Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

The news that palm oil is being adulterated with a chemical for dyeing known as sudan Four is most distressing and dangerous. The substance is said to be dangerous to health and can cause cancer and other diseases. Palm oil is consumed in many homes and chop bars in Ghana as it is used to prepare a lot of dishes. It is used in okro stew, egusi stew, gari and beans and many more. This makes it an important ingredient in the food of many Ghanaians.  The adulteration is worrying and criminal. Furthermore, the fact that palm oil in almost all the major markets in Accra is contaminated through adulteration is worrisome. It won’t be out of place to say that this development can affect the livelihood of a lot of people, from farmers to those who purchase the commodity from them and sell to the market women and the market women themselves.  What we are looking at is the possible collapse of an industry due to the greed and total disrespect for human life and health by some Ghanai...

Special schools are institutions that take absolute care of students with special needs. These students are very vulnerable and are entrusted in the care of well-trained special professional teachers. The special schools are for the deaf, blind and mentally retarded. There are about 30 of such schools across the country.  It is significant to note that every professional teacher, apart from the special education teachers, is equipped with basic knowledge of special education which will help to detect any special challenges facing pupils and students during interactions in the classroom.  For example if a teacher finds out that a particular child, all the time copies words or numerals wrongly, it calls for some investigations to find out the cause. It could be a problem with the sight. In the same vein, if during dictation and other oral exercises, the pupil is found to be writing nothing or writing everything wrongly, it could be attributed to hearing impairments. That is ...

The Ghana Water Company Limited GWCL is the state institution mandated to treat water and supply to consumers across the country. As an institution, the GWCL may have its own challenges in discharging its mandate. One of such challenge is the fast rate at which the country abundant water resources, including rivers, bodies are being destroyed through irresponsible behaviours like galamsay operations.  All Ghanaians have a role to play to prevent further destruction of water bodies. We contribute to the gradual extinction of water resources through dumping refuse, and other solid waste into water bodies. People also contaminate water through the use of chemicals for fishing.  All these activities are a major cause of water pollution in the country. The Odaw River and the Korle Lagoon are two regrettable examples found in Accra the national capital.  These water bodies have been extremely polluted to the extent that they have become the an eye soar to residents of t...

Ghana’s decentralization programme has helped to empower citizens at the local level. The enthusiasm that characterized the recent District Assembly and Unit Committee elections clearly show that people at the local level are committed to lead the crusade to accelerate development in the various communities. Strengthening governance at the District level is a practical process to consolidate the gains made in constitutional democracy and sustainable development.  After the victories by the Assembly members and the composition of Government appointments, the Assemblies were recently inaugurated throughout the country with the core message that they are the agents of development at the grass root. There is no doubt that the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies are the vision for rural development and transformation. The current session of Assemblies was delayed over some disagreement regarding the constitutional Instrument for conducting the elections. In effect, the MMD...

At long last, the dust has settled and the placement exercise of newly qualified students into Senior High Schools has been effected through the computerised School Selection Programme (CSSP).  The computerised selection system continues to attract mixed reaction from the public. The doubting Thomases view the computerisation system as lacking in transparency and fraught with corruption since it is human beings who operate the computers. Others see the whole exercise as an improvement over the previous system where Heads of SHS had a field day in the selection exercise. They called the shots and parents and guardians were at their beck and call. Stakeholders in the education sector agree that the new system requires further improvement. The headache of parents in a new academic year is how to secure admission for their children in their first choice schools which are perceived as elite institutions.  It is the dream of many parents that their wards attend such elite school...

In line with the National Democratic Congress' manifesto to ensure equitable access to secondary education in Ghana, President John Mahama made two key campaign commitments in the run-up to the 2012 general elections.  The first one was to build 200 community Senior High Schools, and the second; to implement the 1992 constitutional requirement to make secondary education progressively free. It is significant to note that the objective of the dual promise is to expand physical access, with a focus on underserved rural communities and provide needed incentives for Ghanaian teenagers to enroll in secondary schools.  And so, within a space of one month, two of the new community day SHSs, namely Professor John Evans Atta Mills Senior High School at Otuam in the Mfantsiman East District of the Central Region, and Gwiraman Senior High School at Bamiankor in the Nzema East municipality of the Western Region, have seen the light of day, following their inauguration by President Mah...

