Wednesday, January 21, 2015
ip. The habita
Guaymas, from where he was afterwards sent to California. It has been stated that the corpses were left in the streets for the hogs to eat, but the cure of Caborca assured me that he had a trench dug and gave them Christian interment. I never saw nor conversed with any of the leaders, but a detachment came up th
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Fwd: [Africa in Focus Blog!] WACSI Calls for Appointment of Special ECOWAS Envoy on Ebola
fyi
PLEASE SIGN ON TO THIS CAMPAIGN
#Civil #Society Statement on the Current #Ebola Crisis in #West #Africa:
--
Posted By Blogger to Africa in Focus Blog! at 8/31/2014 03:08:00 PM
PLEASE SIGN ON TO THIS CAMPAIGN
#Civil #Society Statement on the Current #Ebola Crisis in #West #Africa:
A Call for Appointment of #ECOWAS Special Envoy on #Ebola
In light of the current epidemic of the deadly #Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in #West #Africa, we the undersigned civil society organizations call on #ECOWAS member states to appoint a leading, influential, strong and knowledgeable West African physician or health professional as #ECOWAS Special Envoy on #Ebola.
Cross-border coordination and collaboration necessary to stem the spread of Ebola has been haphazard and chaotic. While closure of borders may provide short term relief, it is also an impediment to cross-border technical support and humanitarian assistance and has given rise to new food security challenges.
In light of the current epidemic of the deadly #Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in #West #Africa, we the undersigned civil society organizations call on #ECOWAS member states to appoint a leading, influential, strong and knowledgeable West African physician or health professional as #ECOWAS Special Envoy on #Ebola.
The current epidemic, which has been characterized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the deadliest Ebola outbreak since this virus was discovered in 1976, has claimed the lives of at least 1,552 people in West Africa including many health officials. We applaud and support the brave work of the health officials who continue to put their lives at risk in the care of victims of #Ebola despite very difficult working environment. We stand in solidarity with our brothers, sisters, families, and communities who are battling for their lives and struggling to care for loved ones.
West African economies are feeling the impact of the world's worst outbreak of Ebola. Travel and trade restrictions are limiting the deployment of medical personnel, equipment and commodities adding to the deadly risk that the EVD already poses to the communities and the economies of the affected countries and the region. This epidemic has exposed the challenges of our public health system and our governance institutions.
The recently-released WHO roadmap predicts that 20,000 people may ultimately be infected in this outbreak. Therefore, the challenge ahead is steep and a lot of work has to be done to stem this dangerous situation.
Cross-border coordination and collaboration necessary to stem the spread of Ebola has been haphazard and chaotic. While closure of borders may provide short term relief, it is also an impediment to cross-border technical support and humanitarian assistance and has given rise to new food security challenges.
The challenge of the current epidemic calls for urgent, unified and concerted efforts by ECOWAS and the international community. The emergency meeting of ECOWAS currently being held in Accra provides an opportunity to work out actionable and effective modalities to address the Ebola crisis. The regional body is uniquely positioned to champion a coordinated response.
For these reasons, we urge the appointment of the ECOWAS Special Envoy on Ebola. Such an envoy will help draw attention to the public health and humanitarian challenges posed by Ebola and become a regional voice and leader for a regional response plan led by African and international contributors. The Envoy could also be the voice calling for effective management and coordination of cross-border transportation and logistics. The challenge we face is extraordinary and ECOWAS needs to create a specialized platform to address this.
We urge all ECOWAS member States to push for this resolution and to develop a concrete plan for operationalizing effective coordination. We call on the international community to provide needed assistance in ensuring that the response to Ebola in the region is effective, humane and sustainable.
We acknowledge that the efforts of ECOWAS and the international community can only yield results if residents of the region do their part. Hence, we also urge the populations and all civil society organizations to show more solidarity and be cautious by observing the preventive measures identified by the WHO.
