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NewsTranscript
00:00 Hello there, this is Newsdesk. I'm Bernice Abubaydu-Lanza. Top stories this hour, former president John Dramani-Mahama blames religious leaders for Ghana's economic woes.
00:11 We've got more as flag bearers of the governing New Patriotic Party and opposition National Democratic Congress hit the road in thank you tours.
00:29 Also coming up motorists who use the Thema motorway worried about the absence of crash barriers.
00:37 We've got details of these plus some business news in this package. Kindly stay for details.
00:46 It's a pleasure to have you here. Thank you so much for joining me on this edition of Newsdesk.
00:52 We are live around the world via myjoyonline.com on DSTVGO TV and also on YouTube at Newsdesk.
00:58 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
01:04 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
01:11 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
01:19 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
01:25 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
01:32 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
01:39 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
01:47 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
01:53 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
02:00 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
02:07 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
02:15 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
02:21 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
02:28 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
02:35 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
02:43 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
02:49 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
02:56 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
03:03 We are live in the studio with the host of this week's edition of Newsdesk.
03:11 The ruling government has admitted its inability to put the country on the right track.
03:17 The president himself in response to questions on the economy admitted it would take the next president to fix the country.
03:33 He has lost hope himself.
03:37 He has lost hope himself.
03:41 He has lost hope himself.
03:48 We know that the John Mahama administration is the government to fix the challenge.
03:54 I am President John Dramani Mahama.
04:00 The Building Ghana tour made a stop at Techiman magazine where a town hall meeting was organized to seek the concerns of the public for the NDC manifesto for 2024.
04:13 A national apprenticeship program campaign policy was preferred as a solution to challenges of apprenticeship raised in the meeting.
04:29 Skills training is one of the means of reviving the economy.
04:40 Even graduates will have to learn a skill.
04:43 Even if you want to travel abroad, it is easier to get a job as a skilled person.
04:49 No matter your qualification, you should learn a skill.
04:53 The National Apprenticeship Program is a way to help people in Ghana.
04:59 At Bankrum in the Kintampo North constituency, a donation was made to victims of the recent floods in the area.
05:06 The former president called on government to resource the National Disaster Management Organization for such purpose.
05:15 We are grateful to the NADMO for the donation.
05:23 We are grateful to the NADMO for the donation.
05:30 When we were in government, we released funds for the NADMO promptly for disaster management.
05:35 But this time when the floods happened, NADMO told us they haven't received funding for the last two years.
05:44 I will plead with government to fund NADMO to support disaster victims.
05:53 Vice President Dr. Mahmoud Bamiya has criticized former president John Mahama for what he says are empty promises to Ghanians in the former president's quest to return to power.
06:13 Dr. Bamiya contends that former president lacks thorough understanding of his own policies, particularly the 24-hour economy initiative.
06:23 Samuel Mbura reports.
06:26 [Dr. Bamiya speaking]
06:49 The former president was warmly welcomed by enthusiastic party supporters during his homecoming tour in his native region, northeast.
06:56 His visit included a courtesy call on the overlord of the Mampuruku Kingdom in Nalirigu, followed by a grand rally in Tamale, the northern regional capital.
07:06 Notable party figures including the MPP national chairman, majority leader, and the entire northern MPP MPs caucus joined him.
07:17 The party leaders addressed the supporters, expressed surprise at the campaign messages of NDC flag bearer John Mahama.
07:24 [John Mahama speaking]
07:47 He particularly criticized his understanding of the 24-hour economy policy.
07:53 [John Mahama speaking]
08:22 While highlighting his own achievements, as vice president, Dr. Bamiya challenged Mahama to present a single idea from his tenure as vice president.
08:41 [John Mahama speaking]
09:03 The party leaders, majority leader, Osechi Mensabonsu, asserted that Dr. Bamiya is pivotal to reshaping the economy, a reason all of them are supportive.
