But when it happens that one party is unable to decode the symbols or signs used by the other then communication cannot take place because there will be no proper feedback.
This is what is happening between the deaf and those who can hear.
Because the deaf cannot hear, sign language was first introduced in France in 1755 and in Ghana in 1957 by Dr. Andrew Foster, a deaf American.
The United Nations in its 2017 General Assembly proclaimed 23rd September as the International Day of Sign Languages in order to raise awareness of the importance of sign languages.
Speaking to GhanaWeb through an interpreter, the Western Regional President of the Deaf Association, Ussher Kakra noted that because people do not understand sign language, anytime two deaf people are speaking through sign language, people think they are fighting.
According to him, the deaf community faces many challenges that need to be addressed.
Kakra mentioned that the deaf is unable to enter into any meaningful business because as soon as people get to know their status (deaf) they stop buying from the person.
“Because of that, we can’t work in public places and most of us are poor in society, while others have resorted to begging,” he said.
He called on the government to include sign language in the educational curriculum to help children to start learning sign language from the basic schools.
Speaking to a sign language interpreter Richmond Baidoo, noted that society has not seen the need to break the communication barrier in various aspects.
“Imagine a deaf person visiting the hospital, how will they communicate with the doctor to know his or her problem; imagine a deaf person who wants to enroll in educational courses, how will he access quality education when there is no sign language? Let’s look at the content on the internet, how many of them contain sign language interpretation for the deaf to understand the content?” he asked.
Richmond Baidoo said, “it is about time we understand the culture of the deaf so that certain misconceptions about the deaf community will be dealt with.”
He called on health workers to acquaint themselves with sign language in order to administer proper health care to the deaf adding that all health institutions should employ sign language interpreters who will interpret whatever health challenge the deaf has to the health worker.
Three persons were killed and 32 othersinjured when a gas tanker collided with a VIP passenger bus, at Fumesua, in the Ejisu Municipality of Ashanti, in the early hours of Wednesday.
By the time the Ghanaian Times arrived at the scene, both vehicles had been towed away from the scene.
The Ejisu Municipal Chief Executive, Samuel Frimpong, who was at the scene, confirmed the incident to the Ghanaian Times, here, quoting sources from the Ejisu Divisional Command.
He indicated that the gas tanker was going to offload its content at Sonic gas filling station in Fumesua when the incident happened.
“It is very surprising how the VIP bus rammed into the tanker, which had almost navigated into the filling station…the bus rammed into the tail of the tanker,”MrFrimpong indicated.
He said drivers of the bus and gas tanker survived and were under investigation at the Ejisu Divisional Police Command., adding that some of the injured were sent to Ejisu Government Hospital.
The gas in the tanker was siphoned into a new tanker amid the positioning of fire tender at the place, Mr Frimpong said.
Kwasi Bonzoh, the District Chief Executive ofEllembelle has said that his dedication to the fight against illegalmining has seen him gone up against illegal miners in court.
Bonzoh K as he is fondly called, said on Adom FM that he is the complainant in most of the illegal mining cases being prosecuted in the Ellembelle district.
He recounted instances where he testified in open court against illegal miners and emphasize his commitment to the fight.
Bonzoh K also noted that but for the drive and dedication of the Akufo-Addo government, the Ellembelle district would have been ravaged by illegal mining activities.
Whiles commending the president for the fight against galamsey, Bonzoh K reaffirmed his willingness to protect the resources.
“Let me commend the president. But for his intervention and commitment to fighting illegal mining, things would have been worse. There is gold in Ellembele but instead of going through due process they normally circumvent the process by seeing the families who are owners of the land. Because it’s illegal, you can’t regulate them.
“Nana Akufo-Addo’s fight is what has brought us some relief. There are about 18 operations and I’m the complainant for most of them. There are instances where I’ve testified in open court against galamseyers” he said.
Bonzoh K also called for a de-politicization of the fight against galamsey. He surmised that giving the fight a political colorization will prevent the government and agencies from identifying the real culprits behind the menace.
“Galamseyers are businessmen who take advantage of the political space. We should do this thing [fighting illegal mining] without the political colorization of the fight”.
“When you arrest one galamseyer, the number of calls that you will receive transcends political lines. The moment you politicize it, the real actors get away with it. We are doing the unborn generations a great disservice if we don’t win this fight. If we just look on for people to just destroy our environment, what will my children come to inherit?”
Bonzoh K has been charged with five counts of alleged obstruction over the controversial missing excavators saga.
The charges he will face are assault, conspiracy to assault, resisting arrest and two others.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently on a bail.
She called on the Security Council to take urgent steps to prevent its own ‘near paralysis’ and end the war in Ukraine.
Ayorkor Botchway emphasized Ghana’s commitment to ensure that perpetrators of the heinous crimes in the war were brought to book.
“With the rising death toll, civilian casualties and growing reports of war crimes and other human rights violations, we must uphold our responsibilities as a Council and send a clear message that perpetrators of atrocities would be held to account,” she said.
The minister further admonished Russia to withdraw it troops from Ukraine in respect of the sovereignty and independence of the country which once formed part of the Soviet Union.
“We reiterate the call on the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally cease its operations, withdraw its troops from the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and respect it neighbours sovereignty and political independence,” she reiterated.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year after the latter had shown signs of joining the European security bloc, Nato. The war has been condemned by a majority of world leaders.
The government of Ghana has also been partly blaming the ongoing war for it economic challenges.
Speaking on Wednesday, September 21, 2022; at the UN General Assembly Meeting, President Akufo-Addo indicated that the ‘bombs and bullets’ being launched at Ukraine was hitting the pocket of African countries.
“As we grappled with these economic challenges, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine burst upon us, aggravating an already difficult situation.
“It is not just the dismay that we feel at seeing such deliberate devastation of cities and towns in Europe in the year 2022, we are feeling this war directly in our lives in Africa.
“Every bullet, every bomb, every shell that hits a target in Ukraine, hits our pockets and our economies in Africa. The economic turmoil is global with inflation as the number one enemy this year,” he added.
The entranceexamination for the Ghana School of Law, which was supposed to be taken by prospective students today, September 23, 2022, has been canceled.
The exam was canceled as a result of the questions being leaked on social media hours before it was scheduled to be written.
The four paged leaked paper had two questions the candidates expected to answer.
The Independent Examination Committee of the General Legal Council, which oversees examinations, decided to cancel the paper after careful consideration.
This is the second time the Committee has cancelled an examination this year.
In July 2022, the examination body cancelled a Civil Procedure paper scheduled to be taken by students of the Ghana Law School.
This was after the copies of the paper had been circulated on social media ahead of the time it was scheduled to be taken.
Meanwhile, GhanaWeb is informed that the cancelled entrance examination paper is scheduled to be taken later in the day.
