The Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa, has lamented the devastating impact of climate change on communities in the region.
He said many communities have been wiped out as a result of climate change.
He explained that in recent years, the effects of the sea have been so drastic that a number of communities have been completely wiped away by its effects.
Speaking on the first day of a two-day National Blue Economy Summit in Accra, the minister stressed that the sea is angry and as such, it is spewing its anger at many of such communities in the region.
“I dare say that the sea is now fighting back. We see an increase in the storm surge, coastal flooding and coastal erosion, with ravaging effects on farmlands, infrastructure, important ecosystems, and the people.
“In the Volta Region, many communities have been, literally, wiped out by the sea, while many more live in constant fear of what the angry sea will spew out next,”
Dr. Archibald Letsa further called for the country to, literally, be at peace with the sea so that it does not continue to exact its ‘anger’ at communities, destroying many properties.
“It will be in our own interest to amend our ways and rather live in harmony with the sea,” he added.
The National Blue Economy Summit enters its second day on Thursday, June 1, 2023.
The United Nations established the day in 1975 to recognize and honor the global contributions made by women in the fields of business, politics, and society.
Also, it was intended to highlight issues that needed more attention and the need of advancing gender equality.
The Volta Regional Director of Gender, Thywill Eyra Kpe, said at the opening ceremony yesterday that gender equality was a tool for unearthing human resource potentials in society for sustainable development.
Therefore, she said, it was important to recognise the tenets of gender equality to ensure equal roles, rights and equal access to productive resources by all and sundry.
“This process requires some serious equity measures, considering the patriarchal nature of our society and entrenched norms,” Mrs Kpe added.
ICT
Touching on the theme, she said it was necessary to create avenues for constant skills development for girls on the importance of ICT, for gender equality.
Mrs Kpe said the role of traditional authorities in protecting the rights and welfare of women was crucial because most of the discrimination, stereotyping and violence perpetrated against women were carried out under the guise of culture and tradition.
“Pressing for gender equality means we must abolish or modify some of these practices that continue to subjugate women and prevent them from achieving their full potential,” she maintained.
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, who graced the occasion, said women had occupied key positions in Ghana, including becoming Speakers of Parliament, Chief Justices, Ministers of State, Chief Executives, entrepreneurs and leaders of businesses.
“Indeed, the Volta Region has also produced some very eminent women over the years, including Industrialist Esther Ocloo, the first woman in Ghana and the Commonwealth of Nations to become a judge, Mrs Justice Anny Jiagge, renowned lawyer Hillary Gbedema, International journalist and politician Elizabeth Ohene and the first female Brigadier General of the Ghana Armed Forces, the late Brigadier General Constance Emefa Edjeani-Afenu and many others,” he added.
However, Dr Letsa said it was disheartening to learn that despite all these strides, women continued to face many challenges that had deepened the gender gap, which, if not quickly addressed, might continue to widen the gender inequality gap in the region.
He said the key among them was the low representation of women in decision-making at local levels.
“Currently, the region has less than seven per cent of women elected to the 18 municipal and district assemblies in the region, with about four assemblies having no elected women at all.
“Again, low access to capital and productive resources, sexual and gender-based and other forms of domestic violence, adolescent pregnancy, the burden of unpaid care work and unequal opportunities in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for women, remain challenges that are yet to be surmounted,” the regional minister pointed out.
Some of the traders who took part in the event said it was now fascinating for them to transact business online.
As a result, SMEC International has begun to engage stakeholders in the areas and districts where the Volta Lake flows.
In order to do this, last Thursday, Mr. Charles Nornoo and Ms. Anita Djando of SMEC International Pty Ltd traveled to Ho to meet with the Regional Coordinating Directors and Planning Officers of the Districts.
On his part, the minister commended the VRA for that great initiative. SMEC International Pty Ltd is known for having expertise in road infrastructure and energy.
With its 70 years of experience in offering solutions to road infrastructural and energy projects, it is believed that it’s capable of developing a good master plan that can lead to the exploitation of the Volta Lake for the betterment of the citizens.
Rotary Club of Accra La East has donated items worth over ¢5,000 to the South Labone Junior Girls Vocational Centre in Osu, Accra.
The items donated to the Centre include cooking oil, bags of rice, flour, beans, gari, liquid soap, washing powder, toiletries, yam, and plantain, among others.
President of the Club, Julia Asante Anim, explained the donation formed part of this year’s Rotary Christmas celebrations and that it was necessary for the club to have identified a facility and contribute its quota.
Ms. Anim added that the provision of the food and other items was a knock on the door of the Centre to present other opportunities to them in terms of education and shelter.
’’We are here today and have identified other focal areas and I can assure you that the Rotary Club of Accra La East will be back to support other areas of this facility. Over the last few years, the Club has supported various schools, orphanages and other social and community interventions and currently working with the Ministry of Health on a nationwide eye screening project,”
“For us to collaborate with any other people interested in the welfare of people then it is okay with us. It doesn’t matter the denomination, once you are interested in helping other people, we are also interested in it, so to collaborate is not an issue,” She said.
