Day: July 23, 2023

The Eighth Week of the Second Meeting of the Third Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana will be on Tuesday, July 25th and Wednesday, July 26, consider some outstanding Bills.

Key among them is the UNESCO Bill.

Joint Caucus Meetings are to be held on Tuesday, July 25th and Wednesday, July 26th, to discuss urgent pertinent matters, after adjournments.

The House is also expected to receive Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister on Thursday, July 28th, for the presentation of the 2023 Min-Year Budget Review and Economic Policy Statement of the Government.

Comments on the Budgetary Statement are scheduled for Friday, July 29th, and Tuesday, August 1st.

Leadership would conclude the comments with their own submissions on the Statement on Wednesday, August 2nd.

The House is scheduled to adjourn sine die on Thursday, August 3rd.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Residents of the North Dawhenya Electoral Area have complained of the invasion of some strange biting insects in communities in the area.

According to residents, some of whom the Ghana News Agency interviewed, the insects bite and leave a blood stain at the spot, which when scratched becomes swollen.

They could not describe the type of insect but said those bitten only become aware when they experienced itching at the spot.

Mr Moses Nii-P Kutor, an Assembly Member of the area, told the Ghana News Agency that the unknown insects had invaded the homes of residents for some days now.

'I have had calls from some residents of Dawhenya and Abbey, especially those in my Electoral area, North Dawhenya, who have complained bitterly to me about the invasion of insects in their homes and surroundings,' he said.

He added that 'some school heads within my Electoral Area have also reported the same to my office about the invasion of their schools by the insects.'

He said the Assembly members of Dawhenya had lodged a complaint with the District Health Directorate and the District Environmental Health Officer for immediate action to be taken.

He advised residents to, in the interim, take good care of their bodies by wearing long sleeves and trousers as a way to protect themselves from the bites.

Meanwhile, Madam Evelyn Nani, the Ningo-Prampram Environmental Officer, and Mrs Gifty Ofori Ansah, the Ningo-Prampram District Health Director, have confirmed receiving complaints of the invasion of the strange biting insect in the area.

They gave the assurance that the necessary investigation would be carried out in the community to find out the type of insect and how best to deal with the situation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Chris Kpodar, Chief Technical Advisor, Centre for Greater Impact Africa (CGIA), has called on developing nations to embrace Artificial Intelligence to transform agriculture for food security.

Speaking at a forum on the topic 'Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development,' Dr Kpodar, who is a global Artificial Intelligence Specialist, said the infusion of AI in agriculture would not only help farmers automate their farming activities but would also shift from unpredictability to precise cultivation for higher crop yield and better quality while using fewer resources.

He said Ghana and other developing nations could find solutions to the unstable weather conditions that affect agriculture productivity through Artificial Intelligence.

'The next stage is for the governments of these developing nations to step out and embrace the technology,' Dr Kpodar, who served as a consultant for Africa and the Middle East, advising governments and companies on investment, stated at a forum organized by the Ghana News Agency.

He explained that 'through the AI mechanism, a helicopter could be deployed to spread the 'clouds' with the necessary ingredients to generate rainfall at a particular location in the quantity needed, and it has a way of minimizing it.'

Dr Kpodar, who worked with most major French multinationals, mentioned that the application of AI would also help monitor soil and improve a wide range of agriculture-related tasks.

He said the traditional methods that were used by farmers were not sufficient to produce enough to satisfy the needs of Ghanaians because of the unpredictable weather vagaries.

'Greenhouses have been used in the past as technology to produce all year round in Europe and some parts of Africa, but using AI is not expensive when the tools are bought in bulk,' he added.

Dr Kpodar said climatic factors such as rainfall and temperature, among others, played an important role in the agricultural life cycle as they could affect a country's food security both negatively and positively.

Source: Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo DankwaAkufo-Addo has accepted the resignation of Cecilia Abena Dapaah asMinister of Sanitation and Water Resources and a member of the government.

