On a late June 1982 Wednesday, High Court judge Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong was eating dinner and his son Kwabena Agyei Agyepong was composing a letter. The two had just come from seeing a local game between Accra Hearts of Oak and Cornerstone.
As soon as someone knocked on their door, Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong learned that his colleague Justice Cecelia Koranteng had been ill and had been sent to the Ridge Hospital.
After learning that, Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong asked his housekeeper to get his slippers and then departed the house saying, “I’ll be back shortly.”
These words turned out to be the last words of the renowned judge to his family as he was later found to have been murdered alongside two other High Court justices who were presiding over cases that were of interest to the leadership of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime.
Four days after Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong left home, his family and the two high court justices found out through information from a cattle herdsman that their beloved had been murdered and burnt at the Bundase Military Training.
“It was Wednesday evening and I had just arrived home from watching a game between Hearts of Oak and Corner. Because of the coup, there was a curfew so we slept until around 8pm. He was eating and I was writing a letter. His chamber was close to Justice Koranteng Addo as the Supreme Court. Someone came to inform him that Cecelia Koranteng Addo was sick and being sent to Ridge Hospital so they needed my father. His last words to me were that I will be back soon.
“We went to sleep thinking that the situation had become severe so he didn’t return in the night. The following day, the wife of our next-door neighbor who was Justice Poku Sarkodie came to our place to inform my father that soldiers came to pick up her husband. So I went upstairs to look for my father but he was not around. It took another four days for us to find out he was killed. Those four days were the worst days of my life. We kept looking for him until we found out that he was killed with other ages.”
“On Sunday, I went to the stadium to watch another match. It was a WAFU that Hasaacas was playing. Upon returning home after the game, I saw a lot of people who had gathered at our house, beckoning to hurry up and come home. It had been communicated to them that the bodies had been found at Bundase. The military range around Afienya.”
A common narrative that often follows the story about The Martyrs of the Law is that Justice Cecelia Koranteng was a nursing mother.
“It is a myth. It was my mother rather who just gave birth to our last born who was just three months,” he told Deloris Frimpong Manso in the latest edition of the Delay Show.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has warned the public to desist from purchasing ‘fake’ meters from unknown individuals.
According to the service provider, it is the only institution mandated by law to provide meters to the public, adding that, anybody who engaged in such acts would be made to face the law.
The exercise formed part of a two-weeks campaign to rid the system of fake meters and regularise such meter users to maximise revenue mobilisation.
It was carried out by the Accra West Region ECG in collaboration with the ECG Nsawam district office and the police.
During the exercise, the team uncovered two main types of meters regarded as ‘fake,’ with inscriptions “Property of Ministry of Power and Property of Ministry of Energy.”
Dr Ansah said the company was concerned with the influx of fake meters in the system, a situation which was negatively impacting revenue mobilisation of the power provider.
He said such fake meters allowed customers to use power free as they were unable to record any consumption.
“The whole of the meter case is empty. What is in it is only this one and this one is not any circuit that can measure energy usage, it is only a display board. Within the metre is a bar that connects the output and input terminal directly.
So, in effect, these meters as seen it is like there is no meter at all, it is a direct connection. Whoever is using this meter is the same as whoever had connected power directly and using free. This meter cannot generate even one kilowatt hour of energy usage,” he explained.
“In terms of energy, our losses are not a secret, it is hovering around 30% plus, and all these things contribute to it because wherever we were about, you came to the field with us, wherever we removed these meters, none of them can even tell us they One Cedi to ECG since those meters were installed,” the Revenue Protection Manager added.
In 2021, the Accra West Region alone lost close to GH¢4 million in nine months through illegal connection activities.
Illegal connection activities robbed the company of some 3.9 million kilowatts per hour (3.9mkWh) of power between the months of January and September 2021, resulting in a revenue loss of GH¢3.9 million to the company.
He said the company was, therefore, pursuing people behind the production and installation of such fake meters, assuring that it would not renege in its efforts to sanitise the system.
“We are removing them from the field, and we are trying to reach the syndicates, and to stop the bleeding, we are encouraging the public, with the greatest of respect, to desist from people who come to them that ‘I can give you meter.’
“It is only ECG and through the SHEP programme that every customer can get a meter. If you take the pain to engage anybody privately in your home to get a meter, the moratorium period or management give is over. When we get you, you will have to face the law,” he cautioned.
He urged the public to disabuse their minds that it was cumbersome to get meters from the offices of the ECG, saying “people will it is cumbersome to get meter from ECG, but he will tell you, I can get some for you. So, if it is cumbersome how come he can get it and you can’t.”
Giving more details about the two-week campaign, Mr. Fred Baimbill-Johnson, the Public Relations Officer, Accra West Region, said the exercise was taking place in 12 other communities.
The communities are Daaman, Sakyikrom, Amoakrom, Duadekye, Ntoaso, Kofisah and Newton, are Akwamu, Oparekrom, Nkyenen-kyene, Amanfrom and Adeiso, all in the Nsawam district.
Breastfeeding is the most perfect gift that every new mother can give to her baby to satisfy thirst and hunger. Most importantly, it is also to ensure the survival and healthy development of the child from birth.
Thus, in the wisdom of God, the initial flow of a mother’s breastmilk after childbirth is enriched with a yellowish substance called colostrum, which contains antibodies produced by her body to serve as the infant’s first vaccine. It is a strategic immune booster, protecting against common childhood illnesses and infant deaths.
Consequently, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO), recommend early initiation of Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) of infants from the first one hour of birth until six months old, and sustaining the practice together with complementary feeding for two years and beyond, as the most effective and least costly life saver ever.
She explains that apart from being nature’s blessing regarding quality food and water for babies, breastfeeding stabilises infants, especially those born pre-term, and further mitigates the mother’s hypertensive heart disease impact. It also prevents the onset of breast and cervical cancers and other stress-related challenges in women.
A study by the Harvard Medical School in 2016, on EBF also shows that for every 597 women who optimally breastfeed one maternal or child death is prevented. Therefore, policies and programmes to increase optimal breastfeeding can result in considerable public health gains.
FALSEHOOD ABOUT COVID-19 JAB AND BREASTFEEDING
Notwithstanding, recent social media misinformation and claims that breastfeeding mothers can be infected through the COVID-19 vaccine and pass on the virus to infants through breastmilk to increase the mortality rates. Thus, the lives and futures of millions of children globally, are being threatened by this falsehood.
Ms Emilia Addy (not her real name), a 31-year-old breastfeeding mother told the Ghana News Agency in Accra, that she refused to take the COVID-19 jab when she was eight month old pregnant, having been influenced by the social media misinformation, that the vaccine can cause foetal deformities and the virus transmitted through breastmilk.
“I was afraid it will harm my baby so I initially refused to take the jab,” she said. Fortunately, her midwife was convincing enough in educating her on the truth about the misleading stories, and the immense benefits of vaccination and breastfeeding.
Emilia says she would have missed a sound opportunity to protect herself, her baby, and others around her from the effect of the pandemic, and also the future prospects of her child.
Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the GHS, says such falsehood tends to interfere with the benefits and success of these two key activities being EBF practice and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and uptake.
This is because lactating mothers who are ill-informed and lack the right support, are unlikely to breastfeed or accept the COVID-19 jab due to fear and uncertainty, thus contributing to the vaccine uptake hesitancy gap nationally and globally, he said.
He says the WHO has ample data and documented evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines do not contain the virus, and Coronavirus does not seem to spread to babies through a mother’s breastmilk. “Rather on the good side, the antibodies produced by the mother and passed on to the baby serve as a vaccine for protection”.
Again, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), also recommends that breastfeeding mothers remain fully vaccinated, as the current COVID-19 vaccines provide strong protection against serious illness and death caused by the Omicron and Delta variants of the virus, and help to reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye explains that immunization as a global health and development success story saves millions of lives annually, and contrary to these false claims, “vaccines reduce risks of getting diseases by working with your body’s natural defenses to build protection.”
The seasoned Health Expert affirms the safety of breastfeeding after COVID-19 vaccination, saying the only occasion that a doctor can advise a mother not to breastfeed is when she is very ill, otherwise with just a cold or flu, she can still perfectly cover her nose with a mask to avoid coughing or sneezing on her baby while breastfeeding, and also adhering to all the hygiene protocols.
BREASTFEEDING PRACTICE
Dr Kuma-Aboagye says public education on the impact of optimal breastfeeding is being enhanced as it is key to achieving sustainable development strategies post-pandemic, food security, and reducing inequalities between and within countries, hence the need to sustain the practice to harness the immense benefits.
The Director-General concedes that support for mothers is important throughout the breastfeeding journey in different arenas including health facilities, homes, workplaces, and communities. This is to ease the physical and mental stress in their efforts to sustain the supply of milk, enduring sleepless nights to feed babies, and missing out on other events like hanging out with friends.
He spoke about the renewed efforts by the government and its partners to enhance the capacities of healthcare workers to provide flexible key support services including home care, to new mothers and vulnerable groups, particularly within deprived communities to ensure a consistent and authentic supply of information.
LEGISLATION
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasises good nutrition as a fundamental human right of every infant and child and provides a firm base for its promotion such as their right to survival and development.
Ghana’s Breastfeeding Promotion Regulation, (2000), also prohibits the promotion and sale of designated products such as infant formula, feeding bottles, teats, and pacifiers, in and around any healthcare facility, or the distributes free educational materials or supplies to these facilities. This closes all loopholes to outwit the provisions of the International Breastfeeding Code.
STATISTICS
Dr Francis Kasolo, the WHO Country Representative, says although some progress has been made globally, with a 50 percent increase in the exclusive breastfeeding rates over the past 40 year. Yet only 44 percent of babies are exclusively breastfed globally, and under nutrition accounts for 45 per cent of child deaths (WHO, 2022).
The progress has not been uniform across countries because, as some countries have experienced a gradual increase while others. “Currently just about half of the Ghanaian children are initiated to breastfeeding within one hour of birth, and only 43 per cent of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed,” he said.
Dr Kasolo says current global emergencies and disease outbreaks including the COVID-19 pandemic, pose a threat to the health of many infants and children, and breastfeeding becomes even more critical for their survival and well-being.
Mr Fiachra McAsey, the UNICEF Representative Officer-in-Charge, says despite the accrued short and long-term benefits of EBF “sadly, millions of children in Ghana are missing out on this opportunity, which negatively affects their nutritional wellbeing, bodies, their brains, and their future as healthy and productive citizens”.
He says without a change in practice, the country is unlikely to meet the World Health Assembly and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to increase EBF rates in Ghana from 43 to 65 percent by 2025.
Dr Kofi Issah, the Director of Family Health, GHS, says “Ghana’s breastfeeding journey has not been without challenges,” stressing that the actions and inactions of a group of individuals surrounding new mothers and their babies can make breastfeeding successful or a failure.
According to him, the country has over the years worked hard, and continues to do so to ensure that its children start off right, citing the ‘Start right, feed right’ campaign as one of the key drives to improve the rates of breastfeeding in general, and EBF for six months in particular.
“The health system will continue to ensure that policies and strategies we pursue inure to the benefit of all our infants,” he said.
Breastfeeding is a shared responsibility and requires massive stakeholder support to mothers, caregivers, and families, and also improved investments for enhancing optimal breastfeeding programmes, to foster the right enabling environment in the long term, especially for the most vulnerable families.
High in the Swiss Alps, St Moritz made its name as a place for pushing the boundaries of winter sport. By the time it hosted the second Winter Olympics Games in 1928 its reputation as a playground for wealthy adventurers was already well established.
On Saturday, the region continued its long tradition of expanding the limits of what is possible with an epic world record attempt — not on snow or ice, but on rails.
To celebrate the 175th anniversary of Switzerland‘s first railway, the country’s rail industry came together to run the world’s longest-ever passenger train — 100 cars, 2,990 tonnes and almost two kilometres long.
Formed of 25 new “Capricorn” electric trains the record-breaking 1,906-meter train took almost an hour to cover around 25 kilometers (about 15 miles) over the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Albula Line from Preda to Alvaneu in eastern Switzerland.
Like the legendary Cresta Run toboggan track, the Albula Line is famous for its endless swooping curves and steep descents. A world-renowned masterpiece of civil engineering, the 62-kilometer line between Thusis and St Moritz took just five years to build despite requiring 55 bridges and 39 tunnels.
Prior to its completion in July 1904, visitors faced a risky 14-hour journey over rough tracks in horse-drawn carriages or sledges.
Centerpiece of the line is the 5,866-meter-long Albula Tunnel, which runs deep beneath the watershed between the Rhine and Danube rivers.
Spirals, soaring viaducts and tunnels
The train spiraled down a switchback of tracks through the mountains.
In less than 25 kilometers, the train plummeted from 1,788 meters above sea level at Preda to 999.3 meters at Alvaneu, using a succession of spirals, soaring viaducts and tunnels.
The record attempt was organized by the Rhaetische Bahn (Rhaetian Railway, or RhB), supported by Swiss train-builder Stadler, and is perhaps even more astonishing for taking place on a narrow gauge railway.
Unlike most Swiss and European railways, which use the “standard” gauge between the rails of 1.435 meters (4 feet 8.5 inches), RhB rails are just one meter apart.
Combine this with a route with notoriously tight curves, steep gradients, 22 tunnels and 48 bridges over deep valleys and the challenges become obvious.
Previous holders of the world’s longest passenger train record — Belgium and, before that, the Netherlands — used standard gauge railways through flat landscapes to their advantage.
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“We all know the Albula Line very well, every change of gradient, every incline,” said lead driver Andreas Kramer, 46, ahead of the big day. “It goes without saying that we’re going through the process again and again.”
He added: “We need to be 100% synchronized, every second. Everyone has to keep their speed and other systems under control at all times.”
An initial test run ended in failure before the train had even moved when it was discovered that the emergency brake system could not be activated and the seven drivers could not communicate with each other via radio or cellphone in the many tunnels.
Kramer, assisted by six other drivers and 21 technicians instead used a temporary field telephone system set up by the Swiss Civil Protection organization to maintain communications as the train ran at up to 35 km/h through countless tunnels and deep valleys.
Specially modified software and an intercom between the seven drivers allowed the 25 trains to work in harmony. Any mismatch in acceleration or deceleration during the journey would have exerted unacceptably high forces on tracks and power supplies, creating a major safety issue.
RhB Director Renato Fasciati said: “Switzerland is a railway country like no other. This year, we are celebrating 175 years of Swiss railways. With this world record attempt, RhB and its partners wanted to play their part in achieving a pioneering feat that had never been seen before.”
Party atmosphere
The train was made up of 100 cars.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
On the long descent, speed was controlled by regenerative braking, similar to that used on some electric cars, which fed current back into the 11,000-volt overhead power supply lines.
However, with so many trains in the same section of line, there was concern that they could feed too much current back into the system, overloading both trains and local power grids. To avoid this, the top speed of the train was limited to 35 km/h and software had to be modified to restrict the power being fed back.
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Additional safety control cables also had to be fitted throughout the train to support the standard mechanical and pneumatic connections between trains.
On the big day, the RhB organized a railway festival at Bergün and 3,000 lucky ticket holders were able to witness the record attempt via a live TV feed while also enjoying local entertainment and gastronomy. Normal services through the Albula Tunnel to St Moritz and beyond were suspended for 12 hours.
Three satellite uplinks, 19 cameras in drones and helicopters, on the train and along the track filmed the train, providing a unique record of this once-in-a-lifetime event. This alone was a major challenge in a remote, mountainous region with limited mobile telecoms coverage.
A railway nation
The record attempt was organized to celebrate 175 years of Swiss railways.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
For a small country with a mountainous landscape which, at first glance, seems unsuited to railways, Switzerland punches well above its weight in the industry.
Necessity has long made it a pioneer in electrical, mechanical and civil engineering and its technology and expertise are exported all over the world.
Engineering feats such as the Gotthard Base Tunnel, opened in 2016, continue a long tradition of expanding the boundaries of the possible.
With good reason, the Swiss are the world’s most enthusiastic rail users, traveling an average of 2,450 kilometers every year by train — a quarter of their overall annual total. In common with other European countries, mobility has exploded in recent decades — the average annual distance travelled by car and public transport has doubled in the last 50 years.
They traveled 19.7 billion passenger kilometers by rail in 2019, the last “normal” year before the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021 this fell to 12.5 billion passenger kilometers but as Switzerland celebrates 175 years since its first railway opened between Zürich and Baden, ridership is well on the way back to pre-pandemic levels.
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So high are the expectations of public transport users in Switzerland that even a small delay is a source of quiet dissatisfaction. And not without good reason; many journeys in and around Switzerland’s biggest cities are multi-modal, reliant on slick connections between trains, trams, buses and even boats at well-organized interchanges.
In 2021, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) operated 11,260 trains carrying 880,000 passengers and 185,000 tonnes of freight per day on a 3,265 kilometer-long network with 804 stations.
Adding the 70-plus “private” standard and narrow gauge railways, many of which are also partly or fully in public ownership, takes that network to around 5,300 kilometers, the densest rail network in the world.
A heavily co-ordinated network integrates SBB’s trains with numerous other operators, extensive narrow gauge railways such as the Rhaetische Bahn (RhB), mountain cog railways, funiculars, post buses, cable cars, boats and more, providing dependable car-free access to every corner of the country (see www.swiss-pass.ch).
Decades of long-term investment have created a core network of intensively used main lines linking all the country’s major cities. Feeding into this are high-frequency S-Bahn (city rail) systems around the biggest cities plus regional and local railway lines, tramways and mountain railways, many of which provide a critical link to the outside world for rural and upland communities.
Despite massive investment over the last four decades, through long-term expansion programs such as “Bahn 2000.” Switzerland’s railways are becoming a victim of their own success. While SBB’s overall punctuality still looks impressive to outsiders, there is concern about deteriorating performance, rising costs and its ability to fund essential maintenance and major projects after the devastating financial losses of 2020-21.
Disruption is still comparatively rare on the SBB network, but reliability has decreased in recent years as a result of congestion, staff shortages and poor punctuality of trains arriving from neighboring countries.
Strategic position
The train dropped nearly 800 meters in its descent from the mountains.
MAYK WENDT
Sitting at the heart of western Europe, between the industrial powerhouses of Germany, France and northern Italy, Switzerland also plays a key strategic role in the wider European economy — as it has since the Middle Ages.
For centuries, the Alps presented a formidable barrier to travelers and trade across this part of Europe but over the last two decades, billions of Swiss Francs have been invested to build the lengthy Gotthard and Loetschberg Base Tunnels deep under the Alps.
While other countries argue and dither over public transport spending, in June 2022 the Swiss Federal Council opened consultations on its next program of long-term rail investment. Perspektive Bahn 2050 is a detailed set of proposals with a clear focus on developing short and medium-distance passenger services to promote a shift away from cars.
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Enhancement of the existing network to create extra capacity is to be prioritized over more major infrastructure projects. Transport Minister Simonetta Sommaruga says: “It’s not a question of saving a few minutes on a trunk route such as Zürich-Bern. Rail is already unbeatable on routes like that. It is rather about expansion where rail has been left behind.”
Expected to be passed into law by 2026, the plan’s objectives include increasing annual public transport usage from 26 billion passenger-kilometers to 38 billionn passenger-kilometers by 2050, increasing rail’s share of the passenger and freight markets “significantly” and ensuring that rail services are even more closely integrated with other transport modes to provide greater mobility for all.
Critics often cite Switzerland’s smaller population and relatively short distances when comparing it to countries such as the UK and Germany, claiming that it would be impossible to create similar integrated public transport networks in larger countries.
It’s true that the Swiss have built something ideally suited to their geography, culture and population density, but whatever the arguments elsewhere, the RhB’s incredible achievement on October 29 is a hugely impressive demonstration of Switzerland’s world-class capabilities in the field of railway technology.
A section of the public, including Joan Atippo, a senior journalist at a popular media organisation in Accra, declined to take the COVID-19 jab.
She was caught in the web of conspiracy theories including one which, claimed that the vaccine had a microchip embedded in it.
“I do not know what has been used to develop the vaccine and no one has educated me on that. The videos I have seen on these vaccines are scary. A friend who is a big person shared it with me and I have no doubt in my mind about the authenticity of the content,” she said.
One other that validated her suspicion was a video of a mobile phone that was stacked on the arm of someone who had finished taking the vaccine.
Ignorant of the formulation of any of the COVID-19 vaccines, Joan was not the only person, but a good number of constituents were immersed in that machination.
It took the intervention of an official from Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, who explained the vaccine formulation processes and ingredients before she agreed to take the shot.
Joan’s story is similar to many in Ghana, Africa and the world who initially held that position, but through innovative strategies including risk communication and community engagement, has countered the low-risk perception and misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines in communities.
According to COVID-19 Tracker Online, about 68 per cent of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Nearly 13 billion doses have been administered globally, and 1.84 million are now administered each day. About 24 per cent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.
Disinformation and misinformation
Ghana was the first country in the world to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility. It kicked off her vaccination drive on March 1, 2021, making its rollout among the longest-running in Africa.
Despite the longevity of its vaccination programme, by the beginning of 2022, less than half of the target population of 20 million people had received at least one vaccine dose and only about 13 per cent were fully vaccinated.
To improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake, in February 2022, Ghana instituted its first National COVID-19 Vaccination Day, building firmly on the foundation of previous National Immunization Days for Polio.
As of mid-August, 2022, a total of 20,220,960 COVID-19 vaccine doses, have been administered through the vaccination programme to more than 11 million people.
However, a segment of the population is still hesitating about the vaccine.
Dr Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, the Programme Manager for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) at the Ghana Health Service, says one of the top major obstacles the vaccination programmes faced was deliberate misinformation and disinformation.
“In reference to the video where someone rubbed a mobile phone at the injected arm and got stuck, that cannot be said to be anything new or caused by the vaccine. It would have happened even before the vaccination,” he said.
“It is possible for that to happen due to Van der Waals forces – relatively weak electric forces that attract neutral molecules to one another in gases, in liquefied and solidified gases, and in almost all organic liquids and solids”.
Although, he says it was the wish of many to have access to medication for the pandemic when people were dying and getting sick, other sections of the public were not willing to take the jab until they were convinced.
COVID-19 vaccine: the main ingredient and how it works
The COVID-19 vaccine, like many others, was developed to help the human body develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without having to get the illness.
Dr Amponsa-Achiano explains that the critical component of the vaccine formulation includes a modified part of the virus or germ tissue of the COVID-19 virus.
“The vaccine is introduced to your body as a jab, which contains the modified part of the virus. It builds and prepares the body to withstand in case the virus is finally contracted.
He says the development of new vaccines goes through steps prioritising the keywords “safety and efficacy” before it receives final approval for use.
Dr Amponsa-Achiano states that the vaccine does not affect or interact with the human DNA or enter the nucleus of the cell where one’s DNA is located, and cannot change or influence one’s genes.
Dr Charu Kaushic, the Scientific Director at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research explains that all vaccines work by teaching our immune system to recognize a pathogen – a disease-causing organism.
In the case of COVID-19 vaccines, this pathogen is the SARS-CoV-2 virus. When a vaccinated person comes into contact with SARS-CoV-2, their immune system (the body’s defence mechanism) responds by attacking the virus and preventing it from making them sick.
She says getting a COVID-19 vaccine helps protect the person who is vaccinated and helps protect the whole community. The more people who are vaccinated, the lower the individual risk of contracting the disease.
Cecilia Lodonu-Senoo, Executive Director of Hope for Future Generation says Ghana’s vaccine programme has recorded successes, especially on the African continent.
She is of the view that there are still the likes of many Joan’s out there who need to be sensitised to be part of the COVID-19 vaccination success story for the country to achieve herd immunity.
She called on the media and civil society organisations to intensify the campaign for more [people to get vaccinated to save themselves, their families and the nation.
Some people are willing to go the extra mile to prove their love to their partners but this is beyond absurdity.
Why would any sane person tattoo his/her lover’s face on any part of his/her body – What happens if there’s a breakup?
If the lady thinks tattooing her boyfriend’s face on her bare face will keep him, then she has made a very great mistake because the guy will still cheat regardless of her tricks to pin him to herself alone.
I don’t want to believe this is a permanent tattoo but rather, a temporary tattoo that lasts around 2-3 days maximum.
Well, we are in the age of clout chasing and attention seeking hence nothing is surprising at all.
I’m just wondering how she’ll get the guy’s face off her body if they break up in the future.
All the comments under the viral video suggest the lady refused to think like an adult no matured person will draw his or her lover’s face on his\her’s just to prove a point.
Take a look at some of the reactions from shocked netizens below;
@Samanthafrea – tattoo artists gotta have some kind of rule to tell these girls that this is dumb lmao
@Iamyoursign – As a tattoo artist I try talk them out of it or try to make them get something else llf
@Kxshanell – I would be a lil scared if someone got my face tatted. Like ion even think it’d turn me on fr.
@Kunstoppable – Please tell me this is fake. Where are her parents why would the tattoo artist agree to do this.
The Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs was adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action or global projection to end all forms of poverty and discrimination to protect the planet by 2030 so that all people in the world enjoy peace and prosperity.
The 17 SDGs are integrated and recognized that action in one area would affect outcomes in others with the guiding principle that development must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
The 17 goals include: End to Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education and Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Climate Actions among others.
Ghana, as a UN member country with an obligation towards the SDGs, has aligned its development priorities in partnership with Civil Society Organization (CSOs) and the private sector to achieve the global call, thus, Ghana has adopted five themes namely, People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships which spans across the 17 SDGs.
