Pg 30. Tuesday Jan. 29/08
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The property of tenants occupying 11 single rented rooms at Abossey Okai in Accra, were destroyed when their rooms caught fire at dawn last Wednesday.
The fire, which was spotted by one of the tenants, has displaced about 21 people, one of whom is currently on admission at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after he sustained burns when he tried to rescue his nine-year-old son who was sleeping in the room when the fire started.
Occupants of the rooms located on the top floor of a one-storey building with shops on the ground floor, included a police officer and his pregnant wife, a tailor, a seamstress, a taxi driver and a businessman.
According to some of the residents, they heard shouts of “fire”, “fire” around 4 a.m. in one of the rooms after the occupant had unsuccessfully tried to put out a fire from the ceiling.
They said on hearing the shouts, they all came out to help put out the fire in the room where the shouts was coming from. Just then, they said, the roof over all the 11 rooms collapsed and the severity of the fire made it impossible for any of the occupants to go back into their rooms to salvage their belongings.
One of the occupants, Mr Michael Sarpong, a machine operator with Kinapharma, who said he lost GH¢1,800 in the fire, said the Fire Service was called around 4.30 a.m. and the fire was brought under control around 5.30 a.m.
He said he, together with all the other occupants, lost all their assets — money, mobile phones and valuable documents.
When the Daily Graphic visited the scene, the ceiling of the 11 rooms had been raised to the ground by the fire while remains of fridges, TV sets, beds, mattresses, documents cooking utensils, clothing, food stuffs among others were seen lying around in the various rooms.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Re-arrest child prostitutes- Appiah
Pg. 58. Monday, Jan. 28/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho & Naa Lartiokor Lartey
THE Executive Director of Children's Right International (CRI), Mr Bright Appiah, has said that Government must make efforts to re-arrest the 45 child prostitutes who escaped under questionable circumstances when they were taken for rehabilitation and re-integration at the Department of Social Welfare women's training centre at Madina in Accra.
He said various institutions were playing the blame game at the expense of the children's interest, which he stressed did not show any seriousness on the part of the government.
At a press conference in Accra, he said Article 39 of the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) stated that "state parties shall take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of child victim of any form of neglect, exploitation or abuse".
Mr Appiah said any attempt by any person to "divert attention, blame, release information and expose children amount to violation of children's right within our legal framework".
He questioned why journalists should risk their lives and the police and other state institutions use the taxpayer’s money on such operation only for the key culprits to be left off the hook.
Mr Appiah added that the CRI was interested in the reasons why the “child sex workers” were released and denied the right to maintenance, rehabilitation and re-integration.
In his view, there should be prosecution of the case as a test case to the 1998 Children’s Act 560 for proper steps to be taken for the children's welfare.
He said CRI was a child-centred organisation interested in promoting the utmost interest of children in all matters concerning the child.
Two journalists — Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Halifax Ansah-Addo — whose investigations led to the police raid last week of “Soldier Bar”, a brothel at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, where the sex workers were arrested, also expressed their disappointment at the turn of events.
They expressed dissatisfaction at the way the Department of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) handled the “child sex workers” who were sent to the Madina Social Welfare Training Centre for rehabilitation.
The over 150 alleged prostitutes arrested, 45 of whom were children, were later said to have escaped with only 15 remaining under the care of the centre.
They said the motive behind the raid, which involved some officials from the Ghana Police Service (GPS), was to get evidence that children as young as 11 years were indeed into prostitution in the country.
Mr Ansah-Addo, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said they embarked on that assignment so that the children involved could be rehabilitated and also to ensure that perpetrators or patrons of the services of the “child sex workers” were prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.
He, however, said the “supposed escape” of the children from the centre had rendered their work fruitless, since non of their motives were realised.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho & Naa Lartiokor Lartey
THE Executive Director of Children's Right International (CRI), Mr Bright Appiah, has said that Government must make efforts to re-arrest the 45 child prostitutes who escaped under questionable circumstances when they were taken for rehabilitation and re-integration at the Department of Social Welfare women's training centre at Madina in Accra.
He said various institutions were playing the blame game at the expense of the children's interest, which he stressed did not show any seriousness on the part of the government.
At a press conference in Accra, he said Article 39 of the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) stated that "state parties shall take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of child victim of any form of neglect, exploitation or abuse".
Mr Appiah said any attempt by any person to "divert attention, blame, release information and expose children amount to violation of children's right within our legal framework".
He questioned why journalists should risk their lives and the police and other state institutions use the taxpayer’s money on such operation only for the key culprits to be left off the hook.
Mr Appiah added that the CRI was interested in the reasons why the “child sex workers” were released and denied the right to maintenance, rehabilitation and re-integration.
In his view, there should be prosecution of the case as a test case to the 1998 Children’s Act 560 for proper steps to be taken for the children's welfare.
He said CRI was a child-centred organisation interested in promoting the utmost interest of children in all matters concerning the child.
Two journalists — Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Halifax Ansah-Addo — whose investigations led to the police raid last week of “Soldier Bar”, a brothel at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, where the sex workers were arrested, also expressed their disappointment at the turn of events.
They expressed dissatisfaction at the way the Department of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) handled the “child sex workers” who were sent to the Madina Social Welfare Training Centre for rehabilitation.
The over 150 alleged prostitutes arrested, 45 of whom were children, were later said to have escaped with only 15 remaining under the care of the centre.
They said the motive behind the raid, which involved some officials from the Ghana Police Service (GPS), was to get evidence that children as young as 11 years were indeed into prostitution in the country.
Mr Ansah-Addo, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said they embarked on that assignment so that the children involved could be rehabilitated and also to ensure that perpetrators or patrons of the services of the “child sex workers” were prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.
He, however, said the “supposed escape” of the children from the centre had rendered their work fruitless, since non of their motives were realised.
Domestic assistants to have more security
Pg 11. Saturday Jan. 29/08
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
People who employ the services of young girls serving as domestic assistants or ‘maid servants’ in homes will soon have rules and regulations to formalise the employment relationship between them and their employees.
A document, which among other things seeks to begin a process of regularising the work of such girls and also ensure that they are not exploited by their employers, has been presented to the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment in Accra.
That initiative follows the launch of a fact sheet by the Deputy Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment (responsible for Social Welfare), Mrs Akosua Frema Osei Opare, in April, 2007, to regulate the contractual needs of domestic assistants to ensure that their rights are not trampled upon.
