News
‘Operating restaurant without Food Hygiene Permit unlawful’
Dr Edward Archer addressing the participants
The Chief Regulatory Officer at FDA,Dr Edward Archer hasurged food establishments across the country to regularise their activities with the authority.
He said securing a Food Hygiene Permit will help keep the industry in check when it comes to compliance and emphasised the need to put the safety of food consumers at the heart of the culinary service industry.
He said this in Accra last week at a workshop organised by Bolt Food in collaboration with the Food and Drugs Authority for some selected Food Service Establishments (FSEs).
The workshop was aimed at educating FSEs, using the bolt food platform on the FDA’s activity in ensuring food safety and also interact with them to know their challenges while helping to address them.
“Anybody who is operating a restaurant or a food business without being issued a food hygiene permit is operating unlawfully, he said
Dr Archer called on food vendors, hotels, restaurants and chop bar operators to secure the necessary documentations before rendering such services to the public, adding that the FDA was ready to collaborate and promote the safety of FSEs in the country.
Speaking to the media in an interview, the Regulatory and Policy Head for Africa, Weyinmi Aghadiuno said the collaboration between Bolt Food and the FDA was in the three parts.
The parts,she said were partnerships, workshops and safe food handling training for couriers, adding that Bolt had identified 20 FSEs that have their business registration permit but do not have FDA permits.
“These top 20 FSEs, bolt will work with FDA to sponsor their license acquisition and the technical support they require. This is our way of giving back to the society,”she added.
Ms Aghadiuno said Bolt will from hence forth ensure that FSEs on their platform have their FDA licenses so as to put hygiene and safety first.
“We want to have that collaborative relationship with FDA and our FSEs; we want to build an ecosystem where we can proudly say that when you are ordering on bolt, you are assured that the FSEs on our platform have the FDA food licensing, safety and hygiene certificate,” Ms Aghadiuno added.
She also stated that Bolt was in discussion with FDA to agree on a time frame so as to ensure that FSEs on their platform get their certificates and food license.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
News
Ghana-Colombia strengthens ties through diplomatic engagement
In an important diplomatic engagement, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Daniel Garces Carabali paid a courtesy call on the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, at his office in Accra to discuss some key areas of collaboration.
The meeting focused on pressing issues, including security, decongestion of Ghana’s prisons, prison reform programmes, training programmes, improving the welfare of prisoners and enhancing disaster management in the country.
The courtesy call underscores the growing bilateral ties between Ghana and Colombia, building on previous engagements, such as the visit of the Colombian Vice President to Ghana in 2023.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of both nations to fostering cooperation and addressing shared challenges.
News
Ghana to host African Catholic Journalists from August 10
The Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP), also known as the African Catholic Union of the Press, in collaboration with the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G), is set to host its prestigious Triennial Congress from August 10 to 17 August, 2025.
The programme would be held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Legon, Accra, Ghana.
This landmark event, the most significant gathering of Catholic journalists in Africa, will bring together media professionals, researchers, and experts in digital technology from across the continent and beyond.
The theme for the Congress is: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Congress Highlights
The UCAP Congress 2025 will feature discussions and deliberations on critical issues arising from or related to integral human development, particularly within the framework of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Some of the key sub-themes to be addressed include:Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Values, Deploying AI in Eco-friendly Business Start-ups in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges, Technology and the Reprogramming of Social Reality, Distortion of Reality in Social and Digital Media, Ecological Education and Action Against Unsustainable Exploitation of Natural Resources, and Media and the Promotion of the Recommendations of the Synod on Synodality in Africa.
Participants will include media professionals from both ecclesiastical and lay organisations, media researchers and academics, representatives from the Vatican, government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the digital technology sector.
Objectives of the Congress
The primary goal of this Congress is to strengthen the capacities of media professionals and educate the public on the necessity of preserving human values amid rapid technological progress. Specific objectives include; Training 100 media practitioners in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, with a focus on balancing innovation and human values.
This will include promoting ethics and bioethics in technical research and technological innovations through media.
Advocating for human values such as respect for life, human dignity, charity, solidarity, and human rights and assessing the impact of technological progress to better understand the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by AI will be part of the objectives.
UCAP is a continental organisation dedicated to promoting communication within the Catholic Church and its partners in Africa. With a mission to foster spiritual growth, collaboration, and responsible journalism, UCAP works to spread the Gospel, uphold human values, and support developmental initiatives across Africa and beyond.
UCAP is an independent, autonomous, non-political, and non-profit organisation comprising African Catholic journalists, communicators, academics, researchers, and institutions in various media fields.
