The Volta Region is distinctly diverse and a microcosm of all that exists in the country, from its landscape to water bodies, names and other indigenous activities.
Its cuisine, music and dance such as Borborbor, which used to enjoy some exclusivity, are quickly becoming household names and have been received by most Ghanaians.
So has the Volta Region’s greatest food export within Ghana, Agbelikaklo or cassava fritter, which is actually fried cassava balls, which has become a common savoury snack that is enjoyed with few good cracks of dried coconut.
Uncomplicated preparation
Its preparation is uncomplicated. Some people say of it: “It’s the only snack I will buy at any point in time”. Agbelikaklo, so named because it is derived from cassava, is generally enjoyed by Ghanaians irrespective of their geographical heritage.
The snack, with its origin from the southern part of the Volta Region, has been touted by most people as a comfort food, with its core ingredients of grated cassava, onions and salt which are mixed into smaller balls and fried in hot oil until it turns golden brown.
Hard on the teeth, but refreshingly scrumptious, Agbelikaklo is complemented by a comforting bite of its coconut accompaniment.
This makes the duo a perfect combination and interestingly so irresistible that former President Jerry John Rawlings could not help but stop his convoy for some package of the snack at the end of the recently held Hogbetsotso festival at Anloga.
Economically viable
Abra Degboe has been preparing the crunchy snack for the past eight years in the regional capital, Ho, 90 per cent of which are for commercial purposes.
She told the Daily Graphic that the sale of the savoury bites was mostly a preserve of women who had realised that the venture was economically viable.
Ms Degboe said her son was in his final year at one of the public tertiary institutions in the country and attributed his upkeep in school to profits gained from the business.
To maximise profit, she has recruited a few other women to join her in the business which she hopefully plans to expand in Hohoe, another commercially active town in the Volta Region.
Modern twist
Some in the culinary industry are applying more creative techniques in the preparation of Agbeli Kaklo such as the addition of eggs, green pepper, spring onions and other condiments in order to create a ‘sophisticated ‘twist.
Nonetheless, a huge number of Ghanaians are sticking to the indigenous method of preparation, which continues to be widely accepted.
Rich in fibre and fully packed with energy, one can get the savoury for as low as 20 Ghana pesewas.
lt has also become a common choice for hoteliers in Ho who serve the snack alongside local drinks to welcome visitors with the symbolic Ewe hospitality.
Perhaps they might have also bought into the fact that it is economical and a favourite choice for many.
In a bid to curb the rising cases of teenage pregnancy in the Akatsi North district, the Volta Regional Department of Gender has commenced an intensive sensitization programme for men and boys in the area on disturbing situation.
The initiative, being supported by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), is aimed at conscientizing the male gender on the reproductive health issues of young girls and women in order to get them actively involved in tackling the high rate of early child birth in the area.
Madam Lena Alai, the Regional director of the Department of Gender, Speaking to Voltaonlinegh.com on the sideline of a day’s sensitization forum at the district capital, Ave-Dakpa on Thursday, noted that the engagement with the men and boys was crucial to reversing the trend, which has placed the Akatsi North district at the top spot of the teenage pregnancy rankings in the region.
She said “We have targeted the women for far too long now. But we’re living in a society of men and women where these issues are taking place. A girl can get pregnant only once in a whole year but a boy or a man for that matter can impregnate maybe about sixty girls in a year and so this is the time we have to bring the conversation close to our men.”
According to her, there were far reaching implications of early child birth on the life of teenage girls, hence the need for a concerted effort to empower the young girls attain their aspirations in life instead of making them early mothers.
Highlights
-The Akatsi North District in 2014 recorded 100 teenage pregnancies and became number one among the 25 districts in the Volta/Oti regions.
– The cases however declined in two subsequent years until 2017 and 2018, when it rose to 112 and 114 respectively.
-As of October 2019, the district has already recorded 90 teenage pregnancy cases, making it the number one in the region and second nationwide.
Mrs. Millicent Kokui Helu, Akatsi North District Health Director who presented the staggering statistics at the forum, mentioned poverty, lack of parental guidance and ignorance as major contributory factors to the menace.