Kindly sign this statement and share with info@wacsi.org for onward action
source: West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI)
Kindly sign this statement and share with info@wacsi.org for onward action
source: West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI)
--
Posted By Blogger to Africa in Focus Blog! at 8/31/2014 03:08:00 PM
_____________________________________________________________________
E.K.Bensah Jr, Head of Research & Host -- "Africa in Focus"(Radio XYZ 93.1FM)
www.ekbensah.net | http://www.twitter.com/ekbensah | www.ekbensahdotnet.org
*TEL:+233.268.687.653 / +233.233.311.789 / +233.243.111.789
E.K.Bensah Jr, Head of Research & Host -- "Africa in Focus"(Radio XYZ 93.1FM)
www.ekbensah.net | http://www.twitter.com/ekbensah | www.ekbensahdotnet.org
*TEL:+233.268.687.653 / +233.233.311.789 / +233.243.111.789
*Telegram/Whatsapp:+233.311.789
________________________________________________________________________________
EKBENSAH DotNet: Regional integration Intelligence| West Africa-ECOWAS | Communications | Civil society
_______________________________________________________________
Monday, August 4, 2014
AFRICA IN FOCUS >> Coming up on 5 August, 2014: "Africa & Social Media: Blogging; Activism; and the Future"
Africa & Social Media: Blogging; Activism; and the Future
If someone were to be documenting Ghana’s young history of its foray into Social Media, one might refer to the 1 July demonstration, which triggered the hashtag #Occupyflagstaff, as one of the examples of Ghana’s foray into activism. Activism, because many months after the so-called “Arab Spring”, many have questioned when sub-Saharan Africa would have its own Spring.
But long before there was even any talk of a “Spring” africaine, Ghana had begun making moves around Social Media. First it was Penplusbytes, or the ICT Institute of Journalism in 2001. Seven years later came BloggingGhana – considered the largest association of bloggers writing about Ghana. With the advent of New Media has come opportunities for training and education on New Media, which the latter two organizations have been involved in.
That said, one could be forgiven for thinking that without being associated with these two organizations, survival in New Media is impossible. Far from it, as there remain many individuals blogging, and fully-engaged in New Media through many different initiatives they undertake.
Then there is the case of our media houses, which are taking the New Media bull by the horns and running with it. Back in 2009, the host of “Africa in Focus” was called to national duty for the 14th GJA Media Awards. Word had it that his blogging activism was what led him to that calling. Sitting on that committee as a judge for online journalism was indeed a priviledge, but he was disheartened by the fact that subsequent GJA Media awards did not deem Blogging and New Media an important component of Ghana’s media.
Fortunately, New Media has managed to move beyond relying on the Ghana Journalist Association. The establishment of organizations like BloggingGhana and Penplusbytes can verily attest to this fact. But even with their respective successes, what have other countries been able to do around New Media and Blogging?
In this edition of AIF, we talk to Kenya’s erstwhile “King of Facebook”, and Brand Ambassador of Safaricomm to find out how that East African country has been able to revolutionise New Media. We also talk to the former Knowledge Management Officer of the UNECA who played an active role in ensuring that the rather-prosaic policy of Africa’s integration and development is translated into the more exciting and vivacious New Media channel in Facebook.
Even more importantly, we will be using the show to explore the extent to which New Media, especially blogging, is still a good idea, and does it have validity in a space where twitter seems to be king? What does Kenya’s King of Facebook think about other forms of New Media, and does his commercial success lend weight to the fact that his template is one that can be replicated elsewhere in Africa?
Guests in the studio:
Ø Edward Tagoe, BloggingGhana
Ø Ato Ulzen-Appiah, Rancard Solutions/ex-Google Ghana
Ø Kwami Ahiabenu, Penplusbytes New Media Hub/African Elections Project
On the line:
Ø Golda Addo, Renewable Energy advocate; Activist @ 13h40
Ø Stephen Musyoka, TrInc Media/ former Kenyan “King of Facebook”/City Council of Nairobi @ 13h55
Ø Mawuli Tsikata, CITI fm, @14h10
Ø Mkhu Ncube, Young Zimbabwe Business Platform/ex-UNECA @ 14h25
Contact us Facebook on:
http://www.facebook.com/africainfocusonradioxyz and radio XYZ 93.1FM. Tweet us @africainfocus14 and @ekbensah. Listen to us on #MultiTVChannel29. Thanks!
HOW TO CONTACT "AFRICA IN FOCUS"
1. Google plus BUSINESS PAGE: http://gplus.to/contactafricainfocusxyz
2. Google plus COMMUNITY: http://gplus.to/africaonradioxyz
3. Google plus Profile: http://gplus.to/africainfocusongoogleplus
2. Google plus COMMUNITY: http://gplus.to/africaonradioxyz
3. Google plus Profile: http://gplus.to/africainfocusongoogleplus
*Email: africainfocusonradioxyz AT gmail.com
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*Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/africainfocus14, using #AfricainFocus #radioxyz
*FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/africainfocusonradioxyz
*Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/africainfocus14, using #AfricainFocus #radioxyz
--
Posted By Blogger to Africa in Focus Blog! at 8/04/2014 11:31:00 AM
_____________________________________________________________________
E.K.Bensah Jr, Head of Research & Host -- "Africa in Focus"(Radio XYZ 93.1FM)
www.ekbensah.net | http://www.twitter.com/ekbensah | www.ekbensahdotnet.org
*TEL:+233.268.687.653 / +233.233.311.789 / +233.243.111.789
E.K.Bensah Jr, Head of Research & Host -- "Africa in Focus"(Radio XYZ 93.1FM)
www.ekbensah.net | http://www.twitter.com/ekbensah | www.ekbensahdotnet.org
*TEL:+233.268.687.653 / +233.233.311.789 / +233.243.111.789
*Telegram/Whatsapp:+233.311.789
________________________________________________________________________________
EKBENSAH DotNet: Regional integration Intelligence| West Africa-ECOWAS | Communications | Civil society
_______________________________________________________________
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Fwd: [Africa in Focus Blog!] Countdown to the Maiden Edition of "Africa in Focus" on 6 May: Research & Communications Team Meet
With sponsors in West Africa Civil Society Institute(WACSI) officially on board to take the programme to even greater heights, the Unit was happy to have interacted with key WACSI staff who paved the way on the future of the partnership.
