TIG Post

Author: Phoebe Martekie Doku

  • Cocoa prices increased by 21%; bag of cocoa to cost GH¢800

    The Akufo-Addo government has announced a 21 percent increase in the producer price of cocoa.

    The announcement comes after the minority caucus of Parliament warned Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and thus the government against any attempt to short-change cocoa farmers by announcing prices that are below GH¢1000 per a bag of cocoa.

    “After all this uncertainty, government should not announce any price below GH¢1000 per bag, or GH¢16,000 per tonne. Ghanaians are all witnesses to the historic depreciation of the Cedi. In 2021, COCOBOD used an exchange rate of GH¢6 to $1.

    “We wish to remind them that the dollar is now more than 10. Even at the dollar equivalent price, farmers and all stakeholders including LBCs and Haulers should receive higher prices and margins this year,” parts of a statement issued by minority’s Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, on Wednesday, October 3, 2022 read.

    In a statement issued, on the same day, by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the government said that the 21 percent increase translates to GH¢800 per bag of 64 kg. gross weight and takes effect from Friday, October 14, 2022.

    “The 21% rise in the producer price of cocoa is a testament to government’s resolve to ensure farmers earn a decent income and make cocoa farming lucrative. Government will continue to implement initiatives to build a robust, resilient and sustainable cocoa industry where cocoa farmers and their communities will thrive.

    “To ensure a decent standard of living for Ghanaian cocoa farmers after retirement, government will from November 2022 move from the pilot phase to the implementation phase of the Cocoa Farmer’s pension scheme.

    “The Scheme remains an unprecedented achievement under His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo,” parts of the statement read.

    Read the full statement below:

    REVIEW OF THE PRODUCER PRICE OF COCOA FOR THE 2022/23 COCOA SEASON WEDNESDAY, 5TH OCTOBER 2022

    Introduction

    The Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC), under the Chairmanship of Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, met and agreed on the Producer Price of Cocoa for the 2022/2023 season which opens, Friday, 14th October, 2022.

    Producer Price

    We are pleased to announce that Government has increased the producer price of cocoa by 21% from GH¢10,560 per tonne to GH¢12,800.00 per tonne. The producer price represents 89.99% of the net FOB value. This figure translates into GH¢800 per bag of 64 kg. gross weight and takes effect from Friday, 14th October, 2022.

    The 21% rise in the producer price of cocoa is a testament to Government’s resolve to ensure farmers earn a decent income and make cocoa farming lucrative. Government will continue to implement initiatives to build a robust, resilient and sustainable cocoa industry where cocoa farmers and their communities will thrive.

    To ensure a decent standard of living for Ghanaian cocoa farmers after retirement, Government will from November 2022 move from the pilot phase to the implementation phase of the Cocoa Farmer’s pension scheme. The Scheme remains an unprecedented achievement under His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo.

    Other Rates and Fees

    The Committee has also approved the rates and fees for all other stakeholders in the supply chain. These include the Buyers’ margin, Hauliers’ rate, warehousing and internal marketing costs, as well as, fees for disinfestation, grading and sealing and scale inspection.

    Government Support and Commitment

    Government will continue to support cocoa farmers through the pests and diseases control programme (Mass Spraying) and rehabilitation of diseased cocoa farms. Government will also assist cocoa farmers by making the requisite inputs such as fertilizers available for farmers to buy to increase farm productivity. Government is committed to continuing to supply certified planting materials that are drought tolerant, early bearing and high-yielding.

    Ladies and Gentlemen, as you may be aware, the European Union will soon legislate Regulations on due diligence on Deforestation and Forest Degradation. This places enormous responsibility on us to ensure that cocoa is sustainably produced in Ghana. Issues of deforestation and forest degradation remain important in meeting the EU due diligence requirements.

    Once completed, the CMS will establish a national mandatory traceability system which will be transparent and accountable. This will ensure that all Ghana cocoa beans are traceable from the port of shipment to the plot of land that produced the beans. This is a key requirement under the European Union Due Diligence requirements.

    I am pleased to inform you that the first component of the CMS, which involves the establishment of a reliable farmer database (farm mapping and enumeration), is expected to be completed by the end of October 2022.

    Before I resume my seat, I wish to assure all stakeholders that COCOBOD has made available funds, jute sacks and related logistics for the smooth take-off of the 2022/23 Main Crop Season.

    Thank you very much for your attention.

    HON. DR. OWUSU AFRIYIE AKOTO ,

    MINISTER OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

     

  • President’s speech did not offer any new direction in fighting galamsey – Daryl Bosu

    Deputy National Director of Arocha Ghana, an environmental non-governmental organization, Daryl Bosu says President Akufo-Addo’s statement during a meeting with the National House of Chiefs to discuss effects of the ‘galamsey’ menace offers no new direction for the fight against the menace.

    President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday met members of the National House of Chiefs on illegal mining.

    The President stood by his declaration to put his presidency on the line in the fight against illegal mining popularly known as ‘galamsey’. He also implored the chiefs to take out any partisanship interests in the fight against the menace.

    The President noted that the battle is nowhere near being won despite all the efforts he and his government has put into fighting it.

    “We have tried many initiatives, including that of the Community Mining Scheme, and the establishment of a new legal regime for dealing with the perpetrators of this phenomenon, which has imposed severe sanctions on those Ghanaians and foreigners convicted of illegal mining. Still, we have not won the fight,” he said.

    Reacting to these comments, Mr. Bosu said President Akufo-Addo’s statement offered no home.

    “I must say that I struggle to really get any new action from what the President said. I listened to what the President was saying and it takes us back to 2017, most of it. Frankly, I am struggling unless maybe coming from the closed door meetings, we are going to see some more pragmatic action to address these menace but until then I did not really get anything new…there is nothing new for us here,” he said on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

    According to him, the President’s comment rather gives the notion that government admits to its failure in the fight against the canker.

    “I think what we are getting from the President is his admission that the fight against ‘galamsey’ has failed…for me, I feel it is going over the same issue over and over again without anything new,” he told Blessed Sogah.

  • Consumer Protection Agency raises alarm on sale of already registered SIM cards

    The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) has disclosed that it has uncovered a syndicate engaged in the sale of already registered SIM cards at outrageous prices.

    According to the Executive Director of the Agency, Kofi Kapito, the SIM cards have been pre-registered with the details of other persons and are being sold on the open market.

    Kofi Kapito said the Agency managed to purchase 15 of such SIM Cards from the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange (Circle) area. Others, he revealed, are stationed at the Kotoka International Airport and selling the pre-registered SIM cards to persons arriving in the country.

    “The CPA heard that some SIM cards are being sold on the market already registered and we felt it was not possible, but upon our investigations, we managed to secure some of these SIM cards and believe me, if you put it in your phone, it will work just like that.

    “The funny thing is that, how is it possible that it comes with the names of the owners of the SIM cards…if you arrive at Kotoka Airport some people are there selling to you pre-registered SIM cards,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

    The CPA thus called on the Communications Minister to urgently address the situation as it has implications for national security.

    “This is an opportunity for we all as Ghanaians especially the Minister for Communications who we are grateful to, for not cutting off the SIM cards as of the 1st of this month but we would like her to also go extra mile to get the security agencies involved…this is borderline fraud, if there is any fraud this is the highest…it is pure national security issue,” he added.

    Meanwhile, a Consumer advocacy firm, CUTS International, has urged the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization to shut the door on Ghanaians who have acquired their Ghana card, but are yet to re-register their mobile SIM cards.

    It however wants those who are yet to receive their Ghana card to be given some time so they could register their SIM cards going forward.

    Speaking to Joy Business, its Country Director, Kusi Appiah Adomako, said, any agency that intends to use Ghana card for registration purposes must work with the National Identification Authority (NIA) to achieve the intended purpose.

    “I think the Ministry of Communications did very well by heeding to the call from Ghanaians in extending the deadline to the end of this month [September 2022]. The data shows that lots of Ghanaians have taken advantage of the alternative registration platform which was created. If by now, someone has not registered, I think the person is not either having his or her Ghana card or the person doesn’t want to register”.

    “So people who have still not received their Ghana cards, I think those people should be given special dispensation needs to re-register their SIM cards. But if you have your Ghana card and have not registered then that person is not ready to register. And for that reason, those people do not really need an extension. That is what I will say”.

  • 55-year-old man killed during fight over goat meat

    A 55-year-old man has reportedly been killed during a fight over goat meat at Sehwi Paboase, a community in the Sehwi Wiawso Municipality of the Western North region.

    According to onuaonline.com, the victim who was identified as Buley was hit on the head by his close friend, Azuley, as they were fighting over a dead goat given to them by a neighbour.

    The report indicated that Buley and Azuley have been hunting for carcasses together but the goat meat they were given created some confusion between them after Buley felt cheated because of the part of the meat he was given.

    The two men started an altercation over the meat but the issue was resolved and they both went to their homes.

    The assemblyman for Paboase Electoral Area, Simon Okom, who was narrating the incident, said that the fight rekindled the next day when Buley went to Azuley’s house for his sack.

    He added that as the two men were fighting Azuley struck Buley’s head with a club and he was pronounced dead at the Sehwi Wiawso Government Hospital.

    “They both go around looking for carcasses. So a man gave them a goat and Buley felt cheated after getting only the head and some parts.

    “When he went home for his sack this morning, the disagreement continued and Buley hit Azuley first. So Azuley also hit him with a stick and he fell unconscious and died,” he is quoted to have said by onuaonline.com.

    The report also indicated that the mortal remains of the victim have been deposited at the Sehwi Wiawso Government Hospital Morgue.

    It added that the suspect, Azuley, run away from the community after the incident.

  • Let IGP lead the galamsey fight – Prof. Charles Marfo to government

    Prof. Charles Marfo, Provost of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s (KNUST) College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CoHSS), has echoed the clarion call for the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare to be entrusted with the fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey in the country, Purefmonline.com reports.

    The former President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) in an interview with Kwame Adinkrah on Kumasi-based Pure FM stated that the IGP has shown competence through his high-class tactical abilities and has over the period exerted the qualities needed to garner gains concerning the leadership responsibilities required to combat the galamsey menace.

    According to him, Government’s efforts to suppress galamsey activities so far do fall short of rewards and punishments modalities which he describes as a key ingredient to sustain the fight.

    He stated that the IGP has matured with such potential to tighten the loopholes and gaps in the galamsey fight processes.

    “Kwame, the last time, I heard you in one of the viral videos recommending the IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare as the man befitting for the galamsey fight job. I think so too.

    Let us look at this, for instance, he was denigrated for introducing the system where competent relatives replace officers who die in the line of duty, but Kwame, what has been the overall feedback and the attitude of our officers after this system was introduced?

    These are the rewards and punishments I am talking about. When I commit myself to the nation and I am gone, what happens to my family?”

    “We need a formidable system to cater for rewards, benefits or emoluments of front liners (security personnel) commissioned to these illegal mining areas.

    Such modalities will ingrain patriotism and uncompromising commitment toward the national course.

