Ghanaian press zooms in on pledge by Germany to support terrorism fight in W/Africa, others

APA – Accra (Ghana)
The pledge by German Chancellor to support the fight against terrorism in West Africa is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Thursday.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, says it is a clear priority of his government to assist Ghana and other partners to preserve stability and counter the threats posed by terrorists and other criminal groups in the sub-region.
He said Germany was prepared to further expand and refine its cooperation in this regard while liaising closely with the government of Ghana.
“One of the concerning repercussions of the series of coups in the Sahel region is the slowing of cooperation between states in the Sahel and those on the Gulf of Guinea,” he emphasised.
Chancellor Scholz said this when he visited the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre (KAIPTC) as part of his two-day official visit to Ghana.
Chancellor Scholz said terrorists, as part of their operations, exploited every leg of cooperation and unity, stressing that “This is what makes Ghana’s Accra initiative valuable as it fosters cross border cooperation through intelligence sharing and joint operations. Germany and other like-minded partners stand ready to support this by taking pragmatic look at needs on the ground.”
He said the upcoming European Union mission to countries on the Gulf of Guinea would ensure training and provision of equipment to support regional security efforts.
Ghana’s commitment to peace stood beyond the region and the work of the KAIPTC was a testament of the country’s willingness to promote peace and stability on the continent as a whole.
“Germany is proud to have been among the leading support¬ers of the KAIPTC for almost 20 years now and we will remain by your side,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo who accompanied Chancellor Scholz on his visit to KAIPTC explained that years of cooperation between Ghana and Germany culminated in the establishment of KAIPTC.
He said since its inception, the KAIPTC had received worldwide recognition and acclaim for its work and contributions to peace in the region, on the continent and in the world.
The newspaper says that a toll free number to receive complaints about offensive broadcast contents has been launched in Accra.
The development of the toll free number, 0800-419-666, followed a collaboration between the National Media Commission (NMC) and National Communications Authority (NCA).
The platform provides the public an opportunity to report to the NMC any content such as money doubling schemes, money rituals and alcohol advertisements on television or radio which they consider as appalling for immediate action within 30 days by the media regulator.
Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, launching the platform in Accra on Tuesday, said, the platform was on the ministry’s media support programmes.
He said the toll free number was activated to receive complaints on offensive media contents to help clamp down on the menace.
“The menace of money-doubling, open promotion of ritual murders, alcohol advertisements during the day and other offensive contents have been on the rise on our broadcast platforms.
“If we want to preserve our sanity against these menace, we need to guard what keep the media space safe. This toll free number gives the public the power to report these contents for the necessary action to be taken by the NMC,” he stated.
Mr Nkrumah reiterated the need for continuous collaboration between all media stakeholders and state institutions in the usage of scarce resources to tackle the menace.
Describing the move as pragmatic, he said, it would ensure media practitioners put out contents that conform to the GJA Code of Ethics, NMC guidelines for media practitioners and other professional requirements, thereby averting the broadcast of unwholesome contents.
The Graphic reports that the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) and the FBNBank have expressed their commitment to support the growth of local businesses to ensure that the country reaps the full benefit of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The two entities have agreed to explore some specific areas that will help build the capacity of local businesses and help them to grow.
This came to light at a meeting between the top managements of the two companies yesterday to discuss areas of possible collaboration.
As part of the meeting, the bank donated GH¢20,000 as its support towards the enhancement of the Graphic Digitalised Archives Project which contains national records and information spanning over 70 years.
Both teams briefed each other on some of their operations and new innovations, as well as other interventions they hope to introduce.
The GCGL team comprised the Director, Sales and Marketing, Franklin Sowa; Editor, Graphic, Theophilus Yartey; Tax and Management Accountant, Albert Ziem, and Senior Corporate Communications Officer, Yvonne Aryee.
The FBNBank team, led by the Managing Director, Victor Yaw Asante, comprised Head of Retail, Allen Quaye: Treasurer, Grace Isaac-Aryee; and the Country Team Lead, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Enoch Vanderpuye.
“We have done a lot of work around the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and it’s obvious that if we do not break that bane where people started businesses and when they are no more the business dies, Ghana cannot access all the benefits around the AfCFTA.
“So maybe, we can have monthly or quarterly engagements on certain sectors and pitch to them what we have in plan and how we can help them to grow.
We will tell them what they need to do at every point in time to get whatever support they need to get,” Mr Sowa said.
The newspaper says that Ghana and Togo have pledged to address challenges affecting the smooth operation of the Noepe-Akanu Joint Border Post within six months.
This is to ensure efficient operations at the post ahead of its management by ECOWAS next year.
Per the bilateral agreement, Ghana is to provide water and information and communication technology (ICT), while Togo will provide electricity for the facility.
They have further agreed on a clear demarcation of roles of various focal persons of the two countries.
This was the outcome of an inter-ministerial meeting on the operationalisation of the Noepe-Akanu joint border post between the two countries last Tuesday.
The Ghanaian delegation was led by the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, while the Togolese side was led by the Minister of Public Works, Zourehatou Kassau-Traoe.
The event was chaired by the Commissioner of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation of ECOWAS, Sediko Douka.
Also present were officials of customs and immigration of the two countries.
GIK/APA