News
U.S. Ambassador urges protection of shea parklands in northern belt
The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs. Stephanie S. Sullivan, recently joined His Majesty Buipewura Abdoulai Jinapor II and members of the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) to commemorate Shea Day with a tree planting event within the grounds of the Yagbonwura Jakpa’s Palace at Damongo.
The event was part of the Action for Shea Parklands initiative, which was launched in 2020 to preserve and protect the shea parklands across West Africa.
The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has supported women’s cooperatives across northern Ghana to plant 15,000 shea trees during the month of July, recognised as “shea month.”
Ambassador Sullivan, who launched the Action for Shea Parklands initiative in 2020, emphasised the critical need to protect shea parklands and take progressive action to reverse the effects of degradation.
“It is imperative that communities lead action at the local level – restoration begins with a clear understanding of your landscape and your needs. Each one of us here must then take action to promote climate resilience, and tree planting is a positive first step.
“The task is more complex than simply planting trees. The restorative process requires our long-term investment in the management and growth of the trees we plant today and into the future,” she stated.
She further expressed the U.S. government’s commitment to contribute to global climate solutions, highlighting the U.S. return to the Paris Climate Agreement. The United States supports the global one trillion tree initiative, which seeks to conserve, restore, and grow one trillion trees by 2030.
Throughout the month of July, USAID is partnering with the GSA to mobilise stakeholders across the globe to act now and preserve the shea parklands.
USAID is supporting GSA members to undertake cross-regional activities such as tree planting, parkland management training, advocacy, and social media campaigns in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, and Togo under the Sustainable Shea Initiative (SSI).
The Sustainable Shea Initiative is an $18 million, five-year programme that promotes the sustainable expansion of the shea industry in Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Mali, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso, as well as increases the incomes of hundreds of thousands of rural women.
In Ghana, 20,000 trees will be planted across five northern regions this year alone.
About Global Shea Alliance:The Global Shea Alliance is a non-profit industry association with 560 members from 35 countries including women’s groups, brands and retailers, suppliers and NGOs.
Through public-private partnership, the GSA promotes industry sustainability, quality practices and standards, and demand for shea in food and cosmetics.
The USAID/West Africa mission is to promote social and economic well-being in the region.
Spanning 21 countries, USAID/West Africa designs and implements programmes with West African partners to strengthen systems of non-violent conflict management, support economic growth, and expand quality health services.
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
