Pharmacies to be spread out

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Pharmacies will in the future be required to spread out and decongest from particular localities if a bill establishing regulations on food supplements, medicines, medical devices, poisons, cosmetics, herbal medicine and other related health commodities, becomes law. Presently, most of the country’s pharmacies are mostly located in urban areas.

To boost this, investment opportunities in the sector will be opened up to other interested parties – private individuals and companies – as long as they employ qualified personnel.

The current law only allows authorised or qualified pharmacists to own and operate retail pharmacies.

The new reform was discussed by Ministry of Health officials and MPs in the Lower Chamber’s Committee on Social Affairs on Wednesday as they began scrutinising the draft bill.

According to John Patrick Mwesigye, the Pharmacy Task Force Coordinator in the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Government realised that the present law hinders investment in the sector.

Health Minister, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, told MPs that the move is meant to push investments in the sector to fill an existing pharmacy gap. She said the government does not want pharmacies to be crowded in some areas while lacking in others.

“When this is passed, we will regulate the companies involved. We do not want five pharmacies in the same place. We are going to implement a minimum distance between each one so that they can serve the population better,” Binagwaho said.

While even non-pharmacists will be able to own businesses, only a qualified pharmacist can work at a pharmacy to ensure safe and effective use of medicine.

It was noted that effective regulation and control requires stringent legal mechanisms. At one point, Ignacienne Nyirarukundo, the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee, wondered whether the move will reduce costs.

Meanwhile, the government is working to strengthen regulatory mechanisms which lack specific regulations, to bring them in harmony   with other East African Community (EAC) member states.

Once passed, it is expected that a specialised national body, to be known as the Rwanda Food and Medicines Authority, will be charged with ensuring that regulations are adhered to. The public entity will be in charge of issuing licenses to manufacturers, importers, exporters and retailers of the regulated products.

By James Karuhanga, The New Times

African Cup of Nations: Preview: Ghana vs Mali

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Ghana and Mali will clash in Group D of the African Cup of Nations on Saturday with either side aware that a win would put them in the comfort zone, the quarter-finals.

Their meeting is one of the tournament’s biggest pairings so far.

After opening wins for both nations, the early exit of Senegal and Burkina Faso in the first round is enough, a reminder at least for them to avert following a similar route ahead of the game at the Stade de Franceville.

Ghana defender John Paintsil says “it’s a crucial game” with both sides looking to take all the spoils.

“It’s a game that we are going to call it a do or die affair. That’s the game that would qualify us to the quarterfinal,” he added.

For Mali coach Alain Giresse, they are motivated to beat the Black Stars and wrap up second round qualification even before their final group game.

“Ghana is a very strong team and will be a big mistake to underestimate them. They have quality players and our aim will be to get all three points from them,” said Giresse, at his team’s base in Bongoville.

Ghana’s preparation has been lifted with the return of Asamoah Gyan to training after the striker was withdrawn on Thursday.

Gyan joined his colleagues on Friday in the final session ahead of the game. GNA

Workers urge to cultivate habit of savings

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Workers have been called upon to cultivate the habit of savings to augment their welfare during times of difficulty.
Mr Samuel Bananzi, Northern Regional Manager of Credit Union Associations (CUA), who made the call during the 25th Annual General Meeting of the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) Workers’ Cooperative Credit Union Limited.

It was held at Nyankpala in the Northern Region on Thursday.

Mr Bananzi said savings were a good source of funding for individual projects and small and medium enterprises, and encouraged workers to save.

The 25th AGM was to render the accounts of the Union, elect new executive members amongst others.

Mr Bananzi said workers must do away with excuses that their income levels were too low to make ends meet, and engage in savings.

He gave instances where savings had been helpful to individuals and encouraged all categories of workers to join credit unions and save part of their incomes.

Mr Bananzi also called on managers of credit unions to render proper and regular accounts to members to win their trust and confidence.

Presenting the annual report, Reverend Dr Benjamin Ahiabor, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SARI Workers’ Cooperative Credit Union Limited, said the Union’s total assets jumped from GHc526,502.39 in 2010 to GHc654,203.71 in 2011.

Dr Ahiabor added that savings also increased from GHc414,616.19 in 2010 to GHc516,996.37 in 2011, while a total of GHc385,415.00 was given out as loans to members within the period under review.

