Sustainable Energy Action plan for Ghana

     

     Ghana is to development a country Action Plan with support from the United Nations Development Programme, in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All Initiative attainable by 2030.

     The initiative is to ensure universal access to modern energy services, double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

     Alhaji Inusah Fuseinu, Deputy Minister of Energy, said this at the consultative meeting on the Sustainable Energy for all Acceleration Framework to launch the development of the Action Plan in Accra on Monday.

     The Plan will help to address all the challenges in the energy sector for a sustainable energy for all.

     He said the energy sector plays a very crucial role in the socio-economic development.

     He said the vision of the country’s energy sector was to develop an energy economy that ensures secured and reliable energy service for all sectors of the economy in a sustainable manner.

     Alhaji Fuseinu noted that to increase the penetration of the Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) from its current level of 12 per cent of domestic use to 50 per cent by the end of 2015, government has formulated a strategy to promote the use of the product.

     “We expect this promotional activity to commence in 2013 when the Gas Processing Plant which will process natural gas from the jubilee field becomes operational,” he added.

     Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, said the environmental policy on energy was to ensure that energy was produced and utilised in an environmentally sound manner.

     She said the demand for energy and its associated services to meet the social and economic development to improve on human welfare has increased.

     She said the recent data confirmed that the consumption of fossil fuels accounts for the majority of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and it has grown and increased the carbon Dioxide concentrations.

     Ms Ayittey expressed the hope that the meeting would deliberate and come out with proposals and strategies that would ensure that clean energy exploitation was given the needed priority to advance Ghana’s development agenda.

Child labour intervention agencies urged to be transparent and accountable

    

     The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has presented a cheque of US20,000 each to four child labour intervention implementing agencies with a call on them to be transparent and accountable in the discharge of their duties.
     They are Child Rights International, Development Fortress Association, Child Aid and Youth Development Network and Global Responses Initiative.
     The presentation was made at the opening of a four-day implementing partners’ workshop on integration and coordination for ILO constituent, implementing agencies and other key partners at Agona Swedru.

     Mrs Stella Dzator, National Programme Officer for ILO Cocoa Community Project (CCP), told the GNA that the money given to the implementing agencies was only a part of the budget since they could assess up to 250, 000 dollars at the end of the project.
     The project, funded by the United State Department of Labour is titled: “Towards Child Labour Free Cocoa Growing Communities in Cote D’lvoire and Ghana through an integrated area base approach.”
     Currently, the project is being hosted in four districts namely the Birim South District in the Eastern Region, Suhum Kraboa Coalter and Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira in the Central Region and Wassa Amenfi West in the Western Region.
     Mrs Dzator explained that 40 communities were benefiting from the CCP with focus on 10 communities per district, 250 households or families per district, 87 children per community, 25 households or families per community and between three and four children per household.
     The communities included Tei Mensah, Sowatey, Obuoho, Densuso, Kyeaboso, Hasowodze, Bimpong Egya, Adinkrom/ Yeboakrom, Akortekrom, Kroabose, Oforikrom/ Aboabo, ApoliBeposo, Aboi Fie, AboiNkwanta, Yirase, Nwansema Camp and Chichiso No 2.
     She urged the agencies to ensure that the beneficiary communities get the opportunity to improve on their livelihood to eliminate child labour.
     She called on the implementing agencies to provide up to date reports on the progress of activities for easy monitoring and evaluation in the target communities.
     Mr Osei Mensah, a representative of the Implementing Agencies, pledged to deliver on their mandate to improve and enhance the living condition of cocoa farmers in the fight against child labour.

Workshop for implementing agencies, key partners on coordination underway at Agona Swedru

    A four-day technical assistance workshop for implementing agencies and key partners on coordination and capacity needs assessment for International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) constituents is underway at Agona Swedru.

    The workshop was to assess capacity of partners for coordination of ILO projects in Ghana to contribute to the overall capacity assessment.