Pressure group, Occupy Ghana has petitioned the Right to Information (RTI) Commission to order the Lands Commission to provide details on all public lands that have been released toindividuals.
The group in their petition addressed to the Executive Secretary of the RTI Commission said the move had become necessary because the Lands Commission had frustrated attempts to access the information.
Demands
Among others, the group wants a list of all public lands over which the government’s ownership or control has been relinquished, and the names of the persons to whom those lands have been released; the respective sizes and locations (suburbs, towns/cities and regions) of all such lands; and the conditions of release, whether free, sale, lease or licence.
It also wants to know “If the land has been leased, the amount of rent paid or payable; and Any other amounts paid to or received by the government, if any, for each such transaction”.
Argument
Occupy Ghana argues that the Commission flouted the law when it allegedly returned some public lands to the original owners in compliance with Articles 20(5) and 20 (6).
“It is a notorious fact that some public lands have allegedly been returned to the original owners in a purported compliance with Article 20(5) and (6) of the Constitution, contrary to Supreme Court decisions that those provisions do not apply to lands acquired before the Constitution came into force,” the statement said.
“Further, OccupyGhana’s checks with both the Lands Ministry and Lands Commission have confirmed that contrary to article 258 (2), there is no government policy that authorises these alleged returns of lands to purported original owners. This would raise serious constitutional questions over the propriety of the alleged return of lands, since the Lands Commission, acting alone, has no power to treat the trust property of all Ghanaians in this manner by purporting to return such lands to alleged original owners. This also raises serious constitutional issues as to whether or not the Lands Commission is in breach of its constitutionally imposed fiduciary and accountability duties”.
Delays
The group added that after several frustrations it had resolved that “unless and until compelled by the Right to Information Commission to do so, the Lands Commission will keep coming up with one unsustainable excuse after another”.
It said the most recent excuse, which gave a lot of cause for concern, was the claim that they required the advice of the Attorney-General “on our request in the light of the provisions of the Data Protection Act and the Right to Information Act”.
“It is in the light of the above, that on 2 June 2022, OccupyGhana requested from the Lands Commission, an inventory of all public lands alleged to have been returned to their original owners since the coming into force of the Constitution. We made this request in the exercise of both our right to Information under article 21 of the Constitution and our right to be accounted to as Ghanaians, the ultimate beneficiaries of those lands, under article 36(8).
“Unfortunately, the Lands Commission, while pretending to be gathering that information for us, is using every conceivable trick to frustrate our constitutional rights stated above. The reasons for not giving us the information to date has ranged from a demand that we name an individual with whom the Commission would deal, to asking for time to compile the information from the regions, to asking for a meeting to discuss our concerns.
“We have responded to each of these excuses to show that the Lands Commission has absolutely no legal bases to deny or delay our right to the information we seek. However, at this stage we are concerned that unless and until compelled by the Right to Information Commission to do so, the Lands Commission will keep coming up with one unsustainable excuse after another. This is what compels us to petition your office for an order directed at the Lands Commission to supply to us the information requested”.
The operations of Seven Seas Salt Mining Limited in Laklevikope and the adjacent towns in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region have reportedly put the lives of the locals in danger, as such, residents in the area have threatened to embark on a protest.
The locals asserted that since they rely on the lagoon for their fishing, the company’s operations put them in danger.
In an interview with Citi News the the Assemblyman for the area, Victor Ayaku, said the residents have resolved to protest since efforts to bring such activities to their minimum have proven futile.
He added that said the company doesn’t care about the lives of the individuals in the area since it failed to erect warning signs as a sign of caution.
“It is important we demonstrate because this company is taking us for granted, all the activities that are being undertaken by the company within the company are doing more harm than good.
“The necessary steps we needed to take as assembly members were all exhausted, but still, what is going on is still going on. We are calling on the government to come and investigate. After that, possibly, we will take legal action against this company,” he said.
A woman and her three children perished on Saturday, September 17, 2022, after falling into a pit near the lagoon operated by Seven Seas Salt Mining Limited.
The murder of a 30-year-old man who was allegedly shot and killed in a robbery suspect at Ohwim in the Ashanti Region has left friends and family in mourning.
After being attacked by some unidentified armedindividuals at his home, the deceased, a mobile phone vendor named Ibrahim Abdul-Wahab, passed away in the hospital.
According to the deceased’s family, the incident occurred on Thursday about 1:30 am.
The deceased according to reports was rushed to a private facility and was later referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital where he died.
A spokesperson of the family, Ali Musah is appealing to the police to thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure the perpetrators are arrested.
He also appealed to the police to expedite processes to release the body for burial.
Friends who are trooping to the family house of the deceased described him as humble and calm.
Police at Suame have begun investigations into the incident, while the bereaved family is waiting for the body to be released for burial according to Islamic rites.
A former People’s National Convention (PNC) secretary, Benard Mornah, has stated that the Akufo-Addo-led administration is eroding the heritage of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president.
Mr. Mornah lamented that on the day designated to honor Kwame Nkrumah‘s birthday, the public was unable to access the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
Speaking at an event, held by the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) to commemorate Memorial Day on Wednesday, 21 September 2022, Mr. Mornah said: “I went to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, and when I got there this morning, it was difficult to go there because the contractor claims they have taken control of that site.”
“21st September has been declared a public holiday, and people are working at the site of Kwame Nkrumah and where Kwame Nkrumah is lying and the government of Ghana is happy and preventing citizens from visiting the tomb of Kwame Nkrumah,” he lamented.
He stated that the administration would face resistance if it tried to change the initial concept for building the Memorial Park.
“And their[government] attempt to impose other people that do not qualify to be at the Memorial Park, I sent a warning and let me repeat it here, if they make a mistake and put anything either than Kwame Nkrumah in the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, we’ll bring that thing down,” the former PNC Secretary stated.
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra was closed temporarily closed on Friday, 27 May 2022, for maintenance works.
Contractors are working to upgrade the memorial park to a standard that befits the stature of the former president and boosts the attractiveness of the park and the overall tourism performance of the country.
A member of parliament representing Ketu South, Dzifa Gomashie, has urged the police to conduct a thorough inquiry into the most recent drowning tragedy at the Laklevikope lagoon.
On September 18, a mother and her three children drowned in a dyke that was purportedly built in a lagoon by a salt mining firm in Laklevikope, Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region.
Due to this, the locals felt obligated to ask the government to make sure the business adheres to safety protocols to avoid similar incidents in the future.
They are also calling on the mining company to put safety signposts along the lagoon.
Reacting to the incident in a Facebook post, the legislator extended her condolences to the bereaved family and demanded an investigation into the matter.
Dzifa Gomashie in the Facebook post said “While I commiserate with the affected communities, I also want to urge the Ministry in charge, the Minerals Commission, and the Municipal Assembly to take the extremely urgent steps necessary to avert any more tragic deaths.“
“Indeed, I demand a full-scale Police investigation into the present case and the publication of the report, as well as the full disclosure of the efforts to ensure the lives and property of the people are protected.”
