Day: March 16, 2024

The Namibian Police Force in the Oshikoto Region have arrested a 43-year-old man after he allegedly raped his 10-year-old daughter. According to the region's crime investigations coordinator Deputy Commissioner Titus Ekandjo on Saturday, the incident happened on Thursday at Uuholamo village in the Okankolo Constituency. The suspect is the biological father of the victim and they reside in the same house at Uuholamo. 'It is alleged that the suspect found the daughter in the sleeping room during the afternoon after school and the suspect grabbed her, put her down on the bed, undressed her, and had sexual intercourse with her under coercive circumstances,' Ekandjo said. He added that the man afterwards went to a cuca shop. 'The victim reported the matter to teachers at her school on Friday when she went to school. She also said that it was not the first time that her father raped her, he allegedly started doing that to her since 2020,' Ekandjo said. He said the school principal reported the matter to the police. The suspect will appear before the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court on Monday while the police investigation continues. Source: Namibia Press Agency A working session held Friday at the headquarters of the Ministry of Vocational Training and Employment, under the chairmanship of Minister Lotfi Dhiab, reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the IRADA "Regional Initiative to Support Sustainable Economic Development" programme. The "Irada" programme aims to support 26 vocational training centres in eight governorates through financing agreements that will enable the creation of new training specialities in these centres, equip them and train the trainers, according to a press release issued on Saturday. This programme aims to support the role of the private sector in the economic development of the regions and to develop vocational training in the public sector by financing the creation of new specialities in line with regional specificities and the needs of the labour market in terms of skills. The Minister stressed the need to speed up the implementation of the planned projects within the deadlines set and with the required quality, stressi ng the importance of these projects for the development and diversification of training provision. The IRADA programme, implemented in partnership with the European Union, aims to contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic development and improve the employability of women and men in 8 pilot governorates (Gabes, Medenine, Gafsa, Kasserine, Sfax, Sidi Bouzid, Bizerte and Jendouba) through the creation of regional platforms for public-private dialogue. It also aims to strengthen the private sector's contribution to sustainable economic development in the target regions, to improve the quality and relevance of vocational training and employment support services in order to better meet the needs of the national and international labour markets, and to sustain the structured participation of regional stakeholders in private sector development and vocational training governance. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Former president John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) flag bearer, has announced that when voted into power, his government will create an accelerated export development programme. Mr Mahama said he, as president, would personally chair that programme while stakeholders in maritime and port would have representatives on it. The NDC leader said this when he met and interacted with industry players in the maritime and port industries, such as the Importer and Exporters Association of Ghana, the National Fisheries Association of Ghana (NAFAG), the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, and port workers, among others. He said the accelerated export development programme would look at factors that could make it easier for exporters to export their products so that it encourages more exports, as the country needs to balance its trade between imports and exports. 'If more exports go out, it will bring more dollars that will balance out the dollars we have to send out,' he said. The form er president further said that in the imports sector, NDC was thinking of developing a transit terminal for the landlocked countries on the country's northern border to enable their containers to be transported there directly. He said, 'It makes it easier for them to take their containers from there instead of bringing their trucks and hauling their containers all the way. If we have the resources, it will be good to build a rail line to service that terminal. So that as soon as their containers arrive, we just put them on the rail, and it takes them through the destination.' Mr Mahama further said he will also licence financial companies and non-banking financial institutions to help importers, explaining that if their containers arrive at the port and they are unable to come up with the needed money to immediately clear the goods, they could then fall on these companies through an agreement for a short-term loan facility. 'When your container comes, they will pay for it and move it to a special location. So, the government will receive its money, GPHA, and the freight forwarders will all have been paid; the owner of the container will now work with that company and take his container and things,' he explained. The NDC flagbearer, however, added that the government will regulate their interests to prevent the companies from taking advantage of the importers. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Tema Chapter of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), as part of the commemoration of International Women's Day, has organised a day's capacity building for female students of Chemu Senior High School. Ms Delali Buahini, the Tema Regional Manager of GNCCI, said even though International Women's Day was celebrated on March 8, they thought about the theme and decided to catch the attention of the girls in entrepreneurship. Ms Buahini said, 'We thought about the theme, which was 'inspiring inclusion' so we thought of catching them young by having this training for them, because if they would be included and their voices would be heard, then they would need the right capacity building and the right set of skills.' She said it was important to educate the youth about the way forward, how businesses were evolving and dynamic, and how best they could position themselves for the future. She encouraged the young ladies to consider entrepreneurship as they climb the educational ladder so as not to be unemployed graduates. Ms Paulina Abrokwa, the Chief Executive Officer of Trade Links Logistics Limited, said entrepreneurship was the way to go, as getting a job has become a daunting task nowadays. Ms Abrokwa said once a person develops a skill or knowledge in any area, they could turn it into a business to earn a living and support their dependents. She said being an entrepreneur also provides the opportunity to employ others, adding that even though it is not an easy path to choose, it is doable. She stated that it was not easy, especially for women, because of the many responsibilities of taking care of children and the home at the same time. She added, however, that the moment women become determined and make time to go into entrepreneurship, they succeed. She encouraged women to learn, add value to themselves, and put their skills to use to obtain economic power and self-reliance. Ms Jenny Naa Akweley Laryea, the Creative Director of Twinnie Craft, said that even though it was diffic ult to do one's own business in Ghana, it was worth it and satisfying. Ms Laryea said some of the challenges are difficulty accessing financial resources and support, adding that 'but with hard work, being loyal, staying true to yourself and the brand, and making sure that you produce quality for people, your business will survive.' She added that there is peace in having one's own money as a woman, and therefore she encouraged women to develop their hobbies into careers, as it was very important for women to have some source of income for themselves and their children. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) in the Western Region has participated in the second global meeting to discuss strategies to transform and develop urban cities. The meeting held, in Barcelona, Spain, was under the Partnerships for Sustainable Cities programme, established in 2018 and supported by the European Union (EU) to foster peer-to-peer exchanges among cities of EU local authorities and partner countries around shared challenges. It sought to promote collaboration and innovative solutions in areas such as urban planning, good governance, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, with a particular focus on resilience and fragility. The programme also aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 11, aimed at making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Mr Isaac Aidoo, Daniela Prinzivalli and Margherita Maniscalco, coordinators of the three-year Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP), funded by the EU, and implemented by the STM A and Palermo Municipality participated in the meeting. A statement signed by Mr John Latse, STMA Communications Officer, and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the participating municipalities at the meeting determined their own priorities within a set of broad themes, including urban governance, social inclusiveness, resilience to climate change and other shocks, and greening of cities among others. The statement said stakeholders at the event adopted strong territorial approaches to develop their respective urban areas. 'By working together, municipalities from Europe and partner countries can contribute to achieving this goal and creating more liveable, sustainable, and resilient cities,' it said. Source: Ghana News Agency

Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has introduced court shift system in some selected courts to improve efficiency and access to justice delivery in the country. The shift system, to be rolled out on pilot basis, would start on March 25, 2024. They will sit in the morning from 8:30am to 1:30pm while the afternoon session would be from 2:00 pm to 6:30 pm. In a directive issued to the staff by Justice Cyra Pamela C.A. Koranteng, the Judicial Secretary, the pilot would start with the Adentan High Court 1 and 2, Amasaman High Court 2, Weija Circuit Court, La and Teshie District Courts, Madina District Court A and B and the High Court in Nsawam. According to the directive, the rationale for the shift system 'stems from the fact that, findings from a physical count of dockets undertaken in all courts nation wide demonstrated that a number of identified courts have huge case loads with some in excess of 600 pending cases. 'It is envisaged that the court shift system when implemented will reduce the backlo g cases in the specified courts, improve accessibility to justice for citizens by offering flexible court hours that accommodate diverse schedules and enhance the overall effectiveness of the judicial system.' Source: Ghana News Agency