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Ghana observes World Day to Combat Drought and Desertification
Ghana joined the rest of the world on Tuesday to observe the World Day to Combat Drought and Desertification (WDCDD).
The annual event, which is in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution, is to promote public awareness about the causes and effects of land degradation, desertification and drought as well as highlight efforts to combat these challenges.
On the theme “Food, Feed, Fibre,” this year’s event seeks to educate individuals on the links between consumption and land.
A statement signed and issued by Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng in Accra, said Ghana had 35 per cent of its land under threat of desertification due to human activities such as deforestation, unsustainable land use practices, wild fires, the use of agrochemicals and overgrazing.
However, it said, the implementation of the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP), the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project (SLWMP) and the Adaptation Fund Project were supporting efforts to restore degraded landscapes.
It noted that these projects have provided dugouts as watering points for livestock and supported 39,000 farmers with farm inputs to practise various forms of sustainable land management technologies within 246 communities, covering 152, 578 hectares of land, to protect the ecology of the country’s northern sectors.
In addition, the statement said 1,060 hectares of land have been reforested within two forest reserves namely the Kulpawn and the Ambalara Forest Reserves.
“The Adaptation Fund Project has provided water and increased access to water supply by drilling 145 boreholes and constructing 10 dug-outs to serve more than 1,000,000 people mainly women and children in 50 communities in 10 districts in the northern sector of Ghana. The Project has also undertaken several livelihood interventions in the area of beekeeping, shea butter processing, groundnut oil extraction, dry season vegetable production and fish farming,” it stated.
The statement called on Ghanaians to protect the land by making changes in their lives to support community resilience, maintain the sustainable delivery of ecosystem services and contribute to reducing the COVID-19 crisis’ impact on global poverty and food insecurity.
Source: Ghanaian Times
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National Cathedral: We can’t halt salary payments because project is on hold – Dr. Joyce Aryee
Dr. Joyce Aryee, a member of the National Cathedral’s board of trustees, has dismissed concerns about staff payments, including those of CEO Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, during the construction halt as “ridiculous.”
Her response follows growing concerns over the project’s stalled progress and its impact on staff salaries.
Speaking on the sidelines of a symposium organized in collaboration with TD Jakes’ divinity school on Monday, October 14, Dr Aryee said, “If a project is on hold, it doesn’t mean that people are not working to keep it going. I’m surprised, I don’t even want to comment on it, as ridiculous as this. No, I won’t comment.
She further challenged the logic behind the concerns, adding, “So you establish an organisation, the organisation should stop because you don’t have money to continue a certain aspect of the organisation. Is that it? Answer it yourself.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Executive Director of the National Cathedral, has sought to clarify misconceptions surrounding the project, emphasizing that it goes beyond being just a church building.
He highlighted the potential benefits the cathedral could bring, including revenue generation and showcasing Ghana’s rich cultural heritage to the world.
The National Cathedral project has faced strong opposition, with critics questioning the appropriateness of government involvement and raising concerns about a lack of financial transparency.
However, Dr. Opoku-Mensah remains optimistic, particularly following a symposium held in collaboration with TD Jakes’ divinity school. The event aimed to educate the public about the broader functions of the cathedral.
Envisioned as a historic landmark, the cathedral is intended to serve as a sacred space for religious activities. Additionally, it will feature Africa’s first Museum of the Bible, a collaboration with the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
“The symposium is just conceived as the National Cathedral’s response to what in Ghana we perceive to be the return initiatives and offer a pathway mediated by faith to connecting Ghana to the African diaspora,” she said.
This collaboration will seek to develop a Pan-African community to collectively work to address historical, racial and contemporary of Africa’s contributions to theology practice.
She said, “We seek to demonstrate the conveying functions of the National Cathedral, the National Cathedral project is often misunderstood, conceived almost entirely as a physical church building. The National Cathedral is more than a church and it includes critical national, continental and global conversations.”He congratulated TD Jakes’ divinity school for taking students across the African continent.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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NPP-NDC clash at Mamobi: One person arrested
One person has been arrested in Connection with the clash involving members of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Mamobi in Accra on Sunday.
“The Ghana Police Service wishes to assure the general public that investigation into the disturbances that occurred between supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Mamobi in Accra, yesterday, Sunday 13th October 2024, is still ongoing,” the police revealed in a statement today.
They concluded, “So far, one person has been arrested in connection with the incident and the Police are working around the clock to get all identified perpetrators arrested to face justice.”
