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ECOWAS begins 3-day capacity building workshop for Gender Observatory Centre in Accra

The Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) Gender and Development Centre yesterday began a three-day workshop in Accra aimed at building the capacity of focal persons to manage and operationalise the Gender Observatory Centre to be established in member countries.

The three-day event is also expected to equip the participants with the necessary skills in digital platform usage,design,generation and development, datacollection, data analysis and reporting as well as methods in gender statistics reporting and E-learning.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Director ofthe ECOWAS Gender Development Centre, Mrs Sandra OulateFattoh indicated that the workshop would go a long way to empower the gender equality aimed at promoting the sustainability and periodization of the Sustainable Development Goals.

According to her,in spite of the gender equality and women’s empowerment, the continent is still faced with widespread disparities and inequalities characterized by the marginalization of women and the absence of adequate opportunities for women to participate effectively in the development processes and to share the equitably in the gains of development.

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It was to address these challenges that the Centre was organising this training workshop to have a robust database base system to provide the necessary gender statistics necessary for decision making.

Ms Fattoh commended the United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African Union and other stakeholders whose contribution has brought the center to fruition.

The Minister of  Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dakoa Newman said Data analysis and management was vital in the discharge of work as gender experts and advocates in order to effectively help in proper planning towards takinginformed decisions.

The essence of the training she explained,cannot be underestimated as it recognizes the sub-region as a just and secure society in which men and women have equal opportunities to participate, decide, control and benefit from all development initiatives, thus ensuring that no one is left behind in the developmental process in Member States.

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In Ghana, the Minister indicated that the Ministry has been mandated to coordinate and ensure gender equality and equity as well as integrate the fulfilment of the rights, empowerment and full participation into national development.

“I am happy to announce that the Parliament of Ghana in July 2024 has passed the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Bill into Law. The passage of this Law will help to effectively and efficiently address gender imbalances in the political, social, economic, educational and cultural spheres of the Ghanaian society,” she added.

The Director, Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate of the AU Commission, Ms Prudence Ngwenya also commended the ECOWAS Centre for the bold steps taken to improve accountability of policies taken by member states and assured of the Commission’s resolve to ensure that decisions taken at the other regional blocks would help promote gender equality on the African continent.

Mrs Cleopatra Orongo on behalf of the Director United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Service Centre for Africa Dr Mathias Naab said the Gender Observatory when fully implemented would link other observatories in order to improve upon the continents commitments to its people.

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She assured of the commissions commitment to work with the centre to ensure that the objectives of the centre are achieved.

BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU

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 Intake of ‘Gobe’ can prevent heart diseases —Nutritionists

Gari and beans is good for the heart
Gari and beans is good for the heart

Nutritionists have advised Ghanaians to eat more beans-based meals, including the popular local dish, gari and beans, also known as ‘Gobe’ to prevent heart diseases. They said incidenc­es of obesity and cancer could be minimised with the regular intake of beans meals.

At a programme in Accra to mark the World Pulses ( Beans) Day on Monday, Mr Wise Chukudi Letsa, Nu­tritionist and Dietician, who spoke on the topic: ‘Beans: The Super Food for Healthy Living and Healthy Farmlands,’ admonished Ghanaians to include beans in their diets.

Mr Letsa said beans was rich in protein, fibre, vitamins, miner­als, irons and other nutrients and contained just a little fat. Mr Letsa, a Nutritionist with Lets Consult, stated that the presence of those nutrients in beans explained why its intake could prevent heart diseases and other ailments, hence the need to consume it regularly.

The event, dubbed: ‘Meatless Monday’ was organised by the Com­munications Initiative for Change (CIC), a Ghanaian non-profit organ­isation.

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The ‘Meatless Monday’ is an initiative aimed at encouraging Ghanaians to reduce their intake of meat by taking in more beans-based meals on every Monday of a week.

It was launched after the United Nations in 2019, set aside Febru­ary 10 to celebrate and encourage the consumption of pulses (beans) worldwide. This year’s celebration was hinged on the theme: ‘Bringing Diversity to Agrifood Systems.’

Mr Peter Agbovi, National Secre­tary, Chefs Association of Ghana, said a variety of meals could be prepared with beans, which include Waakye (rice and beans), Kose (beans paste made into cakes), Ayikple, Aboboi, Tuo Zaafi, Akyeke, and kakro.

He encouraged Ghanaians to con­sume more of those foods to stay healthy.

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Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, the Ex­ecutive Director, CIC, indicated that even if people could not eat beans-based meals regularly, efforts should be made to consume them every Monday.

He said that was the essence of the introduction of the ‘Meatless Monday’ initiative. -GNA

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 Restore beauty of Kwame Nkrumah Circle area / State of Kwame Nkrumah Circle an eyesore!

A homeless man sleeping in the sand close to the removed blocks
A homeless man sleeping in the sand close to the removed blocks

Small size quarry stones fixed at open spac­es under the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange was to leave the place open and free from activities of beggars and other activities of the homeless.

By the way the stones were fixed, it makes the area, particularly the VIP and Neoplan Station stretch of the Interchange, inhabit­able by the destitute.

But a walk through the area currently suggest the opposite.

At the median where pavement blocks have been taken over by these home­less and destitute, the area has been turned into a hotel where a number of these unfortunate ones have com­fortably laid their mattress­es and other stuff to rest from the day’s activities.

They have crossed over to the SSNIT and Kaneshie Station area with their activ­ities and have removed the quarry stones which were to ward them off the place to enable them find spaces to sleep comfortably.

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The pavement blocks re­moved from different loca­tions under the interchange now serves as foundations on which beds were laid and in some cases, mosquito nets erected.

Their continued pres­ence is not only creating a nuisance for commuters but marring the beauty and serenity of the place.

Sadly, the activities of these deprived fellows have been ignored while the numbers keep increasing day by day.

The Spectator finds the development very worrying and calls on the responsible authorities to clear the area to restore the beauty and serenity of the area.

 By Victor A. Buxton

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