NINE African countries last Friday completed a five-day health insurance workshop in Accra, dubbed “Extending Health Insurance: How to Make it Work”.
The workshop brought together representatives from governments, civil society groups and the private sector from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Ethiopia, Liberia and Sierra Leone participated as observers.
The workshop was structured around eight design elements which were political feasibility, financing mechanisms, population coverage, benefit package design, engagement with health care providers, organisational structure, operationalising health insurance, and also monitoring and evaluation.
Health insurance experts from countries which were already implementing health insurance schemes in Africa, USAID's Global Health Systems 20/20 Project and the World Bank, presented papers and also team work by participants for two hours a day on each of the design elements.
At the end of the programme, the participants said they were leaving for their respective countries with a better understanding of the modalities and implications of crafting a health insurance scheme for their country or upgrading their existing ones.
During deliberations it became apparent that there were no recipes for designing a health insurance scheme.
In his presentation the Director of Administration of the National Health Insurance Authority ( NHIA) in Ghana, Mr Nathaniel Otto, re-emphasised the earlier point when he said “ just start with an imperfect model, leave the theories aside, roll up your sleeves and start”.
The workshop raised awareness on the linkages between health insurance schemes and the need to eliminate catastrophic health insurance costs for the poorest , hence alleviating poverty.
In his opening remarks, Ghana’s Health Minister Designate, Dr Benjamin Kunbour, said “very often health insurance is concentrated in urban populations and the formal sector. We in Ghana believe that the people in need are those in the rural areas and so we made provisions to cover them”
Organised and sponsored by Global Health Systems 20/20 Project and the World Bank in collaboration WHO, ILO, and Rockefeller Foundation, the workshop specifically focused on scaling up health insurance in Africa.
Throughout the period Ghana and Rwanda were used as examples of best practice on health insurance in Africa.
Reports from the Ghanaian authority indicated that since its inception in 2004, Ghana had successfully rolled out its social health insurance scheme creating 145 District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes (DMHIS) which covered the rich and poor alike.
Today, more than 60 per cent of the Ghanaian population is covered.
In Rwanda coverage hit 91 per cent this year.
During the workshop, Ghanaian representatives from the National Health Insurance Authority shared their experiences and challenges of their current health insurance scheme. The successful Rwandan experience was also presented.
Field visits to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Ridge Hospital, Alpha Medical Centre, Mutual Health Insurance Scheme and Ayawaso District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme were organised to allow a member of each country to visit different Ghanaian health institutions.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Future of unqualified BECE candidates worrying (Education Page)
October 26, 2009
GHANA’S Representative of Professionals in Mission Worldwide, Reverend Dr Divine Amattey, has expressed concern about the future of the large number of basic school graduates who fail to qualify for senior high schools each year.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, Rev. Amattey who is also the President of All for Christ Mission, said every year thousands of pupils failed to gain admission to continue their education and wondered if the government found time to follow up on their human capacity development.
Quoting figures from an assessment of the 2009 Basic Education Certification Examination (BECE) produced by the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) and published in the Daily Graphic on October 10, 2009, he said it was unfortunate that every year, more than 30 per cent of pupils who sat for the examination got aggregate 30 and above which made it difficult for them to gain admission to senior high schools.
According to the WAEC assessment, out of a total of 395,599 pupils who sat for the BECE, 246,872 students had up to aggregate 30 or better which constituted 62.40 per cent.
Looking at this year where about 49,000 students could not get below aggregate 30 and the results of 22, 014 students were withheld, Rev. Amattey said it was clear that many of the country’s youth might not have a bright future if nothing was done about the situation
Rev. Amattey suggested the establishment of more vocational and other professional institutes to absorb all students who failed to gain admission to senior high schools to save them from becoming dropouts or deviants.
He said for the country to get the quality education needed for its citizens, certain sectors should be looked at critically
Rev. Amattey cited motivation for teachers to make them perform better, a critical look at the education curriculum, supervision of teachers’ work, provision of infrastructure and the need for parents, communities and society in general to show interest in the work of the children and what happens in their schools as necessities for the improvement of education.
He advised all stakeholders to play their respective roles to give employable skills to as many of the youth as possible so that they do not become a problem to society.
On the issue of cancellation of examination results, Rev. Amattey said it was unfortunate that some mission schools were involved in examination malpractices and urged the heads of such schools to inculcate in the students virtues that will make them stay out of such behaviours.
He queried how students in mission schools who were supposed to be trained in the ways of the Lord could indulge in anti-social vices such as the use of false certificates to gain admission to higher institutions.
GHANA’S Representative of Professionals in Mission Worldwide, Reverend Dr Divine Amattey, has expressed concern about the future of the large number of basic school graduates who fail to qualify for senior high schools each year.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, Rev. Amattey who is also the President of All for Christ Mission, said every year thousands of pupils failed to gain admission to continue their education and wondered if the government found time to follow up on their human capacity development.
Quoting figures from an assessment of the 2009 Basic Education Certification Examination (BECE) produced by the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) and published in the Daily Graphic on October 10, 2009, he said it was unfortunate that every year, more than 30 per cent of pupils who sat for the examination got aggregate 30 and above which made it difficult for them to gain admission to senior high schools.
According to the WAEC assessment, out of a total of 395,599 pupils who sat for the BECE, 246,872 students had up to aggregate 30 or better which constituted 62.40 per cent.
Looking at this year where about 49,000 students could not get below aggregate 30 and the results of 22, 014 students were withheld, Rev. Amattey said it was clear that many of the country’s youth might not have a bright future if nothing was done about the situation
Rev. Amattey suggested the establishment of more vocational and other professional institutes to absorb all students who failed to gain admission to senior high schools to save them from becoming dropouts or deviants.
He said for the country to get the quality education needed for its citizens, certain sectors should be looked at critically
Rev. Amattey cited motivation for teachers to make them perform better, a critical look at the education curriculum, supervision of teachers’ work, provision of infrastructure and the need for parents, communities and society in general to show interest in the work of the children and what happens in their schools as necessities for the improvement of education.
He advised all stakeholders to play their respective roles to give employable skills to as many of the youth as possible so that they do not become a problem to society.
On the issue of cancellation of examination results, Rev. Amattey said it was unfortunate that some mission schools were involved in examination malpractices and urged the heads of such schools to inculcate in the students virtues that will make them stay out of such behaviours.
He queried how students in mission schools who were supposed to be trained in the ways of the Lord could indulge in anti-social vices such as the use of false certificates to gain admission to higher institutions.
Future of unqualified BECE candidates worrying (Education Page)
Oct. 26, 2009
GHANA’S Representative of Professionals in Mission Worldwide, Reverend Dr Divine Amattey, has expressed concern about the future of the large number of basic school graduates who fail to qualify for senior high schools each year.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, Rev. Amattey who is also the President of All for Christ Mission, said every year thousands of pupils failed to gain admission to continue their education and wondered if the government found time to follow up on their human capacity development.
Quoting figures from an assessment of the 2009 Basic Education Certification Examination (BECE) produced by the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) and published in the Daily Graphic on October 10, 2009, he said it was unfortunate that every year, more than 30 per cent of pupils who sat for the examination got aggregate 30 and above which made it difficult for them to gain admission to senior high schools.
According to the WAEC assessment, out of a total of 395,599 pupils who sat for the BECE, 246,872 students had up to aggregate 30 or better which constituted 62.40 per cent.
Looking at this year where about 49,000 students could not get below aggregate 30 and the results of 22, 014 students were withheld, Rev. Amattey said it was clear that many of the country’s youth might not have a bright future if nothing was done about the situation
Rev. Amattey suggested the establishment of more vocational and other professional institutes to absorb all students who failed to gain admission to senior high schools to save them from becoming dropouts or deviants.
He said for the country to get the quality education needed for its citizens, certain sectors should be looked at critically
Rev. Amattey cited motivation for teachers to make them perform better, a critical look at the education curriculum, supervision of teachers’ work, provision of infrastructure and the need for parents, communities and society in general to show interest in the work of the children and what happens in their schools as necessities for the improvement of education.
He advised all stakeholders to play their respective roles to give employable skills to as many of the youth as possible so that they do not become a problem to society.
On the issue of cancellation of examination results, Rev. Amattey said it was unfortunate that some mission schools were involved in examination malpractices and urged the heads of such schools to inculcate in the students virtues that will make them stay out of such behaviours.
He queried how students in mission schools who were supposed to be trained in the ways of the Lord could indulge in anti-social vices such as the use of false certificates to gain admission to higher institutions.
GHANA’S Representative of Professionals in Mission Worldwide, Reverend Dr Divine Amattey, has expressed concern about the future of the large number of basic school graduates who fail to qualify for senior high schools each year.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, Rev. Amattey who is also the President of All for Christ Mission, said every year thousands of pupils failed to gain admission to continue their education and wondered if the government found time to follow up on their human capacity development.
Quoting figures from an assessment of the 2009 Basic Education Certification Examination (BECE) produced by the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) and published in the Daily Graphic on October 10, 2009, he said it was unfortunate that every year, more than 30 per cent of pupils who sat for the examination got aggregate 30 and above which made it difficult for them to gain admission to senior high schools.
According to the WAEC assessment, out of a total of 395,599 pupils who sat for the BECE, 246,872 students had up to aggregate 30 or better which constituted 62.40 per cent.
Looking at this year where about 49,000 students could not get below aggregate 30 and the results of 22, 014 students were withheld, Rev. Amattey said it was clear that many of the country’s youth might not have a bright future if nothing was done about the situation
Rev. Amattey suggested the establishment of more vocational and other professional institutes to absorb all students who failed to gain admission to senior high schools to save them from becoming dropouts or deviants.
He said for the country to get the quality education needed for its citizens, certain sectors should be looked at critically
Rev. Amattey cited motivation for teachers to make them perform better, a critical look at the education curriculum, supervision of teachers’ work, provision of infrastructure and the need for parents, communities and society in general to show interest in the work of the children and what happens in their schools as necessities for the improvement of education.
He advised all stakeholders to play their respective roles to give employable skills to as many of the youth as possible so that they do not become a problem to society.
On the issue of cancellation of examination results, Rev. Amattey said it was unfortunate that some mission schools were involved in examination malpractices and urged the heads of such schools to inculcate in the students virtues that will make them stay out of such behaviours.
He queried how students in mission schools who were supposed to be trained in the ways of the Lord could indulge in anti-social vices such as the use of false certificates to gain admission to higher institutions.
Hand washing with soap saves lives (Health Page)
Oct. 27, 2009
A release from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) at the second annual Global Hand Washing Day states that each year, about 26,000 children under five years die of diarrhoea diseases and acute respiratory infection in Ghana.
Globally, the two diseases reportedly claim the lives of about 3.5 million children under five years of age each year.
The day was celebrated on October 15, 2009. The international body, UNICEF, stated that washing of hands with soap and water, especially after visiting the toilet and before handling food, helped to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea by 40 per cent and respiratory infection by nearly 25 per cent.
Although soap was said to be relatively available in most households around the world, UNICEF indicated that globally the observed rate of handwashing with soap at critical moments such as after visiting the toilet and before handling food ranged from zero to 34 per cent.
That showed that in spite of its life-saving potential, washing of hand with soap was seldom practised and also not easy to promote globally.
A release from UNICEF on the day of the celebration was emphatic that water alone was not enough and stressed that the practice whereby one washed his or her hands at those critical times earlier indicated could save many lives, especially that of young children.
Furthermore, handwashing with soap is also being recommended as an action to prevent the spread of the H1N1 influenza pandemic, the deadly viral disease which had so far affected 15 people in Ghana.
Under the slogan “Clean hands save lives”, the second annual Global Hand Washing Day campaign aims to engage schoolchildren as effective agents for change.
The main organiser of the annual event, UNICEF, indicated that “the introduction of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in schools, including handwashing with soap, is an entry point for children to understand and then take these good hygiene practices back into their homes and communities”.
For successful and sustained behavioural change to occur, the organisation was advocating incorporation of a community-based and community-sensitive approaches that understood what motivated people to change.