The document, which outlines the terms of contract, wages and benefits, maximum working hours, rest and leave periods, rights at work, enforcement and the responsibilities of the domestic assistants, is to be considered and incorporated into the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) as a subsidiary legislation after it had been forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Department for consideration.
Those who propounded the document, the Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA-Ghana) Alumnae Incorporated, presented the proposal to the ministry at a programme in Accra where it disseminated its report findings on its advocacy project on the rights of domestic assistants in five regions, namely the Greater Accra, Central, Eastern, Western and Volta.
Formerly, there were no contractual agreement between some domestic workers and their employees and so most of them were not sent to school; they were on call from dawn till dusk and were not paid for their services.
Giving testimonies on how the fact sheet, which comprised of a contractual agreement, has helped change her life, a domestic assistant from the Western Region said her parents could not afford to continue catering for her, although she had completed primary and needed to enrol in a junior high school.
She was, therefore, given out as a domestic assistant. She said she was helping her employer to prepare porridge for sale.
She had to wake up as early as 3 a.m. to help in the preparation of the porridge as well as ensure that it was all sold out before she could go to school.
Although she was academically good, her role affected her academic performance but with the signing of the contractual agreement between her and her employer through the LAWA-Ghana team she was allowed to have enough rest and that had improved her performance in school.
The Chairperson of LAWA-Ghana, Ms Sheila Minka-Premo, who read the report, called for legal reforms which included the passage of regulations which would provide for the specific and unique employment situations of domestic workers in general and domestic assistants in particular.
The report, which was sponsored by the Right and Voice Initiative (RAVI), also called for the amendment of section 42 of the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29) as amended to address the legal justification for the physical abuse of adolescent domestic assistants.
Ms Minka-Premo said although the labour law existed, it did not protect the rights of domestic assistants and therefore most of them were abused in homes.
She cited Zimbabwe as one country that had enacted comprehensive legislation on domestic assistants and called on Ghana to follow the international trend to enact a law that would protect domestic assistants — who were mostly young girls — from abuse, rape and defilement.
She said as women rights activists, LAWA-Ghana was aware that Ghana had signed several human rights instruments that required the state to ensure the rights of all workers, including females working in homes and, therefore, there was the need to advocate for the improvement of their rights.
A representative from the Attorney-General’s Department, Ms Ethel Appiah, in a remark, assured LAWA-Ghana of the department’s readiness to support the incorporation of the document into the Labour Act.
Reacting to some of the accounts as presented by some domestic assistants who were present, Ms Appiah said there was a loophole in the Labour Law, which needed to be filled to cover their line of work.
The Deputy Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Ms Frema Osei Opare, who was represented by the acting Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Mrs Margaret Kutsoati, said although the country had a good labour law, the challenge was how to reach out to workers in the informal sector.
She promised that LAWA-Ghana would offer the ministry its full support to ensure that the document was widely circulated and accepted.
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
People who employ the services of young girls serving as domestic assistants or ‘maid servants’ in homes will soon have rules and regulations to formalise the employment relationship between them and their employees.
A document, which among other things seeks to begin a process of regularising the work of such girls and also ensure that they are not exploited by their employers, has been presented to the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment in Accra.
That initiative follows the launch of a fact sheet by the Deputy Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment (responsible for Social Welfare), Mrs Akosua Frema Osei Opare, in April, 2007, to regulate the contractual needs of domestic assistants to ensure that their rights are not trampled upon.
The document, which outlines the terms of contract, wages and benefits, maximum working hours, rest and leave periods, rights at work, enforcement and the responsibilities of the domestic assistants, is to be considered and incorporated into the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) as a subsidiary legislation after it had been forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Department for consideration.
Those who propounded the document, the Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA-Ghana) Alumnae Incorporated, presented the proposal to the ministry at a programme in Accra where it disseminated its report findings on its advocacy project on the rights of domestic assistants in five regions, namely the Greater Accra, Central, Eastern, Western and Volta.
Formerly, there were no contractual agreement between some domestic workers and their employees and so most of them were not sent to school; they were on call from dawn till dusk and were not paid for their services.
Giving testimonies on how the fact sheet, which comprised of a contractual agreement, has helped change her life, a domestic assistant from the Western Region said her parents could not afford to continue catering for her, although she had completed primary and needed to enrol in a junior high school.
She was, therefore, given out as a domestic assistant. She said she was helping her employer to prepare porridge for sale.
She had to wake up as early as 3 a.m. to help in the preparation of the porridge as well as ensure that it was all sold out before she could go to school.
Although she was academically good, her role affected her academic performance but with the signing of the contractual agreement between her and her employer through the LAWA-Ghana team she was allowed to have enough rest and that had improved her performance in school.
The Chairperson of LAWA-Ghana, Ms Sheila Minka-Premo, who read the report, called for legal reforms which included the passage of regulations which would provide for the specific and unique employment situations of domestic workers in general and domestic assistants in particular.
The report, which was sponsored by the Right and Voice Initiative (RAVI), also called for the amendment of section 42 of the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 29) as amended to address the legal justification for the physical abuse of adolescent domestic assistants.
Ms Minka-Premo said although the labour law existed, it did not protect the rights of domestic assistants and therefore most of them were abused in homes.
She cited Zimbabwe as one country that had enacted comprehensive legislation on domestic assistants and called on Ghana to follow the international trend to enact a law that would protect domestic assistants — who were mostly young girls — from abuse, rape and defilement.
She said as women rights activists, LAWA-Ghana was aware that Ghana had signed several human rights instruments that required the state to ensure the rights of all workers, including females working in homes and, therefore, there was the need to advocate for the improvement of their rights.
A representative from the Attorney-General’s Department, Ms Ethel Appiah, in a remark, assured LAWA-Ghana of the department’s readiness to support the incorporation of the document into the Labour Act.
Reacting to some of the accounts as presented by some domestic assistants who were present, Ms Appiah said there was a loophole in the Labour Law, which needed to be filled to cover their line of work.
The Deputy Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Ms Frema Osei Opare, who was represented by the acting Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Mrs Margaret Kutsoati, said although the country had a good labour law, the challenge was how to reach out to workers in the informal sector.
She promised that LAWA-Ghana would offer the ministry its full support to ensure that the document was widely circulated and accepted.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Women's economic empowerment key to reduction in HIV
Pg 11, Tuesday Jan. 22, 2008
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE inability of most women to negotiate for safe sex in relationships had been attributed to their dependence on their male counterparts for their livelihood.
Women in this kind of situations are subjected to sexual violence when they decide to postpone sexual intercourse for a moment for reasons of health, safety or tiredness.
