It has become a well-worn ritual among some expatriate companies operating in Ghana - the wrongful dismissals of workers and counter accusations of framing up and verbal abuses.
A former employee of Red Back Mining Company based in Bibiani, Lawrence Adu, is holding a list of complaints ready to appear before the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to prove he had been abused and wrongfully dismissed by the company.
According to a petition lodged with CHRAJ Adu argues that he was sacked because he complained when an expatriate officer, Rob White called him and three other workers (Emmanuel Egpemenyo, Emmanuel Dzokoto and Benjamin) ‘ fuck you monkeys.’
Mr. Adu said, “I can say with all confidence that my appointment was terminated not because I was incompetent but because I reported Mr. Rob White, the Environmental and Safety Manager of Chirano Gold Mines, a subsidiary of Red Back, for insulting (us) four Ghanaians “monkeys”.
In the petition dated May 19, 2005 and copied to Public Agenda, Adu hopes that CHRAJ will look into the circumstances surrounding his appointment and wrongful dismissal and take the appropriate action against the company and Rob White, who abused them.
When the Ghana Chamber of Mines was contacted, its Executive Secretary, Miss Joice Aryeeh confirmed that the complainant petitioned CHARAJ and copied the Chamber of Mines. Miss Aryee added that since CHRAJ had the mandate to handle such cases, the chamber could only wait for CHRAJ to announce its decision. For three weeks now since this paper started investigating the case, the company’s telephone number (072-977710) on the letter head of Adu’s dismissal letter has been busy.
According to his petition Adu was employed as a Caretaker in Red Back Mining’s office in Accra, which doubles as a guesthouse and has worked there diligently, until he was fired for alleged incompetence.
His petition said on April 26, 2005, he and with his three colleagues were working on an ambulance at the company’s office in Accra under the supervision of Mr. Rob White, when suddenly, White flared up and insulted them, “fuck you monkeys”.
He said he initially reported the case to the office manger who told him there was nothing he could about it. “On the same day, I made a formal report to Mr. Francis Agezo, a Ghanaian manager, who confronted White, but he denied ever calling them ‘monkeys’.”
The petition said subsequently, Mr. Norm Baiden, a white geologist questioned all four of them about the insults which they confirmed. But Mr. White once again denied the allegation
According to the petition exactly two weeks after he (Adu), reported the incident, Mr. White returned to Accra and lodged in hotel because the company’s guesthouse was full.
Adu said, two days after Mr. White had left Accra, precisely on May 12, 2005, the office manager called him and told him that White had reported that someone had stolen $600 from his room and that he (Adu) was the suspect.
“I vehemently denied stealing the money. In fact on that particular occasion of Mr. White’s visit he did not lodge at the guesthouse. How then could he lose money from his room?” he asked in the petition.
Adu argued that the office manager was aware Mr. White had many female friends who visited him frequently. “In my view, these girls should be the first suspects”, he argued.
He said the next day the office manager handed him a letter, which stated that he had been fired for incompetence.
“I wish to state that my work and conduct since I started working with Red Back have been impeccable. No guest has ever complained about my work. I have never been queried about my performance or conduct.”
He said even Mr. White had given him gifts for his hard work and subservience in carrying out duties even outside his official hours such as ‘finding girls for him’.
Cases of abuse of Ghanaian workers by expatriate employers abound. A couple of years ago, a Malaysian manager of Ghana Telecom spat on a Ghanaian worker. And quite recently, a Dutch contractor defecated into a bucket and used it to fetch water for his Ghanaian workers to drink. When the crime was uncovered, he was briefly detained and deported.
Section 63, paragraph 4 of the Labour Act 2003, (Act 651) states that a termination may be unfair if the employer fails to prove that: (a) the reason for the termination is fair or the termination was made in accordance with a fair procedure of the act.
After such complaints are made to CHRAJ, they are forwarded to the National Labour Commission which in turn sends a letter to the employer to respond. The commission looks into the matter and subsequently makes a determination. Remedies include re-employment, reinstatement or payment of compensation.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Calling an end to the silence of women
A programme has been designed to involve and encourage women in key positions, (chief executives) to share their experiences on a variety of national issues.
This is because women in these positions have been identified as potential partners for gender advocacy whose rich experiences and expertise have largely been untapped.
Two gender advocacy organizations, Women In Broadcasting, (WIB) and ABANTU for Development are the frontrunners of the campaign. The first in a series of dialogues for 2005, under the theme, “Engendering Peace and Security Issues and Processes in Ghana has been held in Accra.
Participants included women in top positions in the various security institutions, such as the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, (CEPS), Ghana Immigration and Prison Services, Ghana Police Service and Ghana National Fire Service. Others were media executives and individual entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the dialogue, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Administration, Mrs. Elizabeth Mills Robertson, noted that there is a general lack of security worldwide in the face of threats of war and civil strife, turmoil, natural and man-made disaster.
“It is an indication that man has driven himself to the doldrums of insecurity and fear, and if the right steps are not taken the only legacy we might leave for the future generation will be chaos and anarchy”.
She said Ghana stands out in the West Africa sub-region due to its ability to contain internal conflict, therefore any move to maintain peace and security is laudable.
Mrs. Robertson explained that the 1992 constitution provides for fundamental human rights and freedom and that should be the focal point of any discussion on security.
“The likelihood that peoples’ rights and freedoms would be trampled upon is high. To forestall this, there is the need for sustained education of the masses of our people”.
In this regard, the Deputy IGP called for the need to strengthen the National Commission for Civic Education, (NCCE) to be able to perform its role effectively.
She said the various security agencies, particularly the Ghana Police Service have essential roles to play, saying that the service must adhere to democratic policing principles such as the rule of law, for it to be relevant in a state that so committed to nurturing democracy.
“The police service that is responsible for internal security, need to use its powers according to the rule of law and not in whims and caprices of rulers”. She said the ratio of gender in the security services that had a culture of male domination has improved as a result of women activism and affirmative action.
“There is evidence of gender mainstreaming as both sexes are placed on the same pedestal, but there is still more room for improvement”.
During open forum, participants called for the need to improve police-community relations. They argued that the few women who make strides should be given the necessary recognition.
This is because women in these positions have been identified as potential partners for gender advocacy whose rich experiences and expertise have largely been untapped.
Two gender advocacy organizations, Women In Broadcasting, (WIB) and ABANTU for Development are the frontrunners of the campaign. The first in a series of dialogues for 2005, under the theme, “Engendering Peace and Security Issues and Processes in Ghana has been held in Accra.
Participants included women in top positions in the various security institutions, such as the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, (CEPS), Ghana Immigration and Prison Services, Ghana Police Service and Ghana National Fire Service. Others were media executives and individual entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the dialogue, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Administration, Mrs. Elizabeth Mills Robertson, noted that there is a general lack of security worldwide in the face of threats of war and civil strife, turmoil, natural and man-made disaster.
“It is an indication that man has driven himself to the doldrums of insecurity and fear, and if the right steps are not taken the only legacy we might leave for the future generation will be chaos and anarchy”.
She said Ghana stands out in the West Africa sub-region due to its ability to contain internal conflict, therefore any move to maintain peace and security is laudable.
Mrs. Robertson explained that the 1992 constitution provides for fundamental human rights and freedom and that should be the focal point of any discussion on security.
“The likelihood that peoples’ rights and freedoms would be trampled upon is high. To forestall this, there is the need for sustained education of the masses of our people”.
In this regard, the Deputy IGP called for the need to strengthen the National Commission for Civic Education, (NCCE) to be able to perform its role effectively.
She said the various security agencies, particularly the Ghana Police Service have essential roles to play, saying that the service must adhere to democratic policing principles such as the rule of law, for it to be relevant in a state that so committed to nurturing democracy.
“The police service that is responsible for internal security, need to use its powers according to the rule of law and not in whims and caprices of rulers”. She said the ratio of gender in the security services that had a culture of male domination has improved as a result of women activism and affirmative action.
“There is evidence of gender mainstreaming as both sexes are placed on the same pedestal, but there is still more room for improvement”.
During open forum, participants called for the need to improve police-community relations. They argued that the few women who make strides should be given the necessary recognition.
MYSTERIOUS DEATHS IN 2005........Four big churches to collapse
Ghana is set to experience the deaths of so many Ghanaians, including top politicians between now and the end of the year according to a prophesy by Prophet Peter Anamoh of the Machaira of the Pneuma Foundation, a non-governmental organization, working on the spiritual and physical needs of Ghanaians.
Propehet Anamoh claims he is a prophet, an apostle, a teacher and an evangelist, and that his prophecies are from God. He did not specify whether the politicians whose days are numbered are from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), other parties or a combination of government and opposition politicians.
“The wages of sin is death. Everyone in Ghana could die including those in authority if Ghanaians do not change their ways or repent”, he told Public Agenda at the paper’s offices at Asylum Down. In addition, he predicted that the so-called men of God who refuse to change will be destroyed like chicken.
He also prophesied that by the end of the year, four big churches in Accra will collapse. He also declined to name the churches when pressed to be specific. He said already statistics of people dying through various means including accidents and other disasters is indicative of the fact that God is not pleased with the people of Ghana.
Prophet Anamoh dismissed claims that Ghana is a Christian nation, saying, “Ghana is rather corrupt, adulterous, evil and unchristian.” According to him, some churches are the most corrupt places where all sorts of immorality take place”. Who can stand the wrath of God?” he asked.
Prophet Anamoh boasts of making some prophecies in December last year, which came true. He is believed to have made a prophecy about the wrangling in parliament prior to the inauguration of President John Agyekum Kufuor on January 7, 2005 which delayed the programme. Again he made a prophecy about the cancellation of Africa’s debts by the G8 countries, which has been fulfilled.
