Day: March 22, 2024

Construction works on the laundry block of the Atua Government Hospital in the Eastern Region have been left unfinished for over 10 years, showing no signs of progress. The project, initiated under the leadership of Mr Michael Teye Nyaunu, former Member of Parliament for Lower Manya Krobo, has been neglected and left vulnerable without any clear plan for its future. When the Ghana News Agency reached out to the hospital management, it said it could not give any public statements on the project without prior approval from the Ghana Health Service. Meanwhile, a source at the hospital informed the Ghana News Agency that there was a shortage of laundry space, leading to a negative impact on their services. However, the source was hesitant to speak due to concerns about potential repercussions from higher authorities. Hospital laundry services offer a variety of essential tasks for healthcare facilities, such as sorting, cleaning, sanitising, and disinfecting used linen. These services ensure fresh and clea n linen for patients to enhance their healing process and to prevent infections. As per the source, the neglected project is causing significant inconvenience in the laundry task. 'Because of the situation, we have been washing in a small room, which is affecting our work,' the source said,? adding; 'Due to that, we have resulted to using a domestic washing machine, which takes a longer period to wash, making it difficult for us.' The hospital officials believe that once completed, the project would greatly enhance their laundry services and even install a state-of-the-art laundry machine for a dedicated drying space, establish an iron room, and provide office space for the laundress. It appealed to stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, and non-governmental organisations to provide support for the hospital's laundry facility to expedite its completion. In 2014 Mr Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, the incumbent Member of Parliament, Lower Manya Krobo, made a promise to establish a laundry facility for the hospital but despite his donation to the hospital, there had been no progress on the project. Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghana and Malawi have signed an agreement to waive visas for holders of ordinary, diplomatic, and service passports of both countries. The agreement took effect on February 7, 2024. It forms part of efforts by the two countries to deepen bilateral ties. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, in a statement dated March 21, 2024, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, made the announcement. 'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration wishes to inform the public that the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Malawi desirous of strengthening their bilateral relations and existing cooperation have entered into an Agreement on a visa waiver regime for holders of ordinary, diplomatic and service passports…,' the Ministry said. It stated that travellers were permitted to transit, exit, and remain in the territories of both countries for a total of up to 90 days within a calendar year, provided they did not engage in employment. 'The travelling public is hereby advised to take not e of this new visa waiver agreement,' the Ministry said in the statement. Source: Ghana News Agency

Three border communities in the Upper East Region hosting some asylum seekers from Burkina Faso because of the Sahel crisis, have benefitted from three solar powered mechanised and high yielding boreholes to help address water challenges. The facilities, constructed at a cost of about GH?440,000.00, benefited Fatega and Kare, a suburb of Sapeliga in the Bawku West District and Kugri in the Garu District of the Upper East Region. The facilities have been connected to overhead polytanks with multiple water collection points for the host communities and the asylum seekers. Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships (CLIP) in collaboration with Acting for Life (AFL) with funding from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office of the United Kingdom High Commission provided the support. It was under the Supporting Agropastoralism to reinforce Social Cohesion in the cross-border territories of the Ghana-Burkina Faso (SAPSOC) project's third phase, which aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence between host commu nities and transhumance. The aid was also in response to the requests by the district assemblies to support them with sustainable water access for host communities, asylum seekers and pastoralists. At the inauguration of the facilities at the different locations, Mr Lukman Yussif, the Director of CLIP, said the water facilities were to help address the water challenges as a result of the influx of the asylum seekers from neighbouring countries, particularly Burkina Faso. He said due to the disturbances in the Sahel region, many people had been compelled to seek refuge elsewhere, particularly in Ghana, and the situation had put pressure on the limited resources of the host communities. 'These communities are already deprived in terms of social amenities and the presence of the asylum seekers has further compounded their problems including putting pressure on the limited food and healthcare facilities among other things,' he said. The communities prioritised water challenges after series of engagements bet ween them, the district assemblies and his outfit, and that necessitated the move to construct the water systems, Mr Yusiff said. He explained that the gesture was to complement the efforts of the assemblies to address the water challenges, adding 'although the Tarikom reception and resettlement centre is there, the reality is that we still have many of them at the communities'. Alhaji Issah Salifu, the Board Chairman, CLIP, noted that apart from the water issues, the communities were still faced challenges including livelihood interventions and his outfit would work to support them in any way possible. 'I will appeal to the indigenous people to still hold onto your Burkinabae colleagues and see how organisations can support as CLIP is doing its best to support the communities on other issues,' he said. Mr Anania Daniel Atampoba, the District Chief Executive for Bawku West, lauded CLIP and its partners for the intervention and that the asylum seekers had been registered moved to the reception centre at Ta rikom. Mr James Agaogo, the Assemblyman for Sapeliga Electoral Area, pledged the community's resolve to maintain the facilities to last and serve the intended purposes. Source: Ghana News Agency

