Day: April 19, 2024

A convergence of several challenges has created complex livelihood crises in rural communities in the Kassena Nankana District in the Upper East region. Aside from being resource-constrained to navigate these crises, communities in this district lack access to financial services, making it difficult for them to meet their financial needs. A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday said an European Union (EU)-funded project, Landscapes and Environmental Agility across the Nation (EU-LEAN), implemented by World Vision Ghana, had addressed the crises through the Savings for Transformation (S4T) initiative. This initiative allows smallholders to save money and access loans on flexible terms for investment, consumption, and emergency purposes. 'S4T brings access to uninterrupted financial services to the doorsteps of about 24 communities in the district, improving livelihoods, increasing household incomes, and facilitating village-based entrepreneurship', said Joseph Abugri Talata, a projec t officer. 'Rural communities depend largely on forest resources such as tree felling for firewood, charcoal production, and agricultural activities for their livelihoods and income. Preventing them from engaging in such activities requires the introduction of alternative livelihoods and income-generating activities, the reason the project introduced S4T to communities,' he added. The statement said before that farmers founr it difficult to access financial support including loans to meet their needs. 'It was difficult to find someone who had enough money to lend to you to solve critical financial problems. Firewood harvesting was one way I earned income but I have stopped this after joining S4T group in the Banyono community,' said Atongo Cynthia, S4T a famer. S4T beneficiaries Adawona Vivian and Ayedalem Diana both accessed loans to establish provision shops and are now trading in different commodities that earn them income. As a result, the two are now able to support their households financially. 'Th is year, I took a loan of one thousand Ghana cedis. This enabled my husband to buy agro-inputs for our vegetable farm,' said Vivian. For Adawona, S4T is not providing access to financial services it was also promoting relationships and building peaceful coexistence among households. S4T also improved women's leadership and decision making process at household levels. World Vision Ghana, through EU-LEAN, has formed 60 S4T groups in 24 communities. The statement said by December 2023, these S4T groups had saved 647,951.00, Ghana cedis with 1,492 (1,165 women and 327 men) smallholders accessing loans. A cumulative of 72,553.30 Ghana cedis was accrued as interest. This granted financial freedom to smallholder farmers. World Vision Ghana recently provided training on group dynamics, leadership, basic recordkeeping, financial, and business management to key leaders of S4T groups from these communities to sustain this initiative beyond the EU-LEAN Project. 'We have improved financial inclusion and increased wome n's financial access to a level that they are now contributing significantly to meeting their households' needs. This improves family cohesion and bonding needs', said Joseph Edwin Yelkabong, EU-LEAN Project manager at World Vision Ghana. The project supported 1,492 S4T group members to plant 2,984 seedlings mostly economic trees such as mango and cashew. By adopting these practices, local communities have not only improved their livelihoods and incomes, but they are also contributing to the overall restoration of degraded lands in the Kassena Nankana West District. The EU-LEAN intervention has enabled farmers to diversify their livelihoods, improve crop yields, and access better markets through agricultural value chain linkage fairs. This has in turn increased their incomes and allowed them to invest in their communities. 'The project has enabled these communities to become more resilient and adaptive to climate change while improving biodiversity in their areas.' Source: Ghana News Agency

Shatta Wale, a Ghanaian dancehall artiste, has apologized to the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) for using disability to mock his fellow Musician StoneBwoy. A letter dated 18th April addressed to the GSPD and signed by Samuel Atobi Baah said, 'We understand that the wording of the statement may have been insensitive, and we acknowledge the concerns raised. 'It was not our intention to cause any harm, and we value and respect the contributions and rights of individuals with disabilities in our society.' The letter further stated that: 'We are committed to promoting inclusivity and understanding, and we will strive to be more mindful of our words and actions in the future. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we appreciate your understanding.' The GSPD in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said, 'we accept the apology and appreciate their commitment to promoting inclusivity.' The GSPD reminded Ghanaians to be mindful of the reality that disability can be anyone's lot at any time. Source: Ghana News Agency