    This and many more I think Dampare is likely to bring on board if he’s left to lead the charge in the galamsey fight.”

    “The illegal mining sector has tendencies to corrupt those security officers ordained to fight galamsey. Without any modalities, when these military officers are pushed into the forests and see these miners living lavishly, what do we expect them to do?” He quizzed.

    The KNUST CoHSS Provost further re-echoed his description of Dr. Dampare as a brilliant policy maker, referring to his latest instituted rewarding systems in the Police Service; an emergency medical fund and replacement of officers who die in the line of duty with the deceased qualified family member into the Police force.

    Such tactful packages, according to him, will eliminate diabolic thoughts questioning the essence of committing oneself to the success of a national need.

  • I will never do anything to hurt the NPP – Wontumi on ‘galamsey’ allegations

    Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, a.k.a. Chairman Wontumi, has denied allegations that he is involved in illegal small-scale mining (‘galamsey’).

    He said that he will never do anything to hurt his company or ruin the image of his party, the NPP, adomonline.com reports.

    The regional chairman added that if he wanted to do illegal mining, he will not go through the trouble to acquire the mining licenses he has.

    “I won’t do things to hurt my company; I won’t do things to hurt this party (NPP). In 2017, I could have easily moved to the site to work but I waited untill I got the license before beginning my operations.

    “If someone wants to do galamsey, would the person apply for a lease? You can’t go to the police if you want to engage in a criminal activity,” he said.

    Wontumi added that his only intention in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve was to drive out ‘galamseyers’ as he awaits the permission of the lands minister to start mining.

    “It is like a man who has gone in for a woman and visited her family to perform the knocking ceremony. If another guy wants to rape the lady, you have expressed interest in, won’t you protect your lady? I have the gazette and this is law and if galamsey operators want to destroy my site, shouldn’t I protect the place?” he quizzed.

    Meanwhile, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has directed the Forestry Commission to suspend the operations of Akonta Mining Company in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve of the Amenfi West Municipal Assembly.

    According to a statement issued by the Public Affairs office of the Ministry on Friday, September 30, 2022, the company owned by the ruling NPP Chairman for Ashanti Region has been engaging in mining activities in the forest without a permit.

    “The attention of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has been drawn to publications about certain operations by Akonta Mining Limited in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Amenfi West Municipality in the Western Region.

    “Records available to the Ministry show that while Akonta Mining Ltd has a mining lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi, outside the Forest Reserve, the company has no mineral right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve,” the statement said.

    According to the Ministry, while Akonta Mining Company had applied for a permit to mine in the said forest reserve, the Minister had yet to give approval to any such application hence rendering the activities of the firm in the said forest reserve illegal.

     

  • LPG usage increase from 24.5% in 2017 to 36.9% in 2021

    Consumption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as main source of cooking fuel rose from 24.5 per cent in 2017 to 36.9 per cent in 2021, the Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has said.

    That, he said, was due to regulatory interventions such as rural LPG promotions, free cylinder distribution, intensified public educations on safe LPG usage, infrastructure development, improvement in supply and distribution and LPG pricing structure.

    Speaking at the 3rd West Africa LPG Conference and Expo under the theme “Towards Making LPG The Clean Fuel of West Africa,”  he said the objective of the government was to ensure at least 50 per cent penetration by 2050.

    Dr Abdul-Hamid said even though Ghana had made gains in LPG consumption over the past five years, there were challenges threatening the sustainability of the LPG market in Ghana.

    “… challenges such as slow uptake in particularly low-income areas, affordability, accessibility, non-adherence to safety requirements by some operators, old and unsafe cylinders, among others have threatened the sustainability of the LPG market in Ghana,

    “To remedy the situation, the government of Ghana in October 2017 launched the National LPG Promotion Policy with the objective of ensuring that at least 50 per cent of Ghanaians have access to LPG for domestic, commercial, and industrial use by 2030.

    “The Policy is to be driven by the new marketing and distribution model, the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM),” he said

    On his part, the Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, said the LPG industry presents an attractive solution to leverage the shift to cleaner energy sources while promoting Africa’s industrialisation agenda.

    “And I believe it will take the collective efforts from academia, the industry and government to prudently push West Africa to maximize the economic gains across the entire LPG value chain” he said.

  • Ghanaians urged to normalize the use of Disposable handkerchiefs

    Fast-Moving Consumable Goods (FMCG) Marketing Director of the year 2021, Ms. Barbara Incoom, has called on the general Ghanaian populace to embrace change by switching from using the traditional cloth handkerchief to disposable handkerchiefs.

    The change, in her opinion, no matter how little it appeared, was significant post-covid-19 as part of the country’s efforts toward minimizing the spread of disease-causing germs and bacteria.

    She made the call after picking an award on behalf of Flora Tissues on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, as Ghana’s premium quality tissue paper brand of the year 2021 at the 6th Global Business Quality Awards 2022 ceremony held at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.

    The Global Business Quality Award is an initiative of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana (EEG), organizers of the prestigious Ghana Entrepreneurs & Corporate Executive Awards and Made in Ghana Awards, which have been instituted to recognize indigenous and foreign companies with operations in Ghana for their investment in product and service quality to the Ghanaian consumer.

    “I understand change takes time, but it’s the best option we face as a people today. Ghanaians need to switch from the traditional cloth handkerchief to the more hygiene-proven paper disposable handkerchief…”

    “…I understand the use of tissues hasn’t been a dominant part of us until COVID-19 came around, but aided efforts at controlling the COVID-19 situation in the country, and it’s one thing we must continue with.” She stressed.

    She dedicated the award to staff and management at Delta Paper Mill Limited, while eulogizing them for their absolute commitment to making the brand a sought-after on the Ghanaian market.

    Flora tissues between January and July alone has secured a total of three awards for its brand innovation, quality, and resilience shown in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, taking its awards tally to four even before the year comes to an end.

    The latest award, in the view of the organizer, is in recognition of the Flora brand’s commitment to standard quality, product innovation, and its resistance to the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    This year’s award event was under the theme “Celebrating Decades of Quality Global Brands in Ghana.” And among the notable brands recognized on the day are the Ghana Oil Company (GOIL), Zenith Bank Ghana Limited, and Alpha Industries Limited (Top Choco).

    The ceremony was well attended by people across industries, including diplomats, businessmen, investors, and the media.

  • Four remanded for alleged human trafficking

    Three Commercial sex workers all said to be Nigerian nationals have been arraigned and charged for human trafficking.

    The three: Joy Gimbia Cataima, Juliet Jeoma Chigere Nnaj and Happiness Augustine Williams have pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy and human trafficking.

    A painter, Collins Nana Yaw Oppong Bempong was also charged for abetment but denied the charge.

    The Circuit Court in Accra presided over by Her Honour Mrs. Afia Owusuaa Appiah has remanded them into lawful custody.

    This was after their request for bail through their lawyers was opposed by the Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Amoah Richard and same refused by the court.

    The Prosecution was subsequently directed to file their disclosures and witness statement within time whilst the case has been adjourned to October 18.

    Brief facts

    The Prosecutor, Chief Inspector Amoah Richard told the court that, the complainant is Rev. Jonathan Kwasi Attuah, the Head Pastor of Baptist church, Tesano, Accra.

    Whilst accused, Joy Gimbia Cataima,(A1), Juliet Jeoma Chigere Nnaj,(A2), and Happiness Augustine Willams, (A3), are Nigerian commercial Sex workers living in Lapaz-Alhaji.

    The Prosecutor said, Collins Nana Yaw Oppong Bempong,(A4), is a Painter and lives in Lapaz, Alhaji with his fiancée (A2).

    Chief Inspector Richard said, on September 1, 2022, the first three accused conspired to lure young girls from Nigeria to the streets of Accra to enslave them into prostitution and take proceeds from their unlawful enterprise under the pretext of a secured sales girl job in A1 and A2 shop in Accra.

    According to the Prosecutor, the first accused paid the sum of N240,000.00 equivalent to GH¢5,732.00 to the 3rd Accused who misrepresented before a 19-year-old girl, Favour Ekubanse Asim and Peace in River State in Nigeria to have had a sales job work by selling weave-on and cream in 1st and 2nd accused shop in Accra.

    He said the 3rd accused subsequently trafficked and transported the said teenagers from Nigeria to Accra on September 2, 2022.

    Prostitution

    Chief Inspector Richard told the court that, the 1st accused took custody of Favour Ekubanse Asim whilst 2nd took custody of Peace at their residence in Lapaz, Alhaji for a fee of GH$1,200.00 paid by 2nd accused to 1st Accused.

    The Prosecutor said, 1st and 2nd Accused informed the said victims that they would not engage them in the sale of weave-on and cream as promised by 3rd Accused, rather they will engage in prostitution.

    The 4th Accused, the Prosecutor said, subsequently threatened and initiated the two victims to swear an oath to pay the sum of GHc2,000.00 each to 1st and 2nd accused before they would be set free.

    The Prosecutor said, on September 3, at about 4:30 am, Favour Ekubanse Asim escaped from 1st accused’s custody and whilst walking barefooted on the streets of Lapaz, she met members of Baptist Church on evangelism mission and the said victim informed the evangelism members of her predicament.

    He said, the church has since taken her in into their custody and consequently petitioned the Bureau for action.

    “On 23/09/22 at about 12:00 pm A1, A2 and A4 were arrested in Lapaz, Alhaji. On 27/09/22, Happiness was arrested at Lapaz. During interrogation, the accused persons admitted the offence.

    The 2nd Accused according to the prosecutor, claimed she has transported Peace back to Nigeria for expressing her opposition.

  • Flooding: Five Basic Schools in New Juaben North closed down

    Five basic schools in New Juaben North Municipality in the Eastern region have been closed due to the flood disaster.

    The schools were flooded destroying teaching and learning materials.

    Addressing the media, the Municipal Chief Executive Comfort Asante said measures are being put in place for the BECE candidates preparing to write their exams this month.

    One person died while 2686 made up of 977 children and 1708 adults were affected by the floods.

    203 households have either collapsed completely or partially damaged.

    The MCE said the assembly has mobilized relief materials to be distributed to the affected persons being sheltered in churches, mosques, and community centers.

    The assembly is however appealing to groups, NGOs, and religious bodies to come to their aid.

  • Take out partisan political interests out of galamsey fight – Akufo-Addo begs House of Chiefs

    President Akufo-Addo has made a fervent appeal to members of the National House of Chiefs to eschew partisan political interests while collaborating with the government to end the menace of illegal mining.

    The president made this request during his opening remark at a meeting with the National House of Chiefs to discuss the fight against galamsey.

    “There are many requests I intend to make on you during our behind closed doors session of our meeting. But one of the most significant which I have to make now is to seek your assistance to take partisan political interests out of the fight against galamsey. It can only succeed if it is a truly national battle which no one seeks to exploit for political gain as we saw in our last election.

    “The progress of our country depends on all of us; all citizens of Ghana, all fellow Ghanaians pulling together to defeat this existential threat to our future,” the president said during the meeting held on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

    The president noted the several initiatives adopted by his government to end the menace while emphasising the need for traditional leaders to collaborate with the government in the fight against illegal mining.

