tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89508904088513673912024-03-11T03:22:41.046+00:00Gh WASH TimesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-68842124563769923432014-02-08T19:10:00.001+00:002014-02-08T19:10:20.807+00:00Teach school children how to test water quality in Ghana – Martin Nijsse<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWaGClplVpq5zpP0-70giG7HK5rLJbO6VTFGMERwL3DZNPgR7Gw9oOolhzgn7-gD4N8gL-08hS5KmVOOXnFlDfuqK76kv5MesM_tlbz3o7jRA2H-n3yiO67j3VJnDnBI6jUbHvJ5-fzmU/s1600/mr5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWaGClplVpq5zpP0-70giG7HK5rLJbO6VTFGMERwL3DZNPgR7Gw9oOolhzgn7-gD4N8gL-08hS5KmVOOXnFlDfuqK76kv5MesM_tlbz3o7jRA2H-n3yiO67j3VJnDnBI6jUbHvJ5-fzmU/s1600/mr5.JPG" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School boy Felix demonstrates the kit testing process</td></tr>
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By Nathaniel Y. Yankson</div>
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The Institutional Manager of Vitens Evides International, Martin Nijsse has advocated the need for school children to be taught how to test water quality in Ghana so as to inculcate that culture in the next generation.</div>
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The call, according to him, is for them to represent a generation that would “improve our quality of life when we get old.”</div>
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Speaking at the official launch of the World Water Monitoring Challenge (WWMC) test kit in Accra last Wednesday, Mr. Nijsse noted that training and the supply of new and modern water testing equipments formed part of the project and therefore, “we need all involved partners to work together closely.”</div>
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The WWMC is an European Union supported project aimed at improving water quality and health situation in Ghana with coordination by Water Environment Federation (WEF) and International Water Association (IWA) internationally. </div>
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In that vein, “we should not be afraid of consumers that know how to test the water and demand high quality service from us. If we all work together on it, we truly work towards a healthy Ghana with clean water”, he noted. </div>
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<b>Deliverable</b></div>
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As a core deliverable, the programme seeks to build public awareness and involvement in the protection of water resources by engaging communities as well as participate in simple water quality monitoring activities by same community dwellers especially school children to find out whether the temperature and turbidity of the water they consume at all levels meet the required positive international standards as set out by the World Health Organization. In the process the school children will become educators on the subject and be able to report situations where water quality standards are low to the appropriate quarters for redress.</div>
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<b>Activities</b></div>
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Technical staff and analysts of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) laboratories would receive training and subsequently be supported with new equipment, which would lead to well-functioning laboratory infrastructure and services executed by well-trained technical staff.</div>
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The project has targeted extending awareness and knowledge about water quality monitoring within governmental institutions, the general public and operators. This is in line with maintaining drinking water and environmental water resource quality. </div>
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<b>Ghana Water Company Limited</b></div>
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Meanwhile, the Acting Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Ltd., Godwin Dovlo has expressed resentment over the constant pollution of raw water sources by human activities in the country.</div>
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Illegal mining, sand winning, tree felling and unscientific methods of farming and fishing have negatively impacted these water bodies and thus, worsened the quality of “our raw water sources in the country,” he indicated.</div>
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Mr. Dovlo admitted “This situation poses great operational problems for GWCL especially with respect to the high production cost incurred in the use of increased tonnage of chemicals at our treatment plants.”</div>
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Being part of pragmatic measures adopted to create awareness on the need for water quality, Mr. Dovlo was optimistic that the project would help manage the long standing pollution issues the company has been grappling with.</div>
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<b>Director of Water</b></div>
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Frederick Addae, Director of Water at the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, who spoke for the sector minister, Collins Dauda, mentioned that government’s vision to providing water for all by 2025 would hit the rocks should the quality of water be poor.</div>
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“It is therefore imperative to ensure that in our drive towards a hundred per cent water coverage, quality is not sacrificed,” he added.</div>
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The minister further explained that the lack of safe water was a health concern since it played a pivotal role as an agent in the spread of diseases as well as putting unnecessary pressure on health facilities.</div>
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<b>Goal of Project</b></div>
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The EU project Capacity Building in Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance in Ghana was started in December, 2011 and runs until the end of this year. The goal of the project is to improve the Ghanaian water quality, and hence, the health situation. Also it is intended to contribute towards improved health of the Ghanaian population by ensuring high quality, sustainable national water quality testing, monitoring and surveillance within the service areas of Ghana Water Company Limited.</div>
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“Enhancing the capacities of Ghanaian institutions responsible for the provision of safe and potable water was not enough and that school children should be taught the rudiment of testing for water quality in the communities so they become agents of change in communities and households”, Mr. Martin Nijsse stressed.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-30335251850538045882014-02-08T19:05:00.001+00:002014-02-08T19:05:44.926+00:00Water: Life and death issue at Sang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHsvml90yeev8URib2JKQG6YFTcL2qW_tK_d_0tCbJsRES5-Y328qRRSjABbUoJa5fXcyQaD1NpbgIVu8kMaaH4VjqcbxcACOyF6VqtjZLv1_z3l-di7Zt_i1bJD5BG8161VRbUB0t2If/s1600/pix+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHsvml90yeev8URib2JKQG6YFTcL2qW_tK_d_0tCbJsRES5-Y328qRRSjABbUoJa5fXcyQaD1NpbgIVu8kMaaH4VjqcbxcACOyF6VqtjZLv1_z3l-di7Zt_i1bJD5BG8161VRbUB0t2If/s1600/pix+A.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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From Patrick Baidoo, Tamale</div>
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A number of people at Sang, capital town of Mion District in the Northern Region, have expressed worry about the lack of potable water and very limited access to sanitation.</div>
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The situation is likely to aggravate during the coming harmattan season if swift and special attention is not given to the predominantly farming community. Water is so scarce that the people share the resource in the local dam with animals.</div>
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Ironically, Sang with a population of about 900,000 and 71 kilometres away from Tamale, the Northern regional capital, has no success story to tell when it comes to the issue of potable water. The reason is simple—the people have no source of potable water.</div>
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The town is famous in the Northern Region for the mass production of a type of yam called ‘Laribako’ in Dagbani or ‘pona’ in the Akan dialect.</div>
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It holds an unenviable record of being part of about 71 per cent of people who practise open defaecation (OD) in the region.</div>
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Naa Musah Abukari, the Chief of Sang, told the Water and sanitation Times that the people depended on water from a dugout throughout the year.</div>
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“UNICEF drilled a borehole and mechanised it for the town but we used it for two years and it dried up. Our access to water is not secured especially this year that the volume of rainfall has reduced.</div>
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“The situation is very sad especially as the town is expanding with the population increasing. Currently, the water level has not even reached half and my fear is that we may not get water during the dry season to support our livelihood,” he said.</div>
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Another fear of Naa Abukari is that the town only has two public toilets, with only one functioning. Almost all the people especially women and children engage in OD, popularly known as ‘free range’. </div>
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The faeces are washed into the dugout during rainfall.</div>
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Statistics made available by World Health Organisation and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, indicates that although Ghana has currently exceeded its 2015 target of 78 per cent coverage for use of improved drinking water by six per cent, a significant proportion of the population totalling about 3.5 million still do not have improved sources of drinking water and more effort is still needed to extend coverage.</div>
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It said the gap between the present national coverage on improved sanitation of 12.4 per cent and the 53 per cent target by 2015 indicates that there must be approximately five times increase in coverage to be able to achieve the set target.</div>
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The report confirms that residents of Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions are less likely than others to use improved facilities as only three per cent of the population in the Northern Region use improved sanitation facilities, which are not shared communally.</div>
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Mr John Aduakye, the Chief Hydro geological Officer at the Community Water and Sanitation Office in Tamale said even though available figures indicated that water coverage in the region had increased, the situation was far from good.</div>
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“Through a joint effort of development partners such as the European Union, World Bank, UNICEF, CIDA and government the regional coverage has improved from 33 per cent in 2003 to 62 per cent in 2012 but the fact is that some of the schemes are not functioning due to unavailability of water, bad maintenance culture and its old nature.</div>
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“About 30 per cent of boreholes in the region are currently broken,” he said.</div>
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Mr Aduakye said out of the 20 districts as at 2012, only seven of them had up to 70 per cent water coverage while the remaining 13 had from 30 to 67 per cent coverage of available schemes, which includes; boreholes, hand dug well, small town pipe system, limited mechanised schemes and Ghana Water Company schemes.</div>
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Less than 50 per cent of the people in East Gonja, Tolon-Kumbungu, Central Gonja, Kpandai and Tamale Rural have access to potable water.</div>
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Mr Rex Jalepa Mumuni, the Environmental Health Officer said ideally, every household in Ghana especially those in the north, must have access to potable water and sanitation to promote good health, reduce poverty and promote dignity.</div>
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“Although we don’t have comprehensive sanitation information to advice policy makers but as a matter of fact most people are engaged in OD in this region and this is not the best. With the support of UNICEF we have started gathering data towards that,” he said.</div>
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Mr Mumuni said it was wrong to situate toilets at places either than recreational parks, offices, markets, schools and lorry stations which, were for emergencies.</div>
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He said people should not depend on public toilets.</div>
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“It’s now clear from the trials of community led total sanitation approach that communities practicing OD can be stopped if they contribute to building house hold latrines while government used proceeds from the oil revenue to provide potable water.</div>
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“People’s thought should be what one can do for himself or herself but not what someone can do for the fellow,” he said.</div>
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Various studies showed that the region had enough underground water and would be able to serve people with potable water in the next 10 years if government and development partners made it a priority and invested hugely to tap it.</div>
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If this is not done, then water will continue to be a life and death issue in the Northern Region.A number of people at Sang, capital town of newly created Mion District in the Northern Region, have expressed worry about the lack of potable water and very limited access to sanitation.</div>
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The situation is likely to aggravate during the coming harmattan season if swift and special attention is not given to the predominantly farming community. Water is so scarce that the people share the resource in the local dam with animals.</div>
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Ironically, Sang with a population of about 900,000 and 71 kilometres away from Tamale, the Northern regional capital, has no success story to tell when it comes to the issue of potable water. The reason is simple—the people have no source of potable water.</div>
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The town is famous in the Northern Region for the mass production of a type of yam called ‘Laribako’ in Dagbani or ‘puna’ in the Akan dialect.</div>
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It holds an unenviable record of being part of about 71 per cent of people who practise open defaecation (OD) in the region.</div>
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Naa Musah Abukari, the Chief of Sang, told the Water and Sanitation Times that the people depended on water from a dugout throughout the year.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“UNICEF drilled a borehole and mechanised it for the town but we used it for two years and it dried up. Our access to water is not secured especially this year that the volume of rainfall has reduced.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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“The situation is very sad especially as the town is expanding with the population increasing. Currently, the water level has not even reached half and my fear is that we may not get water during the dry season to support our livelihood,” he said.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another fear of Naa Abukari is that the town only has two public toilets, with only one functioning. Almost all the people especially women and children engage in OD, popularly known as ‘free range’. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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The faeces are washed into the dugout during rainfall.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Statistics made available by World Health Organisation and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, indicates that although Ghana has currently exceeded its 2015 target of 78 per cent coverage for use of improved drinking water by six per cent, a significant proportion of the population totalling about 3.5 million still do not have improved sources of drinking water and more effort is still needed to extend coverage.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It said the gap between the present national coverage on improved sanitation of 12.4 per cent and the 53 per cent target by 2015 indicates that there must be approximately five times increase in coverage to be able to achieve the set target.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The report confirms that residents of Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions are less likely than others to use improved facilities as only three per cent of the population in the Northern Region use improved sanitation facilities, which are not shared communally.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mr John Aduakye, the Chief Hydro geological Officer at the Community Water and Sanitation Office in Tamale said even though available figures indicated that water coverage in the region had increased, the situation was far from good.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“Through a joint effort of development partners such as the European Union, World Bank, UNICEF, CIDA and government the regional coverage has improved from 33 per cent in 2003 to 62 per cent in 2012 but the fact is that some of the schemes are not functioning due to unavailability of water, bad maintenance culture and its old nature.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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“About 30 per cent of boreholes in the region are currently broken,” he said.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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Mr Aduakye said out of the 20 districts as at 2012, only seven of them had up to 70 per cent water coverage while the remaining 13 had from 30 to 67 per cent coverage of available schemes, which includes; boreholes, hand dug well, small town pipe system, limited mechanised schemes and Ghana Water Company schemes.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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“Less than 50 per cent of the people in East Gonja, Tolon-Kumbungu, Central Gonja, Kpandai and Tamale Rural have access to potable water".</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Mr Rex Jalepa Mumuni, the Environmental Health Officer said ideally, every household in Ghana especially those in the north, must have access to potable water and sanitation to promote good health, reduce poverty and promote dignity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“It’s now clear from the trials of community led total sanitation approach that communities practicing OD can be stopped if they contribute to building house hold latrines while government used proceeds from the oil revenue to provide potable water.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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“People’s thought should be what one can do for himself or herself but not what someone can do for the fellow,” he said.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Various studies showed that the region had enough underground water and would be able to serve people with potable water in the next 10 years if government and development partners made it a priority and invested hugely to tap it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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If this is not done, then water will continue to be a life and death issue in the Northern Region.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-89427124660967946302014-02-08T19:01:00.000+00:002014-02-08T19:01:04.873+00:00GMO Test Trials Prove Divisive in Ghana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcBMENI32E-vSEizOs9sCI5BlGNwKtSD-BB_LB_S0suOwytys5mBux0onr9-o-yVfn-fzvJS_moIZrN_nb1X_XapW5dywgz-D_1SvG5yqJvjBLYLrRd-KCZ0S6VF9DwyvjAKxapMrpiJi/s1600/pix+B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcBMENI32E-vSEizOs9sCI5BlGNwKtSD-BB_LB_S0suOwytys5mBux0onr9-o-yVfn-fzvJS_moIZrN_nb1X_XapW5dywgz-D_1SvG5yqJvjBLYLrRd-KCZ0S6VF9DwyvjAKxapMrpiJi/s1600/pix+B.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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From Patrick Baidoo, Tamale</div>
