Even though Ghana has made great strides in its efforts at getting women elected or appointed to positions of authority, including the appointment of a woman as Chief Justice, a woman as Speaker of Parliament, among other several women ministers and deputy ministers, a major hurdle in the country's feminist push, it appears, has to do with how to make men accommodate successful women.
A survey conducted by the Public Agenda reveals that several high profile Ghanaian women are either single or divorced. Reasons? The men just find it difficult to cope with high profile women. Other less successful men find professional women too formal and intimidating to approach.
Several men Public Agenda spoke to on the subject claimed that for them, a woman's success which is often accompanied by an authoritative posturing is a huge turn-off.
They will simply not have the courage to approach such women, let alone propose to them. Baaley, a journalist at Nsawam, says he will not marry a successful woman because such a woman might not get time for the family.
She will engage in meetings for long hours, and neglect her domestic responsibilities. Others were not certain.
For them a woman's profile or position in society would be considered alongside her personal qualities. Donald Nsoh, a policy analyst for trade, said "I will want to consider some key qualities such as humility and willingness to share.
If she is humble and generous, then we will move on but if she is not then we call it off."To Dennis Nchor marriage is about compatibility and if one finds a woman who shares his beliefs he may marry that person.
To him, the only issue is respect - she has to respect the man.Two out of twenty men interviewed would not be put off by a woman's success. Kwesi Afram, a chartered accountant in Osu, Accra says, "Yes I will marry a successful woman, but this will depend on her age.
The world is fast changing and the men need to adapt to the trend and accommodate successful women.
"Mark Zingbagba, an Accra-based policy analyst, also said, he will marry a successful woman depending on how she views marriage. Some choose not to respect their husbands because they feel they can depend on themselves. But, the women have no apologies to make.
To them, socially constructed roles for Ghanaian women appear steeped in the sub-consciousness of Ghanaian men such that any change that places women in a dominant position creates some discomfort for them. For some men, it is an aberration of the established social order.
Dr. Rose Mensah Kutin, Executive Director of Abantu for Development, argues that a different world is possible but it requires hard work. She says it is important that we challenge certain assumptions about women and the position they hold in society, whether married or unmarried which in reality does not affect their ability to deliver.
There is lack of understanding of the belief in the need to secure rights and opportunities for women equal to those of men, or the concept of feminism by men, particularly when it poses a different picture of what women status in society should be.
Women in power or positions of authority are often perceived as women who can't be controlled and so not suitable for marriage. Meanwhile, most men had no problem competing with women for academic laurels even at the tertiary level.
The problem really is how a woman's career success alters the power relations at both the family and societal levels.In pre-colonial times Ghanaian women were considered primarily responsible for bearing children and bringing them up, cooking, washing, and other house chores.
When women began to acquire education, most of the stereotypical roles of women had to be shared with their husbands or shifted to paid house helps.
This is a convenience that high profile couples have to settle for as women increasingly find it difficult to combine their roles as mothers and professionals.
The transition from a world dominated by men to one in which resources and opportunities are equally accessible to both men and women seems to have caught up rather sluggishly with most Ghanaian men.
Ghanaian men will therefore have to be conscientized to appreciate the fact that, the world as they knew it has moved on and they therefore need to catch up with the trends to maintain Ghana's image as a pace-setter in Africa.
Perhaps, when women's march to positions of authority assumes a level where their appointment to high office ceases to be news society will be better disposed to accommodating them.
The power relations would have been leveled and maybe men will rather than require their subordination from women, see them as equal partners whose views both in the family and society count.
Dr. Dorcas Coker Appiah, Executive Director of Gender Centre, sharing her experiences during the recent second national feminist forum in Accra by NETRIGHT, recalled it took her a long way to be a feminist as the Ghanaian woman is socialized in a different way.
However, she said that education helps one to understand who they are and what it is that they can be or do. "You get to know that you are not inferior to the man. I am a feminist because I know I am equal to the man. We are socialized in a way to accept that as a woman marriage is the key. Whether you are married or not, have children or not, believe in your power as woman."
She believes it is about time the older generation constantly engaged the younger generation and let them know that their value is more than being somebody's wife and look at themselves as being more important.
Dr. Hilary Gbedemah of the Law Institute has argued that it is legitimate for women to claim spaces and that, they can do so whether married or not. "We should realize that we are all complete and equal in our own rights. I don't see how equality can destroy or undermine you. You can be a feminist and a good Christian or religious adherent...the same with culture and so on, and so forth."
A recent media report said at the Legal Aid office, it is recorded that 40% of marriages annually break up within a period of 14 months.
The Head of Ghana Legal Aid, Mr. Earnest Mawuli Adzeke, is quoted as saying that the numbers of women, who apply for separation every week, far outweigh that out of their male counterparts.
Out of 2,786 cases reported in the year 2010, 608 were marital, out of which 420 were advanced by women and 179 by men. Meanwhile, Mrs. Angela Dwamena Aboagye, a renowned lawyer and counselor, says it isn't very surprising since the current trends allow this to be so, even with younger married couples.
"It is really sad and I'm sure the numbers would be more if a customary marriage, which forms the bulk of most Ghanaian marriages, were included." Speaking on Citi FM, an Accra-based radio station, she said that one of the fundamental reasons for divorces were as a result of lack of understanding between couples.
"Most couples get to that point when they just don't get along; their various backgrounds, orientation and ways of dealing with issues come to the fore and begin to cause problems. Sometimes these differences are not resolved properly before the marriage takes place". "The gender power dynamics," she said, "play an important and a more sinister role in marriage breakups.
As more women begin to become more educated, they become more autonomous with what they want to do with their careers, their bodies and their marriage but most men act like they are married to their mothers, in terms expecting their wives to cook, clean, wash, as well as hold on to their careers. This lack of reconciliation between couples imposes a strain on the relationship," she explained.
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Men must see feminism as critical to struggle for rights
A renowned legal practitioner, Mr. Akoto Ampaw has encouraged the feminist movement (FM) to be actively involved in the mass struggle for democratic principles and not to work in isolation.
He said the movement must not see itself as different from other democratic struggles. He noted that issues such as the struggles of mining communities clearly have major gender dimensions and so men who are involved in such struggles get a better understanding of the feminist movement.
According to him, men could be feminist in the sense of being part of the movement that challenges the status quo.
"Such a movement is relevant to men in the sense that it forces them to question what they take for granted and affords them the opportunity to look at the possibility of organising society different from how it is organised currently."
"Clearly men who are democratic and committed to society must see feminism as a critical point to the social struggle for rights. The history of social struggle is same as emancipation, so it is important that they recognise the struggle for change can't be complete without dealing with challenges that feminism poses."
Feminism, generally, is belief in the need to secure rights and opportunities for women equal to those of men, or a commitment to securing these.
Mr. Ampaw was speaking as a panelist at the second National Feminist Forum held in Accra and organised by the Network for Women's Right in Ghana (NETRIGHT) with support from the African Women Development Fund (AWDF).
The forum was under the theme, "Exploring the Multiple Forms of Feminism and its Implications for Constructing a Ghanaian Feminist Identity."
The renowned lawyer explained that at the heart of feminism as a movement was a challenge to power and power relations.
Therefore, failure to understand that will lead to many pitfalls in advancing the course of FM in Ghana and worldwide.
He said feminism was consistent with emancipation struggle worldwide.
However, he said it was the fear of loss of power and the privileges and all that went with power, a social course that challenges orthodoxy, that often make men nervous about feminism instead of embracing its emancipation import fully and as a general emancipation struggle worldwide.
He elaborated that feminism seeks to transform those power relations by which men enjoy their position of dominance in society.
Feminism, he said, sought to challenge what men know as normal and even natural and that lack of understanding promoted myths about feminism that were negative.
"The fear expressed sometimes by men is as a result of inadequacies in the men themselves, in that there is a posture of masculinity and when there is a challenge by a woman who is supposed to know her state then it is also a challenge."
"In all this feminism is challenged or feared because it's challenging what we can describe as the way things are done. The status quo which it challenges depends on reproducing the way things are done or should be done.
In that respect, it is important that when we talk about feminism we need to understand that while recognising its autonomy it is related to other struggles for emancipation."
Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Director of the Institute of African Studies, corroborated Mr. Ampaw's views on the lack of understanding of the concept of feminism by men, particularly when it posed a different picture what women status in society should be as expressed by "If women take the position of men then what is their role and society will begin to question.
Feminists are perceived as women who can't be controlled and so due to this stigma some women who are aligned with women's rights advocacy suddenly change their status when referred to feminists."
She said it was important for society to dismantle oppressive blocks such as masculinity to be able to understand the system and change it. "
Although every woman is a feminist, when men embrace it, it encourages other women to be part of the struggle. So as we open opportunities for women alternatives ones will open for men."
Another panel member, Mr. Gyekye Tanoh, described feminism as a broad notion, a political tradition that seeks to challenge the position of women in society.
He noted most people get nervous due to the fact that any struggle for change could spill beyond immediate issues as those who are oppressed begin to demand their rights."Feminism poses the question of power, equalisation. It sets the mark or opens the door to possibilities and raises a lot of questions. It deepens our thinking about what we have to do."
He argued that the position of women in society fundamentally was to empower and challenge, therefore they need to struggle for change.
"Feminism has come to change the fact that women are used for reproduction and to stick to their husbands and children at home."Several women rights and gender equality activists in Ghana often shun the label feminists in response to negative portrayals and the so- called western origins of feminist ideas.Even though they carry out actions that resist male dominance they resist being called feminists. Discomfort with the use of the term feminism therefore arises from the superficial insights of its history, traditions and transformative potential.
Dr, Akua Britwum, Convenor of NETRIGHT, recalled that the first feminist forum was used to create space for women activists committed to gender equal social transformation to clarify the meaning of feminism and discussed how it translated into their work.
She said the forum was in response to the call on African women to start formal discussions at the national, regional and international levels on what could constitute a set of guiding feminist ideas and principle.
She said major conclusions reached at the first forum noted the importance of labelling for connecting and developing alliances to facilitate the struggle against different forms of oppression.
According to Dr. Britwum, the second forum was to explore the changing discourses on gender equality and how its implication for the transformative agenda of feminists. ?The aim of the forum is to create awareness of feminist movement in Ghana is to discuss the constraints in setting a strong feminist agenda and the underlying power play in setting and framing our identities as feminists in Ghana.
"We are expecting that the forum will lead to strengthening women's organising and networking to bring about transformatory change. We also look forward to renewed interests of younger actors ready to ensure multigenerational collaboration in the promotion of women's rights through a feminist's agenda."
