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Ghanaian entrepreneur Joseph Owiredu selected for 2024 Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge
Joseph Wiredu
Ghanaian entrepreneur, Joseph Owiredu has qualified to the final of the 2024 edition of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge.
The 6th in the series, the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit is scheduled for May 28-31, 2024 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Joseph Owiredu is the CEO of Fihankra ComTech Limited, a limited liability technology start-up that specialises in developing personal safety and security innovations, products and services to serve the growing African tourism industry, journalists and institutions.
The organisers of the summit, the Africa Tourism Partners announced the top five finalists for the 6th Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge 2024 this week. The other four finalists Devin Itaagie from Uganda, Kedumetse Liphi from Botswana, Ajena Jafar from Uganda and Gerald Muema from Kenya have all qualified to proceed to the next level of adjudication.
The Challenge opened on the 1st of November 2023 for the youth to submit their projects and closed on March 1, 2024. It attracted over 154 entries from young entrepreneurs and innovators across Africa.
The countries that participated in the Innovation Challenge include Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
As part of the process, the projects were submitted to the judges for adjudication to determine the qualifying projects. The five shortlisted innovators will present their demo/ Minimum Viable Product at the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit in Windhoek, Namibia.
The Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge is an exclusive platform for innovative African youth in travel and tourism looking for funding, partnership and mentorship opportunities to present their projects to the global marketplace in order to find the required support for their programmes.
Speakers for this year’s Summit include Teofilus Nghitila – Executive Director of Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia, Samiya Abdulkadir Godu – President, Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association, Evah Mosetlhane – Tourism & SMME Development Consultant, Botswana, Mbali Mngomezulu – Manager Of Business Development at Mastercard | Grading Assessor Accreditation CATHSETA, South Africa and more.
Young Namibian innovators were also recognised and given the opportunity to compete amongst themselves. Sarome Natalia Nalooliwa Hamata, Sarah Anghuwo and Rosalia Laudika are the top 3 finalists for the 2024 and 6th Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation challenge.
Hosted by the Government of Namibia through the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in collaboration with Africa Tourism Partners, UN Tourism, BDO and other partners, the 2024 Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit is scheduled for May 28-31, 2024.
This is the third time and final year Namibia will host the Summit and it has used the opportunity to market and promote its tourism attractions.
One of the greatest attractions that Namibia Boasts about is the Sossusvlei desert. Sossusvlei is all salt, clay, and sand, with remarkable red dunes arching and curling seemingly forever. The popular tourist attraction is in the southern part of the Namib Desert and is part of the Namib Sand Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Meanwhile, registrations for both physical and virtual participants to the 6th Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge and Summit are ongoing
Dumsor: No ECG transformer was overloaded after our checks – PURC
A Commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Ishmael Edjekumhene, has dismissed claims by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) regarding some 360 overloaded transformers.
His statement comes after a hefty fine was imposed by the PURC on former ECG board members for failing to notify consumers before power interruptions, as mandated by Regulation 39 of L.I. 2413.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr Edjekumhene who is also the Executive Director of the Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment (KITE), expressed his surprise at the Managing Director of ECG’s announcement that 630 transformers were overloaded leading to intermittent power cuts.
“So, we were just following up on information that ECG itself has put into the public domain which the regulator wasn’t aware. So, when we wrote to the ECG, if that wasn’t the case they should probably have said that that wasn’t the case. But they gave us all the information,” he said.
He further stated that “We have gone out to all the transformers, at least a majority of the transformers and it is turning out to be that those transformers were not overloaded. That is why GRIDCO said they gave instruction and ECG is not complying with those directives in a timely manner.”
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
