This follows the successful commissioning of a new GH¢ 10 million mother and baby unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi by the Rebecca Foundation, which is run by the First Lady.

[contextly_sidebar id=”RwBGGBtdanHTGvHZfntdPL9SQLZFZxBs”]Announcing the decision, Mrs. Akufo-Addo said the project was to show her commitment to women and children in the area of health and economic well-being, in order to help the country achieve its Sustainable Development Goals.

“The Rebecca Foundation is committed to the welfare of women and children. We have started a number of initiatives to address social issues. The Foundation has an initiative called Rebecca’s Special Initiative, which executed the Komfo Anokye mother and baby unit. We are currently supporting Korle Bu to build a hostel for parents of children receiving cancer treatment. Our next project under Rebecca’s Special Initiative is the construction of an intensive care unit at the children’s block of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, in February.”

She further called for support and funding from corporate organizations and Ghanaians to fast-track the construction of the project.

“The Sustainable development Goal 3 enjoins us to ensure healthy lives and promotes well-being for all, at all ages. This includes taking steps to lower our maternal and infant mortality rates. My hope is that projects like this, together with needed interventions like the elimination of mother to child HIV transmission, will get us closer to achieving our maternal and infant mortality goals,” she said.

“We are better together. We are capable of solving our challenges. We are capable of developing our own country given our enormous natural and human resources. Again I will be calling on Ghanaians to help the Foundation do this.”

The 30-bed hostel facility meant for intensive care will help provide accommodation for child cancer patients and their parents. It is expected to cost about two million Ghana cedis.

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By: Felicia Osei/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The building, which cost some GHc10 million generated from public fundraising and donations, is expected to help reduce congestion and current deaths reported daily at the facility.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qBkKwMiiyrpw6oq14Pzq4XXOeLhppKLT”]Available records show that a newborn baby dies every fifteen minutes with four babies dying every hour at the country’s biggest referral hospital for people in the northern part of the country.

But the new unit, which has over 15 incubators and 3 emergency wards, will allow KATH take in four times the current number of infants and mothers and reduce avoidable deaths by 60-80%.

Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo who cut the sod for the construction of facility in May 2017 has been raising funds towards the project together The Multimedia Group Limited.

The project now houses the Maternity, Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care units at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

More urgency needed to end maternal mortality

Mrs. Akufo-Addo had earlier bemoaned the continuous death of women and children during childbirth worldwide, especially Ghana.

The First Lady, while speaking at a Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), described the situation as not only worrying but unacceptable.

“Ghana could not achieve its millennium development goal target of 185 per 100,000 live births; we achieved 319 per 100,000 live births at the end of 2015. Given that the new sustainable development goal target is to achieve 70 per 100,000 live births by the end of 2030, we need to work with urgency,” she added.

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The New Year party was attended  by about one thousand five hundred children.

Although the event was being held for the first time at the Flagstaff House, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo since 2009, has been organizing the party at the family’s residence in Nima.

The children took part in outdoor games and activities such as musical chairs, tug-of-peace, bouncing castles, train rides and dancing competition among others.

There was a lot for the kids to eat and drink.

The First Lady welcomed  the children to the new home of the first family, saying they had officially moved into the edifice on December 24, 2017.

The President, Nana Akufo-Addo, who surprisingly passed through the party, reiterated his government’s commitment to making education free and accessible to every Ghanaian child.

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By: Felicia Osei/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to the First Lady, although much has been done to reduce the plight of women and children suffering from diseases, a lot more can be done.

Speaking at a donation exercise at the Princess Marie Louis children’s hospital in Accra, the First Lady called for collective efforts to fight cases of malnutrition among children, which she said could further elapse into more deadly diseases.

“You may have heard about the Komfo Anokye mother and baby unit, which the Rebecca Foundation just completed. We are also contributing to building a hostel for parents of children undergoing cancer treatment at Korle Bu. This is just the beginning. Our next project is at the Korle Bu children’s emergency ward, and then hopefully we will look at other regions. You may know also that the Infanta Malaria Foundation under its ReMMap project is working with other partners in malaria prevention and improving nutrition outcomes for women and children.”

She further advised nursing mothers to properly breastfeed their babies, and provide healthy food which would strengthen them as they grow.

“There is overwhelming evidence that a significant number of Ghanaian children are malnourished with many suffering from anaemia. Children with anaemia easily get ill with other diseases especially malaria, and this contributes to the high health service budget.”

“I wish to use this occasion to ask all stakeholders to spread the gospel of breastfeeding and proper nutrition. If we can improve nutrition in children, we would be going a long way in improving the holistic development of children,” he added.

The First Lady through the Rebecca Foundation, donated assorted items including bags of rice, cartons of chicken, packs of biscuits, soft drinks, bags of beans and other items towards the kid’s party.

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According to her, the President “came to office with a lot of promises and he is working hard to achieve all of them” adding that “he has achieved quite a lot” since taking office.

She said this in an address to officials of the Ghana Embassy in the People’s Republic of China.

She noted that with a determined and focused person like the President steering the affairs of the country, there “is a lot of hope for Ghana and things are already looking good for Ghana.”

The First Lady urged the staff to project the good name of Ghana as well as seek knowledge and skills that can help develop Ghana.

“There is a lot to learn from China, therefore, those of you here should learn and bring the knowledge back home to improve the country”, she said.

The First Lady announced that, the newly constructed mother and baby unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, facilitated by the Rebecca Foundation, will be inaugurated by the close of this year, and her “next stop is Korle Bu.”

Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Edward Boateng, assured the First Lady that he and his staff will “not disappoint the president, but work hard to bring more investment into the country as well as look at the well being of Ghanaians in China.”

The First Lady is in China with a group of women entrepreneurs, some members of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), and academics, to explore investment opportunities for women businesses and investment for the people and government of Ghana.

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The First Lady, who was speaking on the occasion of a Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), described the situation as not only worrying but unacceptable.

[contextly_sidebar id=”e6DywiGWAijlcVXH3YuPPyfarLyaqVM3″]“Ghana could not achieve its millennium development goal target of 185 per 100,000 live births; we achieved 319 per 100,000 live births at the end of 2015. Given that the new sustainable development goal target is to achieve 70 per 100,000 live births by the end of 2030, we need to work with urgency.”

“This is a crisis situation, and it must be approached as a national emergency if we are to achieve our SDG target. Business, as usual, will simply not work. We need to take bold steps to ensure that our health and indeed social policies address these challenges adequately.”

CARMMA, which is being championed by the African Union Commission, will be an annual assessment that aims at redefining and refocusing countries’ energy towards ensuring that the appropriate interventions are implemented to ensure the total survival of mothers and their children during childbirth.

Expressing her gratitude to CARMMA for taking the initiative to ensure that no one is left behind in the fight to attain the SDGs, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo appealed to stakeholders and the general public to help in the campaign.

“I commend the African Union for taking this initiative.  We need a holistic approach to engaging traditional and religious leaders as well as regional, municipal, metropolitan and district level leaders to commit to prioritizing the reduction of maternal death.  We need to encourage our parliamentarians to make the reduction of maternal death a priority with the resources available to them.  We need to work with all stakeholders to provide funding for health system strengthening. This I know is not difficult for us as a nation.”

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By: Felicia Osei /citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Mrs. Akufo-Addo will be accompanied by the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Prof Kojo Yankah, Dr. Stella Ennim, Director of Crop Research Institute (CSI), and Millicent Degraft – Johnson from the Ministry of Finance.

[contextly_sidebar id=”3oNAQegCwLl4gr8lzalQCDCrmFvcdTiV”]Her visit, which follows that of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia to that country in June, and the subsequent visit of the Vice Minister of Commerce of China, Qian Keming to Ghana in September, is expected to further deepen relations, and as well as strengthen economic cooperation between Ghana and China.

During the visit, Mrs. Akufo-Addo would support the President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), to open the first Ghana trade and Investment Office in Qingdao in China.

She and her delegation will travel to Hunan, where they will meet provincial officials and visit the laboratory of “the father of rice “, Mr. Yuan Long Pin, investor of the hybrid rice variety to discuss how China could assist Ghana to improve its yield in her rice production.

The First Lady will then proceed to Shenzhen in the Guangdong Province to meet the officials of China National Building Materials (CNBM), who are working with Ghana on her ‘One District One Factory’ initiative, and also visit Huawei Headquarters to hold discussions with their officials.

On her way to Ghana, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo would make a stopover in Hong Kong to meet with the Hong Kong Financial and Investment community.

“The visit by the First Lady follows recent high-level exchanges between the two countries, and is an indication of the importance His Excellency, Nana Akufo-Addo’s government attaches to Ghana – China relations,” says Ghana’s Ambassador to China, H.E Edward Boateng.

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Speaking at the commemoration event of the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), to educate teenagers and major stakeholders in the fight against FGM, Mrs. Akufo Addo stated that, legislation alone is not enough to curb this outmoded traditional practice.

[contextly_sidebar id=”VnRCLxfG8mJHBExu5Jo5oyMKYBKj5mJH”]According to her, it is important to sensitize the general public on the harmful effects of the practice, in addition to ensuring the existing legislation is upheld.

“Although a variety of strategies have been implemented to discourage the practice, much still remains to be done, the protocol on the rights of women in Africa clearly articulates what government needs to do to address FGM, and ensure the rights of our female. We can use legislation, create new bodies and strengthen existing mechanism to develop and coordinate programs to end FGMs,” Mrs. Akufo Addo said.

“However, it is widely acknowledged that laws alone cannot change deeply held attitudes regarding FGMs. We must use and intensify education and outreach programs.”

