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Inside DEC 20, 2018 .qxp_Layout 1 12/20/18 8:02 PM Page 9 12 DAILY Politics WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH HERITAGE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2018 Drone programme not on public budget —Prez THE PRESIDENT of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo, has stated, for the avoidance of doubt that the use of drones to supply essential and lifesaving medical supplies would not be borne by the taxpayer. “This programme is not going to be run on the public budget. Corporate Social Responsibility contributions from private sector players will pay for the service. I prefer drones flying to deliver essential medicines to our people than an investment in guinea fowls that allegedly fly off to Burkina Faso without any trace,” President Akufo-Addo said. President Akufo-Addo made this known on Wednesday, December 19, 2018, when he addressed members of the media at an end of year press conference, at Jubilee House, in Accra. With the government having paid up the GH¢1.2 billion arrears it inherited from the Mahama government, President Akufo-Addo noted that this had brought the operations of the • President Nana Akufo-Addo addressing the media encounter National Health Insurance “The drone delivery service will Scheme (NHIS) back to life. save lives, decrease wastage in the “We are also in the process of system, guarantee healthcare access for Volta more Region than 14 launching the •President world’s largest Nana and Akufo-Addo million most advanced medical drone delivery network. The four distribution centres, from where the drones would be operating, will stock 148 lifesaving and essential medical supplies, and not only blood,” he said. The President continued, people nationwide, and employ over 200 Ghanaians.” President Akufo-Addo added further that “the procurement process will enable every constituency to get one ambulance each in the early part of next year. This will not solve the ambulance problem immediately, but it certainly shows more commitment to finding a solution than we have ever seen.” Free SHS In addressing the issues of insufficient numbers of classrooms, desks, laboratories, computers and dormitories, the President noted that with ingenuity and innovation, Government has, through the Ghana Education Trust Fund, secured a $1.5 billion facility to help develop infrastructure in our schools. “Parliamentary approval has been obtained, and the first tranche of this facility will be used to build more classroom blocks and dormitories in our schools to give our schools appropriate facilities to meet the demands of the 21st century,” he said. The President continued, “And, so, we are on doubletrack, and we are building the classrooms and laboratories, and gradually turning the once deprived schools into well-equipped ones. We find that paying attention to the proper management of schools means we are getting better results.” Industry President Akufo-Addo also stated that it is not every day that Volkswagen, Nissan and Sino- Truck offer to build assembly plants in a country round about the same time. “Systematically, we are also rolling out our 1-District-1-Factory policy of industrialisation. Thus far, 79 projects have been implemented under 1D1F, with another 35 going through credit appraisal by officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the financial institutions that are supporting the programme,” he said. Under the Stimulus Package, President Akufo-Addo indicated that two hundred and thirtyseven million dollars ($237 million) has been disbursed to 16 companies, with an additional 35 being considered for support. “The process of industrialisation will be accelerated in the course of 2019,” the President assured. Nat’l Youth Policy needs review — NYA boss BY PHILIP ANTOH philip.antoh@dailyheritage.com THE CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Mr Emmanuel Asigri has stated that Ghana needs a comprehensive National Youth policy document to drive programmes to ensure it meets the demands of the teeming youth in the country. According to him, the 2010 National Youth Policy document needs a critical review to ensure that it carries programmes that are geared towards the development of the youth at both the local and national levels and also serve as a tool for development. Mr Asigri made these statements last Wednesday, December 19 at a National Youth Stakeholders Consultation forum organised at the Accra Digital Centre to deliberate on the need to update the existing National Youth Policy which he said was outdated. Speaking at a well-packed youth forum, the NYA boss said there was the need to capture recent data using the 2010 census to reflect current trend, adding that considering the dynamic nature of society, issues particularly related to the youth needed a review. He said currently, considering Ghana’s population of 28 million, the youth form the majority and therefore policies must be developed to suit them and the forum was going to be used to respond to the changing need and emerging issues affecting youth development such as gender and youth with disabilities. “The journey started a year ago after a stakeholder’s conference, there was the need to tour all the regional capitals to solicit views from the youth and at the end there was a need to review the 2010 policy document,” he stated. Mr Asigri urged the youth to come out with policies geared towards the development of the youth in the country. The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Perry Okudzeto, said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government had the youth at heart that is why policies like Youth in Afforestation, Nation Builders Corp and many programmes are currently ongoing to empower the youth. Mr Okudzeto said the government had provided a seed capital of $10m to help support youth development in the country, adding that one out of every three people in the country is between the ages of 30 and 35 years. He also said the existing youth policy do not seek to serve the interest of the youth and therefore must be reviewed to meet the current demand, adding that a final draft would be put together and the necessary changes made and will be submitted to • Mr Emmanuel Asigri, NYA boss Youth and Sports Ministry in 2019 for the adoption of a national youth policy. The board chair of the NYA and Member of Parliament for Kwabre East, Ms Francisca Oteng Adjei advised the youth to see Ghana first in the deliberation of a new youth policy document. In another development, on December 13, 2018, the CEO of NYA joined the Acting Regional director of the authority, Mr Matthias Blay, the District director of NYA at the Adentan Municipal Assembly, Mrs Evelyn Eyornam Lotsu to inspect the Adentan EU Mushroom Production centre where over 1,000 youth had been trained in mushroom production. The centre is an initiative of the Assembly under the NYA, where it provides skill training to youth in mushroom production. At the time of visit, there were at least over 50 youth at the center learning how to produce mushroom with technical support from the assembly. Mr Asigri, through the NYA, promised to provide a set up capital to all the people learning at the centre to serve as an empowerment tool. The Project Coordinator at the Centre, Mrs Philomena Norman thanked the Adentan Assembly for providing support to the youth and called on the youth to take advantage of the programme. Some of the youth who were happy about the getting financial support to set up their own mushroom projects thanked the NYA boss, the regional directorate and the Adentan Assembly for giving them such an opportunity.
