Friday, 24th June, 2022

Page 2
DAILY ANALYST Friday, 24th June, 2022
Global News
The US Supreme
Court has struck
down a New York
law restricting gun
carrying rights.
The law required residents
who want a licence to prove
"proper cause" to carry concealed
weapons and that they
faced "a special or unique"
danger.
The 6-3 decision stated the
requirement violates the Constitutional
right to bear arms.
The ruling jeopardises similar
restrictions in other states
and expands gun rights.
Justice Clarence Thomas,
writing for the six-justice
conservative majority on the
"Of 500 patients who
have come to the clinic
since the morning, 200
have died" - that is the
blunt assessment of
Muhammad Gul, a staff member
at a tiny clinic in Gyan, in
eastern Afghanistan.
The facility has just five
beds, but Tuesday's earthquake
left even these meagre
resources unusable.
"All the clinic's rooms have
been destroyed," Mr Gul told
the BBC.
He said a helicopter had
airlifted a handful of patients
from the remote district in
Paktika province to cities for
treatment, and two doctors
were manning a makeshift
outdoor clinic to try to treat
people who had nowhere else
to go.
The generator supplying
power has only a limited
supply of fuel, and the help
promised by other provinces
has yet to materialise.
Meanwhile, casualties
keep on arriving.
"There are dozens of people
who need immediate medical
help. I don't think they will
survive the night," Mr Gul
added.
court, held that Americans
have a right to carry "commonly
used" firearms in public
for personal defence.
The Second Amendment
right to bear arms is not a
"second class" constitutional
right subject to greater restrictions
"than other Bill of
Rights guarantees," he wrote.
The liberal justices Elena
Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and
Stephen Breyer dissented.
The Supreme Court's decision
comes amid renewed
intensity in the debate over
gun rights as high profile
shootings - including at a primary
school in Uvalde, Texas
and a grocery store in Buffalo,
New York last month - have
energised gun rights supporters
and gun control activists
alike.
Ahead of the Supreme
Court ruling, the US Senate
had announced steps towards
new legislation tightening
access to firearms.
However, Thursday's decision
from the top US court
continued a steady pattern of
rulings that have expanded
gun rights, holding that the
right to carry firearms both at
home and in public is enshrined
in the Second Amendment
to the US Constitution.
The decision further cements
the court's record on
gun rights, not only striking
down New York state's law
but also endangering similar
regulations in states like California,
Massachusetts, New
Jersey and Maryland.
Even in the shadow of
mass shootings in Uvalde and
Buffalo, the six-justice majority
on the Supreme Court stood
by a broad interpretation of
Afghanistan quake: Gyan clinic with
five beds for 500 injured patients
The earthquake struck
impoverished hilly areas with
weak buildings, ill-equipped
to handle the shock. Hundreds
of houses have been
destroyed and there have
been landslides.
Gyan is one of the worsthit
areas. Many people
remain trapped under the
rubble.
International development
agencies set up the
clinic there a couple of years
ago. It was meant to deal with
minor health conditions and
refer people to hospitals in
major cities for more significant
treatment. It had
no accident and emergency
department.
Since the hard-line
Islamist Taliban took power
across the country last
August, many international
aid agencies have left the
country. The medical system
has been dealing with severe
shortages of supplies and
staff.
When the Taliban's acting
district governor toured Gyan
on Tuesday, people shouted
at him, telling him to leave, a
volunteer from a neighbouring
district told the BBC.
Supreme Court ruling
expands US gun rights
"The Taliban are not
capable of dealing with this
disaster. There is no system in
place," the volunteer, who did
not want to be named, said.
"And we cannot be hopeful
for international help. The
world has forgotten Afghanistan."
Even before the Taliban
takeover, the country's emergency
services in its larger
towns and cities had limited
capacity to respond to natural
disasters. There were few aircraft
and helicopters available.
According to Paktika's
medical authorities, there is a
severe shortage of painkillers
and antibiotics in the region.
One of the doctors at
Gyan's makeshift clinic went
there from the neighbouring
district of Ghazni to volunteer.
There was one young
father who had suffered a
chest fracture, and who was
crying and asking for his family
members, including his
children, the doctor said. "He
asked me to let him die if they
were not alive."
Most of the patients were
men, as women and children
were less likely to be able to
free themselves from debris
the Second Amendment first
outlined by a narrower court
majority in 2008.
As these court precedents
pile up, it will be increasingly
difficult for future Supreme
Court justices to change
course and interpret the
Constitution as permitting
broader gun restrictions.
In his dissent, Justice Breyer
noted that gun violence has
taken a significant number of
lives in the US this year.
"Since the start of this year
alone (2022), there have already
been 277 reported mass
shootings - an average of more
than one per day," he said.
The decision was quickly
condemned by New York officials,
including Democratic
Governor Kathy Hochul.
It is "outrageous that at
a moment of national reckoning
on gun violence, the
Supreme court has recklessly
struck down a New York law
that limits those who can
carry concealed weapons," she
said.
and destroyed buildings, the
doctor said.
Some children were at the
clinic without their parents,
including a severely injured
boy of eight.
"He was begging people to
go and help his parents and
siblings who were trapped in
their house," said the doctor.
"He then overheard someone
tell me that they were
all dead, and he cried and fell
unconscious."
The BBC has been shown
photos of people with open
wounds waiting to be seen at
the clinic.
Bodies are reported to be
lying on the ground in the
area.
There are no official aid
In the wake of the decision,
Eric Adams, the New York City
mayor, said he would review
other ways to restrict gun access,
such as by tightening the
application process for buying
firearms and looking at bans
at certain locations.
US President Joe Biden said
he was "deeply disappointed"
by a ruling that "contradicts
both common sense and the
Constitution, and should trouble
us all".
The National Rifle Association
(NRA), on the other hand,
celebrated the ruling.
The gun lobby helped back
plaintiffs in the case, Robert
Nash and Brandon Koch - two
New Yorkers who had applied
for a concealed carry permit
but were denied them, despite
having licences for recreational
gun ownership.
More than 390 million
guns are owned by civilians
in the US. In 2020 alone, more
than 45,000 Americans died
from firearms-related injuries
including homicides and
suicides.
workers present, but people
from neighbouring areas are
arriving to help with rescue
efforts.
One volunteer rescue
worker from the nearby city
of Urgun was helping to pull
trapped people from the
rubble.
He said he had found 40
bodies since the morning,
mostly of young children.
But even for those who did
make it out of the devastation
alive, the immediate future
looks bleak.
"We don't even have access
to clean water to wash the
wounds and it's extremely
hot," the volunteer doctor
said. "I think soon, infection
will spread."

DAILY ANALYST
Friday, 24th June, 2022 Page 3
Frontpage Stories
Dwumfour will win massively
The Center for Political
Research and Advocacy
(CePRA) has predicted a
massive win for Albert
Kwabena Dwumfour,
one of the contestants in Friday’s
Ghana Journalists Association
(GJA) national elections.
In a report released yesterday,
CePRA said 60% of respondents
said Dwumfour will win the GJA
presidential elections while 30.5%
said Gayheart Mensah will win
the election while a paltry 14%
Bawumia launches
first Tier 4 data center
in Ghana
The Vice President, Dr.
Mahamudu Bawumia,
has launched the firstever
Tier 4 Data centre
in Ghana, ONIX Data
Centre.
The centre, which is one of
the few tier 4 digital centers in
Africa, adds to Ghana's existing
data center, which will serve, not
only the local market, but also the
sub region.
Launching the centre, Vice
President Bawumia said the
certification to establish a tier 4
data centre in Ghana by Onix , is
a major milestone in the strategy
to create a world class data hub
in Ghana to service the local and
sub-regional market,
"The accreditation will
satisfy the increasingly stringent
requirements laid down by
regulated entities such as banks,
healthcare providers and certain
arms of Government which
manage sensitive information,"
Dr. Bawumia said.
The Vice President said
the establishment of the ultra
modern data centre, is in line
with government's vision to
make Ghana a digital hub in
the sub-region, and the massive
investment, Dr. Bawumia noted,
will offer businesses more
alternatives for sensitive data
storage.
"The launch of this data
center feeds perfectly into
government’s passion and drive
to ensure that we have adequate
data of the country upon which
our digitalization agenda will
thrive."
