Introduction Mortality under five years is an important indicator and a significant index for assessing the health and general wellbeing of a country. Even though global efforts to reduce under-five m...

The Director of Livelihood and Agriculture Programme at the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organization (NABOCADO), Dominic Avea Aniah, has highlighted a range of sustainable agricultural practices being promoted among smallholder farmers to improve productivity, build resilience to climate change and reduce dependence on agrochemicals. With conviction, Mr. Aniah described a new chapter unfolding for the region’s farmers. Gone were the days of relying solely on expensive chemical fertilizers and external inputs. Instead, NABOCADO was ushering in a wave of sustainable, climate-smart practices, methods designed not only to boost yields but also to build resilience against the ever-shifting climate. He spoke of compost, made from farm residues and livestock droppings, now replacing synthetic fertilizers. He explained how integrating cereals and legumes, especially nitrogen-fixing beans, replenished soil nutrients and nurtured healthier crops. Crop rotation, he emphasized, was more than tradition: it was a shield against pests and the notorious Striga weed, which once choked maize and other cereals. “When you rotate with soybean, Striga loses its grip,” Mr. Aniah explained, his voice confident. The exchange was not just talk. On demonstration farms, local farmers saw firsthand the results of these innovations. One plot, Mr. Aniah pointed out, had switched from maize to...

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚: 𝐍𝐇𝐑𝐂 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 (𝐆𝐂𝐂) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 (𝐀𝐂𝐂) 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 Global Vaccine Data Network – GVD...

In northern Ghana, dry spells, unpredictable rainfall and rising temperatures are limiting farming to a short rainy season and driving youth migration. To help communities adapt, Link Ghana is introducing aquaponics, a sustainable system that combines fish farming with vegetable production to enable year-round agriculture. Supported by the UNDP-Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA), the initiative is being implemented in Navrongo, Paga and Fumbisi, reaching hundreds of farmers, most of them women. Aquaponics is helping communities build climate resilience and create opportunities at home by increasing food production, boosting incomes and strengthening local skills. Learn more: https://www.adaptation-undp.org/farming-fish-and-vegetables-aquaponics-revolution-taking-root-northern-ghana

Afropages recense l’actualité africaine. Nous proposons une sélection de liens vers des sources d’informations rédigées par nos partenaires de référence.

From Talent to Triumph: Teen Sensation Akurugu Selected for CAF Schools Championship-----Seventeen-year-old Adongo Angelous Akurugu, a product of the Catch Them Young Refereeing Project, has been selected as one of the referees for the upcoming CAF African Schools Football Championship. Adongo, who hails from Navrongo in the Upper East Region of Ghana, is a student at Navrongo Senior High School.

Introduction Navrongo, in Ghana’s Upper East Region, is a compact town with outsized cultural and historical importance. Its most famous landmark is the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows (Navrongo Cathedral) — a mud-built, richly painted church that blends local Kasena/Nankana artistry with Catholic liturgical tradition. When you travel from Accra to Navrongo you’re not only heading to a remarkable piece of architecture; you’re entering a living cultural landscape with shrines, colonial-era missions, colourful markets and easy access to other Upper East highlights like Bolgatanga and Paga.

Intro & Overview Navrongo, located in Ghana’s Upper East Region, is famous for its rich cultural heritage, traditional festivals, and as home to the Navrongo Cathedral (Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Basilica) — one of Ghana’s most iconic religious sites. It also serves as a gateway to Paga (famous for its crocodile ponds) and the Ghana–Burkina Faso border.

Ghana introduced the Rotarix vaccine in April 2012 and switched to the Rotavac vaccine in January 2020. Evaluating the health impact of this change is essential for national policy and can inform decisions in other countries.MethodsWe applied a previously validated mathematical model of rotavirus transmission in Navrongo, Ghana, to quantify the health impact of switching from Rotarix to Rotavac among children under two. We first simulated the model from January 2007 to December 2019 using previously estimated model parameters from pre- and post-Rotarix surveillance data. We then refitted the model to data from January 2020 to March 2023 to estimate Rotavac vaccine effectiveness parameters. To assess overall vaccine effectiveness (OVE), we compared model simulations under the two vaccination scenarios (Rotarix and Rotavac) with a counterfactual scenario assuming no vaccination.ResultsThe model accurately captured both the trend and seasonality of post-vaccination rotavirus cases, with a Spearman correlation of 0.70. Compared to the no-vaccination scenario, the estimated overall vaccine effectiveness (OVE) against moderate-to-severe rotavirus cases was 21.7% (95% prediction interval [PI]: 17.4%–26.1%) in children under 2 years in Navrongo. Annual OVE ranged from 8.4% (PI: 1.0–21.0%) to 63.5% (PI: 39.0–87.0%). Following the switch from Rotarix to Rotavac (2020–2023), we estimated a mean relative OVE of 37.1% (PI: 27.5–46.5%).ConclusionsOur model offers a robust tool to support policymakers in Ghana and similar settings by evaluating current rotavirus vaccine effectiveness, guiding vaccine switching decisions, and informing introduction strategies in countries yet to adopt immunization.

Explore this photo album by Marco Di Leo on Flickr!