Hand washing with soap has been cited as one of the most cost-effective interventions to prevent diarrhoeal related deaths and infectious diseases. Statistics compiled by UN Agencies including UNICEF indicate that hand washing with soap at critical times - including before eating or preparing food and after using the toilet - can reduce diarrhoea rates by more than 40 per cent. It can cut down the incidence of acute respiratory infections such as influenza and pneumonia by around 23 per cent. Hand washing can also be a critical measure in controlling pandemic outbreaks of respiratory infections. Several studies carried out during the 2006 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) suggest that washing hands more than 10 times a day can cut the spread of the respiratory virus by 55 per cent. In spite of the magic of this simple act, indications are that rates of hand washing around the world are low. Interestingly, hand washing is an act that can be easily done anywhere as lon...

The celebration of World Food Day each year provides an opportunity for the International Community and all stakeholders to reflect upon the global food situation with the view to adopting pragmatic policies and programmes to ensure global food security and to combat hunger and malnutrition.  Each year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, adopts a theme that provides food for thought and serves as a guide and a policy framework for the International Community to promote the goals and objectives Organisation, the World Food Programme and other allied institutions.  The celebration of this year’s World Food Day marks the 35th edition of the event and the 70th Anniversary of the FAO.  The theme for the 35th edition; “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty” is meant to draw global attention to the important role of Social Protection and Agriculture as intervention tools in eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition and providing...

resident John Dramani Mahama is gradually carving a niche for himself as a good orator and confident statesman on the world stage. His eloquence and delivery was a delight to watch and listen to as he addressed the 70th session of the United Nation's General Assembly.  However, it is his desire for change and transformation in the world and in Ghana which caught the attention of many. His desire to ensure that some practices and beliefs though considered traditional but are inimical to progress are changed is commendable.  This is because, some practices that served society well in the past might not serve society well currently. It is also remarkable that the President is keen on reviewing the rules of engagement in Ghana, to create a balance between the maintenance of law and order and the basic rights of people to free speech and free expression.  This would further strengthen democracy and enhance the exchange of ideas across the political divide free of intimid...

As a nation, it is important to accept the reality that, the management of plastic wastes has not been the best. This certainly calls for the need to support efforts at finding a lasting solution to the problem since its effects such as cholera and malaria have no respect for all persons, irrespective of age, colour and gender.  According to health officials, the 2014 cholera outbreak in Ghana hit a record seventeen thousand (17, 000) cases with 150 deaths. The last time Ghana suffered such a staggering number of cholera cases was in 1982. Signs of a cholera outbreak were on the wall after heavy rains exposed the filthy nature of the nation’s capital. In January 2013, the Ghana Health Service declared a cholera outbreak in the Ashanti Region. Eighteen people died and 310 cases were registered in that region. Majority of infected persons were women and children.  In view of this, the Ghana Health Service warned of a possible cholera outbreak in Accra due to the insanitary c...

The delay of the inauguration of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies until today, was as a result of the aborted March elections following a court case over the legitimacy of the elections as a whole. Meanwhile, the Nkoranza North and South Districts could not take part in the inauguration, as elections could not be held there, for legal reasons.  Lower Manya Krobo District Assembly, whose term of office has not yet expired, was obviously exempted. Though belated, the inauguration of the Assemblies, has given way to the election of Presiding Members and the establishment of Sub-Committees which would go a long way to make the Assemblies fully functional and, thus, be in a position to effectively run all the statutory businesses that go to give meaning to the essence of establishing the District Assembly Concept.  As usual, photo exhibitions were mounted in some of the Districts to showcase their achievements so far, and investment opportunities that are aim...

