Weekend News || Disregard potrayal of Africa as a continent of diseases and corruption - Tourism Min
Weekend News @ 1 with Fostina Sarfo- Joy News Room (30-7-23)
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Transcript
00:00 Hello, good afternoon and welcome to Joy Newsroom.
00:02 We're live on GO TV channel 125
00:05 and DSTV channel 2421
00:08 and also around the globe at myjoyonline.com.
00:11 My name is Faustina.
00:13 So for coming up this afternoon,
00:15 tourism minister tells diaspora community
00:21 to disregard any attempt to portray Africa
00:25 as a continent without disease and corruption.
00:28 We have more from him as Ghana readies itself
00:32 for this year's Emancipation Day celebration.
00:35 Family of two fishermen who died at sea last Thursday
00:44 demand body of their relatives for burial
00:47 before Homo was starts in August,
00:50 brushing aside the need for autopsy report.
00:58 And the HUD board says it has begun preparations
01:01 towards an improved pilgrimage in 2024.
01:05 We'll hear from the chairman
01:07 as he welcomes last batch of pilgrims back into the country.
01:11 And in business, government to use media budgets
01:16 to provide more update on measures
01:18 to restore macroeconomic stability.
01:21 We have details of these stories,
01:26 including the latest in world news and sports.
01:29 Do stay tuned in.
01:30 Thanks for staying with us.
01:44 Now, minister for tourism, Dr. Ibrahim Mohamed Awal
01:48 is urging the diaspora to dismiss the portrayal of Africa
01:52 as a land full of disease and corruption.
01:55 Speaking at the World Lane Ceremony as part of activities
02:00 to mark this year's Emancipation Day
02:02 and Panopha celebration,
02:04 he urged Africans in the diaspora
02:06 to support the development of the continent.
02:09 We have to go beyond the political emancipation of Africa.
02:16 We need to focus on the economic development of Africa.
02:23 To achieve that, the US has a GDP of $34 trillion
02:27 and the African community, black community
02:30 has come to love this development.
02:32 I want you to look back to the homeland,
02:35 build partnerships, build a relationship
02:38 with your motherland so that we can grow from there.
02:43 Let us ignore the Western media about Africa.
02:46 To the Western media, Africa is hopeless,
02:48 disease is corruption.
02:50 Africa is beyond that.
02:52 Executive, Captain Jason, let's move beyond Africa.
02:56 Tell the world Africa has a lot to offer,
02:58 rich and diverse culture,
03:00 warm people, good people, natural resources.
03:04 We need this partnership between Africa and the diaspora.
03:07 African America to turn Africa around.
03:09 We are very talented young people.
03:11 65% of Africans are below the age of 25 years.
03:16 Well-educated, willing, and hungry for success.
03:20 Let's build a human resource of Africa
03:24 so that tomorrow will not be too much of slavery.
03:26 I want to thank you all for supporting us
03:28 and together let's build and renew Africa.
03:32 The Decentralized Agro project cannot succeed
03:35 without the diaspora.
03:36 - Well, the Chief Executive Officer
03:49 of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwesi Agyeman,
03:52 urged all Africans in the diaspora
03:54 to work and break the mental chains
03:57 that stops us from going all out
04:00 to achieve the best for the continent.
04:02 - We are here as a gesture of unity.
04:05 We are here also as a point of reflection and education.
04:11 As we are coming and as we are here,
04:15 I think it's time for us to re-educate ourselves
04:19 about what emancipation means,
04:21 about what a struggle meant,
04:24 and about how our forebears and our ancestors
04:29 went through hundreds of years of struggle
04:34 so that you and I can be free.
04:39 And today we are here gathered finally
04:43 as a reminder and a renewal of our commitment
04:48 to the struggle.
04:48 Like we're told at Padmore,
04:53 the chains are off, but the chains are in our minds.
04:58 And so we need to free ourselves of the mental slavery
05:01 that still holds us down.
05:03 And so we're here hoping to lay wreaths
05:09 in memory of our ancestors,
05:11 but also to renew our commitment
05:14 in the struggle for true emancipation
05:18 and emancipation of our minds.
05:20 - Now, families of two fishermen who died at sea
05:30 while fishing last Thursday say
05:33 they cannot wait for an autopsy to be conducted
05:36 on their relative before burial.
05:38 They explained that the disease,
05:39 but customs must be buried before the Hormel Festival
05:43 starts in August.
05:44 The deceased 44-year-old Samuel Akwe Alute
05:48 and 27-year-old Francis Tete
05:50 were in the same canoe with 10 other fishermen
05:54 when their canoe capsized after a collision
05:57 with a boat in Tema.
05:58 Correspondent Kwame Anka has more in the following report.