According to UNICEF, unsafe water and inadequate sanitation were often major causes of lost work and missed school days, perpetuating the cycle of economic and social stagnation in many countries.
“Investments in health, child survival, education, water supply, and sanitation are all jeopardised if there is lack of emphasis on handwashing with soap”, it pointed out.
It added that higher rates of handwashing with soap would significantly contribute towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG 4) which dealt with reducing deaths of children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.
Handwashing with soap, according to the UNICEF represented a cornerstone of public health and could be considered an affordable, accessible “do-it-yourself” vaccine.
To save people, especially children from suffering from diseases related to keeping unclean hands, the UNICEF advocated that hand washing with soap should be part of people’s lives.
A release from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) at the second annual Global Hand Washing Day states that each year, about 26,000 children under five years die of diarrhoea diseases and acute respiratory infection in Ghana.
Globally, the two diseases reportedly claim the lives of about 3.5 million children under five years of age each year.
The day was celebrated on October 15, 2009. The international body, UNICEF, stated that washing of hands with soap and water, especially after visiting the toilet and before handling food, helped to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea by 40 per cent and respiratory infection by nearly 25 per cent.
Although soap was said to be relatively available in most households around the world, UNICEF indicated that globally the observed rate of handwashing with soap at critical moments such as after visiting the toilet and before handling food ranged from zero to 34 per cent.
That showed that in spite of its life-saving potential, washing of hand with soap was seldom practised and also not easy to promote globally.
A release from UNICEF on the day of the celebration was emphatic that water alone was not enough and stressed that the practice whereby one washed his or her hands at those critical times earlier indicated could save many lives, especially that of young children.
Furthermore, handwashing with soap is also being recommended as an action to prevent the spread of the H1N1 influenza pandemic, the deadly viral disease which had so far affected 15 people in Ghana.
Under the slogan “Clean hands save lives”, the second annual Global Hand Washing Day campaign aims to engage schoolchildren as effective agents for change.
The main organiser of the annual event, UNICEF, indicated that “the introduction of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in schools, including handwashing with soap, is an entry point for children to understand and then take these good hygiene practices back into their homes and communities”.
For successful and sustained behavioural change to occur, the organisation was advocating incorporation of a community-based and community-sensitive approaches that understood what motivated people to change.
According to UNICEF, unsafe water and inadequate sanitation were often major causes of lost work and missed school days, perpetuating the cycle of economic and social stagnation in many countries.
“Investments in health, child survival, education, water supply, and sanitation are all jeopardised if there is lack of emphasis on handwashing with soap”, it pointed out.
It added that higher rates of handwashing with soap would significantly contribute towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG 4) which dealt with reducing deaths of children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.
Handwashing with soap, according to the UNICEF represented a cornerstone of public health and could be considered an affordable, accessible “do-it-yourself” vaccine.
To save people, especially children from suffering from diseases related to keeping unclean hands, the UNICEF advocated that hand washing with soap should be part of people’s lives.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Heed Advice From Disaster Mgt Agencies-Veep (Spread)
THE Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has appealed to communities within flood-prone areas to heed advice from disaster management agencies.
That, he said, would go a long way to minimise the impact of floods.
The Vice-President made the call in a speech read on his behalf at the launch of the 2009 World Disaster Reduction Day which was also used by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to inaugurate Ghana’s version of the United Nations recommended National Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Risk Management in Accra yesterday.
The members of the platform who are distinguished personalities with varied expertise and experiences from all sectors of society, have the responsibility of helping to manage disasters in the country.
Mr Mahama told members of the platform that society looked up to them for guidance and inspiration as they searched for strategies to effectively reduce risks and adapt to the effects of climate change.
He said the government would also play its role by ensuring the timely provision of the needed facilities to enhance the operations of the platform.
He lamented the fact that the world was confronted with the climate change phenomenon which continued to unleash various forms of disaster in different parts of the world, including Ghana.
Mr Mahama said currently the nation was confronted with massive flooding in the north after three successive weeks of heavy downpour, adding that the situation had been exacerbated by the spillage of water from the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso which, unfortunately, came on the heels of earlier flooding in the Greater Accra, Central and Ashanti regions.
Speaking on the theme for the celebration, “Hospitals Safe From Disasters”, the Minister of the Interior, Mr Cletus Avoka, said apart from disasters causing havoc, the failure of health facilities during an emergency could provoke an outcry, especially when shoddy construction or the violation of building codes were believed to be the cause.
The Interior Minister, whose speech was read on his behalf, expressed the hope that people should take a critical look at hospital structures in the communities, especially those in flood-prone areas, to ensure that they could withstand disasters and be accessible in times of need.
In his presentation, the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Ghana, Mr Dauoda Toure, said disasters were increasingly affecting the lives and security of the peoples of the world and urged members of the platform to help reduce them in Ghana.
Mr Toure, who is also the UNDP Resident Representative, described disasters as not being issues for tomorrow but today, for which reason they must be tackled with all seriousness.
The National Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Kofi Portuphy, in his welcoming address, urged Ghanaians to support the organisation in its quest to prevent disasters by doing the right thing.
On behalf of her colleagues, a member of the National Platform, Mrs Cecilia Bentsi, gave the assurance that they would do their best to help prevent disasters in Ghana.
The Chairman for the function, Rev Dr Nii Amo Darko, challenged city authorities to be bold in their operations, especially when it came to pulling down structures on water courses, since one life was worth more than any structure put up by man.
That, he said, would go a long way to minimise the impact of floods.
The Vice-President made the call in a speech read on his behalf at the launch of the 2009 World Disaster Reduction Day which was also used by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to inaugurate Ghana’s version of the United Nations recommended National Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Risk Management in Accra yesterday.
The members of the platform who are distinguished personalities with varied expertise and experiences from all sectors of society, have the responsibility of helping to manage disasters in the country.
Mr Mahama told members of the platform that society looked up to them for guidance and inspiration as they searched for strategies to effectively reduce risks and adapt to the effects of climate change.
He said the government would also play its role by ensuring the timely provision of the needed facilities to enhance the operations of the platform.