Participants at the forum included women's rights and gender equality activists from NGOs, academia, labour movements, faith -based organizations, media, persons with disability and young women leaders.
He said the movement must not see itself as different from other democratic struggles. He noted that issues such as the struggles of mining communities clearly have major gender dimensions and so men who are involved in such struggles get a better understanding of the feminist movement.
According to him, men could be feminist in the sense of being part of the movement that challenges the status quo.
"Such a movement is relevant to men in the sense that it forces them to question what they take for granted and affords them the opportunity to look at the possibility of organising society different from how it is organised currently."
"Clearly men who are democratic and committed to society must see feminism as a critical point to the social struggle for rights. The history of social struggle is same as emancipation, so it is important that they recognise the struggle for change can't be complete without dealing with challenges that feminism poses."
Feminism, generally, is belief in the need to secure rights and opportunities for women equal to those of men, or a commitment to securing these.
Mr. Ampaw was speaking as a panelist at the second National Feminist Forum held in Accra and organised by the Network for Women's Right in Ghana (NETRIGHT) with support from the African Women Development Fund (AWDF).
The forum was under the theme, "Exploring the Multiple Forms of Feminism and its Implications for Constructing a Ghanaian Feminist Identity."
The renowned lawyer explained that at the heart of feminism as a movement was a challenge to power and power relations.
Therefore, failure to understand that will lead to many pitfalls in advancing the course of FM in Ghana and worldwide.
He said feminism was consistent with emancipation struggle worldwide.
However, he said it was the fear of loss of power and the privileges and all that went with power, a social course that challenges orthodoxy, that often make men nervous about feminism instead of embracing its emancipation import fully and as a general emancipation struggle worldwide.
He elaborated that feminism seeks to transform those power relations by which men enjoy their position of dominance in society.
Feminism, he said, sought to challenge what men know as normal and even natural and that lack of understanding promoted myths about feminism that were negative.
"The fear expressed sometimes by men is as a result of inadequacies in the men themselves, in that there is a posture of masculinity and when there is a challenge by a woman who is supposed to know her state then it is also a challenge."
"In all this feminism is challenged or feared because it's challenging what we can describe as the way things are done. The status quo which it challenges depends on reproducing the way things are done or should be done.
In that respect, it is important that when we talk about feminism we need to understand that while recognising its autonomy it is related to other struggles for emancipation."
Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Director of the Institute of African Studies, corroborated Mr. Ampaw's views on the lack of understanding of the concept of feminism by men, particularly when it posed a different picture what women status in society should be as expressed by "If women take the position of men then what is their role and society will begin to question.
Feminists are perceived as women who can't be controlled and so due to this stigma some women who are aligned with women's rights advocacy suddenly change their status when referred to feminists."
She said it was important for society to dismantle oppressive blocks such as masculinity to be able to understand the system and change it. "
Although every woman is a feminist, when men embrace it, it encourages other women to be part of the struggle. So as we open opportunities for women alternatives ones will open for men."
Another panel member, Mr. Gyekye Tanoh, described feminism as a broad notion, a political tradition that seeks to challenge the position of women in society.
He noted most people get nervous due to the fact that any struggle for change could spill beyond immediate issues as those who are oppressed begin to demand their rights."Feminism poses the question of power, equalisation. It sets the mark or opens the door to possibilities and raises a lot of questions. It deepens our thinking about what we have to do."
He argued that the position of women in society fundamentally was to empower and challenge, therefore they need to struggle for change.
"Feminism has come to change the fact that women are used for reproduction and to stick to their husbands and children at home."Several women rights and gender equality activists in Ghana often shun the label feminists in response to negative portrayals and the so- called western origins of feminist ideas.Even though they carry out actions that resist male dominance they resist being called feminists. Discomfort with the use of the term feminism therefore arises from the superficial insights of its history, traditions and transformative potential.
Dr, Akua Britwum, Convenor of NETRIGHT, recalled that the first feminist forum was used to create space for women activists committed to gender equal social transformation to clarify the meaning of feminism and discussed how it translated into their work.
She said the forum was in response to the call on African women to start formal discussions at the national, regional and international levels on what could constitute a set of guiding feminist ideas and principle.
She said major conclusions reached at the first forum noted the importance of labelling for connecting and developing alliances to facilitate the struggle against different forms of oppression.
According to Dr. Britwum, the second forum was to explore the changing discourses on gender equality and how its implication for the transformative agenda of feminists. ?The aim of the forum is to create awareness of feminist movement in Ghana is to discuss the constraints in setting a strong feminist agenda and the underlying power play in setting and framing our identities as feminists in Ghana.
"We are expecting that the forum will lead to strengthening women's organising and networking to bring about transformatory change. We also look forward to renewed interests of younger actors ready to ensure multigenerational collaboration in the promotion of women's rights through a feminist's agenda."
Participants at the forum included women's rights and gender equality activists from NGOs, academia, labour movements, faith -based organizations, media, persons with disability and young women leaders.
politics should not dictate spending n
Last Thursday, Parliament approved a total of GHc 1,463,123,559.00 as supplementary budget for the 2011 financial year.Among areas earmarked to benefit from the supplementary allocations, as stated by Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, include the creation of jobs and employment opportunities for the youth, provision of crucial economic and social infrastructure and improvement in sanitation.He said developments in both the domestic and global environment had necessitated some variations in the assumptions underlying the 2011 Budget Statement and Economic Policy presented to the House in November, 2010.The developments, he said, include the passage and implementation of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011, Act 815, coupled with changes in world crude oil prices and revised oil production levels; disbursement of World Bank budget support for 2010 in February 2011; receipt of proceeds from the sale of shares in AngloGold Ashanti issued in lieu of royalty payments. While some have expressed worry about government's decision to spend the additional revenue, arguing that it could have negative effects on the economy, particularly in a year preceding a general election, Mr. George Osei-Bimpeh of SEND Ghana, has said it may not be so, since we are not going to create any huge budget deficit by going outside to borrow. Instead, he said what may be worrying is when allocation to the social services is guided by political inclinations rather than needs and wants. "It is important for us to talk about the areas where we are going to use the extra revenue. I want to caution that if there are intentions to use it for provision of social services, then the very poor should be targeted so they can stand on their feet in the emerging market place." Meanwhile, in a reaction to the presentation of the government's supplementary budget, the Executive Director of ISODEC, Bishop Akolgo, has commended government for submitting a midyear report on how they have used resources including how they have respected the Petroleum Revenue Management Law. In an interview, he suggested that the supplementary budget should be directed at targeted interventions in the national economy and that the extra revenue from the oil must be applied to transform and diversify the economy. "The 70% of the oil money should be spent on targeted interventions. Those that can give return so we can move the economy forward. We must diversify from the three traditional commodities timber, gold and cocoa."He proposed an open debate to discuss where the annual budget funding amount of 70% of total petroleum receipts should be spent. Ghana, he said, could set the pace in democratising decisions around petroleum revenue expenditures. He challenged citizens to mount surveillance and monitor projects in the face of the rather high cost of projects, "else we can get billions of dollars from Jubilee field but burn away on expensive projects.""It will require citizen's vigilance since the establishment of the Revenue Management Act marks the beginning of a social contract between government and citizens, so it is important for citizens to play their part."On the implications of the supplementary budget on next year's electioneering campaign, he said all and sundry must be on the lookout for campaign expenditures so that public funds will not be unduly spent on party activities. According to Bishop Akolgo, Ghana is uniquely endowed with significant amounts of valuable natural resources among few select nations where oil and gas have been discovered together with endowments of gold, diamond, salt, bauxite, limestone, iron ore and manganese. He said these natural resources create the opportunity for a gold refinery and industrial complexes embracing aluminium, petrochemicals, fertilizer, iron and ferro-manganese production, and value-added industrial and consumer products linked to the outputs from these basic industrial goods."The transformational opportunity is presented for government to take a strategic view of the development prospects available from the linked endowments in oil and gas, bauxite, salt and limestone, as well as iron ore and manganese."Some highlights of the Mid-Year Review of the 2011 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, as well as Supplementary Estimates of the Government of Ghana for the 2011 Financial Year are as follows:Macroeconomic Developments for January - May, 2011- GDP on year-on-year basis for the first quarter of 2011 showed a 23 percent growth over that of the same period in 2010. Provisional quarter-on-quarter estimates of the real GDP showed a growth of 21.4 percent and 5.3 percent in the industry and services sectors respectively. - Revisions to the 2011 Fiscal Estimates and Macroeconomic Targets and Request for Supplementary Estimates- At the end of May 2011, Gross International Reserves improved to US$4.7 billion, representing 3.7 months of import cover of goods and services. - Developments in the foreign exchange market show that the Cedi cumulatively depreciated by 2.2 per cent against the US Dollar during the first half of 2011.- Road contractors, Statutory Funds and SOEs. Additionally, GHc891.3 million in bonds have been issued to creditors as part of the liquidation strategy. With these payments, government liabilities in respect of GETFund, DACF and NHIF as at the end of December 2010 have been fully settled. The outstanding balance of GHc1.7 billion will also be managed either through cash payments or securitization. Local Enterprises and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP) In furtherance of the job creation agenda, a new youth employment programme, known as the Local Enterprises and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP), has been commissioned by His Excellency, President John Evans Atta Mills, and is aimed at empowering the youth through the acquisition of skills supported by equipment and machinery.The programme has already been inaugurated in the Northern, Western, Central and Eastern Regions.Biometric Registration for 2012 Election- To advance the course of democracy through transparent, free and fair elections, government has released GHc50.0 million to the Electoral Commission to implement activities preceding the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA)- Government has released an amount of GHc8 million out an allocation of GHc25 million for the 2011 fiscal year. Government will release the rest of the funds to SADA to ensure a speedy- clearance of arrears and commitments from previous years; and - exchange rate developments.- With the passage of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA), there is the need to implement the provisions in the Act. Key provisions in the PRMA that have direct implications for the fiscal framework include the following:- estimation of the Benchmark Revenue; - determination of the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA); and - determination of transfers to the Ghana Petroleum Funds.- In line with section 21(5) of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, Act 815, the oil revenue would be spent in the following GSGDA priority areas;- expenditure and amortisation of loans for oil and gas infrastructure;- road infrastructure;- agricultural modernisation; and- capacity building (including oil and gas).-Revisions have been made to the fiscal and macroeconomic framework to reflect these changes. The revised macroeconomic targets for the 2011 budget are as follows:- Real GDP growth (excluding oil) of 7.5 percent ;- Real GDP growth (including oil) of 14.4 percent ;- Overall fiscal deficit revised from 4.1 percent to 5.1 percent of GDP;- Average inflation rate revised from 8.8 percent to 8.7 percent;- End-period inflation rate revised from 8.5 percent to 9.0 percent; and Gross international reserves of not less than three months of import cover of goods and services.Outlook for the Rest of the YearDevelopments in the first five months of 2011 point to an optimistic outlook for the rest of the year. Going forward, we are determined to strictly enforce the budget plans for the rest of the year inspite of the fiscal challenges, resulting from h domestic and external developments. Based on trends for the first five months of 2011, the tax collection targets are likely to be exceeded and steps that have been taken to address the problem of expenditure arrears will help in strengthening banks' balance sheets, contributing to improved credit to the private sector.We expect a further reduction in inflation and increased GDP growth in 2011. Effective collaboration and coordination of - our fiscal and monetary policies will be used to dampen any exogenous shocks to ensure a favourable budget outturn for 2011.