She however iterated her outfit’s resolve to work closely with other partners to reverse the trend as soon as possible through intensive stakeholders’ sensitization, increased sex education and the provision of family planning services for adolescent boys and girls, among others.
Over three hundred participants drawn from the various communities in the District including traditional and religious leaders attended the forum; where they were taken through causes and effects of teenage pregnancy on the society and ways to fight against it.
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) on Friday outdoored two new high-value denominated cedi notes – namely the GHc100 and GHc200 banknotes. In addition, the central bank also outdoored a new Ghc2 coin.
The new currencies, according to the BoG Governor, Dr. Ernest Addison will be in circulation in from Monday, December 2, 2019.
He explained that the introduction of a new GHc2 coin as well as GHc100 and GHc200 banknotes into circulation is to ensure customer convenience and bring about efficiency in the printing of currency to generate savings for the country.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, Dr. Addison disclosed that new coin and notes were decided upon after a review of the structure, acceptability and use of the individual currency which begun in March 2017.
He however maintained that the introduction of the high-value notes should not be misinterpreted as a shift away from the Central Bank’s policy of pursuing a cash lite economy and promoting the use of electronic modes of payments.
Highlights of the New Banknotes
The general design of the new notes follow the same style of existing Ghana cedi banknotes
The colour scheme of GH¢100 note is predominantly grey with turquoise highlights and it has dimensions of 157millimetres x 80 millimetres.
The main image at the back of the GH¢100 banknote is Ghana’s parliament chamber and the secondary image is the parliament building.
The colour scheme of the GH¢200 is predominantly terracotta with red-grey highlights.
The main image at the back of the GH¢200 banknote is the Seat of Government (Jubilee House). The secondary image is part of the fence surrounding the Seat of Government (Jubilee House) building.
The Chief Justice of the Republic, Justice Sophia Akuffo has led a delegation of foreign envoys on a day’s working visit to the Ho Central Prisons on Friday to assess the progress of the Justice for All Programme, (JFAP).
The delegation comprises directors of UN Organizations and some female foriegn envoys in the country including the US Ambassador, Stephanie Sanders Sullivan.
They were in the prison to monitor proceedings of two in-prison special court sessions, hearing cases involving some 26 remand persons under the JFAP.
Court of Appeal Judge and Chairman of JFAP, Justice Clemence Honyenuga together with Justice Eric Baah, the Supervising High Court Judge for the Volta region adjudicated the cases at the special courts.
There are currently a total of 501 inmates including 89 remand persons in the Ho Central Prisons, which was designed for 150 inmates.
With support from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and POS foundation, the Justice for All Programme has since inception some 12 years helped reduce the Remand inmate population in the country’s prisons from 4,285 in 2007 to 2,020 as at November 2019.
Background
The Justice For All Pragramme started in 2007 was aimed at alleviating prison overcrowding through setting up special courts sittings to adjudicate remand prisoner cases in prisons throughout the country.
It was initiated by the then Attorney-General’s Department/Minister for Justice, Hon. Jeo Ghartey in close collaboration with the Judicial Service of Ghana, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Prisons Service, Lawyers, as well as Civil Society groups.
The Ho District Civil Society Organisations’ Platform on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has intensified the campaign on the United Nations set goals within its catchment area.
As part of the campaign, the platform led by its convener Ms. Princess Lovia Tetteh was at the Ho Kpodzi E.P Basic ‘B’ School to engage pupils and teachers on the SDGs, stressing on Goal 4, which focuses on ‘inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.’
The engagement was aimed at creating awareness among these stakeholders about the Global Goals, which is designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
The team took turns to educate the children on the importance of the SDGs to their well-being and development, stating that equitable and inclusive Education was a tool to Development
They also highlighted the roles of government, CSOs, stakeholders and citizens to domesticate the SDGs so no one is left behind.
The school pupils and their teachers who were elated about the engagement also pledged to carry on the campaign to others in their homes and communities.
Background
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
On the other hand, the Ghana Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was established in October 2015 to ensure more coordinated civil society efforts in achieving the SDGs in Ghana. The CSOs Platform was institutionalised in May 2016 and includes more than 300 member organisations, consisting of coalitions, associations, unions, community-based organisations, local, national and international non-governmental organisations, and religious groups, whose membership spreads across country.
