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Some petty traders and business owners in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region have expressed their concerns on the adverse effects of the ongoing power outages on their businesses. The residents disclosed their plight to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after many of them realised massive losses in their businesses due to intermittent power outages in these enclaves. Madam Mabel Nyekor, a cold store operator told the GNA that she lost a significant portion of her perishable goods worth GHS3,600 due to prolonged periods of outage in a week. 'It is not easy to do business nowadays. Everything has changed but we are managing, yet the frequent power outage is another challenge that is hitting us very hard. Our petty businesses are sinking,' she cried. Mrs. Tandzi Grace, a hairdresser, stressed similar sentiments and highlighted the difficulties she also faces in serving her clients effectively during power cuts. The situation is not isolated to the South Tongu District alone but extends to neighboring ar eas, including Central and North Tongu. Mr Wisdom Nyamordey, a bar operator in the North Tongu District also shared that most clients do not patronize his services due to the power cut crisis. The residents in these districts have reported a significant disruption to their daily lives and businesses whenever the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) initiates power cuts. They appealed to the government to address the root causes of the power outage crisis and implement sustainable solutions to alleviate their plight and salvage their businesses. Further investigations by the GNA revealed that some of these local entrepreneurs demonstrated resilience by exploring alternative means to sustain their businesses. About thirty per cent of these business folks in the three Tongu districts have invested in backup power sources, while others adapted their operations to minimize losses during power outages as they await swift intervention from the government. Source: Ghana News Agency

A total of 10.75 million Ghanaians do not use the internet as at the beginning of last year, the 2023 LONDA Report on the digital rights and inclusion in Africa, published by the Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a Pan African organisation, has revealed. Thus, at least 31.8 per cent of the national population (33.80 million) were offline at that time. However, the country's internet penetration rate, which stood at 53 percent in the previous year increased to 68.2 percent in 2023. The LONDA 2023 report features 26 African country reports, authored by digital rights experts from across Africa, and is published annually and monitors the environment, documents violations, and reports on the state of digital rights and inclusion in the continent. As an advocacy tool of engagement with different stakeholders in the reported countries, LONDA serves as a yardstick for measuring their annual performance and provides critical recommendations to improve the digital space. Thobekile Matimbe, Senior Manager, Partnerships a nd Engagement, PIN, launched the report at the closing session of the 11th edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusive Forum 2024 (DRIF24) in Accra on the theme: 'Fostering Rights and Inclusion in the Digital Age'. PIN and other partners organised the three-day conference, attended by hundreds of delegates, civil society organisations and actors, NGOs and the academia drawn from 61 countries across the world. Other partner organisations in Ghana included E-Governance and Internet Governance Foundation for Africa (EGIGFA), University of Media, Arts and Communication, Media Foundation for West Africa, Inclusive Tech Group, Internet Society (ISOC) Ghana Chapter, and Human Security Research Centre (HSRC). Event sponsors included Wikimedia, African Digital Rights Network, Ford Foundation, Luminate, Google, Kingdom of The Netherlands, Mott Foundation, Open Technology Fund (OTF), Internews, Small Media, among others. According to the report, digital technologies, especially mobile phones, and the internet had be come indispensable tools for participation in society and the economy and urged the government to do more to improve internet penetration in the country. In 2022, the World Bank approved US$200 million for the government's Digital Acceleration Project, aimed at enhancing internet access in rural areas and promoting digital inclusion. However, despite these efforts, a persistent digital divide exists, particularly affecting women and persons with disabilities (PwDs), hindering their access to and utilisation of digital technologies in Ghana, it explained. The report further recommended a multi-stakeholder approach to tackling the digital rights situation in the country, saying the approach would address issues such as internet and mobile phone affordability through subsidies, special pricing, financing schemes, and other innovations. Stakeholders, including government bodies, non-profit organisations, and research institutions, should work collaboratively towards reporting on the myriad barriers confrontin g PwDs. Additionally, collective action was required to ensure Ghana leveraged connectivity for empowerment and prosperity for all and calls on the nation to establish protections, reporting mechanisms, and accountability for violence against citizens. The National Media Commission ought to be reformed and strengthened to safeguard press freedom, the statement suggested and called for the protection of vulnerable and marginalised groups such as women PwDs and LGBTIQ+ by refraining from enacting legislation that would enable their censorship, surveillance, or arrests. It also called for the development, reviewed, and updated comprehensive legislation that addressed digital rights, including privacy protection, freedom of expression, and access to information. The Parliament of Ghana must also strengthen legal protections for media freedom, censorship, data privacy, digital security and safety of journalists, the statement recommended. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Tourism Society of Ghana (TOSOGHA) has paid a courtesy call on the tourism minister, Mr Andrew Egyapa Mercer, in Accra. The call was to congratulate him on his new appointment and to discuss ongoing initiatives and campaigns of the Society aimed at boosting domestic tourism, particularly among the youth. Mr. Ahmed Nahman, Board Chairman, TOSOGHA said the society was embarking on several key projects, including the revitalization of tourism clubs in educational institutions, the Liberty Card Project, and the National Youth Skill Acquisition and Training Scheme. The initiatives, he explained, were intended to stimulate the interest of the younger generation in Ghana's rich cultural heritage and unique attractions. Mr. Mercer commended TOSOGHA's efforts to strengthen the industry and assured the Ministry's full support. He said the government was committed to fostering sustainable tourism growth and development across the country. Mr Joseph Amartey, President of TOSOGHA, expressed gratitude at the mini stry's continued support for the society, saying, 'With the Ministry's backing, TOSOGHA aims to further amplify its efforts in promoting domestic tourism and empowering Ghanaian youth to explore and appreciate the wonders of their own country.' Source: Ghana News Agency

Participants at a day's stakeholders' workshop on phase two of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ 2.0) programme, have called on the government to suspend its implementation for this year to prevent poor results. They said the government should use the year for thorough preparation towards smooth implementation of the programme next year instead. The workshop, held in Tamale, was organised by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) with support from OXFAM and had participants including selected members of PFAG and Heads of District Department of Agriculture drawn from Tamale, Saboba, Yendi, Gushegu, and Chereponi in the Northern and North East Regions. It was part of PFAG's efforts to update members and stakeholders on the commencement of the PFJ 2.0, reveal the identified bottlenecks and seek redress for them. It was also to relook at the implementation design of the PFJ 2.0 and propose reforms that would respond to the needs of farmers. During the workshop, it was revealed that there were cha llenges confronting the ongoing registration of farmers for the PFJ 2.0 as most of the Agricultural Extension Agents did not receive the tablets to facilitate the exercise coupled with network challenges making it difficult to take coordinates of farms on time. It was also revealed that so far, less than 10 per cent of farmers in the various districts had been registered, and input providers were also yet to import their products despite the farming season being just about to start. The participants also suggested that politicians should minimise their influence in the implementation of the PFJ 2.0 and allow technical staff of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and Department of Agriculture at the decentralised levels to handle the programme. They argued that in this way, no new Minister or government would be in a rush to review the programme because the frequent reviews of the programme and other agricultural policies were affecting smooth implementation. The PFJ 2.0 was launched in August last year to allow farmers to take farm inputs from sellers on credit and pay after harvest. Madam Hawa Musah, the Director, Northern Regional Department of Agriculture, urged the District Departmental Heads to visit farmers, especially the chiefs to explain the PFJ 2.0 and the processes of getting registered onto the programme to them to enable them to join the programme. She further expressed the need for them to be quick in resolving the registration challenges to ensure that more farmers were registered on time. Mr Bismark Owusu Nortey, the Acting Executive Director, PFAG said the discussions at the workshop showed that there was a consensus that the PFJ 2.0 should rather be piloted this year instead of full implementation. He said PFAG would hold similar workshops in other parts of the country and added that input collated would be put into a policy brief document to engage MoFA. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), says it would deliver on its resolve to operate permanent offices in all regions in the country. The Authority presently has established in 13 of Ghana's 16 regions, and Prince Opoku Adusei, Deputy CEO in charge of Operations, told the media during a Board visit to the Volta region that the remaining three would be delivered. 'We are mandated to ensure that we have offices in the three remaining Regions,' he said while revealing that the lands had been allotted the Authority and was making progress with needed procurement. The Board gave the assurance that the office project in Oti and North East regions would begin next year. The tour is an annual undertaking to assess service quality nationwide, and the team visited offices in the southern parts of the Volta Region. The Director said they met with staff, interacted with them and 'took note' of their challenges. 'We are happy with what we've seen here so far and there is more room for improvement, and so we will go back and try and resolve some the issues that we have picked up in the Region so far.' Mr Frank Davies, Chairman of the Board used the opportunity to personally interact with staff, urging commitment and dedication in delivering upon the mandate of the Authority. The management of the Authority in the Volta Region shared with the media how commercial tricycle operators remained the biggest challenge to road use and it attracted lots of underage drivers. Source: Ghana News Agency