News
Parliament denies claim of COVID-19 positive cases
Parliament has rubbished reports making the rounds that two members of the House and 13 Parliamentary Service staff have tested positive for coronavirus.
News portal, Starrfm.com.gh yesterday reported that the lawmakers and staff of Parliament had tested positive for the disease.
But in a press statement issued in Accra yesterday and signed by Director of Public Affairs, Madam Kate Addo, Parliament said the reports were false.
“Parliament would like to state categorically that the results of the tests are not yet known and so the report by Starrfmonline is not true.
“Parliament would therefore like to urge Starrfmonline to withdraw the said report and update its audience with the relevant information to the effect that the results from the tests are unknown to Parliament,” the statement said.
It continued: “The confidentiality protocol is that, those who test positive will be called directly by the testing team. Officially, Parliament is unaware of any such call and therefore there hasn’t been any official figures given by the National COVID-19 response team.”
The statement said Parliament remained committed to ensuring the safety and avoidance of possible spread of the disease in the House.
“Citizens are encouraged to call or reach Parliament online with their enquiries and only attend upon the House if it becomes absolutely necessary,” the statement directed.
Meanwhile, Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, addressing journalists said the Accra-based media organisation was only engaged in speculations.
“What we would want you to know is that there is no truth in that [report].
What that media house did amounts to nothing but speculation. They are only speculating that two Members of Parliament have tested positive. It is speculative journalism,” he emphasised.
The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye during proceedings however, directed that all MPs, staff and members of the Press Corps who hadn’t undergone the test should do so on Thursday and Friday to avoid sanctions.
“The decision is that in our collective interest, it is mandatory. Don’t wait till it gets to the stage of applying sanctions,” Speaker Oquaye said.
Speaker Oquaye said elaborate steps were being taken to ensure the observation of all appropriate protocols in the light of the results.
“Absolute confidentiality and professionalism [will be used] in handling all cases be it negative or positive,” he assured.
On the authority of the Parliamentary Service Board, Speaker Oquaye at the commencement of this meeting on Tuesday, May 19, directed that persons who worked within the prescient of Parliament undergo testing for the virus.
So far, 690 persons including MPs, staff and members of the Parliamentary Press Corps had undergone the test.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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.
