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Over 1500 officials benefit from KOICA Scholarship Programme
Nana Ato Arthur (inset) addressing guests at the event
The Head of Local Government Service, Nana Ato Arthur has commended the Korean government support for Ghana to ensure efficiency in the public sector.
According to him, over 1500 Ghanaian public officials had been trained under the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), contributing immensely to the growth of the country.
He said this at the recently held KOICA Alumni Association, Ghana (KAAG) seminar in Accra under the theme, ‘KOICA-Ghana Partnership: Impact of the KOICA Scholarship Programme on Public Service Delivery.’
The seminar was aimed at providing the platform for the alumni to share their experiences and lessons that could be translated into public service delivery in Ghana.
“It is crucial to build on the foundation laid by the KOICA Alumni. We need an integrated approach that leverage new skills and ideas. Our goal is to establish a cycle of learning and innovation that supports sustainable local development,” he stated.
This, he said, would be a starting point for a stronger collaboration between international education programmes and local governance.
“Let us ensure that every lesson learnt through the programme directly contributes to building a better Ghana. We commend KOICA for the continuous support in building capacity for public officials particularly the civil and public service staff,” he stressed.
However, he said the integration of these skills had not been without challenges since issues such as limited resources, resistant to change and the need for continuous training had sometimes slowed progress.
On his part, KOICA Ghana Country Director, Mr Dong Hyun Lee congratulated the alumni for the dedication to self-improvement as well as the development of Ghana.
He said equipping public officials with the needed skills to improve service was essential to the development of every country.
“Let us continue to seek for new ways to improve service delivery and support the growth of our respective countries,” he added.
The occasion also saw presentations from alumni Mr David Essuman Mensah and Mr Victor Kofi on the topic, ‘Reforming Ghana’s Public Sector; the Korean Way-Lessons from Korea’ and ‘Using Taxation for development economics-lessons from Korea in the field of work,’ respectively.
By Michael D. Abayateye
News
GFP founder Akua Donkor passes on
Akua Donkor
The founder and leader of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Madam Akua Donkor, has passed away.
She died at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital on Monday, October 28 at 72.
Reports gathered by The Spectator indicated that she was diagnosed with respiratory issues at the Nsawam Government Hospital and was referred to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital where she died.
Known for her spirited presence in Ghanaian politics, Akua Donkor was a staunch advocate for the rights of farmers and women.
Her bold and outspoken demeanour enabled her to capture public attention and significantly impact the grassroots communities she aimed to represent.
Throughout her political journey, she distinguished herself by running for the presidency multiple ti mes, demonstrating remarkable resilience despite financial challenges.
Akua Donkor was listed as the third candidate on the ballot for the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Her political career began with her election as the Assemblywoman for Herman in the Ashanti region, and she made her first bid for the presidency in 2012 as an independent candidate.
She was, however, disqualified by the Electoral Commission in 2012 and 2016 for the reason that she did not meet the eligibility requirements.
News
Stop using breast enhancing creams …they expose females to breast cancer
Mrs Enyonam Abiti making a presentation
Women have been cautioned to stop using of breast enhancing creams which is said to contain estrogen, predisposing them to the breast cancer disease.
Using such creams over time increases estrogen levels in patrons of such products thereby exposing them to the disease.
Estrogen is a type of sex hormone responsible for development and regulation of female reproductive system and secondary sex chart.
Mrs Enyonam Abiti, a medical officer at Madina Pentecost Hospital, said this at a day’s seminar and breast cancer awareness creation day at Sunyani in the Bono Region.
The programme, organised by the Bono Regional office of COCOBOD, forms part of activities to mark this year’s World Breast Cancer Day celebrations held every year in October.
Some staff of COCOBOD and women in cocoa farming used the opportunity to have their breast screened.
Mrs Abiti during a presentation revealed that one in every eight women was diagnosed of breast cancer while 1 from 1,000 men contract the disease.
She noted that early detection and regular screening was the surest way to salvage the situation.
She mentioned that habits such as excessive smoking and alcohol intake predisposes women to breast cancer.
Moreover, she added that people advanced in age, past history, past ovarian cancer case as well as young girls that menstruate early, among others stands the risk of contracting the disease.
The Bono Regional Administrator of COCOBOD, Michael Paddy Kwesi Asumanu, stated that the decision to organise the breast screening was to ensure that women in cocoa farming were healthy at all times to go about their farming activities in order to increase productivity.
“We don’t want a situation where our women in cocoa farming are infected with breast cancer disease to jeopardise the cocoa sector,” he said.
According him, the Regional Office of COCOBOD in partnership with the Bono Regional Teaching hospital would organised screening for about 4,000 women on October 31, 2024 at Goaso in the Ahafo Region.
The move, he said, was part of their corporate social responsibility towards women as the world mark breast cancer awareness creation this month.
Some of the women who spoke to The Spectator commended COCOBOD for the gesture and called on other institutions of state to emulate the example.
The organisers later held a float on the principal streets of Sunyani to create awareness on the breast cancer disease.
From Daniel Dzirasah, Sunyani
