TIG Post

Author: Persis

  • 110,000 teenage pregnancies recorded in 2020 Gender Minister

    Madam Sarah Adwoa Safo, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, says data from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) District Health Information Management System (DHIMS) reveals that the country recorded about 110,000 cases of teenage pregnancies in the year 2020.

    She said out of the total, 107,023 girls were between 15 and 19 years while 2,856 were between 10 and 14 years.

    The Minister said this in a speech read on her behalf at the bi-annual tracking meeting on the implementation of the Adolescent Pregnancy Strategy on Wednesday.

    Madam Safo said adolescents and young people were entitled to decent livelihoods, adding, “Girls face disproportionate risks and distinctive consequences related to the vulnerabilities they experience.”

    She said girls were disproportionately vulnerable to the violation of their human rights, inadequate reproductive health services, education and subjected to child marriage, limiting the realisation of their full human potential.

    Madam Safo said in this part of the world, young girls, compared to their male counterparts, were more likely to drop out of school to marry at an early age, compelling them to bear the consequences of poor sexual and reproductive health education.

    She said the needs and opportunities for girls and boys were diverse during early adolescence, as girls entering puberty on average were two years earlier than boys.

    Madam Safo said that marked the beginning of a protracted risk period during which they had little or no control over critical social, health, and economic decisions and outcomes.

    She said the vulnerability of many girls to unplanned pregnancies and other reproductive health challenges required collaboration and concerted efforts by the government and all stakeholders, to safeguard the rights and well-being of adolescent girls.

    Madam Safo said as part of the government’s efforts to ensure a coordinated response in addressing adolescent pregnancies in Ghana was the continuous review and tracking of the progress of implementation of the Five-Year Strategic Plan to address Adolescent Pregnancies in Ghana and to ensure that the objective for its development was met.

    She said it was the duty of all stakeholders to support the implementation of the strategy to reduce the menace with its attendant consequences such as school dropout for girls, the likelihood of obstetric fistula, low self-esteem and stigma from families, friends and communities, among others.

    Madam Safo said the Ministry would continue to coordinate gender-related issues and work hand in hand with stakeholders to provide adolescents with the right information, knowledge, skills and adolescent-friendly services.

    “This will help prevent unplanned pregnancies, empower girls to make informed choices, expand their skills and knowledge to pursue their future dreams,” she said.

    Ms Selina Owusu, Gender Analyst for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said that the Adolescent Pregnancy Strategic Plan was in line with UNFPA’s mission of ensuring that every pregnancy was wanted, every childbirth was safe and every young person’s potential was fulfilled.

    She said the COVID-19 pandemic had tested the resilience of efforts in achieving their mandate and hence necessitated a review of implementing strategies to maximise impact.

    Ms Owusu noted that adolescent girls were continuously exposed to the risk of unplanned pregnancies and their associated physical, social, psychological and reproductive health repercussions.

    She, therefore, called on stakeholders to invest more time and resources to create and implement robust mechanisms to protect, promote and enforce the human rights of vulnerable adolescent girls.

    The Fund, in its efforts to implement the strategic plan, reached out to 15,483 with information on Sexual Representative Health and Gender-Based Violence, which included 14,239 girls and 1,244 boys in various communities, Ms Owusu said.

    Source: GNA

  • Atwima-Kwanwoma residents stage protest over poor road infrastructure

    The chiefs and people of some communities in the Atwima-Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region have called on the government to fix the deplorable road network in the area.

    They expressed worry over the delay by some construction firms in executing the projects on schedule.

    Nana Afriyie Takyi, the Odikro of Atwima-Takyiman, addressing a press conference at Takyiman, said some of the contracts went as far back as 2018.

    “The lukewarm attitude to work by the contractors has left in its wake the dusty roads we are seeing today,” he said.

    He said the development had come with its environmental-health challenges, saying many of the people, especially those working close to the roads, had begun contracting varied respiratory diseases.

    The most affected communities included Boko, Foase, Twedie, Trabuom, Ohwimase and Takyiman, and Nana Takyi.

    Meanwhile, the assembly members of the affected communities had threatened to mobilize their people for a series of demonstrations to back their demands.

    They are urging the government to speed up the processes for the construction of the abandoned roads to enhance socio-economic activities in the District.

    Source: GNA

  • Court grants GH¢50,000 bail to two men caught wielding guns in viral video

    A Kumasi circuit court has granted a GH¢50,000 bail to two men at the centre of a viral video depicting the wielding of guns in the aftermath of the Jamestown bullion van robbery with each given two sureties, 3news.com has reported.

    The two, Emmanuel Dakorah and Richard Suleman, following an arrest by the Police after their video post went viral were charged with an intent to cause fear and panic and publication of fake news.

    The prosecutor of the case, Chief Superintendent Kofi Blagoggie, read the charges and prayed the court to grant the police about two weeks to investigate the source of their video post which was shared numerous times across various social media platforms and news portals.

    Charles Owusu Ansah who is counsel for the accused persons, however, objected to charges and prayed the court to grant his clients bail of which the presiding judge, Ebenezer Kwaku Ansah, agreed to as the two have exceeded the mandatory stay period in police custody.

    But the prosecutor on various occasions told the court to hold the two accused persons in police custody while the police investigate an incident of some two pistols that were allegedly burnt by the accused.

    The two, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and are expected to report to the police three times a week until the case is heard again on July 7, 2021.

    A Kumasi circuit court has granted a GH¢50,000 bail to two men at the centre of a viral video depicting the wielding of guns in the aftermath of the Jamestown bullion van robbery with each given two sureties, 3news.com has reported.

    The two, Emmanuel Dakorah and Richard Suleman, following an arrest by the Police after their video post went viral were charged with an intent to cause fear and panic and publication of fake news.

    The prosecutor of the case, Chief Superintendent Kofi Blagoggie, read the charges and prayed the court to grant the police about two weeks to investigate the source of their video post which was shared numerous times across various social media platforms and news portals.

    Charles Owusu Ansah who is counsel for the accused persons, however, objected to charges and prayed the court to grant his clients bail of which the presiding judge, Ebenezer Kwaku Ansah, agreed to as the two have exceeded the mandatory stay period in police custody.

    But the prosecutor on various occasions told the court to hold the two accused persons in police custody while the police investigate an incident of some two pistols that were allegedly burnt by the accused.

    The two, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and are expected to report to the police three times a week until the case is heard again on July 7, 2021.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • W/R: Taxi driver, 22, narrowly escapes death from armed robber

    A 22-year-old taxi driver has narrowly escaped from death after a carjacker inflicted knife wounds on him in an attempt to steal his Toyota Yaris vehicle at Airport Ridge Residential Area in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of the Western Region.

    In the process, two of his fingers were cut off whilst he sustained deep knife wounds on his chin and right wrist.

    Narrating his ordeal to Connect FM, Richard said at about 6:00pm Sunday, June 20, the assailant, a man in his 30s, hired him from the Old Accra Station in Takoradi to take him to Kojokrom, a suburb of Essikado Ketan.

    Upon reaching Kojokrom, the assailant then asked him to send him to his residence at Airport Ridge because the person he was going to meet at Kojokrom was not picking his call. “When I drove to the far end of Airport Ridge, he asked me to stop, suddenly he used a shocker to shock me and pulled a knife from his side pocket and pointed it at my chin,” he disclosed.

    Richard said he begged the assailant not to kill him but take his car, which is 2021 registered, if he desired but this did not move him.

    He, therefore, held onto the knife pointed at him and in the ensuing struggle, two of his fingers, the middle and index on the right hand were cut off whilst he sustained deep knife wounds on the left wrist and his chin.

    To save his life, he forcefully opened his side door and threw himself on the road.

    He says the assailant then took over the vehicle and tried to drive it away but luck eluded him and he run into a gutter.

    So he left the vehicle and ran off.

    Richard says it was a passer-by who came to his rescue and sent him to the Kwesimintsim hospital for medical attention.

    The case has been reported to the Kwesimintsim Police Station which has begun a manhunt for the assailant.

    Source: 3news.com

  • TUSAAG threatens strike, accuses NLC of complacency in performing its functions

    Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) has served notice to embark on strike action on July 31, 2021, over poor conditions of service, non-payment of Tier II pension contributions of TUSAAG members, among others.

    This comes barely 48 hours after the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) suspended their strike action following assurances from the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Adutwum, to resolve similar concerns.

    In January 2020, both TUTAG and TUSAAG declared a strike action but were compelled to return to work after the National Labour Commission (NLC) secured an interlocutory injunction from a High Court in Accra to oblige the associations to suspend the strike action.

    In an interview on Radio Univers’ morning show, Campus Exclusive, President of TUSAAG, Edem Honu, stated that “very little” has been done to help address their concerns over a year on.

    He accused the NLC of complacency in getting the government and other stakeholders to implement agreements reached when it suspended its strike in 2020.

    “..the National Labour Commission duly asked us to suspend our strike which we did [in 2020] and government and its institutions were also to take particular actions to resolve some of the issues that we raised at that time. But what we have observed over the period is that the National Labour Commission has not been exertive on the institutions that were supposed to perform their roles and so very little have been done over the period,” TUSAAG President, Edem Honu bemoaned.