06:01 - Since the news on the death of the two fishers,
06:05 Samuel Akwe Alute and Francis Tete
06:07 got to rest in the early hours of Thursday, July 27.
06:11 Friends and well-wishers are visiting their bereaved families
06:14 to console them.
06:15 To show his support in this difficult period,
06:18 Tema Metropolitan Security Council,
06:20 led by Mayor Yohane Amashite,
06:22 visited the families at Tema New Town.
06:25 Richmond Amanan, who is a relative
06:27 of one of the deceased, Francis Tete,
06:30 told the council that the bereaved families
06:32 are not interested in any autopsy procedures at the moment
06:35 and want to bury their dead before Homo Evo next month.
06:37 Joy News has learned that 27-year-old Francis Tete's wife
06:41 gave birth a few days ago
06:42 as the deceased fisher couldn't see his child before passing.
06:46 Upon reaching the hospital,
07:00 doctors suggested that autopsy be done as recorded.
07:04 But we are pleading with the likes of
07:05 Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive
07:07 to step in so the autopsy process
07:09 does not impede our plans in any way.
07:13 Homo Evo is just around the corner
07:15 and we wouldn't want this process to become an impediment.
07:19 There is no need to go through this,
07:21 knowing how it is likely to affect us.
07:24 We want to bury our relatives before celebrating the festival.
07:27 We want to bury our relatives before celebrating the festival.
07:30 We want to bury our relatives before celebrating the festival.
07:33 We want to bury our relatives before celebrating the festival.
07:36 We want to bury our relatives before celebrating the festival.
07:39 In Nauye, Ankama,
07:42 an auntie to 44-year-old Samuel Akwe Alute
07:45 could not hold back her tears.
07:46 According to her, the family is devastated.
07:50 I am very saddened by the loss of my sister.
07:57 I am very saddened by the loss of my sister.
08:01 Samuel Akwe Alute is the only child of my sister.
08:06 The fishes were not at sea of their own accord.
08:09 Elders asked them to go as part of the homework preparations.
08:14 A letter was earlier sent to the authorities
08:16 due to the enforcement of the closed season.
08:20 We want those behind this callous act to know that
08:23 they have bitten more than they can chew.
08:26 I am very saddened by the loss of my sister.
08:29 I am very saddened by the loss of my sister.
08:33 Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive,
08:36 Yohane Amashite assured the brief families that
08:39 a committee has been formed to investigate the matter
08:41 and help punish those found responsible
08:44 for the death of the two fishes.
08:46 The committee has been formed
08:49 to investigate the matter and help punish those found responsible
08:53 for the death of the two fishes.
08:56 The committee has been formed to investigate the matter and help punish those found responsible
08:58 We as MESEC will visit the family again
09:04 and are ready to assist in the preparations
09:07 for the burial of the deceased fishes.
09:10 We will also provide financial support in that regard.
09:16 We will also provide financial support in that regard.
09:25 The families have told the council
09:29 to help bring finality to the matter
09:31 as the incident at sea has infuriated the youth in the community.
09:35 Kwame Yankesh reports for JOY News.
09:42 Managers of the Akusi prisons are calling for the expansion of their facility
09:46 to ease congestion.
09:48 The second-in-command in charge of operations and intelligence,
09:52 ASP Zakari Idrisu, says the situation is having a toll on the operation.
09:57 He made the call when the Christ Hoped for Hopeless Foundation
10:01 in collaboration with Regional Brains Council,
10:04 festered the prisons to give skills training to inmates
10:08 and donated some items to them.
10:10 There's more in the following report.
10:13 The Akusi prisons, like many other prison facilities in Ghana,
10:17 faces a plethora of challenges.
10:20 The facility that has a capacity of about 150 currently houses about 247 inmates.
10:26 Officers at the facility say the situation,
10:29 coupled with the inadequate feeding fee,
10:31 is having a toll on the operation of the facility.
10:35 The outrage by the Christ Hoped for the Hopeless Foundation
10:38 and the Regional Brains Council is to equip the inmates
10:41 with skills to help them fit into society after serving their sentences.
10:46 The inmates were given training on manufacturing liquid soap,
10:49 bath soap, washing powder, ointment, weedicide, among others.
10:54 ASP Zakari Idrisu is the second-in-command of the operations
10:58 and intelligence of the Akusi prisons.
11:01 We are really blessed today to have these people
11:04 who came here today to donate this item to us.
11:07 In fact, this will go a long way to supplement our ration that we give to inmates.
11:13 We have a lot of challenges.
11:15 One I'll talk about is our ration.
11:18 Our ration, in fact, is nothing to write home about.
