Day: June 17, 2023

The Ghana Poultry Day and the third Ghana Chicken Festival, is scheduled for the 1st of July , 2023, at the Forecourt of the State House. Ms Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, the Founder and Executive Di­rector of Agrihouse Foundation has called on Ghanaians to patronize the event and said it will be fun-packed and educative. 'There will also be new learnings on the nutritional and medicinal values of our poultry as well as skills development Training.' Ms Akosa told the Ghana News Agency that the idea of the Ghana Chick­en and Poultry Festival was borne out of the Livestock, Poultry and Fisheries Trade Show in 2019, to come out with solutions to alle­viate the effects of scarcity in the poultry industry. 'It was in the course of exe­cuting the project that we noticed the growing challenges faced by Ghana's poultry farmers and, in re­sponse to that situation, we arrived at the idea of the Ghana Chicken Festival, in collaboration with the then USDA Ghana Poultry Proj­ect,' she said. 'Not only did we find that Ghana could sufficiently meet her poultry need, but that this could be done with additional health benefits too,' she said. Ms Akosa said the local breeds contained Vitamin D and less toxin. She urged Ghanaians to join the advocacy journey of promoting the local poultry industry and increasing local consumption. She announced that there will be free Chicken and egg dishes, for all participants

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Dennis Yeribu, Principal Manager, Planning and Programmes Directorate of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), says about 10 per cent of all road crashes are linked to poor tyre maintenance. He has therefore advised motorists to observe good tyre maintenance practices to ensure safety on the roads. Mr Yeribu made the comments on Friday during a 'Stay Alive Tyre Safety Campaign,' organised by the NRSA in collaboration with Vulco and supported by the Ghana Police Service. As part of the exercise, the team performed tyre assessments of about 500 private vehicles plying the Tema Motorway. They also shared tyre safety and management tips with drivers, gave out tyre inflation coupons and embarked on road safety sensitisation. After carrying out tyre checks, the team informed drivers of their tyre health status and provided them with remedies. Mr Yeribu said an important component of road safety was the issue of tyres which many road users, unfortunately, paid little attention to. He said the Tyre Safety campaign would be replicated in other regions of the country, adding that, soon a similar exercise would be organised for public transport. Mr Yeribu said the data gathered from the exercise would inform future policy directives and targeted education programmes on road safety. He thanked Vulco and the Police for their assistance and lauded the drivers for their cooperation and availing themselves to receive the education. The drivers on the other hand, thanked the NRSA for the exercise and for enriching their knowledge on tyre safety. Mr Shakti Shukla, National Retail Manager of Vulco, said his outfit had observed that about 65 per cent to 70 per cent of the vehicles had winter tyres instead of summer tyres which were best suited for Ghana's weather condition. Summer tyres have a dedicated rubber compound that delivers excellent grip and handling on both dry and wet roads in warmer conditions. On the other hand, winter tyres provide outstanding grip on road surfaces covered with snow and ice, as well as wet roads in cold conditions. He informed that the standard maximum shelf life of tyres was five years but observed that most tyres were overaged and cracked. The shelf life of a tyre is the time between date of manufacture and peroid of its road worthiness. This applies to the period before the tire is first used-the period when the tyre is kept away in the dark from having direct contact with sunlight or rain. He advised motorists to purchase tyres that conformed to their vehicle's Original Equipment (OE), had the correct tyre size, maintain the recommended tyre pressure and check the warranty given by the manufacturer. The OE are the parts of a car that were fitted at the factory during manufacturing. Only approved OE tyres are fitted to new cars. OE tyres are developed specifically for each make and model of car. He advised drivers not to fit different tyre sizes on the same axis but to only mount the size specified by the manufacturer. 'To maximize the tyre performance, a driver should make an axis rotation, every 10,000 kilometres. Drivers should control their tyre pressure every 15 days, use manufacturer's recommended pressure, check the status of valves and place caps on the valves.' 'Elements that impact negatively on the life of tyres include driving at high speed, taking turns too fast and quick stops. The consequences of unbalancing include tyres damage, irregular wear, loss of traction and stability and lack of comfort,' he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

President Hage Geingob today announced that the Swapo Party, will after the Party’s Central Committee meeting, pronounce itself on the same-sex marriages court ruling, which recognises same-sex marriages involving Namibians conducted abroad.

Geingob during the opening of the meeting, here said the ruling has been widely misunderstood which has caused an uprising in the public and the meeting will address it.

“Misunderstandings can cause war. There was an uprising and evolution. You can misunderstand something and you can cause war. Churches were trying to call me to stop this, how do I do it? I don’t have that power,” he said.

Geingob said that marriage has been well defined in the country’s constitution and the court ruling didn’t abolish this law.