    Further speaking, he added that members of the association are keenly interested in the matter and are demanding the government to expedite action to fix the issues.

    “It is not good that employees will be working without conditions that guide their mode of the work,” he emphasized.

    Mr Honu opined that the association has given the government a thirty-eight-day ultimatum for their concerns to be addressed but in case it fails TUSAAG will declare a nationwide strike.

    “If by 31st July 2021, the issues are still lingering without any definite timelines as to how we would be sorted out then when Congress meets, we would have no other option than to go ahead and declare a strike,” he warned.

    Source: universnewsroom.com

  • Deadly Indian strain recorded at KIA hasnt entered the community GHS

    The deadly Delta variants of COVID-19 recorded in Ghana have not yet entered the community, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced.

    Ghana has detected six Delta variants of COVID-19 so far, the GHS has confirmed.

    The variants were confirmed from samples taken from passengers at the Kotoka International Airport between April and June.

    A statement by the GHS said “all passengers who test positive at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) are put under mandatory isolation.

    “All positive samples are sent for further testing (genomic sequencing) to identify the variants. Variants sequenced from samples of positive cases at the Airport do not necessarily end up in the community.

    “As of now, the country has detected six Delta variants of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 virus) from all samples taken between April and June, 2021 at the ports of entry. No Delta variant has been detected from samples taken from cases in the community.

    “The MOH and GHS further inform the general public that in April 2021, there was a surge in cases at the airport during which period 308 positives were identified.

    “However, Ghana has not experienced a third wave partly due to the robust surveillance system in place at the ports of entry and strict isolation of all cases detected.”

    On the issue of vaccines, the GHS noted that reports that Sputnik-V and AstraZeneca vaccines are not effective against the Delta strain of SARS-Cov-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) are untrue.

    According to Public Health England (PHE) two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are highly effective against hospitalisation due to the Delta variant and showed no deaths among those vaccinated.

    The data also suggest that the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective against symptomatic disease caused by the Delta variant.

    Source: 3news.com

  • Akufo-Addo endorses Bawumia’s works

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has touted the accomplishment of his vice, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, describing him as a first-class assistant.”

    The two are on a two-day tour of the North East Region, inspecting ongoing works and listening to concerns of stakeholders. The tour which began on Tuesday, June 22 will end today.

    At a meeting with the chiefs and elders of the Walewale, the president paid glowing tribute to Bawumia stressing that he was grateful to the people and elders of Walewale for gifting him Bawumia.

    “I want to end by saying a big thank you to the people of the North East, especially to the people of Walewale. You have given me a first-class assistant in the form of the Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. He has been of great help to me, in my government.”

    President Akufo-Addo also thanked the people for the massive votes he received during the 2020 elections.

    “Of the six (6) six seats there are in the North East Region, NPP won four (4). And, for the first time in the history of the 4th Republic, the NPP presidential candidate won the absolute majority of the presidential vote in the North East Region,” President Akufo-Addo said.

    He however expressed regrets with the NPP’s defeat in the Nalerigu and Bunkpurugu constituencies.

    “Nalerigu and Bunkpurugu did not vote for the NPP. It is a pity, and I am hoping that next time we can do better and get all six seats in the North East Region,” the President said.

    “Though the NPP lost a woman” in the person of Hajia Alima Mahama, the president indicated that “you, in Walewale, have given me another woman. I have expressed my appreciation not only for the vote, but also for her qualities and abilities in nominating her as the Deputy Minister-designate for Gender, Children, and Social Protection” in the person of Lariba Zuweira Abudu.

    Hajia Halima has been appointed Ghana’s ambassador to the United States of America.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Weve decided not to increase our fares – Kaneshie Tarkwa, Takoradi Station

    The Chairman for the Kaneshie-Tarkwa and Takoradi station Kwesi Ansah has disclosed that they did not increase transport fares although the green light was given.

    He explained that they could lose their customers should they increased transport fares like other transport unions.

    He told Kwabena Agyapong on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm that they considered the current economic situation and the outbreak of the COVID-19 in reaching the decision.

    He told the host they had their customers in mind hence took the decision not to increase fares.

    He stated that the only location where transport fare was increase is from Kaneshie to Tarkwa.

    “If we had increased fares in the era of COVID-19, we would have lost several customers. It was a management decision and until a new increment comes, we will not increase our fares,” he explained.

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • 3 suspects grabbed with human parts

    The Abuakwa Divisional Police Command have arrested three people for trade in body parts.

    The suspects, 65-year-old Kwaku Agyapong, 48-year-old Anane Kofi Konye, and Isaac Adota, 25 years old, were arrested when they offered to sell the human skeletons for GH¢30,000.

    Konye and Adota were arrested at a hotel where they were about to deliver the skeletons to the supposed buyers (plain clothed police officers).

    The two then led the police to arrest the mastermind, 65-year-old Kwaku Agyapong, a resident of Adamsu in the Bono region.

    The Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Godwin Ahianyo told Daily Graphic that they picked intelligence that Kwaku Agyapong had in his possession human parts and was looking for a buyer in Kumasi.

    Following the tip off, some police officers posed as buyers.

    The suspects are currently in police custody assisting with investigations.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • GNCCI inaugurates trade sector leaders at Tarkwa

    The President of Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), Mr Clement Osei Amoako, has inaugurated and sworn into office 14 trade sector leaders at Tarkwa to help identify and address challenges in the business of their members.

    Mr Samuel Sackey would be in-charge of Transport and Logistics, Madam Florence Mensah; Textiles and Garment, Mr William Owusu; Hardware and General Merchants, Madam Enerstina Brown; Small Scale Mining, Mr Francis Buntu; Publication, Information, Communication and Technology, Mr John Arthur; Mining Support Services and Madam Evelyn Asabea; Pharmaceuticals.

    The rest are; Mr Michael Marfo; Hospitality and Catering, Madam Rebecca Mensah; Event Planning and Decoration, Mr Eric Fosu, Wood Works; Mr Kwarteng Antiedu, Agriculture; Mr William Turkson; Education and Stationery, Mr Adams Mohammed; Consultancy Services and Mr Benjamin Otoo would also handle Supermarket and Petty trading.

    Addressing members of the Tarkwa branch of GNCCI at its June general meeting, Mr Amoako described the trade sector leaders as an important tool through which they would cluster the needs of their members.

    He said the national leadership would be contacted to liaise with these sector leaders to address the challenges of members in
    Tarkwa-Nsuaem and beyond.

    “Once we are putting them together it means we have a common agenda, understanding and problems of our business and want to move ahead and know their difficulties” Mr Amoako said.

    He beseeched members to support their leaders to enable them discharge their duties effectively and efficiently.

    The President emphasised that “We have seen the good works of the Tarkwa leadership of the Chamber, hence we have bought a car for them to argument the work that they are doing”.

    Dr Emelia Assiakwa, the Treasurer, advised leaders of the various trade sectors to be sincere and honest in all their duties.

    She also implored the members to offer the needed assistance to the leaders to enable them work diligently to achieve its objectives.

    The Western Regional Chairman of GNCCI, Mr Alexander Bogney Bewong, encouraged business owners in Tarkwa and its environs to join the Chamber as there were many benefits.

    “The GNCCI is the only business association that is enacted by an LI and for that matter we are the official mouth piece of the business community. I think is a good place that every business should belong “he noted.

    Leaders of the various sectors expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to serve their colleagues.

    Source: GNA

  • Ghanaians urged to embrace AfCFTA

    The Second Vice President of Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry(GNCCI), Mr Abass Miezah, has tasked Ghanaians to embrace the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as it has numerous benefits.

    He said many African countries have signed on to the agreement which encouraged them to trade among themselves also hinting that population of Africa was around 1.3 billion with a total market value of 3.4 trillion dollars.

    “If any business entity in Ghana can process cocoa they do not necessarily need to transport same to China, Europe and America, but it can be sent to Morocco, Liberia and Kenya. In Rwanda tea can also be sent to Tunisia or Ghana”

    He said if Africans take up the golden opportunity firmly it would help develop the various nations. Mr Miezah said once the country decided to join this trade, they need to process all their raw materials into consumable product.

    “We have many agricultural raw materials and if we cannot feed ourselves definitely we are going to import and this will affect our Gross Domestic Product, foreign reserves and others”, the Vice president said.

    He noted that educating the youth to gain an in depth knowledge in technology could create employment, adding that, the President had done well by trying to make education accessible to every Ghanaian.

    Mr Miezah said “other nations should emulate this because it is only education that can raise people from poverty. China has lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty so it is imperative that African nations look at their education”

    He said the government should provide infrastructure, improve pension scheme and health system because all these build the society. The Vice President called on the government and the private sector to support the all-important initiative.

    Source: GNA

  • We must be vigilant to protect the RTI Law DW Akademie programme Director

    Susanne Fuchs-Mwakideu, the Programme Director of DW Akademie Ghana has urged the media not to relent but make it a point to protect the Right to Information Law (RTI) which has been passed into law by parliament.

    Speaking at a media forum on the RTI, investigative journalism and the fight against corruption in Accra, Ms Fuchs-Mwakideu said the right to information is important to everyone and not only journalists.

    She said there is a need for Journalists to be vigilant and go the extra mile to protect the law since it allows them to seek the right information.

    “We all must be vigilant and protect the RTI law, it is for everyone and we all must take advantage of it to get the right information to help develop the country,” she said.

    Meanwhile, research conducted by the Media Foundation for West Africa showed that only a few journalists are taking advantage of the RTI law being passed.

    It said most journalists are not seeking information through the RTI, which it said explains why many cases which are subject to investigations are still hanging

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com.

  • We are sorry for not releasing dumsor timetable – ECG

    The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Ashanti region has apologized to consumers for not coming out with a scheduled timetable during the recent power outages they witnessed in the region.

    According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of ECG, Erasmus Baidoo, his outfit was unable to release a timetable for some parts of the region during the power cuts months ago.

    Erasmus Baidoo noted that despite the public backlash, there’s been a considerable change in the situation.

    Speaking on Asaase radio, the P.R.O explained that, “Sometimes we have most areas going off and another time we have quite a number going off and that has been the situation, but as I said over the past few weeks, we have seen some level of improvement.”

    He added: “We are hoping that it will keep improving until we are over it. So we apologise sincerely for the inability to come out with a timetable,” she added.

    He noted that the maintenance work carried out is nearing completion.

    It would be recalled that residents in the Ashanti region had in the few months bemoaned the high rate of power outages in the region.

    The residents lamented that their lights go off unannounced, an issue that angered them.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • STC drivers killed in a car crash

    STC driver and his co-driver have died in a car accident at Akim Asafo in the Eastern region on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.

    The accident occurred at about 2:30 am after the STC bus with registration number GE 8136-16 rammed into an abandoned articulated truck with registration number GC 7150-11.

    The deceased drivers have been identified at Victor Quest and Joshua Tay.

    Their bodies have been deposited at the Suhum Government Hospital for preservation and autopsy.

    Meanwhile, the passengers aboard the bus have been rushed to the Kibi Government Hospital for medical care.

    According to the Eastern Regional Police Command, the STC bus was moving from Kumasi to Accra while the articulated truck was heading towards Kumasi but was abandoned on the road after it developed a mechanical fault.

    The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command, Sergeant Francis Gomado stated that it is about time there is a rapid response system to tow broken down vehicles from the road to prevent deaths on the highways.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • The African Child should never feel threatened in wanting a better life First Lady

    First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has said that the African Child should never have to feel threatened in wanting a better life.

    She said this in a statement to mark the Day of The African Child, on Wednesday June 16.

    She said “it is a poignant reminder to us of the horrors the African Child has encountered throughout history.

    “Whether in demanding better education, nutrition or any other necessities of basic living, the African Child should never have to feel threatened in wanting a better life.

    “At the Rebecca Foundation, we work to ensure that we create fighters and champions for the young ones. All organizations and civil society must use this day as an opportunity to reflect and restrategize on how to create a better and more secure future for the African child.

    “I join all well meaning Africans in remembrance of this day.”

    Source: 3news.com

  • Include us in population census – Persons with Albinism appeal

    The Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism (GAPA) has appealed to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to include its members in the upcoming Population and Housing Census.

    It said the GSS clustered all persons with disability into one group instead of segregating them for easy identification and targeting for effective planning.

    “We cannot group all persons with disability as one, we need to segregate them in groupings like albinism group, deaf group, blind group, physically disabled group etc to get an accurate database,” the Association said.

    Mr Newton Kwabla Katseku, the Executive Director, GAPA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the country did not have an accurate percentage of disabilities as it relied on generalisation than actual figures, which was not the best practice.

    He said the Association was part of the processes in developing the data collection tool for the census from the beginning but when the final draft came out, it realised that not all the groups of disability were captured in the tool, especially persons with albinism.

    “We are not happy about our neglect because we wanted to have accurate data of persons with albinism to ensure timely dissemination of information and continuous provision of support services,” he said.

    Mr Katseku said disability was not only about being physically disabled, blind or deaf and that proper definition and classification was needed for reliable and accurate data for planning.

    He said the country had over nine groupings of disabilities but the GSS allegedly concentrated on only three, neglecting persons with albinism.

    The GSS on Monday started numbering structures as part of the Population and Housing Census scheduled to start on June 28, 2021.

    Source: GNA

  • Two arrested over Bantama mobile money robbery

    Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the broad daylight robbery of a mobile money shop in Bantama in the Ashanti Region that happened on April 22, 2021.

    The duo were grabbed after police identified them in a CCTV footage.

    According to police, the suspects were part of a syndicate that has been operating in both the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions.

    In April 2021, CCTV footage of the Bantama Mobile Money robbery incident emerged detailing how the robbers brazenly stormed the vending centre and made away with a whopping GH¢200,000.

    In the two videos, one of the suspects is seen corking his pistol and ordering a man transacting business at the vending centre to lay down. The other robber then goes and accosts the two MoMo vendors in the shop and orders them to give him all the monies in their possession.

    The terrified vendors are seen packing bundles of money in their custody into a bag and handing the bag over to the robbers. The robbers then sped off on a motorbike.

    Source: kasapafmonline.com

  • Wesley Girls, six others come tops in WASSCE ranking for Central Region

    Best performing schools in the 2020 National West Africa Secondary Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) rankings for the Central Region have been awarded with citation of merit.

    The ceremony, which was to motivate hard working teachers, students and their schools, saw seven schools receiving the awards.

    Wesley Girls Senior High School (SHS) was adjudged the Best Performing School in the region, followed by St. Augustine’s College, and St. Theresa’s Seminary at Amisano.

    Holy Child School, Ghana National College, Mfantsipim School and Bisease Ajumako SHS, followed in that order.

    Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, said the Government was laying a solid foundation where education would be the driver to transform the socio-economic fortunes of the nation.

    That, he said, would in no time help to realise the Ghanaian dream where people would live a fulfilled life.

    According to him, the performances of the free SHS graduates indicated that the policy was not a mistake but a necessary intervention, which had come to transform the country.

    He said but for the Free Senior High School Policy, many students could not have made it to the secondary school.

    Dr Adutwum expressed delight about the performance of the free SHS graduates and said it gave hope for the country.

    He commended the students for their hard work and discipline in the schools, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Dr Adutwum advised the students not to decry their present conditions but remain determined, focused, put in extra efforts in their studies and in the end, success would be their portion.

    “You do not have an excuse not to be successful if you are in St. Augustine’s College or any of the schools receiving an award here. Train yourself and perceive opportunities to take you far. Study hard and something good will happen to you,” he said.

    He urged the schools to keep the hard work and maintain their reputation saying the rest of the schools were also aiming to receive awards in the coming years.

    Dr Adutwum encouraged the students to take advantage of the free SHS to fulfill the vision of the Ghana beyond Aid.

    “Your determination to succeed is what will propel us into that kind of country where our better days will always be ahead of us,” Dr Adutwum said.

    Madam Martha Owusu Agyemang, the Central Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), urged the region to maintain its pride as the citadel of education in Ghana.

    She was not happy about the region’s performance in the recent WASSCE and urged all stakeholders to continue to collaborate to recapture their positions.

    Madam Agyemang described the awards scheme as timely, which offered the schools the opportunity to reflect on their achievements and the envisaged successes.

    Awards, she noted, encouraged competitive spirit and expressed the hope that it would ginger students to work harder in their academic pursuits and teachers to give of their best.

    Source: GNA

  • Minority accuses government of bloating cost of cocoa roads

    Minority Spokesperson on Roads, Kwame Agbodza has accused the New Patriotic Party government of inflating the cost of cocoa roads.

    According to the Minority in Parliament, the government bloated the cost of roads after the Agriculture Minister stated that 12,000 kilometres of cocoa roads costing GH₵13.6 billion have been completed since 2019.

    But answering questions on the floor of Parliament, the Agric Minister, Owusu Afriyie Akoto, noted that the mode of awarding contracts was fair and transparent.

    “Mr Speaker, under the current administration, 286 cocoa roads contract with a total length of 4465.89 kilometres have been completed for construction since 2019 at the cost of GH₵13.6 billion. The entire review process and project preparations were done upon several engagements and considerations with the legacy group.”

    However, according to Kwame Agbodza, the cost of cocoa roads does not give value to money. He also claimed that the NPP government awarded contracts based on sole sourcing.

    He said, “Under the NDC, 2,900 kilometres of those roads cost GH₵ 5.1 billion. The question we should be asking is why project costs in this country went up so astronomically under the NPP. Out of 286 projects, [a] whopping 1077 were awarded on sole sourcing. This is a government you can never trust. They tell you to look up, you should be looking down.”

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Police begin investigation into killing of KK Sarpongs drivers wife

    The Ashanti Regional Police Command among other things is seeking to establish whether the killing of one Benedicta Pokua Sarpong was a case of contract killing as it has commenced investigations into the case.

    According to the Regional Public Relations Officer, ASP Godwin Ahianyo, the case was reported to the police by the husband of the deceased, Nana Osei Agyemang Prempeh at around 12:30 am on Monday, June 14, 2021, after they were attacked by unknown gunmen.

    Benedicta who was shot by the attackers was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for treatment but was declared dead later.

    “Yesterday [Sunday], the Regional CID received complaints from one Nana Osei Agyemang Prempeh that his wife has been shot by some unknown gunmen at the airport roundabout, but unfortunately when the wife whose name was given to the Police as Benedicta Pokua Sarpong was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital where she was undergoing treatment, she passed on.

    “The incident according to the gentleman happened around 12.30am thereabout. So far we have not been able to effect any arrest but we have asked our informants to help us get to the bottom of the matter.”

    “We do not know whether it was a robbery or a contract killing because nothing was taken from the husband who is the complainant in this case. The Police have begun investigations into the matter hoping to unravel the circumstances that led to the murder of the woman,” ASP Ahianyo explained.

    Husband of the deceased, Nana Opoku Agyemang Prempeh is a known New Patriotic Party Member who has become popular after a recent video of his went viral on social media.

    In the video, Nana Prempeh who is reported to be a personal driver of Senior NPP Member, Dr Kofi Kodua (KK) Sarpong is seen flaunting bundles and wads of dollars.

    The video became a topic of discussion with social media users sharing varied opinions.

    In his narration of the attack leading to the death of his wife, Nana Prempeh explained that he was driving in a different car behind his wife when the attackers crossed and shot at her.

    According to the bereaved, his wife was at the time driving in his white Range Rover with a customized number plate.

    It is yet to be known whether Nana Prempeh was the intended target of the attack.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • 59th ECOWAS Ordinary Summit comes off today in Accra

    Ghana will host the 59th Ordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government from Tuesday, June 15 to Saturday, June 19, in Accra.

    The meeting would deliberate on pertinent issues threatening the peace and stability of the West African sub-region and find solutions to them.

    It would be attended by 15 Heads of State in West Africa, except Mali, which has been suspended from the regional bloc following the recent political upheavals there.

    Other dignitaries expected include the ECOWAS President and Vice, Commissioners and supporting staff and former Nigeria President, Mr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who is the ECOWAS Special Envoy, mediating the Mali political crisis.

    He would present a report on his recent visit to the West African country after the Emergency ECOWAS Summit held in Accra on May 30, 2021.

    A communique would be issued at the end of the Summit to highlight key decisions reached during the deliberations.

    Ms Shirley Ayorko Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, announced this at the Minister’s media briefing in Accra on Monday.

    The Summit would be preceded by the 46th Ordinary Meeting of ECOWAS Mediation and Security Ministerial Council on Tuesday, June 15 and 86th Ordinary Meeting of ECOWAS Council of Ministers on June 16 and 17 at the Movenpic Hotel in Accra.

    Other equally important issues on the agenda include ECOWAS Vision 2050, ECOWAS Information and Research Forum; humanitarian issues in the sub-region, report on ECOWAS Trade and Industry Ministerial Meeting, Ministerial Report on ECOWAS Single Currency and New Convergence Path, Regional Flood Risk Initiative and Management Strategy as well as the ECOWAS Gender Strategy and Action Plan.

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, ECOWAS Chair, is expected to open the 59th Ordinary Summit at the Kempinski Gold Coast City Hotel in Accra on Saturday.

    Source: GNA

  • Farmer found dead at Wassa Atobiase

    A farmer believed to be in his 60s was found dead on Sunday, June 13, 2021, on his cocoa farm at Wassa Atobiase in the Wassa East District of the Western Region.

    The deceased identified as Abusuapanyin Pharoah according to a Daily Guide report sighted by GhanaWeb left home on Sunday morning for church service in another community but failed to return after several hours.

    Being alarmed, a search party made up of some young men in the community later in the day went to the cocoa farm of the deceased to look for him.

    His lifeless body was found by the group under one of the cocoa trees lying in a supine position.

    According to the search party, there were indications on the body of the deceased suggesting he had been shot by an unknown assailant. They discovered gunshot wounds on the deceased who had his Wellington Boots lying beside him.

    Police were later called to the scene following which the body was conveyed to a hospital morgue for autopsy and preservation while investigation commenced.

    Assemblymember of the area, John Kankam confirming the news indicated that a sister of the deceased has been invited by the police to assist in investigations.

    According to the Assemblyman, the deceased in recent times had been involved in litigation with the said sister over the very farmland where his lifeless body was discovered.

    He however stated that it is unknown if the death is connected with the litigation.

    The death of Abusuapanyin Pharoah who is said to have left behind two wives and a number of children is said to have thrown the entire community into a state of shock.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • We dont work with recruitment agencies VRA cautions general public

    The Volta River Authority has cautioned the general public to desist from engaging the services of some unscrupulous persons purporting to work with the VRA.

    According to the VRA, they do not liaise with any agency to recruit potential job seekers for them.

    This comes on the back of several complaints made by potential job seekers to the authority on how one Bishop Mensah has been issuing fake appointments letters to them in the name of the Volta River Authority.

    In a statement issued by the VRA, it urged the public to disregard the activities of these persons and/or send a WhatsApp to the number 0501620439 for verification.

    “The VRA wishes to wish to caution the unsuspecting public to be cautious on their dealings with such fraudulent person(s) and for further advise, they should contact the VRA,” portions of the statement said.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • IGP fumes over killing of police officer; reminds banks about June deadline

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP) has directed the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to take over investigations into the deadly attack of a bullion van at Adedenpo, a suburb of Jamestown in Accra, leading to the shooting of a police constable.

    The police officer and a hawker were killed by armed robbers who attacked the bullion van on motorbikes.

    The armed robbers are reported to have attacked the bullion van at about 11:00am and fired sporadically into the air.

    A press release issued by the police on Monday, June 14 said preliminary investigations have been done. “Crime scene experts have already visited the scene of crime and are going through the necessary procedures.”

    But the IGP, James Oppong-Boanuh, reminded the Association of Bankers “to provide fortified armoured vehicles for carting currencies by the close of June 2021 as earlier agreed between them and the [Ghana] Police Service, lest the Police withdraws its officers for escort duties”.

    The names of the victims have been given as Constable Emmanuel Osei and Afua Badu.

    Meanwhile, persons with information on the attack can contact any police station or call the investigation team on 0262122086, 0244994564 or 0244280001.

    Source: 3news.com

  • See this 1958 graduation photo from the KNUST

    In 1958, the setting for a university graduation was obviously not as flamboyant as we have them today but the essence of those events cannot be said to have been any less.

    In this supposed photo of a graduation ceremony from the Kumasi College of Technology, now the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science of Technology, the graduating class is seen clad in rich kente, representing the great heritage of this country.

    A few though, are spotted in their suits and matching flying ties.

    With their signature post-independence haircuts to match, these fresh graduates are seen standing, as would be the situation when the National Anthem is being played.

    The image was shared by the Ghana Stories (@Ghanaspotlight) on Twitter.

    See it here:

    https://twitter.com/Ghanaspotlight/status/1403675088302575616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1403675088302575616%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ghanaweb.com%2FGhanaHomePage%2FNewsArchive%2FSee-this-1958-graduation-photo-from-the-KNUST-1286251

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Robbers kill police in bullion van at Korle-Bu, driver seriously injured

    A police officer in a bullion van and a passerby were on Monday (June 14) shot and killed by armed robbers at Korle-Bu around the Bukom boxing arena in Accra.

    Videos posted on social media show the policeman’s lifeless body dripping with blood after the attackers had bolted making away with the officer’s gun.

    According to eye witnesses, whereas the two victims died on the spot, the bullion van driver, who sustained injuries was rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching hospital.

    In a tweet sighted by GhanaWeb on this developing story, a tweep reported that there’s been “an attack on bullion van initiated by 4 motorbikes around the Bukom boxing Arena area. The policeman in the van shot dead, and his gun stolen by the robbers… It happened about 45-60mins ago.”

    The bodies of the deceased have been taken to the Police Hospital for preservation and autopsy. Police are yet to comment on the development.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Two kidnapped Fulani herdsmen reportedly rescued by police in Savannah region

    Two Fulani herdsmen who were kidnapped at Daboya in the North Gonja district have been rescued by the Savannah Regional police command.

    The Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Adjekum Owusu noted that the rescue of Alhaji Nyandiya and Marchu was carried out by the regional police and the National Intelligence Unit at the police headquarters.

    Though the police could not apprehend the suspects upon arrival at the scene, they were, however, able to save the two kidnapped men.

    Supt. Adjekum Owusu stated that the kidnappers had earlier demanded a ransom of GH¢130,000 before the victims would be released.

    After the operation, he told the media that, “The suspects ran away but the most important thing is that we have rescued the victims and for them not to be hurt.”

    Supt. Owusu cautioned residents especially the Fulani herdsmen to not walk alone in the bushes when they send their cattle out for grazing.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Wife of KK Sarpong’s aide shot dead

    The Ashanti Regional Police Command of the Ghana Police Service is investigating the alleged murder of wife of aide to Dr KK Sarpong, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Nana Prempeh.

    Benedicta Abena Pokua was shot dead Saturday evening by unknown assailants while driving at the forecourt of Joefel Restaurant at Dichemso, a suburb of Kumasi.

    Recounting the incident on Akoma FMs current affairs and political show GhanAkoma on Monday, June 14, husband Nana Prempeh told host of the show Aduanaba Kofi Asante Ennin that “while on our way from Joefel Restaurant, my wife was driving my white Range Rover with a customized registration number PREMPEH 1- 21.”

    “She was driving ahead of me while I was in a different car. All what I saw was someone had rushed her and opened gunfire at her. They shot multiple times and sped off.”

    Nana Prempeh in a sobbing voice explained that he is convinced the armed men were coming for him but little did they know he had swapped cars with his wife.

    Police are tight-lipped on the issue as it is yet to go public.

    The assailants are still at large as investigation is underway to unravel the killers of Abena Pokua.

    Source: 3news.com

  • It is extremely difficult to procure vaccines directly from manufacturers – Ayorkor Botchwey

    Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has said justified why government used middlemen to procure the Sputnik V Vaccine.

    Addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday, June 14, the foreign affairs minister said it has not been easy to get the vaccines directly from the manufacturers.

    “It has not been easy at all. Not just for Ghana, but for any of our country and not just for Africa but also for other countries around the world. Whether we were involved. Yes, we were involved and I can assure you that it is difficult to procure vaccines directly from manufacturers,” she said.

    The foreign minister added that having enough does not guarantee a country direct access to procure vaccines from the source.

    “It is difficult, extremely so even if you have money to procure vaccines from the source. It is almost impossible and so we made contact and we still continue to pursue getting the vaccines. It has not been easy.

    She also indicated that Ghana has been working around the clock to make sure that it procures vaccines for the country.

    “Whether we were involved? Yes, from the beginning we were involved but I can assure you that it is difficult to procure vaccines directly from manufacturers but whatever decision government takes, the responsibility is all of us. It is a collective responsibility and it is a collective decision that was taken. Government will only take that decision if all avenues are closed to it.”

    Ghana has been cited in an investigative report in a Norwegian newspaper Vergens Gang for agreeing to procure the Sputnik V vaccines from a businessman at a unit price of $19 instead of $10.

    The Ministry of Health has justified the purchase of Sputnik V vaccines at almost double the factory price, emphasising the negotiations were held at a time of scarcity of the products across the globe.

    But a statement issued by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, June 9 said: “We were torn between accepting the price to enable us have access to the vaccine or facing the situation of the seller withdrawing from the negotiations to the extent that the 15,000 doses that had been shipped to Ghana were going to be rerouted to other countries.”

    The statement signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, noted that the government was unable to obtain direct supplies of the vaccines from the Russian government and so had to resort to one Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the supplies.

    According to the Ministry, $10 was the ex-factory price but the Emirati offered to sell the vaccines at $25 per dose.

    This was slashed by $6 after negotiations, according to the statement.

    This is the result of the cost build-up to the ex-factory price of US$10 per dose, taking into account land transportation, shipment, insurance, handling and special storage charges, as explained by the seller.

    “These are the factors which led us to agree on the final price of US$19 per dose,” the Ministry stressed.

    It has assured Ghanaians that “it will endeavour to secure vaccines for the Ghanaian people, despite global shortages and cognisant of price and legal considerations”.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • GSA calls for enforcement of safety protocols at filling stations

    Professor Alex Dodoo, the Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), has called on Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to employ health and safety officers at filling stations to enforce the standards.

    He said transparency, education, accountability and certification were crucial in ensuring safety in the oil marketing sector.

    Prof Dodoo said this at the launch of the 2021 Safety Week Celebration, instituted by the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMCs) to enforce health and safety standards within the industry.

    It was on the theme: “Reinforcing Positive Behaviour at the Workplace to Achieve Safety in this era of COVID-19 pandemic”.

    As part of activities for the Week, experts from the oil marketing industry, regulators including the National Petroleum Authority, Energy Ministry, the Police, National Security Ministry, and National Fire Service would brainstorm and devise ways to improve safety in the industry.

    Prof Dodoo entreated oil marketing companies to comply with the ISO: 45001 standards.

    Mr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, said the Agency would strictly hold state institutions and industry players accountable for any disregard of the laws.

    “Attitudinal change is crucial to transforming the sector. If we don’t change our attitudes, it will be difficult to get to where we want to get to”.

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) James Oppong-Boanuh, in a speech read on his behalf, said the Police Administration would clamp down on armed robbers attacking retail outlets, adding: “The police will not ignore its lawful mandate.”

    “We are committed to our constitutional mandate of protecting property. Criminals who attack retail outlets are operating as a network with some of your employees. Check the backgrounds of the people before you employ them and crosscheck from Police as we have a database of all criminals,” he said.

    “Engage the Ghana National Fire Service to train your personnel in order to overcome occupational hazards”.

    Mr Henry Akwaboah, the Chairman of the AOMC Board of Governors, charged the companies to consistently enforce safety protocols at workplaces.

    “Achieving incident-free operations within the industry, offices and retail outlets is a collective responsibility that requires all hands on deck,” he said.

    “The theme is a reminder to all that achieving incident-free operations at workplaces requires the involvement of all persons in the organisation, from the Chief Executive Officer to the lower rank under the chain of command”.

    He said leaders of organisations must demonstrate unwavering personal attitude to inculcate such character in the employees.

    Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Duah, the AOMC Coordinator, explained that the outcome of deliberations would be compiled to enhance learning outcomes for industry players to intensify public education.

    He noted that the Association would strictly enforce safety and other regulated laws to ensure safety and protection of the industry.

    Mr Agyemang-Duah said any OMC who failed to comply with standard protocols would be exposed, arrested, and prosecuted to deter others from wrongdoing.

    Source: GNA

  • UG: Student Accounts Office reopens after Senior Staff call off strike

    The Students Accounts Office of the University of Ghana has resumed work after the indefinite strike by members of Senior Staff Association Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) of which workers of the office are part.

    On Thursday, May 20, 2021, the Students Accounts Office served notice of their intended strike; after an emergency meeting held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on Tuesday, 18th May 2021 on the conditions of service of its members.

    The Students Account Office at the University of Ghana helps students experiencing difficulties in registering their courses because of issues pertaining to the reflection of fees on their student portal.

    Since the registration portal was opened for academic registration on Monday 31st May 2021, Level 100 and 400 students have thronged the accounts office located at Jones Quartey Building (JQB) to seek rectifications on the reflection of fees paid.

    However, due to the industrial action, students in previous days did not get the assistance they needed.

    The second cohort of the modular system comprising level 100 and 400 students and post-first-degree law level 200 students are however expected to report to school on Thursday, 17th June 2021.

    Source: universnewsroom.com

  • Sputnik V vaccine: Agyeman-Manu must face Parliament – Minority demands

    The Minority caucus in Parliament has served notice that it will push for Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu to appear before the house to establish the reasoning behind government’s decision to purchase 3.4 million doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines.

    One of the main points of controversy has been around the cost of a dose which is $19 through middlemen as compared to the ex-factory price of $10 per dose.

    The Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh in an interview with Citi News monitored by GhanaWeb described the contract as a rip off that required further explanation from government.

    “We have indicated to the Chairman of the Health Committee that the Health Minister be brought back to the Committee so that we get the opportunity to ask him more questions for him to clarify. I am sure we will be able to interrogate the issues and interrogate them well.

    “We are not going to relax on this particular matter even if it demands that we travel to Russia to look for more information, we will do it,” he stated.

    In a related development, Lawyer Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner is asking President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack the Minister of Health for his “sloppy” role in the procurement of the vaccines.

    “He should know that Ghanaians are very vigilant; so this one, I think the Health Minister has been too sloppy and the least the President can do is to sack him. The President should know that we are very angry with what the Health Minister has done, he has not shown prudence at all and has also shown no sensitivity to how Ghanaians react to issues of money,” Mr Kpebu said in an interview with Citi News.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Local printing firms to print textbooks for basic schools Education Minister announces

    The government has ceded 100 percent of the printing of textbooks for pupils in basic schools to local printers.

    However, any publisher without an agreement with a local printer will not be considered.

    Consequently, all publishers who are already pre-qualified have been asked to present signed agreements with local printers.

    For a start, the textbooks to be printed will cover kindergarten to primary six.

    The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra last Friday, said: “Any publisher without an agreement with a local printer will not be considered in the offer.”

    Empowering local printers

    Explaining the idea behind the move, the minister said: “The whole idea is that we want to encourage and empower the local printing business.”

    “That is why we want to make sure that they come with an agreement with the local printers, which indicates the designated location of the local printer,” he added.

    Dr Adutwum said the government was aware of the capacity of local printers and was, therefore, determined that they get the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities.

    He gave an assurance that structures would be put in place to police publishers to ensure that no publisher nor printer took the contract outside the country.

    Although he fell short of pronouncing punitive measures against any publisher who might take the contract outside the country to print, it was clear that he had some severe measures up his sleeve.

    Capacity

    Dr Adutwum said so far, publishers had not made any request regarding permission to print a certain percentage abroad, as had been done previously, stressing that such request would not be permitted.

    “We have taken this position because there are local printers with the capacity who are competitive,” he said, adding that he knew of some local printers who could easily match the offers the Indians and the Chinese were offering to publishers.

    “The bottom line, for me, is that if we have those printers in the system, why would you want to go outside? And that is my point,” Dr Adutwum said.

    Asked when the printing would start, the minister explained that it was a process, adding that the first step had already been taken, which was the pre-qualification, and the next thing was for the publishers to submit quotations.

    Dr Adutwum acknowledged the fact that giving local printers the opportunity had a number of positive implications, adding that it would provide job opportunities for the youth.

    Background

    Previously, the printing of textbooks was mostly done outside the country, with local printers complaining that it was a disincentive to local businesses.

    In some cases, a minimal percentage was given to local printers, while the bulk of the printing was done outside the country.

    In 2016, however, the then government decided that the printing of textbooks for schools would be done by local printers, and by 2017 when the printing actually began, more than 40,000 people were employed in the sector.

    Aside from employment opportunities, the contract also afforded local printers the opportunity to build their capacity and expand their operations.

    Source: universnewsroom.com

  • Leave social media, come and plant trees Oti Regional Minister to #FixTheCountry campaigners

    Oti Regional Minister, Dr Joshua Makubu has called on #FixTheCountry campaigners to rally behind the government’s project to plant 5 million trees nationwide.

    During the official launch of the project on Friday, June 11, the minister said the campaigners should do away with social media and be part of the Green Ghana project, a way to fix the deteriorating environment.

    Environmental degradation remains one of the major issues in Ghana, hence, the need for all, including the FixTheCountry protesters in the region to plant trees to save lives, he stated.

    He asserted that “a way we can all contribute in our little way to fix the problem of environmental degradation. Therefore, I call on all those who support the fix the country agenda to leave the social media, come down and plant the trees.

    “I think it would be more beneficial to get onto the grounds and plant trees than jumping onto the streets and breaking the trees that are getting finished and come back, and the problem would not have been solved…So, fix Ghana people in the Oti region, let us get together and fix our environment,” he stated.

    The seedlings for the Green Ghana project was supplied by the Forestry Commission. It included ornamental plants, shade plants and fruits.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • 4 Chinese nationals deported over galamsey

    A Kumasi High Court has convicted four Chinese nationals for their involvement in illegal mining activities widely known as galamsey on a 40-acre land belonging to Seidu Fanzia School at Adaase within the Obuasi municipality.

    The four; Shi Li Wen, Huang Shen Jun, Li DeHao and Lan Hai Song have been deported for working without required permits as well as using fraudulent means to validate their residence in Ghana.

    They were arrested together with their Ghanaian accomplice, Asamoah Kati after Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe granted an absconding warrant.

    According to the presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe, “The four Chinese citizens who have all violated sections 23(1) and 35(1, d) of the Immigration Act 2000 (Act 573) of Ghana, found working by prospecting for gold on the disputed site at Obuasi, are to be deported to their country of origin by this court and are hereby deported.”

    He noted that these illegal miners were working under the protection of gunmen.

    Earlier, the four had failed to meet a bail condition of GH₵200,000 each with two sureties and a request by their lawyer, Benjamin Andoh, for variation was thrown out.

    The convicts failed to meet the bail condition of GH¢200,000 each with two sureties. This led the court to order them to submit their passports and work permits for fear of absconding before the final determination of the case.

    The four convicts have been in prison custody since April 19, 2021, until Thursday, June 3, when the court ordered their deportation.

    “The retention slip numbers and dates on which the passports were retained creates much suspicion as to when they applied for renewals of their resident and work permits and when they were arrested at their site on April 19, 2021… I Number 0223059 issued on 08/03/20221. II Number 0223060 issued on 23/02/2021. III Number 0223061 issued on 03/03/2021.”

    “Strangely, slip number 0223060 was issued on February 23, 2021, as the first one. The second to be issued was number 0223061 on March 3, 2021, and the last to be issued was number 0223059, which is the earliest serially but was the last to be issued on March 8, 2021,” the court said.

    Presiding Judge, His Lordship Justice Amedahe blamed officials at the Kumasi office of the Ghana Immigration Service for deliberately accepting applications of the convicts against their mandates.

    He noted that such applications are only done at the National Headquarters.

    He, therefore, called on the Interior Minister to reconsider the use of the discretion of the Immigration officers in granting resident permits to foreigners who arrive in the country on 60 days, B1 visas.

    Meanwhile, the plaintiffs, Borometech Construction Company Limited, Seidu Fanzia School and Samuel Aboagye are seeking compensation and reliefs including the restoration of a mini development of land estimated at GH₵500,000.00.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Dismissing impact of June 4 revolution on the fourth republic hypocritical Zanetor

    The Member of Parliament for the KlotteyKorle Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings has said that the relevance of the June 4th uprising on the fourth republic dispensation is quite clear and cannot be discounted in any way.

    She made this remark when she took her turn as the first speaker to address members of the London South Branch of the NDC when they celebrated the 42nd Anniversary on the theme; “The Impact of The June 4th On The Fourth Republic of Ghana”.

    She said a lot of countries around the world can draw inspiration and connection to their present political and economic situation because of their past. She argued that most successful countries around the world have gone through a similar experience as the June 4th uprising, citing Rwanda as a typical example that has shaped what they enjoy currently.

    Zanetor said the principles of June 4th are still a mirror to guide the country as we move forward and that people who are quick to dismiss the impact of the revolution on the Fourth Republic dispensation are just being hypocritical. She further made the assertion that there is some sense of impunity that people can break the law based on their political inclination which the principles of June 4th stood against.

    A founding member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Goosie Tanoh also traced the antecedent of the political history of Ghana since the Nkrumah days at the time when politicians were fighting for political legitimacy. He praised the extraordinary courage of Former President Rawlings, who emerged as the leader of the revolution at a time when the country was in dire need of leadership to deal with the mess that has been created by the military.

    He further stated that the military government at the time had created a very oppressive and corrupt system that affected the economic lives of the ordinary Ghanaian. There was a massive shortage of necessities across the country and no foreign exchange for business transactions. There was also a massive brain drain which affected the capacity of the economy to develop.

    He further noted that by the time Rawlings captured power, there was so much tension in the country as a result of the corruption and the oppressive nature of the regime. Almost all state institutions in the country had collapsed including the judiciary which was seen as very partisan in their adjudication of cases.

    He posited that the country is now grappling with the same issues that preceded June 4th with general economic hardship rife in the country and a sense of impunity and lack of regard for the law. He said the nature of politics is grounded in the economic life of the ordinary Ghanaian and that is what politicians should pay attention to.

    “The relevance of the June 4th cannot be discounted as it transited to the PNDC era which laid the foundation for the 4th Republic that we currently enjoy,” he stressed.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Suspected robber sustains Police gunshot wound when escaping

    Thirty-year-old Kofi Mensah, the robbery suspect, failed to escape arrest when was shot and wounded by a police patrol team.

    Mensah and his colleague were scaling a wall to run from the Police after a robbery spree but his colleague whose identity is not known escaped.

    Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, Head of Public Affairs Unit, Accra Regional Police Command, who briefed the Ghana News Agency, said the suspect was rushed to the Police Hospital where he was treated and discharged.

    She explained that the suspect had been detained and was being processed for court on Monday.

    She said on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at about 2130 hours, the Achimota School District Police was on snap check duty at the GIMPA/Fiesta Royal Junction when a driver informed them that he had been attacked by two young men at a section of the GIMPA Fiesta Royal stretch.

    The team proceeded to the direction given them and the two suspects upon seeing them fled into the Achimota Forest, Mrs Tenge added.

    DSP Tenge said the Police laid ambush only for the suspects to emerge from another side of the Forest to continue their robbery spree.

    Unknown to them that they were being monitored by the Police, the suspected robbers attacked another driver.

    The Head of the Public Affairs Unit said the team gave them a hot chase where one of them scaled a nearby fence wall and escaped but Mensah was shot in an attempt to jump the wall too.

    Source: GNA

  • Parliament urged to pass Community Service Bill

    Stakeholders at a roundtable on the need for Ghana to consider non-custodial sentences in cases of misdemeanour, have called on Parliament to pass the Community Service Bill (non-custodial law) to help decongest the prisons and make them more effective.

    They also appealed to the Ministry of the Interior to exert pressure on Parliament for the passage.

    Referring to the Ghanaian Judicial System, they said it was empowered with custodial sentences: probation, parole and restricted non-custodial sentence such as fine, thus the need for the law to be passed.

    Ghana should also implement the Tokyo Rules it is signatory to, which had broad non-custodial sentences it could choose from, they said.

    Mr Jonathan Osei Owusu, the Facilitator for “Justice For All,” at the roundtable, organised by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), said Ghana should not wait any longer but try the system, learn and perfect it.

    He said the justice system should be retributive whereby the offender would reform and victims would forgive, citing restitution, among others, which were found in the Tokyo Rules under the non-custodial sentences.

    There should be enough public education to avoid stigmatisation where citizens would be encouraged to get on board to help reintegrate ex-convicts, he said.

    Mr Owusu said keeping the inmates whereby the place was already congested was a drain on the country’s budget and, therefore, proposed that non-custodial sentences should be considered in terms of misdemeanour (offences which attract sentences less than three years).

    Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) Stephen Okai Aboagye, at the Legal Unit, Ghana Prisons Service, disclosed that Ghanaian prisons had an excess of 3,247 inmates, thus the need to decongest them.

    As a result, convicts with different crime magnitudes were put together making the less hardened more hardened after serving their terms, he said.

    ASP Aboagye said that negated the purpose for keeping the inmates, which were for reformation, rehabilitation and proper reintegration, resulting in recidivism.

    He explained that out of the 13,192 inmates, 1,554 were on remand whilst 11,638 had been convicted.