There was general reporting of activities, and a lot of exciting information-exchange on developments during the past week, including on the just-ended Pan-African Conference on Inequalities that was held here in Accra.
The Research & Comms Unit meets every week at Eastgate Hotel with the Business Desk to monitor and evaluate previous editions of AIF show; progress on the direction of the research component of the "Africa in Focus" show; the state of communication instruments (facebook; twitter; google plus community); how far weekly activities are contributing to enriching the Unit's monitoring of African integration dynamics of ECOWAS; the AU; and Africa's engagement with members of the Global South.
Finally, the meetings seek to undertake innovative strategies to further-educate the public on Africa's development.
--
Posted By Blogger to Africa in Focus Blog! at 5/03/2014 07:58:00 AM
_____________________________________________________________________
E.K.Bensah Jr, Head of Research & Host -- "Africa in Focus"(Radio XYZ 93.1FM)
www.ekbensah.net | http://www.twitter.com/ekbensah | www.ekbensahdotnet.org
*TEL:+233.268.687.653 / +233.233.311.789 / +233.243.111.789
E.K.Bensah Jr, Head of Research & Host -- "Africa in Focus"(Radio XYZ 93.1FM)
www.ekbensah.net | http://www.twitter.com/ekbensah | www.ekbensahdotnet.org
*TEL:+233.268.687.653 / +233.233.311.789 / +233.243.111.789
*Telegram/Whatsapp:+233.311.789
________________________________________________________________________________
EKBENSAH DotNet: Regional integration Intelligence| West Africa-ECOWAS | Communications | Civil society
_______________________________________________________________
Saturday, March 15, 2014
A Happy World Consumer Right's Day?
*HAPPY WORLD **#CONSUMER** RIGHTS DAY*>>
15 March is a day to remind consumers of their right to complain for more effective and efficient public services. Are YOU aware of YOUR rights? #15March
On Thursday, I had the priviledge of attending a policy roundtable on consumer rights, which was organised by CUTS--a consumer protection NGO working in areas of consumer protection, trade and development, competition policy and law, economic regulation and good governance.
Present were regulatory agencies of Public Utilities Regulatory Commission; Food and Drugs Authority; National Communications Authority, and other civil society organisations. They offered frank views on the role of the regulator in protecting the consumer.
I believe there will be important follow-ups from this meeting, with CUTS playing an important role in sustaining the platform.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Arterial Network launches the African Creative Economy website
from: http://www.africancreativeeconomy.org/about-ace-2012/
--
______________________________________
Emmanuel.K.Bensah Jr.
Communications Officer (Web Journalist)
COMMUNICATIONS UNIT
Third World Network-- Africa |9, Ollenu Street East Legon |P.O.Box AN 19452 Accra-Ghana
Tel:+233-302-511.189 // +233-302-503669| Fax:+233-302-511.188 |Mobile:+233-243-111.789 // +233-268 891.841
Web: www.twnafrica.org | Eml: ekbensah@twnafrica.org
BLOG: http://apps.twnafrica.org/BLOG
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/twnafrica
______________________
**TWN Malaysia (International) Secretariat:
http://www.twnside.org.sg
**TWN Uruguay Secretariat:
http://www.redtercermundo.org.uy/
**TWN Geneva Office
info@twngeneva.ch
Arterial Network launches the African Creative Economy website
Arterial Network has launched www.africancreativeeconomy.org, the African Creative Economy website.
There are just 30 days to go before the opening of the 2012 ACE Conference by Youssou N'Dour in Dakar, Senegal. The conference is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, 14 to Friday, 16 November at Hotel Ngor, Diarama in Dakar. The website will provide general information about the 2012 ACE Conference, practical information about Senegal and real time updates of the event proceedings.
