The U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided over eight hundred thousand Ghana Cedis ($52,287) and technical assistance to support the revision of Ghana’s National Healthcare Quality Strategy and the second National Quality Forum. The two-day forum, organized by Ghana’s Ministry of Health, ran from July 17 to 18, 2024 at the Alisa Hotel conference center in Accra.

“The United States is committed to supporting Ghana’s vision of Universal Health Coverage. That means providing high-quality health services to every citizen, regardless of where they live or how much they can pay,” said Dr. Stephen Dzisi, USAID/Ghana Deputy Director, Health, Population and Nutrition Office (HPNO), during the opening session.

Under the theme “Ghana’s Healthcare Quality Strategy; Efforts Towards A Sustainable System for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) 2030,” the second edition of the National Quality Forum aims to recognize Ghana’s efforts towards achieving UHC by 2030 through the implementation of the healthcare quality strategy, to provide an opportunity for the Ministry of Health to assess its achievements and challenges in quality management within Ghana’s health sector over the past year, and to validate and launch the revised National Healthcare Quality Strategy.

“Over the past three years, USAID has been working with the Ministry of Health and its agencies to improve the quality of care. Together, we have strengthened quality management structures across seven regions and 38 districts. And we have seen remarkable results in a short time,” Deputy Director Dr. Dzisi added.

The United States is Ghana’s largest bilateral development partner. In 2023, USAID provided over $140 million in bilateral development assistance. This funding covered various areas, including agriculture, economic growth, health, education, governance, and more.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Ghana.

During the visit to Nigeria and Ghana on 12–14 August, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will, together with representatives of the other Nordic countries, meet Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Maitama Tuggar as well as Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo and Minister for Foreign Affairs Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. The delegation will also meet with CSOs and representatives of Nordic companies in both countries. The topics of the meetings will be global security and multilateral cooperation, trade and investments, climate change and the green transition, and regional security issues and development in Western Africa.

African countries play a significant role in international politics, and their commercial and economic significance has further increased. By cooperating with countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, we can make significant progress in the fight against global security challenges and climate change, for example. Furthermore, I see potential, one that will benefit all parties, in deepening the commercial relations between our countries. For example, Finnish companies can provide a wide range of services, products and innovations that could be useful in promoting digitalisation and the green transition in these countries,” Minister Valtonen says.

All Nordic countries wish to deepen their cooperation with African partners. In addition to the joint Nordic visit, cooperation is promoted within the framework of the annual Nordic–African Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, the most recent of which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark on 2 May 2024.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.

His Majesty King Mohammed VI has sent a congratulatory message to President of the Republic of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, on his country’s National Day.

In this message, the Sovereign expresses His warmest congratulations and best wishes for good health and happiness to Shanmugaratnam, wishing further progress and prosperity to the people of Singapore.

“I should like to take this opportunity to commend the relations rooted in close friendship and mutual esteem between our countries and to say how keen I am to continue working with Your Excellency so as to strengthen and expand our cooperation, for the mutual benefit of our peoples,” HM the King says.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.

UN Women organized a five-day (July 29 to August 2) Peace Champions training as part of the project, “Promoting the participation and leadership of women and girls in peace, security, and recovery in Mozambique”. With financial support from the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, the project aims to ensure that women and girls are actively involved in peacebuilding and recovery efforts in four conflict-affected provinces: Manica, Sofala, Cabo Delgado, and Nampula. Women are disproportionately affected in conflict situations and have a fundamental role to play in these processes.

Hadassa Nazaré, a social activist and one of the beneficiaries of the Peace Champions training, intends to use her newly acquired knowledge to ensure that more women are actively involved in conflict prevention and resolution upon returning to her province, “I exchanged many experiences with other participants and learned a lot about gender and conflict resolution, which is a very relevant topic since the province where I live, Cabo Delgado, has been facing several conflicts, including armed conflict since 2017,” she said.

The 15 female and 2 male Peace Champions, aged 20 – 70 years, are activists for peace consolidation and human rights from all provinces of the country who actively work to promote and maintain peace, defend human rights in the context of conflict, and contribute to the overall well-being of their communities.

The participants were trained in various areas for the promotion of peace and security, namely: Human Rights and Conflict Mediation (including the identification of potential conflicts and establishing contacts with relevant institutions and individuals useful in resolving conflicts and violence against women and girls), Leadership Development and Advocacy, Gender-Sensitive Approach, and the Use of Social Networks for Peace Promotion. One of the key outcomes was the production of individual and provincial action plans that will guide the interventions in their communities, in coordination with UN Women.

UN Women Representative, Dr. Laetitia Kayisire, who opened the event, encouraged the training participants to use the acquired knowledge to enhance the work they have been doing and continue to generate impact in their communities, adding that, “Your mission is noble and essential for building a more just, peaceful, and equal society.”

This training is part of UN Women’s ongoing efforts to implement the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda in Mozambique, creating an environment where sustainable peace can flourish and where women and girls can fully exercise their rights and potential.

UN Women and its partners reaffirm their commitment to supporting initiatives that strengthen the participation and leadership of women and girls in building lasting peace in Mozambique.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.