APA – Accra (Ghana)
The call by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to prioritise sustainable management of the ocean through robust enforcement of regulations is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Thursday.
The Graphic reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stressed the need to prioritise the sustainable management of the ocean through robust enforcement of regulations.
He said that would prevent overfishing and promote responsible fishing practices.
That was necessary, the President stressed, as the ocean presented an incredible opportunity to accelerate the nation’s development agenda and cautioned against the consequences of negative human activities in the ocean.
Opening the country’s first-ever National Blue Economy Summit in Accra yesterday, President Akufo-Addo said: “We are witnessing the consequences of human activities. The ocean is the life source of the planet. A healthy ocean, human well-being and sustainable ocean management are inseparable.’’
He, therefore, called for collaboration to develop sustainable solutions to address the ocean crises since the challenges facing the ocean transcended boundaries which no single nation could fight alone.
“Hence, the need to foster international cooperation, share data and research findings, collaborate on joint projects to develop sustainable solutions to address the ocean crises,” President Akufo-Addo posited.
The two-day summit is aimed at mobilising transformative ocean action to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
It attracted 300 participants, including policymakers, academia, development partners, and local and international champions of the fishing industry.
The newspaper says that the maiden Made in Africa and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Grand Sale Exhibition and Conference opened in Accra yesterday with a call on African governments to build on the peace of the continent to facilitate trade and development.
The Chairperson of the Africa Private Sector Summit, Wendell Addy, who made the call said failure to uphold peace and security in the continent would be a threat to the survival of AfCFTA which was geared towards trading among countries on the continent.
In sustaining peace within the continent, Mr Addy told the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the event that there was a need for citizens to take another look at the reason for their affiliation to political parties.
He said voting and political party affiliation should not be based on tribe and ethnicity but on principles and what the political party stood for.
“Citizens should join parties because of the principles, character, policies and ideologies of the party and I believe that when we do that the political parties will begin to align themselves with good ideologies which will bring peace and stability,” he said.
The two-day eventorganised by the AfCFTA Policy Network (APN), is on the theme “AfCFTA and Africa’s challenging macroeconomic experience, risks and financing opportunities.”
It is being attended by over 20 exhibitors who are into clothing and textiles, artefacts, footwear, cosmetics, among others.
It also brought together some dignitaries from across the continent to deliberate on challenges with regard to the continental trade and how to find solutions to challenges in the area of trading among the various countries.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Director of Research at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Dr John Kwakye, has said that Ghana must begin to build strong economic and financial buffers to help cater for economic shocks and emergencies.
That, the director indicated, must include a sizable fiscal space, a cushion of reserves, a sinking fund to support debt repayments, and a contingency fund.
Such a move, he explained was important as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme was not the solution to the country’s recurrent economic crisis.
Dr Kwakye was speaking at a press conference organised by the IEA on Monday on the approval of $3billion, 36-month Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement by the IMF board under its bailout programme for Ghana.
Although the IEA agreed with some of the recommendations of the programme, Dr Kwakye said it placed the managers of the country’s economy in a “straitjacket” as it gave little room for policy discretion and limited opportunity for economic intervention in response to changing dynamics.
He noted that the IMF programme was not new to the IEA as it contained a wide range of fiscal and monetary measures the institute had long advocated.
While the IMF bailout programme suggests mitigation measures to be put in place by the managers of the economy to counter emerging risks, Dr Kwakye said the 2024 general elections posed a major risk to the programme due to pressure on the government to spend in order to win the support of the electorate.
Additionally, he said how to ensure ownership and continuity of the programme by a new government after the 2024 general elections was a challenge, and therefore urged the authorities to be vigilant and take prompt actions needed to avoid any risk.
Dr Kwakye further said “all is not done and dusted yet as far as programme financing is concerned. Indeed, a huge chunk of US$10. 5billion (or nearly 70 per cent) out of the total financing need of US$15.1billion is expected from external debt restricting, which is yet to be concluded.”
The newspaper says that more than 6,700 Ghanaians die every year due to tobacco-related illnesses, Mr KwakuAgyeman -Manu, the Minister for Health has stated.
He said out of the number, 4,422 representing 66 per cent of these deaths were individuals under 70 and about 18 per cent of Ghanaian lives were lost from exposure to secondhand smoke.
Mr Agyeman-Manu said this when he was represented by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Alhaji Adams Hafis at the commemoration of this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) aimed at raising awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use.
The programme which was on the theme “We need food not Tobacco” was organised under the auspices of the Food and Drugs Authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
It was attended by stakeholders from the health sector, students from selected school in Nima and its environs and traditional rulers among others.
He said the extensive use of insecticides and toxic chemicals during tobacco cultivation contributes to poor health of many farmers and families.
The Minister said Ghana had taken steps in tobacco control which increase the protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products which came in force in January 2022, inclusion of tobacco specific provision in the Public Health Act 2012, passage of the Tobacco Control Regulations 2016(LI).
“The introduction of graphic health warning, continuous enforcement of tobacco control 2030 project,” he added
The Country Director for Ghana of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Francis ChisakaKasolo who was represented by Dr Angela Ackon stated that the theme aimed at raising awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crop.
She said DrKasolo stated that the tobacco epidemic was one of the biggest public health challenges the world had ever faced, killing more than eight million people around world every year.
“While the number of people using tobacco products is decreasing in other parts of the world, it is rising in the Africa Region. For example, the number of tobacco users in the WHO Africa Region increased from estimated 64 million adult users in 2000 to 73 million in 2018,”he added.
He said tobacco farming destroys the ecosystems, depletes soil of fertility, contaminates water bodies and pollutes the environment.
The Country Director stated that nearly 828 million people were facing hunger globally, of the number, 278 million were in Africa, stressing the need for concerted action to have enough food.
He said WHO was working with members’ states and other partners to assist farmers in shifting from tobacco growing to alternative crops.
GIK/APA
Press spotlights President’s charge on sustainable management of the ocean, others
