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.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
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.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Support African tobacco farmers
Saturday, April 24, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 34)
By Rebecca Kwei
The Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, has called for support for tobacco farmers in African countries to enable them to venture into other alternative livelihoods.
In a speech on his behalf, the Health Minister said emerging studies showed that there were a range of alternatives to tobacco growing that were more economically viable and less harmful to farmers’ health and the environment.
Dr Kunbuor made the call at the opening session of the second meeting of the working group on economically sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing in relation to Articles 17 and 18 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in Accra.
The WHO FCTC on tobacco control was developed in response to the globalisation of the tobacco epidemic.
It is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health.
About 30 participants from 18 WHO-member countries are attending the three-day meeting to provide practical guidelines on how to achieve the goals of Articles 17 and 18 which deal with economically sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing and protection of the environment.
Dr Kunbuor noted that many tobacco farmers would like to switch to alternatives, but they often faced challenges such as access to credits, markets, technical assistance, inputs and skills.
He, therefore, expressed the hope that the deliberations at the meeting “will work towards diminishing these barriers, and if protected from interference by the tobacco industry, will assist farmers and other tobacco workers in securing long-term sustainable livelihoods”.
He said the world was waiting for proposals of the working group, since its efforts would impact on the lives of some of the poorest people not only in Africa but around the world.
He said the tobacco industry had for a long time used farmers to slow down ratification and implementation of the WHO FCTC even though the farmers did not really benefit from their hard work and the big profits of the tobacco industry.
The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Amofah, who chaired the meeting, said the issue of tobacco growing and its products were complex and challenging and there was the need to design effective strategies to overcome them.
He appealed to the participants to devise ways of monitoring the implementation of key decisions in order to be able to measure progress.
The Head of the Convention Secretariat, WHO Framework on Tobacco Control, Dr Haik Nilogosian, said this was the first time a working group meeting was being held in Africa and pledged the secretariat’s support for the success of the meeting.
By Rebecca Kwei
The Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, has called for support for tobacco farmers in African countries to enable them to venture into other alternative livelihoods.
In a speech on his behalf, the Health Minister said emerging studies showed that there were a range of alternatives to tobacco growing that were more economically viable and less harmful to farmers’ health and the environment.
Dr Kunbuor made the call at the opening session of the second meeting of the working group on economically sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing in relation to Articles 17 and 18 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in Accra.
The WHO FCTC on tobacco control was developed in response to the globalisation of the tobacco epidemic.
It is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health.
About 30 participants from 18 WHO-member countries are attending the three-day meeting to provide practical guidelines on how to achieve the goals of Articles 17 and 18 which deal with economically sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing and protection of the environment.
Dr Kunbuor noted that many tobacco farmers would like to switch to alternatives, but they often faced challenges such as access to credits, markets, technical assistance, inputs and skills.
He, therefore, expressed the hope that the deliberations at the meeting “will work towards diminishing these barriers, and if protected from interference by the tobacco industry, will assist farmers and other tobacco workers in securing long-term sustainable livelihoods”.
He said the world was waiting for proposals of the working group, since its efforts would impact on the lives of some of the poorest people not only in Africa but around the world.
He said the tobacco industry had for a long time used farmers to slow down ratification and implementation of the WHO FCTC even though the farmers did not really benefit from their hard work and the big profits of the tobacco industry.
The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Amofah, who chaired the meeting, said the issue of tobacco growing and its products were complex and challenging and there was the need to design effective strategies to overcome them.
He appealed to the participants to devise ways of monitoring the implementation of key decisions in order to be able to measure progress.
The Head of the Convention Secretariat, WHO Framework on Tobacco Control, Dr Haik Nilogosian, said this was the first time a working group meeting was being held in Africa and pledged the secretariat’s support for the success of the meeting.
Raquel — The budding music talent
Saturday, April 24, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 3)
By Rebecca Kwei
WITH a smooth voice, impressive versatility and an elegant pose, Raquel Ammah, a budding music talent believes she has what it takes to bring a new revolution to the Ghanaian music industry.
Raquel presents an exotic style, yet in some of her tracks, she still succeeds in lacing her music with good local vibes.
“My music is evolving, expressive, full of sweet melodies and also talks about real life issues,” she remarked.
The young songbird grew up listening to all kinds of music from highlife, reggae to R&B; her versatility and taste for different music genres comes along with their own challenges. Interestingly, she finds it difficult to describe her genre of music, although admittedly, a soulful singer and writer.
“It is a mixture of everything. It’s hard to say which genre because I can venture into all kinds of genres,” she explained.
Get Wild, is the title of Raquel’s first record, produced in early 2009 and it featured local rap stars, Guru and Sarkodie. Although it was not officially released, a few DJs laid their hands on it and it received a fair amount of air play.
“I could not believe what was happening after the first record. It was really good and getting the right people to hear it opened many other doors for me,” she reminisced.
She is currently working on her single hit titled Odo and the music video which would be released in June. However, she has other hit songs such as Be in love featuring S Konti, This is Me, Minsumobo with JB and Pressure featuring Guru.
Asked how she got into music, Raquel with a smile said, “probably when you ask my mom, she will say I started when I came out of her womb”.
From an early age, Raquel, who says she is very shy, hid her musical talent but would rather write poems, songs and short stories, until one day she performed by singing at her grandparents home.
She wowed with her singing ability and her family, seeing her talent encouraged her which propelled her to perform at talent shows.
At the age of eight, Raquel formed a duo with her sister, Matilda, who was then 10 years.
“We were like a little Mel and Kim of the mid 80s with the hit record “Showing Out (Get fresh at the weekend) performing at various functions” she recalled.
Later on in life, her sister went into acting, while Raquel concentrated on her music.
Raquel, who is in her early twenties, was born to Mark and Dinah Asabea Ammah in London but said she came back home almost every other year for vacation.
She attended West Thames College where she obtained a diploma in Performing Arts and the first person to be awarded a triple distinction in the 2004/2005 academic year.
While in college, she won a talent show twice which was hosted by Richard Blackwood, a popular presenter and DJ of Choice FM in London.
Her first major gig in London was when she opened the 2005 Miss Ghana UK beauty pageant.
She took a little break from music to concentrate on her education when she gained admission to the University of Surrey, Roehampton to study Drama,Theatre and Performing Arts, graduating in 2008.
It was after her university education that she came back for vacation in Ghana again and then one thing led to another — she being invited to perform at shows and recording in the studios such that she decided to stay and concentrate on her music career.
She also competed in ‘Grab the Mic’ a show which sought to hunt for Star’s Brand Ambassador last year where she was the first runner up.
Raquel’s hit release ‘This is Me’ featured in Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s movie — A Sting in a Tale. She also featured on Obrafour’s current album with a track called Tell Me.
Since recording in Ghana, the songstress has been actively featured by a host of talented artist in the Ghana music industry. Raquel has worked with the likes of Quota, Trigmatic, DBlack, EL.., Guru, Saccade, JAB, Rakimilist, Squint (Anansedemz), Edem, Jazzy, Obibini, Jah Seed, BlackSheperd and many more.
Raquel, who is managed by Black Star SR Entertainment, is multi talented — a composer, choreographer, actress, script writer and a drawing artist.
Aside working on her hit single Odo, Raquel is also involved in two theatrical productions. She is a supporting actress in When the Music Stops, which is produced by Playhouse and will roll at the National Theatre on May 7 and 8, 2010.
She is also playing the lead role as Maria in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Sound of Music produced by Bana Rackor Consult, which will also be showing at the National Theatre later in the year.
Raquel is also a good dancer and says she can perform all kinds of dance from street dance to ballet and it is her desire to impact her knowledge of dance to young children in Ghana at a later stage through her own upcoming foundation.
“I wish to teach children the importance of art. There is more meaning to body movements, usage of voice, space, among other things when it comes to art. Every movement in dance is an expression. Every element of art leads to some kind of feeling, expression and emotion” she said.
Consequently, for her social responsibility, Raquel hopes to work with children in the areas of education, health, among others.
She gave a candle light inspirational performance at the Alliance Francaise in support of World AIDS Day 2009 concert.
She conceded that being a female in the music industry was not easy adding, “you have to be humble but firm, loyal and honest about your work. I will not trade my music for anything. Failure is an opportunity in disguise”.
Raquel, a very confident lady with a strong presence on stage in the next five years, is looking at having released at least two albums which will be making waves not only in Ghana but across the globe. She also hopes to travel and put Ghana music on the international scene.
By Rebecca Kwei
WITH a smooth voice, impressive versatility and an elegant pose, Raquel Ammah, a budding music talent believes she has what it takes to bring a new revolution to the Ghanaian music industry.
Raquel presents an exotic style, yet in some of her tracks, she still succeeds in lacing her music with good local vibes.
“My music is evolving, expressive, full of sweet melodies and also talks about real life issues,” she remarked.
The young songbird grew up listening to all kinds of music from highlife, reggae to R&B; her versatility and taste for different music genres comes along with their own challenges. Interestingly, she finds it difficult to describe her genre of music, although admittedly, a soulful singer and writer.
“It is a mixture of everything. It’s hard to say which genre because I can venture into all kinds of genres,” she explained.
Get Wild, is the title of Raquel’s first record, produced in early 2009 and it featured local rap stars, Guru and Sarkodie. Although it was not officially released, a few DJs laid their hands on it and it received a fair amount of air play.
“I could not believe what was happening after the first record. It was really good and getting the right people to hear it opened many other doors for me,” she reminisced.
She is currently working on her single hit titled Odo and the music video which would be released in June. However, she has other hit songs such as Be in love featuring S Konti, This is Me, Minsumobo with JB and Pressure featuring Guru.
Asked how she got into music, Raquel with a smile said, “probably when you ask my mom, she will say I started when I came out of her womb”.
From an early age, Raquel, who says she is very shy, hid her musical talent but would rather write poems, songs and short stories, until one day she performed by singing at her grandparents home.
She wowed with her singing ability and her family, seeing her talent encouraged her which propelled her to perform at talent shows.
At the age of eight, Raquel formed a duo with her sister, Matilda, who was then 10 years.
“We were like a little Mel and Kim of the mid 80s with the hit record “Showing Out (Get fresh at the weekend) performing at various functions” she recalled.
Later on in life, her sister went into acting, while Raquel concentrated on her music.
Raquel, who is in her early twenties, was born to Mark and Dinah Asabea Ammah in London but said she came back home almost every other year for vacation.
She attended West Thames College where she obtained a diploma in Performing Arts and the first person to be awarded a triple distinction in the 2004/2005 academic year.
While in college, she won a talent show twice which was hosted by Richard Blackwood, a popular presenter and DJ of Choice FM in London.
Her first major gig in London was when she opened the 2005 Miss Ghana UK beauty pageant.
She took a little break from music to concentrate on her education when she gained admission to the University of Surrey, Roehampton to study Drama,Theatre and Performing Arts, graduating in 2008.
It was after her university education that she came back for vacation in Ghana again and then one thing led to another — she being invited to perform at shows and recording in the studios such that she decided to stay and concentrate on her music career.
She also competed in ‘Grab the Mic’ a show which sought to hunt for Star’s Brand Ambassador last year where she was the first runner up.
Raquel’s hit release ‘This is Me’ featured in Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s movie — A Sting in a Tale. She also featured on Obrafour’s current album with a track called Tell Me.
Since recording in Ghana, the songstress has been actively featured by a host of talented artist in the Ghana music industry. Raquel has worked with the likes of Quota, Trigmatic, DBlack, EL.., Guru, Saccade, JAB, Rakimilist, Squint (Anansedemz), Edem, Jazzy, Obibini, Jah Seed, BlackSheperd and many more.
Raquel, who is managed by Black Star SR Entertainment, is multi talented — a composer, choreographer, actress, script writer and a drawing artist.
Aside working on her hit single Odo, Raquel is also involved in two theatrical productions. She is a supporting actress in When the Music Stops, which is produced by Playhouse and will roll at the National Theatre on May 7 and 8, 2010.
She is also playing the lead role as Maria in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Sound of Music produced by Bana Rackor Consult, which will also be showing at the National Theatre later in the year.
Raquel is also a good dancer and says she can perform all kinds of dance from street dance to ballet and it is her desire to impact her knowledge of dance to young children in Ghana at a later stage through her own upcoming foundation.
“I wish to teach children the importance of art. There is more meaning to body movements, usage of voice, space, among other things when it comes to art. Every movement in dance is an expression. Every element of art leads to some kind of feeling, expression and emotion” she said.
Consequently, for her social responsibility, Raquel hopes to work with children in the areas of education, health, among others.
She gave a candle light inspirational performance at the Alliance Francaise in support of World AIDS Day 2009 concert.
She conceded that being a female in the music industry was not easy adding, “you have to be humble but firm, loyal and honest about your work. I will not trade my music for anything. Failure is an opportunity in disguise”.
Raquel, a very confident lady with a strong presence on stage in the next five years, is looking at having released at least two albums which will be making waves not only in Ghana but across the globe. She also hopes to travel and put Ghana music on the international scene.
Meet Yvonne — New GhIS President
Saturday, April 24, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 3)
By Rebecca Kwei
In times past when the surveying profession was mentioned, it was certainly associated with men.
But that is changing now, as more women are taking to what is a largely a male-dominated field.
One of such women is Surveyor Yvonne Odoley Sowah, who has risen through the ranks of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) to become the second female President in the 41-year history of the institute.
She was co-opted into the Divisional Committee of the institution in 1990, then elected on to the Valuation and Estate Surveying Divisional Committee and became the Honorary Secretary of the institution for two terms from 1993 to 1995 and subsequently the Chairperson of the Valuation and Estate Surveying Division for an unprecedented four- term period (2003-2007).
After all that, Ms Sowah became the Vice-President of the GhIS (2008-2009), the Senior Vice-President for 2009-2010 and now the President for the 2010-2011 session.
She sees her election as a humbling experience and of mixed emotions, saying, “Although I expected it to happen, when it happened it was surreal and I had mixed feelings.”
The first woman to head the institution was Surveyor Dr Mrs Matilda Fiadzigbey, a former Administrator at the Office of the Administration of Stool Lands.
Ms Sowah, who was sworn in on February 27, 2010, will serve as President for a one-year term. She took over from Surveyor Kwadwo Osei-Asante
“I originally wanted to read Law but with a quirk of fate I ended up at the University of Science and Technology (now the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to read Land Economy and I have not regretted,” she told The Mirror in an interview.
She said during her time in the university, there were only two females reading Land Economy, noting that the situation was changing, and although she could not give figures, she said many more women were majoring in that field.
Having been elected as President of the institution, Ms Sowah, who is a Valuation Surveyor and Managing Director of Alpha Property Services Limited, has a tall order which she hopes will make the institution be seen and heard.
“For a long time surveyors in general have been ‘after thoughts’ in the development planning agenda of the country and it is about time that changed because surveyors are very relevant — anything to do with land, sea or air,” she emphasised.
To do that, Ms Sowah said the first thing was to strengthen the secretariat to help deliver quality service to members of the institution so that decisions of the Governing Council were disseminated to all promptly.
Also, it is her desire to ensure that members appreciate the benefits of the institution so that together they can help the institution grow in stature for members’ views to be sought in all matters of national development.
Research is designed to solve a particular existing problem and it is also vital to our everyday decision-making.
So for her, an effective research unit for the institution to help in the provision of effective indices and data for all the services provided by the three divisions of the institution, namely, Quantity Surveying, Land Surveying and Valuation and Estate.
For instance, she said she expected the Valuation and Estate Division to ensure that the valuation format was utilised for the development of a database of information relevant for the mortgage banks, banks in general, the Statistical Service and the Bank of Ghana for establishing housing indices.
“The Quantity Surveying Division is to develop a cost data on construction cost to help the government ascertain whether housing developments are really affordable or not and come up with ways of reducing construction costs,” she explained.
Ms Sowah is also worried about the infiltration of people into the profession.
“Anybody gets up and says ‘I’m a surveyor’ and starts practising. We need to regulate the surveying practice and also set up a place where people can go for redress,” she said.
In pursuance of this, she said the promulgation of the Survey Council and the Real Estate Agency bills which would help sanitise the surveying practice and had taken nearly a decade to be passed would be followed up.
Ms Sowah is the eldest daughter of the late Mr Justice E. N. P. Sowah, a former Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Anglican Archdiocese of Accra, and Mrs Elsie Sowah.
She had her pre-school and primary education at the Ghana International School (GIS) and Achimota Primary.
She gained her GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels from Achimota School, Accra High School and OLA Secondary School, Ho, between 1965 and 1974. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Land Economy from KNUST in 1978.
After her university education, Ms Sowah had her national service at the Estate Department of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) from 1978 to 1979.
She left for Nigeria after her national service and worked with a chartered surveying firm — Epega & Co — as a valuer for six years.
She returned to her motherland in the latter part of 1986 and for two and a half years worked with Property Investments Consultants.
In 1989, together with Edward Dwomoh Appiah as senior partner, she set up Alpha Property Services, of which she was a managing partner till 2007 when it became a limited liability company. Now Alpha Property Services is a wholly female owned company. Her other partner is Mrs Ellen Arthur.
According to Ms Sowah, it had not been easy operating in a male-dominated field, adding, “Being female, you have to go the extra mile so that your male colleagues do not find any fault with your work. But over the years, I have carved a niche in the estate agency field and that has helped me.”
Ms Sowah is blessed with three boys — Paa Kow, who is working in Canada; Desmond, a student at KNUST, and David, who is in 11th Grade.
By Rebecca Kwei
In times past when the surveying profession was mentioned, it was certainly associated with men.
But that is changing now, as more women are taking to what is a largely a male-dominated field.
One of such women is Surveyor Yvonne Odoley Sowah, who has risen through the ranks of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) to become the second female President in the 41-year history of the institute.
She was co-opted into the Divisional Committee of the institution in 1990, then elected on to the Valuation and Estate Surveying Divisional Committee and became the Honorary Secretary of the institution for two terms from 1993 to 1995 and subsequently the Chairperson of the Valuation and Estate Surveying Division for an unprecedented four- term period (2003-2007).
After all that, Ms Sowah became the Vice-President of the GhIS (2008-2009), the Senior Vice-President for 2009-2010 and now the President for the 2010-2011 session.
She sees her election as a humbling experience and of mixed emotions, saying, “Although I expected it to happen, when it happened it was surreal and I had mixed feelings.”
The first woman to head the institution was Surveyor Dr Mrs Matilda Fiadzigbey, a former Administrator at the Office of the Administration of Stool Lands.
Ms Sowah, who was sworn in on February 27, 2010, will serve as President for a one-year term. She took over from Surveyor Kwadwo Osei-Asante
“I originally wanted to read Law but with a quirk of fate I ended up at the University of Science and Technology (now the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to read Land Economy and I have not regretted,” she told The Mirror in an interview.
She said during her time in the university, there were only two females reading Land Economy, noting that the situation was changing, and although she could not give figures, she said many more women were majoring in that field.
Having been elected as President of the institution, Ms Sowah, who is a Valuation Surveyor and Managing Director of Alpha Property Services Limited, has a tall order which she hopes will make the institution be seen and heard.
“For a long time surveyors in general have been ‘after thoughts’ in the development planning agenda of the country and it is about time that changed because surveyors are very relevant — anything to do with land, sea or air,” she emphasised.
To do that, Ms Sowah said the first thing was to strengthen the secretariat to help deliver quality service to members of the institution so that decisions of the Governing Council were disseminated to all promptly.
Also, it is her desire to ensure that members appreciate the benefits of the institution so that together they can help the institution grow in stature for members’ views to be sought in all matters of national development.
Research is designed to solve a particular existing problem and it is also vital to our everyday decision-making.
So for her, an effective research unit for the institution to help in the provision of effective indices and data for all the services provided by the three divisions of the institution, namely, Quantity Surveying, Land Surveying and Valuation and Estate.
For instance, she said she expected the Valuation and Estate Division to ensure that the valuation format was utilised for the development of a database of information relevant for the mortgage banks, banks in general, the Statistical Service and the Bank of Ghana for establishing housing indices.
“The Quantity Surveying Division is to develop a cost data on construction cost to help the government ascertain whether housing developments are really affordable or not and come up with ways of reducing construction costs,” she explained.
Ms Sowah is also worried about the infiltration of people into the profession.
“Anybody gets up and says ‘I’m a surveyor’ and starts practising. We need to regulate the surveying practice and also set up a place where people can go for redress,” she said.
In pursuance of this, she said the promulgation of the Survey Council and the Real Estate Agency bills which would help sanitise the surveying practice and had taken nearly a decade to be passed would be followed up.
Ms Sowah is the eldest daughter of the late Mr Justice E. N. P. Sowah, a former Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Anglican Archdiocese of Accra, and Mrs Elsie Sowah.
She had her pre-school and primary education at the Ghana International School (GIS) and Achimota Primary.
She gained her GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels from Achimota School, Accra High School and OLA Secondary School, Ho, between 1965 and 1974. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Land Economy from KNUST in 1978.
After her university education, Ms Sowah had her national service at the Estate Department of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) from 1978 to 1979.
She left for Nigeria after her national service and worked with a chartered surveying firm — Epega & Co — as a valuer for six years.
She returned to her motherland in the latter part of 1986 and for two and a half years worked with Property Investments Consultants.
In 1989, together with Edward Dwomoh Appiah as senior partner, she set up Alpha Property Services, of which she was a managing partner till 2007 when it became a limited liability company. Now Alpha Property Services is a wholly female owned company. Her other partner is Mrs Ellen Arthur.
According to Ms Sowah, it had not been easy operating in a male-dominated field, adding, “Being female, you have to go the extra mile so that your male colleagues do not find any fault with your work. But over the years, I have carved a niche in the estate agency field and that has helped me.”
Ms Sowah is blessed with three boys — Paa Kow, who is working in Canada; Desmond, a student at KNUST, and David, who is in 11th Grade.
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