The CSOs Platform’s membership is divided into 18 sub-platforms, one for each of the 17 SDGs and a youth sub-platform. District platforms have been established in several districts.
I read an article attributed to Makafui Woanyah, the Volta Regional Chairman of the governing party, in respect of the December 17 Referendum and I wish to offer a humble response.
I suspect the article was a team work with narrow political and partisan interest. Despite that, I will try to avoid the usual NPP NDC game in my response.
We are all sharing our opinions for YES and NO on the referendum and citizens will decide on this come December 17.
Those going for YES have tried so hard to insult the intelligence of the No Campaigners.
They called them names: useless, anti – multi party, hypocrite and unpatriotic.
Based on what I read from Makafui Woanyah, I am convinced that he is just another apostle of YES campaigners who believes he has an entitlement to take a position on issues and others do not have that right.
The referendum basically is about the amendment of Article 55(3) in the 1992 Constitution to allow political parties to sponsor and present candidates for unit committee and assembly elections.
Makafui Woanyah in his article asserts that because parties illegally participate in local governance elections, it is an act of hypocrisy to be against the referendum.
What Makafui Woanyah may be ignorant of is the law prohibiting the acts of political parties in sponsoring candidates in District Assembly and Unit Committee elections.
Section 7 of the District Assembly Elections Act, 1994 as amended by Section 7 of District Assembly Elections (Amendment) Act, 2010 (Act 801) provides that:
“(1) No Political party or organisation shall endorse or endorse, canvass for votes for or in any way campaign for or against a candidate seeking election to a District Assembly or any lower local government unit.
(2) Any political party or organisation which contravenes subsection (1) of this section commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty penalty units.”
So don’t tell us people are sniffing cocaine already so let us legalise it.
Don’t tell us political parties are sponsoring SRC elections in our universities so we should make it official.
In his introduction, Makafui Woanyah proudly put out the information that he was a four term assembly member in Keta Municipal Assembly, sixteen good years as an Assembly member in Anloga.
Anloga Lashibi Electoral Area is an NDC stronghold. Every 100 person you meet in Lashibi Electoral Area, 98 is likely to be NDC.
Makafui Woanyah is a known NPP operative for years. He served as the Constituency Organiser and later, the Constituency Chairman for Anlo Constituency. He became the Regional Organiser of NPP.
Makafui Woanyah won Assembly Elections in Anloga Lashibi Electoral Area because he had enjoyed huge support from NDC members.
Makafui Woanyah, Volta NPP Chairman
Filling and filing of the Nomination Forms at one point were done on behalf of Makafui Woanyah by NDC Constituency Deputy Youth Organiser. This action by the NDC deputy youth organiser even attracted his superiors from the Regional NDC Office.
NDC members in Lashibi saw Makafui Woanyah as an agent of development, not any party fanatic who would be doing the bidding of his political party.
This is common sense and we do not need to go to Anloga Market to buy this basic understanding.
The Makafui Woanyah Example in Anloga is the main reason why Ghanaians should vote NO in the Referendum.
The people of Anloga Lashibi looked at the competence of Makafui Woanyah and voted for him.
In a partisan NDC, NPP, CPP, PPP, NDP contest, Makafui Woanyah would not have found himself in the Keta Municipal Assembly through elections.
I got alarmed when YES Campaigners like Makafui Woanyah cannot reason with us.
I want to use this platform to remind Makafui Woanyah that in 2012, he contested parliamentary elections on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.
Due to the partisan nature of the parliamentary elections, he Makafui Woanyah got only 3,599 votes out of about 40,000 votes. Partisan Politics made sure he lost miserably.
Recently, a Member of Parliament for Kunbungu based on the advice from his constituents opted for the amendment of article 55(3) of the constitution to allow partisan politics into our district level elections.
Instantly, the NDC minority in parliament issued a three -line statement or whip. Within 12 hours, the Honourable Member of Parliament retracted his previous position on the referendum. He is now on the side of NO.
I consider the Ras Mubarak Saga as enough basis for Ghanaians to go for NO. I don’t want my next Assembly member to be a stooge of a political party.
I have decided to be practical with the response so I want to use my own experience to conclude my piece.