The African Creative Economy Conference is the second to be hosted by Arterial Network, a dynamic network of individuals, organisations, donors, companies and institutions engaged in the African cultural sector. The Pan African Network, currently active in 40 African countries was formed in 2007 to support the effectiveness and growth of the African arts and culture civil society and to enhance the sustainability of creative industries in Africa.
The 2012 conference will create a platform, unprecedented for the coming together of upcoming, established and pioneering arts practitioners, intellectuals, policy makers and patrons in powerful debate and energetic collaboration.
Commenting on the launch of the website, communications and marketing manager of Arterial Network, Nancy Onyango, said, "We are extremely excited about the launch of the ACE Conference website which I hope will give artists, cultural entrepreneurs, researchers, arts practitioners, journalists and conference delegates the opportunity to follow us every step of the way by either getting program and logistics updates during the preparation of the event or real time updates of the conference proceedings. We have made the provision of interactivity on the website and relaying live updates via Twitter #ace2012dakar and on Facebook. Finally, launching of the website would not be possible without the incredible support of Nelam Services based in Senegal. We look forward to a successful event.''
The first conference on the African Creative Economy (ACE) was held at AACC Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2011. Over 120 delegates from 35 Africa countries and internationally attended the forum in East Africa. The 2011 conference assessed and shared some of the research done on the African creative economy. It also developed advocacy strategies in support of the African creative sector with a view to rigorously interrogate the available research and the relationship between the African creative economy and development, cultural diversity and other contemporary cultural themes.
One of the key challenges identified at the founding conference of Arterial Network on Goree Island, Senegal in 2007 was the simple need of information on the African creative sector. In response to this need, the network has for the past five years compiled and distributed a regular monthly e-newsletter to its primary constituents – artists, cultural NGOs, creative enterprises and cultural institutions. Arterial Network also established a website www.artsinafrica.com that provides a comprehensive information on the arts, cultural heritage of each African country and published an Art and Culture information directory: an alternative to constituents who cannot access the online directory due to limited internet access owing to digital divide or poverty.
For more information about Arterial Network, visit www.arterialnetwork.org.
The African Creative Economy Conference is the second to be hosted by Arterial Network, a dynamic network of individuals, organisations, donors, companies and institutions engaged in the African cultural sector. The Pan African Network, currently active in 40 African countries was formed in 2007 to support the effectiveness and growth of the African arts and culture civil society and to enhance the sustainability of creative industries in Africa.
The 2012 conference will create a platform, unprecedented for the coming together of upcoming, established and pioneering arts practitioners, intellectuals, policy makers and patrons in powerful debate and energetic collaboration.
Commenting on the launch of the website, communications and marketing manager of Arterial Network, Nancy Onyango, said, "We are extremely excited about the launch of the ACE Conference website which I hope will give artists, cultural entrepreneurs, researchers, arts practitioners, journalists and conference delegates the opportunity to follow us every step of the way by either getting program and logistics updates during the preparation of the event or real time updates of the conference proceedings. We have made the provision of interactivity on the website and relaying live updates via Twitter #ace2012dakar and on Facebook. Finally, launching of the website would not be possible without the incredible support of Nelam Services based in Senegal. We look forward to a successful event.''
The first conference on the African Creative Economy (ACE) was held at AACC Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2011. Over 120 delegates from 35 Africa countries and internationally attended the forum in East Africa. The 2011 conference assessed and shared some of the research done on the African creative economy. It also developed advocacy strategies in support of the African creative sector with a view to rigorously interrogate the available research and the relationship between the African creative economy and development, cultural diversity and other contemporary cultural themes.
One of the key challenges identified at the founding conference of Arterial Network on Goree Island, Senegal in 2007 was the simple need of information on the African creative sector. In response to this need, the network has for the past five years compiled and distributed a regular monthly e-newsletter to its primary constituents – artists, cultural NGOs, creative enterprises and cultural institutions. Arterial Network also established a website www.artsinafrica.com that provides a comprehensive information on the arts, cultural heritage of each African country and published an Art and Culture information directory: an alternative to constituents who cannot access the online directory due to limited internet access owing to digital divide or poverty.
For more information about Arterial Network, visit www.arterialnetwork.org.
______________________________________
Emmanuel.K.Bensah Jr.