11:22 Every prisoner is being marked once in 80 pesos a day,
11:28 which is not, when you look at it in today's terms, which is not sustainable.
11:34 So our challenge is the feeding.
11:37 We also have a problem with bedding, where they sleep.
11:40 The prisons are overcrowded.
11:42 If we have the opportunity of expanding the prisons,
11:45 it will be relevant in the way we can take care of them.
11:50 And also, we have a lot of activities,
11:55 trade, vocational training for these inmates,
11:58 but we don't have equipment.
12:00 So if we have people that can donate equipment for us
12:03 so that we can rehabilitate these people and also train them
12:07 and reintegrate them purposely back to society,
12:10 it will go a long way to help us.
12:12 So they should help us in their feeding, their bedding,
12:15 and also the trade, the vocational skills.
12:17 We need equipment for these inmates.
12:20 The nurse in charge of the prison's infirmary, Sergeant Yvonne Akomene,
12:24 also bemoaned the lack of proper infirmary infrastructure,
12:28 logistics and drugs in the prisons.
12:30 She says this is affecting the delivery of quality primary health care to the inmates.
12:35 So what we normally do is that we treat the minor cases
12:39 and we refer the major cases.
12:41 But we have a lot of problems or issues here.
12:45 Number one is the space.
12:48 If I'm to take you to the infirmary,
12:49 you realize that the infirmary is just a small space
12:53 and it has two bed capacity.
12:56 So normally we don't even detain because the place is small.
13:00 Number two, we are lacking drugs.
13:02 We don't have drugs.
13:04 What we do is that we solicit for drugs from philanthropists and NGOs.
13:09 They help us in the drugs that they use.
13:13 Because we have an overcrowded place,
13:17 when there is an outbreak of chicken pox,
13:20 it affects both inmates and the officers because the space is small.
13:24 Founder of the Christ's Hope for the Hopeless Foundation,
13:27 Reverend Frederick Bwa, she says the gesture
13:30 forms part of the organization's move to empower inmates
13:33 to enable them to live life after the prisons.
13:35 In prison, Jesus said,
13:37 "I was in prison and you did not visit me.
13:40 I was hungry, you did not feed me.
13:43 I was naked and you did not include me."
13:45 And the Christians or the righteous will say,
13:47 "Ah, when did we see you in prison?"
13:49 So when the Lord said this thing to me,
13:52 I was so much inspired.
13:53 Most especially if God sent you,
13:55 you don't need to say, "I will not go."
13:57 And we carry this assignment for many years now.
14:00 Though there are a lot of challenges that we do encounter,
14:03 but because God is in it,
14:05 when we encounter the challenge, we go back to God
14:07 and He always gives us a solution.
14:09 I will advise society that they are humans,
14:13 and to err is a human.
14:15 And what they have gone through, we shouldn't reject them.
14:19 We should accept that if God, who made the heavens and earth,
14:22 will care for them, how much more you and I as a human.
14:26 So we need to just accept them into society
14:29 and do the needful.
14:30 Whatever we can do to contribute to their well-being,
14:33 we should be able to do that.
14:35 - Prince Kwame Nkudu guest reports, right to you.
14:37 - Let's head now to the Bune East region
14:42 where the regional director
14:43 of the National Health Insurance Authority,
14:46 George Opon-Dakwa, has revealed that the region
14:49 has witnessed an increase in its active membership
14:53 for the past year.
14:54 The development, which according to him,
14:56 is as a result of the authority's digitization drive,
15:00 which has brought a positive step
15:04 towards helping the country
15:05 to achieve universal health coverage.
15:07 By 2023, he made the disclosure
15:10 during the media review meeting
15:12 of the NHRA head held in Techiman.
15:17 And our summit has more in this report.
15:20 - Following a move to digitize the registration process
15:24 of the National Health Insurance Scheme,
15:26 the Bune East region has witnessed an increase
15:29 in its active membership over the past couple of years.
15:32 This was revealed during the media review meeting
15:35 of the authority held in the Techiman municipality.
15:38 Regional director of the NHRA, George Opon-Dakwa,
15:41 who disclosed this to JOYNews,
15:42 noted that the development is a positive step
15:45 towards helping achieve universal health coverage
15:48 by the year 2030.
15:50 - For Bune East, anything health insurance,
15:52 we attach serious attention to it.
15:55 So from even what you witnessed this morning,
16:00 mobile renewal, we have about 70.9%
16:06 as our achievement for the mid-year.
16:12 And individually, Techiman even had about 80 something,
16:16 89 points, almost 90% per their performance
16:21 for the mid-year.
16:24 So we have made serious announcements on mobile renewal.
16:29 And as I told you, our people have understood
16:38 the mobile renewal concept and they are using it.
