Ghanaian press spotlights launch of 100-day countdown to African Games, others

APA – Accra (Ghana)
The launch of the 100-day countdown to the 13th African Games, scheduled to take place in Accra, next year by Vice-President, Mahamudu Bawumia, is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Thursday.
The Graphic reports that the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has officially launched the 100-day countdown to the 13th African Games, scheduled to take place in Accra, next year with a declaration that the country is ready to host Africa’s biggest and best sporting extravaganza that would leave unforgettable memories.
Speaking at the launch yesterday at the University of Ghana, which will host some of the scheduled competitions and the Games Village, Dr Bawumia expressed Ghana’s commitment to provide a secure, hospitable and competitive environment for all participants.
The Vice-President highlighted the broader significance of the March 8-23, 2024 Games, extending beyond mere competition to encompass cultural, social, health and economic benefits.
“Ghana is interested in organising and hosting the African Games because of its wider cultural, social, health and economic outcomes,” he explained.
“Indeed, the Games have the capacity to trigger a wide range of external benefits, including building social capital, stimulating economic development, facilitating employment opportunities, promoting healthy lifestyles and peaceful coexistence,” he said.
He underscored the government’s massive investment in sports infrastructure development, citing the construction of modern facilities at Borteyman and the University of Ghana, specifically for the African Games.
The newspaper says that the Majority in Parliament yesterday staged a walkout out ahead of the approval of the Budget Statement and the Economic Policy of the government for the year ending December 31, 2024.
The walkout came about after the Majority and the Minority leaders had taken turns to wrap up the week-long debate and the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, had also made a presentation in the House.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, then put a voice vote on the motion and declared that the “Ayes” by the Majority had it.
But the Speaker’s ruling was blatantly challenged by the Minority on the grounds that there was no distinctive difference between the “Ayes” and the “Nas” by the Minority.
Basing his challenge on Order 113 (2), the Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, called for a headcount or division.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Head of Division-Rules of Origin at the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Secretariat, Mr Didier Bronyeme, has called for strengthened public-private partnership to enable African countries to trade among themselves without any challenges.
“We need customs, commitment, support from all Africans to make it possible to achieve a successful result when it comes to trade,” he said.
He was speaking in Accra yesterday during a Public-Private dialogue on the Guided Trade Initiative.
It was organised by GIZ Programme Support, in collaboration with AfCFTA Secretariat and CUTS International, to diagnose the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) and also to identify gaps and suggest measures needed to address those gaps.
The dialogue initiative is being organised to assess some of the complementary initiatives that had been launched to promote the operationalisation and implementation of the AfCFTA.
He said there was the need to put AfCFTA in focus through dialogues to bring out structured diagnosis of problems, knowledge sharing on best practices and success stories, whilst providing the much-needed feedback and recommendations to policy makers.
This, he said, would enable duty bearers to help provide the needed accelerated implementation of the AfCFTA.
The newspaper says that a stakeholder consultation workshop for the review of the 2004 Ghana’s Culture Policy has been held in Accra as part of efforts by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to revise the policy to meet current demands of the sector.
The workshop brought together stakeholders including representatives of the various ministries, academia as well as distinguished individuals from the creative and arts industry, to provide inputs to support the works of the Culture Policy Review Committee.
The 20-member committee to review Ghana’s Cultural Policy of 2004 was inaugurated in Accra on August 22, 2023 to help redefine and reinforce Ghana’s cultural landscape.
Speaking at the consultation workshop, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Mark Okraku-Mantey, said the process marked a journey of reflection and renewal that held the potential to shape the cultural landscape of the country.
He said culture had a profound impact on identity, unity and national development, saying “It is our duty to safeguard and celebrate it, ensuring that it remains vibrant and relevant for generations to come.”
The 2004 Culture Policy, he said laid the groundwork for the promotion and preservation of cultural heritage. However, he added, times had changed and so had the challenges and opportunities.
“Today, we stand at a crucial juncture where we must assess, adapt and enhance our cultural policies to align with the dynamic and evolving needs of our society,” he stated.
He said, Ghana’s cultural heritage was a source of pride and a wellspring of creativity and through the policy review, they aim to bolster the cultural sector, ensuring that it thrived as a beacon of inspiration, innovation and economic vitality.
GIK/APA