Saturday, May 22, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 46)
By Rebecca Kwei
She is simply Efya now. In the recent past she was Jane Awindor which then metamorphosed into Jane (as part of the duo, Irene and Jane) and later became Miss Jane.
To the young bubbly singer making ample waves on the scene now, the name change signifies maturity in vocal ability and lyrical content as well as a new identity and new direction in her music.
“The little Jane grew up to become Miss Jane and later to become Efya. I needed to be Jane, Miss Jane in order to grow to be Efya. I found myself. That’s my name — Efya because I was born on a Friday,” she told The Mirror
Note the peculiar way she spells her name — Efya (rather than Afia, Efua) and she explains that there are a lot of “Afias” but her unique spelling is to make her stand out so that “when you mention Efya, everyone would know who you are talking about.”
Efya who just completed the University of Ghana, Legon, majoring in Theatre Arts Directing is working on her first solo album.
Although she could not give a specific time (saying between June and August this year) when the album will be released, she said she was working hard on coming out with “something that will round up everything I want to say and a very good album.”
She describes her genre as Afro neo-soul which she said is a potpourri of Afro-beat, soul music and a little pop.
“Although it’s slow, you’ll want to groove with it” she says of her genre adding: “I find my genre a very good way to express myself and also it’s because of the kinds of songs I listened to while growing up — a lot of soul. I enjoy Erika Badu, Usher, Aretha Franklin.”
Already her hit singles, Blow Your Mind, Nothing and A Moment’s Notice are receiving great airplay.
Nothing and A Moment’s Notice were some of the sound tracks on Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s movie, Perfect Picture.
Interestingly, Efya writes most of her songs and she says she loves to write songs and sing but finds writing more challenging.
"You are writing for a lot of people and you’ll need to express yourself in such a way that someone else listening to you understands what you mean and make the right impression you want,” she said.
Her inspiration comes from everything around her, nature, friends and experiences.
For instance, her song Nothing is based on her and three friends — four friends who love, how much they love and how much they will do for the people they love.
Most musicians started at a very tender age and it was the same for Efya (real name Jane Fara Fauzziea Awindor) who started singing at six in church and by the age of nine was leading the Missionette Choir of the Assemblies of God Church as its director.
“I was brought up in the church. I come from a family of singers and my dad also plays the guitar. At a young age, I knew I wanted to be a singer. It was fun singing at church and I looked forward to going to church always,” she told The Mirror.
While in secondary school at Yaa Asantewaa in Kumasi, Efya continued to develop her singing abilities by being in the choir, and performing at entertainment shows.
She says she was also active in sports in secondary school and participated in the 100m, 200m and 400m relay disciplines.
Nana Adwoa Awindor (Efya’s mom), host of the TV programme Greetings From Abroad (the show that linked Ghanaians abroad with those at home) had an influence on her daughter who was always with her on location to try her hands at editing and production at her mom’s firm, Premier Productions.
“After secondary school, I learnt how to edit, enabling me to edit my mom’s programme for about two years before I started university,” she said.
Although she was singing in church, she didn’t take it so serious till she auditioned for Stars of the Future, a music talent hunt organised by Charterhouse.
Although Irene Logan won the competition and Jane placed third, the two decided to come together under the stage name Irene and Jane.
The duo’s album titled Irene and Jane Unveiled featured Wutah, Amandzeba and Blu 3, a trio from Uganda.
Within a short period, the duo were one of the ‘hottest’ musicians in the country and they performed at various platforms in Ghana and other countries.
The duo split in 2008. According to Efya, the Stars of the Future prize was a three-year contract deal as ‘Irene and Jane’, and after three years they decided to go their separate ways because that was what they had agreed on before coming together.
She said they do different genres of music and they wanted to explore themselves and so were better off going solo.
Efya insists she and Irene are still very good friends and there was no bad blood between them as was being speculated.
Recently, there has been talk about lyrics on women which mostly portray them as sex objects. Efya shares the concern and observed that it was just a strategy for people to market their stuff adding: “This is not nice. I don’t like girls being portrayed as sex objects.”
She says she concentrates on positive lyrics and those that will empower young women.
In the next five years, the 23-year-old Efya envisions her name being “all over the place” and would have won more than 10 Ghana Music Awards in various categories.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Constance — 10 Years of making metals talk
Saturday, May 22, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 3)
By Rebecca Kwei
Oscar Wilde, the Irish writer and poet, said, “A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament”, and for Accents and Arts, a company that deals in furnishing and decor, it’s been 10 years of unique and creative exploration.