“We are a peaceful and law-abiding people and will support the state in the discharge of their duty but we will not sit aloof whilst foreign entities imperil the lives of our people die,” she added.
The Central Regional Centre for National Culture (CNC) has organised a graduation ceremony for more than 70 ladies who enrolled to take part in a year’s C-Carl Oparebea Annual Marketable Skills Training held in Cape Coast,Central Regional capital.
Theprogramme provided hands-on training for the women to acquire skills in bead making, crocheting, basic sewing, decoration, facial makeup, painting, hair dressing, dreads locking, hair braiding and fascinator making.
This year’s event, the sixth to be organised under the C-Carl Oparebea Skills Training was on the theme: “Promoting Economic Growth and Development Through Arts and Culture.”
The acting Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture (CNC), Ms Salamatu Alhassan, in her address, noted that the skills training was part of the Centre’s contribution towards reducing unemployment in the Cape Coast metropolis.
She indicated that the training was in line with the core mandate of the National Commission on Culture under which the CNC falls in implementing government policies and programmes.
“The responsibilities of the Centre for National Culture with regard to promoting youth in the arts arena cuts across all spheres of education,” she said.
The practical aspect offered as part of the training, she said, was imperative in providing an opportunity for people to acquire employable skills to operate their own businesses.
Ms Alhassan indicated that, past trainees from the programme, were excelling in their respective businesses and were also impacting the lives of individuals by training them, saying, “However, some of them are facing challenges of funding as a start-up.”
He appealed to the government to resource the centres across the country in order for them to function effectively.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, in an address read on her behalf, commended the CNC for initiating and sustaining the programme aimed at identifying, developing and rewarding creative talents in the region.
“The flagship programmes are highly commendable as they are in line with government’s realignment of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) under the supervision of the Ministry of education,” she stated.
She further said: “The government has been working to promote skills training and development for industrialisation and generate greater awareness of the importance of TVET.
Mrs Assan expressed the readiness of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) in supporting the CNC as it strives to make an impact and supports the growth of the region and the nation in general.
She called on residents in the region to assist in creating a congenial atmosphere that would ensure steady growth and development of their societies.
“This will help to compliment the government’s efforts to extend development to every part of the country,” she said.
MTN Ghana has embarked on a drive to appreciate its customers and reaffirm its commitmentto delivering distinctcustomerservice.
This is part of the 2022 Global Appreciation Week.
Global appreciation week is a week that is set aside for MTN employees to show appreciation for each person’s contribution to the company’s performance.
The first day was dedicated to the brand. Day two of the appreciation week was dedicated to customers and MTN staff who took the SIM registration exercise to the doorsteps of customers in Ghana. Customers were registered in the comfort of their homes and offices.
MTN Staff Celebrate Global Appreciation Week
In addition toSIM registration, staff interacted with customers and addressed their concerns. The CEO of MTN also sent SMS messages to MTN customers.
The rest of the days focused on appreciating exceptional team members and individuals whilst the final day was used to celebrate our communities.
MTN Staff Yvonne Takyi assists customer to check her registration status
Commenting on this year’s customer appreciation week, the Chief Customer Services Officer, Jemima Kotei Walsh said, “We want to thank all our customers for their support over the years. We appreciate your loyalty and we have you at heart.
“Therefore, we have dedicated our customer appreciation week to serving you in your comfort zone by bringing the SIM registration exercise to your doorsteps. We are undertaking this exercise across the country to ensure that every customer can conveniently register”.
MTN Staff in the field to support Customers with their SIM Re-registration
She urged those who have not yet registered their sims with the Ghana card to do so immediately.
She said, “We are urging customers who have not yet started the process to link their Ghana card with USSD *404# or use the MTN web portal https://simregistrationportal.mtn.com.gh before they come to our touchpoints for the biometric capture.
“Customers can complete the registration by either visiting the nearest service centre for the biometric capture. Alternatively, customers can download the SIM Registration Self Service app on google play to complete the registration”.
Customer Being Registered
The Customer appreciation week was marked in all 19 MTN operations.
MTN Staff interacting with Customers in the Market
A well-known evangelist, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, has called Ghana’s battle against unlawful small-scale mining, better known as galamsey, a joke given how pretentiously everyone has been handling it.
He asserted that the persons involved in the trade are not hiding anything, and that the rules of the nation are freely flouted by them.
In a brief excerpt from the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation‘s Breakfast Show, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh spoke about how he had seen firsthand the extent of the environmental harm that galamsey has inflicted.
“I have had the chance to go to Tarkwa, with my team as a form of excursion and curiosity, got to see galamsey sites. We advanced to see some in Obuasi and I think it’s a joke if we make talks that we’re fighting galamsey,” he said.
The revered Man of God went on to say that although national authorities are aware of the origins of galamsey and the reasons it has grown to be such an empowered sector, they are choosing not to address it directly.
“Everybody knows where galamsey is. Everybody knows the perpetrators… how does the equipment get to Ghana? The equipment don’t fly straight from China. The equipment don’t fly straight from Japan. The equipment don’t come straight from other parts straight; it goes through our ports of entry. Who monitors them?
“I think that it’s about time as a nation, we walk the talk and stop limiting ourselves to very trivial things. Galamsey is destroying our water bodies, it has destroyed our nation,” he added.
The Akufo-Addo government has been on a relentless campaign to completely stop galamsey in the country but it has continuously been met with many challenges.
More than 200 pregnant women in the Anyaa SowutoumConstituencyyesterday benefited from a free pregnancy scan organised by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Dr Dickson Adomako-Kissi.
In addition, the women also received free blood supplements and education on caesarian section from some specialists of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Speaking in interview with the Ghanaian Times, the MP said the exercise formed part of his initiative to offer the women opportunity to seek medical attention on any bordering health issues.
He said women’s health was paramount with regards to the Sustainable Development Goal Three which was targeted at reducing one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
“It is in line with this, that today, I decided to use the holiday for free pregnancy scan so that we can pick up some of the issues and diagnose them for proper treatment,” he added.
Dr Adomako-Kisi said some pregnant women often times were faced with pregnancy challenges such as pains, ectopic, abnormalities in the baby head size, shape, missing a limp among others which most of them could not afford in diagnosing and so was important they went through routine exercises such as that.
He advised the pregnant women to desist from patronising prayer houses and visiting their hometowns for delivery to avoid complications.
Dr Adomako-Kissi decried the increasing cases of pregnant women who patronised prayer houses and faith-based centres to assist them during deliveries saying that it made their work difficult.
“I have advised them on the spiritual aspect because pastors and reverends are stakeholders in this work and sometimes make our work difficult because they do not encourage the women to take medical advice but only the spiritual advice. However, we can work hand in hand to ensure that there is no premature mortality,” he stated.
