Ghana: Press spotlights $850m climate change support from Switzerland to Ghana, others

APA – Accra (Ghana)
The report that Ghana is expected to receive up to $850 million from Switzerland in direct investment, carbon revenues and fees by 2030 as part of the country’s efforts to fight climate change is one of the trending stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that Ghana is expecting to receive up to $850 million from Switzerland in direct investment, carbon revenues and fees by 2030 as part of the country’s efforts to fight climate change.
The amount is due from eight out of 12 projects being developed under an agreement with Switzerland which have reached investment decision points.
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, who disclosed this at the launch of the 2023 annual report on the implementation of Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement in Accra last Friday, stressed that Ghana was currently at the forefront of the fight against the impact of global warming and its attendant climate change issues.
He explained that the government was implementing several projects with various countries and development partners under the Carbon Market Office (CMO) to raise capital to finance climate-smart initiatives across sectors.
It is also expected to create a minimum of 7,000 green jobs.
“Ghana is engaged in five Government-to-Government (G2G) bilateral cooperative approaches.
The participating parties, with Ghana being the host country, include Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, South Korea and Liechtenstein,” Dr Afriyie added.
The newspaper says that 40 per cent of Ghana’s population are under 15 years, the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) report of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed.
This means Ghana has a youthful population and an indication for the country to provide services, including education and health, that would address their needs, it explained.
This was disclosed by the acting Director, Demography of the GSS, Odei Gyebi, yesterday, at the dissemination of the 2022 GDHS report on household water and sanitation, fertility and family planning.
Mr Gyebi further explained that the revelation meant that the population of the country would continue to grow at a certain pace because its larger population were those within that age group.
The 2022 GDHS data was obtained from a nationally representative sample of 18,540 households distributed across all 16 administrative regions and 261 districts of the country.
The survey conducted interviews with 17,933 households; 15,014 women, aged 15 to 49 in all selected households, and 7,044 men, aged 15 to 59 in half of the selected households.
He said the report also showed that 82 per cent of children from seven to 12 years were in primary school with the figure higher in children in urban areas than in rural areas.
For senior high school (SHS), he said 56 per cent of children 13 to 18 years were in SHS, with 63 per cent in urban areas, while 48 per cent were in rural areas.
Regarding the net attendance ratio in terms of gender parity, he said the report showed that 98 per cent of primary schoolchildren were female students as against 100 per cent for males.
The Graphic also reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has tasked the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the African Games (Accra 2023) to deliver an outstanding edition of the competition in its 57-year history.
The President gave this directive Tuesday during the official inauguration of the Borteyman Sports Complex, one of the primary venues designated for the Games scheduled between March 8 and 23, 2024.
The commissioning event also marked the commencement of the 25-day countdown to the competition’s kickoff.
President Akufo-Addo urged the LOC to spare no effort in ensuring that the anticipated 8,000 visitors, including athletes, officials, journalists, and fans, receive unparalleled hospitality during the tournament.
The Borteyman Sports Complex will accommodate a total of seven competitive sports, including table tennis, handball, tennis, volleyball, swimming, badminton, and the triathlon. Notably, four of these events – table tennis, tennis, triathlon, and badminton – will double as qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Among the notable features of the Borteyman facilities are a 1,000-seater capacity swimming pool, comprising a 10-lane competition swimming pool and an eight-lane warm-up swimming pool, alongside a multi-purpose Sports Hall capable of seating 1,000 spectators for various events such as basketball, badminton, netball, table tennis, and weightlifting.
Additionally, there is a 500-seater temporary dome for handball, volleyball, judo, karate, taekwondo, fencing, arm-wrestling, and a five-tennis court complex, including a 1,000-seater Centre Court.
President Akufo-Addo highlighted a hybrid approach adopted by his government and the LOC, utilising both existing facilities and completing projects such as the University of Ghana Stadium and the Borteyman Complex to ensure timely readiness for the Games.
Despite initial skepticism surrounding Ghana’s hosting capability, the President expressed pride in the Borteyman Complex, viewing it as a lasting legacy for future generations and a testament to the nation’s readiness to host the continent.
The Ghanaian Times says that a total of 143 Ghanaians who travelled to Libya in pursuit of better opportunities were voluntarily brought back home on Thursday night via a chartered flight.
Comprising 137 men, six women, and five children, 21 of them had moderate medical conditions, including two who were wheelchair-bound and one suffering from blindness.
This brings to total 5,142 Ghanaians who have willingly returned since 2017 under the International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) Voluntary Humanitarian Return Assistance Programme.
Last year, the IOM, supported by the Migrant Protection, Return, and Reintegration Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa (MPRR-SSA), funded by the European Union, facilitated the safe return of 629 Ghanaians: 555 men, 58 women, and 16 children, via four chartered flights from Libya.
These voluntary returns are often due to unfulfilled dreams.
Upon their arrival at the Kotota International Airport, the latest returnees were welcomed by the IOM and government partners, including the IOM team led by the IOM Ghana Chief of Mission, Ms Fatou Diallo Ndiaye; the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Evans Opoku Bobie.
A wave of nostalgia and excitement swept through some of the migrants as they cheered on musician Kofi Kinaata, an IOM Ghana Goodwill Ambassador, who was present to welcome them back home.
In her address, Ms Ndiaye urged them to view their return as a fresh start, not a failure, assuring that IOM and its partners would provide robust support to aid their reintegration, help them restart their lives, and address the underlying factors of irregular migration.
“It is not a wrong decision to come back. We should be proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself for returning despite all the investment and challenges you have faced,” she said.
GIK/APA