Waste contractors go awol.......leaving heaps of garbage in their trail
From Adenta through East Legon, Adjiriganor to Dansoman, residents have, for the past three weeks, had to live with piles of offensive smelling garbage following the failure of waste collection companies to empty refuse bins.
In particular, residents in and around the Accra Metropolis and the Adenta municipality have complained that they have been struggling to dispose of the waste that they generate from their homes. According to them, their refuse containers are never picked each time they placed them out of doors.
Apparently, the new waste management companies assigned the responsibility to collect waste have never done so since the re-zoning by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the other municipalities which broke Zoomlion's monopoly.
A visit to most vicinities revealed refuse bins overflowing with waste placed before households.
Perhaps, they do not have the required equipment to work with. Moreover, they have been instructed to provide households with refuse bins as they begin their collection activities. Waste management experts say this is capital intensive.
Indeed, the companies seem to have now dispatched workers to go around registering households at a fee. A staff member of Public Agenda confirmed that a lady entered their house at Lapaz insisting to register every room at a fee of GHC1.00. she is equally alleged to have said that each room would pay GHC3.00 every month for the weekly collection of their refuse.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and Adenta Municipal Assembly recently introduced a fee-based solid waste collection system under which various Waste Management Companies have been assigned areas in which they can operate.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has publicly announced through the media its New
solid Waste Collection System, stating that the A.M.A will from 1st June 2010 begin its Fee Performance Based Solid Waste Collection Programme.
Under the new programme, residents have been directed to identify and register with accredited waste contractors for their sub-metro and pay for the collection of the refuse they generate.
It is not clear when the Adenta municipality will come out with a list of accredited waste contractors and when they will do so after about a month of re-zoning. Also, most residents Public Agenda spoke with complained they are not certain when and how their waste bins will be emptied as they have no contact information of the said accredited waste contractors, except those of the A.M.A.
Some of them said they are left with no other choice than to transfer the waste in their containers into plastic bags and look for vehicles and damping sites to dispose them off. One of such residents had to transport her waste to Lapaz for disposal last week.This has led them to question the competence of the newly assigned waste companies to collect waste.
According to them, before the new directive Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a private waste management company, executed its responsibility efficiently. Meanwhile, Zoomlion Ghana Limited has pledged that it will continue with its vision to champion the cause of clean and environmentally healthy communities in Ghana and throughout Africa by the year 2013.
At a media briefing in Accra on Thursday, the Communications Manager of Zoomlion, Mrs. Isabella Gyau-Orhin, announced that Zoomlion has been assigned three out of the 11 sub-metros under the A.M.A.
They are namely, Ayawaso West, Ayawaso Central and Ablekuma Central. It has also been assigned zones four and six in the Adenta Municipal Assembly. She assured both existing and new clients of very timely, reliable and proficient waste collection services."Zoomlion remains committed to providing quality waste management and environmental sanitation services and making your home, community and the entire nation clean and healthy at very affordable rates".
Mrs. Gyau-Orhin said the company is very comfortable with the new arrangement since it will help waste management companies to work effectively and efficiently in areas allocated to them.She also said it will save cost as companies will not need to move from one area to another but have the chance to expend all resources to ensure that the areas they are assigned are very tidy.However, she apologized to loyal clients living outside Zoomlion's assigned areas of operation for its inability to continue serving them as a result of the new arrangement.
She announced that Zoomlion is introducing the three-wheeled mini refuse truck (the "bola taxi") to augment the work of the tricycles. She said these are locally assembled and equipped with vertical, inline, forced water cooling system and operate on 4-stroke engines and have automatic transmission. Further, she said the bola taxis consume less fuel while operation and maintenance are easy and affordable.
She said the greatest challenge facing the company is the lack of land in the major cities especially in Accra which can serve as final disposal sites coupled with the poor sanitary habits of the general public that make their work very difficult.Internationally, she said the company's contract in Angola has been extended after a good performance during the African Nations Cup in Angola 2010 and that Zoomlion continues to receive invitation from so many other countries to work.
In particular, residents in and around the Accra Metropolis and the Adenta municipality have complained that they have been struggling to dispose of the waste that they generate from their homes. According to them, their refuse containers are never picked each time they placed them out of doors.
Apparently, the new waste management companies assigned the responsibility to collect waste have never done so since the re-zoning by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the other municipalities which broke Zoomlion's monopoly.
A visit to most vicinities revealed refuse bins overflowing with waste placed before households.
Perhaps, they do not have the required equipment to work with. Moreover, they have been instructed to provide households with refuse bins as they begin their collection activities. Waste management experts say this is capital intensive.
Indeed, the companies seem to have now dispatched workers to go around registering households at a fee. A staff member of Public Agenda confirmed that a lady entered their house at Lapaz insisting to register every room at a fee of GHC1.00. she is equally alleged to have said that each room would pay GHC3.00 every month for the weekly collection of their refuse.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and Adenta Municipal Assembly recently introduced a fee-based solid waste collection system under which various Waste Management Companies have been assigned areas in which they can operate.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has publicly announced through the media its New
solid Waste Collection System, stating that the A.M.A will from 1st June 2010 begin its Fee Performance Based Solid Waste Collection Programme.
Under the new programme, residents have been directed to identify and register with accredited waste contractors for their sub-metro and pay for the collection of the refuse they generate.
It is not clear when the Adenta municipality will come out with a list of accredited waste contractors and when they will do so after about a month of re-zoning. Also, most residents Public Agenda spoke with complained they are not certain when and how their waste bins will be emptied as they have no contact information of the said accredited waste contractors, except those of the A.M.A.
Some of them said they are left with no other choice than to transfer the waste in their containers into plastic bags and look for vehicles and damping sites to dispose them off. One of such residents had to transport her waste to Lapaz for disposal last week.This has led them to question the competence of the newly assigned waste companies to collect waste.
According to them, before the new directive Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a private waste management company, executed its responsibility efficiently. Meanwhile, Zoomlion Ghana Limited has pledged that it will continue with its vision to champion the cause of clean and environmentally healthy communities in Ghana and throughout Africa by the year 2013.
At a media briefing in Accra on Thursday, the Communications Manager of Zoomlion, Mrs. Isabella Gyau-Orhin, announced that Zoomlion has been assigned three out of the 11 sub-metros under the A.M.A.
They are namely, Ayawaso West, Ayawaso Central and Ablekuma Central. It has also been assigned zones four and six in the Adenta Municipal Assembly. She assured both existing and new clients of very timely, reliable and proficient waste collection services."Zoomlion remains committed to providing quality waste management and environmental sanitation services and making your home, community and the entire nation clean and healthy at very affordable rates".
Mrs. Gyau-Orhin said the company is very comfortable with the new arrangement since it will help waste management companies to work effectively and efficiently in areas allocated to them.She also said it will save cost as companies will not need to move from one area to another but have the chance to expend all resources to ensure that the areas they are assigned are very tidy.However, she apologized to loyal clients living outside Zoomlion's assigned areas of operation for its inability to continue serving them as a result of the new arrangement.
She announced that Zoomlion is introducing the three-wheeled mini refuse truck (the "bola taxi") to augment the work of the tricycles. She said these are locally assembled and equipped with vertical, inline, forced water cooling system and operate on 4-stroke engines and have automatic transmission. Further, she said the bola taxis consume less fuel while operation and maintenance are easy and affordable.
She said the greatest challenge facing the company is the lack of land in the major cities especially in Accra which can serve as final disposal sites coupled with the poor sanitary habits of the general public that make their work very difficult.Internationally, she said the company's contract in Angola has been extended after a good performance during the African Nations Cup in Angola 2010 and that Zoomlion continues to receive invitation from so many other countries to work.
Gender equality necessary to achieve MDGs
A women's rights advocate, Ms Janet Adama Mohammed, has said that efforts to prevent all forms of violence against women, end impunity for perpetrators and provide effective support and redress for victims should be incorporated in national development plans, policies, and strategies for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
She said that MDGs and human rights have common objectives-to preserve and protect human dignity. She notes that violence against women is a fundamental breach of women's human rights and impedes progress towards the achievement of the MDGs in all regions.
She said since gender equality (GE) is one critical vessel to the achievement of the MDGs, Ghana should consider a way forward in a gender-affirmative action policy and implement it.
Ms Mohammed, who is also the Programme Director of Ibis Ghana, said these in a presentation on Gender Equality and Women's Rights at a public forum by Amnesty International in Accra to mark the International Women's Day.
It was under the theme, "Beijing + 15: Time to Address the Gaps in Women's Rights." She observed that although most Ghanaian women contribute in various ways towards food security and poverty alleviation through farming and small scale enterprises, most agricultural and economic policies are not visibly inclusive of women.
She further observed that women's participation in the power structure still stands at about 8.2% in Parliament and even though there is an effort to use the quota system to create a balance in the proportion of women and men in the district assemblies, there is still a low representation of women in decision-making positions at the district, regional and national levels.
"There are still several discriminatory social practices in prevailing cultural attitudes and societal codes evoked in the name of traditions and religion, which undermine the dignity and rights of women. Examples of these include witchcraft, widowhood rites, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), forced marriages, widowhood rites, girl-child betrothals and unintended consequences of dowry etc, which do not guarantee the liberty/ freedom of women and render females second humans".