In 2006, I contested and won Assembly elections for Duta Electoral Area. My two main contenders were known branch executives of NDC and NPP. I was a mere card – bearing member of NDC.
I would have been discarded if elections were to be on partisan lines because a whole branch chairman was in the contest.
The same time in 2006, twenty unit committee members were elected. They came from diverse political, social and religious divides.
At least, two of my hardworking unit committee members would have lost miserably if they had contested on their party tickets.
It will be funny in my electoral area to see NDC presenting five unit committee contestants, NPP presenting five contestants, CPP, PPP, NDP, UGM presenting five candidates each.
In my conclusion, I want to remind Makafui Woanyah that he was a beneficiary of a non partisan assembly system and he cannot, because of politics, run away from that fact.
I want to tell Mr Woanyah that if our laws are breached by the people especially the political parties, the amendment should not be an option. Enforcement is the way to go.
Otherwise, the provisions in the Constitution which debar chiefs, judges and civil servants from engaging in politics will soon be amended to allow them to do politics.
The consequences will not bode well for Ghana.
Source: Foga Nukunu, Former Assembly Member for Duta Electoral Area in Ketu South Municipality.
Mothers having their children weighed under trees at Dadoto Health Centre
By: Benjamin Owusu | Voltaonlinegh.com |
Nursing mothers at Dadoto, a farming community in the Krachi East Municipality of the Oti Region, who access reproductive and child welfare services at the Dadoto Health Centre, are attended to under mango trees.
This is as a result of inadequate infrastructure at the health facility to cater for the reproductive and child welfare clinic.
Some mothers, who spoke to voltaonlinegh.com, said the situation has created a lot discomfort for them as they were compelled to stay under the mango trees to weigh their children.
“Anytime it is about to rain the nurses here send us home,” one of them lamented, as they appealed to the assembly and the central government to come to their aid by constructing a pavilion for the reproductive and child health unit.
Etornam Tsakesu, the health officer at the facility, described the situation as worrying and added his voice to the call for a pavilion at the centre to save the situation.
In respect of the impending referendum, I write as a former member (elected) of the Keta Municipal Assembly for well over Sixteen years and the Volta Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party.
I have observed with great dismay, the hypocrisy and pretense that has characterized discussion on the necessity or otherwise to allow for Political Parties participation in our local government System.
Is it not common knowledge that since the inception of the fourth republic, our local Assemblies have been unavoidably partisan both in composition and operation? What are we pretending about? Every serious politician or observer has been concerned about the constitutional contradiction and the hypocrisy of the System.
Our so-called nonpartisan Assembly system which is a carryover from the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) Revolutionary regime has not only been abused but also found out to be unworkable. Hence, the general consensus amongst all major political players to amend the constitution to legally allowed political parties, participating in the local governance system.
It is in the light of the above that the sudden U-turn of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is disappointing and hypocritical. It is instructive to note that, some of the reasons stated to back their sudden U-turn are so pedestrian, flimsy and lack substance.
The NDC, a political party and a major player of Democratic dispensation among other things mentioned political divisiveness and rancor as an ill that might affect partisan local governance is to say the least unfortunate.
They mentioned that stakeholder consultation and competence will be compromised by a partisan contest; A very spurious assertion to be made by a political party seeking the mandate of the people. Stating expensive election and party whip system as reasons is not only hypocritical but questions their sincerity and commitment to our multi-party democracy.
How can a serious political party argue that a partisan political system would hamper continuity of development projects and compromise accountability rather than the opposite?
The sudden U-turn and the stated grounds of NDC are very frightening and pose serious danger to our democracy. But I can safely conclude that, the NDC’s U-turn and argument can only stem from unnecessary fear and suspicion that the local government reforms might disadvantage them and dwindle their political fortune.
It is also evidently clear that the NDC is playing to the gallery by yielding to fragments of uniformed opinions against the impending referendum and the issues therein; A clear case of lack of focus and policy clarity and direction.
Finally, the NDC U-turn is a cheap attempt to turn the referendum into a midterm election to test their own strength and the ever souring popularity of the ruling NPP. Any setback to our comprehensive local government reforms leading to a total democratization of our country should be placed squarely at the doorstep of a reckless opposition NDC.