    “We have tried many initiatives including that of the community mining scheme and the establishment of a new legal regime for dealing with the perpetrators of this phenomenon which has imposed severe sanctions on those Ghanaians and foreigners convicted of illegal mining, still we have not won the fight. It is obvious that if we are to win the fight you and I have to take the lead to collaborate closely to do so and that is why I am here today,” he said.

    The meeting with the traditional leaders was convened at the request of the president to discuss ways to fight illegal mining, which has escalated in magnitude over the past years.

    This is despite the promise made by the president at his inauguration in 2017 and the various campaigns launched by his government over the period.

    The growing impact of galamsey is proving a threat to several water and forest bodies across the country.

    This has led to calls on the government to adopt more radical efforts in the galamsey fight.

     

  • Weija Dam Spillage: We’ve never seen anything like this before – Assembly Member

    The Assembly Member for Tetegu a suburb of Accra, Bright Adablah has said the spillage from the Weija dam is the worse so far to hit the community.

    Hundreds of houses in Weija, Tetegu, and the surrounding areas have been flooded leaving many residents displaced as a result of the spillage by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) from the Weija Dam.

    According to GWCL, the rainy situation in the Eastern Region in the last weeks has contributed to the rise of the water level in the Weija Dam.

    Speaking in an interview, Mr. Adablah called on President Akufo-Addo to take up this year’s situation and investigate what might have caused it adding that, “someone didn’t do his work well and that has caused the whole community to suffer.”

    The Assembly Member questioned why Ghana Water Company should wait for the water to get to its highest level before allowing for spillage.

    “Because no one is giving any reason or talking to anyone about anything, all they are saying is that the people should move out of the community. As to what is causing the problem no one knows and the dam can’t contain the volume of water coming in.”

    “This has never happened before in the history of Tetegu and it is a very serious and terrible one. But we just thank God no casualty has been recorded so far. The whole community is flooded, with no place to step, and our properties are in the water. Usually, what happens is a portion of the community will get flooded and within some days it’s okay but this is beyond control,” Mr. Adablah narrated.

    He continued: “The notification didn’t come early. Maybe you will hear it a day before or during the spillage then they will say people living along the river should move, but I think this spillage is beyond expectation.”

    He, however, added that the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) is currently in the area to move people to safer places.

  • Akonta Mining saga: Wontumi has been set up – Prof. Charles Marfo

    Provost of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CoHSS) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Charles Marfo has asserted that the Akonta Mining scandal is nothing less than a feign attempt to conceal the real galamsey culprits in the country, Purefmonline.com reports.

    The KNUST CoHSS’ Provost in interaction with Kwame Adinkrah on Kumasi-based Pure FM emphasized that, the owner of Akonta Mining Company Limited, Benard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi, having flaunted his wealth and his mining exploits blatantly in the past has in an unfortunate circumstance been set up as the galamsey poster-boy to cover the high-ranking government officials behind the practice.

    Prof. Charles Marfo in commiserating with Chairman Wontumi maintained his disdain for the Ashanti regional NPP’s Chairman’s conduct in the public space.

    “Everybody knows that I don’t like Chairman Wontumi, especially on how he conducts himself in the public space. His utterances and his constant display of his so-called mining acquired wealth in our faces,” he said.

    However, in respect of this saga, I think they set him up. They put him there just to showcase his already mortified face while the real masterminds are working underground.”

    “Why has he not been apprehended for the despicable damage caused to the environment yet?”

    “This mischief is just a decoy to hide the hidden coaches who are the real galamsey players.”

    The real scapegoats are not from among any of these unmasked personalities tagged with galamsey, instead, they are at the top manning the affairs of governance.”

    “Why will the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor decide to even grant consideration to Akonta Mining’s request for licence to mine in a forest reserve when that place has been clearly declared a red zone?”

    How can you do prospecting in a forest reserve? A reserve?

    The application should not have warranted any engagement from the Ministry at all.

    These inactions and occurrences together inflate the idea that there are hidden hands in government really fancying the galamsey practice.” Prof. Charles Marfo told Kwame Adinkrah on Pure FM.

    Background

    The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources through the Forestry Commission has halted the activities of Akonta Mining Limited’s operations in the Nimiri Tano forest reserve in the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region.

    A statement from the ministry said, while the mining company had a lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi, the company had no mineral right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri forest reserve.

    The Minerals Commission of Ghana in a subsequent press release reiterated that Akonta Mining Limited has no mining lease, mineral right, and/or permit to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve or any other reserve.

    According to the Commission, the mineral leases granted to Akonta Mining Limited fell outside the Tano Nimiri Reserve, and thus documents purporting to indicate otherwise should be treated with the contempt they deserve.

    The owner of the company who doubles as the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has however refuted claims of wrongdoing.

    “I am appealing to them to use the law. They should do their investigations, and we should let the law work.”

    “I want to tell the public that I am not into galamsey.”

    “I have a large scale company which Akonta mining is under. All the required documents I have, I will make available. I am not into galamsey,” he said on Wontumi TV.

  • CHRAJ should have declared Chief Justice, EC boss unfit for office – Manasseh Azure

    Renowned investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has berated the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice +Chairperson of the Electoral Commission but CHRAJ’s rulings were very problematic.

    “I don’t think that we will be having some of these names if the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana was declared unfit to hold public office by CHRAJ,” he said.

    He intimated that should CHRAJ have ruled that the current Chief Justice is unfit for office and President Akufo-Addo chooses to ignore its ruling, the pressure on him will force him not to take the position.

    “A similar thing happened with the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and we didn’t find CHRAG having the balls to make the right pronouncement,” he added.

    The forum was organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa on Tuesday, October 2, 2022.

     

  • Katanga-Conti clash: One more arrested, suspects denied bail again

    One other person has been arrested in connection with the clash that occurred between members of the Unity and University Halls of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

    This follows a bench warrant issued by the Asokore Mampong District court for the arrest of the accused.

    The number of persons standing trial in connection to the disturbances so far stands at six.

    Out of the six standing trials, one is an alumnus, and five are students.

    While four of the accused, are currently in Police custody, the High Court has granted two, including the alumnus, bail.

    Lawyers for the accused still in custody, prayed the court to grant the suspects bail, while in court, on Tuesday, October 4, 2022.

    However, the Asokore Mampong District Court refused the suspects’ bail.

    The University Hall (Katanga) was on a procession during the celebration of their hall week on Thursday, August 19, 2022, and upon reaching Unity Hall (Conti), started to hurl stones into the hall.

    The situation degenerated when the colleagues from the Unity Hall (Conti) retaliated, leading to at least 11 students sustaining injuries while 10 cars were vandalised in the process.

    The injured students have been treated at the KNUST hospital and discharged.

  • Health Director threatens to cause arrest of parents over polio immunization

    The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Health Director, Dr. Kofi Badu Sunderland, has threatened to enforce public health laws against parents who fail to make available their children for polio immunization.

    According to him, during the first polio vaccination campaign, they were unable to visit the various school in the metropolis to vaccinate the children since they were on vacation.

    Additionally, some parents hesitated to make available their children to undergo immunization.

    He, therefore, called on parents and teachers to present their children to be immunised to curtail danger to the entire population.

    “After the immunization, we still found out that there are some children who were not immunized within the metropolis. The reason for non-immunization was that some parents refused their children to be immunized. Some also said their children were not ready at home,” he told Angel News.

    “This time round I’m going to urge the health workers that if a mother refuses to immunise her child, they should identify the person and inform us and we will go and have a dialogue. If we have the dialogue and still the parents are resisting, then we will apply the public health law, because we will not allow those little ones to put danger to the entire population.”

    He noted further the directorate is still battling with some of the children on religious grounds, adding, “and if we are supposed to apply the public health law such parents are supposed to be arrested.”

    On the part of the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Health Director, Mrs. Joyce Bagina, now that the schools are in session, children under 5 years are at the creche, daycare, and kindergarten will all be vaccinated by the health professionals who will visit the schools.

    She stated that during the first polio vaccination exercise that took place between September 1 to 4, the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Health Directorate was able to vaccinate over 42,000 children.

    However, for the second phase which is slated to last from 6th to 9th October 2022, the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Health Directorate is targeting over 44,000 children under 5 years to receive the dose.

    The Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Health Director emphasized that no child should be left behind during the 2nd phase of the polio vaccination campaign.

  • Saying I will put my presidency on the line against galamsey was not out of recklessness – Akufo-Addo

    President Akufo-Addo has emphasised that he spoke the absolute truth when he announced his commitment to fighting illegal mining in Ghana.

    According to the president, the evidence of truth in his statement was apparent when his government’s fight against galamsey cost himself and the New Patriotic Party during his quest for re-election in 2020.

    “Since I took office on January 7th, 2017, nearly six years ago, I have made it a central feature of my presidency to lead in the fight to rid our country of this menace, which we all now call galamsey. Indeed, it was an important aspect of my inaugural address that day. It has not been easy; it has not been popular and we have not gotten the immediate results that I was looking for.

    “Indeed, in the last election of 2020, my stance on the issue cost my party and I significant losses in the mining communities. It turned out that my statement that I was putting my presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey was neither bumbazed nor reckless. It was the simple truth,” the president said when he met with members of the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

    The meeting with the traditional leaders was convened at the request of the president to discuss ways to fight illegal mining, which has escalated in magnitude over the past years.

    This is despite the promise made by the president at his inauguration in 2017 and the various campaigns launched by his government over the period.

    The growing impact of galamsey is proving a threat to several water and forest bodies across the country.

    This has led to calls on the government to adopt more radical efforts in the galamsey fight.

  • Your opponents may berate you but God will see you through – Bunkpurugu chief to Bawumia

    The Paramount Chief of Bunkpurugu Traditional Area, Naba Alhaji Abuba Nasinmong, has urged the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to focus on his good works for the country and not be discouraged by the negativity of his opponents, who he said, will always find negative things to say about the Vice President.

    Welcoming Dr. Bawumia, who is on a working visit to the north, to his Palace on Tuesday, the Bunkpurugu Naba, commended the Vice President for his “indefatigable leadership,” and the recognition he has given to the people of Bunkpurugu and the north in general, adding that God will crown his efforts.

    “I am excited to have you present at my Palace, once again, to pay a courtesy call on me and my people in the Bunkpurugu Traditional Area. We are highly delighted having you with us today, because of the recognition you have given us as a people in this part of our country,” Naba Abuba Nasinmong, who was flanked by his elders and indigenes of the community, said.

    “You are a true statesman and an astute modern politician who has efficiently aided the first gentleman of the Ghanaian State, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to maintain law and order, peace and tranquillity, and implementation of people-centred policies that have touched the life of every Ghanaian, especially in the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District such as Free SHS policy, Planting for Food and Jobs, an extension of electricity, an improvement on our roads, etc.”