She however noted that efforts to design strategies to reduce violence against women and monitor behavioral changes have been hampered by the lack of adequate statistics. To address this she recommended that structures that address violence against women and children must be supported and strengthened; girls' access to quality education and their retention in school should be enhanced and the strengthening of institutional mechanisms like Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) to effectively provide the needed policy guidance and implementation. "Widen the space for women in governance right from the local government level to national boards. The political parties should create space for women to assume strategic leadership and bring change, there should be gender oriented economic policies, agricultural policies that respond to the needs of small- scale farmers a majority of whom are rural women". According to the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality, in most developing countries like Ghana, gender inequality is a major obstacle to meeting the MDG targets. In fact, achieving the goals will be impossible without closing the gaps between women and men in terms of capacities, access to resources, opportunities, and vulnerability to violence and conflicts.UNICEF defines gender equality as leveling the playing field for girls and boys by ensuring that all children have equal opportunity to develop talents.In an address, the Deputy Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, Hajia Hawawu Boya Gariba, noted that this year's women's day celebration which coincided with the 15th anniversary of the implementation of Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) calls for serious stock taking and that areas identified for further action should be strictly adhered to. "It has been emphasized that reproductive child health component which entails family planning, safe motherhood, adolescent health and development, reproductive tract cancers for women and men, menopause and andropause, gender-based violence, working with men as users of reproductive health services, child health programmes, education on sexuality during the life cycle and care of the aged need to be expanded".She continued that with regard to education a great deal of emphasis has been placed on achieving gender parity in primary and secondary education.
These among others, Hajia Gariba noted, when they are adhered to, will place Ghana in a better position to achieve the MDGs, particularly goal 3: promotion of gender equality. Mr.Lawrnce Amesu, Director of Amnesty International, Ghana, called on all opinion leaders and authorities to abolish all forms of traditional and cultural practices that negatively affect women."
Amnesty International will take the opportunity of the Beijing+15 review and appraisal to draw attention to the urgent need for governments to acknowledge and respond to the critical gaps in the implementation of the BDPfA, which is also crucial for ensuring meaningful progress on the MDGs.
These gaps cannot be addressed unless governments, traditional leaders and related authorities address the remaining barriers to the enjoyment of women's rights", he stated. Mr. Amesu appealed to the Ministers of Education and Women and Children's Affairs to institute investigations into alleged gender-based abuses being perpetrated against girls and women in some schools, colleges and universities and to bring the culprits to face the full rigors of the law.
She said that MDGs and human rights have common objectives-to preserve and protect human dignity. She notes that violence against women is a fundamental breach of women's human rights and impedes progress towards the achievement of the MDGs in all regions.
She said since gender equality (GE) is one critical vessel to the achievement of the MDGs, Ghana should consider a way forward in a gender-affirmative action policy and implement it.
Ms Mohammed, who is also the Programme Director of Ibis Ghana, said these in a presentation on Gender Equality and Women's Rights at a public forum by Amnesty International in Accra to mark the International Women's Day.
It was under the theme, "Beijing + 15: Time to Address the Gaps in Women's Rights." She observed that although most Ghanaian women contribute in various ways towards food security and poverty alleviation through farming and small scale enterprises, most agricultural and economic policies are not visibly inclusive of women.
She further observed that women's participation in the power structure still stands at about 8.2% in Parliament and even though there is an effort to use the quota system to create a balance in the proportion of women and men in the district assemblies, there is still a low representation of women in decision-making positions at the district, regional and national levels.
"There are still several discriminatory social practices in prevailing cultural attitudes and societal codes evoked in the name of traditions and religion, which undermine the dignity and rights of women. Examples of these include witchcraft, widowhood rites, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), forced marriages, widowhood rites, girl-child betrothals and unintended consequences of dowry etc, which do not guarantee the liberty/ freedom of women and render females second humans".
She however noted that efforts to design strategies to reduce violence against women and monitor behavioral changes have been hampered by the lack of adequate statistics. To address this she recommended that structures that address violence against women and children must be supported and strengthened; girls' access to quality education and their retention in school should be enhanced and the strengthening of institutional mechanisms like Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) to effectively provide the needed policy guidance and implementation. "Widen the space for women in governance right from the local government level to national boards. The political parties should create space for women to assume strategic leadership and bring change, there should be gender oriented economic policies, agricultural policies that respond to the needs of small- scale farmers a majority of whom are rural women". According to the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality, in most developing countries like Ghana, gender inequality is a major obstacle to meeting the MDG targets. In fact, achieving the goals will be impossible without closing the gaps between women and men in terms of capacities, access to resources, opportunities, and vulnerability to violence and conflicts.UNICEF defines gender equality as leveling the playing field for girls and boys by ensuring that all children have equal opportunity to develop talents.In an address, the Deputy Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, Hajia Hawawu Boya Gariba, noted that this year's women's day celebration which coincided with the 15th anniversary of the implementation of Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) calls for serious stock taking and that areas identified for further action should be strictly adhered to. "It has been emphasized that reproductive child health component which entails family planning, safe motherhood, adolescent health and development, reproductive tract cancers for women and men, menopause and andropause, gender-based violence, working with men as users of reproductive health services, child health programmes, education on sexuality during the life cycle and care of the aged need to be expanded".She continued that with regard to education a great deal of emphasis has been placed on achieving gender parity in primary and secondary education.
These among others, Hajia Gariba noted, when they are adhered to, will place Ghana in a better position to achieve the MDGs, particularly goal 3: promotion of gender equality. Mr.Lawrnce Amesu, Director of Amnesty International, Ghana, called on all opinion leaders and authorities to abolish all forms of traditional and cultural practices that negatively affect women."
Amnesty International will take the opportunity of the Beijing+15 review and appraisal to draw attention to the urgent need for governments to acknowledge and respond to the critical gaps in the implementation of the BDPfA, which is also crucial for ensuring meaningful progress on the MDGs.
These gaps cannot be addressed unless governments, traditional leaders and related authorities address the remaining barriers to the enjoyment of women's rights", he stated. Mr. Amesu appealed to the Ministers of Education and Women and Children's Affairs to institute investigations into alleged gender-based abuses being perpetrated against girls and women in some schools, colleges and universities and to bring the culprits to face the full rigors of the law.
2,858 workers lose jobs in 2009
Available statistics at the National Labour Department (NLD) show that a total of 79 companies nationwide filed for redundancy in 2009 as result of which 2, 858 workers were affected.
Their reasons' That the cost of production is too high, they are suffering from low levels of productivity and non-availability of capital, staff rationalization and outsourcing of some activities. Of the 79 companies that filed for redundancy, the industrial / manufacturing sector led by over 60%.
A source at the NLD explained that these companies range from pharmaceutical, mining, insurance, construction to hospitality industries.
The source at NLD attributes this despondent situation to the fact that unpatriotic people come in with goods from world over and are able to sell cheaply to Ghanaians who patronize them regardless of their quality.
Unfortunately, since local producers cannot sell their products cheaply because of high production cost they are left with no other choice than to reduce their labour force or close down totally.
With these constraints to investment and the growth of local industries, the source added, the saying that the private sector is the engine of growth may not materialize if these complaints of the business community are not resolved.
In fact, he stressed, the companies would continue to fold up with the NLD receiving more redundancy applications.According to the source, in 2008 the NLD recorded 40 companies that filed for redundancy which affected 1,793 workers and 47 companies in 2007. From January 2010 to the beginning of this month (February) it has recorded 4 applications from companies seeking to be declared redundant.
In the last few years, particularly in textile sector, there have been several cases of retrenchment of workers.
This has also led to an increase in the underpayment of workers, employers engaging workers on casual basis and contract work.
Others have totally shut down. Under the Labour Act, applicants are required to apply to declare redundancy four months prior to the contemplated exercise.
The source explained that upon receipt of such applications, labour inspectors are sent out to investigate whether the exercise is a genuine one. They go to the field to ascertain if the applicants are facing real crisis or it is just a case of victimization.
In essence, the department has to be convinced. Packages for such redundancy exercises are often in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) existing and binding unions and employers.
Their reasons' That the cost of production is too high, they are suffering from low levels of productivity and non-availability of capital, staff rationalization and outsourcing of some activities. Of the 79 companies that filed for redundancy, the industrial / manufacturing sector led by over 60%.
A source at the NLD explained that these companies range from pharmaceutical, mining, insurance, construction to hospitality industries.
The source at NLD attributes this despondent situation to the fact that unpatriotic people come in with goods from world over and are able to sell cheaply to Ghanaians who patronize them regardless of their quality.
Unfortunately, since local producers cannot sell their products cheaply because of high production cost they are left with no other choice than to reduce their labour force or close down totally.
With these constraints to investment and the growth of local industries, the source added, the saying that the private sector is the engine of growth may not materialize if these complaints of the business community are not resolved.
In fact, he stressed, the companies would continue to fold up with the NLD receiving more redundancy applications.According to the source, in 2008 the NLD recorded 40 companies that filed for redundancy which affected 1,793 workers and 47 companies in 2007. From January 2010 to the beginning of this month (February) it has recorded 4 applications from companies seeking to be declared redundant.
In the last few years, particularly in textile sector, there have been several cases of retrenchment of workers.
This has also led to an increase in the underpayment of workers, employers engaging workers on casual basis and contract work.
Others have totally shut down. Under the Labour Act, applicants are required to apply to declare redundancy four months prior to the contemplated exercise.
The source explained that upon receipt of such applications, labour inspectors are sent out to investigate whether the exercise is a genuine one. They go to the field to ascertain if the applicants are facing real crisis or it is just a case of victimization.
In essence, the department has to be convinced. Packages for such redundancy exercises are often in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) existing and binding unions and employers.
Women want a stake in oil economy
Preliminary findings about the gendered impacts of oil and gas exploration, development and land use in areas like Akwidae, Achoawa, Miamia, Egyambra, Dixcove, Princess Town and Cape Three Points in the Western Region revealed that, due to ignorance, hundreds of acres of land are being given out to investors for meager amounts.
"In one community we learnt that about 143 acres of land has been sold for GHc 1000 (ten million old cedis) which cannot buy even an acre of land in Accra. How would the people have their fair share of the land to continue their farming with this distribution of prime natural resources or community assets?" asked Dr. Rudith King of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
She lamented that 60% of information indicates that only some civil society organization and NGOs are sensitizing the people, citing Friends of the Nation as one of the CSO that has been educating the people.
She was speaking at a forum in Accra organized by NETRIGHT under its Gender, Oil and Gas Project. It was under the theme "Engaging with Oil and Gas Issues from a Gender Perspective."
Dr. King noted that gender concerns are been raised now to pave the way to engage effectively on policy.
She expressed the fear that the capital intensive oil sector could replace the labour intensive subsistence agricultural sector and may not create balanced growth and development. Already widespread unemployment is reported to have hit some communities in the Western Region, where oil has been discovered.