Communications Officer (Web Journalist)
COMMUNICATIONS UNIT
Third World Network-- Africa |9, Ollenu Street East Legon |P.O.Box AN 19452 Accra-Ghana
Tel:+233-302-511.189 // +233-302-503669| Fax:+233-302-511.188 |Mobile:+233-243-111.789 // +233-268 891.841
Web: www.twnafrica.org | Eml: ekbensah@twnafrica.org
BLOG: http://apps.twnafrica.org/BLOG
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/twnafrica
______________________
**TWN Malaysia (International) Secretariat:
http://www.twnside.org.sg
**TWN Uruguay Secretariat:
http://www.redtercermundo.org.uy/
**TWN Geneva Office
info@twngeneva.ch
"Students of Social Media", or an article reminding us New Media is here to stay, and a necessary evil!
from: http://www.mndaily.com/2012/10/17/students-social-media
--
Students of social media
College should prepare us for an increasingly virtual world.
Being a college student means different things to different generations. Many of our parents have shared stories about the trauma of writing term papers on typewriters and using real, tangible paper; whiteout is not the savior it once was in the days before Microsoft Word. For us, life at school without access to a computer would be equally traumatic. In a social world filled with statuses, tweets, blog posts, Yelp-ing, foursquare-ing and being linked in, it's a wonder our minds haven't yet exploded.
However, the skills we acquire as social media aficionados are important and valuable in today's job market. According to an article published online by CNN, job postings seeking social media skills rose 87 percent from last year. It's only fitting that our education keeps up with the skills necessary for us to remain competitive job candidates in the "real world" — even if that world is increasingly virtual.
Social media classes should become a standard requirement in higher education; although navigating Facebook and Twitter is already second nature for most of us, there is a relatively new yet vast market of field-specific applications, networking websites and other useful online tools unknown to many students. Fluency in these tools and websites, now regularly sought out by employers, would be a boon to our networking capabilities and future career opportunities.
The concept of social media has become so much more than a trend — it's now an intrinsic part of our culture and the way we communicate. As such, it deserves an anthropomorphic and qualitative examination in the classroom. Social media is here to stay, and our education needs to prepare us with the necessary skills for an increasingly social world.
Fwd: Reminder: " Who Rules the Internet? Join our Google hangout" is tomorrow
fyi!
--
______________________________________
Emmanuel.K.Bensah Jr.
Communications Officer (Web Journalist)
COMMUNICATIONS UNIT
Third World Network-- Africa |9, Ollenu Street East Legon |P.O.Box AN 19452 Accra-Ghana
Tel:+233-302-511.189 // +233-302-503669| Fax:+233-302-511.188 |Mobile:+233-243-111.789 // +233-268 891.841
Web: www.twnafrica.org | Eml: ekbensah@twnafrica.org
BLOG: http://apps.twnafrica.org/BLOG
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Third-World-Network-Africa/131072278632
______________________
**TWN Malaysia (International) Secretariat:
http://www.twnside.org.sg
**TWN Uruguay Secretariat:
http://www.redtercermundo.org.uy/
**TWN Geneva Office
info@twngeneva.ch
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Google+ <noreply-32ddec29@plus.google.com>
Date: 2012/10/17
Subject: Reminder: " Who Rules the Internet? Join our Google hangout" is tomorrow
To: ekbensah@gmail.com
From: Google+ <noreply-32ddec29@plus.google.com>
Date: 2012/10/17
Subject: Reminder: " Who Rules the Internet? Join our Google hangout" is tomorrow
To: ekbensah@gmail.com
| ||
| ||
We'll be joined by experts across the world plus five selected readers, and we hope you can join us to watch the live event here on Google+. Our panellists include: - Alice Munyua, Chair of Kenya's internet Governance Steering Committee - David Drummond, Senior vice president, corporate development and chief legal officer, Google - Alexander Ntoko, Chief, operations and planning department, Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau, ITU - Eleanor Saitta,Technical director, IMMI If you can't make it live, don't worry as we'll publish video highlights on guardian.co.uk after the hangout so you can watch the best bits and leave a comment. #hangoutsonair #hangoutonair #Googlehangout #TheGuardian #HOA #internet #technology #Google |
Tomorrow, 18 October, 17:00 BST
Google+ hangoutChange what email Google+ sends you.
______________________________________
Emmanuel.K.Bensah Jr.
Communications Officer (Web Journalist)
COMMUNICATIONS UNIT
Third World Network-- Africa |9, Ollenu Street East Legon |P.O.Box AN 19452 Accra-Ghana
Tel:+233-302-511.189 // +233-302-503669| Fax:+233-302-511.188 |Mobile:+233-243-111.789 // +233-268 891.841
Web: www.twnafrica.org | Eml: ekbensah@twnafrica.org
BLOG: http://apps.twnafrica.org/BLOG
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Third-World-Network-Africa/131072278632
______________________
**TWN Malaysia (International) Secretariat:
http://www.twnside.org.sg
**TWN Uruguay Secretariat:
http://www.redtercermundo.org.uy/
**TWN Geneva Office
info@twngeneva.ch
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Ghana's Nuclear Energy and What the Ghanaian Media Should be Asking
"So Ghana is set to export NUCLEAR ENERGY to the sub-region, at a time when it already exports POWER to its West African neighbours. Now, there's an ECOWAS agency--the ECOWAS Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) in Accra--and in an ideal world, more of the Ghanaian media would be connecting the dots and enlightening us all on the role of ERERA in facilitating/monitoring sub-regional power!"