"Data centers such as this
went for Dave Agbenu
In all, CePRA sampled views
from about 400 journalists across
the country” 100 from Greater
Accra, 100 from Ashanti-Region,
50 from Central/Western Regions,
50 from Bono/Ahafo Regions, 50
from Volta/Eastern, and 50 from
the Northern Regions.
Below is the full report:
CENTER FOR POLITICAL
RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY-
12-megawatt ONIX facility
provide the launch pad for a wave
of transformation at organization
and business process level.
Local CEOs can now adopt and
implement world-class solutions
and be hosted in-country without
having to invest in on premise
equipment and infrastructure
which is costly and is frankly not
economically viable.
While pointing out the
magnitude of work government
has done in its digitization
drive, Dr. Bawumia reiterated
government's commitment to
creating enabling environment
for businesses to flourish in the
digital space.
"Government can point
to several successful and ongoing
projects within our
digitalization agenda, namely
the implementation of the
property address system, unique
identification through the Ghana
Card, as well as mobile money
interoperability, among others.
"Looking forward, the
next frontier lies in digital
infrastructure which enables
adoption of new business
processes. Our role in government
is to design enabling policies for
businesses such as yours to invest
and deliver sustainable results.
The tier 4 data storage, is
the most complex data storage
system, which has the most
redundant components and only
a few countries in Africa have it.
It is built to be completely
fault-tolerant and has
redundancy for every component.
CePRA
QUASI-OPINION POLL INTO
THE UPCOMING GJA ELECTIONS
The Center has been
conducting a quasi-opinion
sampling ahead of the upcoming
GJA elections would share
excepts of the finding in this
mini report.
The Ghana Journalists
Association is the umbrella
body journalists and media
practitioners in Ghana, formed in
1949, the association has been the
major labor union of journalists
in Ghana.
The last 10 years of
the association had been
monopolized by the immediate
past President Mr. Affail Monney
whose reign as GJA President
recorded both very high and
low moments, perhaps the lows
overshadowing the highs.
Attack on journalists, the
killing of journalists, poor salary
regime for journalists, lack of
proper conditions of service
for journalists, and lack of
training and improvement in
the capacity of journalists are
few of the menacing spectacle
that characterized the reign of
Mr.Monney.
In a protracted showdown
that rendered the GJA redundant
for months, Mr. Monney’s tenure
came to an end and the GJA looks
forward to a new beginning.
About three people have
put forth their names to steer
the association into this most
important post-Monney era; they
are
1. Mr. Dave Agbenu
2. Mr. Gayheart Mensah
3. Mr. Albert K. Dwumfuor
We decided to do a quasiopinion
poll to test the popularity
of these three candidates among
the Journalists fraternity in
Accra.
In all we sampled views from
about 400 journalists across the
country, 100 from Greater Accra,
100 from Ashanti-Region, 50
Central/Western Regions, 50 from
Bono/Ahafo Regions, and 50 from
Volta/Eas,tern and 50 from the
Northern Regions.
Comments:
1. About 50% of
respondents in favor of Dave
Agbenu said he is affable and
have good human relations
2. 70% of those in favour of
Albert Dwumfuor say he has the
ability to unite the GJA front
3. About 35% of
respondents in favour of
Gayheart said he is experienced
enough to handle the GJA
4. About 20% of
respondents said it’s not Dave
Agbenu’s time
5. About 60% of
respondents think Gayheart is
conflicted because of his position
as the director of communication
at the office of the Speaker of
Parliament.
6. About 38% of
respondents think Albert’s
promises are too attractive.
7. About 75% of
respondents want Gayheart to
resign before the elections are
held.
8. About 15% of
respondents think Dave would be
a compromise choice for the GJA
President
9. Albert Dwumfuor has
relatively higher popularity than
Dave and Gayheart.
10. 90% of all respondents
believe all three candidates are
great candidates for the GJA.
11. All things being equal
Albert Dwumfour likely to be
elected as GJA President.

Page 4
DAILY ANALYST Friday, 24th June, 2022
Petition
against Dr.
K.K. Sarpong’s
royal status
withdrawn
Story: Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu
It has emerged that elders of Akonkodease Royal Gate
in Offinso Traditional Area of the Ashanti Region have
withdrawn a petition they filed at the Manhyia Palace,
the official seat of the Asantehene, challenging the
royal status of the former Chief Executive of the Ghana
National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Dr. Kofi Koduah
Sarpong, who is a possible candidate to be installed the new
Paramount Chief of Offinso.
There are two royal families — Ahyirem and Akonkodease.
And that the elders of Akonkodease have dragged Dr. Sarpong
before the Manyhia Palace with the argument that former (Dr.
Sarpong) is not a true royal.
However, on Monday, June 20, 2022, at the Manhyia Palace
in Kumasi, the elders of the Akonkodease Roya family set
aside their petition on the grounds that they cannot come
from the Akonkodease gate to decide for the elders of Ahyirem
gate who is a true royal because it was two separate families.
Interestingly, DAILY Analyst learned that the only issue
left to be settled in a few weeks was an internal family misunderstanding
between the Ahyirem Royal family itself.
The bigger exposé has forced the elders of the Akonkodease
Royal Gate to withdraw their petition to avoid stiffer
penalties from Asanteman Council as DAILY Analyst gathered
that the Manhyia Palace has set up a five-member committee
to investigate the matter and submit their reports and recommendations
in a month time.
It would be recalled that a petition was sent to Asantehene,
Otumfuo Osei Tutu Osei II, challenging the royal status
of Dr. Sarpong a few weeks ago after his nomination by the
kingmakers of Offinso Traditional Council to be installed the
next Offinsohene.
The petition led by the Akonkodease Abusuapanin, Nana
Kwadwo Asiamah, explained that Dr. Sarpong does not hail
from Offinso.
But a further consultation has revealed that Dr. Sarpong
hails from the Ahyirem Royal family with a lineage traced
in the Offinso state book launched by the late Nana Wiafe
Akenten ll.
This came to light after the Asanteman Council sitting on
Monday, June 20, 2022, led by His Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei
Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace.
Dr. Sarpong was on Thursday, June 16, 2022, sworn in as
the Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra
(UPSA) for a five-year tenure.
The former chief executive of the Ghana National Petroleum
Corporation became the second chancellor of the institution
after it attained full university status.
The number of Monkeypox
cases in the
country has jumped
from 5 to 18, the Ghana
Health Service has
confirmed but no death has been
recorded so far.
Addressing the media on
Wednesday, the Ghana Health
Service disclosed that 72 suspected
cases were tested and 18 came
out positive.
the infected persons are between
the ages of 9 months and
41 years.
“We have had about 72 suspected
cases and 18 so far have
tested positive, and the last case
was on the 14th of June. The age
ranges between 9 months and 41
years, and we have found them
in Greater Accra, Ashanti, Bono,
and Eastern regions. Nobody
has died from Monkeypox yet,”
Dr. Kumah Aboagye, the Director-General
of the Ghana Health
Service said.
Story: Prosper Selassy
Supermaritime Ghana
Limited located in Tema
Community 1 under the
umbrella body of Maritime
and Dockworkers
Union (MDU) of the Ghana
Trades Union Congress (GTUC)
has been dragged to an Accra
High Court by a worker of the
company, Nana Kofi Anaafi.
This follows what Nana Kofi
Anaafi, who is the plaintiff in the
case with suit no: 11/006/2022
between him and Supermaritime
Ghana Ltd., the defendant,
has described as wrongful and
unlawful termination of his appointment
by the company.
The plaintiff/applicant
contends that to the best of his
knowledge, at all material times
that the MDU has been trying to
resolve the matters in dispute,
at no point has the issue of compensation
or benefits occasioned
by the wrongful termination of
his employment come up for
discussions.
He added that he has no
knowledge of any payment
advice, and has not accepted or
agreed to accept any cheque/payment,
from the defendant as full
and final payment of benefits
resulting from the defendant's
wrongful termination of his
employment.
In an affidavit in support of
the application filed on behalf of
the plaintiff by the Paintsil Paintsil
& CO., Goshen Chambers, a
legal firm at Adabraka in Accra,
the plaintiff is praying the court
to direct the defendant to pay
to him increases in salaries and
allowances during the period
of his interdiction and employment
termination.
It asked the court to order
the defendant to pay the tier 1,
tier 2, and tier 3 pension contribution
during the period of the
interdiction and employment
termination; general damages
for breach; and legal costs.