In spite of the multisectoral approach and efforts by the government and its allied partners in achieving the SDGs to ensure a better life for all, there are challenges in achieving these goals due to the economic and social situations of many communities across Ghana, particularly the rural communities whose economic mainstay is farming or small-scale agriculture for their livelihoods.
In line with Ghana’s operational strategy in achieving the SDGs, The Hunger Project-Ghana a not-for-profit international organization in collaboration with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has launched a multi-million-dollar project to improve food security, water, sanitation, and nutrition in two districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
The beneficiary communities are Dominase and Bawale epicenters in the Fanteakwa and Okere districts respectively in the Eastern Region. The project is estimated to cover about 60,000 rural folks in these two districts with sustainable agriculture interventions to enhance their livelihoods and contribute to the local economy and development as well as
Some of the variables under the project are the establishment of food processing centers to improve food security, provision of irrigation systems for all-year-round farming, establish farm/agriculture inputs shops, boreholes/improved water facilities for access to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Others are the provision of motorbikes for outreach health services in hard-to-reach communities within the operational areas to ensure timely access to healthcare primarily maternal healthcare services.
Mr Samuel Afrane, Country Director, of Hunger Project-Ghana, indicated that the project had been carefully designed and its key targets touch on 12 out of the 17 SDGs, mentioning quality healthcare, clean water, and sanitation, economic empowerment through the provision of systems and technologies to enhance farming communities at rural communities.
The two-year project from 2022-2024 is a collaborative effort between his outfit and the Latter-day Saints’ Church to improve the situations of rural dwellers who relied on farming as their main economic activity resulting in improved economic situations as well as an increase in household incomes.
He explained that the Hunger Project-Ghana and the Latter-day Saints Church had been collaborating since 2018 on a number of interventional projects to improve the livelihoods of people in epicenters or operational communities including a project entitled “Food Security and Nutrition Improvement project” in six epicenters namely Taido, Asaforo, Tokome, Akpo-Akpamu, Fesi-Bame and Kwakyekrom in the Central, Eastern and Volta regions respectively.
“Following the success of the project over the years, the two institutions have forged a new strategic partnership to extend the project to the two epicenters in the Eastern Region and we hope that the modalities of the project implementation would be absorbed into the local planning and development by the assemblies to ensure sustainability and continuity” he added.
He said the smallholder farmer remains at the Centre of every intervention geared towards economic empowerment in line with the SDGs since it was the main economic activity or source of livelihood for people living in rural communities “and once their economic activity is improved through the provision of irrigation systems for an all-year-round cultivation it has impacts on all aspects of living conditions”.
Mr Tseko Ahiale, a farmer at Dominase hailed the project describing it as a very good intervention to improve their farming activities considering the climate change impacts “the weather patterns have changed so am unable to rely on the rainy season for my planting schedules for instance all my maize was spoilt due to lack of rains at the expected period”.
He said the provision of irrigation facilities would reduce their reliance on rain-fed agriculture to all-year-round cultivation and that would in no doubt improve their incomes.
This is impacting the lives of many, and other organisations must emulate to reach more people to impact their lives, find solutions to their daily needs and make the communities and the country a happy place to live in.
An affiliate of al-Qaeda, al-Shabab has engaged in a long-running conflict with the federal Somali government.
President Mohamud, in power for five months pledged “total war” against the Islamist militants after they attacked a popular hotel in Mogadishu in August killing at least 21 people.
Saturday’s blasts happened within minutes of each other, destroying buildings and vehicles in the vicinity.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, The plumes of smoke arising from the blasts could be seen across the city
The first hit the education ministry and then the second went off as medical teams arrived to deal with the aftermath, the Reuters news agency reports.
A lorry exploded at the same junction almost exactly five years ago, leaving more than 500 people dead – the worst such attack in the country’s history.
After Saturday’s attack, hundreds of people have gathered near the site, looking for missing family members.
Among those killed were a prominent journalist and senior police officer.
“I am here to tell the Somali people that such October attacks will not happen again, God willing,” President Mohamud said after visiting the scene of the attack.
“The bombings were a message sent by the militants to show that they are still alive, despite the fact that they were defeated in battlefield by government forces,” he added.
The African Union (AU) mission in Somalia said that the “attacks underline the urgency and critical importance of the ongoing military offensive to further degrade al-Shabab”.
The US, Turkey, Qatar and Germany have all condemned the attack.
Al-Shabab has been battling the AU-backed federal government for control of Somalia for around 15 years.
The group controls much of southern and central Somalia, but has also been able to extend its influence into areas controlled by the government based in Mogadishu.
The former Board Chairman of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), Rex Omar has bemoaned the failure of prospective musicians to assess the commercial viability of the music industry before venturing into it.
Rex Omar said this at the Showbiz Roundtable organised by Joy Entertainment at the Labadi Beach Hotel on Saturday, October 29, 2022.
The thought-leadership forum, themed ‘Music Business and Tourism’, aims at delving deep into, and moving conversations from simply identifying some of the industry’s woes, to sharing ideas and insights that are critical to the growth and progress of the creative industry.
As a keynote speaker, Mr Rex Owusu Marfo spoke on the topic, “Importance of royalties to the life of the musician”.
He stated that the majority of artistes do not analyse the business prospects of the music landscape before venturing.
This, according to him is per research he conducted in the music industry.
“I want to say emphatically here that based on the research I have done, 98 percent of people who get into music in this country, don’t do any business analysis, they just go in,” he said.
The Highlife musician advised artistes to make it a point to understand that music is business and not only about passion.
“It is only in music that people are driven by passion. So he [artiste] will get the song, look for money anyhow, just rush to studio and record the music and most artistes are satisfied because they have been able to record what I feel.”
“Even an iced-water seller, if he wants to go and buy sachet water and sell, he will analyse how much will I buy it? How much will I sell it for? At the end of the day how much will I get,” he cited an instance.
According to him, if the music becomes a hit, the artiste may not receive the maximum royalties because they failed to consider it from a business standpoint.
The fresh statements come after a delegation from Zimbabwe held talks with officials from both institutions.
The Zimbabweans are looking for the skulls of late-19th Century anti-colonial heroes, which they believe could be in the UK.
But these have not yet been found.
The authorities in Zimbabwe have long suspected that the remains of some of the leaders of an uprising against British rule in the 1890s – known as the First Chimurenga – were taken to the UK as trophies.
In doing a search of its archive, the Natural History Museum did uncover 11 remains “that appear to be originally from Zimbabwe” – but its records do not connect them with Nehanda. These include three skulls taken in 1893, thought to be from Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, as well as remains uncovered in mineshafts and archaeological digs and later donated.
Cambridge University’s Duckworth Laboratory has not been so specific, simply saying it has “a small number of human remains from Zimbabwe”, but in a statement sent to the BBC it said it had not identified any of these as belonging to First Chimurenga figures.
The Natural History Museum, with 25,000 human remains, and the Duckworth Laboratory, with 18,000, have some of the largest such archives in the world.
These have come from a variety of sources including archaeological excavations of ancient sites, but for many the exact origins have been obscured by time.
During the colonial era, body parts were sometimes removed from battlefields or dug up from graves either as trophies or for research into a now-discredited scientific field.
In the 19th Century, phrenology, which investigated the idea that human characteristics could be determined by the shape of the skull, was very popular in the UK and other parts of Europe. Phrenological societies would collect skulls to help develop the theory, which for some extended to racial classification.
Some researchers set out to show that skull shape indicated that people from different parts of the world were inherently inferior.
Some of the archives that now exist in the UK are amalgamations of what had been amassed by defunct phrenological societies as well as private collectors.
Zimbabwe’s government believes that somehow the skulls of the country’s heroes ended up in the archives of a British museum.
Chief among them were spiritual leaders, including Charwe Nyakasikana, who became known as Mbuya (Grandmother) Nehanda as she was the medium of the revered ancestral spirit Nehanda. She was arrested after being accused of murdering a British official.
Nehanda was then hanged and her body decapitated, it is believed. What happened next is not clear, but in recent years, Zimbabwean officials have made several public statements saying it ended up in the Natural History Museum.
With a death cry of “my bones will surely rise”, Nehanda became an increasingly potent symbol for those fighting against white-minority rule in what was then known as Rhodesia from the late 1960s.
Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980.
Image source, ShutterstockThe Mbuya Nehanda statue in Harare was put up in 2021
A three-metre statue of Nehanda now stands over a major road in the centre of Harare. At its unveiling in 2021, President Emmerson Mnangagwa pledged to continue to call for the return of her skull and others from the Natural History Museum.
For Zimbabweans, the removal of the head “means that you have literally punished the person beyond the grave”, Godfrey Mahachi, who led the delegation to the UK, told the BBC in 2020 when the visit was being planned.
“If the head is separated, that means that the spirit of that person will forever linger and never settle.”
Despite not finding what the Zimbabwean delegation was looking for, both the Natural History Museum and Cambridge University say they are committed to working with the Zimbabwean government to repatriate what was found.
As part of its policy of repatriation, earlier this year, the Natural History Museum returned ancestral Moriori and Maori remains.
In a press statement following a recent cabinet meeting, Zimbabwe’s government said that the delegation that went to the UK was satisfied that “there are indeed human remains of Zimbabwean origin in the UK”.
“Government will spare no effort to ensure the repatriation of our ancestors,” it added.
The Zimbabwean delegation also held talks with the British Museum, Oxford University’s Pitt Rivers Museum, the University of Manchester Museum and the UK’s National Archives. But no details are given about what was discussed.
Despite the lack of success in this trip to the UK, the historical significance to Zimbabwe of the remains of Nehanda and others means that the search will continue.
According to him, while serving as Chairman for GHAMRO he realised Ghanaian artistes were reluctant to register their songs with the Association but demand royalties.
He explained that GHAMRO can only provide royalties to artistes who have registered with the organization.
“…that is why we came together to form our own company so the company will deal with the radio stations and music users on our behalf. GHAMRO is a private organization registered by the right owners themselves, but if you do not become a member and you go and sit somewhere and say give me royalties, you are crying for nothing,” he said at the Showbiz Roundtable organised by Joy Entertainment at the Labadi Beach Hotel on Saturday, October 29, 2022.
He said the perception that GHAMRO collects all music royalties of musicians is inaccurate.
He noted that despite digital streaming platforms available for musicians to get some royalties, they still need to sign up with GHAMRO so that royalties that they cannot monitor, GHAMRO makes it available to them.
“The ones that you yourself cannot chase. Can you imagine that the numerous artistes in Ghana, everybody is going from Radio station to radio station to go and collect royalties, it will be chaos,” he added.
The thought-leadership forum, themed ‘Music Business and Tourism’, aims at delving deep into, and moving conversations from simply identifying some of the industry’s woes, to sharing ideas and insights that are critical to the growth and progress of the creative industry.
As a keynote speaker, Mr Rex Owusu Marfo spoke on the topic, “Importance of royalties to the life of the musician”.
According to him, over the years he has observed that the country has not been blessed with leaders who care about how the country would progress.
“We have been cursed with leaders who look at their pockets first. What am I going to get out of this?” he said.
He made this remark on the ShowBiz Roundtable organised by Joy Entertainment at the Labadi Beach Hotel on Saturday, October 29, 2022.
The thought-leadership forum, themed ‘Music Business and Tourism’, aims at delving deep into, and moving conversations from simply identifying some of the industry’s woes, to sharing ideas and insights that are critical to the growth and progress of the creative industry.
Due to his contention, Uncle Ebo opined that when recommendations from the meeting is handed over to the leaders, “it won’t mean anything to them and that is sad.”
The motivational speaker went on to say that due to the attitude of the country’s leaders, “he is suspicious of anyone who spends more to get a job for which you will be paid less than what is put in.”
“To get to Parliament, for instance, you would spend so much that if all you were coming in it for salary and ex-gratia, it would come nowhere near what you invested in it and yet people are prepared to die for it. Meaning that we are not coming because of what you think we are coming, we have seen something that maybe we cannot tell you about, but it is there and we are coming to get,” he said.
Mr Ebo Whyte expressed regret that the creative sector has been abandoned by the government to its fate.
He hoped that a day will come when a government will focus on the creative industry as its legacy.
According to the highlife artiste, music publishing is a form of royalty, adding that music publishing is a very vital thing in the life of musicians, particularly songwriters. This, he explained is because it has to do with the exploitation of the song.
“They [publishers] are the people who will look for films so that your music can be used as synchronisation or soundtracks … As long as your publisher is powerful all you need is one song well published.
“If you are good songwriter and you have a good publisher you don’t necessarily have to sing. You can be sitting in Ghana, writing songs and you will have some top American artiste singing your songs and you are here quietly making your money,” he said.
The thought-leadership forum, themed ‘Music Business and Tourism’, aims at delving deep into, and moving conversations from simply identifying some of the industry’s woes, to sharing ideas and insights that are critical to the growth and progress of the creative industry.
Meanwhile, Rex Omar has advised prospective musicians to assess the commercial viability of the music industry before venturing into it.
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider whether colleges may continue to use race as a factor in student admissions in two cases that give its conservative majority a chance to ban policies often employed to boost Black and Hispanic enrollment and perhaps overturn its own precedents allowing such practices.
The justices, confronting another contentious issue in U.S. American society, are scheduled to hear arguments on Monday in appeals by a group backed by a conservative activist of lower court rulings upholding affirmative action admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.
Many U.S. colleges and universities place a premium on achieving a diverse student population not simply to remedy racial inequity and exclusion in American life but to bring a range of perspectives onto campuses with the goal of a richer educational experience for everyone. Critics argue that these policies themselves amount to unlawful racial discrimination.
According to Harvard, around 40% of U.S. colleges and universities consider race in some fashion in admissions.
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The Supreme Court has been upheld such policies, most recently in a 2016 ruling involving a white woman who sued after the University of Texas rejected her. The court has shifted rightward since then. Its 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices who dissented in that 2016 decision and three appointed by Republican former President Donald Trump.
The Harvard and UNC lawsuits were filed in 2014 by a group called Students for Fair Admissions founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, who also backed the University of Texas plaintiff. Blum said he is not taking a ruling against the schools for granted, adding, “Trying to foretell what the court is going to do is a fool’s errand.”
Ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could require the court to overturn its 2016 ruling and earlier decisions.
The court in 1978 ruled in a case called Regents of the University of California v. Bakke that race could be considered as one of several admissions factors including academic and extracurricular criteria but barred racial quotas. It reaffirmed that in a 2003 ruling in a case called Grutter v. Bollinger.
The court’s conservative bloc has shown a willingness to abandon precedent, as illustrated in the June decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide.
‘DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION’
The lawsuits accused UNC of discriminating against white and Asian American applicants and Harvard of discriminating against Asian American applicants.
“These challenges are a part of a broader attack on the importance and value that the Constitution and that American society place on diversity and inclusion in the core institutions of our society,” said Sarah Hinger, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed briefs in the cases supporting the schools.
Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration is backing the schools.
Students for Fair Admissions cited Harvard data showing that Asian American applicants were less likely to gain admission than white, Black or Hispanic applicants with similar qualifications. It said UNC’s admissions data showed “stark” racial disparities in acceptance rates among similarly qualified applicants, with Black and Hispanic students preferred over white and Asian American ones.
Blum’s group has argued that Harvard’s policies ran afoul of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars racial discrimination under any program receiving federal financial assistance, and that UNC’s violated the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.
The lower courts disagreed. For instance, the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Harvard’s use of race was “meaningful” and not “impermissibly extensive” because it prevented diversity from plummeting.
Chief Justice John Roberts is seen as the conservative justice least inclined to overturn precedent. But he dissented in the 2016 ruling alongside fellow conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
Thomas, one of the court’s two Black justices, has been outspoken against racial preferences.
“The Constitution abhors classifications based on race, not only because those classifications can harm favored races or are based on illegitimate motives, but also because every time the government places citizens on racial registers and makes race relevant to the provision of burdens or benefits, it demeans us all,” Thomas wrote in a Grutter v. Bollinger ruling dissent.
Michaele Turnage Young, a lawyer with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which has filed briefs supporting the schools, said the court could rule more narrowly than its 6-3 ideological split might suggest, particularly after the political backlash from the abortion ruling.
“The court might be wary of overturning another longstanding federal line of precedent,” she said.
David Bernstein, a professor at George Mason University’s law school who has filed a brief supporting Blum’s group, said he would be watching to see if the three liberal justices can find “some escape hatch or limit” to allow some form of racial preferences to remain.
Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s other Black member, has recused herself from the Harvard case but is set to participate in the UNC one. Jackson, the newest justice, attended Harvard and previously served on its Board of Overseers.
Foreign leaders expressed condolences over the deadly crowd surge in Seoul’s Itaewon district, with at least 20 foreign nationals from as many as a dozen countries among those killed in the crush in a popular nightspot.
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday after the Halloween crush on Saturday night killed some 153 people.
South Korea’s Ministry of Interior and Safety put the total at 20 foreign nationals killed. A ministry official told Reuters that among the dead were people from China, Iran, Russia, the United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Norway, with several people still unidentified.
Two Japanese nationals, a woman in her twenties and another woman between the age of 10 and 19, were confirmed to have died in the crush, an official at Japan’s foreign ministry said.
“I am greatly shocked and deeply saddened by the loss of many precious lives, including young people with a bright future, as a result of the very tragic accident,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a statement.
At least four Chinese nationals were among those killed, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Chinese embassy in Seoul.
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“On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I would like to express deep condolences to the victims and extend sincere condolences to their families and the injured,” President Xi Jinping said in a letter, according to Xinhua.
Xi said some Chinese citizens were also injured, and hoped South Korea “will make every effort to cure and deal with the aftermath.”
Four Russian citizens died, the RIA news agency reported, citing the Russian embassy in South Korea.
“Please convey words of sincere sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, and also wishes for the swift recovery of all the injured,” President Vladimir Putin said in a Telegram to Yoon.
U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden sent their condolences, writing: “We grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a quick recovery to all those who were injured.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time.”
One Norwegian citizen was confirmed to have died in the crush, a spokesperson for Norway’s foreign ministry said, declining to provide any details.
“I am devastated by news of the terrible incident in connection with Halloween celebrations in Seoul,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement. “My deepest condolences to families and friends who lost their loved ones. My thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: “I’m thinking of everyone affected by this tragedy, and wishing a fast and full recovery to those who were injured.”
Pope Francis, addressing the faithful in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, said “we also pray … for those, especially young people, who died overnight in Seoul due to the tragic consequences of a sudden stampede.”
“Italy is close to the Korean people in this moment of great sorrow and profound sadness,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Twitter.
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Reporting by Josh Smith and Reuters bureaus Editing by William Mallard and Frances Kerry
Ten children who had been forced into fishing on the Volta Lake have been rescued by the Oti Regional Police Command, the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) of the Krachie East and Biakoye Districts, with assistance from the International Justice Mission (IJM).
Nine and one children were transported to safety in two separate operations that were launched on October 5th and 7th, 2022, respectively.
In the wee hours of October 5 in Adakope in the Krachie East District of the Oti Region, a rescue took place.
Three other children were freed from forced labor and six other trafficking minors were saved.
Five boat captain suspects were taken into custody.
“The survivors, aged 9 to 16 years, were subjected to neglect and emotional abuse. They were used by their boat masters for hazardous fishing activities on the Volta Lake. This included hook and line and bamboo fishing. At the time of rescue, many of them suffered Malaria, STIs, skin infection, bilharzia, oral hygiene and malnutrition,” a member of International Justice Mission-Ghana, Kojo Owiredu Kissi narrated in a press release dated October 27, 2022.
The Ghanaian government has been threatened with legal action by the World Bank if audited financial statements for the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project are not submitted within 30 days (GALOP).
In a letter dated October 21 and addressed to Ghana’s finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, Pierre Laporte, the International Development Association’s world country director, expressed concerns about the audit statement’s failure to be completed within the agreed-upon six months of the end of a fiscal year.
The World Bank said it would investigate the “possibility of taking the relevant legal remedies under the Financing Agreement” against the government because the submission of the statement is four months overdue.
“In accordance with Section 5.09(b)(ii) of the General Conditions incorporated by reference in the Financing Agreement and as specified in paragraph II (ii) of the Disbursement and Financial Information Letter (DFIL), the Recipient is required to furnish the audited financial statements covering the period of one fiscal year of the Recipient no later than six (6) months after the end of such period. We note that as of today, October 18, 2022, the Association has not received the audited financial statements for the year ending December 2021 in compliance with the General Conditions.
“Given that the audited financial statements are now four (4) months overdue, and with the Audit Compliance Guidance, we write to inform you that unless you come into compliance within the next thirty (30) days from the date of this letter, the Association may have no option than to explore the possibility of exercising the appropriate legal remedies under the Financing Agreement,” part of the letter read.
Pierre Laporte has consequently requested Ofori-Atta to attend to the brewing matter in order for the audit requirement to be adhered to.
“We trust that your personal and immediate attention to this matter will ensure speedy compliance of the audit requirements referred to above,” the letter said in part.
Adutwum and GALOP training brouhaha
Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum in May this year was allegedly caught up in an alleged phantom training exercise for over 40,000 teachers on the digital literacy platform under GALOP for which World Bank had given $1.2 million.
This came to light after then Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, in a March 30, 2022 letter to the Education Minister said GES was “unaware that any such training has taken place” and further asked him “to advice and provide direction to enable the GES to respond appropriately to the enquiries from the World Bank”.
According to a myjoyonline.com report, the World Bank has written to the then GES D-G after Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum failed to respond by close of January 14, 2022, on queries into whether or not the training had taken place and claims by Chief Director at the Education Ministry, Benjamin Gyasi, that it has “exceeded the target of 40,000 teachers to be trained, insisting PBC7.2B has been achieved.”
But responding to concerns that the minister had submitted a fictitious report on the training, Press Secretary of MoE, Felix A Baidoo, in a statement flatly denied it claiming it was a smear campaign against the minister.
“Unfortunately, however, it is now clearer than before that those behind such character assassinating reports are deliberately embarking on a vicious smear campaign project against the patriotic, selfless and hardworking Minister of Education, Dr. Osei Adutwum, for reasons best known to themselves,” it said.
Read the letter from World Bank addressed to Ofori-Atta below:
Hopeson Adorye, the unsuccessful New Patriotic Party candidate for Kpone Katamanso, accused Martin Kpebu, a private attorney, of being demonic in his recent public lobbying against the government.
Hopeson Adorye claims that the lawyer is disguising a political purpose behind a neutral persona in order to forward his agenda to run as the opposition National Democratic Congress‘ parliamentary candidate for the Kpandai Constituency.
“Are you aware that he is running in the Kpandai Constituency?
Yes, Kpandai’s NDC parliamentary candidate.
Do you know that he has met Mahama and that everything has been resolved?
While appearing as a guest on Oman FM’s Boiling Point show, Hopeson Adorye made some allegations.
He however added that the New Patriotic Party will be ready to thwart the diabolic political agenda of Martin Kpebu.
“The thing is if you want to speak be bold and come out as an NDC member, don’t pretend to be a neutral person,” he added.
Lawyer Martin Kpebu has become a staunch critic of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government amidst the current economic hardship in the country.
Mr Kpebu has commenced a campaign calling for the president’s resignation and as part of his advocacy, the legal practitioner is organising a demonstration against the president.
The demonstration dubbed ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 5, 2022, in Accra.
In a recent interview on Neat FM, Martin Kbepu justified his call for the president’s resignation saying “what Ghanaians can do to get the president removed is to organize demonstrations. The police have given me permission for the ‘Kumi preko reloaded’ demo next Saturday, November 5. It starts from the Obra Spot at 7:00 am; every Ghanaian should make it a point to be there.
“If the president does not resign by then, we demonstrate and present him a petition that we have had enough of him, and he should step down,” he added.
The address by the president will be his first major speech on the current state of the Ghanaian economy which has over the past weeks seen a significant rise in inflation among others.
Hopeson Adorye makes vile allegations against Martin Kpebu, cites alleged plot to be NDC MP
Speaking in an interview with Delay that GhanaWeb was watching, Mr. Agyepong revealed that his father had children with five different women after returning to Ghana in 1962.
Kwabena Agyepong revealed that one of the five ladies was a former teacher and caregiver to him and his siblings.
“My father came back to Ghana when he finished his law studies in 1961…My mom came with him to birth me in 1962…My father after settling back in Ghana, my mother was stenographer. She schooled at Piedmonth College in London, so she went back to finish her studies. She came back every year to meet a new baby mama and a child for my father…My father had babies with five other women aside my mother…”
“My mother loved going back to the States, so she kept going to and fro Ghana. A woman who used to take care of us eventually became my father’s new wife. Her name is Auntie Comfort. She was our teacher,” he told the host.
“My mother is called Margaret Agyepong. I was told my father was a friend to the uncle of my mother. During my father’s visit to his friend’s house, he used to see a young lady sweeping the house. So he became interested in her. Those days, when my father was abroad studying law, my mother was put in a ship. she was very young. She was around age 17 or 18. She was shipped to Liverpool to marry my father. They gave birth to 5 kids, 2 in Liverpool and 3 in Ghana.”
Kwabena Agyepong has announced his intentions of contesting for the flagbearer position on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.
Flamengo marched unbeaten to a third Copa Libertadores title after topping Athletico-PR 1-0 in the all-Brazilian final on Saturday.
Gabriel Barbosa starred in the final yet again by producing the only goal in a half-full Metropolitano Stadium in Ecuador.
Flamengo also won in 1981 and 2019, the latter with two goals by Barbosa in the 2-1 final victory against Argentina’s River Plate.
Barbosa, considered to have a slim chance of playing for Brazil in the World Cup, also netted the Rio de Janeiro club’s only goal in the final last year in the loss to Brazilian rival Palmeiras.
Barbosa’s latest goal was hatched in the 43rd minute when Athletico defender Pedro Henrique was booked for a second time after a harsh tackle. The incident gave more room for Flamengo to attack, and the goal came in the last seconds of the first half.
Everton Ribeiro made a low cross from the right and Barbosa just had to push the ball into an empty net.
En route to the final, Flamengo knocked out Colombia’s Tolima, Brazil’s Corinthians and Argentina‘s Velez Sarsfield, winning all of its matches.
Flamengo striker Pedro, who is expected to be in Brazil’s World Cup squad, was the Copa’s leading goal-scorer with 12 in 13 matches.
Flamengo, with former Chelsea and Brazil centre-back David Luiz anchoring their defence, enjoyed 73% of possession and created 15 chances, although only four on target, as they won South America’s equivalent of Europe’s Champions League.
Athletico, chasing their first Copa Libertadores title, couldn’t deliver a perfect sendoff for coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. The former World Cup-winning manager said in the buildup he’s stepping down at age 73. He previously won the Copa with boyhood club Gremio in 1995 and with Palmeiras in 1999.
Local authorities in Ecuador struggled to sell all 60,000 tickets for the final. Guayaquil is about 6,000 kilometres (4,000 miles) from Rio and Curitiba.
Ibrahim Murtala Muhammad, a member of parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, has clarified remarks he made about majority leader and minister for parliamentary affairs Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu being a dealer in spare parts.
The MP criticized Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu for claiming that Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, did not comprehend Ghanaian legislation.
On Wednesday, October 26, 2022, in an interview with TV3, Murtala claimed that the majority leader has been unnecessarily challenging the Speaker and criticizing him. The interview was caught on GhanaWeb.
He added that Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu could not in any way compare himself to Speaker Alban Bagbin when it comes to constitutional and legal matters.
“The Majority Leader has a penchant for attacking the person of the Speaker. And he does that all the time. Any opportunity he gets, he picks on the Speaker. He did that on the floor. The Speaker didn’t want to sink into the gutters, and the Speaker was very diplomatic.
“You listened to him in the press conference and he even said that the Speaker doesn’t even understand the law. When the Speaker was a lawyer practising, you, Honourable Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, you were selling spare parts at Magazine, at the time the Speaker was a practising lawyer,” he said.
Speaking in an interview on Onua TV, which was monitored by GhanaWeb, the Tamale Central MP said that he never met to belittle spare part dealers.
He explains that his father was a spare parts dealer and that he and his brother even managed his shops at some point.
He added that he was trying to make the point that the Speaker of Parliament is superior to the Majority leader when it comes to matters of law.
“The statement I made is being deliberately misconstrued. I had a colleague who said I was talking about spare parts dealers and I said that is the most amateurish thing.
“My father was a spare parts dealer in Tamale. My father was dealing in bicycles, sewing machines and spare parts of same. I was in that business managing two of my father’s shops. So, my school fees was paid from spare parts and other.
“So, it (my statement) has nothing to do with spare parts dealers, it has everything to do with Honourable Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu,” he said,
On Friday, October 28, 2022, the Nkawkaw High Court dismissed a request for an injunction to prevent National Democratic Congress officials in the Afram Plains North Constituency from holding elections.
Elections for the NDC’s executives in the Afram Plains South Constituency, which had been set for Saturday, October 22, 2022, have been postponed as a result of the court’s approval of an injunction request made by a few party members. The court is presided over by Her Ladyship Cynthia Martinson.
The injunction application was, however, dismissed by the court on Friday after it was scheduled for hearing.
The plaintiffs led by one, Amos Mornyui, the constituency vice chairman of the NDC and three (3) others namely: Kudjo Gaikpa Ernest, Eric Aziaklo and Domevie Ebenezer as well as their legal counsel, Christian Akwasi Buame were all not present in court when the case was called.
Portland Thorns players celebrate after a Sophia Smith goal in the NWSL final. USA Today Images
Sophia Smith opened the scoring early and the Portland Thorns never looked back in a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Current to win the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League title.
League MVP Smith struck in fourth minute and was in on the play that led to Portland’s second courtesy of an own goal by the Current’s Addisyn Merrick shortly after half-time in the NWSL Championship match at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)
The win makes it a NWSL record third title for the Thorns, who won the league’s inaugural championship game in 2013 and lifted the trophy again in 2017.
The Current had a costly turnover before Smith went down the field, maneuvered around goalkeeper Adrianna Franch and deftly scored in the fourth minute.
Smith nearly had another goal in the 27th minute, but her shot went just wide and is just the second MVP recipient to score in the championship game, joining Lynn Williams for North Carolina in 2016. At 22, she’s also the youngest player to score in a league final.
Moments after the Merrick own goal, Morgan Weaver had a shot from distance but Franch got a hand on it before it hit the crossbar and caromed away.
The NWSL was rocked this month by the Yates report that showed systemic abuse and misconduct, spanning multiple teams, coaches and victims, with the Portland Thorns one of the teams at the center of the investigation.
Audi Field was nearly sold out for the game — which was broadcast in primetime on network television for the first time — with some fans holding up a sign that read: “Support The Players.”
Portland had a first-round bye in the playoffs and beat the San Diego Wave 2-1 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game.
Smith, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NWSL draft and a member of the United States national team, scored 15 goals for the Thorns over the course of the regular season and playoffs and was also named MVP of the Championship game.
The Current began play in 2021 as an expansion team, with many of its players coming over from the defunct Utah Royals. Last season they finished in last place in the league.
The Washington Spirit won last year’s NWSL championship.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
On Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the New Patriotic Party, led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, NPP, government experienced turmoil as the majority of the NPP caucus in Parliament pushed for the dismissal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Following unsuccessful attempts to persuade President Akufo-Addo to act on their demand to fire his cousin, more than 80 members of parliament decided to publicly demand that Ofori-Atta be fired.
Following their announcement, there was a large meeting at Jubilee House that, according to reports, was contentious and heated, followed by over twenty meetings between members of the majority caucus of Parliament and other interested parties, as confirmed by Nana Ayew Afriyie, the MP for Efiduase Asokore.
The major fallout from all these meetings was that Ken Ofori-Atta was placed on borrowed time and that a decision about his future would be made after he is done presenting and overseeing to the appropriation of the 2023 budget statement and sealing a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The latest action by the NPP MPs came on the back of several calls for the President to sack Ofori-Atta.
The calls have often been met with excuses, justifications or defensive posturing by the President on why his cousin will continue to man the post.
Here are five of those reasons
Akufo-Addo satisfied with Ofori-Atta’s performance
In the view of President Akufo-Addo, the recent economic challenges are not entirely the fault of Ofori-Atta but rather due to external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
The president is convinced that until COVID struck, Ken Ofori-Atta was leading the country’s economy on the right path and that he cannot be blamed for the current woes.
“I came to office in 2017 when we were under an IMF programme. This same Ken Ofori-Atta was able to manage the economy for the first three to four years. We were then one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. We had an average growth rate of 7% a year.
“For someone who has been able to do all these, how do I turn my back on him? For me, his performance has been excellent. That is why I have great difficulty in understanding what is going on,” the President told Kumasi-based OTEC FM in an interview.
“I do not accept that criticism because the reasons why we got into the situation we find ourselves in have very little to do with us. In fact, the IMF confirmed this,” President Akufo-Addo posited.
IMF Deal
In the meeting with the aggrieved majority MPs, President Akufo-Addo is reported to have told the MPs to allow Ken Ofori-Atta seal a bailout plan for the country with the IMF before he is kicked out.
Reports and media statements by some persons who attended the meeting were that the president is convinced a deal could be reached with the IMF in three weeks and a decision will be made afterwards.
NDC’s Otukonor bares it all; talks about NDC polls, economy, others
Incumbent NDC Deputy General Secretary, Peter Boamah Otukonor bared it all when he sat with Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese on GhanaWeb’s Election Desk ahead of the NDC’s General Elections in December 2022.
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2023 Budget
With just a few weeks left for the 2023 budget to be presented to Parliament and the public, the preparation of the budget is at the concluding stages and with Ken Ofori-Atta being the one who has supervised the process, the president deems it fit to allow him continue in the role until the budget is presented.
Speaking to Oyerepa TV, the Member of Parliament for Efiduase Asokore, Nana Ayew Afriyie, stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has promised to act in a manner that will not require the MPs to come back to him.
He said “He [Akufo-Addo] promised us this way, after the end of the budget it won’t be necessary for us to come to him because of what he would do about the finance minister, because by then, there will be no need to come back to him.”
Family relations
According to critics, President Akufo-Addo is unwilling to relieve Ken Ofori-Atta of his post due to the relationship they both share.
Ken Ofori-Atta is among the relatives of Akufo-Addo who are holding government positions and the president is reported to be loyal to his family members hence the unwillingness to sack Ken Ofori-Atta.
As stated by Eugene Antwi the Member of Parliament for Subin, the president is being blinded by his relations with Ofori-Atta.
“New Patriotic Party, (NPP) is running a democracy and not a family dynasty. I do not think it is too much to ask the President to ask two people to step aside from his government,” he added.
GhanaWeb Mundial: Qatar hosting the most expensive World Cup amid human rights concerns
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Data Bank investment in campaign
The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim alleged this week that President Akufo-Addo in a cabinet meeting told some ministers who wanted Ofori-Atta out that, his cousin used Databank to finance his campaign and for that reason, he is not going to fire him.
“We are the representatives of the people. The minority leader didn’t do a press conference. He told the chairman of the business committee that, as representatives of the people and as duty bearers, we must move a motion to call for the head of the finance minister.
“So, if our brothers in the majority [caucus] believe in this, what they should do is to support the call by the minority leader and the motion by the minority leader for the dismissal of the finance minister”.
He continued: “I see their press briefing as long overdue. If they meant well, the day they went to a cabinet meeting and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo pointed to them: ‘And you want me to sack my finance minister? When he was sponsoring my campaign, where were you?’ … was the day we were expecting them to come out with such a statement”.
But now, he pointed out, “they came to correct the communication outside to say that he [Ken Ofori-Atta] performed in the first three years and that’s why he’s [President Akufo-Addo] not sacking him”.
“This is not what he [the president] told them in the cabinet [meeting]”, Mr Ibrahim insisted, noting: “The reason why Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo doesn’t want to change Ken Ofori-Atta is that Ken Ofori-Atta used his Databank to support his campaign to become president and, therefore, the finance ministry is a compensation for the finance minister and that’s why he’s not sacking him”.
“He [the president] said this to them [majority caucus] in the cabinet [meeting]. The ministers were there and he threatened them. You didn’t come out with such a statement”.
PRESEC Legon was crowned winners of the just-ended 2022 National Science and Maths Quiz competition (NSMQ).
After flying all the way to Kumasi to support and boost the morale of the contestants all through the competition, the popular business mogul has again been spotted giving them the royal treatment to climax the day.
In a video making rounds on social media, Dr. Ofori Sarpong offered to be the driver for the two contestants who stood in his convertible Rolls Royce as they stormed the PRESEC, Legon, school premises.
They made their way into the compound amidst cheers and a rousing welcome from students who lined up right at the school’s entrance.
The boys lifted high their trophy and their school’s flag whiles responding to the cheers from the crowd.\
The Portland Thorns claimed the 2022 NWSL Championship with a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Current on Saturday night.
NWSL MVP Sophia Smith put the Thorns up 1-0 in the fourth minute, pouncing on a defensive miscue to finish off a breakaway opportunity. The Thorns remained in control for much of the match and finally doubled their lead in the 56th minute, with Yazmeen Ryan’s low cross deflecting off Current defender Addisyn Merrick into the net for an own goal.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)
Kansas City did what it could to get back into the match, but with Portland looking composed in defense, the Current never looked all that threatening, and the Thorns were deserved winners.
JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Key stats
Rapid reaction1. A trying season for the Thorns ends with a title
Portland’s players and coaches weren’t the only ones to have to deal with the trauma of the abuse scandal that rocked the entire league, but the Thorns still had plenty with which to cope. Not only were the allegations made against former manager Paul Riley featured prominently in the Yates Report, but Portland executives, including owner Merritt Paulson, came in for heavy criticism as well. The organization’s president of soccer, Gavin Wilkinson, and president of business, Mike Golub, were fired. The ensuing weeks saw Thorns fans demanding that Paulson sell both the Thorns and MLS side the Portland Timbers — even after he stepped down as CEO — and the Thorns owner chose not to attend Saturday’s final.
E60 INVESTIGATES
Truth Be Told: The Fight for Women’s Professional Soccer, stream on ESPN+.
Yet the Thorns players and staff showed incredible resolve through all of the upheaval, with first-year manager Rhian Wilkinson finding the right balance between giving players space or providing support when that was needed.
Of course, it helped that Portland has a talented team with exemplary balance between attack and defense. The veteran presence of Becky Sauerbrunn, Meghan Klingenberg and Christine Sinclair was vital, as was the outstanding play of Smith. Players like Rocky Rodriguez and Ryan emerged as well to give the Thorns more options in attack. It all added up to a stellar season that ended with the team’s third NWSL championship.
2. Smith for show, defense for dough
Smith’s outstanding NWSL season saw her become the league’s youngest MVP in history. She continued that form in the final, pouncing on a mistake by Kansas City defender Elizabeth Ball to run in alone to round goalkeeper AD Franch and put the ball in an empty net. She is now the youngest player to score in an NWSL Championship and the second NWSL player to win league MVP and score in an NWSL Championship in the same season, joining Lynn Williams, who accomplished the feat with the Western New York Flash in 2016.
Smith remained an absolute handful for the remainder of the first half and had several chances to score, including a 28th-minute effort that saw her beat three opponents and fire just inches wide of the far post.
Portland’s win was by no means a one-woman affair. Ryan in particular was a menace in attack and it was her cross that led to the own goal.
The Thorns had their defense to thank as well. While the Current did take nine shots, none of them were on goal. Portland midfielders Sam Coffey and Rodriguez provided an effective bulwark, and the backline, ably led by Sauerbrunn, was well positioned to clean up any threats that managed to get through. Natalia Kuikka was also impressive on both sides of the ball.
3. Disappointment for KC, but future still bright
It was a night where the magnitude of the occasion seemed to get to the Current, with a basic error creating an early deficit, one that they could never quite overcome. Portland’s possession game oftentimes manipulated Kansas City’s defensive shape, with central midfielders Desiree Scott and Alexis Loera getting pulled out of the middle. That created space for Portland’s attack to break through.
Once Portland scored its second goal, Kansas City threw more into attack, bringing on Elyse Bennett, but was unable to find a goal. Attacking midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta never really got going to provide the kind of offensive threat the Current needed.
But this doesn’t figure to be the last time that Kansas City finds itself in a championship final. Owners Angie and Chris Long, as well as Brittany Mahomes, have invested over $135 million for a new training facility and stadium, and that should do plenty to attract quality players. This is a team and organization on the rise.
Player ratings
Kansas City: Franch 5; Merrick 4, Ball 3, Edmonds 5; Del Fava 5, LaBonta 4, Scott 5, Loera 5, Mace 5; Hamilton 5, Kizer 6 Subs: Bennett 5, Rodriguez 5
Portland: Bixby 6 Kuikka 7, Hubly 7, Sauerbrunn 7, Klingenberg 7; Sinclair 5, Coffey 6, Rodríguez 6; Ryan 8, Smith 8, Weaver 6 Subs: Beckie 6, Sugita 6, Dunn 5, Moultrie NR
Best and worst performers
BEST Sophia Smith, Portland
Smith looked every bit the MVP, scoring the all-important first goal and creating other opportunities as well. She was always a danger off the dribble.
WORST: Elizabeth Ball, Kansas City
It was Ball’s failure to cut out Ryan’s through ball that allowed Smith escape on a clear breakaway and score to give Portland the early lead.
Highlights and notable moments
Smith’s fourth-minute goal for Portland set the tone for the evening, and the Thorns never looked back.
.@sophsssmith puts @ThornsFC up EARLY early 👀#NWSLChampionship | #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/AJsIsB9r5S
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 30, 2022
The moment the final whistle rang out around Audi Field was one to savor for the Thorns after a tumultuous season.
🏆 THE CHAMPIONS 🏆@ThornsFC #NWSLChampionship pic.twitter.com/CFSkrkc4Yh
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 30, 2022
Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)
– Portland Thorns have won their third NWSL title (2013, 2017, 2022), breaking a tie with North Carolina Courage and FC Kansas City (defunct) for the most in league history.
– Thorns striker Smith became the first player to be named league MVP and win Championship MVP in same season.
“In Ghana, we go to church but the only sin we recognize is fornication and adultery. If you are adulterous it’s equated to killing people. We have Professors and Doctors who do not speak the truth in this country.
You are a Ghanaian who imports goods from other countries. The countries where you import things from have increased by 400%, what will happen to your country? But in this country, the learned will look at the Bible and Quran and lie about the issues.
“This country can develop only when all agricultural products are sourced locally and this will take us three years with a comprehensive program,” he said on OKAY FM.
On Tuesday, October 25, 2022, some 80 members of the majority caucus in Parliament demanded the immediate resignations of Charles Adu-Boahen, Minister of State at the Ministry, and Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance.
The expulsion of the pair, in the opinion of New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs, is the only way to rebuild trust in Ghana’s ailing economy.
Addressing the media, the NPP MPs led by Asante Akyem North MP and former deputy minister for Railways Development, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi disclosed a number of petitions have already been sent to President Akufo-Addo over the poor performance of his finance minister demanding action but to no avail.
According to him, the majority will boycott any government business including approval of the 2023 budget if the President fails to heed their demand.
Commenting on the development on Starr Today with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, Mr. Adu Gyamfi described the action by the Majority MPs as rational in the face of the current economic challenges.
“Unfortunately, this particular arm of the government is a stiff neck. It is not really interested in opening up to allow for correction that will inure to the collective good of our humanity as a people. I believe that that is where the challenge is.
“Economic arm or the leadership that is driving this government seems to be faltering. Clearly, they are not delivering. That’s why Ghanaians are complaining and civil society among others have called upon the executive head to remove the gentleman in question.
“So there will be a certain appropriate space to allow for new hands with new ideas to support the kind of development agenda that we are seeking for,” Mr. Adu Gyamfi stated.
He continued: “Unfortunately, the President does not believe in reshuffling, he does not believe in changing hands and he thinks that what he has is his best guard. And that is exactly what he is going to use.
“I think that the legislature within their own ranks have some role to play, to be able to challenge what the executive arm of the government is doing. I believe that it should be a normal practice in the scheme of affairs.”
The group has acceded to President Akufo-Addo’s request for Mr. Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu-Boahen to stay on till the conclusion of the IMF negotiations and the presentation of the 2023 budget.
Gabriel Barbosa scored the winner to help Flamengo beat 10-man Athletico Paranaense in the Copa Libertadores final in Ecuador.
Paranaense missed an early chance when Alex Santana sent a close range shot just high, before they had Pedro Henrique sent off for a second booking.
Minutes later, Barbosa side-footed in a low cross at the far post.
Paranaense struggled to break down fellow Brazilians Flamengo as they secured a third Copa Libertadores.
Their previous victories came in 1981 and 2019.
Barbosa, who scored six goals in this season’s competition, could have had a second goal but had an effort saved when played through on goal.
Paranaense, managed by former Brazil and Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, had ex-Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho in their side but were beaten in their first Copa Libertadores final since losing to Sau Paulo in 2005.
Line-upsMatch Stats
Line-upsFlamengo
Formation 4-1-2-1-2
20Melo dos Santos Neto22de Almeida23David Luiz4Pereira16Filipe Luís8Maia Alencar7de Barros Ribeiro35Gomes da Silva14de Arrascaeta21Abreu dos Santos9Barbosa Almeida
20Melo dos Santos Neto22de Almeida23David Luiz4Pereira16Filipe LuísSubstituted forDantas de Medeirosat 20’minutes8Maia AlencarSubstituted forVidalat 71’minutes
Booked at 75mins
7de Barros Ribeiro35Gomes da Silva14de Arrascaeta
Booked at 68mins
Substituted forGomes Silvaat 84’minutes21Abreu dos Santos9Barbosa AlmeidaSubstituted forSousa Soaresat 84’minutes
Substitutes
1Alves Carreira2Pulgar5Vidal10Ribas da Cunha15Soares de Faria18Sousa Soares26Dantas de Medeiros29Gomes Silva30Nascimento Castro31Santos Costa34Franca Silva42Franca de Oliveira
Athletico Paranaense
Formation 4-1-3-2
1Krepski13Silva Oliveira34Ribeiro Gonçalves44Henrique Ferreira16da Silva Santos17Moura Arruda da Silva50Fernandinho8Frezarin Bueno38Menezes Santana27Roque Ferreira11Naum dos Santos
Substituted forSantos Nascimentoat 45’minutes27Roque FerreiraSubstituted forTeixeiraat 65’minutes11Naum dos SantosSubstituted forCardoso da Cruzat 57’minutes
Booked at 73minsSubstitutes
5Teixeira9Canobbio12Silva da Paixão18Cittadini20Terans22Hernández24Orejuela26Conrado Carvalho28Cuello35Cardoso da Cruz42Santos Nascimento48Azevedo Pereira
Referee:Patricio LoustauMatch StatsHome TeamFlamengoAway TeamAthletico ParanaensePossessionHome73%Away27%ShotsHome15Away9Shots on TargetHome4Away3CornersHome9Away2FoulsHome11Away12
The administration of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has urged the general public to ignore social media posts that invite candidates to apply for teaching positions in a forthcoming distance learning program in nursing.
Therefore, management is advising the general public to disregard the information and seek out information from the university through its reputable media sources and authenticated social media handles.
Find below a copy of the release from the University
Former Ghana Football Association [GFA] President, Kwesi Nyantakyi has urged Black Stars coach, Otto Addo to be bold and firm on his player call-up.
Player invitations to the national team over the years have dominated the media for the wrongs with reports constantly emerging that bosses and leadership of the FA have been influencing player call-up.
However, the former CAF Vice President speaking in an interview reiterated that no responsible coach will permit anyone to dictate for them in terms of choosing players.
According to him, it will not have any prestige and respect if any coach allows his call-up to be influenced.
“No coach worth his salt will allow somebody to dictate to him who should play and who should not play,” he told Joy Sports.
“If any coach did that, then he’s not a coach because as a coach, the responsibility lies squarely at your doorstep,” he added.
Otto Addo is expected to name his final 26-man squad for the Mundial on November 14 ebfore taking on Switzerland on November 19.
Due to society’s perception of him after his amputation and his disabilities, he had suicide thoughts on multiple times.
He claimed that the surgery that put him in the hospital for 13 months prevented him from participating fully in society because even his closest family members were “ashamed” of his state.
Speaking on Peace FM, Joshua said “When I came out of the interview, I decided to walk in the middle of the road with the hope that a car will just hit me and that will be the end of it Whiles I was there I saw one Musa who taught me in primary school, he was coming with his bicycle when he saw me, he shouted, what are you doing in the middle of the road. I felt if I couldn’t go to school, what was I going to do because I was left alone?”
Not long after that experience, Joshua had the opportunity to study Actuarial Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, but payment of his fees became a problem.
Again, he thought of ending his life.
According to him, “I went to the Pharmacy to buy some drugs to end my life but again I thought about my cousin I was staying with and how he would cope if anything happened to me under his roof. And I even suspect that my mom committed suicide because of me.”
Joshua Makubu explained that it was realized at a tender age that his knee cap was wearing off and needed to be amputated.
“When I was born, my mom was a businesswoman, and my father was a farmer, so I was always under the care of my sister. When I turned 6 or 7 years, I discovered a tumor on my knees. When I go to the hospital, they tell me my kneecap is wearing off. So, when I asked my sister, she said when I was little, she bathed me and touched my knee I would cry so she realized there was some pain.
”So, I was growing, and my right leg was deforming. It was always straight; I could not bend my knee. At one point, my father asked that I be taken to the hospital so they took me to the Yendi Government hospital they did some surgeries on my knee but it was not successful so after some weeks I was discharged and I was taking Bimbila for dressing,” he told Peace FM.
He narrated how his family thought he had died after he bled profusely and went into a coma.
“On one of the occasions, I bled so much that my brother who took me to the hospital thought I had died. But those days dead people were not carried in the afternoon because of the gods in the land. If you carried a corpse in the afternoon, you’d have to buy a sheep to pacify the gods.
“So, what my brother decided was that he would put me in a bush and go for my father’s car to carry me later since he was using a motorbike. But he met a classmate of his, who attended Yendi Senior High school with him, who told him that he had learned something in Biology known as coma so they should wait a bit to see if I would wake up or not. My brother said they came back after some 2 to 3 hours to find some palpitations in my throat so they rushed back to get milk, coke, and tomato paste, mixed it and forced it into me and I vomited that’s how I regained consciousness.”
“After that my father said they should take me to the Damongo Hospital, when we got there the doctor, Dr. Seidu I remember his name, the doctor said if I’m allowed to bleed again, I may die so my father and my mother should leave whatever they were doing and take me to the hospital to be amputated.
“3 months after the surgery, the tissue pulled back so I was sent back to the theatre, to do another surgery and which was opened after 3 months before they started dressing the wound. I went to the hospital in August 1990 and I was discharged in September 1991 so I spent 13 months in the Damongo Government hospital. I was 9 years at the time,” he noted.
His ordeal will begin after he was discharged from the hospital. His family did not want him to step out of their home. His friends and others in society shunned his company.
“It was not easy”, he said.
“When I came back home, my grandmother made a statement that stuck with me. She said a living crippled is worth more than a crippled grave. Wen, I thought about it meant that the only thing I was better than at that time was a grave. She couldn’t even compare me to any live thing. So, it was not easy.
“When I came home, for two weeks my family did not allow me to step out. They always wanted me to be indoors, and I said no I want to go back to school. The first day I went back to school I had the shock of my life, my best friend Yakubu also joined everybody to run away from me. It was not easy but what could have I done?” he asked.
The Oti Regional Minister admonished persons living with disability saying “your disability is not the end of your life.”
It appears that as the day goes by, Ghanaians witness more interesting moments on social media from various individuals across board, particularly politicians.
Astute Ghanaian politician and founder of the All People’s Party, Dr.Hassan Ayariga, has been in the news for ‘not too controversial’ developments, but rather his new appearance (hairstyle) which has sparked various reactions on social media.
Ayariga was spotted on GHOne TV where he was invited to discuss issues of national interest, particularly about the current ailing Ghanaian economy.
Although he was busily making key submissions, viewers couldn’t help but focus on his black permed shining hair.
Ayariga was spotted with thick-looking black dyed hair which appears to have been laid with lots of gel.
He paired the look with an orange-printed kaftan.
Pictures of his new appearance have since gone viral while generating hilarious comments from netizens.
Earlier in 2021, a couple of throwback photos of Mr. Hassan Ayariga made rounds on social media where he was seen rocking blonde braids on his faded haircut, paired with an oversized shirt.
These unfolding events perhaps, go to prove that Mr. Hassan Ayariga indeed enjoyed life in his early days.
Habib Iddrisu, the deputy majority chief whip, has criticized private attorney Martin Kpebu for asking for the impeachment of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo because to the weak performance of the Ghanaian economy.
The majority chief whip, who is also the Tolon constituency’s representative in parliament, claims that Mr. Kpebu’s call, which he bases on Article 69 of the 1992 Constitution, is without foundation.
“For such a person to make such a call is reckless.
When he appeared as a guest on TV3’s New Day program, he questioned whether it was “irresponsible in the sense that you are suggesting we should utilize Article 69 to impeach the president on what grounds?”
While seeking to accuse the legal practitioner of engaging in hypocrisy, Mr Iddrisu questioned why Martin Kpebu never made a similar call when Ghana went through economic difficultly under the previous administration.
“Where was he when we were at IMF, when public sector recruitment was frozen, dumsor was everywhere that was collapsing businesses… when a lot of things were going wrong, did he say we should invoke that?” he said.
The deputy majority chief whip also added that “Why didn’t he say that in the previous administration when President John Mahama was supervising an actually messed up economy up to today? What is happening today apart from the external factors is not from today. It started from somewhere.”
The Tolon MP went on to point out that Ghana’s current economic challenge is largely a result of the impact of external factors and not mismanagement on the part of the Akufo-Addo-led government.
“We are in difficult and trying moments that is a fact; COVID has affected every economy, Russia-Ukraine war has affected every economy and other internal factors that have happened. Yes, if you want to actually say that things are not going well the president should sit up, the president should give us answers and other things, these are calls in the right direction. But to say that we should invoke Article 69, on what basis?” he questioned.
Martin Kpebu has become a staunch critic of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government amidst the current economic hardship in the country. He has called on parliament to impeach the president.
Mr Kpebu has also commenced a campaign calling for the president’s resignation and as part of his advocacy, the legal practitioner is organising a demonstration against the president.
The demonstration dubbed ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 5, 2022, in Accra.
In a recent interview on Neat FM, Martin Kbepu justified his call for the president’s resignation saying “what Ghanaians can do to get the president removed is to organize demonstrations. The police have given me permission for the ‘Kumi preko reloaded’ demo next Saturday, November 5. It starts from the Obra Spot at 7:00 am; every Ghanaian should make it a point to be there.
“If the president does not resign by then, we demonstrate and present him a petition that we have had enough of him, and he should step down,” he added.
The address by the president will be his first major speech on the current state of the Ghanaian economy which has over the past weeks seen a significant rise in inflation among others.
Sadat Karim, Thomas Boakye, and Phil Ofosu-Ayeh secured promotion to the 2023 Allsvenskan with Halmstad BK in Sweden.
Despite Halmstad BK’s 2-0 defeat to Eskilstuna away on Saturday afternoon promotion was already sealed.
The first chance came in the 11th minute when Erik Ahlstrand hit a powerful shot and the goalkeeper had trouble handling the ball.
Four minutes later, AFC had the next big chance, but Malkolm Nilsson Säfqvist made a brilliant save.
After the break, Malkolm Nilsson Säfqvist couldn’t resist when André Alsanatii shot and the goalkeeper got his hands on the ball but couldn’t stop it from rolling teasingly over the goal line to make it 1-0.
After just over an hour, Eskilstuna increased to 2-0 through a goal by Ashley Coffey.
Sadat Karim was substituted in the 59th minute, Phil Ofosu-Ayeh in the 46th minute, but Thomas Boakye played full throttle against AFC Eskilstuna.
Halmstad BK will play IK Brage in their last game in Superettan this season.
Habid Iddrisu, a member of parliament from the New Patriotic Party representing the Tolon Constituency, has accused former president John Dramani Mahama of trying to instill the notion of overthrowing the government in the minds of the Ghana Armed Forces.
When he repeated a request from President Akufo-Addo that the Armed Forces should uphold the constitution despite the current economic suffering in the nation, the MP who also serves as the deputy majority chief whip in parliament said that Mr. Mahama rather intended to fuel the idea of a coup d’etat.
“Mr sister talked about a call made by President John Mahama that the military should remain in the barracks. That is a very dangerous call to be made by a former president,” he stated.
Appearing as a guest on the Saturday, October 29, 2022, edition of Joynewsfile, Mr Iddrisu argued that while President Akufo-Addo in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the armed forces was justified in making the call, the same cannot be said for the former president.
“I am talking about John Mahama’s own. President (Akufo-Addo) is the commander in chief; if I am the commander in chief he is more or less giving you an instruction. So if you are not a commander in chief and you are also saying something you are triggering something else,” he said.
“I say so because you are triggering and planting other thinking in people’s minds. That stay in the barracks in the times that we are in, you are planting the notion of coup in them,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo in a recent engagement with some high-ranking military officials urged the Armed Forces to remain loyal to the 1992 Constitution as his government works around the clock to fix current economic hardship.
“I want to encourage you to continue the good work that you’re doing for our country. I encourage you to stand firm in your loyalty to the Republic, your loyalty to the Constitution of our nation so that the orderly, peaceful development of our country which is the only way that can guarantee the future prosperity we are all working for can come about…. So that these [present] generations of Ghanaians will leave as our legacy, that even when things were difficult in Ghana, we all held together under our Republican institutions and our constitution to find a way to a better future for our nation. I am confident that we can do it and I am counting on you to help me do it,” the president said during the meeting with the officials at the Idris Barracks in the Ashanti Region.
In the same vein, former President Mahama while delivering an address on the state of the economy last week, reiterated President Akufo-Addo’s call.
Addressing a public lecture themed, ‘Building the Ghana We Want,’ on October 27, 2022, in Accra, Mahama admonished especially the Armed Forces and other security services against unconstitutional takeovers.
“… let me state that I agree with the President and wish to add my voice to his call on our Armed Forces and security services to remain loyal to the State and the Constitution.
“The current economic circumstances though dire, do not give [an] excuse for any acts that are unconstitutional. Working together as one people and using the levers of the constitution, we can turn this situation around,” he submitted to loud applause from the audience at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, UPSA; auditorium.
As part of his presentation, the 2020 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, outlined a number of short, medium and long-term solutions to the current economic crisis that the government was grappling with.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority Leader, said on the floor of Parliament that there was discrepancy in the numbers provided by the EC as registered voters up to 17 million and what the NIA has on its role.
“And we hear that the Commission wants to rely on the National Identification Authority,…the cardinal question is, so, what has happened to the Electoral Commission’s own biometric data that today they are avoiding the use of their own biodata they’ve collected and they want to collect biodata from the National Identification Authority?” Mr Iddrisu quizzed.
“But we need a reconciliation of the numbers, because we are very convinced that Article 42 (of the Constitution) confers the right on Ghanaians to be registered as voters by the Electoral Commission”.
Article 42 says every citizen of Ghana of eighteen years of age or above and of sound mind has the right to vote and is entitled to be registered as a voter for the purposes of public elections and referenda.
The National Identification Authority was unlike the Electoral Commission, who by virtue of Article 46, “…shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority,” Mr Iddrisu said.
He reiterated that the NIA was subject to ministerial control “and, therefore, we want the two bodies to come here – Electoral Commission and National Identification Authority – let’s see the discrepancy and variance in your numbers.”
“Because we will not, Mr Speaker, accept any attempt by the EC to disenfranchise any Ghanaian, because they want to rely on an ID card, which is not available to Ghanaians. We mean serious business on this matter.”
Mr Iddrisu said the Minority Caucus would safeguard the provisions of Article 42 of the Constitution and asked why in 2021 and 2022 Ghanaians who had attained 18 years had not been given the opportunity to be on the voter’s register.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, the Deputy Minority Chief Whip, first raised the matter on the floor of the House when commenting on the Business Statement for the week ending Friday, November 4.
He indicated that at the Business Committee meeting to consider the Business Statement it was agreed that the reports of the EC and NIA were supposed to have been scheduled for next week Thursday, November 3, but they were not captured.
The Report of the Committee of the Whole on the NIA was conspicuously missing in the Business Statement.
He said the report of the Special Budget Committee on the activities of the EC and the new constitutional instrument that the Commission intended to bring were also conspicuously missing.
The reports were to be presented to the House, debated, and then officials of the EC and the NIA could be scheduled to appear to answer questions on them.
“Mr Speaker, the whole nation is interested in this, civil society organisations are interested in this; the whole House want to meet the EC,” Mr Ibrahim said.
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip, who presented the Business Statement to Parliament on the behalf of the Majority Leader, said the Business Committee would do the needful.
Former Accra Hearts of Oak attacker Sadat Karim shared his excitement after his team Halmstads BK gained promotion to the Swedish top flight next season.
Despite Halmstads BK’s 2-0 defeat to Eskilstuna away on Saturday afternoon promotion was already sealed.
The first chance came in the 11th minute when Erik Ahlstrand hit a powerful shot and the goalkeeper had trouble handling the ball.
Four minutes later, AFC had the next big chance, but Malkolm Nilsson Säfqvist made a brilliant save.
After the break, Malkolm Nilsson Säfqvist couldn’t resist when André Alsanatii shot and the goalkeeper got his hands on the ball but couldn’t stop it from rolling teasingly over the goal line to make it 1-0.
After just over an hour, Eskilstuna increased to 2-0 through a goal by Ashley Coffey.
Sadat Karim was substituted in the 59th minute, Phil Ofosu-Ayeh in the 46th minute, but Thomas Boakye played full throttle against AFC Eskilstuna.
Karim played 29 games for Halmstads BK and scored five goals.
After the game, Sadat Karim took to his official Instagram page to share his excitement.
The duration of presidential convoys was the topic of a lengthy discussion on the Wednesday, October 26 edition of Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show between host Kwame Sefa Kayi, Henry Kwabena Kokofu, the CEO of the Environmental Protection Agency, and veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt.
The debate’s initiator, Henry Kokofu, lamented the large number of vehicles and urged an immediate end to the practice.
He explained that the official convoy of the president usually has six cars and those other cars usually spotted are those of sector ministers, members of parliament, and chief executive officers of public institutions, among others.
In his narration, Kokofu claimed that the practice became normalized under the fourth republic and has existed since the days of the late president, Jerry John Rawlings.
“This convoy trend did not start under President Akufo-Addo. It has been around for a long time. Whenever the president is moving, there is a cutoff point, which is a police vehicle with sirens. Its mostly six cars. All the cars that follow are ministers, MPs, CEOs, and others. When the president is going on a tour, he talks about a lot of issues. If it’s about roads, the Road Minister will be around. He will talk about agriculture, roads, and even the MP will be part of it. “, he said.
Kwesi Pratt took issue with his statement, pointing out that “It is not true. It has not been the case always”.
This led to an over close to ten minutes of banter, between the three men, with Kwame Sefa Kayi eventually giving in and reluctantly agreeing to Kwesi Pratt’s assertion.
Below are excerpt of the conversation Pratt: It is not true that it has been the case under the fourth republic
Sefa Kayi: It is true, it has always been there.
Pratt: It hasn’t been there forever, and you know it is not true. Under President Mills, he directed that if they are all going to the same place, they must go by bus.
Sefa Kayi: It happened once, twice, and that was it.
Pratt: So it has not been there forever. It is not true.
Sefa Kayi: So why did President Mills make that directive? It is because that trend has existed and it hasn’t stopped.
Pratt: My argument is that it is erroneous to say it has been there forever.
Sefa Kayi: President Mills gave that directive because he realized it was a trend. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. Under Rawlings, it was there. Under Kufuor, all the way through the fourth republic and it was a trend. President Mills asked that it be stopped, and they did it a few times.
Commercial drivers in the Bono Region have vehemently opposed the implementation of the ‘Passenger manifest and e-ticketing and digital payment app’ OYA App.
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) launched the APP in August, to specifically bring solutions to vehicle manifest databases, digital payment of transport fares, luggage tagging, and ticket printing among others.
According to the Union, the OYA App would not only enhance driver professionalism, but also help with early and easy identification of accident victims and quick contact with their next of kin to ensure adequate medical care and treatment.
But a meeting to facilitate the implementation of the App organised by the Bono Regional Branch of the Union for commercial drivers in Sunyani ended abruptly, amid heated arguments.
Tempers flared up when the Union was unable to justify a proposed Gh¢1.00 which would be collected from passengers who boarded their vehicles, in line with the implementation of the OYA App.
According to the aggrieved drivers, they did not understand why the Union should charge passengers an additional Gh¢1.00 after they (passengers) had already paid their lorry fares.
They, therefore, called on the leadership of the Union to come clear about the implementation of the APP, saying until they were convinced, there was no way they would cooperate for the implementation of the App at the various GPRTU bus terminals in the region.
“We really don’t understand the concept of the APP, particularly the collection of Gh¢1.00 from passengers. Our executives claim the Gh¢1.00 is a form of insurance package, but we have already insured our vehicles”, Nana Oppong, one of the drivers told the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
Another driver, Adjei Manu also cautioned the Union to suspend the implementation of the App, saying that would cause confusion at the lorry terminals.
Mr. Kwame Frimpong, the Bono Regional Vice Chairman of the GPRTU, later in an interview with the GNA described the App as a laudable initiative, saying its implementation would benefit both drivers and passengers.
He admitted that driver and passenger education on the App in the region was poor and assured the Union would intensify the education.
An angry customer kept griping in a commercial bus after learning that his fare had raised by GH 2, according to a Twitter user named Antwi Edmond.
Antwi Edmond claims that the driver of the car abruptly turned around and returned to the bus station after being enraged by the man’s wailing in the car.
However, the deceased who was still angry is said to have refused to come down from the bus. The situation is said to have led to a confrontation between the passenger, the driver and his conductor who ganged against him.
“The Driver returned his car to the Lapaz bus terminal again and there, they had support of their co-workers at the terminal, we were all asked to get down from the bus, but the man causing the chaos still insisted he is not getting down. Persuasion failed and force was applied.
“During the force applied by the trotro mates at the station, the man decided to fight them back which led to a huge fight between him and our bus conductor and his mate with a backing of their co-workers after several minutes of fight, this male passenger lost his life,” the eyewitness with the Twitter username @Murphy_Vainn wrote in a thread.
“He lost is life after one unawares [SIC] punch, which made his head hit one of the pavements at the terminal and lost his precious life. May his soul rest in perfect peace. I can’t believe he lost his life sake of [SIC] 2 cedis increment.
A portion of the videos shared by the eyewitness shows the lifeless body of the deceased being carried into a taxi to be conveyed to a hospital.
Transport operators across the country announced an increment in transport fares effective Saturday, October 29, 2022.
A Circuit Court at Dormaa-Ahenkro, Dormaa Central Municipality of Bono Region, has sentenced Ebenezer Dei, a tricycle repairer, to a fine of 150 penalty units for unlawful entry and causing damage to a Ghc50.00 padlock.
Dei, 30, pleaded guilty to all three counts of possessing instruments intended for unlawful entry, causing unlawful damage and unlawful entry.
In default he would serve three months imprisonment in hard labour.
Chief Inspector Timothy Ahiaduvor, the prosecutor, told the court, presided by Mr Osei Kofi Amoako, that the complainant, Kwasi Baah, is a farmer who also operates a drinking bar at Asunsu Number One.
The accused is a native of Asunsu Number Two in the Municipality.
Prosecutor said the complainant, after close of work on Sunday, September 25, this year, locked the drinking bar and went home.
However, at about 0200 hours Monday, September 26, he received a report that his drinking bar had been forcibly opened with the padlock damaged.
P/C Inspt. Ahiaduvor said the complainant quickly went there and met the accused person holding two bottles of club beer, valued at GhC18.00, and two bottles of Guinness, worth GhC16.00
Dei again stole GhC200.00 coins the complainant had kept in a plastic container.
He was arrested with the hammer and a chisel he used to break into the shop and placed into police cells and charged with the offence after investigation.
Eric Vincent, a 22-year-old self-acclaimed electrician has been remanded into prison custody for stealing by a Hohoe Circuit Court.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge and will reappear on November 09.
The accused is said to have dishonestly appropriated 22 slippers and six sandals valued GH¢500.00.
Chief Inspector Charles Aziati, prosecuting, told the Court presided over by Mr Michael Johnson Abbey that the complainant is a trader and a resident of Hohoe Zongo.
He said the accused person who claimed to be an electrician had no place of abode but had been hovering around the Hohoe market and the lorry station area.
Chief Inspector Aziati said on October 22, the complainant sent GH¢500.00 to her daughter at Nima in Accra to purchase footwears for her, which was delivered through a driver, who is a witness in the case.
He said after arrival at the Hohoe station, and the goods were being discharged, the suspect was seen hovering around booth of the vehicles, where it was later discovered that the footwears could not be traced with the suspect vanishing from sight.
He said the driver then became suspicious that it was the accused person who could have stolen the footwear.
Chief Inspector Aziati said on October 24, the complainant spotted the accused person offering some footwear for sale.
He said she then caused the accused person’s arrest and handed him over to the Police.
Chief Inspector Aziati said Vincent was re-arrested and during investigations, he stated that even though he was seen selling some footwear, he found it on the floor of the Hohoe lorry station.
Ghana Football Association held a Legends Dinner for Ghanaian football legends this evening at 6:00 pm at the Event Centre in East Legon.
The Legends Dinner is part of the preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 finals. It was led by Ghana FA boss Kurt Okraku, Youth and Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif, FA Vice President Mark Addo, and Vice Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee Kwesi Agyemang.
The Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG), was represented by President Samuel Osei Kuffuor and General Secretary Anthony Baffoe.
John Painstil, Derek Boateng, Asamoah Gyan, Augustine Arhinful, Awuku Issaka, Jerry Akaminko, Isaac Vorsah, Richard Kingston, Kwame Ayew, Rev. Osei Kofi, Edward Ansah, Sam Johnson, Laryea Kingson, Yaw Acheampong, Peter Ofori Quaye, Maxwell Konadu, Emmanuel Armah Senegal, and Ntow Gyan also joined the Ghana FA boss for the dinner.
Akabenzer aka Dr. LIKEE visited the Black Meteors team camp on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s AFCON U-23 Qualifier against Mozambique.
Akabenzer as he is popularly known is a comedian based in Kumasi, Ghana. He visited the squad to motivate them ahead of the crucial second leg game.
He met Black Meteors head coach Ibrahim Tanko and other officials.
Black Meteors trained at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Friday ahead of their TotalEnergies CAF U23 championship second leg qualifier against Mozambique.
Black Meteors overcame their Mozambican opponents 2-1 in the first leg away in Maputo and will meet the Young Mambas at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday, October 30, 2022.
Hearts of Oak attacker Daniel Afriyie Barnieh scored twice against Mozambique.
Coach Ibrahim Tanko’s team has been training for the second leg encounter with the hopes of beating Mozambique at home and advancing to the final stage of the qualifiers.
If Ghana wins on Sunday, the Black Meteors will play the winner of the match between Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the final round of qualifiers.
If Ghana wins on Sunday, the Black Meteors will face the winner of Algeria vs DR Congo encounter in the last round of qualifiers.
Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison scored in Young Africans victory against Geita Gold at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza on Saturday in the Tanzanian Premier League.
Yanga beat Geita Gold 1-0 to extend their unbeaten run in the league to 45 matches.
Bernard Morrison, who had just returned from suspension, scored the only goal on the stroke of halftime with a penalty kick.
Morrison’s second goal of the season comes as Yanga continues to be the in form side in the league.
With the win, Yanga holds a five-point lead at the top of the table, with 20 points in the bag, as they inch closer to their aim of defending the championship.
Geita Gold is now ninth in the standings after the defeat, with 13 points from 10 games.
Yanga’s next match is against Club Africain of Tunisia on Wednesday at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The second leg will be played a week later in Tunisia, with the overall winner advancing to the group stage.
Watch Bernard Morrison’s goal for Young Africans against Geita Gold below:
Senior officers of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in the Volta region have received a two-day intensive training on hazardous materials incident management (HAZMAT).
The training, which focuses on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) was an initiative of the Regional Commander and aimed at sharpening the skills of the officers for effective delivery of work.
He said every organisation across the globe thrived on training as it helped to refresh the memories of its workers and that continuous practice would make it easier to deal with situations professionally.
He said the Service would become ineffective to respond effectively and timely to situations if it failed to organise periodic training to build the capacity of the personnel, thus “the need for us to undertake such training to sharpen our skills and be ready for any eventuality.”
Mr Ameyibor who is also, Assistant Chief Fire Officer One(ACFO 1) said the focus was on the LPG because of late most bulk transport vehicles were having accident on the road and that it was important to prepare the men and women on how to handle such situation.
He said, whenever an accident occurred involving bulk transport vehicles, the consequences were so catastrophic, requiring highly effective and professional skills to handle them and such skills could only be obtained through training.
The training took the officers to some gas filling stations in the Ho Municipality, where the Commander termed as “high risk areas” to see their level of compliance with fire safety protocols.
The Commander disclosed that there were plans to provide training for LPG attendants in the Region to equip them with the requisite skills to deal with fire incidence involving LPG.
Assistant Divisional Officer Grade Two (ADO II), Mr Victor Fiavi, In-Charge of Transport told GNA the training was “amazing” and has broadened his knowledge and skills on how to carry out his duties in protecting lives and property.
Ghana right-back Tariq Lamptey was in action for Brighton and Hove Albion as they thrashed Chelsea 4-1 in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Lamptey climbed off the bench to replace Kaoru Mitoma in the 76th minute at Amex Stadium.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for Brighton with a calm finish put the home side in front before two own goals extended Brighton’s lead before the break, Ruben Loftus-Cheek putting through his own net from a Solly March corner before Trevoh Chalobah slid Pervis Estupinan’s low cross past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
After the recess, Germany international Kai Havertz nodded in Conor Gallagher’s cross to give the visitors hope in the 48t minute but a second-half Chelsea recovery failed to materialise.
Pascal Gross capped a miserable afternoon for Potter and his players with a close-range finish in second-half stoppage time.
Lamptey has made 11 appearances for Brighton this season across all competitions.
He is expected to be named in Ghana’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The National Day of Prayer and fasting for the senior national team, the Black Stars, declared by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) as they gear up for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 seemed fanciful to me.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m neither ridiculing prayer nor am I pouring scorn on fasting.
I’m a Christian. I believe in God, who answers our fervent prayers. I fast and pray. I’ve Muslim friends who also fast and pray and we all have the conviction that, when we pray, God hears us and answers us in His own time and in His way. Ghanaians are very religious people. So, I don’t ridicule prayer and God’s power to cause transformation.
But God, who never fails in answering our prayers also gives us wisdom and the ability to think; make decisions and solve problems that saddle us even if most of those problems are self-inflicted. This is why I believe prayer isn’t the solution to our problems when we take self-serving decisions and create avoidable problems.
God, I’m sure, pities us when He sees us side-stepping wisdom and practical solutions to our problems to pray. The GFA must’ve taken the spiritual route knowing our religiosity but let’s note that what God expects the FA to do is to put the national interest first and at the centre of decisions like player selection and financial rewards for the team as they prepare for the World Cup.
That way, time and resources would be better used and Ghanaians would be happy. A happy Ghana, I’m sure, would make God happier. That said, I must however commend the GFA for the other pre-world cup events they’ve been on. The visit to President Akufo-Addo was as brilliant as the audience the FA sought with ex-Presidents John Mahama and John Agyekum Kufour.
It’s been positive whipping public interest and enthusiasm from that angle since these are big leaders and of course, political stalwarts whose word touches the hearts of many. The GFA didn’t end there. They embarked on a walk with the legends (so far the best among the pre-world cup activities); seeing ex-Black Stars players, GFA and Sports Ministry officials on a walk on the Aburi range.
The camaraderie I witnessed on the walk was nice. The same must prevail at the team’s camp. In all, Ghana must have an exciting, trouble-free Qatar World Cup experience. If that would happen it wouldn’t be as a consequence of fasting and prayers but good leadership thinking and decision-making both on and off the field.