The First Lady expressed her dismay with the continued practice of FGM in the country, as she highlighted the trauma the victims go through.

“Female genital mutilation is one of those terribly harmful practices suffered by girls as young as four weeks to twelve years. As a champion of the well-being of women and girls, I can’t say I’m happy that we are still having this deliberation in the year 2017,” she lamented.

“This is a practice that is so detrimental to the health, human rights, and development of our girls, that no augment should trump the consideration of the right and health of any girl. This robs females of the right over their natural sexual functions, invades their privacy as well as violates the rights to make independent decisions in matters affecting their own bodies. Apart from the difficulty encountered in sexual activity, these women are susceptible to severe pain, excessive bleeding, infection and physiological trauma that may lead to maternal mortality” she noted.

She stated that ending the menace would require urgency from responsible government agencies and strong leadership.

“Many options are available to government and other stakeholders in the fight against FGMs, we need to intensify these options if we need to progress and eliminate FGM. We must intensify our education and outreach activities to ensure prevention. We must use all the legal avenues available in our laws. We must work to ensure no girl goes through this horrifying experience, to enable us stop FGM, we need three key elements, urgency, purpose and above all leadership,” the First Lady said.

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By: Ann-Shirley Ziwu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Her appeal comes at the back of a cheque presentation by HFC Bank (Ghana) Limited, to Infant Malaria Prevention Foundation, a Non-Government Organization chaired by the First Lady, to help in the building of a Community-Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compound at Nyanshegu a suburb of Tamale, Northern Region

In August 2017, HFC Bank, in collaboration with Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation, launched the HFC-Infanta Ride Out Malaria Cycling Tour; to create awareness and to raise funds towards the building of the CHPS compound.

This was done by thirteen cyclists who embarked on a 688 kilometer journey from Tamale to Accra within eight days.

Speaking at the presentation, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo said such partnership will help provide some essential services to Ghanaians and reduce the pressure on government.

“Even though some are more fortunate than others, a lot can be done for our own people as we try to create a minimum level of access to health care for everyone. Imagine what could be achieved as a county if all corporate institutions and individuals get involved in the provision of essential services. I therefore urge all Ghanaians and corporate institutions to build the spirit of volunteerism and social responsibility. Lets us build this nation together.”

Presenting a gold medal to the 13 participants and individuals who helped to raise the fund, the first lady while pledging her support, promised to mobilize resources to improve the welfare of mothers and children in the country.

“ I thank everybody who donated to this initiative. Because of your generosity, a child will be saved and a pregnant mother will be assured of decent healthcare. Because of you, the people of Nyanshegu can boast of a community health centre. Because of such selflessness, humanity can have hope for the future.”

Presenting the two hundred and seventy thousand Ghana cedis cheque to Infanta Malaria, board chairman for HFC Bank, Charles zwennes, thanked the first lady for the partnership and promised more collaboration in the future.

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By: Felicia Osei/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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When the Founding President of BSIFF, Juliet Asante paid a courtesy call on Mrs. Akufo-Addo on Wednesday 16^th August, 2017, she said she was ready to lend help to the festival anytime she would be called upon.

“This is a very good initiative that will go a long way to promote the art and tourism sectors in Ghana. I will be at the programme and will be there to support you as long as the festival is alive,” she said.

Present at the meeting was the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Afeku who will be gracing the festival.

Also present at the occasion will be the Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, his wife, Samira Bawuma and other revered personalities in Ghana.

This year’s festival has been slated for 18^th August, 2017 to 21^st August, 2017.

“Moonlight” by Barry Jenkins will be the opening film as well as the highly –acclaimed “A United Kingdom” by Amma Asante as the closing film.

Films from other countries the world over will also be shown at the programme.

On 18^th August, there will be the opening ceremony at the Silverbird Cinema at 8am. Later in the evening, there will be open air cinema at the Achimota Mall patrons will have the opportunity to watch movies. On 19^th August, there will be a film party at Django Bar. Later, there will be cultural immersion at Mantse Agbonaa.

A very important part of the programme is the Yaa Asantewa-UNDP awards which seeks to celebrate film makers that tell stories geared towards the sustainable development goals.

Black Star International Film Festival has introduced 6 awards categories for the year.

The categories are Best Feature Film, Best Male Director, Best Female Director, Best Student Director, Best Lead Male Director and Best Lead Female Director.

“Each award has a value of $3,000 with the goal of empowering the winner to start a new project geared towards promoting the sustainable development goals,” Juliet told Citi Showbiz.

Themed ‘For the Young at Heart,’ the Black Star International Film Festival is a festival focused on the business of film; creating connections through film, bridging the gap between African Cinema and the world.

It is a subsidiary of the Black Star International Film Institute, a non-for-profit aimed at film advocacy, the creation of global connections through film, and bridging the divide with African Cinema and the world.

This is an annual film festival held in Ghana and in its second year.

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By: Kwame Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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