16:41 And that's why Techiman office in particular,
16:46 every year they keep on either first or second nationwide.
16:50 And Bune East, two years now,
16:53 we have been also doing excellently well
16:56 in terms of mobile renewal.
16:57 So in terms of mobile renewal,
16:59 we have educated, well-educated our people
17:01 and they are using it.
17:03 - He was however quick to note that with the establishment
17:05 of a new regional office complex,
17:07 coupled the provision of vehicles
17:09 to facilitate the movement of its staff,
17:11 the region is working towards ensuring
17:13 that it achieve its targets by the end of the year.
17:16 - By the grace of God and the government
17:21 and our management, they have promised us
17:25 with very nice edifice, our regional office.
17:29 Now we are not patching with the Techiman dispatch office
17:31 again, we have our own very beautiful office complex.
17:36 And also we have vehicles to support our people
17:41 to support our operations.
17:43 All the material that we need
17:46 to support our operations head office,
17:49 they have given to us.
17:50 We have computers, we have ID cards,
17:53 we have all the BMS materials to support our work.
17:58 And as you are all aware, we have resolved
18:03 that by the close of the year, we will achieve our targets.
18:08 - George Opondangwa however disclosed
18:10 that the authorities working towards ensuring
18:12 that the issue of co-payment and the illegal extortion
18:15 of monies by some service providers are curtailed.
18:18 - We applaud our chief executive.
18:21 He has established what we call a co-payment committee.
18:25 We have the national co-payment committee,
18:27 we have the regional ones and we have the district ones,
18:30 which are also doing their best to resolve all these issues.
18:36 And recently we released the money to pay our facilities
18:41 up to January, 2023.
18:46 And tariffs too have been increased.
18:51 So authority is doing everything possible
18:54 to curb this challenge of co-payments.
18:58 - The region is currently 11th
19:01 on the national active performance chart
19:03 after securing 70.3% of its target
19:06 for the second quarter of the year.
19:08 Anna Sabit, Joy News, Tichiman.
19:12 - Well, a study conducted
19:17 by the Hepatitis Foundation of Ghana has shown
19:20 that there are more people living with the condition
19:23 in Northern Ghana compared to the southern part
19:26 of the country.
19:27 Director of the foundation, Chiobald Owusu-Ansah said,
19:31 "The condition is however not a death sentence.
19:34 "So persons diagnosed with the disease
19:36 "should have veiled themselves for proper medical care."
19:39 He made this known during a screening exercise
19:42 in Tamale organized in partnership
19:45 with Drive for Health Foundation
19:47 and the Ghana Health Service in a bid
19:48 to sensitize the populace and to encourage them
19:52 to adopt healthy lifestyles.
19:54 - This year's World Hepatitis Day was under the theme,
19:59 One Life, One Liver.
20:01 It highlighted the importance of the liver
20:03 for a healthy life and the need to scale up
20:06 viral hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment
20:10 to optimize liver health, prevent liver disease
20:13 and achieve 2030 hepatitis elimination goal.
20:18 Mr. Owusu-Ansah says, "Even in Kumasi
20:21 "where the screening was done last year,
20:23 "about 10% of those who tested positive came from the north."
20:28 - So after the study, we noticed that the prevalent rate
20:31 in the south northern part of Ghana is high.
20:34 So that brought us there.
20:35 Okay, this year, last year, we celebrated
20:38 the World Hepatitis Day in Kumasi.
20:40 So we said, "Why don't you bring it here
20:42 "to celebrate the day with the people of Tamale?"
20:46 We grouped there into zones,
20:48 like the southern zone and the northern zone.
20:50 And the northern zone is Kumasi, from Kumasi going in.
20:54 Last year, when we did the screening in Kumasi,
20:58 by 10 o'clock a.m., now we have gotten
21:01 about 20 people testing positive for hepatitis B.
21:06 And after the study, we could see that
21:12 majority of people who are living with hepatitis B
21:15 is from this area, about 10% from this area.
21:19 And when we go to like the upper west,
21:22 hepatitis C is 12% in upper west.
21:24 Yes, hepatitis B and C is not a death sentence.
21:28 If you tested positive today, there is still hope.
21:32 And if you tested negative, you have to be vaccinated.
21:35 So hepatitis B and C is not a death sentence.
21:38 There is a cure for hepatitis C.
21:40 And good news is that Ghana government
21:42 is offering free treatment
21:44 for all people who are living with hepatitis C.
21:46 But hepatitis B, there is no treatment now.
21:49 There is no free treatment now, but there is treatment.
21:52 And hepatitis B is manageable.