Prophet Anamoh advised Ghanaians to change their attitudes, particularly the extreme politicization of everything in Ghana. “Politics is not division but the expression of different ideas and opinions”, he explained.
Asked whether he had contacted any politicians or policy makers to warn them about the impending doom, he answered, “whenever I get such prophecies, I wait for God to direct me on the next move to take. I am yet to officially approach those in authority”.
He said even though some politicians were contacted in the past, they failed to follow up, apparently due to the fact that some profit seeking prophets demanded money before revealing prophesies.
In his opinion, the righteous man has power and that God expects nothing short of righteousness from Ghanaians. “People should stop their evil and corrupt ways and begin to live for the sake of others”.
He revealed that God plans to use Ghana as the gateway to reach his people in other parts of Africa. He said already God has given Ghana a task to reach out to Liberia and let Liberians see the salvation of God.
“The Machaira of the Pneuma Foundation, (which means sword and spirit), is marching into Monrovia to organize a national repentance for God’s healing to come on the nation”. This will set the foundation for a peaceful and prosperous Liberia before and after the elections in October.
Prophet Peter said in the foreseeable future countries like United States of America will learn democracy from Africa. “Africa will take over the world from Britain and America he prophesied.
Propehet Anamoh claims he is a prophet, an apostle, a teacher and an evangelist, and that his prophecies are from God. He did not specify whether the politicians whose days are numbered are from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), other parties or a combination of government and opposition politicians.
“The wages of sin is death. Everyone in Ghana could die including those in authority if Ghanaians do not change their ways or repent”, he told Public Agenda at the paper’s offices at Asylum Down. In addition, he predicted that the so-called men of God who refuse to change will be destroyed like chicken.
He also prophesied that by the end of the year, four big churches in Accra will collapse. He also declined to name the churches when pressed to be specific. He said already statistics of people dying through various means including accidents and other disasters is indicative of the fact that God is not pleased with the people of Ghana.
Prophet Anamoh dismissed claims that Ghana is a Christian nation, saying, “Ghana is rather corrupt, adulterous, evil and unchristian.” According to him, some churches are the most corrupt places where all sorts of immorality take place”. Who can stand the wrath of God?” he asked.
Prophet Anamoh boasts of making some prophecies in December last year, which came true. He is believed to have made a prophecy about the wrangling in parliament prior to the inauguration of President John Agyekum Kufuor on January 7, 2005 which delayed the programme. Again he made a prophecy about the cancellation of Africa’s debts by the G8 countries, which has been fulfilled.
Prophet Anamoh advised Ghanaians to change their attitudes, particularly the extreme politicization of everything in Ghana. “Politics is not division but the expression of different ideas and opinions”, he explained.
Asked whether he had contacted any politicians or policy makers to warn them about the impending doom, he answered, “whenever I get such prophecies, I wait for God to direct me on the next move to take. I am yet to officially approach those in authority”.
He said even though some politicians were contacted in the past, they failed to follow up, apparently due to the fact that some profit seeking prophets demanded money before revealing prophesies.
In his opinion, the righteous man has power and that God expects nothing short of righteousness from Ghanaians. “People should stop their evil and corrupt ways and begin to live for the sake of others”.
He revealed that God plans to use Ghana as the gateway to reach his people in other parts of Africa. He said already God has given Ghana a task to reach out to Liberia and let Liberians see the salvation of God.
“The Machaira of the Pneuma Foundation, (which means sword and spirit), is marching into Monrovia to organize a national repentance for God’s healing to come on the nation”. This will set the foundation for a peaceful and prosperous Liberia before and after the elections in October.
Prophet Peter said in the foreseeable future countries like United States of America will learn democracy from Africa. “Africa will take over the world from Britain and America he prophesied.
Meet the “action woman” of WAJU
A typical day at the offices of the Women and Juvenile Unit, (WAJU), of the Ghana Police Service, often reveals a crowd of people/complainants in a long queue with majority of them being women.
The complainants have different facial expressions of disappointment, form long queues and patiently wait to have their turn to tell their stories to the “action woman.” Others also visit the unit with fractures and injuries of various kinds.
The “Action Woman” is the Station Officer of the Accra WAJU office, Chief Inspector Rita Narh.
The 55 year-old Chief Inspector has been nicknamed ‘‘Action woman’’ due to the swift manner in which she handles complaints. She was born and bred at Koforidua in the Eastern Region but is a native of New Ningo in the Greater Accra region.
She attained basic education and proceeded to a typing school.
She joined the Ghana Police Service in 1970 and assumed office as Station Officer of WAJU in the year 2001.
My usual visits to WAJU as a journalist to talk to the “action woman” often takes between 45minutes to an hour, before I get the opportunity to talk to her.
Her outfit is so busy that even fellow officers at the unit do not find it easy to approach her. She is just busy all day. Sometimes I sit there and wonder how she gets the chance to visit the restroom when nature demands, let alone have her lunch.
As soon as a complainant with an assault case leaves another enters with a case of defilement, rape or non-maintenance.
As Station Officer, Chief Inspector Rita Narh is responsible for the general management of the unit.
She recalled the low patronage of the unit by the public when she assumed office. However, she said as a result of the public educational campaigns through the media, at the market places, churches, communities and lorry stations, people are beginning to know their rights and therefore visit the unit to lodge complaints.
Like any institution, Chief Inspector Narh says the unit faces certain challenges with reference to logistics particularly transport to make them mobile. ‘‘Our work becomes difficult when complainants are not able to produce witnesses when the need arise. Vital elements to support cases involving rape, such as torn panties, blood stains, sperms etc. are unfortunately washed off. Some victims simply fail to open up, perhaps due to the stigma.’’
She added that even though the volume of cases makes her worn out, she is refreshed by the frequent in house training by the unit and other non-governmental organizations.
In spite of the above challenges, she believes the unit has made successes. ‘‘Through the unit outstanding family disputes have been resolved. The general public is also currently aware of their rights’’, she said.
She said the unit employs a holistic approach to realize its objectives. Consequently, WAJU works closely with the Department of Social Welfare, the International Federation of Women Lawyers, (FIDA), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, (CHRAJ) and the Legal AID Board.
Other collaborators are the Gender Studies and Documentation Centre which provide training for WAJU officials, the Ark Foundation and the Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment, (WISE) and the Association of African Women Lawyers, (AWLA) that support with counseling and shelter facilities, as well as other civil society organizations.
Chief Inspector Narh told Public Agenda that all services by the unit are free, complainants and their families are treated with respect and courtesy.
She said through her four-year term she has observed that victims and complainants, particularly the women feel uneasy to see their partners/perpetrators persecuted.
She described as unfortunate the attitude by some women who try to abuse the unit and threaten their partners on the least provocation. She cautioned women not to abuse the role of the unit and urged the men to also make judicious use of the unit by reporting cases as soon as possible, as some of them have been doing already.
Chief Inspector Rita Narh believes that domestic violence should be included in school syllabus. She said domestic violence could be reduced and possibly eliminated if the general public is conscious of their rights and limitations. She hopes WAJU would have its own media to make the unit’s outreach programmes easier and effective.
Chief Inspector Narh is a staunch Christian and worships with Deeper Life Bible Church.
She reads books and counsels the junior ranks at her outfit on the need to respect and protect the profession they have chosen, during her leisure time.
The complainants have different facial expressions of disappointment, form long queues and patiently wait to have their turn to tell their stories to the “action woman.” Others also visit the unit with fractures and injuries of various kinds.
The “Action Woman” is the Station Officer of the Accra WAJU office, Chief Inspector Rita Narh.
The 55 year-old Chief Inspector has been nicknamed ‘‘Action woman’’ due to the swift manner in which she handles complaints. She was born and bred at Koforidua in the Eastern Region but is a native of New Ningo in the Greater Accra region.
She attained basic education and proceeded to a typing school.
She joined the Ghana Police Service in 1970 and assumed office as Station Officer of WAJU in the year 2001.
My usual visits to WAJU as a journalist to talk to the “action woman” often takes between 45minutes to an hour, before I get the opportunity to talk to her.
Her outfit is so busy that even fellow officers at the unit do not find it easy to approach her. She is just busy all day. Sometimes I sit there and wonder how she gets the chance to visit the restroom when nature demands, let alone have her lunch.
As soon as a complainant with an assault case leaves another enters with a case of defilement, rape or non-maintenance.
As Station Officer, Chief Inspector Rita Narh is responsible for the general management of the unit.
She recalled the low patronage of the unit by the public when she assumed office. However, she said as a result of the public educational campaigns through the media, at the market places, churches, communities and lorry stations, people are beginning to know their rights and therefore visit the unit to lodge complaints.
Like any institution, Chief Inspector Narh says the unit faces certain challenges with reference to logistics particularly transport to make them mobile. ‘‘Our work becomes difficult when complainants are not able to produce witnesses when the need arise. Vital elements to support cases involving rape, such as torn panties, blood stains, sperms etc. are unfortunately washed off. Some victims simply fail to open up, perhaps due to the stigma.’’
She added that even though the volume of cases makes her worn out, she is refreshed by the frequent in house training by the unit and other non-governmental organizations.
In spite of the above challenges, she believes the unit has made successes. ‘‘Through the unit outstanding family disputes have been resolved. The general public is also currently aware of their rights’’, she said.
She said the unit employs a holistic approach to realize its objectives. Consequently, WAJU works closely with the Department of Social Welfare, the International Federation of Women Lawyers, (FIDA), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, (CHRAJ) and the Legal AID Board.
Other collaborators are the Gender Studies and Documentation Centre which provide training for WAJU officials, the Ark Foundation and the Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment, (WISE) and the Association of African Women Lawyers, (AWLA) that support with counseling and shelter facilities, as well as other civil society organizations.
