Editorial
Youth in Innovative Agriculture laudable initiative
Dear Editor,
I have been waiting for an initiative like the Youth in Innovative Agriculture Support Programme for sometime now, and I think this is an answered prayer.
According to the World Bank Group, Agriculture is the engine of growth of every economy. It should be a great opportunity for a country like Ghana, blessed with a fertile land, to have most of its youthful population entering the Agriculture sector but this has not been the case.
The question I have always asked myself is why are the youth ‘running away’ from a sector known to be an engine of growth of the Economy? I’m optimistic that this initiative is capable of solving the problems highlighted below:
One of the problems most youth faces in this country is difficulty in accessing fund or loans from financial institutions. Financial institutions usually are always unwilling to give out loans to farmers, especially the young ones. Since the Ministry of Finance is funding this programme, the problem of inaccessibility of fund or credit facilities from financial institutions is solved.
I am much confident that the interest the beneficiaries of this Programme would pay would be very affordable and convenient as compared with the high interest rate on loans financial institutions charge.
Most young farmers manage and supervise their own activities. The National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) would set up a supervisory team that would be charged to supervise the activities of the beneficiaries. This is a novelty and I believe the technical support and expertise would yield results, as the programme would help reduce food shortage.
Having highlighted some of the benefits of the programme, I would plead with the NEIP to discharge its mandate without any favouritism or partisanship. The programme would be a success if the selection process is transparent.
The Youth in Innovative Agriculture Support Programme has so far received thousand of applications since it was launched. The application is expected to end February 5, 2022 and I urge young people interested in agriculture to apply for this life-changing opportunity.
May God bless our Homeland Ghana.
Justice Phinehas Gyesi
Founder/Executive Director, Giveth Hand International
Email:gyesijusticephinehas@gmail.com
Dear Editor,
I WRITE to condemn the circumstances under which an accident victim died recently after three major hospitals reportedly turned him away due to what has earned a place in our local parlance as ‘no bed syndrome.’
Reports suggested that this motor rider who got knocked by a vehicle was taken to three major hospitals – Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), and the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital – but they all claimed they had no beds.
But one may ask, would there ever be beds?
Such is the treatment Ghanaians endure every now and then when one visits our hospitals, especially the public ones which are run with the taxpayers’ money. Many a time when one visits the hospitals, the sight of patients admitted and lying on benches, and some sitting on chairs while receiving care, is visible to all; making one wonder why this particular motor rider was not admitted at any of the facilities, looking at his condition.
This leads to the reason for this letter, which is to bring out a perceived apathy against these motor riders, the majority of whom are referred to as ‘Okada’ riders.
Due to their recklessness on the roads and the inconvenience caused to commuters, people always speak ill about them; drivers equally have no regard for them. Every user of public transport would attest to this. These riders are blamed for every offence, even when it is obvious drivers may be at fault sometimes.
Motor riders have become like orphans on the road; people care less about them, and when they are unfortunately knocked down, no one cares about them.
This is the mischief our authorities and agencies, including the police, must seek to cure to make the road safe for all users.
These are young folks that want to make a living for themselves, and with no skill or education, ‘Okada’ rides have become their source of livelihood. They need the protection accorded drivers and commuters as well.
In other countries, some facilities have been provided to make their work safer, but in Ghana, we lack them, leaving them with no alternative than to share the available space with the cars.
What has happened should serve as a wake-up call on our authorities to aim to take a second look at the ‘Okada’ menace. With the numbers increasing, there should be a way to regulate them because no government would have the guts to ban it totally.
Drivers should be made to accept the reality that they are sharing the roads with them, and therefore the need for patience and tolerance.
For some of our hospitals, I suggest the Ministry of Health conduct their own investigations to see what patients go through in accessing medicare, which is even not for free.
Thank you, Editor, for the space.
F. Morgan, Kokrobite
Dear Editor,
THE heartbreaking death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah in a hit-and-run accident has exposed once again the failures in our health system.
Even more painful is the fact that his father had previously donated beds to some hospitals, yet when his son needed urgent care, he was moved from one facility to another because there were ‘no beds.’
This is not only tragic but unacceptable. How can a country lose its bright young citizens simply because hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment? The ‘no bed syndrome’ has become a national disgrace, and Charles’ death is a reminder that reforms cannot wait.
Our hospitals must be equipped to handle emergencies, and accountability must be enforced. If donations are made to improve facilities, then those facilities must serve the people when it matters most. Ghana cannot afford to keep losing lives to negligence and poor infrastructure.
Charles Amissah’s death should be the turning point. Let us honor his memory by fixing the system so that no family would suffer this kind of preventable loss again.
Princess Wonovi
Accra
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