He lamented the fact that the world was confronted with the climate change phenomenon which continued to unleash various forms of disaster in different parts of the world, including Ghana.
Mr Mahama said currently the nation was confronted with massive flooding in the north after three successive weeks of heavy downpour, adding that the situation had been exacerbated by the spillage of water from the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso which, unfortunately, came on the heels of earlier flooding in the Greater Accra, Central and Ashanti regions.
Speaking on the theme for the celebration, “Hospitals Safe From Disasters”, the Minister of the Interior, Mr Cletus Avoka, said apart from disasters causing havoc, the failure of health facilities during an emergency could provoke an outcry, especially when shoddy construction or the violation of building codes were believed to be the cause.
The Interior Minister, whose speech was read on his behalf, expressed the hope that people should take a critical look at hospital structures in the communities, especially those in flood-prone areas, to ensure that they could withstand disasters and be accessible in times of need.
In his presentation, the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Ghana, Mr Dauoda Toure, said disasters were increasingly affecting the lives and security of the peoples of the world and urged members of the platform to help reduce them in Ghana.
Mr Toure, who is also the UNDP Resident Representative, described disasters as not being issues for tomorrow but today, for which reason they must be tackled with all seriousness.
The National Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Kofi Portuphy, in his welcoming address, urged Ghanaians to support the organisation in its quest to prevent disasters by doing the right thing.
On behalf of her colleagues, a member of the National Platform, Mrs Cecilia Bentsi, gave the assurance that they would do their best to help prevent disasters in Ghana.
The Chairman for the function, Rev Dr Nii Amo Darko, challenged city authorities to be bold in their operations, especially when it came to pulling down structures on water courses, since one life was worth more than any structure put up by man.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Pass Mental Health Bill- Dr Kertesz (Spread)
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative in Ghana, Dr Daniel Kertesz, has urged the government to pass the Mental Health Bill as quickly as possible.
He said the bill, when passed, would promote and provide humane mental health care, including prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, in the least restrictive environment.
This was in a message he delivered in Accra on Saturday at the launch of World Mental Health Day. The theme for celebration was, “Mental Health in Primary Health Care — Enhancing and Promoting Mental Health”.
World Mental Health Day is celebrated every year on October 10 to raise public awareness of mental health issues.
Dr Kertesz said since one out of eight of all people was likely to suffer from mental disorders at some point in time, there was the need for governments the world over to have interest in mental health.
He pointed out that people suffering from mental illness could, with proper care, psychological assistance and medication, begin to lead healthy lives, even where resources were scarce.
Giving some facts on mental health, he said half of all mental disorders began before the age of 14, adding that one in every five of the world’s children and adolescents was estimated to have mental disorders, with similar types of disorders being reported across cultures.
“Depression, for example, is characterised by sustained sadness and loss of interest, along with behavioural and physical symptoms,” he explained.
In an address, the Adabraka Atukpai Mantse, Nii Tetteh Adjabeng 1, said depression, which was common, particularly in women after childbirth, should be recognised in the community by primary care physicians for effective treatment to begin.
He said the country could not always wait till such cases were seen at the tertiary level at the psychiatric hospitals which were themselves congested.
Nii Adjabeng said looking at media reports, suicide was becoming common these days, adding that substance abuse was more like a daily phenomenon and pointed out there was the dire need to have the two detected early and treated.
“Alcohol, it must be noted, is a common cause of mental illness and our youth need to stay away from it. This is particularly so among women who are pregnant, as it can affect the survival of their unborn children. Even if the children survive, the chances that they will live to be healthy, productive adults will be seriously impaired,” he noted.
For her part, the specialist in charge of the Pantang Hospital, Dr Anna Puklo-Dzadey, said often there were misunderstanding and misinformation concerning the nature of mental illness that made others fear people with mental illness and also looked at them with suspicion, which led to stigma and discrimination.
She said the celebration of World Mental Health Day was meant to make people recognise the nature of mental illness, raise awareness and appreciate that everybody was at risk.
The President of the Ghana Mental Health Association, Rev Godson King Akplaku, also added his voice to the call on the government to pass the Mental Health Bill so that it could address the issue of human rights abuse, among other issues.
Messages were read from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), BasicNeeds, a non-governmental organisation which deals with people affected by mental illness, as well as the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB).
He said the bill, when passed, would promote and provide humane mental health care, including prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, in the least restrictive environment.
This was in a message he delivered in Accra on Saturday at the launch of World Mental Health Day. The theme for celebration was, “Mental Health in Primary Health Care — Enhancing and Promoting Mental Health”.
World Mental Health Day is celebrated every year on October 10 to raise public awareness of mental health issues.
Dr Kertesz said since one out of eight of all people was likely to suffer from mental disorders at some point in time, there was the need for governments the world over to have interest in mental health.
He pointed out that people suffering from mental illness could, with proper care, psychological assistance and medication, begin to lead healthy lives, even where resources were scarce.
Giving some facts on mental health, he said half of all mental disorders began before the age of 14, adding that one in every five of the world’s children and adolescents was estimated to have mental disorders, with similar types of disorders being reported across cultures.
“Depression, for example, is characterised by sustained sadness and loss of interest, along with behavioural and physical symptoms,” he explained.
In an address, the Adabraka Atukpai Mantse, Nii Tetteh Adjabeng 1, said depression, which was common, particularly in women after childbirth, should be recognised in the community by primary care physicians for effective treatment to begin.
He said the country could not always wait till such cases were seen at the tertiary level at the psychiatric hospitals which were themselves congested.
Nii Adjabeng said looking at media reports, suicide was becoming common these days, adding that substance abuse was more like a daily phenomenon and pointed out there was the dire need to have the two detected early and treated.
“Alcohol, it must be noted, is a common cause of mental illness and our youth need to stay away from it. This is particularly so among women who are pregnant, as it can affect the survival of their unborn children. Even if the children survive, the chances that they will live to be healthy, productive adults will be seriously impaired,” he noted.
