News
Zoomlion disinfects military barracks, schools in NR,VR
The Zoomlion Ghana Company Limited yesterday disinfected all military barracks in the Northern, Savannah and North East regions.
The Wednesday disinfection exercise covered offices, bungalows, stores and schools within the various barracks.
According to the Northern Regional Manager of the Savannah Waste Management, a subsidiary company of Zoomlion, Mr Peter Dawuni, the exercise formed part of the strategy to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
He stated that military institutions and installations were critical to development hence the urgent need for the disinfection exercise.
According to Mr Dawuni, military personnel needed to be protected thus the disinfection exercise within the barracks would protect them from the pandemic.
In a related development, GRACE SENAM KLAY, HO reports that the company on Tuesday started disinfecting military facilities, private and public basic schools and tertiary institutions in the Volta and Oti regions.
About 55 Military facilities, 2,654 private and public basic schools and 20 tertiary institutions were to be disinfected by June 30.
Speaking at a Press Conference yesterday at Ho, the Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa indicated that all Municipal and District Chief Executives had been directed to engage with their respective Directors of Education to monitor the exercise under their Jurisdiction.
He advised the public to abide the preventive measures and comply for the transmission chain to be broken.
“If COVID-19 is no more with us we won’t be spending money for these disinfection exercises”, he said.
The Volta Regional Director of Education, Madame Enyonam Afi Amafuga, noted that students who would resume school and classes would open for four hours.
She mentioned that they might not be given the one meal that they received every day from the school feeding programme.
“This is to avoid the risk of infecting students, that is why we are ensuring that they eat from the house before coming to school”, she added.
Ms Amafuga assured that the Ghana Education Service would have a monitoring system in the regions and districts to monitor activities in all schools.
On his part, Lt Col Bernard Baba Pantoah, the Commanding Officer of the 66 Artillery Regiment, disclosed that there would be a mass testing for over 400 military personnel and their families.
He mentioned that the regiment was collaborating with relevant stakeholders to ensure everybody did the right thing.
“It is not about the military enforcement, but it is for ourselves to know that all protocols put in place is for our own good”, he added.
From: Yakubu Abdul-Majeed, Tamale.
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