    As he lauded Dr. Bawumia and the Akufo-Addo Government, he expressed his support and “wholehearted” encouragement to the Vice President not to be discouraged by the negativity of his critics.

    “Permit me to wholeheartedly express the following: your opponents would always find negative things to say about you, but continue with your good works and Almighty God will grant you victory.

    “I wish to, on behalf of my people, assure you of our maximum support.”

    The Vice President has been on a working tour of the northern part of the country since Sunday.

    After touring the Northern Region on Sunday and Monday, paying courtesy calls on traditional leaders, and inspecting ongoing government projects, the Vice-president took his tour to the North East Region on Tuesday.

    The Government’s construction of Agenda 111 District hospitals is among the key government projects the Vice President has been inspecting on his tour.

  • Man who abused toddler in viral video might’ve smoked weed – Dr. Akwasi Osei

    Chief Executive Officer, of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei says the man in a viral video seen abusing a toddler might have done so under the influence of smoking weed (marijuana) and losing his ability to think rationally.

    He believes the man could also be suffering from schizophrenia or that he’s a psychopath.

    In the widely circulated video, the man is seen whipping the innocent child in the presence of other men while the victim cries in pain. However, none of them made any attempt to rescue the toddler.

    The Police in a statement said they “have sighted a horrifying video on social media in which a male adult is seen subjecting an infant to severe beating under a tree. Efforts are underway to track down the individual involved, have him arrested, and rescue the child.”

    The Police are entreating anyone with information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect to contact the police on 0243809991 and have offered a GHC2, 000 reward for anyone who will provide information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

    Commenting further on the incident in an interview on Nkawkaw-based Agoo FM Morning Show Ene No Bio, Dr. Akwasi Osei roundly condemned the act saying nobody with a sound mind could be this wicked to an innocent toddler.

    “There is every indication that all is not well with this man, he needs a psychiatric evaluation. It may be the case that he’s smoked wee(marijuana) and is unable to think right hence doesn’t know that his action could hurt the toddler. He could also be suffering from a mental illness (schizophrenia) or it could also be the case that he has a personality disorder – a Psychpath, who has no conscience and sense of remorse. I don’t think that the man is just being wicked, there’s more to it. He definitely has to be evaluated psychologically.”

    Dr. Akwasi Osei added that going forward, the child despite his age should be monitored and given the needed help as this abuse on him could leave him with trauma and affect him in the future.

    He further urged the police to arrest whoever recorded the assault for questioning for looking on for the assault to be perpetrated.

  • CHRAJ should have declared Chief Justice, EC boss unfit for office – Manasseh Azure

    Renowned investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has berated the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for not adequately performing its mandate.

    According to him, CHRAJ, even though has been given the powers by Ghana’s Constitution to hold persons in public office accountable, it has on some occasions failed the country.

    Speaking at a Public Forum on the declaration of assets in Accra, Manasseh said that the failure of CHRAJ to declare that Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah and the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, unfit for office after it received complaints about their asset declaration, is the reason the two are in office today.

    “When we talk about leadership; we shouldn’t limit it to only political leadership. There are certain individuals in this country who are very powerful and the constitution has made them so. But they have decided to become very powerless. And they have failed the state when it matters most, one of them is CHRAJ.

    “CHRAJ has done well in some of the cases that have gone before it. But in others, CHRAJ failed the nation.

    “One of them has to do with the complaints against the Chief Justice. CHRAJ ruled that the PPA board chair cannot hold public office for 2 years because he failed to declare his assets. Similar complaints come against the Chief Justice and also the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission but CHRAJ’s rulings were very problematic.

    “I don’t think that we will be having some of these names if the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana was declared unfit to hold public office by CHRAJ,” he said.

    He intimated that should CHRAJ have ruled that the current Chief Justice is unfit for office and President Akufo-Addo chooses to ignore its ruling, the pressure on him will force him not to take the position.

    “A similar thing happened with the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and we didn’t find CHRAG having the balls to make the right pronouncement,” he added.

    The forum was organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa on Tuesday, October 2, 2022.

  • Cocoa farmers are running out of patience – Minority to COCOBOD

    The Minority Caucus of Ghana’s Parliament has berated the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) for its treatment of cocoa farmers and stakeholders in the cocoa value chain in Ghana.

    In a statement issued by its Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the minority said that farmers and other stakeholders in the cocoa sector are becoming very frustrated with the actions and inactions of the government.

    It said that even though the 2022 cocoa season has already started the government has failed to set the price of cocoa.

    “Farmers and stakeholders are running out of patience for COCOBOD. Every year cocoa prices are announced at the opening of the season. 1st October is internationally recognised as the start of the cocoa season worldwide as affirmed by the UN body for cocoa, the International Cocoa Organisation – ICCO.

    “This year COCOBOD opened the cocoa season without a producer price for cocoa. After wasting scarce resources to organise a cocoa day that, was poorly attended, farmers and stakeholders in the cocoa industry are left in suspense about the price,” parts of the statement read.

    The minority also warned COCOBOD and thus the government against any attempt to short-change cocoa farmers by announcing prices that are below GH¢1000 per a bag of cocoa.

    “After all this uncertainty, government should not announce any price below GH¢1000 per bag, or GH¢16,000 per tonne. Ghanaians are all witnesses to the historic depreciation of the Cedi. In 2021, COCOBOD used an exchange rate of GH¢6 to $1. We wish to remind them that the dollar is now more than 10. Even at the dollar equivalent price, farmers and all stakeholders including LBCs and Haulers should receive higher prices and margins this year,” it added.

  • My determination to fight ‘galamsey’ cost NPP some votes in 2020 Election – Akufo-Addo

    President Akufo-Addo has refuted suggestions that his government is not committed to the fight against illegal small-scale mining (‘galamsey’).

    According to Akufo-Addo, his government has been committed to the fight against the menace since his first day in office and its determination to curb it even cost his party; the New Patriotic Party (NPP) some votes in the 2020 General Elections.

    The president, who made these remarks at a meeting with the National House of Chiefs and some Municipal Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Kumasi, intimated that the votes he and his party lost showed that he really put his presidency on the line to fight ‘galamsey’.

    “Since I took office on January 7th, 2017, nearly six years ago, I have made it a central feature of my presidency to lead in the fight to rid our country of this menace, which we all now call galamsey. Indeed, it was an important aspect of my inaugural address that day. It has not been easy; it has not been popular and we have not gotten the immediate results that I was looking for.

    “Indeed, in the last election of 2020, my stance on the issue cost my party and I significant losses in the mining communities. It turned out that my statement that I was putting my presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey was neither bumbazed nor reckless. It was the simple truth,” he said.

    Akufo-Addo also urged chiefs across the country to get themselves in the fight against illegal small-scale mining since they are the custodians of lands in the country.

    “80 percent of the lands in this country continue to be under your custody, much of it having been acquired through the blood and sacrifices of your ancestors. The remainder of 20 percent which I hold in trust of the people of Ghana, derived from state acquisition from you.

    “What this means is that ultimately, the welfare of the state of the lands is our joint responsibility, although by statute the minerals in the soil belong to the president in trust for the people,” he noted.

  • Vodafone Ghana Foundation sponsors STEM Teacher Awards

    Vodafone Ghana Foundation, as part of its, corporate social investment, is sponsoring this year’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) awards.

    Dubbed ‘STEM Teacher of the Year Awards’, the programme slated for October 7, 2022 and to be held at Academic City in Accra, is meant to recognise and reward teachers from the sixteen regions who were using innovative approaches to teach science.

    To be held on the theme “Rewarding Impactful Service,” the programme formed part of the Instant Schools platform, a programme which provides opportunity for teachers and students to download Ghana Education Service curriculum and educational materials from the internet.

    Speaking at the launch of the award in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Director-General of Ghana Education Service, in charge of Quality and Access, Dr Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, lauded Vodafone Ghana Foundation for its efforts to promote STEM education in the country.

    He said STEM education was critical to the development of the country and urged STEM teachers to take keen interest in the award.

    Dr Tandoh emphasised that the government’s agenda to promote STEM education could not be achieved without innovative teachers to teach STEM subjects.

    He said teachers with disability teaching STEM subjects would be honoured.

    Dr Tandoh stated that the ultimate winner would receive a laptop, modem and one year free internet subscription from Vodafone Ghana, the second winner would receive tablet, modem and six months free internet subscription and the third winner would receive a tablet, modem and three months free internet from Vodafone Ghana.

    The Head of Vodafone Ghana Foundation, Reverend Amaris Nana Adjei Perbi, said he was very ecstatic about the launch of another impressive educational initiative for the Ghanaian populace.

    He said the STEM Teacher of the Year Awards was targeted at teachers in Ghana and would have ripple effect on the country’s education value chain.

    Rev. Amaris said the Vodafone Ghana Foundation remained committed to its mandate for the execution of a highly impactful range of educational initiatives in the country every year.

    “The STEM Teacher Awards acknowledges and recognises the hard work, diversity and creativity of teachers from the basic level to the senior high school level,” he said.

    The awards, he said, would offer the teachers an opportunity to showcase the various methods through which they incorporate the teaching and learning of STEM to their main curriculum.

    He said the top 16 most engaging entries would be shortlisted as finalists for the awards programme and automatically they would receive a backpack award with STEM sets.

    Rev. Amaris the winner would become an Instant Schools Ambassador who would join the winner from the Literacy Challenge to drive the Instant Schools Virtual Learning Platform across the communities we visit in Ghana.

    The Director of Science Education of Ghana Education Service, Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, said the programme had been timely, saying “We are happy to have this programme at this moment.”

    She encouraged teachers to take active interest in the programme to be rewarded.

  • KOKMA tows 50 cars for unauthorised parking

    About 50 cars parked at unauthorised places along the roadside within the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KOKMA) were yesterday towed away by the Assembly.

    Shop owners and other sellers with dirty frontages were also made to clean them immediately.

    This happened when the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey led a team from the Assembly and the City Response Team of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) on a decongestion exercise within the municipality in Accra yesterday.

    Undertaken in conjunction with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the exercise was to ensure that citizens strictly adhered to the byelaws of the ‘Operation Clean Your Frontage,’ which mandated them to keep their frontages clean.

    The exercise which attracted lots of onlookers and patrons began from Circle through to Kaneshie, then to some parts of the Accra Central Business District (CBD).

    Meanwhile, there were a few people who showed displeasure with the conduct of the exercise.

    Interacting with some sellers, Mr Quartey implored them to strictly adhere to the bye-laws and report offenders for them to be dealt with accordingly.

    “We are not here to move you away from where you sell. What we are asking is for you not to sell on the pavement,” he stated.

    “I also urge you to report anyone who violates the bye-law to the security for them to be dealt with,” he added.

    Mr Quartey stressed that cleanliness could not be over-emphasised as it was the basis of the overall wellbeing of all and sundry including animals.

    “The importance of cleanliness in our lives cannot be denied. Maintaining a clean environment is for the health of all humans, as their health completely depends on the atmosphere,” he said.

    “A bad environment is solely responsible for spoiling the health of the people around. Dirt and disease go together,” he added.

