Participants in a media development forum in Accra have called for a regulatory framework in broadcasting to instil decorum and a code of ethics on the airwaves to prevent people from using abusive and profane language on air.
Contributing to the debate on whether phone-in programmes were a blessing or a curse, all the participants agreed that phone-ins were an important aspect of freedom of expression and participatory democracy in the country.
They, however, expressed concern that serious challenges existed that ought to be addressed to save the country from sliding into the Rwandan experience that followed the use of radio to inflame passions and cause carnage.
The acting Director of the School of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Audrey Gadzekpo, said there was a vacuum in the broadcasting legislative framework, which must be bridged to set standards and ensure a certain behaviour on the airwaves.
She explained that people, especially serial callers, had taken advantage of the absence of those guidelines to use obscene and abusive language on the airwaves, which are supposed to be a public resource for the general good of the state.
Mr Ayamba Zananiba, a media practitioner, who spoke in support of the statement that phone-ins were a blessing, said in the field of governance, phone-ins had expanded people’s horizon and increased awareness of socio-political issues, as well as rights and responsibilities.
He said, concerning health, many people had been educated on basic hygiene and deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS, influenza and the swine flu through radio phone-ins.
He, however, was of the opinion that the country could reap the full benefits of phone-ins if they were properly managed, especially in governance where people were beginning to participate in the political discourse on how to move the country forward.
Mr Ben Ephson, the Editor of the Daily Dispatch, who spoke against the statement, said if the phone-ins were allowed to continue in their present format, they could create mayhem and spell doom for the country.
He, however, explained that research conducted by his outfit showed that most Ghanaians had come to accept phone-ins as tele-guided and were not paying serious attention to them.
Mr Ephson said more than 9,000 people were sceptical about the genuineness of phone-ins in the research, which polled 10,000 people in various parts of the country.
Mr William Ampem Darko, the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), said phone-ins had contributed in making broadcasting interesting because of its interactive powers.
He, however, expressed the opinion that there ought to be a legal framework to make it mandatory for broadcasting stations to have delay transmission facilities to help presenters in gate-keeping.
Ms Ajoa Yeboah-Afari, the Co-ordinator of the Ghana Media Standards Improvement Project, which organised the forum in conjunction with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said the main objective of the project was to strengthen the capacity of Ghanaian media personnel to be more effective in their work to sustain democracy, instead of derailing it, and also advance freedom of expression.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
WATER SUPPLY TO INCREASE BY 2015 (BACK PAGE, MARCH 20, 2010)
THE Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing has drawn up a strategic investment plan for water projects to ensure that the country achieves the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of increasing access to water supply.
This means that by 2015 the coverage of water supply to predominantly poor areas of the population, which is currently 58 per cent in urban areas, would be increased to 80 per cent.
The implementation of the plan is expected to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer $850 million.
The Director of the Project Management Unit of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Mr Daniel Bampoh, who announced the plan at a multi-sectoral stakeholders dialogue in Accra, said under the plan, 26 water supply systems throughout the country had been selected for rehabilitation.
He said apart from the strategic plan, the ministry had adopted a short-term plan to construct a desalination plant at Teshie to purify sea water and supply it to Nungua, Sakumono, Tema, Teshie and surrounding areas.
Mr Bampoh said the plant, when operational, could supply about four million gallons of water daily for industrial activities in Tema, as well as for domestic consumption.
He expressed concern over the fact that quarry activities around the Barekese Water Treatment Plant in Kumasi and Weija in Accra could threaten water supply to the two major cities and called for urgent action to stop quarry operations which sometimes shook the Barekese Dam.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban Bagbin, who delivered the keynote address, said the ministry, in collaboration with the development partners and civil society organisations, was implementing a sector- wide approach (SWAP) to provide integrated water and sanitation services in the country.
He said he was leading a campaign to change mind sets to appreciate that water was not only a strategic resource that gave life but also served as a catalyst for development and, therefore, had to be at the centre of all development plans.
He said even though the country was well endowed with water resources, there was the need to guide against complacency, since a water crisis had started looming, a situation which called for prompt action.
This means that by 2015 the coverage of water supply to predominantly poor areas of the population, which is currently 58 per cent in urban areas, would be increased to 80 per cent.
The implementation of the plan is expected to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer $850 million.
The Director of the Project Management Unit of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Mr Daniel Bampoh, who announced the plan at a multi-sectoral stakeholders dialogue in Accra, said under the plan, 26 water supply systems throughout the country had been selected for rehabilitation.
He said apart from the strategic plan, the ministry had adopted a short-term plan to construct a desalination plant at Teshie to purify sea water and supply it to Nungua, Sakumono, Tema, Teshie and surrounding areas.
Mr Bampoh said the plant, when operational, could supply about four million gallons of water daily for industrial activities in Tema, as well as for domestic consumption.
He expressed concern over the fact that quarry activities around the Barekese Water Treatment Plant in Kumasi and Weija in Accra could threaten water supply to the two major cities and called for urgent action to stop quarry operations which sometimes shook the Barekese Dam.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban Bagbin, who delivered the keynote address, said the ministry, in collaboration with the development partners and civil society organisations, was implementing a sector- wide approach (SWAP) to provide integrated water and sanitation services in the country.
He said he was leading a campaign to change mind sets to appreciate that water was not only a strategic resource that gave life but also served as a catalyst for development and, therefore, had to be at the centre of all development plans.
He said even though the country was well endowed with water resources, there was the need to guide against complacency, since a water crisis had started looming, a situation which called for prompt action.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
GOVT SECURES GRANT FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES (BACK PAGE, MARCH 17, 2010)
The Government of Ghana has secured a grant of $7.5 million for an emergency preparedness plan for Accra and its surrounding areas to mitigate the effects of perennial floods in the city.
Part of the grant would be used to purchase equipment for clearing choked drainage systems and water tanks for the supply of fresh water to flood victims in emergency relief situations.
This was announced by Mr Kofi Portuphy, National Co-ordinator for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), when he opened a workshop on emergency preparedness for 60 participants drawn from disaster management organisations in Accra yesterday.
The organisations included; the Ghana National Fire service, the Ghana Maritime Authority, the Ghana Navy, National Ambulance Service and the Ghana Police Service.
Mr Portuphy appealed to residents in Accra to put a stop to the practice of discharging refuse into the drainage system especially when it was raining.
He said the Ministry of the Interior was working closely with other ministries to review the building code to empower NADMO to take action against estate developers who build on water courses.
Mr Jan V. Meertens, the Executive Director of International Centre for Emergency Techniques (ICET), said his organisation had entered into partnership with NADMO to share information on the best disaster emergency practices.
He said that could enable NADMO to build its human resource capacity to undertake complicated disaster prevention operations relying on local resources.
Mr Meertens said the workshop was, therefore, part of a series of training programmes designed to raise the emergency preparedness of NADMO and other disaster management organisations.
Meanwhile, with the rainy season a few weeks away, Seth J. Bokpe reports that NADMO has begun clearing major drains in the cities of silt to ensure general sanitation to minimise the possible consequences of the rains on life and property.
Additionally, the organisation has set up a Rapid Response Team for rescue operations during flooding.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mr Portuphy, said already 75 per cent of storm drains in Accra had been cleared of silt.
He said NADMO was working with the Hydrological Services Department to clear all storm drains in urban areas in the country of silt.
He said NADMO had embarked on public education throughout the country.
He identified the surrounding areas of the Odaw River, Alajo, North Kaneshie, Fadama, Sakaman, Awoshie, Gbawe, Dzorwulu, Nima, Maamobi, Roman Ridge, parts of East Legon, and Airport West as some of the flood-prone areas in Accra.
He appealed to the general public and corporate establishments to lend support to NADMO’s pre-flooding campaign programme to ensure that it achieved its objective.
The perennial torrential rains that hit the Accra metropolis create heavy floods causing great havoc to life and property.
Last year’s rain just like others in the past killed several people in the Accra metropolis with Kaneshie and its environs being the worst hit.
Part of the grant would be used to purchase equipment for clearing choked drainage systems and water tanks for the supply of fresh water to flood victims in emergency relief situations.
This was announced by Mr Kofi Portuphy, National Co-ordinator for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), when he opened a workshop on emergency preparedness for 60 participants drawn from disaster management organisations in Accra yesterday.
The organisations included; the Ghana National Fire service, the Ghana Maritime Authority, the Ghana Navy, National Ambulance Service and the Ghana Police Service.
Mr Portuphy appealed to residents in Accra to put a stop to the practice of discharging refuse into the drainage system especially when it was raining.
He said the Ministry of the Interior was working closely with other ministries to review the building code to empower NADMO to take action against estate developers who build on water courses.
Mr Jan V. Meertens, the Executive Director of International Centre for Emergency Techniques (ICET), said his organisation had entered into partnership with NADMO to share information on the best disaster emergency practices.
He said that could enable NADMO to build its human resource capacity to undertake complicated disaster prevention operations relying on local resources.
Mr Meertens said the workshop was, therefore, part of a series of training programmes designed to raise the emergency preparedness of NADMO and other disaster management organisations.
Meanwhile, with the rainy season a few weeks away, Seth J. Bokpe reports that NADMO has begun clearing major drains in the cities of silt to ensure general sanitation to minimise the possible consequences of the rains on life and property.
Additionally, the organisation has set up a Rapid Response Team for rescue operations during flooding.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mr Portuphy, said already 75 per cent of storm drains in Accra had been cleared of silt.
He said NADMO was working with the Hydrological Services Department to clear all storm drains in urban areas in the country of silt.
He said NADMO had embarked on public education throughout the country.
He identified the surrounding areas of the Odaw River, Alajo, North Kaneshie, Fadama, Sakaman, Awoshie, Gbawe, Dzorwulu, Nima, Maamobi, Roman Ridge, parts of East Legon, and Airport West as some of the flood-prone areas in Accra.
He appealed to the general public and corporate establishments to lend support to NADMO’s pre-flooding campaign programme to ensure that it achieved its objective.
The perennial torrential rains that hit the Accra metropolis create heavy floods causing great havoc to life and property.
Last year’s rain just like others in the past killed several people in the Accra metropolis with Kaneshie and its environs being the worst hit.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
DISEASE KILLS 61 HORSES (PAGE 32, MARCH 15, 2010)
An outbreak of African Horse Sickness in parts of Accra, which threatens to wipe out the country’s horse population, has been detected by the Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoFA).
The disease, which was detected in January, this year, had so far killed 61 horses.
To check the spread of the disease to other parts of the country, MoFA has declared Accra Polo Club, Burma Camp and the Race Turf Club as the infected areas to enable the Veterinary Services to carry out quarantine measures.
Additionally, the ministry is taking census of horses and donkeys in the country alongside a mass vaccination exercise to enable the Veterinary Services Division to take stock of the toll of the disease on horses and take measures to avoid reoccurrence of the terrible disease.
Dr Andy Alhassan, Research Officer in charge of Disease Diagnosis of the Veterinary Services Division of MoFA, told the Daily Graphic that sometime back in January, the Accra Polo Club reported to the Veterinary Services of the appearance of a strange disease that was killing their horses.
Dr Alhassan said a series of post-mortem were carried out on the dead horses and the samples sent to the World Reference Laboratory in the United Kingdom for analysis which confirmed the suspicion by veterinary doctors that the horses died of African Horse Sickness.
He said the report from the World Reference Laboratory confirmed that it was African Horse Sickness and the strain was Type 11.
He said as a result, MoFA had placed orders to procure polyvalent vaccines from South Africa to vaccinate all horses and donkeys against all the nine strains.
He, therefore, urged the general public not to move animals from the affected areas but to take preventive measure, such as the spraying of their surroundings, against the blood sucking insects known as cullicodes, suspected to be the causative agents of the disease.
He said even though the disease, which was deadly in horses, was not so deadly in donkeys, the danger was that the donkey could be a carrier that could transmit the disease to the horses with a devastating effect.
Dr Alhassan appealed to people importing animals into the country to first come for import permit to enable the Veterinary Services to monitor such imported animals for two weeks before releasing them.
The disease, which was detected in January, this year, had so far killed 61 horses.
To check the spread of the disease to other parts of the country, MoFA has declared Accra Polo Club, Burma Camp and the Race Turf Club as the infected areas to enable the Veterinary Services to carry out quarantine measures.
Additionally, the ministry is taking census of horses and donkeys in the country alongside a mass vaccination exercise to enable the Veterinary Services Division to take stock of the toll of the disease on horses and take measures to avoid reoccurrence of the terrible disease.
Dr Andy Alhassan, Research Officer in charge of Disease Diagnosis of the Veterinary Services Division of MoFA, told the Daily Graphic that sometime back in January, the Accra Polo Club reported to the Veterinary Services of the appearance of a strange disease that was killing their horses.
Dr Alhassan said a series of post-mortem were carried out on the dead horses and the samples sent to the World Reference Laboratory in the United Kingdom for analysis which confirmed the suspicion by veterinary doctors that the horses died of African Horse Sickness.
He said the report from the World Reference Laboratory confirmed that it was African Horse Sickness and the strain was Type 11.
He said as a result, MoFA had placed orders to procure polyvalent vaccines from South Africa to vaccinate all horses and donkeys against all the nine strains.
He, therefore, urged the general public not to move animals from the affected areas but to take preventive measure, such as the spraying of their surroundings, against the blood sucking insects known as cullicodes, suspected to be the causative agents of the disease.
He said even though the disease, which was deadly in horses, was not so deadly in donkeys, the danger was that the donkey could be a carrier that could transmit the disease to the horses with a devastating effect.
Dr Alhassan appealed to people importing animals into the country to first come for import permit to enable the Veterinary Services to monitor such imported animals for two weeks before releasing them.
YOUTH TRAINED TO RECYCLE PLASTIC, METAL WASTE (PAGE 29, MARCH 15, 2010)
TWO hundred young entrepreneurs have undergone a training programme to enable them to recycle plastic waste into handbags as a means to generate income.
The venture, popularly refer to as Trashes for Treasure, is being provided for women, especially young girls, under the auspices of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) project.
The project, which is aimed at women empowerment, recycles trash such as plastic and metal waste to manufacture bags, door mats and metal waste to mould sculptures.
Sixty of the trainees were drawn from Abokobi and its surrounding areas in the Ga East Municipal Assembly to empower the young girls and discourage them from immigrating to the urban centres in search of non-existent jobs.
The remaining 120 women were drawn from the campus of the Institute of Professional Studies, who were required to use innovative ways of creating employment for themselves when they graduate from the institute instead of waiting for employment from the government.
Mr Francis Antwi, the Co-ordinator of the IPS branch of SIFE, in an interview, said the branch undertook the training in collaboration with Rural Women Support Network based in Abokobi and Village Network, also a local NGO.
He said Students in Free Enterprises was the initiative of an American who lived and worked in Ghana and experienced the harrowing experiences women had to undergo to secure training and macro credit to start their own income-generating ventures.
He said the SIFE, therefore, attached great importance to the granting of macro-credit facilities to rural and urban poor for the starting of their businesses.
He said currently, a Fulani herdswoman had been selected from Abokobi to be used as a model in the establishment of a diary plant for the manufacture of ice cream and yoghurt products.
Mr Antwi said the project to turn the fresh cow milk into yoghurt, when successful by patronage, could be replicated across the country to help eradicate poverty and break its cycle in the rural areas.
The co-ordinator expressed the hope that when the rural areas provided the enabling environment for the youth to earn a livelihood, it would discourage them from migrating to the urban centres in search of jobs.
Mr Antwi appealed to the youth, especially those dwelling in the rural areas, to learn a trade or acquire a profession instead of migrating to the urban centres to look for non-existent jobs, which often landed them in bad company with its attendant antisocial activities such as indulging in pornography and prostitution.
The venture, popularly refer to as Trashes for Treasure, is being provided for women, especially young girls, under the auspices of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) project.
The project, which is aimed at women empowerment, recycles trash such as plastic and metal waste to manufacture bags, door mats and metal waste to mould sculptures.
Sixty of the trainees were drawn from Abokobi and its surrounding areas in the Ga East Municipal Assembly to empower the young girls and discourage them from immigrating to the urban centres in search of non-existent jobs.
The remaining 120 women were drawn from the campus of the Institute of Professional Studies, who were required to use innovative ways of creating employment for themselves when they graduate from the institute instead of waiting for employment from the government.
Mr Francis Antwi, the Co-ordinator of the IPS branch of SIFE, in an interview, said the branch undertook the training in collaboration with Rural Women Support Network based in Abokobi and Village Network, also a local NGO.
He said Students in Free Enterprises was the initiative of an American who lived and worked in Ghana and experienced the harrowing experiences women had to undergo to secure training and macro credit to start their own income-generating ventures.
He said the SIFE, therefore, attached great importance to the granting of macro-credit facilities to rural and urban poor for the starting of their businesses.
He said currently, a Fulani herdswoman had been selected from Abokobi to be used as a model in the establishment of a diary plant for the manufacture of ice cream and yoghurt products.
Mr Antwi said the project to turn the fresh cow milk into yoghurt, when successful by patronage, could be replicated across the country to help eradicate poverty and break its cycle in the rural areas.
The co-ordinator expressed the hope that when the rural areas provided the enabling environment for the youth to earn a livelihood, it would discourage them from migrating to the urban centres in search of jobs.
Mr Antwi appealed to the youth, especially those dwelling in the rural areas, to learn a trade or acquire a profession instead of migrating to the urban centres to look for non-existent jobs, which often landed them in bad company with its attendant antisocial activities such as indulging in pornography and prostitution.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
KRISTO ASAFO HOLDS TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION (BACK PAGE, JHAN 5)
A FULL body scanner is being installed at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to be operational by the close of this month.
After the installation, the equipment will give security officials the opportunity to fairly assess every passenger or persons using the airport.
The measure forms part of security arrangements instituted by the authorities to forestall any security breaches at the airport.
Security concerns have heightened worldwide following a foiled attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, to blow up a North West Airline Flight 253 from Amsterdam, Holland, to Detroit in the United States of America on Christmas day.
A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that though the use of the equipment would raise moral questions, the national security was in charge to come up with the best decision in the interest of individual travellers and national security.
Describing some of the reports on Mutallab as inaccurate, Mr Ablakwa noted that “now is not the time to indulge in blame games and as a country we have no wish to point accusing fingers”.
He disclosed, however, that the Nigerian arrived in Ghana on December 9, 2009, at 0320 GMT aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 911 from Dubai and indicated on his immigration form that he intended to stay in Ghana for three weeks.
According to the deputy minister, the traveller further gave a hotel address but did not stay at the address given on entry and rather chose a different hotel.
He said on December 24, 2009, Mutallab checked in at the KIA, Accra on Virgin Nigeria Flight 804 for Lagos, with that flight terminating in Lagos.
“He was, therefore, processed at the airport like any other ECOWAS national travelling within the ECOWAS sub-region. Again during security checks nothing incriminating was found on him,” the deputy minister said.
According to Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa, there was no indication that Mutallab was travelling beyond Lagos, but later checks “revealed that whilst here in Accra, he had purchased a ticket from KLM in Accra for Lagos-Amsterdam-Detroit-Amsterdam-Lagos which ticket he subsequently used to travel from the Lagos Airport.
Mr Ablakwa noted that Mutallab departed KIA at 1706 hours (GMT) on Virgin Nigeria Flight 804 for a one-hour flight to terminate in Lagos Nigeria.
“It is observed that after that flight had terminated, he checked in for a fresh flight altogether — North West Airline Flight 8588 from Lagos to Amsterdam and connected in Amsterdam on North West Airline Flight 253 to Detroit.”
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said the suspect took the flight from Lagos at 2255 hours on December 24, 2009 giving him (suspect) virtually five clear hours of time in Nigeria on arrival from Accra.
“His flight on North West Airline to Amsterdam and the connection to Detroit were both not and indeed could not have been in the anticipation of the relevant Ghanaian Airport security officials,” he stressed.
The deputy minister stressed that at no time before the event had the relevant Ghanaian security authorities been informed that Mutallab had come to security notice, adding that the suspect had, therefore, been treated like any other ECOWAS national travelling to another ECOWAS member state.
“The relevant Ghanaian authority pledges its commitment and resolve to ensure flight safety and shall continue to co-operate with our global partner agencies in the effort to make airline travel safe for all.
“Airport security has become a global responsibility and it is our belief that the lessons learnt from this event will serve to actualise the required mutual co-operation to enhance airport security capacity to common standards the world over,” he noted.
After the installation, the equipment will give security officials the opportunity to fairly assess every passenger or persons using the airport.
The measure forms part of security arrangements instituted by the authorities to forestall any security breaches at the airport.
Security concerns have heightened worldwide following a foiled attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, to blow up a North West Airline Flight 253 from Amsterdam, Holland, to Detroit in the United States of America on Christmas day.
A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that though the use of the equipment would raise moral questions, the national security was in charge to come up with the best decision in the interest of individual travellers and national security.
Describing some of the reports on Mutallab as inaccurate, Mr Ablakwa noted that “now is not the time to indulge in blame games and as a country we have no wish to point accusing fingers”.
He disclosed, however, that the Nigerian arrived in Ghana on December 9, 2009, at 0320 GMT aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 911 from Dubai and indicated on his immigration form that he intended to stay in Ghana for three weeks.
According to the deputy minister, the traveller further gave a hotel address but did not stay at the address given on entry and rather chose a different hotel.
He said on December 24, 2009, Mutallab checked in at the KIA, Accra on Virgin Nigeria Flight 804 for Lagos, with that flight terminating in Lagos.
“He was, therefore, processed at the airport like any other ECOWAS national travelling within the ECOWAS sub-region. Again during security checks nothing incriminating was found on him,” the deputy minister said.
According to Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa, there was no indication that Mutallab was travelling beyond Lagos, but later checks “revealed that whilst here in Accra, he had purchased a ticket from KLM in Accra for Lagos-Amsterdam-Detroit-Amsterdam-Lagos which ticket he subsequently used to travel from the Lagos Airport.
Mr Ablakwa noted that Mutallab departed KIA at 1706 hours (GMT) on Virgin Nigeria Flight 804 for a one-hour flight to terminate in Lagos Nigeria.
“It is observed that after that flight had terminated, he checked in for a fresh flight altogether — North West Airline Flight 8588 from Lagos to Amsterdam and connected in Amsterdam on North West Airline Flight 253 to Detroit.”
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said the suspect took the flight from Lagos at 2255 hours on December 24, 2009 giving him (suspect) virtually five clear hours of time in Nigeria on arrival from Accra.
“His flight on North West Airline to Amsterdam and the connection to Detroit were both not and indeed could not have been in the anticipation of the relevant Ghanaian Airport security officials,” he stressed.
The deputy minister stressed that at no time before the event had the relevant Ghanaian security authorities been informed that Mutallab had come to security notice, adding that the suspect had, therefore, been treated like any other ECOWAS national travelling to another ECOWAS member state.
“The relevant Ghanaian authority pledges its commitment and resolve to ensure flight safety and shall continue to co-operate with our global partner agencies in the effort to make airline travel safe for all.
“Airport security has become a global responsibility and it is our belief that the lessons learnt from this event will serve to actualise the required mutual co-operation to enhance airport security capacity to common standards the world over,” he noted.
Friday, January 1, 2010
WOMEN MAKE MONEY OUT OF TRASH (PAGE 19, JAN 1)
One hundred and eighty women have undergone a training programme to enable them to recycle plastic waste into handbags for sale in supermarkets.
The project, known as Trashes for Treasure, is being provided for women, especially young girls, under the auspices of Students in Free Enterprises (SIFE).
The project, which is aimed at women empowerment, recycles trash such as plastic and metal waste to manufacture bags, door mats and the metal waste to mould sculptures.
Sixty of the trainees were drawn from Abokobi and its surrounding areas in the Ga East Municipal Assembly to empower the young girls and discourage them from emigrating to the urban centres in search of non-existent jobs.
The remaining 120 women were drawn from the campus of the Institute of Professional Studies who are required to use innovative ways of creating employment for themselves when they graduate from the institute instead of waiting for employment from the government.
Mr Francis Antwi, the Co-ordinator of the IPS branch of SIFE, in an interview said the branch undertook the training project in collaboration with Rural Women Support Network based in Abokobi and Village Network, also a local NGO.
He said the Students in Free Enterprises was the initiative of an American who lived and worked in Ghana and experienced the harrowing experiences women had to undergo to secure training and macro-credit to start their own income-generating ventures.
He said the SIFE, therefore, attached great importance to the granting of macro-credit facilities to rural and urban poor to start their businesses.
He said currently a Fulani herdswoman had been selected from Abokobi to be used as model in the establishment of a diary plant for the manufacture of ice cream and yoghurt products.
Mr Antwi said the project to turn the fresh cow milk into yoghurt, if patronised, could be replicated across the country to help eradicate poverty and break its cycle in the rural areas.
The co-ordinator expressed the hope that when the rural areas provided the enabling environment for the youth to earn a livelihood, it would discourage them from migrating to the urban centres in search of jobs.
Mr Antwi appealed to the youth, especially those in the rural areas, to learn a trade or acquire a profession instead of migrating to the urban centres to look for non-existent jobs, which often landed them in bad company with its attendant antisocial activities such as indulging in pornography and prostitution.
The project, known as Trashes for Treasure, is being provided for women, especially young girls, under the auspices of Students in Free Enterprises (SIFE).
The project, which is aimed at women empowerment, recycles trash such as plastic and metal waste to manufacture bags, door mats and the metal waste to mould sculptures.
Sixty of the trainees were drawn from Abokobi and its surrounding areas in the Ga East Municipal Assembly to empower the young girls and discourage them from emigrating to the urban centres in search of non-existent jobs.
The remaining 120 women were drawn from the campus of the Institute of Professional Studies who are required to use innovative ways of creating employment for themselves when they graduate from the institute instead of waiting for employment from the government.
Mr Francis Antwi, the Co-ordinator of the IPS branch of SIFE, in an interview said the branch undertook the training project in collaboration with Rural Women Support Network based in Abokobi and Village Network, also a local NGO.
He said the Students in Free Enterprises was the initiative of an American who lived and worked in Ghana and experienced the harrowing experiences women had to undergo to secure training and macro-credit to start their own income-generating ventures.
He said the SIFE, therefore, attached great importance to the granting of macro-credit facilities to rural and urban poor to start their businesses.
He said currently a Fulani herdswoman had been selected from Abokobi to be used as model in the establishment of a diary plant for the manufacture of ice cream and yoghurt products.
Mr Antwi said the project to turn the fresh cow milk into yoghurt, if patronised, could be replicated across the country to help eradicate poverty and break its cycle in the rural areas.
The co-ordinator expressed the hope that when the rural areas provided the enabling environment for the youth to earn a livelihood, it would discourage them from migrating to the urban centres in search of jobs.
Mr Antwi appealed to the youth, especially those in the rural areas, to learn a trade or acquire a profession instead of migrating to the urban centres to look for non-existent jobs, which often landed them in bad company with its attendant antisocial activities such as indulging in pornography and prostitution.
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