Rotary has six areas of focus Peace and conflict resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, economic and community development, and so on are all covered by this donation.
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, has entreated humanresource personnel in the Local Government Service to execute their duties with a high level of professionalism.
He stated that the success and survival of every organization depends on the effectiveness and competence level of its human resources.
He was speaking at the maiden edition of the Volta Regional Human Resource Conference held in Ho.
The Regional Minister acknowledged the contribution of the Human Resource Department of the Regional Coordinating Council to its attaining the enviable position of being ranked first among the 16 regions in Ghana.
Dr. Letsa stressed that Human Resource Management is a critical resource in the attainment of organizational goals.
He, therefore, appealed to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and the Coordinating Directors to appreciate the role that human resource practitioners play in the various assemblies.
“They are the software, don’t concentrate only on the hardware”, he said.
The Chief Director of the Office of the Head of Local Government Service, James Oppong- Mensah, commended the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) on organising the HR conference.
He implored the personnel to continue giving off their best to complement the government’s efforts in developing the country.
The Acting Director of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), Augustus Awity, said the role of the human resource manager has been underestimated for a very long time.
He added that HR management is the “fulcrum around which all other professions at the MMDAs revolve”.
The Volta Regional Human Resource Manager , Cyril Dzinyanu Xatse, commended the Office of the Head of the Local Government Service for upgrading the Human Resource Unit to full department.
He urged his colleague human resource professionals to hold in high esteem, the public service tenets in the discharge of their duties.
The maiden Human Resource Conference was held under the theme, “Enhancing Productivity in the Local Government Service; The role of the Human resource practitioner“.
It was a four-day program organized in collaboration with the Local Government Service’s human resource professionals.
He claimed that despite the region being above the food crisis as a result of the efforts made by local farmers, further prospects in the field needed to be fully explored.
Dr. Letsa advised farmers to turn rice byproducts into animal feeds during the regional celebration of the 38th National Farmers Day in Agorkpo in Sogakope in the South Tongu District.
“There is an area in the rice value chain that needs further attention. That is the transformation of the rice by-products into animal feed. This potential, if harnessed, will once again, put the region in that leadership feat in animal feed development and will save the animal industry which is currently on the verge of collapse,” he said.
“I wish to make a humble appeal or rather throw a challenge to the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Volta Chapter, and the Regional Department of Agriculture (RDA), to carefully consider how the region could take advantage of the Governments programme dubbed; Ghana cares ‘’Obatampa’’ project, which is ready to assist bankable proposals come into fruition in areas such as tomato processing,” he said.
The Volta Regional Minister advised the assemblies as well as the clans and family heads to relook at the issue of land acquisition for farming activities since land plays a critical role in all agri-business practices.
“Land acquisition should therefore be streamlined and facilitated by the various Assemblies in conjunction with clan and family heads, to forestall litigation,” he said.
Mr Eric Atsiwa Dotse, a 49-year-old farmer was adjudged the best farmer in the South Tongu District.
He was awarded a tricycle, knapsack sprayer, Wellington boot, and two wheelbarrows.
Mr Dotse told Ghana News Agency, there are a lot of constraints in farming ranging from land acquisition to finance and called on stakeholders to support the agriculture production in the region.
Five other farmers were recognised and awarded in the district.
The theme for this year’s celebration was ‘’Accelerating Agricultural Development through value Addition,’’ and it was marked alongside the 20th anniversary of World AIDS day which also had theme: “20 years of Multi-Sectoral Response to HIV and AIDS in Ghana: Accelerating progress to end AIDS.”
Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, has commended the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) for its efforts at training key stakeholders before rolling out the Electronic Procurement System.
The training, he said, was in the right direction and extolled the Authority for leaving no stone unturned in getting all the public institutions across the sixteen (16) regions enrolled on the system.
The Minister, speaking at a ceremony of the roll-out implementation of Ghana’s e-Procurement System training in Ho in the Volta region, said the programme formed a significant part of the government’s agenda in transforming the economy through digitalization.
Dr Letsa said he was glad that the digitalisation agenda was extended to the Public Procurement Authority as it would ensure business confidence and value for money in the procurement of goods, works and services for national development.
The Minister said the implementation of the e-Procurement System was to help reduce the incidence of corruption in the procurement process to the barest minimum if not to eradicate it.
He said a chunk of government revenue was used for procurement of goods, services and works, thus if “we are able to improve on the management of the procurement process, reducing human interface, we are bound to enjoy immense associated benefits as a nation.”
Mr Kwame Prempeh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the PPA, said the system aimed at digitalising all public procurement systems to enhance transparency and judicious use of public funds.
He said the system would help reduce the use of paper, increase efficiency in the public procurement process and allow more suppliers to participate because suppliers would have access to any tender that was published.
The Deputy CEO said the system would ensure value for money because there would be more responses to tender, reduce costs associated with printing tender and contract documents and evaluation, among others.
Some participants, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency, were very happy about the training, saying the knowledge and skills they acquired would help in the delivery of their duties.
They were taught how to create an electronic tender, invite suppliers electronically, do the tender opening, tender evaluation, and contract administration, among others.