    Apostle Lawrence Otu Nyarko, the Finance and Administration Director, Church of Pentecost, said when one committed an offence, the community should benefit from the punishment given.

    He, therefore, suggested community service, including sweeping and planting of trees, while the convicts reported to the police till the term ended.

    He said that practice, when adopted, would be humiliating enough to deter others from committing crimes.

    Mrs Ameley Dankwa Agyeman from the Office of the Attorney General, said judges must be encouraged to consider non-custodial sentences.

    Madam Gifty Quaye, Assistant Director, Ministry of the Interior, said it was the Ministry’s priority to pass the Non-Custodial Bill, related to the Criminal Offence Act.

    She said government was financially constrained, hence the delay.

    Source: GNA

  • Tree planting exercise may reduce disease and cost burden- NHIS Director

    Mr Emmanuel Okyere, The Western Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority, has commended the initiators of the Greening Ghana project to help rejuvenate the environment and increase the level of good air.

    He said aside from Oxygen, trees gave food, served as windbreakers, shelter and stopped erosions and thus the need to have them more in the environment.

    The NHIA Boss said this during a tree planting exercise at the compound and the frontage of the Regional office in Sekondi.

    He said as health insurers, a good environment would ultimately reduce the disease burden and may save the Authority in the long term on the cost of avoidable diseases.

    The trees would be planted in offices of the Authority across the Region with each staff owning one to care for until maturity.

    Mr Okyere encouraged Ghanaians to renew their expired health insurance cards to derive the needed benefits from the Authority.

    Source: GNA

  • Effutu Paramount Chief cautions trespassers against reserved lands

    Neenyi Ghartey VII, Paramount Chief of Effutu Traditional Area, has cautioned persons who sell government reserve lands in the municipality to put an end to the practice or face prosecution.

    He said the Moni-Pomadze Ramsar site, a government land, was reserved for use by future generation and the Council would ensure it was well preserved.

    The Paramount Chief issued the caution when he joined stakeholders in the Municipality to plant trees at the Ramsar site to observe the “Green Ghana Day.”

    More than 400 tree seedlings, including coconut, Mahogany and Acacia, were planted to protect the site for the future generation.

    Among the stakeholders, who embarked on the exercise, including the Effutu Traditional Council, Asafo companies, Assembly staff, Decentralized departments, the Police and other Security Agencies, Assembly members and Students of the University of Education, Winneba.

    In an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the four-hour exercise, Neenyi Ghartey said the project would protect the Ramsar site and redeem the forests from degradation.

    Neenyi Ghartey assured the traditional authorities would contribute towards the sustainability of the trees and urged the people to nurture the trees planted.

    Mr John B. Ninson, acting Effutu Municipal Chief Executive, said the Assembly would partner with the Wildlife Division and the Forestry Commission to ensure the plants grow well.

    He said the Assembly had set up a task force to monitor activities of persons around the Ramsar site and apprehend people who would sabotage the project.

    He warned cattle owners and herdsmen, who allow their cattle to graze in those areas to stop the practice.

    Ms Vivian A. Addo, Effutu Municipal Wildlife Manager, stated that aside from the number of trees planted at the Ramsar Site, individuals in the area were provided with over 300 seedlings that were planted across the municipality.

    She said the Green Ghana celebration must not be a day’s event but must become a daily affair in all localities and urged people who wish to plant tree seedlings to contact the Commission to be supplied free of charge.

    She said indiscriminately cutting down a tree was detrimental and must be stopped because trees served as a windbreak and the leaves as manure when left to rot on farm lands.

    She further encouraged people living in the area to plant trees around their buildings to serve as windbreaks and to have the oxygen needed for survival.

    Source: GNA

  • Obuasi Municipal goes green as Assembly plans to plant 9,000 trees

    Chief Executive of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly (OMA), Elijah Adansi-Bonah has called on residents of the municipality to come out in their numbers and rally around the Green Ghana Project to plant 9,000 trees in Obuasi under the Green Ghana Project.

    The Green Ghana initiative is being championed by the Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

    Minister Samuel Jinapor during the launch of the programme mentioned that his Ministry is seeking to work out a formula where the trees planted will be economic trees.

    He added that the rationale for this exercise is to plant trees to make an investment for the future.

    Mr. Adansi-Bonah, while addressing the gathering at the launch of the Green Ghana Project at Nana Ponkor JHS in the Obuasi Municipality, praised the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for such a laudable project.

    “This bold initiative by the government will ensure the beautification of Obuasi and provide shades along pedestrian walkways, greening open spaces as well as mitigate the effects of climate change.”

    To make the project a successful one, Mr. Adansi-Bonah said: “I want to seize this opportunity to appeal to those who will go for the seedlings to protect and maintain the seedlings [and] ensure that the vision of the President to have a Green Ghana is achieved.”

    The officer in charge of the Obuasi Sub-station of the Forestry Commission talked about the preparedness of his outfit to take care and protect the seedlings once planted to ensure that the vision of the President is achieved.

    “My office has put in a mechanism where we will ensure that we take care and protect the plants for them to mature very well for the benefit of the entire Municipality.”

    Source: 3news.com

  • Fix UHAS roads Volta NDC to government

    The Volta Regional Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sorkpa K. Agbleze has called on the government to fix the roads leading to and within the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).

    In a statement, Mr. Agbleze justified that the roads need to be fixed because UHAS is being used as the COVID-19 testing centre for Volta, Oti, and parts of the Eastern region.

    In addition to this, he said the poor nature of the roads makes it particularly difficult for vehicles to bring COVID-19 samples from health facilities within these regions to the campus.

    He alleged that the UHAS Director of Physical Planning and Projects noted that phase two of the construction of the Central Administration Block, School of Nursing and Midwifery by the Chinese government which will cost $60 million will only commence after the UHAS access roads are constructed.

    “The UHAS roads are pathetically inaccessible for the students and lecturers, especially in this rainy season. Few days ago, the Metro Mass Transit that conveys students to lectures got stuck in the mud so were other vehicles that ply the roads on the UHAS campus,” he said in his statement.

    The roads in their current state Mr Agbleze noted are “pathetic and quite ironic that the year which was described as the year of roads by H.E. the President has seen very little or nothing as far as road construction in the Volta Region is concerned.”

    The NDC, in the Volta Region, is, therefore, calling on the government led by President Nana Akufo-Addo to make good their promise of constructing roads across the country especially in the Volta region.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • GIS intercepts 26 irregular migrants in UWR

    The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has intercepted 26 nationals of Burkina Faso who entered Ghana through unapproved routes in the Upper West Region.

    Nineteen of the irregular migrants were apprehended at Gwollu in the Sissala West District at about 1218 hours on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, while seven others were arrested at Nandom in the Nandom Municipality at about 1444 hours on the same day in separate operations.

    A statement issued in Wa and signed by Assistant Inspector Ibn Yussif Duranah Abdul-Mumin Seidu, the Upper West Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the GIS, and copied the Ghana News Agency, said the irregular migrants entered the country to engage in economic activities, including farming.

    The 19 migrants apprehended at Gwollu comprised of 13 males and six females between the ages of eight and 58 years, travelling to Wa on a Hyundai bus with registration number GS-4763-12.

    The seven other migrants, who were busted at Nandom, also accessed the country through unapproved routes on the Hamile stretch bordering Burkina Faso.

    “They were fished out of Ghanaian passengers on-board a Metro Mass Transit bus en route to Sunyani,” the statement indicated.

    The statement added that the irregular migrants were screened and repatriated.

    It urged the public to assist the GIS and the Border Security agencies “to clamp down on irregular, undocumented or prohibited migration to and from Ghana.”

    It also reminded the public of the Presidential directive on land borders closure, saying “anyone who is caught facilitating the activities of irregular migration would suffer the consequences.”

    Source: GNA

  • We need dedicated fund for epidemics – Specialist

    Mr Stephen Atasige, In-country Coordinator, Preventing Epidemics Programme, has called on government and stakeholders in the health sector to establish a dedicated fund for epidemic control and financing.

    He said the fund would help in controlling unexpected epidemics at their initial stages and mitigate the adverse effects.

    “COVID-19 has taught us a lesson on the need to have a special fund to handle epidemics before they become devastating,” he said.

    Mr Atasige made the call at a forum to collate inputs into the 2022 National Budget Statement and Economic policy on health financing.

    The event organised by SEND Ghana was aimed at seeking the inputs of stakeholders into the 2022 budget with a special focus on immunisation, epidemic financing and general health.

    Mr Atasige said the fund needed to be decentralized so that health centres at the community and district level could handle epidemics when they occur in their localities.

    He said the government could do this by dedicating a portion of the District Assembly and Members of Parliament (MPs) Common Fund into the epidemic fund.

    The Epidemic Control Coordinator said there was a need for enhanced infrastructure and facilities at health centres to facilitate the treatment of epidemics.

    “In the treatment of epidemics, we need well-resourced health centres that will be capable to contain the spread. Here, we are looking at establishing isolation and quarantine centres across the country,” he added.

    Reverend Ebenezer Asiamah, District Director of Health Services, Shai Osodoku District, said health officers relied on Internally Generated Funds (IGF) for transportation during immunization activities, which he described as worrisome.

