Friday, 17th June, 2022

Page 2

North Korea says it

is dealing with an

outbreak of an unidentified

intestinal

sickness, adding to

the strain caused by the spread of

Covid-19.

The country's leader, Kim

Jong-un, has ordered quarantine

measures be implemented,

the official KCNA news agency

reports.

DAILY ANALYST Friday, 17th June, 2022

It said he sent medicine to

Haeju city on Wednesday to

help patients suffering from the

"acute enteric epidemic".

Health experts suspect the illness

could be typhoid or cholera.

North Korea declared a state

of emergency in May after it said

millions of people were experiencing

"fever", believed to be

untested Covid-19 cases.

It has not reported the

number of people affected by

the latest sickness outbreak, or

elaborated on what the disease is,

but enteric refers to the gastrointestinal

tract.

"[Kim] stressed the need

to contain the epidemic at the

earliest date possible by taking a

Global News

North Korea announces

outbreak of intestinal sickness

well-knit measure to quarantine

the suspected cases to thoroughly

curb its spread, confirming

cases through epidemiological

examination and scientific tests",

KCNA said.

An official at South Korea's

Unification Ministry handling

inter-Korean affairs told Reuters

news agency that the government

suspects the outbreak to be

cholera or typhoid.

South Hwanghae province,

where Haeju is located, is North

Korea's main agricultural region,

which could worsen the country's

widespread food shortage.

Pyongyang has been announcing

the number of fever

patients, but the country lacks

Covid testing kits. Many also suspect

the government of underreporting

new cases.

North Korea reported 26,010

more people with fever symptoms

on Thursday, with the total

number of fever patients recorded

across the country since late

April nearing 4.56 million.

The death toll linked to the

outbreak is at 73, the government

says, but the World Health Organization

and others have said

they fear the situation is much

worse.

North Korea has a dire healthcare

system and has turned down

international offers of vaccines

for its population.

Gazprom: Russian gas boss says 'our

product, our rules' in supply row

vaya compressor station, part of

the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that

carries Russian gas to Germany.

Mr Miller blamed sanctions

for hampering the return of

equipment - a claim Germany

dismissed as "unfounded".

Meanwhile, Italian energy

giant Eni said it would receive

only 65% of the gas requested on

Thursday from Gazprom, because

of the problems at Portovaya.

But the Italian government

has all possible counter-measures

in place if gas supply cuts

from Russia continue in the

coming days, the country's ecological

transition minister said

on Thursday.

"The gas situation is under

control, we are monitoring flows

day and night, damages are so far

limited," Roberto Cingolani said.

European energy companies,

including Italy's ENI, Austria's

OMV and Germany's Uniper, have

reported significant falls in supply

of Russian gas on Wednesday

and Thursday.

Gazprom reduced its gas

supply to Italy by about 15% on

Wednesday, ENI said. Italy, like

Germany, is heavily reliant on

Russian gas, which accounts for

40% of its imports.

Poland, Bulgaria, Finland,

Denmark and the Netherlands

have already had their Russian

natural gas deliveries suspended

after they refused a demand for

"unfriendly countries" to pay in

Russian roubles.

Russia's payment demand was

seen as an attempt to boost the

rouble after it was hit by Western

sanctions. Greater foreign

exchange demand for roubles is

likely to increase demand and

push up the currency's value.

Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey granted bail

over sexual assault charges

US actor Kevin Spacey

has been given

unconditional bail

after appearing in

a London court on

four charges of sexually assaulting

three men.

The 62-year-old is also facing

a fifth charge of causing a man

to engage in penetrative sexual

activity without consent.

He was not asked to enter

pleas for the alleged offences

from 2005 to 2013.

Mr Spacey's next appearance

will be at Southwark

Crown Court on 14 July for

a plea and trial preparation

hearing.

Ahead of the short preliminary

hearing, the Hollywood

star was steered by his legal

The boss of Russian

state-controlled gas giant

Gazprom has said it

is a case of "our product,

our rules" after the firm

halved its supply to Germany.

The German economy minister

has accused Gazprom of

attempting to push up energy

prices by sharply reducing supplies.

But Gazprom said it was due

to the delayed return of equipment

serviced by Germany's

Siemens Energy in Canada.

Italy and Austria have also

reported big falls in Russian gas

supply. The Kremlin said this was

not premeditated.

Gazprom chief executive Alexei

Miller said Russia would play

by its own rules after limiting

the amount of gas to Germany to

under 70m cubic metres per day -

well under half the current rate.

"Our product, our rules. We

don't play by rules we didn't create,"

Mr Miller said during a panel

discussion at the St Petersburg

International Economic Forum.

He said he saw no solution to

the equipment issue at the Portoteam

and two police officers

through a mass of photographers

and camera crews

towards the court entrance.

Mr Spacey, dressed in a pale

blue suit, dark tie and wearing

glasses, was seated in the dock.

His case was heard by deputy

chief magistrate Tanweer

Ikram.

Patrick Gibbs QC, who is

defending Mr Spacey, said: "Mr

Spacey strenuously denies any

and all criminality in this case."

The charges he is facing are:

• Two counts of sexual

assault on a man in March 2005

• Sexual assault on a

man and causing him to engage

in penetrative sexual activity

without consent in August 2008

• Sexual assault on a

man in April 2013

The most serious charge

of causing a man to engage

in penetrative sexual activity

without consent is an indictable-only

offence, meaning it

can only be tried in a Crown

Court.

Mr Spacey lives in the US

where he has family and a nineyear-old

dog, the court heard.

In his decades-long career

in films and on stage, Mr Spacey

has received Oscars for American

Beauty and Usual Suspects,

and won acclaim for his

appearance in the long-running

Netflix hit, House of Cards.

He was also artistic director

at London's Old Vic theatre.

DAILY ANALYST

Friday, 17th June, 2022 Page 3

Dwumfour’s 12-point

agenda to transform GJA

The frontrunner in

the upcoming Ghana

Journalists Association

(GJA) elections, Albert

Kwabena Dwumfour,

has outlined a 12-point agenda to

transform the association and also

make it more attractive.

The elections are slated for

Friday, June 24, 2022, across the

country, and Dwumfour, a versatile

media practitioner and PR

consultant, is tipped by many to be

the next president of the GJA.

Seeking the welfare of

journalists is top on his agenda and

he has been drumming home this

point during his campaign tours.

When he becomes the GJA

President, he will work towards

affordable accommodation for

members and he has already

initiated discussions on the project

with some estate developers

and some banks. Beneficiary

journalists will be required to pay

Speaker upset

with Ofori-Atta

The Finance Minister, Ken

Ofori Atta, has incurred

the wrath of the Speaker

of Parliament, Alban

Bagbin, for failing to

appear before the House to answer

questions on the usage of Covid-19

funds.

The speaker asserted in the

House yesterday that there were

so many concerns about how the

funds have been utilized and that

it was important for the Finance

Minister to appear before the

House to answer questions

The Speaker was so furious that

he ruled that the House will no

longer deliberate on any business

from the Finance Ministry until

the sector Minister Ken Ofori-Atta

appears before the House to set the

records straight on how the funds

have been utilised.

“Yes, last week, for good

reasons, [his appearance in

parliament] wasn’t possible and

usually the Business Committee

is given the opportunity to do

the allotting. So, the Minister for

Finance was allotted today to come

and answer a number of questions.

The Minister is not available today,

we are told.

“The Minister spoke to me

about why he is not available today

but before today, I had given a

monthly instalments while the

banks pay upfront.

Dwumfour also intends to

finalise the unionization agenda to

fight for better remuneration for

journalists - public and private.

Below is the 12-point agenda:

GJA ELECTIONS: WHY ALBERT

IS THE MAN FOR THE MOMENT

He will;

- Bridge the gap between public

and private media practitioners

-Institute Annual Journalists’

Conference- Discuss development

& safety of journalists, others

-Improve Operational

Competencies of local FM

stations to give meaning to

Ghana’s bottom-up development

model as provided in the 1992

Constitution- (Special capacity

building programme for broadcast

journalists on local government

and national development and

their important role in the mix)

directive and that directive was

to the effect that the Minister

should appear before this House

to account for monies that we

approved for him to use to lead the

country as a ministry for us to see

how we respond to the Covid-19

pandemic.

“A lot of questions have been

raised in respect of that so he

should come to account to the good

people of how that state resources

have been applied by his Ministry

to the benefit of the people. I did

indicate that until that is done, the

motion that requested the approval

of this house, for more monies to

be given him, that is his ministry,

for the purpose of Covid-19 be

on the hold until he answers the

questions, I think that still holds.

“I will go further to say that

until the answer is provided until

he goes through the accountability

process, we will not take that

motion. With respect to the

questions, well, today he has

another request before us, that will

also be affected, until he comes to

respond to the questions and to

submit the statement, given an

explanation, as to how that money

has been applied, we will not

entertain any business from that

ministry, mark my words,” The

Speaker said.