This was made known at a two-day training workshop on effective reporting on women, HIV and AIDS for 30 female journalists from Greater Accra, Eastern and Western regions organised by Women Media and Change (WOMEC) in Accra.
Because women who depend on their male counterparts are unable to provide for themselves they are also said not to be able to decide when their partners should use condoms and the situation is said to have left most women vulnerable to contracting the HIV virus in marriages or long-time relationship.
A doctor at the Korle-Bu Fevers Unit, Dr Joseph Oliver-Commey, who gave an overview of the HIV situation in the country, said 63 per cent of the country’s HIV cases were women.
He said at the end of 2006, a total of 36,989 female adults were put on anti-retroviral therapy as against a total of 26,833 male adults within the same year.
He said women were commonly blamed for bringing the infection home, even when they had been faithful and their partners were openly promiscuous.
He projected that if adequate steps were not taken to halt the spread of the disease among the general populace, a total of 214,910 people would die from the disease by 2012, while 19,778 mothers would need Prevention of Mother to Child Therapy (PMTCT).
Dr Oliver-Commey said currently, the country was practising a new PMTCT strategy aimed at primary prevention of HIV infection, prevention of unintended pregnancies among HIV positive women, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV and the provision of treatment, care and support for HIV positive mothers, their infants and families.
According to Ms Getrude Adzo Akpalu of UNAIDS, some studies have shown that, "in Ghana married women were almost 3 times more likely to be infected with the HIV virus than those who had never been married".
She said the UNAIDS core HIV prevention principles and policy actions addressed the issues of women, human rights and gender to push for countries to mainstream gender in all HIV programmes, projects, and policies, and more female-specific effective strategies that countries could adapt, adopt and develop.
Ms Akpalu said what was currently being done was women’s empowerment and encouragement of female Persons Living With HIV (PLHIV) to advocate and promote positive living through non-governmental organisations such as the ARK Foundation, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) and community- and faith-based organisations.
She called for more education for women on the Domestic Violence Law and other related policies and bills as well as more advocacy on the promotion of effective HIV strategies such as PMTCT, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and safer sex practices.
She called on the media and the private sector to help in raising awareness on issues of women, HIV and AIDS.
She also called for an increased advocacy and promotion of gender-sensitive HIV policies and laws such as the DV Law, equity in distribution of HIV services, women-specific effective HIV interventions, review of cultural norms and practices, such as trokosi; domestic violence, marital rape and widowhood rites, which make women and girls more vulnerable to HIV, and property rights.
She also called for an increased research on women and HIV, promotion of gender equity and human (women’s) rights in the global and national responses to HIV and AIDS in addition to the provision of adequate funds to confront women and the HIV and AIDS crisis in the country.
She also called on the Women’s Caucus in parliament to lobby governments, organisations, agencies, donors, communities and individuals to make women’s rights, HIV and reproductive health a reality.
She further called for a strengthening of a dynamic and formidable women’s groups to push the agenda of women, human rights, reproductive health, HIV and AIDS forward.
The Executive Director of WOMEC, Mrs Charity Binka, said the time had come for women to stand up for their fellow women especially to reduce the level of stigmatisation against HIV positive people, especially women.
She said female journalists when well trained, served as the right conduits to channel the message of stopping stigma against HIV infected persons, especially women.
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE inability of most women to negotiate for safe sex in relationships had been attributed to their dependence on their male counterparts for their livelihood.
Women in this kind of situations are subjected to sexual violence when they decide to postpone sexual intercourse for a moment for reasons of health, safety or tiredness.
This was made known at a two-day training workshop on effective reporting on women, HIV and AIDS for 30 female journalists from Greater Accra, Eastern and Western regions organised by Women Media and Change (WOMEC) in Accra.
Because women who depend on their male counterparts are unable to provide for themselves they are also said not to be able to decide when their partners should use condoms and the situation is said to have left most women vulnerable to contracting the HIV virus in marriages or long-time relationship.
A doctor at the Korle-Bu Fevers Unit, Dr Joseph Oliver-Commey, who gave an overview of the HIV situation in the country, said 63 per cent of the country’s HIV cases were women.
He said at the end of 2006, a total of 36,989 female adults were put on anti-retroviral therapy as against a total of 26,833 male adults within the same year.
He said women were commonly blamed for bringing the infection home, even when they had been faithful and their partners were openly promiscuous.
He projected that if adequate steps were not taken to halt the spread of the disease among the general populace, a total of 214,910 people would die from the disease by 2012, while 19,778 mothers would need Prevention of Mother to Child Therapy (PMTCT).
Dr Oliver-Commey said currently, the country was practising a new PMTCT strategy aimed at primary prevention of HIV infection, prevention of unintended pregnancies among HIV positive women, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV and the provision of treatment, care and support for HIV positive mothers, their infants and families.
According to Ms Getrude Adzo Akpalu of UNAIDS, some studies have shown that, "in Ghana married women were almost 3 times more likely to be infected with the HIV virus than those who had never been married".
She said the UNAIDS core HIV prevention principles and policy actions addressed the issues of women, human rights and gender to push for countries to mainstream gender in all HIV programmes, projects, and policies, and more female-specific effective strategies that countries could adapt, adopt and develop.
Ms Akpalu said what was currently being done was women’s empowerment and encouragement of female Persons Living With HIV (PLHIV) to advocate and promote positive living through non-governmental organisations such as the ARK Foundation, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) and community- and faith-based organisations.
She called for more education for women on the Domestic Violence Law and other related policies and bills as well as more advocacy on the promotion of effective HIV strategies such as PMTCT, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and safer sex practices.
She called on the media and the private sector to help in raising awareness on issues of women, HIV and AIDS.
She also called for an increased advocacy and promotion of gender-sensitive HIV policies and laws such as the DV Law, equity in distribution of HIV services, women-specific effective HIV interventions, review of cultural norms and practices, such as trokosi; domestic violence, marital rape and widowhood rites, which make women and girls more vulnerable to HIV, and property rights.
She also called for an increased research on women and HIV, promotion of gender equity and human (women’s) rights in the global and national responses to HIV and AIDS in addition to the provision of adequate funds to confront women and the HIV and AIDS crisis in the country.
She also called on the Women’s Caucus in parliament to lobby governments, organisations, agencies, donors, communities and individuals to make women’s rights, HIV and reproductive health a reality.
She further called for a strengthening of a dynamic and formidable women’s groups to push the agenda of women, human rights, reproductive health, HIV and AIDS forward.