The actual article can be found here:
from: http://www.theafricareport.com/index.php/20120515501811584/west-africa/ghana-adds-nuclear-power-to-boost-energy-export-plans-501811584.html
Alhaji Inusah Fuseini said the government has targeted the utilisation of nuclear power to supply adequate, reliable and affordable electricity for the sustainable development within the sub-region.
The actual article can be found here:
from: http://www.theafricareport.com/index.php/20120515501811584/west-africa/ghana-adds-nuclear-power-to-boost-energy-export-plans-501811584.html
Ghana is exploring a nuclear energy programme in its power mix strategy, as it strives to become a major net exporter of energy in the West Africa sub region, the country's deputy energy minister has said.
PHOTO/REUTERS
The intervention is geared towards increasing the total installation capacity of electricity generation in the country, currently at 2000 megawatts, to 5000 megawatts by 2015.
To meet the target, Fuseini speaking at a five-day international conference in Accra on "Cooperation and Networking for Nuclear Power Programme in Africa" on Monday, said the government would also leverage on the use of its available energy sources such as gas, large scale hydro and the renewable.
"In the long term, particularly 10 years and beyond, our energy needs are expected to far exceed the above set target as our commercial and industrial activities increase," he said.
The conference is organised under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the African Regional (AFRA) in collaboration with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC). It is aimed at strengthening collaboration and networking among member countries in order to maximize the use of available African infrastructure and expertise in nuclear power and related fields.
More from our March 2012 Ghana Special:
People to Watch in Ghana in 2012
Agriculture: Brown gold jackpotGhana, the fight over state or market
Ghana's election watch: The vote starts hereGhana: Big Oil stakes for the little guysGhana's mining sector shares the shine
People to Watch in Ghana in 2012
Agriculture: Brown gold jackpotGhana, the fight over state or market
Ghana's election watch: The vote starts hereGhana: Big Oil stakes for the little guysGhana's mining sector shares the shine
Fuseini said the utilisation of nuclear power involves careful planning to address major issues such as financing, siting, safety and human resource development.
Currently, he said, within the energy ministry, a nuclear power unit had been set up in collaboration with GAEC to deal with issues associated with the planning and implementation of the nuclear power programme.
The ministry is also taking steps to establish and inaugurate Nuclear Energy Programme Implementation Organisation (NEPIO) that will coordinate the activities of all stakeholder institutions involved with the planning of the nuclear power project as recommended by the IAEA.
The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission deputy director, Dr Kwame Aboh noted that nuclear power reactors construction worldwide had been on the increase. He said a total of 67 reactors were under construction, most of which are centered in Asia.
Opponents of nuclear power over the years have focused on and expressed concerns on the deficiencies in areas such as the inadequate human resource base, environmental safety and high construction cost of nuclear power plants.
But Aboh said Africa, in the era of competing development needs could overcome most of the concerns if it ensured better coordination and development of the required high level nuclear power personnel through appropriate educational programmes.
Dr Vincent Nkong-Njock of the IAEA stressed the need for political and technical leadership in the development of nuclear power and the importance of sustaining cooperation and networking among African member countries to harmonise inter-country nuclear power programmes.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The case against Foreign Coaches for Ghana
''...withou a strategy but to exhibit individual talents''.
We can easily speculate that there was no Team GHANA. We must and CAN do better!!
------------------Sent from ekbensah jr's nokia e63
*twitter.com/ekbensah
*www.ekbensah.net
*Contact me: +233.268.687.653// +233.243.111.789
Monday, January 23, 2012
Education minister Betty Mould-Iddrisu resigns...
...prompting speculation NDC government will not have it easy in run-up to elections in December.
______________________________________________
sent from my Samsung tablet. . .
*twitter.com/ekbensah
*www.ekbensah.net
*mob: +233.268.687.653/+233.243.111.789
____________________________________________________
Regional integration| Communications | Civil society
_____________________________________________________
Thursday, September 15, 2011
**Article: "DISHONESTY OF GJA AWARDS"
As someone who had the priviledge of sitting on the GJA Media Awards Committee in 2009, I have taken particular interest in these awards, and have also questioned the role of sponsors in the running of the whole show. Coming across this article was refreshing. As to whether GJA will respond, too, is another matter! Happy reading!
