The Bono Regional Coordinating Council in collaboration with the Sunyani Municipal Education Directorate have declared Friday, October 18, 2019, a holiday for schools in the Sunyani township.
This was due to the one-week funeral observation rite of the late Nana Yaa Nyamaa Puduo II, the Paramount Queen of the Sunyani Traditional Area.
A notice to that effect from some schools in Sunyani to parents and guardians said the decision had been taken “for security reasons†and that normal classes would resume on Monday, October 21, 2019.
Nana Puduo II, a mother of four -two males and two females- ruled for 46 years and died at aged 64 on Thursday, August 1, 2019, at the Sunyani Regional Government Hospital of an undisclosed ailment.
Known in private life as Helena Akosua Yeboaa, she was enstooled as the Queen of Sunyani at the age of 18, when she had completed first cycle education.
Africa Education Watch has called for the inclusion of owners of private schools in the country on the Ghana Education Board.
In a press statement signed by the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare copied to GhanaWeb, the group asserted that 30% of basic schools in Ghana are privately owned therefore, these stakeholders have the right to share their thought during the decision making process on education.
The statement highlighted that “the composition of the Education Service Board must include a representative of owners of Private Schools or the Ghana National Association of Private Schools. This is because about 30% of basic schools are privately owned and stakeholders must participate in decision making at the highest level. [Ref. Section 9(1)].â€
While commending the government for planning to decentralize the education system through the laying of the pre-tertiary education bill in parliament to achieve quality management, accountability and learning outcomes, Africa Education Watch, on the other hand, has submitted proposals to reinforce the purpose of the bill in parliament.
However, some teacher unions are demanding that Parliament suspends the three educational bills; the Pre-tertiary Education Bill, 2019, Education Regulatory Bill, 2019 and Complementary Education Bill, 2019 which have been submitted to the Education Committee for consideration by the Ministry of Education.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) say they have not been properly engaged on the said bills.
Read below the details and proposals outlined by Africa Education Watch below:
An indigene of Wa in the Upper West Region, Victor Pul, has made history last Tuesday as he piloted the first scheduled commercial flight to the new Wa airport.
Pul, a First Officer of Embraer 145 for Africa World Airlines (AWA), touched down in Wa at 11.30 am.
“Growing up in the northern part of Ghana, the opportunities for children to be exposed to the aviation industry were little to none. My greatest hope is that more steps are taken towards demystifying the aviation industry to children up north,†he said.
An old student of Saint Francis Xavier Minor Seminary Secondary School, Victor Pul hails from Nandom and grew up in Wa.
His interest in flying began when he was 10 years old and a cousin introduced him to flight simulator video games.
The Ghana Police Service has announced the promotion of fifty-eight (58) junior officers stationed in some deprived communities of the country.
The Police in a statement published on its social media channels said the promotion is to motivate officers to accept postings to all parts of the country where their services are needed.
It is also in recognition of their hard work and dedication to duty.
“The IGP, Mr James Oppong Boanuh has stated that officers who work hard will be awarded for their hard work wherever they are serving from,” the statement said.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has asked the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) currently engaging the services of personnel of the Nations Builders Corps (NABCo) to give them priority when filling vacancies.
Nana Akufo-Addo said NABCo personnel across the country have demonstrated a high level of commitment and dedication in their line of duty and must, therefore, be prioritized.
Speaking at the first-anniversary celebration of NABCo in Accra, President Akufo-Addo noted that the initiative has been beneficial to the development of the youth.
“Thus far, the NABCo Module Implementation Partners have fulfilled their part of the bargain. I commend them for their partnership of the scheme, and would appeal to them to recognize and reward the sacrifices made by trainees. They should be the first to be considered when opportunities for permanent employment come up.“
“Across all the sectors of our national life are examples of such positive stories of valuable contributions by our young NABCO trainees. We owe them these opportunities to help them realize their potential. Not only does this assist with their growth, but it also helps to secure our collective future,†the President said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nation Builders Corps, Dr. Ibrahim Anyass says the 11,000 personnel had been trained by NABCo for the job market.
He indicated that all those beneficiaries have exited the program to secure permanent employment.
“A year on, 11,000 plus have exited the scheme with permanent employment with the public and private sector. These alumni offer worthy testimonies of life before NABCo and life after they had joined NABCo.â€
Some beneficiaries of the NABCO say the initiative has significantly impacted their livelihoods and has adequately prepared them for the job market.
Aside from the positive testimonies, the non-payments of allowances have been one of the challenges that beneficiaries of the program face.
They have threatened to embark on a number of protests to press home their demands.
The Ada West District Environmental Health Department says anyone caught flouting sanitation laws will be severely punished.
The District Environmental Health Officer, Mr. Andrew Nii Apai Aborhey, told the GNA that, the district assembly had sanitation issues at heart and wanted the district to be one of the most cleanest in the country.
“We want the district to be one of the cleanest districts in the country and so anyone sighted dumping refuse anyhow or breaking our sanitation laws will be penalized severely, ” he said.
According to him, some of the communities especially those on the coast were wrongly blaming the district assembly for not building public toilet facilities for them.
“We want to let everyone know that government has stopped building public toilet facilities for communities and soon we are going to start prosecuting households without toilet facilities in the district, ‘he said.
Although some communities have been declared ‘Open Defecation Free’, most coastal communities in the district do not have household toilet facilities which account for the high incidence of open defecation.
A twenty-four-year-old Man, Madji Solomon, has been jailed for 10 years for forcefully stealing a motorbike of a farmer in Dodowa of the Greater Accra Region.
The motorbike, worth 3,700.00 Ghana Cedis with registration number M-19-GR 9643, belongs to Mr. Prince Nartey, the complainant, who also uses the motorbike for commercial purposes(OKADA).
Chief Inspector Nunoo Mensah, prosecuting, stated that, the accused person on 30th September 2019 at about 8:30pm hired the services of the complainant from Dodowa to Valley Freshwater Company at Odumase.
According to the prosecution, the accused person upon reaching a certain location ordered the Okada rider to stop.
Mr Mensah revealed that the accused clubbed the complainant and snatched the motorbike and bolted with three other accomplices.
The Prosecuting narrated that the complainant on the 10th of October 2019 saw Mr. Francis Chewu with the motorbike and called for his arrest.
Mr. Mensah added that Mr.Chewu assisted the police to arrest the accused from his hideout in Dodowa and was duly arraigned before the court.
The accused pleaded guilty of the crime and prayed the court to temper justice with mercy.
Mr. Gabriel Mate- Teye, the presiding judge, Ashaiman district circuit court, sentenced the accused to 10 years with hard labour saying the act was contrary to section 149 of the act of the criminal offence.
He added that the punishment would serve as a deterrent to others from engaging in such unlawful ventures.
Three police officers in the Ashanti region have been interdicted for their role in the alleged butchering of a driver at Adonfe on Tuesday following Starr News reports.
Investigations into the incident and the suspects have also been handed over to the Police Intelligence and Professional Standard Bureau(Pips).
“The Command as part of the investigation has recommended the interdiction of three (3) Officers, namely General Sergeant Suleman Seidu, General Corporal Seth Agbango and General Lance Corporal Salifu Yakubu.
“In all Nine (9) Officers embarked on the operation but Three (3) of the officers have been implicated having taken active part in the incident, hence their interdiction.
“The Command has also tasked the Regional Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) to also institute internal Administrative investigation into the conduct of the Officers and report,†a police statement said.
The action comes hours after security analyst Adam Bona called on the IGP to interdict the officers who embarked on the operation that led to the death of the driver.
The residents of Adonfe told Starr News that about seven police officers with three in uniform stormed the area for an operation and had an altercation with the deceased, restrained him to the ground, kicked and punched him in the face before some of the officers started butchering him with a machete.
Recounting the incident to Starr News, Assembly Man for the area Samuel Kofi Boadu said the policemen who were on patrol searched for one Mr Kamkam and another Yaa Yaa who live in the area.
He said since they did not find these individuals, they ransacked their homes and did not find anything as well.
The body of the deceased Tetteh Osmond is yet to be retrieved despite a search by a joint team of Police, NADMO and local divers.
Residents of Togodo including school children and pregnant women risk their lives every day to walk through River Ponpong whenever it overflows.
Though the community has constructed a small wooden bridge on the river to aid crossing it gets submerged whenever the river overflows compelling residents including school children to walk through the river.
The recent heavy downpour has led to the overflow of the river but residents are forced to cross with the water level around their waist while carrying foodstuffs to the market centre while pupils “swim†to attend school in a nearby community.
Ghana and Philippines, have pledged to work towards deepening economic cooperation in the areas of finance, energy and agriculture.
This followed a two-day mission to Manila by a Ghanaian delegation, led by the Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, where they met with the Philippine Secretary of Finance, Carlos G. Dominguez, the Energy Secretary, Alfonso C. Cusi and officials of the Manila Electric Company .
Their discussions focused on digitization for enhanced domestic revenue mobilization value-added agriculture, energy and cross-border trade.
Ofori-Atta noted that Ghana and the Asian country “do indeed share much in common” the desire to encourage equitable and sustainable growth.
“We are remiss in not embarking on this mission sooner, given the magnitude of the opportunities that lie before us”, he added.
Mr. John Peter Amewu, the Energy Minister, said he found it refreshing, the re-affirmation by the Manila Electric Company of its “commitment to Ghana’s power sector”.
The two sides agreed to pursue a Memorandum of Cooperation between their energy ministries explore areas of potential cooperation across the energy value chain, from generation through transmission to distribution.
The delegation from Manila would be heading to Washington, DC for the 75th annual fall meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
While in Washington, they are expected to meet with Ghana’s bilateral US partners including the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Ghana-based Information Technology (IT) professional, Mr Abou Conde has won the 2020-2021 Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award.
The award by the American multinational technology company – Microsoft was in recognition of his exceptional technical community leadership on the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform in Ghana.
“We recognize and value your contributions and commitment to technical communities worldwide,” a citation signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft, Satya Nadella said.
“By sharing your real-world expertise and technical skills, you demonstrated outstanding technical community leadership. Thank you”.
By this feat, Mr Conde, 34, becomes the first Ghana-based Microsoft MVP and joins a select group of only 32 MVPs in all of Africa.
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An elated Mr Conde said he dedicated himself to providing online support about Microsoft to persons in Ghana and his activities over the past one-year caught the eye of a 10-year Microsoft MVP who nominated him for the award.
“I realised that in Ghana here, people are not into Microsoft cloud computing but I was providing online support to people in other countries and I decided to create a tech community called Microsoft User Group Ghana The Place which supports and organises events in Ghana.
IT veteran Microsoft Regional Director and MVP, Patrick Guimonet noticed my activities and nominated me for the award. Microsoft Community Program Manager, Martine Thiphaine later contacted me for more information about my activities and 2 months later I received the award.
Touching on the importance of cloud computing in business operations, Mr Conde said the traditional ways of computing was becoming increasingly expensive.
“In the IT world, you can build your own data centre and take care of power, cooling system, machines and other infrastructure but that is costly because of maintenance but IT providers such as Microsoft have built data centres and made it available for rent. “You get the service of IT without the pain of IT”.
Who are Microsoft MVPs?
Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals, or MVPs, are technology experts who passionately share their knowledge with the community.
They are always on the “bleeding edge” and have an unstoppable urge to get their hands on new, exciting technologies.
They have very deep knowledge of Microsoft products and services, while also being able to bring together diverse platforms, products and solutions, to solve real-world problems.
MVPs make up a global community of over 2714 in October 2019 technical experts and community leaders across 90 countries/regions and are driven by their passion, community spirit, and the quest for knowledge.
Above all and in addition to their amazing technical abilities, MVPs are always willing to help others – that’s what sets them apart.
Farmers in the Sunyani West District have complained over high cost of fertilizers, despite government subsidies under the implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJs) programme.
They lauded the PFJs programme, but added that the cost of NPK fertilizer was still high, and required downward adjustments to enable them afford it.
Instead of GHC100.00 in the open market, fertilizers are being sold to farmers registered under the PFJs between GHC70.00 and GHC75.00.
But, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the farmers said despite the cost of the agro-chemicals, it was also difficult for them to access and buy the fertilizers.
Mrs Agartha Ayiwa, the spokesperson for farmers at Kankro in the District, observed that many of the farmers had registered under the PFJs and appealed to the government to review the subsidies.
She said reduction in the cost of the agro-chemicals and inputs would make the programme more attractive for the farmers to expand their farming activities.
Mr Gilbert Sonkpi, the Sunyani West District Director of Agriculture, explained that the government had directed the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to ensure that farmers bought agro-chemicals under the PFJs from certified dealers.
He advised the farmers to contact agriculture extension officers in their localities who would also assist them to identify the dealers to buy agro-chemicals from.
Though, Mr Sonkpi could not immediately provide statistics, he said majority of farmers in the District had registered under the PFJs.
He said the implementation of the PFJs had made farming a lucrative business, and advised the farmers to plan well and keep records of their activities.
Mr Sonpki advised traditional authorities to support the PFJs by releasing lands to interested youth to engage in farming as a commercial and joint venture.
It was a chaotic sight to behold on both sides of the Accra-Tema motorway early Wednesday morning when a car which had run into ditch under the bridge caused a massive traffic jam.
It was unclear how the car ended up in the ditch, but police and fire service personnel could be seen at the accident scene, removing the car, and directing the massive traffic that had built up on the road.
The Tema-Motorway has become deplorable and dangerous, with many potholes, and has put many drivers in danger of driving on the stretch.
Motorists are cautioned to drive carefully, as the police try to ease the unbearable traffic that has caused a standstill.
Three persons are feared dead with several others injured in a multiple accident involving five cars on the Nsawam-Ofankor road in the Greater Accra Region.
The accident reportedly occurred at around 6:30 am on Monday after a speeding tipper truck crashed into four vehicles including a passenger bus, a taxi and two private cars.
This caused huge vehicular traffic on the section of the road for close to four hours.
Madam Naana Essel, a passenger who witnessed the accident, said the vehicles involved got damaged beyond recognition and had been towed from the area for traffic to flow.
According to her, a commercial vehicle made a stop in an unauthorized area to drop a passenger leading to the accident.
She said the vehicles involved were a commercial bus, a long truck, and two private cars.
The commanding officer in charge of the Central Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP) Anderson Ofosu Ackaah, said the accident occurred around 6:30am on Monday.
He said the Hyundai Grace Passenger bus with registration number GR 471-12 heading towards Achimota from Amasaman made an unauthorized stop just at the edge of the main road.
“There was a broken-down taxi parked along the road thus making the road narrow.
He said the commercial bus attempted to move without watching and almost collided with the long DAF truck with registration GE 9917-12 which was also moving at top speed.
In an attempt to swerve the commercial bus, the long truck driver lost control of the steering wheel and rammed into three cars including a Subaru 4×4 with registration number GT 1961- 12, a kia Picanto taxi with number GR 5898-17, and a Pontiac vibe with registration number GS 5698-10.
The Accra Central MTTD commander said, by the time the Amasaman MTTD personnel led by Chief Inspector Nsiah and his team got to the scene, the passengers had been rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
“It took close to four hours for the road to be cleared for traffic, as towing vehicles brought initially to pull the vehicles could not do so.â€
ACP Ackaah added that the vehicles have all been towed to the Amasaman police station pending investigations into the cause of the accident.
He cautioned drivers who are fond of parking at that part of the road to desist from the act since it was unlawful.
Water production at the Weija Treatment Plant in Accra is expected to resume Wednesday morning following the completion of repair works on a major transmission pipeline burst at Malam-Gbawe Tuesday.
The pipeline which burst Tuesday morning caused water production at the plant to be shut, cutting water supply to thousands of homes and business in western part of Accra.
Engineers of the Ghana Water Company Limited marshaled all available resources and worked throughout the night to fix the burst pipe, which authorities say, was caused by construction of illegal structures on the 36 inch pipeline.
The affected areas were Sakaman, Odorkor, Dansoman, Agege, Mamprobi, Chorkor,Korle-Gonno, Korle-bu Hospital, Latebiokorshie, Mataheko,Russia, Sukura, Abbosey Okai, Kaneshie, Palladium, James Town, Sraha , Abeka, Mallam, Gbawe, Ablekuma, Tesano and surrounding areas.
“We are almost done with repair works and production is just about starting,†Head of Communications at the GWCL, Stanley Martey told 3news.com Wednesday morning.
He assured customers to expect water supply by close of day Wednesday, noting production was stopped for almost 24 hours.
The shutdown of the plant and the repair works, he said, would cost the company some revenue loss, noting a lot of water went waste due to the pipe burst.
Mr Martey appealed to city authorities to be “up and doing†in clearing individuals who illegally put up structures, particularly containers as shops, Ghana Water Company pipelines.
The weight of theirs structures, he explained, put pressure on the pipes resulting in the pipe burst.
The Ashanti Regional caucus of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has taken a swipe at President Nana Akufo-Addo over what they describe as his inspection of plagiarised and petty projects in his just-ended tour of the region.
At a press conference organised by the Deputy Communication Officer of the party, Abass Nurudeen, the NDC called on the President to give proof of projects done in the region under his watch.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we in the NDC thought President Akufo-Addo was an expert only in the plagiarism of speeches; we never knew he plagiarises projects, too. A timber processing factory that was established in 2010, MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY LIMITED, in the Sekyere Afram Plains, was recommissioned by President Akufo-Addo under the 1D1F programme. The President must immediately answer the following questions in his attempt to expropriate this particular project:
“How on earth can a private company that was established in 2010, all of a sudden metamorphose into a 1D1F programme that supposedly started in 2017?
“What has become of the promise by President Akufo-Addo to build a brand-new Corn Flakes factory for the people of Sekyere Afram Plains?”
According to Mr Nurudeen, the Ashanti Region has been abandoned after voting massively for the NPP to win power.
“The President’s tour has ended, and inhabitants of the Ashanti Region are still struggling to figure out exactly what he inspected. In the estimation of the people of the Ashanti Region, these are projects that should ordinarily be within the domain of Assemblymembers and never ever catch presidential attention. After three years in government, the people of the Ashanti Region would not be asking for too much if they demand from President Akufo-Addo legacy and life-impacting projects,” he said.
After missing several deadlines for commissioning, the Wa Airport in the Upper West Region was on Tuesday commissioned to begin receiving scheduled commercial flights.
A government delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Aviation, Yaw Afful, opened the facility at a colorful ceremony.
Africa World Airlines, which is the only airline currently operating on the Wa route touched down at exactly 12:23pm at the Airport with 50 passengers on board after transiting at the Tamale Airport.
The flight was piloted by an indigene, Victor Pul and was given the ritual water baptism as passengers were welcomed to a durbar of chiefs by government officials.
The Paramount Chief of Wa who chaired the function, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV said, he was happy about the commencement of the flight as it will reduce travelling time to the region drastically.
“It will also open up the region for more commercial activities including tourism. Furthermore, we anticipate our neighbours from Burkina Faso will patronize the service,†he added.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih said the inauguration of commercial flight operations to the Wa Airport “will go a long way to expand and strengthen the existing relationship between our region and our neighbouring countries.â€
“Aviation provides the only rapid worldwide transportation network, which makes it essential for global business. It generates economic growth, creates jobs and facilitates international trade and tourism. Tourism is an industry that relies heavily on aviation. By facilitating tourism, air transport helps generate economic growth and alleviates poverty,†he stated.
The Deputy Minister for Aviation, Yaw Afful noted that “the success of the commercial flight operations we are starting will depend also on our joint collaboration, support and cooperation from the chiefs of the Upper West Region.â€
The Minister commended the airline for taking the bold step to begin operations to the area.
He entreated the travelling public to also show commitment to the airline by patronizing its services to make the Wa route commercially viable and attractive for others to join the trail begun by AWA.
Africa World Airlines is scheduled to fly to Wa three times a week from Accra (Kotoka International Airport) via Tamale.
The Wa Airport has been allocated the identifier code “WZA†by International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., says the upcoming sim card Re-registration exercise will be ‘fruitless’ and ‘useless’ unless the right measures are put in place.
Communication Minister, Ursula Owusu Ekuful at a press briefing Monday, said from January 2020, every Ghanaian would have to re-register their sim. This, according to her, is to clean the current registration system which has been characterised by fraud. The exercise is scheduled to end in June 2020.
“It is quite clear that the current sim card registration regime is deficient and fraught with many challenges defeating the purpose of the sim registration,†she said.
If you may recall this is not the first time the country is embarking on such exercise after its commencement in 2010.
Speaking to this on Peace FM morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Kwesi Pratt said even though he has never been against the registration of sim cards, it will be useless if the country keeps spending the taxpayers’ money on the exercise only for it to be repeated.
A suspected armed robber, Rahuff Mohammed, who fled with gunshot wounds after a shootout with police at Oforikrom in Kumasi, has been arrested.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander, COP Kwasi Mensah-Duku, said the suspect was dropped off at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for medical attention with the help of an accomplice.
Speaking at a media briefing in Kumasi yesterday, the police chief indicated that Rahuff and his gang, on October 12, 2019, attacked and robbed a resident of Anloga who placed a call to the police for assistance.
He stated that Rahuff and his two other accomplices, Baba Musa and Silencer, opened fire on the police when the law enforcement officers pulled over at the scene.
COP Mensah-Duku said the officers also returned fire, but the suspects managed to escape with GH¢1,500 cash and an Iphone 7X belonging to the victim.
On the following day, the police commander narrated further that police received information from authorities at KATH that a man had been dropped off at the hospital with gunshot wounds.
According to him, suspect Rahuff was identified by the victim when officers proceeded to KATH. He is currently receiving treatment under police guard.
COP Mensah-Duku appealed to the public to assist the police with information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of the other two members of the gang.
At least 30 pedestrians have been arrested by the Police at Madina in Accra for indiscriminately crossing the Adenta-Madina highway at unapproved spots.
Although the overhead footbridge at the Madina Zongo junction has been completed and opened for use, a lot of people in the area have ignored it and been crossing the road from unapproved spots, exposing them to danger.
Police personnel on Wednesday morning embarked on a special operation to arrest persons indiscriminately crossing the highway at the Zongo Junction, eyewitnesses reported on Accra-based Onua FM.
It is unclear whether the arrested persons will be cautioned and released or prosecuted.
Frequent knockdowns of pedestrians on the stretch of the road provoked protests by residents 11 months ago pushing government to get contractors to resume construction work on some six overhead footbridges from Adenta to Madina.
Four of the six bridges have since been completed and opened to the public for use, but some recalcitrant pedestrians still keep crossing the road dangerously.
Currently, the bridges at Adenta SDA junction, Adenta Barrier, Madina Zongo Junction and Assemblies have been completed with the ones at Madina Redco Flats and Firestone yet to be completed.
The Police in Ashanti have arrested 35 suspected criminals at Bantama, in Kumasi, during a swoop by the police.
The alleged criminals, which included 31 males and four females, are currently in police custody and would be paraded for identification in subsequent days as they have been accused of different criminal acts.
Addressing a news conference here, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Kwesi Mensah Duku, said, some of the suspects have already been identified by their victims.
He noted that, the police conducted the swoop after they received several complaints from residents about activities of criminals in the area.
“You know Bantama is one of our action spots, area of criminals, people were complaining and so we went and did some operations there,†he noted.
DCOP Duku also warned the public over some car snatching syndicate and their activities in the region explaining that, one of the members of the syndicate goes to car rental companies in other parts of the country especially Tema, Accra and Takoradi to rent a car to Kumasi for business transaction.
After renting the car, the suspect would travel with the unsuspecting drivers to Kumasi and when they get to Kumasi, they quickly place a call to their accomplices who then attack the drivers at gunpoint and rob them of the vehicles.
He also revealed that, the syndicates would also show interest in buying the vehicle and in the process of test-driving, they would tell the car owner to get down from the car and check the exhaust pipe and just as the owner gets down to check the exhaust, the suspect would quickly drive the car away and leave the owner behind.
According to DCOP Duku, most of the stolen vehicles included Toyota Prado, Toyota Pickups and other 4×4 vehicles disclosing some of the suspects have been arrested and arraigned before the various courts.
He advised the car rental companies to be cautious about the activities of the syndicate and should always demand proper identification documents from customers and also take their photographs which have the tendency to scare away people with bad intentions.
Moreover, DCOP Duku advised them to install tracking devices in their vehicles in order to be able to track the vehicles wherever they would be taken to.
Some health experts have called on Ghana and other African countries to prioritise the domestic mobilisation of resources to help tackle issues of HIV/AIDS, instead of relying on donor support.
They said the increasing decline in donor funds to Third World countries in general, meant that African countries must buck up by being more innovative in generating sustainable revenue for HIV/AIDS financing.
The experts said that objective could be realised through targeted government policies on health financing, private sector support and strong advocacy by civil society organisations (CSOs) to get the government to commit more resources into the sector.
They made the call at a two-day consultative meeting on the validation of a draft score card report on HIV financing in Africa in Accra yesterday.
Score card
The score card is an initiative of Accountability International, a global accountability organisation, and the Society for Aids in Africa (SAA).
It is used to assess the performance of countries in tackling HIV/AIDS and other health issues.
The draft report, which is dubbed: “Mind the gap: African HIV financing score card”, explored existing frameworks for HIV management, innovative financing of the menace, public-private partnerships, impact investments and corporate social responsibility of organisations in the disease.
Decline in funding
In March this year, the President of the United States, Mr Donald Trump, announced a $1.4-billion cut in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has been the major source of funding for the treatment of about 14 million people in 50 countries.
Also, there has been a general decline in donor support for HIV treatment over the past decade.
For instance, the UN estimates that donor assistance in 2016 was $1.4 billion, which represents a decrease of 11 per cent from the figure for 2015.
In 2016, funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and research also fell by $35 million, representing a three per cent decline over the previous year’s figure.
Action
The Africa Regional Director of UNAIDS, Mr Patrick Brenny, therefore, said the time had come for African countries to come up with innovative ways of mobilising funds.
He urged CSOs to strengthen their advocacy functions to compel African governments to commit more funds to HIV prevention.
“Sustainable funding for HIV treatment is critical and governments in Africa need to demonstrate a commitment to use policy and resource allocation to address it. Parliament represents the people in terms of law making and so it must be engaged on HIV financing,” he said.
Collaboration
The Director of Research, Development and Resourcing at Accountability International, Ms Phillipa Tucker, also called for closer collaboration among policy makers, health institutions and CSOs in the generation of funds.
She asked them to always share relevant information on HIV/AIDS to help tackle the disease.
Moms-to-be who undergo physical or mental stress during their pregnancies are less likely to have a boy and may also have a higher risk of preterm birth, according to a study published Monday.
“The womb is an influential first home,” said lead author Catherine Monk, director of women’s mental health in OB/GYN at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
“We do know that males are more vulnerable in utero, and presumably the stress in these women is of a long-standing nature,” Monk said.
Nature typically assures there are an average of 105 boys born for every 100 female births; after all, males were more likely to die from accidents or fighting wild game.
But in this study, women who had higher blood pressure and other signs of physical stress had four boys for every nine girls (ratio 4:9); while moms who were psychologically stressed had two boys for every 3 girls (ratio 2:3). All of the women had healthy pregnancies.
“Other researchers have seen this pattern of a decrease in male births related to traumatic cataclysmic events,” Monk said. “One of them being President Kennedy’s assassination and the other being the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.”
Pregnant women who were physically pressured were also more likely to give birth prematurely than unstressed mothers. However, mentally tense moms-to-be had more birth complications, such as longer labor, than the moms with physical stress.
Yet when the expectant mothers received social support, such as having someone they could talk to or count on for help with their problems, the risk of premature delivery disappeared – a surprising discovery, Monk said.
Even more surprising, the more social support a mother received, the greater the chance she had of having a male baby.
“The support could be from family and friends,” Monk said. “It could be a sense of belonging in a religious community. It’s the sense of social cohesion and social connectedness which research suggests is a buffer against the experiences of stress. It means you take a break from it.”
Social support is critical for building confidence in a new mom, said Dr. Christina Penfield, an assistant professor of maternal-fetal medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center, who was not involved in the study.
“Pregnancy is a pivotal moment in women’s lives coinciding with a redefinition of self, family, and community,” Penfield said. “It is therefore not surprising that several studies have demonstrated that when we provide social support programs to pregnant women we see improvements in their psychosocial outcomes.”
Chronic stress and pregnancy
An estimated 30% of pregnant women report psychosocial stress from job strain or depression and anxiety, according to studies.
While this study did not explore just how stress might impact the pregnancy, others have pointed to the role of the stress hormone cortisol.
Cortisol is part of the body’s “flight or flight” alarm system and is meant to dissipate once the danger is over. Chronically high levels can increase blood pressure and make an individual more prone to illness.
One study found pregnant women under pressure had higher levels of cortisol; those levels were also present in the baby’s amniotic fluid at 17 weeks gestation.
“Stress during pregnancy can be harmful for both mom and baby,” said Laura Berman, assistant clinical professor of OB/GYN and psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Being stressed while expecting can increase a woman’s chance of postpartum depression. It can also lead to preterm delivery and low birth weight,” added Berman, who was not involved in the study.
However, Penfield cautions against reading too much into an association between maternal stress and adverse outcomes.
“These studies can only suggest an association and cannot establish causation,” she said. “For example, some women who report high stress may also have decreased sleep, irregular or unhealthy diets, or increased rates of substance use. It is unclear whether it is the ‘stress’ that causes the adverse outcome.”
Stress is part of life
Stress is part of everyday life. In fact, “good” stress motivates and focuses attention. It’s when stress becomes overwhelming or constant that it is unhealthy.
“Most women report experiencing at least one stressful life event in the year before giving birth, so experiencing stress in pregnancy is often unavoidable,” Penfield said.
“When faced with stress, the best mothers-to-be can do is minimize the impact of the stress on their daily life and try to maintain good sleep, nutrition and exercise habits,” she added.
“I find meditation to be an incredibly useful tool for managing stress,” said Berman. “Unlike exercise, which can be difficult for moms who are very far along in their pregnancy, meditation works for every stage of pregnancy and every size of woman.”
Another useful tool, Berman said, are pregnancy support groups, as well as couples’ therapy for moms and dads-to-be who want to make sure their relationship is on the right track before the baby comes.
Monk suggests the best time to plan a more stress-free pregnancy is just as prenatal care begins.
“Why not check-in and ask yourself, how are you managing stress? Do you have tools? Do you need some more help? Where’s the extra help going to come from? I think it’s an ideal time to do that.”
An Accra High Court has granted bail in the sum of GHc200 million to the founder of defunct Capital Bank, Ato Essien in the ongoing trial relating to the collapse of the bank.
The court also asked for four sureties of which the persons standing in should be of good standing in society.
The same bail condition was granted to former MD of the bank, Fitzgerald Odonkor and CEO of Capital Bank, Tettey Nettey.
The fourth accused person, CEO of Reroy Cables, Kate Quartey-Papafio was also granted bail of GHc75 million with two sureties.
The Judge, Justice Kyei Baffour also ordered the prosecution to give all documents and records they will rely on as evidence to lawyers of the accused persons.
The four accused persons are facing 27 counts of charges which include stealing, money laundering and abetment to steal.
The amount according to the Attorney General which has been stolen is GHc620 million and is said to have been given to Capital bank as liquidity support.
The case has been adjourned to 18th November 2019.
The accused persons have since pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Ministry of Communication says it is in talks with stakeholders in the mobile phone industry to establish a Central Equipment Identity Registry (CEIR) that would regulate the mobile phone market in the country.
When fully operational in 2020, the CEIR would reduce the influx of stolen, substandard and counterfeit mobile devices imported into the country as well as block all unregistered mobile devices and prevent them from operating on any network in Ghana.
The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, who announced this at a press briefing in Accra on Monday said, the CEIR would be connected to the Global System for Mobile Communication Association (GSMA) database as well as have access to the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of approved and blacklisted devices to ensure that mobile devices entering the country are properly authenticated.
“We have had one stakeholder meeting with mobile device dealers and importers but will have more interactions with all interested parties to fashion out the modalities for implementation of the Ghana CEIR which will become operational in 2020,†she said.
According to her, although mobile phone subscribers in the country are estimated to be about 34 million, about five million of the mobile phones imported into the country annually are genuine.
“The unregulated market in Ghana has resulted in a thriving device black market with sales of substandard mobile devices, a high incidence of device theft and cloning of devices. Substandard and smuggled devices are sold through visible retail sites, unofficial retail outlets and online websites,†she decried.
She said the CEIR would provide a scale of use of grey or black market devices in the country.
“It will also be connected to the Equipment Interchange Receipt (EIR) databases of all mobile network operators in Ghana, to synchronize and update data on blacklisted and whitelisted devices in Ghana. This will ensure that only approved mobile devices recognized by the CEIR would function in Ghana. It will generate and store a list of all blacklisted and whitelisted devices in our own repository,†she said.
“The CEIR will also be connected to the National Communications Authority and Security agencies to minimize device theft and use of substandard and counterfeit mobile devices,†she added.
According to Mrs Ekuful, the CEIR would promote security, confidence and trust in the digital infrastructure of the country and generate user acceptance.
“Device theft will be curbed as the CEIR will reduce and discourage mobile device theft threats by enabling individual operators to prevent the use of stolen registered handsets on their own networks,†she said.
The Klotey Korle Municipal Assembly has called for calm following fears by drivers and petty traders occupying the Obra Spot trotro station of a possible ejection from the area.
According to the Assembly, the said parcel of land belongs to the state, contrary to claims that it is owned by an individual.
Some drivers and petty traders in the area on Thursday staged a protest and burnt vehicle tyres after an excavator reportedly escorted by military officers moved to the transport station to evict them.
The incident drew personnel from the Fire Service and the Police to help maintain calm.
The Klottey Korle Municpal Assembly, in whose jurisdiction the parcel of land falls under, at a meeting with them on Friday, assured the drivers that they will not be relocated.
The Public Relations Officer of the Assembly, Nii Ofori Quaye, in an interview on Eyewitness News on Friday said the land belongs to the government and not a private developer as the drivers had gathered.
“I can say at the moment that, that [land] is a government facility. It belongs to the government of Ghana. Perhaps it belongs to the Lands Commission. This is a government facility acquired through the traditional leaders years ago and it has remained so, so whatever you see at the Lands Commission will show that it belongs to the government,†he said.
He said the land in question was inherited from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) when it had jurisdiction of the area.
Nii Ofori Quaye explained that the assembly intends to construct an ultra-modern transport terminal on the land to serve the transport needs of commuters.
“This area is one of the facilities we inherited from the AMA and plans are far advanced to develop that place into a modern transport terminal. We have a big land for that area to develop it into a state better than it is now.â€
Ofori Quaye however did not give details as to how far the Assembly had gone in the planned construction.
The Communications Minister has directed Mobile Network Operators (MNO) to ensure that unused data and voice bundles purchased by their subscribers do not expire.
Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said the unused data must be rolled over to the next data purchased by subscribers.
The letter addressed to the Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Mr Joe Anokye on Friday explained that the move is to minimise the negative impact of the current mode of deduction of the Communication Service Tax by the Telecommunication Companies.
“CST should be treated the same way VAT, NHIL, GETFund levy and all other taxes and levies imposed on entities doing business in Ghana are treated…”
“All unused data and voice bundles purchased by subscribers do not expire and must be rolled over with the next recharge,” the Minister urged.
The letter copied to the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of MTN and Vodafone as well as the two Deputy Ministers of Communication, Mr George Nenyi Andah and Mr Vincent Sowah-Odotei comes on the back of Communication Service Tax which was increased from 6% to 9% effective October 1, 2019.
Per this tax, every ¢1 of recharge data purchased, a 9% CST fee is deducted, leaving the consumer with ¢0.93 of the purchased data.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has released the postings for teachers who have returned from their study leave.
Those teachers who were on leave with pay are supposed to log-on to http://gespromotions.gov.gh, to access their various postings.
A release, signed by Mrs Adwoa Van-Vicker the Director for Human Resource and copied to the Ghana News Agency, directed them to pay GHS10.00 through a known MTN mobile money account.
They are supposed to print their postings details and then submit them to their regional directors in the respective regions of their new postings, the release said.
He made the announcement after the Omanhene of Kumawu, Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, Omanhene of Kumawu Traditional Area, pleaded with President Nana Akufo-Addo to address the road challenge in the area.
The Minister said by June 2020, the roads will be completed.
The roads include Market square link road, Krobo Adusei, Kumawu Anglican Church, he said.
President Akufo-Addo assured the Chief that the three factories expected to be built in the area would be completed.
There was chaos at the University of Ghana Legon campus as the parents of a lady allegedly dragged her to the school in search of the student responsible for her pregnancy.
In a video circulating on social media and seen by YEN.com.gh, the parents were seen parading their daughter on the university campus.
They were seen storming a lecture hall where it was believed that the student who impregnated their daughter was located.
Other students who were around had converged at the place amid shout and cheers.
They were heard chanting “Weremu, weremu, weremuâ€, an Akan language which means “enterâ€, urging the parents to enter the lecture halls to apprehend the student.
The mother of the pregnant girl was seen pushing the guy hard as he opened his hands to gesture that he was innocent.
This adds to the recent scandals that have rocked the university.
Two lectures, Dr. Butakor and Professor Gyampo, have been interdicted for allegedly indulging in “sex for gradesâ€.
This follows a BBC investigative report which suggested that the lectures were sleeping with female students for grades.
However, report indicates that the viral video was a product of a school experiment.
Transhumance is the action or practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle, typically to lowlands in winter and highlands in summer.
He said with regard to pastoralism and transhumance, there is the need for member states to work together to create in rural areas the conditions for a sustainable valorization of this mode of livestock farming.
This, he said, excludes all violence and all man-made deaths, with decentralized regulatory mechanisms co-managed by local populations and actors, and benefiting from adequate investments.
The Sahelian countries participating in the conference include Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger whilst the coastal is also made up of Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
The meeting, which is the Sixth High Level Policy Dialogue, is to contribute to improving the management of cross border and intra-national transhumance flows by providing policy-makers with information enabling them to take strategic and operational decisions relating to the movement of animals in West Africa and the Sahel.
He said as part of its programme of cooperation during the period 2020-2025 with the African Development Bank, ECOWAS has agreed to prepare a Regional Integrated Water Resources Management programme, the expected results of which would include the development of pastoral areas and water infrastructure in areas where transhumance depart and in cross-border arrival areas.
He said by accepting to host the sixth edition of the High Level Consultation for a Peaceful Transhumance across the central corridor between Sahelian countries and coastal countries of West Africa, Ghana reaffirms once again its firm commitment to implement the Regional Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP/ PDDAA) adopted here in Accra in January 2005, and to make its major contribution to strengthening the regional integration process in the ECOWAS area.
The Commissioner said the importance of the subject of transhumance was no longer to be demonstrated in the current context characterized by a worsening of the security crisis, terrorism and banditry in West Africa but also by the consequences of climate change and the expansion of areas devoted to agriculture.
He said in the face of this global environment, pastoralism and transhumance across borders had become highly sensitive strategic issues.
“First of all, it must be recognized that, after oil, economic exchanges between our countries in the West African space are largely dominated by the livestock sub-sector,” he said.
“In fact, livestock production generates annually more than half a billion dollars of revenue distributed over all segments of the value chain, from production to consumption via transport and distribution”.
This, he said, creates and maintains several thousand jobs; unfortunately, many of these jobs thrive in the informal sector, even though they benefit many young people and women.
He said the exploitation of the vast potential of livestock production would require gradual changes in the way in which livestock are raised, which is still dominated by the mobility of herds in order to adapt to the seasonal nature of pastures and waters in its zone of preference in the Sahel.
Dr Gyiele Nurah, a Minister of State at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, called on West African countries to fully operationalise the ECOWAS Protocol of Transhumance, which is geared towards developing a more efficient pastoral industry to increase livestock productivity.
A Ghanaian registered fishing vessel operated by Chinese has been fined $1 million for illegal fishing and GHc124,000 for having fish onboard.
The vessel had also failed to log the fishing activity in their logbooks.
The fishing vessel, Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956, which was arrested offshore Cape-3-point in June this year by the Western Naval Command in collaboration with marine police and the Fisheries Commission had 27 persons onboard, out of which were 22 Ghanaians and five Chinese.
The Western Regional Fisheries Director, Godfrey Baidoo Tsibu, told Citi News that the owners of the vessel agreed to pay the fine after it opted for an out of court settlement.
The owners have been given 30 days to make full payment.
The presence of the fish on the vessel “meant that we also needed to charge them with the fair market price of that amount of fish on board,†Mr. Tsibu explained.
“There were 405 cartons and 864 slabs of frozen mixed small pelagic fishes generally below that minimum landing size. So when we put together all this, it cost around GHc 124,000.â€
The fines were in line with the Fisheries Amendment Act 880.
The Act bolsters efforts to make Regulations to combat Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in accordance with the international obligations.
The Director of the Marine Police ACP Iddi Seidu who headed the investigations after the arrest told Citi News that the security agencies are alert to arrest and prosecute illegal fishing vessels.
For over two weeks, hundreds of Emirates customers were wowed with fabulous surprises and novel prizes at Emirates Terminal 3.
Sharing the joy and creating a buzz among travellers was part of Emirates Skywards’ celebrations on achieving a key milestone: 25 million members.
From 22 September to 7 October, Emirates Skywards gave away around 400 prizes, including 455,000 Miles, 16 gold and silver tier memberships, 16 Emirates Lounge access passes for two, 56 chauffeur drives, 53 partner offers, 160 branded notebooks, and several premier events passes for two and Home-Check in vouchers.
Fifty-seven travellers won Skywards Miles, in chunks of 25,000, 5,000 or 2,500, which were credited straight into their account.
In week one, every day 25 lucky passengers arriving in Dubai from across the Emirates network found big red stickers on their baggage. That meant they could pick one sealed prize from a massive stand chockful of rewards. The golden ticket winner, who could choose any prize, grabbed 25,000 Skywards Miles.
In week two, the action moved from the baggage hall to the Business Class check-in area, where 1,000 passengers collected personalised 25-million themed luggage tags printed for them on the spot.
At the Skywards Desk, every freshly enrolled member, and there were nearly 200, won a range of prizes in an instant lucky dip.
Dr Nejib Ben Khedher, Divisional Senior Vice President Emirates Skywards, said: “It was a thrilling two weeks at Emirates Terminal 3, and it was heart-warming to the see the awed reactions of many winners as the value of the prizes they held in their hands dawned on them. We wanted to celebrate the key milestone with our customers, as the collaboration with our members’ community is at the heart of our programme’s success. We will be rolling out two exciting new initiatives soon, which are sure to be significant milestones for us and our members.”
The celebrations were enjoyed by 22,200 more members through offers and member discounts 8,500 members took advantage of a special Cash+Miles rate on Emirates and flydubai flights, 6,300 went for upgrades, 2,400 booked reward tickets, while 5,000 members bought and gifted Miles.
Multinational integrated oil and gas company Total, has added a new name to its catalogue of high quality lubricants.
The new Total Quartz Future 0W20 was launched in Ghana at an event held yesterday, October 11, 2019 at the Liberation Service Station in Accra.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Eric Fanchini, Managing Director of Total Ghana said, the innovative models of Total is a major priority in their product conception and delivery which aims at offering value to its esteemed customers.
This he said, has over the years led to Total delivering unto the market top notch products such as the Quartz Ineo, Quartz 9000, Quartz 7000 and Quartz 4×4 amongst other lubricants.
According to him, “the new Total Quartz 9000 Future 0W20 is specifically designed to ensure motorist comfort by reducing maintenance cost, reduce fuel consumption and protecting the environment through improved air quality.â€
He noted that the Quartz 90000W20 has passed through rigorous tests and has received the approvals of major international bodies such as the International Lubricant Standardisation and Approval Committee (ILSAC) and the American Petroleum Institute (API).
The Total Quartz 9000 Future 0W20 lubricant is a robust, fully synthetic superior performing engine oil specifically tailored for optimal operation of the latest generation petrol engine. T is well- suited for the latest downsized engines and hybrid engines that require very fluid synthetic engine oil.
The New Quartz 9000 future 0W20 delivers; reduced maintenance cost by providing excellent engine protection and cleanliness, it promises cost saving through a 3% reduction in fuel consumption and extended oil change interval. It also improves air quality by protecting emission control systems due to its low phosphorous content, which reduces the emission of harmful substances like Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and Hydrocarbons (HC) into the atmosphere.
The product is available in 5-litre and 1 litre packs at all Total service stations and distributor outlets across the country.
GCB Bank Ltd has rewarded personnel of the Kasoa Divisional Command of the Ghana Police Service for demonstrating patriotism and commitment to national interest.
The Bank also paid the medical bills of Inspector Charles Yeboah of the Command who was injured in front of the Kasoa Main Branch of the Bank during a scuffle with Kojo Appeaga, 36, who wielded a double-edged machete and threatened customers and staff of branch on 27th September this year.
Appeaga who is now in police custody had attempted to force open the doors to the banking hall but was prevented by security personnel on duty.
The security personnel called for reinforcement from the Police Divisional Office which responded quickly and apprehended Appeaga after they had fired some warning shots.
In the milieu, Inspector Charles Yeboah was stabbed on the left lower arm whilst attempting to arrest the suspect. He was rushed to Koasoa Polyclinic for treatment and has since been discharged.
The Managing Director of the Bank, Mr. Anselm Ray Sowah, who led a delegation of the Bank to the Kasoa Divisional Command and the private residence of Inspector Nyarko, presented an undisclosed amount of money to the Inspector to cover his medical bills and to cushion him up while recuperating.
He commended the police for the timely intervention to prevent a situation which would have resulted in chaos at the branch and the community.
Mr. Sowah was particularly grateful to the Divisional Commander and his men for the professional manner they handled the issue saying, “the fact that you intervened means a lot to GCB.â€
“It is important to recognize the police in this circumstance and we cannot ignore you,†he said.
The Divisional Commander, ACP Charles Kofi Adu, expressed the appreciation of the Ghana Police Service to the Management of GCB, particularly, the MD for practical demonstration of care towards the police.
He described as encouraging and motivating for the GCB MD to personally follow up, interact with the Police and visit the injured.
Mr Sowah was accompanied by the Deputy Head of Corporate Affairs, Emmanuel Kojo Kwarteng; the Branch Manager, Lydia Dugbartey and the Deputy Security Coordinator of the Bank, Emmanuel Frimpong.
Security agencies in the Assin Fosu Area have been called to be extra vigilant and deal with all forms of crime with professionalism.
Mr Nicholas Fiifi Baako, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Assin Fosu, said though there is inadequate staffing and logistics problems within the security services nationwide, it is possible to deal with all security issues effectively.
He said this in his sessional address at the Second Ordinary Meeting of the Assembly at Assin Fosu.
Mr Baako commended the police for its timely intervention in a recent incident which brought peace among the residents, “I can assure you that the Municipal Security Committee will meet and take pragmatic steps to curb the high rate of criminal activities being perpetrated by some miscreants in the society.
The MCE urged assembly members to collaborate with the traditional authorities and educate the electorate to support the efforts of the security agencies by reporting criminal activities in their localities.
On revenue mobilisation, he said, the assembly projected a total amount of GH¢830,441.80 for the 2019 fiscal year from its internally generated resources, and as at July 31, this year, it was able to mobilize only GH¢416,951.32, representing 50 per cent of the estimated figure.
He said the non-availability of reliable and adequate data, lack of property valuation list, inadequate revenue public education resulting in the unwillingness of tax payers to live up to their civic responsibility, un-updated bylaws, weak supervision and lack of logistics, were some of the major challenge confronting the assembly.
To deal with the issue, the Tax Revenue for Economic Enhancement (TREE) project has assisted the office to pilot two electoral areas in the collection of data on properties, and in view of this, the additional 13 electoral areas will be added to the project to boost revenue from property rate collection.
On the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Mr Baako said, out of the approved budget projection of GH¢3,889,833.82, the Assembly received only GH¢309,178.50 as it share for the first quarter and they were looking forward to receiving the remaining quarters.
The Volta Regional Police Command has arrested five out of six suspects in connection with a robbery attack on Kings Oil Filling Station at Peki-Wudome in the South Dayi District.
Three of the suspects; Godfred Alorvordzi (aka Azagua), a trader, aged 45, Felix Dupe (aka Gbaga, Evangelist), 31, and Raphael Agbo (aka Aklikor), a driver, 33, were arrested on Wednesday, October 09.
The rest; Evans Adzaho, 29, and Edem Fiati, an electrician, 28 years were later arrested and currently assisting in investigations.
Briefing the media on Thursday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Edward Oduro-Kwarteng, the Volta Regional Police Commander, said the Peki District Police on October 09, received a distress call from National Police Control room about the attack on the said facility, thus, deployed a team of officers in collaboration with a neighbourhood watch committee.
DCOP Oduro-Kwarteng said interrogations revealed that the sixth suspect known only as Pablo (now at large), a former worker of the filling station, “alerted his accomplices that the back door of Kings Oil Filling Station was weak and could be broken into easily to aid their nefarious actsâ€.
The Regional Commander said an amount of GH¢2,211.00 and other valuables were robbed after suspects forcibly broke into the facility.
He noted that further investigations revealed that suspects Edem Fiati and Felix Dupe were on bail from another robbery incident in, which they were standing trial.
A 39-year-old Travel and Tour Consultant, who swindled a trader of his GHC16,800.00 under the pretext of securing a Canadian Visa for him, has been granted a GHC25,000.00 bail by a Kumasi Circuit Court.
Anthony Agyarko, the accused, pleaded guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretences and would re-appear before the Court presided over by Madam Lydia Marfo, on November 4, 2019.
Prosecuting, ASP Felix Akowuah, told the Court that, Evans Appiah, complainant in the case lives at Bantama whiles the accused resided at Amanfrom, all in Kumasi.
In June last year, Appiah who had the intention of travelling to Canada approached the accused for assistance in obtaining a visa.
He told the Court that accused then collected the said amount from Appiah and promised to obtain the Canadian Visa for him, but this never materialized.
Prosecution said the complainant after several fruitless attempts to get the visa from the accused, became aware he had been swindled and then made a report to the police in Kumasi leading to the arrest of the accused.
Professor Richard Adanu, former Dean, School of Public Health of the University of Ghana has underscored the need for the country to set up a fund for research.
He said that was the only way researchers could be encouraged to undertake studies on ‘Ghana specific’ problems and find solutions to them.
Prof Adanu said this at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) maiden Research Dissemination Day in Ho.
It was on the theme, “impacting our world through multi-disciplinary health research.
“Most advanced countries have research fund and we need this to lead research in Africa and find solutions to problems relevant to us,” he said. Prof Adanu noted that the bulk of researches done in the country were with external support, many not fully addressing the needs of Ghana and said it was time the country prioritised research.
He also advised that research be introduced to pupils at the basic level with group project assignments.
Prof Adanu said the practice would make the Ghanaian child more curious, break the research glass ceiling and take out the fear associated with research.
He said such children and seasoned researchers could engage policy makers on their research findings and fix problems facing the country.
Prof Margaret Gyapong, Director, Institute of Health Research (IHR), UHAS, said the day was to give more visibility to researches done at UHAS and create platforms for networking and future collaborations.
Prof. John Owusu Gyapong, Vice-Chancellor, UHAS said research was a core part of teaching and learning in the University and commended the IHR for the foresight.
The event featured panel discussions, exhibitions and scientific sessions with people winning prizes.
Seventeen aspirants have picked nomination forms to contest for the District Assembly and Unit Committee elections 2019 at the Anyaa East electoral area in the Ga-Central Municipality.
Out of this number, four aspirants will contest for the District Assembly and 13 for the Unit Committee elections.
However, as at Thursday, October 10 at 1020 hours, eleven of them had successfully filed their nominations to contest the elections slated for December 17 this year.
Mr Samuel Okoe, the Returning Officer, Special Duty for the Anyaa East Electoral Area confirmed to the Ghana News Agency.
He said three of them had filed for the District Assembly position, while the other eight would be vying for a place in the Unit Committee.
On gender diversity, he said only one female had filed for nomination to contest for the District Assembly position in the upcoming District elections.
Mr Okoe said he encountered many challenges with regards to the filling of the forms adding that, some aspirants mixed small letters with capital while others used small letters instead of capital letters.
Some forms have also not been endorsed.
He advised aspirants to file their forms early in order to have errors corrected before the deadline.
Aspirants for the Assembly include;, Vitoria Korang, Thompson Atitso, William Kabanda and Ekow Gym, while Ebenezer Sackey Baffle, Mustapha Hadji Osman, Salisu Amadu, Jonathan Kwasi Otoo, Eric Opoku, Benjamin Adjetey, Paul Sowah Oko, Charles Nchamba, Godwin Kumahor, Kingsford Otchere, Christian Sarpong, Allotey- Annan Terrence McDonnell, William Kabanda.
Nomination ends on Friday October 11, 2019 at 1700 hours at all electoral areas.
According to Luxury Rental Benelux, the exotic car which has been located in Germany has a Nigerian number plate customised with the name, “Chosen 1”.
The Lamborghini Huracan Spyder is worth $266,325, was spotted in East Legon in Accra.
Report by Zurich local media, Blick, identified the owner of the car as Deniz Torun (30). The specific model of the car is Lamborghini Huracan Spyder (610 hp).
The original number plate for the stolen sports car is ZG-27482.
The newspaper reports that Torun said he reportedly rented the car to a young man with a Ghanaian passport in front of the Hilton Airport Hotel in Opfikon ZH, a municipality in Switzerland.
Coordinator in charge of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) has said that the recent challenges with the payment of some trainees has nothing to do with the program but is due to failure by some trainees to comply with directions from authorities.
Regional Coordinator, Hajj Baba Mohammed explained that some trainees delay with the submission of their time sheets which is necessary for compilation and payments, resulting in snags and delays.
“Honestly the problem we are facing with the arrears is not from NABCO, it is from the trainees, you are supposed to submit your time sheet by 23rd of every month but some of them decide to wait to 28th before submitting this time sheet, by then we have finished with the validation and it means that when you are not validated, you can never be paid and that is happening†he said
“They are graduates and we expect them to follow simple instructions, some of them are asked to go into the portal to update their details. They will receive the SMS alert and ignore them…†he added.
He also urged trainees who were affected by the consolidation of the banks to open new accounts with banks that were not affected.
The Regional Coordinator was speaking at the briefing held to commence the activity plan ahead of the one year anniversary of NABCO in the Greater Accra Region.
NABCO is a government initiative which was introduced in May 2018 to address graduate unemployment to solve social problems in the country.
So far over 109,380 have been admitted to work on this initiative across the country.
At least four people have been reportedly injured after two-storey building collapsed late Wednesday at Kasoa in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of the Central Region.
According to an eyewitness who spoke to Ghanacrusader.com, Two people have been left unconscious with the other two badly injured.
She explained that the incident happened during a heavy downpour in the area on Wednesday afternoon.
“I came out of my shop to cover my things when the rain started and suddenly saw part of the building collapse causing an injury to my leg. So I begun screaming to draw attention to rescue a shop attendant and customer who had been trapped in the building,†she narrated.
Meanwhile, the Awutu Senya East Municipal National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) Director, Yaw Amoah, has disclosed that, the owner of the building will be summoned on Thursday.
“I was going on an inspection and had to rush here when I heard of the collapse but when I came, I realised the structure of the building was not safe,†he said.
Two victims were rushed to the hospital for treatment while Miss Ataa and one other have been treated and discharged.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Akwasi Andrews has said the people of Ashanti Region are very much disappointed in President Akufo-Addo and his government for abandoning them after voting massively for the NPP to gain power in the 2016 election.
He noted that the only way the Ashanti Region can atone for its sins is to vote for former President John Dramani Mahama in 2020.
“President Akufo Addo has disappointed people in the Ashanti Region big time, because he failed to continue projects by Mahama, and also failed to fix major roads in the Kumasi metropolis,†Nana Akwasi Andrews told Lawyer Ohene Djan on Pae Mu Ka on Accra based Kingdom FM 107.7.
He described former President John Dramani Mahama as someone who is development-oriented indicating that he would have sprung up various projects if he were President.
“If John Mahama were in power at this time, major projects he started would have been completed by nowâ€. he bragged.
He said Ghanaians voted out the NDC in the December 2016 elections because they claimed they the suffering under the previous government was unbearable and also wanted constant power supply which they are not enjoying under the current administration as well.
Background
President Akufo Addo arrived in Kumasi in the Ashanti region to meet Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and other stakeholders and also inspected projects ongoing under his government as part of a tour to the region.
President Akufo-Addo visited the Kwabre East, Manso Nkwanta, Ejura, Mampong, Sekyere Afram Plains, Kumawu, Effiduase- Asokore and other constituencies in the Kumasi metropolis.
The Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA) Bill will be passed by Parliament to receive Presidential Assent by the end of this year, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, has said.
The Bill, when passed into law, is expected to provide great relief to farmers of tree crops such as cashew, coffee and rubber because, like cocoa, they would also be paying fixed, guaranteed prices for their produce.
Dr Akoto said this at the Brong-Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs (BARHCs) when he responded to a question concerning the loss incurred by cashew farmers in the Bono Region.
The Region is the highest producer of raw cashew in the country but in recent years the farmers have been complaining of the unacceptable prices for a kilo or a bag of the crop offered by local and foreign buyers.
The situation is attributed to the unregulated, unguaranteed and unstable price of the commodity because of the non-existence of an entity like the Ghana Cocoa Board that buys cocoa at a fixed price, serving as a guarantee to farmers.
Dr Akoto said government had grouped the economic tree crops under one entity; the TCDA, for the stabilisation and regulation of the process to provide farmers guaranteed prices like cocoa.
Based on that, he said government was focusing on the development and production of six cash crops – coconut, rubber, oil palm, coffee, mango, shea butter and cashew, and that seedlings were being raised for supply to farmers to commence planting nationwide.
He said cocoa had been fetching the country two billion dollars annually and each of the aforementioned crops could also fetch the nation same amount yearly.
Nana Bofo Bene IV, the Paramount Chief of Dwenem-Awasu Traditional Area in the Jaman South Municipality and the Vice President of the BARHCs, appealed to the Government to ensure the establishment of a buying agency or development authority for cashew as matter of urgency.
“If a bag of cashew was being bought at a point in time for GhC820.00, why should the price fall to as low as GhC220.00 now?” he asked, and called on the authorities to act fast to prevent the farmers from working in vain.
The Spanish Embassy in Ghana has held its “Wines from Spain: Cheers Spain†fair in Accra to offer professionals in the wine and hospitality industries in Ghana the opportunity to showcase their products and network with various wine distributors from Spain.
Head of Economic and Commercial Office at the Embassy, Miguel Higuera in an interview with GhanaWeb said that he is confident Ghanaian wine distributors will be granted export opportunities to other markets in the near future.
“Spain is currently one of the main wine exporters to Ghana and its presence is growing fast and the years ahead are full of excitement for Spanish wine makers and we are hopeful of collaborating with Ghanaian wine distributors and enthusiasts to continue to enjoy them,†he said.
He added that “we also want Ghanaians to understand Spanish wine and it is essential to realize that there are many different origins of wine and it is important to notice that there are as many as 70 denominations of wine experience and what benefits each of them has to offer.â€
Highlighting on the importance of the Spanish wine sector, Mr. Higuera said the country is one of the three biggest producers and exporters worldwide adding that, three Spanish wineries – Bodegas Valdepablo, Bodegas Illana and RM Rioja – are currently present in Ghana to introduce their products to Ghanaian distributors.
Ghanaian wine distributors who participated in the fair include Don Emilio, Marina Distribution, Prestige Trade, TT Brothers Limited and West Africa & Gulf Company Ltd.
Patrons were offered more than 80 wines from an array of Spanish regions.
Mr. Higuera used the occasion to thank all the wine and hospitality professionals who have promoted Spanish wines in Ghana.
The state has charged nine persons accused of plotting to destabilise the country with treason felony.
The nine included Dr. Fredrick Mac Palm, Col. Samuel Kojo Gameli, Geshong Akpa, WO2 Esther Doku, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Lance Corporal Albert Baba Ibrahim, Lance Corporal Sylvester Akapewu and Corporal Seidu Abubakar.
They were initially charged with possession of explosives, arms and ammunitions without excuse but had the charge dropped except for Frederick Mac Palm, Donya Kafui and Bright Alan Debrah.
According to the prosecution, the accused persons are members of an NGO, Take Action Ghana, and they planed to demonstrate and topple the government.
The prosecution added that the accused persons began plotting from June 2019 to September 2019.
In the facts read to the court, the prosecution said after drawing up the plan, Dr. Mac Palm contacted Geshong Akpa to supply weapons for them to be able to carry it out.
They then contacted the senior military officer, Colonel Samuel Gameli and the other soldiers who agreed to join the plan.
The accused persons are reported to have drawn up a plan to target some key installations including the Jubilee House, the Ghana Broadcast Corporation, the National police trading school, 37 Military Hospital and Burma Camp.
Dr. Mac Palm, according to the prosecution, also contacted a blacksmith, Danya Kafui, to manufacture arms and explosives for the plan.
Mr Yakubu Osman, the 2017 National Best Cocoa Farmer, has expressed gratitude to the government for increasing the producer price of Cocoa from GHS 475.00 to GHS 515.00 per bag.
He also commended the COCOBOD for introducing a good number of policies that were helping Cocoa farmers to increase their yield.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, Mr Osman said, the price increment was welcome news for Cocoa farmers considering the fall in the international market and that farmers appreciated the efforts of the government.
Mr Osman cited pollination, pruning, free Cocoa seedlings and free agrochemicals among others as some of the good interventions that were helping Cocoa farmers across the country.
The former National best Cocoa farmer was hopeful that the proposed machine to be used to weed Cocoa farms would soon materialise and asked COCOBOD to give it out to many Cocoa farmers.
Mr Osman called on Cocoa farmers to take advantage of the numerous interventions by the government and COCOBOD to produce more Cocoa beans and accept the new price in good faith comparing the price of neighbouring la Cote d’Ivoire.
He also advised Cocoa farmers to take farming as a lucrative business by investing in it and should not wait for agrochemicals from the central government.
He appealed to COCOBOD to supply subsidised agrochemicals on time and also pay compensations to farmers who allowed their swollen shoot disease cocoa trees to be cut.
He lauded their decision to introduce electronic weighing scales since that could help fight cheating and suggested that cocoa farmers be educated on the programme before it was introduced.
A forex bureau operator is in a critical condition at the Police Hospital in Accra after some unidentified assailants shot him at close range while he was on his way home on the Nima-Kanda highway Monday night.
The victim, identified as Mohammed Abdul Awudu Kadri, 39, was shot in the chest and on both thighs whilst he was driving home.
The police suspect the unidentified assailants trailed the victim from his forex bureau at Ridge in Accra and shot him at a spot on the Nima-Kanda Highway near the Community Library.
According to an eyewitness, the victim was using a Toyota Corolla vehicle and had been held in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway at about 7:30pm when the assailants arrived on two unregistered motorbikes with their helmets hiding their faces and shot at the victim through the glass.
They reportedly pulled him out and fired at him multiple times before fleeing the scene.
Residents of Akyem Osiem and its environs in the Abuakwa North Municipality of the Eastern region have been gripped with fear following multiple robbery attacks in the area by eight-member armed robbery gang.
The masked armed robbers three of whom were wielding knives while two were in possession of AK47 riffles robbed motorists on three different incidents in less than 24 hours.
The victims told Starr News some of the suspects were wearing police uniforms.
Witnesses say the the robbery gang stormed Osiem to Bososo road and succeeded in robbing their victims including a Police officer. The armed robbers, according to them, returned same day around 8pm and attacked and robbed caretaker of a commercial farm belonging to Opanyin Abraham Adusei -General superintendent of Saviour Church .
The armed robbers went into hiding after noticing the arrival of a Police Patrol team but struck again around 11:30pm to attack passengers .
According to Benjamine Ofori, the robbers returned on Monday but were unsuccessful.