09:14 [Osechi Mensabonsu speaking]
09:34 The MP for Lansing Natural Resources and MP for Damangu, Samo, Abuja, Napa also emphasized that Dr. Bamiya's selection to lead the MPP is based on his integrity, not because he is a Nodna.
09:49 [Dr. Bamiya speaking]
10:14 The vice president's homecoming tour will extend to Yendi, Bimbila and Damangu in the Savannah region later in the day.
10:22 Samuel Mbura, JOY News, Tamale.
10:26 [SAMUEL MBURA]
10:31 So you've heard our reporters on ground with these two flag bearers of the governing New Patriotic Party and the opposition in NDC.
10:42 We're joined by Samuel Mbura who is still with the vice president's team. Samuel, where has the team reached now? What are we expecting today in the vice president's itinerary?
10:54 [Samuel Mbura speaking]
11:15 Hello Samuel, if you can hear me, it's very difficult to hear what you're saying. Your voice is being drowned. I perceive there's a ceremony happening as you're speaking to us.
11:26 If you can find a much quieter place so that we can hear what you're saying. While we try and work on Samuel Mbura's line, you've heard from these two flag bearers.
11:38 We've heard from former president Mahama who is saying that politicians must not be the only ones blamed for the country's economic woes. He's blaming religious leaders and some others.
11:50 And then we've heard from Dr. Balmia who says that the former president has no message and doesn't even understand his own policies that he's touting as part of his campaign.
12:00 We've had a lot of analysis on this. Political scientist Dr. Kwame Asa Sante joins us for more. It's a pleasure to have you here.
12:06 First of your impressions, we've already hit the ground running. These two individuals have started their campaign in earnest. They call it Thank You Toss but we all know what is geared at achieving.
12:20 Your quick impressions of the political activities we are seeing from these two currently.
12:26 I think that as you and I have observed, the campaign has just started. And they are gearing up. They are getting the business on a white and making sure that they ginger everybody for whatever they have for us.
12:48 We look forward to a campaign that is devoid of bickering, violence. We want to have issue driven campaigns so that we can interrogate the issues and then decide which of them is worthy of our leader.
13:07 So far, it is early days yet but I hope that we will be able to organize both these campaigns and then it will be issue based.
13:18 So far, are you impressed with the messages we are hearing from these two politicians? Are you hearing the issue based conversations you are hoping to hear?
13:32 You are getting bits and pieces but I will pardon them in the sense that the campaign has not fully started. So I'm sure for now, what we are doing is to get all their acts together and then launch the campaign in full swing.
13:50 So for now, I think we can forgive them but we believe that whatever it is, if they really want to get everybody along, they should begin to send a few of them out for us to know that they have something to send from the previous year and they are ready to deal with our problems head on.
14:11 These two have one thing in common which is that they have both served the country both as vice presidents and for Mr. Dhramani Mahama as president also.
14:24 So there is going to be a play up of who has done what during their tenure and we have already seen Dr. Baumea playing along those lines. He, for example, is asking or throwing a challenge to former president Mahama to tell us what ideas he came up with when he was vice president.
14:43 He also talks about the fact that the president doesn't understand some of the policies he is touting now and he is speaking as though he didn't have an opportunity to serve us.
14:56 During the build up to the elections for the flat bearer of the NPP, there were those who came strongly at Dr. Baumea saying that his influence in this particular government and what we are seeing currently with our economy will affect him badly.
15:15 Do you think that he playing up this card is a shot in his own foot?
15:21 Well, seriously speaking, whatever he is saying, he is just opening himself up for all manner of attacks and all that.
15:31 But if you look at it from the other perspective, you can also grant that. What do you expect him to say?
15:41 His influence is coming out strongly in terms of ideas and all that. He also must counter. But in all these things, what we do is that in campaign, you come out with a message that will really stand the test of time.
15:54 You can play propaganda. You can do all manner of things. You have to keep in mind that the people you are dealing with are the enemies.
16:07 And that will usher us into another realm, the realm of records. Remember that politics is a contest of ideas and a referendum of your work.