For her part, the specialist in charge of the Pantang Hospital, Dr Anna Puklo-Dzadey, said often there were misunderstanding and misinformation concerning the nature of mental illness that made others fear people with mental illness and also looked at them with suspicion, which led to stigma and discrimination.
She said the celebration of World Mental Health Day was meant to make people recognise the nature of mental illness, raise awareness and appreciate that everybody was at risk.
The President of the Ghana Mental Health Association, Rev Godson King Akplaku, also added his voice to the call on the government to pass the Mental Health Bill so that it could address the issue of human rights abuse, among other issues.
Messages were read from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), BasicNeeds, a non-governmental organisation which deals with people affected by mental illness, as well as the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB).
Monday, October 12, 2009
NHIA discovers more fraud (Sat. October 10, 2009)
A SPECIAL audit conducted by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in the Ashanti Region has revealed illegalities on the part of officials in 11 district schemes under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The authority has, therefore, asked the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in Kumasi to conduct further investigations into the matter.
In addition, the NHIA has also directed the affected officers who are mainly scheme managers, accountants and claims managers to refund various sums of monies which they were alleged to have either misappropriated or embezzled. Some of the officers have been interdicted while others were asked to step aside depending on the level of the allegation.
The district schemes involved are Asokwa, Sekyere West and East, Atwima Nwabiagya, Ashanti Akyem North and South, Offinso, Ejisu Juaben, Manhyia, Afigya Sekyere West and Subin.
At a press briefing in Accra yesterday, the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA, Mr Sylvester Mensah, said the exercise, which had began in the Ashanti Region, would be carried to the rest of the country.
Giving the breakdown as to the specific amount involved, Mr Mensah said at the Asokwa sub-metro scheme, the audit team realised that GH¢569,104.02 of monies meant for the payment of claims could not be accounted for.
In the Sekyere East District, he said the accountant, who failed to account for GH¢66,121.00 of premium and processing fees, admitted the offence and had refunded GH¢10,000. In addition, the CEO said the district misapplied a total of GH¢800,000 meant for claims and other purposes.
Mr Mensah said the Atwima Nwabiagya District scheme officers overpaid service providers a total of GH¢7,544.30; Ashanti Akyem North misappropriated GH¢7,650 and in addition transferred GH¢25,906 claims monies for administrative purposes.
In the Ashanti Akyem South, he said the scheme could not account for GH¢3,393 of premium collected and also transferred GH¢44,320 for administrative purposes. The Offinsoman scheme allegedly conducted business with unaccredited service providers and without submitting claims to the NHIA, went ahead to reimburse those providers.
Mr Mensah said Ejisu Juaben District scheme officials failed to account for GH¢5,145 of premium collected and also the Manhyia scheme used funds meant for payment of claims to acquire an office building at a cost of GH¢148,000.
The CEO stated that Afigya Sekyere scheme misapplied GH¢133,35.87 meant for claims for administrative expenses; Subin spent GH¢GH¢23,702 on preliminary expenses towards acquisition of a land which had not as yet been acquired.
Mr Mensah added that spot checks conducted into the activities of some service providers brought up unpleasant findings which called for further investigations, adding that clinical audit would be conducted at Oforikrom Hospital, as well as Nimo Pharmacy in Kumasi; Akoma Hospital in Ashanti Bekwai; Asonomaso Hospital and Joy Maternity Home at Offinso.
Others are First Class Hospital at Konongo; Neighbourhood Hospital at Obuasi; Fomena Hospital and Fred Hospital at Akrofrom.
He explained that issues involving some of the service providers would be referred to the various professional and regulatory bodies while the more serious ones which involved fraud would be sent to the security agencies for investigations and if possible prosecution.
In August this year, NHIA suspended Atasomanso and County hospitals, two private hospitals in the Kumasi metropolis, for allegedly indulging in fraudulent activities including double billing, over-billing and irrational prescriptions.
The action of the authority was based on the results of investigations carried out by its clinical audit team between March 23 and March 27, 2009.
The two hospitals appealed against the NHIA’s decision but a review by healthcare professionals upheld the findings and decision of the NHIA.
The authority has, therefore, asked the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in Kumasi to conduct further investigations into the matter.
In addition, the NHIA has also directed the affected officers who are mainly scheme managers, accountants and claims managers to refund various sums of monies which they were alleged to have either misappropriated or embezzled. Some of the officers have been interdicted while others were asked to step aside depending on the level of the allegation.
The district schemes involved are Asokwa, Sekyere West and East, Atwima Nwabiagya, Ashanti Akyem North and South, Offinso, Ejisu Juaben, Manhyia, Afigya Sekyere West and Subin.
At a press briefing in Accra yesterday, the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA, Mr Sylvester Mensah, said the exercise, which had began in the Ashanti Region, would be carried to the rest of the country.
Giving the breakdown as to the specific amount involved, Mr Mensah said at the Asokwa sub-metro scheme, the audit team realised that GH¢569,104.02 of monies meant for the payment of claims could not be accounted for.
In the Sekyere East District, he said the accountant, who failed to account for GH¢66,121.00 of premium and processing fees, admitted the offence and had refunded GH¢10,000. In addition, the CEO said the district misapplied a total of GH¢800,000 meant for claims and other purposes.
Mr Mensah said the Atwima Nwabiagya District scheme officers overpaid service providers a total of GH¢7,544.30; Ashanti Akyem North misappropriated GH¢7,650 and in addition transferred GH¢25,906 claims monies for administrative purposes.
In the Ashanti Akyem South, he said the scheme could not account for GH¢3,393 of premium collected and also transferred GH¢44,320 for administrative purposes. The Offinsoman scheme allegedly conducted business with unaccredited service providers and without submitting claims to the NHIA, went ahead to reimburse those providers.
Mr Mensah said Ejisu Juaben District scheme officials failed to account for GH¢5,145 of premium collected and also the Manhyia scheme used funds meant for payment of claims to acquire an office building at a cost of GH¢148,000.
The CEO stated that Afigya Sekyere scheme misapplied GH¢133,35.87 meant for claims for administrative expenses; Subin spent GH¢GH¢23,702 on preliminary expenses towards acquisition of a land which had not as yet been acquired.
