Category: Politics

Mr Ralph Poku-Adusei, a Parliamentary hopeful for Bekwai Constituency has organised entrepreneurial and income generating skills training programme for the indigenes of Amansie in the Bekwai constituency in the Ashanti Region.

The three-day intensive free skills training programme by the Ralph Poku-Adusei Foundation (RPAF) started on Monday, 24 April this year, and is expected to end on Wednesday, 26 April 2023.

The training programme attracted over 2,000 participants on the first day and they under took various courses in the making of washing detergents, floor cleaning detergents, parazone, shower gel, shampoo, conditioners, hair food, after wash, liquid soap, wig weaving, bio digester and beads making.

Mr Poku-Adusei who is the founder of the RPAF as well as managing partner at Trent Legal Amansie Chambers charged the youth of Bekwai to take full advantage of the opportunity to learn new skills that would help them improve their earning power and income levels.

‘Today, we turn our attention to the youth, who are the future. Empowerment for the youth is quintessentially, the heart for every economic development effort that is being made by countries globally.

‘To borrow the words of Lao Tsu; ‘if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, if you teach him to fish you feed him for a lifetime’, as such the skills you will learn here today and in the preceding days should be seen as an opportunity to grow economically and socially’ Poku-Adusei said.

‘I will entreat you all to make this learning experience a priority and to take full advantage of this opportunity to learn a skill that will benefit you, your family, and the community at large.

Now is the time for the youth of the Bekwai community to come together and change the status quo. It is time we add value to ourselves and take our rightful place in the economic narrative of Ghana as a whole, he added.

According to him, ‘These skills we learn here will be a tool that can never be taken away, and I am a firm believer that the only assets one can possess are knowledge,’ he added.

The Ralph Poku-Adusei Foundation was borne out of Mr Poku Adusei’s deep sense of belonging to the Bekwai community and his unwavering dedication to give back to the community which helped shape his formative years.

This deep-seated desire was birthed unofficially in 2015 and officially in 2018 it had since given back to the Bekwai community in multiple ways.

The foundation has embarked on several social intervention programmes within the community which include food and cash donations, renovations of office complex for Ghana Ambulance Service, support for the Zongo and Muslim communities in Bekwai, among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Rising insecurity as a result of confrontations between armed separatists and state forces has been identified as a major factor impeding the development of Tinto sub-division in the Manyu division of the South West region. According to a municipal councillor, the council’s 2022 earmarked projects are either pending realization or yet to kick start especially in localities closer to Lebialem division known to be one of the hottest zones of the socio-political crisis.

“We have the mortuary – since 2022 that this contract was awarded, the contractors are still dangling with it. The new council chambers, given out since 2016 has not been realized till now. Shops that were to be constructed at a tune of FCFA 30 million in Tinto, nothing has started. A drainage system given in 2022 for FCFA 30 million, nothing has been done. The solar electricity project has been partially done with execution as poor standard materials were used. That’s why we are demanding the contractors to redo it. We have quarry sites in Tinto and Fotabe which are inaccessible because the contractors are sleeping.”

Even if Mayor Etchu Joseph Eyong told his collaborators, the councillors, that the non realization or completion of some of these projects is due to delayed FEICOM funding, the D.O. of Tinto during the Council’s budgetary session mentioned rising insecurity as a major threat to these projects.

“Tell the population that no project will be realized in Tinto if there is no peace. Owners of those construction machines say they are scared to work because of threats that their machines will be burnt,” stressed the D.O, Fogouong Amadou.

To step on this obstacle, the administrative officer commissioned the municipal councillors to be peace crusaders in their respective communities.

“We shouldn’t only sit and come for sessions. Try to get to your areas and preach peace. For us to succeed, I want councilors to be the first people to champion the peace crusade that we are about to launch,” the D.O emphasized.

If they are diving into their villages or communities to preach peace for development to accelerate, the councillors on their part urged the Mayor to be strict with some contractors who are hiding behind the crisis to poorly execute contracts or not finish them by either slamming them with suspension or suffocating them with pressure to realize the projects.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

PWD Bamenda suffered a 2-0 loss to Coton Sport FC on match day 21 over the weekend, further complicating their chances of avoiding relegation as the season draws towards the last day.

Coach Constantine Bep’s side, ranked 9th on the classification table in Group A, were hoping to better the performance they had against Canon Sportif in the previous game, which ended 1-1.

However, second-placed Coton were also determined to inch closer to occupying the first spot, currently held by Canon of Yaounde with 35 points, and just two points clear.

The Abakwa Boys now have to battle it out with Renaissance FC to guarantee their stay in the top flight championship. Renaissance, positioned 10th, are equally facing relegation.

