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‘Let’s step up efforts to limit adverse impact of climate change’
Ghana needs to become an inventor of technologies as the global community transits into new and clean energies like solar for industrial and domestic use, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has proposed.
Mr Darko-Mensah made the suggestion at a dialogue on the National Energy Transmission Plan forum on the theme: ‘Moving Ghana to a net-zero future’ organised by the Ministry of Energy at Takoradi to solicit views from stakeholders
The forum was to help the implementation of a harmonious national energy policy as stated in the Paris Accord.
He added “We should not just be users and assemblers of technology, but, inventors and innovators of technology and we should start now.”
Mr Darko-Mensah remarked that, the present challenge required changes in the way energy was produced, used and made accessible to more people while drastically cutting emissions.
He again argued that, Ghana’s transition plan should position the oil and gas industry to play a more significant role in the development of the country.
“The Western Region as a major producer and contributor of oil and gas should be given the larger concentration as more and more industries are springing up.
“As a region that proposes to be a technology hub, we invite the Ministry of Energy to partner with the Takoradi Technical University to set up chairs and industrial zones at its engineering campus at Akyenyi to make the region developers of technology and innovation in the area of energy transition products and project,” he added.
The forum, Mr Darko-Mensah, said was aimed at collating views on how Ghana could move towards sustainable energy in line with efforts towards the global shift from carbon-based systems of energy production and consumption to clean energy sources.
“We have to step up climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts because there is a growing impact of climate change at the global and continental levels. For the earth to be safe, we have to effortlessly fight to reduce our emissions as industries,” he said.
However, at the heart of such energy transition, the Regional Minister said, transformations must come from the people because “we simply cannot leave 800 million people in darkness without access to electricity.”
Government, he assured, would continue to provide an enabling business environment and work hard to remove the blockages that hindered climate change and the growth of the energy sector.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Takoradi
The Dzidula Pink Foundation, a new organisation dedicated to cancer awareness, early detection, and patient support, has been officially launched in Accra, with a passionate call for national commitment to fighting the disease. The launch event, held last week Friday, carried the theme: “Beyond the diagnosis: A future of restoration, care and courage.”
Speaking at the event, Madam Abena Brigidi, founder and CEO of Nimed Capital Limited, emphasised that cancer remains one of the most devastating health challenges facing families across the country. “Cancer does not discriminate—it affects mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. It drains families emotionally and financially, and behind every statistic is a human story and a future suddenly thrown into uncertainty,” she said.
Sharing her personal encounters with cancer, having lost both her husband and father to the disease, Madam Brigidi highlighted the emotional, financial, and physical scars left behind. “I stand here not just as a speaker, but as a witness to what cancer can take away,” she stated. “I have watched loved ones fight bravely, and I have felt the deep pain that loss leaves behind.”
She stressed that awareness and early detection are critical to reducing deaths, noting that many Ghanaians still lack access to proper screening, reliable information, and adequate treatment. She appealed to healthcare professionals, corporate institutions, policymakers, the media, and the general public to join hands in the fight. “Early detection saves lives. Your support today can lead to someone’s healing tomorrow,” she said.
Madam Brigidi further called for collective responsibility to sustain the foundation’s mission. “To our medical professionals, we need your expertise. To corporate partners, your resources. To the media, your voice. To policymakers, your support. And to the public, your compassion,” she urged. She also insisted that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to annual campaigns, saying, “Breast cancer awareness must not be seasonal.”
Mrs Diana Fafa Gozo, founder of the Dzidula Pink Foundation, shared her own cancer journey, describing the shock of diagnosis, the fear that followed, and the difficult path through treatment. Her experience transformed her pain into purpose and inspired her to create a foundation to ensure no cancer patient walks alone.
Mrs Gozo explained that many patients struggle not only with treatment costs but also with emotional resilience. She outlined the foundation’s initiatives, which include awareness and early detection campaigns, patient support funds, community outreach, and survival support circles. “This foundation is my offering of gratitude, courage, and compassion and a reminder that no one should walk the cancer journey alone,” she concluded.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it will deploy teams of Public Health Officers, members of its Sanitation Taskforce, and labourers, including sweepers and janitors, across all sub-metros to support the third National Sanitation Day exercise.
It explained that these teams will be equipped with waste collection trucks, tippers, and other tools to help with desilting, refuse collection, and transporting waste to approved disposal sites.
The AMA reminded residents that failing to comply with the sanitation directive or refusing to participate in communal labour is an offence.
It said offenders risk a fine of up to 100 penalty units, imprisonment between 30 days and six months, or both, with repeat offenders liable to additional daily penalties.
It urged all residents, traders, transport operators, market women, shop owners, landlords, tenants, and businesses to actively participate in the exercise.
The AMA said it counts on everyone’s collective responsibility to keep Accra clean, liveable, and resilient, especially as the city approaches Christmas and the New Year.
By: Jacob Aggrey
