APA – Accra (Ghana)
The assertion by UNICEF that in Ghana, one person dies every hour from Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) related diseases that are preventable is one of the trending stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Ghanaian Times reports that in Ghana, one person dies every hour from Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) related diseases that are preventable.
As a result, the United Nations (UN) is calling on authorities to, as a matter of urgency, salvage the situation by increasing investment in the WASH sector to make safe water accessible to every member of the public.
The Chief WASH, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ghana, Mr Ramesh Bhusal, who made the revelation at an engagement with the media ahead of UN’s 2023 Water Conference, said poor sanitation conditions posed serious public health risks, therefore prioritising WASH services in the country would help save lives.
He stated that Sub-Saharan Africa was far behind the global average, where one in three people still relied on unprotected water sources and two to three persons used unsafe sanitation facilities.
The sanitation situation in Ghana, he said, was very poor with only 25 per cent of the population having access to basic services, about 57 per cent using shared public facilities and 18 per cent openly defecating.
The newspaper says that Government has targeted the planting of 10 million tree seedlings on June 9, 2023, across the country, to mark this year’s Green Ghana Day, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, has disclosed.
The day forms part of government’s aggressive national afforestation programme to restore Ghana’s depleted forest cover.
In a statement to commemorate the International Day of Forests, in Parliament, yesterday, Mr Owusu-Bio said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would launch the tree planting exercise next month.
The day set aside by the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012, proclaimed March 21 each year, to mark the day. This year’s commemoration was on the theme “Forest and Health.”
Mr Owusu-Bio, who is also MP for AtwimaNwabiagya North, said since assuming power in 2017, the government has instituted measures to improve on Ghana’s fast depleting forest cover.
The importance of forests and the need to protect them, Mr Owusu-Bio said, has become more apparent with the fast depletion of Ghana and the world’s forest cover.
“Forests are the lungs of the earth and it’s the reason government has embarked on series of interventions to reduce the threat of deforestation and forest degradation.
“It’s to contribute to global efforts to fight climate change and its adverse impact on livelihood,” he said.
Despite these important roles forests play, Mr Owusu-Bio noted human activities like agricultural expansion, illegal mining and logging, uncontrolled bush fires, population and infrastructure development pressures amongst others have contributed to forest depletion.
He said the trees that have been planted over the last two ‘editions’ of the national day, were doing well, and urged Ghanaians to embrace the event and participate in the exercise on June 9.
The Graphic reports that the government has laid before Parliament three amended bills as part of measures to revamp domestic revenue mobilisation.
When passed, the Income Tax Amendment Bill, the Excise Duty Amendment Bill and the Growth and Sustainability Amendment Bill will together rake in about GH¢4 billion annually.
A highly placed source at the Ministry of Finance told the Daily Graphic that the Income Tax Amendment Bill, which is expected to rake in GH¢1.2 billion, would still exempt those who earn the minimum wage from paying tax.
However, the bill, when it becomes law, would alter the way foreign exchange losses are treated in financial statements, it said.
The source added that the Excise Duty Amendment Bill would also rake in an additional GH¢400 million through the imposition of a 20 per cent tax on e-smoking, as well as fruit juices.
The Growth and Sustainability Amendment Bill, it added, would replace the National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy, which is currently levied on companies operating in selected sectors, such as telecommunications, mines and extractives, breweries and financial institutions.
When it becomes law, the act, which will have a sunset clause, is expected to rake in about GH¢2.2 billion, the source said.
Daily Graphic checks indicate that the passage of the amended bills was supposed to have been done together with the Appropriation Bill, but their passage has been delayed.
The three major revenue measures are critical towards securing the approval of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board for the country’s $3 billion bailout deal.
The newspaper says that the former President John Mahama on Tuesday filed his nomination forms to contest the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer election.
A month after picking the nomination form, the campaign manager of the former President in the 2020 elections, Professor Joshua Alabi, led a team to submit the completed forms on behalf of Mr Mahama at the party’s headquarters in Accra.
He was accompanied by party bigwigs such as a former Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr Valerie Sawyerr, the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije; the immediate past Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Peter Boamah Otokunor.
The General Secretary of the party, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, received the completed nomination forms, giving an indication that the former president had cleared that hurdle and could now prepare for vetting.
He was flanked by members of the election management committee, led by Kakra Essamuah, who doubles as the Communications Director of the party.
GIK/APA
Press spotlights UNICEF’s assertion that one person dies every hour in Ghana from WASH diseases