Mr Mensah added that spot checks conducted into the activities of some service providers brought up unpleasant findings which called for further investigations, adding that clinical audit would be conducted at Oforikrom Hospital, as well as Nimo Pharmacy in Kumasi; Akoma Hospital in Ashanti Bekwai; Asonomaso Hospital and Joy Maternity Home at Offinso.
Others are First Class Hospital at Konongo; Neighbourhood Hospital at Obuasi; Fomena Hospital and Fred Hospital at Akrofrom.
He explained that issues involving some of the service providers would be referred to the various professional and regulatory bodies while the more serious ones which involved fraud would be sent to the security agencies for investigations and if possible prosecution.
In August this year, NHIA suspended Atasomanso and County hospitals, two private hospitals in the Kumasi metropolis, for allegedly indulging in fraudulent activities including double billing, over-billing and irrational prescriptions.
The action of the authority was based on the results of investigations carried out by its clinical audit team between March 23 and March 27, 2009.
The two hospitals appealed against the NHIA’s decision but a review by healthcare professionals upheld the findings and decision of the NHIA.
Fertility rate drops
THE rate of reproduction (fertility rate) among Ghanaian women has dropped from 6.4 children per woman in 1998 to 4.0 in 2008, making the trend the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa.
However, the total fertility rate among women in rural Ghana stands at 4.9 children per woman, as against 3.1 in urban Ghana.
The total fertility rate is the number of children a woman would be expected to have over her reproductive period.
Addressing participants at a workshop in Accra yesterday to disseminate the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), the Chief Statistician of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Mr Baah Wadieh, said the fertility rate declined with increasing education of women.
He noted that for the first time the survey collected information on spousal violence and the findings showed that three in 10 women and one in every four men were abused emotionally by their spouses or partners.
The survey indicated that women with secondary education or higher educational attainment had an average of 2.1 children, while those with no education had an average of six children.
He said mortality among children under five declined substantially from 111 per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 80 per 1,000 live births, which implied that currently one in every 13 children died before reaching his or her fifth birthday.
On family planning, the survey revealed that the proportion of women who used any method of contraception doubled from 13 per cent to 24 per cent over the past 20 years.
It further revealed that those who used modern methods of contraception increased from five per cent in 1998 to 17 per cent in 2008.
The 2008 GDHS, according to the Chief Statistician, also showed that vaccination coverage had increased for children aged 12 to 23 months but said two out of 10 of those children were still not receiving the full vaccination.
"There has been only a slight improvement in the nutrition of babies; six in 10 children under six months are exclusively breastfed," he stated.
On the use of tobacco and alcohol, Mr Wadieh said 35 per cent of men and 18 per cent of women drank alcoholic beverages, while six per cent of men used tobacco.
He explained that the GDHS had been conducted every five years since 1988, noting that the 2008 survey was the fifth in the series.
The survey has typically collected demographic and health information from reproductive-age women and men in scientifically sampled households across the country.
For the 2008 survey, Mr Wadieh said out of the 12,323 households that were selected, a 99 per cent response rate was realised.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, said the GDHS report had brought to the fore information that could guide policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
He said he was pleased with the collaborative efforts made by the GSS and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in conducting the survey, as well as all the development partners who supported the exercise.
Representatives from the USAID, the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), UNICEF and other development partners delivered messages at the function.
However, the total fertility rate among women in rural Ghana stands at 4.9 children per woman, as against 3.1 in urban Ghana.
The total fertility rate is the number of children a woman would be expected to have over her reproductive period.
Addressing participants at a workshop in Accra yesterday to disseminate the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), the Chief Statistician of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Mr Baah Wadieh, said the fertility rate declined with increasing education of women.
He noted that for the first time the survey collected information on spousal violence and the findings showed that three in 10 women and one in every four men were abused emotionally by their spouses or partners.
The survey indicated that women with secondary education or higher educational attainment had an average of 2.1 children, while those with no education had an average of six children.
He said mortality among children under five declined substantially from 111 per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 80 per 1,000 live births, which implied that currently one in every 13 children died before reaching his or her fifth birthday.
On family planning, the survey revealed that the proportion of women who used any method of contraception doubled from 13 per cent to 24 per cent over the past 20 years.
It further revealed that those who used modern methods of contraception increased from five per cent in 1998 to 17 per cent in 2008.
The 2008 GDHS, according to the Chief Statistician, also showed that vaccination coverage had increased for children aged 12 to 23 months but said two out of 10 of those children were still not receiving the full vaccination.
"There has been only a slight improvement in the nutrition of babies; six in 10 children under six months are exclusively breastfed," he stated.
On the use of tobacco and alcohol, Mr Wadieh said 35 per cent of men and 18 per cent of women drank alcoholic beverages, while six per cent of men used tobacco.
He explained that the GDHS had been conducted every five years since 1988, noting that the 2008 survey was the fifth in the series.
The survey has typically collected demographic and health information from reproductive-age women and men in scientifically sampled households across the country.
For the 2008 survey, Mr Wadieh said out of the 12,323 households that were selected, a 99 per cent response rate was realised.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, said the GDHS report had brought to the fore information that could guide policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
He said he was pleased with the collaborative efforts made by the GSS and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in conducting the survey, as well as all the development partners who supported the exercise.
Representatives from the USAID, the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), UNICEF and other development partners delivered messages at the function.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
African Agric Scientists meet in Bamako (October 6, 2009)
ABOUT 300 agricultural scientists, entrepreneurs, farmers’ organisations and governments from across the African continent are meeting in Bamako, Mali, to accelerate a major new effort to develop and deploy higher yielding, as well as drought and disease resistant, varieties of Africa’s most important food crops.
This is happening at a time when failing harvests are once again threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the continent, especially in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, The Sudan and Uganda.
The meeting has brought together a wide range of experts from 20 African countries, including Ghana, who collectively form the core of the Programme for Africa’s Seeds System (PASS), a $150-million initiative launched two years ago by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
The initiative is to bring improved varieties of rice, maize, millet, sorghum and other staple foods to millions of Africa’s small-scale farmers.