Sister club Yong Sport Academy of Bamenda on their part are in the mid segment of the Group B table. Exempted on match day 21, they occupy the 6th position with 24 points. Gazelle of Garoua are the group leaders with 35 points.

Here are the official standings after day 21

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Angolan minister of Justice and Human Rights Marcy Lopes Wednesday in Luanda appealed to everyone to come together and cooperate with the Ombudsman’s Office.

Speaking on behalf of the President João Lourenço at the opening ceremony of the Ombudsman Week, the minister said that the objective is to work so that this institution becomes increasingly stronger, active and known by citizens.

He also recalled that despite not having decision-making power over the requests and complaints addressed to the institution, it is the duty of the public authorities to cooperate in the pursuit of its purposes.

He added that public authorities should no “ignore the administrative intervention of the Ombudsman to clarify a situation that involves respect for the fundamental rights of people”.

In turn, the MP Raúl Lima, who was speaking in representation of National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, highlighted the reforms underway in the country, in terms of justice, which attach great importance to the Ombudsman, as a State body “that gives voice to voiceless”.

“It is our desire that the Ombudsman be an active body recognised for its usefulness to society”, he stressed.

The UNDP representative in Angola, Edo Stork, reiterated the commitment to continue collaborating and providing technical assistance to the Ombudsman in technically strengthening its team, sharing good practices and expanding its services.

The Ombudsman, Florbela Araújo, highlighted the sector’s growth in recent years, which resulted from the recognition of the institution’s importance to society.

She said that the Ombudsman is a public entity that was granted to serve the citizen in the defence of their rights and guarantees, as well as the legitimate interests against an incorrect or inadequate performance of the public services.

The week, which runs under the motto “The Ombudsman as a defender of citizens’ fundamental rights”, will be marked, among other activities, by a cycle of lectures.

Ombudsman Week was institutionalised in 2018.

Today, 19 April, is also celebrated Ombudsman Day, in reference to the election and investiture of the first Ombudsman of the Republic of Angola.

Source: Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says his Administration is focused on providing the requisite logistical support and housing infrastructure to enhance the work of the Ghana Police Service.

This, he said, was necessary to build the capacity of the Police as they sought to establish a strong presence in the society, particularly in the fight against crime as well as maintaining law and order.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, speaking at the inauguration of the first phase of the Kwabenya Police Station and barracks facelift project, in the Greater Accra Region, said the population growth had come with its own demands to expand police infrastructure for the benefit of the people.

The facelift project involves the construction of a new police station, accommodation facilities for the personnel, clinic, school, and other ancillary facilities.

It is in line with the Police Transformation Agenda, which the Government has been pursuing since 2017.

President Nana Akufo-Addo said the last six years had seen the Police being resourced with varied incentives and packages, including motorbikes, pick-up vehicles and helicopters to inject vibrancy into its operations.

These interventions, he noted, had helped to raise the image of the Police, and lauded the police leadership for being assiduous with the job at hand.

He gave the assurance that the Government would not relent in promoting the welfare of the Police.

Mr. Ambrose Derry, Minister of the Interior, lauded the Government for its determination to upgrade police infrastructure at all levels.

He said this was critical to engender confidence in the officers and men to give off their best in the line of duty.

Mr. Henry Quartey, Greater Accra Regional Minister, stressed the need for the police administration to ensure that unauthorised structures such as containers and kiosks were not placed at the police stations and barracks.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Nigerian Forum for Democracy, an interest group which believes in the advancement of democracy has commended the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for a peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections.

The forum gave the commendation in a statement jointly signed by its National Coordinator, Bala James; National Secretary, Mr James Olu; and Public Relations Officers, Chief Edem Moses, made available to journalists in Abuja.

The forum said it was aware of enormous challenges faced by the commission in spite of the amended Electoral Act, 2022 which was meant to aid the electoral processes, but which was tried to be arm twisted by some alleged anti-democratic elements.

“Of note is the development in Adamawa State governorship election which was marred with controversies, but which the electoral umpire insisted on doing the right thing no matter which ox is gored.

“That the INEC swiftly reacted and declared it a nullity, the announcement of Sen. Aishatu Binani winner after the rerun election on Saturday April 15 in Adamawa State is a testament of a responsible electoral umpire, which Prof. Yakubu deserves commendation,” it said.

The forum recalled that the INEC national chairman read a riot act in his pre-election briefing with all the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) after they went through orientation and handed with guidelines of how elections should be conducted across states.

“This shows the frantic effort of Yakubu’s conduct of free and fair election, irrespective of pitfalls as a result of some unforeseen circumstances,” it added.