16:16 So you see people are now calling for ideas. Come out with the ideas that you have about the problems and solutions of this country.
16:23 And then people are also calling for the records. If you listen to the Vice President, all that you hear him point to the fact that tell us what you did, what you were in for.
16:34 And that will come up for discussion. And I believe that that will be the aim to usher a campaign to its full strength.
16:42 I hope and pray that they will move along this line and instead of their speaking to what Swipe and then Caracal have made.
16:53 We don't want that. We want real issues discussed. So I would propose that, look, we should, the media should be able to create a platform where they will be able to do what?
17:03 A live debate on the issue and let's see who is who. And then that will also give citizens the opportunity to interrogate the issues, assess the issues and at the end of the day make informed judgments about what to do.
17:18 I appreciate your time here this morning, Dr Kwame Asasanti is a political scientist at the University of Ghana.
17:26 We will be in touch with you as the campaign heats up. But let me go back to Samuel Mbura, who is with the vice president's team.
17:34 They are on a thank you tour in parts of the northern sector of the country.
17:39 Hello Mbura, if you can hear me now, just let us know where you are and what the vice president's itinerary is today.
17:48 Good morning, Berit. I'm with you live from Yendi, specifically the Yana Palace, where the vice president and his team are paying a courtesy call on him.
17:59 It actually started yesterday in the state prison, that is the state prison where he has a mommo, a couple of them.
18:08 And he's at the summit today with a mommo crowd in Tamale to address them. And that's where some of these issues of criticizing the former president,
18:19 I mean his policy and also talking about what he intends to do if he is given the mandate.
18:25 He has been reiterating the fact that he has his own path to catch if he is given the opportunity.
18:33 He has been telling around the economy, he has new ideas and ideas to ignore the empty promises by John Mahama and then rather focus on him.
18:41 Because he has the sacrifice, even as vice president, he has contributed his ideas towards the development of the Akupaloka government.
18:48 But the situation is not the same with John Mahama even at the time, he was the vice president.
18:53 So he's been challenging him to produce a single idea that he supported the president and the NDC government.
19:02 Today he would talk to or take a difficult on the Yana, Umatari Mahama in session.
19:09 And subsequently he would continue the talk to Simbila constituency, it's not quite far from here.
19:18 Simbila constituency is part of the party by the defense minister Dominic Nita, who is an NDC role.
19:24 And then the MP is Farouk Ali Mahama, the son of the former vice president of republic.
19:32 So he's been warmly welcomed here at the Yana palace and they are currently following the palatial procedure.
19:39 And he's been accompanied by the national chairman of the NDP, Simbila Yensuri-Sin.
19:45 We have Cham Ongyi, who is representing all the chairman across the country of the NDP.
19:51 We also have the bigwigs of the NDP, the northern NDP members are also on the society team.
19:57 Yesterday we had the majority leader of the NDP being part of the NDP, right now we are the third.
20:03 This is the most important activity we have to live and a host of candidates are coming.
20:07 So today the itinerary is actually packed.
20:10 After Jamangu, he will head towards the Savannah region where he would be addressing the people in the Savannah region.
20:20 And the main region is the home region of John Romani Mahama.
20:23 And the supporters are patiently waiting for him over there.
20:28 So I must say, the tour so far has been successful.
20:31 But one thing that has to do with the fact that throughout the tour, he has been using a bat to convey his speech.
20:42 We know in Ghana, the political rallies we have, the V8 cars moving around, in longer queues and all that.
20:51 But he is currently using the bat that you are seeing on my right to move around with his team.
20:57 The media was in the same bat with him there.
21:00 So he said he wants to calm down, explain it up in terms of his movement and his campaign.
21:07 And that needs to reflect in his campaign.
21:11 So, as a moment's finish, we are here to hear from the Yala what message he has for Dr Mahama Saumya for presenting himself
21:18 and thanking the people of the northern region for giving him the support to lead the MTC.
21:24 Yesterday, he already had the pleasure of the overall of the Mapu'in Kingdom, that is his home region.