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 29-year-old bathroom attendant to 15 years imprisonment in hard labour for robbery. Issahaku Ibrahim pleaded not guilty to possession of firearm without authority, causing unlawful harm to Arafat Sanah and robbing him but he was found culpable after trial. The Court presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah discharged Ibrahim of the possession of firearm without license and sentenced him to two years on the cause of harm charge and 15 years on the robbery offence but ordered that the sentences be concurrent. Police Chief Inspect Clement Takyi had earlier told the Court that Sanah, the complainant, and others, on May 22, 2023, at about 2030 hours, were selling their phones in front of Yam Market in Accra when the convict, Ibrahim and nine others armed with locally manufactured pistols, attacked complainant, and inflicted multiple cuts. They also aimed the locally manufactured pistols at him to surrender the ten (10) assorted phones he was selling, which value is not yet to be known. He said the Complainant for fear of his life, handed over the phones to Ibrahim. Ibrahim, however, ran out of luck as in his attempt to leave the scene, was arrested. The complainant quickly raised the alarm and with the help of people around, caused his arrest and his weapon retrieved. Chief Inspector Takyi said Ibrahim was handed over to the Police and medical report was issued to Sanah, the complainant, to attend hospital and report for further actions. During investigation, Ibrahim could not produce any document, covering the locally manufactured pistol, claiming that he had it whilst he was loading scrap metals and decided to use it for his personal protection, the Court heard. Prosecution said after investigations, Ibrahim was charged with the offence and put before court. Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Nafisah Suleman, a local drink seller, has encouraged Ghanaians to replace fizzy drinks with healthy local alternatives, such as 'zonkom' to boost their immune systems. Madam Suleman said zonkom was the popular name for a spicy fermented millet beverage that originated from the northern part of Ghana. She said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), as part of Ghana's heritage month, which is often observed in March, the month of Ghana's independence from colonial rule, and aimed at promoting the traditions and culture of the various ethnic groupings. She said the drink was previously prepared with guinea corn but had been modernised with the use of millet which contained essential nutrients such as magnesium, iron, and vitamin B, making the drink a nutrient pack. Other complementary ingredients for the spicy drink include ginger, cloves, grains of Selim, red chilli pepper, red peppercorn, and a sweetener. Explaining the rationale behind the spices added, Madam Suleman said ginger c ontained anti-inflammatory properties, the cloves gave a fine aroma, while grains of selim add a citrus flavour, but the red chilli pepper added a touch of heat, whereas sweetener enhanced the overall taste of the drink. She explained that to prepare zonkom, millet is soaked for some hours to soften the grain for easy blending into a smooth consistency with the required amount of water, after which it was strained into a bowl. The blended natural spices are then added to give it an inviting aroma, and then a sweetener is added for the preferred taste. Mr Samuel Atuahene Antwi, the Nutrition Officer of the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate, said the iron content in millet, was a vital mineral necessary for red blood cell production, oxygen transport to body organs, and the synthesis of certain hormones. He told the GNA that the benefits of iron included fortifying the immune system, enhancing sleep, and supporting pregnant women, because iron supplements were an option for those with a deficiency, but t hey must be taken in moderation. The Nutrition Officer further said the magnesium content in millet also regulated diverse biomedical reactions, including muscle and nerve functions, blood pressure, and blood glucose control, among others, which were very important for body. Mr Antwi explained that millet products also provided the body with vitamin B that may help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke, while their deficiency in the body could lead to neural tube birth defects in babies. Source: Ghana News Agency