The affidavit stated that
though the defendant subsequently
entered an appearance
He said the government has
effectively worked to contain
the spread of the disease and is
hoping that it will continue to
Worker of Supermaritime
drags company to court
Monkeypox cases
in Ghana hit 18
to the action on 25 April 2022,
it has since not delivered its
defense to date.
"I am advised that the Plaintiff/Applicant
has become entitled
to interlocutory judgment
in default of defense for the
reliefs endorsed in the Writ of
Summons by reason of the said
default," it noted.
However, a statement of defense
by the defendant expressly
denied each and every material
statement of fact contained
in the plaintiff's statement of
claim.
The defendant denied that
the plaintiff was dismissed but
stressed that his appointment
was terminated after a committee
confirmed his gross insubordination.
The defendant also denied
the assertion that the plaintiff
was required to intercede in
matters affecting the wellbeing
of industry and labour during
normal working hours.
"The defendant avers that the
plaintiff misconducts himself
and was disrespectful towards
the Managing Director on several
occasions and the Maritime
and Dock Workers Union (MDU)
per their rules always sought
written permission for employees
who were engaged in Union
activities for every programme,"
it said.
According to the defense
statement, the defendant refuted
the averments that the plaintiff
did not have such a mandate
during his employment with the
company and needed permission
at all times to take part in union
activities.
The defendant argued that
the said demonstration was
against government policy by
some individuals in the shipping
industry.
The defendant said it was
against the interest of the
defendant for the plaintiff to be
engaged in such activities without
being granted the requisite
permission from the appropriate
quarters.
The defendant further stated
do that to keep the cases low.
Ghana recorded its first five
cases of Monkeypox disease on
May 24, 2022.
that the plaintiff's conduct on
that day was not appropriate
and was aimed at bringing the
name of the defendant into
disrepute, considering the fact
that the system the plaintiff was
assisting the demonstrators to
fight against was the same one
that had been used for the past
couple of years.
The defendant admitted
paragraph 8 of the statement of
claim and averred that it took
that action because the plaintiff
refused to accept a verbal
instruction, followed by written
instruction, and subsequently
left his post to stay at home.
According to the statement,
the plaintiff tried to use the
MDU against the defendant but
it stood its ground.
The defendant maintained
that it acted in the right way as
the conduct of the plaintiff over
time had gotten out of hand and
was setting a bad example for
others to emulate.
Responding further to the
statement of claim, the defendant
said the plaintiff persistently
tried to use his friends
at the MDU to influence the
report of the disciplinary committee
but was unsuccessful,"
The defendant indicated that
the company had always complied
with the labour laws but
that the plaintiff several times
tried to use the union to disrupt
law and order on the company’s
premises.
The defendant also stated
that the plaintiff persistently
showed disrespect to the management
of the defendant.
"The defendant affirmed that
the plaintiff sleeps in the office
in the plain sight of staff and clients
who have come to the office
for one reason or the other.
"The defendant denied that
the plaintiff was dismissed but
rather his appointment was
terminated after the committee
confirmed his gross insubordination.
Thus, the defendant stated
that the suit was an abuse of
the court process and that the
plaintiff was not entitled to any
of the reliefs endorsed on the
writ of summons and statement
of claim.

DAILY ANALYST
Friday, 24th June, 2022 Page 5
Perspective
Hostile weather conditions and
Cashew production in West
Africa: Managing the impact
Since its introduction
into Africa by
Portuguese explorers
in the 16th
century, cashew
has spread across the entire
continent, especially in
tropical West Africa.
However, from being
grown to stop desertification
and erosion decades
ago, cashew has now become
an important economic
commodity.
Today, the cashew
industry is contributing significantly
to the economic
growth of several African
countries, including Cote
d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau,
Benin, and Ghana, among
others, especially in job creation
and revenue generation
through the export of
cashew nuts.
Cashew grows well in
tropical and subtropical
regions of the world. It
explains why about 60%
of the world’s raw cashew
nuts (RCNs) are produced
in Africa, with West Africa
producing over 45% of
global cashews. To the layperson,
therefore, cashew
is drought resistant and so
the harsh weather in West
Africa should not affect
production.
However, it has been observed
from the weekly African
Cashew Alliance (ACA)
reports from various West
African cashew-producing
countries and made more
evident by research that,
unfavourable weather conditions
are affecting cashew
production. This article
examines why the weather
in West Africa is affecting
the production of cashew,
a crop widely known to be
drought resistant, and how
this can be managed.
According to a Senior
Researcher with the Cocoa
Research Institute of Ghana
(CRIG), Dr Paul K. K. Adu-
Gyamfi, the drought resistance
of cashew has been
wrongly perceived.
This, he explains, is
because for a very long time,
“cashew was grown as an
afforestation crop to provide
cover in the marginal
environment without any
interest in their fruits or
nuts”. Not much attention
was thus paid to the yields
and productivity of cashew
plants.
However, in recent years,
cashew has become an
important commodity with
a lot of economic interest
in the fruits and nuts. He
explains that, “the variable
yields and seedling survival
rates across different ecologies
in most of the West
African producing countries
suggest that cashew is susceptible
to drought, despite
being more robust than
other tree crops like cocoa”.
For optimum cashew
productivity, a positive
combination of several
environmental factors
is required. Citing several
studies, Dr Adu-Gyamfi
highlighted the importance
of the right proportion of
rainfall, temperature and
drought required for optimum
productivity.
“Cashew requires an
annual rainfall range of
1500 – 2000 mm (Sys et al.
1993) and a temperature
range of 25 – 28C (Dendena
and Corsi 2014) with a pronounced
dry period of 5 – 6
months (Dedzoe et al. 2001)
for optimum productivity,”
he highlighted.
However, due to recent
climatic changes, some cashew-producing
countries
are experiencing unfavourable
weather conditions
for cashew productivity.
In Benin for instance, Dr
Joseph TOKORE, Programs
Officer (Benin) of the USDA
West Africa PRO-Cashew
Project and cashew researcher,
explains that the
average annual rainfall in
recent years ranges between
800 and 1100mm which is
sometimes below the level
needed by the cashew trees.
The situation is not so dif-
ferent in several cashewproducing
countries. This,
coupled with the high temperature
and long drought
usually experienced, affect
cashew at the most critical
stages of production resulting
in poor seedling growth
during the vegetative stage
leading to a high mortality
rate and the withering of
flowers during the reproductive
stage. This consequently
affects the growth
rate and the yield of cashew,
respectively.
An analysis of the
relationship between the
amount of rainfall and cashew
nuts yield in Benin for
instance shows that, while
yields do not systematically
evolve in proportion to
rainfall, a good distribution
of rainfall over time is necessary
for a good yield and
therefore a good production,
Dr TOKORE analyzed.
Aside from this, the harmattan
in Benin and some
West African countries are
usually characterized by
“dry wind, cold at night and
hot during the day, transporting
dusty particles from
the North to the East, that
strongly contributes to the
destruction of the cashew
flowers,”.
“Indeed, this dust is
composed of plant particles
(grasses, dry flowers, pollen),
animal particles (bird
feathers, waste of all kinds),
germs, viruses, parasites,
and microscopic fungi, that
are a source of plant and
human diseases,” he highlighted.
Managing the impact of
hostile weather conditions
on cashew production
While cashew farmers
may not have control over
the weather conditions,
they can certainly manage
their impact on cashew
production. Three key
points, according to Dr Adu-
Gyimffi and Dr TOKORE, are
necessary in this regard:
using improved planting
materials; increasing soil
fertility; and, pest and disease
control.
Through research, improved
cashew planting
materials have been developed
by various agricultural
research institutes in West
Africa. These improved cashew
varieties are not only
high yielding and resistant
to pests and diseases, but
are, according to Dr Adu-
Gyamfi, also “tolerant to
moisture and temperature
stress”. Using recommended
improved grafted clones
and seedings reduces the
impact of hostile weather
conditions on production.
Beyond this, farmers
must increase the fertility
of the soil of their cashew
plantations, especially
young plantations below
five years, using organic
manure. This increases the
moisture retention rate of
the soil and helps in reducing
mortality, especially
during the vegetative stage
of cashew production when
faced with hostile temperatures.
Drip irrigation,
according to Dr TOKORE,
is highly recommended
during the dry season, especially
for young cashew
plantations within the first
two years after planting, to
reduce the impact of hostile
weather.
