Day: June 18, 2024

Vivo Energy Ghana, the Shell Licensee, has successfully launched Safety Day 2024 at its head office in Cantonment, Accra.

Safety Day, a cherished tradition of the business, underscores the company’s commitment to Health, Safety, Security, Environment and Quality (HSSEQ) practices while celebrating its safety achievements and milestones.

‘With a vision of becoming the leading and most respected energy business in Africa, we remain committed to ensuring the safety and security of our employees, partners, customers and communities. The focus for this year’s Safety Day is on our HSSEQ Management System (MS), an integral part of our commitment to achieving Goal Zero- no harm to people and minimising our impact on the environment’.

Speaking at the launch, the Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Kader Maiga, emphasised the company’s collaboration with regulatory bodies like the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Ghana Standard Authority (GSA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Association of Oil
Marketing Companies (AOMC) to ensure compliance with procedures, standards, environmental sustainability, and industry best practices.

‘I wish to throw more light on our Goal Zero Days (4,900 days/over 13 years) – the number of days without a recordable incident in our operations as a company. We could only achieve this with the help of our employees, third-party contractors, site attendants, customers and regulatory bodies by complying with our safety procedures, standards, and regulations’, he said.

The CEO/Industry coordinator of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC), Dr Riverson Oppong, commended Vivo Energy Ghana for its proactive approach to safety, noting, ‘It is heartening to see a company that prioritises the well-being of its employees and partners.

AOMC is proud to partner with Vivo Energy Ghana and all its members in the relentless pursuit of Goal Zero through collaborative efforts to achieve a future where safety and sustainability are the cornerstones of every operation within the
downstream petroleum industry.’

Representing Vivo Energy Ghana Transporters, the CEO of S. O. Frimpong Transport Limited, Randy Frimpong, in his goodwill message applauded the leadership and management of Vivo Energy Ghana for their dedication to a proper way of doing business which is a safer alternative.

‘We are happy to say that all transporters of Vivo Energy Ghana, through the adaptation of its HSSEQ Management System (MS), are now professional companies and we are also able to share knowledge and best practices with others in the industry,’ he said.

‘Vivo Energy Ghana pledges to integrate safety into every aspect of its operations and commits to staying informed and adhering to safety protocols to safeguard its colleagues, families and communities. Together we will achieve Goal Zero and set a benchmark for others to follow’.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Muslims have been called upon to exhibit true faith through acts of compassion and peaceful coexistence.

Alhaji Alfa Anas Hamidu, Volta Regional Imam, said the standards of the religion as set out by the Prophet Muhammed remained peaceful cooperation towards the development of society and should be the yardstick of bearers of the faith.

The Regional Imam made the call following prayers in Ho during prayers to mark Eid ul Adha, the Islamic feast of sacrifice.

‘Islam is not a religion of violence. Islam is a religion of tolerance, peace and unity and development. Prophet Muhammed has called on us to be a true Muslim. A true Muslim is that person through, whose hands and tongue people are safe. A true believer is one through whom people’s blood and properties are safe.

‘So, I am calling on all Muslims and non-Muslims in Ghana to preach peace, unity and development. The Qoran says you should cooperate in righteousness and peace, and not violence,’ he said.

He made a passionate appeal to the youth, cautioning
against attempts to foist violence during the coming general election period, while advising political parties and the public against violent politics of all forms.

‘Don’t go and fight because Islam teaches the peace, unity and development that Ghanaians are praying for.’

Thousands of the Muslim faith believers in the Ho Municipality and beyond attended the public prayer ceremony, and the Imam, who led the prayers, performed the ritual sacrifice of a ram to mark the occasion.

He said the festival commemorated the ‘unique faith’ Abraham had in God, and that his spirit of sacrifice should guide all, particularly the youth.

Representatives of various political parties and heads of the Police Service were present at the ceremony, and all pledged commitment to a peaceful event.

Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic and Flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), donated a bull to the community for the celebrations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Three social protection groups have urged the government to expeditiously pay the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) grants to beneficiaries to alleviate their suffering.

The groups are the Civil Society Platform on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10, the Social Accountability Forum, and the Civil Society Platform for Social Protection.

They made the call at a joint press conference in Accra on Tuesday 18th June 2024.

According to the groups, the beneficiaries had suffered four months of delay in receiving the grants, exacerbating the hardships those vulnerable Ghanaians were facing.

Mr Auberon Jeleel Odoom, Convenor, SDG Sub platform Goal 10, said the delay had increased the cost of living of beneficiaries by 15 per cent over the past year, including a 20 per cent rise in food prices.

‘This issue transcends political and economic debates; it touches on the core of human dignity and the right to a basic standard of living. The elderly, orphans and vulnerable children, and persons with s
evere disabilities deserve better,’ she said.

‘They deserve a government that honours its commitments and places their needs first. Anything less is a betrayal of trust and a failure of leadership,’ he added.