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A battle over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is building in Ghana after the government recently completed regulations that could allow modified cowpeas and other selected crops to be grown following confined field trials (CFT).</div>
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Civil society groups and at least one opposition party have positioned themselves to fight against the introduction of GMOs.</div>
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The BT Cowpea is among three other crops – cotton, rice and sweet potatoes – which have been cleared for confined trials and evaluation. Scientists will seek to create a cowpea variety resistant to the pod borer or maruca, a species of moth that targets bean crops.</div>
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The choice of cowpeas, known elsewhere as blackeyed peas, is important because the legume plays a vital role in the nutritional needs of Ghanaians, especially those in the Northern Region. Rural families make use of the entire plant, from its leaf to the dry grain.</div>
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Ibrahim Amando, 35, a subsistence farmer at Pong-Tamale in the Savelugu district of the Northern Region of Ghana, told Water and Sanitation Times his household depends on the crop because of its robust nature and nutritional value. He has become one of roughly 200 million people on the African continent, particularly in dry savanna areas, who cultivate and rely on the crop.</div>
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Amando complained that he spends 60 dollars to buy insecticide to spray his two-acre cowpea farm the necessary 10 times before harvest. Cymetox Super and Sumitex, the pest control products he uses, each cost six dollars for a litre.</div>
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“I spray the farm every week to reduce pests and insects, especially the maruca, and I harvest four 84-kilogramme sacks during a good season,” he said.</div>
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Ghana’s production of cowpeas, the second most important legume after groundnut, stands to increase by about 50 percent if the CFTs are successful. Crop losses could decrease by between 30 and 90 percent when the evaluation of pod borer-resistance cowpeas, also known as Barceló’s Thurigensis (BT) cowpea, is completed in the next three years.</div>
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Dr. Ibrahim Dzido Kwasi Atokple, project coordinator of the government’s CFTs, said that the project seeks to contribute to food security and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by reducing the pod’s damage, promote grain quality and reduce seasonal crop loss.</div>
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“Pod borer infestation is a major constraint to cowpea production in Africa,” Atokple told Water and Sanitation Times.</div>
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“In the absence of resistance genes in the cowpea germplasm, a new (biotechnological) innovation has identified a resistance gene from a bacteria species (Bacillus thuringensis). This has been transferred into the local cowpea variety to kill the pod borer and also reduce the harmful effect of many insecticide sprays the farmers are exposed to.”</div>
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Atokple said the innovation was developed and evaluated through a joint public-private partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia, the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) in Kenya and the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Ghana, as well as other institutions in Nigeria and Burkina Faso.</div>
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“From the trial the identified pod borer-resistant cowpea lines will be crossed with the commercial cowpea varieties in Ghana, such as Apagbala, Songotra, Padituya and given to farmers,” he said.</div>
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Atokple is convinced that the national annual production of cowpea – today around 205,000 metric tonnes – could be increased by 30 percent with a new GMO crop.</div>
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Dr. Prince Addae, project manager of AATF, said fears surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) such as the pod borer-resistant cowpea project should be dispelled, because research suggests GMO-related products convey no ill side effects.</div>
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“I think some people do not understand the issue of GMO very well and this is because it is just an innovation to address challenges. There are many countries that had adopted and are using GMO foods,” Addae told this writer.</div>
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The plant, said Adde, would continue to be a major staple crop among Ghanaians who cannot afford to buy meat and fish.</div>
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Eric Amaning Okoree, secretary of the National Bio-Safety Committee and a deputy director of environment at the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology, said GMO technology was important to stay apace with demographic growth and counteract some effects of climate change, such as lower rainfall.</div>
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Addae said a technical advisory committee has been formed to conduct risk assessment into all GMO applications in the country.</div>
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<b>But doubts remain</b></div>
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Ali-Masmadi Jehu-Appiah, chairperson of Food Sovereignty Ghana, a civil society organisation, has called on the government to place an immediate moratorium on the cultivation, importation and consumption of genetically modified foods.</div>
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“We are making this appeal as a Ghanaian grassroots food advocacy movement, after credible reports of the start of cultivation of GM seeds in the country. Our group calls for the need for Ghanaians to clearly understand the full implications associated with the cultivation of genetically modified foods before embracing the technology,” he said.</div>
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“If Africans fail to get our act together, GM patent domination of our agriculture could be far worse than the combined effects of apartheid, colonialism and slavery. Remember the words of (U.S. Secretary of State Henry) Kissinger, ‘Food is a weapon’.”</div>
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The Convention People’s Party (CPP), a smaller opposition party, has also spoken out publically against the GMO initiative.</div>
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“We are waiting some way, somehow to become guinea pigs in the hands of some scientific experimentation by people elsewhere before we think, before we come together,” said Ernesto Yeboah, a member of the party’s anti-GMO campaign.</div>
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He says studies in the U.S. A, EU and other advanced countries has linked GMOs to sterility, cancer and birth defects.</div>
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Yeboah claims GMOs have wreaked havoc in countries like India, where he cites estimates of 125,000 suicides among rural farmers who in recent years allegedly were overcome by insurmountable debt from the purchase of expensive GMO seeds and the promise of bountiful crops.</div>
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Dr. Wilson Dogbe, a research scientist at the Savannah Agriculture Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, told this writer that Ghana does not need to start cultivating GMOs, because the population can feed itself by exploring other agricultural opportunities.</div>
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“There are some fundamental things we are not getting right as a country,” he said. “The state should support sustainable farming by providing the necessary resources, infrastructure and enough technical personnel.</div>
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“For example, the issue of the current farmer-agriculture extension officers’ ratio, which is currently one Agricultural Extension Officers to about 1,300 farmers, should be addressed before thinking about starting GMO,” he said.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-48580164000922927692014-01-18T17:34:00.000+00:002014-01-18T18:40:40.746+00:00Online environment, sanitation conference (e-NESCON) launched in Ghana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwhx5tjG_dqXJyFwpbDP23U2E2F4d_wnE5V8M8qPAPk7DvkgsLQ93f3GKZIpPvn2E-VblHo54RqhHZJax0RB-CRl9kFkCGIhx1ojlmq8imwXjg-GuJZ7hAvwbYH0YvCz-Y4bizFDn0tXh/s1600/Environmental.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwhx5tjG_dqXJyFwpbDP23U2E2F4d_wnE5V8M8qPAPk7DvkgsLQ93f3GKZIpPvn2E-VblHo54RqhHZJax0RB-CRl9kFkCGIhx1ojlmq8imwXjg-GuJZ7hAvwbYH0YvCz-Y4bizFDn0tXh/s1600/Environmental.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: WasteCare</div>
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A web based special National Environmental Sanitation Conference (e-NESCON) was launched in Ghana in December 2013.</div>
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The essence is for stakeholders in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector throughout the country to have a common and easily to access platform to discuss issue that are hindering the sector as well as find solutions to the effects.</div>
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According to WasteCare, a WASH consultancy outlet that supported the launch of e-NESCON 2013, the initiative is “To enable us dialogue and take issues forward on important environmental sanitation issues and happenings since the last event of a face-to-face, NESCON 2011”.</div>
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The theme for e-NESCON 2013 was "Clean communities, indigenous technologies and value-for-money services" conveys the need for tackling and overcoming all aspects of filthy conditions in communities.</div>
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“We had anticipated that NESCON will be held every two years after the 2011 event but the challenges of funding has constrained us from hosting a live, face-to-face, in-person event this year”, the WASH firm noted in a statement.</div>
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It indicated that due to lack of funds to continuously organize the conference, the creativity of young information technology experts were engaged to put together an online version of NESCON in order for stakeholders to still get to engage via the internet.</div>
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Hence, e-NESCON 2013 therefore “Fills the gap and keep discussions alive particularly as we approach the last 2 years of the MDG target-year of 2015”.</div>
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<b>About NESCON</b></div>
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The leading conference that brings on all sector stakeholders to discuss all aspects of environmental sanitation across rural and urban areas – policies, plans, programmes and projects on excreta and solid waste management, sewage and night-soil treatment and disposal, sullage and stormwater conveyance, health-facility wastes management, education, promotion and behavior change strategies, regulation and enforcement management, investment planning, lessons exchange and practical demonstration on MINT – materials-in-Transition – including harvesting of by-products such as gas from biomass (Landfill gas and biogas from wastewater), composts, wastewater re-use and more.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-30989231726991849722014-01-18T17:27:00.000+00:002014-01-18T17:27:04.634+00:00'Ministry of Environment is Ghana's weakest ministry’<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DBj68yfQBLSob2Sg6pd7CfNPflPficLSkU_MFy7TyN-9NYnGcJ0wj37j6r_ULEtFf4JdmPrc2T2sAdKndryJHQdFna0W0viMYZkkzGd4k1fa4yhlKQ00-qsfdypYQwuoFr5-pZOmIm_P/s1600/Dr-Tony-Aidoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DBj68yfQBLSob2Sg6pd7CfNPflPficLSkU_MFy7TyN-9NYnGcJ0wj37j6r_ULEtFf4JdmPrc2T2sAdKndryJHQdFna0W0viMYZkkzGd4k1fa4yhlKQ00-qsfdypYQwuoFr5-pZOmIm_P/s1600/Dr-Tony-Aidoo.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Tony Aidoo</td></tr>
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Source: Myjoyonline.com</div>
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Former Head of the Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at the Presidency, Tony Aidoo has fingered the Ministry of Environment, Science and technology as the weakest ministry in Ghana.</div>
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With an environment riddled with filth, water bodies severely polluted and a boom in illegal mining, the ambassador-designate lamented the ministry "does not do what it is supposed to do".</div>
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His observation follows media discussions marking the one-year old administration of President John Mahama. </div>
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In discussing the president's one year performance on the Joy FM Super Morning Show, Tony Aidoo was highly disappointed with the performance of the Ministry of Environment.</div>
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The Ministry according to its website exists to "ensure accelerated socio-economic development of the nation through the formulation of sound policies and a regulatory frame work to promote the use of appropriate environmentally friend, scientific and technological practices and techniques".</div>
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The Ministry has four agencies under it. They are Town &Country Planning Department (TCPD), Centre For Scientific And Industrial Research (CSIR), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).</div>
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Checks by Myjoyonline.com indicate Accra, Ghana's capital is struggling under a heavy weight of waste. The national capital generates over 2,500 tonnes of solid waste on daily basis.</div>
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Out of this, only 1500 tonnes, constituting 60 percent is collected and dumped at the landfill site. The other 40 percent is left unattended to, creating all forms of health risks to Ghanaians.</div>
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Pervasive destruction of natural resources caused by illegal mining forced President Mahama to involve five ministries to help contain the environmental menace.</div>
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Solving these problems, are "the prime responsibilities of the ministry and as long as they continue then the ministry is not doing well", Mr. Aidoo noted.</div>
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He continued, "One problem over the years as I have observed in terms of the weak spot of many governments has been the ministry of environment. It is very very weak".</div>
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There have been at least 14 ministers and deputy ministers appointed to the ministry since 1993. The current minister is Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-7683704564643772662014-01-18T17:12:00.000+00:002014-01-18T17:12:01.422+00:00Water for each Ghanaian reduces from 110 barrels to 48 daily<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghS5sZA7jWSu-OkjGe9RPDNSlBXoHQEhXnX_H8ggrfQaqYDobnHIy1pzWV8vWpEJl2dXG6OxJBLBABtaDxp5I7n_2RczneO6eT9RUaMDTSHkTpnZvAHJohc0i4dIgxCuy5QYMenPQ311Yo/s1600/water.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghS5sZA7jWSu-OkjGe9RPDNSlBXoHQEhXnX_H8ggrfQaqYDobnHIy1pzWV8vWpEJl2dXG6OxJBLBABtaDxp5I7n_2RczneO6eT9RUaMDTSHkTpnZvAHJohc0i4dIgxCuy5QYMenPQ311Yo/s1600/water.JPG" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: Today</div>
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Ghana’s water availability figure of about 40,000 barrels for each person a year in 1960, going by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) figures, has dwindled to about 10,178 barrels annually in 2013.</div>
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This means there has been a whopping reduction of about 60 per cent of water that is available to every Ghanaian in the spate of 53 years.</div>
