Day: June 8, 2024

Posted on

Ga Mantse visits Army Headquarters


The Overlord of Ga Mashie, His Royal Majesty Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, on Friday, June 7, paid a curtsey call on Major General Bismarck Kwasi Onwona , the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Ghana Army.

The historic visit by the traditional leader was to acquaint himself with the activities of the Army and establish a relationship between the Army and the Ga State.

In line with the military customs and traditions, a full guard was mounted to honour and welcome him to the Army Headquarters at Burma Camp, Accra.

King Tackie Teiko Tsuru after inspection of the guard, in military style, was carted to the Army headquarters for a private meeting with COAS after which, he was briefed on the hierarchy, units and operations of the Ghana Army at the Hall of Generals through a video documentary.

The King and his entourage made up of sub chiefs were treated to a banquet by the Ghana Army High Command.

The traditional leader after the engagement made a presentation of 50 bags of rice, 50 packs of bottled water, other consum
ables, including a bull and an undisclosed amount of cash to the Ghana Army Headquarters.

He also presented the COAS with a kente cloth, conferring a new chieftaincy title, Nii Tackie Tsaatse on him.

The King, in a speech, commended the Army for keeping Ghana safe with acts of discipline, and professionalism particularly, during elections.

Major General Onwona, on his part, said, the Ga Mantse’s ‘resolution to promote Ghana’s cultural heritage and harmony resonated deeply with the core values of the Armed forces’ and stated the readiness of the Army to partner the Ga state for rapid socioeconomic development of the state and Ghana as a whole.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

Ghanaian security personnel trained to mitigate electoral violence, promote peace and security


Selected security personnel in Ghana have completed an intensive course aimed at mitigating electoral violence and promoting peace and security before, during and after the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

The security personnel, drawn from the Police, Military, Customs, Prisons, Immigration and Fire Service, underwent the two-week comprehensive course on Electoral Violence and Security (EVS).

The course, organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), in collaboration with the German Foreign Ministry, forms part of efforts to safeguard the electoral process and to ensure peace and security.

The EVS course is designed to address electoral violence in West Africa by equipping law enforcement agencies with effective prevention, management, and response strategies.

It aims to enhance the capacity of government security services across West Africa to safeguard electoral processes and ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections.

The course is part of a broader stra
tegy to reinforce democratic processes and stability in Ghana and the West African sub-region.

Air Commodore David Akrong, Deputy Commandant, KAIPTC, applauded the participants for exhibiting great sense of devotion, intelligence and full participation in the course, sharing experiences on various modules.

‘In all these spheres of learning, it is satisfying to know that you were all exemplary in your contributions to the discourse which is intended to make our democracy even stronger,’ he said.

He urged the personnel to harness and draw the knowledge gained to effectively enhance their capacities to prevent or manage potential or perceived electoral violence situations before, during and after their Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

Air Cdre Akrong said the course was timely to equip Ghanaian security personnel to ensure the smooth and peaceful conduct of elections while upholding democratic values critical for the nation’s development and stability.

Ms Sivine Jansen, Deputy German Ambassador to
Ghana, said the German Government subscribed to free and fair elections as the cornerstone of democracy.

She said as part of efforts to ensuring that elections were conducted in a peaceful and secure environment, Germany supported the Election Violence and Security Course.

The Deputy Ambassador said apart from supporting the security services, journalists were being trained to ensure that they reported elections objectively and fairly in accordance with high moral and ethical standards devoid of sensationalism.

She said vigilance by security services was key in ensuring that the violenct incidents during the registration was curtailed as the general elections beckoned.

According to her, a holistic approach with an understanding of a law oriented and thoughtful process was needed in ensuring that there was a safe environment for all the citizenry to vote in free and fair elections.

Ms Jansen said the German Government, since 2002, had supported and partnered the KAIPTC to contribute to peace and security
in Ghana and the West African sub-region.

She noted that with funding from Germany, the KAIPTC had developed courses on Investigating Sexual and Gender-based Violence, Police Middle Management Course, and Women’s Leadership Development Programme, among others for security personnel from Ghana and other West African States.

ACP Osman Abdul-Razak, the Course Director, said modules for the course was strategically developed to prepare the security agencies to know how to manage and deal with perceived and actual security related violence.

ACP Abdul-Razak said the course was all-encompassing, dealing with how to handle the media, the public and political parties among others during elections.

‘It also gave Commanders who came for the course the opportunity to know the various practical measures that can be put in place to deal with all incidents on a case to case basis. Participants were sensitised on how to work as a team,’ he noted.

With support from the German Government, KAIPTC will replicate the course
in the middle and northern sectors of Ghana.

In Kumasi the course is scheduled to run from 10th June, 2024 and in Tamale from 17 to 21 June, 2024.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

Detention of Awutu-Senya-East NDC parliamentary candidate will needlessly raise political temperature – Mahama


Former President John Dramani Mahama, Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), says the police’s detention of Madam Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, the party’s parliamentary candidate for Awutu Senya East, will needlessly raise the political temperature in the country.