Chief Inspector Narh told Public Agenda that all services by the unit are free, complainants and their families are treated with respect and courtesy.
She said through her four-year term she has observed that victims and complainants, particularly the women feel uneasy to see their partners/perpetrators persecuted.
She described as unfortunate the attitude by some women who try to abuse the unit and threaten their partners on the least provocation. She cautioned women not to abuse the role of the unit and urged the men to also make judicious use of the unit by reporting cases as soon as possible, as some of them have been doing already.
Chief Inspector Rita Narh believes that domestic violence should be included in school syllabus. She said domestic violence could be reduced and possibly eliminated if the general public is conscious of their rights and limitations. She hopes WAJU would have its own media to make the unit’s outreach programmes easier and effective.
Chief Inspector Narh is a staunch Christian and worships with Deeper Life Bible Church.
She reads books and counsels the junior ranks at her outfit on the need to respect and protect the profession they have chosen, during her leisure time.
Nerve-jangling defilement cases hit Accra
The Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) of the Ghana Police Service has revealed that defilement was the second highest number of criminal cases in the Accra metropolis in the first quarter of the year with 94 cases. These cases mostly involved grown ups having sexual intercourse with minors or children below 18 years.
Abdul Aziz, 32, and resident at Teshie-Nungua estate was on June 6, 2005 sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour for defilement and indecent assault on a 7 year old girl by a Cocoa Affairs court B1, in Accra, presided by His Highness Kwadwo Owusu.
According to the Accra Station Office of the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU), of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Inspector Rita Narh, on June 28, 2005, the victim joined her mother to sell her goods.
She said at about 10 am the victim informed her mother that she was attending nature’s call. While she was returning, she met Abdul Aziz who took her to a nearby bathhouse at Novotel Lorry Park and bathe her.
Afterwards, he inserted his finger into her vagina and later had sex with her in the bathroom. After satisfying himself, he bathe her again and warned her not to inform anybody.
At 3.30pm, the accused later sent the victim to one Alhaji Bariwu at the Novotel Lorry Park to take care of the victim for a while. Alhaji then interviewed the victim and she revealed her ordeal leading to the arrest of Abdul who was detained at the Nima Police station.
The victim was medically examined and treated. The case was transferred to WAJU and after investigations the accused was charged before court. Abdul Aziz pleaded not guilty to both offences of indecent assault and defilement.
He was however tried and found guilty on both counts and sentenced to three years on count 1 and seven years on count 2.
Another 22-year-old resident of Adenta Sakora, Love Ametordzie, was on Friday June 17, 2005, sentenced to 7 years imprisonment in hard labor by a Cocoa Affairs court B1, for defiling a 14 year old girl.
According to the Accra Station Officer of the Women and Juvenile Unit, (WAJU) of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Inspector Rita Narh, on June 5, 2005 the victim was selling fried yam when the accused, Ametordzie bought ¢6,000 worth of yam.
She said Ametordzie thereafter gave the victim ¢20,000 but the victim said she had no change. Ametordzie then instructed the victim to follow him to his house for the money.
When they got to Ametordzie’s house, he ordered the victim to wait outside. The accused then entered his room and allegedly brought out a dagger and threatened his victim to enter his room or else he would stab her to death.
The poor victim had no other alternative than to enter the room. Ametordzie therefore forcibly had sex with her for three days. But on the June 7, 2005, the victim managed to escape home when the accused forgot to lock his door with the key.
A complaint was subsequently lodged at the Madina Police Station from where the victim was sent to the hospital for medical check up. The case was later transferred to WAJU leading to the arrest of the accused. When Ametordzie was put before court, he pleaded guilty to the defilement but denied the other offences. He was however convicted on his own plea
Abdul Aziz, 32, and resident at Teshie-Nungua estate was on June 6, 2005 sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour for defilement and indecent assault on a 7 year old girl by a Cocoa Affairs court B1, in Accra, presided by His Highness Kwadwo Owusu.
According to the Accra Station Office of the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU), of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Inspector Rita Narh, on June 28, 2005, the victim joined her mother to sell her goods.
She said at about 10 am the victim informed her mother that she was attending nature’s call. While she was returning, she met Abdul Aziz who took her to a nearby bathhouse at Novotel Lorry Park and bathe her.
Afterwards, he inserted his finger into her vagina and later had sex with her in the bathroom. After satisfying himself, he bathe her again and warned her not to inform anybody.
At 3.30pm, the accused later sent the victim to one Alhaji Bariwu at the Novotel Lorry Park to take care of the victim for a while. Alhaji then interviewed the victim and she revealed her ordeal leading to the arrest of Abdul who was detained at the Nima Police station.
The victim was medically examined and treated. The case was transferred to WAJU and after investigations the accused was charged before court. Abdul Aziz pleaded not guilty to both offences of indecent assault and defilement.
He was however tried and found guilty on both counts and sentenced to three years on count 1 and seven years on count 2.
Another 22-year-old resident of Adenta Sakora, Love Ametordzie, was on Friday June 17, 2005, sentenced to 7 years imprisonment in hard labor by a Cocoa Affairs court B1, for defiling a 14 year old girl.
According to the Accra Station Officer of the Women and Juvenile Unit, (WAJU) of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Inspector Rita Narh, on June 5, 2005 the victim was selling fried yam when the accused, Ametordzie bought ¢6,000 worth of yam.
She said Ametordzie thereafter gave the victim ¢20,000 but the victim said she had no change. Ametordzie then instructed the victim to follow him to his house for the money.
When they got to Ametordzie’s house, he ordered the victim to wait outside. The accused then entered his room and allegedly brought out a dagger and threatened his victim to enter his room or else he would stab her to death.
The poor victim had no other alternative than to enter the room. Ametordzie therefore forcibly had sex with her for three days. But on the June 7, 2005, the victim managed to escape home when the accused forgot to lock his door with the key.
A complaint was subsequently lodged at the Madina Police Station from where the victim was sent to the hospital for medical check up. The case was later transferred to WAJU leading to the arrest of the accused. When Ametordzie was put before court, he pleaded guilty to the defilement but denied the other offences. He was however convicted on his own plea
Killer food- related diseases on the increase in Ghana
A colleague at work goes to buy fried yam at lunch time. The vendor after serving the immediate consumer does not wash the hand and attempts to serve my colleague with the same hand with which she used to collect money from the other consumer.
My colleague reminds her to wash her hands before serving her and the vendor flares up. Sadly, fellow consumers rained insults on my colleague. Their beef is that it is the order of the day.
The attitude of handling food anyhow and anyway has become part of the Ghanaian. Only few people occasionally question the manner in which food is handled. Such people often receive all kinds of criticisms from fellow consumers apart from the food vendors.
From the Ghanaian farm through the market to the house and finally to the table, food is not handled well. But as humans we cannot do away with food which is central to our existence.
A walk through the major cities of the country, particularly Accra, reveals all kinds of food being displayed uncovered and open with flies sitting on them.
A situation individuals and health experts like the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Prof. Agyemang Badu-Akorsah has often expressed concern about.
The World Health Organization, (WHO) estimates about 2.2 million deaths are recorded annually from food and water borne diarrhoea diseases.
Statistics from the Greater Accra region indicates that diarrhoea diseases persistently ranked 5th among the 10 top causes of morbidity contributing between 3.6 and 4.2% of out patient attendances over the past 5 years.
Of the top 5 communicable diseases reported, diarrhoea diseases are in the 2nd position. There is microbiological and chemical contamination of food right from the farm to the table.
Many people involved in the cultivation of vegetables especially, often use contaminated water from ponds and drains to water their crops.
A study by the International Water Management Institute on Accra, Kumasi and Tamale in 2004, revealed that all samples of cabbage, lettuce and spring onions contained at least 4000 faecal coli forms per gram being considerably higher for samples from Accra and Tamale.
However, these levels exceeded the International Commission on Microbiological Specification for Food recommended level of weight. Lettuce was the most polluted followed by spring onions.
It is for this that the Ghana Health Service devoted its monthly health promotion programme for the month of June to food safety. The monthly programme aims at educating workers at the ministry and the general public on preventive health.
The decision by the GHS to begin with the ministry community is laudable since courtesy is often said to begin at home. A few months ago, a matron at one of the ministries was ordered to stop serving food because she was caught working on rotten fish, apparently to serve innocent consumers with.
Dr. Edith Clarke, Head of the Occupational Health and Environmental Unit of the Ghana Health Service, (GHS) delivered a talk on the burden of disease from poor food safety practices in Ghana.
She cited poor environmental sanitation and unhygienic handling of food especially among the traditional caterers often known as ‘chop bars’ as alarming.
Most of these ‘chop bars’ she noted have poor drainage and inadequate toilet facilities. She revealed that a study among chop bar operators showed that 20% of them had fungal nail infections, while about 11% had intestinal parasites such as salmonellosis, a typhoid casing bacteria.
Dr. Clarke therefore advised chop bar consumers to examine critically the source of food from such places. She expressed concern over the attitude of some Ghanaians who have resorted to the use of food additives to pig feet, palm oil the famous ‘chofi’ (turkey tail) to make them attractive. ‘‘Even at home people practice poor personal hygiene. They fail to wash their hands with soap after defecation, coughing and sneezing. They are often taken for granted’.
In her opinion, the underlying causes of food related ill-health is complex and so are the interventions to control them. She called for the provision of toilet facilities in both rural and urban areas and intensive education on the need to use them.
For food handlers in institutions such as processing industries and those who serve in public places, measures should be taken to train them on regular updates in food safety practices and called for regular medical screening on them.
