Category: General

Precious Minerals Marketing Company Limited (PMMC) has invested in machinery to be able to produce sophisticated jewellery as part of measures to promote made in Ghana products. Nana Akwasi Awuah, Managing Director of PMMC, said the Company had a 3D printer and software that designs, prints, and used to create sophisticated jewellery for the Ghanaian market. Nana Awuah was speaking at the Company's three-day Lobby Sales in Accra meant to appreciate its customers and to bring products to the doorstep of Ghanaians. The initiative was also to give back to its customers by way of discounting prices on the jewellery products. The Managing Director said the Company had also improved on its finishing and wanted to get people to understand the culture of owning jewellery and as part of their grand agenda and strategy for them to appreciate the value. 'We want to embark on social re-engineering, where Ghanaians will come to accept and take jewellery as a store of value,' he added. The Managing Director said the whole idea was to be able to encourage value addition and drive it well to turn round the narrative of exporting gold without value. He said the Company wanted to maximize the potential or benefit of the natural resources, adding that they were in talks with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority for assistance in leveraging the AfCFTA to drive value addition. He said the whole idea was to be able to get a jewellery market, where people could walk in anytime to purchase for use or as a gift, while encouraging Ghanaians to invest in jewelry for the future. Mr Daniel Bugyei, General Manager, PMMC Jewellery said the event was also to appreciate the Company's loyal customers. He said they intended to make the event an annual Lobby Sales, where they would interact with customers and appreciate them. He said that this year they embarked on an expansion drive, where they added two new branches to the existing five branches Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Richard Opoku, a Global Inclusion and Safeguarding Lead at Chance for Childhood, has called on the Ministry of Education to prioritise the implementation of Ghana's Inclusive Education Policy by committing adequate funding to make inclusiveness a reality. He also urged the Ghana Education Service to ensure that per the provisions of the Inclusive Education Policy, screening was conducted for every child who enrolled in primary school. That, he said, would ensure early identification, referrals, and assessment of disabilities in children and adequate support. 'Early detection will also ensure that all children with disabilities receive early and right intervening services to succeed in school and life,' he added. Mr Opoku, who made the call in an interview with GNA, said most children with disabilities were out of school due to the fear of stigmatisation and lack of family support. Also, lack of capacity in many basic schools to give the necessary help to children with disabilities is hindering child ren with such challenges from being out of school. According to the World Health Organisation, there are about 150 million children with disabilities worldwide. About 120 million of these children, representing 80 per cent, are in developing countries, and less than 1.2 million (10%) go to school. Mr Opoku noted in Ghana, there were an estimated 130,000 children with disabilities, but the figure could be quite higher, because not all children with disabilities are known. 'Averagely, only one out of every six children with disabilities are in school. It means that for each child with a disability who attends school, there are five others who do not get education'. He said: 'There are also many children who are in school but not learning because they have a disability or different learning need such as Dyslexia (reading and learning difficulties), but it is not identified at an early stage. 'Other learning difficulties affect other areas of learning. But very often these types of disabilities are overlooke d, and the child is left to struggle on their own. He said it was important that disabilities in children were identified as early as possible through screening and assessment for disabilities and other special needs to give adequate support for those who would need it. 'There are many studies that show that children who have been identified early are much more likely to get the help they need. They are better able to achieve at grade level, have fewer behavioural problems and develop social and emotional skills,' he noted. In 2015, the Ministry of Education launched the Inclusive Education Policy. This Policy is to ensure that all children with special needs in Ghana have access to education, including children with disabilities and children who are out of school for other reasons. The Policy prescribes that children with mild and moderate disabilities should be enrolled in mainstream schools. The special schools can only enroll children with severe disabilities and provide expertise services to the scho ols in their vicinity. The Inclusive Education Policy also emphasises the importance of screening and assessment, to identify diverse needs in children at an early stage. It states that 'all schools should undertake early identification, referral and intervention through periodic screening of all learners.' The policy further highlights that every child in primary school shall undergo an assessment twice every year, and assessment results shared with the parents. This provision in the policy is, however, yet to be fully implemented. Chance for Childhood is a child-centered NGO working to promote a safe school environment and inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream education. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), has commended the Government for its commitment to immunisation through the payment of 60 per cent of its co-financing agreement. It said that significant investment underscored the Government's dedication to the health and well-being of its citizens. A statement issued by the NGO, signed by Madam Cecilia Senoo, it's Executive Director, said Government's commitment to fulfilling its financial obligations for immunisation was a testament to its effort to achieving widespread vaccination coverage, strengthening the country's immunisation programmes ensuring the availability of vaccines, and bolstering healthcare infrastructure. 'However, while we acknowledge and appreciate this significant step, HFFG urges the government to expedite the release of the outstanding 40 percent, which amounts to approximately 3.4 million dollars,' it said. The statement said timely disbursement of the funds was critical to sustaining and enhancing t he impact of immunisation efforts across the country. It said it was essential for procuring vaccines to address current and emerging health threats and vaccine shortages. The statement said fully funded immunisation programmes ensured that Ghanaians had access to a comprehensive range of vaccines, protection of children from preventable diseases and primarily safeguarding the country against any form of shortage that could have adverse effect on the administration of vaccines, especially for children. It said the outstanding funds were vital for strengthening healthcare infrastructure and supporting outreach programmes. Those resources, the statement said, contributed to the development and sustenance of robust vaccination campaigns that got to even the most hard to reach and underserved communities. It said ensuring full funding for immunisation programmes was crucial in global health security with adequate resources enabling countries to respond swiftly to public health emergencies, protecting populat ions and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. 'HFFG remains committed to collaborating with the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to advance public health goals and promote sustainable development. We believe that the release of the outstanding 40 per cent will further solidify Ghana's position as a leader in immunisation efforts, setting example for other nations to follow, whilst averting a potential public health crisis,' the statement said. The Organisation called on the media, Civil Society Organisations and the public to join it in advocating the timely release of the remaining funds to support the country's immunisation initiatives. Source: Ghana News Agency