-Agenga ‘Vernacular

Renaissance’- improving local

language use on radio to promote

national identity and cohesion,

professionally

- Make GJA National and

Regional awards more appealing &

competitive

-Enhance GJA visibility

(Rebranding and have active

website and social media presence,

GJA cloth)

-Welfare: Work towards

affordable accommodation for

members- ( In talks with estate

developers and banks- the banks

will pay for the houses upfront

with beneficiary journalists paying

the banks monthly), finalise the

unionisation agenda to fight for

better remuneration for journalists

- public and private

-Capacity Building: Regular

refresher courses and training,

local and abroad- arrangements

have already been made with some

Frontpage Stories

top universities across the globe

GJA & NATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

-Institute Annual National

Conversation on Development and

Good Governance

REGIONS

-Fully furnished Regional

Offices {PRESS CENTERS} (Already

in talks with Offices of Lands

Book on environment launched

A

book professing

recommendations

and techniques to

aid communities

to rapidly eradicate

environmental problems was

launched in Accra on Thursday,

June 16, 2022.

The book, titled “Community

Transformation Through

Environmental Care Campaign"

was authored by Apostle Samuel

Edii Davidson, who wrote the book

following a revelation from God

to bring about transformational

change in the space of

environmental sanitation.

The 137-page book recommends

various techniques and solutions

to the numerous environmental

challenges confronting

communities in the country.

Some of the highlights of

the book include seeking to get

leaders of churches, Imams,

assembly members, metropolitan,

municipal and district chief

executives (MMDCEs), students,

and traders among others to

influence the citizenry to own the

Environmental Care campaign.

It also emphasizes the need for

creative ideas to help bridge the

gap between the powers that be

and the grassroots.

Further, the book explains

the need for Ghanaians to make a

conscious effort to take charge of

every space they find themselves

in and make such places clean and

healthy.

According to the book,

the clarion call to care for the

environment was a wake-up call

for every Ghanaian regardless of

their religious and political affinity

to make the "environment our

responsibility."

The book launch attracted the

Mayor of Accra, Elizabeth Sackey,

Group Chairman of Tobinco Group

of Companies, Dr. Samuel Amo

Tobbin, President of the Worldwide

Miracle Outreach, Rev. Dr

Lawrence Tetteh, and some chiefs

and queen mothers of the Greater

Accra Region.

Addressing the gathering, the

Special Guest of Honour, Apostle

Professor Agyapong Kodua, who

is the Vice-Chancellor of the

Pentecost University, commended

Apostle Davidson for having the

vision to write what he described

as a "wonderful book."

He said the writing of the book

was timely, adding that it has

"clear environmental recipes of

solutions for the timely addressing

our sanitation problems."

He averred that environmental

care was a collective duty and

not one to be left in the hands

of government or some specific

individuals or companies.

That, he asserted, demanded

attitudinal change on the part of

every Ghanaian.

"Apostle Davidson has provided

to the Ghanaian community

and the world a toolbox for rapid

eradication of our environmental

problems," he insisted.

Prof. Kodua commended

the government for the various

measures to ensure a clean Ghana.

These, he mentioned, included,

"Operation Clean Your Frontage',

and 'Let's Make Accra Work' among

others.

He stressed that it was

imperative that "we make a

conscious effort as citizens to

protect our environment."

The Mayor of Accra, Elizabeth

Sackey, emphasised the need for

attitudinal change, particularly

towards the environment.

As Christians, she noted that

it was crucial that "we manage

the environment not only for our

benefit but for God's glory."

She indicated that her outfit

has not relented in its efforts to

keep Accra metropolis clean.

She, therefore, warned that

the laws will deal ruthlessly with

sanitation offenders in the capital

city.

"The AMA will not hesitate

to strictly apply the bye-laws on

sanitation offenders," she pointed

out.

Mrs Sackey called on residents

in Accra to support the AMA

"Borla In Drains Must Stop Now"

campaign, noting that "a clear

lifestyle is helpful for oneself and

all others around us."

The Director of Corporate

Commission for such projects,

with lessons from Volta GJA)

-Branded vehicles for all

regions- (Five almost ready) ETC

-* Support Regional Branches

to develop economic activities to

fund their programmes/events.

Thank you.

#Journalists Matter, You

Matter.

Affairs, Zoomlion Ghana Limited,

Madam Emma Adwoa Appiaa

Osei-Duaw, who represented the

Executive Chairman of Jospong

Group of Companies Dr Joseph

Siaw Agyepong praised Apostle

Davidson for laying bare his vision.

She said the book will add

to the literature of books on

environmental sanitation.

"This book will also make an

impact in our collective efforts

to deal with environmental

sanitation issues.

The Chairman for the occasion,

Nii Ahene Nunoo III, who is the

Chief of Abola Traditional Area,

added his voice to the need for

Ghanaians to turn a positive

attitude towards the environment.

For his part, the author of the

book, Apostle Davidson, expressed

gratitude to the Executive

Chairman of Jospong Group of

Companies (JGC), Dr. Joseph Siaw

Agyepong, who was represented

by the Director of Companies,

Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Madam

Emma Adwoa Appiaa Osei-Duaw,

and Dr. Amo Tobbin, the Group

Chairman of Tobinco Group of

Companies.

Rev. Dr Lawrence Tetteh, who

is the President of the Worldwide

Miracle Outreach, led a team of

pastors to unveil and dedicate the

book to God.

The first few copies raked in

over 41,000 Ghana Cedis. Both

Dr. Siaw Agyepong and Dr Tobbin

bought the first two copies for

20,000 Ghana Cedis each

Page 4


The Church

Of Pentecost

Headquarters

employs honest

taxi driver

36-year-old Kwesi Ackon, the honest taxi driver who has

been celebrated the world over for returning a huge amount

of money he found in his taxi to its owner, has been employed

by The Church of Pentecost General Headquarters in Accra,

Ghana.

On his first day at work on Thursday, June 16, 2022, Ackon,

who could not hide his joy over the job offer, expressed his

heartfelt thanks and appreciation to God and the leadership

of the church, particularly the Chairman, Apostle Eric Nyamekye,

and the General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw

Kumi-Larbi, for the opportunity to work at the head office of

the church.

According to him, working at the church’s headquarters

would further build his Christian faith and values.

A letter of employment dated June 15, 2022, and signed by

the Human Resource Manager, Elder Samuel Mantey Addo,

stated: “The Church of Pentecost Headquarters hereby offers

you employment as Driver Grade-II…”

Kwesi Ackon also thanked many Ghanaians who donated

various sums of money and items to him when the news

about the issue broke out.

The news of Kwesi Ackon went viral a few weeks ago after

he returned an amount of GHS 8,400.00 he found at the back

of his car to the owner. He picked the trader, an old fishmonger,

from the Mallam Atta Market in Accra to her residence at

Teshie on Easter Saturday.

The old woman, who had no hope of retrieving the said

money, wept profusely and invoked the blessings of God upon

Kwesi Ackon when he voluntarily traced her at her residence

on Easter Sunday to return the money to her.

This act by Kwesi Ackon which was captured on video

went viral and subsequently caught the attention of the Vice

President of the Republic, His Excellency Dr Mahamudu

Bawumia, who donated GHS 20,000.00 to him. Some organisations

and individuals who were touched by the gesture have

since donated several amounts to him, prominent among

them was Rev. Lawrence Tetteh who donated a brand-new

Daewoo Matrix to him.

The icing on the cake is the employment offer given him

by The Church of Pentecost Headquarters.

Kwesi Ackon is a member of The Church of Pentecost and

fellowships at the Onyeametease Assembly in the Kokomlemle

District in the La Area of the church.

Pay 68 days of feeding

pupils to caterers

Story: Prosper Kwaku

Selassy Agbitor

Member of Parliament

for Builsa

South, Dr.

Clement Apaak,

has urged the

government to pay the 68 days

of feeding owed caterers.

He also added that the payment

must reflect the amount

of Ghp 0.97 per child per day.

The Builsa South MP explained

that the payment of

the amount owed the caterers

would enable the affected pupils

to return to their classrooms.

His call follows the government's

decision to place a

premium on building a Cathedral

to keep over 1.67 million

Ghanaian children in school

and failure to increase the demeaning

GHS0.97 per head per

day to a dignified feeding fee.

The situation, according to

the deputy ranking member,

was dire such that any further

delay in holding back monies

owed caterers under the School

Feeding Programme would affect

the academic calendar.

The caterers, he added, have

registered their displeasure and

indicated their resolve to discontinue

the programme some

six weeks ago, a situation which

would likely erode the gains of

the programme and completely

ground it.

The sad situation, he

continued, has kept some 1.69

million Ghanaian children out

of school.