With regards to chemical contamination, Dr. Clarke said farmers should be educated on the need to avoid the use of highly toxic pesticides for food crops, fishing and game hunting, for which they have not been approved or licensed in the country.
She said school curricula at all levels should include food safety. ‘‘To be able to achieve lasting results, it is important that sectors like agriculture, Game and Wildlife, Environmental Protection Agency, Metropolitan and District Assemblies and regulatory agencies, all lend a hand to these efforts’ she concluded.
My colleague reminds her to wash her hands before serving her and the vendor flares up. Sadly, fellow consumers rained insults on my colleague. Their beef is that it is the order of the day.
The attitude of handling food anyhow and anyway has become part of the Ghanaian. Only few people occasionally question the manner in which food is handled. Such people often receive all kinds of criticisms from fellow consumers apart from the food vendors.
From the Ghanaian farm through the market to the house and finally to the table, food is not handled well. But as humans we cannot do away with food which is central to our existence.
A walk through the major cities of the country, particularly Accra, reveals all kinds of food being displayed uncovered and open with flies sitting on them.
A situation individuals and health experts like the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Prof. Agyemang Badu-Akorsah has often expressed concern about.
The World Health Organization, (WHO) estimates about 2.2 million deaths are recorded annually from food and water borne diarrhoea diseases.
Statistics from the Greater Accra region indicates that diarrhoea diseases persistently ranked 5th among the 10 top causes of morbidity contributing between 3.6 and 4.2% of out patient attendances over the past 5 years.
Of the top 5 communicable diseases reported, diarrhoea diseases are in the 2nd position. There is microbiological and chemical contamination of food right from the farm to the table.
Many people involved in the cultivation of vegetables especially, often use contaminated water from ponds and drains to water their crops.
A study by the International Water Management Institute on Accra, Kumasi and Tamale in 2004, revealed that all samples of cabbage, lettuce and spring onions contained at least 4000 faecal coli forms per gram being considerably higher for samples from Accra and Tamale.
However, these levels exceeded the International Commission on Microbiological Specification for Food recommended level of weight. Lettuce was the most polluted followed by spring onions.
It is for this that the Ghana Health Service devoted its monthly health promotion programme for the month of June to food safety. The monthly programme aims at educating workers at the ministry and the general public on preventive health.
The decision by the GHS to begin with the ministry community is laudable since courtesy is often said to begin at home. A few months ago, a matron at one of the ministries was ordered to stop serving food because she was caught working on rotten fish, apparently to serve innocent consumers with.
Dr. Edith Clarke, Head of the Occupational Health and Environmental Unit of the Ghana Health Service, (GHS) delivered a talk on the burden of disease from poor food safety practices in Ghana.
She cited poor environmental sanitation and unhygienic handling of food especially among the traditional caterers often known as ‘chop bars’ as alarming.
Most of these ‘chop bars’ she noted have poor drainage and inadequate toilet facilities. She revealed that a study among chop bar operators showed that 20% of them had fungal nail infections, while about 11% had intestinal parasites such as salmonellosis, a typhoid casing bacteria.
Dr. Clarke therefore advised chop bar consumers to examine critically the source of food from such places. She expressed concern over the attitude of some Ghanaians who have resorted to the use of food additives to pig feet, palm oil the famous ‘chofi’ (turkey tail) to make them attractive. ‘‘Even at home people practice poor personal hygiene. They fail to wash their hands with soap after defecation, coughing and sneezing. They are often taken for granted’.
In her opinion, the underlying causes of food related ill-health is complex and so are the interventions to control them. She called for the provision of toilet facilities in both rural and urban areas and intensive education on the need to use them.
For food handlers in institutions such as processing industries and those who serve in public places, measures should be taken to train them on regular updates in food safety practices and called for regular medical screening on them.
With regards to chemical contamination, Dr. Clarke said farmers should be educated on the need to avoid the use of highly toxic pesticides for food crops, fishing and game hunting, for which they have not been approved or licensed in the country.
She said school curricula at all levels should include food safety. ‘‘To be able to achieve lasting results, it is important that sectors like agriculture, Game and Wildlife, Environmental Protection Agency, Metropolitan and District Assemblies and regulatory agencies, all lend a hand to these efforts’ she concluded.
Squatters brace up for showdown with railway authorities
Squatters along the Odawna
railway lines have said that
unless they are provided alternative shelters they will not vacate the railway lands since they pay rent to some officials of the Ghana Railway Corporation.
Most of the squatters Public Agenda spoke to said they have been living around the rail lines for the past five to twenty years, and called for dialogue between them and the ministry.
They argue that even if Liberians and Sudanese refugees have been given a place to lay their heads, Ghanaians deserve better.
The Ministry of Harbours and Railways last week issued a final warning to the squatters along the country’s rail lines to quit by the end of next month or be forcefully moved.
The ministry says those who fail to quit by the end of this month, (June 2005) will have their property demolished. The Sector Minister Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi said in order to give a human face to the exercise, a committee had been set up to sensitize the squatters on the dangers their activities pose.
According to the Acting Chief Director of the Ministry, Alhaji M.N.D Jawula, the squatters were initially given up to the end of April to quit but said the ministry had decided on humanitarian grounds to extend the deadline to the end of this month.
He reiterated the fact, that the GRC was finding it difficult to attract investors for its rehabilitation works since any potential investor who inspected the lines complained about the presence of the squatters.
But Charles Acheampong speaking for his colleagues said they been living in the area for the past eight years and paying yearly rent of 20,000 cedis to some officials from the Ghana Railway Corporation, (GRC).
“Therefore, any attempt by anybody to forcefully eject us would be unfair and inhuman”, he complained. He told this reporter that before he put up his kiosk along the rail lines, he went to the offices of the GRC and paid an amount of ¢400,000 and was issued with a receipt. Therefore unless an alternative place is provided for us, we do not think that we will move out or give for our structures to be demolished’ he stated.
The Odawna railway area, also known as ‘Odawna estates’, could be described as a neighborhood on its own. There are all kinds of businesses going on there. They range from eating places, popularly known as ‘chop bars’, barbering and ‘shoe makers’ shop, as well as large scale charcoal dealers who come from all corners of the country.
railway lines have said that
unless they are provided alternative shelters they will not vacate the railway lands since they pay rent to some officials of the Ghana Railway Corporation.
Most of the squatters Public Agenda spoke to said they have been living around the rail lines for the past five to twenty years, and called for dialogue between them and the ministry.
They argue that even if Liberians and Sudanese refugees have been given a place to lay their heads, Ghanaians deserve better.
The Ministry of Harbours and Railways last week issued a final warning to the squatters along the country’s rail lines to quit by the end of next month or be forcefully moved.
The ministry says those who fail to quit by the end of this month, (June 2005) will have their property demolished. The Sector Minister Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi said in order to give a human face to the exercise, a committee had been set up to sensitize the squatters on the dangers their activities pose.
According to the Acting Chief Director of the Ministry, Alhaji M.N.D Jawula, the squatters were initially given up to the end of April to quit but said the ministry had decided on humanitarian grounds to extend the deadline to the end of this month.
He reiterated the fact, that the GRC was finding it difficult to attract investors for its rehabilitation works since any potential investor who inspected the lines complained about the presence of the squatters.
But Charles Acheampong speaking for his colleagues said they been living in the area for the past eight years and paying yearly rent of 20,000 cedis to some officials from the Ghana Railway Corporation, (GRC).
“Therefore, any attempt by anybody to forcefully eject us would be unfair and inhuman”, he complained. He told this reporter that before he put up his kiosk along the rail lines, he went to the offices of the GRC and paid an amount of ¢400,000 and was issued with a receipt. Therefore unless an alternative place is provided for us, we do not think that we will move out or give for our structures to be demolished’ he stated.
The Odawna railway area, also known as ‘Odawna estates’, could be described as a neighborhood on its own. There are all kinds of businesses going on there. They range from eating places, popularly known as ‘chop bars’, barbering and ‘shoe makers’ shop, as well as large scale charcoal dealers who come from all corners of the country.
Land and forestry sector yet to benefit economy
The potential of the land and forestry sector as important contributors to the national economy has not been realized due to poor management.
Ghana’s total forest cover estimated at 8.2 million hectares at the beginning of the twentieth century currently stands at less than 1.6 million hectares.
It is estimated that Ghana’s forest cover is being degraded at the rate of 65,000 hectares per year.
It is also believed that unless this high deforestation is checked there could be no forest cover within the next few decades. Apart from the environmental benefits that could be permanently lost there would be negative economic effects.
The timber industry would collapse dealing to the loss of millions of direct and indirect jobs.
It is estimated that about 3.7 million cubic metres of timber is harvested annually of which illegal chain saw activities account for about 1.7 million cubic metres, while illegal logging accounts for about 900,000 cubic metres.
The remaining 1.1 million cubic metres is what legal timber is estimated to account for. Despite numerous government policies on the land and forestry sector, there continue to be degradation of the forest due to lack of understanding of these policies.
Therefore, any attempt to reform whatever statutes or policies on land and forestry should include the voice of the people.
They should be allowed to take part in the implementation of these policies as they are meant for them. It is in this vain that the Centre for Democratic Governance, CDD, organized a workshop in Accra to increase government’s responsiveness to civil society in maters of land and forestry policy.
Under the Ghana Land and Forestry Support Facility, (GLFSF), the centre is conducting a diagnostic study to review existing legal and policy initiatives governing land and forestry maters in Ghana. A preliminary report highlighting the weaknesses of the existing initiatives and recommendations with the aim to improve government civil society relations in maters of forestry and land was the subject for discussion at the workshop.
A member of the Project Review Team, Mr. Nayon Bilijo cited unsustainable exploitation, inequitable allocation and utilization of land and forestry resources as some of the factors impeding the state from deriving maximum benefit vested in the sector.
