The statement by the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) that it has not granted approval for the seeds of 14 genetically modified (GM) products to be cultivated in Ghana is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Graphic reports that the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) says it has not granted approval for the seeds of 14 genetically modified (GM) products to be cultivated in Ghana.
The authority, which is responsible for the regulation of GM and its related products, instead said it has only registered 14 GM products to be imported into the country.
In a statement signed and issued by the Chief Executive Officer of NBA, Eric Amaning Okoree, dated April 10, 2024, explained that any entity interested to import any GM products into the country is required to get an import permit from the NBA to be able to do so.
He said the 14 approved GM products are also not for cultivation but “they are for the purposes of food, feed or processing.”
“They have been registered to allow for importation for those purposes by individuals or groups interested in them. Any entity interested will require an import permit from the NBA to be able to import them for use in the country. Therefore, the NBA wishes to state categorically that those events or products have not been imported into the country for food, feed or processing yet,” he explained.
The NBA boss further explained that NBA as the government agency responsible for the regulation of GM and its related products has laid down procedures in line with Biosafety Act, 2011 (Act 831) and with international best practices in deciding on any application brought before it.
The newspaper says that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has signed into law the Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2024 (Act 1115), with the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, describing it as a boost to effective management of the country’s wildlife resources.
The Act, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and passed by Parliament on July 28, 2023, was assented to by the President on March 1, this year.
In his reaction, Mr Jinapor said apart from being a key milestone in the management of the country’s wildlife, the presidential assent to Act 1115 had ensured the consolidation of all laws relating to wildlife and protected areas.
“The previous legislation, enacted over 50 years ago, was not in tune with current international best practices for wildlife protection and management, and did not provide a proper legal framework for the implementation of the Forest and Wildlife Policy, 2012, the Forestry Development Master Plan (2016-2036), and other national and international frameworks that guide sustainable resource management, all of which were adopted years after these laws were passed,” he explained.
Wildlife and protected areas were previously regulated by the Wild Animals Preservation Act, 1961 (Act 43), the Wildlife Conservation Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 685), and the Wildlife Reserves Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 710).
Meanwhile, the Wildlife Resources Management Bill has been pending for over 15 years as it was previously laid before the fifth, sixth and seventh Parliaments until it was eventually passed by the Eighth Parliament on July 28, 2023.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Vice President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, has firmly expressed his opposition to LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana, saying such practice will not be tolerated under his leadership.
“…as a Muslim, my view on this matter aligns with the position of my religious faith…the Quran is replete with verses frowning on LGBTQ+ acts, including same sex marriages… my faith is, therefore, very strictly against the practice of homosexuality.”
Speaking at the Eid-ul- Fitr prayers at the Kumasi Central Mosque yesterday, he said, “I personally cannot support that which my religion, and indeed, all the major religions in Ghana clearly and unequivocally forbid. All the religious traditions in Ghana, Christianity, Islam are opposed to this practice and I stand opposed to it now, and I will stand opposed to it as President, Insha Allah. Homosexuality, no ifs and buts, no shades of grey.”
“It is important to note that “the cultural and societal norms of Ghanaians frown on the practice of homosexuality,” Dr Bawumia stated.
It is recalled that Parliament, in February this year, passed the so-called Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill.
The President is yet to sign the bill into law following a challenge at the Supreme Court.
If it is signed into law: it would impose three years minimum jail term or five years maximum for those who engage in promoting homosexuality in the country. Under clause 10 of the Bill, cheek kiss or a peck, a friendly gesture which does not imply any serious romantic inclination, is a gross indecency in public.
The newspaper says that over 500 wooden structures were destroyed in a fire outbreak at a slum at Jamestown in Accra on Tuesday and hundreds of people rendered homeless as a result.
Items destroyed included personal effects, fridges and fish.
No casualty was recorded.
When Ghanaian Times visited the scene after the fire, it saw some victims counting their losses with others salvaging belongings from the debris.
It was a field day for scrap dealers as they were collecting things they found suitable.
Eyewitnesses who spoke to the Ghanaian Times raised the suspicion that the outbreak was as a result of a fire that was not attended to.
Assistant Divisional Officer Grade One (ADOI) Alex King Nartey of the Public Relations Department of Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) Headquarters, in an interview with the Ghanaian Times yesterday, said his office received a distress call and proceeded to the scene.
He said fire tenders were dispatched from the Accra Region, Makola, Ministries and GNFS headquarters to the scene.
ADOI Nartey stated that it took firefighters three hours to bring the fire under control, confine and distinguish it within five hours.
He said the affected place was used for commercial and residential purposes by the occupants.
GIK/APA