According to him, the ripple

effects of the government's

reneging on the payment would

be unbearable for the present

and future of the country.

The Builsa South lawmaker

said the government has in lieu

of payment reneged and has

taken preference rather on the

building a Cathedral to feeding

Ghanaian children.

"Monday, June 13th, marked

the sixth week since caterers

under the School Feeding

Programme placed on record

their plight to government on

their inability to continue to

render services, while the government

decided to arrogantly

continue to erode their meagre

savings spent to sustain the

programme which is affected

and whittled away by registered

micro economic indicators", he

sadly said.

"These caterers have since

embarked on an industrial

action to register their abhorrence

and protest of the ill and

unfair treatment meted out to

them by the government.

...This action was meant to

bring to the notice of heads of

the concerned ministry and

agency if the above-raised

issues haven't yet reached

them,", he added.

He, therefore, urged the

government to do the needful

by making immediate payment

for the feeding of pupils for 68

days at the current rate of Ghp

0.97 per child per day.

He further proposed an

increment in the allocation

from Ghp 0.97 per child per day

in light of the high cost of food

items.

It would be recalled that the

then Kufuor administration

established the school feeding

programme for good reasons.

The feeding programme housed

under the Ministry of Gender,

Children and Social Protection,

is to amongst others, increase

school enrollment, attendance

and retention of school children

in school. The programme

is also meant to reduce hunger

and malnutrition amongst

pupils in addition to enhancing

domestic food production,

especially in deprived and rural

agrarian communities across

the country.

Sadly, but legitimately, Dr

Apaak noted that caterers engaged

to provide these services

have been on strike for the

past six weeks with legitimate

demands which include:

a) immediate payment for

the feeding of pupils for 68 days

at the current rate of Ghp 0.97

per child per day; and

b) an increment of the allocation

from Ghp 0.97 per child

per day in light of the high cost

of food items.

The caterers, according

to the ranking member, have

contracted loans from various

financial institutions and taken

supplies of food items on credit

from suppliers to meet the demands

of their contract.

He, therefore, urged that

the immediate payment by the

government would enable the

caterers pay off their debts and

sustain a credit-worthy status.

"Their situation is exacerbated

by their creditors who

are on their necks each day

and night. In addition, if the

payment must be at the cur-

rent rate of Ghp 0.97 per pupil

per day, it will be practically

impossible for them to prepare

a decent meal at the prevailing

current economic conditions",

he observed.

"Accordingly, the caterers

have a legitimate case. What

decent meal can be provided at

Ghp 0.97 in Ghana today; with

this high cost of living and with

galloping inflation, particularly

the exponential growth rate

of inflation on food items, at

these dizzying levels? This is

particularly worrying and calls

for responsible leadership to

address these pertinent legitimate

calls," Dr Apaak said.

The absence of those service

providers, the Builsa South

MP revealed, has so far affected

school attendance as the

absence of the caterers has had

a direct relation to the attendance

of pupils, especially those

in the lower primary in the

rural and deprived poor communities.

"In other words, several

numbers of the 1.69 million

pupil-beneficiaries of this

programme delivered through

these caterers, who were fed

before the curtailment, brought

about through the strike, are

currently not attending school

and may not return if the

government does not address

the pending issues raised by

these service providers, “he

cautioned.

"It beats my imagination

how the attitude of government

seems lethargic in addressing

this urgent matter. Those who

share this position cannot be

faulted when the government

continues to exhibit these

hardcore traits of insensitivity

to the plight of the deprived

and the most vulnerable in our

society", he lamented.

He maintained that the

government could not claim

funding was the issue when it

has become evident that huge

sums of taxpayers’ money have

been clandestinely released

towards the fulfilment of a

private and personal pledge to

build a cathedral.

DAILY ANALYST


Perspective

Children's mental health

and the digital world: how

to get the balance right

Technology has

increasingly

blurred the

boundaries between

the physical

and digital worlds. This

has led to dramatic shifts in

daily life and changed the

way children and adolescents

live, socialise, move

around and learn.

Never before has this

been so evident than at the

onset of the COVID pandemic

and the subsequent

exponential rise in technology

and internet use. Global

estimates suggest that one

in three internet users is a

child.

Digital technology

exposes children to information,

social connection,

education, online support

groups and professional

help. Yet, children engaging

in the digital world are

also exposed to a range of

threats. These include inappropriate

content (violent or

sexual), undesirable contact

with strangers and online

bullying and victimisation.

The South African Child

Gauge is an annual publication

that aims to report on

and monitor the situation

of children in South Africa,

in particular the realisation

of their rights. This year, the

theme of the report focuses

on child and adolescent

mental health.

Lately, there's been increasing

public debate and

concern that digital technologies

may contribute

to mental health problems

such as depression, selfharm

and suicide among

adolescents and children.

To contribute to the collective

understanding of

the experiences and consequences

of growing up in a

digital world, our chapter in

the Child Gauge report aims

to interrogate the impact of

digital worlds on children's

mental health. We also want

to provide recommendations

for policy and practice.

How South African chil-

dren use digital technology

South Africa has approximately

38 million internet

users (1.5 million households)

. Children most often

go online on smartphones,

using mobile data at home,

and the level of online engagement

increases as children

become older. Mobile

phone plans in South Africa

also provide free or cheaper

access to social media platforms,

resulting in social

media use being much more

prevalent than any other

online activity, driving the

content that children engage

with online.

The relationship between

digital technology and mental

health is complex.

Understanding the impact

of the digital environment

on children's mental

health requires a balanced

consideration of not only

the potential risks, but also

the benefits of the online

world.

Not all exposure to online

threats leads to harm.

For example, participation

in a public Facebook group

could put a child at risk of

sexual grooming, because

adults sometimes pose as

children. But, this won't

necessarily lead to harm if

a child is able to prevent,

foresee and manage the attempted

harassment.

Adolescents struggling

with offline mental health

problems may be more

likely than others to seek

out negative content online.

This may amplify their existing

mental health issues

and may result in self harm

. But social media may also

be a source of mental health

information, support and

professional help.

It's therefore useful

to consider how to foster

the (digital) resilience of

children so that they understand

what risks they

are likely to encounter at

different ages and know

when they are at risk. It's

also important that they

know what to do and how to

recover from adverse experiences.

Keeping children safe

online

Realising the benefits of

technology for children's

mental health and wellbeing,

while restricting

exposure to online threats,

requires a holistic approach.

This includes recognising

the role that parents

and caregivers, educators,

government regulators, tech

companies, and children

themselves have to play in

promoting children's mental

health and well-being

in all aspects of children's

online engagement.

Parents often think that

banning social media and

the internet will keep their

children safe, but that's not

the case. Banning internet

use may result in children

being socially excluded or

prevent them from accessing

mental health services

or information.

While parental controls

and surveillance tech have

their place, it's the internal

safeguards like empathy,

resilience and values that

are more powerful and

serve children throughout

their lives, whether online

or offline.

Parents need to start

an open dialogue with

their children. This will

build rapport and allow

children to open up about

their social media use.

Parents should model good

citizenship (social literacy,

community engagement,

accountability, respecting

others' rights and perspectives)

and healthy digital

habits for their children as

well.

The technology industry

has a huge part to play in

designing products with

the best interests of the

child in mind. The privacy

of young users' personal

data needs to be protected

and their right to freedom

of expression needs to be

preserved. Systems need to

be put in place to address

violations of children's

rights when they occur.

School policies, regulations

and guidelines should

aim to balance the protection

of children with their

rights to privacy and to use

technology in a way that's

appropriate to their age.

Such policies should promote

positive use of digital

technologies, while taking

steps to restrict access to

harmful content.

Training for educators

is also needed so that they

can identify children who

exhibit symptoms of trauma

or distress as a result of

online harm and can refer

them to psycho-social support

services.

Finally, and most importantly,

children need access

to information, education

and training to support the

development of their own

digital literacy skills. They

must feel confident to seek

help when needed and know

that it will be provided.

Dr Rachana Desai is a

contributor of the South African

Child Gauge 2021/2022.

This annual report on the

status of South Africa's

children is published by the

Children's Institute, University

of Cape Town in partnership

with the DSI-NRF

Centre of Excellence in Human

Development, University

of the Witwatersrand;

UNICEF South Africa; the

Standard Bank Tutuwa

Community Foundation and

The LEGO Foundation.

Rachana Desai receives

funding from DSIT/NRF

Centre of Excellence in Human

Development

By Rachana Desai, Postdoctoral

Research Fellow,

University of the Witwatersrand

Page 6


Charles Bissue poised to beat John Boadu

Story: Freeman

Koryekpor Awlesu

An aspiring General

Secretary of the

New Patriotic Party

(NPP), Mr. Charles

Onuawonto Bissue,

defied a heavy downpour on

Thursday, June, 15, 2022, to officially

file his nomination which

gives him the legal backing to

contest the position of the NPP

general Secretaryship.