    Mr Quartey, therefore, urged all to, as a matter of urgency, serve as checks on themselves and their neighbours to ensure that the city was clean.

  • Gov’t considering fertiliser coy for Africa market – President

    The government is considering an ambitious move to establish a fertiliser company capable of meeting the fertiliser demand of the entire African continent, President Akufo-Addo has said.

    According to the President, the global shortfall in the supply of fertiliser caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine presented an opportunity for Ghana to position itself to produce fertilisers for local consumption and for export to other parts of the continent.

    In a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday, President Akufo-Addo said discussions were ongoing to determine how the country could take advantage of the opportunity.

    The Norwegian Ambassador, Ingrid Mollestad, visited the President with a delegation from Yara International, a Norwegian chemical company that produces, distributes, and sells nitrogen-based mineral fertilisers.

    The discussion centred on Yara International’s support for about 100,000 small-holder Ghanaian farmers with fertilisers to the tune of US$20 million to improve crop production in Ghana.

    President Akufo-Addo appealed to the Norwegian company to consider partnering with the government to establish a fertiliser plant to serve the continent.

    “Our main concern is to be able to make these fertilisers here ourselves. Plans are ongoing to establish a fertiliser facility here in Ghana. It will make a lot of sense in terms of the West African market and larger African market.”

    “It would be great to involve you as partner in that exercise because it will make a lot of sense for us to make a big facility here in Ghana to supply our needs and at the same time the regional and continental market,” he said

    President Akufo-Addo expressed the commitment to work to ensure that the vision became a reality for the country.

    He thanked the Norwegian company for the support and invited the ambassador to work with the government to consider other areas of partnership and cooperation.

    “We appreciate the gesture and your involvement in Ghana,” he said and commended the company for developing a model to track the movement of fertiliser to prevent corruption in the distribution of the fertilisers.

    Ms Mollestad, on her part, reiterated Norway’s commitment to ensuring food security in Ghana, and Africa.

    “We are committed to doing our utmost on the continent for food security and producing sustainable food for the continent,” she said.

    She expressed delight that Yara, the biggest producer of fertiliser in the world, had decided to support Ghana to improve crop production and food security.

  • GCPS obtains £10m grant to conduct in-depth research into NCDs in West Africa

    The Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) has obtained a £ 10 million grant to conduct in-depth research into the scourge of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the West African sub region.

    Awarded by the United Kingdom’s Department of Health and Social Care and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the project is expected to inform enhanced prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies on inter-connected NCDs in three countries; Ghana, Burkina Faso and Niger.

    It would span a five-year period and see to the establishment of a “Global Health Research Centre for NCDs control in West Africa, “which would among others coordinate research, provide training and horn  skills of clinicians in the effective management of NCDs to improve the general health and wellbeing of the populace.

    Co-led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the centre would have other implementing institutions namely; Ashesi University, Ghana; Catholic University of West Africa (UCAO-UUB), Burkina Faso; and Laboratoired’Etudes et de Recherchesur les DynamiquesSociales et le Développement Local (LASDEL), Niger, on the project.

    The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, in an address, said the research project was timely in the face of high prevalence of NCDs globally, with lower and middle-income countries being worst affected.

    According to him, despite an increasing trend in NCD-related mortalities, implementation of interventions by African government had been slow and segregated.

    “There are clear indications that a scientific approach by the sub-region is required to improve the health and well-being of the population,” he noted.

    Mr Agyeman-Manu said the scope of the project which considers strengthening individual skills and expertise, organisational systems, networking capabilities and leadership of researchers while promoting partnership, would go a long way to support the realisation of the global NCD compact and the 2022 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)resolution on NCDs.

    The Minister added that Ghana’s newly developed policy on NCD, aligned with the international goals had an appreciable political commitment to ensure implementation and “there is the need to work collectively across sectors within the frameworks of health-in-all policies to tackle this health and developmental challenge confronting us as a country.”

    The Senior Programme Manager at the NIHR, Dr Sylvia Anie said the “Global Health Research Centres” would provide a sustainable platform for high-quality applied health research in low-and low middle-income countries (LMIC) to address the burden of NCDs and improve health outcomes.

    “It is time to shift the centre of gravity to LMIC-led research and this is the only grant awarded that looks at the issue in such in-depth manner,” she noted.

    Professor Irene Agyepong, the Director of the Centre noted that the 15 countries of ECOWAS, like most LMICs were increasingly challenged by rising illness and deaths related to NCDs.

    “This is additional to their long-standing challenges from communicable diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Research is at the heart of the innovation needed to address these problems, and establishing the centre is a timely and welcome effort to make a difference.”

    NCDs, also known as chronic diseases, are not passed from person to person. They include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease.

    Across the world, NCDs kill 41 million people yearly, equivalent to 74 percent of all deaths globally.

    According to the WHO, of all NCD deaths, 77 percent are in low- and middle-income countries.

    Cardiovascular diseases account for most NCD deaths, or 17.9 million people annually, followed by cancers (9.3 million), chronic respiratory diseases (4.1 million), and diabetes (2.0 million including kidney disease deaths caused by diabetes).

  • Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme set to take off this month

    The much-awaited rollout of the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme is set to commence this month, the Board Chairman of COCOBOD, Mr Peter Mac Manu has announced.

    According to him, the trustees and implementers of the scheme would be rolling out from district to district to register cocoa farmers onto the scheme to enjoy the pension scheme’s benefit.

    Mr Mac Menu was speaking at this year’s cocoa day grand durbar which also coincided with the COCOBOD 75th anniversary on the theme “COCOBOD @75: sustaining our environment, wealth and health”, held at Suhum in the Eastern region.
    He said that, though the past and previous years had been challenging globally with the cocoa sector having suffered greatly, Ghana COCOBOD had not relented on its effort to push for policies that enhanced the welfare of cocoa farmers, assuring that his outfit would continue to be innovative and pragmatic in the midst of the challenges faced.

    He said it had been three years since the implementation of the living income inferential, a pricing mechanism spearheaded by Ghana and Ivory Coast to secure a $400 premium on every tone of cocoa sold to be paid directly to the cocoa farmers.
    Meanwhile, he said unfavorable market prizes as well as a deliberate attempt by buyers, among others, had undermined the initiative which sought to guarantee a decent income for farmers.

    But he promised that his outfit would not relent on ensuring the implementation of the policy as well as reviving dead cocoa farms, adding that collaboration with all stakeholders was underway to ensure the eradication of poverty among cocoa farmers.

    For his part, the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, commended cocoa farmers for their contribution to Ghana’s economy over the past years.
    He said the contribution of the cocoa industry to the economy and growth of the country could not be underestimated, adding that cocoa production had by far and largely remained the backbone of Ghana’s economy, contributing significantly to the country’s export, while employing a large number of people as well as support the livelihood of in the value change production.
    Mr Acheampong, however, he said though cocoa production had existed in Ghana for years making a positive economic impact, the industry was confronted with the imminent danger of the sale of cocoa farms for illegal mining activities.
    The practice, he said if not checked could wipe away all the gains made in the country by the cocoa sector.
    He, therefore, called on the chiefs, the cocoa farmers, and the cocoa farming communities to say no to the sale of farmlands for cash to the detriment of their future and livelihoods.
    The minister said all efforts must be made to protect the farmlands by encouraging the youth to rather go into cocoa farming instead of indulging in illegal mining so that they could also reap the benefits.
    He, therefore, encouraged COCOBOD to strengthen its engagement with key stakeholders for the improvement of the sector.
    Also for his part, the chairman for the occasion, Okyehene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin urged COCOBOD to expand its cocoa scholarship scheme to benefit all cocoa farmers across the country.

  • 38 foreigners grabbed in Accra

    About 38 persons alleged to be migrants from Niger were yesterday rounded up at Abofu in Achimota, Accra by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).

    All women, with some carrying children, the migrants were rounded up during a decongestion exercise in Accra organised by the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and led by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey.

    They were picked up around 11 a.m. by the GIS to its headquarters for further investigations.

    The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Okaikwei North Municipal Assembly (ONMA), NiiBoyeLaryea, told the media that he was informed about the arrival of the migrants by residents around 6a.m yesterday.

    He said the alleged migrants were said to have been dropped by a bus around 11 p.m. on Monday with the whereabouts of the bus yet to be known.

    Mr Laryea noted that intelligence found out that the migrants were making a transit from Niger to Cote d’ Ivoire and other places.

    The MCE said he then informed the Regional Minister and the GISabout the incident while the Assembly’s task force assessed the situation.

    The Regional Minister, for his part, stressed the need to treat the issue fairly as Ghana was part of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) and had signed on to its protocols.

    MrQuarteyemphasised that there would be collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Gender and Social Protection and the GIS to ensure that the migrants went through the due process and were offered the needed assistance.

    The leader of the migrants, MrsMadinaYagoudaNeanti, said they meant no harm as they were heading towards Cote d’ Ivoire only to be dropped at the location by the driver of the bus who was conveying them.

    She said that they only needed another vehicle to convey them to their destination but the language barrier had been a challenge as they could not communicate effectively with the driver of the bus that brought them to the Abofulocation.

  • John Mahama joins Rev. Stephen Wengam to celebrate Cedar Mountain Chapel’s 12th anniversary

    Former president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama joined Rev. Stephen Wengam, the leader and founder of the Assemblies of God Cedar Mountain Chapel to celebrate their 12th anniversary at their church located as East Legon.

    The church also used the opportunity to break grounds for the construction of their 6,000 Cedar Mountain Cathedral, Children’s Chapel and an 8-storey administration complex.

    Speaking during the celebrations on Sunday, October 2nd, Rev. Stephen Wengam stated that the new facility would host two historic events in the history of Assemblies of God in Ghana if completed on time.

    The construction of this cathedral is historic and would serve Assemblies of God Ghana in future. This facility if completed on time would serve as a world-class facility to host the World Missions Conference in 2024 then in 2026, we will be hosting the World Fellowship Assemblies of God Conference. We can’t bring the whole world here because we are 70 million members, the largest Pentecostal church worldwide.

    Rev. Stephen Wengam also in his address urged the congregation not to relent in their prayers to see the 6,000 Cedar Mountain Cathedral constructed by 2024.

    He also expressed his gratitude to the former president, John Dramani Mahama for standing with the church for over a decade when they first moved to their old church at American House to this day.

    The former president who has been a devoted member of the Assembly of God’s Church expressed his appreciation to the church for his role in his life and family. According to him, the new facility would be one of the greatest edifices to the glory of God.

    “I’m grateful to someone who I consider as brother and friend for inviting me to the breaking grounds of what is probably be the greatest edifice to the glory of God.

    “I keep saying that the principal work of God’s shepherds looking after the flock is to teach the word, spread the gospel and plant churches that is what it’s all about, any other talent is a bonus,” H.E John Mahama stated.

    “But for these two people [Rev. Stephen Wengam and Rev. Ernest Adjei], they preach the word as if they open your head and put the word into it. I’m used to addressing huge crowds at rallies but when you come and stand at the altar of God to preach it is a different curtain of fate. So when they do it effortlessly it amazes me and I believe it is an unction from God,” he added.

    Cedar Mountain Chapel started at a rooftop at East Legon and moved to a Guest Hotel through to American House before arriving at the Cedar City they have built to God’s glory at East Legon.

  • Alleged US$10k trip to US: Presidential staffer insults Facebook user

    Presidential staffer Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe has responded harshly to a Facebook user who accosted him over his alleged deportation from the United States of America in mid-September.

    Tagoe had on October 4, 2022, made a routine post about the government’s intervention in the health sector when the user by the name of Mo Barhama jumped into the comment section with his ‘attack.’

    “The $10000 you wasted on a plane ticket only to get deported could have been put to good use in this regard,” he responded to Tagoe’s post which was an artwork with a child and a caption that read: “The government through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has developed a strategic framework to end child marriage in Ghana,”

    A clearly unenthused staffer responded: “Mo Barhama I just went through your pictures and I won’t say anything again. Kwasiaaaaa saaa no. Internet has worried us paaaaa.”

    An unrepentant Mo Barhama will not back down, going ahead to share the purported boarding pass of Tagoe’s trip and a cedi conversion of US$10,000 while responding to other commenters who were defending the presidential staffer.

    One such defender by the name of IK Bonney was then asked by the presidential staffer to stop minding Barhama.

    “IK Bonney You have time to waste on this idiot? You paaaa. Hunger will continue to kill idiots like that. Don’t waste time and energy,” Tagoe replied.

    Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe was reported by The Herald Newspaper to have been deported from the United States in mid-September, hours after he arrived in the country.

    He has not denied making the trip but has flatly denied having been deported and threatened to sue the paper and its publisher Larry Dogbe.

    Dogbe has since published supposed flight details and dared Tagoe to follow through with his promise to sue.

  • Polio Vaccination: Round two slated for October 6 to 9

    The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) are set to vaccinate over six million children below the ages of five against Polio.

    This will be done in a four-day National Polio Vaccination Campaign slated for Thursday October 6, to Sunday October 9, 2022.

    Mr Kwame Gyimah-Akwafo, President of the Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) who launched the vaccination campaign in Accra on Tuesday said the exercise was expected to increase population immunity against the Type 2 Poliovirus and break transmission of the disease.

    Polio, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus.

    It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.

    The virus is transmitted by person-to-person and spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or contaminated water or food and multiplies in the intestine.

    Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs.

    One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs.

    Mr Gyimah-Akwafo said the campaign would target about 60,000 households through door to door interactions in all 16 regions and that the vaccination would be done in all public health facilities.

    Mobile teams would also vaccinate children in communities.

    He said in effort to improve upon achievements in the first round in September, the GRCS had deployed over 400 trained volunteers nationwide to mobilise communities and create awareness for the second-round polio vaccination,expecially in hard to reach areas.

    Mr Gyimah-Akwafo said the GRCS’s partnership with the GHS to vaccinate children was in line with the Red Cross (RC) and International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) mission to maintain the focus of governments in ensuring that all other diseases were not left behind due to efforts to immunise populations against COVID-19.

    He urged Ghanaians to join in the fight against polio and other public health emergencies and called on parents to make thier children avaliable for vaccination.

    “We have fought polio for a very long time, it goes, hides and comes back and there is the need to make sure that we protect our under five children,” he said.

    The GRCS President said the World Health Organization (WHO) had supported the government with financial, logistical and technical support to reach out and vaccinate all eligible children across the country.

    Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. However, anyone of any age, who is unvaccinated can contract the disease.

    There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented.

    Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life.

    There are two vaccines available – oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine – both are effective and safe.

    The two are used in different combinations worldwide depending on local epidemiological and programmatic circumstances.

    This is to ensure the best possible protection to populations.

  • UTAG, TEWU others to commence an indefinite strike on October 13

    All four labour unions in Ghana’s public tertiary education space have resolved to embark on an indefinite strike effective Thursday, October 13, 2022.

    The unions made up of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Tertiary Education Workers Union (TEWU), Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), and the Ghana Association of University Administration (GAUA) have given the government up to a week to resolve their concerns.

    “Following the Press Conference by UTAG, GAUA, SSA-UoG, and TEWU-GH with FUSSAG in attendance on Wednesday, 28″ September 2022 at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, the National Leadership of the four Labour Unions have had a series of engagements between some stakeholders of tertiary education in Ghana, including Vice Chancellors Ghana
    (VCG).


    “Upon further deliberations among the National Leaders, we write to communicate that the intended strike action of all labour unions in the public universities in Ghana takes effect from Thursday, 13 October 2022. This gives the employer and all stakeholders of tertiary education in Ghana one crucial week to reverse the directive that seeks to negatively compromise the Conditions of Service of University Workers.

    In the statement signed by the leadership of the various unions, members were entreated to stay calm and cooperate with leadership as we navigate this trying moment.

    According to the unions, displeased with what they refer to as a” blatant unilateral variation of service in the face of hostile economic conditions.”

  • Reality of Ghana’s debt restructuring is on businesses, households

    The rippling effect of Ghana’s debt restructuring will not only be felt by financial institutions but businesses and households.

    This is the “reality” that Ghana finds itself, the Policy Initiative for Economic Development (PIED), an economic policy Think Tank, said as the country looks to restructure its debt with the help of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    Ghana is in negotiation with IMF for a $3 billion loan support for its homegrown economic programme, with a Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSI) currently ongoing.

    The loan facility is aimed at easing the country’s economic hardship by restoring and sustaining macroeconomic stability, ensuring a resilient and inclusive growth and promoting social protection.

    The Government is also setting up a five-Member Committee of prominent financial services professionals to lead extensive stakeholder engagements across all the key segments of the financial sector in the debt restructuring process.

    Dr Daniel Abateye Anim-Prempeh, an Economic and Financial Analyst with PIED, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Tuesday that financial institutions would be denied the needed access to liquidity through the debt restructuring.

    He noted that in effect, banks, pension funds and insurance companies who the Government borrowed from would find it difficult to mobilise enough money for onward lending, thereby denying businesses the opportunity to borrow for expansion.

    “If businesses are not expanding, it means that they would not be able to increase output. When output is not increased, jobs will not be created, and they cannot make profit and that will also affect the Government’s ability to mobilise revenue through taxation.” Dr Anim-Prempeh explained.

    Mindful of the reduction in the level of public and investor confidence in the economy and, by extension, the financial sector, he urged the Government to ensure that “the debt restructuring is well done and communicated.”

    The Financial Analyst said many Ghanaians would resort to the traditional ways of keeping money in their homes should the debt restructuring reduce public confidence, particularly in the financial sector.

    “People have invested in treasury bills or bonds with the expectation that when it matures, they can get the money with returns, but now it must now be extended. This means that people’s plan and strategy for the use of that money have been frustrated.”

    He also said: “With this, people who have money will resort to other instruments or alternatively. People who have so much money may resort to other markets other than our domestic market.”

    Dr Anim-Prempeh, therefore, recommended to the Government to “devise a very good communication mechanism and a holistic stakeholder engagement to ensure that the debt restructuring is done and still maintain investor confidence in the domestic economy.”

    He asked the Government to fast-track the negotiations with the IMF and be transparent to everyone, noting that, “once the IMF and the facility comes on board, we’ll earn that credibility from external investors.”

    He told the Government to engage captains of industry, including investors and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) to incorporate the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme to increase value addition and export to anchor economic growth.

    The Financial Analyst cautioned the Government against “diverting the money into consumption like paying of wages and salaries, and also conduct periodic audit into the use of the funds to ensure accountability.”

    Data provided by the Bank of Ghana shows that the country’s total public debt stock has reached GHS393.4 billion in June 2022, 78.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    The Central Bank’s Summary of Economic and Financial Data noted that the domestic debt was GHS190.1 billion, and external debt, GHS203.4 billion, and ascribed the increase in debt to exchange rate instability.

    The IMF in its April 2022 Fiscal Monitor predicted that Ghana’s debt to GDP ratio would be 84.6 per cent by the end of 2022 – a debt situation that many economic and financial analysts, and financial institutions have described as “unsustainable.”

  • EC payment system being handed over to a private company – MP alleges

    The Ranking Member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, John Jinapor, has alleged that the management of the Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG) is handing over its payment system to a private company called Hubtel.

    According to him, Hubtel is the same company that the previous ECG Managing Director, Kwame Agyeman–Budu, wanted to take charge of the company’s payment system at a commission of 1.5 percent which led to some commotion.

    Speaking in a Good Morning Ghana panel discussion monitored by GhanaWeb, on Tuesday, October 4, Jinapor added that now the current management is trying to privatize the payment system at a 4 percent commission rate.

    “There is an attempt to hand over the ECG app, which was developed locally by ECG staff to a company called Hubtel. Today as we speak, there are Hubtel officials at ECG trying to hook their system on the app.

    “I’m even told that Hubtel is proposing to charge 4 percent commission. So, there is a lot of internal upheaval among some ECG staff.

    “Don’t forget that during Budu’s time he wanted to embark on the same thing and charge 1.5 (percent commission). The ECG staff held press conferences publicly and agitated against the 1.5 percent commission.

    “They (the ECG staff) believe that they have already developed the app and that it should not cost that much to bring on board a third party,” he said.

    The ranking member, who is also the Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu, added that the National Security also entered the discussion and it is demanding some information about the transaction and some details on the payment system.

  • 22-storey Airport building roads minister vowed to halt almost completed

    The 22-storey building that courted the anger of the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, in December 2019, vowing that he would ensure the construction is halted, is near completion.

    The minister gave the order for the demolition of the structure at the Airport Residential Area after there were several complaints from residents in the community about the project.

    During a personal visit to the site and on seeing the work being undertaken there in 2019, the minister was incensed with anger.

    In the heat of the moment, he ordered the security personnel he was accompanied with, to arrest some three foreign nationals who were supervising the project, which is just adjacent to the Association International School in Accra.

    Captured on video, the minister minced no words when he called for the men to arrested, calling for an immediate stop of work.

    “The chief executive of this area must be questioned. Not even the president will do this. And I don’t care which political power, economic power or traditional power that person has, this will not be allowed and we will not allow this,” the minister fumed.

    However, a recent tweet shared by C-Real on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, shows that the project is near completion.

    The photo shared with the tweet showed the building at full height, needing only some finishing touches for it to be completely done.

    “Remember a minister raised all hell one bright afternoon swearing he would shut down this construction project near Association International? Well. They’re almost done,” the tweet read.

    See the post below. Also, the 2019 video of the minister is shared below for reference:

    Remember a Minister raised all hell one bright afternoon swearing he would shut down this construction project near Association International?

    Well. They’re almost done.

    ☺️???? pic.twitter.com/RVTrtiTlJf

    — C-Real (@C_RealMC) October 4, 2022

  • Strange diseases, babies born with deformities in mining areas alarming – Pathologist

    A forensic pathologist and Head of KNUST School of Medicine and Dentistry, Dr. Paul Ossei Sampene is concerned about the recorded cases of newborn babies with deformities in mining communities.

    Speaking to GHOne News, the pathologist observed that illegal mining activities which continue to contaminate food crops and river bodies have far-reaching consequences on human health, which is partly why the country’s health facilities are overwhelmed by strange diseases and defects in births.

    He stressed the heavy concentration of metallic substances found in river bodies is worrying.

    “We need to appreciate the fact that cumulatively if these patients get even 0.005% of heavy metal, and assuming the person stays there all his life you can imagine the sort of concentration that you can get in a year or in a month, and that is what we should consider. When you live there permanently, that is your place of abode and consume whatever is produced there, you drink the water there and eat the food there, cumulatively it can affect your life. And we need to take action. If care is not taken in the near future we need to import food.”

    Irresponsible small-scale mining activities across mining communities in Ghana continue to have adverse impacts on lands and water resources and threaten human survival in mining areas.

    Newborn babies with deformities, and kidney failure, among others, are on the rise as a result of the intake of polluted water and consumption of food crops in mining areas, the pathologist observed.

    “Per my particular examinations of people that have passed on at certain areas seem to be telling me that there is a lot of heavy metal pollution in our food chain which has found its way into the body of the human.

    “The gastrointestinal tract which we call GIT per our medical term is one of the things that is affected when you consume these heavy metals.

    “I did one work by using placenta and looking at it I think is alarming. Even though I haven’t been able to do more of these things nationwide, but I think that if we allow it to continue, we will be in a position where in the near future we’ll get a lot of babies with deformities.

    “Some of them fortunately the deformities are not compatible with life and so some of them just die immediately after birth. But if you’re not careful and you survive it, you might have somebody with an internal organ deformity.”

  • Wontumi, Samertex PRO clash over rights to Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve

    The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, has clashed with the Public Relations Officer of the timber processing firm, Samertex, Vincent Torgah, over rights to be operating in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.

    The clash comes after the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, directed the Forestry Commission to cease the operations of Akonta Mining Company in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve of the Amenfi West Municipal Assembly.

    According to a statement issued by the Public Affairs office of the Ministry on Friday, September 30, 2022, the company owned by the ruling NPP Chairman for Ashanti Region, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, alias Wontumi, has been engaging in mining activities in the forest without a permit.

    “The attention of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has been drawn to publications about certain operations by Akonta Mining Limited in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Amenfi West Municipality in the Western Region.

    “Records available to the Ministry show that while Akonta Mining Ltd has a mining lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi, outside the Forest Reserve, the company has no mineral right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve,” the statement said.

    According to the Ministry, while Akonta Mining Company had applied for a permit to mine in the said forest reserve, the Minister had yet to give approval to any such application hence rendering the activities of the firm in the said forest reserve illegal.

    Reaction to this in an Asempa interview monitored by GhanaWeb, on Tuesday (October 4), Wontumi insisted that he has the right to some parts of the Nimiri Forest and he is only awaiting a mining lease from the ministry to start the mining.

    He said that he has documents that show that he has rights to some parts of the forest reserve and that there is even a case that is yet to be determined by the court on who has the rights to the dispute parts of the forest.

    “If Samertex says they have the right to the disputed parts of the forest, they should provide their evidence like I have.

    “Akonta Mining is not mining in the forest; we only entered the forest about two years ago but Samertex knows that there have been illegal miners in the forest since 2013. Why did not report these galamseyers to the forestry commission?” he said in Twi.

    He added that his company together with some security only went into the forest to sack illegal miners who were already in the forest but they were attacked by officers of Samertex which led to the destruction of one of his vehicles.

    But, the PRO of Samertex, Vincent Torgah, who joined in the conversation, said that the claims of the NPP regional chairman were false.

    According to him, the Forestry Commission of Ghana which gives leases to forests in the country has on some occasions informed Wontumi’s Akonta Mining that it has no right to be mining in the forest.

    “The Ministry has told Akonta Mining on a number of occasions that it has no right to be mining in the forest.

    “But anytime we go to the forest with officials of the Forestry Commission, we see that the mining is ongoing. The security of Akonta sometimes refuse to let us leave the forest and we have to be rescued,” he said.

  • Ofori-Atta’s Databank should not play a role in Ghana’s bond issuance – Amoabeng

    Prince Kofi Amoabeng, the former CEO of the defunct UT Bank, has criticised the involvement of Databank, a bank co-founded by the Finance Minister, in the issuance of government bonds.

    According to him, it is ethically wrong for Databank to be in such a position due to the conflict of interest the entity finds itself.

    It has been widely reported that Databank and Black Star Brokerage have been acting as Bond Market Specialists for government bond issuance.

    These two institutions are linked to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofoi-Atta and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen respectively.

    Reacting to this in a TV3 interview on Monday, Amoabeng wondered if the directors of Databank can sleep soundly after benefiting from the government bonds issuance.

    He noted that: “I think it is ethically wrong, certain things you don’t do, just because there is a conflict of interest.

    “As it is been reported that Databank and Black Stars have brokerage firms that are benefitting, really? If they can sleep in the night then they are tough people.”

  • ‘It’s galamsey galore in Ghana’ – Oppong-Nkrumah’s 2016 tweet re-emerges

    In May 2016, The Economist made a tweet about the effects of small-scale illegal mining (galamsey) in Cote d’Ivoire, to which the current Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, reacted.

    The tweet read, “In Ivory Coast, the government has shut down more than 280 illegal mines since last year.”

    In a retweet, Oppong-Nkrumah, who was at the time a parliamentary candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the Ofoase Ayirebi constituency, called out the government of the day for their poor fight against the galamsey menace in the country.

    “And in Ghana it’s Galamsey galore. Governments can act if they really want to,” he retweeted.

    Today, the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, under which Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah serves as Minister of Information, has been bombarded with perhaps the worst effects of galamsey in the country.

    This is beside the several attempts made by the government to fight the menace, which continues to destroy water bodies as well as forest covers.

    See the tweet below:

    And in Ghana it’s Galamsey galore. Governments can act if they really want to. https://t.co/J3e3Id9iud

    — Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (@konkrumah) May 11, 2016

  • I express my gratitude to my brother the Asantehene and other chiefs for protecting our son – Nayiri

    The Overlord of Mamprugu, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Mahami Sheriga has expressed appreciation to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and other Chiefs around the country, for protecting their son, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

    The Nayiri welcomed Dr. Bawumia and his delegation, made up of members of Government from various parts of the country, to his Palace on Tuesday morning, before the Vice President commenced his working tour of the North East Region.

    As members of the Vice President’s powerful delegation were introduced one after the other, the Nayiri realised that the delegation was made up of people from different parts of the country.

    He acknowledged the diversity of the delegation during his address and commended Dr. Bawumia for being inclusive, adding that the diversity of the delegation is also an indication that the Vice President is widely accepted and also has a very good relationship with people.

    To the members of the delegation, the Nayiri urged them to continue to work together with the Vice President until the right destination is reached.

    “You have come far with the Vice President and since you have not yet reached your destination, you cannot complain of being tired. The plea to all of you is that, continue to lend support to the Vice President so that we will all get to our preferred destination.”

    Expressing gratitude to all present and Chiefs for supporting the Vice President to serve, the Nayiri delivered a special message to the Asantehene, through members of the delegation from the Ashante Region.

    “The Asantehene is a blood brother to the Nayiri and a very good friend. Each time they are together and they speak the same language. So those of you from Ashanti, when you get back, go to the Asantehene and tell him that his brother, his friend extends warm greetings to him and expresses his gratitude to him for protecting our son. I also request his continuous support for his son so that he can get to where he wants to get to.”

    The Nayiri urged Dr. Bawumia to continue to work hard in service to the nation, assuring that God will reward his efforts.

    The Vice President has been on a working visit to the since Sunday. After spending two days in the Northern Region, he started the a tour of the North East Region.

    Members of his delegation is made up of Ministers, MPs, Senior Government and Party Officials, former party executives and other party stalwarts.

  • Almost everything is amiss, we couldn’t even protect our gold and other resources – Kwesi Pratt

    Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has expressed frustrations over the state of Ghana‘s economy and the attitude of the citizens.

    Discussing national issues bordering on illegal mining (galamsey) and terrorism among others, Mr. Pratt was extremely worried about the future of the country.

    He condemned practices where people build houses at unauthorized sites such as waterways and places earmarked for road networks and so forth.

    He made reference to current conflict on lands at Weija Gbawe where a dam has been constructed to control the flow of the river in the area but the place has been encroached by settlers who have erected buildings there and now risk their houses being demolished.

    He also raised concerns over other places which are designated to be flight zones, hence no building nor project should be constructed there but all warnings have been ignored and today these zones have turned into a real estate dwelling for the rich in society.

    Mr. Pratt also complained about the indiscriminate use of sirens by drivers which, he stressed, should be a grave matter of concern to the State authorities because it could create an opportunity for insurgents to enter the country.

    In Kwesi Pratt’s estimation of the country, almost everything is amiss in Ghana.

    “What one thing is going well in Ghana?”, he asked and challenged “somebody should just tell me one specific thing that’s going on well”.

    With all these and many issues broached by the Editor-in-Chief of the Insight newspaper during Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” show Tuesday morning, Mr. Pratt concluded that if nothing is done to stop these practices, a time may come that every Ghanaian would opt to run from the country.

    “We couldn’t protect our gold. We didn’t get any benefits from it and it’s also destroyed our lands. We have also built houses in the waterways. We are also cutting down our cocoa trees. We are also being threatened by Boko Haram. What is left again? Somebody should tell me. What is left is for us to run from here?”, he questioned.

  • PURC orders ECG to pay compensation to customers who suffered prepaid system failure

    The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has ordered the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to pay compensation to its customers who were affected by the company’s recent system failure.

    Prepaid metre users of the state power distribution company between late September 2022 and early October 2022 experienced challenges in topping up credit.

    The situation affected customers seeking to purchase credit from third-party vending points and the ECG mobile app, leading to several power users being left without supply for days.

    In a statement dated October 4, 2022, the PURC ordered ECG to compensate its affected customers for breaching its obligations.

    “In view of the extent of inconvenience occasioned by the failure with the ECG prepayment meter system, the Commission has determined that ECG shall pay compensation to all affected customers.

    “ECG IS HERBY ORDERED to compensate each affected customer for loss suffered as a show of responsive customer service,” the statement said.

    According to the directive, the compensation is to be affected “in the form of one-time electricity credit commencing 1 October 2022 and ending October 7, 2022.”

    See below the details of the full order by PURC to ECG

    Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown below:

    The Lowdown: Role of the diaspora in the development of Africa

    CEO of the Aaron Manvel Foundation Millie Lorene Tucker and Gary Hope, the CEO of FLCC – Bring Back Hope Foundation underscore the need for the African diaspora to help develop the continent in this episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV. According to the women trying to make and create a change in Ghana, our forefathers were sold away and made to develop strange lands. Thus, coming back home and developing their home country is the best thing to do especially when resources are available.