‘‘There is the need for a more transparent allocation of timber resources. The Forestry Commission should implement more fully provisions in the various legislation on the award of Timber Utilization Contracts, (TUCs) through a competitive bidding process. The practice whereby this process is circumvented by recourse to granting of Timber Utilization Permits, Salvage permits and replacement of concessions should be avoided’, he stated.
The Vice Dean of the Economic and Architectural Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr. Daniel Hammond, noted that before the colonial government, land resources were managed by chiefs or leaders in the society, but the scenario has changed.
He said even policies that existed were on adhoc basis. However, today, all policies point to one goal, that is sustainable national development. Dr. Hammond said land ownership has become a major problem. For instance he said, lack of consultation with land owners and chiefs in decision making for land allocation, acquisition, management, utilization and development has generated intractable disputes between the state, the community and the private land owning groups. ‘‘This results in lengthy land acquisition procedures for agricultural, industrial, commercial and residential development purposes due to conflicting claims to ownership’.
Ghana’s total forest cover estimated at 8.2 million hectares at the beginning of the twentieth century currently stands at less than 1.6 million hectares.
It is estimated that Ghana’s forest cover is being degraded at the rate of 65,000 hectares per year.
It is also believed that unless this high deforestation is checked there could be no forest cover within the next few decades. Apart from the environmental benefits that could be permanently lost there would be negative economic effects.
The timber industry would collapse dealing to the loss of millions of direct and indirect jobs.
It is estimated that about 3.7 million cubic metres of timber is harvested annually of which illegal chain saw activities account for about 1.7 million cubic metres, while illegal logging accounts for about 900,000 cubic metres.
The remaining 1.1 million cubic metres is what legal timber is estimated to account for. Despite numerous government policies on the land and forestry sector, there continue to be degradation of the forest due to lack of understanding of these policies.
Therefore, any attempt to reform whatever statutes or policies on land and forestry should include the voice of the people.
They should be allowed to take part in the implementation of these policies as they are meant for them. It is in this vain that the Centre for Democratic Governance, CDD, organized a workshop in Accra to increase government’s responsiveness to civil society in maters of land and forestry policy.
Under the Ghana Land and Forestry Support Facility, (GLFSF), the centre is conducting a diagnostic study to review existing legal and policy initiatives governing land and forestry maters in Ghana. A preliminary report highlighting the weaknesses of the existing initiatives and recommendations with the aim to improve government civil society relations in maters of forestry and land was the subject for discussion at the workshop.
A member of the Project Review Team, Mr. Nayon Bilijo cited unsustainable exploitation, inequitable allocation and utilization of land and forestry resources as some of the factors impeding the state from deriving maximum benefit vested in the sector.
‘‘There is the need for a more transparent allocation of timber resources. The Forestry Commission should implement more fully provisions in the various legislation on the award of Timber Utilization Contracts, (TUCs) through a competitive bidding process. The practice whereby this process is circumvented by recourse to granting of Timber Utilization Permits, Salvage permits and replacement of concessions should be avoided’, he stated.
The Vice Dean of the Economic and Architectural Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr. Daniel Hammond, noted that before the colonial government, land resources were managed by chiefs or leaders in the society, but the scenario has changed.
He said even policies that existed were on adhoc basis. However, today, all policies point to one goal, that is sustainable national development. Dr. Hammond said land ownership has become a major problem. For instance he said, lack of consultation with land owners and chiefs in decision making for land allocation, acquisition, management, utilization and development has generated intractable disputes between the state, the community and the private land owning groups. ‘‘This results in lengthy land acquisition procedures for agricultural, industrial, commercial and residential development purposes due to conflicting claims to ownership’.
There are more women in informal employment than men
A new book ‘The Role of Women in Ghana’s Economy has found that that there are more women in informal economic activities than men in the three economic areas, namely, agriculture, industry and services.
The author, Nora Judith Amu estimates that some 80% of women in Ghana are engaged in various economic activities and they predominate in the informal micro-small to medium scale agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors of the economy.
While the informal sector gives women the flexibility they need to cope with their multiple roles as workers, wives and mothers, the remuneration is highly unstable and therefore their earnings vary from period to period.
Also they lack social security since the informal sector is no well structured to lend itself to the social security contributions and benefits.
Consequently, those in the informal sector retire without any social security thus leaving the burden of caring for them on family and society at large.
Furthermore, women’s work at the informal sector is basically at the subsistence level and thus their income is relatively low compared to their male counterparts in the same sector.
However, their contribution to economic growth and development is not adequately represented because the majority of their activities are in the informal low-growth-low-return areas and are basically subsistent.
Women in most societies play a crucial role as food producers, providers and managers. In rural communities, women are responsible for fetching fuel wood and water for cultivation.
Women are important actors in the food chain and are responsible for food security in Ghana. However, food crops do not have guaranteed prices and rare therefore subject to the vagaries of market prices, which rise and fall with the quantity of harvest per period.
Unfortunately, most of the work that women do are not considered as economic activities but are rather seen as traditional chore to which they are duty bound to perform.
Apart from agriculture women are also active in the industrial sector, hence the concentration of women in manufacturing may be understandable because of the activities carried out in this sub sector which include food and beverages, textiles ad leather, wood products and furniture, chemical and petroleum products and metallic and mineral products and plastics.
According to the author, the participation of women in the services is highly skewed towards the wholesale and retail sub-sector. Very few are found in the relatively more specialized sub-sectors of services. It reflects the general low ambitions for women.
It is important to note that while some women are generally un-ambitious, there are a number of them who as a result of their cultural background and their socialization processes, have been made to believe that cannot aspire for bigger things in life.
Rural women are the most disadvantaged in terms of access to education and pother forms of formal and informal training programmes.
Given such limitations, they are mostly engaged in subsistence farming. Low-income generating activities, while poor urban women operate marginal enterprises in the formal sector.
The author recommends that care needs to be taken to ensure that income-generating activities are profitable and loan products appropriate. Otherwise, women may need to convert savings goods into cash for loan repayment, thus impoverishing themselves further.
The author, Nora Judith Amu estimates that some 80% of women in Ghana are engaged in various economic activities and they predominate in the informal micro-small to medium scale agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors of the economy.
While the informal sector gives women the flexibility they need to cope with their multiple roles as workers, wives and mothers, the remuneration is highly unstable and therefore their earnings vary from period to period.
Also they lack social security since the informal sector is no well structured to lend itself to the social security contributions and benefits.
Consequently, those in the informal sector retire without any social security thus leaving the burden of caring for them on family and society at large.
Furthermore, women’s work at the informal sector is basically at the subsistence level and thus their income is relatively low compared to their male counterparts in the same sector.
However, their contribution to economic growth and development is not adequately represented because the majority of their activities are in the informal low-growth-low-return areas and are basically subsistent.
Women in most societies play a crucial role as food producers, providers and managers. In rural communities, women are responsible for fetching fuel wood and water for cultivation.
Women are important actors in the food chain and are responsible for food security in Ghana. However, food crops do not have guaranteed prices and rare therefore subject to the vagaries of market prices, which rise and fall with the quantity of harvest per period.
Unfortunately, most of the work that women do are not considered as economic activities but are rather seen as traditional chore to which they are duty bound to perform.
Apart from agriculture women are also active in the industrial sector, hence the concentration of women in manufacturing may be understandable because of the activities carried out in this sub sector which include food and beverages, textiles ad leather, wood products and furniture, chemical and petroleum products and metallic and mineral products and plastics.
According to the author, the participation of women in the services is highly skewed towards the wholesale and retail sub-sector. Very few are found in the relatively more specialized sub-sectors of services. It reflects the general low ambitions for women.
It is important to note that while some women are generally un-ambitious, there are a number of them who as a result of their cultural background and their socialization processes, have been made to believe that cannot aspire for bigger things in life.
Rural women are the most disadvantaged in terms of access to education and pother forms of formal and informal training programmes.
Given such limitations, they are mostly engaged in subsistence farming. Low-income generating activities, while poor urban women operate marginal enterprises in the formal sector.
The author recommends that care needs to be taken to ensure that income-generating activities are profitable and loan products appropriate. Otherwise, women may need to convert savings goods into cash for loan repayment, thus impoverishing themselves further.
GT moves to revolutionarise rural communication
A model communication centre developed for rural and peri-urban communities, under an Information Communication Technology, (ICT) project dubbed eCARE, has been envisaged to revolutionarise communication in the rural areas.
eCARE is an acronym for e-commerce and renewable energy. The project seeks to increase access to ICT powered by renewable energy in rural and peri-urban areas of Ghana. eCARE has been a community phone project by Ghana Telecom since February 2005.
The eCARE project is a joint effort of the United Nations foundations, (UNF), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ARB Apex Bank, Kumasi Institute for Technology and Environment (KITE), Telenor Management Partner, (TMP) and Ghana Telecom, (GT).
Sadly, these rural communication centres will only be available in areas where GT has ONEtouch GSM coverage. In April to October 2004, a pre-feasibility study sponsored by UNF and TMP implemented by KITE, GT and UNEP was carried out.
The Chief Executive officer of GT, Mr. Oyestein Bjorge, noted that even though communication could be a vehicle for development in the rural areas, it is not effective there, thus the need to embrace UNF’s eCARE idea.
‘‘Communication is not a game but a vehicle to bring development. Therefore services by entrepreneurs must be relevant to communities".
According to the project Manager, Anita Skagnaes, local Ghanaian entrepreneurs will be identified, screened and recruited to operate the rural business centres offering ICT service and valued added services enabled by renewable energy.