Ms Eugenia Afflu, a form two student of the E.P.C Mawuko Girls in Ho, has appealed to the government and other relevant authorities across the globe to develop measures that would ensure maximum protection and safety of girls.
She said efforts must be enhanced to build a strong society, where girls were free from discrimination, gender and sexual-based violence, harassment, teenage pregnancy and any other forms of abuse that retarded their holistic development.
Ms Afflu made the appeal when she acted like Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister as part of activities marking this year’s International Day of the Girl Child.
It was under a ‘Take Over Event’ on the theme: “Our Time is Now: Our Rights, Our Future,” and included Inter-Generational Dialogue on challenges confronting girls and how to curtail the problems to grant the opportunities needed for girls to stay safe.
The programme was organised by the Department of Gender in partnership with the Department of Children, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Serviceand the Volta Regional Coordinating Council with sponsorship from Plan International Ghana.
Ms Afflu said girls had a lot to offer in the developmental agenda of the country when given the needed support and the enabling environment to explore their potential to the fullest.
She commended Plan International Ghana for its continuous efforts over the years in advancing mechanisms that promoted the safety and well-being of children, especially girls and ensuring that their rights were safeguarded.
Ms Juliet Ahortor, another student from the school, who acted like Dr Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, Acting Volta Regional Director of Health, demonstrated how effective collaboration between management and staff of institutions could result in higher productivity.
Mrs Thywill Eyra Kpe Volta, Regional Director of the Department of Gender said it was important to pave the way for girls to overcome challenges and chart a positive path for the future.
She said The Girls Take-Over Campaign and Inter-Generational Dialogue on Challenges confronting girls provided a unique opportunity for girls to take over key spaces and serve as a mentorship space for their development.
The Director said the International Day of the Girl Child was recognised globally to encourage, empower and amplify commitments in girls to achieving greater heights in society and the need for society to protect them against abuses.
The Day, she said, was designated to eliminate gender-based challenges that girls faced around the globe, including child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, low career progression, discrimination and poor learning outcomes.
Mrs Kpe said it was imperative to build the confidence of girls and support them to take up leadership roles, urging boys to support the girls in their various roles, especially in the household chores to enable them to grow and develop together as partners in development.
Mr Israel Akrobortu, Volta Regional Director of the Department of Children emphasised the need for a concerted effort to address challenges facing children.
He said issues of children must be a priority of the municipal and district assemblies and urged them to allocate funds towards the celebration of the Day in subsequent years for them to showcase their talents.
Mr Akrobortu said the abuse of girls in recent times was worrisome and that it was time to talk drastic measures to deal with the issues to promote the well-being of children and safeguard their children and that of the country.
He commended Plan International Ghana for complementing efforts by the government through its activities to deal with the situation.
When he launched the 2022 customer week celebration in Ho, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, Director General of the Trust, announced the launch of the new feature. The new system would also allow for mobile transfers from bank accounts.
The Government’s efforts at digital transformation, he said, had made it possible to improve services, and a waiver of the electronic transaction levy had been secured as part of commitments to ensure that it was used by everyone. He also announced the introduction of an improved and interactive self-service portal.
The Director General said the digital transfers would ensure more convenient services, and the Trust would place the services under constant improvement to serve clients better.
“I am happy to announce that in about a week from today, members can pay their contributions using Momo and pensioners can also opt to receive their pensions through Momo (E-LEVY exempt), and by the close of the year, the SSNIT app will be fully functional.
“We are committed to making sure we have a transparent organization,” Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said, adding that effective systems were in place to monitor finances.
He said the current digital revolution in the nation’s identification helped cleanse the system of unverified payments, and that the Scheme had saved about GHS 325 million from stopping unverified payments.
The Director General said the Scheme continued to excel as the best in the country and was making efforts to attract the informal sector, which had a population of over 10 million, and was the backbone of the Nation’s economy.
He said Scheme pays out GHS 230 million in pensions annually and totalled 3.2 billion in 2021.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said the scheme never departed from its commitments and had been raising pensions annually.
Invalidity payments were also being honoured and had paid the over 1500 eligible persons nationwide, GHS 18.5 million in 2021.
“SSNIT gives superior value to any long-term investment that one can engage in,” he assured.
The Director General told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the Scheme had a secure system to allow smooth wireless financial transactions across the various digital platforms.
“98 per cent of the time, our systems are very effective,” he assured.
Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, said all must sign up for the SSNIT Pension Scheme, irrespective of job class and said all in the Volta Region had a high informal sector, that must take advantage of the enhanced registration services to join the scheme.
Togbe Kotoku XI, Chief of Kpenoe Traditional Area, said there was the need to remind each other of retirement, and of the fact that SSNIT had “shown leadership in pensions by providing increased security for workers in Ghana.”
He said all must take advantage to avoid the adverse that come with not joining.
This year’s customer week celebration is on the theme “You deserve a Pension- Call SSNIT Today.”
The launch coincided with the world customer service day celebrations, and a registration team was at the fore of the Ho Teaching Hospital to register new customers and service existing ones.
There were testimonies from beneficiaries of the Scheme, and a drama skit was staged calling for people to join the programme.