The limited employment opportunities in these areas are being threatened by the oil industry.
With the main livelihoods in such areas being fishing, farming and petty trading at the subsistence level, the farmers, especially women are currently limited as to how far they can go.
"Are we creating awareness for our youth to know what is involved and about the implications of the oil? Are we going to allow our female children to fall victim to commercial sex working with its attendant factors such as HIV/AIDS?" she inquired.
She added that the outcome of schools is not encouraging to give people there employment, as the youth do not go beyond Junior High School, looking at the fact that oil extraction is a technology driven business.
"With high unemployment levels and with this level of education will they be able to find jobs? Outsiders will come and take the jobs because we don't have the expertise."
Dr. King cautioned that Ghana may be sitting on a time bomb because if the youth see other people working and they don't have jobs, one day they will explode.
"There is looming danger ahead and all of us must work to guard against it.""Compensation for land use and degradation must be enforced. Assembly men and women and communities must be sensitized about the critical gender issues and ccommunities have the right to protect and make demands from state institutions responsible for such decisions".
The Convener of NETRIGHT, Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin explained her organization's Gender, Oil and Gas Project is intended as a learning process for women to understand better so they can engage effectively.
"Social relationship is at the centre of any national development, so as women can also contribute as far as learning and experience of oil and gas is concerned."
"In one community we learnt that about 143 acres of land has been sold for GHc 1000 (ten million old cedis) which cannot buy even an acre of land in Accra. How would the people have their fair share of the land to continue their farming with this distribution of prime natural resources or community assets?" asked Dr. Rudith King of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
She lamented that 60% of information indicates that only some civil society organization and NGOs are sensitizing the people, citing Friends of the Nation as one of the CSO that has been educating the people.
She was speaking at a forum in Accra organized by NETRIGHT under its Gender, Oil and Gas Project. It was under the theme "Engaging with Oil and Gas Issues from a Gender Perspective."
Dr. King noted that gender concerns are been raised now to pave the way to engage effectively on policy.
She expressed the fear that the capital intensive oil sector could replace the labour intensive subsistence agricultural sector and may not create balanced growth and development. Already widespread unemployment is reported to have hit some communities in the Western Region, where oil has been discovered.
The limited employment opportunities in these areas are being threatened by the oil industry.
With the main livelihoods in such areas being fishing, farming and petty trading at the subsistence level, the farmers, especially women are currently limited as to how far they can go.
"Are we creating awareness for our youth to know what is involved and about the implications of the oil? Are we going to allow our female children to fall victim to commercial sex working with its attendant factors such as HIV/AIDS?" she inquired.
She added that the outcome of schools is not encouraging to give people there employment, as the youth do not go beyond Junior High School, looking at the fact that oil extraction is a technology driven business.
"With high unemployment levels and with this level of education will they be able to find jobs? Outsiders will come and take the jobs because we don't have the expertise."
Dr. King cautioned that Ghana may be sitting on a time bomb because if the youth see other people working and they don't have jobs, one day they will explode.
"There is looming danger ahead and all of us must work to guard against it.""Compensation for land use and degradation must be enforced. Assembly men and women and communities must be sensitized about the critical gender issues and ccommunities have the right to protect and make demands from state institutions responsible for such decisions".
The Convener of NETRIGHT, Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin explained her organization's Gender, Oil and Gas Project is intended as a learning process for women to understand better so they can engage effectively.
"Social relationship is at the centre of any national development, so as women can also contribute as far as learning and experience of oil and gas is concerned."
Give women equal participation in climate change decision making
A Gender Expert Mrs. Tutuah Mensah has stated that women and men have a right to equal protection and equal participation in climate change decision making.
She stressed that since health and economic consequences of climate change result in chronic poverty, gender mainstreaming in climate change is necessary.She was speaking at the 4th biennial conference of district assembly women under the auspices of Abantu for Development and ActionAid Ghana.
She spoke on "Critical Gender Issues in the Climate Change Debate." She said that, "Possible interventions include awareness, campaigns, advocacy, research, institutional analysis, establishment of gender and climate change working group and natural resource management policy.
"Climate change is referred to as the long-term fluctuation in precipitation, temperature, wind and all other aspects of the earth's climate. It is currently considered one of the biggest challenges facing the world with 75% of greenhouse emission from developed world and Africa already vulnerable to it.
Several fora on climate change have deduced that climate change and its impact poses a challenge to democratic sustenance as overall objective of democratic governance is to secure equitable development for society.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) an estimated 35% of Ghana's land mass is desert and this is advancing at an estimated 20,000 hectare per year.
Consequently, there will be loss of livelihood for most people in Ghana, since desertification reduces land available for farming activities.
Already, Ghanaian small scale farmers, particularly women in the northern parts are facing displacement from their farm lands to an influx of foreign companies engaged in jatropha and sugar-cane plantation for biofuel production.
UNICEF on the occasion of World Health Day last year cautioned that the impact of climate change could fall disproportionately on women and children.The theme for WH Day 2008 was climate change and health.
Nearly 10 million children under age five die every year of largely preventable diseases. Many of the main global killers of children including malaria and diarrhoea are sensitive to changes in temperature and rainfall, and could become more common if weather patterns change.
In addition, women and children tend to be disproportionately affected by hurricanes and flooding, which climate change experts say will increase in intensity and frequency in coming years.
The destruction of homes, schools and health centres resulting from natural disasters reduce services available to families.Climate change experts also predict that warming and shifting rains could impact crop production, which could reduce food availability.
In 2006, some 36 per cent of children globally were either moderately or severely underweight.
Last year, report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that malnutrition and associated disorders, including those relating to child growth and development, could increase as the global climate changes. Reduced supplies of clean water in some areas could also add to the burden on rural women and girls, who are usually responsible for collecting water for cooking and washing.
"The voices of women and children must be heard and their needs assessed as part of the international response to prospective changes to the environment, and they must have access to the knowledge and tools necessary to protect themselves and their communities", said Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF.
An Official of the EPA Mr. Emmanuel Arthur explaining climate change on Ghana's water resources, said there will be a reduction in freshwater flows between 15-20% for the year 2020 and 30-40% for year 2050 in all the basins.
"Irrigation water demand was to increase to about 40% and 150% for 2020 and 2050 due to climate change respectively and 5% and 17% without climate change.
Hydropower generation is seriously being affected by climate change leading to about 60% reduction in available water in all basins by 2020, this crisis currently being experienced nationwide."
He said Ghana as a developing country can only reduce her vulnerability to the impact of climate change by managing her natural resources and population in a sustainable manner.
He emphasised that Ghana should meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
She stressed that since health and economic consequences of climate change result in chronic poverty, gender mainstreaming in climate change is necessary.She was speaking at the 4th biennial conference of district assembly women under the auspices of Abantu for Development and ActionAid Ghana.
She spoke on "Critical Gender Issues in the Climate Change Debate." She said that, "Possible interventions include awareness, campaigns, advocacy, research, institutional analysis, establishment of gender and climate change working group and natural resource management policy.
"Climate change is referred to as the long-term fluctuation in precipitation, temperature, wind and all other aspects of the earth's climate. It is currently considered one of the biggest challenges facing the world with 75% of greenhouse emission from developed world and Africa already vulnerable to it.
Several fora on climate change have deduced that climate change and its impact poses a challenge to democratic sustenance as overall objective of democratic governance is to secure equitable development for society.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) an estimated 35% of Ghana's land mass is desert and this is advancing at an estimated 20,000 hectare per year.
Consequently, there will be loss of livelihood for most people in Ghana, since desertification reduces land available for farming activities.
Already, Ghanaian small scale farmers, particularly women in the northern parts are facing displacement from their farm lands to an influx of foreign companies engaged in jatropha and sugar-cane plantation for biofuel production.
UNICEF on the occasion of World Health Day last year cautioned that the impact of climate change could fall disproportionately on women and children.The theme for WH Day 2008 was climate change and health.
Nearly 10 million children under age five die every year of largely preventable diseases. Many of the main global killers of children including malaria and diarrhoea are sensitive to changes in temperature and rainfall, and could become more common if weather patterns change.
In addition, women and children tend to be disproportionately affected by hurricanes and flooding, which climate change experts say will increase in intensity and frequency in coming years.
The destruction of homes, schools and health centres resulting from natural disasters reduce services available to families.Climate change experts also predict that warming and shifting rains could impact crop production, which could reduce food availability.
In 2006, some 36 per cent of children globally were either moderately or severely underweight.
Last year, report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that malnutrition and associated disorders, including those relating to child growth and development, could increase as the global climate changes. Reduced supplies of clean water in some areas could also add to the burden on rural women and girls, who are usually responsible for collecting water for cooking and washing.
"The voices of women and children must be heard and their needs assessed as part of the international response to prospective changes to the environment, and they must have access to the knowledge and tools necessary to protect themselves and their communities", said Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF.
An Official of the EPA Mr. Emmanuel Arthur explaining climate change on Ghana's water resources, said there will be a reduction in freshwater flows between 15-20% for the year 2020 and 30-40% for year 2050 in all the basins.
"Irrigation water demand was to increase to about 40% and 150% for 2020 and 2050 due to climate change respectively and 5% and 17% without climate change.
Hydropower generation is seriously being affected by climate change leading to about 60% reduction in available water in all basins by 2020, this crisis currently being experienced nationwide."
He said Ghana as a developing country can only reduce her vulnerability to the impact of climate change by managing her natural resources and population in a sustainable manner.
He emphasised that Ghana should meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Chinese firms get school muniform contract
While the Minister of Trade and Industry, Miss Hannah Tetteh is visibly worried about the downward trend of Ghana's textile industry; allegations that the Ministry of Education has awarded the printing of free school uniforms to Chinese companies is a direct negation of the Trade Minister's efforts, (See August 7 edition of Public Agenda).
Recently when the Minister of Education, Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, inaugurated boards of five agencies under the Ministry, he told the media that the free school uniforms for one million basic school pupils announced in the 2009 budget will be ready for distribution when the 2009/2010 academic year begins in September.
Perhaps, what Mr. Tettey-Enyo did not tell the media was that his Ministry had awarded the contract to Chinese companies, in the same style as the previous government side-stepped local industries and awarded the printing of the Ghana@50 anniversary cloth to Chinese companies.
The initiative was intended to benefit pupils from deprived communities, as well as local textile manufacturing companies.
Sources at the Ministry of Education blamed the government's decision on what they claimed to be the huge quotation by local textile companies.