The group said it was emphatic that INEC’s fair disposition led to emergence of a sizeable number of opposition lawmakers, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 35 seats and Labour Party, (LP) eight in the National Assembly.

It added that the New Nigeria Political Party (NNPP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Young Progressives Congress (YPP) have one Senators-elect each, awaiting inauguration in the first week of June.

It said that the opposition political parties also did well in the lower legislative chamber as well as State Houses of assembly across States.

“With the general elections concluded with runoffs on Saturday, the forum expressed optimism that the proposed ‘Electoral Offences Commission’ would complement INEC’s effort, if passed into law.

“Hence, they were calling on the Nigerian parliament to pass the bill into law in the interest of free and fair elections in future.”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 10, Bello Dalijan and Commissioner of Police, Sokoto Command, CP Muhammed Gumel, have commended the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) for its support for the police.

They gave the commendation during the special visits and presentation of Ramadan package to the Muslim community, Police officers and partners in Sokoto by the National Chairman, PCRC, Alhaji Ibrahim Olaniyan.

This is contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the National Chairman of PCRC, Mr Kunle Sodipo, on Saturday in Abuja.

At the Zone 10 Headquarters, Sodipo said the PCRC chairman attributed the achievements of the committee under his leadership to the consolidation on the foundation laid by his predecessor Amb. Farouk Maiyama.

According to him, Olaniyan also acknowledges the overwhelming support being given by I-GP Usman Baba, within the four months of his leadership.

In his response, AIG Dalijan commended the efforts of the PCRC which he said had remained visible for every good citizen to see.

Dalijan said he and other senior police officers had been watching with keen interests and monitoring PCRC activities nationwide, adding that they were happy with the operations of the current leadership.

He urged the PCRC chairman and his team to keep up the good work and continue to be the strong and reliable bridge between the Nigeria Police and the community for every good reasons.

At the state Police Command, the PCRC team met with CP Gumel and the AIG in charge of Police Cooperative and currently AIG in charge of Elections, AIG Bello Makwashi, respectively.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Officials from the Department of State will highlight the U.S. commitment to supporting Africa’s digital transformation at the Africa Fintech Summit on April 12 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

The Department is a partner of the biannual event, which this year will focus on fintech regulatory best practices and funding and innovation trends, among other topics.

Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Ramin Toloui will provide opening remarks at the summit. Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Dilawar Syed, Managing Director for Global Partnerships Thomas Debass, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs Joy Basu will also participate in the event.

This partnership comes on the heels of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit held in December 2022 in Washington, D.C. Recognizing the tremendous growth potential of Africa’s technology sector, the U.S. Government announced the launch of the Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) initiative to expand digital access and literacy across the continent.

Learn more about the Office of Global Partnerships and current initiatives.

Tickets for the Africa Fintech Summit are available now. To learn more or to register, visit the Summit website.

Delegates get 25 percent off the ticket price with the discount code PROSPER25. Register at the Summit registration page.

Source: EMM/ U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE

The South East Forum for Senate Presidency, a pressure group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged the party to zone the office of the Senate President to the South-East.

The Spokesperson of the group, Mr Nkem Ayanta-Lafia made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Friday.

He said following the outcome of the 2023 general elections, the South-West has produced President-elect in Sen. Bola Tinubu and the North-East produced Vice President-elect, in Sen. Kashim Shettima.

The spokesperson said that since the party’s National Chairman was from the North Central, it was important that the position goes to the South-East.

He said that the balancing of various offices in keeping with national diversity, was a kind of national healing and re-integration that Nigeria needed at this time.

Ayanta-Lafia said that the five states in the South-East zone produced six senators-elect on the platform of APC, representing 40 per cent performance.

He said there was no zone apart from the South-West and North-East where the president-elect and vice-president- elect is from, no zone given the number of states had done better than the South-East.

“We urge the leadership of the ruling APC, which possesses a majority of Senators-Elect in the coming 10th Senate to zone the position of President of the Senate to the South east Zone.

“We are appealing to the ruling party to back the emergence of a South easterner for the position.

“`The position will not only assuage the feelings of non-inclusion of the Igbo people in the mainstream of national affairs, but also afford them the opportunity to have a greater stake in the ruling APC.

“We call appeal to other senators-elect from other geopolitical zones interested in the position to, in the interest of national cohesion, unity and equity, jettison them and support the South east zone,” he said.

Earlier, Ayanta-Lafia said that the forum is made up of representatives of various sheds of political and cultural persuasions in the South-East.

He said that the group is campaigning, lobbying, advocating and networking with other integral parts of Nigeria for the realisation of a President of the Senate of an Igbo extraction.. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria