Ab TV GH

Category: Art & Culture

  • We must do better on peace index

    Abtvgh / Ghana Global Community

    Ghana is often trumpeted to the global community as the most peaceful, stable and investment-friendly country in the sub-region. 

    Our leaders often tout these credentials to paint a positive image of the country and to attract both tourists and investors into the country for economic gain.

    However, there are a multiplicity of developments that threaten the peace and stability of the country.

    Unfortunate situations such as the use of intemperate language in the public sphere by political actors, conflicts over chieftaincy titles, and violence associated with illegal mining activities are gradually eroding Ghana’s credentials as an oasis of peace.

    We have often overlooked these dangers or threats to the peace we enjoy in the country, with the argument that the country shall never descend to the stage of conflict or violence because Ghanaians are peace-loving.

    This is where we get things wrong and allow threats to degenerate into something unexpected.

    After all, the countries that have challenges with internal security had treated with careless abandon the threats posed by insurgents fighting for their rights, to possess their lands and obtain some of their natural resources.

    The Daily Graphic finds it not surprising that Ghana had lost its position as the Most Peaceful Country in West Africa to Sierra Leone in the latest Global Peace Index.

    Not only that, the country also slipped to the fourth position, from its second place as the Most Peaceful in Africa in the 2022 index.

    According to the Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Peace Council (NPC), Rev. Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, the decline was attributed to threats such as armed robbery, attacks on journalists, political violence, land guard menace and perceptions contributing to the ratings and compilation of results.

    This development is worrying, especially so when the country is protecting itself against  terrorists activities and violent extremism that have already threatened the stability of neighbouring countries such as Cote d’Ivoire, Togo  and Burkina Faso.

    Fortunately, these are factors which are well-known to all of us and addressing them will be much easier than allowing those threats to degenerate into a bad situation.

    The Daily Graphic believes that if all the stakeholders engage one another in an open and frank manner, the country could be finding a solution to the challenges confronting its peace.

    Such an engagement should be executed in an environment of trust and confidence to help deal with the possibility of these threats degenerating into extremism.

    It should rather engender understanding and tolerance.

    If we must build resilience against terrorism and violent extremism, we must join in and support efforts of the NPC, the Ministry of National Security and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to educate the populace not to take things for granted.

    We commend the NCCE for rolling out the Preventing Conflict and Violent Extremism (PCVE) project in the five regions of the north, and the Oti and Bono Ahafo regions.

    The Daily Graphic sees the PCVE initiative as a perfect way to take the bull by the horn.

    Therefore, all stakeholders, including chiefs, the security agencies, opinion leaders, faith-based organisations and civil society organisations (CSO) must work together to create awareness, educate and sensitise members of the public to the need to identify and nip the triggers of conflict in the bud.

    We are also of the view that our chiefs, landowners and political office seekers must do the right things all the time and not to engage the services of hoodlums to unleash mayhem on innocent persons just to push their selfish interests.

    We need to remind ourselves that insurgents often exploit vulnerable communities for their nefarious activities.

    We must not provide the fertile ground for aggrieved persons to use unorthodox measures to seek their rights.

    The Daily Graphic holds the view that those responsible for the adjudication of differences must also deliver on their mandate in a manner that will satisfy parties involved in any dispute.

    We believe that the country can regain its position not only as the peaceful nation in West Africa, but Africa as a whole in the global rankings.

    This requires the establishment of a vibrant peace-building infrastructure that strengthens partnerships and  promotes inclusive and participatory governance.

    Let us all work hand in gloves to reclaim our enviable position on the peace index.

    It is a collective responsibility.

    After all, a country is like a boat; when it sinks, it spares no one.

  • Let’s balance free speech with rule of law

    Abtvgh / Rule of Law In Ghana

    Recent public comments on the trial of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, have received support and backlash from different quarters and the general public.

    The brouhaha started when the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, made an appeal to the Attorney-General (A-G) to file a nolle prosequi and discontinue the criminal case against Mr Quayson, as prosecuting him would not augur well for his constituents, especially after his victory at the Assin North by-election on June 17, this year.

    A former A-G, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, also added his voice to the calls for the discontinuance of the case on the basis that it would be politically prudent for the trial to end in view of current public sentiments.

    Mr Quayson has been accused of perjury and forgery over certain alleged offences in the run-up to the 2020 general election.

    He won that election but it was later nullified by the Supreme Court due to his dual citizenship status.

    The Dormaahene’s appeal for the A-G to drop the case against the legislator was condemned by some who saw it as an unwelcome comment by a sitting judge.

    Osagyefo Agyemang Badu is a High Court judge with the name Justice Daniel Mensah.

    While his critics hounded him, those in support of the comment spiritedly defended the Dormaahene, arguing that he only exercised his freedom of speech and also it was in the public interest to end the case against the Assin North MP.

    It is obvious that the public commentary on the trial has taken the usual political dimension, with people sticking to entrenched positions on the issue.

    The opposition National Democratic Congress has jumped to the defence of the Dormahene, while many of the critics are affiliated to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    It was within the context of such a polarised political environment on the issue that the A-G, Godfred Yeboah Dame, released a statement calling on the public to be circumspect in their commentary on court cases especially the so-called high-profile cases, involving political figures.

    Mr. Dame said although there was the freedom of speech, such commentary on the cases “transgresses permissible limits of free speech” and makes it difficult for the “stream of justice to flow”.

    He noted that any assertion that a person should not face the law because of his or her political position would not augur well for the development of the country, and as such dangerous for democracy.

    “The perception that a crime committed by a person of high political standing in society should not be prosecuted is dangerous for society and must not be countenanced,” Mr Dame said.

    The A-G added that such public utterances, including those by lawyers, were prejudicial and had the potential to mar the effective administration of justice.

    The Principal Legal Advisor to the government said such comments did not provide a conducive environment for state prosecutors and the court to effectively discharge their functions.

    Public comments on state institutions, including the work of the A-G and the judiciary, are a testament that our democracy is growing and people are becoming more conscious of public issues.

    In this regard, it is, therefore, not out of place when people comment on court cases.

    However, the Daily Graphic agrees with the A-G that the nature of some of the commentaries on court cases may have a negative impact on the administration of justice.

    Constant non-constructive criticisms of court cases could lead to bastardisation of the courts, and the justice system, and could create the impression that the justice delivery architecture was against the public will.

    Loss of confidence in the justice system could spell doom for the country.

    We, therefore, call on the public, including political office holders, to be circumspect in their commentaries on court cases, especially high-profile cases in order not to pit the citizenry against the justice system.

    While an accused person must be given the freedom to defend himself or herself, the justice system must also be given the space and necessary support to adequately discharge its duties.

    We must cherish our right to speak on issues but we must balance that right with the rule of law in the interest of the country.

  • FDA must crack the whip

    There is a common saying — we are what we eat. Food safety is paramount in the development of any country.

    That is why the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) was set up to ensure that the food we eat does not harm us.

    Recently, the FDA raised a health alert on the drying of flour on the pavements of roads.

    The flour, the main ingredient for ‘tuo zaafi’, a popular food in Ghana, is often dried along pavements of highways.

    This is often done at the mercy and vagaries of the weather, the dust generated by passers-by who use such pavement and other contaminants.

    Such flour is also exposed to animals and rodents that walk in and out, leaving in their trail, pathogens that eventually end up in the system of the consumers.

    The FDA explained that its surveillance team, as part of its monitoring, observed the practice and had to direct the millers and those who prepare the food to stop the practice.

    They were also made to immediately remove the flour from the pavement, especially along the Kanda Highway in Accra.

    It is a fact that this practice has existed not only in the urban areas, but even in the rural areas where food items are dried in the most unhygienic manner.

    At least, the Daily Graphic is happy that the FDA is taking steps to right those wrongs because it is better late than never.

    We share the concerns of the FDA against the practice because of the obvious health consequences it has on the final consumers of the product of the flour.

    We, however, wish to draw the attention of the FDA to the fact that the pavements are not used to dry only flour, but other food items.

    It is a common sight, particularly along highways, to see flour, cassava, pepper, maize, among others, spread on plastic mats and other materials in the open.

    It is a good step taken by the FDA to issue the instruction for the flour to be taken off the pavement but it went further to engage with the market women and millers.

    From the engagement, it was obvious that they are oblivious of the potential health hazards associated with the practice.

    After all, this is an age-old practice that they had  inherited.

    We commend the FDA for going further to engage other stakeholders such as the local authorities, including the assembly members and the law enforcement agencies, to work with the market women and millers to ensure compliance.  

    The Daily Graphic agrees with the FDA that food safety measures require collective efforts and we all ought to join in the fight to avoid any future outbreak of food-borne diseases.

    The FDA is not present everywhere.

    It is therefore our responsibility to alert the authority.

     We must all, as a nation, go beyond the ‘tuo zaafi’ flour to the canned food we buy in shops and supermarkets.

    The FDA, on countless occasions, has advised the public to check the expiry dates, particularly of food items.

    It has also appealed to the public to report issues of food-related illnesses.

    Last year, it was at the Mallam Atta Market that the FDA busted market women mixing palm oil with dangerous chemicals

    Early this year, it was Yellow Sisi Waakye and recently, the authority had the unpleasant duty of suspending the production and distribution of Anointed Family Water and Rena Aqua Sachet Water. 

    The surveillance unit of the authority is doing well and needs the support of all.

    Let us all help the authority to ensure that we are eating healthy food at all times.

    Truly, our collective effort is needed to ensure that we have a nation with healthy and productive people to spur growth and development.

     For, a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.

  • Timely completion of La General Hospital necessary

    Abtvgh / GHS

    THE importance of an effective healthcare system to the well-being of the people cannot be overemphasised. That is why governments all over the world, especially in developing countries, put premium on providing the facilities closer to the people because a healthy people results in a wealthy nation.

    In Ghana, all our governments when accounting for their stewardship or enumerating their achievements have always captured the provision and improvement of health infrastructure and systems.

    Thus, when the government detected the structural defects of the La General Hospital in the Greater Accra Region, it decided to pull it down for a complete reconstruction of the hospital that will not only expand its capacity but will be fitted with state-of-the-art equipment.

    It was, therefore, with much excitement that the residents within the catchment area welcomed the sod-cutting ceremony by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in August 2020 for the La General Hospital Redevelopment Project after it was demolished in July 2020.

    However, due to financial challenges, the project stalled, with some residents and some National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament protesting on countless occasions, including asking the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, an urgent question in Parliament on the state of the project.

    Fortunately, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, after a visit to the site, has given assurance that funds had been secured for work to resume (See December 2, 2023 issue of the Daily Graphic).

    The good news from the visit was the assurance of the government’s commitment to release funds on time to ensure smooth execution and completion of the project on time.

    The Abtvgh joins the minister in urging the contactors to stay focused and expedite the completion of the project.

    We are aware of how critical the hospital is in providing the residents of La and surrounding areas with access to high quality health care. Aside from that, it will also help ease the congestion at some of the health centres within the national capital.

    We need to remind ourselves that apart from serving as an employment avenue for health professionals, it also provides employment opportunities for ancillary workers both in the formal and informal health sectors, such as maintenance and catering workers.

    Any government that is able to complete such projects would also be reducing the unemployment rate in the country.

    We must point out that these are some of the benefits we derive from democracy as the government responds to the cries of the people by seeking alternative local funding to complete the project.

    Although the 60-bed capacity hospital has been maintained, with the appropriate designs, the cost has been revised from €57 million to €50 million.

    We are happy that the contract sum of the project has reduced and it is a feather in the cap of those who helped in that regard.  The question remains whether taking a cue from the La General Hospital we can see how best the country can benefit from some of the low-cost or cost-cutting measures.

    Already, the government is executing its Agenda 111 hospital projects, and it will not be a bad idea to revisit the costs, and those of other uncompleted projects to ensure that the projects are completed on time.

    The Abtvgh believes that executing such projects will speed up the pace of development in the country. We assure the minister of finance and the contractors that the Abtvgh will keep an eye on the project to ensure its successful completion and utilization.

    La General Hospital is a key infrastructure in the country’s healthcare delivery, and therefore, its availability and operation is very important to not just the people of La and its environs but to the nation as a whole.

  • JB Danquah murder: Jury abandons duties over unpaid allowances

    Abtvgh

    The jury in the murder case of the late Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North J.B Danquah has served notice of their absence from jury duties due to the non-payment of their allowances.

    The jurors claim they have not been paid their allowances since March 2022. This was contained in a letter addressed to the Judge presiding over the case.

    According to the Jury members, this has affected their ability to carry out their duties as they cannot continue to bear the cost of footing their transportation to attend the court hearings.

    This appears to be a challenge to the trial which has been ongoing since 2021 when the prosecution called its first witness as the Judge indicated that the court is unable to give any particular date by which the Jury will be brought to the proceedings.

    Meanwhile, the High Court in Accra has admitted to evidence caution statements by accused persons in the murder case of the late MP for Abuakwa North JB Danquah during interrogation.

    This follows a mini-trial as a result of an objection raised by lawyers for the accused persons, Daniel Asiedu and Vincent Dosso.

    The lawyers indicated that the caution statements which prosecution’s eight witnesses intended to tender during his testimony were not taken from the accused persons voluntarily.

    In line with the dictates of section 120(6) of the Evidence Act, a mini-trial was held in the absence of the Jury to determine whether or not the caution statements should be excluded from the evidence of the prosecution.

    The prosecution during the mini-trial called witnesses including the investigator who was cross-examined. But after consideration of the evidence made available during the mini-trial, the court ruled that the caution statements were made voluntarily and hence overruled the objection of the counsel of the accused person.

    Justice Lydia Osei Marfo in her ruling stated that the accused persons were not coerced by the Police, nor were they promised any favours before they voluntarily gave the caution charge statement.

  • Ghana’s fishing industry has a ‘golden seaweed’ problem – how citizen science can help

    Abtvgh /

    Sargassum is a genus of brown seaweed. Over 300 species are distributed across the world in both temperate and tropical climates. The species fluitans and natans are unique because they spend their life cycle floating on the ocean, never attaching to the sea floor. Other seaweed species reproduce and begin life on the ocean floor .

    Pelagic (open sea) sargassum has been described as the “golden rainforest of the ocean” because of the floating ecosystem it supports in the Sargasso Sea, in the western Atlantic Ocean. Pelagic sargassum also occurs naturally in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

    Floating sargassum first began arriving en masse on shores across the tropical Atlantic in 2011. Up to 10,000 tonnes arrived daily during a particularly severe peak season. Severe years since then include 2015, 2018 and 2022 – but every year there is a significant influx. In the Caribbean, there has been good progress in understanding the pelagic sargassum seaweed. We now have a better idea of where it’s coming from: likely a new southern area of growth.

    In 2009 the first reports emerged of pelagic sargassum sightings off the coast of Ghana. Densities have increased annually ever since. In early March 2023, large quantities have again arrived on the shores of the Western Region of the country.

    Pelagic sargassum is beneficial in lots of ways. Marine species such as eels, white marlin and dolphin fish depend on it for spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea. Commercial fish species including tuna depend on it for food.

    But problems arise when large quantities are experienced near and on the shorelines of coastal communities. Algal and seaweed blooms are becoming more common in seas and oceans worldwide, both far offshore and nearshore. There is only limited evidence of a link between pelagic sargassum blooms and climate change, but warming oceans do seem to be one cause of the rise in other harmful algal blooms in coastal areas.

    The pelagic sargassum off Ghana’s coast is affecting communities’ ability to fish and use their beaches.

    Importance of fishing in Ghana

    More than 60% of Ghana’s citizens live within 200km of the coast and 42% within 100km. The artisanal or small-scale fisheries sector employs an estimated 80% of the country’s fishers.

    Around 2.4 million people, about 10% of the population, work in the fisheries sector. Small-scale fisheries contribute about 4.5% to Ghana’s gross domestic product (GDP). The coastal regions of the country are particularly dependent on fisheries for their livelihoods.

    Marine fisheries are the primary source of income for more than 200 coastal villages, including about 200,000 fishers with approximately 2 million dependents.

    Impacts of pelagic sargassum on fishing communities

    In a recent study we assessed the impact of pelagic sargassum on the livelihoods of fishers on Ghana’s coast. Through group discussions, surveys, field observations and photographs, we documented the experiences of fishers. Most (70%) of those we spoke to across three sites in the region – Sanzule, Beyin and Newtown – depended on fishing for their sustenance and livelihood.

    The seaweed had significantly affected the livelihoods of fishing dependent communities in the western region. Pelagic sargassum had reduced their fish catch by getting tangled in nets. It made up most of the catch instead of fish.

    Pelagic sargassum also inhibits fishing by:

    • breaking nets and filling nets
    • clogging outboard motors on boats
    • creating seaweed mats that are impossible to navigate boats through
    • causing skin irritations
    • causing unbearable discomfort from the smell.

    These initial results highlight the urgency of finding ways to manage pelagic sargassum in western Africa. But to achieve this, we also need more data and an improved understanding of what is happening.

    Solutions

    To identify solutions, it is important to know what types of seaweed are arriving, their origins, uses and how to monitor them. It is possible that the answers are the same for west Africa as in the Caribbean. But this is an assumption. Very little is known about pelagic sargassum in West Africa.

    What we do know, as scientists, is that answering some of these questions for places like Ghana might be even trickier than it was for the Caribbean.

    Take forecasting and early warning, for example. These processes rely on sufficient cloud-free satellite imagery in combination with an understanding of ocean processes and weather systems. That means detecting where the pelagic sargassum is at any given moment, in combination with ocean process models, to forecast where it will be later.

    But west African coasts tend to have significant cloud cover. Methods that worked well in the Caribbean may not work in Ghana.

    Recently, a team from universities in Ghana, the UK and Jamaica came together to explore how ground-based photography might create a useful dataset to better understand the seasonality and volumes of pelagic sargassum arriving in Ghana, using citizen science methods.

    Citizen science recognises the important role that the public can play in research, and invites non-researchers to be part of data collection and analysis.

    Citizen science is now applied worldwide for coastal monitoring but focuses almost exclusively on coastal erosion. Coastal erosion work, such as the CoastSnap platform, documents how the physical structure of coastlines changes across days, months and years. The citizen science monitoring is achieved by installing a simple metal pole and some signage requesting that a passersby take a quick photo with their mobile phone and share it online or via an app.

    In our work, we have come together with schools and community members from Beyin, Esiama and Sanzule in the western region of Ghana to apply CoastSnap to study pelagic sargassum. Together, we have installed three of these metal monitoring posts. Teachers and community members are now photographing the impacts that the seaweed has on people’s lives when it arrives.

    Gradually, we will learn more about pelagic sargassum impacts and adaptation options in west Africa.

    By: Sien van der Plank ,Senior Research Fellow, University of Southampton, Kwasi Addo Appeaning, Lecturer in Marine and Fisheries Sciences, University of Ghana, Philip-Neri Jayson-Quashigah ,Research Fellow, University of Ghana and  Winnie N. A. Sowah, Lecturer, Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, University of Ghana.

  • Ghana Prisons Service commercialising projects laudable idea

    Abtvgh / gh police service/

    The Ghana Prisons Service has earnestly started implementing its goal of repositioning itself to reflect the current needs of the country.

    The announcement by its management at the annual Regional Commanders conference in Accra last Thursday that apart from its core mandate of ensuring safe custody and welfare of prisoners to maintain public safety, it had also taken concrete steps to become a major contributor to the nation’s food basket is pleasing.

    The service has also conceived the idea of commercialising and retooling all its workshops and taking agriculture to the next level.

    It is, among other activities, securing funding for its mechanised agriculture to contribute significantly to the food basket of the nation (Daily Graphic, Friday, April 14, 2023.)

    The Daily Graphic is urging the service to sustain those goals and vision, so that other government agencies will emulate the example.

    There have been many calls on metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), as well as other public institutions, to find innovative ways of getting internally generated funds (IGFs), as the prisons service wants to do.

    When that is meticulously carried out, it will enhance the service’s viability and contribution to the economy, since it is becoming clear that the government alone cannot continue to do everything.

    The global economy is gradually shrinking as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, both of which have implications for nations such as Ghana.

    According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook, the baseline forecast for growth was to fall from 3.4 per cent in 2022 to 2.8 per cent in 2023, before settling at 3.0 per cent in 2024.

    Advanced economies are expected to see an especially pronounced growth slowdown, from 2.7 per cent in 2022 to 1.3 per cent in 2023.

    In a possible alternative scenario, with further financial sector stress, global growth was expected to decline from about 2.5 per cent in 2023, with advanced economy growth falling below one per cent, the IMF World Economic Outlook further indicated.

    These projections have implications for the country and the earlier public institutions started becoming innovative, the better it would be for the institutions and the citizenry.

    It is for this reason that the paper thinks the decision by the prisons service to chart a new course to become more viable and contribute to enhancing food security in the country must be applauded.

    The commercialisation of agriculture will ultimately help supplement the food intake of the inmates and make the service stand on its feet to be able to meet its needs without waiting on the government for support.

    The service, apart from its legal mandates set out by the 1992 Constitution and other statutory provisions, has a vision and mission to build a world-class service to attain sustainable public safety through excellence in corrections management and to undertake the safe custody, humane treatment, reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration of inmates to make them responsible, productive and law-abiding citizens to ensure public safety.

    It is gratifying to note that the service is taking deliberate steps to modernise its operations to make it financially viable.

    It is worthy to note that other goals set out by the service to reposition itself to contribute more meaningfully to the nation’s development are modernisation of its management practices and administrative structures, modernisation of staff recruitment, manpower planning and development, as well as work practices, and modernisation of the physical structures and operational equipment.

    The paper hopes that the bold step by the service will not be a nine day’s wonder, for, as the saying goes: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

    The prisons service has taken the first step and sustained efforts must be made to achieve the targets.

  • Time to eradicate malaria is now

    The global community unites in celebration of World Malaria Day (WMD) on April 25, a day to remember the need for commitment and investment to prevent and control malaria.

    This year’s theme : ‘Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement’, provides the impetus to innovate and realise a malaria-free world.

    Established in 2007 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) decision-making body, WMD follows from the 2001 African Summit on malaria, which saw the signing of the historic Abuja Declaration.

    Malaria is a serious disease caused by a mosquito-borne parasite, which can cause high fevers, shivering chills, and flu-like illness in those infected.

    It is a preventable disease with the use of medicines and precautionary measures such as insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor insecticide spraying.

    On the first World Malaria Day, the then Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, emphasised the need to increase the availability of bed nets, medicines, public health facilities, and trained health workers for people in areas of the world affected by malaria.

    With 3.3 billion people in 106 countries at risk of malaria and 900,000 deaths annually, the urgency of the situation is clear.

    Though the situation is dire, there is hope.

    In sub-saharan Africa, the incidence and death rates of malaria have dropped by 21 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively.

    It is heartening to note that in Ghana, the prevalence and mortality of malaria has reduced significantly between 2011 and 2022.

    The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has made commendable strides to fight malaria, with a national strategy of control to elimination based on national and global recommendations.

    The control programme, focused on reducing malaria mortality by 90 per cent, is expected to reduce malaria case incidence by 50 per cent, and achieve malaria per-elimination, in at least six districts in the country, by 2025.

    The current elimination target is focused on reducing mortality by 100 per cent by 2028 and cases by 50 per cent using the 2022 figures as the baseline.

    The Daily Graphic stands in solidarity with the proposal to defeat mortality and decrease incidence of malaria by 2028, utilising 2022 as a baseline for the purpose.

    We ardently advocate the devising of novel and more advanced solutions to eradicate the age-old ailment, as well as the enforcement of national plans to expedite the progress necessary to accomplish this ambition.

    According to the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, today, the combination of low coverage of existing tools, emerging biological threats and funding shortfalls are brewing a perfect storm for malaria and that now is the time to take decisive action to deliver on the goal of zero malaria and achieve the 2030 targets.

    On WMD, we pause to commemorate a momentous occasion and to pay tribute to those who have been impacted by this devastating disease.

    As we take this time to reflect, we celebrate the progress that has been made and the hope that lies ahead.

    As we look back, we give thanks to all of those who have toiled and sacrificed to bring us to this point.

    From those at the forefront of research to those who have adopted prevention and treatment strategies, we honour their invaluable contributions.

    As we look forward, we are inspired by the potential for a brighter future. It is our hope that this day will bring us one step closer to a world free of malaria.

    The Daily Graphic affirms the call to innovate to deliver transformative and improved solutions to end malaria that are tailored to those who need them most.

    The paper also calls for the implementation of national strategies to accelerate progress against this age-old disease, by demonstrating leadership, adopting innovative and sustainable approaches as well as the scaling up of national malaria programmes to deliver life-saving tools to those at highest risk.

    It is time to deliver zero malaria.

  • Pension funds should support private sector

    Abtvgh / SNIT/

    The private sector is identified as the engine of economic growth and job creation in any economy.

    The sector is recognised as a means to accelerate the rapid industrialisation desired by developing countries.

    In Ghana, the private sector contributes  over 80 per cent of jobs and also significantly to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

    In spite of its role, over the years, the sector has been starved of the much needed resources to enable it to function sustainably.

    The number one resource needed to unlock the full potential of the private sector is the availability of long term pension funds that will enable businesses to grow, expand and employ more people.

    All over the world, the pension funds industry, due to its nature, plays a crucial role in this regard by allocating a significant percentage of the funds to the private sector to drive economic growth.

    The situation is, however, different in Ghana as a huge percentage of the country’s pension funds are invested in government bonds, denying the private sector of the much needed capital to grow and expand.

    Almost 90 per cent of pension funds in Ghana are invested in government bonds compared to the developed countries where less than 40 per cent of those resources are invested in government securities.

    This is because the industry has been under the notion that government securities are risk free and hence they continue to pile up their investments in those securities

    However, the recently concluded domestic debt exchange programme (DDEP) and the collapse of the SVB Bank in the US due to mark-to-market losses from risk-free securities underscore the fact that government securities are not risk free and are subject to market price volatility.

    The Daily Graphic, therefore, believes the DDEP must be a wake-up call that financial institutions cannot continue to pile up their investments in government securities with the assumption that  they are risk free.

    The paper, therefore, adds its voice to calls for pension fund managers to stop funding the government and channel their resources into the private sector.

    Pension fund managers must rethink the way they allocate capital as asset holders.

    An economy is as strong as its businesses and the country must, therefore, critically examine the role of pension funds in efficiently allocating capital.

    The practice of mobilising capital for the government at the expense of the private sector is inimical to national development and must be stopped.

    Going forward, the Daily Graphic believes the industry must take the necessary steps to reverse the flow of capital from the government to the private sector as soon as possible.

    The key resource needed to activate the economic growth needed is capital which the pension fund managers are rather giving to government.

    However, for the country to be able to fully harness the potential of the pension funds industry, some of the existing guidelines that regulate the industry must change.

    And this is where the regulators must come in.

    The Daily Graphic calls on the Securities and Exchange Commission, together with the National Pensions Regulatory Authority, to make further changes to the investment guidelines and increase the investment ceilings on other asset classes as the current ceiling is skewed heavily towards government securities.

  • Decriminalising suicide – New dawn for mental health

    Abtvgh

    Last Tuesday, Ghana took a significant step and joined the group of countries that have decriminalised suicide attempt.

    Until Parliament’s amendment of sections of the Criminal Offences Act on suicide, Ghana was among the 20 countries which still punished people for attempted suicide.

    The repeal of the act followed a Private Member’s Bill, sponsored by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akim Central, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, who is also the Chairman of the Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Committee of Parliament, and the Ranking Member on the committee and MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.

    Suicide remains a major public health problem worldwide and the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than 700,000 people worldwide die due to suicide every year.

    Also, for every suicide, there are many more people who attempt it.

    In the past, the act was considered a criminal offence to serve as a deterrent to people from trying to take their lives.

    History also reveals that the major religions of the world have classified suicide as a sin or being against the tenets of the religions.

    Therefore, most countries with a dominant religion have incorporated this moral stance into their initially unwritten and subsequently written laws.

    It is instructive to note that statistics available show that criminalising suicide has not achieved its objective and advocates have always maintained that attempted suicide is a public health issue and not an offence, for which reason the survivor should be considered a patient and provided with treatment and not sent to prison.

    According to statistics from Ghana’s Mental Health Authority (MHA), in 2018, the number of people who attempted suicide was 797.

    That rose to 880 in 2019 and 902 in 2021, while the number who died by suicide went up from 69 in 2020 to 86 in 2021.

    There are many cases that are not reported because of stigma and fear of community backlash and legal repercussions.  

    On the contrary, a WHO report and data show that the legal status on suicide around the world in the last 50 years has changed significantly.

    The WHO report (2014) shows that decriminalisation has had some positive effects in countries, including a decline in suicide rates after its decriminalisation, as people with such tendencies have been able to access medical help.

    Thus at the World Health Assembly in 2019, all health ministers agreed that decriminalising suicide was an effective way to reduce deaths by suicide when they approved the WHO Mental Health Action Plan for 2021-2030.

    This is why the Daily Graphic welcomes the bold decision by Parliament to amend the Criminal Offences Act after years of advocacy by the major stakeholders, especially mental health professionals in Ghana.

    With attempted suicide no longer a criminal offence, it is the expectation that people who are battling mental health conditions will be encouraged to seek the right medical help and also receive the necessary support from close relations and friends.

    More so, it will help reduce the stigma, as suicide survivors and their families eventually become victims of stigmatisation, and with the right interventions and help, the country can achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2015-2030.

    The Daily Graphic commends the Psychiatric Association of Ghana (PAG) for its relentless effort at leading a sustained campaign for suicide to be decriminalised and, indeed, all other stakeholders who supported the campaign.

    With the new dawn here, the Daily Graphic would also like to call on the health authorities to provide an efficient health delivery system for mental health and make it more accessible to encourage people to seek the required help they need.