‘‘The eCARE project will offer streamlined support package to qualified rural entrepreneurs, training, pre-produced eCARE centre, follow up financial support, bulk airtime at affordable prices and discounted equipments with service agreement through project", she stated.
She said rural participants will be required to certify under the eCARE training programme, provide equity and suitable location for placement of eCARE, provide equity and suitable location for placement of eCARE centre, offer rural telephony and other approved services at reasonable rates, as well as cover all operating expenses and amortization.
Currently, the first eCARE demonstration centre is completed while a pilot project is scheduled to start at the end of May with the establishment of three eCARE Rural Business Centres at Nkurakan, Sege and Sogakope in the Accra, Eastern and Volta Regions respectively.
Mrs. Harriet Amisasah Arthur, of the Kumasi Institute for Technology and Environment, said it is time for the country to move communication from the urban centres to the rural areas.
She said there is an enterprise development aspect which seeks to design projects to educate the rural folks as they are not ICT inclined.
She cited India as one of the few countries where eCARE has made an impact. She said here the farmers are able to assess and use information on agriculture processes left by experts
eCARE is an acronym for e-commerce and renewable energy. The project seeks to increase access to ICT powered by renewable energy in rural and peri-urban areas of Ghana. eCARE has been a community phone project by Ghana Telecom since February 2005.
The eCARE project is a joint effort of the United Nations foundations, (UNF), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ARB Apex Bank, Kumasi Institute for Technology and Environment (KITE), Telenor Management Partner, (TMP) and Ghana Telecom, (GT).
Sadly, these rural communication centres will only be available in areas where GT has ONEtouch GSM coverage. In April to October 2004, a pre-feasibility study sponsored by UNF and TMP implemented by KITE, GT and UNEP was carried out.
The Chief Executive officer of GT, Mr. Oyestein Bjorge, noted that even though communication could be a vehicle for development in the rural areas, it is not effective there, thus the need to embrace UNF’s eCARE idea.
‘‘Communication is not a game but a vehicle to bring development. Therefore services by entrepreneurs must be relevant to communities".
According to the project Manager, Anita Skagnaes, local Ghanaian entrepreneurs will be identified, screened and recruited to operate the rural business centres offering ICT service and valued added services enabled by renewable energy.
‘‘The eCARE project will offer streamlined support package to qualified rural entrepreneurs, training, pre-produced eCARE centre, follow up financial support, bulk airtime at affordable prices and discounted equipments with service agreement through project", she stated.
She said rural participants will be required to certify under the eCARE training programme, provide equity and suitable location for placement of eCARE, provide equity and suitable location for placement of eCARE centre, offer rural telephony and other approved services at reasonable rates, as well as cover all operating expenses and amortization.
Currently, the first eCARE demonstration centre is completed while a pilot project is scheduled to start at the end of May with the establishment of three eCARE Rural Business Centres at Nkurakan, Sege and Sogakope in the Accra, Eastern and Volta Regions respectively.
Mrs. Harriet Amisasah Arthur, of the Kumasi Institute for Technology and Environment, said it is time for the country to move communication from the urban centres to the rural areas.
She said there is an enterprise development aspect which seeks to design projects to educate the rural folks as they are not ICT inclined.
She cited India as one of the few countries where eCARE has made an impact. She said here the farmers are able to assess and use information on agriculture processes left by experts
Kofi Asante’s strategic energy plan back to square one
The President last week pushed aside the Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Kofi Asante, to pave way for investigations into allegations of corruption levelled against him.
The charges included the chairman, and the Executive Secretary buying vehicles for themselves while there are none for use by technical officers, Mr. Asante gallivanting, leaving the commission with ¢800 million bill on foreign travels for last year alone, paying himself ¢30 million a month as rent allowance and spending ¢500 million on advertising.
But Asante has fought back, saying all the allegations were designed to ridicule the commission and divert attention from the work the commission has done for the country. Mr. Asante who single handedly edits the commission’s official Journal, Energy Review, has strong views which sometimes contradicts government’s policy.
The swift action taken by the government following allegations against Asante in some private newspapers, thanks to the work of some self-seeking ‘whistle blowers’ will go down as ‘extraordinary achievement’ of the Kufuor administration in positive change chapter two.
This is because similar media allegations against other top government officials have not received the same swift response from the president. Could this be a new approach by government to be seen to be acting seriously on such charges by the media and other groups?
But who gains or loses after the ubiquitous Asante was thrown out. No doubt, the energy policies of embattled Asante have earned the Energy Commission, some recognition and Ghana will be the worse for it. Under Kofi Asante’s leadership, the first ever National Strategic Energy Plan for the period 2000—2025 was outdoored a few weeks before he was ousted from office last week. A hundred copies of the Energy Plan which was due to handed to the Minister of Energy, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, on Wedenesday, May 11 before Asante was thrown out were handed over to the minister last Friday. As Asante put it in the note accompanying the 100 copies “nevertheless, the business of the State must continue.”
In the plan, four hydroelectric power dams are to be constructed by the year 2020 to help meet the country’s energy requirement.
The policy objectives of the expansion programme are to ensure security of electricity supply and to ensure universal access to affordable electricity service.
The dams include, the Bui Hydroelectric power dam, which is expected to be operational by year 2012, the Hemang and Juale hydroelectric power dams also expected to be completed by 2015 and the Pwalugu hydroelectric dam in the Upper East region expected to be fully operational by 2020.
The construction of these hydroelectric projects would be contributing towards meeting the long-term energy need of the country. Bui alone is expected to add about 17% of hydroelectric power to the Akosombo hydroelectric generation.
According to the Energy Commission, the hydroelectric power projects would help increase the level of domestic electricity generation resources and help cut back on imported natural gas.
Another important benefit to be derived from these hydroelectric projects is the job creation potentials. As stipulated in the National Strategic Energy Plan, about 543 permanent and non-permanent hands would be required for power plants construction for 2005-2008.
The projects are also expected to boost Ghana’s energy export potentials. Currently, the Akosombo generation station is also undergoing retrofitting and is expected to increase its installed capacity by about 108 MW to 1020MW by the end of 2005.
This is the first time a national energy plan has been drawn up and being implemented. But unfortunately, the brain behind, Asante, is out of the saddle. And the fear is that once Asante is out, the plan will be put on the shelves to gather dust. This is because past and present governments have a record of shelving development plans when the brains behind them are no more in office. When Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966, his 15-year Development Plan was burnt to ashes. The same fate befell the 7-year Development Plan of the Busia government when he was overthrown in 1972.
The 2005 budget, presented to parliament confirmed some key policy initiatives contained in the National Strategic Plan launched by the Energy Commission.
The budget and the energy plan agree on the development of solar energy systems. It is expected that improvement in the sector would link educational institutions that are off the national grid to solar energy. Solar energy has been described by the commission as a renewable energy and is considered environmentally friendly. Again the budget and the energy plan converge on the West Africa Gas Pipeline Project. The Energy Commission has recognized the WAGP, which the budget sees as critical to meeting the energy requirements of the country. By the energy commission’s estimation, the WAGP should be completed latest by December 2006. Unfortunately, the brain behind these good policies is out.
Even though the budget is silent on the specifics, it partly collaborates the commission’s position, as it indicates that the WAGP would be completed within 24 months after the start of the construction and would be delivering gas to Aboadze within the 24-month period.
However, the energy commission has cautioned that although the WAGP is a strategic infrastructure, there are problems and challenges the project poses. Mr. Asante has put up a fierce campaign against the terms of the WAGP, which he suggested need to be renegotiated.
First, the commission states that the gas to be delivered by the WAGP is flared and thus produces greenhouse gas, which is responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer.
Another important element the commission expresses reservation on is the cost. The commission holds the view that if Aboadze’s capacity is not enhanced, the cost of gas could equal that of fuel.
In the WAGP agreement, Ghana is to pay about $88 million a year for gas supply. This, in the commission’s view, would yield only marginal savings with cost of electricity generated almost equaling that of oil based electricity. The commission therefore argues that the benefits should be more substantial for Ghana to dole out scarce resources into such a venture. There are rumours that Mr. Kofi Asante’s outspoken views/reservations about the WAGP project could be a remote factor in his current predicament. The allegations in the media were the immediate cause. This is the bane of many public servants who have dared to defend the national interest.
Obviously, precautions must be taken to protect such pricey ideas of people like Mr. Kofi Asante on critical areas like energy for national development.
The Associate Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, Dr. Baffour Agyemang Duah, is forthright in arguing that
the issue goes beyond Kofi Asante and the energy Commission, but is a larger problem of how public boards and commissions are governed in Ghana. In the view of Dr. Agyemang Duah, if Ghanaians do not learn to appreciate good stewardship, many well-meaning people and Ghanaian experts will back away from taking public appointments. Kofi Asante’s plight is an eye opener.
The charges included the chairman, and the Executive Secretary buying vehicles for themselves while there are none for use by technical officers, Mr. Asante gallivanting, leaving the commission with ¢800 million bill on foreign travels for last year alone, paying himself ¢30 million a month as rent allowance and spending ¢500 million on advertising.
But Asante has fought back, saying all the allegations were designed to ridicule the commission and divert attention from the work the commission has done for the country. Mr. Asante who single handedly edits the commission’s official Journal, Energy Review, has strong views which sometimes contradicts government’s policy.
The swift action taken by the government following allegations against Asante in some private newspapers, thanks to the work of some self-seeking ‘whistle blowers’ will go down as ‘extraordinary achievement’ of the Kufuor administration in positive change chapter two.
This is because similar media allegations against other top government officials have not received the same swift response from the president. Could this be a new approach by government to be seen to be acting seriously on such charges by the media and other groups?