The Executive Director of WOMEC, Mrs Charity Binka, said the time had come for women to stand up for their fellow women especially to reduce the level of stigmatisation against HIV positive people, especially women.
She said female journalists when well trained, served as the right conduits to channel the message of stopping stigma against HIV infected persons, especially women.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Loking at the other side of Ghana 2008
Pg. 17. Jan. 19/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The other aspect of the Ghana 2008 African Cup of Nations’ tournament, which is likely to affect anti-social vices, such as human trafficking and commercial sex activities must not be glossed over.
For this reason, the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and human rights groups have cautioned parents and guardians to be vigilant in order to prevent their children from falling prey to paedophiles and child traffickers likely to join genuine visitors into the country as football fans during the tournament.
This is in view of the fact that some women and girls among the large number of visitors who will travel to the country for the Ghana 2008 Nation’s Cupls may find themselves here doing things against their will. Some may become victims of forced sex trade while others may be lured by false promises of lucrative temporary work or abducted from their countries.
A release recently signed by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Freeman Tettey, Public Affairs Officer of the unit, said DOVVSU had realised that during such periods all manner of persons, including paedophiles and child traffickers, might troop into the country under the guise of football fans to engage in all forms of child abuse and related offences.
It said the police were at hand and so the public is requested to immediately report suspicious characters to them for immediate action.
Before the 2006 World Cup tournament, media reports predicted that as many as 40,000 women would travel to Germany to work in the sex trade during the tournament.
Consequently, four hotline numbers were run by separate non-governmental organisations (NGOs) during the competition in a bid to offer victims of the trade an escape route from traffickers who frightened women into captivity using violence and blackmail.
Among the crowds, the German Women's Council opened an information stand to boost awareness of human trafficking, just one aspect of an umbrella campaign supported by international NGOs and the European Parliament.
Non-governmental organisations and human rights groups say more needs to be done about the tragic reality of women, often those from poor families and broken homes, who are lured by false promises of lucrative temporary work into the commercial sex business, or abducted from their countries.
The Minority Spokesperson for Women and Children in Parliament, Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, has cautioned parents to be vigilant so that their under-aged girls would not be recruited by unscrupulous people to offer sex to visitors in the country for the African Cup of Nations, writes Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah.
“I call on the law enforcement agencies, human rights activists, and religious bodies to take immediate steps to avert the catastrophe that is looming in our face,” she said.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho East, said it had come to her notice that some people were alleged to be hiring the services of young girls across the country to provide sexual services during the Ghana 2008 tournament.
“I am absolutely horrified at such a blatant abuse of rights of these innocent young ones,” she said, adding that “these underage girls are innocent and ignorant and are enticed with few dollars by the perpetrators”.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah said it was her belief that international paedophiles and child porn kings who were on the run from their countries had found haven in parts of Africa.
She explained that these people used the Internet and pen pal adverts to perpetrate their activities.
“The Ghana 2008 tournament is another avenue for these predators to perpetrate their dastardly acts with these unfortunate ones with the support and collaboration of some Ghanaians,” she stated.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah said although the tournament had numerous advantages, it might leave in its trail a lot of burden on parents and the country at large if precautionary measures were not taken.
“The youth must be encouraged to resist temptations and say no to such advances,” she said.
The Women’s Commission at Mampong Ashanti Campus of the University of Education, Winneba has also called on all women to exercise extra caution when interacting with their male counterparts, especially on issues that may lead them to sexual promiscuity during the Ghana 2008 African tournament.
The Commission also extends its profound gratitude to the Government and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the tournament for the excellent arrangement made to ensure a successful tournament.
The Commission also commends the organised women’s groups that are solidly supporting and cheering the Black Stars. All these efforts have attracted many sports-loving personalities and supporters into the country.
However, the Commission believes that the vulnerability of the Ghanaian woman regarding ignorance and poverty may lead some of them to engage in social vices that may be detrimental to their health and their families, stressing that “as far as the tournament brings to us joy during the football season, we at the women’s commission are much concerned about how some women may be lured to sell their bodies for money”.
“Some other previous social programmes have led many women to fall prey to sexual abuse, rape and other practices that are against their will. We in the women’s world are much informed that many women are interested in falling in love with foreigners in a bid to secure brighter financial future and to get rich quick,” she said.
The Commission, however, reminds women to be weary of the HIV/ AIDS scourge and also calls on the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations and the Ghana AIDS Commission to make both male and female condoms available and accessible to people who may need them in order to control the prevalence rate of the HIV pandemic on sustainable basis.
Rebecca Quaicoe Duho writes that the West African Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Nana Oye Lithur, says it was the duty of the police to ensure that the Ghana 2008 tournament does not become a breeding ground for prostitution and sexual abuse of children.
She said this was the time to enforce the country’s laws on prostitution and sexual abuse, especially by making visitors who were in the country for the tournament to be aware that prostitution and sexual abuse were illegal in the country and would therefore not be tolerated.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic on the likelihood that more women might be lured into prostitution as more tourists were in the country for the three-week tournament, Nana Oye said already Ghana had a high prevalence rate of child prostitution and the situation should not be worsened.
She also called on the Ghana Tourists Board (GTB) to caution hotels, drinking spots and tourist attraction sites to be extra-vigilant, especially in ensuring that no underage person was entertained on their premises.
She mentioned hot-spots such as the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Budumburum, Tema and the beaches, especially the Labadi beach, as some of the places where the police should be extra-vigilant.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The other aspect of the Ghana 2008 African Cup of Nations’ tournament, which is likely to affect anti-social vices, such as human trafficking and commercial sex activities must not be glossed over.
For this reason, the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and human rights groups have cautioned parents and guardians to be vigilant in order to prevent their children from falling prey to paedophiles and child traffickers likely to join genuine visitors into the country as football fans during the tournament.
This is in view of the fact that some women and girls among the large number of visitors who will travel to the country for the Ghana 2008 Nation’s Cupls may find themselves here doing things against their will. Some may become victims of forced sex trade while others may be lured by false promises of lucrative temporary work or abducted from their countries.
A release recently signed by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Freeman Tettey, Public Affairs Officer of the unit, said DOVVSU had realised that during such periods all manner of persons, including paedophiles and child traffickers, might troop into the country under the guise of football fans to engage in all forms of child abuse and related offences.
It said the police were at hand and so the public is requested to immediately report suspicious characters to them for immediate action.
Before the 2006 World Cup tournament, media reports predicted that as many as 40,000 women would travel to Germany to work in the sex trade during the tournament.
Consequently, four hotline numbers were run by separate non-governmental organisations (NGOs) during the competition in a bid to offer victims of the trade an escape route from traffickers who frightened women into captivity using violence and blackmail.
Among the crowds, the German Women's Council opened an information stand to boost awareness of human trafficking, just one aspect of an umbrella campaign supported by international NGOs and the European Parliament.
Non-governmental organisations and human rights groups say more needs to be done about the tragic reality of women, often those from poor families and broken homes, who are lured by false promises of lucrative temporary work into the commercial sex business, or abducted from their countries.
The Minority Spokesperson for Women and Children in Parliament, Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, has cautioned parents to be vigilant so that their under-aged girls would not be recruited by unscrupulous people to offer sex to visitors in the country for the African Cup of Nations, writes Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah.
“I call on the law enforcement agencies, human rights activists, and religious bodies to take immediate steps to avert the catastrophe that is looming in our face,” she said.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho East, said it had come to her notice that some people were alleged to be hiring the services of young girls across the country to provide sexual services during the Ghana 2008 tournament.
“I am absolutely horrified at such a blatant abuse of rights of these innocent young ones,” she said, adding that “these underage girls are innocent and ignorant and are enticed with few dollars by the perpetrators”.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah said it was her belief that international paedophiles and child porn kings who were on the run from their countries had found haven in parts of Africa.
She explained that these people used the Internet and pen pal adverts to perpetrate their activities.
“The Ghana 2008 tournament is another avenue for these predators to perpetrate their dastardly acts with these unfortunate ones with the support and collaboration of some Ghanaians,” she stated.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah said although the tournament had numerous advantages, it might leave in its trail a lot of burden on parents and the country at large if precautionary measures were not taken.
“The youth must be encouraged to resist temptations and say no to such advances,” she said.
The Women’s Commission at Mampong Ashanti Campus of the University of Education, Winneba has also called on all women to exercise extra caution when interacting with their male counterparts, especially on issues that may lead them to sexual promiscuity during the Ghana 2008 African tournament.
The Commission also extends its profound gratitude to the Government and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the tournament for the excellent arrangement made to ensure a successful tournament.
The Commission also commends the organised women’s groups that are solidly supporting and cheering the Black Stars. All these efforts have attracted many sports-loving personalities and supporters into the country.
However, the Commission believes that the vulnerability of the Ghanaian woman regarding ignorance and poverty may lead some of them to engage in social vices that may be detrimental to their health and their families, stressing that “as far as the tournament brings to us joy during the football season, we at the women’s commission are much concerned about how some women may be lured to sell their bodies for money”.
“Some other previous social programmes have led many women to fall prey to sexual abuse, rape and other practices that are against their will. We in the women’s world are much informed that many women are interested in falling in love with foreigners in a bid to secure brighter financial future and to get rich quick,” she said.
The Commission, however, reminds women to be weary of the HIV/ AIDS scourge and also calls on the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations and the Ghana AIDS Commission to make both male and female condoms available and accessible to people who may need them in order to control the prevalence rate of the HIV pandemic on sustainable basis.
Rebecca Quaicoe Duho writes that the West African Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Nana Oye Lithur, says it was the duty of the police to ensure that the Ghana 2008 tournament does not become a breeding ground for prostitution and sexual abuse of children.
She said this was the time to enforce the country’s laws on prostitution and sexual abuse, especially by making visitors who were in the country for the tournament to be aware that prostitution and sexual abuse were illegal in the country and would therefore not be tolerated.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic on the likelihood that more women might be lured into prostitution as more tourists were in the country for the three-week tournament, Nana Oye said already Ghana had a high prevalence rate of child prostitution and the situation should not be worsened.
She also called on the Ghana Tourists Board (GTB) to caution hotels, drinking spots and tourist attraction sites to be extra-vigilant, especially in ensuring that no underage person was entertained on their premises.
She mentioned hot-spots such as the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Budumburum, Tema and the beaches, especially the Labadi beach, as some of the places where the police should be extra-vigilant.
Football Fever grips women
THE President and Founder of the Women Supporters’ Union of Ghana (WOSUGHA), Ms Freda Prempeh, has indicated that members of the union will give massive support to the Black Stars during the Ghana 2008 African Cup of Nations tournament, reports Rebecca Quaicoe Duho.
She said at least 1,000 members of the union would dress in their T-shirts and other paraphernalia in the national colours of red, gold and green and showing the black star and troop to the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium to cheer the Black Stars on to victory in the opening match of the tournament on Sunday, and also in subsequent marches.
She said the union, which is made up of women from all walks of life, demonstrates its support amidst the playing of brass band music, blowing of whistles, horns and trumpets and “ noise-making” to cheer the Black Stars.
“The Black Stars will be happy to see women cheering them to victory,” she said in an interview in Accra.
She said the union would assemble female parliamentarians and ministers, some Assembly women and women from all walks of life to cheer the Black Stars.
Although she lamented over the fact that the union was yet to receive sponsored tickets per an application that it sent to the authorities concerned since October last year, the union was ready to purchase tickets for at least 500 of its members to enable them go to the stadium on Sunday.
Ms Prempeh, who is also the Assembly woman for Lakoo Electoral Area in Accra, said they would not be deterred by any circumstances in their bid to cheer the Black Stars, hence the decision to fund at least 500 members of the union.
When the Daily Graphic called on her at her residence in Labone in Accra, young ladies were seen busily sewing red, yellow and green polyester materials into shirts for supporters.
She said the union’s presence would not be felt in Accra alone but also members in other parts of the 10 regions of the country would offer similar support to make their presence felt.
She called on women to come in their numbers to support the Black Stars, saying that the era when football was seen as an all-male game was over and that the time had come for women to get involved in it by cheering both the male and female national teams whenever they were playing against other countries.
From the streets of Accra, Salome Donkor writes that Ghanaian women have not been left out in the euphoria and enthusiasm that has gripped the entire nation in preparation for the three week-long tournament.
Whoever thinks that women are not football fans may be making a mistake. On all the major roads of Accra, especially in the central business district, the Airport Road and other ceremonial streets, women are seen dressed in different kinds of paraphernalia, including T-shirts, mufflers, arm bands, and hats of different shapes and sizes, just like men, while some are also wearing earrings, necklaces and slippers designed in the national colours of red gold green going with the black star.
They are also involved in the sale of these items and others like key holders, flags, whistles, cups and mugs.
A number of women have also hoisted miniature flags on their vehicles to demonstrate their support for the senior national team.
Some are spotted wearing these items while they have also decorated their hair with scarfs and hair bands.
Josephine Owusu-Sarpong, a student in Accra, who is a staunch football fan, said she had bought her T- shirt and her ticket to watch the opening match between Ghana and Guinea at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium on Sunday.
She said it was unfortunate that Stephen Appiah would not play in the tournament due to injury, but was optimistic that the new squad would exhibit the same skills they displayed during the 2006 World Cup Tournament to lift the Continental Nations’ cup.
A middle-aged woman, Gifty Yeboah, who was spotted fully dressed in her hut and T-shirt, said she would not be left out in the month-long soccer fiesta as the tournament promised to be exciting.
Madam Monica Abba, a resident of Tema, who has hoisted a miniature Ghana flag on her car, said Ghanaians had the passion for football and nobody would be left out in the excitement characterising the major event.
“Just as all Ghanaians, both men and women, supported the Black Stars during the 2006 World Cup Tournament, we are focused that our main objective for the moment is to cheer the national team to victory to annex the prestigious continental cup,” she said.
A young lady who was spotted selling hats, key holders and mufflers, said her support for the Black Stars was unparalleled, adding that “I am selling these items and also wearing some of the paraphernalia to demonstrate how nationalistic I am”.
The soccer fever surrounding the Ghana 2008 tournament which was at a low ebb in the Kumasi Metropolis since the beginning of the year has now gathered momentum and caught up well with the youth and a section of women in the metropolis, reports George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
Not only are the women seen wearing items designed in the national colours in support of the national team, but are also doing brisk business by selling them to generate as much money as possible throughout the period of the tournament.
From Tanoso through Asuoyeboah, Kwadaso to Bantama , t he Central Business District of Adum, as well as Ayigya, Bomso, Oforikrom to Asafo, Dechemso, Krofrom and Tafo, among other suburbs of the metropolis, women are equally displaying excitement like their male counterparts in the sale and wearing of various paraphernalia in national colours to whip up interest and support for the Black Stars as they attem pt to wrestle the nations’ cup from the other 15 participating teams vying for the trophy .
At the Central Market and the CBD, for example, women whose ages ranged from 20 to 35 and dealt in the sale of clothing, footwear, soap, biscuits and other products, have suddenly abandoned them and taken to the sale of tournament-related products to demonstrate their support.
The wome n are not leaving anything to chance and are determined to spend all their energies to concentrate on their newly acquired businesses, hoping that with the abundance of these materials in the national colours in every corner of the metropolis, interest in the national team would be sustained, thereby motivating the players of the national team to conquer Africa for the fifth time so far as soccer is concerned.
Ms Mary Fosuah, a 27-year-old business woman, who previously dealt in assorted pomade, has now taken to the sale of flags, neck-ties , T- shirts, hats, bangles and other items in attractive national colours .
According to her, the sale of the products was to ensure that motorists, passengers, the youth and the business community in the Kumasi metropolis “ paint Kumasi with national colours to prove to the visiting teams that we are solidly behind our Black Stars in their desire to win the trophy at stake for the fifth time. Since rely speaking, I am generating much money from the sale of these products and I am praying that Ghana hosts such important tournament as regularly as possible to offer women the opportunity to make money for the upkeep of our homes”.
“ The youth are patronising the products in their numbers, and it is my prayer that with this support, the players of the Black Stars would respond by playing their hearts out in order to annex the trophy for the nation”.
Ms Mercy Darko, a 34-year-old business woman, who previously dealt in dressing bags, is now totally ‘married’ to the sale of products that can inspire the Black Stars to perform creditably.
In an interview which the Daily Graphic conducted on the sale of the products with national colours which had caught up with a section of women in the metropolis in the past week, she noted that she abandoned the sale of the bags because patronage was very poor and it affected profit margin, “ but since I started a week ago, I always get something home, which indicates that business is thriving”.
Ms Adwoa Ampofowa, a 38- year-old businesswoman, who also spoke to the Daily Graphic on the tournament and the preparations being made, pointed out that women in Kumasi were not only interested in the sale of national colours but also gearing up for the tournament to enable them to throw their weight solidly behind the Black Stars.
She said the women supporting groups in the metropolis were co-ordinating on how to offer support to the four teams that would be hosted in Kumasi to make the tournament lively.
A 23-year-old businesswoman, Constant Berko, who dealt in assorted cloths and foot-wear, has for the past two weeks resorted to the sale of all kinds of products in the national colours as her contribution to boost interest in the Ghana 2008 tournament.
To her, the sale of the products was not to generate money “but a call to national duty because that would make it possible for the youth to acquire such products easily and offer their unflinching support to the national team.
The euphoria among women in connection with the hosting of the Ghana 2008 African Cup of Nations tournament is high in the Tamale Metropolis. However, there are mixed reactions among a section of the women regarding the performance of the senior national team, the Black Stars, in previous tournaments, reports Vincent Adedze, Tamale.
While some women are apprehensive of the fact that the inability of a player like Stephen Appiah to feature in the matches might affect the team’s performance, others are of the view that the team had good players to deliver to the expectation of Ghanaians.
Most women this reporter interacted with in the metropolis wore T-shirts, caps, wrist bands and other paraphernalia designed in the national colours.
An accountant with the State Insurance Company (SIC) told the Daily Graphic that “because Stephen Appiah is not fit to play, I have lost interest in the team, although I am happy that Ghana is hosting the tournament”.
An Assistant Headmistress of the Tishegu Anglican Primary School, Madam Margaret Ainoo, for her part, urged the Black Stars players to play like a team and not to be “individualistic with the whole show”.
Women in the Twin-City of Sekondi Takoradi have also demonstrated their support for the Black Stars as they create fun and dance while selling their paraphernalia in the national colours.
The women have occupied every available space on the median of the major streets and in the central business district to sell their wares, reports Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu from Takoradi.
One of the traders, Maame Araba, said people were clamouring for the things, adding that there was a high demand for the miniature flags. Asked whether they were able to compete with the men in the sale of the souvenirs, she said, “women naturally perform well as traders and we dance to attract people to buy from us”.
A number of food vendors from Nigeria and Ivory Coast have joined their Ghanaian counterparts to put up structures to sell cooked food to the teeming spectators at Essipon Stadium.
She said at least 1,000 members of the union would dress in their T-shirts and other paraphernalia in the national colours of red, gold and green and showing the black star and troop to the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium to cheer the Black Stars on to victory in the opening match of the tournament on Sunday, and also in subsequent marches.
She said the union, which is made up of women from all walks of life, demonstrates its support amidst the playing of brass band music, blowing of whistles, horns and trumpets and “ noise-making” to cheer the Black Stars.
“The Black Stars will be happy to see women cheering them to victory,” she said in an interview in Accra.
She said the union would assemble female parliamentarians and ministers, some Assembly women and women from all walks of life to cheer the Black Stars.
Although she lamented over the fact that the union was yet to receive sponsored tickets per an application that it sent to the authorities concerned since October last year, the union was ready to purchase tickets for at least 500 of its members to enable them go to the stadium on Sunday.
Ms Prempeh, who is also the Assembly woman for Lakoo Electoral Area in Accra, said they would not be deterred by any circumstances in their bid to cheer the Black Stars, hence the decision to fund at least 500 members of the union.
When the Daily Graphic called on her at her residence in Labone in Accra, young ladies were seen busily sewing red, yellow and green polyester materials into shirts for supporters.
She said the union’s presence would not be felt in Accra alone but also members in other parts of the 10 regions of the country would offer similar support to make their presence felt.
She called on women to come in their numbers to support the Black Stars, saying that the era when football was seen as an all-male game was over and that the time had come for women to get involved in it by cheering both the male and female national teams whenever they were playing against other countries.
From the streets of Accra, Salome Donkor writes that Ghanaian women have not been left out in the euphoria and enthusiasm that has gripped the entire nation in preparation for the three week-long tournament.
Whoever thinks that women are not football fans may be making a mistake. On all the major roads of Accra, especially in the central business district, the Airport Road and other ceremonial streets, women are seen dressed in different kinds of paraphernalia, including T-shirts, mufflers, arm bands, and hats of different shapes and sizes, just like men, while some are also wearing earrings, necklaces and slippers designed in the national colours of red gold green going with the black star.
They are also involved in the sale of these items and others like key holders, flags, whistles, cups and mugs.
A number of women have also hoisted miniature flags on their vehicles to demonstrate their support for the senior national team.
Some are spotted wearing these items while they have also decorated their hair with scarfs and hair bands.
Josephine Owusu-Sarpong, a student in Accra, who is a staunch football fan, said she had bought her T- shirt and her ticket to watch the opening match between Ghana and Guinea at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium on Sunday.
She said it was unfortunate that Stephen Appiah would not play in the tournament due to injury, but was optimistic that the new squad would exhibit the same skills they displayed during the 2006 World Cup Tournament to lift the Continental Nations’ cup.
A middle-aged woman, Gifty Yeboah, who was spotted fully dressed in her hut and T-shirt, said she would not be left out in the month-long soccer fiesta as the tournament promised to be exciting.
Madam Monica Abba, a resident of Tema, who has hoisted a miniature Ghana flag on her car, said Ghanaians had the passion for football and nobody would be left out in the excitement characterising the major event.
“Just as all Ghanaians, both men and women, supported the Black Stars during the 2006 World Cup Tournament, we are focused that our main objective for the moment is to cheer the national team to victory to annex the prestigious continental cup,” she said.
A young lady who was spotted selling hats, key holders and mufflers, said her support for the Black Stars was unparalleled, adding that “I am selling these items and also wearing some of the paraphernalia to demonstrate how nationalistic I am”.
The soccer fever surrounding the Ghana 2008 tournament which was at a low ebb in the Kumasi Metropolis since the beginning of the year has now gathered momentum and caught up well with the youth and a section of women in the metropolis, reports George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
Not only are the women seen wearing items designed in the national colours in support of the national team, but are also doing brisk business by selling them to generate as much money as possible throughout the period of the tournament.
From Tanoso through Asuoyeboah, Kwadaso to Bantama , t he Central Business District of Adum, as well as Ayigya, Bomso, Oforikrom to Asafo, Dechemso, Krofrom and Tafo, among other suburbs of the metropolis, women are equally displaying excitement like their male counterparts in the sale and wearing of various paraphernalia in national colours to whip up interest and support for the Black Stars as they attem pt to wrestle the nations’ cup from the other 15 participating teams vying for the trophy .
At the Central Market and the CBD, for example, women whose ages ranged from 20 to 35 and dealt in the sale of clothing, footwear, soap, biscuits and other products, have suddenly abandoned them and taken to the sale of tournament-related products to demonstrate their support.
The wome n are not leaving anything to chance and are determined to spend all their energies to concentrate on their newly acquired businesses, hoping that with the abundance of these materials in the national colours in every corner of the metropolis, interest in the national team would be sustained, thereby motivating the players of the national team to conquer Africa for the fifth time so far as soccer is concerned.
Ms Mary Fosuah, a 27-year-old business woman, who previously dealt in assorted pomade, has now taken to the sale of flags, neck-ties , T- shirts, hats, bangles and other items in attractive national colours .
According to her, the sale of the products was to ensure that motorists, passengers, the youth and the business community in the Kumasi metropolis “ paint Kumasi with national colours to prove to the visiting teams that we are solidly behind our Black Stars in their desire to win the trophy at stake for the fifth time. Since rely speaking, I am generating much money from the sale of these products and I am praying that Ghana hosts such important tournament as regularly as possible to offer women the opportunity to make money for the upkeep of our homes”.
“ The youth are patronising the products in their numbers, and it is my prayer that with this support, the players of the Black Stars would respond by playing their hearts out in order to annex the trophy for the nation”.
Ms Mercy Darko, a 34-year-old business woman, who previously dealt in dressing bags, is now totally ‘married’ to the sale of products that can inspire the Black Stars to perform creditably.
In an interview which the Daily Graphic conducted on the sale of the products with national colours which had caught up with a section of women in the metropolis in the past week, she noted that she abandoned the sale of the bags because patronage was very poor and it affected profit margin, “ but since I started a week ago, I always get something home, which indicates that business is thriving”.
Ms Adwoa Ampofowa, a 38- year-old businesswoman, who also spoke to the Daily Graphic on the tournament and the preparations being made, pointed out that women in Kumasi were not only interested in the sale of national colours but also gearing up for the tournament to enable them to throw their weight solidly behind the Black Stars.
She said the women supporting groups in the metropolis were co-ordinating on how to offer support to the four teams that would be hosted in Kumasi to make the tournament lively.
A 23-year-old businesswoman, Constant Berko, who dealt in assorted cloths and foot-wear, has for the past two weeks resorted to the sale of all kinds of products in the national colours as her contribution to boost interest in the Ghana 2008 tournament.