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The reduction also translates from 110 barrels daily for each person as pertained in 1960 when the population was 6.5 million, to 48 barrels in 2013, if the available water in the country were to be shared equally among the about 25 million current Ghanaian population.</div>
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These revelations were made by Mr Minta A Aboagye, a former Director of Water at the Water Directorate of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing in Accra last week Tuesday, December 17, 2013.</div>
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Speaking at the launch of the first ever Ghana WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) Awards whose first edition is slated for 2014, Mr Minta Aboagye said the most worrying aspect of the situation was what it would be in the next 35 years (in 2050), when Ghana’s population is projected to have hit 40 million.</div>
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“By then if the phenomenon of climate change has not wreaked havoc and our annual renewable water remains the same, the yearly per capita water availability will diminish to only 1,330m3 or 292,600 gallons,” he said.</div>
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According to Mr Aboagye, when that happens the daily rationing that would be available to each Ghanaian would be 3.64m3 or just 801 gallons a day equivalent to about 18 barrels.</div>
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“This is a frightening situation considering the fact that currently the country is classified as water-stressed,” the former Director of Water said.</div>
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Relating the country’s dire water situation to the significance of the awards, Mr Aboagye said; “Indeed we all know the causative issues. The trees that provide forest cover and play an essential role in the hydrological cycle in the replenishment of our water resources has and are still being decimated with nonchalant abandon, while the land itself which is the recipient of the rains that run off to fill our streams, rivers and lakes is seriously violated with all forms of degradation, thus affecting our sources of water supply.</div>
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“We all pretend nothing is happening, turn our eyes the other way, then throw up our hands in despair as if nothing can be done about it and keep complaining to ourselves. But the situation can be reversed through our own initiatives and efforts, individually and collectively. And those who champion the cause of the reversal must be recognised and celebrated in order to sustain the process and to serve as a beacon of hope for the future,” he stated.</div>
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Regarding Sanitation, Mr Aboagye said although the challenges were daunting there was the need to find credible ways of motivating innovators and those whose policies had given a boost to ensuring clean and hygienic environment.</div>
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The Ghana WASH awards have been instituted by the Ghana Country Water Partnership (GCWP), the local chapter of the Global Water Partnership (GWP), an organisation founded in 1996 by the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), to foster integrated water resource management (IWRM).</div>
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According to Chairman for GCWP, Mr Nii Boi Ayibotele, the awards is aimed at recognising the contributions made so far in the WASH sector, in order to motivate and promote innovative interventions to tackle the challenges in the sector.</div>
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It is also meant to showcase the role the private sector is playing by forging partnerships among themselves and with government to achieve results.</div>
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The annual awards would recognise individuals, organisations, academicians, research scientists; organised groups, non-governmental organisations as well as the media among others, for their innovative roles in advancing WASH in the country.</div>
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Selection for the awards would be based on nominations, which would be vetted by a purposely selected committee that would serve as a jury.</div>
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Mr Ayibotele however said the actual component of the awards would be determined by a committee that would be put together to set out the criteria and plan the event.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-38003343955140202112014-01-18T17:02:00.002+00:002014-01-18T17:02:22.506+00:00Plastic in the ocean is contaminating seafood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdoWw-PlG-N6SzfhynzNW1v4qEcoPJYnDGNIuVVWwWDhFtGJeYzPWvoMo0KE5oXymm1g9sto-W16ayS3ylyOqxOzcBW4KfvsZDCyU1rRFVOqQwpOC3CdsOY1Zv_CvMdTnSfg4Y8bLxvw7/s1600/plastic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdoWw-PlG-N6SzfhynzNW1v4qEcoPJYnDGNIuVVWwWDhFtGJeYzPWvoMo0KE5oXymm1g9sto-W16ayS3ylyOqxOzcBW4KfvsZDCyU1rRFVOqQwpOC3CdsOY1Zv_CvMdTnSfg4Y8bLxvw7/s1600/plastic.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: Today</div>
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We’ve long known that the fish we eat are exposed to toxic chemicals in the rivers, bays and oceans they inhabit. The substance that’s gotten the most attention — because it has shown up at disturbingly high levels in some fish — is mercury.</div>
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But mercury is just one of a slew of synthetic and organic pollutants that fish can ingest and absorb into their tissue. Sometimes it’s because we’re dumping chemicals right into the ocean. But as a study published recently in Nature, Scientific Reports helps illuminate, sometimes fish get chemicals from the plastic debris they ingest.</div>
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“The ocean is basically a toilet bowl for all of our chemical pollutants and waste in general,” says Chelsea Rochman, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, who authored the study.</div>
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“Eventually, we start to see those contaminants high up in the food chain, in seafood and wildlife.”</div>
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For many years, scientists have known that chemicals will move up the food chain as predators absorb the chemicals consumed by their prey.</div>
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That’s why the biggest, fattiest fish, like tuna and swordfish, tend to have the highest levels of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other dioxins. (And that’s concerning, given that canned tuna was the second most popular fish consumed in the U.S. in 2012, according to the National Fisheries Institute.)</div>
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What scientists didn’t know was exactly what role plastics played in transferring these chemicals into the food chain. To find out, Rochman and her co-authors fed medaka, a fish species often used in experiments, three different diets.</div>
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One group of medaka got regular fish food, one group got a diet that was 10 percent “clean” plastic (with no pollutants) and a third group got a diet with 10 percent plastic that had been soaking in the San Diego Bay for several months.</div>
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When they tested the fish two months later, they found that the ones on the marine plastic diet had much higher levels of persistent organic pollutants.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-31184330324810304482014-01-18T16:54:00.001+00:002014-01-22T20:36:52.005+00:00Washrooms in Accra, a recipe for diseases<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1Iaq_GfFSTIKpP_f5JPGI8zgdhkluCWDtnkUaklFoXFx4f17mRDbWLP5hTccbO4MvoEJ4KlV0G2ri0eZZqVLattG1Zqjniii3mj2pOkyCIsII5SWNGiF3HJHw0kgsM8eq-wu3hsJlZG5/s1600/dirty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1Iaq_GfFSTIKpP_f5JPGI8zgdhkluCWDtnkUaklFoXFx4f17mRDbWLP5hTccbO4MvoEJ4KlV0G2ri0eZZqVLattG1Zqjniii3mj2pOkyCIsII5SWNGiF3HJHw0kgsM8eq-wu3hsJlZG5/s1600/dirty.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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By Patrick Baidoo</div>
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Have you ever used some of the public washroom facilities in Accra, especially those in Madina, the OSA bus terminal near Tema station and the 37 lorry station?, If yes then I sympathise with you for the experience you had; and if not then I advise that you should never try to do so because they are too dangerous to your health.</div>
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Recently, I was at the Madina station to board a vehicle to Koforidua. I needed to attend to one of nature’s calls in a one of the washrooms to enable me have a free journey. I had the shock of my life when I saw the state of the washroom I was directed to.</div>
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I approached a woman sitting by the gate of a house and so I thought she might be living there but she asked me to go to a nearby washroom and upon paying 20 pesewas I was given the key to open the gate, I started imagining how the place would be looking like considering how narrow the gate was.</div>
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My guess was right. Upon opening the gate I had no option but to bang the door; the place was dirty with many days of urine and smelled very bad. In-fact if I had entered, there would be no space to even turn myself and so I just returned the key and even refused to take back the money I had paid out of shock and anger.</div>
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I visited another place, and a third, but was compelled to use the third one as I had no option than to obey the call of nature. Afterwards I had to buy three sachets of water and soap to clean my hands and legs thoroughly to remove all traces of viruses and bacteria that might have come into contact with me in the process.</div>
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My investigation from bookmen at the station indicated that not less than 1,000 people go through that station from various parts of the country including Koforidua, the Akuapem Ridge, Ho and Kpando, as well as many parts of Accra and the Central Regions daily.</div>
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It is therefore important to note that moneys would be generated from tolls collected from the numerous passengers and traders who ply their trades every day at the station, yet the station cannot even boast of a decent public place of convenience.</div>
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My concern is that all the three washrooms at Madina and another one at the Kinbu station are being operated by private individuals who themselves were perching at corners to sell either food or something else to travellers and had taken advantage of the huge number of people and the fact that washrooms would be a hot cake to make additional money for themselves.</div>
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These operators are therefore not interested in the condition of the washrooms, their main concern is about the money and we do not need any scientific evidence to support this, considering the state of the washrooms where even common water could not be provided for clients who have paid 20 pessewas.</div>
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Health experts have noted that washrooms such as urinal and water closet toilets are avenues for infectious diseases that affect women in particular at a fast rate, especially when such facilities are not kept clean and disinfected regularly.</div>
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Public facilities of that nature require the utmost care and their cleanliness must be maintained to acceptable standard that users would be comfortable to use without contracting any disease. In this 21st century, access to such facilities that have a bearing on public health must be a matter of concern to all.</div>
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) must take a serious look at the state of public washrooms in the metropolis, and measures enforced to improve sanitation in those facilities.</div>
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The AMA can operate the facilities in a more hygienic way and even charge 50 pesewa to off-set the cost of maintenance. In fact through this, the AMA could generate more revenue to provide other development projects for the people.</div>
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As a matter of fact, the situation of washrooms that pertain at the Madina station, Kinbu and 37 lorry stations, as well as many other bus terminals in Accra is a dent on the image of Ghana. It is not only Ghanaians who pass through those stations, but also foreigners from far and near.</div>
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If every lorry station, weather temporary or permanent is provided with hygienic water closet washrooms and kept properly, half of Accra’s sanitation problem would be solved because in the absence of such services, people would do their own thing anywhere.</div>
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Walls in Accra have been turned into urinals because of lack of that facility at vantage points. Even though that practice is not good we cannot blame those offenders.</div>
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The AMA is mandated by law to plan Accra, which has also been designated as a Millennium City. It is therefore the responsibility of the AMA to ensure that Accra is clean. In particular, Madina which is one of the largest suburbs of Accra, should be given a face-lift to a status befitting its name.</div>
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The Mayor of Accra should ensure that private persons are not allowed to operate such facilities to generate moneys for their pockets at the expense of people’s lives. The travellers/passengers, workers and traders at these stations are human beings and deserve a more decent treatment.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-35694436285455735292014-01-18T16:49:00.000+00:002014-01-18T16:49:21.076+00:00REDD+: 3 things to consider so men and women share the benefits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxt6cEBtvv8wRLkHVVaQsaYU62I_xRmV-3wL9ydu5bYtJMALZqZ9PaNiQiJfD5EQqjPwQaJmJl5ZWEpqVYDkzHuK4q83EWdHNJHkU1H8ORm4HX03hs_NyM-B7HxSp0HumHbkSfy7qmZl4C/s1600/climate_change.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxt6cEBtvv8wRLkHVVaQsaYU62I_xRmV-3wL9ydu5bYtJMALZqZ9PaNiQiJfD5EQqjPwQaJmJl5ZWEpqVYDkzHuK4q83EWdHNJHkU1H8ORm4HX03hs_NyM-B7HxSp0HumHbkSfy7qmZl4C/s1600/climate_change.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: IIED</div>
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As developing countries act to protect their forests in return for compensation from industrialised nations, their strategies will affect men and women in different ways. Value chain analysis that links commodities that drive deforestation with gender offers great opportunities to designing REDD+ delivery models that capitalise on advantages of different actors, says Isilda Nhantumbo.</div>
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Across the world developing countries are preparing policies to cash in on an international agreement to limit forest loss, which contributes to climate change. The mechanism, called REDD+, would see industrialised nations compensate developing countries that keep their trees standing, or increase their forest cover.</div>
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The REDD+ acronym stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, and conserving, sustainably managing forests and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries. The scheme got a boost in November 2013 at the UN climate change negotiations, when nearly 200 countries agreed – after several years of talks – on how to put it into practice.</div>
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The scheme could make a real difference. Deforestation contributes about 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – more than the entire global transportation sector.</div>
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For the scheme's money to flow, nations with forests will need to ensure and demonstrate, among other things, that safeguards are in place to protect the rights of local communities living in or near these forests. But, the strategies for protecting forests are set to affect men and women in different ways, as our ongoing research shows.</div>
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For REDD+ to succeed, it must do more than just leave carbon locked away in trees. It must also ensure that low-income forest-dependent people benefit in ways that are fair and equitable. This can only happen if the policies look through the lens of gender and see that forests mean different things to the men and women who depend upon them.</div>
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Our research in Tanzania, Nepal and Vietnam, which focuses on the ways men and women play different roles in the value chains for commodities that drive deforestation, has identified three issues policymakers must consider.</div>
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<b>Statutory rights versus customary norms</b></div>
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Even when women and men have equal statutory rights on paper, local customs often favour men over women. Under such dual rights systems, customary norms tend to limit women's access to and control over resources. To safeguard land, forests and carbon rights for all, the challenge will be to adapt these customary norms to enhance their gender sensitivity, whilst retaining their positive aspects. Of course this is no easy matter. Matilda Walimbe, speaking at the recent Oslo REDD exchange meeting, said the way to sow the seeds of transformation was through educating the next generation.</div>
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<b>Power and representation</b></div>
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Our research shows that too few women participate in national-level REDD+ decisions and local level efforts to implement REDD+. Representation is the means through which women can share power in REDD+ decision-making. Yet, nationally, it is clear that senior decision-makers still do not think women meet the criteria for representation in national REDD+ coordinating bodies.</div>