At the opening of the five-day conference in Bamako on Monday, the Malian Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moussa Leo Sidibe, said the struggle to achieve a green revolution in Africa which had begun must be won so that the people on the continent would get food to eat and reduce poverty.
He said the objective could be achieved if researchers, farmers, as well as other stakeholders in the agricultural sector, collaborated to improve their farming methods, adding that the use of fertilisers and pesticides should be adopted by farmers on the continent if they expected to increase their yields.
At a press conference, the minister said the government of Mali had adopted a national plan of action to increase the country’s current cereal production of five million tonnes per year to 10 million tonnes by 2012.
He explained that the objective would be achieved through subsidies on agricultural inputs, the expansion of irrigation sites, increase in the number of out-growers, reliance on research findings and mechanisation.
He called for a strong public/private partnership to enable the continent to succeed in its Green Revolution agenda, as had happened in Asia and Latin America.
Mr Sidibe was optimistic that the Malian government’s objective could be achieved because of the fact that there were already signs to that effect. He pointed out that many farmers who previously cultivated about 30 square kilometres of rice between two and 10 years ago were currently cultivating 80 square kilometres.
For his part, the President of AGRA, Dr Namanga Ngongi, said “without viable, sustainable systems that provide our farmers with high-yielding and disease and drought-resistant varieties, Africa will continue to suffer from food shortages”.
He took the opportunity to urge African leaders to lend their support to the Green Revolution in Africa, just like the chairman of the board of the alliance, Mr Kofi Annan, to ensure that African people had enough to eat.
Dr Ngongi, a Camerounian and former Deputy Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), expressed the hope that AGRA would learn new lessons from the conference and challenged the participants to come up with workable suggestions which farmers in Africa were likely to accept and adopt.
Messages were delivered by representatives of the two main organisations which sponsor AGRA’s projects, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Earlier in the day, a broad coalition of public and private sector organisations had announced a new partnership committed to raising the yields and incomes of smallholder farmers in West Africa by increasing their access to improved locally adapted varieties of major food crops.
The partnership, which is among AGRA, PASS, the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), ECOWAS and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), established the West Africa Seed Alliance (WASA).
As part of the programme, the partners signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to reinforce their objective of promoting a sustainable commercial seed industry focused on ensuring that small-scale farmers in West Africa had affordable, timely and reliable access to good quality seeds and planting materials.
At the signing ceremony, the Senior Agricultural Advisor of USAID for West Africa, Dr Robert Kagbo, said it was no coincidence that the most successful agricultural enterprises came about mostly through effective public/private sector partnership.
For his part, the Director of PASS, Dr Joe Devries, pointed out that “the livelihoods of small-holder farmers in West Africa are directly linked to modernised agriculture” which must be encouraged.
AGRA is working in Africa to help millions of small-scale farmers to lift themselves up from poverty and hunger.
With former UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan as Chairman of the board, AGRA advocates policies that support its work in all the key areas of the African value chain, which is from seeds, soils and water to markets and agricultural education.
This is happening at a time when failing harvests are once again threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the continent, especially in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, The Sudan and Uganda.
The meeting has brought together a wide range of experts from 20 African countries, including Ghana, who collectively form the core of the Programme for Africa’s Seeds System (PASS), a $150-million initiative launched two years ago by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
The initiative is to bring improved varieties of rice, maize, millet, sorghum and other staple foods to millions of Africa’s small-scale farmers.
At the opening of the five-day conference in Bamako on Monday, the Malian Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moussa Leo Sidibe, said the struggle to achieve a green revolution in Africa which had begun must be won so that the people on the continent would get food to eat and reduce poverty.
He said the objective could be achieved if researchers, farmers, as well as other stakeholders in the agricultural sector, collaborated to improve their farming methods, adding that the use of fertilisers and pesticides should be adopted by farmers on the continent if they expected to increase their yields.
At a press conference, the minister said the government of Mali had adopted a national plan of action to increase the country’s current cereal production of five million tonnes per year to 10 million tonnes by 2012.
He explained that the objective would be achieved through subsidies on agricultural inputs, the expansion of irrigation sites, increase in the number of out-growers, reliance on research findings and mechanisation.
He called for a strong public/private partnership to enable the continent to succeed in its Green Revolution agenda, as had happened in Asia and Latin America.
Mr Sidibe was optimistic that the Malian government’s objective could be achieved because of the fact that there were already signs to that effect. He pointed out that many farmers who previously cultivated about 30 square kilometres of rice between two and 10 years ago were currently cultivating 80 square kilometres.
For his part, the President of AGRA, Dr Namanga Ngongi, said “without viable, sustainable systems that provide our farmers with high-yielding and disease and drought-resistant varieties, Africa will continue to suffer from food shortages”.
He took the opportunity to urge African leaders to lend their support to the Green Revolution in Africa, just like the chairman of the board of the alliance, Mr Kofi Annan, to ensure that African people had enough to eat.
Dr Ngongi, a Camerounian and former Deputy Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), expressed the hope that AGRA would learn new lessons from the conference and challenged the participants to come up with workable suggestions which farmers in Africa were likely to accept and adopt.
Messages were delivered by representatives of the two main organisations which sponsor AGRA’s projects, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Earlier in the day, a broad coalition of public and private sector organisations had announced a new partnership committed to raising the yields and incomes of smallholder farmers in West Africa by increasing their access to improved locally adapted varieties of major food crops.
The partnership, which is among AGRA, PASS, the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), ECOWAS and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), established the West Africa Seed Alliance (WASA).
As part of the programme, the partners signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to reinforce their objective of promoting a sustainable commercial seed industry focused on ensuring that small-scale farmers in West Africa had affordable, timely and reliable access to good quality seeds and planting materials.
At the signing ceremony, the Senior Agricultural Advisor of USAID for West Africa, Dr Robert Kagbo, said it was no coincidence that the most successful agricultural enterprises came about mostly through effective public/private sector partnership.
For his part, the Director of PASS, Dr Joe Devries, pointed out that “the livelihoods of small-holder farmers in West Africa are directly linked to modernised agriculture” which must be encouraged.
