Day: March 29, 2024

Dozens of worshippers died after a bus headed to an Easter conference plunged off a cliff in South Africa's Limpopo province on Thursday. The crash claimed the lives of 45 people and one is seriously injured, the country's transport department said in a statement. The sole survivor is an eight-year-old girl who has been airlifted to hospital, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported. According to the SABC, the passengers were pilgrims traveling from Gaborone - the capital city of neighboring country Botswana - to a church for an Easter conference. The crash happened in the Mamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken. The bus reportedly caught fire after falling. The cause of the crash is under investigation. In a statement, the province's transport department said that 'according to reports, the driver lost control and the bus fell onto a rocky surface, some 50 meters under the bridge and caught fire.' Efforts are ongoing to recover the bodies of the passengers who were kil led, according to the statement. 'Some bodies burned beyond recognition,' the local department said. Others are 'trapped inside the debris and others [are] scattered on the scene,' it added. South African Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said the government would repatriate the bodies to Botswana, the broadcaster said. Source: Ghana News Agency

A Knowledge Management and Coordination Platform (KMCP), which is a digital single-source repository for information and knowledge sharing on development interventions and gaps in specific districts in the northern part of the country has been launched. The KMCP, launched as part of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project, is also to provide details on the interventions being carried out under the SOCO project and other partners as well as areas that require more attention. Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, who launched the KMCP at the SOCO Conference in Tamale on Wednesday, said the KMCP would help to break down silos within development partners' interventions, foster collaboration, and facilitate the exchange of ideas. The SOCO Conference was organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development in partnership with the World Bank, the six implementing Regional Coor dinating Councils and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and other stakeholders of the Ministry. It was under the theme: 'Leveraging Digital Tools for a Balanced and Coordinated Development in Northern Ghana', and focused on showcasing and deliberating on the project's progress. In the northern part of the country, various organisations and development partners have initiated projects to improve the social, political, economic, and physical well-being of communities. These initiatives aim to promote growth and development by providing social amenities and economic and livelihood empowerment activities. Despite these efforts, poverty continues to hinder the region's development, and it has been identified that the lack of coordination and information sharing between different actors involved has led to duplication of efforts and insufficient capacity to scale up and synergise for greater impact. Mr Amoah said, 'To address this, the SOCO project seeks to serve as a catalyst in promoting a coor dinated approach to development in the north and work together with partners to fill the development gaps, consolidate gains, and contribute more profoundly to sustainable impact' hence the launch of the KMCP. Mr Amoah, in addition, launched the SOCO project's baseline report, which covered the project's operational area to establish benchmarks for future measurement of changes in key project indicators, particularly on access to basic services, community participation, and satisfaction levels. The SOCO project is being implemented in 48 MMDAs in the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West and Oti Regions to reduce vulnerability to climate change, strengthen local institutions, improve economic opportunities, build public trust and strengthen regional dialogue and to prevent the spread of violence from the Sahel region to the northern parts of the country. It is a US$ 450 million multi-country project being implemented in Benin, Cote D' Ivoire, Togo, and Ghana with support from the World Ban k, and the Government of Ghana's allocation is a total of US$ 150 million credit facility. Mr Amoah said the baseline report would empower policymakers, project managers, and other stakeholders to ensure that subsequent actions, especially on the SOCO project, were tailored to the specific needs and challenges of the target population in areas such as infrastructure development, livelihood empowerment, sustainability, inclusion, and community-level development. Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, urged the participants to explore the transformative power of digital tools in fostering balanced growth and coordination across various sectors in the north. He said, 'In our rapidly evolving world in which technology plays a crucial role, harnessing digital innovations is not just a choice but a necessity for propelling Northern Ghana towards prosperity.' Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Evans Blebu, an Assistant Director of the Akatsi South Municipal Assembly, has called on the people of Volta Region to revert to practicing their rich culture. He said the youth have veered off the cultural practices that shaped their way of living in society and lifestyles in general. Mr Blebu made the call at Akatsi No 1 Junior High School during the celebration of this year's Municipal Heritage Month event. He cautioned parents and guardians to desist from backing the wrongs of their children because of modernisation. 'We enjoyed our local cultural music such as Agbadza, Atsiagbekor, borborbor, Kinka, and others during our youthful days in the past but these practices are diminishing.' Mr Blebu said culture 'taught us great lessons, so the youth must not allow this new outside of the lifestyles to push them away from our tradition.' He said government, traditional rulers, and leaders have been doing their best in that regard but there was more to be done to embrace the practices. Mr Blebu also c alled on teachers to inculcate the habit of culture into the Ghanaian school-going child. He commended the organisers of the event and called for a better celebration in subsequent years. Torgbui Klu Awlegede lll, the Dufia of Tetemale who chaired the event on behalf of the Avenor Traditional Council, appealed to key stakeholders from the various sectors of development within the Municipality to make the area a centre of cultural excellence. He said the annual event must be sustained and enhanced to guard the new generations. The event was an initiative by the government of Ghana aimed at promoting locally made products as well as displaying the Ghanaian rich cultural heritage. Heritage Month is observed in March every year, being Ghana's independence month. It is filled with tours, events, and activities highlighting Ghana's rich heritage. The period is also sometimes referred to as 'Ghana Month.' It was launched earlier in Accra by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), in collaboration with an Accra-bas ed Citi TV-Citi FM, targeted at showcasing the diverse cultures of the various regions. It also included a food and music festival to promote the consumption of local food and music. Traditional authorities, cultural troupes, artisans, students, and other groups and individuals were in attendance to witness the event which highlighted drumming and singing, rich Ghanaian dresses, and others. This year's theme was 'Imagine Ghana; Discover the Unknown.' Source: Ghana News Agency

Parishioners of St. James and Sacred Heart Cathedral in Ho have commemorated this year's Good Friday with a procession through some principal streets of the town. The procession stopped at 14 Stations before converging at the Sacred Heart Cathedral at Bankoe for prayers. Reverend Fr. Isaac Benuyenah, the Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Cathedral, addressing parishioners, said their procession was the best sacrifice they could make for their sins. He charged them to persevere to the end. Rev. Fr. Benuyenah, who is also the Cathedral Administrator, also asked the parishioners to willingly give to the needy as it was a good sacrifice with a lot of rewards. Good Friday is marked by Christians to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death on the cavalry. Also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday or Black Friday, the festival is preceded by Maundy Thursday and followed by Holy Saturday. Source: Ghana News Agency