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There is still a long way to go before women have freedom to participate in and influence this policy arena. This is even true in nations with laws that aim to increase the participation of women in public life. For example, in Nepal the Interim Constitution of 2007 reserves seats for women in institutions at all levels of government, including the country's community forest user groups.</div>
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<b>Equity in the value chain</b></div>
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To be both viable and equitable REDD+ strategies must consider the different roles men and women play in the value chains of commodities that drive deforestation. Examples of such strategies include banning or limiting the use of wood for fuel, or supporting the efficient production of charcoal through improved kilns and/or energy saving stoves. By following the money and the goods we can assess who is likely to gain or lose from sweeping government decisions to reduce deforestation.</div>
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Take Nepal. Here women often harvest firewood and then transport and sell the fuel on the market. They are involved throughout the chain of commerce. In Tanzania, by contrast, when women collect firewood it is for their own household use and not for sale. Where they get involved in commercial value chains is as urban market traders of charcoal that men have produced. There, the value chain is much longer and male dominated (between 69 and 86 per cent) – involving wood harvesting, charcoal production, transport, packaging and bulk selling. There are plenty of middle-men who indeed are mostly men.</div>
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We can apply the same analysis to other commodities, such as rice in Vietnam or tobacco, sunflowers or maize in Tanzania. These crops are often grown by farmers on once forested land which they have cleared and burned. In each case, it becomes clear that men and women play different roles in the value chains and so will face different gains and losses when a REDD+ policy comes along to dissuade further deforestation.</div>
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Gender also affects who benefits from these value chains. In Nepal, the women may generate the cash, but it is male heads of households who tend to dominate decisions including how to spend it. This is less the case in Vietnam and Tanzania, where women have more control over household finances.</div>
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<b>Getting it right</b></div>
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REDD+ will change, in different ways for men and women, the roles people play and the benefits they gain from agricultural, timber and biomass energy value chains. For REDD+ to be viable, policymakers must tailor incentives to meet the distinct needs of these men and women. Understanding who accesses and controls credit, inputs and the more lucrative stages of value chains is crucial for understanding the potential impact of such policies on women.</div>
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Efforts are underway. The Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG) has, for example, used positive discrimination to ensure women, children and men get a fair share of the benefits when it compensates communities that commit to reduce deforestation.</div>
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However, scaling up nationally and ensuring that the 43 countries engaged in REDD+ worldwide introduce similar measures is critical to reducing emissions from forest loss and ensuring that everyone benefits equally.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-34397420092665938372014-01-18T16:42:00.002+00:002014-01-18T16:42:33.653+00:00Sustainable development requires an infusion of love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLhIr1_i9b78buAPZXBkMIMacXyCv8EdEeNTI6hGkaHdK9r-jN58WgHXCCdLqH68kYPluSuRp-Rw7NHnThmRtpnWV9Y46-YfhQlBUweps1T3snGvNZH8Of_m-wmU8KiJdHZMgCSN7YKX3/s1600/eco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLhIr1_i9b78buAPZXBkMIMacXyCv8EdEeNTI6hGkaHdK9r-jN58WgHXCCdLqH68kYPluSuRp-Rw7NHnThmRtpnWV9Y46-YfhQlBUweps1T3snGvNZH8Of_m-wmU8KiJdHZMgCSN7YKX3/s1600/eco.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: IIED</div>
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This New Year is a big one for planet earth. New Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will set our trajectory into an increasingly uncertain future. But country delegations are arguing over the wrong thing – says a paper entitled 'love-infused development'.</div>
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A five-fold expected increase in global consumers between 1900 and 2030 is dwarfed by a fifty-fold expected increase in consumption, from US$2 trillion in 1900 to US$100 trillion by 2030. There is a growing squeeze on forest land to meet this demand. Halting forest loss – which causes 17 percent of global carbon emissions – was heralded as the easy win in UN climate change negotiations. Perhaps not…</div>
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Humanity's ecological footprint already exceeds by 50 per cent the area actually available to produce renewable resources and absorb carbon dioxide.</div>
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So we live in interesting times. For people and the forests we depend on to share this planet of ours, we must cut overall consumption, and there are two basic options open to us. Option 1 is more consumption for the favoured few and increasingly critical deprivation for the rest (constrained business as usual). Option 2 is contraction and convergence towards a more equitable consumption patterns (universal development goals). The latter is clearly the love-infused path – but how on earth can we bring it about?</div>
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It is that question that is vexing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and others tasked with designing this new universal set of development goals to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that end in 2015.</div>
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Any new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or revamped MDGs would be New Year's resolutions on a planetary scale. But the process from which they will emerge is a dark art – a United Nations cauldron presided over initially by a High Level Panel of Eminent Persons, and now by endless sessions of Open Working Groups that sift and stir 'priority areas' into the bubbling froth.</div>
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Activists marshal a motley mix of interested parties and expert evidence to smuggle in their pet themes – food security, water and sanitation, energy, health, gender and so on. It will gradually boil down into a handful of pithy goals and indicators. None of it, frankly, is likely to make a blind bit of difference — we already know what has to be in the mix.</div>
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Countless academic tomes have been written on human needs, values, capabilities and rights. They fall into at least six categories: natural and cultural heritage; material health and wellbeing, affirmative social relationships; present and future security; the potential for creative fulfilment and; a sense of identity and purpose. As I argue in paper, country delegates influencing the SDG process have the wrong thing in their cauldron. That's because whatever the mix of priority areas, it matters far less than how that mix is pursued.</div>
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For any given goal, polar opposite results are possible, depending if it is pursued selfishly or selflessly. Yet much of the economic machinery of business and nation states is set up for the former – giving more to those who already have too much (Option 1 above). To overcome this we need SDGs that are explicit in how they will encourage the machinery of business and governance to deliver more equitable and universal outcomes (Option 2).</div>
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The designers of these goals need to seriously rethink them, based on love, not selfish greed. We need love-infused development goals. Rather than focusing on what priority areas must be in the mix, the SDG design process should debate how best to pursue them.</div>
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That debate would be difficult and contentious but to kick it off, how about the following as SDGs (with indicators of progress to follow)?</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>SDG 1. Inclusive resource rights and land use planning processes</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>SDG 2. Locally controlled business models and health systems</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>SDG 3. Federations that represent localised democracies</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>SDG 4. Redistributive justice backed by fair judicial systems</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>SDG 5. Public entrepreneurial education and family support systems</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>SDG 6. Service oriented, gendered business and peer rewards</div>
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Duncan Macqueen's new IIED paper argues that the mix of SDG priority areas matters less than how that mix is pursued.</div>
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Such goals would enable humanity to pursue fair and sustainable development for the masses, not the few. I got a glimpse of what can happen when policymakers follow that path last week, when I had the good fortune to attend a forestry conference in China.</div>
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China is of course ahead of the game. China's reforms of forest tenure over the past five years have granted 90 million forest farmers with licenses to manage their land.</div>
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• Such farmers planted about 70 per cent of the 29 million hectares of land reforested in China between 2000 and 2010, cutting the net global rate of forest loss by almost one third</div>
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• Some 115,000 forest cooperatives have formed</div>
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• Total forest sector output is reported at a staggering US$650 billion – much shared locally. More than 1,000 centres now deal with disputed land titles and trading</div>
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• China has rolled out forest insurance at breathtaking pace and invested in capacity development – including in traditional agricultural knowledge, understory crops and eco-tourism.</div>
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It's not all perfect – but I'll wager that a higher percentage of rural people in China have reason to cheer in their New Year than their British counterparts do this festive season. </div>
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It is a time for celebration and reflection – not just a Santa sack of consumer goodies and a hung-over New Year promise of 'never again'. Christmas celebrates the birth of one whose command was simply 'love one another'. It's a message that has much to offer to the bureaucrats and diplomats tasked with steering humanity to a sustainable future.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-17608899569151188982014-01-18T16:33:00.000+00:002014-01-18T16:33:08.716+00:00Mother-to-child HIV infection down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDSpQn1kj2YkUgFMlD4piOOZnfVAfnGIzn2KEdVLQ2wjV4C5SM6XSTtgX5xBP6gXX0E0F4cRvuU6Gx7o7S4td-MIFRNHtS-eT6sTR4O9xWOIJzkTziGM7WAb6_9ROyR-cnE9UUSJfOWPz/s1600/hiv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDSpQn1kj2YkUgFMlD4piOOZnfVAfnGIzn2KEdVLQ2wjV4C5SM6XSTtgX5xBP6gXX0E0F4cRvuU6Gx7o7S4td-MIFRNHtS-eT6sTR4O9xWOIJzkTziGM7WAb6_9ROyR-cnE9UUSJfOWPz/s1600/hiv.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: Myjoyonline.com</div>
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Mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Ghana has reduced drastically, according to Reverend John Azumah, a Ghana AIDS Commission HIV Ambassador.</div>
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He said in an interview on Monday that about 90 percent of children born to HIV positive mothers have tested negative.</div>
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Rev. Azumah said the Ghana AIDS Commission and its ambassadors through their "Heart to Heart Campaign" and other programmes, are working hard to ensure that by 2015, no new mother to child infection will be recorded.</div>
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He indicated that it is unfortunate that about 29,579 children according to statistics from the Ghana Aids Commission, are living with HIV in the country as at December 2013.</div>
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Rev Azumah, who is also the President of the Religious Leaders Living and Affected by HIV/AIDS (INERA+GH), added that late attendance to ante-natal clinic could be the cause of some mothers infecting their babies with the virus.</div>
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He, therefore, advised opinion leaders, relatives, and all men to encourage women to start attending ante-natal as soon as they conceive, for the sake of their children.</div>
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He appealed to men to accompany their wives to antenatal clinics, and encourage them to under-go the compulsory HIV test for pregnant women.</div>
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Rev Azumah noted that the mother-to-child prevention is very effective, as according to him, even though he and his wife are HIV positive, all their four children are HIV negative.</div>
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The HIV ambassador explained that in the past, the HIV test kits were made available in large quantities, but currently, test kits are only made available for free testing by pregnant women.</div>
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He lamented about the irregular supply of the anti-retroviral drugs which has compelled well-to-do patients to travel to other places to purchase their monthly drugs, while the poor only hope for supplies.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-90371447487962592662014-01-18T16:27:00.000+00:002014-01-18T16:27:02.000+00:00Genetically modified seeds and Ghana the debate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofIvsDUh-rXyeSeVqGCUVv0wH2stsHZX09NF3mjoms7AhBE7aogZEBJ_Ao6oqYjDVCbwuZoZiSKMDnbOJ59V4d6WzACsJ_95P3rkjiCqZB1FS0IXXYQP1lML-zxhTLkR9SGIiNwzNdaBR/s1600/gmo-tomato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofIvsDUh-rXyeSeVqGCUVv0wH2stsHZX09NF3mjoms7AhBE7aogZEBJ_Ao6oqYjDVCbwuZoZiSKMDnbOJ59V4d6WzACsJ_95P3rkjiCqZB1FS0IXXYQP1lML-zxhTLkR9SGIiNwzNdaBR/s1600/gmo-tomato.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: Charles Annor-Frempong Ph.D - Ghana</div>
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Ghana is at the cross roads, debating the introduction of genetically modified crops (commonly referred to as GM crops) into the country. Public debates are generally good if conducted in an atmosphere of civility and with the intention of arriving at evidence-based decisions. The ongoing debate on genetically modified crops is not unusual and the literature on the diffusion of innovations is replete with examples of individuals, groups and or organizations rising up against the introduction of new ideas or technologies.</div>
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Historical antecedents to debates on new ideas dates back to ancient times and they were all resolved by evidence-based science. Let us recall debates about the flat earth verse the spherical earth and the sun revolving around the earth verse the earth revolving around the sun debates. Some people lost their lives but eventually, the new theories proved to be right that the earth is round and that it revolves around the sun. These are evidence based conclusions.</div>
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Ghanaians should therefore conduct the current debate not on emotions or ideological inclinations but with available empirical and science-based-evidence. From what I have heard on the radio and read in the newspapers, it appears that there is lack of information about GM crops and the proponents have failed to put up convincing arguments for the introduction of the GM crops into Ghana. The scale seems to be tilting in favour of those who oppose the introduction, in spite of the fact that, the premise for their opposition, although sound it may seem, is not based on available facts and evidence. They have sought to use the media and the streets to shape public opinion and I would like to contribute to the debate by briefly summarizing the facts about GM crops as we know them today.</div>
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Farming became the main occupation of mankind after transitioning from hunting to a sedentary lifestyle. Since then, farmers in livestock or crops have sought to improve upon their practices and adapt to the environment. This has been done through purposive selection of crops or animals with the best and preferred characteristics for further replanting. Thus, farmers have since time immemorial kept seeds with a preferred character for replanting or reproduction. This technique of maintaining and improving particular preferred characteristics of a crop or animal became known in modern times as breeding after Mendel proved scientifically that characters are carried from parental genes to their offspring. Breeding, simplified is the manipulation of genetic material for desired results/traits/character. And the trait which is the character of interest to the breeder/farmer could be colour, height, yield etc.</div>
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Scientists have improved upon this technique and tried crossing closely related genetic material, or cloning, and by radiation all with the intention of speeding up the breeding techniques used by farmers. The techniques used by scientists, although shortening the generation of new materials, still took a relatively long time, several years in some cases. They were also limited to using closely related genetic material (relatives).</div>