“First thing we must know in Swapo is that in 1970 we already had a constitution, a law drafted to define what family is. We said family will be a man and a woman. Our national constitution is equally explicit. It defines marriage to be between a man and a woman. The ruling has not abolished that,” he noted.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The India High Commission in Ghana has climaxed its 75th national independence anniversary celebration (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav) in Accra. As part of the climax of the two and half year-long anniversary celebration, a farewell reception was hosted at the residence of the High Commissioner in Accra, whose duty tour comes to an end after nearly three and half years in Ghana. The reception was momentarily characterised by utter stillness as Mr Sugandh Rajaram delivered a rather emotive farewell speech to an audience made up of the diplomatic corps, ambassadors, Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, chiefs, the Indian Community in Ghana, artiste, and the media. The dignitaries included, Mr Yaw Sarfo Marfo, Senior Advisor to the President; Mr Ken Ofori Atta, Minister of Finance; Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, Deputy Minister, Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, a former First lady; Madam Samia Yaaba Nkrumah, former MP and Chairperson of the CPP; Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, President of the National House of Chiefs; Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State and Rocky Dawuni, Ghanaian singer and three-time Grammy-nominee. The were treated to graceful traditional Indian dance (Kathak) including Bharatanatyam from students of the Nila Dance Academy who performed a duet, and a solo dance performance by Gayatri Bhatachaya. 75th Anniversary (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav) Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements. The celebration, which cuts across political, economic and socio-cultural events, was launched on March 12, 2021, and will officially be climaxed globally on August 15, 2023. This Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India who have not only been instrumental in bringing India thus far in its journey of nationhood. In addition, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav epitomises all what is progressive about India's political, socio-cultural, and economic identity. Mr Rajaram, however, said the celebrations were not only to tout India's achievements but to realise what it had failed to attain in order to re-commit new energies in accomplishing the country's goals in the next 25 years in 2047 when India becomes 100 years old. He said India's achievements were made possible by its friends and partners globally, especially Ghana, one of the closest and oldest partners, stressing that 'we believe in the philosophy of one world as one family'. The emotive speech Mr Sugandh Rajaram said: 'It has been a wonderful three-and half-year period as the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana - which is a beautiful country. I had not imagined that I would leave in this state with such impressions - with the treasure of love and friendship.' He said, 'I never imagined that I would have such a diverse and rich interaction with a section of mankind that I have had while in Ghana. Personally, mentally and emotionally, it has enriched me a lot. 'Professionally, it was one of the milestones for my career of more than two decades of being an Indian diplomat globally,' he said amidst intermittent claps and nods of approval. The Ambassador said, 'The Ghanaian authorities, both political and traditional, were extremely good to me. In fact, I never found here that there was a formal way while I needed the authorities. 'Nobody exerted any kind of authority; everyone came to extend assistance and help when it was needed, especially with the traditional chiefs.' Ghana-India Relations The Ambassador said, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana and India were able to revitalise and deepen their bilateral partnerships as political engagements continued with a tighter structural mechanism of interactions between both countries. 'At the same time, we strengthened our partnership at the global level as Ghana and India become new members of the United Nations Security Council, representing and fighting for the agenda of the global south.' Mr Rajaram added. While cementing political bonds between Ghana and India, he said the economic front had become even stronger as both countries took new initiatives to help support the efforts of entrepreneurs, service providers, tech developers, and investors. He added that India was a significant development assistance partner of Ghana, as both countries took initiatives in new priority areas of Ghana's development, including agriculture, water and sanitation, renewable energy and critical infrastructure. Mr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, a deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said India had been a friend and development partner since established relations which date to the early 1950s by the founding fathers of the two countries. He, on behalf of the President, commended the outgoing High Commissioner for his dedication and commitment to his diplomatic duties. The Deputy Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister applauded India for the support for policies and programmes rolled out by the Government of Ghana to address the current economic challenges aimed at improving the living standards of Ghanaians. A book, authored by the outgoing Indian High Commissioner, on the seven editions of the India/Ghana Dialogue which is aimed at strengthening the long-standing partnership between both countries was launched. Finance Minister applauds India's role in IMF approval Mr Ken Ofori Atta, Finance Minister, who presented an artifact to the outgoing Ambassador, extolled the 'truly significant' role that India played in Ghana's achievement of the IMF approval on May 17, 2023. There was a period of a lot of uncertainty in which we had agreed to join the common framework which was a tunnel that you never knew how you will get out of,' said, and that the Paris Club, and non-members, including India, had to take a strong position to support Ghana to get the necessary financing assurance to the IMF Board. 'I met with my colleague, the Indian Finance Minister, and she was very emphatic about the support that they would give to Ghana to ensure that. ' Mr Ofori Atta noted. The Finance Minister said, 'I know the Indian High Commissioner made a lot of frantic phone calls to really get the support we required for that.' 'That is really true friendship, and we would remember that because without that,' he said, and admitted that 'it would have been impossible for the fund to then sit and approve the facility that we got.' In addition to that, Mr Ofori Atta said, 'it was quite an extraordinary package that India and the directors backed in terms of the three-billion-facility, which was three times Ghana's quota.' He said it was the largest disbursement from the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT), the trust fund for the purpose. The Finance Minister said, 'for the first time as the managing director of the IMF reported to us, when she put down the gavel at the end of the approval, she heard a thunderous clap form the whole Board of Directors and she was like what type of spirit does Ghana have to be able to elicit such goodwill…We truly have to thank India and co for that type of support.' 'These are friends who remain in difficult times and remain so through that period,' he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Tunisia and the United Nations officially announced Friday the launch of the Employment and Youth Fund - the first of its kind in the world designed to create job opportunities for youth. The launch ceremony was attended by Premier Najla Bouden, UN Resident Coordinator in Tunisia Arnaud Peral, ministers and representatives of diplomatic missions. Bouden praised the UN for its responsiveness to the proposal tabled by Tunisia to establish a fund for youth and employment to create jobs for young people and support economic empowerment and entrepreneurship programmes. Arnaud Peral said the launch of this fund demonstrates the trust which the United Nations places in Tunisia's future. The move is intended to underpin the Tunisian government's efforts to create jobs for youth and support economic empowerment programmes. The establishment of the fund comes in response to the call of SG Secretary-General António Guterres to speed up the pace of the achievement of the Sustainable Development 2030, Arnaud Peral further said.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse