Category: General

A New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegate who attacked a police officer at Ekumfi Essakyir during the Party's Parliamentary Primary in the Ekumfi Constituency, was on Saturday morning arrested and detained by the police. He was among a group of people who had confronted the Constituency Executive for failing to give them money for their transportation. The police had quickly intervened only for the unidentified delegate to attack the Ekumfi District Police Commander warranting his arrested. Meanwhile, a total of 523 delegates from 95 polling stations in 26 electoral areas, council of elders and patrons are expected to vote in the on-going exercise. The contestants are Albert Tetteh-Entsie, Francis K. Ato Codjoe, Stelfa Adu Donkor and Kweku Baah Ofori. Madam Dina Nketia, the Ekumfi District Director of the Electoral Commission, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the venue that, polls stated at 07:00 hours and would end at 1300 hours. She said adequate security was in place to protect lives and property, as well as to ensure peace and order for successful elections. As at 8:00 hours, 56 people had cast their votes. Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Peace Council in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Danish Embassy, has held a community sensitisation workshop on hate speech and negative counter narratives for at-risk youth in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality. The two-day workshop, which brought together selected youth groups from the municipality aimed at equipping them with knowledge and effective responses to hate speech to become campaigners against hate speech in their communities. It also focused on equipping them to contribute to early warning detection and prevention of hate speech and negative counter narratives in both social media and traditional media to contribute to preventing violent extremism. The workshop formed part of an 18-month UNDP Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) project, dubbed, 'PVE Atlantic Corridor Regional project 2023 to 2025', with support from the Government of Denmark under its Peace and Stabilisation Fund (PSF), being implemented in Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Cote d`Ivo ire. The project seeks to prevent and address the immediate localised drivers of radicalisation leading to violent extremism in target communities in these countries while providing support to strengthen the `infrastructure of peace`, namely mechanisms for early warnings and initial response at local levels. Alhaji Sumaila Issaka, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the National Peace Council, noted that the emergence of new and diverse threats of violence has resulted in significant adverse effects on the social and economic progress of several nations. He observed, therefore made it important to promote and disseminate alternative and counter-narrative messages, including hate speech promoting violence extremism in targeted locations to maintain peace and harmony to enhance development. 'It is important for us as a people to live together in harmony and not look down on others and demean them just for the mere fact that we see them differently in terms of their cultural background and l urge all of you to from now on, make attempts to foster unity,' he added. Mr Ali Anankpieng, the Regional Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, speaking on 'Understanding and Responding to Conflict', highlighted that when conflicts were not handled properly, they could escalate to become violence which had the tendency of causing instability. He therefore urged the participants to be accommodating and find an amicable way of solving the differences in their respective communities even if it means compromising. Madam Alice Bokuma, Early Warning and Gender Officer, West Africa Network for Peacebuiding (WANEP), Ghana, reiterated that the peace infrastructure was not limited to only the security services but the whole community, particularly the youth who were targets of the extremist to be sensitised to identify early warning signs and guard against radicalisation. 'WANEP Ghana is committed to building relations for peace and aside the fact that we have trained monitors at the community, district and regional l evel, we are still committed to partnering with other organisations to build peace in our communities,' she added. In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Joseph Adongo, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Chief Executive, expressed gratitude to the National Peace Council and all the stakeholders involved for spearheading the project aimed at fostering peace and countering violent extremism and added that the effort would go a long to contribute to maintaining peace in the area. Ms Sheila Anao, a participant said, 'the workshop has exposed us to a lot of things that we didn't know and going forward it would help us prevent conflict and make appropriate reports when we see something.' Source: Ghana News Agency

The Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP), passed the budget of the Social Affairs Ministry for the 2024 financial year, with 132 votes for, 4 votes against and 4 abstentions.

Answering questions from MPs, Social Affairs Minister, Malek Ezzahi, underlined that 10,000 additional people will benefit from permanent subsidies as part of the "Social Amen" programme, adding that that nearly 1 million needy and low-income families are benefitting from this programme.

The minister reiterated that his department pays particular attention to poor and low-income families, indicating that a 30-dinar monthly allowance is granted to each child from a poor family and a 120-dinar monthly grant is given to each student, in addition to a 100-dinar allowance offered to each student at the start of the school year.

The minister underscored that the solution does not lie in increasing the number of beneficiaries of permanent allowances but rather help young people from needy and low-income families launch their own projects.

The ministry, he said, has funded 586 projects of poor young people, whose success rate reached more than 80% in 2022. It also funded 350 projects with a success rate of over 90% in 2023, emphasizing that the financing ceiling is equal to or greater than 50,000 dinars for each project.

Ezzahi added that the ministry is committed to financing 1,000 projects per year for the benefit of young people from needy and low-income families as of 2024, explaining that all these funds are provided in the form of grants rather loans.

The minister called on young people from needy and low-income families who have not been able to find a job in the public service to launch their own projects by taking advantage of the various economic empowerment programmes made available by the various departments.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Some delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Akatsi South Constituency have expressed mixed feelings on how the election outcome would appear. They said the two aspirants in the race namely, Mr Kofitsey Martin Nyahe, the Municipal Chief Executive of Akatsi South, and Mr Mawuli Ocloo Egos, the Constituency Secretary of the party have all expressed high optimism of victory after today's exercise. Mr Patrick Agboyibor, a delegate who doubles as the Akatsi South Deputy Secretary of the party, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) before the commencement of the voting process that 'delegates are now becoming wise.' Mr Godfred Kpetey, a delegate from Sremanu, told the GNA the elections would be in favour of his best candidate. He said the outcome of today's exercise must be attributed to the true reflection of the choice of delegates 'and nothing should stop that.' A total of 713 delegates comprising polling station executives, Council of Elders, Area Coordinators, Patrons, and others are taking part in today's exercise which is ongoing at the Akatsi RC basic school park. Mr Kotoka, Chairman of the Constituency Parliamentary Election Committee, told the GNA things were in place to experience a successful exercise. Mrs Akorfa Buabasa Asamoah, the Municipal Electoral Officer, disclosed to the GNA that her outfit had not experienced any hitch so far. 'All is set, and we are ready for them,' she said. On security, Mr Bless Nkegbe, the Akatsi South Constituency Communication Officer, explained that the police would ensure law and order. 'The welfare of the delegates is intact. We expect the best aspirant to win,' he added. Source: Ghana News Agency

Adaklu Kpodzi Basic School was among the nine award winners at the 39th Adaklu district farmers' day celebration at Adaklu Torda. The school won the best school garden category and for their prize, they were given two knapsack spraying machines, machetes, weedicides, and wellington boots. The overall district best farmer award was won by Mr. Moses Ekpe of Adaklu Anfoe. His prize was a tricycle, two knapsacks spraying machines, cutlasses, wellington boots, and weedicides. Madam Juliana Kpedekpo, Adaklu District Chief Executive, addressing the gathering stated that agriculture have become the driving force of the economy. She said for this reason the government was putting measures in place to make agricultural implements and seeds available to farmers to increase their yields. The DCE urged the youth to take up agribusiness not as a vocation but as a serious business. Mad. Kpedekpo said a delegation from Korea was in the district to set up a food processing factory and urged farmers in the district to seize the opportunity to expand their farms, especially vegetables. Mad. Eugenia Nana-Bruce, Adaklu District Director of Agriculture stated that farmers were not just food producers, but stewards of the land and that their wisdom combined with modern innovations could lead to more sustainable food security. She urged the government to invest in smart agricultural practices, provide access to the latest technologies and empower farmers with modern methods of farming. Togbe Agumedra Afehe VII, Chief of Adaklu Torda who chaired the function said roads in the district were in a very deplorable state and appealed to government to come to their aid by upgrading the roads to enable farmers cart their foodstuffs to the marketing centres. The celebration was on the theme 'delivering smart solutions for sustainable food security and resilience.' Source: Ghana News Agency