Ghana to host first Africa Summit for International Yoga Practitioners

Ghana is to host the first Africa Summit for the International Association of Black Yoga Teachers (IABYT) slated for August 8 to August 12 2007. The summit, which is expected to attract about 300 International Yoga Practitioners from the US, Europe, Asia and Africa, would provide the platform to create the awareness of yoga practice and its relevance to the overall development of mankind. Yoga is a form of practice that aims at improving the spiritual, mental and physical well-being of people by means of certain mental and physical exercises. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency after a Yoga Clinic to educate people about the health benefits of yoga practice in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Issah Musah Adams, Public Relations Officer of the IABYT-Ghana, said besides the summit, delegates with varying professional disciplines would take the opportunity to explore business opportunities in Ghana. “They are coming not only as Yoga Practitioners but also as businessmen and women and strategic investors to meet the Ghanaian business community, interact with them and find ways of forging partnership. “They will also tour most parts of the country especially tourist sites”, he said. Explaining the health benefits of yoga, Mr Adams said its practice had now been universally accepted as an effective complementary therapy for the cure of ailments such as heart related problems, asthma and migraine among many others. He said it helped to manage and/or alleviate stress and its related ailments as well as boost the immune system for a healthy living. “Today in a lot of universities and hospitals in the world especially in the USA, researchers have seen the need to incorporate yoga practice into the health delivery system”, Mr Adams said. He said yoga practice slowed down the aging process in terms of physical appearance and improved the life expectancy of a population which guaranteed healthy labour force for productive activities. Explaining some misconception about yoga, Mr Samuel Sasu, Executive Director of the Yoga Association in Ghana, said the practice is not a religion nor had anything to do with spiritism as some had been made to believe. He said yoga, which comes from the same root as yoke meaning to join together cuts across religion, race, colour, profession, and ethnocentrism. Mr Sasu said because of pervasion of justice, sectarian and religious interest the term yoga had been misconstrued making a lot of people to lose the true meaning and, therefore, the benefits by way of health. He traced the origin of yoga practice to Africa and said even though almost all the texts on yoga that were written in India between fifth century and 15th Century AD, historical research had confirmed that it was practised in Egypt before India.GNA

Lawyers have decided the Association must not play politics

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) said on Tuesday that its members had decided that the Bar should not play politics and would not make any pronouncement or engage in any act that might appear to compromise its hard-won independence. It would, therefore, be slow to engage in debate on politicised issues, it said in a press release signed in Accra by Mr Kwami Tetteh, National President of the GBA. The press release was in reaction to a statement by Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Former Vice President and candidate for the presidential slot of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), expressing unhappiness at the “undue silence” of the Bar on alleged abuses of incumbency by the Government. The GBA said it had decided that it would remain a professional association and not a political party. It said at a meeting of the General Council of the Bar held on May 31, 2006, the involvement of the Bar in national debate was discussed and a decision was reached that under the current constitutional dispensation, the vibrant watchdog role of the Bar had become less dominant. The Council decided that “the focus should remain on the establishment of the Association as an institution and the improvement of professional standards at the Bar”. The press release said at the annual conference of the Bar held at Ho on October2, 2006, the decision of the Council and modality for engagement of the Bar henceforth in public was reported to members and there was no objection. “The Bar will readily make an input on intricate legal issues on matters relating to the legal profession. In expressing legal opinion on any matter, it will consider carefully the possibility of such matter going to the courts…. As a rule, the Bar will not enter into debate on any issue unless it is adequately informed on the matter.” The GBA said Ghana now enjoyed a democratic dispensation with the level of consciousness of the people remaining high. “The right to free speech now enjoyed by all must be sustained. Lawyers are, therefore, encouraged to participate in public debate if only to enhance the quality of reasoning. The Bar must not kill the participation of the ordinary man by imposing a conclusion to a public debate.”GNA

BUSAC provides 87 million cedis for garages

The Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund has provided more than 87 million cedis for the rehabilitation of a new site for garages at Berekum. Mr Louis Acheampong, an official of the Social Support Foundation, a service provider, through which the money would be expended, announced this at a meeting convened by Pioneer Fitters Association at Berekum. He said the rehabilitation would involve the creation of a congenial working atmosphere at the new garage including the provision of access roads, electricity, water, toilets and bathhouses. Mr Acheampong explained that the assistance was aimed at getting all mechanics at Berekum to be located at the garage in order to streamline their operations. “This will involve the mobilisation and sensitisation of the mechanics through radio discussions to assist in the provision of the basic infrastructure at the new operational area,” he said. The official noted that if the mechanics were groped together at the new garage, it would also facilitate the payment of taxes and the other contributions to supplement the efforts of the District Assembly in the development of the District. Mr Moses Tweneboah, Chairman of the Association, appealed to mechanics still operating in several parts of the town to relocate at the garage so that they could all enjoy any benefit given to the Association. He explained that about four years ago, mechanics in Berekum were ordered to relocate at the new site but most of them refused because of lack of basic amenities. “Some of them have even acquired plots at the new site but have refused to develop them and move there,” he said. He expressed regret that the District Assembly had failed to honour its promise to put the place in good shape for habitation and operation.GNA

Visiting Canada’s Governor-General tours Gratis Foundation

Canada’s Governor-General, Ms Michaelle Jean on Tuesday toured the Gratis Foundation at Tema as part of her official State visit to the country and expressed satisfaction with the operations there.

Mrs Cecilia Kafui Asibey-Bonsu, Quality Assurance and Materials Manager of Gratis, led the Governor-General to tour the Metal Machining; Welding/Fabrication; Woodworking/pattern Making; Foundry; Textile Training and Design Sections. Since 1987, Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), has provided approximately 13 million Canadain dollars about 105 billion cedis to assist the Gratis Foundation to promote the development of appropriate technologies and training in Ghana. She expressed satisfaction with the innovations introduced into the operations and entreated them to come out with quality products to be able to meet standards on the world market which has become highly competitive. Ms Jean was equally enthused on seeing the ladies working on the heavy machines and encouraged them to strive hard to rob shoulders with their men counterparts to be able to set up their own businesses. Seeing products like the boiling tank; steamer; palm oil expellant and palm fruit stripper among other devices, the Governor-General praised the officials of the Foundation for their ingenuity. The Governor-General, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Canada, explained that her visit was to afford her the opportunity to see at first hand how her country’s financial contributions and investments were being utilized and also to strengthen the existing relations between the two countries. She noted that Ghana, with her vibrancy in civil society; right directions in governance and dynamism had the potential for rapid progress that could be an inspirer to the rest of Africa. With that she impressed on Ghanaians to take their destiny into their own hands and to strive to achieve successes through the new generation of entrepreneurship, which contributed to fast development. The Commander-in-Chief was accompanied by Mrs Margaret Amoakohene, Ghana’s Ambassador to Canada, and Mr Don Bobiash, Canada’s Ambassador to Ghana. Gratis Foundation is a non-governmental foundation that promotes marketable technologies and entrepreneurial skills for the growth of industry and business enterprises in Ghana and West Africa. Its activities among other things manufacturing with a focus on agriculture/agro processing; the provision of environmental/sanitation equipment; technology-based training aimed at equipping trainees with the requisite technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills.GNA