He said some members also made withdrawals on their contributions amounting to GHc126,737.64 whiles under its risk management policy, the Union paid GHc13,077.48 to deserving members.

He said the Union also met all its financial obligations to both the zonal chapter and the National Credit Union as well as contributed towards the building of Credit Union Training Center at Kasoa in the Central Region.

He said the period under review also saw the membership of the Union grow from 383 to 401.

Dr Ahiabor complained about the failure of some members to retire their loans on schedule, adding steps were being taken to retrieve the loans from such defaulters.

He assured members of prudent management of their contributions and also thanked the management of CSIR-SARI for its support which enabled the Board of Directors of the Union to fulfill its core mandate. GNA

Small businesses urged to take advantage of economic potentials in Gomoa East

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Small scale entrepreneurs in Gomoa East in the Central Region, have been advised to take advantage of the vast economic potentials in the district to make the area a reliable economic giant in the country.

Mr. Michael K. Tawiah, Presiding Member of the Gomoa East District Assembly (GEDA), said this they could do by organizing themselves into formidable micro finance working group to work efficiently in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO)-Assisted Edwumapa Co-operative Credit Union in Winneba.

He was addressing about 160 small scale entrepreneurs operating within Gomoa-Akotsi and Gomoa-Ojobi Electoral Area at Gomoa-Akotsi on Thursday.

The meeting was called by the management and board members of the Edwumapa Co-operative Credit Union with its headquarters at Winneba to inculcate into the small scale entrepreneurs, credit union ideals and the numerous economic returns they stand to gain if they organise themselves under one umbrella.

Mr. Tawiah said the continued spill-over of people from Accra to settle in Awutu/Senya and the Gomoa East districts coupled with the oil-find potentials in the Western Region, had created vibrant business avenues for all business-conscious individuals and groups living alongside the Trans African Highway to make maximum use of these potentials.

Mr. Tawiah further explained that when they partner with the ILO Co-operative Credit Union they would be able to secure loans without being asked to provide any collateral as practiced by the various banking institutions.

The Presiding Member added that it was for this reason that the Gomoa East District Assembly was doing everything in its power to encourage micro credit facility beneficiaries to come together and form co-operative credit union to make their operation more useful.

He said they should encourage the youth in their communities to avail themselves of vocational and entrepreneurship training.

Mr. Tawiah, who is also the Assemblyman for Akotsi/Ojobi Electoral Area, maintained that when the youth acquired some vocational training they would not indulge in armed robbery and other vices inimical to national development.

Mr. Kingsley Arko-Sam, Manager of the ILO-Assisted Edwumapa Co-operative Credit Union, assured registered small scale entrepreneurs in Gomoa East District that his outfit would help them to form a branch of the Union in the area.

He advised them to strive to acquire entrepreneurship skills and vocations to promote their respective businesses for the rapid enhancement of their economic goals.

Mr. Arko-Sam suggested to small scale entrepreneurs in the area to initiate moves to establish restaurants and hospitality industries at vantage points along the various link-roads in the Gomoa East District and on the main Accra-Cape Coast Highway to boost tourism.

He added that small scale entrepreneurs, who participated in the meeting, were until then operating under the auspices of the Awutu/Senya District Assembly’s Micro Finance Credit group at Awutu-Bawjiase. GNA

TOC counsel boxing coaches to raise bar

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The TOC Secretary-General, Filbert Bayi

The Tanzania Olympic Committee (TOC) President, Gulam Rashid, has counselled local boxing coaches to utilize skills they acquired for their recent course for the development of the sport in the country.

Rashid made the remarks on Wednesday when closing the nine-day preliminary amateur boxing coaching course held at the Filbert Bayi Secondary schools in Kibaha, Coast Region. The course was attended by 25 amateur boxing coaches from various regions countrywide.

They were trained by world boxing governing body, AIBA instructor, Josef Diouf from Senegal. “I believe you will use the knowledge acquired here for the promotion of boxing as well as keep in close contact with AIBA for more advanced courses,” said Rashid.

He also challenged them to work out a strategy that will see boxing regain its status as among the mainstay sport in the country and produce quality fighters who are capable of winning honours for the country in various continental and international competitions.