Mr. Bissue, who is a staunch

member of the NPP, filed his

nomination documents around

1:17 p.m., on Wednesday l, June

tary elections in the 2024 poll.

Addressing journalists at the

NPP headquarters in Accra after

filing his papers, Mr. Bissue reiterated

that the current national

executives of the NPP have to be

changed and a new crop of leaders

elected to steer affairs of the

party going into the 2024 general

election.

According to him, he believes

that he was the man for the job

and called on delegates and members

of the NPP to vote massively

for him to win the race to unseat

the incumbent General Secretary

of the NPP, Mr. John Boadu.

The former Western Regional

General Secretary of the NPP said

his experiences garnered over the

years have prepared him for the

position at the national level.

He assured that when elected

the General Secretary, he would

certainly perform well to transform

the structures and foundations

of the NPP at national,

regional and constituency levels.

“If I can deliver at the regional

level then it means at the

national level I should be able to

tell you which seats we will win

and name them. Politics is now

scientific, it is about strategy

and not mere talk anymore,” he

noted.

He indicated that his agenda

when given the opportunity to

vative strategies with the new

crop of leaders to win the 2024

general election and l know lam

the best to be elected by the delegates

and members of the NPP to

bring the eight-year jinx.

"I am not saying that those

who are in the current leadership

positions have not performed to

manage the party well but what l

mean is that l have vast experiences

to feel the general Secretary

position to lead the party to

win the 2024 general election,"

Mr. Bissue stressed.

He said "every one has contributed

his or her quota to the

development of the NPP but he

always said that each time or

everytime has its own leader and

he thinks "our NPP is very efficient

political party and l think it

needs to be managed effectively

with new leaders this time round

to break 8 years jinx.'

He asserted that the NPP

needs to be modernised and that

our forefathers left them with a

great party and "going forward

we need to modernise the party

to keep up with the times.

He indicated that it was time

for all the members to compete

so that the party can benefit from

the contest.

Writer's email koryekporfreeman@yahoo.com

Green Ghana Project: We’re Planting

Trees On Litigation-Free Lands

Story: Freeman

Koryekpor Awlesu

The Ministry of Lands

and Natural Resources

and Forestry Commission

of Ghana have

stated categorically that

the various lands on which the

government was platting trees

under the Green Ghana Project

were litigation-free and gave the

assurance that the trees planted

on these lands were safe for future

generations.

According to the two state

institutions, the government has

taken due diligence before acquiring

such lands, adding that the

central government has genuinely

and legally secured such lands

from the various chiefs and custodian

owners.

They pointed out that since

the commencement of the

ambitious project in the sixteen

(16) regions of the country, the

government has not encountered

any challenge in connection with

any land litigation.

"The chiefs in the various

communities we are planning the

trees have showed us the places

we should plant the trees to save

the environment," they stressed.

The Deputy Minister for Lands

and Natural Resources, Mr. Benito

Owusu Bio, and the Chief Executive

Officer (CEO) of Forestry Commission,

Mr. John Allotey, jointly

disclosed this at a crowded press

conference in Accra on Monday,

June 13, 2022.

The press conference, which

was held at the conference hall

of the Commission in Accra, was

aimed at updating the general

15, 2022, after the leadership of

the National Election Committee

of the party had scrutinised

the forms and satisfied with his

documents.

He did not go through any

problems while filing his nomination

forms to contest the NPP

secretaryship race because he is

in good standing as a member

of the NPP who usually pays his

dues regularly.

This development has clarified

that Mr. Bissue is the best

candidate for NPP secretaryship

position and that voting for him

to win the slot would give the

chance to the party to win both

the presidential and parliamenpublic

on the achievements so far

chalked in the implementation of

the tree planting exercise across

the 16 regions.

Addressing journalists, Mr.

Owusu Bio, who doubles as the

Member of Parliament for Atwima

Nwabiagya North Constituency

in the Ashanti Region, noted that

they were carefully protecting

the various tress that they have

planted so far across the country,

and urged Ghanaians to support

the government's Green Ghana

Project agenda to fight forest

reserves depletion.

Mr. Owusu Bio expressed his

appreciation to the Forestry Commission,

the National Alternative

and Livelihood Employment Project

(NALEP), the Ghana Forest Investment

Programme (GFIP), the

Forest Plantation Development

Fund Board; Parks and Gardens,

Richie Plantations, and other Private

Plantation Growers, for the

great job done in organising and

making over 20 million seedlings

readily available for planting on

the Green Ghana Day across all

the 16 regions.

He also congratulated his

Ministry of Lands and Natural

Resources, led by Mr. Samuel Abu

Jinapor, to the millions of Ghanaians

and non-Ghanaians resident

in Ghana, who participated in the

2022 edition of the Green Ghana

Day on Friday, June 10, 2022.

According to the Deputy

Minister who also doubles as the

Chairman of the Green Ghana

Planting Committee, the participation

in this year’s Green Ghana

Day was so overwhelming that

the heavy rains that were recorded

across the country could not

even stop people from picking up

seedlings and planting them in

spite of the rains.

This, he stressed, clearly

demonstrated that under the right

leadership and proper arrangements

the people of Ghana were

committed to supporting government’s

efforts to restore "our

degraded landscapes, beautify

"our environment and also fight

climate change and its adverse

impacts on national development

and livelihoods."

"I am particularly thankful to

H.E the President of the Republic,

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,

for leading the nation through a

colourful commemorative tree

planting ceremony on Friday, June

10, 2022, the Green Ghana Day

at the Efua Sutherland Children

Park, where he planted his tree.

"I am equally thankful to H.E

the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu

Bawumia, and the entire team at

the Presidency for their support

and participation in the tree

planting exercise.

"Let me also take this opportunity

to thank Ex-President J.A.

Kufuor; Speaker of Parliament,

Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin; the Chief

Justice, Kwasi Anim Yeboah; the

Chief of Staff, Mrs. Akosua Frema

Opare; the Ga Mantse, King Teiko

Tsuru II; the Asantehene, Otumfuo

Osei Tutu II; the Okyehene,

Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin; the

Overlord of the Dagbon Traditional

Area, Yaa Naa Abubakari Mahama

II; the National Chief Imam,

Sheikh Sharubutu Osmanu; the

Chairman and Members of the

Council of State; the President and

Members of the National House

of Chiefs, Colleague Ministers

lead the party as the General Secretary

is to solidify the structures

within the party, as well as the

credibility and fortunes of the

party in general.

He emphasised that the

dynamics going into the 2024

election and future events were

exclusively different from what

the party and its leadership had

experienced, adding that “the

new season calls for new but

great leadership.”

He noted that the NPP has

accomplished great feats yet

there was more to be undertaken

to modernising it and make it

more effective in dealing with

its internal affairs as much as it

aims at winning the votes of the

Ghanaian electorate.

The general secretary hopeful

indicated that the change he

wishes to effect in the party was

anchored on inclusiveness and

sustainable collaborations within

the party and with the government.

"I am a member of the National

Council of the NPP and the

reasons why l decided to contest

the General Secretary position

stems from the fact that in 2024

we are going for election, and

that l believe that we have to

break the eight years agenda of

the NPP.

"We have to come with innoof

State and Members of Parliament;

Members of the Diplomatic

Corps, the Clergy and faith based

organizations, CSOs, the Security

Services, Staff of various Ministries,

Staff and Students of Ghana

Education Service, Technical and

Vocational Institutions, Corporate

Ghana and the General Public for

the tremendous support and corporation

we received on Friday,"

he added.

He further congratulated the

former President John Dramani

Mahama for showing his statesmanship

to join the exercise.

Mr Owusu Bio stressed that

having observed the Green

Ghana Day on June 10, what was

paramount now was to ensure

that “we maintain what has been

planted.

He stated that Ghanaians

needed to make a conscious effort

to nurture the tress by watering

them, protecting them from

destruction, preventing fires,

weeding under them until they

grow to maturity.

"We are fortunate that we have

good rains at the moment and we

expect high survival rate this year

more than the 85 per cent survival

rate last year," he said.

According to him, his outfit

has put in place a Monitoring

and Assessment Team under

the Chairmanship of Mr. Francis

Manu-Adabor, who is the Chairman

of the Parliamentary Select

Committee to undertake comprehensive

field assessment of trees

planted this year.

Against this backdrop, Mr.

Owusu Bio stressed the need for

media practitioners in the country

to continue with the extensive

awareness and sensitisation of the

general public on the importance

of trees and the need to plant even

more beyond the Green Ghana

Day

Ḣe thanked the Minister for

Lands and Natural Resources, Hon.

Samuel A. Jinapor, who doubles as

the MP for Damongo, for showing

strong leadership in implementing

the vision of H.E. the President

on saving the environment

and creating a greener future for

our generations yet unborn.