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a shopkeeper to five years imprisonment for stealing GH?330,135.00 belonging to a trader. Mr Samuel Gyasi Annan used the said amount to buy a parcel of land in his hometown, renovate his family house and purchase sofa chairs in addition, according to prosecutors. Charged with stealing, Gyasi pleaded guilty. Mr Gyasi was convicted on his plea and was sentenced accordingly. Prosecution led by Police Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer prayed the Court that the convict should be given a longer sentence to deter others. In sentencing, the Court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo was mindful of the fact that the convict was a first-time offender as well as a family man. The convict was therefore sentenced to five years imprisonment in hard labour. Meanwhile, Madam Naomi Nyarko and Mr William Yaw Annan, a trader and mason respectively, and parents of the convict, are jointly held for abetment of crime to wit; stealing. They pleaded not guilty to the charge levelled against them. T he couple have been admitted to GH?60,000.00 bail each with two sureties each. The matter has been adjourned to May 20, 2024. The facts as narrated by the prosecution are that the complainant, Madam Felicia Ofori, who resides at Teshie Gonno Cluster of the School area, is a trader while the convict who was a storekeeper and a sales boy to the complainant, resides at Mannet Court, Okpoi Gonno. It said Madam Nyarko and Mr Annan were residents of Assin Dompim in the Central Region. The prosecution said the complainant detected that the convict had been stealing from her shop. It said based on that, on October 10, 2024, the complainant caused her auditors to audit the convict. The prosecution said after the auditing, it was detected that he had stolen GH?330,135.00 from the complainant's shop. It said when the convict was asked to account for the missing money, he could not. The prosecution said the complainant complained to Teshie Police station and the convict was arrested. It said during the investiga tion, the convict admitted the offence and stated that he used part of the stolen money to buy a parcel of land in at Assin Dompim, his hometown. The prosecution said, 'he also used part of the said money to put up two single storeys for his parents.' 'He has renovated his family house, bought sofa chairs and also gave an amount of GH?51,400.00 to his mother (Madam Nyarko) for safe keeping,' the prosecution added. It said an investigation was extended to Assin Dompim where an amount of GH?51,400.00 was retrieved from his mother. The prosecution said when his mother was questioned, she stated that it was part of the money that her son (the convict) gave to her for safekeeping. It said his father (Mr Annan) could not also account for the items in his room that his son bought. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Bono Regional office of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has targeted to cultivate 3000 acres of maize farm as part of the phase II of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr. Shadrach Abrefa Mensa, the Bono Regional Director of YEA, said his office would play a key role in the phase II of the PFJ programme with support from the Ministry of Agriculture. He mentioned that approximately 600 young people would be recruited under the Youth in Agriculture module to assist with farming activities throughout the region. Mr. Abrefa Mensa explained that from July 2019 to January 2020, the YEA carried out a pilot project on a 250-acre maize farm at Branam in the Wenchi Municipality. He highlighted the success of the initiative in training 100 young farmers through various phases of the project, including land preparation, beneficiary recruitment, farmer business school, planting, post-planting, harvesting, and storage. Mr. Abrefa Mensa emphasized that under the pilot programme, the youth gained valuable skills in agronomic practices and farm management through the Farmer Business School. Additionally, the beneficiaries received hands on training in the management of maize farms which helped to increase income generation and employment opportunities for the community and surrounding areas. Mr. Abrefa Mensa stated that the project's produce was supplied to the Buffer Stock Company which contributed to the reduction of food insecurity in the country. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Paradigm Initiative (PIN) a Pan African organisation, and the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University (SMC, PAU), Nigeria have sealed a partnership aimed at increasing knowledge and skills in reporting and responding to digital rights and inclusion issues in Africa. This collaborative effort is aimed at equipping journalists with the expertise needed to effectively document and report on digital rights violations and advocate for inclusive digital spaces across Africa. A statement issued and signed by Judith Otugu, Communication Manager, PIN, and made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) explained the partnership was part of PIN's Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Programme (DRIMP). The programme encompasses media fellowships run collaboratively with academic institutions and sector experts and through its PIN partners with academic institutions and key digital rights experts to deliver capacity-building training sessions to early-career media practitioners and media students. DRIMP exposes relevant programme fellows to digital rights and inclusion, enhancing their ability to report and respond to any violations that may arise. 'Building a strong network of informed advocates and reporters is crucial for promoting and protecting digital rights in Africa and this collaboration marks a defining moment for the documentation of digital rights developments within Africa,' said Bridgette Ndlovu, PIN's Partnerships and Engagements Officer in the statement. 'Through this partnership with the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, we will empower media students to hold governments and the private sector accountable for upholding digital rights standards,' she said. Commenting on behalf of SMC, PAU, Senior Lecturer at the School of Media and Communication, Dr. Nwachukwu Egbunike highlighted that the partnership is in line with SMC's commitment to providing industry relevant skill sets to her students. According to the statement the partnership would foster experienti al learning, which is one of the cardinal teaching objectives of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos. 'We are excited to partner with Paradigm Initiative. Equipping media students with the knowledge and skills to report on digital rights issues is essential for building a more just and equitable digital space in Africa,' Dr. Egbunike added. The collaboration comes at a time when rapid digitalisation and adoption of digital policies is gaining traction in Africa. Through the partnership, PIN will provide technical facilitation on digital rights topics which include Surveillance, data privacy and digital legislation in Nigeria and Africa. Media students at Pan-Atlantic University would publish research papers on digital rights and inclusion. PIN will also offer internship opportunities to a maximum of two interns to recommended outstanding students who are part of the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University programme per cohort. The statement said the internship slots will allow student benef iciaries to learn from and contribute to PIN's or any of its partners' work. PIN connects under-served young Africans with digital opportunities and ensures the protection of their rights and it worked in communities across Nigeria since 2007 and across Africa since 2017, building experience, community trust, and an organisational culture that positions us as a leading non-governmental organisation in ICT for Development and Digital Rights on the continent. Across its regional offices in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon and beyond, we have impacted youth with improved livelihoods through our digital inclusion and digital rights programs. The School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Nigeria, aims at the holistic formation of media and communication professionals to enable them to pursue their calling of service to human cultures with a sense of creativity, skill, knowledge, and values. Source: Ghana News Agency