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Genetic engineering is the latest technique in the science of breeding and by far the most sophisticated which allows the introduction of genes from related and unrelated species to another, which the other techniques were unable to do. It is also a much faster process than all the other techniques as scientists are now able to isolate the gene responsible for a particular character and introduce it directly into the genetic material of another crop. It also has an advantage of dealing with several traits at a time and from a wide range of resources. Genetically engineered crops commonly called genetically modified (GM) are therefore a product of a breeding technique, nothing more than that. It is a process where the genetic material of an organism is manipulated by adding a specific useful and preferred gene. It is just another form of gene manipulation breeding.</div>
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<b>Why then the debate and controversy?</b></div>
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To begin with, the introduction of GM crops like the introduction of the hybrids in India in the 60s has also received its fair share of resistance to innovations for three main reasons: The first was the fear of bacteria. The first genetically modified crop (tobacco) was encoded with an insecticidal protein from the bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis. Since then, other procedures have evolved that use a naturally soil occurring bacteria called Agrobacterium tumefaciens as a vector in the transfer of genes. Knowledge in the use of bacteria in the process spread and got stuck and the fear associated with the organism took hold of the campaign against the use of GM crops. It no longer mattered whether the bacteria were useful or harmful. The second source of concern that has taken more of an ideological path is the source of the GM products.</div>
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The products have been developed with funding from large multinational corporations and any push for its introduction is seen as a reflection of corporate interests and that these organizations are more interested in their profits rather than the welfare of the poor, especially, in developing countries. The third group of concerns relate to environmental contamination of the newly created plant or animal products. I also suspect that, popularization and association of the terms such as engineering and genetic to the breeding technique may also have something to do with the resistance. Sometimes, names do matter! Genetic engineering has been, in all respects, an extension of what human beings have been doing for tens of thousands of years breeding new plants or animals.</div>
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<b>What are the facts?</b></div>
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In today’s world and with the advancement in techniques, genetic material used in crops originate from plants although some bacteria could be used as vectors, in a number of cases the genes are transferred directly without a vector. The GM crops currently on the market are aimed at protecting the crop against the incidence of pests, diseases and higher yields. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) food from these crops have by far higher standards of evaluation before they are released than crops bred through conventional breeding techniques. For example, all GM crops are screened against allergenicity, whereas crops bred through conventional techniques may not.</div>
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The regulations and conventions covering the release of GM materials are much stricter to ensure safety for human consumption. Thirty years along the line, since the release of the first GM materials and without any reported adverse side effects on humans, and considering the strict protocol for their release, it is safe to assume that the products are safe. Indeed GM crops are being used to feed animals, cattle and chicken in Brazil, Europe and the US and for all you know, some of these animal products have already found their way to Ghana.</div>
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On the cost side, it is important to weigh the benefits as well. It is not a one size fits all as the products vary. Some GM materials on the market are for shelf life enhancement thus reducing post-harvest losses, insect resistance, weed or herbicide resistance, higher yields, and improvement in the nutritive value etc. Available evidence shows that the purchase and use of GM seeds lead to overall lower production costs and higher benefits. For example, a farmer using a weed resistant GM seed will spend less on weeding. Savings can therefore be made on weeding. Moreover, the yield is likely to be higher due to lower weed infestation. The net benefit is a higher yield and income which more than offset the initial investment made in the purchase of the seed. So the fact that a farmer purchases seed does not automatically lead to loss in income.</div>
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Ghanaian farmers are already used to purchasing seeds, from seed yams from the local market (visit Kintampo market during yam planting period) to the purchase of improved maize, cowpea seeds and cassava planting materials from agrochemical companies. The introduction of GM crops will not be the first time that Ghanaian farmers will be purchasing seeds. Farmers have thus become used to buying seeds and the introduction and sale of GM seeds will not make any difference. It is true that some farmers still keep and replant seeds but that should not be generalized to cover the entire farming population.</div>
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Indeed denying others who would like to make investments in their farming practices and improve their living conditions the chance to purchase GM seeds because others will not, is a discriminatory practice, and their rights should also be protected. Farmers should be given the choice to decide on their own free will whether to make investments in purchasing seeds or not.</div>
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The arguments on the use of farmers own seed is also no longer tenable as GM seeds can be replanted. The producers of GM materials conceived an idea to introduce what they called terminator gene into GM crops to protect their intellectual property rights. The terminator gene would have prevented replanting but was never used. Therefore it is possible to replant the seeds; although it is advisable to purchase new seeds each planting season as replanted seeds may lose their vigour.</div>
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The concern about multinational/national corporations and their profit intentions is also perplexing. These corporations have operated in the developed and developing countries for years since the introduction of agro-chemicals and improved seeds into farming. They produce all the agro-chemicals that are sold in the developed and developing world and have been making profits all along. They invest and patent the intellectual property on their agro-chemicals just as they patent the seeds they produce and will produce.</div>
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Why don’t we complain about those agro-chemicals being produced by them but the seeds? I can only surmise that the answer lies somewhere else other than their involvement in GM seeds. Sometimes, the concerns for the cost of the products to the poor, which is genuine, tend to be dwarfed by ideological aversion for multinational corporations in general, which begs the question what is the alternative?</div>
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Shouldn’t we debate on how to make the products accessible at an affordable cost rather than where it came from? Today, the cost of agro-chemicals and hybrid seeds produced by these multi-nationals has become far cheaper, and one of the reasons is mass utilization, which effectively reduces overhead costs and thereby making the product affordable to users. So resisting the adoption of GM crops by large number of farmers effectively lead to higher cost for those who have the resources to purchase, it is not the reverse.</div>
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On the environment, there are fears that the introduction of GM crops may damage the natural habitats and wildlife and also transfer genes from cultivated species to their wild relatives and inadvertent suppression of immune systems in animals etc. These fears, although they have some merit, it should be noted that all new crops have environmental effects and these hazards are not limited to GM crops. Crops bred through conventional means could also pose environmental risks. Agriculture of any kind impacts the environment.</div>
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There were indeed instances of environmental breaches in the US during the initial introduction of GM crops and these led to tighter regulations. What is required are the safety regulations which guide their release and use rather than a ban. It is therefore important that the environmental effects of genetically modified plants just like the health and nutritional aspects be evaluated and continues to be monitored using science-based evidence to prevent un-anticipated effects on the environment and humans.</div>
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Whilst the debate is going on, Ghana is behind Burkina Faso and more than 28 other countries who have adopted the GM technology. To date more than 17 million farmers on close to 160 million hectares of land are using GM crops, globally. Countries such as Brazil and India, for example, initially positioned themselves as producers of non-GM crops. They have since then seen the light and made a u-turn and are now major players in GM products and benefiting from their decision to adopt. It is a truism in diffusion science that early adopters reap most of the benefits of the innovation.</div>
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Ghana is one of those countries yet to move in this direction. The key reason for the adoption of GM materials by these countries is the welfare of the poor and benefits the practice brings to them and the country and not the reverse. Any observer of the Ghanaian farming scene knows the difference between those who use improved seeds and those who replant their seeds. Mostly the poor replant and it is advisable to move them out of this practice. The poor therefore stand to lose. In Burkina Faso today, GM seeds (cotton) are being planted by the poor and their lives are being improved.</div>
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In conclusion, I would like to remind readers of a similar scenario enacted in the late 1950s when India and Pakistan at the verge of famine sought to introduce hybrid wheat and rice into their farming systems. The same arguments about health, cost (multinationals) and the environment were raised. The governments of the two countries mustered the political will and imported tons of improved hybrids and crop yields shot up from 1 ton per hectare to an average of 5 tons per hectare through what has become known as the green revolution. India was not only able to produce enough for the country but became a net exporter with benefits to the poor and the country.</div>
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Sub Saharan Africa stood by and watched these countries reap the benefits. Today, yield levels for most crops in Africa are where India was 50 years ago. It seems that public attention has been focused on the risk side more out of ignorance, emotions and ideologies rather than sound judgment of the benefits of the technique and innovations. Concerns over health and environmental threats are valid and has led to very strict regulations and protocols being put in place by countries and international bodies such as the FAO and WHO, and we should be thankful to those who pointed them out. What is required is the strict compliance, monitoring and enforcement of the guidelines and protocols for GM seeds and foods and not a ban. Ghana should not be left behind this time around and can no longer afford to ignore science and innovation in farming.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-86946329115097690882013-12-03T11:31:00.002+00:002013-12-03T11:31:35.252+00:00Ghana’s poor sanitation conditions kill children every 15 seconds<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpXZ2vomFX2SxrPo9Rle2eYRjXMIZz1gRE1IZzGiKMBU_UN0yaQJEw1P4M605c9op-cp3A9wuNf8ER-3yhbVQX9u_guI-7XDjOGlONTt0zDU9N1QUAm4PnTMCW1CqiTWlyBjhD5SWyN02/s1600/toiletday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpXZ2vomFX2SxrPo9Rle2eYRjXMIZz1gRE1IZzGiKMBU_UN0yaQJEw1P4M605c9op-cp3A9wuNf8ER-3yhbVQX9u_guI-7XDjOGlONTt0zDU9N1QUAm4PnTMCW1CqiTWlyBjhD5SWyN02/s320/toiletday.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A section of invited school children to commemorate 2013 world toilet day</td></tr>
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By Nathaniel Y. Yankson</div>
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Available statistics suggest that every one gram of human faeces contain ten million viruses with one million bacteria. Hence Ghana’s inability to stamp out open defecation and dispose waste in a proper manner is leading to the death of a child in the country every fifteen seconds.</div>
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Alarmingly, reports from UNICEF indicate that 82,000 children as a result of improper sanitary conditions die in the country before they celebrate their 5th year birthday due to diarrhoea and pneumonia.</div>
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Diarrhoea is reported as the second most common disease, which kills young children in developing countries every 15 seconds.</div>
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In Ghana alone, out of one million children that are born, 82, 000 die before they attain the age of five years from the diarrhoea disease. This has been attributed to poor sanitation and hygiene.</div>
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Thus, Commemorating this year’s World Toilet Day on the theme: “An Open Defecation Free Ghana in My Lifetime”, people from the grassroots including school children, opinion leaders, traditional rulers and development partners gathered in Accra recently to consolidate efforts in ending the menace.</div>
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Statistically, there are 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa where less than a quarter of the population uses adequate sanitation.</div>
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“In fact, in total there are 600 million people 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africa that are still without access to a toilet. Every day, they face the inhumanity and danger of having to go to the bush to shit,” according to WaterAid Ghana.</div>
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Of those lacking sanitation, 228,479,500 practice open defecation and in total, 39,341,106,934 (over 39 billion) hours are spent on just finding a place to shit.</div>
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Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaj Baba Jamal, who spoke on behalf of the sector minister, Akwasi Opong-Fosu noted that the theme for the occasion was not only appropriate but timely enough since “we have only two years towards attaining the MDG target on sanitation.”</div>
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He called on religious and opinion leaders, the private sector and traditional authorities to join hands in assisting government to address the problem of open defecation in the country.</div>
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He further charged metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to equally make sanitation a priority in their respective zones because to him, sanitation was a cross cutting issue, which affected all facets of a country’s development.</div>
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“It has become apparent that indiscipline and poor attitudes are the factors that greatly hamper our efforts at riding our communities of filth. I wish to call on our development partners and the private sector to continue to invest more in the sector,” Alhaj Jamal mentioned.</div>
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Two more regions, he continued have been added to the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) programme. An intention of government to scale up the programme to all the ten regions in the country to ensure the needed impact was achieved in those communities.</div>
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“The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development with support and collaboration with development partners and other key stakeholders has put in place the required institutional, policy and legal/investment frameworks to address this development setback.”</div>
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These include capacity building for the various environmental health and sanitation departments within the assemblies to facilitate the implementation of sanitation programmes across Ghana.</div>
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<b>Factsheet</b></div>
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The decision to mark World Toilet Day on November 19 each year was to help the United Nations raise awareness and mobilize action, which could save millions of human lives.</div>
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Indications are that 2.5 billion people living in the world lack toilets and poor sanitation and this has led to diseases and child deaths.</div>
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The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which charged all member states and relevant stakeholders to encourage behavioural change and the implementation of policies to increase access to sanitation among the poor and also to end the practice of open defecation.</div>
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At a meeting with some journalists from the Ghana Watsan Journalists Network (GWJN) ahead of the World Toilet Day, WaterAid’s Country Representative in Ghana, Dr. Afia Zakiya stated that more than 21 million of the citizenry, representing 87 per cent of Ghana’s population still did not have access to adequate sanitation.</div>
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“Poor sanitation impacts public health in many ways. Some of the most disturbing is the impact of poor sanitation on child health. Two of the most pressing issues are malnutrition and stunting. The ripple effect goes on to affect educational achievements and general wellness. Poor sanitation also has special impact on the well being of girls and women,” she emphasized.</div>
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She, moreover, urged the Ghanaian media to help divert public attention from politics to water and sanitation issues, believing that it would compel the people in authority to focus on the needs of attaining the universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).</div>