===========
Source: Ghanaian Chronicle - Ghanaian Chronicle
from: http://www.modernghana.com/news/350439/1/dishonesty-of-gja-awards.html
The 16 th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards ceremony held at the Banquet Hall, State House in Accra on Friday, September 9, 2011, failed to pass the test of excellence and honesty in many respects.
Apart from the poor organization of the event, there were many critical issues that smack of dishonesty, and to a large extent, corruption. I wish to articulate hereunder a few of the issues that have come to my attention and hope you will publish them in order to get answers and cure the wrongs in the system.
The first issue that ought to be addressed is about money raised for the organization of last Friday's event. Almost everything was sponsored, including the venue, laptops given to award winners, drinks and many more. The only things not sponsored were, perhaps, allowances given to award committee members, plaques given to award winners, food and protocol service.
So the question is what does the GJA executive use all the huge amount of money they receive as sponsorship packages for? Why is it that in spite of the huge cash sponsorship, award winners are not given a pesewa, even when sponsors make cash donations for winners of specific award categories?
I think there is the need for the GJA executive to account for the organization of the awards ceremony. It's not clear whether accounts were rendered for previous award ceremonies (I stand to be corrected).
The second issue has to do with how an award category for the best reporter on social security was smuggled into the event. To the best of my knowledge, social security reporting was NOT part of the award categories announced by the GJA, when it opened entries earlier in the year, (you may want to refer to media publications on the announcement for filing of entries).
Indeed, just about two months ago, and long after entries for the 2010 GJA Awards had been closed, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) announced (published in the media) that it would sponsor a GJA Award category on social security reporting for next year. The understanding is that journalists who cover the social security issues this year will have their stories accessed for the GJA Awards in 2012.
So how come an award was given to someone in that category last Friday. It was no wonder that the citation accompanying that award did not cite a specific story that the award winning journalist did, that earned him that grand title just as in the case of all the other categories.
The citation just made reference to the fact that the award winning journalist had been doing follow-up stories on social security.
If SSNIT wanted to show appreciation to a reporter who covers the social security beat,
Management could have simply called the reporter to the SSNIT headquarters to do that, and not to use a GJA platform for the celebration of journalism excellence for that purpose.
The fact that the social security award category was not opened for all to contest was very unfair, and indeed, corruption to allow anyone to carry a GJA plaque and title for that. The GJA must come clean on this.
Another award category that smacks of dishonesty is how someone was adjudged the best reporter for sports, but when everything was done and the list of award winners collated, that award winner was deprived of his hard earned prize, under very strange and inexplicable reasons. How could the GJA on one hand give award to a journalist for a category that was not opened for competition, and on the other hand, deprive another who genuinely won a competitive category. Is that how GJA celebrates journalism excellence?
The third issue that reeks of dishonesty regarding the awards is about the education category. How can one award be given to two different winners. Wherein then lies competition and excellence? Excellence requires that although many reporters might have submitted very good stories, only one of them is adjudged the best.
Consider this scenario. Five persons work on just one story, and one person works on another story. Now, the two stories are considered to be very good but only one must emerge as the best. Surely, to give the award to the person who worked alone, rather than make it a joint award with five other reporters, is a logic that is not far-fetched. Why then should that reporter have to share the prize with a whole team of reporters? Favouritism?
It will also be very interesting to find out from the GJA why the Government Statistician, Dr Grace Bediako used the platform of the 15 th GJA Awards ceremony last year to announce that the Ghana Statistical Service would give two awards for the best journalist and media organization that performed most creditably in the coverage of the 2010 Population and Housing Census, and yet nothing of the sort took place. The GJA must explain.
The intention to raise these issues is not to call the integrity of the GJA executive to question, rather it is to ensure that the GJA Awards remain a celebration of journalism excellence and not dishonesty.
Thank you.
Thomas Tetteh
(Freelance journalist)
thomas.tetteh AT yahoo.com
===========
Source: Ghanaian Chronicle - Ghanaian Chronicle
from: http://www.modernghana.com/news/350439/1/dishonesty-of-gja-awards.html
The 16 th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards ceremony held at the Banquet Hall, State House in Accra on Friday, September 9, 2011, failed to pass the test of excellence and honesty in many respects.
Apart from the poor organization of the event, there were many critical issues that smack of dishonesty, and to a large extent, corruption. I wish to articulate hereunder a few of the issues that have come to my attention and hope you will publish them in order to get answers and cure the wrongs in the system.