This newspaper has however gathered that the underlying reason for awarding the contract to the Chinese is that government needed companies that could pre-finance the printing to meet the September deadline.
Little wonder that the Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Union (TGLEU) are accusing faith and challenging it to rather look into the factors that contribute to the so-called huge estimates by the local companies.
"If government is seriously committed to ensuring the growth and survival of local industries, and the creation of jobs for the youth to eliminate armed robbery, then it should look into factors that make production cost so high. It must look at the quality of fabrics and the numerous taxes imposed on local manufacturers," stated Mr. Abraham Koomson, General Secretary of TGLEU in Accra.
Information doing the rounds indicates that the government actually ordered the uniform from China before inviting the local textile companies, a replay of the Ghana @ 50 cloths, perhaps.
This explains why ATL, GTMC and GTP declined the offer. Only PRINTEX took up the challenge but it run into the trap when it allegedly quoted a huge amount.
According to Mr. Koomson GTP, GTMC, PRINTEX and ATL can together produce good quality and any quantity of uniform needed for pupils in basic schools throughout the country.
"We are helping Chinese to create jobs at the expense of our people. Importing and selling is not good. In the long term it will not be good for our economy.
Public Agenda has learnt that the Ministry of Local Government claimed it does not have a hand in the contract but only waiting to distribute to the district assemblies.
At Press time on Friday efforts to get the Ministry of Education to confirm or deny the allegation proved futile. This reporter personally went to the Ministry on two occasions, during which the Ministry's PRO promised to get back to her.
Subsequently, several calls on the PRO's mobile phone went unanswered. Ghana's textile industry continues to face challenges. Despite the sector's struggles to hold its own against multinational companies, the situation worsens each day.
"Where lies the fate of tertiary graduates who pursue Industrial Art course with textile option on the labour market as the sector faces total collapse?" asked Mr. Koomson.
He said it is about time government paid attention to what is happening in the industry so as not to create any further unemployment in the economy.
The textile industry in Ghana used to contribute significantly to the Gross Domestic Product, (GDP) and employed a chunk of the teeming unemployed youth. No more.
Recently when the Minister of Education, Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, inaugurated boards of five agencies under the Ministry, he told the media that the free school uniforms for one million basic school pupils announced in the 2009 budget will be ready for distribution when the 2009/2010 academic year begins in September.
Perhaps, what Mr. Tettey-Enyo did not tell the media was that his Ministry had awarded the contract to Chinese companies, in the same style as the previous government side-stepped local industries and awarded the printing of the Ghana@50 anniversary cloth to Chinese companies.
The initiative was intended to benefit pupils from deprived communities, as well as local textile manufacturing companies.
Sources at the Ministry of Education blamed the government's decision on what they claimed to be the huge quotation by local textile companies.
This newspaper has however gathered that the underlying reason for awarding the contract to the Chinese is that government needed companies that could pre-finance the printing to meet the September deadline.
Little wonder that the Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Union (TGLEU) are accusing faith and challenging it to rather look into the factors that contribute to the so-called huge estimates by the local companies.
"If government is seriously committed to ensuring the growth and survival of local industries, and the creation of jobs for the youth to eliminate armed robbery, then it should look into factors that make production cost so high. It must look at the quality of fabrics and the numerous taxes imposed on local manufacturers," stated Mr. Abraham Koomson, General Secretary of TGLEU in Accra.
Information doing the rounds indicates that the government actually ordered the uniform from China before inviting the local textile companies, a replay of the Ghana @ 50 cloths, perhaps.
This explains why ATL, GTMC and GTP declined the offer. Only PRINTEX took up the challenge but it run into the trap when it allegedly quoted a huge amount.
According to Mr. Koomson GTP, GTMC, PRINTEX and ATL can together produce good quality and any quantity of uniform needed for pupils in basic schools throughout the country.
"We are helping Chinese to create jobs at the expense of our people. Importing and selling is not good. In the long term it will not be good for our economy.
Public Agenda has learnt that the Ministry of Local Government claimed it does not have a hand in the contract but only waiting to distribute to the district assemblies.
At Press time on Friday efforts to get the Ministry of Education to confirm or deny the allegation proved futile. This reporter personally went to the Ministry on two occasions, during which the Ministry's PRO promised to get back to her.
Subsequently, several calls on the PRO's mobile phone went unanswered. Ghana's textile industry continues to face challenges. Despite the sector's struggles to hold its own against multinational companies, the situation worsens each day.
"Where lies the fate of tertiary graduates who pursue Industrial Art course with textile option on the labour market as the sector faces total collapse?" asked Mr. Koomson.
He said it is about time government paid attention to what is happening in the industry so as not to create any further unemployment in the economy.
The textile industry in Ghana used to contribute significantly to the Gross Domestic Product, (GDP) and employed a chunk of the teeming unemployed youth. No more.
Implement quota to increase women participation in governance
A gender expert has said that parity in Ghana's parliament by 2050 can only be achieved through women's quota.
Worldwide, quotas are said to have significantly increased women's participation and representation in both elective and appointive political decision-making positions.
Thus, it can be established in a country's constitution or its electoral law or can be voluntary on the part of political parties or governments.
The Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, Mrs. Adwoa Kwarteng-Kluvitse noted that quotas accelerate women's ascension to political power and are effective while work to change societal attitudes and behaviour is ongoing.
"Quotas are not discriminatory. Quotas compensate for the historical exclusion of women from politics. All forms of affirmative action including quotas must be supported in Ghana", she stressed.
She was speaking at the 4th biennial conference of district assembly women under the auspices of Abantu for Development and ActionAid Ghana.
In spite of the several UN Charters, Convention signed and ratified by Ghana that call for 30 to 40 % female representation at all levels of power and governance , implementing the conventions has at snail pace, if any at all.
Only a handful of women are appointed as District and Municipal Chief Executives and as regional ministers which is indicative of the fact that Ghanaian women are not being given the chance to fully participate or be at the top hierarchy of decision-making.
Mrs. Kwarteng-Kluvitse cited lack of legislative framework to promote women in decision making and leadership as a major reason for the low participation of Ghanaian women in politics.
Likewise, she stated societal beliefs about women's roles, women's less access to education, employment and to sources of income.
She said that clearly there is an uneven playing field of which women have to compete to access political power and leadership.
Therefore, she stressed there is an urgent need for interventions to address this imbalance.
"Quotas or other forms of affirmative action can respond to the problem. Quotas are temporary, compensatory and 'fast track' measures to address historical injustices and the exclusionary practices of political institutions and societies that discriminate against women in electing and appointing political leaders," she explained.
In the 1996 parliamentary elections, out of 59 women who contested, 18 (30%) were elected, constituting 9% of 200 MPs, in 2000, the number of female candidates increased to 101 but the number elected was 19 (18.8%), constituting 9.5% of 200 MPs.
In 2001, 19 women went to the third Parliament of the Fourth Republic, while in 2005, 25 were elected to Parliament.
The number of women that contested in 2004, was 104, including 14 sitting MPs, out of which 25 (24%) were elected constituting 10.9% of 230 MPs.Presently, 20 women are in the Fifth Parliament.
Available data shows that so far only 15 (20%) out of 75 ministers are women, three out of 25 members of the Council of State, one woman on the Police Council and none on the Economic Advisory Council.
It would be recalled that the manifestoes of the various political parties during last year's electioneering campaign, contained different sections on gender and women empowerment. But out of the 170 appointments only 11 are women, representing 6.47%. Three were rejected.
Ghana is not faring better either regarding female representation in Parliament. Information provided by National Parliaments to the Inter-Parliamentary Union as at 31st May 2008 compares data from 188 countries put in perking order taking into account the number of seats in the parliament; the number occupied by women and expressed in percentages.
Rwanda tops the list with 48.8% of the parliament constituting women followed by Sweden 47%, then Cuba 43.2%.
Ghana comes a distant 99th with 10.9% of our parliament made up of women. Obviously women are not getting there and women's rights activists are not enthused. Gender is directly linked to broad national issues, and needs to be addressed when discussing country wide problems, according to Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin, Head of ABANTU for development.
"The forum's main focus is to increase women's participation in decision-making and broad national issues like oil, climate change, transportation and social security. Women need to increase their knowledge of and participation in key national issues", said Mensah-Kutin.
She said the lack of commitment to women's rights and the pursuit of a neo-liberal economic agenda limit possibilities for inclusiveness, and accountability to marginalized groups.
"The state seems to be shrinking its responsibility of ensuring the well being of its citizens, particularly women." She believes that the local governance system needs to shift policy and legal frameworks to comply with gender-responsive principles.
With the review of the Local Government Act, Mensah-Kutin urged the assemblywomen to speak out their concerns. Affirmative action must be taken in representation in district assemblies, traditional authorities and religious bodies.
"The aim of the conference is to build on efforts at ensuring that women continue to play an effective role in all governance processes in Ghana by arguing for the promotion of gender responsiveness in all aspects of the national decision-making process," stated Mensah-Kutin.
Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua lamented that Ghanaian women make up more than half of the country's population, but fill less than ten percent of Parliament and District Assemblies seats.
She believes it is important for women to be represented in District Assemblies, and become involved with local planning, budgeting and monitoring activities.
"MOWAC is working on a project to identify at least twenty potential women leaders in each district some of whom would be prepared to contest for the 2010 District Assembly election as well as the 2012 General election" she disclosed.
She urged the assemblywomen to support these candidates through sensitization and role modeling in your churches, market and work places.
"We need to surmount the challenges that have restrained women from active participation in decision-making for so long."
Worldwide, quotas are said to have significantly increased women's participation and representation in both elective and appointive political decision-making positions.
Thus, it can be established in a country's constitution or its electoral law or can be voluntary on the part of political parties or governments.
The Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, Mrs. Adwoa Kwarteng-Kluvitse noted that quotas accelerate women's ascension to political power and are effective while work to change societal attitudes and behaviour is ongoing.
"Quotas are not discriminatory. Quotas compensate for the historical exclusion of women from politics. All forms of affirmative action including quotas must be supported in Ghana", she stressed.
She was speaking at the 4th biennial conference of district assembly women under the auspices of Abantu for Development and ActionAid Ghana.
In spite of the several UN Charters, Convention signed and ratified by Ghana that call for 30 to 40 % female representation at all levels of power and governance , implementing the conventions has at snail pace, if any at all.
Only a handful of women are appointed as District and Municipal Chief Executives and as regional ministers which is indicative of the fact that Ghanaian women are not being given the chance to fully participate or be at the top hierarchy of decision-making.