21:54 - The executive director for Drive for Health Foundation
21:57 Ghana, Sooglu Damascus on his past,
22:00 raised concerns over the continuous stigmatization
22:03 of people who have been diagnosed with hepatitis.
22:07 - The major issue we have is the stigma.
22:10 Stigma is one big issue that we have.
22:12 And we think that it has to do with,
22:14 it all boils down to lack of education.
22:16 So that's one thing we do best, we try to do best.
22:19 And this morning, we're just engaging the community
22:22 to tell them more about viral hepatitis
22:25 and the importance of knowing their individual status.
22:30 - The assembly man for Lamashiegu South,
22:32 Masuru Issa on his past said,
22:35 the screening will help the people of the area
22:39 know their status and also know about the disease.
22:42 - As they say in groups, health first.
22:45 If you are not healthy, you cannot work.
22:47 You cannot do anything.
22:49 So I'm very, very excited that this exercise
22:52 is taking place in my community.
22:54 Because most of the people in the community
22:55 will get to know their status.
22:57 And then also be able to have some education
23:00 on hepatitis B and C,
23:02 and how to prevent themselves from getting the disease.
23:05 So I'm very, very excited.
23:07 - From up north, let's head now to the Ashanti region.
23:13 Pipe-borne water uses within the Pramsu water supply area
23:17 in the Busumtri district of the Ashanti region
23:20 are grappling with contamination of their source of water
23:23 due to iron particle deposits.
23:26 For over a decade, water supply in the community
23:30 has been heavily polluted with iron residues
23:33 with no established source of the contamination.
23:37 The water treatment station has incurred huge financial losses
23:41 in their efforts to resolve the challenge
23:43 by periodic flushing of pipelines.
23:46 Emmanuel Bright-Kweko has been following this development
23:49 and filed this report.
23:51 - During deliberations at a second learning forum
23:53 of the Network of Community Water Services, NETCOAS,
23:57 it emerged that the Pramsu community continues
24:00 to battle iron water contamination,
24:04 with most households unable to consume their water.
24:08 The community's initial underground water source,
24:10 built in 2005, was shut down nearly six years ago
24:15 after a new source was constructed to help the situation,
24:19 but the problem persists.
24:21 Isaac Amankwa, a systems manager
24:23 for the Pramsu water supply area.
24:25 - A Pramsu water system is actually facing some challenges
24:30 on iron content in our water.
24:31 It's high when there's no water running through the pipelines.
24:39 We go for a water test at Ghana Water Company
24:45 to test, to see the content of iron,
24:48 if we can still use it,
24:50 or we have to shut the system down.
24:52 But from the various tests that we've conducted,
24:57 it seems the iron content is usable,
24:59 so we are able to use the water.
25:02 But the iron content is not automatically out the water.
25:07 We have no intention of changing the,
25:11 because we've drilled two boreholes.
25:13 Each of them has iron content in it,
25:15 so there's a possibility that when you drill another,
25:18 you get the same.
25:19 - Managers at the water station develop strategies
25:22 to flash water lines occasionally
25:24 to reduce the chemical concentration to various households.
25:27 Although a significant amount of the contamination
25:30 is decreased through the process,
25:32 this interim solution is rather overburdening
25:35 the water station with huge electricity costs.
25:38 - It's high when there's no water running
25:42 through the pipe lines.
25:44 But after some times,
25:46 then we get water passing through the pipe connection lines
25:51 for about two hours,
25:54 then the iron stain settles.
25:57 We have to let the system,
25:59 or the pump machine stays on for a long time,
26:03 because when you shut the machines off
26:06 and there's no water being pumped into the lines,
26:10 then the pipelines becomes dry
26:13 for the iron content to be high again.
26:16 So it's costing the system too much.
26:19 - Experts indicates that huge sums of money
26:22 are required for the water treatment.
26:24 Lecturer at the planning department of KNUST,
26:27 Professor Imoro Braima,
26:29 however, suggests immediate local solution
26:32 to prevent foreseeable health consequences.
26:35 - The technology is available to remove the iron
26:38 from the water systems,
26:40 but it's a little bit expensive.
26:43 There are also trials.
26:47 I know within the university,
26:48 some people are doing trials.
26:51 So that is the area where maybe government can come
26:54 together with the research institutions
26:56 so that we together find ways of removing the iron content
27:01 at a very cheap, affordable price.
27:06 - NETCOAS, through its water supply
27:08 and sustainability improvement program,
27:10 is providing support to rural town piped water services.
27:14 President of the association,
27:16 Mpubuhine Nana Owusu-Sapom,
27:18 indicated the group is putting in place measures
27:21 to procure an iron removal machinery.
