterian University College,
Akuapem Campus, Dr Edward Wiafe
argues during a training workshop in
Koforidua that the call had been
imperative considering the rate of
depletion of wildlife species which
had led to extinction of very
important wildlife species in the
country.
He said successive governments
have shirked their responsibility in
ensuring that wildlife is protected in a
holistic manner through ecosystem
protection and fight against alarming
rate of poaching.
Dr Wiafe said , currently humanís
closest living biological relative ,the
Apes, Lemur ,Monkeys and other
primate species in Ghana are at risk of
†extinction due to uncontrolled
human †activities such as poaching
and habitat destruction through
deforestation.
He said Ghana had already lost red
coloured-monkeys, one of the primate
species with the rest critically
endangered.
According to the International
Union for Conservation of Nature,
globally more than half of the world's
primates are at risk of extinction.
As a result, the Presbyterian
University College, Ghana with
funding from Critical Ecosystems
Partnership Fund is implementing a
16-month project on conservation of
endangered primate species in three
forest reserves in Ghana, namely
• Govt urged
According to the
International
Union for
Conservation of
Nature, globally
more than half
of the world's
primates are at
risk of
extinction.
Atiwa, Cape three Points and Tank -
Off forest.
As part of the project, a capacity
building workshop had been
organised for wildlife law enforcement
officers and journalists operating
around the jurisdiction of the†Atiwa
range of forest reserve, specifically
from East Akyem and Atiwa East
Districts.
The participants included police
officers, forestry officials, fire service
personnel and the media.
Participants of the programme
acknowledged that enforcement of
wildlife laws in Ghana had not been
encouraging.
They blamed the situation on
inadequate logistics and funds,
inadequate personnel, lenient
punishment by courts, risk involved in
arresting heavily armed poachers in
the jungle, interference and absence of
political will among others.
Marine Unit for GIS in the
offing- Comptroller-General
THE GHANA Immigration
Service (GIS) is to
establish a Marine Unit,
the Comptroller-General
of Immigration (CGI), Mr
Kwame Asuah Takyi has hinted.
According to him, the establishment
of the Unit would not only secure the
maritime domain of Ghana but also
contribute immensely to national
security. He added that it would also
improve on data collation on migrants
at the Seaports for the use of Ghanaís
socio-economic advancement.
The Comptroller-General
bemoaned how some fisher folks of
neighbouring countries and other
persons through the territorial waters
of Ghana immigrate into the country
in a tacit, cunning and subtle manner
escaping migration checks. This must
be nipped in the bud as soon as
possible, he stressed.
Mr Takyi said this while interacting
with officers of the Takoradi Sector
Command at the Takoradi Port in the
Western Region as part of his
familiarisation tour.
He indicated that the creation of
the Marine Unit was crucial at giving a
defined focus to migration
management and that it would enhance
the efficiency with which personnel of
the Service manage migration activities
at the Seaports and maritime domain
of the country.
He encouraged the personnel to
continue the good works at securing
the seaports and maritime domain of
the country despite the logistical
constraints and assured them of the
provision of logistics and equipment to
aid their work at the port. He also
reiterated his commitment at
enhancing the capability and capacity
of Officers through various training
programmes including maritime
training.
Mr Takyi had, earlier in the day, paid
a courtesy call on the Director of
Takoradi Port, Captain Ebenezer
Afedzi and the Takoradi Area Manager
of Tullow Oil, Mr Joseph Klemesu.
Journalists urged to focus on community development
BY KOJO ANSAH
KWAKU ABOAGYE Apenteng, a
journalist with Koforidua based Kingdom
FM has urged media practitioners in the
country to focus more on community
development to help better the lives
of the poor.
According to him, development
journalism must be given priority to
set agenda for policy makers to
improve the poor living standards of
millions of Ghanaians battling
poverty.
Mr Apenteng said this in an
interview with the DAILY
HERITAGE after graduating with
•Kwaku Aboagye Apenteng (L), a journalist with Koforidua based Kingdom FM and Kojo Ansah of EIB network
• CGI, Mr Kwame Asuah Takyi and his entourage being briefed on operational activities at
Wharf 2 of the Takoradi Port by the Officer-In-Charge
Second Class Upper division in Rural
and Community Development at the
Presbyterian University College.
He said, he chose to upgrade
academically in rural and community
development to enable him broaden
his scope of knowledge in rural
development and poverty reduction
which would enhance his passion in
development journalism.
Mr Apenteng commended
lecturers at the university for
imparting his life and positioning him
better to be agent of change in
society.
He took the opportunity to add his
voice to calls for the removal of 25%
cooperate tax on private universities
to help mitigate the financial burden
on the institutions.
He also urged government to
extend subsidies enjoyed by students
of public universities to private
universities to lessen the financial
stress poor but brilliant students go
through.
According to him,
development journalism
must be given priority to set
agenda for policy makers to
improve the poor living
standards of millions of
Ghanaians battling poverty.
Safe Water Network
appeals to govt
for assistance
BY MUNTALLA INUSAH
muntalla.inusah@dailyheritage.com.gh
SAFE WATER Network, a
United States-based Non-
Governmental Organisation
(NGO) with its branch in
Ghana is calling on the
government and other NGOs
to support its quest to provide
safe water to over 1,000
communities in the country.
According to Safe Water
Network, which had been
operating in the country for the
past nine years, its main
objective is to apply business
principles to manage our local
water systems to cover the over
30% to 40% of our water
systems being broken in Ghana.
Mr Charles Nimako,
Director, Africa Initiatives, Safe
Water Network told the
DAILY HERITAGE during
the launch of Ghana Sector
Review; Scaling Small Water
Enterprises in Accra that
ìmoney is needed to repair the
broken systems.
According to him, Safe
Water Network has been able to
provide water for 120
communities in the country so
far and is looking to expand to
1,000 communities over the
coming years, but to be able to
attain that goal, we are calling
on government and other
NGOs to come on board to
help achieve our target.
He said for each community
they serve, it takes between
three and six months to build a
water station, what we require is
the availability of land in the
community.
So far, he said, the current
project had covered the Greater
Accra, Central and Volta
Regions and they have spent
close to of $10 million since
2010.
Review of opportunities
He said, in collaboration
with partners and stakeholders,
Safe Water Network recently
completed a review of the
opportunity to scale-up Small
Water Enterprises in Ghana.
The review, he said, put
forward several policy
recommendations to overcome
the barriers to reach an
estimated 3.2 million of the 8.3
million people lacking access to
safe water in rural areas.
According to Safe
Water Network,
which had been
operating in the
country for the past
nine years, its main
objective is to apply
business principles
to manage our local
water systems...
•Mr Charles Nimako, Director, Africa Initiatives, Safe
Water Network (R) being assisted to outdoor the Ghana
Sector Review; Scaling Small Water Enterprises book