In a tweet, he said: ‘There is no justification for the decision by the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Dampare, on the orders of the National Security Advisor, Albert Kan Dapaah, to detain a Parliamentary Candidate for the Awutu Senya East Constituency in Police custody’.

‘This action, taken on the instructions of the National Security Secretariat, will needlessly raise the political temperature in the country and spark avoidable tension.’

Mr Mahama said the Police Service must not allow itself to be used to hang the peace and stability of the nation months before a crucial national election.

‘I call on the IGP, the Peace Council, the Government, and the People of Ghana to recognise that justice is not just a moral imperativ
e but a crucial prerequisite for maintaining peace and stability in a nation,’ he stated

‘We cannot allow the police service to be used to stifle opposition and intimidate innocent Ghanaians and political opponents in the run-up to the 2024 elections.’

Mr Mahama said clearly, the intention to detain the candidate after she had already been granted bail was an attempt to intimidate her in her quest to unseat Madam Hawa Koomson, the New Patriotic Party incumbent Member of Parliament for the Constituency and the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

‘I urge the IGP to urgently reconsider his actions and release Naa Koryoo immediately for the sake of justice and the stability of our nation,’ he said.

He noted that it was high time the police fulfilled their duty to serve and protect all citizens, irrespective of their political affiliations. ‘#JusticeForNaaKoryoo; #FreeNaaKoryooNow’ he tweeted.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

World Food Safety Day: FDA urges market women to observe food safety


As Ghana joined the rest of the world to mark 2024 World Food Safety Day, the Ashanti Regional office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) educated women at the Tafo market on food safety.

World Food Safety Day is celebrated across the globe annually on June 7 to raise awareness about the importance of food safety and to encourage actions that help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks.

‘Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected,’ which is the theme for the 2024 celebration underlines the importance of being prepared for food safety incidents, no matter how mild or severe they can be.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in 10 people worldwide fall ill from contaminated food each year with over 200 diseases being caused by contaminated food.

This year’s celebration will, therefore, draw attention to food safety incidents globally.

It is for this reason that the FDA in the Ashanti Region visited the Tafo market in collaboration with the Old Tafo Municipal Environmental Health Directo
rate, to sensitise the women on the importance of food safety in commemoration of the day.

The three different teams moved from shop to shop, stall to stall, and table to table to engage them on best practices in handling food to keep them safe for consumption.

With the aid of leaflets and posters containing simple messages on how to keep food safe, the teams encouraged the women to prioritise the safety of customers in their businesses.

As the team traversed the market to engage the women, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), FDA Ashanti, Mr. Daniel Geraldo also engaged them on the Information Centre in the market.

He told them to be conscious of how they stored food and other items meant for consumption to ensure their qualities were not compromised.

They should also ensure that goods are sold out before expiry while those expired disposed off immediately in collaborarion with environmental health officials.

Mr. Geraldo reminded the market women that as key players in the food supply chain, they had a
critical role to play in food safety and public health.

‘You have a duty not to expose food items and other products meant for human consumption to dust and flies in order not to put the health of your customers at risk,’ he implored them.

Ms. Linda Fowaa Owusu, Assistant Environmental Health Analyst, Old Tafo Municipal Assembly, commended the market women for their cooperation, and urged them to adhere to the messages shared with them in the interest of public safety.

‘Beyond this exercise, we always engage the market women when it comes to market sanitation, food safety and hygiene to ensure the safety of the public,’ she noted.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

GIZ donates servers to FDA to support vaccine manufacturing


The German Development Cooperation (GIZ) on Friday presented four Integrated Regulatory Information Management System (IRIMS) servers to the Food and Drugs and Authority (FDA) to enhance its regulatory and administrative functions.

The IRIMS system servers are expected to digitalise FDA’s regulatory operations and lot release for vaccine manufacturing.

Mr. Wilhelm Hugo, Cluster Coordinator of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), who presented the severs, said it would also allow clients to submit and track applications online.

He said the donation was to support the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) to create an enabling environment for vaccine production in Ghana.

‘With this new management system and additional technical equipment, our Ghanaian partners can continue working towards their objective of turning Ghana into a pharmaceutical producer,’ he said.

Mr. Hugo said Ghana’s ambition to become one of Africa’s leading vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturers would enhance bo
th the health security of the Ghanaian population and the economy.

He said the European Union (EU) and German Development Cooperation would continue to support and strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of the FDA.

‘This will help the FDA to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standards which includes a pharmaceutical-microbiological laboratory and a Clean Room, where contamination from dust, airborne germs, aerosol particles and chemical vapours is prevented,’ he said.

Dr Delese Mimi Darko, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FDA, said by November 2024, the FDA would have a Clean Room that met specified biosafety standards.

‘This effort underscores our commitment to building the critical infrastructure to regulate locally produced vaccines for the ECOWAS region,’ she said.

Dr Darko thanked GIZ for the support stating that Ghana would succeed in local vaccine manufacturing to improve the health status of the people of West Africa.

She said the vaccine manufacturing initiative woul
d create jobs, generate taxes and dividends and promote sustainable and balanced economic growth.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Proudly powered by WordPress