Mr Odoom said the timeliness of LEAP payments was also critical to achieving the programme’s positive social and economic objectives.

The Convenor said the government must take immediate and decisive action to rectify the delays in the payments to alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable and to restore confidence in social protection initiatives.

He said despite the government’s commitment to prompt payment of the grants as a condition of the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout negotiations, the process remained ‘disappointingly sluggish’.

Mr Odoom said for many beneficiaries, particularly the elderly, the LEAP grants were a lifeline and often their only source of income to purchase food, medication, and other essential items.

‘The delays, which have stretched to as long as four month
s, mean that many elderly individuals are forced to make impossible choices between eating and buying medicine. This is not just a financial issue; it is a matter of dignity and survival,’ the Convenor stressed.

The LEAP initiative is recognised as one of the five primary social intervention programmes to assist the poor and vulnerable populations.

By the end of 2023, the programme had extended its reach to approximately 350,580 households, benefiting around 1.5 million individuals nationwide.

As part of its efforts to mitigate the impact of rising living costs on the poor and vulnerable, the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF), increased the monthly LEAP benefit levels by 100 per cent in the 2023 National Budget.

Additionally, in September 2023, the Cabinet approved a structural benchmark developed by the MoGCSP in collaboration with MoF.

The benchmark introduced an inflation-based indexation mechanism to adjust L
EAP benefits annually, ensuring that the real value of the benefits is preserved against inflation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Sightsavers Ghana in partnership with Challenges Ghana have launched Ready for Inclusive Sustainable

Employment and Entrepreneurship (RISE/E) Programme to train people for employment.

The programme funded by Standard Chartered Bank aims to train over two-hundred and sixteen people focusing on Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), to strengthen opportunities, increase employability skills and job creation amongst micro- businesses.

Mr David Agyemang, Senior Programmes Manager at Sightsavers Ghana said the programme was geared to make a difference in entrepreneurship in Ghana by enabling Persons With Disabilities acquire some skills for employment across the trading industry.

He said it would also develop the skills and competencies of young people and Persons With Disabilities which were likely to be demanded by businesses and other small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

Speaking about the Programme, he said there would be an eight-week mentorship and internship training to prepare them adequately for the
job market.

He said the training and entrepreneurship initiative would be done by person with and without disabilities to be able to help the trainees participate effectively.

Mr Agyemang said the employment opportunities focuses on only Persons With Disabilities and 50 per cent of entrepreneurs.

He said there would be a financial inclusion component which would provide trainees to set up their own businesses and implement their own innovative ideas.

He said the programme was currently centred in the Greater Accra Region, however, it would be extended to other regions as time goes by.

The Senior Programmes Manager said Sightsavers was committed to ensuring that Persons With Disabilities gained employment and lived independent lives.

Madame Pearl Siale, Programmes Lead for Challenges Ghana in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said the Programme sought to train young people between the ages of 18 to 35 years to gain employable and entrepreneurship skills.

She said the Programme would strengthen the
business of micro-enterprises, led by youth with and without disabilities, including sustainable, green and social practices.

‘The expectation over the course of three years is that as the businesses grow, they will generate employment for other youth in their communities, particularly, for youth with disabilities and create positive social and environmental impact,’ she added.

She said they would be trained on core business areas such as business growth and sustainability, financial management and internal controls, sales and marketing, organizational structure and management, business planning and risk Management, covering a six month training.

Madame Siale urged young people and Persons With Disabilities to enroll in this programme to experience a life changing outcome.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Imam Yussif Abdulai Korley, the Imam for the Kasseh Central Mosque in Ada, has urged Moslem youth not to allow themselves to be coerced into indulging in violent activities in relation to the elections.

Imam Korley, who is also the Head of the Arabic Department of the Kasseh Islamic School, said violence was an abominable act in the presence of Allah and therefore urged the youth to use their time to learn vocations instead of engaging in violent activities.

‘If you are a youth, learn a skill or a trade, and you will never go hungry. People become frustrated and do so many unpleasant things just because they failed to involve themselves in skill training to get themselves their own work,’ he said.

Imam Korley made the statement in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during the celebration of Eid-ul Adha at Kasseh.

According to him, the Eid-ul Adha festivity was the enactment of Allah’s commandment to Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail for him, but God eventually provided a ram just when Ibrahim was a
bout to carry out the order.

The Imam charged all to protect each other’s property for peace and development during the elections instead of attacking each other.

‘Islam means peace, and it hurts my emotions when I hear that most people who indulge in robbery, violence, land guards, and other abominable activities are bearing Islamic names,’ he lamented.

Mr Yakubu Suleiman, the Public Relations Officer for the Muslim Community at Kasseh, entreated all Muslims to uphold the tenets of virtue to be remembered for a good cause after their demise.

He appealed to those who are well-to-do to help their unfortunate brothers in times of need but remember not to publicise it.

Source: Ghana News Agency