21:36 He also conferred to him a chief justice title, a non-discrimination title, that is the title they have given him.
21:42 So we are waiting to hear from the Yala what he has to say and then we move to a topic of discussion.
21:50 Samango and Samoga. If you don't have further questions, I will hand you over back to the studio.
21:55 Right, Samuel, we'll leave it here for now.
21:58 That's Samuel Mbura who is travelling with the vice president team.
22:03 He is embarking on a thank you tour after being elected as flag bearer of the Governing New Patriotic Party.
22:08 Let's now touch base with the team of former president John Dramani Mahama.
22:14 My colleague Nanaiaw Jima is also monitoring the events closely and he has live details for us.
22:21 Hello, Nanaiaw. Where is the former president now and what does it look like today for him in terms of the people he is meeting and the agenda?
22:32 This morning the John Dramani Mahama campaign team moved from the Pudu East region to the African region
22:40 and immediately campaigning all the tour of the region have come in.
22:46 This is the wrap of the first phase of the Building Ghana tour of John Dramani Mahama.
22:55 So what he is doing is that he is listening to the people and that will feed into the manifesto of the National Democratic Congress for the 2024 election.
23:05 Just as he has been doing everywhere he goes, he needs some stakeholders to take their challenges.
23:15 The first place that he visited is the St. Joseph's College of Education at Peking and presently he is engaging with students and staff of the College of Education.
23:27 Opening this meeting was a statement from the Air South president of the school and he tabled some concerns before the John Dramani Mahama team.
23:41 What he is saying is that the school is challenged when it comes to infrastructure. There is infrastructure deficit here in the school.
23:48 He wants John Dramani Mahama to take note of that and if possible include that in the party manifesto how the party is going to solve this challenge when voted for in the next election.
24:03 He also raised concerns about the teacher licensure examination that has been prominent on the school.
24:12 What he said is that it is not fair for teachers after their four years training in the College of Education to sit for another exam before they qualify for a license as a teacher.
24:25 In response John Dramani Mahama said already there has been a promise to cancel the examination and replace it with an interview or another form of means that would be used to assess these training college students or these training teachers
24:51 to ensure that they are able to be granted the license that they require to practice as teachers.
24:56 From here the John Dramani Mahama team moves to the Becim town itself to engage with the people there.
25:04 There will be a town hall meeting where various stakeholders, economic groupings will be put together and their concerns will also be taken by the John Dramani Mahama team.
25:16 John Dramani Mahama will also get the opportunity to address them and assure them that the next NDC government will ensure that the concerns are well thought for the prosperity of the country.
25:30 So basically the team today will be touring various areas within the Ahafo region and it takes a two day tour to the Ahafo region.
25:43 Let's now hear a bit of what the former president is saying to staff and students of the college of education there.
25:52 To borrow them money to buy the cocoa crop for the next season and then when they ship the cocoa they pay back the syndicated loan.
26:03 When I was leaving in 2016 we went and took 1.8 billion dollars to buy cocoa. This year because of the economic crisis and because cocoa board is broke they cannot raise even 800 million.
26:17 And even as they are struggling to raise 800 million they want to use 300 million Ghana cedis to buy torch lights for farmers.
26:29 That cannot be a priority at this time. And so you need a government that will prioritize things.
26:37 One of the major problems you are facing, why infrastructure on your campuses is not going forward is because government has borrowed money against the Get Fund.
26:52 And so money that should have come into the Get Fund to pay contractors who are working on projects in your colleges and your secondary schools has been taken in advance through the 7 year Dache bond.
27:05 So currently the Get Fund has no money to pay contractors who are working on projects in your schools.
27:13 And so what we are saying is that the Dache bond should be added to the debt restructuring to free up the money to come into the Get Fund again so that we can build hostels for you, we can build classrooms for you, we can build dining halls for you, we can build administration blocks for you and put the infrastructure in place so that you can have a good learning experience in this college.