Mrs. Kwarteng-Kluvitse cited lack of legislative framework to promote women in decision making and leadership as a major reason for the low participation of Ghanaian women in politics.
Likewise, she stated societal beliefs about women's roles, women's less access to education, employment and to sources of income.
She said that clearly there is an uneven playing field of which women have to compete to access political power and leadership.
Therefore, she stressed there is an urgent need for interventions to address this imbalance.
"Quotas or other forms of affirmative action can respond to the problem. Quotas are temporary, compensatory and 'fast track' measures to address historical injustices and the exclusionary practices of political institutions and societies that discriminate against women in electing and appointing political leaders," she explained.
In the 1996 parliamentary elections, out of 59 women who contested, 18 (30%) were elected, constituting 9% of 200 MPs, in 2000, the number of female candidates increased to 101 but the number elected was 19 (18.8%), constituting 9.5% of 200 MPs.
In 2001, 19 women went to the third Parliament of the Fourth Republic, while in 2005, 25 were elected to Parliament.
The number of women that contested in 2004, was 104, including 14 sitting MPs, out of which 25 (24%) were elected constituting 10.9% of 230 MPs.Presently, 20 women are in the Fifth Parliament.
Available data shows that so far only 15 (20%) out of 75 ministers are women, three out of 25 members of the Council of State, one woman on the Police Council and none on the Economic Advisory Council.
It would be recalled that the manifestoes of the various political parties during last year's electioneering campaign, contained different sections on gender and women empowerment. But out of the 170 appointments only 11 are women, representing 6.47%. Three were rejected.
Ghana is not faring better either regarding female representation in Parliament. Information provided by National Parliaments to the Inter-Parliamentary Union as at 31st May 2008 compares data from 188 countries put in perking order taking into account the number of seats in the parliament; the number occupied by women and expressed in percentages.
Rwanda tops the list with 48.8% of the parliament constituting women followed by Sweden 47%, then Cuba 43.2%.
Ghana comes a distant 99th with 10.9% of our parliament made up of women. Obviously women are not getting there and women's rights activists are not enthused. Gender is directly linked to broad national issues, and needs to be addressed when discussing country wide problems, according to Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin, Head of ABANTU for development.
"The forum's main focus is to increase women's participation in decision-making and broad national issues like oil, climate change, transportation and social security. Women need to increase their knowledge of and participation in key national issues", said Mensah-Kutin.
She said the lack of commitment to women's rights and the pursuit of a neo-liberal economic agenda limit possibilities for inclusiveness, and accountability to marginalized groups.
"The state seems to be shrinking its responsibility of ensuring the well being of its citizens, particularly women." She believes that the local governance system needs to shift policy and legal frameworks to comply with gender-responsive principles.
With the review of the Local Government Act, Mensah-Kutin urged the assemblywomen to speak out their concerns. Affirmative action must be taken in representation in district assemblies, traditional authorities and religious bodies.
"The aim of the conference is to build on efforts at ensuring that women continue to play an effective role in all governance processes in Ghana by arguing for the promotion of gender responsiveness in all aspects of the national decision-making process," stated Mensah-Kutin.
Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua lamented that Ghanaian women make up more than half of the country's population, but fill less than ten percent of Parliament and District Assemblies seats.
She believes it is important for women to be represented in District Assemblies, and become involved with local planning, budgeting and monitoring activities.
"MOWAC is working on a project to identify at least twenty potential women leaders in each district some of whom would be prepared to contest for the 2010 District Assembly election as well as the 2012 General election" she disclosed.
She urged the assemblywomen to support these candidates through sensitization and role modeling in your churches, market and work places.
"We need to surmount the challenges that have restrained women from active participation in decision-making for so long."
Domestic workers training manual launched
A Domestic Workers' Training Manual to serve as a reference for both domestic workers and their employers has been launched by LAWA Alumnae Incorporated (LAWA-Ghana).
Inside the handbook are fundamental instructions on how to conduct proper housework, ranging from food and hygiene to domestic accidents.
It also contains a section devoted to communication between the domestic workers and their employer, and an extract from the manual on the rights and responsibilities of domestic workers.
LAWA-Ghana is a non- governmental organization comprising a group of female lawyers who undertake some legislative advocacy projects to promote women's economic and social rights in Ghana.
It developed the guide to provide domestic workers with basic knowledge in caring for a household with the hope to formalize their labor practices.
A nationwide research in 2003 by LAWA revealed that domestic workers are usually females who are denied basic human rights and do not engage in any form of contract and even when they do, it is usually done through agencies.
Many do not receive any wages, let alone plan for the future through the Social Security and National Insurance Scheme, (SSNIT).
Thus, the need for legal reform and advocacy to ensure that employers benefit from employing domestic workers and the latter's rights also protected at their workplaces.
Domestic workers play a large role in Ghana's infrastructure, both inside the home and out. With the increase of women entering the workforce, the demand for domestic workers is ever increasing.
The escalation of domestic work employment has encouraged many people to join the labor field. The workers come from a variety of backgrounds and education, and often begin work without training.
Mrs. Sheila Minkah-Premo, member of LAWA-Ghana, feared that many domestic workers lack knowledge of appropriate domestic maintenance, and hoped the manual will provide them with proper assistance.
"Some employers experience challenges with their workers, and are unsure of the relationship they should have with their employees," she said.
She encouraged open communication between the counterparts, as instructed in the manual.The Metropolitan Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. John B. K. Yabani, stated that, "Health is not made in the hospital, health is made in the home." "If everyone is well informed about what we should do, we are on our way to achieving health."
Based on this , the manual offers instructional sanitation guidelines and hygiene requirements for workers. Minkah-Premo hopes to keep in step with other countries that had adopted regulations that insure the rights of domestic workers.
Ghana's domestic workers play a large role in the economic system, and LAWA-Ghana is devoted to improving their work and securing their rights.
LAWA-Ghana stated their appreciation of the stakeholders and policy makers that made production of the manual possible.
Their guidebook is the first of its kind, and LAWA-Ghana is hopeful it would increase the prosperity of domestic workers across the country.
Inside the handbook are fundamental instructions on how to conduct proper housework, ranging from food and hygiene to domestic accidents.
It also contains a section devoted to communication between the domestic workers and their employer, and an extract from the manual on the rights and responsibilities of domestic workers.
LAWA-Ghana is a non- governmental organization comprising a group of female lawyers who undertake some legislative advocacy projects to promote women's economic and social rights in Ghana.
It developed the guide to provide domestic workers with basic knowledge in caring for a household with the hope to formalize their labor practices.
A nationwide research in 2003 by LAWA revealed that domestic workers are usually females who are denied basic human rights and do not engage in any form of contract and even when they do, it is usually done through agencies.
Many do not receive any wages, let alone plan for the future through the Social Security and National Insurance Scheme, (SSNIT).
Thus, the need for legal reform and advocacy to ensure that employers benefit from employing domestic workers and the latter's rights also protected at their workplaces.
Domestic workers play a large role in Ghana's infrastructure, both inside the home and out. With the increase of women entering the workforce, the demand for domestic workers is ever increasing.
The escalation of domestic work employment has encouraged many people to join the labor field. The workers come from a variety of backgrounds and education, and often begin work without training.
Mrs. Sheila Minkah-Premo, member of LAWA-Ghana, feared that many domestic workers lack knowledge of appropriate domestic maintenance, and hoped the manual will provide them with proper assistance.
"Some employers experience challenges with their workers, and are unsure of the relationship they should have with their employees," she said.
She encouraged open communication between the counterparts, as instructed in the manual.The Metropolitan Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. John B. K. Yabani, stated that, "Health is not made in the hospital, health is made in the home." "If everyone is well informed about what we should do, we are on our way to achieving health."
Based on this , the manual offers instructional sanitation guidelines and hygiene requirements for workers. Minkah-Premo hopes to keep in step with other countries that had adopted regulations that insure the rights of domestic workers.
Ghana's domestic workers play a large role in the economic system, and LAWA-Ghana is devoted to improving their work and securing their rights.
LAWA-Ghana stated their appreciation of the stakeholders and policy makers that made production of the manual possible.
Their guidebook is the first of its kind, and LAWA-Ghana is hopeful it would increase the prosperity of domestic workers across the country.
Ghana explores sea water as an alternative to potable water
Government is currently exploring ways to make potable water highly accessible to Ghanaians. Precisely, it is seeking technology that can remove salt from sea water and make it potable.
A company is setting up a plant around Teshie, in Accra around the coast on pilot basis that would eventually provide Ghana with the cost of doing that. "Fresh water is diminishing in quantity.
We have to look at what science and technology can remove salt from sea water and make it potable," stated Mr. Minta Aboagye, Director of Water at the Ministry of Works and Housing and Water Resources.
Mr. Aboagye spoke to journalists during a National Workshop on Water Rights in Informal Economies in Accra.
It was under the auspices of the Water Resources Commission (WRC), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) " a research initiative with a goal to increase the productivity of water used for agriculture, leaving more water for other users and the environment.
He explained that Ghana is not the first country to explore the above possibility and that it is being used worldwide.
He noted that sea water is available and knowing that fresh water is scarce and diminishing in quantity, it is appropriate to search for other means to transform the abundant to get potable water supply.
Mr. Aboagye said that water delivery is currently undermined by certain factors such as population growth, particularly in the national capital Accra, therefore water is intercepted at various points, thus reducing supply to homes.
He announced programmes by government to renew and extend existing networks/ pipelines to ensure that water is treated, pumped and carried to homes.
Giving an overview of the legal framework of water rights in Ghana, the Acting Executive Director of WRC, Mr. Ben Ampomah said colonial rule witnessed the introduction of two water related legislations.
He said they administered the British common law legal system i.e. the principle of riparian owner of water resources-land owners had riparian rights and the community also had communal rights to water.
He said Ghana put in water laws adequately after independence, relating to its control, abstraction, diversion and damming.
However, overlaps and conflicts among the state institutions over their responsibilities saw the Water Resources Commission set up under WRC Act 522 of 1996.
According to Mr. Ampomah water resources are now vested in the President for and on behalf of the people of Ghana, through the WRC to ensure that those who use the water do so well.
He explained further that the objective of the workshop was to share experiences from Ghana, South Africa and Mozambique on how government can promote numbers and volumes of informal and formal water use and users according to legal categories.
"Two regulations have so far been passed; Water Use Regulations, 2001, Legislative Instrument (LI) 1692; and Drilling Licence and Groundwater Development Regulations, 2006 (L.I. 1827). It sets out regulations for the issuance of water use permits or grant of water rights for various water uses including: domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, power generation, fisheries (aquaculture), recreational, and under water (wood) harvesting".