But who gains or loses after the ubiquitous Asante was thrown out. No doubt, the energy policies of embattled Asante have earned the Energy Commission, some recognition and Ghana will be the worse for it. Under Kofi Asante’s leadership, the first ever National Strategic Energy Plan for the period 2000—2025 was outdoored a few weeks before he was ousted from office last week. A hundred copies of the Energy Plan which was due to handed to the Minister of Energy, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, on Wedenesday, May 11 before Asante was thrown out were handed over to the minister last Friday. As Asante put it in the note accompanying the 100 copies “nevertheless, the business of the State must continue.”
In the plan, four hydroelectric power dams are to be constructed by the year 2020 to help meet the country’s energy requirement.
The policy objectives of the expansion programme are to ensure security of electricity supply and to ensure universal access to affordable electricity service.
The dams include, the Bui Hydroelectric power dam, which is expected to be operational by year 2012, the Hemang and Juale hydroelectric power dams also expected to be completed by 2015 and the Pwalugu hydroelectric dam in the Upper East region expected to be fully operational by 2020.
The construction of these hydroelectric projects would be contributing towards meeting the long-term energy need of the country. Bui alone is expected to add about 17% of hydroelectric power to the Akosombo hydroelectric generation.
According to the Energy Commission, the hydroelectric power projects would help increase the level of domestic electricity generation resources and help cut back on imported natural gas.
Another important benefit to be derived from these hydroelectric projects is the job creation potentials. As stipulated in the National Strategic Energy Plan, about 543 permanent and non-permanent hands would be required for power plants construction for 2005-2008.
The projects are also expected to boost Ghana’s energy export potentials. Currently, the Akosombo generation station is also undergoing retrofitting and is expected to increase its installed capacity by about 108 MW to 1020MW by the end of 2005.
This is the first time a national energy plan has been drawn up and being implemented. But unfortunately, the brain behind, Asante, is out of the saddle. And the fear is that once Asante is out, the plan will be put on the shelves to gather dust. This is because past and present governments have a record of shelving development plans when the brains behind them are no more in office. When Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966, his 15-year Development Plan was burnt to ashes. The same fate befell the 7-year Development Plan of the Busia government when he was overthrown in 1972.
The 2005 budget, presented to parliament confirmed some key policy initiatives contained in the National Strategic Plan launched by the Energy Commission.
The budget and the energy plan agree on the development of solar energy systems. It is expected that improvement in the sector would link educational institutions that are off the national grid to solar energy. Solar energy has been described by the commission as a renewable energy and is considered environmentally friendly. Again the budget and the energy plan converge on the West Africa Gas Pipeline Project. The Energy Commission has recognized the WAGP, which the budget sees as critical to meeting the energy requirements of the country. By the energy commission’s estimation, the WAGP should be completed latest by December 2006. Unfortunately, the brain behind these good policies is out.
Even though the budget is silent on the specifics, it partly collaborates the commission’s position, as it indicates that the WAGP would be completed within 24 months after the start of the construction and would be delivering gas to Aboadze within the 24-month period.
However, the energy commission has cautioned that although the WAGP is a strategic infrastructure, there are problems and challenges the project poses. Mr. Asante has put up a fierce campaign against the terms of the WAGP, which he suggested need to be renegotiated.
First, the commission states that the gas to be delivered by the WAGP is flared and thus produces greenhouse gas, which is responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer.
Another important element the commission expresses reservation on is the cost. The commission holds the view that if Aboadze’s capacity is not enhanced, the cost of gas could equal that of fuel.
In the WAGP agreement, Ghana is to pay about $88 million a year for gas supply. This, in the commission’s view, would yield only marginal savings with cost of electricity generated almost equaling that of oil based electricity. The commission therefore argues that the benefits should be more substantial for Ghana to dole out scarce resources into such a venture. There are rumours that Mr. Kofi Asante’s outspoken views/reservations about the WAGP project could be a remote factor in his current predicament. The allegations in the media were the immediate cause. This is the bane of many public servants who have dared to defend the national interest.
Obviously, precautions must be taken to protect such pricey ideas of people like Mr. Kofi Asante on critical areas like energy for national development.
The Associate Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, Dr. Baffour Agyemang Duah, is forthright in arguing that
the issue goes beyond Kofi Asante and the energy Commission, but is a larger problem of how public boards and commissions are governed in Ghana. In the view of Dr. Agyemang Duah, if Ghanaians do not learn to appreciate good stewardship, many well-meaning people and Ghanaian experts will back away from taking public appointments. Kofi Asante’s plight is an eye opener.
WAJU records 842 cases of domestic violence in first quarter
The Women and Juvenile Unit of the Ghana Police Service, (WAJU), handled a total of 842 cases for the first quarter of this year, according to a quarterly report released last week.
The report indicates that women continue to be in the majority of the victims of domestic violence, even though more men are now putting shyness aside and coming up with cases of their wives bashing them.
Out of this number, assault cases ranked high with the figure standing at 421 as at the end of March. In January, assault cases stood at 162, February 122 while March recorded 137.
The second highest case recorded by the unit for the first quarter is defilement with the figure 94. This involves grown ups who have sexual intercourse with minors or children below 18 years.
Cases of threat came third with 85 complaints lodged at WAJU. Abduction cases, which involves keeping a minor and having sex with her recorded 35.
The fifth highest recorded case was rape with the figure at 33 indicating a reduction.
A breakdown of this figure shows that, in January 14 cases of rape were handled by the unit, 12 in February and 7 in March. Thirty-two cases of parents and guardians who to fail to supply basic necessities of health and life were recorded.
The unit received 31 cases of stealing for the period under review.
Nine cases of children exposed to harm were reported to the unit. Just a case each of child abandonment, incest, child stealing, bigamy and compulsion of marriage was received by the unit within the same period, with the latter being predominant among the Muslim community.
Four cases each of criminal abortion, attempted abortion, attempted rape and unlawful ejection complaints were lodged at WAJU. Two cases each of unnatural canal knowledge, canal knowledge of female idiot and intermeddling with property of a deceased were received at the unit.
In an interview with Public Agenda, the Station Officer of WAJU, Madam Rita Narh, noted that the rate of complaints lodged at the unit for the first quarter was higher compared to last year.
This she attributed to the extensive public education by the unit. ‘‘There is no doubt that people are beginning to know their rights’’.
She however, expressed concern about the situation where women currently threaten to report men to the unit at the least opportunity. She cautioned the women not to abuse the role of the unit. Madam Narh urged the men to also make judicious use of the unit by reporting cases as soon as possible, as some of them have been doing already.
In Madam Narh’s opinion, the unit receives long list of complaints, particularly assault cases due to failure by young girls to wait for the necessary marriage rites to be performed on them, before they get involved with a man and get pregnant.
‘‘Imagine someone sleeping on the pavement who gets pregnant with a driver’s mate who sleeps in a car. Obviously they are unable to make ends meet, let alone cater for a child. And this often result in exchanges leading to assault upon confrontation’’.
Secondly, she said there seem to be a breakdown of moral upbringing because children are exposed so much to technological advancement such as watching all kinds of movies/films on television, even at odd hours.
Madam Narh explained that out of curiosity, these children are tempted to try or experience whatever they see. Again, she said certain names and advertisement on some aphrodisiacs in the media connotes negative implications, which makes the children curious.
She called on the churches especially to be involved in the fight for better human rights.
The Women and Juvenile Unit of the Ghana Police Service, (WAJU), handled a total of 842 cases for the first quarter of this year, according to a quarterly report released last week.
The report indicates that women continue to be in the majority of the victims of domestic violence, even though more men are now putting shyness aside and coming up with cases of their wives bashing them.
Out of this number, assault cases ranked high with the figure standing at 421 as at the end of March. In January, assault cases stood at 162, February 122 while March recorded 137.
The second highest case recorded by the unit for the first quarter is defilement with the figure 94. This involves grown ups who have sexual intercourse with minors or children below 18 years.
Cases of threat came third with 85 complaints lodged at WAJU. Abduction cases, which involves keeping a minor and having sex with her recorded 35.
The fifth highest recorded case was rape with the figure at 33 indicating a reduction.
A breakdown of this figure shows that, in January 14 cases of rape were handled by the unit, 12 in February and 7 in March. Thirty-two cases of parents and guardians who to fail to supply basic necessities of health and life were recorded.
The unit received 31 cases of stealing for the period under review.
Nine cases of children exposed to harm were reported to the unit. Just a case each of child abandonment, incest, child stealing, bigamy and compulsion of marriage was received by the unit within the same period, with the latter being predominant among the Muslim community.
Four cases each of criminal abortion, attempted abortion, attempted rape and unlawful ejection complaints were lodged at WAJU. Two cases each of unnatural canal knowledge, canal knowledge of female idiot and intermeddling with property of a deceased were received at the unit.
In an interview with Public Agenda, the Station Officer of WAJU, Madam Rita Narh, noted that the rate of complaints lodged at the unit for the first quarter was higher compared to last year.
This she attributed to the extensive public education by the unit. ‘‘There is no doubt that people are beginning to know their rights’’.
She however, expressed concern about the situation where women currently threaten to report men to the unit at the least opportunity. She cautioned the women not to abuse the role of the unit. Madam Narh urged the men to also make judicious use of the unit by reporting cases as soon as possible, as some of them have been doing already.
In Madam Narh’s opinion, the unit receives long list of complaints, particularly assault cases due to failure by young girls to wait for the necessary marriage rites to be performed on them, before they get involved with a man and get pregnant.
‘‘Imagine someone sleeping on the pavement who gets pregnant with a driver’s mate who sleeps in a car. Obviously they are unable to make ends meet, let alone cater for a child. And this often result in exchanges leading to assault upon confrontation’’.