13 WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH DAILY HERITAGE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2018 Cynthia Amoah heartens more women into Spoken word BY ERICA ARTHUR CYNTHIA AMOAH, a spoken word artiste, performer, and writer who is based in America has heartened more women to get into spoken word. According to her, the spoken word industry is dominated by more men than woman because more women are afraid to speak up, especially African women. She told the DAILY HERITAGE that, “Spoken word is gradually gaining grounds in Ghana but what baffles me is when you see less women and more men on the stage performing. Women are said to be afraid to take the stage and they are stereotyped to talk too much when given the opportunity so they sometimes want to be at the corner to enjoy the ride. “This situation is not the same as in America. Though men dominate the spoken word industry over there, the difference is not vast as compared to Africa or Ghana. I want to challenge women to also get on the stage to perform just like men. I know women can do a lot when they make up their mind.” Cynthia started her artistry through national poetry recitation competitions and motivational talks in 2006.Since the onset of her career, Cynthia’s dynamic voice has captured diverse audiences and her authentic stage presence has left them inspired after every performance. Her audience revealed that “her voice – perhaps – reflects the strong and colourful oral traditions of her homeland. They cultivate, shape, and move her work in ways she believes has been purposed to her life. An activist in her own right, her literary pieces often highlight the forgotten stories of the world, while transcending the oftentimes marginalized groups she delineates in her work.” Cynthia said she is currently pursuing an MFA in poetry at The New School, New York, NY and has been featured on the stages of The Lincoln Theatre, The King Arts Complex, TED Drew • Cynthia Amoah, Artist, Spoken Word University, and TED Ohio State University where she performed her most notable poem ‘Honam.’ In 2016, she served as apprentice writer for Columbus-based arts collective, Maroon Arts Group’s “Write the Power” writers’ residency, joining other writers in the creation of a social-justice centred choreopoem that came to life on the stage in June 2018. Cynthia recently received honourable mention for the Paul Violi Poetry Prize in 2018 and was selected for the long list of the University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize in 2016. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in OURS Magazine, Nimrod Journal, and Crab Orchard Review. Through her literary works and performance, Cynthia aspires to leave an indelible mark on the way in which we discuss race, gender, and social justice. Her poignant poems often explore themes of community, the value of culture, a dedication to self-identity and love. Yongrush drops ‘Saara’ on December 24 BY ERICA ARTHUR GHANAIAN GOSPEL artiste Jeffrey Nana Kweku Coleman, known in music scene as Yongrush, will drop his new song ‘Saara’ on December 24, 2018. According to the artist, the song talks about how we, as humans, should appreciate whatever God gives us. In an interview, he said, “My song talks about how we should be content with whatever God created us with. We should appreciate our looks and not look down on ourselves because we are said to be the image of God.” He added that despite our hustle, God still backs us and we should not settle for less. Yongrush’s songs are said to be about positive lifestyle in the Christian way. He advised fellow artistes to never allow any negative energy in their domain, “Just do you provided it pleases God.” Saara’ was produced, mixed and mastered by Belac360. iVoLu meets Ga Mantse with free healthcare initiative for Jamestown IVOLU, A Ghana-based non-governmental organization (NGO) has paid a courtesy call on the Ga Mantse, ahead of its official launch. In lieu with the visit, iVolu International has promised to help the community in some of the challenges facing them, key amongst them being health. To this end the NGO has promised to register children above 12 years under the National Health Insurance Scheme as well as offer health screening for Jamestown indigenes. On the visit to the King’s palace on Sunday, December 9, 2018, the iVolu Team, led by the Executive Director, Nana Gyau Amoah, said, “About 300 to 500 selected children from the community will be registered freely under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS. We will educate them on sex education and also do distribution of contraceptives. “As part of our social responsibility, we’ve decided to help Jamestown because it is a very key tourist community situated in the heart of Ghana’s central business district in Accra, and so it must be well catered for. We are here to support in our own small way and we hope to see other individuals, NGOs and corporate bodies also coming in to support.” His Royal Majesty, King Tackie TeikoTsuru II, GaMantse, welcomed the kind gesture and gave iVolu the green light to embark on the project. He, however, expressed the wish that the age range of 12 years could be increased to cover other older children in the community. The project is set to kick off in January 2019. Nana Amoah, in a later address, promised to increase the age limit from 12 to 17 years. Janaury 26, 2019 is set for the official take off of project. IVOLU is a voluntary organization founded in 2016. The formation of the NGO was inspired by works done by its founders • iVoLu members met the Ga Mantse with various non-profit and philanthropic organizations over the years. iVolu’s objective is to create the spirit of volunteerism across all walks of life without the barriers of race, gender, age, geographical location etc… As part of its objectives, it aims at providing charitable services to our communities and beyond, providing help/shelter/facilities to underprivileged individuals and communities, providing mentorship and guidance to individuals, contributing towards the development and maintenance of underprivileged communities and many more. Jamestown, located directly east of the Korle Lagoon, emerged as a community around the 17th century British James Fort on the Gulf of Guinea coast. It was heavily developed by the end of the 19th century, and following the rapid growth of Accra during the 20th century, it became an areas of a dense mixture of commercial and residential use. Currently, Jamestown serves as a tourist attraction and a venue for the annual ChaleWote Street Art Festival that brings together people from not all over the country but also all over the world. But in recent times, Jamestown has become one of the very poorest suburbs within Ghana’s capital city, Accra.
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