Earlier, TOC Secretary General, Filbert Bayi urged the boxing Federation of Tanzania (BFT) to start early preparations that will see the local boxers attain the qualifying standards for Summer London Olympic Games later this year.

The qualifying competition is lined up for Casablanca, Morocco in April, this year. The course was the first since AIBA reinstated BFT’s membership status. Tanzania membership in AIBA was suspended after the local boxers were allegedly involved in drug trafficking scandal in 2008 in Mauritius.

Source Tanzania Daily News

Expect more arson attacks – Dr. Anning

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The Head of Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPC), Dr Kwesi Anning, has served notice that arson attacks in the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East region of Ghana and other forms of politically motivated assaults will get worse this election year.

The security analyst said previous attacks that went unpunished during election years have served as precedence in the political history of Ghana and it is about time such acts are nipped in the bud before they spread to other flashpoints of the country.

Two separate arson attacks have occurred in the Bawku Municipality recently believed to be politically motivated against opponents of the two main political parties – the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“It will get worse,” Dr. Anning told an Accra-based radio station Joy FM. “We need to be more cautious and bring serial arsonists under control and bring them under the law and a send signal that all crimes will not be tolerated. ”

“We don’t have a history of arresting and punishing those who perpetuate politically related crime in an election year.

“It is crucial that the police is able to apprehend such people and the courts are able to fast track such cases to send a signal that Ghana will not allow that to continue. There are too many acts of violence and indiscipline that is not brought under control,” the security expert said.

Dr. Anning called on the security agencies to intensify their patrols in constituencies where the results margin between the victor and the vanquished is so tinny that it always results in conflict or recount.

Source: citifmonline

IFJ Welcomes Call For Greater Protection Of Journalists

Ghananewslink.com
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The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today welcomed the recommendations of an international conference on the protection of journalists which took place in Doha, Qatar on 22 – 23 January.
They will boost the campaign to press governments on their responsibility to protect journalists, IFJ members stressed.
The conference agreed to submit to the UN General Assembly a set of recommendations which emphasize the need to vigorously enforce the existing legal instruments, binding national authorities to prevent and punish violence against journalists.
“We welcome this initiative and recommendations which are consistent with the IFJ long standing position on media protection,” said IFJ President Jim Boumelha, one of the key speakers at the conference. “We believe that the international community has enough tools in its arsenal to help protect journalists and we are delighted that other members of the press freedom community share our view.”
The Doha conference, organised by the Qatari National Committee for Human Rights (QNCHR), brought together hundreds of delegates from press freedom organisations, including 13 IFJ unions from Iraq, Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen, Palestine, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Spain, Brazil, Morocco, Sudan, Mauritania, Croatia as well as two of its regional groups the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Journalists (FEPALC).
The IFJ successfully argued that the main focus should be on securing genuine implementation of international legal provisions about the protection of journalists, instead of pushing for a new convention or the introduction of an internationally recognised emblem for journalists.
In this regard, the conference urged the United Nations and its specialized agencies to implement the Action Plan on the safety of journalists which was agreed at the UNESCO conference held last September in Paris.
Participants also requested the UN to develop new strategies to promote states’ compliance with their obligations which should be expanded to include both attacks on journalists and other violations of their rights such as forced disappearances, arrests and kidnappings as well as the creation of a special unit in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to follow up media cases.
There were other recommendations to states, calling for credible measures to fight impunity for crime against journalists, the right of their families to receive compensation as well as the need for donors to link aid assistance to countries’ record on media protection.
The conference further requested news organisations to provide adequate safety training and all appropriate support, including protection equipment and trauma counsel to their staff. Journalists are responsible for their personal safety and need to develop awareness of the environment they work in, including military practices.
The IFJ, which called on the UN to act following publication of its annual list of journalists and media staff killed in 2011, says that these recommendations represent an opportunity to make the safety of journalists a reality.
“Media protection has been on the back burner for years now and we hope that the UN will adopt these recommendations as a springboard to concrete action;” added Boumelha.
The recommendations of the conference will be presented to the UN General Assembly in New York by a delegation made up of representatives of the IFJ, its regional groups in Latin America (FEPALC), in Africa (FAJ), its union in the Philippines, the Federation of Arab Journalists and the Press Emblem Campaign led by the Qatari National Committee for Human Rights.
The IFJ represents more than 600.000 journalists in 131 countries.