27:37 Thank you for staying on Newsdesk with me Bernice Abubidu-Lansa away from politics. Drivers and commuters flying the Akrad-Tamamotoway are asking relevant authorities to fix crash barriers on that stretch.
27:49 They say the absence of these barriers threaten their lives because they may fall in the drains, obviously while navigating the numerous potholes around these drains. Rejoice Semefa Besuhasmo.
28:04 To the on-train eye, it is a normal day on the Akrad-Tamamotoway. For months, the road has been deteriorating with some speed.
28:17 The speed limit on this stretch reads 90 km/h, but with the iron rods popping out in gaping holes on what was once Garner's Esprit Road, driving at 90 km/h could be suicidal.
28:32 Drivers have to drive at a tortoise pace in order to navigate the dangerous potholes. Apart from the dangers posed by these dangerous potholes, these drivers have other challenges to deal with on the road.
28:46 A number of the bridges on the motorway are without their protective metal railings, and for drivers, it adds to their fear.
28:55 Jerry Asamoah uses the motorway daily. He says the absence of the crash barriers adds to the already precarious situation they find themselves in whilst driving on the road.
29:21 The open drains on the road are dangerous. Imagine someone driving at speed from the roundabouts and losing control. They need to fix them with some iron crash barriers.
29:31 It's very dangerous.
29:36 If someone is driving at a speed of 80 km/h, they will be in danger. If they are driving at a speed of 90 km/h, they will be in danger.
29:51 Alex also uses the motorway. He fears the absence of crash barriers increases the risk level on the stretch and wants the defect to be fixed.
30:02 Some pedestrians are also concerned about the danger.
30:27 Although the government has plans to reconstruct the motorway, it is uncertain when the project will commence.
30:40 In the meantime, drivers want the road to be rehabilitated and the crash barriers to be fixed in order to make the motorway reclaim its lost glory as Ghana's number one express road network and make driving on it safe again.
30:57 Rejoice Semefakpe's report, read to you.
31:03 Let's now speak to Pearl J.C. who is the PR of the National Road Safety Authority.
31:10 Good morning for your time. Just straight to the point, would you like to know why this rather serious situation has been left unattended?
31:21 Alright, thank you very much. The name now is Pearl Sasekla.
31:26 Oh, thank you ma'am. Apologies for that.
31:31 In the mind of the engineer, the motorway does not need a crash barrier because it is a highway which does not need any crash barrier as it was primarily done.
31:54 But now that we all know and agree that the motorway has lost its usefulness, we have re-engaged them some time back and they have agreed to reclassify the motorway and do some development on it so that it will take back its lost glory.
32:17 But with the primary design, there was no crash barrier into it. So that is how it has been. But we all agree that it should be reclassified and redesigned to fit its purpose. So that's what they are on now.
32:34 I know that there were some works ongoing on the motorway which included demolishing the toll booths, fixing the street lights. This was supposed to be a part of it, right?
32:47 Yes, madam.
32:49 Okay, so why has it stalled? Why haven't they been fixed?
32:54 I cannot stand here as a Road Safety PR and give detailed reasons why it has been stopped. But we all know it's bordered around budgets. So I think I may have to contact them to give me detailed reasons why they stopped the development they started on the motorway.
33:16 Right, so as it speaks now, the Road Safety Authority doesn't know or doesn't have any information to share with us about when or how long motorists would have to wait before these life-saving interventions are put in place.
33:31 As I'm talking to you, currently we have engaged a multi-stakeholder meeting in which your reporter is duly here to cover, to now come and discord or think about, to discuss the pragmatic and practical way we can fix the street lights, including our traffic lights on our roads, including the motorway.
33:58 So all the experts are here from the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Urban Roads, all the concerned stakeholders, they are here. And so by the close of the day, we'll know the reasons why these street lights, these rehabilitations and developments have been stopped and the way forward.
34:18 And so by the close of the day, we'll have people who have been invited, they are directed, they are here to explain to us into details what has happened.