While most companies in the furnishing and decor business use mainly wood, Accents and Art, very early in its business, realised the need to break away from that and use the finest quality iron.
Using metal and blending it with the language of art, vision and imagination, Accents and Art manufactures chairs, gates, balustrade (a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling), sculpture, chaise lounges, bar stools, desk chairs, tables, consoles, chandeliers, curtain rods, light, lamps, mirrors and other products with a touch of class.
According to Ms Constance Swaniker, the Managing Director and Founder of Accents and Art, the company was established to rediscover the striking and artistic nature of wrought iron.
She said over the years, the company had gone on to skilfully blend wood with glass and various materials to bring out the splendour of metal art.
Having gone through the showroom on the factory premises located at Bubiashie, a suburb of Accra, I realised that products from Accents and Art have a unique look; the pleasant designs draw one to them — a mixture of traditional and contemporary designs, the twists, folds, scrolls not normally associated with metal and high-end finishes which are missing in most items produced in Ghana.
“Every design, every product is very well thought of before it comes out. The artistic element makes it different from what you see of others in the same business. We focus on how the iron details of flowers and leaves make ordinary products like fences, gates and chandeliers extraordinary,” Ms Swaniker emphasised.
From humble beginnings of three workers using very basic hand tools, the company now boasts 38 workers using sophisticated industrial machines.
Her clients include hotels and lodges, restaurants/bars, corporate institutions, churches, boutiques, malls, shops and private individuals.
The company was registered in May 2000 as a sole proprietorship but became a limited liability company from November last year.
Most Ghanaians do not take the arts and sculpture seriously and it is also a venture not taken seriously.
However, Ms Swaniker notes that “over the years, the growing middle-class in Ghana are beginning to appreciate fine art and are very particular about their homes. Some have also travelled extensively and they know the value of quality art pieces so the demand is high”.
Additionally, she said the real estate business was very vibrant, making the demand for functional art high.
On why she chose to use metal, she said getting access to wood was becoming difficult and there was, therefore, the need to explore other areas other than the traditional wood. Additionally, she said metal tended to be cheap and lasted longer.
Over the last 10 years, Accents and Art has carved a niche for itself and developed a brand that adds an artistic touch, such that Ms Swaniker says, “Someone sees an art piece somewhere and immediately knows it’s from Accents and Art.”
However, like every venture, it has not been entirely smooth sailing. Ms Swaniker says there have been challenges.
A main challenge, she said, was finance and that several banks did not find small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) attractive enough to do business with.
The high interest rates on loans, according to her, also did not help businesses grow.
She pulled out and showed me an article titled, “Interest rates ‘killing’ economy” published in the African Business magazine.
The article indicated that interest rates charged by Ghana’s commercial banks were the highest in Africa and second highest in the world.
She called on Ghanaian banks to lower interest rates so that small businesses could access loans to grow. She also urged the government to identify key businesses which had potential and create a special fund for them to meet their specific needs.
But over the years, doing good jobs has opened a lot of doors for Accents and Art.
The company also got a grant from the World Bank, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and that led to a team of consultants helping to put modern systems and structures in place for the company to operate till now.
She noted that when businesses were helped to grow, the ripple effect it had on society, such as creating employment for the many unemployed youth, was enormous.
“We need to encourage SMEs that it is possible to grow small businesses to this level, using my company as an example,” she said.
Having established Accents and Art at the young age of 26, Ms Swaniker also believes that young people ought to be given a chance to prove themselves.
Being a woman operating in a male-dominated field, she said she was actively involved in every process of manufacturing the products.
She also doubles as the Creative Director.
Ms Swaniker is an artist and sculptor by profession. She holds a degree in Fine Art (Sculpture option) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, Ms Swaniker is working hard to consolidate the gains made as a medium-scale business. She is also anxious to move the company on to a bigger scale, while continuing to delight her clients with exceptional quality furnishing and decor.
As part of activities to mark 10 years of achievements, there will be a special exhibition of works from Accents and Art on its premises at Bubiashie at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 27.
By Rebecca Kwei
Oscar Wilde, the Irish writer and poet, said, “A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament”, and for Accents and Arts, a company that deals in furnishing and decor, it’s been 10 years of unique and creative exploration.
While most companies in the furnishing and decor business use mainly wood, Accents and Art, very early in its business, realised the need to break away from that and use the finest quality iron.
Using metal and blending it with the language of art, vision and imagination, Accents and Art manufactures chairs, gates, balustrade (a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling), sculpture, chaise lounges, bar stools, desk chairs, tables, consoles, chandeliers, curtain rods, light, lamps, mirrors and other products with a touch of class.
According to Ms Constance Swaniker, the Managing Director and Founder of Accents and Art, the company was established to rediscover the striking and artistic nature of wrought iron.
She said over the years, the company had gone on to skilfully blend wood with glass and various materials to bring out the splendour of metal art.
Having gone through the showroom on the factory premises located at Bubiashie, a suburb of Accra, I realised that products from Accents and Art have a unique look; the pleasant designs draw one to them — a mixture of traditional and contemporary designs, the twists, folds, scrolls not normally associated with metal and high-end finishes which are missing in most items produced in Ghana.
“Every design, every product is very well thought of before it comes out. The artistic element makes it different from what you see of others in the same business. We focus on how the iron details of flowers and leaves make ordinary products like fences, gates and chandeliers extraordinary,” Ms Swaniker emphasised.
From humble beginnings of three workers using very basic hand tools, the company now boasts 38 workers using sophisticated industrial machines.
Her clients include hotels and lodges, restaurants/bars, corporate institutions, churches, boutiques, malls, shops and private individuals.
The company was registered in May 2000 as a sole proprietorship but became a limited liability company from November last year.
Most Ghanaians do not take the arts and sculpture seriously and it is also a venture not taken seriously.
However, Ms Swaniker notes that “over the years, the growing middle-class in Ghana are beginning to appreciate fine art and are very particular about their homes. Some have also travelled extensively and they know the value of quality art pieces so the demand is high”.
Additionally, she said the real estate business was very vibrant, making the demand for functional art high.
On why she chose to use metal, she said getting access to wood was becoming difficult and there was, therefore, the need to explore other areas other than the traditional wood. Additionally, she said metal tended to be cheap and lasted longer.
Over the last 10 years, Accents and Art has carved a niche for itself and developed a brand that adds an artistic touch, such that Ms Swaniker says, “Someone sees an art piece somewhere and immediately knows it’s from Accents and Art.”
However, like every venture, it has not been entirely smooth sailing. Ms Swaniker says there have been challenges.
A main challenge, she said, was finance and that several banks did not find small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) attractive enough to do business with.
The high interest rates on loans, according to her, also did not help businesses grow.
She pulled out and showed me an article titled, “Interest rates ‘killing’ economy” published in the African Business magazine.
The article indicated that interest rates charged by Ghana’s commercial banks were the highest in Africa and second highest in the world.
She called on Ghanaian banks to lower interest rates so that small businesses could access loans to grow. She also urged the government to identify key businesses which had potential and create a special fund for them to meet their specific needs.
But over the years, doing good jobs has opened a lot of doors for Accents and Art.
The company also got a grant from the World Bank, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and that led to a team of consultants helping to put modern systems and structures in place for the company to operate till now.
She noted that when businesses were helped to grow, the ripple effect it had on society, such as creating employment for the many unemployed youth, was enormous.
“We need to encourage SMEs that it is possible to grow small businesses to this level, using my company as an example,” she said.
Having established Accents and Art at the young age of 26, Ms Swaniker also believes that young people ought to be given a chance to prove themselves.
Being a woman operating in a male-dominated field, she said she was actively involved in every process of manufacturing the products.
She also doubles as the Creative Director.
Ms Swaniker is an artist and sculptor by profession. She holds a degree in Fine Art (Sculpture option) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, Ms Swaniker is working hard to consolidate the gains made as a medium-scale business. She is also anxious to move the company on to a bigger scale, while continuing to delight her clients with exceptional quality furnishing and decor.
As part of activities to mark 10 years of achievements, there will be a special exhibition of works from Accents and Art on its premises at Bubiashie at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 27.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Malaria deserves more attention
Saturday, May 15, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 13)
By Rebecca Kwei
Malaria received a lot of attention and visibility recently when the world celebrated World Malaria Day on April 25.
Series of activities such as workshops, radio and TV programmes, donation of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) by various organisations among others heralded the celebration.
While the day afforded us the opportunity to ponder anew on strategies to eliminate this disease which according the World Health Organisation (WHO) kills more than a million people annually, of much concern to most people is that issues of malaria will not be relegated to the background after the celebrations.
Despite the fact that malaria is preventable and treatable, the WHO estimates that more that 80 per cent of deaths due to malaria occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly among children under five years and pregnant women.
Malaria also impacts on all the eight goals of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) so the MDGs cannot be attained if malaria is not eliminated.
Although there are many interventions including control, preventive and research activities to contain the disease, last year in Ghana, 3,600,000 cases of malaria were recorded at the Out Patients Department while 3,900 deaths due to malaria were also recorded within the same period.
But the optimistic Programme Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme, Dr Constance Bart-Plange, sees a silver lining in the clouds.
"The story is not so gloomy since the country was making progress in the fight against malaria. There have been a drastic reduction in deaths due to malaria in the country and the World Health Organisation had estimated that between 2003 to 2009, 20,000 lives of children under five years would be saved" she told a group of journalists at a day's workshop organised by African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) in Accra.
Of much concern to Dr Bart-Plange was for all fevers to be properly diagnosed to ascertain whether it was malaria or not and for malaria to be properly treated with artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) and also for every Ghanaian to sleep under ITNs.
Other interventions to control malaria are indoor residual spraying, environmental management, Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to prevent malaria in pregnant women and targeted larviciding.
Another breakthrough is the development of the vaccines such as the RTS,S which is currently the most clinically advanced malaria vaccine candidate in the world.
Additionally, the INDEPTH Effectiveness and Safety Studies (INESS) will examine in real life the safety and effectiveness of anti-malarials in many districts in four African countries including Ghana.
Furthermore, initiative known as the Affordable Medicines Facility - Malaria (AMFm) is being introduced to ensure that people suffering from malaria have access to inexpensive, effective anti-malarial treatment in the form of ACTs.
Clearly, there are a lot of interventions to prevent and control malaria but for the fight against malaria to be won, a lot also depends on the amount of resources African leaders commit to it and as the Executive Secretary of AMMREN, Mrs Charity Binka notes, the commitment of African leaders in the fight against malaria is very key.
At a summit in Abuja, Nigeria, on April 25, 2000, African heads of state and governments among others committed to halve the malaria mortality for Africans by 2010, through implementing the strategies and actions for Roll Back Malaria, agreed at the summit.
For Mrs Binka, it was important for people to impress upon leadership to show commitment to the Abuja declaration so that the resolutions of that summit does not remain on paper.
"The big question is can we by the end of this year be able to proudly say that the targets to reduce malaria morbidity by half and malaria mortality by half have been achieved? asked Mrs Binka.
"Yes, we can with commitment on the part of leaders. African governments must stand up and be counted as we enter the next phase to kick out malaria from the continent. They must not fail us", she adds.
By Rebecca Kwei
Malaria received a lot of attention and visibility recently when the world celebrated World Malaria Day on April 25.
Series of activities such as workshops, radio and TV programmes, donation of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) by various organisations among others heralded the celebration.
While the day afforded us the opportunity to ponder anew on strategies to eliminate this disease which according the World Health Organisation (WHO) kills more than a million people annually, of much concern to most people is that issues of malaria will not be relegated to the background after the celebrations.
Despite the fact that malaria is preventable and treatable, the WHO estimates that more that 80 per cent of deaths due to malaria occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly among children under five years and pregnant women.
Malaria also impacts on all the eight goals of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) so the MDGs cannot be attained if malaria is not eliminated.
Although there are many interventions including control, preventive and research activities to contain the disease, last year in Ghana, 3,600,000 cases of malaria were recorded at the Out Patients Department while 3,900 deaths due to malaria were also recorded within the same period.
But the optimistic Programme Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme, Dr Constance Bart-Plange, sees a silver lining in the clouds.
"The story is not so gloomy since the country was making progress in the fight against malaria. There have been a drastic reduction in deaths due to malaria in the country and the World Health Organisation had estimated that between 2003 to 2009, 20,000 lives of children under five years would be saved" she told a group of journalists at a day's workshop organised by African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) in Accra.
Of much concern to Dr Bart-Plange was for all fevers to be properly diagnosed to ascertain whether it was malaria or not and for malaria to be properly treated with artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) and also for every Ghanaian to sleep under ITNs.
Other interventions to control malaria are indoor residual spraying, environmental management, Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to prevent malaria in pregnant women and targeted larviciding.
Another breakthrough is the development of the vaccines such as the RTS,S which is currently the most clinically advanced malaria vaccine candidate in the world.
Additionally, the INDEPTH Effectiveness and Safety Studies (INESS) will examine in real life the safety and effectiveness of anti-malarials in many districts in four African countries including Ghana.
Furthermore, initiative known as the Affordable Medicines Facility - Malaria (AMFm) is being introduced to ensure that people suffering from malaria have access to inexpensive, effective anti-malarial treatment in the form of ACTs.
Clearly, there are a lot of interventions to prevent and control malaria but for the fight against malaria to be won, a lot also depends on the amount of resources African leaders commit to it and as the Executive Secretary of AMMREN, Mrs Charity Binka notes, the commitment of African leaders in the fight against malaria is very key.
At a summit in Abuja, Nigeria, on April 25, 2000, African heads of state and governments among others committed to halve the malaria mortality for Africans by 2010, through implementing the strategies and actions for Roll Back Malaria, agreed at the summit.
For Mrs Binka, it was important for people to impress upon leadership to show commitment to the Abuja declaration so that the resolutions of that summit does not remain on paper.
"The big question is can we by the end of this year be able to proudly say that the targets to reduce malaria morbidity by half and malaria mortality by half have been achieved? asked Mrs Binka.
"Yes, we can with commitment on the part of leaders. African governments must stand up and be counted as we enter the next phase to kick out malaria from the continent. They must not fail us", she adds.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Move to make malarial drugs inexpensive
Saturday, May 1, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 13)
By Rebecca Kwei
The world celebrated World Malaria Day on Sunday, April 25, on the theme “Counting Malaria Out”.
Malaria remains a killer disease, with nearly one million people losing their lives every year.
In Ghana, malaria continues to be the leading cause of death in children under five and pregnant women.
There have been many interventions since the ‘Roll Back Malaria” initiative in1999 ,which is a combination of prevention and curative methods to reduce the malaria burden.
Among these are Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) and the use of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) which is recommended by the WHO as the first line treatment for uncomplicated malaria.
However, most ACTs are very expensive and most Ghanaians are not able to afford it, making them resort to all kinds of medications and therapies in the treatment of malaria.
Fortunately, an initiative known as the Affordable Medicines Facility - Malaria (AMFm) is being introduced to ensure that people suffering from malaria have access to inexpensive, effective anti-malarial treatment in the form of ACTs.
The pilot project for the AMFm will begin in August this year throughout the country and last for two years.
Other countries on board the AMFm initiative are Cambodia, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
The AMFm is hosted by the Global Fund with support by UNITAID and members of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.
This was made known at a day’s media briefing as part of activities marking this year’s World Malaria Day. It was organised by the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) in collaboration with the John Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programs — Voices for a Malaria-free Future Project in Accra.
According to Mr Sylvester Segbaya of the NMCP, although there were effective ACTs for the treatment of malaria, it was not affordable and the AMFm was a financing mechanism to ensure that the poor and vulnerable in the society get access to affordable medicines.
He explained that AMFm will negotiate with drug manufacturers to reduce the price of ACTs with the condition that sales prices must be the same for both public and private sector first-line buyers.
Once the manufacturer’s sales price has been reduced, the AMFm will then pay a proportion of this reduced price (buyer co-payment) directly to manufacturers to further lower the cost to eligible first-line buyers of ACTs purchased from manufacturers. This means that first-line buyers only pay the remainder of the sales price for the ACTs.
In addition, first-line buyers will be expected to pass the highest possible proportion of this price benefit so that patients are able to buy ACTs across the public, private and NGO sectors at a price competitive with that of less anti-malaria drugs.
Mr Segbaya said after 24 months, the AMFm pilot will be evaluated to determine whether there is the need for a global roll out.
He was optimistic that AMFm initiative will reduce deaths due to malaria and also knock off artemisinin monotherapies which are no longer effective for the treatment of malaria.
By Rebecca Kwei
The world celebrated World Malaria Day on Sunday, April 25, on the theme “Counting Malaria Out”.
Malaria remains a killer disease, with nearly one million people losing their lives every year.
In Ghana, malaria continues to be the leading cause of death in children under five and pregnant women.
There have been many interventions since the ‘Roll Back Malaria” initiative in1999 ,which is a combination of prevention and curative methods to reduce the malaria burden.
Among these are Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) and the use of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) which is recommended by the WHO as the first line treatment for uncomplicated malaria.
However, most ACTs are very expensive and most Ghanaians are not able to afford it, making them resort to all kinds of medications and therapies in the treatment of malaria.
Fortunately, an initiative known as the Affordable Medicines Facility - Malaria (AMFm) is being introduced to ensure that people suffering from malaria have access to inexpensive, effective anti-malarial treatment in the form of ACTs.
The pilot project for the AMFm will begin in August this year throughout the country and last for two years.
Other countries on board the AMFm initiative are Cambodia, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
The AMFm is hosted by the Global Fund with support by UNITAID and members of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.
This was made known at a day’s media briefing as part of activities marking this year’s World Malaria Day. It was organised by the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) in collaboration with the John Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programs — Voices for a Malaria-free Future Project in Accra.
According to Mr Sylvester Segbaya of the NMCP, although there were effective ACTs for the treatment of malaria, it was not affordable and the AMFm was a financing mechanism to ensure that the poor and vulnerable in the society get access to affordable medicines.
He explained that AMFm will negotiate with drug manufacturers to reduce the price of ACTs with the condition that sales prices must be the same for both public and private sector first-line buyers.
Once the manufacturer’s sales price has been reduced, the AMFm will then pay a proportion of this reduced price (buyer co-payment) directly to manufacturers to further lower the cost to eligible first-line buyers of ACTs purchased from manufacturers. This means that first-line buyers only pay the remainder of the sales price for the ACTs.
In addition, first-line buyers will be expected to pass the highest possible proportion of this price benefit so that patients are able to buy ACTs across the public, private and NGO sectors at a price competitive with that of less anti-malaria drugs.
Mr Segbaya said after 24 months, the AMFm pilot will be evaluated to determine whether there is the need for a global roll out.
He was optimistic that AMFm initiative will reduce deaths due to malaria and also knock off artemisinin monotherapies which are no longer effective for the treatment of malaria.
Malaria deaths reduce
Saturday, May 1, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 21)
By Rebecca Kwei
THREE million six hundred thousand cases of malaria were recorded at the Out Patients Department in the country last year.
Out of these 3,900 deaths due to malaria were also recorded during the same period.
The Programme Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme, Dr Constance Bart-Plange, who gave the figures, however, noted that the story was not so gloomy since the country was making progress in the fight against malaria.
For instance she said there had been a drastic reduction in deaths due to malaria in the country and the World Health Organisation had estimated that between 2003 to 2009, 20,000 lives of children under five years would be saved.
Dr Bart-Plange was making a presentation on the topic “Malaria Control in Ghana — Where are we?” at a workshop organised by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) as part of activities marking this year’s World Malaria Day which fell on April 25.
This year’s world theme was “Counting Malaria Out” while AMMREN chose the sub-theme “Counting Malaria Out in Partnership with the media”.
Dr Bart-Plange said many sicknesses present the same symptoms as malaria and it was important any fever presented at the health facility was properly confirmed through microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to be malaria.
She said the current malaria preventive strategies were indoor residual spraying, Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) , Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to prevent malaria in pregnant women, environmental management and targeted larviciding.
She expressed concern that some health personnel were still prescribing monotherapies and emphasised that the first line drug for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria was artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) such as artesunate-amodiaquine or artemether-lumefantrine.
“No more chloroquine, no more camoquine alone, no more artesunate alone for the treatment of malaria” she added.
Speaking on the topic “Linking Science to Journalism”, the General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr Sodzi Sodzi Tettey, called on media personnel to interpret information to suit the target audience so that it would be able to bring about behavioural change and effective policies.
“Science can no longer be comfortable publishing the results of papers in ivory towers and journalism can no longer be comfortable with neutral reporting on events. We must both go beyond our comfort zones, beyond the call of duty into advocacy mode,” he added.
The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana and Head, Centre for Clinical Pharmacology, University of Ghana Medical School, Dr Alex Dodoo, said the INDEPTH Network Effectiveness and Safety Studies (INESS) will provide a platform to examine the real life safety and effectiveness of anti-malarials in several districts in four African countries.
The countries are Ghana, Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Mozambique.
In Ghana the project took off last year in research sites in Dodowa, Kintampo and Navrongo.
The Executive Secretary of AMMREN, Mrs Charity Binka, said this year’s celebration of the Malaria Day gave another opportunity to re-strategise on kicking malaria out of Africa and the world.
By Rebecca Kwei
THREE million six hundred thousand cases of malaria were recorded at the Out Patients Department in the country last year.
Out of these 3,900 deaths due to malaria were also recorded during the same period.
The Programme Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme, Dr Constance Bart-Plange, who gave the figures, however, noted that the story was not so gloomy since the country was making progress in the fight against malaria.
For instance she said there had been a drastic reduction in deaths due to malaria in the country and the World Health Organisation had estimated that between 2003 to 2009, 20,000 lives of children under five years would be saved.
Dr Bart-Plange was making a presentation on the topic “Malaria Control in Ghana — Where are we?” at a workshop organised by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) as part of activities marking this year’s World Malaria Day which fell on April 25.
This year’s world theme was “Counting Malaria Out” while AMMREN chose the sub-theme “Counting Malaria Out in Partnership with the media”.
Dr Bart-Plange said many sicknesses present the same symptoms as malaria and it was important any fever presented at the health facility was properly confirmed through microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to be malaria.
She said the current malaria preventive strategies were indoor residual spraying, Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) , Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to prevent malaria in pregnant women, environmental management and targeted larviciding.
She expressed concern that some health personnel were still prescribing monotherapies and emphasised that the first line drug for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria was artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) such as artesunate-amodiaquine or artemether-lumefantrine.
“No more chloroquine, no more camoquine alone, no more artesunate alone for the treatment of malaria” she added.
Speaking on the topic “Linking Science to Journalism”, the General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr Sodzi Sodzi Tettey, called on media personnel to interpret information to suit the target audience so that it would be able to bring about behavioural change and effective policies.
“Science can no longer be comfortable publishing the results of papers in ivory towers and journalism can no longer be comfortable with neutral reporting on events. We must both go beyond our comfort zones, beyond the call of duty into advocacy mode,” he added.
The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana and Head, Centre for Clinical Pharmacology, University of Ghana Medical School, Dr Alex Dodoo, said the INDEPTH Network Effectiveness and Safety Studies (INESS) will provide a platform to examine the real life safety and effectiveness of anti-malarials in several districts in four African countries.
The countries are Ghana, Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Mozambique.
In Ghana the project took off last year in research sites in Dodowa, Kintampo and Navrongo.
The Executive Secretary of AMMREN, Mrs Charity Binka, said this year’s celebration of the Malaria Day gave another opportunity to re-strategise on kicking malaria out of Africa and the world.
Khareema — A desire to glitter
Saturday, May 1, 2010 (Pg 3)
By Rebecca Kwei
If you have seen Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s newest movie, Checkmate, then you have an idea of how vilely some people can guide their pals but actress Khareema Aguiar would not have been there playing the part of the ignoble friend to Nadia Buari if she had not ‘accidentally’ landed in the All That Glitters series on television five years ago.
She accompanied a friend to audition for a role in the series. Little did she know she would be persuaded by the producers to audition as well and eventually land the lead part in the project.
Khareema gained some attention when she played Angela in the All That Glitters lead role series on TV 3 in 2005. It was also shown in Jamaica, the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
“I was not keen on acting. I only accompanied a friend to try her luck for a role but one thing led to another and I had to audition as well. I guess I impressed the panel and eventually got the role,” she recalled in an interview with The Mirror.
According to Khareema, she tremendously enjoyed herself during the production of All That Glitters as the cast and crew were very well taken care of. That being her first acting role, she says she was really ‘spoiled’ on the set.
After that pampering on All That Glitters, Khareema said she was offered a few other movie roles but did not fancy them because she felt she wouldn’t get the same pleasant treatment she had while filming All That Glitters. But then, she made up her mind at some point to get back into acting and Checkmate came along with the role of Jessica for her.
In both All That Glitters and Checkmate, Khareema played a malevolent character very well but says she is not like that in real life.
“I’m just a normal young lady who wants things to happen for her. I’m friendly and the homely type,” she said as she fidgeted with her i-phone during the interview.
Sporting a knee-length flowered dress, the big-framed Khareema said since being in Checkmate, she has also shot two more movies — Love Game which starred Jim Iyke, a Nigerian actor and Yvonne Nelson and Wrong Line which had Ini Edo, also from Nigeria.
The two movies, which were produced by David Owusu of Media 5, will be released later this year.
Khareema who is in her twenties, attended St Theresa’s School at North Kaneshie in Accra and then to St Mary’s Secondary School, also in Accra, where she offered Home Economics because she loved to cook.
She continued her education at the Central University College up to Level 300 but deferred her course to take care of her sick mother and also give birth to a baby boy, Zini, who is about two years old. She plans on going back to complete her university education.
Although, she never planned to go into acting, Khareema said her interest in showbiz sprung out of her involvement with journalism and radio presenting. Right after completing St Mary’s, she landed a job at Happy FM in Accra where she read the news with Gideon Aryeequaye.
