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ECOWAS begins 3-day capacity building workshop for Gender Observatory Centre in Accra
The Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) Gender and Development Centre yesterday began a three-day workshop in Accra aimed at building the capacity of focal persons to manage and operationalise the Gender Observatory Centre to be established in member countries.
The three-day event is also expected to equip the participants with the necessary skills in digital platform usage,design,generation and development, datacollection, data analysis and reporting as well as methods in gender statistics reporting and E-learning.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Director ofthe ECOWAS Gender Development Centre, Mrs Sandra OulateFattoh indicated that the workshop would go a long way to empower the gender equality aimed at promoting the sustainability and periodization of the Sustainable Development Goals.
According to her,in spite of the gender equality and women’s empowerment, the continent is still faced with widespread disparities and inequalities characterized by the marginalization of women and the absence of adequate opportunities for women to participate effectively in the development processes and to share the equitably in the gains of development.
It was to address these challenges that the Centre was organising this training workshop to have a robust database base system to provide the necessary gender statistics necessary for decision making.
Ms Fattoh commended the United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African Union and other stakeholders whose contribution has brought the center to fruition.
The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dakoa Newman said Data analysis and management was vital in the discharge of work as gender experts and advocates in order to effectively help in proper planning towards takinginformed decisions.
The essence of the training she explained,cannot be underestimated as it recognizes the sub-region as a just and secure society in which men and women have equal opportunities to participate, decide, control and benefit from all development initiatives, thus ensuring that no one is left behind in the developmental process in Member States.
In Ghana, the Minister indicated that the Ministry has been mandated to coordinate and ensure gender equality and equity as well as integrate the fulfilment of the rights, empowerment and full participation into national development.
“I am happy to announce that the Parliament of Ghana in July 2024 has passed the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Bill into Law. The passage of this Law will help to effectively and efficiently address gender imbalances in the political, social, economic, educational and cultural spheres of the Ghanaian society,” she added.
The Director, Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate of the AU Commission, Ms Prudence Ngwenya also commended the ECOWAS Centre for the bold steps taken to improve accountability of policies taken by member states and assured of the Commission’s resolve to ensure that decisions taken at the other regional blocks would help promote gender equality on the African continent.
Mrs Cleopatra Orongo on behalf of the Director United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Service Centre for Africa Dr Mathias Naab said the Gender Observatory when fully implemented would link other observatories in order to improve upon the continents commitments to its people.
She assured of the commissions commitment to work with the centre to ensure that the objectives of the centre are achieved.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
Muslims across the country celebrated this year’s Eid-ul-Adha in a colourful and spiritually uplifting atmosphere under the theme, “A Season of Sacrifice, Solidarity and Spiritual Renewal.”
The celebration brought together Muslims from diverse backgrounds in a remarkable display of faith, unity and cultural heritage.
The occasion was marked by special Eid prayers at various designated grounds, the slaughtering of rams in homes for sharing among family members, friends and the less privileged, as well as musical concerts and recreational activities including horse riding.
Leading the celebration was the Chief Imam, Dr Sheikh Osman Sharubutu.
While the national celebration was held at the Black Star Square where President John Dramani Mahama was the Special Guest of Honour, similar gatherings took place at different centres across the capital and other regions of the country.
A visit by The Spectator to some celebration grounds revealed Muslims, both young and old, elegantly dressed in colourful jalabiya and other Islamic attire, reflecting the rich culture and traditions of the Muslim community.
The celebration also portrayed the spirit of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country, as a number of Christians joined their Muslim counterparts to mark the occasion.
Muslim leaders and government officials used the opportunity to call on the faithful to uphold the teachings of the Holy Quran, renew their spiritual commitment and refrain from acts capable of undermining the peace, unity and security of the nation.
They further urged Ghanaians to continue to live in harmony and support one another for national development.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Dear Obaa Yaa,
During Eid-ul- Adha celebration, I decided to spend the weekend at my boyfriend’s place since we were planning towards our marriage.
To my surprise, what keeps me wide awake, restless and frustrated every single time is that he snores loudly like a generator running on full power, and I genuinely cannot get any rest
At a point, I thought it was just a normal thing, but I have realised it is something he does with ease and doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
When he steps out in the morning, I try to get enough sleep because I may not sleep in the evening.
The most annoying thing is that, he always wants to cuddle me. These two things are a no for me and a red flag.
We are about to get married, what should I do?
Enam, Keta.
Dear Enam,
The snoring and constant cuddling are frustrating, but you don’t have to choose between sleep and closeness.
Start with the snoring: check if it’s worse when he sleeps on his back, cut out alcohol before bed, try nasal strips or a humidifier, and see a doctor if he pauses while breathing.
For quick relief, foam earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones help a lot.
Separate blankets, a bigger bed, or sleeping apart on some nights often makes couples rest well and feel closer overall.
Bring this up before the wedding .Tell him you want to wake up next to him for years to come, but sleep deprivation makes you both miserable.
Test earplugs and side-sleeping this weekend, and if it’s still unbearable, bring in a doctor. Good sleep matters more for your marriage than staying glued together all night.
