US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a virtual summit on Monday as tensions between the countries deepen.
The competing superpowers surprised many last week by issuing a joint declaration to address climate change, at talks in Glasgow, Scotland.
But growing concerns of a military confrontation over Taiwan have thrown their differences into sharp relief.
The pair’s third meeting will address several thorny topics.
Cybersecurity, trade and nuclear non-proliferation are subjects on the table, sources familiar with the negotiations told US media.
In a statement released on Friday, the White House said “the two leaders will discuss ways to responsibly manage the competition between the United States and the PRC, as well as ways to work together where our interests align”.
The duo have spoken twice since Mr Biden took office in January, but both have acknowledged bumps in the relationship.
The cold blast of the air conditioner from the room hit me by surprise as I opened the door. I wasn’t expecting a draught from inside at eight on a damp morning. But there was my cousin under the duvet, hugging what seemed like a pillow as he snuggled diagonally across the bed, deeply asleep.
I grabbed the electric iron from the floor right next to the standing fan, which was purring at a speed that made the room even cooler, and left quickly. How could he be sleeping so comfortably with the AC at a cold blast on a wet morning?
As I closed the door, I remembered that this was the sort of thing I used to do not too long ago. Going to bed with the AC in super-chill mode and the standing fan whirring in complement was the cool thing. And whether in the car or at work in the office, I made sure that the atmosphere was super-chilled all the way.
And then one day a friend forwarded an article in the Times of India to me entitled, “AC causes more harm than good.” Under the heatwave baking us night and day, it seemed like a weird thing to say. AC is not only a welcome relief from heat, it has also become a status symbol.
But the article was an eye opener. AC, it said, sucks humidity from the air in the room, without discriminating between moisture in the atmosphere and moisture from the skin. That’s probably not so bad if, like my cousin, you’re in your late 20s. But, if like me, you’re in your late 50s and above, the skin is more vulnerable and the AC effect tends to hasten aging.
But AC turned at full blast is only one of the many potential miseries of aging. You would find, as you get older, that there is a lengthening list of don’ts you are advised to observe to live a longer, healthier life.
I used to love sugar like mad. I still remember popping St. Louis cubes, hiding some on the door lintel or scooping handfuls of Ovaltine powder when mother wasn’t looking.
Occasionally, when my hand was caught in the jar, mother would, apart from administering strokes of fan belt to my buttocks, also give me the Ketrax worm expeller treatment, with Fam-Lax, a common laxative at the time.
I don’t know which one was worse. The lashing was bad and merciless. But the fear of expelling a few live worms as they wriggled their way through my anal canal after surviving the Ketrax attack, was dreadful.
Yet, the punishment, however harsh, didn’t keep me away for too long from Goodie-Goodie, fizzy drinks, ice cream, chocolates and candies. As I grew older, I began to learn more about sugar and its deadly side effects.
Sugar, no matter by what name it is called – corn syrup, agave nectar, cane juice or sucrose – is sugar. It can mess up your health, especially as you get older, if not taken in significant moderation which, according to some health experts, is about 200 calories daily from all the foods combined.
According to WebMD, excessive sugar consumption may alter the mood from a “sugar-high” to “sugar crash”, compromise cavity health, worsen joint pain, and trigger molecules that could hasten aging.
Fifteen, twenty years ago, I didn’t care. And why should I? I think by some genetic accident, I have maintained a slim figure that has left friends teasing that I could swallow a mortar and pestle without showing it.
My shopping cart was incomplete without a box or two of vanilla ice cream, to wash down my dinner which could be pounded yam, fried plantain, or amala with egusiand plenty of ponmo, eaten at well past midnight. My ice cubes or chilled bottle of water was never too far away.
I thought that was life, and that I was young at heart and invincible – until a medical checkup turned out to be a life-threatening scare. After a major surgery, my lifestyle changed significantly.
It’s not the AC, ice cubes and sugar alone that I have been forced to cut down on or do without completely. I’ve almost shifted 180 degrees from a life of super-chill to one of fresh air and electric fans; and descended from my sugar pyramids to pounds of bitters, fruits and vegetables – and yes, my salt intake is nearly down to zero.
Not too long ago, I just loved to season my foods all the way, first marinating and then garnishing them with salt, seasoning cubes and whatever synthetic flavours that could, in my opinion, bring out the real taste.