27:24 - We are with our sponsors, the Aquaphor,
27:28 we're planning to build the iron removal plant
27:33 so that communities that have got higher iron content
27:38 in them, we can go and help them.
27:40 Moreover, that's why we are setting up a capital account
27:44 for every community.
27:47 So through that, we can lend them loans
27:50 to buy whatever chemicals they need for the iron removal.
27:52 - For the time being, water users would have to resort
27:56 to other domestic uses of the water source than consumption.
28:00 For Joy News, my name is Emmanuel Bridequick.
28:03 (water splashing)
28:05 - Now, the Joy News Impact Makers Awardee,
28:09 Mrs. Ellen Wai-Tupuku, has rolled out a project
28:12 set to provide employable vocational skills training
28:16 to empower and enhance the socioeconomic livelihood
28:20 of 2,800 final year junior high school girls
28:24 in the Tachiman municipality.
28:26 The livelihood empowerment program, according to Ellen,
28:29 is to, among other things, help reduce teenage pregnancies
28:32 in the community.
28:34 There's more in this report.
28:36 - Young girls in most rural settings want to earn
28:44 an education but struggle to stay in school
28:46 once they hit puberty, and predatory men take advantage
28:50 of the situation to offer some paltry sums of monies
28:53 to these vulnerable girls so they can afford school
28:56 or sanitary supplies.
28:58 These men, who expect favors in return, end up sleeping
29:01 and impregnating these vulnerable girls at the end.
29:05 To help address these worrying manners,
29:06 particularly amongst junior high school girls,
29:09 Mrs. Ellen Wai-Tupuku,
29:11 Tachiman Municipal Girl Child Coordinator
29:13 and Joy News Impact Makers Awardee,
29:16 is instituting an initiative to help provide skills training
29:19 to all final year girls at the junior high school level
29:22 across the Tachiman municipality of the Bono East region.
29:25 - We are here today to empower our girls
29:29 through skills training.
29:31 This is as a result of some of the cases or issues
29:37 after writing BEC.
29:42 We have realized that a lot of them become pregnant
29:45 after writing BEC, simply because they are not able
29:49 to cater or their basic needs are not met.
29:54 - Ellen, who was motivated by a support she once offered
29:57 to a needy girl by providing her with a skill training,
30:00 is optimistic that the training would go a long way
30:03 to help empower these girls in diverse ways after school.
30:07 - I was touched by one of our girls,
30:10 one of our needy girls, who came to me for support.
30:14 And at the end of the day,
30:15 I was able to introduce her to a friend.
30:18 And so a friend taught her pace piece.
30:20 And she was able to go home
30:23 and teach her mother and her siblings.
30:25 And as we speak now, the girl tells me,
30:27 "Madam, my mother has a small kiosk where she sells pie
30:31 and donuts and other things with ice cream cake
30:35 and other things.
30:36 And because of that, she doesn't need us so much again."
30:38 But before then, she was coming to me all the time
30:41 for her basic needs.
30:43 And so I think this will go a long way to help our girls.
30:46 - The project which is being executed
30:48 with the aid of the Girls Support Movement
30:50 is to, amongst other things, help get these girls engaged
30:54 as they stay home for months awaiting their BEC results.
30:58 Joyce Kunolu-Aidan is the Executive Director
31:00 of the Girls Support Movement.
31:02 - As an organization as a whole,
31:04 we expect these girls who are currently going
31:07 to write their BEC, their final year students,
31:10 not only to go home with their academic knowledge,
31:12 but go home with skills that can keep them busy.
31:15 Because as they are going home,
31:16 they have a lot of time on their hands,
31:19 especially when their schools are not out
31:21 for them to go out to school.
31:23 So they have a lot of time on their hands
31:25 and they'll be involved in a lot of activities.
31:28 So they can start doing this.
31:29 - She also noted that there is a move
31:31 to set up a skills training center in the area for girls
31:35 to help them acquire skills training
31:37 during their leisure hours.
31:39 - We are looking forward to set up a center
31:41 which has all the tools and ingredients.
31:43 So they just pack up themselves,
31:45 like they go to the library to read.
31:46 Everything is provided at the center
31:49 where whatever they have practiced there,
31:50 they will go and then practice more to be perfect.
31:54 If they wish to be set up
31:55 or do something little aside their education,
31:58 we are ready to support them.
32:00 - Some of the beneficiaries have been sharing with us
32:03 what they intend doing with their acquired skills
32:05 after the training.
32:06 - At the end of the girls empowerment project,
32:10 self-making, I'm going to learn a lot.
32:12 And as a student, I need some money to pay for my education.
32:18 And with the help of the girls empowerment project,
32:21 I've learned how to make these machines
32:25 to bleach and power them.
