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Invest in family planning to boost demographic dividends-NPC Boss
The Executive Director of the National Population Council (NPC), Dr. Leticia Adelaide Appiah has stressed on the need for Ghana to invest heavily in family planning which would help in turning the wheels towards economic development.
She was optimistic that, the demographic window of opportunity was opening for Ghana and therefore the citizens needed to become braver, stronger and bolder champions of population and development now than ever.
The Executive Director gave this address, during the launch of a documentary in Accra andfunded by USAID, which was designed to educate the public on the need for prioritizing family as a goal to demographic dividend.
Demographic dividend was explained by Dr. Appiah as the accelerated economic growth that a country could experience as a result of changes in population structure.
The NPC boss indicated that, sustained decline in fertility and mortality in countries produce changes in the population age structure with an accompanying increase in the working age population in relation to dependents.
She expressed optimism that, through sustained high-level of advocacy and sensitization, there would be an impact of reaping the demographic dividend.
That, she reiterated, would become a national priority among policy makers, political and traditional leaders which would bring about an increased commitment to invest in quality human capital.
“Though Ghana has experienced an appreciable decline in fertility since the 1980’s from 6.4 per cent in 1988 to 4.2 per cent in 2014 and corresponding dependency ratio, there is still room for further decline by focusing on reducing avoidable high-risk pregnancies”, she stated.
Dr. Appiah referred to the maternal health survey in 2017 which said that, the survival of infants and children depended in part on the demographic and biological characteristics of their mothers.
Shereccounted that, mortality and morbidity risk of mother and infant were higher if the mother was below 18 years, and birth intervals were less than two years and also women older than 35 to 40 years at first birth.
Delivering a keynote address at the launch, Dr. KodjoEssiem Mensah-Abrampa, Director-General of The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) said maternal mortality rate has been dropping since 2007 from 451 per 100,000 live births to 310 per 100,000 live births in 2017.
He said, Ghana’s census data showed that, the proportion of population under 15 years old had fallen steadily from 46.9 per cent to 38.3 per cent in 2010.
According to him, the window of opportunity for harnessing a demographic dividend was said to open when country’s dependency ratio declined below 60 dependents per 100 working-age adults.
Dr. Mensah-Abrampa indicated that, with thecurrent dependency ratio of 76 dependents per 100 working-age, there was no doubt that, Ghana has a window of opportunity to harness a demographic dividend.
The NDPC boss said that, since 2013, Ghana had consciously embarked on interventions to harness the demographic dividend by making strategic investments in key sectors including education, health, economy, nutrition and governance.
By Alfred NiiArdayAnkrah
News
UNODC partners GFA Foundation on Prison advocacy and mentorship programme
The GFA Foundation and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have agreed to work together to advocate for anti-discrimination and the elimination of stigmatization for prisoners and prisons.
This partnership was agreed, in principle, during a meeting at the Home of Football (GFA Head Office) between the Director of the GFA Foundation and the UNODC Team led by Mr. Christoph Capelle, an Associate Expert in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the Coordinator of the prison and penal reform project in Ghana.
Welcoming the Team to the Home of Football, the Director of the GFA Foundation, Mr. Malcolm Frazier Appeadu briefed the team about the GFA Foundation – Ghana Prisons Project which has covered 6 prisons across the country already.
He indicated that the Foundation is liaising with the Ghana Prisons Service to commence the second and third pillars of the project, which are the coaches and referees training programs as well as the advocacy and mentorship initiatives.
He said that the GFA Foundation will welcome partners for the execution of the second phase of the project which will include Ankaful Maximum Security Prison, Kumasi Central Prison, Sekondi Central Prison and three other prison facilities.
In his response, Mr. Christoph Capelle commended the GFA for the GFA Foundation – Ghana Prisons Project which seeks to use the power of football to promote the wellbeing, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates of Ghana’s prisons into society.
Mr. Capelle said that UNODC is looking forward to a collaboration with the GFA Foundation on possible programs for both the medium and long term to support football and sports jobs and skills development in Ghana’s prisons.
He extended an invitation to the GFA Foundation to be part of an assessment of overall prison rehabilitation programmes including the use of sports by their international consultant at the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison.
There will be a football match and donation of footballs, sports items and equipment to the prison facility.
Present at the meeting were Mr. Kwame Koramoah, an officer at the GFA Foundation and Integrity Office, Helena Adobea Ofori, Associate Programme Officer, UNODC and Caleb Elorm Agodzo, Administrative Officer, UNODC.
It will be recalled that in 2020, The UNODC and FIFA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to tackle corruption and crime in and through sports and pledged to consider ways in which football can be used as a vehicle to strengthen youth resilience to crime and substance use through the provision of life skills training.
The MOU was renewed last year by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
News
Gomoa West: NPP, NDC supporters clash over commissioning of DRIP equipment
Supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Monday morning clashed over the commissioning of machinery for the District Road Infrastructure Project in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region.
According to Citi News sources, the conflict began when NDC supporters questioned the decision to display images of Bismark Basie Nkum, the NPP’s Gomoa West parliamentary candidate on the DRIP machinery.
This disagreement quickly escalated, almost leading to a physical altercation between the two groups.
Baisie Nkum, who doubles as the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Gomoa West, further claimed that the Member of Parliament for the area, Richard Gyan Mensah, brandished a pistol and issued threats against the NPP’s local leadership.
A viral video circulating on social media captured the DCE accusing MP Richard Gyan Mensah of pulling out a gun and threatening NPP supporters during the heated incident.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