Epukiro – The much-anticipated annual Epukiro Football and Netball tournament is set to commence this Saturday at the Okovimburu sports fields. Renowned as a key festive event in rural Otjozondjupa and Omaheke, the tournament is a highlight for sports enthusiasts in the region.

According to Namibian Press Agency (NAMPA), Ngatuuane Hange, the event's marketing manager, shared with the Namibian Press Agency (Nampa) on Thursday that the tournament, established in 1985, has been instrumental in developing sports talent in the Epukiro district and across Namibia. It is slated to conclude on December 17th.

Hange emphasized the tournament's role in nurturing sports at the grassroots level, contributing significantly to the regional and national sports scenes. The tournament is known for producing a high percentage of players who advance to the regional leagues and the Namibia Premier League. This year's event has attracted 35 netball and 55 football teams, reflecting its growing prominence in the holiday sports calendar.

The tournament will distribute a total of N.dollars 60,000 in prizes, with N.dollars 40,000 allocated for football and N.dollars 20,000 for netball. Participation fees are set at N.dollars 2,000 per team. The netball category winners will receive N.dollars 10,000 and a trophy, while the runners-up will get N.dollars 5,000. The football champions will be awarded N.dollars 20,000 and a trophy, with the runners-up receiving N.dollars 10,000.

Last year, the Otjijere Football Club and the Easter Swallows netball team triumphed in their respective divisions.

Candidates for the local elections Moez Nefouti and Mohamed Ali Belgacem in the localities of Dokhania (El Krib delegation) and Kesra (Kesra delegation) on Wednesday launched their election campaigns. Nefouti told TAP that his electoral programme focused on supporting farmers and low-income families and setting up leisure facilities for young people in his region. Mohamed Ali Belgacem underlined that his priorities include the regularisation of forest land, the provision of drinking water and electricity to some neighbourhoods and the construction of a multi-disciplinary sports hall. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse