Getting to Know Dementia is not Witchcraft: The Story of Maame (Grandmother). My Version of Storied Health and Illness By Maame Agyeiwaa Agyei (PhD Student, Health Communication, University of Memphis)

 

                                 

                            

                                                            

                                                            

              

                                       

Two Ghanaians Shortlisted for Next Einstein Forum’s Challenge of Invention

Two young Ghanaians-Addae Obeng Benjamin and Achiri Arnold have been shortlisted for the 2020 edition of Next Einstein Forum’s (NEF) Challenge of Invention to Innovation (Ci2i) finals.

They are among 25 finalists who will be converging in Nairobi, Kenya, from 10-13 March for the competition which comes with an enviable $25,000 prize.

Addae Obeng, Aleph Engineering has developed a Hardware and software solutions for enhancing physiotherapy in children with cerebral palsy whilst Achiri, Traveler Inc.has also developed an information system app that detects accidents in real-time and sends a distress signal to ambulances and authorities.

The Managing Director of the Next Einstein Forum, Nathalie Munyampenda, in a press statement said “The third cohort of Ci2i finalists, selected from 260 applications, are ambitious African innovators developing scalable solutions to local challenges in agriculture, integration and logistics, personalized and precision health, power and energy.”

The 25 finalists will not only be pitched for a $25,000 prize in each category but also be connected to investors in a one-of-a-kind ‘Sciencepreneur Investor Meetup’, she added.

Selected with the support of Co-creation Hub, finalists include the creators of an overweight and obesity tracking database, portable solar-powered solution against post-harvest milk losses, ophthalmic devices emerging as the world’s first definitive treatment of glaucoma, an online blood bank connecting hospitals, and two innovations aiming to ease the burden of doing business in Africa: a cryptocurrency and industrial IoT solution.

The 25 were selected by reviewing project’s potential for impact, technological readiness and the potential for commercialization. Winners will be announced on 13th March 2020.

They will be treated to a lab-style bootcamp, held before the NEF Global Gathering 2020 in Nairobi starting on 10th March.

The bootcamp will involve pitch preparation and investment readiness sessions. At the end of it, the young sciencepreneurs will gain knowledge of how to create and deliver value through their solutions as well as understanding funding options & valuations.

Ms. Munyampenda said “For the last six years we have been working with young African innovators whose disruptive and transformative innovations in health, agriculture and fintech are having a wider impact for African citizens. We are once again honored to give these 25 brilliant Sciencepreneurs, the NEF platform to catapult from and to connect them with the investors they need to scale impact.”

Meet the 25 Ci2i Finalists

Sadiq Temitayo from Nigeria for AirSynQ: An automated aerial surveillance system powered by balloon satellites, for monitoring oil and gas pipeline assets in a bid to curb oil theft and vandalism

Addae Obeng Benjamin from Ghana for Aleph Engineering: Hardware and software solutions for enhancing physiotherapy in children with cerebral palsy.

Moussa Thiam from Senegal for CABA: A real-time hydroclimatic risk monitoring system used to track and provide flood risk information to low-income communities.

Philippa Ngaju Makobore from Uganda for ECGF: An affordable Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion Set (ECGF) that regulates and delivers intravenous fluids or medication to patients.

Abraham Natukunda from Rwanda for eNose: An analytics platform that increases tea processing procedures using low power sensor devices and a data analytics engine.

Albert Kure from Nigeria for FrontierSS: At the intersection of facilitating STEM education and the creation of education solutions.

Nzambi Matee from Kenya for Gjenge: An alternative building manufacturing company that recycles plastic waste.

Salma Bouggarani from Morocco Green WATECH: A patented, eco-innovative and efficient Multi-Soil Layering (MSL) system for municipal wastewater treatment.

Oghenetega Iortim from Nigeria for GRICD: Rechargeable, trackable, mobile cold boxes that enables businesses store and transport temperature-sensitive commodities.

Chijo Bare from Nigeria for Hydrotriciton: A water-powered, emission-free, generating set that utilizes water as an input fuel and through cost-effective hydrogen gas production.

Ifeanyi Christopher Chukwurah from Nigeria for Ifymoto: An insect farming enterprise creating a protein-packed, cheap and high-quality alternative to the unsustainable livestock feed.

Melissa Bime from Cameroon for INFIUSS: An online blood bank that connects hospitals with blood banks especially those that lack them.

Joshua Fisher from South Africa for LIQID Medical: Innovative and high impact ophthalmic devices that fight global blindness.

Percy Lemtukei from Kenya for MaziwaPlus Prechiller: A non-refrigerant mobile solar-powered milk chiller with farmer management and milk collection platform.

Nsereko Mike from Uganda for MiNi Money: A peer to peer mobile/blockchain technology that reduces Africa’s high cost of remittances from 14% to 7%, and even further to 2%.

Menyo Innocent from Uganda for M-SCAN: A portable affordable power-efficient ultrasound devices that are compatible with laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

Yankho Kaimila from Malawi for Nutrition Wellness Center: A center for the prevention and management of overweight and obesity and dietary-related diseases.

Abasifreke James from Nigeria for POKER: Blockchain development of innovative solutions for banks and fintech companies, including government security agencies.

Okey Esse from Nigeria for Powerstove Offgrid: Affordable smokeless clean cookstove that uses 70% less of biomass and cooks food 5 times quicker, saving households $300 annually.

Olubanjo Olugbenga from Nigeria for Reeddi: Sustainably provides clean, reliable and affordable electricity to individuals, households and businesses operating in energy-poor regions.

Fela Akinse from Nigeria for Salubata: Modular and customizable shoes made from recycled plastic.

Abdou Maman from Niger for Tele Irrigation: Long-distance mobile, solar and IOT captor water distribution, real-time farm monitoring, and data collection.

Achiri Arnold from Ghana for Traveler Inc: An information system app that detects accidents in real-time and sends a distress signal to ambulances and authorities.

Adulai Barry from Guinea Bissau for Ubuntu2S: Intelligent solar home system (SHS) kits and solar kiosks, developed with open solutions and mobile money payments.

Kolawole Oluwatomisin from Nigeria for Vinsighte: A digital health venture that aids the visually impaired to live more comfortably and achieve their full potentials.

By Maame Agyeiwaa Agyei

Ethiopian is top performing Cargo Airline by Guangzhou Airport

Ethiopian Airlines, the Largest Aviation Group in Africa and SKYTRAX Certified Four Star Global Airline, has been awarded gold prize as the top performing cargo transportation airline twice in a row.

The award was handed to Ethiopian Airlines for being the first airline among top 10 cargo operators to the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

A statement from the Airline said the Award was announced at the Customers Annual Meeting, organised by Guangzhou Bayiun International Airport.

It said Ethiopian had the largest share, more than 11 per cent of the total international cargo transportation at the Airport.

The Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, said: “We are very honoured that Guangzhou Airport has recognised us with this prestigious award."

It said Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics, which operates nine ultra-modern Boeing 777 Freighters, each with 100 tonnes uplift capacity, was facilitating trade flow between Africa and the rest of the world, thereby contributing to the economic development of the continent.

The statement said in particular, it was playing an important role in the success of the China One Belt One Road Initiative by availing critical air infrastructure that was boosting cargo export and import between Africa and China.

"I wish to thank all my colleagues at Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics for this well-deserved recognition and encourage them to work even harder to support Africa’s economic transformation,” it said.

Ethiopian won this award for the second time in a row out performing competitor airlines by transporting 38,800 tonnes of import and export cargo to and from Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou in 2018 alone.

New skills development initiative aims to bring Ghanaian girls into STEM fold

With a significant drop-out rate of girls from primary school to secondary school and college, one new initiative in Ghana aims to improve the country's innovation, competitiveness and productivity by bringing more girls into the formal digital fold.

A report by the World Wide Web foundation found that women in poor urban areas in developing countries are 50% less likely to use the Internet than men. 

FemiTI is a project initiated by the DreamOval Foundation, that aims to train young girls to develop problem-solving skills through coding and robotics and empower them to facilitate technology creation to generate opportunities for Societal Transformation, thereby ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education.

 The first edition of FemiTI has just been concluded in partnership with SAP.

According to reports, 75% of girls in Ghana attend primary school, but there's a significant drop in girls in high school and college.

The DreamOval Foundation believes this gap can be bridged through the active development of women by introducing them to STEM-related programmes. 

Senior Vice President at the DreamOval Foundation, Francis Ahene-Affoh, said: "We believe in empowering women in the 21st century as they play a key role in the development process. We identified these girls from underprivileged communities who can be empowered digitally to become problem-solvers for their communities."

Managing Director at SAP Africa, Cathy Smith, said this has implications for efforts toward building peaceful, prosperous and sustainable communities.

"Our support for FemiTI is in line with our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially as they related to Gender Equality (#5) and Quality Education (#4) and aligns well with our broader activities to bring more women into the digital fold, including Africa Code Week, Women in Data Science and #SheInnovates."

Rebecca Akufo-Addo advises counterparts to be accountable to donors

First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo has urged her counterpart African first ladies to be more accountable, transparent and committed in dealing with development partners, saying, these attributes will go “a long way” to attract donor support for their various social programmes in Africa.

She said these attributes were what her foundation, the Rebecca Foundation, had been pursuing as it had found out in its work that “our ability to attract new donors is hinged on this”, adding that “this is something we will continue to do”.

The First Lady said this at the on-going 22nd Ordinary General Assembly of the now Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), formerly, Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA).

She was speaking on the theme “Collaborating to transform Africa: Addressing the needs of vulnerable populations”.

The name OAFLA, changed to OAFLAD with effect from Monday February 11, 2019 as the members of the organization launched their strategic vision for the next five years at the ongoing general assembly.

The name change was agreed upon during the 21st ordinary session of the organisation last year, with a new vision of giving the first ladies, a wider scope of areas to work on, apart from HIV and AIDS.

Mrs Akufo-Addo, in her speech, said funding was a big challenge in their line of work and that the scarcity of it could derail any strategic vision.

“The misconception is that First Ladies have access to unlimited funding. No, we don’t. It’s been a struggle to raise funds”, she noted.

She said in her opinion, Ghana and indeed other African countries, faced a fundamental developmental challenge and wondered how Africa could develop at a pace that matches global development.

“How do we create a more equitable society and inclusive development for the vulnerable, especially, women and children”, she asked.

Mrs Akufo-Addo said she was however happy to say that Ghana had taken some bold steps towards a more accelerated inclusive development, adding that “these positive developments, informed my strategic vision as First Lady”.

She said her strategy was to champion the wellbeing of women and children, in a sustainable manner, by being guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) one, two, three, four, five, eight, ten and 11.

She added that despite the successes that she had chalked as First Lady through her Foundation and the Infata Malaria Prevention Programme “I am the first to admit that we have some challenges.  The first is sustainability. Often, the work of First Ladies end, once their husbands leave office”.

However, she said “because I believe so much in what I do, I want my causes to outlive me.

“We are and will continue to partner with development partners and state institutions to mainstream our initiatives and ensure sustainability”, Mrs Akofo-Addo said.

Earlier In a welcome address,the First Lady of Ethiopia, Ms Zinash Tayachew,  reminded her counterparts of the much work that they had to do for the vulnerable in society and called on them to exhibit motherly love in the discharge of their work.

Ms Tayachew said the needs of their people were so overwhelming, and what they were doing might seem ‘like a drop in the ocean’, but added that, they were still changing the lives of people.

the President of OAFLAD, Mrs Adjoavi Sika Kobore, on her part, commended her fellow First Ladies for their commitment towards the improvement of the lives of their citizenry, especially, women, children and the vulnerable.

The outgoing Director of the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), Mr Michel Sidibe, commended the organisation for the transformational role that it had played in helping in the fight to eradicate HIV and AIDS from the continent.

African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, Madam Amira Elfadil Mohamed, said the health needs of people remained a priority to the AU and that the role and contribution of the first ladies was inevitable to the development of the health of their people.

In separate remarks the First Ladies pledged their support to aligning their work to the new strategic vision of the organisation to help better the lives of their people.

Other development partners present at the meeting included Abbott Laboratories, Gilead Sciences, Inc., the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the United Nations Population Fund {UNFPA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

They all pledged their support to the work of the OAFLAD.

Kejetia arterial roads expanded to ease congestion

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), in collaboration with the security agencies, have embarked on an extensive decongestion exercise to clear some parts of the city’s Central Business District (CBD) of petty traders, who had taken up the area.

This is to pave way for the inauguration of the arterial roads linking the completed first phase of the Kejetia/Central Market Redevelopment Project, which had been expanded under the project, to ensure free vehicular and human movement.

The stretches are; the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Roundabout –Kejetia, Dr Mensah-Kejetia, and the Suame roundabout to Kejetia, which had been taken over by petty traders.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, briefing newsmen in Kumasi, said the Assembly had directed the traders to relocate to any of the satellite markets dotted around the city.

The exercise, he said, had begun after a two-week ultimatum by the city authorities to the traders to vacate the streets.

“We want to make sure that there are no obstacles on the roads when they are finally opened to traffic,” he said.

Mr. Assibey-Antwi pointed out that, under no circumstance, would the Assembly allow traders to hawk on the road.

Some traders had since the beginning of the Redevelopment Project invaded unapproved areas in the CBD for business, refusing to relocate to the satellite markets in spite of several warnings.

The MCE said the Assembly’s taskforce would continue to be at post until all the traders had relocated to designated areas.

He said the Assembly had taken the necessary steps to ensure that everything was in order before opening the Kejetia roads.

Court adjourns Maj Mahama’s Case to allow defence lawyer to recuperate

An Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu, has adjourned the trial of the alleged murderers of Major Maxwell Mahama to Thursday, February 21, to enable Mr Bernard Shaw, a defence Lawyer in the case, to commence his cross-examination of the sixth witness.

Mr Shaw, who was reported to be unwell at the last hearing date, was said to be still indisposed when the case was called on Tuesday.

At the previous session, the sixth prosecution witness, a 14-year old Junior High School student, told the Court, that she saw Akwasi Asante, one of the accused persons, take his father’s gun.

She narrated: “On May 29, 2017, when the incident happened, l went to school without picking my pocket money, so l came back home to pick the money and upon entering our room, a few minutes later, my uncle Akwasi Asante, entered to pick the gun.”

The JSS two student, whose evidence in chief was led by Mrs Evelyn Keelson, a Chief State Attorney said, she asked Uncle Asante twice, where he was taking the gun but he did not answer her.

The witness, who spoke Twi, through an interpreter, said she locked the door and left for school and it was upon her return from school that she informed his father that Uncle Asante had come for his gun.

“My father went to the Deiso Police Station to lodge a complaint, where I was invited to give my statement to the Police,” she added.

The witness was also made to identify the said Akwasi Asante in open court.

Fourteen persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Maj Mahama, who was an Officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at the Burma Camp.

He was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region, when some residents allegedly mistook him for an armed robber, while he was jogging, and lynched him.

The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.

The accused are William Baah, the Assemblyman of Denkyira Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyarko aka Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.

Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.

Afoko challenges State’s Nolle prosequi at Supreme Court

Lawyers for Gregory Afoko, the man at the center of the murder of the Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Adams Mahama, have filed an application at the Supreme Court regarding the nolle prosequi filed by the state following the arrest of Asabke Alangdi.

At the hearing at a District Court on Tuesday, lawyers revealed that they filed the application at the apex court on Monday.

But the court said it did not have a copy and therefore gave them three days to put their house in order.

The case was adjourned to Monday, February 18.

The Attorney-General in January this filed a nolle prosequi to discontinue the trial of Gregory Afoko, the man accused of killing Alhaji Adams Mahama.

The nolle prosequi followed the arrest of Asabke Alangdi, the other accused person in the trial, in Ivory Coast last Friday
Alangdi had been at large since the death of Alhaji Mahama on May 2015 at Bolgatanga.

The Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, announced the arrest of Alangdi at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, January 28, 2019.