  • Agenda 111 closing up 60-year health access gap – Bawumia

    The decision to undertake arguably the largest investment in the country’s health care system, Agenda 111, arose from the government’s determination to close the gaping lack of access to healthcare facilities, especially in remote areas of the country, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has explained.

    Inspecting the progress of work in one of the dozens of new hospitals under construction across the country at Bunkprugu in the North East Region on Tuesday, 4th October 2022, Dr Bawumia said this was the first time a concerted effort has been made to ensure that every Ghanaian, irrespective of where they live, has access to a quality health facility within a relatively short distance.

    “The Agenda 111 Project is to bridge a 60-year gap in access to health facilities across the country. 90 districts in our country do not have District Hospitals. Six Regions do not have Regional Hospitals. Large parts of our country do not have access to Specialist hospital facilities and services. This is despite over 60 years of being Independent.

    “So the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took the bold decision to build these hospitals and meet the health care needs of the people of Ghana, to ensure that every District has a hospital and every Region has a Regional Hospital. This will greatly increase access to health care, prevent avoidable, preventable deaths and reduce the suffering of our people,” he added.

    The Agenda 111 project involves the construction and/or upgrading of 101 district hospitals, the construction of six regional hospitals in the newly created regions, two specialised hospitals in the middle and northern belts, as well as a regional hospital in the Western Region and renovation of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.

    Officials of the Ministry of Health say the Project, when completed, will significantly deepen the delivery of quality healthcare at the district level and boost access to healthcare services for all citizens towards ensuring the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Three.

    The Vice President had earlier inspected ongoing works at Savelugu and Yendi, both in the Northern Region, as part of the first leg of his working visit to the five northern regions of Ghana. He was accompanied by Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, Presidential Adviser on Health, Hon Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, and other government officials.

  • Accra’s biggest death trap that is a ‘haunted,’ abandoned 17-storey building

    The La Beach Towers was designed to be a new and unique concept in beachfront residential accommodation comprising three 18 (ground plus 17) storey towers situated at the coast of Accra.

    The project, co-owned by the late Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, J. B. Danquah-Adu, is said to have come to a halt after the sudden, horrifying death of the legislator in February 2016.

    Years after, the building has been described as a death trap, posing a great danger to the landscape of the capital city, Accra.

    Also, there have been many unconfirmed stories of mysterious encounters happenings at the site of the skyscraper.

    In an attempt to get a closer view of the building and understand some of the stories that have been told of the high-rise building, Kofi Adoma of KOFI TV and KOFI Radio, visited the building and captured scenes that show how much of a death trap the building poses.

    With images shared on his social media handles, it shows the extent of damages caused to metallic equipment and tools abandoned in the building, badly rusted away.

    This is also due to the fact that the building is located right on the coast, a situation that has compounded the rusting of tools in the building.

    “From its position (close to the sea), building materials like iron rods, metals and others that are exposed to the breeze of the sea keep wearing off and corroding, and that makes the building weak and a death trap,” a caption on KOFI TV’s Facebook page read.

    The caption also alleged that there have been deaths recorded at the site of the building, with residents living in fear that the edifice is haunted.

    “Lot of deaths have been recorded from this place, residents living around this place say they are being haunted by the spirits of people who died there as workers or by accident,” it added.

    But the biggest concern of the broadcaster is with how much a threat this abandoned building poses to the communities around it and its people.

    “From afar, it’s just an abandoned building left to rot. From a closer look or view, this building is a death trap awaiting for its big swallow before action is taken,” the caption concluded.

    It is unclear what authorities intend to do about this building, or what the way forward for the project will be but one thing is clear, the longer it remains abandoned, the more threatening it could be, especially considering its position.

    Below are photos from the inside of the building, as well as a video that shows the extent of damage caused to the project:

  • Report wrongful E-Levy charges to your charging entities – GRA

    The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has directed Ghanaians who have been wrongfully charged the E-Levy on their first GH¢100 transaction to report to their charging entities for redress.

    Some Ghanaians have taken to social media to complain about unlawful charges on their transactions, even though they have successfully linked their Ghana Card details with their SIM cards.

    Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Head of Project Management at GRA, Isaac Kwabena Amoako, explained that the various charging entities may have not updated the Ghana card details of their customers, thus the wrongful deductions.

    “We are aware of these wrongful charges. The good news is that there is an avenue for customers to make complaints when there are wrongful charges. What we have also noticed is that customers have gone to the charging entities, especially the banks, to update their information, but the charging entities have failed to update same with GRA.”

    “Anyone who has been wrongfully charged has an obligation to report to their charging entities. They are not supposed to reach out to GRA. Coming to us means that you are reporting the charging entities. You only report to us when you do not get the desired results after contacting your charging entities.”

     

     

     

  • Weija DA JHS students join colleagues to evacuate belongings as flood engulfs homes

    The students joined efforts to retrieve properties belonging to their colleague’s family.

    Several communities in the Weija Gbawe Municipality have been submerged in flood waters following the spilling of excess water from the Weija Dam.

    The Ghana Water Company Limited on Sunday, October 2, 2022, commenced the spilling of excess water in the dam.

    Visiting Weija and its environs on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, GhanaWeb TV cameras captured several residents who had been displaced by the spilled water flooding their homes.

    Dozens of students at the Weija D/A Junior High School were sighted assisting some schoolmates whose home had been flooded to evacuate their properties.

    A parent of the affected student lamented the impact of the flooding which she noted had destroyed her valuables.

    According to the mother of three, she had lost some GHC1,500 to the flood waters in addition to several belongings.

    Boats take over as homes at Weija ‘drown’ under water after dam spillage.

     

     

  • Galamsey: ‘We all know those involved but it has become difficult to talk about it because of fear’ – MP

    Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond, has said that persons financing illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) are well known but have not been exposed yet because of fear.

    He intimated that they are not talking about ‘galamsey’ because they know the power of the people involved in the menace, adomonline.com reports.

    “How do these visitors get to know these galamsey towns? Our own people hold their hands and take them to the places to do the illegal mining. We all know those involved but it has become difficult to talk about it because of fear,” the MP is quoted to have said on Asempa FM.

    K.T. Hammond, however, urged the government to start putting in place serious mechanisms to stop the menace because it is becoming very scary.

    “The issue of galamsey is a serious issue and should be looked at. Let’s be up and doing as a government and do the right thing.

    “The government should do more to end the galamsey menace. It is not acceptable any longer. Government should tighten the measures adopted in the galamsey fight,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the United States (US) Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, has urged the government of Ghana to put in more effort in the fight against the menace of illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in the country.

    According to her, Ghana was not making any significant strides in the fight against the menace because only the illegal miners (‘galamseyers’) are arrested while the powerful forces behind them are not touched.

    Virginia Palmer, who made these remarks when she paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, added that if the government fails to take urgent steps to stop ‘galamsey’, the country will be in some serious crisis soon.

    “The galamseyers themselves are people who need to make a living. I think the galamseyers are not active in doing it but the powers behind them are the ones truly responsible for the evils. Indeed, they are wreaking real environmental havoc on your rivers which is having an impact on your cocoa crops. All of these things are going to have really negative consequences on the economy of Ghana,” she said.

  • Dead whale found at Dansoman

    A sea mammal; a whale, has reportedly been found dead at a Beach in Dansoman.

    Photos posted by akokonsafuor on social media platform – Instagram, show that the mammal may have died some time ago, judging from the decolourized carcass that was washed ashore.

    It is unclear however what may have caused the death of the mammal.

    As of the time of going to press, GhanaWeb had not received nor seen any official communication from authorities on what happened at the beach.

    See the photos of the dead mammal below:

     

  • We never said we were not going to borrow – Ex-NPP MP

    Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikwei North, Fuseini Issah, has refuted assertions by some factions in the public that the Akufo-Addo government said it was not going to borrow.

    He intimated that neither President Akufo-Addo nor Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia categorically stated that Ghana was never going to borrow money under their watch.

    Speaking in a TV3 interview monitored by GhanaWeb on Tuesday, the ex-MP added that there is nothing wrong with borrowing money for development and that even advanced countries, including the US, borrow.

    “Nobody said that we were not going to borrow. At no point did we say we were not going to borrow. Aid and borrowing are different.

    “Borrowing is part of normal government business. No government on earth does not borrow; it is part of normal governance and normal fiscal policy. Nobody said that we were never going to borrow. It is not written anywhere,” he said.

    Also, he said that the current hardships in the country can not be blamed on the Akufo-Addo government.

    According to him, the main reasons for the hardship are the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and the mess created by the government of ex-president John Dramani Mahama, which the Akufo-Addo administration is still fixing.

    Prior to the 2016 election, Vice President Bawumia said that there was no need for the Mahama government to borrow because Ghana had enough resources.

    “I worked at the Bank of Ghana, and so I know that Ghana is rich. It is because the managers of the economy are incompetent, and so all they think of is borrowing. The NPP, if voted in, will harness resources to develop Ghana. I am telling you we can develop Ghana without borrowing, the money is here,” he said.

    He has since stated that the statement he made is being misconstrued and that he meant that an NPP government will borrow responsibly.

    President Akufo-Addo also, before he came to power, said that Ghana has an abundance of money needed to transform Ghana.

    “God has not placed us on this rich land to be poor. Ghana is not a poor country. The money is there in abundance. It’s just a matter of priority,” Akufo-Addo said.

     

  • Terrorism threat: Sheikh Dukere was the contact person for Fulanis in Ghana – Adib Saani

    Security Analyst, Adib Saani, has said that the re-arrest of prominent Fulani Imam, Sheikh Dukere, does not mean that he (the Imam) is connected to jihadists or terrorist groups in Burkina Faso.

    According to a Joy News report, Sheikh Osman Dukere was arrested for the second time in Ghana by National Security together with 12 of his followers on Saturday, October 1, 2022.

    Although the reason for his arrest has not been disclosed, the Imam was arrested in 2019 with 20 of his disciples when he was accused of having links with a jihadist group in Burkina Faso.

    The first arrest was made after the security operatives in Burkina Faso informed the National Security of Ghana that Imam Dukuri was the emergency contact of 5 jihadists it had killed in a gunfight.

    But in a statement copied to GhanaWeb, Adib Saani said the five terrorists killed might have had the contact of Sheikh Dukere because he was the contact person for Fulanis who fled to Ghana.

    “Sheikh Siidi Dukere who was arrested alongside 12 of his followers in Karaga in the northern region was arrested in the past and released due to lack of evidence.

    “He came under the radar when killed militants in Burkina Faso had his number on their emergency contact list. But as an individual who was the official focal point and contact person for all Fulanis who fled into Ghana from Burkina Faso, it would have been normal to have his contact saved on many phones even if he didn’t know them,” parts of the statement read.

    Adib, however, urged the security apparatus in Ghana to be vigilant because the five terrorists having the contact of the Islamic cleric might mean that they might have come to Ghana at some point.

    “However, the fact that these individuals had his number saved in their devices meant that they might have accessed Ghana before returning to Burkina Faso,” he noted.