Learning skills to showcase ‘invention and innovation’ at 5th Science fair on May 25

Learning skills to showcase ‘invention and innovation’ at 5th Science fair on May 25: The Adjiringanor Branch of the Learning Skills International School (LSIS) will host the fifth edition of its annual science fair at its premises in Accra.

U.S. Ambassador Travels to Ashanti Region to Promote USA-Ghana Partnerships

 Ambassador Stephanie S. Sullivan traveled to the Ashanti Region from May 2-7 to promote partnerships on health, education, good governance, and economic development between the United States of America and the Republic of Ghana. 

On May 3, Ambassador Sullivan paid a visit to the Regional Minister of Ashanti, the Honorable Simon Osei-Mensah, with whom she discussed U.S. partnership programs in the Ashanti Region sponsored by the American people. 

She then attended the 20th anniversary celebration of the enstoolment of His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the 16^th Asantehene of the Ashanti Kingdom, and attended a dinner in his honor at the Manhyia Palace. 

The Ambassador joined senior Government of Ghana officials and business leaders in an investment forum at the Golden Tulip Hotel on May 4, where they discussed key trends and developments in the Ghanaian economy and future partnership opportunities. 

She then met Peace Corps Volunteers and thanked them for their service in the region promoting health and education, underscoring her own experience as a former Peace Corps Volunteer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then known as Zaire, prior to her diplomatic career. 

At the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on May 6, the Ambassador met with Vice Chancellor, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso and addressed U.S.-Ghana bilateral relations with over 200 business students. 

In her remarks, she noted the longstanding U.S. interest in strengthening partnerships between American and Ghanaian academic institutions, and the U.S. commitment to encouraging more Ghanaians to study in American colleges and universities.  The Ambassador thanked Professor Obiri-Danso for KNUST’s partnership welcoming American Fulbright Scholars and Fellows, and exhorted the students to offer their own immense talents and contributions towards shaping Ghana’s economic development.

Ambassador Sullivan also met with 16 students specializing in seeds at the College of Agriculture who participate in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Borlaug Higher Education Agricultural Research and Development (BHEARD) Program. 

The program promotes greater agriculture-led economic growth and national resources management.

Concluding her trip, Ambassador Sullivan inaugurated the HopeXchange Women’s Cancer Center in Kumasi, which is sponsored by the American people through USAID. 

The new medical center is a hub of collaborative research and training for Ghanaian medical professionals dedicated to the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast and cervical cancer, which are the two largest causes of preventable deaths among Ghanaian women.  

In her remarks, the Ambassador observed that the Center’s inauguration underscores the successful partnerships the United States Government has with Ghana’s Ministry of Health, HopeXchange, the Ghana Mission Foundation of Malta, the Catholic Church of Ghana, Yale University, private sector partners, and several other leading medical universities around the world. 

USA and Ghana Host 5th Security Governance Initiative Steering Committee Meeting

Senior representatives from the governments of the United States and Ghana participated in the 5th Security Governance Initiative (SGI) Steering Committee Meeting at the West Africa Regional Training Center in Accra.  

The event was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan; Ghanaian National Security Coordinator, Joshua Kyeremeh; and retired U.S. Ambassador Michael Arietti, who serves as the U.S. Government’s SGI Ghana Head of Delegation.

In their remarks, the senior Ghanaian and American officials underscored both countries’ commitment to improving security sector governance in Ghana. 

 Participants at the meeting including U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan; Ghanaian

National Security Coordinator, Joshua Kyeremeh; and retired U.S. Ambassador Michael Arietti, who serves as the U.S. Government’s SGI Ghana Head of Delegation, seated in the front row

Ambassador Sullivan highlighted the importance of information-sharing to promote security and said that SGI reforms are “strategic, mutually reinforcing, and of mutual benefit.” 

She added that the United States will continue to stand firm in our partnership with and to support Ghana in making the reforms. 

SGI focus area experts briefed Steering Committee members on progress achieved to date and goals established to strengthen mutually shared objectives.

SGI is a partnership between the Government of Ghana and the United States of America aimed at improving the effectiveness of Ghana’s security sector and enabling the conditions for national prosperity.  The United States also has SGI partnerships with Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Tunisia. 

Under SGI, in 2016 Ghana and the United States signed a Joint Country Action Plan (JCAP), which identified three priority areas of the partnership: Maritime Security, Border Management and Integration, and Cybercrime and Cybersecurity.  In addition, Administration of Justice serves as a cross-cutting theme.

Ban on plastics will collapse industries — AGI

Ban on plastics will collapse industries — AGI: The Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr Seth Twum Akwaboah, has said a ban on the use of plastic materials for packaging and other uses in the country will mean collapsing industries and paying more for electricity.

Ambassador Encourages Youth to Have a “Good Life, Live it Well” at YOLO Season 5 Premiere

The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie S. Sullivan, attended the premiere of Season 5 of the megahit Ghanaian TV series, “You Only Live Once” (YOLO) at the Silverbird Cinemas in West Hills Mall on May 1.  Ambassador Sullivan joined representatives from the Ministry for Water Resources and Sanitation, the Ghana Health Service, and the National Population Council to mark this milestone.    

Since 2016, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has worked with the Ghana Health Service and the National Population Council and provided financial support to produce the YOLO series.  This series is a part of the “Good Life, Live it Well” campaign that promotes positive health behaviors in a wide variety of areas to include reproductive health, malaria prevention, and nutrition through both traditional and digital media.

At the premiere, Ambassador Sullivan commended the Government of Ghana, its agencies, and their media partners for making adolescent health a priority.  She also remarked that “Youth participation is vital to development and can contribute to more sustainable investments to end cycles of poverty, build resilient, democratic societies, improve health and nutrition outcomes and strengthen economies.”

The YOLO TV series was launched in 2015 by the National Population Council with the aim to educate youth on healthy reproductive behavior and equip them with skills to deal with peer pressure and the other challenges that affect their everyday lives. The series has millions of viewers in Ghana and around the world including Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.