AGRA is working in Africa to help millions of small-scale farmers to lift themselves up from poverty and hunger.
With former UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan as Chairman of the board, AGRA advocates policies that support its work in all the key areas of the African value chain, which is from seeds, soils and water to markets and agricultural education.
African Journalists urged to help in agric
October 5, 2009
The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has challenged media practitioners in Africa to partner it in its quest to transform agriculture on the continent.
It said the green revolution had the objective of ensuring that the continent positioned itself to feed its people as well as increase their income to end poverty.
Addressing participants at a day’s seminar organised for media practitioners in Bamako, Mali on Saturday, the President of AGRA, Dr Namango Ngongo said Africa’s agenda of a green revolution could succeed if peoples on the continent adopted good agricultural policies as well as the needed political will to transform the sector.
The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) was established in 2006 to achieve a small holder-based African Green Revolution to transform the continent’s agriculture into a highly productive and sustainable system and enable the continent to be food sufficient and food secured.
AGRA reports indicates that since Mr Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN assumed the chairmanship of the AGRA Board in June 2OO7, the organisation is said to have grown rapidly in terms of operations, programmes, partnerships and strategy development.
In his presentation, the AGRA President Dr Ngongi said Africa continued to suffer from hunger because many of the farmers were small scale operators who could not produce enough to feed the increasing population.
“As the global financial crisis bear down on Africa, hunger and poverty grow more acute. Inflation, food shortages and trade imbalances all pose huge social, economic and political risks”, he stated.
The AGRA president expressed his displeasure at a situation where although about 70 percent of the population of Africa dealt in agriculture, countries allocated only about five percent of their national budgets to the sector.
He called for the adoption of modern methods if Africa would want succeed like countries in Asia and lamented that fertiliser use per hectare of land in sub Saharan Africa is considered one of the lowest globally.
The Director of the Institute of Economic Research (IER), Mr Bino Teme said global warning was one of the major challenges facing farmers.
Speaking on “Emerging Challenges Facing Agriculture in Africa”, , he s said other problems included soil erosion, global trade, lack of subsidies as well as tax management.
Mr Teme said African farmers needed to use sustainable strategies to achieve results and mentioned irrigation and the cultivation of improved seeds as some of the new things they could learn.
The Programme Officer of the Programme for Africa Seeds Systems (PASS), Dr Abubacar Toure said AGRA was supporting five West Africa an countries which were Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria in the area of improved crop production.
Dr Toure who works in the AGRA office in Ghana said currently the organisation was sponsoring a total of 18 post graduate students in agriculture at the University of Ghana and the Kwama Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.
He also touched a large number small scale agro-dealers who were being trained by the AGRA to enable the acquire the needed capacity.
Topics treated at the seminar included: Challenges and solutions for boosting food production in Africa; Emerging Challenges Facing Agriculture in Africa; Comprehensive Investments Across the Value-seeds, soils, markets and policy.
The rests were :Working With Partners: Problems and Prospects; the status of agriculture report in West Africa: Challenges and prospects and the role of the media in achieving the Green Revolution in Africa, among other topic.
As part of the seminar, the participants embarked on field trips to a an AGRA sponsored agriculture research centre and to interact with some individual agro-dealers who were practising modern methods
The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has challenged media practitioners in Africa to partner it in its quest to transform agriculture on the continent.
It said the green revolution had the objective of ensuring that the continent positioned itself to feed its people as well as increase their income to end poverty.
Addressing participants at a day’s seminar organised for media practitioners in Bamako, Mali on Saturday, the President of AGRA, Dr Namango Ngongo said Africa’s agenda of a green revolution could succeed if peoples on the continent adopted good agricultural policies as well as the needed political will to transform the sector.
The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) was established in 2006 to achieve a small holder-based African Green Revolution to transform the continent’s agriculture into a highly productive and sustainable system and enable the continent to be food sufficient and food secured.
AGRA reports indicates that since Mr Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN assumed the chairmanship of the AGRA Board in June 2OO7, the organisation is said to have grown rapidly in terms of operations, programmes, partnerships and strategy development.
In his presentation, the AGRA President Dr Ngongi said Africa continued to suffer from hunger because many of the farmers were small scale operators who could not produce enough to feed the increasing population.
“As the global financial crisis bear down on Africa, hunger and poverty grow more acute. Inflation, food shortages and trade imbalances all pose huge social, economic and political risks”, he stated.
The AGRA president expressed his displeasure at a situation where although about 70 percent of the population of Africa dealt in agriculture, countries allocated only about five percent of their national budgets to the sector.
He called for the adoption of modern methods if Africa would want succeed like countries in Asia and lamented that fertiliser use per hectare of land in sub Saharan Africa is considered one of the lowest globally.
The Director of the Institute of Economic Research (IER), Mr Bino Teme said global warning was one of the major challenges facing farmers.
Speaking on “Emerging Challenges Facing Agriculture in Africa”, , he s said other problems included soil erosion, global trade, lack of subsidies as well as tax management.
Mr Teme said African farmers needed to use sustainable strategies to achieve results and mentioned irrigation and the cultivation of improved seeds as some of the new things they could learn.
The Programme Officer of the Programme for Africa Seeds Systems (PASS), Dr Abubacar Toure said AGRA was supporting five West Africa an countries which were Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria in the area of improved crop production.
Dr Toure who works in the AGRA office in Ghana said currently the organisation was sponsoring a total of 18 post graduate students in agriculture at the University of Ghana and the Kwama Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.
He also touched a large number small scale agro-dealers who were being trained by the AGRA to enable the acquire the needed capacity.
Topics treated at the seminar included: Challenges and solutions for boosting food production in Africa; Emerging Challenges Facing Agriculture in Africa; Comprehensive Investments Across the Value-seeds, soils, markets and policy.
The rests were :Working With Partners: Problems and Prospects; the status of agriculture report in West Africa: Challenges and prospects and the role of the media in achieving the Green Revolution in Africa, among other topic.
As part of the seminar, the participants embarked on field trips to a an AGRA sponsored agriculture research centre and to interact with some individual agro-dealers who were practising modern methods
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