Day: June 22, 2024

Stakeholders in the Keta-Vodza coastal community groups have called for a comprehensive environmental impact assessment for the Keta Delta Oil Block and other energy projects.

The assessment should include cumulative impacts on biodiversity, marine ecosystems, and local livelihoods.

The stakeholders demanded that all energy projects, including the Keta Delta Oil Block, adhere to the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) as outlined in the UN Convention.

These were in a joint communiqué from extensive deliberations on community mobilisation activity in Keta-Vodza.

The initiative aimed to foster a progressive, rights-based approach to energy transition and address the potential impacts of the Keta Delta Oil Block.

The event saw the participation of traditional authorities, fishermen associations, women’s groups, and youth organisations, all united in their commitment to advocate for systemic change.

The attendees were drawn from the communities of Vodza, Kedzi Horvedzi, Kedzi Xorvi, Kedzi
Harvedzi, Woe, Afidenyibga, and Anlo-Afidenyibga, ensuring a comprehensive representation of the region’s populace.

The dialogue was organised by the AbibiNsroma Foundation in collaboration with the FIDEP Foundation.

The discussions highlighted international frameworks such as the UN FPIC Convention, which underscores the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities to give or withhold consent to projects affecting their lands and resources.

Additionally, the MARPOL (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) and the OSPAR Convention were examined in relation to marine pollution prevention and management.

The participants called on the need for strengthened regulations and enforcement mechanisms aligned with international standards such as MARPOL and OSPAR.

That, it stressed, would prevent and mitigate environmental pollution from energy activities, particularly in marine ecosystems.

The communiqué called for capacity-building programmes that empower local communities, pa
rticularly women and youth, to actively participate in decision-making processes related to energy development and environmental management.

The coastal community representatives expressed concerns over potential marine environmental impacts from oil exploration and underscored the need for stringent environmental regulations and monitoring frameworks aligned with international standards.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Colonel Anorph Banabas Akanbong, Director of Training at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has urged security officers to apply expertise to manage the 2024 general election.

He encouraged personnel, who completed a five-day course on electoral violence trends and election management, to apply the knowledge gained to preempt perceived violence situations before, during and after the elections.

He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Electoral Violence and Security (EVS) course in Tamale, organised by the KAIPTC with support from the German Foreign Ministry.

The course formed part of the KAIPTC’s endevours to promote peace and security in West Africa, especially in election years.

It brought together command level personnel of the various security services in the Northern Region, who were equipped to understand the roles of each service in policing an election.

Participants received certificates acknowledging completion of the EVS course.

Colonel Akanbong congratul
ated participants for completing the first session of the series on EVS and commended them for exhibiting great sense of devotion and intelligence during the training.

He said: ‘In all the 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 further commended the Ghana Police Service as the lead agency of the Election Security Task Force, the German Government and relevant stakeholders for their respective roles in making the training a success.

Ms Pauline Okkens, German Political Advisor to Ghana, said the EVS course was to aid the country’s security apparatus in devising strategies to mitigate electoral violence, adding that it had trained over 300 personnel in three series.

She said the German Government, since 2002, had partnered the KAIPTC to contribute to peace and security in Ghana particularly in the sub-region in several ways.

She stated that with funding from the German Govern
ment, KAIPTC had conducted courses such as the Police Middle Management, Security Sector Reform and others for security personnel across the sub-region and beyond.

Ms Okkens said the challenges of failed states stemmed from factors like weak state structures that hindered effective systems, adding ‘The German Government’s peacebuilding efforts are focused on assisting the reformation of the security sector of these countries.’

Colonel Francis Kojo Bannerman, Command Operations Officer of the Northern Command, Ghana Armed Forces, who gave a reflection of the EVS course on behalf of all participants, said the course involved the discussion of intriguing modules that realized a simulation exercise based on realistic scenarios.

He said knowledge acquired as well as experiences shared during different sessions of the course had boosted personnel’s preparedness for the 2024 general election.

He expressed gratitude to the German Government for sponsoring the course, and to the Commandant and staff of the KAIPTC
for the opportunity.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Lagos State Waste Managers Association of Nigeria (AWAMN) has expressed its readiness to partner with the Jospong Group to improve waste management in Lagos.

According to the managers, the efficiency with which the Group is managing Ghana’s waste is commendable.

They made the expression after touring the Pantang Waste Transfer Station, Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) and JA Plantpool, all belonging to the Jospong Group in Accra.

Addressing the media after the tour, the National President of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, Olugbenga Adebola, said ‘Lagos is ready for the partnership: We are doing something in Lagos but we’re ready for improvement and there is room for cross border investment, Lagos is ready.’

He added that the recycling plant is a ‘wonderful investment and very impressive.’

‘With a facility like this, Nigeria can be assured of reducing the effect of climate change, improving efficient and effective of waste management of the country,’ he stressed.

He commended
Jospong for its value addition to waste by processing compost and plastic pellets from the waste.