Because the harmattan
in West African countries
like Benin carries dust
particles that bring pests
and diseases on cashew
plantations, appropriate
pest and disease control
is necessary to reduce the
impact on production. This
requires adherence to the
use of recommended and
safe pest and disease control
mechanisms that do
not compromise the safety
of consumers of cashew and
have a “minimal effect on
the environment”.
Source: Isaac Piyuori

Page 6
DAILY ANALYST Friday, 24th June, 2022
Professor Goski Alabi,
the President of African
Council for Distance
Education has called
on the government
to develop a comprehensive
national policy framework for
open and distance education.
Prof Alabi noted that a
national guiding policy and
quality framework would
regulate and protect the
country’s digital education space
for socioeconomic development.
She made the call at a
policy dialogue workshop on
the Enhancement of Access
and Quality Tertiary Education
to respond to the new normal
through Open, Distance and
E-Learning.
The dialogue is in
collaboration with the Ministry
Children with various
forms of disabilities
must be accorded the
same rights as other
children to ensure
their development, Madam Aba
Oppong, the Executive Director
of Rights and Responsibilities
Initiatives Ghana (RRIG), has
advised.
She said parents of such
children should desist from
hiding them from society and
take them to school to unearth
their potential.
She was speaking at a
training session for girls with
disabilities at Asiwa in the
Bosome Freho District as part
of a project being implemented
by the Alliance for Reproductive
Health Rights (ARHR) in
collaboration with RRIG.
It was aimed at sensitising
them on how to avoid sexual
abusers and their rights to
seek redress when people take
advantage of their conditions to
abuse them sexually.
The project dubbed:
“Adolescent Girls Project” with
funding from the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA) seeks
to, among other things, sensitise
adolescent girls on their sexual
and reproductive health rights
by providing them with the right
information to make informed
decisions.
About 20 girls with various
forms of disabilities attended
the event.
Madam Oppong said children
with disabilities were also
humans with equal rights as any
child and must be treated with
respect and dignity as stipulated
in the Children’s Act.
The Coordinator of the
Ghana National Egg
Campaign Secretariat
(GNECS), Comfort
Kyerewa Acheampong
has called on stakeholders in the
egg value chain to apply standards
in the production of eggs to the
final consumer.
She said that will enable
players in the egg sector to have
value for money and be at the
competitive edge in line with
global best practices.
“Eggs are nutritious to human
growth and development. Its
protein content is high and so I
will urge the public to endeavour
add egg to their meal,” she said
during the Edible Eggs-in-shell
Standard Training workshop for
egg dealers, poultry farmers and
nutrition officers in Koforidua in
the Eastern region.
The workshop was organized
by the GNECS with support
from the American Soya Beans
Association and sponsored by
World Initiative for Soy in Human
Health (WISHH).
Participants, mainly
cooperative groups from Afram
Plains, Nsawam, Nkawkaw and
other markets in the Eastern
region, received training on
topics such as the overview and
relevance of standards to the
poultry sector, edible egg-in-shell
standards development and inof
Education, Ghana Tertiary
Education Commission (GTEC),
and Laweh Open University
College, supported by the
Commonwealth of Learning.
The development of the
policy, she said, would provide
the flexibility for people to work
and school at the same time and
provide opportunities for gender
parity.
“The policy will provide
a guarantee on issues
of connectivity and ICT
infrastructure and provide the
country with opportunities to
enhance access to quality tertiary
education,” she said.
Research showed that over
25 per cent of Ghanaian students
have access to open and distance
education.
She said COVID-19 had made
online education essential
for all schools, stressing that
the citizenry needed to take
advantage of the platform and
maximised its full potential for
national growth.
A speech read on behalf of Dr
Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister
of Education, said the Ministry
and the Ghana Education Service
had launched a distance and
online learning programme
through Ghana Learning TV and
Radio to minimise the effect
of the COVID-19 pandemic on
learning during school closure.
He said the programme was
to ensure continuous learning
for all learners, stressing that
even though many learners
lacked access to the internet, the
distance learning programme
benefitted approximately one
million Senior High School
learners and 8.2 million
Kindergarten to Junior High
School learners.
The Minister said the
Government established the
Centre for National Distance
Parents asked not to deny children
with disability right to education
She said it was disheartening
to see how children with
disabilities were discriminated
against, sometimes by their
parents and family members
who were supposed to protect
them.
She underscored the need
for such children to be exposed
to the school environment,
where their talents could be
developed to make them useful
to themselves and society.
“Even if they have a
disability it is important that
they go to school because when
they go to school they will be
able to develop their talents,”
she noted.
She advised the girls to learn
to move away from people who
would want to take advantage of
them to cause physical or sexual
harm.
She urged them to seek
redress when sexually abused
at the Department of Social
Welfare, Commission of Human
Gov’t urged to develop
comprehensive policy framework
for open, distance education
Rights and Administrative
Justice (CHRAJ), Domestic
Violence and Victim Support
Unit (DOVVSU) of Ghana Police
Srvice, and the Legal Aid
Commission.
Mr Bernard Atta Aziamanyo,
the District Director of CHRAJ,
said girls with disabilities
were most vulnerable to sexual
exploitation, including their
male colleagues.
He said the right of every
Ghanaian, including girls with
disabilities, were guaranteed
under the 1992 Constitution
and for that matter no one had
the right to abuse people with
disabilities.
According to him, every
disabled person had the right
to live with their family and
participate in social and
recreational activities and must
not be subjected to differential
treatment.
Learning and Open Schooling
to reinforce open and distance
learning at the tertiary level
and make it a reality at the pretertiary
level.
“The Government is currently
establishing the Open University
of Ghana to increase access to
tertiary education for qualified
individuals who for some reasons
are not able to enrol at the
traditional universities,” he said.
Professor Mohammed Salifu,
Director General, GTEC said the
National Council for Tertiary
Education and the National
Accreditation Board had been
merged under the new Education
Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act
1023) to form the GTEC.
The Commission, he said
among other functions, was to
regulate tertiary education to
promote efficient and effective
administration and accreditation
of tertiary education institutions.
He urged the universities
to be abreast of the mandates
of the Commission to achieve
the objectives for efficient and
effective educational outcomes.
Madam Veronica Dzeagu,
Chief Technical Officer, All Africa
Student Union, called for more
investment in the development
of policies, standards and the
requisite infrastructure by
governments to enable a scale up
of online education.
Stakeholders in egg
sector in Koforidua
trained on egg standards
depth explanation of standards
using pictorial edible egg-in-shell
standards.
The nutrition officers were
also drawn from the districts in
the Eastern region.
According to Ms Acheampong,
standards in eggs production
include defects, sizes weight,
labelling and packaging.
She said that similar training
programmes will be organized
in all the 16 regions of Ghana
to emphasize the need and the
importance of standardization in
the eggs production, consumption
and for export as well.
For his part, the Standard
Officer of the Ghana Standards
Authority (GSA), Samuel Kwatia,
urged participants to exhibit
standards that conform to global
best practices.
He advised participants to
separate hazardous chemicals
during the storage of eggs.
“Eggs must be stored in
ventilated rooms to receive the
needed room temperature. It
should be packed with the tip
downwards in crates because it
the safest way to protect eggs,” he
said.
A participant, Maame
Ibrahim, noted that she has
learnt a lot from the training. She
further advised her colleagues
to stop selling damaged eggs to
consumers.

DAILY ANALYST
Friday, 24th June, 2022 Page 7
Mr Edward
Kareweh,
the General
Secretary of
the General
Agricultural Workers Union
(GAWU), has called on
stakeholders to come together
to help eradicate child labour,
forced labour and human
trafficking to the barest
minimum.
He said, “…so we have
been working in making sure
that modern slavery which
encompasses a number of
areas like child labour, forced
labour and human trafficking
are eliminated to the barest
minimum in the country.”
Mr Kareweh said there
was the decision to have a
partnership with Action Aid
Ghana on a project called
“Modern Slavery” to help carry
out this task.
The General Secretary
was speaking at a National
Dialogue event on the theme:
“Strengthening efforts in the
fight against child labour
(including worst forms of child
labour), forced labour and
human trafficking in Ghana: our
12-year-old girl dies as
building collapses on her
A
12-year-old girl,
Maame Yaa, met her
untimely death when
a building collapsed
on her at Shama
Junction in the Shama District
of the Western region.