She then moved to Hitz FM where she read the entertainment news on The Scoop and also presented Shout the Hits with Michael Quayson on Saturdays where people called in to request songs.
Aside acting, Khareema is also business-minded. While at the university, she started an events organising company, Divarheema, which introduced the first ‘Akwaaba Night’ on campus.
She also owns a cold store, High Scales Butchery and Foods in Osu, Accra, and has plans to open a boutique soon.
Khareema says one of the challenges she faces now is how to effectively juggle between acting and being a mother.
Asked if she is not ‘harrassed’ by fans of the opposite sex, she said “these things are bound to happen but you will have to be matured about it and know how to deal with it.”
Khareema says she is very grateful to her family, especially George Wayne and Gibril Aguiar who have been very supportive.
She takes inspiration from Oprah Winfrey, the popular US talk show hostess whom she describes as ‘the voice of the voiceless.’
When not acting or taking care of her businesses, Khareema loves to spend time with her son, Zini.
Though initially not too keen on acting, Khareema is now all out for it and strongly believes she is the next big star to glitter on our screens.
By Rebecca Kwei
If you have seen Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s newest movie, Checkmate, then you have an idea of how vilely some people can guide their pals but actress Khareema Aguiar would not have been there playing the part of the ignoble friend to Nadia Buari if she had not ‘accidentally’ landed in the All That Glitters series on television five years ago.
She accompanied a friend to audition for a role in the series. Little did she know she would be persuaded by the producers to audition as well and eventually land the lead part in the project.
Khareema gained some attention when she played Angela in the All That Glitters lead role series on TV 3 in 2005. It was also shown in Jamaica, the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
“I was not keen on acting. I only accompanied a friend to try her luck for a role but one thing led to another and I had to audition as well. I guess I impressed the panel and eventually got the role,” she recalled in an interview with The Mirror.
According to Khareema, she tremendously enjoyed herself during the production of All That Glitters as the cast and crew were very well taken care of. That being her first acting role, she says she was really ‘spoiled’ on the set.
After that pampering on All That Glitters, Khareema said she was offered a few other movie roles but did not fancy them because she felt she wouldn’t get the same pleasant treatment she had while filming All That Glitters. But then, she made up her mind at some point to get back into acting and Checkmate came along with the role of Jessica for her.
In both All That Glitters and Checkmate, Khareema played a malevolent character very well but says she is not like that in real life.
“I’m just a normal young lady who wants things to happen for her. I’m friendly and the homely type,” she said as she fidgeted with her i-phone during the interview.
Sporting a knee-length flowered dress, the big-framed Khareema said since being in Checkmate, she has also shot two more movies — Love Game which starred Jim Iyke, a Nigerian actor and Yvonne Nelson and Wrong Line which had Ini Edo, also from Nigeria.
The two movies, which were produced by David Owusu of Media 5, will be released later this year.
Khareema who is in her twenties, attended St Theresa’s School at North Kaneshie in Accra and then to St Mary’s Secondary School, also in Accra, where she offered Home Economics because she loved to cook.
She continued her education at the Central University College up to Level 300 but deferred her course to take care of her sick mother and also give birth to a baby boy, Zini, who is about two years old. She plans on going back to complete her university education.
Although, she never planned to go into acting, Khareema said her interest in showbiz sprung out of her involvement with journalism and radio presenting. Right after completing St Mary’s, she landed a job at Happy FM in Accra where she read the news with Gideon Aryeequaye.
She then moved to Hitz FM where she read the entertainment news on The Scoop and also presented Shout the Hits with Michael Quayson on Saturdays where people called in to request songs.
Aside acting, Khareema is also business-minded. While at the university, she started an events organising company, Divarheema, which introduced the first ‘Akwaaba Night’ on campus.
She also owns a cold store, High Scales Butchery and Foods in Osu, Accra, and has plans to open a boutique soon.
Khareema says one of the challenges she faces now is how to effectively juggle between acting and being a mother.
Asked if she is not ‘harrassed’ by fans of the opposite sex, she said “these things are bound to happen but you will have to be matured about it and know how to deal with it.”
Khareema says she is very grateful to her family, especially George Wayne and Gibril Aguiar who have been very supportive.
She takes inspiration from Oprah Winfrey, the popular US talk show hostess whom she describes as ‘the voice of the voiceless.’
When not acting or taking care of her businesses, Khareema loves to spend time with her son, Zini.
Though initially not too keen on acting, Khareema is now all out for it and strongly believes she is the next big star to glitter on our screens.
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