    In addition, it was to develop a list of ideas on initiatives that would promote coordination and integration towards elimination of child labour in Ghana.

    Mr Stephen McClelland, Chief Technical Advisor, ILO Ghana, commended the government of Ghana, social partners and key stakeholders for the effort made so far on the global map to eliminate child labour.

    He said currently, ILO supports the implementation of the National Plan of Action (NPA) with projects including:  ECOWAS I and II, Cocoa Community Project and Public Private Partnership.

    The NPA is aimed at promoting a more coordinated effort towards the elimination of worst forms of child labour by 2015.

    It is also to provide an integrated framework for harmonizing all relevant actions by different partners in order to tackle the problem in a well-coordinated and sustained manner.

    He noted that: “the above projects will promote poverty reduction through improved productivity and enhanced livelihood, strengthen participation and national ownership, encourage social dialogue and accelerated commitment to international labour standards.”

    He expressed the hope that with greater coordination of collective efforts the country would achieve significant strides in the fight against the menace.

    Mr Stella Dzator, National Programme Officer, ILO, Cocoa Community Project, said it was possible to eliminate child labour through systemically implemented interventions.

    She said the project in Cocoa growing communities focuses on integrated area base approach for implementing strategies to prevent, remove and protection children in child labour.

     

Labour Inspectorate Division needs support - Chief Labour Officer

Labour Inspectors in a group picture with ILO staff

     Miss Elizabeth Hagan, Chief Labour Officer, Labour Department of Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, has called for support to re-position labour inspectors at workplaces.

     “Labour inspection is vital instrument in ensuring good governance in the world of work but is also downplayed and ignored in the society and the inspectorate has become virtually ineffective”, she added.

     Miss Hagan made the call at a four-day national training of trainer’s workshop for labour inspectors and other key partners of the Ministry at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.

     The objective of the workshop was to strengthen the role of labour inspectors in compliance oriented labour strategy in Ghana and also to equip labour inspectors with core principles of labour inspections and new approaches.

     She noted that staff of the Labour Inspectorate Division needed capacity building to be abreast with current trends, which should be prioritized to make fully the required international standard.

     She called for the development of labour inspection data base for effective management of labour inspection for proper supervision.

     Miss Sally Sey, Industrial Relation Officer of the Ghana Employers Association said the Association had developed code of conduct on child labour for operators in the informal sector and had also assisted them to form inspection teams to monitor the menace.

     She expressed the hope that the workshop would enhance and deepen the knowledge on how to inspect child labour at the community level to eliminate the phenomenon.

Lions Club International inducts new members

    

     The Lions Clubs International, a global humanitarian club, at the weekend inducted 14 new members with a call on them to be agents of change in their communities.

     They are Evenly Yawson, Hannah Edjah, Ismael Komey, James Dadzie-Annan, Joyce Emma Atta-Quartey, Margaret Sarpong-Baidoo, Racheal Stronk, Richard Rhule-Arthur, Dr Kwame Ofori-Tutu, Marvin Agyeman, Francis Yeboah, Richard Baah-Messie and Angelina Barbell, all from Region 34 District 403-A2, Zones 341 and 342.

     Lion Wayne Madden, First Vice President of the Club, at the induction ceremony in Accra, urged the newly inducted members to be proactive and serve the growing demands of their communities.

     He said the club was a global leader in community and humanitarian services, which addressed life challenges for the growth and development of the society.

     He said the club empowered volunteers to serve their communities to meet the humanitarian needs of the communities and also encourages peace as well as promoting international understanding.

     “We also provide scholarships to school children and equip them for future challenges, “he added.

     Lion Madden said the club also assists in eradicating diseases from the African continent and ensures that hunger becomes a thing of the past.

     He appealed to members to regularly pay their dues for the development of the club and also to support the less privileged in the community.

     The First Vice President called on the leadership of the Clubs worldwide to regularly update their websites to educate the people on what they do.