To her, the sale of the products was not to generate money “but a call to national duty because that would make it possible for the youth to acquire such products easily and offer their unflinching support to the national team.
The euphoria among women in connection with the hosting of the Ghana 2008 African Cup of Nations tournament is high in the Tamale Metropolis. However, there are mixed reactions among a section of the women regarding the performance of the senior national team, the Black Stars, in previous tournaments, reports Vincent Adedze, Tamale.
While some women are apprehensive of the fact that the inability of a player like Stephen Appiah to feature in the matches might affect the team’s performance, others are of the view that the team had good players to deliver to the expectation of Ghanaians.
Most women this reporter interacted with in the metropolis wore T-shirts, caps, wrist bands and other paraphernalia designed in the national colours.
An accountant with the State Insurance Company (SIC) told the Daily Graphic that “because Stephen Appiah is not fit to play, I have lost interest in the team, although I am happy that Ghana is hosting the tournament”.
An Assistant Headmistress of the Tishegu Anglican Primary School, Madam Margaret Ainoo, for her part, urged the Black Stars players to play like a team and not to be “individualistic with the whole show”.
Women in the Twin-City of Sekondi Takoradi have also demonstrated their support for the Black Stars as they create fun and dance while selling their paraphernalia in the national colours.
The women have occupied every available space on the median of the major streets and in the central business district to sell their wares, reports Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu from Takoradi.
One of the traders, Maame Araba, said people were clamouring for the things, adding that there was a high demand for the miniature flags. Asked whether they were able to compete with the men in the sale of the souvenirs, she said, “women naturally perform well as traders and we dance to attract people to buy from us”.
A number of food vendors from Nigeria and Ivory Coast have joined their Ghanaian counterparts to put up structures to sell cooked food to the teeming spectators at Essipon Stadium.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Ghana to host CNN awards
Front Page Tuesday Jan. 15/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
GHANA will host the 13th CNN Multichoice African Journalists Awards 2008 in July this year.
The General Manager of Multichoice Ghana Limited, Mr Samuel Baimbill-Johnson, who announced this at the launch of the awards in Accra yesterday, said it would be the second time that the country would host it.
The first time Ghana hosted the prestigious awards in Accra was in 1995.
The competition will recognise excellence in 16 categories, namely, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Economics and Business, Environment, Free Press Africa, MSD Health and Medical and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Reporting in Africa.
The others are Best Feature in a Consumer Magazine, Photography, Print General News, Radio General News, Sports, Television General News, Features/Current Affairs, News Bulletin, Francophone General News Awards (Print and TV/Radio), Francophone Best Feature in a Magazine and Portuguese Language General News.
Mr Baimbill-Johnson said the overall winner would be chosen from among the best in the various categories.
He said over the past 12 years, the competition had grown in stature, strength and prestige, saying that it attracted a record number of entries from 40 African countries.
He said finalists in the 2008 competition would not only participate in a gala awards ceremony but also take part in a four-day finalists’ programme that would include workshops, a media forum, networking opportunities with senior journalists, editors, business leaders and media owners from across the continent.
The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Ransford Tetteh, in an address, expressed the concern of the association that Ghanaian journalists had, over the years, not participated enough in the awards programme.
He challenged Ghanaian journalists to ensure that they annexed the overall award, since the event was to be held in their home country.
Mr Tetteh said the time had come for the Ghanaian media to highlight more on basic things such as sanitation, environmental pollution and health, in addition to their constitutional mandate as watchdogs over the Executive arm of government.
He said celebrating African media excellence did not mean that journalists should focus on politicians and other individuals but also ensure that they highlighted on some of the fundamental things that affected people, especially the poor in society.
Mr Tetteh, who is also the Editor of the Daily Graphic, called on the Ghanaian media to also spare a thought for issues of urban slums, as well as environmental degradation, to set the agenda for politicians and the government to look into.
A Senior Advisor to CNN, Mr Edward Boateng, in an address, said the awards ceremony had, over the years, grown to become one of the most prestigious events on the African continent.
He said the ceremony had been replicated in other places such as Thailand and India.
The ceremony is being hosted in Ghana in a year that other important events such as the UNCTAD meeting and the Africa Cup of Nations (Ghana 2008) will be held.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
GHANA will host the 13th CNN Multichoice African Journalists Awards 2008 in July this year.
The General Manager of Multichoice Ghana Limited, Mr Samuel Baimbill-Johnson, who announced this at the launch of the awards in Accra yesterday, said it would be the second time that the country would host it.
The first time Ghana hosted the prestigious awards in Accra was in 1995.
The competition will recognise excellence in 16 categories, namely, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Economics and Business, Environment, Free Press Africa, MSD Health and Medical and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Reporting in Africa.
The others are Best Feature in a Consumer Magazine, Photography, Print General News, Radio General News, Sports, Television General News, Features/Current Affairs, News Bulletin, Francophone General News Awards (Print and TV/Radio), Francophone Best Feature in a Magazine and Portuguese Language General News.
Mr Baimbill-Johnson said the overall winner would be chosen from among the best in the various categories.
He said over the past 12 years, the competition had grown in stature, strength and prestige, saying that it attracted a record number of entries from 40 African countries.
He said finalists in the 2008 competition would not only participate in a gala awards ceremony but also take part in a four-day finalists’ programme that would include workshops, a media forum, networking opportunities with senior journalists, editors, business leaders and media owners from across the continent.
The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Ransford Tetteh, in an address, expressed the concern of the association that Ghanaian journalists had, over the years, not participated enough in the awards programme.
He challenged Ghanaian journalists to ensure that they annexed the overall award, since the event was to be held in their home country.
Mr Tetteh said the time had come for the Ghanaian media to highlight more on basic things such as sanitation, environmental pollution and health, in addition to their constitutional mandate as watchdogs over the Executive arm of government.
He said celebrating African media excellence did not mean that journalists should focus on politicians and other individuals but also ensure that they highlighted on some of the fundamental things that affected people, especially the poor in society.
Mr Tetteh, who is also the Editor of the Daily Graphic, called on the Ghanaian media to also spare a thought for issues of urban slums, as well as environmental degradation, to set the agenda for politicians and the government to look into.
A Senior Advisor to CNN, Mr Edward Boateng, in an address, said the awards ceremony had, over the years, grown to become one of the most prestigious events on the African continent.
He said the ceremony had been replicated in other places such as Thailand and India.
The ceremony is being hosted in Ghana in a year that other important events such as the UNCTAD meeting and the Africa Cup of Nations (Ghana 2008) will be held.
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