The sad incident occurred in
the early hours of Wednesday,
June 22, 2022, around 0700 hours.
Uncle Atta, the father of the
deceased told the Ghana News
Agency (GNA), that the collapsed
building was closed to his house.
“I heard an unusual sound
and was informed by one of my
sons who was in the same room
that a piece of wood fell from the
top of the roof to hit her sister,”
he explained.
With the help of the
neighbours, the girl was rescued
with blood oozing from the girl’s
ears and nose.
She was rushed to the St
Benedict Hospital at Inchaban
but could not survive.
In an interview with GNA,
Mr Philip Boateng, the Assembly
member of the area, confirmed
the incident and added that a
team from the National Disaster
collective responsibility.”
The dialogue is to identify,
prevent and address incidences
of child labour, forced labour,
and human trafficking within
the agricultural value chain and
to discuss new strategies for
combating its occurrences and
the role of stakeholders.
He said the project was
funded by the Norwegian Agency
for Development Corporation to
facilitate the implementation
of ways to identify, prevent and
address modern slavery within
the agricultural sector in Ghana.
Mr Kareweh said, the
“modern slavery” project seeks
to eliminate the involvement
of child labour and women in
agriculture plantations under
the conditions of servitude.
“To enhance the knowledge
of individuals and communities
on modern slavery practices
so they can act in concert to
prevent such practices,” he
added.
Mr Kareweh said, “what we
are doing is to bring together
all the state institution
agencies like the Labour
Department, Feeder, the police
anti-trafficking unit and other
Management Organisation
visited the scene to assess the
extent of the destruction.
He encouraged the family of
the deceased to remain steadfast
despite the unexpected calamity
and look up to God for renewed
strength.
Mr Boateng appealed to the
Help combat modern
slavery – GAWU appeals
institutions to help identify the
incidence of child labour, forced
labour and human trafficking
within our society in the
agricultural sector.”
“…and then together, we will
collectively develop strategies to
be able to combat these issues,”
he added.
DSP William Ayaregah,
a Representative from Anti-
Trafficking Unit, the Ghana
Police Service, said the issue of
human trafficking was dear to
the Ghana Police Service because
people fell prey to unsuspecting
persons, who normally traffic
them, and send them to other
countries, for purposes of labour
and sexual exploitations and
organ harvesting.
He cautions the citizenry
that “not all that glitters is gold,”
so the citizenry should be careful
of jobs promised to them.
DSP Ayaregah said the
citizenry should draw the
attention of the Labour
Department or the CID
headquarters to investigate the
background of the employers
as some of them traffick young
ladies to Ghana and exploiting
them sexually.
“They bring them by
deception to give them jobs in
boutiques, or any other places,
but when they arrive, they seize
their passports and force them
into prostitution, and take the
money earned from the ladies
after the process,” he added.
He said they have arrested a
lot of them, and many of them
were under prosecution.
benevolent organisations to
come to the aid of the affected
families to relieve them from
the psychological pain.
The body of the deceased had
since been deposited at the St
Edward morgue at Apimanyin
pending an autopsy.
DSP Ayaregah said they have
also rescued most of the victims,
and through the support of the
International Organization for
Migration and they were able to
reintegrate most of the victims
with their families back in
Nigeria.
Madam lngrid Mollestad, the
Norwegian Ambassador, said
the current global economic
and food security threats were
real and a growing population
would be at risk of social
vulnerabilities.
“This calls for national and
international solutions with
firm sustained commitments
from all stakeholders,” he added.
The Ambassador said
Norway recognised the range
of interventions being made by
Ghana to address and possibly
Court remands Police officer
over GH¢361, 300 protocol
enlistment scam
General Sergeant Mark
Kakah, who allegedly
collected GHC361,300
under the pretext of
enlisting a lady and
42 others into the Ghana Police
Service but failed has been
remanded into custody by an
Accra Circuit Court.
Kakah is said to have gone
into hiding after taking the
money from one Gifty Addobea
and 42 others.
He was, however, nabbed
when he attempted to collect
money from another victim.
Charged with two counts of
defrauding by false pretenses,
Kakah pleaded not guilty.
He is to reappear on June 27
before the court presided over by
Mr Emmanuel Essandoh.
Prosecution led by Assistant
Superintendent of Police
(ASP) Fuseini Yakubu said the
complainant Gifty Addobea was
a trader residing at Tuobodom
while Kwakye the second
complainant was Pius Kwakye, a
planner, residing at Techiman.
Kakah is stationed at
Anyinam.
The prosecution said in 2021,
Kakah introduced himself as a
reduce the spate of this menace.
She said, “We especially
appreciate the multi-sectoral
approach towards eradicating
all worst forms of child labour,
and that we entreat the various
stakeholders to remain focused
and committed in their
respective contributions towards
this crusade.”
“Norway is prioiritising
the fight against forced labour,
human trafficking, and other
forms of exploitation, through
a coordinated partnership with
different actors in-country,
including civil societies,” he
added.
“We encourage and assure
Ghana of Norway’s continued
support and partnership in this
regard,” he added.
Policer who had protocol slots
to enlist persons into the Ghana
Police Service at a fee ranging
from GHC 8,000 to GHC10,000.
The prosecutor said the
complainant expressed interest
in the protocol recruitment
and organised 41 others, family
and friends, who gave her
GHC350,000 to be given to
Kakah.
It said the money was
transferred to Kakah’s mobile
money account.
The prosecution said during
the same time, through the
same modus operandi, Kakah
collected GHC11,300 from Pius
Kwasi Kwakye under the pretext
of enlisting him into the Ghana
Police Service.
It said Kakah, however, failed
to deliver as promised and went
into hiding.
The prosecution said on
May 26, 2022, Kakah was nabbed
when he attempted to collect
money from another victim.
In his investigation caution
statements, Kakah admitted
the offence and indicated
that one Macho had collected
GHC 230,000 out of the whole
amount.

Page 8
Health
DAILY ANALYST Friday, 24th June, 2022
Examine your circumstance
to stay or leave Ghana
–GMA to healthcare workers
The Ashanti Regional
President of the Ghana
Medical Association,
Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo
has hinted that healthcare
workers are leaving Ghana
because they are underpaid and
unappreciated.
He said the situation, if not
checked, coupled with the rising
cost of living may lead to looming
strikes in the near future.
Dr Baidoo recalls his own experience
of traveling to the United
Kingdom for a brief period.
“I was earning more washing
cars in the U.K.”, Baidoo said. “I
was making more than £2,000 a
month whereas my salary here is
not even $1,000.”
The Ghana Registered Nurses
and Midwives Association (GRN-
MA) says over 3,000 nurses and
midwives have left the country to
seek greener pastures since the
beginning of the year.
The Association attributes the
high rate of migration of health
professionals to unfair salary
scales and poor conditions of
service.
There are fears hospitals and
health centers in the county
would be hit with understaffing in
the next three to five years if the
trend is not reversed.
But speaking to David
Akuetteh on Luv in the morn-
ing on Luv 99.5 F.M., Dr Baidoo
revealed the impact of inflation
on the livelihoods of health care
workers provides another reason
for their exodus.
“Most recently, the average
rate of inflation across Ghana
was 27.5%,” Dr Baidoo said, adding
that “However, the rate of income
increase was only 4%.”
Baidoo reinforced the possibility
of strikes happening in
the near future due to the tense
conditions caused by rising prices
in the country.
“Although nothing is certain, I
do feel that there is a strike looming…It
is likely that the National
Health Students Association of
Ghana will strike in August,” Dr
Baidoo said.
He also touched on the rising
cost of medical education in the
country which he says is getting
more costly by the day.
“It is expensive to pay university
fees which are between
GH 20,000 and 35,000 per year.
Many students rely on their families
for financial support which
often results in families having to
sell assets and making significant
sacrifices,” he said.
The Regional President of the
GMA stated that students are unable
to find jobs after graduating
and completing house jobs due
to a lack of teaching hospitals in
the country and the government’s
inaction.
“Not only are students struggling
to find jobs due to a lack
of financial clearances by the
authorities, but they are also even
having to wait six to eight months
to receive salaries from their
house jobs.”
Erasmus, a local doctor, who
called into the show, shared his
frustrations in his early days as a
doctor in Ghana.
