News
Govt urged to support Plastic Waste Pickers
Government has been urged to financially support technology and technical training for waste pickers in Ghana.
According to the Programmes Manager for Environment360, a waste management organisation, Ms Selasi Charway-Glover, that would provide an avenue for the waste pickers to transition to small scale recyclers to earn more income.
Ms Charway-Glover disclosed this during the commemoration of International Waste Pickers Day with Waste Pickers at Tema Newtown, last Friday.
Under the theme: ‘Empowering Waste Pickers Worldwide: Champions of Sustainable and Social Justice,’ the day which falls on March 1, is commemorated annually in honour of 11 Waste Pickers who were cruelly murdered at Colombia, South America in 1992.
The celebration is designed to showcase the positive impact of waste pickers on both the environment and society, alongside endeavours to support their well-being and rights.
Ms Charway-Glover said though, waste pickers were the main suppliers of the raw materials for recycling companies, the income generated from their activities was not enough to sustain their livelihoods.
She said globally, millions of informal sector workers such as the Waste Pickers play critical roles in the circular economy, however, their work was not recognised and were always marginalised.
For instance, Ms Charway-Glover said over the past two years, the waste pickers in Tema working at Environment360’s Pick-It Centre with support from the IKI Small Grants programme, had worked closely to recover over 279 tonnes of plastic waste from the Tema community and its environs for recycling.
This, she said translate to about 1145 metric tonnes of carbon-dioxide (CO2) equivalent recovered from the environment.
“This reflects just a fraction of the work that Waste Pickers all over the country are putting in to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris agreement,” she added.
Ms Charway-Glover called on government to recognise the informal waste management sector as an alternative waste management system for the country while municipal and metropolitan assemblies incorporate the informal waste management services in their planning, and recognise the efforts of the sector in supplementing waste management services within their areas.
The Programmes Coordinator for the Pick-It project, Matilda Asantewaa Sampong, advised the public against stigmatising the Waste Pickers, as their work contribute significantly to the sustainability of the environment.
Prince Asare, Environment Health Officer at Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), for his part commended the Waste Pickers for their work in reducing landfilling, open burning, and marine pollution in the city.
The Secretary of the Waste Pickers, Susana Klugah Hoedzoadey in an interview with The Spectator demanded respect and recognition for their contribution in managing the huge amount of waste produced in the country and appealed to the government to come to their aid by supporting them to procure machines to recycle the materials.
By Vivian Arthur
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