Corruption Scandal Shakes Vatican

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The Vatican was shaken by a corruption scandal Thursday after an Italian television investigation said a former top official had been transferred against his will after complaining about irregularities in awarding contracts.
The show “The Untouchables” on the respected private television network La 7 Wednesday night showed what it said were several letters that Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who was then deputy-governor of Vatican City, sent to superiors, including Pope Benedict, in 2011 about the corruption.
The Vatican issued a statement Thursday criticizing the “methods” used in the journalistic investigation. But it confirmed that the letters were authentic by expressing “sadness over the publication of reserved documents.”
As deputy governor of the Vatican City for two years from 2009 to 2011, Vigano was the number two official in a department responsible for maintaining the tiny city-state’s gardens, buildings, streets, museums and other infrastructure.
Vigano, currently the Vatican’s ambassador in Washington, said in the letters that when he took the job in 2009 he discovered a web of corruption, nepotism and cronyism linked to the awarding of contracts to outside companies at inflated prices.
In one letter, Vigano tells the pope of a smear campaign against him (Vigano) by other Vatican officials who wanted him transferred because they were upset that he had taken drastic steps to save the Vatican money by cleaning up its procedures.
“Holy Father, my transfer right now would provoke much disorientation and discouragement in those who have believed it was possible to clean up so many situations of corruption and abuse of power that have been rooted in the management of so many departments,” Vigano wrote to the pope on March 27, 2011.
In another letter to the pope on April 4, 2011, Vigano says he discovered the management of some Vatican City investments was entrusted to two funds managed by a committee of Italian bankers “who looked after their own interests more than ours.”
LOSS OF $2.5 MILLION, 550,000 EURO NATIVITY SCENE
Vigano says in the same letter that in one single financial transaction in December, 2009, “they made us lose two and a half million dollars.”
The program interviewed a man it identified as a member of the bankers’ committee who said Vigano had developed a reputation as a “ballbreaker” among companies that had contracts with the Vatican, because of his insistence on transparency and competition.
The man’s face was blurred on the transmission and his voice was distorted in order to conceal his identity.
In one of the letters to the pope, Vigano said Vatican-employed maintenance workers were demoralized because “work was always given to the same companies at costs at least double compared to those charged outside the Vatican.”
For example, when Vigano discovered that the cost of the Vatican’s larger than life nativity scene in St Peter’s Square was 550,000 euros in 2009, he chopped 200,000 euros off the cost for the next Christmas, the program said.
Even though, Vigano’s cost-cutting and transparency campaign helped turned Vatican City’s budget from deficit to surplus during his tenure, in 2011 unsigned articles criticizing him as inefficient appeared in the Italian newspaper Il Giornale.
On March 22, 2011, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone informed Vigano that he was being removed from his position, even though it was to have lasted until 2014.
Five days later he wrote to Bertone complaining that he was left “dumbfounded” by the ouster and because Bertone’s motives for his removal were identical to those published in an anonymous article published against him in Il Giornale that month.
In early April, Vigano went over Bertone’s head again and wrote directly to the pope, telling him that he had worked hard to “eliminate corruption, private interests and dysfunction that are widespread in various departments.”
He also tells the pope in the same letter that “no-one should be surprised about the press campaign against me” because he tried to root out corruption and had made enemies.
Despite his appeals to the pope that a transfer, even if it meant a promotion, “would be a defeat difficult for me to accept,” Vigano was named ambassador to Washington in October of last year after the sudden death of the previous envoy to the United States.
In its statement, the Vatican said the journalistic investigation had treated complicated subjects in a “partial and banal way” and could take steps to defend the “honor of morally upright people” who loyally serve the Church.
The statement said that today’s administration was a continuation of the “correct and transparent management that inspired Monsignor Vigano.”
Reuters

Morgan Freeman to marry his step-granddaughter

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A few weeks ago, a disturbing story broke that Morgan Freeman was maintaining a 10-year relationship with his step-granddaughter with whom he had a questionable sexual encounter when she was young.
Yes, they are not related through blood, but Freeman is 72 and E’Dena Hines is now 27, which means she would have been 17 when they first… um… got together. Once Freeman’s wife found out about their secret affair she filed for divorce, and now the Enquirer is claiming that once proceedings go through, he and Hines are set to wed.
“Morgan has led her to believe that he wants to marry her,” says a family insider. Another source says, “Becoming Mrs. Morgan Freeman has been E’Dena’s goal.”