October 7 is here again and trade Unions globally as usual are championing the world day for Decent work. This has been the spectacular effort of the International Trades Union Congress since 2008, to mobilize all Trades Unions over the world to stand up for decent work.  Though it's on a low profile in Ghana, activities marking this years, edition, stretch from Japan to Ecuador and South Africa to Russia as 33 countries have already been registered on the special website. Last year, the focus was on: Justice for Workers; Climate Justice, as workers drew attention to their plight.  This years' edition, under the banner; “End Corporate Greed” really serves a global purpose, as for example, Brussels, the “Capital of Europe”, comes to a standstill with a huge demonstration organised by the Belgian trade unions against austerity, while unions from the manufacturing sector hold events in some parts of the world to demand an end to precarious working conditions. On this occasion...

Do you know that your eyes are your wealth? Have you ever imagined not been able to see the food you are eating or if the clothes you are wearing are clean or not? Or perhaps how beautiful the sky is? To know the value of sight, ask someone who just lost his or her sight.  The eye is the window to the body, as well as the door, to the physical world. On this occasion of World Sight Day which falls on every second Thursday of the month of October, the eye health community is focusing on “eye care for all.” This has been the effort of the World Health Organization in collaboration with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, where awareness is spread through a large number of different events.  One finds it quite regretting that in Ghana, eye care is often relegated to the back in healthcare, with many forgetting that when one loses his/her sight, the individual's quality of life is reduced to a large extent. There is also a high possibility of the person b...

World Egg Day offers a unique opportunity to help raise awareness on the benefits of eggs. It is celebrated globally on the second Friday in October each year. The day was established at the Vienna 1996 conference. For centuries, eggs have played a major role in feeding families around the globe. They are unbeatable when it comes to versatility and top-quality protein at an affordable price. In deed research has shown that eggs constitute an excellent source of choline, essential in memory and brain development. Regular eggs in take play a key role in disease prevention and contribute well-being in later life, particularly in relation to eyesight and maintenance of the body. In Ghana, the day is being observed country wide in the ten administrative capitals. The theme for the celebration is “think eggs.” Indeed, it offers a unique opportunity for the public to ponder and discuss the benefits of egg consumption.  It will also draw the attention of policy makers, implementers and s...

President John Mahama, last Friday, inaugurated the 50 million new Court Complex in Accra, to give the Judiciary, a new lease of life in the midst of the on-going investigation into recent allegation of bribery against some members of the judiciary. The complex comprises 10 land and commercial courts each, six criminal and general jurisdiction courts. The Complex also has three divorce and matrimonial courts, two financial and economic courts and two human rights courts. Provisions were also made for two labour courts and one probate and administration courts.  The Court Complex has been inaugurated at a critical time in the history of the Judiciary, following the investigative journalistic piece of Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which has unravelled alleged corruption of some judges. A close, critical and in-depth analysis must be made relative to the glaring moral break down in our society and the absence of moral integrity and probity in significant sectors of our society. That must have...

The global community is observing today as World Heart Day. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Creating Heart-Healthy Environments.” At the launch of the 2015 edition of the World Heart Day in Accra a fortnight ago, there was a call on Ghanaians to make healthy heart choices at all times.  A Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Kow Entsua-Mensah, indicated that making a few changes at home could help reduce the risk of heart diseases and strokes. According to Dr. Entsua-Mensah, “things like stocking up on healthy food options, banning smoking from the home, learning more about ones family’s risk of cardiovascular diseases and understanding the signs and symptoms of a heart attack or stroke could reduce the risk of heart disease.”  It is important to stress that banning smoking at home alone is not enough. The ban in all public places should be given the needed attention as part of effort to check the risk of heart attack or stroke. In this r...

106 Years since his birth in 1909, and almost 50 years since his overthrow in 1996, we have not stopped talking about him. But one may ask can we stop? Are there any signs of stopping anytime soon? No, and a resounding No it is. As a people, until we have attained the minimum standard of development, which was an aspiration of Dr. Nkrumah, then it is a No. Until the economic independence of Ghana is anchored in strong trade ties with sister African countries, then it is a No. Not until our leaders become selfless and focus their energies more on the welfare of citizenry, then it is NO! Many have been the writings about Ghana the Black Star of Africa. They painted the promise of this new-born nation upon attaining independence in 1957. The early leaders amplified these sentiments. As Nkrumah would have it on the evening of July 1, 1960 in his address to the nation: “What are our prospects? As you know, we are one of the wealthiest countries in Africa. For our size, our potential wealth ...