African Soil Scientists meet in Accra

The achievement of food security and the Millennium Development Goals in 2015 would still remain the main challenges for Africa if innovative approaches were not developed to solve the soil degradation and land use problems.

"Degradation of land and water resources increasingly threatens national and households’ food security in many parts of Africa. In these countries, degradation reduces the options for attaining their future food security targets and that of the next generation." Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Minister of Education Science and Sports, said this in Accra when he opened a six-day Fourth African Soil Science Society International Conference on the theme: "Impact of Climate Change; Global Trade; Urbanisation and Biotechnology on Land Use in Africa.

" The conference, attended by about 150 participants is discussing the dynamics of land use; local market; global trade and land use patterns; climate change; land management and biodiversity among other topics. Papa Owusu-Ankomah noted that land use changes associated with agriculture could disrupt the natural balance between the production of biomass and the release of carbon by soil respiration. He envisaged that the development and implementation of sustainable land and water management practices would contribute significantly to the attainment of food security and environmental health.

"The development of sustainable land management practices should take into account the consequences of the requirements of international trade with its binding conditions; the impact of climate change with potential increase in natural disasters and the prospects of biotechnologies on land use systems and land management techniques.

" He asked soil scientists to be vocal and to participate actively in policy formation; norms and standard setting; good agricultural practices with respect to soil science and related issues. "There is the need for African Soil Science Society to position itself, as a regional broker for land issues within the civil society in Africa and to develop active collaboration particularly with international institutes and networks dealing with soil and land issues and strong lobbying for public and donor's support for more investment in sustainable land management.

” Papa Owsu-Ankomah called on Soil Scientists to play a key role in advising decision makers and various stakeholders for the realisation of the African Green Revolution given the strategic importance of fertilizers in achieving the African Green Revolution to end hunger. The African Union Member States have declared fertilizers both inorganic and organic as strategic goods and have resolved to increase the use of fertilizer from the current average of eight kilograms per hectare to an average of at least 50 kilograms per hectare by 2015.

Professor Dominic Fobih, Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, expressed concern about the gap created between researchers, policy makers and end users and noted the importance to bridge the gap for national development. He explained that research was essential and urged research scientists to ensure that they worked not only in their shells but also in collaboration with end users of their findings.

Prof. Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah, Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), who chaired the function, said the issue of land use and its implications had become topical and the climate change; global trade; urbanisation and biotechnology were at the core in ensuring sustainable development.

He said the challenges of agriculture in the 21st century required systemic integration of the environmental, social and economic pillars of development to meet the needs of the present generation without sacrificing their livelihood for the future. He called for the formulation of a comprehensive land use plan to ensure that prime agricultural land and other natural resources such as soil, water and forests were protected.GNA

Anomabu presents its programme for Ghana’s Jubilee Celebration

Memorial plaques to honour three heroes of Anomabu in the Central Region, for the great and exemplary contributions made to the country, would be unveiled on February 24, by President John Agyekum Kufuor as part of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of nationhood.




They are Dr Kwegyir Aggrey, the visionary philosopher and educationist, George Ekem-Furgesson, the celebrated surveyor, credited with the survey of the area that became the Gold Coast and Nana Amoonoo V, the Anomabu chief, who led other traditional rulers in the Colony to sign the Bond of 1844.



The programme is the baby of the Anomabu Traditional Council. A delegation of chiefs and some prominent personalities from the area including the Omanhene, Kantamanto Amoonoo X1, Peter Cardinal Appiah-Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast and Mrs Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, a Member of the Council of State, on Monday called on President Kufuor at the Castle, Osu to present to him the programme dubbed: “Anomabu @ 50”.




Nana Ato Arthur, Central Regional Minister and Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, accompanied them. Nana Adjiri Aggrey, Mpontuhene, who acted as spokesperson, said the area had played a significant role in the country’s history and that it was only proper, that it was brought out, as the nation celebrated the important landmark of 50 years of political independence.





He said the occasion would also be used to honour President Kufuor for his leadership that had restored the national pride and brought hope to the country. President Kufuor said Anomabu must have something the nation should be proud of. He noted that apart from the three notable personalities, it had also produced key people like Cardinal Appiah-Turkson, the first Ghanaian to be appointed a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and Mr Kofi Annan, the immediate past United Nations Secretary-General. President Kufuor gave an assurance that he would lead a high level government delegation to attend the ceremony.GNA

Former President to attend Ortega's inauguration

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has accepted an invitation from President-elect of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega Saavedra to attend his inaugural ceremony, which takes place in Managua, Nicaragua on January 10, 2007. Daniel Ortega served as Nicaraguan President from 1985 to 1990.

Defeated by Barrios de Chamorro in the 1990 presidential election, Ortega remained an important figure in Nicaraguan opposition politics, loosing the 1996 and 2001 presidential elections before winning the 2006 election.

A statement issued by Mr. Victor Smith, Special Assistant and Director of Public Affairs said Former President Rawlings, who leaves Accra on Sunday, January 7 and will be away for one week.

Ghanaians Eager For Ban On Smoking In Public Places

Fifty-eight-year-old Ghanaian civil servant Kwaku Anku has been a smoker for over 40 years. Despite knowing the dangers of cigarettes, he has no intention of kicking the habit. After all, he says, his grandfather was a smoker and he lived to the ripe old age of 84.

Anku respects the sensibilities of non-smokers and chooses not to light up in the workplace, but he does smoke in bars and restaurants, but maybe not for much longer.

Ghana's chief anti-smoking campaigner, the director-general of the country's health service, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, is stepping up a campaign to ban smoking in public places as a bill to ban smoking in public places continues to gather dust.Akosa is threatening to march on the seat of government with a signed petition over the government's failure to act on smoking."Eighteen months is too long for the bill to be with cabinet," says an exasperated Akosa, who is also calling for a ban on tobacco advertising and the imposition of higher taxes on cigarettes.

A survey by the Ghana Health Service conducted in October and November 2006 revealed that 96 per cent of Ghanaians are in favour of legislation on tobacco control.Studies show that some 14.3 per cent of pupils in junior secondary schools have tried smoking before the age of 18 and a whopping 45 per cent of residents in the three northern regions, Northern Region, Upper East Region and Upper West Region, are addicted to smoking.

The government may have developed cold feet on a smoking ban because of the large amount of taxes it collects from British American Tobacco (BAT), the sole cigarette manufacturer in Ghana.For example, BAT, which has some 90 per cent of the Ghanaian tobacco market, contributed about 5.9 per cent of Ghana's GDP between 1986 and 1990 and saved the government 1.7 million dollars during the same period as 80 per cent of raw materials were produced locally, instead of it being imported.

The company employed, before the decision late last year to close down the factory, some 245 staff in 10 stations in various tobacco producing areas and about 20,000 retailers.Some 1,300 farmers and their families depend for a living on tobacco with their total income in 2003, the most recent year for which figures are available, amounting to some 2.1 million dollars.But BAT is closing down its plant in Ghana in what it has described as an ongoing drive to minimize costs of production.

Tony Okwoju, corporate affairs manager at BAT in Ghana, says the company will now sell products imported from its subsidiaries.BAT Ghana is also the single biggest private company in afforestation, having planted about 4.5 million trees on nearly 3,800 hectares of plantation.Some of it is designed to help cure its tobacco from fuelwood.

Heat from the wood is used to cure the tobacco, hence the need to replace wood that is cut for the purpose.The company is also promoting water protection programme in several areas throughout the country and awards scholarships to university students.But, as Akosa warns, "Smoking kills and there is no way we should allow people to buy death."
Source:DPA