The first issue that ought to be addressed is about money raised for the organization of last Friday's event. Almost everything was sponsored, including the venue, laptops given to award winners, drinks and many more. The only things not sponsored were, perhaps, allowances given to award committee members, plaques given to award winners, food and protocol service.
So the question is what does the GJA executive use all the huge amount of money they receive as sponsorship packages for? Why is it that in spite of the huge cash sponsorship, award winners are not given a pesewa, even when sponsors make cash donations for winners of specific award categories?
I think there is the need for the GJA executive to account for the organization of the awards ceremony. It's not clear whether accounts were rendered for previous award ceremonies (I stand to be corrected).
The second issue has to do with how an award category for the best reporter on social security was smuggled into the event. To the best of my knowledge, social security reporting was NOT part of the award categories announced by the GJA, when it opened entries earlier in the year, (you may want to refer to media publications on the announcement for filing of entries).
Indeed, just about two months ago, and long after entries for the 2010 GJA Awards had been closed, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) announced (published in the media) that it would sponsor a GJA Award category on social security reporting for next year. The understanding is that journalists who cover the social security issues this year will have their stories accessed for the GJA Awards in 2012.
So how come an award was given to someone in that category last Friday. It was no wonder that the citation accompanying that award did not cite a specific story that the award winning journalist did, that earned him that grand title just as in the case of all the other categories.
The citation just made reference to the fact that the award winning journalist had been doing follow-up stories on social security.
If SSNIT wanted to show appreciation to a reporter who covers the social security beat,
Management could have simply called the reporter to the SSNIT headquarters to do that, and not to use a GJA platform for the celebration of journalism excellence for that purpose.
The fact that the social security award category was not opened for all to contest was very unfair, and indeed, corruption to allow anyone to carry a GJA plaque and title for that. The GJA must come clean on this.
Another award category that smacks of dishonesty is how someone was adjudged the best reporter for sports, but when everything was done and the list of award winners collated, that award winner was deprived of his hard earned prize, under very strange and inexplicable reasons. How could the GJA on one hand give award to a journalist for a category that was not opened for competition, and on the other hand, deprive another who genuinely won a competitive category. Is that how GJA celebrates journalism excellence?
The third issue that reeks of dishonesty regarding the awards is about the education category. How can one award be given to two different winners. Wherein then lies competition and excellence? Excellence requires that although many reporters might have submitted very good stories, only one of them is adjudged the best.
Consider this scenario. Five persons work on just one story, and one person works on another story. Now, the two stories are considered to be very good but only one must emerge as the best. Surely, to give the award to the person who worked alone, rather than make it a joint award with five other reporters, is a logic that is not far-fetched. Why then should that reporter have to share the prize with a whole team of reporters? Favouritism?
It will also be very interesting to find out from the GJA why the Government Statistician, Dr Grace Bediako used the platform of the 15 th GJA Awards ceremony last year to announce that the Ghana Statistical Service would give two awards for the best journalist and media organization that performed most creditably in the coverage of the 2010 Population and Housing Census, and yet nothing of the sort took place. The GJA must explain.
The intention to raise these issues is not to call the integrity of the GJA executive to question, rather it is to ensure that the GJA Awards remain a celebration of journalism excellence and not dishonesty.
Thank you.
Thomas Tetteh
(Freelance journalist)
thomas.tetteh AT yahoo.com
Ghana's Media Practitioners Must lose Themselves to Africa's Integration March!
"until Ghanaians begin to lose
themselves to the rhythm of the African integration march, they will consign their
progeny to an inexcusable fate they could have avoided. African integration
will not work without a concerted effort by all—citizens and especially media
alike—holding the policy-makers of these groupings accountable.
Much of the time, citizens are
keen to work for them because of the good money that is offered, forgetting
that the benefits and good salary are the bonus of hard work in helping make a
contribution towards the betterment of generations unborn.
As I write this in the aftermath
of another successful GJA Media Awards, I cannot help but also bow my head down
in shame on how despite the centrality of Ghana in African integration—thanks
to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah—Ghanaian media practitioners seem to be waiting for some
external actor to sponsor an AU reporting award before they start writing about
the AU or ECOWAS! Where is civil society on this issue? Where, indeed, are the
media practitioners who need to be asking why such an award is not part of the
categories?
Ghana is much more than the
politicking of the NPP and NDC, and I daresay we do not have to wait for the
CPP to emerge as a fully-fledged third force before we start talking, and
taking seriously what the AU and ECOWAS do. The triple responsibility that
Ghanaians bear of being citizens of Ghana, ECOWAS community citizens and AUfrican
citizens ought to awaken them to the imperative and necessity of capitalizing
on both the months of May and September
to give vent to the AUfrican personality the continent so desperately needs."
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