I ate my boiled plantain or yam with a saucer of palm oil seasoned with salt. During rainy seasons, I snacked on my African pear by first rubbing it in a plate of salt, “to get the taste.” I know many people who still eat avocado pear with a salt spread.
They’re playing with fire. A nutrition study by Elias Menyanu, Karen E. Charlton and Paul Kowal, focusing on Ghana and South Africa said, “It has been estimated that 1.7m lives could be saved annually if salt consumption levels were decreased to recommended levels of 5grams per day.”
Unfortunately, low and middle-income countries, including Africa, where over 75 percent of cardiovascular deaths take place also account for the highest consumption of salts, apart from energy dense and nutrient poor diets. According to this study, more than two-thirds of African populations attach low importance to dietary salt reduction.
The result in Ghana, South Africa and many African countries is that the prevalence of hypertension has continued to rise. My transition from the life of a regular Joe living on dangerous dietary habits for years to one of daily struggle with elevated blood pressure in my middle age should serve as an example to those who have ears.
In an effort to repair the damage of the past, I’m surprising myself with a new attitude of dietary curiosity. I read food labels for size, servings, carbs, calories, sodium and fat, even if it means squinting or running a quick check on my phone to be sure of the health benefits – or risks. It’s tedious, even annoying sometimes. But it’s a small price to pay for redemption.
I stopped jogging, too. I know that there are folks who jog into their late 60s. I honestly did my best to match that record before a much older friend told me to be careful. Don’t get me wrong. There are many good reasons for an active lifestyle that keeps your muscles strong and your bones firm well into old age. But you may need to work with your doctor to find out what is best for you.
If I had any doubts about my older friend’s advice concerning running into my 60s, they were soon settled when tests showed that pushing the limits could have landed me with a runner’s knee or even stress fractures. I have since learnt to do my recommended moderate exercise of 150 minutes weekly or 30 minutes five days a week. My grandchildren can vie for the Olympic medals in the marathon! A consolation prize works for me just fine.
There are other lessons I’m learning about aging, too. I used to wear late, irregular sleeping hours like a badge of honour. Not that I was partying or playing snooker late into the night.
My work as a journalist is hostile to early nights. But I managed to worsen the bad habit by reading long past godly hours. I used to say, very proudly, that five hours of sleep was enough for me. And for many years, I indulged in this dangerous fantasy.
When an older friend told me he was decluttering, for example, taking out all the heavy printed stuff and documents he no longer needed, I begged him to send the books to me. I piled on my binge until it became a compound obsession. Of course, my stress level rose and my mindfulness took a beating from poor sleep and insufficient rest.
Yet, aging is not all gloom and misery, especially if you find the right things and do them early.
My wife often jokes that she never quite understood why her mother, who died from diabetes-related complications this year, used to carry “bags” of medicine or fret about sugar and carbs.
My wife was big on fizzies. Not anymore. But that was after she managed to create her own small collection of remedies for past indulgences, with a range of medicines that would make a chemist proud. After her mother’s death, she developed a steely determination to avoid all those things that could inflame her predisposition.
It’s true, as we say, that, “something will kill somebody”. But thanks to improvements in medicine and science, the cause of death doesn’t have to be ignorance, though current studies by actuaries in the UK suggest that even where knowledge is present, inequalities could also be significant factors in life expectancy. Yet, WHO reports that in about nine years’ time, one of six people in the world would be 60 years and older.
Aging mellows you. It even makes you wiser and more forgiving of yourself and others. Depending on how you handle it, it also provides just about enough time for repairs, before you enter the departure lounge.
By Azu Ishiekwene Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief ofLEADERSHIP
Members of Parliament (MP), last Friday, nearly engaged in fisticuffs over recent sea erosion that has displaced over 4000 people in parts of the Volta Region.
The confrontations ensued after MP for Effutu constituency, Mr Alexander Afenyo- Markin and his colleagues from the majority side, engaged the media on the issue.
According to Mr Afenyo-Markin activities of sand winning have been discovered to be a major cause of the sea erosion in parts of Ketu South, Keta, Anlo and South Tongu constituencies.
He said research from some organisations, including the Fourth Estate, an online news outlet and some individuals from the Keta enclave, have alluded to sand winning activities in the area as a major cause.
He said tidal waves are very powerful, but they are aided even more by climate change.
But he stressed that matters are getting complicated in the Keta municipality, due to the activities of sand winning.
He said he was, however, surprised at the turn of events from his colleagues on the minority side. He said most of the MPs from the Volta Region have kept mute about it and are rather blaming the government for not being sensitive to the plight of the affected families.
Keta coastline
“We have never heard them talking about the human activities going on at the Keta area which has led to the unbearable effect of what we are seeing today.
“In all the address, not a single word was made on it, meanwhile, the activities of sand winners are all over the place; it is recorded, it is on the internet, it is happening daily, yet no MP from that area, the Volta Caucus, even mention it.
“You have Fourth Estate doing some research there, an individual making remarks that they don’t have gold, they don’t have fish, so they are going to mine the sand; it is there.
“So for them to keep quiet and attempt to make a partisan comment, as it were, blame it on government as though government does not care about the situation, that is not so, with the greatest respect …”
He said government is doing its best by providing relief items to the affected people, but one should understand that these relief items are not the solution to the issue at hand and hence, called on stakeholders in the region to work together.
He called on his colleagues in the Volta Region to eschew politics and rather see the situation as a national disaster.
But the minority MPs didn’t take the majority’s explanation from MrMarkin lightly and this resulted in a heated argument between the two sides.
The New Democratic Congress member for Ellembele, Mr Armah Kofi Buah, argued that sand winning is a very serious issue, not only in the Volta Region, but across the country.
There is crisis at hand and the government needs to react by giving relief items to the affected persons and not engage in propaganda, he said.
He observed that the country is facing a serious climate crisis and heads must come together to proffer solutions and not to engage in partisan politics. “Not everything should be NDC, NPP. Five hundred families are homeless”.
The Legislator for South Dayi, Mr Rockson Nelson Etsey Dafeamekpor, was also livid about the response of the majority side.
He was of the view that government is spending millions of dollars to undertake sea defense projects along the coastline due to high rise in the sea level and a possibility of tidal wave attacks, so any attempt to attribute the recent crisis to activities of sanding winning is the most pathetic statement a government representative can make.
“To say that the lives of over 4000 people are being destroyed as a result of sand winning is unacceptable.”
He said the government has over the years demonstrated a laissez faire attitude to issues regarding the people of Anlo in the Volta Region.
He said the government has reacted to other crisis in the other parts of the country differently and doesn’t understand why same can’t be done for the people of the Volta Region.
Meanwhile,during a discussion on Joy FM’s News File show on Saturday, the Acting Director of the Hydrological Services Department (HSD) of the Ministry of Works and Housing, Hubert Osei Owusu-Ansah, stated that indeed sand winning activities at the beach is a major contributing factor to the worsening situation.
He said the impact of climate change and rise in sea level is a major issue affecting coastal communities and that his department has had cause to caution people against the act, due to the possible effects it is likely to have.
“Sand winning is a cause of major erosion. We have waves impacting on the beaches so the wave energy is transferred onto the beaches. If sand winning takes place, the beaches get deprived of sand and the waves move closely into the community. That is how tidal waves occurr,” he stated.
He said there are two main causes of tidal waves – Natural causes, which are as a result of the Wave Action or strong waves impacting the beaches to cause coastal erosion, and Man-made causes which manifest in the form of sand winning at the beaches.
His comments go to support the recent view and the statement made by the Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for the Effutu Constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin that the recent tidal waves that have destroyed houses and caused the relocation of over 4,000 people at three communities in the Volta Region, could partly be blamed on the sand winning activities in that area.
Mr. Owusu Osei-Ansah said “When the beaches are deprived of sand, it weakens the surface and the wave is able to move in to destroy houses and move into town.”
He said, in the course of constructing the sea defense wall, the department has had to deal with issues of sand winning at the beaches and it has always been a worry.
A former lecturer at the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon, Dr. Philip NeriQuashigah, who claimed on the program that he knew the terrain in Keta very well, because he has lived there before and also supported the claim that, though he could not tell about the magnitude of the impact, he could confirm that sand winning activities go on in that stretch.
“Sand winning removes the protection that the land gets and this increases the vulnerability. That is why we must put a stop to it,” he stated.
He said, per the regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sand winning activities at the beaches are illegal and must not be encouraged.
All the panellists on the show agreed that there must be education about the negative effects of sand winning at the beaches.
They also called for the enforcement of laws, as well as the involvement of community leaders, in the education drive.
Two hundred and fifty selected journalists are set to benefit from a Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP) annually paid for by the Ministry of Information.
The Ministry of Information which announced this at the launch of the programme in Accra on Sunday November 14, 2021, said the programme is expected to provide continuous in-service training for media personnel drawn from across the country in order to improve their skills for the industry.
“The role of the Ministry is simply to provide bursaries to participant from the media landscape who will benefit from this capacity enhancement programme annually. Under the programme, a skills gap analysis has been conducted by a working committee of experts and a curriculum based on gaps has been developed.
The independent committee has also selected a faculty comprising academics and senior media practitioners from across the country, to administer the program.”
Deputy Information Minister Fatima Abubakr who led a Press Briefing to launch the program said the programme is in line with one of the key strategic objectives of the Ministry which is to assist in the development of the information sector for which reason a successful implementation of the programme is expected to transform Ghana’s media landscape.
Present at the launch were the heads of the implementing partner Organisations the programme including the Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Prof. Kwamena-Kwansa Aidoo, Chairman of the National Media Commission, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh and the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Roland Affail Monney as well as members from media umbrella bodies such as the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG).
On his part, Prof. Aidoo, who is also the Chairman of the committee tasked to provide support for the full implementation of the programme was excited about the rolling out of the programme.
He said the programme will help equip journalists in the country with the right skill set, to be able to go about their jobs.
Mr. Monney also indicated that the programme could not come at a better time than this. He encouraged journalists to take advantage of it and gain the requisite skills in journalism and media practice.
The MCEP will provide continuous on the job training at regular intervals for media practitioners to improve their skills, support training targeted at content creation for media practitioners, provide a regular platform to support media-introspection on subject related to media management, corporate governance, and media business models and encourage ethical journalism.
Journalists interested in the program will have to apply online and be selected by the working committee comprising representatives of partner organisations.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), through its president, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, on last Monday November 8, 2021, made this statement, “The expressed commitment of the President of the Republic to protect the public purse, a promise that the citizens welcomed, seems to be an illusion now. Are those managing the public purse not concerned about the waste and misapplication of resources that belong to all Ghanaians? Can this be referred to as irresponsible use of power or the lack of compassion and empathy?”
This may sound too harsh and depressing for a government who is doing everything it can to get everything right for the people.In response to the bishops, the ruling party’s National Communication Director, Hon Yaw Buaben Asamoa came out to say that the “bishops’ statement lack clarity and focus……where are the specifics on that? Some level of clarity at that level is important.”
One may suggest that Yaw Buaben Asamoa is not well vested in the way the Holy Catholic Church operates, because when you talk about this Church you talk about the most well-informed church on earth. With the clergy under going at least nine years of training, Catholic priests stands out very knowledgeable at things around him.
In every church/parish there are groups, societies and ministries. At meetings things discussed include social matters and things that affect the welfare of the members. These groups, societies and ministries are represented on the Parish (or Church) Pastoral Council, headed by the parish priest. During council meetings, at AOMs, things discussed include living conditions in the country.
Then there is the (Arch) Diocesan Council which is headed by the (arch) bishop with parish priests included as members. Apart from spiritual and religious issues, social and national issues are among things discuss. This is one of the areas that the bishop gets to know what is going on in society. Aside from this, the Catholic bishop has his household made up generally of his driver, gardener, cook and others who are ordinary citizens who also face the challenges every other ordinary Ghanaian faces. They tell their problems to the bishop and the bishop gets to know. The Catholic bishop is therefore not immune to the difficulties facing every ordinary Ghanaian, so when he speaks about challenges of life in this country, he knows what he is talking about and sadly this is what Hon Yaw Buabeng Asamoa is not aware of.
The bishop, who is the shepherd of the flock in the diocese, freely interacts with Catholics, other Christians and non-Christians and hear their story. Aside from that people go to him crying for assistance to be able to foot medical, educational, trading, travelling and other bills to make life better for them.The bishop is drawn into the picture and he feels the hardship the ordinary person feels. He speaks to people of higher rankings to suggest solutions to the problems facing the people.
With this knowledge, the bishop meets with and discusses issues with brother bishops on phone, when they meet one on one or at conference meetings, where each one tables his story and come out with suggestions and advice to government and to all those giving the power to be in authority.
So, whenever a Catholic bishop or even a Catholic priest speaks, he knows what he is talking about. Because the Catholic bishop/priest hears what he needs to hear, whereas the political office holder hears what he or she wants to hear.
In my opinion, the best way to respond to the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference’s statement, if I were Yaw Buabeng Asamoa, was just to say, “Well noted, bishops”and leave things as they are. What the bishops are saying are what the ordinary Ghanaians are in fact feeling.
Talk about corruption and the recent confirmation of MMDCEs shows that corruption is more endemic at the base than at the top. Assembly members who should be living examples to the grass roots on how all should lead our lives, are rather demanding huge sums, in some cases over GH¢10,000.00 each, aside from other benefits, before they confirm the nominees. This form of corruption cannot be accepted, for must a nominee who is to face twenty assembly members dole out GH¢200,000.00 before he gets the nod to take up office to serve the people? Must anyone pay the very people is to serve before he is allowed to serve them? These and all other forms of corruption are what the ordinary Ghanaian is talking about and this is what the GCBC is talking about.
Government must join hands with the Catholic Church to find solutions to our numerous problems. The Catholic Church, and here I quote Pope Francis, is not a political organisation. It exists to bring the Word of Jesus to the world and to make possible today an encounter with the Living Jesus.
Unlike some churches whose leaders love to boot-lick political office holders, the Catholic Church, like Jesus, will say what needs to be said and will say it as it is without fear of losing face. Jesus asked His apostles in St. John 6: 68, “Will you also go away?” He spoke the Truth that many rejected and Jesus did not mind losing His apostles if they will not submit to the Truth.
The Catholic Church has spoken and only those who are focussed will understand the truth and wisdom in what she said.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
Akram Awudu – Winner and Blessing Anane – Contestant
Two young artists out of the five who were selected to participate in an Art Contest in Los Angeles, California, in the USA have emerged winners.
They are Priscilla Bengha and Akram Awudu, both 13-years-old class 6 pupils of the Atasemanso Roman Catholic Primary School.
Each of the winners received a $100 gift from Noahs Ark Publishing Service, which published the artwork of the winners in a book: “Kids draw Through COVID-19: United Africa Speaks.”
The other three contestants are Class 4 pupil Blessing Anane, 14, also of the Atasemanso R/C Primary School; 13-year-old Daniel Boadi of the State Experimental Basic 2 Junior High School (JHS) 1, and Clifford Agyei Amponsah, 11-year-old Class 5 pupil of the Atasemanso Roman Catholic School.
A representative of Noah’s Ark Publishing Service, Carolyn Billups, has expressed appreciation in writing to the contestants for sharing their stories through art.
All the five contestants, who participated in the Los Angeles Art contest, will be presented with a Tablet each by the BTAC Executive Director, Madam Dawn Sunderland, to enhance their studies.
Priscilla Bengha – Winner, Clifford Agyei Amponsah – Contestant and Daniel Boadi – Contestant
The contestants were taken through their art lessons by Teacher Wingman Isaac Lawrence during the Creative Arts Summer Learning and Mentorship International Training Programme put together in Kumasi last August by Yrneh Gabon Brown of the Artivist Project and Kumasi-based Madam Dawn M. Sunderland of the Bridge-to-Africa Connection Incorporated.
Bridge-To-Africa Connection Inc. is a USA nonprofit organisation dedicated to investing in education and health initiatives to empower children and women in Africa, while the Artivist Project is an art project established in the USA by internationally-renowned artist Yrneh Gabon Brown, who partners like-minded organisations to help nurture the dreams of others to come into reality through hard work and mentorship to make the world a better place.
Yrneh Gabon Brown is a new genre Jamaican-born visual artist and media artist whose work deals with sustainable environmental issues in a socio-political and historical context.
He works in a variety of media, including metal, clay, paint, wood, video and performance. His work is informed by his socio-political concerns.
About 113 children, between 10 and 17 years, were selected out of 200 who went for an audition to realise their dreams through their talents in art, under the theme: “Bloom where you grow,” at the four-week Creative Arts Learning Summer and Talent Mentorship Training, which preceded the first-ever Akatamanso Arts Festival in September this year.
Madam Dawn Sunderland, Executive Director of Bridge-To-Africa Connection, noted that there are a lot of talents in Ghana which need to be exploited. “We have talented children in the Ashanti Region, and we must really encourage our children to bloom where they grow,” she said.
She said some of these children were borderline academically and excellent in their studies, hence the need to encourage the children to improve on their talent so that they could develop.
The philanthropist disclosed that those who had completed the programme would further be mentored to grow and develop their talents, and urged parents to encourage their children to develop their skills in art, since it could serve as a source of income and raise standards and livelihoods.
She also urged parents to help their wards to identify and develop their talents and thereby empower them to make a difference in society.
Madam Sutherland has announced that the second edition of the Creative Arts Summer Learning and Mentorship International Training Programme would be organised during the school break in August next year.
The Executive Director, Foundation for peace, Hope and Conflict Management, Rev. Fr. Professor Anthony Bature, has
said that agriculture remains a veritable means of eradicating poverty and ending food insufficiency in any nation.
Charging Nigerian youths to take advantage of the modern agricultural practices to improve their livelihood, unemployment, he believed would not only be reduced but will also boost wealth creation.
Bature who made this known at a workshop organized by the Foundation on how the youths who are going about seeking for white collar jobs can take advantage of modern agricultural technologies, also beckoned at youths to desist from shifting blames by making use of the available God’s gift which he identified as land to better their lives.
Affirming that modern farming would “make our youths to be self-reliant and not wait for government jobs,”
he urged them to “rise up and use their strength to be useful to the society by cultivating land for farming”
Wondering why the youths have continued to go about complaining of lack of jobs, he called on them to “stop complaining that there are no jobs in Nigeria” stating that “God has given us natural gifts ” which according to him is the abundant lands spread all over the country .
President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigerians all over the world are very competitive, noting that they acquired the trait from home where the citizens have been properly educated and immersed in business rudiments.
The President stated this on Friday when he met with the Minister of State Foreign Affairs of United Arab Emirates (UAE), His Excellency Shaikh Shakboot Alnahyan, at the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum.
According to a statement by his special media aide, Femi Adesina, President Buhari described his countrymen and women as “competitive both at home and abroad,” and urged them to always abide by the rules of their host countries.
Said the President: “Nigerians are all over the place, very competitive. And the competitiveness starts from home, where they have acquired good education, gone into businesses, and then take all that abroad.”
He encouraged Nigerians in Diaspora to “subject themselves to the rules and standards of the country in which they live either as working class, or doing businesses.”
He welcomed the offer by UAE to partner with Nigeria in the areas of renewable energy, agriculture, infrastructure logistics, and provision of vaccines to further control the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister Shakboot Alnahyan said his country “thinks very highly “of President Buhari’s leadership, noting that he was striving to “build a better future for generations to come.”
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday officially unveiled a digital Performance Management System (PMS) that would help track government projects across the country in real-time.
Buhari launched the PMS at the Midterm Ministerial Performance Review Retreat which held at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At the unveiling, the president said the dashboard will keep an eye on projects using live data.
According to President Buhari, the PMS has been in effect since January 2021 and has helped him to monitor the performance of ministries and by extension, monitor the progress of his administration.
The president disclosed that it was in the continued drive to ensure accountability that his government “incorporated performance management framework into the functions of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit”.
He explained that the Midterm Ministerial review is aimed that reviewing each minister’s program, identifying key impediments to implantation and re-strategizing on how to accelerate delivery of results given the country’s economic situation.
Furthermore, President Buhari said that the retreat will effectively evaluate the activities of the ministries over the last two years to ascertain how well they have helped deliver on the promise made to Nigerians.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made time for Afghan refugee children during their Veterans Day visit to New Jersey on Thursday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex specifically asked to spend time with the school-age kids who are part of the over 10,000 Afghan refugees — known as “guests” — living at Task Force Liberty at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Prince Harry, 37, and Markle, 40, popped into classrooms to singalong to “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” which is one of the songs the children are using to learn English. The couple shared that the song was one of their 2-year-old son, Archie’s, favorites as well.
Markle also helped the children work on learning their colors by holding up different colored markers and having them yell out the name.
Both royals also spent time chatting one-on-one with the Afghan children who were eager to practice using their conversational English, with simple phrases like such as, “Nice to meet you.”