    He said some health facilities did not have cold-chain refrigerating facilities to store vaccines, thereby, making them unsafe for immunization.

    The District Health Director said most health officers were unwilling to accept postings to remote areas and this resulted in inadequate health professionals in the rural areas.

    He urged the government and other stakeholders to provide adequate incentives to health professionals in rural areas to encourage others to accept posting to such areas.

    Dr Emmanuel Ayifah, Deputy Country Director, SEND Ghana, said there was inadequate funding in the health sector, especially with epidemic funding hence the need to advocate for funding in the sector.

    He reiterated that epidemics required swift response and reactions, saying, “we need to be proactive as a country to absorb the challenges that come along with them.”

    “Epidemics require quick response and reactions as a country and there is the need to be proactive to absorb the shocks that come along with them,” he added.

    Source: GNA

  • Ghana to have data on household toilets soon Sanitation Minister

    Sanitation remains one of the major problems of Ghana. Due to this, strategic measures have been put in place to curb this menace.

    The sector minister, Cecilia Dapaah has noted that the Akufo-Addo government will for the first time have data on households with toilet facilities.

    This will help trace households without the facility after the 2021 Population Census.

    She stated that the upcoming population census will have questions under WASH and this will help with the database collection to ensure cleanliness and growth in the country as far as sanitation is concerned.

    The Sanitation Minister said, “We have an input in the questionnaire in the 2021 Census and for the first time, we will have data on how many households have toilets and how households dispose off their solid and liquid waste. We hope to use this data to feed into our plans for development.”

    Touching on waste management, Cecilia Abena Dapaah noted that 8,100 litter bins have been distributed in 4 regions; Accra, Takoradi, Kumasi and Tamale.

    Though some of the bins have been bastardized, the sanitation minister said government will not up on the fight against sanitation, stressing that, they will keep inculcating good environmental attitudes in Ghanaians.

    She made this known during the unveiling of 126 waste management trucks in Accra earlier this week.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Deputy Roads and Highways Minister-nominee weeps before Appointments Committee

    Stephen Pambin Jalula, the deputy minister-designate for Roads and Highways, could not hold back his tears when he appeared before the Appointments Committee on Thursday, June 10, 2021.

    When he appeared before the Committee, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful asked the nominee why he left a note in his curriculum vitae (CV) saying that he could not sit for his final year exams during his secondary education.

    “Your educational background, Damongo Secondary School, the note you have added says that during your final exams in 1992, an internal conflict in Kpandai ignited between Gonjas and Komkombas so you had to abandon your final exams and leave Damongo to Sarbogba, why?

    “You were in school, why, where the schools closed?” she asked and urged the nominee to “explain this a bit further for the Committee.”

    Stephen Pambin Jalula became emotional as he recounted how violence disrupted his secondary level education at Damongo in 1992 to the Committee.

    He told the committee that a group of angry pupils decided to take revenge on students of Damongo Secondary School due to a conflict between the Gonjas and the Komkombas.

    That night, he said, had a dire effect on his development as a young man.

    “That is one of the unfortunate incidents that have characterized my development as a young man. During that particular conflict, as we know already, lives were lost, properties destroyed and people were displaced internally. So, this particular night, those students whose families were affected by the conflict decided to take revenge on us, so I had to…”

    He could no longer speak and had to remove his spectacles, take out a handkerchief and wipe away his tears.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu, then requested that the nominee be given some time to compose himself and entreated members of the Committee to proceed with other questions.

    Ursula Owusu-Ekuful apologised to Stephen Pambin Jalula for making him relive that sensitive experience.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Dont re-appoint MMDCEs involved in galamsey – GAAM

    The Western North Regional Branch of the Ghana Association of Assembly Members (GAAM) has appealed to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo not to re-appoint Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) involved in illegal mining activities.

    This was contained in a statement issued and signed by its Regional President, Mr. Frank Nelson Ackah at the end of their Regional Executives’ meeting in Kumasi.

    The Association has set Monday, June 14 to Thursday, June 17 to hold its Regional and District Executive elections.

    Mr Ackah in the statement indicated that plans were far advanced to hold a successful election and urged all the assembly members to follow laid down protocols to avoid any sanction.

    He noted that some seven electoral areas within the Aowin Municipality failed to elect their assembly members during the 2019 District Assembly and Unit Committee elections, and called on them to do so as soon as possible.

    He also urged Municipal and District Assemblies that did not have a Presiding Member (PM) to elect one before the appointment of the MMDCEs and warned that the Association would not allow any member to preside at assembly meetings to confirm any nominated MMDCE.

    Mr Ackah who is also an Assembly Member for Sefwi Asawianso Electoral in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality expressed the readiness of the Association to support members to accomplish their visions.

    ”I will also entreat all assembly members to support the activities of the Association for the betterment of the country”, he added.

    He encouraged the people of Sefwi to desist from unnecessarily begrudging strangers who have come to reside in the area for years over positions but rather foster unity among themselves for development.

    He admonished the Security Agencies, especially the Police to accord the Assembly members the same priorities and respect as they offered to government officials, noting that assembly members were the first point of contact in their respective communities if there was an incident.

    Source: GNA

  • Dont patronize unwholesome food – FDA urges public

    The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has urged the public to be mindful of the quality of food they patronize on the market to avoid consuming contaminated foods.

    They should also avoid food sold in unhygienic environment as well as those displayed on the bare grounds for their own safety and also discourage such vendors from exposing their customers to danger.

    Mrs. Nora Narkie Terlabie, the Ashanti Regional Director of the FDA who made the call, said vigilance on the part of consumers was critical to ensuring food safety.

    She was addressing the media in Kumasi as part of activities marking World Food Day, which was globally celebrated on June 7 to draw attention to the health consequences of contaminated food and water.

    The day is celebrated annually to spread awareness, detect and prevent foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development.

    According to the United Nations (UN), an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illness is recorded annually, making unsafe food a threat to human health and economies, disproportionally affecting vulnerable and marginalized people especially women and children.

    “Safe Food Today for a Healthy Tomorrow” is the theme for the 2021 celebration and focused on production and consumption of safe food and its immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet and the economy.

    It is in line with this that the FDA had been embarking on series of public engagements to create awareness on food safety to prevent needless foodborne diseases in the country.

    In the Ashanti Region, the FDA had been engaging market women, schools, the media and other identifiable groups on the need to handle food hygienically in the interest of public health and safety.

    Mrs Terlabie said every Ghanaian in the food value chain especially consumers had a role to play in proper handling and preservation of food and expressed concern about how some vendors and market women handled food meant for public consumption despite consistent education by the FDA and environmental health workers for them to do the right thing.

    She said it was important for all actors in the food value chain to prioritise the health of the final consumer and desist from practices that could compromise the health of the consumer.

    The Regional Director bemoaned the application of pesticides by some farmers few days before harvesting their crops, thereby ignoring the harmful effect it could have on consumers.

    Keeping food safe both at home and for public consumption, she noted, must not be compromised for any reason and urged Ghanaians to pay attention to the food they consume for a healthy living.

    Source: GNA

  • Armed robbers raid forex bureau close to Police headquarters

    Two armed men on a motorbike broke into a forex bureau close to the Police Headquarters in Osu in broad daylight and bolted with a sum of money on Wednesday, June 9.

    A video of the incident which has since gone viral shows the two robbers raid the forex bureau in a matter of minutes and flee the scene on a motorcycle, firing warning shots into the air.

    The security man at post stood in shock as the robbers rode past him and also made way through thick traffic while there was a policeman at post at the traffic light at the time the incident occurred.

    An eyewitness account of the incident complained about how the police whose office was not far from the scene of the incident failed to pursue the robbers.

    Despite firing the warning shots, no casualty was recorded.

    Elsewhere in Accra on the same day, another robbery case was recorded where a 34-year-old man was robbed and shot at Pigfarm.

    Apparently, the robbers had tracked him and eventually stopped him at the Pigfarm roundabout where they asked him to surrender his valuables.

    He, however, insisted and was shot in the stomach by the robbers who managed to flee the scene.

    The unidentified victim is currently receiving treatment at the 37 Military Hospital.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • You don’t have absolute immunity from prosecution Speaker tells MPs

    The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has told Members of Parliament(MP) that their immunity stated in Articles 117 and 118 of the Constitution is not absolute.

    According to the Speaker, the Constitution allows the courts to serve court processes on MPs who fail to observe their duties in the House.

    Addressing MPs on Wednesday, Alban Bagbin said some MPs evade attempts by court officials to serve processes on them during recess.

    This development, he described as unfortunate as he called for mutual respect between the legislature and the judiciary.

    Mr Bagbin also lamented on court processes served on some MPs when the House is in sessions without recourse to the Speaker.

    He went on to lay out an 11-point guideline on how parliamentarians can be brought before courts.

    As of now, MPs cannot be served with processes when parliament is in session without recourse to the Speaker.

    Parliamentarians cannot be served with court processes whilst within the boundaries of House without recourse to the Speaker.

    But they can be served when Parliament is on recess but not within the boundaries of Parliament.

    MPs are to direct service of court processes to the Speaker if they are to be served when the House is on recess.

    Where a member accepts service of processes and has entered appearance, the member is said to have become a party and will thus not be covered by immunities provided under the constitution.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com