TIG Post

Author: Persis

  • We will not tolerate further demonstrations by Menzgold Customers – Police

    The Police in the Greater Accra Region says they will not tolerate any further demonstrations from aggrieved customers of the defunct gold dealership firm Menzgold because they are concentrating their efforts on combatting violent crimes in the capital.

    The Coalition of Aggrieved Customers of Menzgold Ghana had written to the police requesting permission to march to the Jubilee House to present a petition to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    In a response signed by the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Fredrick Adu Anim and sighted by Graphic Online, the Police said it cannot accept any form of demonstration during this period.

    “Grateful be informed that the command is concentrating on the fight against robbery and other violent crimes as we enter the threshold of the year, as a result, cannot accept any form of Demonstration, Picketing and Walk during this period.

    “The command also wishes to remind you that you have already demonstrated on the same subject matter in less than six (6) month as such will not tolerate any further demonstration as other citizens must also have their interest served by the Police”.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Minority mounts pressure on government to evacuate Ghanaian students in China

    The Minority caucus in Parliament has called on the government to immediately evacuate Ghanaians living in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

    The Minority Ranking members on the Health and Foreign Affairs, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made the call when they spoke to the members of the parliamentary press corps on Tuesday afternoon [February 11, 2020].

    They argued that it was unfathomable that President Akufo-Addo has remained quiet on the matter since the outbreak while his administration seems unmoved by the distress calls by Ghanaian students in Wuhan.

    Admitting that they were mindful of the available World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols on evacuations, they insisted those protocols could be followed in the evacuation process.

    ”We have convened this press conference to renew our demands on the Akufo-Addo led government to immediately evacuate our nationals in Wuhuan, particularly students who are stranded and continue to cry out for help. The leadership of this country, cannot be callous, cannot be insensitive… when it is about the life of our nation. It is in times like these that we asses the value that leadership places on the life of our citizens. We hereby call on the Akufo-government to immediately evacuate our students, particularly those under lock and key.”

    “We have discussed as a Minority and the leadership of the Minority caucus have asked that we give a three-day ultimatum to the Akufo-Addo government. They have three days, latest by Friday, the evacuation of Ghanaian students should take place and these students should be brought to us. We owe them. We should not be callous and insensitive to their plight,” Mr Ablakwa said.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • 80 police personnel from MTTD undergo MID training programme

    Director-General of the MTTD of the Police, COP Beatrice Vib-Sanziri, has said that some 80 police personnel within the Motor and Transport unit in Accra and Tema are expected to undergo the Motor Insurance Database (MID) training programme.

    According to her, about 400 personnel are expected to be trained nationwide in the use of equipment to enforce the law on our roads.

    This follows the implementation of the Motor Insurance Database policy by the National Insurance Commission which commenced on January 20, 2020 to curb the menace of fake insurance stickers plying the roads.

    “This programme is for 80 selected personnel of the MTTD from within Accra and Tema and in all we intend to train about 400 personnel nationwide and these officers are intended to train others in their various jurisdictions in enforcing road laws,” she said.

    “Aside the training, the National Insurance Commission has also promised to donate handheld devices to the police department to enable personnel to scientifically determine insurance stickers which are fake”.

    “I assure the NIC that the handheld devices will be put to good to use in order to achieve the objective of this project,” COP Beatrice Vib-Sanziri said.

    COP Beatrice Vib-Sanziri speaking at the launch of the training programme in Accra on Tuesday, February 10 reminded vehicle owners that it is important to exercise due diligence in purchasing insurance stickers.

    “As much as possible, desist from buying them from wayside vendors because it is also now possible to check the authenticity of insurance by dialing a shortcode [*920*57#] which will be made available to the public through public education and sensitization,” she indicated.

    Commissioner of Insurance, Mr Justice Ofori, on his part said the new MID technology will enable verification using unique Quick Response (QR) codes as well as USSD shortcodes on genuinely insured vehicles or ones plotted to be sold.

    According to him, it is crucial to implement digitization in advancing financial inclusion in Ghana as it is one of the surest ways to cut the loopholes in the insurance sector.

    “The implementation of the MID is the application of contemporary technology to revolutionize the practice of insurance in order to block leakages in our systems and also to protect citizenry,” he concluded.

    Mr Justice Ofori said the Commission would continue to collaborate with the Police and other agencies like the Driver and Vehicle License Authority in enforcing the successful implementation of the Motor Insurance Database policy.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Free SHS is the biggest social intervention program since Independence – Dr. Bawumia

    The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has described the government’s flagship Frèe SHS program as the biggest social intervention initiative by any government in Ghana since Independence.

    Speaking at the Government’s Town Hall Meeting in Kumasi to lay bare achievements of the Nana Akufo-Addo government in three years, Dr. Bawumia revealed that due to the success of the policy, SHS enrollment has tremendously increased by 69% i three years, leading to about 1.2m students benefiting from Free SHS .

    “The free SHS has resulted in a 69% increase in enrollment. Today, 1.2 million children are benefiting from free SHS,” Dr. Bawumia said.

    The Vice President said that providing access to secondary education to every Ghanaian child was an important concern to President Akufo-Addo and the government because developing human capital is crucial to the development of a nation, hence the government’s commitment to deliver on the Free SHS promise despite the initial challenges.

    “The empirical evidence is very persuasive that the key to economic transformation is human capital, not natural resources. This is why President Akufo-Addo has placed an emphasis of making sure that every Ghanaian child, regardless of the financial circumstances of their parent will have access to free senior high school education,” said the Vice President

    “This was a promise we made prior to the election in 2016 and one that we have fulfilled. It is the most significant social intervention introduced in Ghana since independence. We are investing and building capacity for the future of this country.”

    Dr. Bawumia said the government had initial challenges in rolling out the Free SHS due to insufficient facilities in some schools to accommodate increment in enrollment. Bent on not denying any Ghanaian child access to Free SHS education, Dr. Bawumia said, the government had to be innovative by establishing the double track system in the interim to ensure access for all, while taking steps to build more facilities.

    “We had a big challenge however. We did not have sufficient infrastructure in most schools to accommodate the increased numbers. Today, 1.2 million people are benefiting from Free SHS. The question we faced was “Whose Child Should be left at home?” In response to this challenge we introduced the double track system as a temporary solution to the problem while we construct new school infrastructure.”

    “The thinking here is akin to how churches have first, second and even third services to deal with large numbers.”

    ” There are people who say that we should have finished building the schools before introducing free SHS but I would say that it is better to educate a child even under a tree than to have them sitting at home. With that same logic we would have had to finish building all the hospitals we need before introducing the NHIS.”

    The opposition NDC has been vehement in its criticism of the double track system, but the Vice President said the NDC has not provided any alternative to double track, maintaining that without the double track system, hundreds of thousands of students who now have access to free secondary education would have been sitting at home.

    “The fact is that without the double track system, hundreds of thousands of students would not be able to access free SHS.”

    “Those who are criticizing the double track system have not been able to offer an alternative. Abolishing the double track system means abolishing free SHS as we know it. Whose child should stay at home?”

    “This is why government is investing in the construction of new infrastructure at senior high schools across the country and some schools are no longer on the double track. . The double track system will therefore be over in just a few years for all schools when the infrastructure is completed.”

    “Interestingly the Government of Kenya, facing similar challenges, has asked our Ministry of education to assist them to introduce the double track system in Kenya.”

    Dr. Bawumia added that the best government to kove the Free SHS to the next level should be the President and the government which believed in it and implemented it, not a party which criticized the policy and was pessimistic about its success.

    “We need a government that is committed to the free SHS system. A government that is prepared to commit the resources to finance it,” Dr. Bawumia said, obviously referring to President Akufo-Addo and the NPP.

    “Can we entrust the Free SHS policy to someone who did not believe in it
    in the first place? To someone who said it was a gimmick? To someone who said if he had GHC2 billion he would not spend it on Free SHS? To someone who says he would abolish double track but has no alternative to offer?”

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Government’s sectorial performance since 2017

     

    Photo Credit: delivery.gov.gh

     

    Photo Credit: delivery.gov.gh

    Source: backend.theindependentghana.com

  • One Village, One Dam policy providing timely relief to northern farmers – Report

    Three years on since assuming office, and with the construction of a number of many dams in the northern region under the One Village, One Dam initiative, the promise by then candidate Akufo-Addo and its execution by his government appears to be one of the greatest policies to positively affect farmers in the northern part of the country.

    Even though a number of villages in the north are yet to benefit from the One Village, One Dam initiative, a news feature broadcast by Ghana Television has proved the significant impact the dams built so far by the government is having on farming and many people in a number of communities in the northern regions of the country.

    Hitherto, the frustrations of farmers in the north heightens around this time of the year when the harmattan intensifies, leaving their farmlands extremely dry and not conducive for farming. Also, they struggle to feed their cattle and other livestock, as they had to travel several kilometers away to feed their animals and also quench their thirst.

    However, the construction of the dams have now provided timely reliefs to these farmers, as showed in the GTV feature. According to the farmers themselves who spoke to GTV from various communities, the dams have changed the dynamics as they are now able to farm during the dry season and are able to also feed their cattle without travelling many miles.

    “We used to go far with the cattle and fetch water. But now that the dam is here, it is helping the rearing of the animals. There is also wet grass so they feed on the grass and then they come and drink the water,” 75 year old farmer, Andrews Sampana told GTV.

    “These days, we are able to farm even in the dry season. As a result, we make some money.”

    Similar words of satisfaction were echoed to GTV in several parts of the northern regions they visited where the government has constructed irrigation dams for farming.

    The One Village, One Dam initiative is not only providing timely water for farming and cattle rearing, it is also providing alternative livelihood for farmers who decide to down their tools completely during the dry season.

    As was showed in the GTV news feature, some of these farmers resort to fishing in the dam during the dry season to make a living.

    Like Oliver Twist, farmers in the north are asking for the government to construct more dams.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Minister presents 152 mattresses to Buipe SHS after girls dorm got burnt

    The Savannah Regional Minister, Salifu Adam Braimah, has presented 152 mattresses to the Buipe Senior High School (SHS) in the Central Gonja district after the girls dormitory got burnt.

    Fire burnt the girls dormitory block of the Buipe Senior High School destroying books, clothes, mattresses and other properties.

    The fire disaster resulted in the collapse of two students who were later rushed to the Buipe hospital for treatment.

    Students and residents were able to put the fire under control before the Ghana Fire Service arrived by then the dormitory block was burnt into ashes.

    The Buipe fire tender has been faulty for over a year which has been a worry to residents in the area.

    According to the minister, government is committed in the welfare of students and for that matter he would ensure that students will be assisted with their lost educational materials to enhance learning in the school.

    He encouraged the affected students not to lose hope but stay focused in their academics especially the final year students.

    The Headmistress of the Buipe Senior High School, madam Mercy Ewuntomah, thanked the Savannah Regional Minister and the Free Senior High School Secretariat for the support.

    According to her, the Free Senior High School secretariat has assured the school that the affected students will be presented with school uniforms, books and house dresses to replace the burnt ones.

    She, however, revealed that the school’s ICT block has been converted as a dormitory for the affected students and appealed to well-wishers, individuals and organizations to come to their aid.

    “we want to convert 6 classrooms blocks for them to use as a temporary dormitory”. She said

    Meanwhile, a committee has been set up to investigate the actual cause of the fire in the school.

    Source: Dailyguidenetwork.com

  • Police deny Menzgold customers permit to march to Akufo-Addo

    The Accra Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service has turned a section of aggrieved customers of Menzgold Ghana Limited away after they sought permit to stage a procession to the presidency.

    The Coalition of Aggrieved Customers of Menzgold Ghana wrote to the Command on Thursday, February 6 for permission to march to the presidency on Tuesday, February 11 to present a petition to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    An estimated 200 aggrieved customers were expected to embark on the march.

    But in its response, the Command said its officer are engaged as they are concentrating on the fight against robbery and other violent crimes ahead of the December elections.

    “As a result, [we] cannot accept any form of demonstration, picketing and walk during this period,” the Regional Commander, DCOP Frederick Adu Anim, wrote.

    What is more, the Command said, the Coalition had demonstrated on the same issue less than six months “as such will not tolerate any further demonstration as other citizens must also have their interest served by the police”.

    Source: 3news.com

  • Probe Airbus scandal Pentecostal and Charismatic Council

    The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) has expressed concern about the Airbus bribery scandal as far as the purchase of airplanes for the Ghana Armed Forces is concerned.

    “We call on the security agencies to conduct serious investigations” into the matter, the Council said in a communiqué issued after deliberations at the 2020 Conference of Heads of Churches and Organisations held at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh from 4 to 7 February 2020, adding that anybody found culpable should be brought to justice.

    Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor, Mr Martin Amidu, has begun probing the Airbus scandal.

    The probe began on 4 February 2020.

    In a press statement, Mr Amidu said there is reasonable suspicion of corruption in the Airbus scandal.

    President Nana Akufo-Addo referred the matter to the Office of the Special Prosecutor after court documents from the UK and the US found Airbus SE guilty in a series of unlawful business deals in countries including Ghana where a relative of a top elected government official was allegedly bribed.

    “The Special Prosecutor has determined that the said referral and deferred prosecution of agreements and judgments accompanying them raise reasonable suspicion of the commission of corruption and corruption-related offences of bribery of public officers and the use of public office by public officers for private office which are offences falling within the mandate of this office under the office of the Special Prosecutor Act 2017 Act (595). A preliminary investigation was, accordingly opened on 4 February 2020 by this office into the allegations contained in the judgements referred to this Office aforesaid,” Mr Amidu said in his statement.

    The statement further noted that the relevant domestic public institutions have been invited to provide relevant documents to aid in the probe.

    It, therefore, urged the public not to speculate or politicise the content of the UK and America courts on the matter until after the outcome of the investigations.

    “The relevant domestic public institutions which can assist the ongoing investigations have been contacted to provide information and documents under Act (595).

    “The Office of the Special Prosecutor appeals to the general public not to speculate or politicise the disclosures made in the deferred prosecutor agreements and judgements so as to allow this office to treat the suspected crimes as suspected crimes simplicita and nothing more pending the conclusion of the investigations,” the statement said.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • The Chronicle Editorial: So the welfare of economic migrants is important than that of Ghanaians?

    The Daily Graphic last week Saturday carried a story at its front page about children who have besieged the streets of Accra begging for alms. This is not the first time the paper has carried such a story. A year ago, the state-owned paper published a similar story that drew the attention of the authorities to the looming danger.

    Though the paper quoted the numerous steps the Department of Social Welfare has taken to address the issue, The Chronicle is still not convinced that the problem is properly being addressed.It is undeniable fact that the majority of these street begging children are not Ghanaians . They are mostly Nigerians, Nigerians, Malians and other West African nationals.

    Information we are picking, which we believe may be available to the National Security Secretariat, is that because our economy is performing better than the countries we have just mentioned, it has become a lucrative business for businessmen to transport these children and their parents to Ghana to beg for alms.

    We have always used to this column to argue that though the protocol of Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) allows the free movement of persons among member states, it does mean that people should be abused from one country to the other for economic reasons.

    Unfortunately, because Ghana considers herself more catholic than the Pope, we are allowing these businessmen and women transport these beggars and dump them on us. Regrettably, it is only few foreigners visiting our country who would recognise these children and mothers as non-Ghanaians. The rest would automatically assume that they are all Ghanaians who have flooded our streets harassing people for money.

    We seem to be joking with fire because should these non-Ghanaian children and their mothers be carrying any contagious diseases, it will be easy for them to spread it in Ghana. Again, since some of these children and their mothers are coming from war ravaged countries, it would be easy for them to to be radicalised and cause mayhem in future.

    We are entertaining this fear because these children are not being given any formal education – meaning they would grow up to become vagabonds and cause all manner of societal problems for the country.

    Our information is that these beggars were on the streets of Abidjan doing similar business – begging for alms – but the Ivorian authorities rounded them up and sent them back to the countries they came from. The Ivorian authorities were forward looking and saw the dangers ahead of them, hence, the action they took.

    The Chronicle is aware that somewhere last year, the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection rounded up these children and their mothers and sent them to the Nigerian Embassy in Accra for onward repatriation. But because we as a country were interested in the arrest and not the repatriation, the Nigerian Embassy released their compatriots who have come back to the streets. Interestingly, none of the officials the Graphic reporter spoke to admitted that the beggars are mostly non-Ghanaian.

    What these officials from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and Korley Klottey Municipal Assembly are interested in are the services they intend to render to these children.

    They are not concerned about the busing of foreigners into our country to beg for money. If we have the resources to take care of children from other countries, then we call on these authorities to extend similar services to Ghanaian children in all parts of the country.

    Go to our various communities and you realise that because of abject poverty, most of our children are not in school. Should these children also be transported to Accra before we see the need in attending to their plights? We are not prophets of doom, but the nation can be assured that should these benevolence from the AMA and Korley Klottey assembly continue, more of these children from foreign countries are going to flood our streets begging for money.

    Ghana should not be bearing the brunt of policy failures our sister countries and also serving as refugee camps for citizens fleeing the harsh economic conditions. We have our problems that we are grappling with, and this should be utmost concern, and not the other way round.

    Source: The Chronicle

  • Treat other corruption cases like that of Airbus scandal – Rockson Dafeamekpor tells Amidu

    The Member of Parliament for South Dayi who doubles as the Minority Spokesperson on legal Affairs, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has urged the Office of the Special Prosecutor to treat other cases, in the same manner, it is handling the Airbus issue.

    His comment follows the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) initiation of formal investigations into the Airbus bribery scandal in which some Ghanaian officials, between 2009 and 2015, were allegedly bribed prior to the acquisition of three C-295 military transport aircraft by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

    The OSP, led by Mr Martin A.B.K. Amidu, began the investigations on February 4, 2020, on the basis of the referral made to him by the Office of the President.

    Speaking on Starr FM today, February 10 2020, Mr Dafeamekpor said: ”If the OSP decides to look into this and forms a reasonable basis of suspicion and want to look into it, it is welcome but the question other reasonable Ghanaians will want to ask is that is he moving with the same issue in respect to other allegations of corruption and bribery that has come up in the public domain whether or not referrals has been made. His office is empowered to look into every issue of validation that comes up within the public domain or even the private circles”.

    The Airbus bribery scandal cited Ghana, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Taiwan as destinations where Airbus, the largest aerospace multinational in Europe, admitted that it paid huge bribes in order to secure contracts.

    The Crown Court at Southwark in the United Kingdom passed judgment on 31st January 2020, between the Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, in which the European multinational aerospace corporation was fined $3.9 billion for the payment of bribes to secure deals in the five countries named Ghana.

    The London High Court found Airbus guilty and imposed a fine of three billion pounds (£3bn) as penalties.

    Airbus was charged with five counts of failing to prevent bribery, having used a network of secret agents to pay large-scale backhanders to officials in foreign countries to land high-value contracts.

    In the case of Ghana, the operations were reported to have taken place between 2009 and 2015; during which period John Dramani Mahama served as Vice President and then later as President.

    Meanwhile, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are playing political football with the issue.

    Even though no name was mentioned in the UK Crown Court in Southwark’s ruling, the NPP at a press conference, was categorical that government official 1 is Mahama and has, therefore, asked him to break his silence over the allegation.

    However, the National Democratic Congress, NDC has indicated that they are considering legal actions against NPP’s Communications Director Yaw Buaben Asamoa for alleging that John Mahama is ‘Government official 1’ in the Airbus corruption scandal.

    They said, linking former President John Mahama to the Airbus bribery allegation is ‘reckless and irresponsible’ on the part of Yaw Buaben Asamoa.

    Source: primenewsghana.com

  • Police arrest notorious robber, rapist

    The Upper East Regional Command on Saturday, February 8, 2020 arrested Pius Ayomah Anundiabil alleged to be involved in robbery, rape and murder in some parts of the country at Fumbisi in the Sandema district.

    The suspect who claims to be 21 years and a native of Fumbisi in the Upper East region has been on the police wanted list for the past two years for alleged rape and robbery cases in Accra.

    He was also charged with murder in Koforidua in the Eastern region.

    The suspect is currently in custody at the Upper East regional police command as plans are underway to transport him to Accra for further investigations.

    The Upper East regional police command has extended its sincere gratitude to the residents of the Fumbisi for their cooperation and assistance leading to the maintenance of law and order in the entire Sandema district.

    The Police says anyone especially residence of Upper East region along the borders of the neighbouring countries must be vigilant and report any suspicious characters leading to the prevention or arrest of criminals to the nearest police stations or contact police on emergency numbers 18555/191 or Upper East police information room on 0299204666/0299203694 for police response.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Sustained funding support paved the way for aggressive cyber-based initiatives

    Chief Legal Advisor to the National Security Secretariat and Coordinator of the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), Osei Bonsu Dickson, has said Ghana moved from a period of less dedication to progressive funding and also improved capacity building of cyber security.

    According to him, the President Akufo-Addo led government in its quest to curtail cyber crimes has dedicated funding for cyber security in the 2020 budget.

    He said “Ghana has moved from an era of less dedication to a point of progressive funding for Cybersecurity initiatives.”

    Mr. Dickson said this during his address at the just ended third Civil Society Cyber Security workshop organized by the Africa Cybersecurity and Digital Rights Organisation (ACDRO), in Accra. It was held on the theme: “Making Our National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy citizen-centric.”

    The workshop was attended by CSOs from across Ghana, security agencies, Ghana Army, Immigration and several others to learn about the present national cyber security policy draft document and to contribute to the future ultimate document.

    According to him, financial and human capacity constraints which used to be biggest challenges were now a thing of the past, as far as the fight against cyber crime in Ghana is concerned.

    Mr. Dickson explained, “In the past, most public prosecutors, defence lawyers and even judges lacked the capacity to adequately prosecute cybercrime, whilst inefficient processes in validating identification documents contribute to high incidence of identity theft or what I call cyber-galamsey.”

    Reiterating some of the initiatives, he said the draft National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy simultaneously advances Ghana’s obligations under the United Nation’s 9th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which requires amongst other things, the development of resilient ICT infrastructure towards economic development.

    “In the age of instant messaging where ‘fake news’ and damaging content spreads at a viral rate, you as CSOs have a duty to discover your voice so we can uphold rule of law in cyberspace”, he added.

    He called for coordination from both public and private sector actors in the quest to build a healthier and resilient cyber space.

    According to him, “We must ponder the role of CSOs in cyberspace; we must ask how best CSOs can contribute in coalition building global, regional and national capacity

    “Accra remains the political Mecca of Africa, and so in the sphere of digital rights, cyber law and cyber norms, Ghanaian civil society organizations can offer a directional role in norms development, implementation, and enforcement,” he said.

    Source: backend.theindependentghana.com | Maame Agyeiwaa Agyei

  • Passengers cause arrest of ‘reckless’ driver

    In a bid to prevent more accidents on our roads, passengers onboard a Toyota Hiace car caused the arrest of another driver for reckless driving on the Cape Coast – Takoradi highway.

    Ahmed Alidu, aged 35-years and driving a Mercedes splinter with registration number GT 3601- 17 was arrested after a complaint was made to personnel at the Inchaban Police barrier.

    Confirming the arrest, Western Region Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent Richard Appiah said Ahmed left the Kaneshie lorry station for Takoradi loaded with passengers and dangerously overtook the Toyota Hiace with registration number WR 1481 -17 which had loaded from Cape Coast to Takoradi.

    According to him, the passengers alleged that, their driver had to move swiftly from the road when the splinter bus came to overtake them, or risk being hit by the speeding car.

    They said, they monitored as Ahmed continued to drive recklessly and overtake different cars, a situation that nearly resulted in a head-on collision with a truck.

    From Dominase to Daboase and Asamasa, Ahmed continued to overtake from all sides of the road while driving at top speed and on the shoulders of the road.

    Chief Superintendent Richard Appiah said after his arrest, his vehicle was impounded and brought to the MTTD office in Sekondi. His statement was taken in which he admitted to driving recklessly.

    He has subsequently been processed for court on Monday, February 10.

    Meanwhile, as more and more people continue to endorse the latest road safety campaign #ArriveAlive by JoyNews, the police administration says it wants amendment of laws governing the sector.

    Outgone director of the Motor Transport Traffic Department (MTTD), Commissioner of Police Christian Yohuno, who described the initiative as laudable said it will lead to more punitive actions against drivers who “negligently and recklessly cause accidents.”

    Source: Myjoyonline.com | Felicia Osei | felicia.osei@myjoyonline.com

  • Stop the guesswork, wait for the conclusion of investigations Amidu on Airbus Saga

    Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu has urged Ghanaians to quit making unsubstantiated speculations and spurring suggestions from the deferred judgement from the Southwark Crown Court in the UK on the issue of the Airbus deal, till investigations are determined.

    This he says will allow his Office to treat the suspected crimes as suspected crimes simpliciter and nothing more, pending the conclusion of the investigation”.

    According to a press release dated Monday, February 10, 2020, and signed by Mr. Amidu, investigations have been launched into the allegations of bribery of Ghanaian officials in the military aircraft deal since it was referred to his office by the Office of the President on February 2, 2020.

    The statement further indicated that “the Special Prosecutor has determined that the said referral and the deferred prosecution agreements and judgements accompanying them raise reasonable suspicion of the commission of corruption and corruption-related offences of bribery of public officers and the use of public office by public officers for private profit”.

    Read the full statement below

  • Commercial service on Takoradi to Tarkwa rail line commences

    Following five days of free passenger service on the Takoradi to Tarkwa rail line, the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) will begin full commercial service from Monday, February 10.

    The service will then be available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

    The Ghana Railways Company Limited had an incident-free passenger service from Takoradi to Tarkwa last week.

    In a statement announcing the service, acting Managing Director of the Company John Essel said GRCL is satisfied with the condition of the line, locomotives and coaches, hence the decision.

    “As a result of this and the public enthusiasm shown during the three days, the service was extended for one more week from 3rd to 7th February, 2020, with the intention of addressing any other teething problems which might have arisen.

    “Having offered the service for four days running, we wish to inform the general public that no incident has been recorded.”

    The GRCL reiterated its earlier caution that there will be times when they have to stop operations to allow the contractor working on the construction of a new standard gauge line to continue its work.

    “We wish to also indicate that currently on the Western Line, a new standard gauge Railway Line is being developed alongside the existing railway line and occasionally there will be the need for GRCL to stop operations to enable this contractor to do some critical works on the new line. The general public will be informed when such issues arise,” a statement said.

    Fares

    The fare for the first class coach from Takoradi to Tarkwa will be GH¢10 while that of the second class will be GH¢8.

    The other fares range from GH¢5 to as little as GH¢2 depending on the distance of travel.

    The train will leave the Takoradi Harbor Station to Tarkwa at 6:15am and from Tarkwa to Takoradi at 3:00pm each working day.

    Source: 3news.com

  • Andre Ayew shines in Swansea City’s defeat to Derby County

    Ghana and Swansea City forward Andre Ayew featured for his side as they lost at home to Derby County in the English Championship on Saturday.

    The Swans suffered their 10th league defeat at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday as they gradually fell further away from the promotion places.

    The result leaves them on 9th on the league with 46 points, four points away from the final promotion play-off spot.

    Martyn Waghorn gave Derby County an early lead in the 8th minute of the game.

    Swansea rallied back courtesy Yan Dhanda and Kyle Naughton strikes but Derby equalised and scored the match winner through Duane Holmes and Tom Lawrence respectively.

    The 30-year-old Ghanaian put an up impressive display as he produced two shots (off-target), 51 touches and 31 accurate passes (81.6%).

    Swansea City will face Queen Park Rangers on Tuesday in their next league fixture as they look to bounce back to winning ways.

    Source: footballghana.com

  • Ghanaians demand justice over the death of murdered nurse in Sewua

    Some social media users have heated the internet to demand justice for Ruth Arhin who was gang-raped and murdered on Monday, February 3.

    Ruth Arhin, a nurse in the at the Sewua Health Center, met her untimely death on her way home from work at a town called Ayuom in the Bosomtwi Disrict in the Ashanti Region.

    The 37-year-old and a mother of three failed to return home after close of work on Monday after she left the Health Center.

    Her body was later found in the bush on February 4 with traces that her underwear had been pulled down suggesting she had been raped before murdered.

    The news of her death has sparked social media reactions with many calling for justice for the Ruth Arhin. According to the users, perpetrators must be found and face the law.

    Meanwhile, one suspect has been reportedly arrested in connection with the death of the deceased.

    This comes after a phone found on the crime scene was traced to the unidentified suspect.

    Below are some of the reaction

  • Bolgatanga East again fails to elect a Presiding Member

    The Bolgatanga East Assembly in the Upper East Region has for the second time failed to elect a Presiding Member after two rounds of voting.

    On Thursday, January 23, 2020, the second Assembly was inaugurated with 16 elected and eight appointed Assembly members, however, the new Assembly could not get a Presiding Member and hence the election was postponed.

    After the first and second rounds of voting, Mr Martin Ayimbire Akanane, the Assemblyman for Zuarungu Central Electoral Area had 10 votes in each round, while his counterpart, Mr Bismarck Akolgo, Assemblyman for Zuarungu Electoral Area had 14 votes in each round.

    Though one Assemblyman was absent and therefore could not vote, none of the candidates had the two-third majority as stipulated by the Local Government Act to be declared a winner.

    Speaking to the media after the failed attempt to elect the Presiding Member for the second time, Reverend Emmanuel Abugre Abole, the District Chief Executive (DCE) expressed disappointment at the conduct of the Assembly members.

    The DCE said with the experience of some old Assembly members gained from how the first Assembly elected the previous Presiding Member, he expected same to have been replicated to ensure a smooth running of the Assembly.

    Mr Abole explained that the election of a Presiding Member was critical in the even distribution of development projects across the districts as it paved the way for various committees to be formed and projects adopted to fairly benefit every electoral area.

    He urged the Assembly Members to build consensus to enable them to elect a Presiding Member in their next attempt to accelerate the development of the young district.

    The election was conducted by the Electoral Commission.

    Source: GNA

  • Murdered nurse: Ensure our safety GRNMA to MoH

    The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has called on its employers, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and its agencies to ensure the “security and safety of nurses and Midwives in all parts of the country especially hard to reach areas.”

    This follows the killing of a Community Health Nurse, Ruth Ama Eshun by some unknown persons on Monday, 3 February 2020.

    The deceased nurse who until her death was a Registered Community Health Nurse at the Sewua Health Centre in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region is alleged to have been gang raped and killed by unknown persons.

    However, in a statement released and signed by its President, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo and its General Secretary, David Tenkorang-Twum, on Friday,7 February 2020, the GRNMA condemned the killing of the Community Health Nurse and appealed to the Ghana Police Service “to investigate this matter with the urgency it deserves and bring the perpetrators to book.”

    The GRNMA also commiserated with the “husband and children and the entire family” of the deceased Nurse and further urged all members of the GRNMA to “remain calm as we liaise with our Ashanti Regional Executives and the Security Agencies to bring justice to the family.”

    It further called on the MOH and its agencies to “ensure the security and safety of Nurses and Midwives working in all parts of the country especially hard to reach areas.”

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • 400 missing tricycles: Blame poor internal communication for brouhaha Hadzide

    Deputy Information Minister Pius Enam Hadzide has disputed claims that some 400 tricycles belonging to the Northern Development Authority (NDA) were stolen or went missing, stating that they were rather sold to deserving beneficiaries by the NDA.

    Mr Hadzide told Accra-based Citi FM that poor internal accounting processes and communication may have led to the sacked Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NDA to the wrong conclusion that the tricycles had gone missing causing the controversy.

    “These tricycles were sold to beneficiaries within the five Northern Regions. It is possible that the internal communication and accounting processes at the Authority may have been faulty and information may not have been readily made available to some of the senior officials. But the information which is out at the moment is that these tricycles were sold; some on hire purchase arrangements,” he disclosed.

    The missing tricycles controversy began when Dr Majeed Haroun, the former CEO of the NDA notified the police that some 400 tricycles had gone missing from the premises of the NDA.

    Northern Regional Minister who was also oblivious of happening at the authority after being fingered as the one who sanctioned the conveying of the tricycles directed the Ghana Police Service to go after persons who were purported to have stolen some 400 tricycles.

    Salifu Sa-eed who denied authorizing the carting of the items as was claimed in a letter to the police by the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Alhaji Abdel-Majeed Haroun, disclosed in a statement copied to the media that “I wish to state categorically and unequivocally that, I did not direct anyone or group of persons or company to pick any item from the premises of the NDA yard in my name or the Northern Regional Coordinating Council. For the records, I was the same person who ensured the protection of said items upon my appointment until the appointment of the CEO of NDA”

    Source: mynewsgh.com

  • Farmer kills wife and shoots himself at Pieso

    A 26-year-old faRmer, Mensah Kpogo Gamali, has shot and killed his wife at Pieso near Aboso in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality.

    He also allegedly shot himself after he succeeded in killing his 21-year-old wife, Comfort Ativor.

    Superintendent of Police Thomas Osei Ababio, Tarkwa District Police Commander who confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said at about 0830 hours on February 2, this year, police received information from Pieso that around 0630 hours on the same day, Mensah killed his wife and later shot himself.

    He said police proceeded to the crime scene and found the lifeless bodies lying with a single barrel shotgun beside Mensah.

    Mr Ababio said Mensah was wearing a pair of Jeans trousers over a red T-shirt, while Ativor was wearing a white straight dress, and both bodies were lying in a pool of blood.

    According to the District Police Commander, when the police examined both bodies, they found out that Mensah and Ativor sustained gunshot wounds on the chest and left eye respectively.

    He further added that spot investigation conducted by the police revealed that a misunderstanding ensued between the couple who had two children, which compelled Ativor to leave her matrimonial home to seek refuge in her father’s cottage at Repairer Akura.

    On Saturday, February 1 Ativor went for a watch night service in the company of her 15-year-old brother and one of her children at Pieso, which ended around 0530 hours the following day, he said.

    Mr Ababio narrated that on their way home Ativor met Mensah wielding a single barrel gun, who questioned Ativor her mission that dawn, but before she could utter a word, he shot her in the left eye and also shot himself.

    He said both bodies are sent to the Apinto government hospital for preservation and autopsy.

    Source: GNA

  • Coronavirus: Government has no justification to ignore Ghanaian students in China – Ablakwa

    Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says the Akufo-Addo government can not continue to ignore the plea of Ghanaian students in China who want to be evacuated back to Ghana.

    The over 150 students in Wuhan have called on the government to bring them back to Ghana due to the rapid spread of the deadly coronavirus.

    The students have accused the Ghana government of not listening to their plea and Mr Ablakwa says the government needs to act fast because other countries are evacuating their nationals.

    “There can be no justification for the continuous neglect of our nationals by the Akufo-Addo government, particularly when you consider the fact that other countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Libya have all evacuated their nationals and our students are seeing this. Poorer countries like Uzbekistan have all made a move and brought their nationals home.”

    This is the second time the Ghanaian students are calling for evacuation.

    According to them, they are lockdown in Wuhan, with that all shops in the city have been closed making it difficult for them to get access to their basic necessities.

    They say the situation in Wuhan has left some of the Ghanaian students emotionally traumatized.

    The death toll from the virus was at least 638 as of Thursday evening.

    Source: primenewsghana.com

  • Government seals potholes on Eastern Corridor Road by over 50%- Minister

    The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako, Atta has confirmed that the Ministry has sealed 53% of potholes on the Eastern corridor road between Asikuma and Peki in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region.

    “The contract is being executed by Messrs G.S. International Developers (GH) Ltd with funding by the Government of Ghana (Consolidated Fund) and the physical progress is projected at 53% completion as at the end of January, 2020.”

    Responding to a Parliamentary question asked by MP for the Area, Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwame Dafeamekpor, Mr. Amoako Atta said: “the contractor has suspended works since June 2017, due to delay in paying for some works done.”

    All payment certificates due the contractor have been paid, he noted, adding that, except one and efforts are being made to get the contractor to resume works to patch the potholes on the binder course.

    The Minister stressed: “if the contractor delays in resuming work, the Mobile Maintenance Unit (MMU) of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) will be asked to step in.”

    Background

    The Asikuma Junction Peki road (km 0 -l4) falls within the contract for the Rehabilitation of Asikuma Junction-Kpeve Road (Km 0-45) on the N2 (otherwise known as the Eastern Corridor Road) in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region.

    Source: gbcghanaonline.com

  • Ounces of gold also went missing during galamsey fight – Small scale miners reveal

    Concerned Small Scale Miners have revealed that ounces of gold seized by the galamsey task force between 2018 and 2019 have also gone missing.

    This comes on the back of the arrest of some individuals believed to be connected to the alleged missing excavators seized from illegal miners as part of efforts to clamp down on the menace.

    Presidents of the Concerned Small Scale Miners Micheal Kojo Peprah in an interview with Citi FM said the situation warrants further investigation.

    According to him, it looks like the fight launched to solve the galamsey issue was just to enrich some people in the country.

    “You’ve seized people’s excavators and those excavators can’t be found, they have seized people’s gold and those gold can’t be found, peoples pickup we can’t find them and at the end of the day, we are back to the same problem. If you were able to seize over 500 excavators and imagine the ounces of gold that will be seized alongside because all those excavators were used in mining…….and no one has come out to say we have apprehended these people in galamsey and this is the exhibit or the gold that we found so it means this fight against galamsey people were using it to enrich themselves, and now that we have brought the military and we have failed what is next?.”

    We will get to the bottom of missing excavators saga – Police CID

    The Police CID has assured that they will get to the bottom of the missing excavators’ saga after arresting six persons including suspended Central Regional Vice-Chair, Ekow Ewusi.

    This comes after the Police Service issued a statement announcing the arrest of six (6) persons for their involvement in the missing excavators and other equipment seized by operatives of Operation Vanguard yesterday February 4, 2020.

    Speaking on Starr FM today, PRO of the CID Juliana Obeng said: Investigations has started and CID will get to the end of this matter. Again, the missing excavators will be found and persons in connection with it will be dealt with by the law”.

    The suspects have since been cautioned and are in police custody pending further investigations.

    The six persons arrested so far are; Horace Ekow Ewusi, Frederick Ewusi, Joel Asamoah, Adnan Haruna, Frank Gyan, and John Arhin.

    However, on Monday, February 3, 2020, the CID picked up Mr. Ekow Ewusi, who is one of the leaders of Operation Vanguard, for interrogation over his role in the missing excavators and other equipment seized from illegal miners.

    Source: primenewsghana.com

  • 22-year-old former Nsawam SHS student commits suicide

    A 22-year-old man Andrews Osafo has taken his own life at Nsawam in the Eastern Region.

    The graduate of the Nsawam Senior High School hanged himself on a ceiling fan on Thursday.

    Mother of the deceased, Vida Osae narrated to Kasapa News Bonohene Baffuor Awuah that she left her son at home for the market early morning as she normally does.

    She said later in the day she went on WhatsApp and realized that her son had sent a sad message in which he had mentioned a lot of people asking them to forgive him if he had offended any of them, and ended with the message “Mum I love you die”.

    She suddenly became alarmed and tried calling him on phone but the phone was switched off. Her apprehension heightened which made her rush home to find out what might be happening.

    Upon reaching home, she found out that the door had been locked which made her think her son might have gone out.

    Madam Vida Osae said she then decided to open the door with a spare key and to the utter shock of her life, she found her beloved son hanging dead on a ceiling fan.

    A report was filed with the Nsawam Police who came and conveyed the body to the Police Hospital morgue.

    Source: kasapafmonline.com

  • Toddler and 4-year-old burnt to death in Ashanti Region

    A toddler and a four-year-old child were on Friday night burnt to death when fire gutted their house at Danoso New site in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

    The deceased are Zidan Razark, aged four and his 18-month-old sister Sharifatu Razark.

    The incident which occurred at about 7:00pm saw many other properties destroyed in a seven-bedroom house.

    The children were asleep when the fire started.

    Attempts by officers of the Ghana National Fire Service and onlookers to rescue them proved futile.

    The cause of the fire is unknown.

    The police and GNFS have begun investigations.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Opuni Trial: Witness names farmers who drank the liquid fertilizer

    Dr Yaw Adu-Ampomah, the third prosecution witness in the trial of Dr Stephen Opuni, the former CEO of COCOBOD and one other on Thursday mentioned names of some farmers, who drank the Lithovit Liquid Fertilizer.

    They are Nana Obeng Akrofi, the Eastern Regional Chief Farmer of the Cocoa, Coffee and Shea Farmers Association of Ghana and one Emmanuel Obeng.

    Dr Adu-Ampomah was answering questions in a further cross-examination by Mr Nutifafa Nutsukpui, Counsel for Seidu Agongo, the CEO of Agricult Ghana Limited, who is the second accused in the trial in Accra on Thursday.

    The counsel pointed to the witness that there were no user complaints on lithovit fertilizer from any Unit or Divisions of COCOBOD but the witness disagreed.

    Dr Adu-Ampomah said nobody had complained from the units and the division, because for COCOBOD to ascertain the efficacy of a fertilizer, CRIG or Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) will have to test but since CRIG was implicated the samples were sent to GSA.

    Counsel pointed to the witness that Nana Akrofi, only made a complaint in a statement to Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) about the ineffectiveness of the fertilizer, but the witness disagreed.

    Mr Nutsukpui said Nana Akrofi only complained per his statement that he mainly harvests 50 bags of cocoa from a 10-acre farm but having applied the Lithovit fertilizer, he only got 52 as such he did not find the fertilizer effective as the COCOBOD extension officers claimed, but the witness disagreed again.

    The witness said Nana Akrofi came to me to complain that the Lithovit fertilizer was so ineffective and that when they go to the farm and there was no water, they could drink it, hence he directed them to report to EOCO.

    The Counsel suggested to the witness that none of these individuals told him they drank the lithovit liquid fertilizer, but the witness disagreed, saying that was why he directed them to EOCO.

    “Nana Akrofi came to me to complain that the Lithovit fertilizer was so ineffective and when they go to the farm and there is no water, they can drink it,” he added.

    Mr Nutsukpui also pointed to the witness that Emmanuel Obeng indicated that Lithovit liquid fertilizer was very good for both young and matured cocoa, but Dr Adu-Ampomah disagreed saying “otherwise l will not have directed them to EOCO.”

    The Counsel asked the witness whether he knew one Dr William Mensah and Dr F.M Amoah, which he answered in the affirmative.

    He asked the witness, whether he could recall that in February 2017, he held a meeting with these gentlemen at COCOBOD, the witness said that in February, he held a series of meetings, so it could be possible.

    Mr Nutsukpui said in that particular meeting, they discussed the efficacy of Lithovit liquid fertilizer and Acati power, but the witness said: “as l said, we were conducting investigations with scientists so it is possible.”

    The Counsel emphasised that it was in this particular meeting that Dr Mensah introduced the story of farmers drinking the fertilizer, do you recall? But the witness disagreed.

    He suggested to the witness that he had ‘procured’ these two individuals to do his bidding, but he disagreed.

    Mr Nutsukpui asked the witness whether, from his experience as a scientist, urea could be drunk, and he answered in the negative.

    He said the report from Ghana Standards Authority finds 14 per cent of urea in the Lithovit, EOCO submitted for testing and he agreed.

    Counsel again asked the witness whether urea generate an offensive smell but the witness said urea smells like urine.

    ” So, you want the court to believe that farmer drink something that smells like urine,” he asked and the witness said that was what l was told, hence the direction to EOCO.

    When asked again that as a scientist, was it possible for someone to drink a compound solution, which has 14.6 per cent urea as water, but Dr Adu-Ampomah, that was what he was told.

    Mr Nutsukpui asked whether he thought EOCO has the power to judge, that was why he sent them there but the witness said: “l thought EOCO will help investigate with appropriate authorities, hence me sending them there.”

    The Counsel asked whether he was aware farmers were full of praises for the use of Lithovit captured in the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) report on field visits but the witness answered in the negative.
    He aksed whether the witness has seen any of the reports that capture these complaints, but the witness said the committees never found any report and that there was no document available to COCOBOD.

    Counsel suggested to the witness that the only recorded complaint about Lithovit liquid Fertilizer anywhere was in the statement, the witness ‘procured’ Nana Obeng Akrofi, also a Board Member of COCOBOD to make at EOCO, but the witness disagreed saying the GSA report also indicated that the product has negligible proportion of the active ingredients.

    The Case has been adjourned to February 11 for continuation.

    Dr Opuni and Mr Agongo are facing 27 charges, including defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, corruption by public officer and acting in contravention of the Public Procurement Act.

    This has to do with fertilizers acquired by COCOBOD during the tenure of Dr Opuni as Chief Executive Officer of the state entity

    They have pleaded not guilty and have been granted a GH¢300,000.00 each self-recognisance bail by the Court.

    Source: GNA

  • KATH to perform breast enhancement and cosmetic surgeries

    The Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi is to start cosmetic and breast enhancement surgeries, at the facility this month.

    As part of the preparations, the Unit will from February 10th to 15th this year, hold “a maiden international breast intervention and aesthetic forum”, in Kumasi to create public awareness about the procedure.

    Dr. Paa Ekow Hoyte-Williams, Head of Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery Unit, told the Ghana News Agency that the open forum aimed at demystifying the procedure and educate the public on cosmetic surgery, what it is and what is not.

    He said the surgeries would be performed by renowned plastic surgeons and team of experts including Prof. Pius Agbenorku, Dr. Emmanuel Adu, Dr. Joseph Akpaloo and Dr. Oheneba Owusu-Danso, who is also the Chief Executive of the Hospital.

    He encouraged the public to take advantage of the forum to ask questions and seek clarifications on all issues concerning breast enhancement and cosmetic surgeries.

    Dr. Hoyte-Williams also appealed to ladies interested in breast enhancement – increase breast size, breast lifting or breast reconstruction after mastectomy (creating new breast after cancer treatment) to contact the Unit for assistance.

    Source: GNA

  • Police fire warning shots in Tamale

    Police officers from the Northern Regional Police Command were compelled to fire warning shots to disperse youth from Yong, a suburb of Tamale metropolis in the Northern region over Chieftaincy issues at the Bugu Lana palace in Tamale.

    In the process, one person from the yong community was arrested and sent to the police station in Tamale.

    The youth from the Dakpema Naa and Bugu Lana palaces started attacking each other with stones and other objects but with the help of the military and police, the situation was put under control.

    The misunderstanding started when Zama was enskinned by the Dakpema Naa some weeks ago as the chief of Yong.

    Two brothers Zama (senior) who the Dakpena Naa enskinned as the Yong chief and Fuseini (given the tail as the chief) are all claiming to be chiefs.

    The youth of Yong wanted Fuseini as their chief and protested at the Bugu Lana palace.

    They claimed the Zama bribed the Dakpema Naa to be given the Chieftaincy title.

    DGN Online understands that there was a meeting between the Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and Dakpema Naa, Guma Naa, Belpila Naa yesterday to find lasting solution to the Chieftaincy issue in the area.

    REGSEC reportedly ordered the Dakpema Naa and Belbila Naa to return the magic tail to Dakpema Naa to be given to the rightful person for the Yong skin.

    The Bugu Lana palace Public Relations Officer, Abdul Wahab S. Kamal told DGN Online that the views of the youth of yong will be addressed by the palace and appealed to them to remain calm.

    According to him, the Metro police commander has assured the palace that the person who was arrested will be released to the palace to be handed over to the yong people.

    Supt Yusif Tanko, Metro Police Commander, appealed to the youth from both factions not to take the law into their own hands.

    Meanwhile, military and police personnel have been stationed at the Dakpema Naa and Bugu Lana palaces respectively to protect lives and properties.

    Source: dailyguidenetwork.com

  • Prices to auction vehicles of collapsed Savings and Loans companies create furor

    Bidders at the auctioning of vehicles belonging to defunct Savings and Loans and Microfinance companies have expressed discontentment at the pricing.

    Patrons at the event which took place in Accra told GhanaWeb the process used by the auctioneers was questionable.

    They believe the exercise is a mere front adopted by the receiver because the law mandates it to do so.

    Some bidders complained about the marginal price difference between the auction cars and sales at various garages in the country.

    Many factors were weighed-in on the pricing, said Philomena Kuzoe, a spokesperson for the Receiver of the defunct Savings and Loans companies.

    She explained that cars were “valued by professional valuers. We got our values from STC and they came up with the figures”.

    “I believe that it is a free market and bidders are not obliged to patronize cars which are beyond their budget”, she added.

    Kuzoe further stated that unsold cars will be re-valued by the valuators and added to future auctions

    She dismissed issues raised by bidders on getting no chance to see the vehicles before day of auction.

    “We made a huge advertisement across different media for three days viewing of the vehicles. For those who were really interested and wanted to buy they went there and inspected the cars before the auction day.

    “For those who could not inspect the cars before the auction days were allowed to bid and also given the opportunity to see the product before making payments,” she added.

    The money the receiver makes from auctioning the vehicles will be used to pay the affected customers of the defunct companies.

    A statement released by the receiver said the exercise is in accordance with its mandate to secure all assets of the affected companies and maximize their realizations for the benefit of creditors.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Defunct Microfinance: Receiver to revalue unsold vehicles for future auctioning

    Spokesperson for Receiver of the defunct Savings and Loans companies, Philomena Kuzoe, says vehicles that fail to sell at the ongoing auctioning will be revalued for future sales.

    Her comments come on the back of bidders expressing dissatisfaction at the pricing of the vehicles on display at the auctioning exercise.

    Over 100 vehicles belonging to defunct Savings and Loans companies have been displayed for auction in Accra.

    The prices some patrons said scared them and this made the receiver unable to sell all vehicles.

    Speaking to GhanaWeb on the sidelines of the event in Accra, spokesperson for the Receiver said “many factors were weighed-in on the pricing”.

    According to her, unsold cars after the auctioning will be re-valued by the valuators and added to future auctions.

    She explained that the vehicles were “valued by professional valuers. We got our values from STC and they came up with the figures. I believe that it is a free market and bidders are not obliged to patronize cars which are beyond their budget.”

    The Receiver of the collapsed 347 microfinance companies and 23 savings and loans and finance house companies set Monday, February 3 to Friday, February 7, 2020 to auction the first batch of used motor vehicles and motorbikes of the affected companies.

    The vehicle brands include Toyota, Hyundai, KIA, Ford, among others.

    The money the receiver makes from auctioning the vehicles will be used to pay the affected customers of the defunct companies.

    A statement released by the receiver said the exercise is in accordance with its mandate to secure all assets of the affected companies and maximize their realizations for the benefit of creditors.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Deal ruthlessly with trouble-makers in election – Bawumia charges police

    Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Friday urged the Police Service to remain neutral in its operations and deal decisively with anybody that will foment trouble before, during and after this year’s parliamentary and presidential elections.

    He said the December 7 Election would be a litmus test for the country’s Democracy and entreated the Police to discharge their duties professionally devoid of intimidation and harassment of the public.

    He re-affirmed Government’s commitment to provide the Police Service with the requisite logistics and tools to perform their constitutional mandate, in order to safeguard the peace and security of the nation and ensure a credible and transparent electoral process.

    Vice President Bawumia made the call at the 2019 West African Security Services Activity (WSSA) of the Ghana Police Service held at the Police Headquarters in Accra.

    The annual get-together afforded an opportunity for personnel of the Police Service to take stock of the previous year’s activities and interact with the civilian population towards ensuring improved service in the coming year.

    At this year’s event, police personnel were entertained with contemporary music from popular Ghanaian artistes, with plenty of food and drinks to savour the day.

    Vice President Bawumia, also the Chairman of the Police Council,while recounting some of the support offered to the Service, said Government since 2017 provided 700 multi-purpose vehicles and three helicopters to the Service to enhance its operational effectiveness and safeguard the peace and security of the citizenry.

    Additionally, police personnel were given body armours, cameras and other modern gadgets to safeguard their safety.

    Currently, six constables are undergoing aviation training in South Africa to pilot the helicopters, while 50 personnel were being trained to constitute the Police Airborne Unit to enable the Police to respond effectively to aerial situations and protect lives and property.

    Vice President Bawumia said 320 housing units were under construction to offset the housing deficit and thus, entreated the Service to continue exercising professionalism and adopt modern intelligence and investigation strategies to safeguard peace and tranquility.

    According to him, 20,000 security officers across the various security agencies due for promotion were promoted since 2017, which motivated and boosted their morale to give off their best.

    He said greater collaboration between the Police and their civilian counterparts would help in curbing crimes and making the nation a better place to live.

    Dr Bawumia lauded the Management of the Police Service for introducing an Anti-Corruption Action Plan and Complaint Unit to deal with police misconduct and public complains timeously.

    He charged them to work tirelessly to halt the frequent road carnage by strictly enforcing road safety regulations and prosecute offenders to serve as a deterrent to others.

    “Fatal road accidents often leave psychological scars and painful experiences on the families of the victims and therefore being the key institution for ensuring internal security and safety, you should work to prevent road carnage in the country,” Dr Bawumia advised.

    Vice President Bawumia said government was leveraging on digitisation to fight crime, saying that, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the National Insurance Commission (NIC) had linked their database so that the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Police Service could easily check whether vehicles were insured and possessed the requisite roadworthy documents.

    That, he believed, would go a long way to curb road crashes and rid-off rickety vehicles on the road to ensure road safety for both motorists and passengers.

    Commissioner of Police(COP) Mr Prosper Kwame Agblor, Director-General, Legal and Prosecution of the Ghana Police Service, who deputised for the Inspector-General of Police, Mr James Oppong Boanuh, said the Service, last year, performed its constitutional duties creditably despite limited number of personnel.

    Currently, he said, the Service had a staff strength of 34,982 with a ratio of 1:808 police to civilian thus, falling below the United Nations standard of 1:500.

    He said the Service lost 11 police personnel in line of duty last year and a minute of silence was observed to honour their memory.

    COP Agblor said 7,000 police personnel who were due for promotion in 2019 were duly promoted across various ranks, thereby boosting their morale to give off their best and ensuring the safety of Ghanaians.

    On accommodation challenge, he said, those who paid their own rent were duly reimbursed and thus, commended government for taking measures to solve the police accommodation deficit.

    He pledged the Service’s resolve to remain impartial in its operations as the nation heads for general election to safeguard peace and security.

    The Service rewarded 10 police personnel and two civilian staff for their exceptional contributions over the past year.

    Vice President Bawumia earlier inspected a photo exhibition mounted by the Police Service showcasing some of the government’s developmental projects implemented over the past three years.

    Source: GNA

  • Government will continue to motivate you Bawumia to Police

    Vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has admonished the Ghana Police Service to continue to exhibit professionalism in their duty of service and assured them that the government will continue to motivate and provide them with the needed logistics, in recognition of their sacrifices.

    Dr Bawumia said this on Friday, 8 February 2020 when he joined the Police at their national headquarters to climax the 2019 annual West African Security Services Association (WASSA).

    He expressed President Nana Akufo-Addo’s appreciation to all members of the Ghana Police Service for “the excellent service they are providing to consolidate peace and security.”

    In line with the Government’s 13 strategic objectives outlined to retool and leverage the Ghana Police Service as a world-class law enforcement organisation, over 700 multi-purpose vehicles have been procured to augment the Service’s fleet and enhance operational effectiveness.

    The Government has also procured a number of sizeable weapons, body armour vests, body cameras and motor bikes for the service.

    Also, the government has procured three helicopters, created the Airborne Unit and internally recruited six Constables who are currently undergoing training in South Africa to become Pilots for the Service. Fifteen personnel were also taken to South Africa to undergo training to establish the Canine (K-9) Unit.

    Again, the construction of 320 housing units at the National Police Training School (NPTS), Accra, took off to offset some of the housing deficits of the service among others.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Akufo-Addos ambulance responds rapidly to an accident at Bawumias hometown

    The Ambulances distributed by President Nana Akufo Addo under the One Constituency , One Ambulance initiative has responded rapidly as expected to an accident scene in Walewale of the North -East Region.

    A Kumasi bound OA bus has been involved in an accident on the Tamale-Bolgatanga Highway.

    The bus with registration number GT-4504-16 collided head-on with a Burkinabe registered 11 KL 8924-BF Fuel Tanker.

    The accident occurred at Gbemsi a village under Walewale in the North East region.

    The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained officially by road safety officials though ,they have since visited the scene to launch investigations.

    But a passenger who spoke to A1 News on condition of anonymity said ,the OA Bus Driver was speeding on the potholes ridden road and failed breaks leading to the crash after it veered off its lane toward the fuel Tanker.

    However , no injury has been recorded. Meanwhile, the newly distributed Ambulance was moved to the scene with some paramedics when it got hint of the accident to attend to any injury.

    Source: a1radioonline.com

  • CID intensifies probe over missing excavators

    The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has intensified its investigations into the six persons who were arrested over missing illegal (galemsey) mining excavators.

    Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Juliana Obeng, Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the CID in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday, called on all who had paid monies to any of the accused persons for the retrieval of their equipment to submit valid documents covering them for further investigations.

    She recounted that on Monday, February 3, the Police arrested: Horace Ekow Ewusi, Frederick Ewusi, Joel Asamoah, Adnan Haruna, Frank Gyan and John Arhin.

    Ms Obeng said, Ekow Ewusi Frederick and Asamoah had been cautioned on the offence of stealing whereas Haruna, Gyan and Arhin had been cautioned on abetment of crime.

    The missing excavators were under the care of Ekow Ewusi and their arrest was upon the instructions of Professor Frimpong Boateng, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology.

    A letter by the Minister said Ekow Ewusi was contracted to relocate some seized excavators, among other equipment by the Operation Vanguard Team for safe keeping.

    It said the suspect had taken unspecified number of equipment to an unauthorised location and that he had sold some as well.

    Source: GNA

  • Ghana probes 9 suspected cases of coronavirus Health Service

    Ghana has recorded a total of nine suspected coronavirus infection cases but they have all tested negative says the Ghana Health Service.

    The health authority explains that the nine suspected cases include the two recent ones reported at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on Wednesday.

    The two, a Chinese and an Argentine had been staying together in Accra for some days now. They reported to Korle Bu on Wednesday evening with symptoms suspected to be similar to the virus, state-run Daily Graphic said in a report.

    “We wish to provide assurance to the people of Ghana that the Government, Ministry of Health/Ghana Health Service working in collaboration with partners are doing everything possible to prevent and protect against the importation of the virus into the country and prevent spread,” the two health institutions said in a short release.

    Ghana joins a number of African countries that have recorded suspected cases, amongst others -Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana and Namibia.

    Currently the death toll in China sits at 563, with more than 28,000 cases countrywide.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Suspected patients in Korle Bu not showing symptoms of coronavirus

    Health authorities in Ghana have given the assurance that recording three suspected cases of coronavirus should not call for panic.

    To them, although the virus was very contagious the situation is not a matter of life and death because the suspects have not shown severest of symptoms, reports Graphic Online’s health reporter, Doreen Andoh.

    Some clinics on Wednesday night [February 5, 2020] referred two patients to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) on suspicion of having the coronavirus, while another suspected case was picked up at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

    The one at the airport has tested negative by Noguchi, while the two picked at Korle Bu is being investigated by the research institute which is the designated testing facility for the virus.

    The results are expected today. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is preparing a press conference to update the public.

    The two patients, a Chinese and an Argentine who have been living together in Ghana for some days, have been isolated at Korle Bu and their blood samples have been sent to Noguchi for further analysis.

    The Director of Public Health at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Amoh, said the prevention programme rollout was a joke.

    He said excluding Korle Bu, the premier medical facility in the country, was wrong, adding that the Ministry of Health gave funds to the hospitals it had designated without preparing the teaching hospital which was a major referral centre.

    After announcing the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge) and the Tema General Hospital as the management centres, the health minister added that all teaching hospitals were automatic centres as they had the capacity to deal with suspected cases.

    But Dr Amoh said the mistake was repeated during the Ebola virus outbreak in 2013, adding that the GH¢2.5 million funds made available to finance initial response initiatives would be dissipated by people in suit.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • 55-year-old chief arrested over the murder of two at Mujipe

    The Chief of Mujipe Abdul-Rahman Bore has been arrested by police in the Savannah region.

    The 55-year-old chief had presented himself to the regional police command after being placed on police wanted list following a misunderstanding on royalties between Kpalbisi and Mujipe which led to the death of two persons in January.

    In an interview with the Savannah Regional Police commander, DCOP Enoch Adutwum Bediako, he said the Mujipewura reported at the police command and told the officers there that he had information that he was wanted by police for interrogation.

    “I sanctioned his arrest to help us in our investigations,” he said.

    He revealed the chief is being processed for court Friday February 7, 2020.

    The police is yet to proffer charges against him.

    DCOP Bediako urged residents of the region especially traditional rulers not to take the laws into their own hands.

    It would be recalled that on Wednesday January 1, 2020, some young men from Kpalbisi went to Mujipe a farming community for royalties from the farmers.

    A misunderstanding ensued when the emissaries were denied the royalties leading to the shooting and killing of Hassan Karim 37 and Ambra Atta 35, and injuring of Karim Kassim.

    The chief of Mujipe allegedly went into hiding after hearing the police and military were after him.

    So far three persons including Mujapewura Abdul-Rahman Boure have been arrested in connection with the murder. The rest are Dramani Zakaria and Abdul- Rahman Yussif.

    Source: 3news.com

  • Mali musician Ballake Sissoko claims US customs broke instrument

    Malian musician Ballake Sissoko claims his musical instrument was broken during a US customs check.

    Sissoko plays the kora, a traditional West African musical instrument similar to a harp.

    He says when he returned to Paris on 4 February following a US tour, he opened up the instrument’s case to find it in pieces.

    Inside the case, there was a leaflet from US customs claiming they had opened the case for inspection.

    However, it is unclear when exactly the musical instrument was broken.

    US customs officials have yet to reply to the BBC’s request for comment.

    ‘Impossible to replace’

    Sissoko has performed in concerts around the world including at the BBC Proms in London.

    Images posted to his Facebook page show the musical instrument in pieces. A statement on the page claims the neck of the kora has been removed.

    “The strings, bridge and entire, delicate and complex sound system of amplification has been taken apart.

    “Even if all the components that have been disassembled were intact, it takes weeks before a kora of this calibre can return to its previous state of resonance. These kinds of custom-made koras are simply impossible to replace,” the statement said.

    “In Mali, the jihadists threaten to destroy musical instruments, cut the tongues out of singers, and silence Mali’s great musical heritage. And yet, ironically, it is the USA customs that have in their own way managed to do this,” the statement added.

    Sissoko claims he checked in the instrument in a hard case at the airport in New York and only inspected it when he arrived back at his apartment in Paris.

    The leaflet from Transport Security Authority (TSA) said a security agent had inspected the case and apologised for any inconvenience caused.

    A number of Sissoko’s supporters took to social media to voice their support for the musician and demand an apology from US customs.

    Source: www.bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Newborn becomes youngest person diagnosed with virus

    A Chinese newborn has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus just 30 hours after birth, the youngest case recorded so far, state media said.

    The baby was born on 2 February in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus.

    The baby’s mother tested positive before she gave birth. It is unclear how the disease was transmitted – in the womb, or after birth.

    Only a handful of children have come down with the virus, which has killed 565 people and infected 28,018.

    All but one of the deaths were in China.

    State media outlet Xinhua reported news of the infection late on Wednesday.

    It added that the baby, who weighed 3.25kg at birth (7lbs 2oz), was now in a stable condition and under observation.

    Source: National Health Commission China
     

    How could the baby have been infected?

    Medical experts say it could be a case where the infection was contracted in the womb.

    “This reminds us to pay attention to mother-to-child being a possible route of coronavirus transmission,” chief physician of Wuhan Children Hospital’s neonatal medicine department, Zeng Lingkong, told Reuters.

    But it is also possible that the baby was infected after birth from having close contact with the mother.

    “It’s quite possible that the baby picked it up very conventionally – by inhaling virus droplets that came from the mother coughing,” Stephen Morse, an epidemiologist at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, told Business Insider.

    Is it common for children to get the virus?

    Very few children have tested positive in this recent outbreak, which is consistent with other coronavirus outbreaks in recent history including Sars and Mers.

    A report by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) said the median age of patients for the current outbreak is between 49 and 56 years, adding that cases in children “have been rare”.

    Similarly, during the Mers outbreak in 2016, the World Journal of Clinical Paediatrics said the virus was rare in children, though it added that the “reason for [this] low prevalence is not known”.

    BEIJING, CHINA – JANUARY 26: Chinese police officers wearing masks stand in front of the Tiananmen Gate on January 26, 2020 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Betsy Joles/Getty Images)

    A six-month old baby in Singapore is known to have tested positive for the new coronavirus, as well as an eight-year-old from Wuhan who is currently in Australia.

    The virus has spread overseas, with 25 nations confirming a total of 191 cases, although there has so far been only two deaths outside mainland China.

    The coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and symptoms usually start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. Most people infected are likely to fully recover – just as they would from a flu.

    What else is happening as a result of the virus?

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global health emergency.

    Its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday appealed for $675m (£520m) to fund a three-month response plan.

    The vast majority of the funds would go to nations that need help to protect against the virus. Some 500,000 masks and 40,000 respirators would be sent to 24 countries.

    Other recent developments include:

    • India has cancelled all visas for Chinese citizens. They will have to apply for new visas and will be reassessed
    • Ten more people on a quarantined ship docked in the Japanese port of Yokohama have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total to 20. About 3,700 people on the ship are on lockdown after a previous passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive
    • Around 3,600 people onboard another cruise ship docked in Hong Kong have also been confined to the ship after three previous passengers were found to have the virus
    • Taiwan has banned all international cruise ships from docking at the island, says a Reuters report. It has also banned the entry of mainland residents
    • Saudi Arabia has suspended the travel of its citizens and non-Saudi residents to China
    • A group of almost 350 Americans airlifted out from Wuhan have been placed under quarantine in two military bases in California
    • Chinese officials say they have stepped up efforts to control the outbreak, particularly in Hubei province where Wuhan is located. Two hospitals have been speedily built and 11 public venues transformed into makeshift wards.
    • A Wuhan official on Wednesday warned there still was a shortage of beds and medical equipment and said authorities were looking to convert other hotels and schools in the city into treatment centres.Millions in Hubei and Zhejiang provinces have been told only one person per household can go outside every two days.

       Source: www.bbc.com

  • Receivership records high patronage at on going Auction

    The Receiver of the 347 Micro-finance companies and 23 Savings and Loans and Finance houses, that faced insolvency last year, began successful auctions of vehicles recovered from some of the insolvent entities, in compliance to its core mandate.

    The auction which is ongoing at the premises of the College of Physicians and Surgeons hall in Accra, began on Monday 3rd February and attracted a huge number of patrons, looking to outbid each other.

    The spokesperson for the receiver confirmed that the numbers exceeded expectations but the receiver was adequately prepared to carry out the exercise in as professional a manner as possible.

    The spokesperson further described as false, reports that were circulating about the exercise that sought to suggest that the results of the auction would have little or no impact on payments to customers.

    “We have been paying depositors with validated and accepted claims for sometime now. We began paying depositors of the Micro-finance companies in June 2019 and Savings and Loans in August 2019 ”, Philomena Kuzoe clarified.

    The auction continues till Friday 7th February

    Source: Emmanuel Oscar Ugoh

  • Drop highly inflated $366m Pwalugu dam project NDC MPs to Akufo-Addo

    Members of Parliament (MPs) from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have sent a message to the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, demanding from him the immediate suspension of the US$366million Pwalugu Multi-purpose Dam deal which is currently before Parliament.

    According to the NDC MPs, the cost of the project is highly inflated and must immediately be withdrawn for proper scrutiny before it commences.

    “We maintain that the cost of the dam is highly inflated and unacceptable when compared to the cost of similar projects within and outside Ghana”, noted the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, who addressed a press conference in Parliament, Wednesday afternoon, over the dam project.

    For instance, they said 6000MW capacity of a renaissance hydro dam built by Ethiopia cost them US$6.4billion at a unit cost of US$1million. Uganda on the other hand also built the 183MW Isimba dam at US$568million at a unit cost US$962million.

    Further to that, the 660MW Kafue dam built by Zambia cost the nation US$600million at a unit cost of US$1million while that of the 187MW Gilgel Gibe III dam cost US$1.8billion at a unit cost US$1million.

    The 400MW Bui Dam on the other hand, according to the Minority Caucus, also cost Ghana US$790million at a unit cost of US$1.9 compared to the US$366million 60MW Pwalugu Dam at a unit cost of US$6million.

    “The Pwalugu dam at 60MW which is expected to cost a whooping US$366million is extremely exorbitant and unacceptable. What this mean is that the unit cost of the Pwalugu Dam will eventually amount to US$6million per Megawatt. The cost is highly inflated. It defies conscience relative to value for money and must be suspended for further scrutiny”, an emotional Haruna Iddrisu opined.

    Another issue of concern to the NDC MPs is the manner at which the Government hurriedly commissioned the dam project when approval for the contract had not been approved.

    They are also much concerned about the way and manner the contract was awarded to PowerChina International Group Limited, insisting that the processes lacked transparency and is an affront to the procurement laws of the land.

    “How was PowerChina International Group Limited selected as the contractor for this project? What was the procurement process adopted? It is obvious that President Akufo-Addo is attempting to saddle the state with huge debts that have the dangerous potential of crippling this nation. Even more troubling is the secrecy and opaque manner in which the contract was supposed to have been awarded. How come local companies are not involved in a giant project such as this which in the words of the President is fully funded by the Ghanaian tax payer? Why is the Government not adopting an open competitive process? We are convinced that the strategy adopted by this Government to introduce the agreement at the closing hours of Parliament in December last year was a deliberate attempt to railroad the process and avoid through scrutiny”, noted the Minority Leader who was surrounded by his followers.

    To them, there is no value for money in the said project and the earlier it is suspended for proper scrutiny the better for the Government.

  • A/R: 30-year-old Nurse found dead at Ayuom

    The body of a nurse believed to be in her late 30s has been found at Ayuom near Sewua in the Bosomtwe District in the Ashanti Region.

    The deceased was last seen by her colleagues leaving the Sewua Health Centre, where she worked, for home on Monday.

    Her lifeless body was found a few meters from her home the following day.

    Assemblyman for the area, Prince Adutwum confirmed that the body of the deceased has since been deposited at the morgue.

    “The Nurse left work in the morning. According to a doctor at the Sewua health centre, she closed from work at about 3pm. She then left to town for her personal errands. She stays at the new site in the area so when she was returning home, that was when she met some unscrupulous persons who murdered her.

    “Yesterday, we informed Fiyaasi Police who came around to convey the body to the mortuary and also to conduct further investigations. As I am speaking to you I am here at the police station with one of the chiefs in the area to write our statement on what happened.”

    Source: citinewsroom.com

  • Ashiaman MP writes to EC over IT, procurement consultants

    The Member of Parliament for Ashiaman, Ernest Norgbe has written to the Electoral Commission seeking to know if the commission has engaged services of IT consultant Dr Ofori- Adjei and procurement consult A. Akrofi.

    In a letter drafted by his lawyer Michael Kpebu, the MP is also demanding from the Commission if they engaged these individuals according to the appropriate laws of engagement.

    Citing the Right to Information Act, the MP is requesting the commission to provide him a copy of the document containing the formal procedure through which these officers were engaged.

    The development comes in the wake of the impasse between Electoral Commission and some political parties including the main opposition NDC over new voters register for the December polls.

    The parties say a register will be a recipe for chaos since there will not be enough time to verify its integrity before the polls

    The Commission, however, insists it will go-ahead to develop a new register for the polls. The commission has already announced the exercise will begin April 18 and end in November a month to the polls.

  • Chinese Embassy in Ghana sets new strategy for visa application to China, heres how

    According to the Embassy, the new set of rules is to quickly detect applicants who exhibit symptoms of the virus and get them the required medical attention.

    The Chinese Ambassador, Shi Ting Wang explained the decision during a press briefing.

    He noted that the measures include applicants being tested for high temperature and using hand sanitizers even before filling the application forms.

    “Anybody who comes to apply for a visa to China will be checked of high temperature, should it exceed 37.3?C the person will be advised to seek medical attention,” he said.

    The Ambassador also said the Chinese government will not ignore any Ghanaian in Wuhan or any of the Chinese cities who show symptoms of the deadly virus but ensure the person receives the required medical care.

    Mr Shi Ting Wang further commended the Foreign Ministry and Ghana government for their support in fighting the new epidemic.

    So far, 304 people in China were confirmed dead in the 24 hours to the end of February 1, due to the virus whereas thousands more have been confirmed infected, bringing that total to 14,380 people.

    No Africa country has, so far, recorded a case for the virus.

    However, a small proportion of cases around 100 occurred outside China. The UK, US, Russia and Germany have all confirmed cases in recent days, Ghana and other African countries are yet to report a case.

    Meanwhile, the Health Ministry in Ghana has directed that all non-essential travels to China be avoided or delayed.

    Source: Pulse.com.gh

  • Ofosu Ampofo unhappy as court accepts state witness evidence

    The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, is unhappy after an Accra High Court accepted a state witness’ evidence in his trial.

    Ofosu Ampofo’s camp were not happy and challenged the ruling by the court today, Wednesday.

    They then proceded to file and appeal at the Court of Appeal claiming that the witness statement cannot hold because the witness had denied knowledge of the content.

    Benjamin Osei Ampofo Adjei the prosecution witness who is also a broadcast journalist with Adom FM told the court last week that he did not author the content in the said witness statement.

    Though agreeing that the statement had his signature, Mr. Ampofo Adjei told the court that he only signed a document brought to him when he was on his way to read the news hence could not read the content of the said document.

    Despite the stance of Mr. Ampofo Adjei, the High Court still admitted the witness statement as evidence, a decision lawyers of Samuel Ofosu Ampofo were not happy with.

    Samuel Ofosu Ampofo is standing trial together with Anthony Kwaku Boahen, a Deputy Communications Officer of the NDC, over an alleged leaked tape in which the NDC National Chairman allegedly incited violence against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa, and the Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante.

    The two have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit assault against a public officer while Ofosu-Ampofo has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault against a public officer.

    Source: primenewsghana.com

  • Coronavirus: Language barrier impeding our work – Port health workers at Kotoka Airport

    Port Health workers at Kotoka International Airport say the language barrier is a challenge to their work especially getting the right information from travelers.

    Government stationed port health personnel at the airport in the wake of the Coronavirus to screen passengers on arrival in the country. The move is part of measures to prevent the Coronavirus from entering the country.

    Speaking to the media, the Head of Port Health at the Kotoka International Airport, Gideon Akwei said the difficulty in communicating as a result of the language barrier is impeding their work.

    Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of Port healthcare, Dennis Laryea, has asked the public to provide the appropriate information for them to work with.

    Source: gbcghanaonline.com

  • FLASHBACK: Maame Dokuno in court over sodomy charges

    On February 5, 2009, veteran Ghanaian actress, Grace Omaboe affectionately called Maame Dokuno faced charges of exposing children to danger and abuse of children after some children in her orphanage allegedly engaged in sexual acts.

    The charges were brought against her by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of Ghana Police Service.

    However, the charges were later rubbished by the actress who claimed, at the time that, they were lies fabricated by her political opponents to tarnish her image.

    Speaking to Gideon Ayeequye on World at Five, a News and Current Affairs programme on Happy FM, a charged Maame Dokuno described the charges as baseless and without merit.

    Read the full story originally published on February 6, 2009, on Ghanaweb

    Popular actress and NPP member, Grace Omaboe, also known in public life as Maame Dokuno has expressed outrage after been charged by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of Ghana Police Service for exposing some inmate of her orphanage to danger.

    It emerged on Wednesday that the popular actress is facing two charges of exposing children to danger and abuse of children after some of inmates of her Peace and Love orphanage at Adenta engaged in sexual acts.

    Speaking to Gideon Ayeequye on World at Five, a News and Current Affairs programme on Happy Fm, a charged Maame Dukuno described the charges as trump up been used by her political opponents to tarnish her image.

    She wondered why anybody would prefer charges against her for abusing children or allowing such acts to go on when it is well noted for her concern for kids.

    Though she did not name anyone she suspects is behind this propaganda, Maame Dokuno said it is part of attempts by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to get back at her for supporting Nana Addo in the 2008 elections.

    In a related interview on “Anopa Bosuo”, a Morning Show programme on Happy FM, Maame Dokuno said she had lost hope because of the way the matter was being handled.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Osafo Maafo bares it out on why minister hounded School Feeding Boss

    Details have started emerging about the reason the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Morrison literally hounded the former Coordinator for the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Dr Kwame Adu Nsiah from office.

    This was after she leveled allegations which included disparities in payment as against enrolment, double payments, duplicated E-Zwich numbers, payment to non-existent schools, fraudulent payment of caterers, inflation of enrolment figures, overpayment and underpayment to some caterers under the Programme against him.

    Stunning revelations

    The report indicated that the reason Dr Adu Nsiah did not enjoy an amicable relationship with the Minister was the fact that “the Minister felt slighted by a decision he took when the then supervising Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama directed him to effect third quarter payment against the request of the then nominated Minister, Mrs Cynthia Morrison to withhold payment.”

    The Committee however indicated “we feel he acted properly and in line with his authority because Cynthia Morrison was still a nominee awaiting vetting, confirmation and swearing in by the President”, insisting “the Minister would have acted ultra vires if the Coordinator had carried out her instructions.”

    “According to Dr Kwame Adu Nsiah, the Minister, then serving as a Member of Parliament, had accosted and requested an increase in her allocation of schools in her constituency a request which he turned down, explaining that the contingencies at the time could not support her request”, it said.

    Members of the Committee believe that “was the beginning of the bad blood between the Minister and the National Coordinator.”

    The report also noted that in a letter dated March 15, 2019, signed by the then Acting National Coordinator, Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah who has now been confirmed, one Daniel N. Peprah, the former MIS officer and Robert K. Addae Nketia, a former IT officer had their contracts with the GSFP terminated.

    These two officials felt they had been victimized and had already initiated action to protect their rights with legal suits.

    Meanwhile, the Secretary to Dr Adu Nsiah who had been working at GSFP before the beleaguered Coordinator joined the programme also had her appointment terminated in March 2019 after interdiction.

    Even though the report uncovered a number of irregularities in the management of the School Feeding Programme including discrepancies in the number of schools, the number of pupils per school and in the number of caterers cooking under the Programme, the Committee noted that “these are institutional weaknesses which cannot be blamed on the suspended National Coordinator of the School Feeding Programme, Dr Kwame Adu Nsiah.”

    Having interviewed the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Cynthia Morrison; the interdicted National Coordinator, Dr Kwame Adu Nsiah and the Acting National Coordinator, Mrs Gertrude Quashigah, the report noted that “it became evident that the Minister cannot amicably work with Dr Kwame Adu Nsiah, the suspended National Coordinator.”

    Source: mynewsgh.com