He stressed the need for pregnant women to register at approved hospitals for ante-natal care to ensure safe delivery.
Dr Adomako-Kissi promised to impact his community positively on health related issues and assured of establishing a district hospital to cater for the health needs of the constituents.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the MP saying it was timely due to some health challenges they were unable to access the health centres due to financial crisis.
“I am very happy for the gesture because some of us might have not had the opportunity or money to go through all these he has done for free. We appreciate it and say God richly bless him for thinking about pregnant women,” Mrs Deladem, a businesswoman said.
The two-day event’s goal was to secure the advancement of the Eastern Commodity Satellite Market Agenda, which was launched in 2019. This program aims to use increased agricultural value addition as a springboard for regional agricultural industrialization.
Themed: “Achieving Agricultural Industrialisation through the Eastern Commodity Satellite Markets: Financial and Technical Support from TIAST,” the event brought together agribusiness men and women who came to showcase and manage their products as well as municipal chief executives, agricultural extension agents, agricultural regional and district officers who came to grace the occasion.
According to the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Seth Kwame Acheampong, the event will promote value addition to agricultural products, encourage local economic growth in the districts, and advance agricultural industrialization.
“It would also enhance the supply of good quality agricultural produce for processors and consumers and link small scale farmers and processors to markets,” he said.
The minister indicated that there was a paradigm shift in agriculture from just primary production to value addition, adding that “the only way a small holder farmer can maximise profits in a perfectly competitive market where the market dictates the price is by product differentiation through value addition, branding and packaging with special emphasis on quality.”
Mr Acheampong said it was therefore, gratifying to have TIAST Group partnering with the Eastern Commodity Satellite and added that the event was in direct response to the ever-increasing demand for quality and safe foods, and the opportunity it would bring to the region in terms of industrialisation and job creation.
He said the event inspired by instinctive creativity and exemplary commitment of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s vision would contribute significantly to agricultural productivity, revealing that the region can boast of three out of six agro ecological zones in the country, making it conducive for the production of nearly all crops grown in the country.
Mr Acheampong was grateful to TIAST group for such partnership and stated that even though their main targets was large scale investors, they should design a concept that would embrace the small scale processors playing key roles in the Eastern Commodity Satellite Markets.
For her part, the Chairperson for TIAST Group, Ms Lisa Hao stated that her outfits looked forward to partner investors, entrepreneurs and farmers in the region to transform the sector positively.
“In a space of 10 years we are looking forward to creating one thousand factories, one million job and ten billion US dollars in West Africa. With our 70-80 financial support, technical service and offtake service, our partners are assured of a great agricultural experience.”
She indicated that their partnership with the RCC was to support the agribusinesses to add more value to their raw products, link them to stable markets by giving them the platform, adding all was geared towards discovering the wealth of the agriculture sector for the benefit all.
Others were situated in the Greater-Accra and Eastern regions to offer top-notch medical care to those living there and beyond.
These were the remarks made by Mr. Boakye on Tuesday, September 20 when he inspected the GIDC at the Goaso Municipal Hospital (GMH) as part of his two-day official working tour of the Asunafo North Municipality.
He said the 100-bed capacity hospital, which was 95 per cent complete, has been developed in response to COVID-19 pandemic to serve Ahafo Region and the rest of the middle belt.
The Regional Minister indicated that the facility was developed by the Ghana COVID-19 private sector fund, an initiative committed to provide a prompt response to the hardship caused by the pandemic.
Mr Boakye stated that the contractor used resource-efficient designs and technologies such as energy-saving lighting system, insulation and low-flow plumbing fixtures to lower the hospital’s utility cost.
“The hospital which will cater for all manner of infectious disorders will soon be handed over to the Goaso Municipal hospital,” he emphasised.
The Regional Minister was optimistic that the facility which was built in a serene environment would provide comfort, security and fast recovery for patients, adding that the COVID-19 relief fund is really impacting lives.
Mr Boakye expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for honouring the people of Ahafo with such a landmark health infrastructure saying that “we are all indebted to him”.
He urged residents of the newly created Ahafo region to be patient with the government to redeem the various promises made to them during the electioneering campaign.
This year, the contractor will be launching metallic beams onto the interchange, thus from now until Friday, September 30, the route from the Obetsebi-Lamptey Roundabout to the Central Mosque atAbossey Okaiwill be temporarily closed to traffic.
The stretch will be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each day.
“This is to enable the contractor launch the metallic steel beams of the interchange. Motorists are advised to follow the traffic diversion signs and use alternative routes to their destinations, where practicable,” a public notice signed by the acting Director of the Department of Urban Roads (DUR), J.O. Amoo-Gottfried, said.
Drivers have already been limited to using one lane, particularly around the roundabout to the Kaneshie Market (Mpamprom) sector.
This is in spite of police presence to control the flow of traffic to ensure order and the smooth movement of vehicles.
Second phase
The second stage of the road project involves the launching of the beams that will act as decks for the road on which the asphaltic concrete will be poured.
The Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange project’s second phase of construction got under way in February of last year.
The second phase covers the third tier of work from the interchange towards the Abossey Okai road, as well as underground storm drains from the Hyundai stretch of the roundabout to Mpamprom, near the Kaneshie Market.
This phase of the project involves the construction of a third-tier flyover from the Abossey Okai Central Mosque side of the road towards the ISTC Yard.
It also involves the widening of the road into a three-lane dual carriageway, with provision for bus rapid transit facilities.
It will also see the widening of the Awudome Cemetery and the Nii Teiko Din roads into dual carriage lanes, as well as improvement of the Kaneshie Market Terminal.
The ground level will have a re-modelled roundabout.
Engineers working on the second phase of the project told the Daily Graphic last month that they were on course to meet the March 2023 completion deadline.
They estimated the current state of the project to be about 64 per cent complete.
First phase
The first phase, valued at $35 million and completed in November last year, five months ahead of schedule, involved the construction of the second tier interchange from the Graphic Road towards Kaneshie — east to west.
It also involved the construction of two (5 x 2 metre) 550-metre viaducts and ramps between Graphic Road and the Dr Busia Highway (Kaneshie-Mallam Road).
Rationale
The construction of the interchange became necessary to eliminate one of the major bottlenecks on the Ring Road in Accra — congestion — and improve traffic flow at the intersection of four major roads — the Graphic Road, the Kaneshie-Mallam Road, Ring Road West towards the Nkrumah Interchange and Ring Road West Extension towards Abossey Okai.
On completion, there will be the erection of an appropriate monument in memory of Emmanuel Odarkwei Obetsebi-Lamptey, one of the Big Six of the country’s independence struggle, after whom the interchange is named.
The Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange project is being executed by QGMI, with FAS Consult Ltd as consultants.
The DUR, an agency under the Ministry of Roads and Highways, is responsible for the project.