34:27 And so, possibly my final question to you, does it need to take a program like this before the National Road Safety Authority, which we depend on, okay, we the people believe that in the scheme of things, you are our advocate, you are the National Road Safety Authority, you have been given a mandate to ensure that our roads are safe.
34:49 Our mandate is where somebody's mandate.
34:56 I appreciate that. I appreciate that. My question is, should it take a meeting or an event like this before you get answers to these very pressing, urgent questions about why this has not been done?
35:11 Sometimes when you contact them, they may not give you all the details. The last time we contacted them, they said budgetary constraints. We don't need the details. And so, it's prudent we do it this way so that their presentations they will give us, our discussions that will go on will give us detailed information of what is happening.
35:33 We have various ways to do it, but this is one of the pragmatic way we know we'll be getting information from them, constant engagement with them. But today we are doing it, we are making it a national discourse. That's why we even invited the press to take it directly.
35:48 So, we've always been engaging them, we've been going one on one, but this time we're making it a national discourse. That's why the media has even been invited.
35:59 As we speak now, until that discourse ends, we are unable to get real timelines to when motorists will get some relief using the roads.
36:09 Getting to the end of the year, we will not leave any stone unturned for the appropriate agencies to do what they are supposed to do to curb crashes on our roads or to reduce its occurrence. And so, after this, we are going to sit with them one on one, press them more, make them adhere to all the standards and the mandates that they are supposed to adhere to.
36:34 And so, shortly, you will see changes. We were on the process of urban roads, and then they came to us privately that they've been able to gather some funds to repair the traffic lights. They started and they stopped. We went to them and the same story. So, today we'll get to know why the reasons they stopped fixing the non-functioning traffic lights. And so, you'll get to know by close of this. This is one of our strategies.
37:03 All right. And just as a reminder also, the railings that will protect people's vehicles from falling into the drains also need to be fixed. Thank you for your time, Pearl.
37:15 Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark is PRO of the National Road Safety Authority. She's not able to give us any concrete timelines to when this issue will be resolved. And especially for those of you who use that route every day, you'd have to endure this for a while. But we hope that the authorities and those responsible would give the needed attention this deserves.
37:41 And we can't wait. We can never tell the lives that are at risk of getting snuffed out as a result of this.
37:49 It's been five years since a trailer ran over five schoolgirls that are seen chicharre in the central region, killing them instantly. The girls, aged between 11 and 14, were all biological daughters of a 49-year-old carpenter. He says justice has eluded him because he's poor. He opened up at a remembrance event in Accra for victims of road accidents.
38:13 The girls, Eva, Vivian, Abigail, Emanuela and Lydia, were sent on an errand by their school teacher during break time. As they waited on the pavement to cross the road to fetch their teacher's items, a trailer ran over them, crashing and killing them instantly.
38:37 Our children went to school and the only news we got was that a trailer had crashed them to death.
38:44 It's been five years since the incident, but father of the deceased girls, Yawa Sari, says he's still traumatized by the incident, especially because no one appears to be interested in helping him get justice.
38:59 After their burial, all efforts to seek justice have proven futile. I have lost hope. Both the car owner and the driver are nowhere to be found.
39:24 The car was moved from where the incident happened after about a week, with no traces of the perpetrators.
39:30 The car was moved from where the incident happened after about a week, with no traces of the perpetrators.
39:39 The group of people who have been victims of road accidents at an event to vent his pain about not receiving justice. The event, organized by Accident Victims Support Ghana, an NGO, sought to raise 10 million Ghana cedis to support other road crash victims.
39:57 I couldn't do anything, I was just bedridden. I couldn't move around, but with the support of the wheelchair, it gave me relief. My dad is relieved. He doesn't carry me around anymore.
40:13 I can come out with the wheelchair and move around freely. I thank Accident Victims Support for the support they've given me. I'm very grateful. I want to appeal to everyone to help support the Accident Victims Support Foundation. They should support in any way they can.
40:35 Founder of Accident Victims Support Ghana, Reverend Cyril Crabbe, asks for support to help ease the pain of survivors and their families.