Secondly, she said there seem to be a breakdown of moral upbringing because children are exposed so much to technological advancement such as watching all kinds of movies/films on television, even at odd hours.
Madam Narh explained that out of curiosity, these children are tempted to try or experience whatever they see. Again, she said certain names and advertisement on some aphrodisiacs in the media connotes negative implications, which makes the children curious.
She called on the churches especially to be involved in the fight for better human rights.
Putting new blood into women’s empowerment, an AWDF initiative
It is common knowledge that resources available for development in Africa has declined and continue to do so. The situation has often been blamed on ineffective leadership on the continent, insufficient capital outflows and non-sustainable efforts to stabilize the economies of most of the countries in Africa.
This has no doubt led to the impoverishment of people in Africa. The need to become financially independent, especially the women of Africa, has become critical to the continent’s empowerment. Thus, initiatives such the African Women Developemnt Fund (AWDF), couldn’t have come at the right time.
In 2003, AWDF awarded a total amount of $1,258,000 to 155 women’s organisations in 31 African countries.
The AWDF in the same year, had two grant-making cycles in May and November, and as a result gave out $410,000 in grants to 42 organisations in 19 countries.
Its 2003 annual report indicates that the fund has continued to make progress with resource mobilization efforts in order to expand the organisation’s resource base.
The fund, not only continues to receive support from its existing donors, but in the year under review, it was able to attract support from new donors as well. However, the report stresses the need to sustain its mobilisation strategies which come with further serious challenges.
The African Women Development Fund is a fundraising and grant-making initiative that supports the work of the African women’s movements. AWDF seeks to transform African women to be able to live in a changed world with integrity and in peace. Most of the AWDF’s fundraising efforts have been targeted at foundations and other funding agencies, but needs to start focusing on individual benevolence too.
On outreach and partnerships, the AWDF participated and made significant inputs for seminars such as the International Human Rights Funders Group Seminar and the Conference of the International Network for Women’s Funds held in Ghana.
Women in general seem to be disadvantaged on all fronts and illiterate women are less likely to know about their rights, thus making them vulnerable to all acts of domestic violence.
With funding from the AWDF, 66 women’s rights groups have been trained in knowledge on laws pertaining to marriage, separation, divorce and constitutional rights, among others. These trainees are now armed with information on both gender and legal issues, which enables them to provide necessary legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, child abuse and unequal distribution of resources.
The fund supported 45 organisations involved in empowering women economically. They, in turn, supported some women groups in the area of agricultural production and processing, to empower them economically so as to be self-reliant. The report states that this has helped the women to be able to meet their basic needs such as paying of children’s school fees, clothing and saving for the future.
The low participation of women in leadership is a major impediment to the building and sustenance of good governance on the continent. With the support of the AWDF, 12 organisations were awarded grants to support certain women groups who have been working to increase women’s participation in governance and leadership.
In Ghana for example, the number of women parliamentarians rose from 18 to about 23 currently, likewise in other African countries. It is assumed that even though it does not address the gender imbalance, it is a step forward in getting women to participate more actively in politics.
Advocacy is considered essential to influence stakeholders and policy makers on women’s health and rights. Research has shown, however, that there is lack of capacity in the area of advocacy on women’s health. Since the media plays a crucial role in the success of advocacy, the AWDF supported the Multidisciplinary African Women’s Health Network, to organise a training of trainers meeting to enhance media skills in advocacy.
The major aim was to bring together all disciplines working in the area of women’s health in Africa to enhance their capacity. All participants on their return held similar programmes and shared skills and knowledge they acquired within their organisations and countries.
A total of $13,000 in grants went to 9 organisations to support their efforts in combating HIV/AIDs on the continent. In the period under review, the AWDF awarded an amount $16,000 during the grants cycles in May and September to 11 organisations in Ghana to support community development projects led by women.
AWDF set up a Special Grants Initiative to create additional source of funding for current or potential AWDF grantees. This is to enable them engage in activities which promote learning and sharing of experiences on local, national and international levels.
The solidarity fund will also support women emergency situations such as in conflicts and other issues that require rapid response. Since its establishment, the solidarity fund has awarded seven organisations a total of $19,000 in five African countries including Ghana.
AWDF again launched a Capacity Building Unit in September in the year under review to support the work of its grantee organisations to enable them enhance their institutional capacity through a variety of strategies such as capacity building, management assistance and peer learning. Joana Foster, Chair of AWDF, says there is money in Africa which could be mobilized to support women in their effort to enhance their capacities to tackle the fundamental causes of women’s poverty and inequality.
‘‘We are aware of money in individual hands and within institutions and communities. The challenge is how to access these funds in a structured manner so African women can set up their own philanthropic institutions which will give long-term impact on their lives”, she stated. She emphasized the independence, self-worth and the sense of ownership of a strategic initiative such as the AWDF that comes with individual giving, however small but regularly.
She urged everyone to come on board, be part of the AWDF and put their monies where their hearts are.
The Executive Director of the fund, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, says the fund’s commitment to the dynamic use of physical, intellectual and creativity by African women that allows for women’s agency, productivity, self-discovery, awareness raising and building of much needed confidence.
She believes that as a fund that emerged from the African women’s movement itself, its key responsibility is to ensure that these objectives continue to thrive and voices become clearer and more articulate.
This has no doubt led to the impoverishment of people in Africa. The need to become financially independent, especially the women of Africa, has become critical to the continent’s empowerment. Thus, initiatives such the African Women Developemnt Fund (AWDF), couldn’t have come at the right time.
In 2003, AWDF awarded a total amount of $1,258,000 to 155 women’s organisations in 31 African countries.
The AWDF in the same year, had two grant-making cycles in May and November, and as a result gave out $410,000 in grants to 42 organisations in 19 countries.
Its 2003 annual report indicates that the fund has continued to make progress with resource mobilization efforts in order to expand the organisation’s resource base.
The fund, not only continues to receive support from its existing donors, but in the year under review, it was able to attract support from new donors as well. However, the report stresses the need to sustain its mobilisation strategies which come with further serious challenges.
The African Women Development Fund is a fundraising and grant-making initiative that supports the work of the African women’s movements. AWDF seeks to transform African women to be able to live in a changed world with integrity and in peace. Most of the AWDF’s fundraising efforts have been targeted at foundations and other funding agencies, but needs to start focusing on individual benevolence too.
On outreach and partnerships, the AWDF participated and made significant inputs for seminars such as the International Human Rights Funders Group Seminar and the Conference of the International Network for Women’s Funds held in Ghana.
Women in general seem to be disadvantaged on all fronts and illiterate women are less likely to know about their rights, thus making them vulnerable to all acts of domestic violence.
With funding from the AWDF, 66 women’s rights groups have been trained in knowledge on laws pertaining to marriage, separation, divorce and constitutional rights, among others. These trainees are now armed with information on both gender and legal issues, which enables them to provide necessary legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, child abuse and unequal distribution of resources.
The fund supported 45 organisations involved in empowering women economically. They, in turn, supported some women groups in the area of agricultural production and processing, to empower them economically so as to be self-reliant. The report states that this has helped the women to be able to meet their basic needs such as paying of children’s school fees, clothing and saving for the future.
The low participation of women in leadership is a major impediment to the building and sustenance of good governance on the continent. With the support of the AWDF, 12 organisations were awarded grants to support certain women groups who have been working to increase women’s participation in governance and leadership.
In Ghana for example, the number of women parliamentarians rose from 18 to about 23 currently, likewise in other African countries. It is assumed that even though it does not address the gender imbalance, it is a step forward in getting women to participate more actively in politics.
Advocacy is considered essential to influence stakeholders and policy makers on women’s health and rights. Research has shown, however, that there is lack of capacity in the area of advocacy on women’s health. Since the media plays a crucial role in the success of advocacy, the AWDF supported the Multidisciplinary African Women’s Health Network, to organise a training of trainers meeting to enhance media skills in advocacy.
The major aim was to bring together all disciplines working in the area of women’s health in Africa to enhance their capacity. All participants on their return held similar programmes and shared skills and knowledge they acquired within their organisations and countries.
A total of $13,000 in grants went to 9 organisations to support their efforts in combating HIV/AIDs on the continent. In the period under review, the AWDF awarded an amount $16,000 during the grants cycles in May and September to 11 organisations in Ghana to support community development projects led by women.
AWDF set up a Special Grants Initiative to create additional source of funding for current or potential AWDF grantees. This is to enable them engage in activities which promote learning and sharing of experiences on local, national and international levels.
The solidarity fund will also support women emergency situations such as in conflicts and other issues that require rapid response. Since its establishment, the solidarity fund has awarded seven organisations a total of $19,000 in five African countries including Ghana.
AWDF again launched a Capacity Building Unit in September in the year under review to support the work of its grantee organisations to enable them enhance their institutional capacity through a variety of strategies such as capacity building, management assistance and peer learning. Joana Foster, Chair of AWDF, says there is money in Africa which could be mobilized to support women in their effort to enhance their capacities to tackle the fundamental causes of women’s poverty and inequality.
‘‘We are aware of money in individual hands and within institutions and communities. The challenge is how to access these funds in a structured manner so African women can set up their own philanthropic institutions which will give long-term impact on their lives”, she stated. She emphasized the independence, self-worth and the sense of ownership of a strategic initiative such as the AWDF that comes with individual giving, however small but regularly.
She urged everyone to come on board, be part of the AWDF and put their monies where their hearts are.
The Executive Director of the fund, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, says the fund’s commitment to the dynamic use of physical, intellectual and creativity by African women that allows for women’s agency, productivity, self-discovery, awareness raising and building of much needed confidence.
She believes that as a fund that emerged from the African women’s movement itself, its key responsibility is to ensure that these objectives continue to thrive and voices become clearer and more articulate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)