She needs GH97,048 for the surgery intended to treat her for spondylolisthesis, a spine condition that has impacted her lower vertebrae.
The previously self-employed jeweler Rebecca Eshun is due for surgery at the FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital, but her failure to raise the required finances is making the ailment she has been battling since 2019 worse.
For almost three years, she has had to deal with pain in the back, upper and lower limbs, leading to difficulties in walking.
During the period, initial recommendations by doctors after neurological and radiological evaluation suggested she was to be treated without surgery.
However, frequent follow-ups now point to a surgical intervention in her lower back to relieve trapped nerves and stabilise the spine using implants.
The cost covers theatre, ward stay, recovery medication, feeding, physiotherapy, six months of orthopaedic outpatient follow-up care, x-ray and laboratory tests.
Individuals willing to assist can do so through her MTN Mobile Money number – 0551145709 [Rebecca Eshun] to enable her garner funds for onward payment into the hospital’s account.
More than 150 individuals from Somanya and neighboring towns in the Yilo-Krobo district of the Eastern region, including children, adults, and seniors, showed up to get examined for various health-related ailments yesterday, September 21.
Traditional leaders from the town and other nearby communities weren’t left out either, as they alternately went through the vetting procedure.
The event, which was sponsored by the National Lottery Authority’s (NLA) Good Causes Foundation in collaboration with the Lafiya Clinic, involved screenings for conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, hepatitis B, and hypertension.
The screening began at 10 am with the people seated patiently under tents waiting to take turns to go through the screening process and also receive medical attention as well as advice from medical officers present.
Medical officers took the opportunity to educate the people who had turned up for the health screening on health issues using the blend of the English language and the local dialect for better understanding.
A Physician Assistant at the Lafiya Clinic, Ms Clara Nyarko, said she realised during the screening process that some of the people were suffering from hypertension and were resorting to the use of herbal medicine for treatment.
She was of the view that resorting to herbal medicine was not a bad idea but it becomes problematic when the herbal treatment are received from unlicenced herbal clinics.
Additionally, Ms Nyarko said “most of them had the impression that the orthodox medicine have side effect so they want to take the herbal medication because those ones do not have side effects.”
Ms Nyarko, therefore, implored the people to visit a licenced or authorised medical centre at least twice a month for regular medical check-ups.
The Coordinator of the Good Courses Foundation, NLA, Ms Amma Frimpong said the health screening was the second of many nationwide health screening exercise to be organised under the mandate of the Director-General of the NLA, Mr Sammy Awuku.
She further added that it also afforded the NLA the opportunity to improve its relations with the community and educate them on its activities and operations while advising parents to ensure that their children below 18 years did not get involved.
According to Ms Frimpong, the Foundation budgeted an estimated amount of GH¢80, 000for the exercise which included the payment of medical staff, medications and other expenses.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Yilo-Krobo, Mr Eric Tetteh, lauded the NLAfor the exercise saying it was important for the improvement of health among people living in the 33 municipalities in the Yilo-Krobo district.
The Assembly, he opined, was committed to ensuring that the health of the people in the district was improved through consistent education on sanitation leading to attitudinal change.
He, therefore, advised the people to observe good sanitation practices such as constant cleaning of the environment, regular exercising and the taking in of healthy diet.
The Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, who disclosed this during the signing of agreements with the Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) of the YouStart programme in Accra on Tuesday, said the government would provide GH¢3 billion while development partners provide GH¢2 billion to support the implementation of the GH¢10 billion programme meant to support the youth to create their own businesses.
While the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, signed on behalf of the government, representatives of the participating banks signed on behalf of their respective organisations.
The partner banks are GCB Bank Plc, Absa Bank Ghana Limited, Access Bank Ghana Plc, Ecobank Ghana Plc, FBNBank Ghana Limited, Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited, and Universal Merchant Bank.
The others are Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited, CalBank Plc, OmniBSIC Bank Ghana Limited, Zenith Bank Ghana Limited, Bank of Africa Ghana Limited, ARB Apex Bank and GAB.
Mr Ofori-Atta said government intended to “anchor the post-COVID-19 recovery on the young people’s renewed hope and dynamism” and ensured that “none of them was left behind on the path toward building an entrepreneurial state.”
“Fundamentally, we had to adopt this approach because the pandemic taught us we must re-orient our approach towards structural transformation and react with a clear plan to “reap the benefits of our population dividend by building an entrepreneurial state,” he said.
He said data from the Ghana Statistical Service suggested that the unemployment rate for those aged 15-35 was 19.7 per cent, adding that “Even for those who are perceived to be working, 50 per cent of them were classified as underemployed.”
“These statistics underscore the dire need to resolve this spectre of youth unemployment across our communities,” he said, adding that “We must all work together (public and private sectors) to ensure we create a culture and mindset that leaves our young people unafraid to challenge themselves.”
He explained that the YouStart programme had three models, namely the Commercial Programme, District Entrepreneurship Programme, and the YouStart Grace, would be implemented with faith-based organisations.
Mr Ofori-Atta said the implementation of the YouStart was starting with the Commercial Programme, which offered a standardised loan product between GH¢100, 000 and GH¢500, 000.00 from PFIs to cover working capital requirements, business expansion needs and the purchase of equipment or machinery for the beneficiaries.
The Chief Executive Officer of GAB, John Awuah, said the YouStart was “a positive development.”
“As a nation we all recognise that we need to help build our own. If the impact of COVID-19 has taught us any lesson at all, it is that we need to have a home-grown economy, an economy that is owned and managed by Ghanaians,” he said.
He said the signing of the agreement would pave way for the partner banks to start preparatory works to start disbursing the money.
The YouStart Programme is a vehicle through which Government intends to provide funding and technical support to youth-led businesses who fall within this category to assist them start, build and grow their business.
Introduced in last year’s budget, the programme formed part of the GH¢100 billion Ghana Cares “ObaatanPa” programme to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, return the country to a sustainable path of robust growth and to create a stronger, more resilient and transformed economy.
The Chiefs and Landowners of Torgorme in the North Tongu District of theVolta Regionare calling on the government to return to them the 17,000 hectares of land to enable them to engage in commercial farming.
According to them, the land was acquired by government under Legislative Instrument (LI) No 162 in 1975 from the chiefs and people of Torgorme and had not been used for the purpose for which it was taken.
“We wanted to put on record that to date no compensation has been paid for the acquired lands,” Mr Emmanuel Worlanyo Essoh, Chairman and spokesperson for the chiefs and people has disclosed.
Addressing a press conference on Friday at Torgorme, he said the landowners had not benefited anything even “we the smallholder farmers don’t get a place to farm now.”
According to him, the land, under the Kpong Left Bank Irrigation Project (KLBIP) was being used by Ghana-Millennium Development Agency (MiDA) and Ghana Commercial Agricultural Project (GCAP) to go into commercial farming.