32:28 And I can employ it very easily.
32:32 I am very enthused for taking part in this skills training.
32:36 In fact, I really benefit a lot from this training.
32:40 After I complete my JHA school,
32:42 I'll make a bleach and sell to support my parents.
32:47 - They expressed thanks to the organizers
32:48 of the training session,
32:49 particularly Joy News Impact Makers awardee,
32:52 Ellen White Opoku.
32:54 - May God bless the educational service.
32:57 I'm very, very thankful to them
32:59 for the care and support for this training.
33:01 And Madam Ellen White,
33:03 may God bless her abundantly.
33:06 - Mrs. Ellen further called on stakeholders
33:08 in the education sector
33:09 to help partner the Girls Sustainable Development Program
33:12 to help reach out to more girls across the municipality.
33:15 - We need support, we need financial support.
33:18 It's not easy.
33:19 Look at the number here.
33:20 We have more than 2,800 girls.
33:24 We need support to extend this all important project
33:29 to the other girls in the municipality.
33:31 So we need support,
33:32 all stakeholders to come on board.
33:35 Philanthropists, we need support, please.
33:38 - Anna Sabit, Joy News, Tichiman.
33:44 - Well, Chairman of Ghana's Hajj Board, Ben Abdalabanda,
33:48 says the board has commenced preparations
33:51 towards improving the 2024 Hajj exercise.
33:55 He's optimistic the early arrangement
33:57 will help deal with a number of hiccups
33:59 encountered in this year's Hajj organization.
34:02 This comes following the safe return
34:05 of the final batch of over 4,000 Guinean pilgrims
34:08 who traveled to Saudi Arabia
34:10 to partake in this year's Hajj.
34:12 According to Ben Abdalabanda,
34:14 this year's pilgrimage has been successful.
34:17 Anna Sabit, once again with more.
34:19 - Hajj pilgrims filled with both tears and smiles
34:24 left Mecca for their respective homes
34:27 after completing the final ritual of the Hajj pilgrimage,
34:30 leaving behind cherished memories and strengthened faith.
34:34 Here in Ghana at Hajj Village,
34:36 these people eager to see the return of their families
34:40 who were on board the last batch
34:42 of the over 4,000 pilgrims who traveled to Saudi Arabia
34:45 for Hajj, waited patiently for their arrival.
34:49 It's 11 p.m. and at last,
34:51 these pilgrims touched down
34:52 at the Kutuka International Airport.
34:55 The visibly exhausted pilgrims were welcomed
34:58 by members of the Hajj Board
34:59 and some cheerful family and friends
35:01 back to the Hajj Village,
35:03 where they wait to finalize their travel plans
35:05 back to their respective homes.
35:08 Chairman of the Ghana Hajj Board, Ben Abdalabanda,
35:11 thanked the government and stakeholders
35:13 for their unflinching support
35:14 in making this year's Hajj a success.
35:17 - Today, the final flight
35:20 that airlifted the final batch of our pilgrims
35:27 has just landed.
35:28 Myself and Aziz Futra
35:31 and our third national vice chairperson,
35:34 Alaji Masawud, who are members of the Ghana Hajj Board
35:39 and some other members here present,
35:42 were here to receive our pilgrims.
35:46 I mean, it's a land cave for all of us.
35:51 So let me seize this opportunity
35:53 to thank the president, his excellency,
35:55 and I now thank you, Mr. President,
35:57 for first of all, reposing this confidence in us.
36:00 And of course, the vice president
36:02 has also been very instrumental
36:06 in this whole Hajj affair
36:08 by giving us from time to time pieces of advice.
36:12 - He asked that the preparations
36:14 towards a smooth 2024 Hajj pilgrimage is already underway
36:18 as the board seeks to commence its activities early
36:20 in order to have a smooth Hajj
36:22 and return on an early date.
36:25 - Next year, it's just at the corner.
36:27 Insha Allah, it is being equal.
36:28 Next year's Hajj will begin in September.
36:32 So we are in July.
36:34 Next month is August.
36:36 In September, they are going to start
36:38 the preparatory grounds
36:40 for the taking off of next year's Hajj.
36:42 So we are also going to ready ourselves,
36:45 get ourselves and do the necessary meetings
36:48 and make sure that we leave early,
36:52 get to Medina early,
36:53 and finish our program in Makka early
36:57 and also leave Makka early.
36:59 - Aladji Masoud Osman is a member of the Hajj Board.
37:02 He's optimistic that the board would institute measures
37:04 from the experience they garnered this year
37:07 to help improve the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage.
37:10 - We take that experience after seeing where we sleep.
37:15 We tour all, you know, and see other countries
37:18 where they sleep.