Source: Hon. Makafui Woanyah, Volta Regional NPP Chairman
The Asogli traditional council in Ho has dismissed rumours about the supposed demised of the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli state and President of the National house of Chiefs, Togbe Afede XIV.
This follows weeks of wild speculations on social media that the revered traditional ruler and business tycoon had passed on outside the country.
A member of the traditional council, Togbe Adzimah IV, in an interview monitored by voltaonlinegh.com, described the rumours as palpable falsehood and a hoax.
He told Ho based Tosh TV that, Togbe Afede was alive and kicking; as such the social media speculations which have been making rounds in the last three months were outright fabrications by faceless individuals and thus urged the public to disregard it.
File photo: Togbe Adzimah seated at the right
Togbe Adzimah who was seen in the TV footage seated next to the Agbogbomefia at the forecourt of the Asogli palace during a funeral, stated categorically in the interview conducted in the Ewe language that, “We do not know the source of this fabrication but I want to use this medium to let the whole world know that, the Agbogbomefia is not dead as being speculated.”
According to him, “Nothing absolutely has happened to him [Togbe Afede]; He is hale and hearty as you can see him seated here with us. So I want to caution those on social media to be extremely careful in spreading such unsubstantiated rumours.”
The chief further warned that the traditional council would henceforth take on any individual who would be caught spreading any such rumours against the Agbogbomefia.
Eunice Ahortor who deals in locally made oil is excited that her sales have increased after improving the packaging on her oil product. She added that “I now get calls from other parts of the region and the country for my product, all because of the new packaging.”
Janet Ama Duho who was finding it very difficult to save said that has changed; “Initially I did not understand the importance of saving, but for the past two years of receiving training from ENA’s adult literacy program, Daily savings is now part of me.”
These are two out of 47 persons who graduated from an adult literacy programme run by the Engage Now Africa (ENA). The programme which covered four communities in the Central Tongu District in the Volta Region was run in phases over a period of two years. The communities are; Adidome, Amelorkope, Tsetsekpo and Avakpodome.
Beneficiaries were taught how to read and write and also trained in batik tie and die, bead making, liquid soap making, powder making; among others. They were also awarded certificates for coming out successful from the programme.
This initiative is huge for a district that has about 30 percent of its about 60,000 population (According to 2010 Population Census), not being literate. Although unemployment rate is high, the mostly rural population has a lower economic activity, since most employment activities are on a much smaller scale. This somewhat affects household living standards and dependency rate.
According to the UNDP, some 750 million adults globally; two thirds of them women, remained illiterate in 2016. A quarter of the global illiterate population lives in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana.
Despite the many interventions by successive governments to increase access to education and training; most of the interventions have focused on children and adolescents than on adults. The rising population has also led to increased unemployment rate, especially among the youth and adults; the same category of people who have the agility to work and cater for their families.
Beneficiaries of the literacy Program
It is for this reason and more that ENA in partnership with Alma House undertook a literacy programme to improve the lives of the youth and adults in the Central Tongu district of Ghana.
According to the Country Director of ENA, Ghana, like many developing countries still lack basic infrastructure and facilities to provide effective learning environments right from the primary to the tertiary level. These challenges also persist in the area of skills training.
She was hopeful that literacy programme in the district will go a long way to close the employment gap, grow the local economy, stimulate innovation and facilitate an overall sustainable growth in the area.
Stella Charles, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Alma House encouraged the beneficiaries to constantly practice all they have acquired, teach others and work together as working individually slows progress.
She observed that the programme is to ensure those who do not have access to formal education also get some form of inclusive and quality education and skill training irrespective of age and circumstances, because “education has no end it is a lifelong thing.”
Togbe Kwasinyi Agyeman IV, Chief of Adidome was optimistic that the training will improve the living standards of beneficiaries and their dependents.
Samuel Gomashie, the District Director of the Business Advisory Center (BAC) said, his outfit and the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI) always open to provide services to micro, small and medium scale enterprises and urged beneficiaries and the public not to hesitate to call on them should they have any challenges.
He observed that the rippling effect of the training goes a long way to fulfill the both national and global targets of development which is worthy of replication in every part of Ghana.