Writer's email: koryekporfreeman@yahoo.com

DAILY ANALYST


The Volta Region House

of Chiefs has appealed

to the management

of the University of

Health and Allied

Sciences (UHAS) to help develop

an overlooked herbal medicinal

potential in the Region.

The call was made by Osie

Adza Terkpor, Paramount

Chief of Avatime, who invited

the university to explore

both adventure tourism and

herbal medicinal development

partnerships.

“Volta is a unique region. The

pharmaceutical industry thrives

on herbs, which abound in the

Volta Region. God has blessed the

land with medicinal trees and

herbs,” he said.

The Paramount Chief also

called for the cultivation of

medicinal trees.

On the development of sports

disciplines in the region, Osie

Adza Terkpor said: “Avatime

can host a sports college,” and

called for advantage be taken

topography of the mountainous

landscape, which includes its

height and weather.

Members of the House had

called on the Leadership of the

University to congratulate them

on their speedy advancement

and achievements, as it got

ranked among the top tertiary

institutions in the Country, less

than a decade after its

establishment.

Togbe Tepre Hodo, President

Chiefs urges UHAS to develop

Herbal Medicine potential in V/R

of the House who led the

Executive Committee to the

University on the visit, said the

herbal and traditional medicine

initiative was “very exciting”,

and was glad the University had

been placed to help facilitate its

realization.

“Scientific backing for herbal

and traditional medicine would

help bring a new psyche around

these things,” he said.

Togbe Tepre Hodo extended

congratulatory messages to

the University on the behalf of

traditional leaders in the Region

and appealed to the Government

to provide unlimited support to

the prime institution.

“We the members of the Volta

Region House of Chief want to

congratulate management for

the outstanding performance.

You should be proud of what you

have achieved in just ten years,”

he stated.

Professor John Owusu

Gyapong, Vice Chancellor of the

University, praised stakeholders

including the Government and

traditional authorities, while

noting the support of a “very

excellent,” and “supportive

management team.”

He said the University’s

growth overshot available

infrastructure as it worked to

fill needs in health research

and professional training and

should be considered for space

expansion.

“The University is in good

hands and is still rising,” the Vice

Chancellor assured, mentioning

the successful inception of

several graduate programs

among other initiatives.

Prof Gyapong called attention

to the low vaccination score the

Region had been tagged with

and appealed to traditional

authorities to help address the

challenge.

The UHAS marks its tenth

anniversary this year and is

celebrating feats including

owning some of the top scientists

in the country and counting

among the top universities.

People have lost faith in

democracy’s ability to

improve lives -Bagbin

Junior Achievement Africa launches program

to equip youth with entrepreneurial skills

As part of efforts

to economically

empower Africa’s

youth, Junior

Achievement (JA)

Africa, a non-governmental

organisation has launched a

program dubbed “Our Future-

Tomorrow’s Innovators”.

The program, which is

in partnership with Boeing,

a leading global aerospace

company, and in collaboration

with INJAZ Al-Arab, seeks to

train over 5,000 youth in Africa

with the necessary digital and

innovative skills to become

leaders in their chosen fields.

Addressing the media, the

Chief Executive Officer of JA

Africa, Simi Nwogugu, says

the program will help bridge

the unemployment gap in the

country.

“Today we’ve launched

the partnership between JA,

Africa and Boeing, and they are

sponsoring STEM initiatives all

over the world. But in Africa,

they’ve chosen to partner

with us to support digital

entrepreneurship, which is

entrepreneurship for young

people as well as digital skills for

those who would like to seek jobs

of the future.”

“We are only creating about

3,000,000 jobs, so really there are

not enough jobs for the young

people in Africa, so that’s why

we’re turning these young people

into job creators that they will

start businesses and hire their

fellow young people”.

The President of Boeing

Middle East, Turkey and Africa,

Kuljit Ghata-Aura, on the

other hand, said his outfit is

determined to also support the

underprivileged in society.

He added that Boeing’s

stage of its partnership with

AJ Africa “will allow an even

greater number of talented

young Africans to reach their full

potential and to leapfrog into a

brighter future”.

Louisa Adjei Tawaih is one

of the beneficiaries of the JA

program and a student of the

Aburi Senior High School. She

applauded JA Africa for such an

initiative. She indicated that

the opportunity given her and

her colleagues is a step toward

becoming entrepreneurs in the

future.

About JA Africa

Junior Achievement (JA)

Africa equips young Africans

with the employment and

entrepreneurship skillsets and

mindsets they need to build

thriving communities.

Through the delivery of

financial literacy, work readiness,

and entrepreneurship training

and in collaboration with schools,

technical, vocational centres and

other partners. JA Africa works

in 13 countries including Ghana,

Nigeria, Sierra-Leonne, Kenya.

Alban. S. K. Bagbin,

Speaker of

Parliament, has

stated that many

citizens have lost

faith in democracy’s ability and

promise to improve their lives.

Speaking at the University

of Professional Studies (UPSA),

Accra, on the occasion of the

‘Third Eminent Guest Lecture

Series on the topic, “The Future

of Parliament in Ghana’s

Democratic Governance”, Alban.

S. K. Bagbin noted that the

wave of disillusionment that

has affected many countries,

including Ghana, should be

reversed to restore hope in

the power and promise of

democracy.

Speaker, Alban. S. K.

Bagbin said the importance of

strengthening Parliament’s

oversight drive, acknowledging

that while Parliament is

endowed with broad powers

under several Articles of the

1992 Constitution (103, 69, 82,

181, and so on), the Legislature’s

oversight mandate has been the

weakest link during the Fourth

Republic.

According to him, that

the only way to effectively

implement this oversight

function in order to improve

accountability and transparency

is for both sides of the House to

take a bipartisan and neutral

approach in how Parliament

monitors the management of

the State and its resources.

“The economic incentives

and carrots that can be gained

for siding with the executive,

facilitated by extreme loyalty

and strict party discipline,” he

said, “have all contributed to

the weakening of Parliament’s

position and oversight power.”

“Despite the design of the

Constitution, Parliament has

the power of the purse, and

approval from the Consolidated

Fund can only be given by

Parliament for government

to undertake their projects.

The current arrangement, in

which the Executive approves

Parliament’s own budget, has

the potential to undermine the

legislature’s oversight capacity,”

he explained.

Bagbin also called for

strategic engagements,

consensus building, and conflict

resolution, which will provide

a channel for both sides of the

House to approach societal

issues with a single goal in

mind: the interests of the

Ghanaian people.

Page 8

Health


The Ministry of Health

(MOH) and Ghana

Health Service

(GHS) are working

to improve access to

medicines and medical supplies

as an essential requirement for

the health and prosperity of

Ghanaians.

In view of this, they are

receiving technical support

from the Global Health Supply

Chain-Procurement and Supply

Management (GHSC-PSM) Programme,

to implement interventions

to strengthen the supply

management of health commodities

within the health sector,

to ensure interrupted access

to high quality and affordable

health commodities at the last

mile.

Under the partnership, a new

Health Commodity Supply Chain

Master Plan (SCMP) spanning

between 2021 and 2025 has been

developed to provide strategic

direction and guidance for the

implementation of supply chain

interventions over the next five

years.

Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu,

the Minister of Health, in Accra,

launched the Master Plan and

re-inaugurated the Procurement

and Supply Committee Technical

Working Group (PSC-TWG)

whose work was interrupted by

the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

He said the Ministry was

working to improve capacity of

the Supply Chain (SC) to forecast,

procure, and deliver essential

medicines, and this ought to be

driven by strategic leadership

and collaboration to achieve

Ghana’s vision regarding the

Sustainable Development Goals

(SDG) and the Universal Health

Coverage (UHC).

He explained that the previous

SCMP 2015 to 2020, systematically

identified challenges in

Ghana’s public health SC, outlined

objectives for the future,

MoH Launches Health Commodity

Supply Chain Master Plan

and proposed interventions.

He however mentioned some

major achievements worth

recognizing over its implementation

as the progress in the

development of national policies,

guidelines, and Standard

Operating Procedures (SOPs);

scheduled deliveries to service

delivery point (SDP) – the last

mile delivery (LMD); as well as

in the design and rollout of the

Ghana Integrated Logistics Management

Information System

(GhiLMIS).

Mr Agyeman-Manu said in

strategic alliance with health

partners, notably the Global

Fund and USAID, the MOH and

its agencies also implemented

SC reforms that witnessed a successful

adoption of framework

contracting mechanism for procurement

of critical, lifesaving

and high-value health commodities

at competitive prices.