Veep Urges Telecos To List On GSE

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Vice President John Dramani Mahama has urged the country’s telecommunication companies to consider offloading some of their shares on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) to allow for participation of Ghanaians.
He said after 10 years of liberalization of the Telecommunication sector it was now time for the companies to open up to enable Ghanaians to acquire stakes and to share in the growing influence and gains in the sector.
The Vice President’s comment comes after recent calls by stakeholders for a capital market local content provision to encourage companies in the mining, oil and gas and telecommunication sectors to float shares on the local bourse after five years of operation in the country.
Vice President Mahama, who was speaking at the opening session of the third Graphic Business Forum on the theme: “Leveraging ICT and Oil and Gas Resources to Accelerate Ghana’s Economic Development,” said Information and communication technology had become a powerful tool to increase the competitiveness of the small and medium scale enterprises.
Mr Mahama, therefore, called on the SMEs to harness and build close relationship with ICT firms to leverage the opportunities provided by the revolution in communication to enhance efficiency accelerate job creation and business growth. To this end, he said, government was encouraging SMEs in ICT through initiatives aimed at facilitating the active participation of the local ICT industry and services .
These include the promotion of the production of information, knowledge and technology products such as business outsourcing and Technology Parks as well as training in basic skills for use of ICT sector. There is the provision of mentoring and incubation opportunities for start-up companies.
On oil and gas industry, Mr Mahama said the Government was encouraging the development of Offshore Broadband Network to extend optic fibre infrastructure to cover all the oil fields and areas under exploration. This, he said, was so because the availability of unlimited bandwidth capacity will facilitate the transmission of data, and also provide real time monitoring of production activities.
“This is underscored by the fact that the optic fibre possesses enormous advantages over satellite and wireless broadband infrastructure, especially as our oil fields lie in active weather and atmospheric conditions,” he said.
He said the availability of sub-marine cable, being promoted by government as private sector activity, would provide critical service to Ghana’s oil and gas industry and create a supportive environment not only to promote efficiency in operation but also reduce the cost of exploration and oil production in our fields.
Such infrastructure will benefit all the stakeholders, including the investors (who need information promptly at their various sites, security agencies, responsible sector Ministries, production units, etc. The ICT infrastructure will facilitate information-sharing in real time mode, and this will help build confidence and openness in oil and gas operations (including monitoring of volumes being produced and transported).
Besides, as a clear manifestation of government commitment to the transparent and equitable management of the oil resources, Parliament passed into law the Petroleum Revenue Management Act. This, he said, made it possible for government to access resources through the annual budget from oil and gas proceeds for economic development.
The Act also makes room for the setting up of a Stabilization and Heritage Fund to cushion the country against the vicissitudes of global financial trends and to also meet the needs of future generations.
In addition, Parliament has also passed the Petroleum Commission Act to regulate activities in the use of petroleum resources, with a goal to achieving optimal resource exploitation while ensuring sustainable environmental standards.
“Furthermore, Ghana is committed to the principles of the EITI by extending it from the mining sector to include oil and gas and other non-renewable resources,” Mr Mahama said.
The country should also take advantage of ICT to produce energy at cheaper cost to feed industries and also reduce the cost of importing energy at high cost into the country. This will help boost industry and give it the capacity to employ more people, thereby helping to address the problem of unemployment while creating high value jobs.
It is in this direction that government plans to speed up the development of the gas infrastructure project to transport gas from the Jubilee Field to enable it reap the benefit of boosting electricity generation for our industries and to export to neighbouring countries to bring in additional revenue. To this end, government will make the completion of the gas project a priority in order to make gas a major source of energy.
Mr Mahama said all these sectors would not fully benefit the country unless there was a backward integration into the economy by allowing increased local participation in these critical industries,” he said. “Increased local participation will make these companies truly integrated in Ghanaian economy and society,” he added.
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