“I started work last July and
was not given my first paycheck
till after 10 months. Even then I
was only paid for one month and
was told that the rest of my owed
salary would be paid to me later.”
Two unemployed nurses, Erik
and Derik shared their encounter
with the difficulties in the current
system.
“I completed my training
three years ago and am still
sitting at home. There has been
no communication from the administration
except that I will be
employed soon,” Erik said.
According to him, about 10,727
nurses have been at home and
unable to find employment since
2019.
Derik added that Erik and his
situation are relatable to many
healthcare workers who share the
same struggles and that things
have become increasingly difficult
for his family.
“My brother and I have been
living with our parents who
also have to provide for our baby
brothers and sisters.”
GMA Regional President, Dr.
Baidoo, believes that it is because
of these reasons that many health
care workers and doctors are
incentivised to make the difficult
decision to leave Ghana and look
for work elsewhere.
“Even from my graduating
class of 75 students, at least 30
have left Ghana to work overseas
..That is astonishing as it is almost
half of my class.”
Dr Baidoo said up to 200
doctors are leaving Ghana every
quarter.
“The total number of doctors
present in Ghana is between
eight and 10,000. I do not think
that this number is sufficient for
Ghana’s growing population which
currently amasses over 31 million
people.”
Rex Ford, a local travel agent,
revealed that up to seven nurses
consult him regarding emigration
daily.
“These nurses want to leave
because they feel severely underpaid
and unappreciated in Ghana.
They believe that they are better
provided for in countries like the
U.S.A., the U.K., and even China,”
Rex Ford said.
GMA Regional President, Dr.
Baidoo, also said, he believes that
those who work hard deserve the
opportunity to live a better life
rather than succumbing to the
same tough realities every day.
“Are we promised to live in
poverty? At the end of the day,
working is not about prestige
but is about putting food on the
table and that is what people are
finding they can do upon leaving
Ghana.”
“Although I will never be paid
as highly as an Article 71 worker,
I choose to stay in Ghana for my
love of the people. However, I am
not encouraging others to do the
same.”
Dr Baidoo urged healthcare
workers to review their circumstances
and make a decision that
is best for themselves and their
families.
“If leaving is the best possible
option, then so be it,” he concluded.
Electrochem Ghana provides water
to health facilities, 12 communities
Two major health
facilities and 12
communities in
the North Tongu,
Ada East and West
Districts are benefiting from
the Community Water Supply
Project of Electrochem Ghana
limited, a salt and chlorine-alkali
manufacturing firm.
The facilities are the Sege
Polyclinics and the Bonikope
Health Centre, a statement copied
to the Ghana News Agency has
said.
It said the communities
included Kportitsekope,
Lolonya, Nakomkope, Sonkope,
Adjumanikope, Agbedrafor,
Bonikope, Matsekope, Salom,
Kposem and Pute.
The statement quoted
Mr. Stephen Agbenyo, the
Administrator of the Polyclinic,
as saying that the provision of
potable water had helped reduce
infections and the achievement of
quality health care delivery at the
facility.
Mr Agbenyo said the
thirty-bed facility, which was
commissioned in 2019 was relying
on water from commercial
suppliers until Electrochem
Ghana took over the supply.
He noted that though the
facility was connected to the ‘3
District Water’ supply system, the
location of the facility impedes
the flow of water to the facility.
Mr Agbenyo said the borehole,
which came with the facility,
also dried up, compelling the
authorities of the clinic to opt for
private mobile water vendors that
charged GHC 800 per trip.
‘…at the time, the source of the
water they even sold to us at that
cost was unknown but necessity
compelled us to settle for that
option. The practice didn’t only
increase the rate of infections
at the facility but also proved
costly and unsustainable; that
is why we place so much value
on Electrochem’s gesture which
is coming at no cost to us,’ Mr.
Agbenyo added.
Nene Dameh Agberwornu II,
Chief of Nakomkope, one of the
twelve beneficiary communities
lauded Electrochem for easing the
burden of community members.
He said ‘…the excitement
that greets the arrival of the
company’s water tankers speaks
volumes about the relief the
project has brought to the people.’
Kpone-Katamanso
Health directorate
intensifies Covid 19
vaccination campaign
The Ministry of Health,
(MoH), Ghana Health
Service (GHS), Kpone-
Katamanso Municipal
Assembly, and
development partners are set to
intensify the campaign on the
COVID-19 vaccination within the
Municipality.
This was in a statement
signed by the Municipal Health
Director, Dr Esther Priscila
Biamah-Danquah, and copied to
the Ghana News Agency in Tema,
stating that the Municipal health
directorate, has scheduled June 24
as vaccination week against the
coronavirus pandemic.
The statement clarified that
all persons 15 years old and above,
including pregnant women, and
fully vaccinated persons from
three months after receiving the
second dose were required to go
for an additional dose (Booster) of
the Vaccine.
It indicated that people, who
received their first dose, were
expected to go for their second jab
to achieve immunity against the
deadly COVID-19 infections.
A team of health workers
would visit schools, Churches,
Mosques, Market places, Lorry
Stations, and vaccination posts
for the vaccination exercise, the
statement explained.
Dr Biamah-Danquah noted
that stakeholders, including
Assembly Members, were
expected to lead the charge in
the various communities for a
successful exercise.

DAILY ANALYST
Friday, 24th June, 2022 Page 9
Opinion
‘They steal our children and
beat their parents’: a story of
This interview with
Jubilee Benson is
part of a series of
child worker in
Ghana. He is the
local assembly member for
a collection of communities
around Lake Volta that have
been singled out for intervention
by people seeking to
end child labour. His answers
were translated out of
Twi and edited for clarity.
I learned that our children
were being kidnapped
immediately after it started
happening.
It began in 2017. Some
white people from an NGO
and the Ghanaian police
showed up and began to
patrol the waters around our
islands in speedboats. Then
they started taking away our
children under the mistaken
belief that we were harbouring
child trafficking victims.
Many children were
forcibly taken from their
parents. It led to a lot of fear
and anger. Some families ran
into the bush, some even left
the islands. I know at least
two women who divorced
their husbands because they
allowed the police to take
their children away. But
it wasn’t the men’s fault.
They came with big guns
and speedboats. Even the
brave ones would have been
scared. How can anyone
defend themselves or their
families against something
like that?
It is no secret that children
work on the lake with
their families. But these are
not child trafficking victims,
or slaves, or any of the other
lies they keep saying about
us. It makes me so angry.
They have spoilt our names
just to achieve their own
mission, or to raise money
for themselves, or whatever.
I’m not sure why they do it.
But it’s very bad that they
do.
They have not been coming
in recent months and
we hope they have stopped
forever. If they want to know
why children work on the
lake they could come and
talk to us as you have done.
They could even stay on our
islands to understand our
situation. Instead they steal
our children and beat their
parents.
Why do children work in
this area?
It is very simple: we
live on islands and work is
necessary to survive here.
If you can’t fish on the lake
or work the land as a farmer,
you and your family will
starve. These are the only
ways we have to take care of
ourselves, and if you can’t do
them you either move away
or you die. It’s common
sense. It’s necessary.
If you want to reduce the
number of working children
on the lake, the best thing
to do is develop our islands.
We lack so many things. Out
of the 14 communities in my
district, three have schools
and two have clinics. Only
one island has electricity.
If you want to reduce the
number of working children
on the lake, the best thing to
do is develop our islands.
That same island has the
only mechanised borehole
to produce clean water – but
it currently isn’t working.
This means that not a single
one of the 14 islands has got
a decent source of water.
At least eight communities
have no amenities whatsoever:
no water, electricity,
schools, clinics or anything
else. Sometimes our children
fall sick from bad water
or other disease outbreaks.
Those who don’t know the
situation may blame the
children’s poor health on
their work, but the real
problem is bad water and
no access to proper medical
treatment.
Not having amenities
creates extra costs. Families
have to work hard to send
their children elsewhere
for school, to buy fuel for
generators and canoes, and
to transport people to other
towns when they get sick.
For most households, this
means that children must
support their families’ fishing
or farming activities.
What would effectively
address children’s work on
the islands?
The first thing I would do
is find a solution to the four
main problems we and our
children face. These are a
lack of access to: education,
jobs other than fishing and
farming, healthcare, and
electricity.