37:20 We have seen better places of some countries
37:22 where they sleep, so we interact with them
37:25 and see how do they come by getting this better place.
37:28 So we have much, much experience.
37:31 Taking that by next year, insha Allah,
37:33 we will give our pilgrimage the best reception,
37:37 the best of feeding, and the best of transportation,
37:41 maybe from Makka to Medina.
37:43 - Some of the agents who facilitated the processes
37:46 of the Hajj pilgrimage commended the overall organizers
37:48 of the exercise and expressed their joy
37:51 for the successful airlifting of pilgrims back home.
37:55 - I want to commend all the Hajj Board shamans
37:57 that I have worked with,
37:59 Al-Hajj Ben Abdullah and Executive Secretary Fahouf.
38:02 I want to commend them for their good work done,
38:05 and I want to commend, you know,
38:07 the Hajj Committee for this year,
38:08 and we expect them to do even much better than this year.
38:11 (speaking in foreign language)
38:31 - Sheikh Isa Abdullah is a member of the Ulama Committee
38:33 that provided guidance to the pilgrims
38:35 throughout their Hajj journey.
38:37 He admonishes them to strive towards
38:40 leading a much pious life to show that their journey
38:43 to Mecca has impacted them positively.
38:46 - This is a humble message to my dear pilgrims,
38:49 al-Hajjis and the hajjis,
38:51 that in the first place, we must fear Almighty Allah.
38:55 We must fear Almighty Allah.
38:56 Number two, we must show that we have changed
39:00 to the positive aspect.
39:03 People should see the change in us,
39:05 that, oh, this person has gone to Hajj,
39:08 and we have seen positive change in him.
39:10 - Hajja Musliha Mohammed, on her part,
39:12 cautions will-be pilgrims to desist
39:15 from embarking on the Hajj pilgrimage
39:16 by dealing with unapproved agents
39:18 who leave them stranded in Saudi Arabia.
39:21 (speaking in foreign language)
39:25 - The people of Saudi Arabia, the United States,
39:28 they feed us to them, but compared to those who went to us,
39:33 back then and go, I realize that this thing is too much,
39:38 too high, it's too serious.
39:41 Our own, we must feed him, not go there.
39:46 Whenever the refugees come into you,
39:49 you have someone who is right, who is kind,
39:53 who is a good man for them, they are like their own.
39:58 - Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam,
40:01 enjoys every Muslim who can afford
40:03 and is physically fit to embark on the pilgrimage
40:06 at least once in their lifetime.
40:08 Anna Sabit, Joy News, Accra.
40:13 - We're taking a break.
40:19 We'll be back with Business Tuesday.
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40:47 - Thanks for staying with us.
40:52 You're still watching Joy Newsroom.
40:54 It's time now for Business Economist.
40:56 At the University of Ghana Business School,
40:58 Dr. Patrick Esumain is acting government to go heavy
41:03 on the extractive sector in its mid-year budget review.
41:07 According to him, government should explore diverse ways
41:10 of streamlining the activities of the sector
41:13 to rake in more revenue domestically.
41:16 - We've seen one of the new taxes that were introduced
41:22 have something on that.
41:24 But I mean, we are definitely not getting enough revenue
41:26 from the extraction.
41:27 But ultimately, we shouldn't only look
41:30 in terms of the revenue side.
41:32 We should look at how we use the extractives to build,
41:36 connect the extractive to other sectors of the economy,
41:39 see how we can do more processing of some of our minerals
41:43 and gain more value from the extraction,
41:46 and not just focus on raising more revenue
41:48 from the extractive sector.
41:50 You said that we needed both,
41:52 because I mean, the current debts that we have
41:55 that we cannot pay, it's just not sustainable.
41:57 We have to do something.
41:59 But it's also important that we just don't restructure
42:02 and refuse to address the underlying problem.
42:04 There are clear issues with the way
42:06 we've managed our cocoa sector.
42:08 It's a very important sector for the economy,
42:10 but unfortunately, some of the things that have happened,
42:13 after several years of doing the cocoa syndicated loan,
42:17 we should have been in a better position than now.
42:19 So yes, the cocoa bills, the debt exchange
42:24 we are doing around that will give us some temporary relief.
42:26 But if we don't plug the hole,
42:28 if we don't improve the way we are managing
42:31 the cocoa sector, then you end up back here again.
42:34 So I think it's important that we do both.
42:37 - We're taking a quick breather.
42:38 We'll be back with sports this day.
42:40 (upbeat music)
42:44 And that's it for the Bulletin.
42:53 You can also go to myjoyonline.com for more news.
42:56 My name is Faustina Safo.
42:58 Have a pleasant day as you enjoy the rest of our program.
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