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Dr. Afia Zakiya further described as very frustrating and disappointing instances where people tend not to care about their surroundings, particularly with the huge investments by donors and non-governmental organisations to ensure sustainable environments.</div>
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With the several campaign platforms and awareness creation for attitudinal change, people still expect the same donors and organisations to clean their mess without any commitment on their part.</div>
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Dr. Zakiya felt terrible that the things, which include by-laws, aimed at regulating improper disposal of human faeces, open defecation and throwing of garbage in gutters and unauthorised locations were inefficient and “too weak”.</div>
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She expressed “I feel terrible. I feel it’s a disgrace that things are there that can help the sanitation crisis being resolved and they are not being enforced.”</div>
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Diversely, Dr. Zakiya argued that though it seemed frustrating, “you have to understand the reasons behind it before you pass judgment. It could be socio-cultural beliefs” as well instances where there are no such facilities.</div>
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Policy Manager at the WaterAid Ghana office, Chaka Uzondu also called on the public to minimize the exposition of faecal waste since they were harmful to human survival in the environment.</div>
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To him, the Community Led-Total Sanitation (CLTS) required structural transformation to enable communities, access their rights to adequate and clean water.</div>
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He also advocated for more funding towards the execution of sanitation and hygiene projects in the country while making every level of production transparent.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-60706376960152534072013-12-03T11:25:00.001+00:002013-12-03T11:25:48.417+00:00Ghana needs 118 yrs to meet sanitation MDGS – Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKwcv_jF6hdK5muDEc-EVWGoyjVcHaEcTJVfsL1P5GD_AliJceLI2VugJJ1DdWiQETpPffnT8RhBU693UrBn-5j23iO9-GoyHOrHuy12e8Te6rU514QgBysOPOGRi6HlpXuO9deMXkLOx/s1600/filth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKwcv_jF6hdK5muDEc-EVWGoyjVcHaEcTJVfsL1P5GD_AliJceLI2VugJJ1DdWiQETpPffnT8RhBU693UrBn-5j23iO9-GoyHOrHuy12e8Te6rU514QgBysOPOGRi6HlpXuO9deMXkLOx/s320/filth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: WaterAid Ghana</div>
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The millennium development goals (MDGS) are barely two years to the 2015 deadline but the current national sanitation crisis which is at pegged at a staggering 15 percent as against the 54 percent MDGs benchmark. This means that in order for Ghana to reverse the situation, concerted efforts are needed from all stakeholders, a civil society report has indicated.</div>
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The problem calls for a collaborative approach between the Ghanaian Government, civil society and businesses to getting the Millennium Development Goal sanitation target back on track in order to improve the health and prosperity of women in the country.</div>
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“With the current rate of progress, Ghana is currently 118 years off track from meeting the sanitation Millennium Development Goal target , which was due to be completed in 2015. Every year it is estimated that over 1,300 women and girls die from diseases brought about from a lack of access to sanitation and water in Ghana. We can and should be doing better.”</div>
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This revelation is contained in a new report jointly published by the United Nations organisation; Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, WaterAid and Unilever.</div>
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The report was published on the first UN recognised World Toilet Day which is commemorated on November 19 each year and serves as a reminder of the 21.6 million people lacking access to an adequate toilet in Ghana. Hence, highlights the devastating consequences in particular for the well-being, health, education and empowerment of women and girls in the country. </div>
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The report highlights the stark consequences for women and girls of the lack of access to toilets. Over four out of five women in Ghana risk shame, disease, harassment and even attack because they have nowhere safe to go to the toilet and 2.3 million Ghanaian women have no choice but to go to the toilet out in the open.</div>
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In the report, UN Deputy-Secretary General, Jan Eliasson, and Paul Polman, Unilever Chief Executive Officer, declare:</div>
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“One person in three lacks access to adequate sanitation. The result is widespread death and diseases – especially among children – and social marginalisation. Women are particularly vulnerable. </div>
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“Poor sanitation exposes females to the risk of assault, and when schools cannot provide clean, safe, toilets girls’ attendance drops. </div>
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“We simply cannot wait. By acting decisively we can now make a positive impact on global health, education, women’s safety, social equality and economic growth for generations to come”.</div>
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The report puts forward a number of recommendations including the following:</div>
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• Governments (of both developing and donor countries) make strengthening the sanitation sector and bringing the Millennium Development Goal target on sanitation back on track an immediate and urgent political priority.</div>
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• Governments across the world keep their promises and implement the commitments made at national level, regional level (AfricaSan, SACOSAN) and global level (Sanitation and Water for All). Furthermore, they must significantly increase financial resources to the sector, use these resources wisely and ensure that the most marginalised and vulnerable people are targeted.</div>
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• The post-2015 development framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals needs to address water, sanitation and hygiene as priority issues, set ambitious targets to achieve universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene, and gradually reduce and eventually eliminate inequalities in access and use.</div>
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• Sanitation should be integrated into education policy supported by sufficient resources and concrete plans to ensure that:</div>
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- All schools have adequate sanitation facilities including hand washing facilities and separate toilets for boys and girls with access for students with disabilities.</div>
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- Specific provision is made at school for establishing proper menstrual hygiene management facilities.</div>
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- Hygiene promotion is featured as an important part of the school curriculum from primary level.</div>
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• The role for public private partnerships in addressing the sanitation crisis has been formally recognised. More actors in the private sector must realise the social and business opportunities and invest in social development. More frequent and cross-sector collaboration is essential to achieving real progress.</div>
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Jean-Laurent Ingles, Unilever Senior Vice President Household Care said:“We need a concerted effort that combines the experience, knowledge and resources of both public and private sector organisations to bring safe sanitation to hundreds of millions of people. Domestos has over 90 years of experience in toilet hygiene and germ protection and is committed to working in partnerships to help build a ‘clean, safe toilet for all’. By doing this we aim to grow our business and help to improve the health and wellbeing of 1 billion people around the world.”</div>
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Dr. Chris Williams, Executive Director, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council:</div>
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“Sanitation and hygiene are motors which drive health, social and economic development around the world. An environment that lacks sanitation and clean water is an environment where achieving other development goals is an impossible dream. The time to act is now.”</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-21781877510837885282013-12-03T11:23:00.001+00:002013-12-03T11:23:07.231+00:00Sugary drinks linked to womb cancer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4piB764UZORClxMH2HksvGD-eqELkP9HydVGdvDrPxg6jgI32MLwWGyzl8oe7Ocf0YbmR2OsvtD8lR0YfQD194rocOoccEgCFC4if974DU5TZ3xnlOQ1mJ_zgWq1cjgYic3kxPLH27Vc/s1600/sugar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4piB764UZORClxMH2HksvGD-eqELkP9HydVGdvDrPxg6jgI32MLwWGyzl8oe7Ocf0YbmR2OsvtD8lR0YfQD194rocOoccEgCFC4if974DU5TZ3xnlOQ1mJ_zgWq1cjgYic3kxPLH27Vc/s320/sugar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: Daily Mail</div>
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Soft drinks laden with sugar could raise a woman’s risk of developing womb cancer, claim researchers.</div>
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They said those who downed the highest amounts were 78 per cent more likely to suffer from the disease as those who did not.</div>
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The disease tends to hit women aged 50-plus and is Britain’s fourth most common female cancer, killing nearly 2,000 a year.</div>
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The 14-year study involving almost 25,000 women in their 50s and 60s looked into endometrial cancer, which affects the lining of the womb.</div>
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The participants gave detailed data about what they ate and drank, with around half having fizzy drinks.</div>
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Almost 600 developed endometrial cancer, the most common form of the disease when it affects the womb. However, there was no link with diet versions.</div>
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The University of Minnesota researchers said that they couldn’t rule out that women who had lots of sugar-laden drinks had lots of unhealthy habits.</div>
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However, they believe the sugar in the soft drinks to be key as it could make the women put on weight. This is important because fat cells make oestrogen, a hormone that is believed to fuel endometrial cancer.</div>
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Overweight women also tend to make more insulin, another hormone linked to the disease.</div>
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Researcher Dr Maki Inoue-Choi said: ‘Research has documented the contribution of sugar-sweetened beverages to the obesity epidemic.</div>
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‘Too much sugar can boost a person’s overall calorie intake and may increase the risk of health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.’</div>
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The study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, is the latest in a long line to raise concerns about the health effects of the soft drinks enjoyed by millions of Britons every day.</div>
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Previous studies have linked them to a host of health problems, including heart attacks, diabetes, weight gain, brittle bones, pancreatic and prostate cancer, muscle weakness and paralysis.</div>
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The soft drinks industry says that its products account for a tiny amount of overall calorie intake.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-83735729602539960112013-12-03T11:18:00.002+00:002013-12-03T11:18:37.945+00:00Eating nuts “may prolong life” – Medicine Journal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFA2LBseUTlnblX9q5EWyoT2Frtto-fpnrw6sDz1xUsRAUlcvK4flVL6RlwGTJEiKdKCcEArGR0UA2fvWwAdGxIKEQqfwnocbfIVMfQdknb-Tf3ucDIwjJRRxvLL_-7PGiD-XCKbESon4Q/s1600/nuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFA2LBseUTlnblX9q5EWyoT2Frtto-fpnrw6sDz1xUsRAUlcvK4flVL6RlwGTJEiKdKCcEArGR0UA2fvWwAdGxIKEQqfwnocbfIVMfQdknb-Tf3ucDIwjJRRxvLL_-7PGiD-XCKbESon4Q/s320/nuts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: BBC</div>
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People who regularly eat nuts appear to live longer, according to the largest study of its kind.</div>
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The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggested the greatest benefit was in those munching on a daily portion.</div>
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The US team said nut eaters were likely to also have healthy lifestyles, but the nuts themselves were also contributing to their longer lifespan.</div>
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The British Heart Foundation said more research was needed to prove the link.</div>
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The study followed nearly 120,000 people for 30 years. The more regularly people consumed nuts, the less likely they were to die during the study.</div>
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People eating nuts once a week were 11% less likely to have died during the study than those who never ate nuts.</div>
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Up to four portions was linked to a 13% reduction in deaths and a daily handful of nuts cut the death rate during the study by 20%.</div>
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Lead researcher Dr Charles Fuchs, from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, said: "The most obvious benefit was a reduction of 29% in deaths from heart disease, but we also saw a significant reduction - 11% - in the risk of dying from cancer."</div>
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Eating nuts was linked to a healthier lifestyle - including being less likely to smoke or be overweight and more likely to exercise.</div>
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This was accounted for during the study, for example to eliminate the impact of smoking on cancer rates.</div>
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The researchers acknowledge that this process could not completely account for all of the differences between those regularly eating nuts and those not.</div>
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However, they said it was "unlikely" to change the results.</div>
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They suggest nuts are lowering cholesterol, inflammation and insulin resistance.</div>
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Victoria Taylor, senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study shows an association between regularly eating a small handful of nuts and a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease.</div>
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"While this is an interesting link, we need further research to confirm if it's the nuts that protect heart health, or other aspects of people's lifestyle.</div>
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"Nuts contain unsaturated fats, protein and a range of vitamins and minerals and make a good swap for snacks like chocolate bars, cakes and biscuits.</div>
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"Choosing plain, unsalted options rather than honeyed, salted, dry-roasted or chocolate-covered will keep your salt and sugar intake down."</div>
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The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health and the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation. People who regularly eat nuts appear to live longer, according to the largest study of its kind.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggested the greatest benefit was in those munching on a daily portion.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The US team said nut eaters were likely to also have healthy lifestyles, but the nuts themselves were also contributing to their longer lifespan.</div>
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The British Heart Foundation said more research was needed to prove the link.</div>
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The study followed nearly 120,000 people for 30 years. The more regularly people consumed nuts, the less likely they were to die during the study.</div>
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<br /></div>
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People eating nuts once a week were 11% less likely to have died during the study than those who never ate nuts.</div>
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Up to four portions was linked to a 13% reduction in deaths and a daily handful of nuts cut the death rate during the study by 20%.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lead researcher Dr Charles Fuchs, from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, said: "The most obvious benefit was a reduction of 29% in deaths from heart disease, but we also saw a significant reduction - 11% - in the risk of dying from cancer."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Eating nuts was linked to a healthier lifestyle - including being less likely to smoke or be overweight and more likely to exercise.</div>
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This was accounted for during the study, for example to eliminate the impact of smoking on cancer rates.</div>
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The researchers acknowledge that this process could not completely account for all of the differences between those regularly eating nuts and those not.</div>
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However, they said it was "unlikely" to change the results.</div>