Mr Essoh noted that now that the project had come to an end, “the new investors are not willing to offer us the smallholder farmers the land to do farming to improve our livelihoods.”
“We therefore, took the matter to court and judgment was delivered in favour of the landowners on December 2008 at Koforidua High Court,” he added.
This, notwithstanding, the Lands Commission continued to exercise authority on all Torgorme lands, allocating the lands to such investors like Vegpro, Goshen Farms without any input from the Torgorme Traditional Area.
“Since August 2021, all attempts to get allocation for our 1,500 smallholder farmers have proved futile.
We have also reported the matter to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to intervene but nothing was done.”
“So all that we are demanding from the government is to give back our lands so that we would do individual farming to improve our living conditions,” Mr Essoh stated.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for North Tongu District, Osborne Divine Fenu when contacted said he came to meet the issues but was doing everything possible to ensure it was resolved as soon as possible.
A business consultant and entrepreneurship lecturer, Isaac Tweneboah-Kodua, has urged students to be dedicated to learning more in order to be well-packaged and marketable for the job market.
According to him, the curriculum program of the country only fills the gap for students between their education and their readiness for the corporate sector.
“The first one has to with the curriculum we teach the younger people at the universities. Some of them are not really connected with what the employers are looking for.
“So, when the people come out of school especially those who did not do anything directly with what the industry is looking for, it because very difficult for them to stick themselves into the industry,” he told Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show.
He did, however, proposed that despite the shortcomings of Ghana’s curriculum activities, students might prepare themselves by making an investment in enhancing their knowledge and skills in other academic areas.
“But that does not warrant that if for example someone did a course that there is no readily available job in the market the person shouldn’t prepare him or herself.
“I did Geography and Political Science when I was in Legon but at the time I got to know that if I didn’t find myself something to improve myself, I would be unemployed after school.
“So right away I did Marketing at along my main courses as did my roommate. From that time till now I have never known unemployment. Not that I’m superhuman but the fact is I got to understand my talent alone doesn’t warrant me to automatically get a job after school.
“If I did my main courses alone, my best bet would have been to teach in the classroom. At the same time my colleagues at Winneba and UCC were doing the same course with education. If we both were looking for the teaching jobs, they would be favorited ahead of me,” he added.
The Eastern Regional Minister,Seth Acheampong, has stated that government is still committed to the fight against illegal mining in spite of the many failures experienced so far.
In an interview with Citi TV he said claims that the government has never been devoted to the struggle against the threat is untrue.
The Minister mentioned that government losing out in the last election is somehow proof that state actions are yielding results.
“The president, in putting his office on the line, the party suffered heavily in the 2020 election in areas that had illegal mining. They voted against us. That is the risk we took,” he added.
Mr. Acheampong emphasized that, “as we face this issue humanly and squarely, unfortunately, it is being made a matter of politics and it’s so depressing when you try to put your life on the line. This administration is poised to be responsible”.
In 2017, President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declared that he was prepared to put his presidency on the line in the fight against galamsey.
His declaration was amidst new measures such as the deployment of police and military personnel to arrest illegal miners across the country and the introduction of a community mining programme aimed at regulating small-scale mining in communities in an environmentally sustainable manner.
There have been complaints that the water bodies that were regaining their natural state at the height of the fight against galamsey are becoming polluted again due to the increasing activities of illegal miners in various parts of the country.
President Akufo-Addo again made public statements on the development, saying that there is a need for an open discussion on the subject.
The government, through the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources, subsequently held a two-day National Consultative Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining that, among other things, urged the government to firmly enforce the country’s laws on mining.
Recently, the debate on whether the government is in control of the fight has been renewed following controversies surrounding the re-arrest of galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.
The outspoken lawmaker is one of the candidates in the race who is actively engaged in activities geared towards emerging as the NPP candidate for the 2024 presidential polls.
In an interview on the sidelines of a social event that he attended on September 15, he was asked about the claim that candidates like himself will likely drop out late into the race.
“If NPP opens nominations, I will pick forms… those who pick forms and quit, does he look like me? At 62 years, how can I declare my flagbearership ambitions in the NPP and quit, I am not quitting,” he said.
He, however, called for clean campaigns stressing his disinterest in what he described as ‘dirty politics.
“We are all going to run, just that what I don’t want is dirty politics. I am not going to do dirty politics. I will go to the people and tell them what I have done for the NPP and Ghanaians and for which reason they should vote for me,” he emphasized.
A confident Agyapong said he was upbeat that he will prevail over all the other candidates and called on delegates to vote for him for his track record in serving the party and the country but also for the fact that he is the overwhelming candidate of the youth.
Kennedy Agyapong declares intention
Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, MP, Assin Central, in May this year became the first to publicly announce his bid to lead the NPP
He said if the governing party wants to break the eight as their mantra for 2024 is, then they must break the eight with Kennedy Agyapong.
“Yes, it is true. I have decided that when the NPP opens nominations, I will pick a form and file my nomination to contest the party primaries as the flagbearer…I will stand on the ticket of the NPP and nothing will change,” Kennedy Agyapong said in a Facebook live interview with The Announcer Newspaper, Wednesday, May 26.
Other contenders – rumoured and announced
There are other contenders in the race to lead the NPP. Two on record to have declared their intentions are former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyapong and former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko.
The Agric Minister is also rumoured to be lacing his boots to contest as is Joe Ghartey, one-time Attorney General and Railways Minister.
He explained that the salary differentials has been occasioned by President Akufo-Addo taking a 30% salary cut in July this year as a result of economic crunch.
Addressing a press conference on September 19, Abronye DC reiterated that the government continues to fund the activities of Mahama despite he being out of office.
“In 2021, we all saw in the Emolument Committees report and the salaries of ministers up to that of the president. As I speak today, John Dramani Mahama receives more salary than Akufo-Addo.
“He receives GH₵35,000 without a Cedi deduction but for Nana Akufo-Addo’s GH₵35,000, 30% percent is deducted from it and other government appointees also take the cut since 2021. So you [Mahama] who is sitting at home not working, when you are traveling the state funds it, your salary is bigger than that of President Akufo-Addo and his Vice Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia ,” he charged.
Abronye DC has in recent times taken on the former president over issues concerning his finances, particularly ex-gratia.
Background
Abronye DC has alleged that former President Mahama took ex-gratia of GH¢14 million in 2013 and GH¢15 million in 2017, a claim the former president has denied.
He alleged that the former president took the GH¢14 million ex-gratia through his Agricultural Development Bank Account and that he (Mahama) also received retirement benefits including his salaries, accommodation allowances, travel allowances, and salaries of his staff that summed up to GH¢15 million.
But Mahama has denied the GH¢14 million and has also said that he does not receive his full retirement benefits.
“They haven’t given me an office, I rent an office in East Cantonments, I pay the rent myself, I pay for my own fuel, the state doesn’t give me fuel. I pay my own domestic staff; I pay my own medical bills. I pay for my own air tickets when I travel,” the ex-president said in a TV3 interview last week.
