APA – Accra (Ghana)
The report that Ghana risks losing about $30 million from global donor funds for the fight against tuberculosis (TB) for defaulting in raising its counterpart funding is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that Ghana risks losing about $30 million from global donor funds for the fight against tuberculosis (TB) for defaulting in raising its counterpart funding.
The Global Fund has also threatened to withdraw its support for most African countries because they have failed to make sufficient budgetary allocation to augment what they receive internationally.
Ghana’s sole representative at this year’s African parliamentary TB caucus summit in Nairobi, Kenya, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic on his return.
The summit, which was a gathering of health committees of the various Parliaments on the continent, was to agree on a common stance for increase in funding at the world summit scheduled for New York, USA, in September this year.
Dr Nawaane, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nabdam and a Deputy Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Ghana, said the various representatives agreed that the fight against TB had been relegated to the background by many African countries.
The Deputy Ranking Member on the Health Committee said despite it being a diagnosable and treatable condition, not much attention was paid to it, and neither was budget allocation made to help fight the disease.
“TB is easily diagnosable, treatable and preventable.
Yet, it is a disease that has been overtaken by HIV, AIDS and malaria so far as public health menace is concerned.
And the financial allocation for the treatment of TB is far less than any of these three,” he told the Daily Graphic.
The newspaper says that the NDC demands resignation of Bank of Ghana Governor in 21 days over losses
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued a call for the resignation of Dr. Ernest Addison, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), as well as his deputies. Amid concerns over the fiscal performance and management of the central bank, the NDC has set forth a demand for accountability.
At a press conference held under the banner of the NDC’s “Moment of Truth” series on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, accused Dr. Addison of overseeing the mismanagement of the Bank of Ghana, which allegedly led to a staggering loss of GH¢60.8 billion during the 2022 fiscal year.
The party’s response has been to threaten a march to the Bank of Ghana premises to forcibly remove Dr. Addison and his deputies if they do not voluntarily resign within the next 21 days.
“In this regard, we call for the resignation of the Governor of the Central Bank and his deputies within 21 days from today,” Dr. Forson said.
“We are resolved to embark on popular action to occupy the Central Bank and drive out the team of inept, callous and criminal mismanagers of the finances of this country and save the Bank of Ghana. The March to Ensure Accountability will begin in 21 days if the Governor of the Bank of Ghana does not do the needful and pack bag and baggage out of that sacred institution that he has so desecrated. Dr Ernest Addisson Must Go! There has to be an end to impunity and it is NOW!”
The Ghanaian Times reports that a total of GHC 35 million grant support is to be distributed to 270 selected micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) across the country under the Ghana Economic Transformation Project (GETP), being implemented by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) funded by the World Bank.
The beneficiary MSMEs are part of businesses which have signed up for financial and technical assistance in the Youth in MSME, Women MSME and SME High Growth programmes.
The businesses operate on various sectors including agriculture and agro-processing, textiles and garments, transport and logistics, food and beverages and tourism and hospitality.
At a grant agreement signing ceremony in Accra yesterday, Minister of Trade and Industry, K.T. Hammond, said, the programmes form part of the government’s effort at strengthening local businesses and positioning them as viable entities for economic growth and transformation.
He said the programmes sought to improve the competitiveness of local MSMEs and position them to benefit from existing and future global or regional trade opportunities, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) initiative.
The Women MSME Programme, Mr Hammond noted, would contribute to bridging gender disparities as far as access to capital was concerned and also support entrepreneurship educa¬tion and training.
He stated that, the Youth in MSME programme was designed to enable young entrepreneurs harness the power of e-commerce, social media, and digital marketing to promote their products, and expand their businesses and explore new avenues for growth and revenue generation.
The Minister said the SME High Growth programme would further support efforts to promote growth and job creation through industrialization and enhance exports for improved revenue generation.
Mr Hammond advised the beneficiaries to strategically invest the grant to improve their businesses, adding that the “the Ministry and GEA will undertake regular monitoring and supervision to ensure the fund is properly used.”
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GEA, Kosi Yankey-Aryeh, said more than GH¢65 million had been disbursed to almost 800 SMEs from September 2021 to January 2023, through the various programmes being implemented by the GEA.
The newspaper says that the Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ama Pomaa Boateng, has urged girls to pursue careers in Information Communications Technology (ICT) to take advantage of the numerous job opportunities in the sector.
According to her, it was estimated that the ICT sector would need about two million workforces in the next five years.
Speaking at the National Girls in ICT Day in Accra on Monday, Ms Boateng urged girls not to shy away from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and ICT education.
Dubbed Open Day event, the programme, which was to climax a month-long programme to mark this year’s Girls in ICT Day by the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation, was on the theme “Girls in ICT, Digital Skill for Life”.
As part of the programme, the best 100 girls from the Bono, Ahafo and Bono East Region who emerged winners in the last year’s Girls in ICT Programme are on a one-week mentorship training in Accra.
They would visit some institutions and organisations such as the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, America Towers Corporation (ATC), the Ghana Code Club and the various Mobile Network Operators.
The tour is to give the young girls hands-on experience in ICT training and give them the opportunity to apprise themselves of the operations of the entities.
Ms Boateng, who gave the keynote address, said girls could equally make it in the field of ICT, like their male counterparts, if they work hard.
GIK/APA
Ghana: Press spotlights risk of losing $30m from global TB funding by Ghana, others