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They suggest nuts are lowering cholesterol, inflammation and insulin resistance.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Victoria Taylor, senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study shows an association between regularly eating a small handful of nuts and a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"While this is an interesting link, we need further research to confirm if it's the nuts that protect heart health, or other aspects of people's lifestyle.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Nuts contain unsaturated fats, protein and a range of vitamins and minerals and make a good swap for snacks like chocolate bars, cakes and biscuits.</div>
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<br /></div>
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"Choosing plain, unsalted options rather than honeyed, salted, dry-roasted or chocolate-covered will keep your salt and sugar intake down."</div>
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The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health and the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-32202792888383255902013-12-03T11:14:00.000+00:002013-12-03T11:14:28.166+00:00How to use law to make foreign investment work for sustainable development<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OaKNq0huJoCxhzkWQ_tqPzP5vON8TScVxqhgsUnLBbetk3DY-d7sa3t-M6lBu3HCEYipwrgDFP5nlFwgRpYx0gMmfVu3maxbGCAkNEb-n0uj2IMX5I466XE8iQ7A3WOuV8OqsoXVpBI3/s1600/LawImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OaKNq0huJoCxhzkWQ_tqPzP5vON8TScVxqhgsUnLBbetk3DY-d7sa3t-M6lBu3HCEYipwrgDFP5nlFwgRpYx0gMmfVu3maxbGCAkNEb-n0uj2IMX5I466XE8iQ7A3WOuV8OqsoXVpBI3/s320/LawImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: IIED</div>
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The International Institute of Environmental Development (IIED) has published a handbook that shows how government officials and civil society organisations in low and middle-income countries can use legal tools to ensure foreign investments contribute to sustainable development.</div>
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The book focuses on investments in agriculture and the extractive industries – mining, oil and gas.</div>
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These sectors attract much of the foreign investment in many low and middle-income countries. Increased investment could transform local economies by contributing public revenues and new livelihood opportunities. But the deals can also pile pressure on natural resources and spark conflict with local communities who depend on them.</div>
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"Public mobilisation against 'land grabbing' highlights that investment quality, not just quantity, matters a great deal, even in countries where investment is much needed," says Dr Lorenzo Cotula, the book's author.</div>
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"Legal tools can influence investment quality – from the tax regime to social and environmental safeguards, though to the inclusiveness of investment models and processes," says Cotula. "There is much that governments and civil society can do to use those tools to promote investments that respond to local aspirations, and to get a better deal from incoming investments."</div>
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The handbook explains what the laws that regulate foreign investment are, how they work, and how to use them most effectively.</div>
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It covers the variety of legal arenas that can influence the outcomes of investments — from investment treaties, extractive industry legislation, land tenure, human rights norms, environmental legislation and tax law —including arrangements to fight tax avoidance.</div>
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The book covers four main ways in which government and civil society can use legal tools to promote sustainable development, by:</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Aligning public policies and decisions on investment with a strategic vision of sustainable development based on local and national aspirations.</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ensuring a fair economic deal.</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Taking social and environmental considerations seriously.</div>
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Balancing investment protection with competing policy goals.</div>
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The handbook aims to support government officials in low and middle-income countries in their management of foreign investment for sustainable development, and support civil society efforts to influence decisions and hold government and investors to account.</div>
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Governments play a central role in developing and enforcing legal rules. But Cotula argues that engagement with investment law is not a task for regulators and legal experts alone.</div>
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"Harnessing the law to make investment work for sustainable development requires vibrant civil society organisations and social movements to advocate, scrutinise, challenge and influence," writes Cotula. "Perhaps most importantly, it requires citizens themselves to be able to appropriate and wield legal tools in their efforts to shape their own future."</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-76093877090216425562013-12-03T11:10:00.002+00:002013-12-03T11:10:16.441+00:00Technology to produce electricity, water introduced<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpCofpLfYPiJAgiN-KBDZBYeIB_vMYKEca_KW4DHP0StXjZvFkMSQdoGSHqOBjpaVyraaxwhBDxCZKEdXr4Y3_VmVQ5PJbmI2G-tpmgy4OBGBYj-HrsFJ_uclMoiGVlP5JXVsQ7Maiuq0/s1600/Schneider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpCofpLfYPiJAgiN-KBDZBYeIB_vMYKEca_KW4DHP0StXjZvFkMSQdoGSHqOBjpaVyraaxwhBDxCZKEdXr4Y3_VmVQ5PJbmI2G-tpmgy4OBGBYj-HrsFJ_uclMoiGVlP5JXVsQ7Maiuq0/s320/Schneider.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: APO</div>
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Schneider Electric, the market leader in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, has inaugurated the MiCROSOL project aims to develop a single, modular standard technology for producing electricity, drinking water and heat simultaneously, primarily to benefit micro-industries located in rural areas of countries with high levels of sunshine, especially in Africa.</div>
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MiCROSOL is based on the principle of cogeneration of electricity and heat, applying a new approach to a technology that is already widespread – solar thermodynamics. The solution focuses its constraints on the design of thermal storage that only uses environmentally-friendly products.</div>
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The piloting and commercialization of the facility is due to be commenced in Kenya soon.</div>
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Its purpose is to simultaneously meet three basic needs regularly expressed by these people: Access to electricity that is reliable, efficient and inexpensive; Clean drinking water that is produced economically and consistently; and Heat generation that is continuous and environmentally sound.</div>
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Microsol can help micro-producers in the food, textile and paper industries with processing their raw materials by automating some of their processes (e.g. drying, washing, pasteurization, etc.). In the tertiary sector, Microsol can help the tourist industry by providing the energy needed for many premium services: electricity for HVAC, refrigeration or security; heat for hot water, laundry or heating; water for drinking or cooking.</div>
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Located in a rural village, Microsol can also meet some or all of the production needs of local residents: water supply, electrification of communal areas, and so forth.</div>
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A Microsol solution produces 50 MWh/year of electricit, 1,000 m3/year of drinking water, and around 800 MWh/year of thermal energy. The solution has an expected life of at least 20 years. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
"That technology can help Africa's poorest countries", said Pradeep Monga, Director of the Energy & Climate Change Branch of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), while attending the inauguration of Microsol solution.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the environment, Microsol is a green solution that guarantees zero greenhouse gas emissions, reduced deforestation and health problems owing to the clean production of heat and electricity. Also, Microsol use easily recyclable steel and aluminum components.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Gilles Vermot Desroches, Senior Vice-President, Sustainability, Schneider Electric, announced: “All countries with high levels of sunshine are potential targets for marketing Microsol”. However, because of its infrastructure needs, geographical location and economic models, Schneider Electric and its partners decided to focus their efforts on Africa".</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
After market research, the consortium led by Schneider Electric chose Kenya as pilot country for the industrialization and commercialization of Microsol. Kenya meets a set of favorable conditions for the establishment and development of this solution.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>About Schneider Electric</b></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Utilities & Infrastructure, Industries & Machines Manufacturers, Non-residential Building, Data Centers & Networks and in Residential. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the Group's 140,000 plus employees achieved revenues of 24 billion euros in 2012, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations make the most of their energy.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-13318568793740802772013-12-03T11:00:00.001+00:002013-12-03T11:00:18.299+00:00Ghana launches waste segregation project<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgZJuARVCtMCea3p7juuLN7cOXeJSC01Vd32pwQFWdv1Yph_e3nuSe7RB7FRysdVifVV5cDjZFg-Z2CWZAoeJAFv1tZjeF67O5tg5s83x84IDP6tVjCj4yFGsbd3DF8NPaxlLCAwvWeba/s1600/wastesegre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgZJuARVCtMCea3p7juuLN7cOXeJSC01Vd32pwQFWdv1Yph_e3nuSe7RB7FRysdVifVV5cDjZFg-Z2CWZAoeJAFv1tZjeF67O5tg5s83x84IDP6tVjCj4yFGsbd3DF8NPaxlLCAwvWeba/s320/wastesegre.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waste segregation</td></tr>
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Source: GNA</div>
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The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Zoomlion, have launched a national waste segregation programme to encourage separation of wastes at source.</div>
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The programme, supported by the two giants in waste management in Ghana - Zoomlion Ghana Limited and Jekora Ventures, was to promote clean environments as well as lessen the burden of diseases on the people.</div>
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The programme would be implemented country-wide and the first phase would commence in some selected schools and within the ministries area in Accra.</div>
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Under the programme, three types of waste bins would be given to each institution within the ministries and the selected schools in Accra.</div>
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One of the bins would contain paper, another plastics and the last one would contain food waste.</div>
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Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei, the sector Minister, in a speech read for him, said the launch was a fulfilment of Government’s national environmental policy and a major step in addressing the solid waste menace in the country.</div>
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He said source waste segregation was an efficient and environmentally sustainable way of managing waste and it would also help reduce the amount of waste to be land filled as well as provide additional value from secondary raw materials which could be recycled into useful products to support economic development.</div>
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Dr Oteng-Adjei said they believed that waste separation at source by individuals should be a sure way to handle the waste problem in the country and called for new thinking, innovation and new ways of doing things to sustain the programme.</div>
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He said the major challenge of waste was the cost of collection and disposal which was having a heavy toll on financial resources of Government. </div>
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“Many Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies spend over 60 per cent of their financial resources on waste management. This leaves little for social and economic development projects,” he said.</div>
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He, therefore, implored the EPA and the other major stakeholders to undertake extensive sensitization and public education to get the public to understand the rules and importance of waste segregation.</div>
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Mr Daniel S. Amlalo, Executive Director of EPA, said available statistics showed that the per capita waste generation per person per day in Ghana was about 0.54 kilogrammes.</div>
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“With a population of over 24 million people, we generate approximately 12,960 tons per day of solid waste nationwide. Out of this quantum only 60 per cent is collected and in effect safe disposal remains a major challenge,” he said.</div>
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He said improper waste had negative impacts on the environment such as ground water contamination, aesthetic and odour nuisance as well as public health impacts.</div>
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Mr Amlalo pledged the Agency’s commitment to the initiative of waste segregation for recycling and for organic manure production for agriculture and landscaping.</div>
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“We, therefore, pledge to re-enforce and sustain public awareness creation and education in partnership with all relevant stakeholders to make this noble initiative successful and sustainable,” he said.</div>
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Jekora Ventures, on its part, donated 50 waste bins and 300 education brochures to support the national source waste segregation programme.</div>
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There were solidarity messages from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, and Jekora Ventures.</div>
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Some selected schools were given three waste bins each to kick start the programme.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-7705266082980950812013-12-03T10:46:00.002+00:002013-12-03T10:46:33.207+00:00Fund to support water, sanitation initiatives in perspective<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-LK8dHKDx3gkmqu6yC7vZErTXtkTLzAal7MnJ_P9s0TbsPjmq9veIDezSvLUteMZBcpO06xkcDDKWrRMXhY5nQ-qZNeejDPeIShCRr-EsAFZEPvG0qVHb49seV3megSCA8flWLUJc3_p/s1600/filth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-LK8dHKDx3gkmqu6yC7vZErTXtkTLzAal7MnJ_P9s0TbsPjmq9veIDezSvLUteMZBcpO06xkcDDKWrRMXhY5nQ-qZNeejDPeIShCRr-EsAFZEPvG0qVHb49seV3megSCA8flWLUJc3_p/s320/filth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: WSA</div>
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The water and sanitation challenges are immense and require the mobilization of more funds, collaboration and mutualisation of best practices.</div>
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In this respect, WSA will be launching a fund to support various initiatives in water and sanitation at the on-going High Level Forum on water and sanitation for all.</div>
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“This fund will help entrepreneurs in water and sanitation to gain access to financial resources,” said the Chairman of the WSA Council of Ministers, Wassailké Boukhary.</div>
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The Africa WASH Fund, which provides rapid and more affordable financial resources, will help those enterprises to provide more efficient and affordable services and promote investments in water and sanitation, the chairman said during the opening ceremony of the High Level Forum on water and sanitation for all in Africa.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-10538108975759307152013-12-03T10:43:00.000+00:002013-12-03T10:43:03.127+00:00High level forum 2013 responds to water, sanitation challenges<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwer81LAWcMJWQD2LzS5zWD8LC4AHi70gw26fFKZhxQev1huiHIC9PW_OfS19MlgJXyLKcuh4sBiHt0fX0fPqDUyIkNkKUhx2yV3bv2fOKmj353TUarSlSHN125rlXEkeoFfYJrXX2Io5/s1600/wsaabidjan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwer81LAWcMJWQD2LzS5zWD8LC4AHi70gw26fFKZhxQev1huiHIC9PW_OfS19MlgJXyLKcuh4sBiHt0fX0fPqDUyIkNkKUhx2yV3bv2fOKmj353TUarSlSHN125rlXEkeoFfYJrXX2Io5/s320/wsaabidjan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Participants at the 2013 High Level forum on water and sanitation</td></tr>
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Source: Globalnewsreel.com</div>
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According to the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, HE Danial Komlan Duncan, who officially opened High Level Forum on water and sanitation in Abidjan, Africa cannot remain indifferent while seventy percent of hospital beds are occupied by persons suffering from preventable water and sanitation related illnesses despite the efforts being made by various countries.</div>
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He said since such a negative situation limits the potentials of individuals in their contribution to growth and development, “it is imperative to reverse this trend especially due to the rapid population growth in Africa that will cover 25 percent of the global population by 2050.”</div>
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“This search for solutions undoubtedly requires the development of an African expertise to serve Africans,” said the Ivorian Minister for construction, housing and sanitation, Mamadou Sanogo.</div>