Education has to be
brought to every island
by providing school infrastructure
and ensuring that
trained teachers come and
teach our children. Health
clinics must be established
on every island and a hospital
on Kpala or Amankwa
Tornu to deal with more
complex cases. These days
we have to go a bigger town
to access emergency healthcare
and the person can die
during the journey.
We need a mini electricity
grid to power all the
islands and integrate us
into the rest of Ghana. We’re
basically cut off here, and
that’s why bad things like
the child kidnapping can
happen without anybody
knowing the real situation.
Building out this infrastructure
would, in turn, create
further job opportunities
and skills on these islands
and introduce our youth to
alternative life avenues.
Nobody here wants a
child to fall sick or get injured.
Finally, we need scholarship
opportunities. We have
one boy who scored excellent
results and gained admission
to a medical school.
He would have missed
out on this opportunity if
benevolent people hadn’t
helped pay for his first year,
but the subsequent years
aren’t guaranteed. I fear he
will end up back here on
the lake with his family if
we can’t find the money to
support him.
This has been the story
for many of our children.
Even when they and their
parents sweat to access education
outside the islands,
the children don’t make it
far. They end up back on the
lake because they don’t have
the means to continue with
their education, even if they
have the marks to do so.
You’ve said that work is
a necessary part of life on
these islands and argued
that it’s common sense
that a person who only
has access to farming and
fishing would want to learn
these occupations. That may
be true, but we shouldn’t
simply discount the hazardous
aspects of such work.
How can these be mitigated
against the backdrop that
children’s work can’t be
completely stopped in your
district?
Nobody here wants a
child to fall sick or get injured.
So, we train our children
by starting with child
appropriate tasks – things
like casting water out of the
canoe or watching over the
canoe as the adults bring in
the nets. We gradually give
them more responsibilities
as they get older and stronger.
But it is true that things
can go wrong in every type
of work. Injuries occur no
matter how hard we try to
prevent them.
The big answer to your
question is, I think, to bring
new technology to our area.
I haven’t mentioned this
yet, but it’s actually getting
harder to make a profit on
the lake because fish stocks
are declining. I am a fisherman
and I see this. Many of
us return with empty nets
after hours out on the water.
We could increase safety
and incomes while decreasing
workloads if we started
to farm fish instead of
catching them. This requires
less labour and it would also
reduce the need for children
to go out onto the lake. As an
island we already have many
of the key requirements for
this type of venture. All we
require is funding and the
technical support to introduce
it. Doing so would
bring a lot of relief to families
and children.
The other issue is irrigation
facilities for farming.
We have a lake and thus an
endless amount of water
to make our farming more
profitable. But the job is
labour intensive; children
suffer because they are the
ones who fetch water to do
the irrigation manually. If
we had proper irrigation facilities
it would reduce their
burden.
These sorts of changes
would make a big difference.
Children wouldn’t have to
work as much as they do
now. Nor would their parents.
Jubilee Benson is the
assembly member for the 14
island and riverine communities
of Kpala, Agbasiagba,
Anakpokpo, Akakpo,
Agordatokope, Abionikope,
Adakope. Kpalatornu, Bakpakope,
Salefe, Meyikpor,
Awonakope, Agegetokope
and Amankwa Tornu in Ghana.
He is in his third term,
and has represented the
4,000 people in his electoral
area for nearly 12 years. He is
a native of Kpala island.
Source: openDemocracy

Page 10
Two hundred and
fifty female rice
growers from top
producing areas in
the Volta Region have
benefitted from free portable
rice harvesters.
They were among 450 rice
farmers from 15 farmer-based
organizations (FBO) that were
selected from six growing
districts in the Region.
The Government’s
Modernising Agriculture in
Ghana (MAG) programme,
which is being supported by
the Canadian Government,
acquired some 1,000 units of the
Business
handheld harvesters, 82 of which
were handed over to the FBOs in
the Region.
The machines are
manoeuvrable, user friendly, and
designed to enable harvesting
in fields not engineered and
also have accessories for
reconfiguration into grassweeding
tools.
Mr Sylvester Owusu,
Regional Agriculture Engineer,
who handed over the harvesters,
said it was a novel initiative
towards reducing the labour
intensity of rice farming
through the use of modern
tailor-made tools.
DAILY ANALYST Friday, 24th June, 2022
Female rice farmers to access
free portable harvesters
“Farmers are always
complaining about labour
and they have limited tools.
Undeveloped fields cannot take
combine harvesters and so small
motorization would be useful,”
he said.
He said reliance on combine
harvesters, most of which
arrived from Tamale, was a
major cause of post-harvest
losses in the rice-growing sector.
Mr Owusu said the region
remained the leading producer
of rice by volumes, thanks to
Government’s interventions,
adding that the Ministry, as part
of its Special Rice Initiative,
was focusing on the provision
of farming machinery, farmland
development, and access to
quality processing equipment.
He said most subsistence
rice farming relied on sickles
and other traditional tools while
labour remained unreliable and
that the equipment, under the
watch of the district agriculture
offices, would help increase
productivity and minimize postharvest
losses.
Mrs Sandra Ofori, Hohoe
Municipal Director of
Agriculture, said the portable
harvesters would take care of
about 50 to 70 per cent of rice
farm labour.
“Even young women can
handle it,” she said, adding that
the Municipal Office would
continue to offer the needed skill
enhancement for growers.”
She expressed the hope that
other plans and interventions by
the Ministry would be realized
soon.
The Director said the right
farming tools and interventions
would encourage more
young men and women into
agriculture.
The 15 FBO were selected
from the Ketu North, Ho
Municipal, South Tongu,
Afadzato South, Ho West
and the Hohoe Districts and
Municipalities, with a combined
total of about 1,000 acres under
cultivation.
Richard Mawutor, a
beneficiary rice farmer, said the
portable harvester, aside from
helping harvest more crops,
would help ease dependence
on weed killers and appealed to
stakeholders to help engineer
farms for proper mechanization
and expansion.
The MAG programme seeks
to help realize a more modern,
equitable and sustainable
agricultural sector, contributing
towards food security through
the increased adoption of
relevant technologies in
production.
The programme is also
towards encouraging private
sector investment in the
agro sector and boosting the
participation of women.
Women’s income increase by 32%
through Agric intervention
The income level of
women farmers in
five regions have
increased through
an intervention
programme by the German
Association of Rural Women
(dlv).
Additionally, the volume
of sales of parboiled rice of the
women groups increased from 17
per cent to 27 per cent following
the adoption of new techniques
in processing the rice.
There has also been
improvement of food security
and reduction of malnutrition
among over 6,000 people
through the promotion of
diversified and healthy diets for
better and balanced nutrition
including locally available foods
and home gardening.
This was disclosed by
Madam Sophie Weissenhorn,
Project Manager, German
Association of Rural Women, at
a ceremony to officially mark
the end of the six-year project,
which benefited five regions in
Ghana.
The regions are Volta, Oti,
Bono East, Northern, and Greater
Accra. Beneficiaries received
training in rice processing/
business development, nutrition
education/cultivation of home
gardens and organisational
development in advocacy for
smallholder women farmers.
In an interview with the
Ghana News Agency, Madam
Weissenhorn described the
intervention as “successful”
adding that the rice intervention
area saw the volume of sales
increased from 17 per cent to 27
per cent, while income levels of
women farmers also increased
from 21 per cent to 32 per cent.
Mad Petra Bentkämper,
President, (dlv), also said:
“Together we have come a long
and important way for women in
Ghana and in Germany, always
with respect and appreciation.
“We have achieved successes
that motivate us. Hopefully,
the rural women in Ghana will
also keep up the good work
to bring us closer to an equal
participation in the agriculture,
food and political sector,” she
added.
On choosing Ghana for
the project, she said: “The
first question was: with
which country do we want to
collaborate? And luckily, we
decided for Ghana – a nation that
is politically stable and with a
lot of potential!”
She asked the Ministry
and stakeholders including the
Farmer Organisation Network
Ghana (FONG), and Development
Action Association (DAA) who
supported the implementation
of the programme.
Madam Paulina Addy,
Director, Women in Agricultural
Development Directorate
(WIAD), Ministry of Food and
Agriculture (MoFA) pledged that
the Ministry would collaborate
with stakeholders to ensure
continuity of the programme.
She said: “The intervention
is transforming lives at the rural
level, and we hope to sustain it.”