Madam Dapaah tendered in her resignation to thePresident on Saturday, July 22, 2023, a day after she made headlines after two former domestic staff were arraigned for stealing cash and personal effects from the minister'shome at Abelenkpe, Accra, between July and October 2022.

The two domestic staff and three others are facing chargesbefore an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing an amount of $1 million,pound 300,000, and millions of Ghanaian cedis belonging to the minister and herhusband.

The case sparked outrage against the minister onsocial media and calls for her resignation, with many questioning the source ofsuch a stash of cash in her home.

The minister has however denied any wrongdoing on herpart.

She had in a statement before her resignation indicatedthat there were inconsistencies in the reports on the matter and what wasactually before the Court.

'There are noticeable inconsistencies between what isbeing discussed in the public domain and the thrust of the original complainton the matter,' she stated in response to the money stolen from her home.

'Whereas I can state emphatically that those figuresdo not represent correctly what my husband and I reported to the Police, I amvery much aware of the import of such stories around someone in my position,'the minister wrote in her resignation letter.

'I am resigning therefore because I do not want thismatter to become a preoccupation of the government and a hindrance to the work ofgovernment at such a crucial time.

' I intend to cooperate fully with all state agenciesto enable them fully to establish the facts, I have no doubt whatsoever that atthe end of the processes, it will be fully established that I have conductedmyself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fullyexonerated from all the allegations that have filled the public domain in thepast 24 hours,' she said.

President Akufo-Addo, in his response to the Minister'sresignation, applauded her loyalty to the image and standing of his governmentand thanked her for her contribution to the Government's and the nation's progress.

'The work you undertook during your period in governmentwas excellent and productive. I thank you for your wholeheartedcontribution and devotion to the progress of the government and the nation.

'I am confident, like you, that, at the end of theday, your integrity, whilst in office, will be fully established. I wish youthe very best in all your endeavours,' the President said.

The President will soon appoint a new minister for Sanitationand Water Resources.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture has urged players in the hospitality industry to collaborate with the government to increase hotel rooms in Ghana to 100,000 in the next decade.

He explained that with Ghana making exponential increases in post-pandemic tourism arrivals, the current 3,900 hotel rooms in the country would not be enough to accommodate the envisaged number of international tourists in the next ten years.

Addressing the third National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA) in Accra, Dr Awal said the measures the government had put in place to position Ghana as a choice tourism destination in West Africa demanded the construction of more hospitably infrastructure to enable the country to reap from the anticipated windfall.

Ghana is making giant strides towards reaching pre-pandemic tourism levels. The country's latest tourism report shows it received 914,892 international tourists in 2022 representing a 47 per cent increase from the previous year's 623,523.

The corresponding revenue also saw an exponential increase of more than 107 per cent, with the West African country making well over $2.5 billion from international arrivals. On the domestic front, Ghana recorded 937,087 tourists representing a 55 per cent growth in 2022.

The theme of the GHA NEC meeting was: 'Sustaining the hotel industry in Ghana post-COVID-19'.

The tourism minister explained that Ghana was one of the 13 countries identified this year as the best place to visit in the world.

'…Ghana is going to be awash with a lot of visitors and when they come and there are no hotels, we will be in trouble', he stated.

'I want to urge you all to ensure that within the next 10 years, we put up an additional 100,000 rooms in Budget to Five Star hotels for both domestic and international visitors. At the moment, the 3,900 rooms we have in the country are not enough.

'Let's have a plan and the government will support you on how to build 100,000 hotel rooms for the next 10 years. Discuss with us and we will help you to bring the hotels. Let's have a blueprint to create 10,000 hotel rooms every year and we will support you', he said.

Dr Awal implored the hoteliers to form partnerships with both local and foreign investors to bring hotels to Ghana and reassured them of the government's commitment to creating an enabling environment for hotel businesses to thrive.

'I want to assure you of the government's support; we want to listen, and so collaborate with us to make Ghana the best tourist destination in Africa. Together we can work out the challenges in the hotel industry and we know you have the people', he noted.

Source: Ghana News Agency