According to GWCL, the region was using 20gallonsof alums to treat water in the region but it has now shot up to 60 gallons of alums each day because of the bad nature of water bodies due to galamsey activities.
Speaking on the Morning Starr with Francis Abban Monday, the Central and Western Regional Communications Manager for GWCL, Nana Yaw Baanie said “the situation is really getting worse” adding that, the government is losing the fight against galamsey in the region and urgent steps must be taken to salvage the situation.
According to him, if the operation of illegal mining had really stopped the water bodies should be clear by now but that is not the case in the region.
“The color is over 9,000NTU and then the turbidity is 3,000 so this is what Ghana Water will have to deal with. We are supposed to reduce these figures to five (5) in order to make the water potable. That is the guideline we have been given. So this is our story in Takoradi Daboase to be specific where we get water from the Pra.
“If there should be anything that can be done it must be done now and it must be drastic. Recently, my boss Stanley Mantey said a time will come when Ghana Water Company will cease operation, yes. It may be coming very soon but we don’t know when,” Mr. Baanie stated.
He continued: “Because if it comes to a point that the water is untreatable what do we do? When we stop operation for even one day in Sekondi Takoradi can you imagine what will happen? We have a big hospital at Effia Nkwantan and when we should stop operations where will they get water? The Universities and the second cycle schools what will happen if we stop operation?”
He said the galamseyers were operating close to GWCL operation point at Daboase but when the ban of galamsey was announced they moved.
However, he claimed their analysis shows that the galamsey activities are still ongoing despite a national crusade to fight the menace.
A mother and her three children were among the four people that drowned in a dyke that was purportedly built in alagoon by a salt mining firm in Laklevikope, Ketu South Municipality, Volta Region.
The family of 5 who went fishing along the lagoon in the enclave got drowned with the man of the family being the only survivor.
The event, which occurred on September 17, 2022, has left the neighborhood in shock and sadness.
The victims, a mother in her late 30s and her three children, aged between 9 to 14, died while attempting to save one of the kids who had fallen into a dyke built by the Seven Seas Salt Mining Limited salt mining company.
The dyke, which is about 12 feet, has now become a danger zone for residents here who are fisherfolks.
Assembly member for the area, Victor Ayaku said the activities of the salt mining company have put them in danger.
“Residents who are fisherfolk are now living in fear as they can no longer go fishing.”
He also noted that, the community is in no way benefiting from the activities of the company.
Some residents who spoke to Citi News appealed to the authorities to ensure safety measures are followed by the company to prevent future occurrences.
They also urged the mining company to put safety signposts along the lagoon, to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations officer of the Seven Seas Mining Limited, Adams Mensah said, “the company is not to be blamed for the death of the family.”
He however noted that, the company is putting measures in place to put up signposts warning residents of the dyke.
505 trainee artisans enrolled in the 2021/2022 edition of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation’s (GNPC) Skilled Artisans Project in the Ashanti Region have completed their National Vocational Training Institute’s (NVTI) skill proficiency exams organized and funded by the GNPC Foundation.
Beneficiary artisans from several centres across the region including Mampong, Bekwai, Offinso and Kumasi had their competencies tested in various vocational skills such as the Domestic module which is made up of cookery, bakery, dressmaking, tailoring, hairdressing, make-up artistry, and interior designing and decoration.
Others were also tested under the Technical module which is made up of plumbing, carpentry, auto-mechanics, general electrical, and aluminium fabrication.
Speaking during a visit to the Kumasi Vocational Technical Institute centre on the final day of examination, the Executive Director of the GNPC Foundation, Dr. Dominic Eduah, said the NVTI certification phase of the project is necessitated by the need to boost their employability and credibility as trained artisans.
He explained that the Skilled Artisans Project as a livelihood empowerment programme is designed to support the youth across the country with the much-needed technical and vocational skills that could match up with the best standards anywhere while offering young people who are inspired to learn these important trade skills the requisite tools and equipment needed to start their own entrepreneurial businesses in a bid to make them economically independent.
The project is being implemented in 5 regions of the country comprising Western, Central, Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti.
The project is seeking to positively affect the lives of some 2050 artisans with more expected to benefit from other regions in subsequent editions.
The main suspect in the killing case at Wa in the Upper West Region has been apprehended, according to the police.
The suspect, identified as Kankani Adongo, was arrested today, Monday, September 19, 2022, at Bamahu, a suburb of Wa.
This was after extensive collaboration between the police and community searchparties.
“The suspect is in custody and will be arraigned before the court to face justice”, the police added in a brief statement.
Police have already assured that they will continue to maintain law and order in the Wa Municipality and surrounding communities after a string of killings.
Police have special purpose police intelligence and investigation teams working with members of the community.
10 private security men have been killed by unknown assailants in Wa within the last nine months with the latest incident happening last Friday.
This angered youth in the area, who protested the incessant killings.
The Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery has been meeting with leaders of the Waala traditional area and has assured of thorough investigations into the matter.
On Sunday, a body was found in a shallow grave at Bamahu, a suburb of Wa.
“The body was later identified by family members of the deceased as Seidu Baga who was reported missing on 16th September 2022,” police noted in the statement.
The body was subsequently exhumed and conveyed to the Regional Hospital, Wa for autopsy and investigation.
Police have also said they are providing clinical psychologists to offer psycho-social support to the family.
IGP heads to Wa
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare is in Wa, the Upper West regional capital, following the killing of private security personnel in the area.
He together with some members of the Police Management Board and the Upper West Regional Police Command also paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of the Wa Traditional Area, Wa Naa Seidu Fuseini Pelpuo IV.
Earlier, the IGP and some members of the Police Management Board and the Regional Police Command embarked on a security tour in the municipality.
The maiden visit of the IGP to the area is to update the service on the new security measures put in place to bring peace in Wa and the Upper West region at large.
The Ghana Revenue Authority(GRA) has stated that it intends to crack down even harder on companies that are refusing to pay taxes.
A posh event and trading center called “De Icon” in East Legon, Accra, had its facilities locked up by authority representatives on Friday, September 16, 2022, for not paying their taxes to the government.
The goal of the GRA’s intervention is to make sure that all tax payments owed to the state are obtained from culpable companies.
The team locked up the facility to restrain the owners and customers from doing business until the tax registration process is concluded.
Chief Revenue Officer at the office of the Commissioner General, Nathaniel Tetteh told Journalists that the company will be made to comply with the law and pay penalties before it can resume operations.
“We have information that this facility has been operating since December 2021 without the necessary tax requirements. So our assignment here is to lock the place until the right thing is done”.
“We also need some tax documents from the administration, so we can use it to track the business they have done and apply the charges” he told Joy Business.