40:44 We all have to come to the table, find solutions, and part of the solution is to address it financially. You've heard the stories yourself. You can see how the victims are in dire need of financial support.
40:58 We want people to personalize the crash, personalize the plight of the victims, personalize the problems we are facing in the country, the crashes that can happen to you.
41:11 If you have the opportunity, what will you do? You have to support people who repair their cars. But how about repairing the human beings? How about making sure that somebody who never paid to be in such a position now finds himself there? The driver could be free, but what about the victim?
41:33 As we approach the Christmas season, just a quick reminder for all of us to stay safe on the roads, don't drink and drive. Remember that pedestrians are also road users and be patient with them if you are a driver.
41:46 Let's do some health-related stories now. Advocates are asking government to include neonatal health care in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
41:56 According to them, a child's first benefit from this state is the ability to live when they are born before the 40 weeks gestation period.
42:05 Denying them this could lead to their death. Currently documented as one of the leading causes of death among newborns, the advocates want government to increase funding for neonatal care as a means of ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years.
42:24 The government has requested to achieve the SDG target 3.2 by the end of 2023.
42:36 Mothers of preterm babies often have to stay in hospitals for as long as their babies receive care. This affects their finances and general well-being. Some are thrown into a state of despair, confusion and guilt.
42:54 Olivia Sakwa has been at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital for the past three weeks waiting for her third child born at 32 weeks to be discharged. The financial burden, she says, is draining. Reason why governmental support is needed.
43:13 If you, the mother, you've been discharged, it means you have no bed to sleep on. So you have to sit till daybreak so you can take care of your baby as well.
43:25 And aside that, buying drugs, going for labs, it also stresses us. So actually if the government can provide beds for mothers being taken care of premature babies.
43:42 Despite that, some mothers continue to live in denial about the situation of their babies. But Gloria Abaka, who delivered at 33 weeks, encourages her fellow mothers to give their best love to the children during these moments as that aids the growth of their babies.
44:03 I realized that when we love our children, when they are in this situation, they come out faster than we thought.
44:21 An NGO, African Foundation for Premature Babies and New Natal Care, occasionally supports these mothers through diverse means to alleviate their plight. Selena Bingtum has been leading this cause.
44:36 The cost of care in the NICU is expensive. The NHIS covers very little portion, probably less than 10%. And for the amount that it covers, it does not extend to essential parts of care, like medication that is expensive that the baby needs to survive.
44:55 It is not an excuse for a Ghanian, a baby, who is born Ghanian at that age, to die. Even if it's just one baby dying every year because of this, it is still not fair and we can't do more.
45:07 NAMBEC Investment Management Services, which assured of continuous support for the mothers, also promised to be a voice so government can respond urgently by increasing investment in new natal care. Desmond Bredou is head of client coverage.
45:25 We believe in sustainability. So we are not just looking at just a one-time thing, but how can we partner other institutions, how can we echo the message, because that's where we can get to have more people come on board.
45:36 From the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, I am Hana Odame for JOYNE News.
45:41 (Applause)
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45:56 You're watching Newsdesk with me, Bernice Abubey-Dulansa. Business News is up next Tuesday.
46:02 (Music)
46:08 Thanks for staying. And in business, you cannot depend on your children. Take steps to join SNIT to help yourself when old. That's the call for workers within the informal space.
46:18 As the Director General of SNIT, Dr. John Ofuri-Tinkrang urges the self-employed to take advantage of digitalization to join the scheme and contribute comfortably.
46:31 He spoke during the sensitization walk with the Senior Staff Association members of SNIT. Precious Semevo has more.
46:37 We are going out there to convince people, workers of Ghana, who actually are the ones who move this economy, the people who are self-employed, to let them know that SNIT is there for them, that all the benefits that are available to people who work in offices, people who are working for government,
47:00 all of those benefits are also equally accessible to any worker in Ghana who helps to contribute to this economy.
47:09 Survivor of informal workers during their old age with no strength to earn an income remains a concern for workers, especially in the informal sector.
