APA – Accra (Ghana)
The announcement of the removal of all tollbooths from all public roads in Ghana by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that on November 17, 2021, Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced removal of all tollbooths from all public roads in Ghana.
This move was praised by Ghanaian Scientist based in Canada, Dr. Charles Odame-Ankrah, as a smart and decisive move to address vehicular emissions and hence climate change.
The immediate outcome was a clear reduction in vehicular traffic with the long term benefit of improving human health across Ghana.
In another historic move on December 24, 2023, Ghana’s Parliament championed a historic stand and passed the emissions levy.
Dr. Odame-Ankrah is celebrating this groundbreaking Emissions Levy Act, marking a pivotal stride in the nation’s commitment to combat climate change sustainably.
This idea was in part proposed by the world-renowned air quality scientist when he was interviewed by the media when he recently got his innovation patented by the United States Patent Office.
According to Dr. Charles Odame-Ankrah, this initiative is being hailed as historic and scientifically ingenious.
Dr. Charles Odame-Ankrah, has over the years expressed interest in air quality sciences, and had proposed this levy as a replacement for tollbooths and as a revolutionary alternative to raising critical revenue to tackle climate change locally.
The newspaper says that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has been hit with a 5,000 Swiss Francs fine by FIFA for misconduct that occurred during the World Cup qualifier against Madagascar at the Baba Yara Stadium on November 17, 2023.
The fine stems from two violations of the FIFA Disciplinary Code: first, the presence of an intruder on the pitch after the game-winning goal by Inaki Williams, and second, the presence of unauthorized and unaccredited individuals within the restricted area who joined the players in celebrating the goal.
While commending the security team for their handling of the situation, FIFA highlighted the need for stricter access control and improved internet facilities at the stadium.
This marks the second time in recent years Ghana has been penalized for fan encroachment during matches. In 2019, CAF fined the GFA $10,000 for a similar incident during a Nations Cup qualifier against South Africa.
The Black Stars secured a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to Williams’ late strike. The GFA is expected to take steps to address the identified shortcomings at the Baba Yara Stadium to avoid further sanctions in the future.
The Ghanaian Times reports that a conference to help combat Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the workplace has been held in Accra.
Dubbed: ‘The Draft Model; Gender Workplace Policy’, it was organised by Oxfam in Ghana, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), and the Institute of Directors, Ghana (IOD-Ghana).
The conference formed part of a five-year ENOUGH initiative in Ghana, which is co-funded by the European Union and Oxfam to combat SGBV in the country.
The project aims to be a catalyst for revolutionary change in workplaces by encouraging the implementation of gender-inclusive policies, notably anti-sexual harassment measures, in both public and private companies.
Speaking at the conference on Wednesday, The Gender Advisor and Project Manager at Oxfam, Mrs Thelma Akyere Hayford, said the conference marked an important point in Ghana’s pursuit of gender equity in the workplace, providing a forum for cooperation, information exchange, and real commitments to building safe and inclusive working environments.
“It also intends to have interactive sessions in which participants may share their experiences and debate the actual application of anti-sexual harassment regulations,” she said
According to her, The National Conference on Gender Model Workplace Policy was an important step in creating a workplace that respects and protects the rights of all employees.
She was optimistic that the conference would help to influence policy adoption, foster structural change, and contribute to the formation of workplaces that adhere to worldwide best practices in gender equality by bringing important stakeholders together.
The newspaper says that a total of 5, 256 Fire outbreaks have between recorded between January to November this year, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has disclosed.
The Service also attended to 532 Road Traffic Accidents with a total of 2,557 injuries and 263 deaths recorded.
The figure represent 4.92 per cent decrease as compared to the recorded 5,530 fire outbreaks in the same period in 2022.
The Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Julius Kuunuor said this at the climax of the 60th anniversary, Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Thanksgiving service of the GNFS held in Accra on Thursday.
This decline, he attributed to the public fire safety education initiatives conducted nationwide by the Service, which resulted in the protection of properties worth millions of Cedis.
Mr Kuunuor said the Service performed Fire Safety Audits and Inspections in 14,157 public and residential premises, aligning with established fire safety standards to guarantee the well-being of occupants.
The CFO emphasised the responsibility of the public in avoiding misuse of emergency services as the service recorded 656,591 prank calls (false alarms) in the year.
He said Management in a bid to find solutions to the challenges of the Service has collaborated with the government to procure Fire Appliances and Equipment, including Dual Purpose Tenders, Water Tankers, Rapid Intervention Vehicles, as well as Utility Vehicles and Command Vehicles in 2024.
“The Service is also in collaboration with the Ghana Water Limited to ensure constant and adequate supply of water through the construction of Fire Hydrants and Drilling of Mechanised boreholes and duck -outs for the purposes of firefighting.” he added.
GIK/APA