Day: May 24, 2024

The Made-In-Ghana Bazaar has an ultimate goal of facilitating the penetration of Ghanaian products and services into foreign markets using the network of Ghana's Missions abroad. Madam Mavis Nkansah Boadu, a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, in-charge of Finance and Administration, said that would invariably support the growth of Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) and provide them the impetus to expand their reach into markets including that of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). She said this at the opening of the Third Made-In-Ghana Bazaar on the theme: 'Promoting Made-In-Ghana Goods and Services for Economic Prosperity', being organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Other supporting organisations are the Ghana Export Promotions Authority, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Association of Ghana Industries. The Baza ar seeks to promote Ghanaian products internationally, using the network of Ghana's Diplomatic Missions. It is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, launched in 2018, following the Government's decision to re-establish the Economic, Trade and Investment Bureau of the Ministry in 2017, pursuant to its economic and industrial transformation agenda. The Bazaar brings together more than 150 exhibitors, and the products on display represent some of Ghana's iconic offerings in the local and international markets. The products on exhibition range from traditional crafts and artisanal works to manufactured products with cutting-edge technology. Madam Boadu said the Ministry had executed its economic diplomacy agenda with its diplomatic missions abroad and partner institutions, by assisting Ghanaian businesses to access foreign markets with their goods and services. It provides trade and consular advisory services to Ghanaian businesses and facilitates the resolution of trade misunderstanding and conflicts between Ghanaian businesses and their foreign partners. She reiterated that the agenda would be pursued to identify more markets for Ghanaian products and services. 'It is in light of this that this Bazaar is being held with the view of compiling data on all our exhibitors and circulate same to Ghana Missions abroad as well as Diplomatic Missions accredited to the Republic of Ghana to help identify market for them and expand their reach,' Madam Boadu said. The potential of strategic economic diplomacy had become so evident today that States were seen increasing collaboration between State and non-State actors, increasing importance to World Trade Organisation (WTO) issues and the continuous negotiation of free trade and preferential trade agreements, she said. Countries had also centered their diplomatic engagements around economic diplomacy where Ministries of Foreign Affairs were forging stronger ties with the private sector to attract the needed foreign direct inves tment into their countries. 'It is in this vein that the chosen theme for the Bazaar 'Promoting Made-in-Ghana Goods and Services for Economic Prosperity' is apt, as it is strategically designed to harness the innovative efforts of our micro, small and medium size businesses (SMEs). Madam Boadu said the AfCFTA framework had provided a unique opportunity for intra-African trade and Ghana was at the forefront of implementing that agreement. Aside hosting its Secretariat, Ghana had been able to trade with a few African countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon and South Africa under the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative (GTI), launched in October 2022 to pilot the implementation of the AfCFTA agreement. Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond, the Minister of Trade and Industry, who opened the Bazaar, called on Ghanaians to patronise Made-In-Ghana products. 'I encourage each of you to patronize these Made-in-Ghana products and services, not just out of functionality and price but also with a sense of pride and patriotism,' he said. 'By supporting your local businesses and artisans, you are not only satisfying your needs, but also investing in the local economy and strengthening as well as preserving our productive sectors for future generations.' 'Every purchase made here today helps to sustain livelihoods and promote productivity and sustainability in our communities.' Source: Ghana News Agency

Mahdia: The number of tourists to the governorate of Mahdia between January 1 and May 20 stood at 3,368, up 2.6% compared with the same period last year. This led to a 25.8% rise in overnight stays and a 22.6% increase in the length of stay, to 4.5 days, according to statistics provided by the Mahdia Regional Authority for Tourism. Traditional markets showed an upward trend in the number of overnight stays, at 27% for the German market, 19% for the British market and 11% for the French market, while the number of overnight stays by Tunisian visitors reached 19%. Despite the development of the overall indicators for the tourism sector in Mahdia, with an occupancy rate of less than 19% during the same period, it is still low. The regional tourism authorities are expecting an occupancy rate of between 90 and 100% between the end of June and August 2024. The number of arrivals from the Czech Republic and Poland is also expected to rise in September and October (20%), coinciding with the reopening of the Hote l Fatimi, a tourist unit with a capacity of 291 rooms. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi is in talks with the Ghana Health Service to change the Hydrotherapy Unit of the facility into a limb fitting centre. The Hydrotherapy Unit, part of the Physiotherapy Centre, is not in use due to the low return on investment. Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of KATH, who made this known, said the conversion of the unit into a limb fitting centre would help the teaching hospital render quality services in amputation and prosthetic limbs to clients. 'It is going to cost about $150, 000 to fix it and the return on investment is low. So, what we are intending to do with the space is to change the architecture so that it can now be used as a limb fitting center, which is in a bad state,' he told journalists after the hospital's Board members inspected some on-going projects and activities on Friday. The facilities inspected were the hostel for patients' relatives, refurbished Physiotherapy Center and installation of some new dialysis machines. Prof. Addai-Mensah said the physiotherapy centre, which was in a bad state, was renovated and refurbished by management through part of the hospital's internally generated funds. On the construction of the patients' relatives' hostel, he said it was about 80 percent complete with doors, tiling, beds and windows all fixed. He expressed optimism that the 190-bed capacity edifice would be completed by the end of the year to reduce the littering of patients' relatives on the hospital's compound. At the dialysis center, he said management was expecting to install 12 functional machines by the end of May 2024. Prof. Addai-Mensah pointed out that the new Minister for Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, was intent on ensuring that health facilities were equipped with dialysis machines. He said a meeting with all CEOs of teaching Hospitals had been held with the Minister to ensure that some more machines for dialysis were procured for teaching hospitals, including KATH to advance healthcare. Source: Ghana News Agency