He said the WRC has developed its own internal structures to carry out procedures for the grant of water rights and recognizes the need to bring up elements of customary law and tradition that will assist in the better management of Ghana's water resources.
"The involvement of traditional authorities (have position/ representation from the national to the basin level) and community is key to realizing the purpose of the State system - public hearings, etc. to influence water rights decisions."
Dr. Barbara van Koppen, Principal Researcher at IWMI stressed that there are enormous potential for women to enhance their productivity if government and civil society can ensure that women also get access to water resources.
A company is setting up a plant around Teshie, in Accra around the coast on pilot basis that would eventually provide Ghana with the cost of doing that. "Fresh water is diminishing in quantity.
We have to look at what science and technology can remove salt from sea water and make it potable," stated Mr. Minta Aboagye, Director of Water at the Ministry of Works and Housing and Water Resources.
Mr. Aboagye spoke to journalists during a National Workshop on Water Rights in Informal Economies in Accra.
It was under the auspices of the Water Resources Commission (WRC), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) " a research initiative with a goal to increase the productivity of water used for agriculture, leaving more water for other users and the environment.
He explained that Ghana is not the first country to explore the above possibility and that it is being used worldwide.
He noted that sea water is available and knowing that fresh water is scarce and diminishing in quantity, it is appropriate to search for other means to transform the abundant to get potable water supply.
Mr. Aboagye said that water delivery is currently undermined by certain factors such as population growth, particularly in the national capital Accra, therefore water is intercepted at various points, thus reducing supply to homes.
He announced programmes by government to renew and extend existing networks/ pipelines to ensure that water is treated, pumped and carried to homes.
Giving an overview of the legal framework of water rights in Ghana, the Acting Executive Director of WRC, Mr. Ben Ampomah said colonial rule witnessed the introduction of two water related legislations.
He said they administered the British common law legal system i.e. the principle of riparian owner of water resources-land owners had riparian rights and the community also had communal rights to water.
He said Ghana put in water laws adequately after independence, relating to its control, abstraction, diversion and damming.
However, overlaps and conflicts among the state institutions over their responsibilities saw the Water Resources Commission set up under WRC Act 522 of 1996.
According to Mr. Ampomah water resources are now vested in the President for and on behalf of the people of Ghana, through the WRC to ensure that those who use the water do so well.
He explained further that the objective of the workshop was to share experiences from Ghana, South Africa and Mozambique on how government can promote numbers and volumes of informal and formal water use and users according to legal categories.
"Two regulations have so far been passed; Water Use Regulations, 2001, Legislative Instrument (LI) 1692; and Drilling Licence and Groundwater Development Regulations, 2006 (L.I. 1827). It sets out regulations for the issuance of water use permits or grant of water rights for various water uses including: domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, power generation, fisheries (aquaculture), recreational, and under water (wood) harvesting".
He said the WRC has developed its own internal structures to carry out procedures for the grant of water rights and recognizes the need to bring up elements of customary law and tradition that will assist in the better management of Ghana's water resources.
"The involvement of traditional authorities (have position/ representation from the national to the basin level) and community is key to realizing the purpose of the State system - public hearings, etc. to influence water rights decisions."
Dr. Barbara van Koppen, Principal Researcher at IWMI stressed that there are enormous potential for women to enhance their productivity if government and civil society can ensure that women also get access to water resources.
Can the National Food Buffer Stock Company offer any relief for farmers?
Ghanaian farmers may no longer experience post harvest losses. The government has through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) set up the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to ensure food security and to insulate farmers against losses resulting from anticipated increases in production.
Most often the excess foodstuffs Ghanaian farmers produce for the market go to waste and experts say such a situation do not aid economic development for a developing country.
"There is no coordinated system in place to help them store excess food and it's enough demotivating factor for the farmers who toil to get us food. We also experience shortages in the supply of some foodstuffs. Some products are on the market for a while and disappear, so this company will ensure that food is available throughout the whole year", Chief Executive Officer of NAFCO, Mr. Eric Osei-Wusu explained.
In an interview with Public Agenda in Accra, he explained that the rationale behind this buffer stock is to deal with post harvest problems.
He noted there are no stocks in Ghana so in case of drought or other natural disasters it will become difficult to feed the displaced in society and that NAFCO will ensure emergency food preparedness in case of crisis.
He disclosed that through the World Food Programme (WFP), Niger is buying food from Ghana so in case such a situation happens in Ghana, the impact will not be heavily felt since there will be a buffer stock.
NAFCO also has the following mandate; to manage government's emergency food security, to purchase, sell, preserve and distribute food stuff, to mop up excess produce from all farmers in order to reduce post harvest losses resulting from spoilage due to poor storage, thereby protecting farm incomes and to facilitate the export of excess stock.
It is also expected to guarantee farmers an assured income by providing a minimum guaranteed price and ready market, to expand demand for food grown in Ghana by selling to all state institutions such as the military, schools, hospitals, prisons, etc., to employ a buffer stock mechanism to ensure stability in demand and supply and to carry out such other activities that are incidental to the attainment of the above objects or such other duties as may from time to time be assigned by the Minister of Food and Agriculture.
Mr. Osei-Wusu stated that another major reason for setting up the buffer company is that agents from neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso, Niger and Cote D'Ivoire buy food cheaply from Ghanaian farmers during bumper harvest and when there is shortage come back to sell to the people.
He is very hopeful that NAFCO will be able to salvage this situation. On the issue of pricing, he maintained that in spite of the fact that there is no price control in Ghana the company employs a guarantee pricing mechanism that takes into consideration every factor that goes into production.
"This minimum guarantee price is simply the cost of inputs into the farm plus a 15 percent profit. This doesn't restrict the farmers to at all circumstances sell their products to us. If the farmer believes the market is good, he or she can go ahead and sell, but when there is no market, we will offer this minimum guaranteed price to them. This is just to ensure that farmers are not pushed into bankruptcy".
The CEO said that for now the major distribution process will be state agencies, saying that they are in talks with the agencies such as government hospitals, the various security agencies and educational institutions.
He admitted that storage facilities are not enough, though they can be found in all regions except Greater Accra with most of them found in the Brong Ahafo region.
The company, he said, has bought large quantities of paddy rice and is in the process of milling them for storage.
Asked if NAFCO is a replica of the former Ghana Food Distribution Corporation (GFDC) under General Acheampong's regime, Mr. Osei-Wusu said they have similar traits but then some differences exist. GFDC, he observe, did retailing, whilst NAFCO will not be engaged in that.
However, he said the company will learn from past mistakes of the GFDC. Apart from NAFCO, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in line with its mandate to increase the productivity of the Ghanaian farmer has introduced a number of interventions.
These include; the introduction of block farms program which made it possible for mechanization and extension services to be spread out to cover a large acreage and a large number of farmers, increased subsidization of fertilizers and improved seeds and the injection of more tractors and other farm machinery and equipment for increased mechanization.
It is being claimed that these interventions coupled with good weather conditions over the last cropping season has led to a larger than anticipated increase in the production of cereals.
Most often the excess foodstuffs Ghanaian farmers produce for the market go to waste and experts say such a situation do not aid economic development for a developing country.
"There is no coordinated system in place to help them store excess food and it's enough demotivating factor for the farmers who toil to get us food. We also experience shortages in the supply of some foodstuffs. Some products are on the market for a while and disappear, so this company will ensure that food is available throughout the whole year", Chief Executive Officer of NAFCO, Mr. Eric Osei-Wusu explained.
In an interview with Public Agenda in Accra, he explained that the rationale behind this buffer stock is to deal with post harvest problems.
He noted there are no stocks in Ghana so in case of drought or other natural disasters it will become difficult to feed the displaced in society and that NAFCO will ensure emergency food preparedness in case of crisis.
He disclosed that through the World Food Programme (WFP), Niger is buying food from Ghana so in case such a situation happens in Ghana, the impact will not be heavily felt since there will be a buffer stock.
NAFCO also has the following mandate; to manage government's emergency food security, to purchase, sell, preserve and distribute food stuff, to mop up excess produce from all farmers in order to reduce post harvest losses resulting from spoilage due to poor storage, thereby protecting farm incomes and to facilitate the export of excess stock.
It is also expected to guarantee farmers an assured income by providing a minimum guaranteed price and ready market, to expand demand for food grown in Ghana by selling to all state institutions such as the military, schools, hospitals, prisons, etc., to employ a buffer stock mechanism to ensure stability in demand and supply and to carry out such other activities that are incidental to the attainment of the above objects or such other duties as may from time to time be assigned by the Minister of Food and Agriculture.
Mr. Osei-Wusu stated that another major reason for setting up the buffer company is that agents from neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso, Niger and Cote D'Ivoire buy food cheaply from Ghanaian farmers during bumper harvest and when there is shortage come back to sell to the people.
He is very hopeful that NAFCO will be able to salvage this situation. On the issue of pricing, he maintained that in spite of the fact that there is no price control in Ghana the company employs a guarantee pricing mechanism that takes into consideration every factor that goes into production.
"This minimum guarantee price is simply the cost of inputs into the farm plus a 15 percent profit. This doesn't restrict the farmers to at all circumstances sell their products to us. If the farmer believes the market is good, he or she can go ahead and sell, but when there is no market, we will offer this minimum guaranteed price to them. This is just to ensure that farmers are not pushed into bankruptcy".
The CEO said that for now the major distribution process will be state agencies, saying that they are in talks with the agencies such as government hospitals, the various security agencies and educational institutions.
He admitted that storage facilities are not enough, though they can be found in all regions except Greater Accra with most of them found in the Brong Ahafo region.
The company, he said, has bought large quantities of paddy rice and is in the process of milling them for storage.
Asked if NAFCO is a replica of the former Ghana Food Distribution Corporation (GFDC) under General Acheampong's regime, Mr. Osei-Wusu said they have similar traits but then some differences exist. GFDC, he observe, did retailing, whilst NAFCO will not be engaged in that.
However, he said the company will learn from past mistakes of the GFDC. Apart from NAFCO, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in line with its mandate to increase the productivity of the Ghanaian farmer has introduced a number of interventions.
These include; the introduction of block farms program which made it possible for mechanization and extension services to be spread out to cover a large acreage and a large number of farmers, increased subsidization of fertilizers and improved seeds and the injection of more tractors and other farm machinery and equipment for increased mechanization.
It is being claimed that these interventions coupled with good weather conditions over the last cropping season has led to a larger than anticipated increase in the production of cereals.
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