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Plan International Ghana urges MDAs to budget for child protection issues
Group picture with Plan International Ghana officials, school children
and staff of Jasikan Municipal Assembly after the forum
Plan International Ghana has called on Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) to take child protection issues seriously and include them in their annual budgets to enable them to deal effectively with them.
The Southern Programme Influence and Impact Area (IIA) Manager of the organisation, Mr Gamgama Mathias Mantia, made the call at a stakeholder’s forum with the Social Services Department of the Jasikan Municipal Assembly at Jasikan in the Oti Region.
Mr Mantia explained that Plan International Ghana through its child protection programme dubbed “Be Smart, Learn and Stay Protected”, had created awareness in the Jasikan Municipality over the years, therefore the need for the Assembly to budget for child protection.
According to him, protection of children would ensure their security and enable them to learn to become responsible adults in future.
Mr Mantia said his organisation had done a lot over the years, hence it was important for the assembly to protect the gains made.
The Programme Manager of “Be Smart, Learn and Stay Protected’ Mr Kofi Vieku said his outfit was satisfied with the interest shown by the Jasikan Municipal Assembly to incorporate the programme in its activities.
Mr Vieku said the organisation had established a strong foundation through its educational activities over the years, which had made stakeholders including parents understand the need to protect their children against all forms of abuses.
The Jasikan Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Mr James Awapoayi, said the Assembly was privileged to partner Plan International Ghana to protect children in the municipality.
He said the stakeholders’ engagement with Plan International would enable the Assembly to sustain the programme when they leave the area.
Mr Awapoayi assured that the Assembly would provide an annual budget including child protection to ensure that the impact made over the years would be sustained and also extended to other communities where the programme did not cover to enhance protection and welfare of children to develop their potentials.
A pupil of New Ayoma Primary School, Sophia Kamasah, appealed to the Assembly to allow children to participate in Assembly meetings to enable them to contribute to discussions to enable the Assembly to appreciate their concerns.
From Samuel Agbewode, Jasikan
The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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