Tunis: Participants in the international symposium organised Thursday in Tunis by Tunis Afrique Press (TAP) news agency on "Role of Modern Technologies and Artificial Intelligence in Developing Journalistic Content for News Agencies" issued a set of recommendations, mainly to boost cooperation in AI and improve journalistic content by using modern technolgies. These recommendations include: - Setting up a permanent committee within the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN) in a bid to scale up cooperation and coordination between member agencies on AI, build on different experiences and promote training opportunities for journalists. - Creating a mechanism to raise awareness of the challenges in AI and turn them into opportunities for the agencies to benefit from this innovation in the news agency journalism and improve contents. - Adopting regulations and a code of conduct in consultation with Mediterranean new agencies so as to ensure the proper use of AI and avoid missteps that may jeopardise the credibility of news agency journalism. - Launching a process for news agencies to make good use of AI applications a optimise its use to serve the credibility and transparency of journalistic content. - Encouraging the cautious use of AI in Mediterranean news agencies while taking needed measures to avoid missteps that may affect the credibility of agency news. Enacting legislation, international agreements and codes to govern the use of AI tools to protect the journalists' private information and data. - Ensuring that specialised education and training institutions in Mediterranean countries pay more attention to studying the use of AI technology in teaching and training curricula for journalism students and professionals. - Guaranteeing safe use of AI in the development of journalistic content while highlighting prospects and risks of AI applications and the safe use of AI in protecting data and securing the flow of news so as to preserve the truth while reporting - Involving news agencies in this technological process as it has become a necessity for the rapid coverage of events, while warning about the ethical and legal challenges that may result from the increasing use of this technology. - Making the use of AI ethical. The participants commended TAP's initiative to address the use of AI in news agencies, and called for deeper interest in this issue and a thorough discussion of its various aspects in future sessions within the activities of AMAN as well as the editorial, ethical and financial implications of the use of AI in journalism. This symposium was held at the headquarters of the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) in Tunis, as part of TAP presidency of the AMAN. It was chaired by TAP CEO Najeh Missaion with the participation of AMAN Secretary General George Penintaex (via zoom), Director-general of the Union of Information Agencies of the OIC Mohammed bin Abdul Rabbo Al-Yami, representatives of Arab and Mediterranean news agencies and experts in the AI field. Source: Agence Tunis Afr ique Presse

The Tema Traditional Council (TTC) has cautioned management of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) against alleged plans to lay off some 45 residents of Tema Manhean employed not long ago. Nii Armah Soumponu II, the Stool Secretary, and Tema Shipi, giving the caution at a news conference, indicated that they had picked up signals of plans to lay off the said workers, who are made up of both indigenes and non-indigenes. He explained that the workers were employed by Mr. Daniel Titus Glover, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, who was then the Chief Executive Officer VALCO. According to him, the opportunities created for the 45 residents helped reduce tension in the town, as before their employment, the youth were unhappy about the inability of the industries in Tema to provide jobs for them even though all their farmlands were sacrificed for the industrialization of the country. 'It is with the utmost pain to note that no sooner had Mr. Titus-Glover left the office than his successor, Mr. Kingsley Aboagy e Gyedu, started skirmishes to lay off those workers,' the council alleged. The Tema Shipi stressed, 'May God forbid this, but if he goes ahead with this wicked agenda that has the potential to discredit the government, we shall resist with unprecedented zeal. We therefore advise him to desist from the wicked intention he is nurturing, or he will be faced with the wrath of our people.' They further expressed worry that 'from the way things are going, it is our suspicion that some of those traditional rulers from Kpone and Tema, whom Hon. Titus-Glover has given the privilege to attend VALCO Hospital, shall also be denied this privilege.' The TTC therefore called on President Akufo-Addo to take prompt action to halt the alleged intention, which it said has the potential to damage the image of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government. Meanwhile, when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) contacted the management of VALCO for their response to the allegations, they said the CEO was out of the country and would therefor e give their side on a later day when he arrived. Source: Ghana News Agency