He mentioned other achievements

as the development of a

warehousing policy based on

network optimization, deployment

of aerial unmanned

vehicles (drones), to augment

the last mile distribution efforts

especially to hard-to-reach areas

that needed lifesaving health

commodities for emergency

care, and the institutionalisation

of SC coordination and governance

framework at all levels of

A/R: Health Directorate engages artisans

on prevention of lead poisoning

The Ashanti Regional

Health Directorate

has engaged selected

artisans, scrap dealers,

scavengers, and

automotive mechanics on the

prevention of lead poisoning

as part of a campaign to reduce

exposure to lead, especially

among children.

A total of 105 participants

drawn from seven implementing

Municipalities including Asokore

Mampong, Suame, Afigya

Kabre South, Asokwa, Atwima

Nwabiagya North and Kumasi

Metro were engaged.

The campaign dubbed,

“UNICEF/GHS Communication

for Development – Lead

Poisoning Prevention is being

funded by the United Nations

Children Fund (UNICEF).

It seeks to create public

awareness to the harmful effects

of lead to the human body,

especially children.

The sensitisation was,

therefore, aimed at drawing the

attention of the participants the

damage lead was silently causing

in their work, homes and the

environment.

This way, they can educate

their colleagues on how to

prevent lead poisoning and also

aid the work of health workers

when they visit their workplaces

and communities to talk about

lead poisoning.

Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang,

the Regional Director of Health

Services who welcomed the

participants, reminded them of

the role they could play to reduce

the risk of exposure to lead as

industry players.

He said the nature of their

work made them vulnerable to

lead poisoning and advised them

to use protective gears to reduce

the risk.

He charged them to be

advocates for awareness creation

to complement efforts of health

workers to save lives.

Dr Michael Rockson Adjei,

the Deputy Director in Charge of

Public Health, said 240 million

were globally overexposed to lead

poisoning with a chunk being in

developing countries.

He said the greatest burden

of lead poisoning was in low

and middle income countries,

saying that such countries were

susceptible due to poor nutrition,

high proportion of children, few

regulations on lead industries

and absence of health screening

programmes.

Children living in older

houses, pregnant women and

developing foetus are mostly at

risk of lead exposure, Dr Adjei

indicated.

According to him, pregnant

women could pass lead to

their unborn children which

often caused brain damage,

resulting in lowered Intelligence

Quotient (IQ), learning

disabilities, attention deficit and

hyperactivity.

The Deputy Director said

there were often no visible

symptoms of lead in the

individual and that the only way

to determine high blood lead

level was a blood test.

He said the more lead one

was exposed to over time, the

greater the person’s risk of

disease and stressed the need

for the participants to protect

themselves and the families,

especially children.

the value chain.

The health minister said

an assessment of these recent

achievements and remaining

challenges in the SCMP 2015 to

2020 clearly showed that there

remained a few interventions for

the Ministry to meet its goals.

Mr Agyeman-Manu said the

new SCMP would over a five-year

period, direct efforts towards

achieving the health-related

SDGs and UHC, and encouraged

the PSC-TWG to work hard to

sustain Ghana’s image on the

global health arena as an epitome

of hope for quality healthcare

delivery in the West African

sub-region.

He also thanked all the health

partners for their sustained

support, and called for massive

stakeholder collaboration for the

successful implementation of the

Master Plan.

Mr Leslie Vanderpuijie, the

Chief Pharmacist for Eastern

Region, gave an update on the

Supply Chain Reforms, including

the key interventions and

achievements as earlier men-

Ghanaians were advised

to consume more

mushrooms which

contains minerals that

boost the immune

system.

Mr Maganoba Charles,

the Chief Executive Officer

of Maganoba Farms who

produces mushrooms in the

Northern region indicated that

a research conducted by LISA

Muicahy International noted

that mushrooms have a lot of

minerals such as selenium,

potassium, copper, iron and

phosphorus that are not often

found in plant-derived foods.

He said mushrooms contain a

super-high concentration of two

antioxidants and glutathione

which play a vital role in the

body.

Mr Maganoba gave the advice

in an interview with Ghana

News Agency in Tamale.

He recommended that

the public should eat more

tioned by the Health Minister in

his address.

He however said Ghana was

yet to reach the target of Abuja

Declaration on Health Commodity

Supply Chain, due to the

saddled challenges, such as poor

management and accountability

at various levels affecting working

capitals of medicines, and

financial sustainability.

There was also the issue of

low quality of human resources

as in health procurement professionals,

as well as the absence

of monitoring and evaluation

on the capabilities of key supply

chain milestones.

Dr Edward Bright Agyekum,

the Director, Procurement

and Supply Chain, MOH, said

the new SCMP focused on the

four transformation pillars of

sustainability, transparency,

innovation, and collaboration,

to ensure consistent emphasis

and connection to the ultimate

national goals by addressing the

identified weaknesses in the

previous Master Plan.

Ghanaians advised to

consume mushrooms to

enhance their health

mushrooms, which also contain

potassium which helps in

boosting the memory and also

promote heart health.

He said mushrooms help

recipes taste better in place

of salt because they contain

glutamate rib nucleotides.

He mentions that

mushrooms can also replace

red meat in any dish to reduce

calories, fat, and cholesterol

from the food.

Mr Maganoba said eating

mushrooms regularly will

increase vitamin D requirement

and make bones very strong.

He stated that mushrooms

also aid the body with energy

from the food consumed and

produce red blood cells, which

carry oxygen throughout the

body.

He encouraged citizens to

eat more mushrooms to improve

immune nutrients in the body to

enhance health.

DAILY ANALYST


Convicts are rotten to

death in Ghanaian prisons

I

paid a visit to two prisons:

a prison in Ghana and a

prison in Finland. In the

Ghanaian prison, convicts

were packed on the bare

floor like sardines. Many of them

had serious skin rashes, sores

and teeth decay. Most often those

who die are not released to their

families but are buried in mass

graves.

However, prison conditions

in Finland are far different

from Ghana. The authorities

in Finland believe that prisons

must be a place of correction

and not punishment. In Ghana

the opposite is the case. Prisoners

in Finland sleep in rooms

with comfortable beds. Unlike

prisoners in Ghana, the Finnish

prisoners are taken to the gym

to exercise their bodies. Prisoners

in Ghana do not acquire any

special skills while in prison.

Their counterparts in Finland are

taken to factories where many

products including furniture

are made. It is a well-known fact

that the Swedish company, IKEA,

which has branches in Finland

and many European countries,

use prisoners to produce furniture

and other products. So, by

the time the prisoner leaves the

prison, he has acquired a skill already

and can easily be employed

by any furniture company.

Since 1999, there are some

people whose cases had not yet

been decided in court because

the judges went for a brief hol-

What has

changed today,

if any, is the

mind of the

world; just ask

a few things from any person

anywhere in any big or small

city of the world. The response

will be crisp, the knowledge

and awareness noticeable but

definitely far superior where it

was just a couple of years ago.

Post-Covid mind has advanced,

the social distance, the isolation;

remoteness and the global

chaos all have taught the global

populace to become aware of the

surroundings. Free falling rains

of technologies have rapidly

fertilized the minds with knowledge

and opened additional

options.

Long awaited, the SME of Africa

needs guidance necessary to

upskill and to bring out the final

touches to enlarge the scope of

quality and market expansion

and allow the SME to grow like

a solid organization. Something

presently missing, absent in the

current university education,

and equally not available from

any government agencies. This

is not about a classroom of two

dozen SME; this is national mobilization

of entrepreneurialism,

therefore, mastery of multiple

dimensions is a prerequisite to

drive such deployments.

Nothing happens when

silence dominates, as achievements

of extraordinary heights

like, what are the prime missing

links in national mobilization

of the SME economies? How

fast can the local trade groups

and chambers come together to

initial orientations and upskilling

to manage such integrated

deployments? What is your

national economic leadership

thinking? What are your bigger

goals across the continent and

global markets? Where is your

authoritative expertise on such

affairs and how are you planning

to lead uplifting of the economy?

Africa is opening fast already

with a great future ahead and

uplifting the youthful populaiday.

When they returned, they

completely forgot those suspects

who had been remanded in custody.

This unfortunate situation

came to public knowledge when

a concerned lawyer began an investigation

on forgotten suspects

in remand. The lawyer was able

to count 45 people who had been

in remand for 25 years! This is

an unacceptable maltreatment

without any reason. The lawyer

worked hard for their release and

also applied for compensation for

them. They all had skin rashes.

By the time of their release five

were reported dead.

Many people are languishing

in jail due to deliberate misjudgement

by the court. Very

often defendants who know they

will lose in a case contact the

presiding judge either in his office

or home and pay huge bribes

in order to overturn the case

against the complainant. The

latter who should have been the

innocent one is sent to prison. It

was not by accident that Ghanaians

heard of the unremitting

performance of Anas Aremeyaw

Anas concerning secret and the

vigorous detective work he did

which unmasked the judges and

caught several of them in the

corruption net. About eight judges

were dismissed for receiving

bribes including large sums of

money, goats, chicken, yams and

plantain. What a shame!