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According to the outgoing Chairman of the WSA Council of Ministers, Wassalké Boukhary, this is what justifies the choice for the theme on south-south cooperation for this year’s High Level Forum. On behalf of the Council, Hon Boukhary said WSA’s legitimacy today is found in its commitments to support unserved populations to gain access to safe drinking water and sanitation.</div>
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“With its mandate to support its member countries in their efforts to provide water and sanitation to the people, WSA has real operational capacity, with more than 300 African experts across most of its member countries and with its 25 years of experience, is able to support necessary sector reforms through innovative financing and technologies and the implementation of viable projects.</div>
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The 2013 edition of the Forum seeking to promote reflections on a vibrant and effective south-south cooperation to accelerate access to water, sanitation and hygiene for all in Africa, calls on Africans to find local solutions to their water and sanitation problems especially as the global financial situation get unstable.</div>
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The Regional Director of USAID, official sponsors of the Forum, Anne Dix, reiterated the commitment of the institution to support African countries in finding workable solutions to their challenges.</div>
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Justifying the institutional reforms ongoing within WSA since 2011, Hon Boukhary said the institution has already supported its member countries to mobilize about 550 billion FCFA to implement various priority water and sanitation projects. He said between 2011 and 2013, the institution has directly provided eleven million Africans with access to improved water and sanitation.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-14848356946640893562013-12-03T10:36:00.000+00:002013-12-03T10:36:46.453+00:00USAID sponsors Abidjan high level WASH forum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsaWdiqwEnc56S91OI8KYLgvtDWXEzAxBe4Xy16eE3tvVbnEDCvU0vgSui56p69-HTjZqiRnl_4tKwEAohJpPMIX14VduDzmA9-FwHXEEQFfYgIJPSllE56_MZpHXNaelBNj9sJFUZIII/s1600/handwash1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsaWdiqwEnc56S91OI8KYLgvtDWXEzAxBe4Xy16eE3tvVbnEDCvU0vgSui56p69-HTjZqiRnl_4tKwEAohJpPMIX14VduDzmA9-FwHXEEQFfYgIJPSllE56_MZpHXNaelBNj9sJFUZIII/s320/handwash1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: Globalnewsreel.com</div>
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The Pan African Inter-governmental Agency Water and Sanitation for Africa in collaboration with the government of Côte d'Ivoire organized the third High Level Forum on Water and Sanitation for All.</div>
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The forum, which started November 21 and ended on 23, 2013 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, was sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to the tune of $100,000.</div>
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The theme of this year’s forum was to promote vibrant and effective cooperation among Southern countries to accelerate access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for all in Africa. </div>
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“Access to water and sanitation remains a major development issue in Africa,” said Bradley Wallach, USAID West Africa Deputy Mission Director, at the conference. </div>
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“For over a decade, USAID has worked with African governments and the private sector to improve populations' sustainable access to water and sanitation. This forum will allow leaders in this sector to assess current gaps and seek collaborative ways to provide sustainable services.” </div>
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USAID also supported the participation of ten individuals, representatives of governments as well as non-governmental organizations from Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger.</div>
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Because USAID’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities in West Africa target those three countries.</div>
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The Agency also held side meetings with their ministers in charge of WASH issues. At the forum, USAID representatives gave presentations on the Agency’s WASH activities and mounted an exhibit focused on these activities. </div>
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<b>About USAID WA-WASH</b> </div>
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The USAID WA-WASH Program, implemented by Florida International University, is a four-year, US $28 million project that contributes to meeting West Africa’s Millennium Development Goal of providing improved access to water and sanitation to 50% of the population.</div>
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In addition, WA-WASH provides access to water for productive uses via multiple use systems and improves resilience to climate change in three target countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger. </div>
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The goal of USAID in West Africa is to promote social and economic well-being advanced by West Africans. </div>
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Spanning 21 countries, the USAID/West Africa regional office designs and implements programs with West African partners to strengthen systems of non-violent conflict management, support economic growth, and expand quality health services.</div>
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The American people, through USAID, provide economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries worldwide.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-10712596870728669222013-12-03T10:27:00.001+00:002013-12-03T10:27:13.698+00:00Health ministry, Guinness provides water for Maamobi hospital<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bu6jOPdFA7lZtkrEr85IJ9FyUWCkKjJECu8w1xXSMpMvJxSduB1pf0TI09FIh46CUYqd7rLIh98U7RiUXPHlmxsdO178aGNv8smSljqCz5qxsTZgdTm8EadVJxyrzG0HmB8-KBb9hAb5/s1600/tapwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bu6jOPdFA7lZtkrEr85IJ9FyUWCkKjJECu8w1xXSMpMvJxSduB1pf0TI09FIh46CUYqd7rLIh98U7RiUXPHlmxsdO178aGNv8smSljqCz5qxsTZgdTm8EadVJxyrzG0HmB8-KBb9hAb5/s320/tapwater.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: GNA</div>
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The Ministry of Health (MOH) and Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL), have inaugurated an integrated water delivery system for the Maamobi Hospital in Accra.</div>
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The GH¢180,000 water project was jointly inaugurated by the Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey and the Corporate Relations Director of GGBL, Ms Preba Greenstreet.</div>
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It comprises a network of mechanised boreholes connected to a reverse osmosis treatment plant and storage tanks with a total capacity of 60,000 litres, enough supply to meet the needs of the entire hospital.</div>
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Addressing a gathering during the ceremony to hand over the facility, Ms Ayittey commended GGBL for coming to the aid of the hospital, adding that clean water was critical to healthcare.</div>
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“We have witnessed in recent times how healthcare delivery in some health centres have been impacted due to the unavailability of clean water, and this initiative comes at the right time,” she said.</div>
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She added that at a crucial time where internally generated funds of most health centres were stretched, it was heart warming to know that the project would sustainably provide the water needs of the hospital.</div>
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Ms Preba Greenstreet said the company understood the important role that clean water played in quality healthcare delivery and “We’re happy today to be handing over this 60,000-litre capacity water system set to sustainably provide the water needs of this hospital and the over 89,000 annual patrons.”</div>
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She said the project was the third major water project that GGBL and the Diageo Foundation had funded in health centres under its Water of Life programme.</div>
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Ms Greenstreet expressed optimism that the project would contribute immensely to improving healthcare in these hospitals.</div>
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The Medical Superintendent of the Maamobi Polyclinic, Dr Mrs Mildred Kumassah, in her remarks, said water supply in the hospital was interrupted during the construction of the main road about 16 years ago.</div>
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Since then, she said, the facility had been operating without the flow of water, and all efforts in the past to get it reconnected had proved futile.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-41843514043868698472013-11-22T20:30:00.001+00:002013-11-22T20:33:00.522+00:00Education, punitive punishments are key to save Ghana’s poor sanitation conditions – Stakeholders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some traditional leaders at the forum</td></tr>
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By Patrick Baidoo</div>
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Representatives of Nima, Ashaiman, Ada and Mallam communities all in Greater Accra region, at a crisis talk on sanitation and hygiene have described the national sanitary conditions in their localities as devastating and endangering human lives.<br />
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They said open defecation and indiscriminate defecation is rampant while open gutters at lorry stations and market centres are choked with polythene bags stuffed with human excreta. A situation which they fear may halt development in the country if care was not taken to reverse the condition.</div>
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Hence they have called for the provision of sanitation facilities, intensity of education on open defecation and enforcement of sanitation related bylaws on all fronts to save the national poor sanitary conditions since indiscipline on the part of the populace was contributing to this alarming situation.</div>
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The representatives contend that although sanitation facilities are inadequate, implementation of bylaws which compels house owners to provide toilets in their households and the laws that abhor littering as well as open defecation should be enforced.</div>
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“The inabilities of Assemblies and law enforcement agencies to prosecute persons who flout these sanitation laws have compounded the situation and this must be reversed”, Nii Annang Adzor, Chief of Ashaiman noted. “The situation on the weak enforcement of Assemblies’ sanitation related bylaws, sheer indiscipline, corruptible attitude, and breakdown in traditional and lack of public education”, he indicated.</div>
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He called for immediate government intervention and intensive public education the need for safe and clean environment and construction of toilet facilities in households.</div>
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“When people don’t have adequate clean water, effective pathogens flourish and cause infectious diseases”, the Chief noted.</div>
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On his part, Mr. Lumor Gershon, Mallam WASH Chairman said indiscriminate dumping and open defecation had hit the highest degree of 80 percent while the Nima representative Hafis, noted that insanitary conditions were at an alarming 90 percent, attributing the condition to lack of toilet facilities and sanitary containers.</div>
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He said the situation was compounded by the improper housing layout, erratic flow of pipe borne water and failure of policy makers to engage communities in the initiation, implementation and monitoring of projects.</div>
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Hence the community representatives called for the implementation of bylaws on sanitation to ensure compliance and save the environment.</div>
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About 22 million people in Ghana lack access to adequate toilet facilities with devastating consequences for their wellbeing, health, education and empowerment of women and girls.</div>
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While four out of five women in Ghana risk shame, disease, harassment and even attack because they have no where safe to go to toilet. Additionally more than 2 million have no choice but to toilet in the open.</div>
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Chaka Uzondu, Policy Manager of Water Aid said in - spite of the horrifying situation, sanitation issues are marginalized in the media and on all fronts with low public discourse hence the need for practical solutions.</div>
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He called on government to increase funding to initiate and implement sanitation policies at the national and local levels and urged the media to find prudent ways of raising awareness on the matter.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06559620902537156598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950890408851367391.post-68126595049064846252013-11-22T20:24:00.002+00:002013-11-22T20:24:36.115+00:00People not caring about the environment is frustrating – WaterAid<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fxLB5l4cJkCLu24_gtSunHSGlZR0IMMWu6V7WFceYjmnCeSOXGm5_6rSYky-JtKj4aH25m9lcrchX9MfXkYBQdISPLpeImUo8NJ0ThpXyj-w0EL-pll0iQt8Vznm2S3xAbyewlmi2gBv/s1600/drafia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fxLB5l4cJkCLu24_gtSunHSGlZR0IMMWu6V7WFceYjmnCeSOXGm5_6rSYky-JtKj4aH25m9lcrchX9MfXkYBQdISPLpeImUo8NJ0ThpXyj-w0EL-pll0iQt8Vznm2S3xAbyewlmi2gBv/s320/drafia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Afia Zakiya</td></tr>
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By Nathaniel Y. Yankson</div>
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The WaterAid Country Representative in Ghana, Dr. Afia Zakiya has described as very frustrating and disappointing instances where people tend not to care about their surroundings, particularly with the huge investments by donors and non-governmental organisations to ensure sustainable environments.</div>
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With several campaign platforms and messages delivered for attitudinal change, people still expect the same donors and organisations to clean their mess without any commitment on their part.</div>
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Dr. Zakiya felt terrible that the things, which include by-laws, aimed at regulating improper disposal of human faeces, open defecation and throwing of garbage in gutters and unauthorised locations were inefficient and “too weak”.</div>
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Speaking to some journalists Monday ahead of the World Toilet Day in Accra, she expressed “I feel terrible. I feel it’s a disgrace that things are there that can help the sanitation crisis being resolved and they are not being enforced.”</div>
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Dr. Zakiya, on the other hand, argued that though it seemed frustrating, “you have to understand the reasons behind it before you pass judgment. It could be socio-cultural beliefs” as well instances where there are no such facilities.</div>
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In addition, she indicated it was provoking to know this could happen. “We raise these issues all the time. Sometimes, we see some results and sometimes the issues continue,” she said.</div>
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Available statistics suggest that every one gram of human faeces contain ten million viruses with one million bacteria.</div>
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One thousand parasite cysts and one hundred parasite eggs would all be found in this same gram of faeces.</div>
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When not properly disposed off or managed, they cause deadly diseases as diarrhoea and cholera as well as other infections in the human anatomy.</div>
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Diarrhoea is reported as the second most common disease, which kills young children in developing countries every 15 seconds.</div>
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In Ghana alone, about 4,000 infants die at the age of five years each year from diarrhoea. This has been attributed to poor sanitation and hygiene.</div>
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Further, Dr. Zakiya stated that more than 21 million of the citizenry, representing 87 per cent of Ghana’s population still did not have access to adequate sanitation.</div>
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“Poor sanitation impacts public health in many ways. Some of the most disturbing is the impact of poor sanitation on child health. Two of the most pressing issues are malnutrition and stunting. The ripple effect goes on to affect educational achievements and general wellness. Poor sanitation also has special impact on the well being of girls and women,” she emphasized.</div>
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She, moreover, urged the Ghanaian media to help divert public attention from politics to water and sanitation issues, believing that it would compel the people in authority to focus on the needs of attaining the universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).</div>
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Policy Manager at the WaterAid Ghana office, Chaka Uzondu also called on the public to minimize the exposition of faecal waste since they were harmful to human survival in the environment.</div>
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To him, the Community Led-Total Sanitation (CLTS) required structural transformation to enable communities, access their rights to adequate and clean water.</div>
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He also advocated for more funding towards the execution of sanitation and hygiene projects in the country while making every level of production transparent.</div>
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