Sharing her experience
with GNA, Mad Paulina Adade,
a beneficiary, said: “Before the
programme, we didn’t know
anything about rice parboiling,
but dlv trained us and now
we have our rice in some
supermarkets.”
She added that: “I have
my own brand, and some of
the people I’ve trained have
also started their own brands.
Because of the packaging, a lot
of people are patronising our
products.”
GSA sensitizes exporters
on advantages of AFCFTA
The Ghana Shippers
Authority has
organized a
sensitisation
workshop for members
of the Eastern Regional Shippers
Committee (ERSC) on how
to take full advantage of the
African Continental Free Trade
Area (AFCFTA).
The members were taken
through the requirements
for registration and approved
exportable products under
the Afcfta and benefits of
some government policies in
the export and import sector,
including the benchmark
reversal policy.
Mr Jonathan Debra, a senior
officer of the Ghana Revenue
Authority (GRA-Customs
division), said aside from the
benchmark reversal a 30 per
cent discount policy was being
implemented to make Ghana’s
port competitive in the subregion.
He explained that the 30 per
cent discount was to cushion
businesses, adding that every
importer was entitled to that
facility and, therefore, had the
right to appeal as part of the
clearing process.
On AFCFTA, he indicated that
for Exporters in Ghana to benefit
fully, there was a tall list of
exportable products to facilitate
the process under the facility.
Every exporter is, therefore,
required to register as an
exporter first and then
crosscheck with the approved
exportable products to guide in
the development of products for
export.
He said the AFCFTA presents
an incredible opportunity for
businesses to expand their
trading activities in the African
continent and Exporters must
ensure they complied with
the requirements to take full
advantage.
Mr Charles Darling Sey, the
branch manager of the Shippers
Authority, said Exporters needed
to register with the association
to benefit from the various
programmes meant to build
their capacities.

DAILY ANALYST
Friday, 24th June, 2022 Page 11
Sports
The CEO of Kumasi
Asante Kotoko SC, Nana
Yaw Amponsah, and his
team have visited the
Head Office of National
Sports Authority (NSA) to express
their profound appreciation to the
Authority for supporting the Club
with Baba Yara Sports Stadium
as their home ground in the just
ended league.
They also presented the
2021/2022 Ghana Premier League
Trophy they won. The Kotoko
team also used the visit to express
their heartfelt condolences to
Prof and family over the loss of
his mother whose final funeral
rite comes off on Saturday 2nd
July, 2022 at Asokore Mampong in
Kumasi.
The Director General, Prof
Peter Twumasi, on behalf of NSA
congratulated Kotoko on their
sweet victory and pledged the
Authority’s continuous support
for GFA and various clubs in the
next season of the football league
as well as support for various
international matches to be
hosted in its stadia across the
country.
Kumasi Asante Kotoko
SC presents GPL
Trophy to NSA Boss
Bayern Munich manager
Julian Nagelsmann
has welcomed his
new star Sadio Mane,
stating he is a selfless
player despite being a big name.
The Senegal international
completed his departure from
Liverpool to the Bundesliga
champions in a €41 million
(£35m/$43m) move.
"Very [excited by the arrival
of Mane]; right from the first
conversation, he made a very
selfless impression, which is
extraordinary for a player with
such a big name," Nagelsmann
told the club's website.
"He said, quite modestly,
he can imagine himself in any
position. It's rare to experience
that in a first conversation, that
a player puts themselves completely
at the service of the club
and the coach. That made our
urge to get the signing over the
line even greater."
The 34-year-old former centre-back
went on to explain why
it was easy to sign the Lion of
Teranga.
"We are Bayern Munich,
we always have the chance to
bid for big stars," Nagelsmann
continued.
Nagelsmann:
Why Bayern
pushed Mane
signing through
"Sometimes we hit financial
limits, especially with guys who
are playing in England. That was
different with Sadio because he
has a great desire for our project,
our club, and his teammates. I
was delighted."
The ex-RB Leipzig manager
went on to explain why he
cannot comment on the most
effective system his team will
employ next season and why he
cannot state where the 30-yearold
will play.
"We can't say that for sure
yet. We have to wait and see
what happens in the transfer
market. But Sadio is a player who
can easily play in four or five
positions - and can also switch
during the match."
Mane joined Liverpool six
seasons ago, making 269 appearances
and scoring 120 goals in
the process.
The versatile attacker has
signed a three-year contract
at Bayern, tying him to the
Bundesliga champions until the
summer of 2025.
Reports claim he is set to
earn a salary of around €15m
a year, making him one of the
highest earners at the Allianz
Arena.
Kenpong Travel & Tours announces 2022
World Cup packages for Ghanaian fans
Kenpong Travel and
Tours, the officially
appointed travel agent
for the 2022 FIFA
World Cup in Qatar on
Tuesday June 21, 2022 announced
its stimulating packages for
Ghanaians anticipating to
support the Black Stars come
November and December this
year.
The unveiling took place
at the Accra International
Conference Center where ace
sports journalist, Mr. Karl Tufour
revealed the Platinum, Gold,
Silver, and Bronze levels of
packages for football fans who
want to travel to Qatar.
Deputy Director at the State
Protocol, Mr. Philip Kofi Aning
said Ghana will do well in Qatar
where everything has been
put in place for a successful
tournament.
He assured that the
government of Ghana is fully
in support of the Black Stars to
reach the Semi Finals of the 2022
World Cup.
Chief Director at the Ministry
of Youth & Sports Alhaji Hafiz
Adam launched the packages on
behalf of Hon. Mustapha Ussif. He
said Kenpong is the right person
to lead Ghanaian fans to the
World Cup in Qatar.
The Platinum package, which
is the highest tier available, will
cost $10,610 for Category A (with
feeding) and $9,210 (without
feeding).
Both packages also include
a business class flight ticket,
accommodation (single
occupancy in a four or fivestar
hotel room or villa), three
Category One tickets for Ghana
matches, COVID-19 testing, travel
insurance, medicals, internal
transport, and a police report,
which is a requirement for entry
into Qatar for the tournament.
The Gold package, which
costs $8,020 (Category A) and
$6,620 (Category B), includes
an economy class flight ticket,
accommodation (single occupancy
in a four or five-star hotel room or
villa), three Category Two tickets
for Ghana matches, COVID-19
testing, travel insurance, medicals,
internal transport, and a police
report.
The Silver Package costs $6,900
(Category A) and $5,500 (Category
B) and includes an economy class
flight ticket, accommodation
(double occupancy), three
Category Two tickets for Ghana
matches, COVID-19 testing, travel
insurance, medicals, internal
transport, and a police report.
The Bronze Package also
costs $6,110 (Category A) and
$4,710 (Category B) and includes
an economy class flight ticket,
accommodation (3-4 persons to a
room), three Category Two tickets
for Ghana matches, COVID-19
testing, travel insurance, medicals,
internal transport, and a police
report.
According to Qatar Airways
Country Director in Ghana,
Stellamarie Ndunge a Boeing 777-
900 and a 787-900 (Dreamliner)
will convey fans to and from Qatar
for the World Cup.
Villas and townhouses have
also been secured to accommodate
the fans while they are in Qatar.
The company also announced
that coaches and buses will
transport supporters from the
airport on their arrival in Qatar to
their villas, as well as convey them
to and from the stadia on match
days.
Interested fans will be able
to apply for any of the packages
by visiting any branch of the
Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG).
Mr. Emmanuel Nikoi ,Director,
Retail and Business Banking at
Consolidated Bank Ghana said the
bank has many branches all over
the country and any interested
traveller can contact and present
his or her valid passport and make
payment.
DCOP George Alex Mensah
of the Ghana Police assured fans
of adequate security and advised
those who will go to comport
themselves.
Kenpong Travel and Tours has
established a reputation as one of
the most trusted brands in the air
travel industry.
President of the Sports
Writers Association of Ghana,
Mr. Kwabena Yeboah said he has
experienced Qatar and believes
they will organize a great event.
Ghana is in Group H alongside
Portugal, Uruguay, and South
Korea.
Meanwhile a committee has
been set up to oversee the smooth
operation of getting Ghanaian
fans to Qatar and back safely. They
include Philip Aning, Taminu
Issah, Kwadwo Baah Agyeman,
Hon. Patrick Boamah, Karl Tufour
and Kennedy Agyepong.