There are two types of

prisoners: there are those for

demand deeper foundations as

piling up dirt creates neither

a mountain nor just holding

water a dam. Nation by nation

the critical needs to uplift SME

economies is the hidden call of

the national agenda.

The African Advantage:

while, global-age competitiveness

and higher expectancies all

combined like a perfect storm,

strong enough to rip apart any

disorganized economy anywhere

across the world, at the

same time, each nation now has

amazing opportunities to uplift

economic performances by using

new mindsets for new advanced

trade winds. What are the missing

links?

Meritocracy is only painful

when refusing change. Therefore,

national mobilization of

entrepreneurialism is only possible

when job creator mindsets

deliver bold narratives. Nothing

happens when silence dominates.

Across Africa, those nations

already planning the “National

Mobilization of SME Entrepreneurialism

'' needs learning the

procedures on how to digitize,

in stages, mobilize in sequences

and highlight 5K to 50K SME

hardened criminals who have

committed serious crimes like

armed robbery, murder, rape,

printing fake currency notes.

The second group are those who

are completely innocent but

were convicted to serve jail term

due to the dishonesty of certain

judges who have received bribes

from the guilty ones. The sad

thing is that all types of criminals

are put together in the same

cell. Homosexuality is common

in prisons. Innocent ones who

know nothing about sodomy are

forced into it. Many return from

prison as practising homosexuals.

This does not augur well for

the country.

Prison statistics from 6th

June 2022 show a male majority

in the prisons. Male convict

prisoners stood at 12,530 while

female prisoners remained at 122.

Remand prisoners who are male

were 1250 and females were 35.

Ghana Prison Service is supposed

to be a back-up to Ghana's criminal

justice system. It is supposed

to be an effective, humane and

secure penal system governed by

law. Is this effective, humane and

secure penal system a reality in

Ghanaian prisons?

Since 1961 Amnesty International

and human right groups

protested against the rot and

deaths in Ghanaian. prisons. Nkrumah

paid deaf ears to the plea

of Amnesty International since

most of those detained were

political prisoners. A lot of deaths

across the nation systematically

and make them dance

on global digital platforms of

upskilling exporters, reskilling

manufacturers and quadrupling

exportability. The programs are

deployment-ready for regional

or national customization. The

big picture

This is like a revolution

in a shoebox, mobilization in

"simultaneous synchronization"

deployments with hyper-efficiencies,

in any progressive

African region in any high

potential economic sector. The

most important are the African

questions; nation-by-nation,

Opinion

were recorded and many of them

came out from the prison totally

blind after Nkrumah was overthrown.

I once talked to a statistician

at Birth and Death registry in Accra.

What surprised him was that

he had worked for eleven years

as a statistician at the Birth and

death registry but not a single

day has any prison officer

brought the list of dead prisoners

to be registered. The death register

in Ghana will forever remain

inaccurate.

Very often very important

prisoners are released before

they serve their full sentence.

The renowned lawyer, Mr Tsatsu

Tsikata, had to be pardoned

when he became very sick. Mr.

Abuga Pele embezzled millions

of dollars meant for specific

projects in the north. He was

found guilty and imprisoned but

he was pardoned just last year

and walked victoriously out of

prison. The government must

listen to Amnesty International

and improve the conditions at

the various prisons.

Columnist: Stephen Atta

Owusu

Author: Dark Faces at Crossroads

Email: stephen.owusu@

email.com

Uplifting African Economies: SME

Digitization and Entrepreneurship

tions across the continent are on

the right paths and where the

national treasures hidden. Explore

how Expothon is creating

footprints and helping on such

authoritative narratives, study

more on Google.

Such programs are not about

digital websites and SME coaching,

they are all about uplifting

national entrepreneurialism and

5K to 50K SME simultaneously.

With blueprints and options

available on Entrepreneurialization,

Digitization, Commercialization,

and Exportization

to make economic prosperity

happen, what is stopping the

progress, what is creating restless

citizenry? No government

agency of the world is perfect

without constant learning, constant

upskilling and open-minded

vision to change to fit the

changing world. Short video as

any absence of new thinking,

lack of debates and discussions

on global-age expertise to drive

the local nation SME economic

sectors, the largest contributor

of the local economy to new

heights is why national economies

are slipping fast. Study

methodologies The rest is easy.

By Naseem Javed

Page 10

Ghana Interbank

Payment and

Settlement System

(GhIPSS) Instant

Pay transactions hit

GH¢31.4 billion in 2021, from

GH¢420,000 in 2016, as electronic

payment systems continue to

grow rapidly.

In tandem, both the value of

mobile money transactions and

The Vice President, Dr.

Mahamudu Bawumia,

on Wednesday, June

15, 2022, launched

the GhanaPay Mobile

Money Service in Accra.

The GhanaPay is the first

bank-wide mobile money service

offered by universal banks, rural

banks as well as savings and

loans companies to individuals

and businesses.

The GhanaPay service, which

operates like the existing mobile

money service, with additional

banking services, is open to

everyone with access to a mobile

phone (including a yam phone)

with or without a traditional

bank account.

Speaking at the launch,

Dr. Bawumia described the

introduction of the GhanaPay

mobile money service as

“another groundbreaking

initiative”, as the service, he

added, further expands the

government’s vision for financial

inclusion to all Ghanaians

through digital banking.

“One of the biggest

challenges that we faced as a

country was the huge unbanked

population. For a long time,

over 70 percent of the adult

population was unbanked.

However, thanks to reforms

in the payment channels, we

have significantly reduced the

unbanked population,” said the

Vice President.

“It is heart-warming to

know that the banking sector is

increasingly looking for ways

to extend financial inclusion

to all Ghanaians. It is clear that

the entire economy is being

transformed from what I want

to call analogue to digital. The

benefits of this transformation,

which is literally sweeping

Business


GhIPSS Instant Pay hits GH¢31.4bn

registered mobile money agents

also increased thirteen and fourfold,

respectively, in 2021.

Another key development

was that Ghana’s cash usage

measured by currency in

circulation as a ratio of Gross

Domestic Product (GDP) declined

from 6.8% in 2016 to 4.7% in 2021.

In addition, Ghana’s cheque

usage per capita, which was 25.67

in 2016, declined to 18.9 in 2021.

Speaking at the launch of

GhanaPay, a mobile bank wallet

for Banks, Savings and Loans

Companies, as well as Rural and

Community Banks, Governor of

the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest

Addison, said Ghana’s progress

in migrating to electronic

payments has been laudable.

According to him, the

emergence of new business

models in the banking sector,

together with partnerships with

financial technology (FinTechs)

companies in the offering

of payment-related services,

has also helped to bridge the

financial inclusion gap.

Beyond the opportunity to

compete directly on product

offerings and quality of

services, the Governor said the

bank-FinTech collaboration

would help in the realization

of common objectives and

enable participants to achieve

economies of scale in the

expansion of the payment

networks, as well as reach

a critical mass of financial

Bawumia launches bank-wide

mobile money service, GhanaPay

across every sector of the

economy, are enormous, and we

can readily see and experience

some of the benefits,” he added.

“Let me, therefore, commend

the Ghana Association of Banks,

GhIPSS and all institutions

that from the very beginning,

believed in this vision and have

supported it all through to this

point.

“At the rate at which Ghana

is adopting digitisation, it is

clear that in the near future,

almost every part of our lives

will be driven by digitisation.”

While commending banks

and other stakeholders for

coming together to introduce

the GhanaPay, Dr. Bawumia was

optimistic greater financial

inclusion will soon be achieved

in the country through digital

financial services.

“I am particularly excited

that the banks have closed their

ranks and come together to

introduce a shared electronic

wallet, which has been

christened GhanaPay. I see this

as a huge avenue for banks to

rapidly bring more people into

the banking space”.

“GhanaPay takes care of

the bottlenecks associated

with opening of formal bank

accounts, so the banks should

be able to use the GhanaPay

platform to massively reduce

the traditionally unbanked

population.”

“I know we can bring

it (number of unbanked

Ghanaians) down further, and

one of the channels to achieve

this is through digital financing

services; that is leveraging the

increasing adoption and usage of

the mobile wallet because of its

ease of use.”

The GhanaPay, which is

positioned between mobile

money, offered by telcos and

banking, offered by banks, can be

downloaded on Google Play Store

or on Apple Store.

Just like the existing mobile

money services, the GhanaPay,

once registered, can be used to

send and receive money to and

from mobile networks and bank

accounts. It can also be used

to cash in and cash out, buy

airtime, data, and also pay for

goods and services through a

GhQR merchant.

By launching the GhanaPay

mobile money service, Ghana

has achieved another digital

payment landmark by becoming

the first country in the world to

implement a bank-wide mobile

money service.

inclusiveness in the country.

“This collaboration is

commendable and should

therefore be sustained since

payments represent an

indispensable activity for

businesses and individuals.