47:19 The Director General of SNIT, Dr. John Ofuri-Tinkrang, joined the Senior Staff Association on a sensitization drive on the streets of Sunyai to educate the self-employed workers on the scheme's benefits.
47:31 He said parents cannot continue to depend on their children and urged them to take advantage of digitalization to save towards the future.
47:40 They are the ones who make this economy move and they do not have any form of pension other than probably putting their faith in their children.
47:50 We know that times have changed. You cannot depend on your children. They may be willing to be helping you, but even their salaries that they may be earning may not be even enough for them and their nuclear families.
48:04 And that is why SNIT has come out and with the help of the digitalization agenda that has taken a storm in this country, with the Ghana Card, with the ability to remit money electronically through Momo eLevy Free,
48:22 we are now able to bring our services to the doorstep of all self-employed persons in this country.
48:30 The ambition is that in the very near future, when you ask people who have gone on pension and you ask them, "What were you doing in your active years?"
48:39 You will hear that, "I was a hairdresser, I was a caterer, I was a mason, I was a plumber and many more."
48:47 The Senior Staff Association President, Eduardo Osubaini, explained how flexible it is to enroll on the scheme.
48:54 We even have a seat that is self-employed drive. In every office we have representatives that go up and down and make sure that they remind people to come and do their payment.
49:03 You simply have to go to any SNIT office and then with your Ghana Card, you just let them know the job you are doing and how much you are capable of paying.
49:10 And then they will do the calculation for you and then they will let you know how much you are supposed to pay.
49:14 And then you can even be in your home and do the payment via Momo.
49:19 Or you can also decide to come to our office and then make the payment. So it's very, very flexible for you to even pay now.
49:25 Precious Semevo Joy Business, Sunyahi.
49:28 A leading job recruiting firm, Joberman Ghana, through its MFIT project plans to place over 60 young women in tech roles in the country, according to the Chief Executive Hilda Nimo Thieku.
49:41 The initiative is geared towards empowering more women to venture into the technological space.
49:48 She was speaking at a Diversity and Inclusion Roundtable event by Joberman Ghana.
49:53 Diversity and Inclusion Roundtable event by Joberman Ghana, NGIZ Ghana, forms part of activities under the MFIT project, which aims at equipping women with soft skills to make them employable.
50:09 In an interview, Chief Executive of Joberman Ghana, Hilda Nimo Thieku, said the company plans to place over 60 women in tech roles to bridge the gender gap in the industry.
50:21 We realised that there was a gap when it comes to the tech sector.
50:24 As an HR recruitment firm, when we are recruiting for tech roles, we find out that it's 80%, sometimes as high as 80% of the jobs were men who are taking part in the job.
50:38 So we wanted to create opportunity and bridge the gap where we are able to place.
50:42 And we realised that it's not that the women are not qualified. Some of them are qualified, but they were just not getting the job.
50:47 So NGIZ was happy to help us to be able to put this programme together.
50:51 Like I mentioned earlier, we had 1,840 applicants who were part of this project, who applied for this project.
51:00 Unfortunately, the project funding could only have 100 people in the training. So it was tough trying to sift through, but we were able to place 100 of them in a soft skill training like you have seen this morning.
51:10 Talk about their testimony of what they learned from the training.
51:13 And from now till March 2024, we are engaging employers to accept these women into jobs.
51:19 I'm saying that, listen, if we can place the 100, let's do it.
51:24 I mean, yes, the project is only funding 60, but why not? If we can be able to put more than the people that the project is funding into jobs, this is our field.
51:31 This is what we do. So we are requesting for employers who have jobs in the tech space to bring their jobs so that we can place 100 women and more.
51:38 And at least, we have 1,007 more. So if we want to do more training and more placement, we can always fall back to those people.
51:45 And that's how we end this edition of Newsdesk. I'm grateful you made time to join me. I'm Bernice Abubay Dulansa.
51:53 I'll be back at midday with the news. Thanks for your company.
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