‘Waste is not waste until you waste it and what is happening here is not wastage but adding value to waste and this is impressive,’ he noted.

The Plant Manager -ACARP, Mr. Malik Makik Ganyo, explained the operations of the recycling machines to the visiting delegation from Lagos State and how it is adding value to waste being collected.

‘I am confident that this can be replicated in any part of Africa to give credence to the statement that indeed waste is a resource in the circular economy,’ he stated.

The visit by the Waste Managers is a follow up to an earlier visit by the Lagos State House of Assembly following the signing of MoU between Jospong Group and Lagos State Federal Government earlier in the year.

The Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) is a cutting-edge facility located in Accra, Ghana, with a daily capacity of 2,000 metric tons.

Executed by the Jospong Group, ACARP plays a vital role in
managing municipal solid waste in the region. The plant sorts and processes waste to produce high-quality organic compost for agricultural use.

Since its expansion, ACARP has significantly enhanced its capacity to bridge the existing gap of untreated solid waste in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA).

Source: Ghana News Agency

Management team members from the Akatsi District office of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG) in the Volta Region have engaged some artisans within the municipality on electricity-related activities.

The engagement with the artisans, most of whom are electricians, was to educate and alert them on how to deal with activities relating to electricity and ECG as a company.

The team, led by Mr Samuel Diasempah, District Manager, Akatsi ECG, took participants through some illegal and unacceptable practices by some individuals in society against the Company.

He cited illegal connections, unauthorised reconnection of disconnected customers, unauthorized fixing of streetlights, interconnections, fixing of unapproved meters, and others.

These, Mr Diasempah said, were affecting the operations of the company, urging all to adhere strictly to the guidelines and requirements for a reliable supply and economic growth.

He explained that the encounter was an important one, aimed at fostering collaboration

an
d a good rapport with artisans for effective service delivery.

Mr Diasempah further appealed to electricians to desist from misinforming ECG customers on issues they were not privy to.

‘Our doors are opened for clarification and education on our activities. So do not act as PRO for ECG. Tell our customers to do the right thing,’ he added.

Engineer Eric Agbolete, the District Engineer, on his part, appealed to participants to desist from accessing ECG structures without any consent such as climbing of poles, fixing blown-out fuses, and others.

The interactive session also saw questions emerging from participants on issues affecting ECG customers such as overbilling and others that were properly addressed by the team.

Master Atsu Tumaku, Chairman of ‘Akatsi Artisans Association’ expressed appreciation to ECG and its members for the meeting.

He called for constant engagement between the two bodies for the growth of the area.

Akatsi ECG, in recent times, has commenced engaging community members, artisans,
and others in their operations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Retired Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood has asked authorities to prioritise population management as a cornerstone of the development agenda.

She said the country needed bold, innovative, and sustainable solutions to address high population growth.

She said this in Accra at the book launch titled ‘From Human Resource to Human Capital: The Essence of Population Management’.

The 139-page book has 10 chapters, including the impact of high population growth on governance, education, economics, health, employment, migration, and others.

Ghana and Africa, she said, were faced with unprecedented population exploration, where the numbers continued to increase yearly, stretching the limits of socio-economic and infrastructural capacities.

She said if the trend continued unchecked, the country would stand the risk of reaching a high point where resources could no longer sustain the population’s needs.

Retired Chief Justice Wood called for the need to harness the full potential of the high population through
empowerment to contribute to national development.

That, she stressed, required deliberate investment in the social, educational, economic, and infrastructural sectors to create an enabling environment for every person to thrive.

It is estimated that Africa’s population could double in just 29 years at the current growth rate of 2.4 per cent per year.

Ghana’s population of 31 million, according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, shows a growth rate of 2.1 per cent per year.

The launch of the book, she stated, was crucial and appropriate and would remind the country of its development trajectory in addressing issues of high population growth.

‘The book is not just a call to action; it is an imperative roadmap for the country’s future,’ she said.

Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah, the Author of the book, said the motivation was her practical experience and in-depth knowledge of population issues.

Dr Appiah, who is also the Executive Director of the National Population Council, said the book explored the
link between population and development to help make the right decision.

‘The fine balance between population numbers and quality, timely investments in all sectors is the essence of population management and literacy,’ she said.

She called for a holistic investment in every child, saying every child needed security, healthcare, education, emotional support, and unconditional love for their growth.

The author pledged to donate 10 per cent of the proceeds from the sale of the book to the population and a reproductive health literacy project dubbed ‘ Breaking Barriers and Bridging Divides’.

Also, another 10 per cent of the sale of the book would support her basic school, ANT 1 primary school in Accra New Town.

‘We need to destigmatise population literacy, sex, and sexual health by encouraging open discussions in families and communities.’

Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, Senior Presidential Adviser, encouraged Ghanaians to buy the book to acquaint themselves with population dynamics.

He said the country needed to lin
k the role of population to the country’s economic development.

Source: Ghana News Agency