News
UWR school heads raise concern over reopening of schools
Head teachers of some Educational Institutions in the Upper West Region have expressed concern over the possible ‘importation’ of the coronavirus into the region with the reopening of schools for final year students.
They expressed the fear that the schools had students across the country with some residing in areas designated as hotspots for the CODVID-19 infection, and could transport the virus to the schools in the region.
They, have therefore, called for precautionary measures to be put in place prior to the possible reopening, including testing of students before allowing them into the school premises.
The concerned head teachers made this appeal when they took their turn to speak during a stakeholders’ consultation meeting on the integration of the COVID-19 protocols into the school system as the institutions prepared to reopen for final year students.
The meeting which brought various players in the education sector together to consolidate ideas on the safe reopening of the schools saw some institutional heads raise issues about the absence of testing for the students as part of the safety measures.
Some of the head teachers also requested for the allocation of health personnel to the institutions to attend to students who may fall sick to prevent them from going out of the school’s premises.
The Regional Director of Education, Mr Godfrey Dongyeru outlined some of the measurs put in place to ensure that students and members of the school community were safe.
The measures, he explained, included the provision of Veronica buckets, nose masks, hands gloves, hand sanitisers and others to be implemented to prevent the spread of the virus.
He, therefore, pleaded with the school authorities not to give out their school premises for religious gathering or other social events.
FROM LYDIA FORDJOUR AND RAFIA ABDUL-RAZAK, WA
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.