Improving efficiency in financial

transactions through electronic

payments would not only

increase productivity but also

minimize costs”, he mentioned.

“Today’s launch of GhanaPay

is one of such innovations

in the financial sector that

seeks to address some of the

challenges associated with the

current bank-centric models by

providing an open application

that leverages on the network

infrastructure of the entire

banking industry”, Dr. Addison

added.

With GhanaPay, merchants

do not necessarily need to

maintain banking relationships

with several banks to receive

bill payments from other

bank customers. In addition,

customers only need to

maintain an account with a

bank to make bill payments to

the entire network of customers

and merchants registered with

GhanaPay.

The Chief Executive of

the Private Enterprise

Federation (PEF), Nana

Osei Bonsu, has asked

the Central Bank to

institute a policy that requires

foreign companies in Ghana to

retain some parts of their profits

in Ghana for a period of three

years.

According to him, when this

happens, Ghana is able to retain

more revenue in the country

thereby reducing the pressures

on the cedi.

He also noted that most

foreign firms in Ghana enjoy

some tax relief, therefore, “the

point is, if they’re making the

profit, good…they create jobs,

they create opportunities, let

them leave a chunk of the profit

here to redirect into other

business opportunities. They

should divert some of the profit

into the SME sector so that if you

invest in the SME sector with

GhanaPay, therefore,

facilitates resource pooling from

the entire banking industry

and reduces duplication. It is

expected that the industry will

be guided by this innovation and

continue to retool and respond

to the changing environment.

In a speech to launch

the system, Vice President,

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,

announced that the new digital

age requires collaboration from

all stakeholders, including the

financial services providers,

to ensure a secured payment

ecosystem.

Chief Executive of GhIPSS,

Archie Hesse, said the platform

would be used to tackle the

challenge facing the rural

unbanked population.

According to him, this is

critical for the digital economy

agenda.

“This initiative gives the

banks an opportunity of a

platform to issue mobile money

accounts to customers and

individuals that can’t secure

banking account for one reason

or the other. So, we don’t rely

solely on the fintech and mobile

money agents for transactions

on the mobile money platform.”

Foreign firms in Ghana must

be made to keep part of profit

here for 3 years – PEF

some of the profit, we give you

some benefits.”

“The private sector has been

stifled of funds for so long. Why

can’t the repatriated funds stay

in the country for three or four

years? he questioned. “This will

boost liquidity”, he said in an

interaction with JoyBusiness.

Nana Osei Bonsu further

noted the profits of these foreign

companies should be directed

towards sectors in the economy

that are struggling in terms of

resources.

“Incentivise them; what I

called the affirmative action

in the sense that you want to

direct the profit margins into

sectors that normally wouldn’t

get resources. Because, when you

allowed them [foreign firms] to

repatriate the profit, everybody

is looking for foreign exchange

[dollar] and that foreign

exchange affects the cedi’s

value.”

DAILY ANALYST


Manchester United

are “struggling

to get business

done” in the

summer transfer

window, claims Gary Neville,

with the Red Devils warned

that a lack of movement on the

recruitment front is costing new

boss Erik ten Hag precious time.

Plenty of movement was

predicted at Old Trafford as a

Dutch tactician takes the reins

and an underperforming squad

is overhauled, with the likes of

Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and

Nemanja Matic having been

allowed to leave as free agents.

There have been no new

arrivals outside of the dugout,

though, and Neville fears that –

with Liverpool and Manchester

City getting big-money deals for

Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland

pushed through – United

are in danger of being left further

behind by rivals that they

already trail.

Are Man Utd being left behind?

Neville has said on Twitter

as little substance is found to

the endless rounds of rumours

at Old Trafford: “I know early in

the window but it’s worrying

that United are struggling to get

business done.

“The others seem set and

ready yet United can’t get moving.

“ETH [Ten Hag] needs his

group together asap to mould

them. Bringing them in late will

only make it harder for him.

[Fingers crossed] it happens

soon!”

Lack of transfer

movement costing

Ten Hag precious

time in Red Devils

rebuild

Who have Man Utd been

linked with?

While no fresh faces have

been welcomed into the arrivals

lounge at Old Trafford, there is

plenty of speculation to be found

regarding potential new recruits.

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie

de Jong has emerged as a top

target for United – as a player

that Ten Hag knows well from

his time at Ajax – but no agreement

is in place for a Netherlands

international that GOAL

has learned could be prised from

Camp Nou for around €60 million

(£51m/$62m).

Another creative talent with

ties to Ajax that the Red Devils

continue to be linked with is

Brazil international Antony, with

the 22-year-old winger considered

to be ready for a move away

from the Eredivisie.

Christian Eriksen could also

be drafted in to help carry a playmaking

burden, with the Danish

midfielder available as a free

agent after reaching the end of a

short-term contract at Brentford.

Going back to Ajax, and

Jurrien Timber is considered to

be a potentially shrewd addition

for the Red Devils at centre-half

– while he can also fill in at

right-back.

Villarreal defender Pau Torres

also continues to generate talk

of interest from Manchester, as

does West Ham holding midfielder

Declan Rice, while Inter

right-back Denzel Dumfries may

be lined up to join fellow Dutchman

Ten Hag in the Premier

League.

Barcelona are closing

in on a deal that could

be as important as

any new additions

welcomed through

their doors this summer, with

GOAL able to confirm that Gavi is

posed to sign a new contract at

Camp Nou.

It appeared at one stage as

though the teen sensation – who

finished third on the 2022 GOAL

NXGN list - could be edging

towards the exits in Catalunya,

with Blaugrana president Joan

Laporta revealing that the offer

of fresh terms had not been

accepted by the 17-year-old’s

representatives.

Further discussions have

been held, though, and a deal

that suits all parties is ready to

be penned – much to the relief of

La Liga heavyweights.

Is Gavi going to sign a new

contract at Barcelona?

GOAL has learned that Gavi’s

agent, Ivan de la Pena, met with

Barcelona officials on Thursday

morning.

The highly-rated midfielder

has expressed his desire to stay

put, with those at Camp Nou

making it clear that they are

prepared to do whatever it takes

to retain the services of a hot

prospect.

All parties left those talks in

a positive frame of mind and an

agreement is now closer than it

has been for some time.

Further meetings are due to

take place in the coming weeks,

with the expectation being that

The Egyptian Football

Association has

sacked Ehab Galal as

coach after just three

games in charge of the

national team.

The 54-year-old was

appointed in April, succeeding

Carlos Queiroz after the

Pharaohs failed to qualify for the

2022 World Cup.

Egypt secured a late 1-0 win

over Guinea in a 2023 Africa Cup

of Nations qualifier in Galal’s

first match in charge on 5 June.

However, the North Africans

then suffered a surprise 2-0

defeat against Ethiopia in Group

D and followed that with a 4-1

loss in a friendly against South

Korea.

Liverpool forward Mohamed

Salah, who captains his country,

played against Guinea but

missed both defeats through

injury.

EFA board member Hazem

Emam said the organisation

would look to appoint a foreign

coach to succeed Galal, and also

bring in a technical director

from abroad.

Portuguese coach Queiroz

had guided the record seventime

African champions to

Sports

Gavi to snub European giants

& sign new Barcelona deal

Gavi will commit his long-term

future to the Blaugrana.

What will Gavi’s new contract

be worth & what will his release

clause be?

No figures regarding Gavi’s

salary have been revealed as yet,

but it is understood that he is

looking for terms similar to those

agreed by Ronald Araujo when he

signed a new contract in April.

That deal was worth around

€6 million-per-season, which

would be a considerable upgrade

for a youngster that continues to

work on a youth agreement that

lands him just €100,000 on an

annual basis.

Initial requests from Gavi’s

team were knocked back, as

they were considered to be too

high, but a player that will turn

18 in August has now reached a

Egypt sack coach Ehab

Galal after just three games

the final of the Nations Cup in

February in Cameroon, where

they were beaten on penalties by

Senegal.

Egypt then lost to the same

opposition – again via a shootout

– in Africa’s play-offs for the

compromise.

The deal he pens with

Barcelona will include a release

clause that sits alongside those

placed in extensions for Pedri

and Ansu Fati.

Once all of the relevant

paperwork is signed, it would

take a transfer package worth €1

billion (£861m/$1bn) to prise him

away from Camp Nou.

That figure is being put in

place as the likes of Bayern

Munich and Liverpool have been

sniffing around Gavi for some

time.

He is willing to ignore those

advances, with a La Masia

academy graduate preparing to

hand Barca their first big win of

a summer transfer window that

may have many more to come.

World Cup in Qatar.

Galal joined the Pharaohs

from Cairo-based Pyramids and

previously managed several

other club sides including

Zamalek, El Masry, and Al Ahly

Tripoli.

Friday, 17th June, 2022

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?