Friday September 16, 2022 operations was part of an ongoing nationwide Valued Added Tax Invigilation exercise by the authority to retrieve some taxes due the state.
The GRA as part of the nationwide invigilation will continue to embark on mystery shopping exercises across the country to apprehend culprits evading tax.
Meanwhile, all efforts to get the managers or the directors of ‘De Icon’ to speak to the media was not successful.
Speaking on behalf of President Akufo-Addo, theEducation Ministerrecounted how Ghana is making prudent investments in education to make the country and the world a better place.
He told the Summit that education is not just the birthright of every child but it is also a powerful co-creator for progress in poverty reduction, health and sustainable development.
He emphasised the need for a new way of working that reimagines education in a win-win partnership with the entire 2030 Agenda.
Speaking at the launch dubbed, “Rewiring Education for People and the Planet Report”, Dr Adutwum highlighted the number of strategies that have been employed to reposition the entire education to produce a critical mass of empowered Ghanaian equipped with essential skills for socio-economic transformation.
These and many other interventions, he said, have changed the face of Education in Ghana.
“No country can deliver quality education where children are not able to learn because they are hungry, required to work or take care of their families,” he pointed out.
He further added that “No country can attain sustainable economic growth where entrenched poverty and Inequalities in learning and skills undermine human capital
He, therefore, called on everyone to work collaboratively across sectors, levels and stakeholders to rewire education for people and the Planet.
Dr Adutwum also advocated collaboration between all nations, international organisations and the private sector to tackle global educational challenges collectively.
Ghana’s Mobile Telecommunication Company, MTN, has hinted at plans to launch an initiative to help manage plastic waste in the communities.
Senior Manager in Charge of Corporate Communications at MTN Ghana, Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, said the MTN Plastic Waste Management and recycling project would complement other efforts to ensure the environment is not covered with plastic waste.
“Today we are looking at our communities, we are facing challenges with our environment and so we are launching a plastic management and recycling project for our communities so that people would be mindful of how we treat plastic wastes in our communities”.
She stressed that without measures to control plastic waste, “then within a few years we may not be able to plant, we may not have water, and our trees may not grow because our environment would be covered in plastic wastes”.
Though not many details about the project were provided, she emphasized it forms part of the company’s initiatives, beyond their core mandate, to drive a sustainable society.
Georgina Asare Fiagbenu spoke at the MTN stakeholder and media forum in Sunyani in the Bono Region.
The forum is aimed at updating participants’ happenings at the Telecommunication giant and what is being done in the regions, including the network transformation.
Participants included selected personnel from the media in the erstwhile Brong Ahafo Region, security, and other state institutions. They were provided answers to their questions after group discussions on some selected topics on MTN services.
MTN currently provides Voice, Data, Fintech, Digital Enterprise, Wholesale, and Application Programming Interface (API) services.
The corporate communication manager of MTN, Georgina Asare Fiagbenu noted that their services keep evolving due to the dynamic nature of the industry and that the company intends to lead the digital solutions for Africa’s progress.
To achieve this, the company is prioritizing building the largest and most valuable platforms, driving industry-leading connectivity operations, creating shared value, and accelerating portfolio transformation.
Because of that, she said the company plans to invest about $1 billion by 2025 to help maintain its network leadership, with $220 million as capital expenditure for 2022.
She also revealed that they are investing ¢20 million in 2022 on their 25th-anniversary projects, ongoing projects in education, health, and economic empowerment, and their community support initiatives.
Ms Asare Fiagbenu encouraged participants to also encourage their friends and family members to register their sim cards to continue enjoying MTN services.
TheGhanaian community in Britain is getting ready to perform a funeral service for the late queen in accordance with Ghanaian customs as the British government and monarchy conduct the last funeral rites of the deceased, who was the first Head of State of Ghana.
The ceremony’s venue was decorated with Ghanaian flags and red and black fabrics, according to a video posted by GhanaWeb.
Additionally, there were royalumbrellas, drums, and other artifacts that were typical of Akan festivities.
The lady who recorded the video indicated that the venue of the burial was Conel, Victoria Line, a community in London, the capital town of England.
She invited all Ghanaians in the UK to join them to celebrate the late queen.
“We are inviting all Ghanaians to Conel as we celebrate our queen mother, Elizabeth and also mourn with the family and wish them all the best,” she said.
The MP for Wa Central, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has disclosed that the 58-year-old security guard‘s eyes and tongue were cut out and put in a garbage bag after he was discovered dead on Sunday, September 18, 2022.
Alocal search team discovered the security guard’s body in a small grave on Sunday after he disappeared last Friday.
In an interaction with 3FM On September 19, 2022, Mr Pelpuo stated that he received photographs of the body parts on his phone.
He added that he was anticipating for more advanced investigations and interventions from the security forces.
Last Friday, some residents showed up in their numbers at the Technical Institute to protest the security situation in Wa.
Out of the ten people that have lost their lives, only three bodies have been found.
On Monday, the police released a statement assuring residents they are working hard to bring the perpetrators to book.
“The police continue to maintain law, order and security in the Wa municipality and surrounding communities,” the police said in a statement on Monday (September 19 2022).
“We wish to assure residents of the Wa municipality and its environs that the special intelligence and investigation teams will continue to work around the clock with assistance from the affected communities to bring the perpetrators to face justice. Operations and combat teams have also saturated the area to ensure the safety and security at all,” the statement added.
A customer who bought tins of Peak milk powder and Ovaltine discovered that the content of the two products were reduced.
The customer’s post on social media has stirred up debate particularly at a time when prices of products have nearly doubled as a result of inflation and the dollar rate.
“This is not right!!! Prices of these are higher than before, yet you reduce the content? Why? At least be considerate knowing as school reopens now, this is gonna be the preferred breakfast for the children. Sometimes, we too, we’re the problem. Cheating each other” the customer posted on social media platform Facebook.
Several people have shared their thoughts over the post, with several claiming to have experienced the same thing.
Others falsely accused Nestlé, however it was later found that the involved items are not theirs.
Although the product’s manufacturers have been informed, there has still not been any official reaction from the company.
I’m sorry about your experience, but it’s a real thing, unfortunately. It’s called “shrinkflation”. Sometimes, to not raise prices too high, consumer goods companies resort to reducing the volume / size of the product. For example, instead of a 10-cedi raise, the company may apply a 5-cedi raise and in parallel reduce the volume of product. Other times, companies resort to re formulation and using more affordable ingredients. That was partly what we saw in the recent Ideal curding issue. These are hard times.
I was going to write on Ideal Milk, Carnation Milk, etc and Beta Malt. It’s like they have divided the original contents into two, then topped up with Water to sell back to us at higher cost.
I think it’s time we start to call them out.
I will do the post today…. With pictures. It’s sooo irritating…. Those things are so diluted.
The Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), Kwame Baffoe, alias Abronye DC, has revealed how several state-owned vehicles were purchased at a discount by former National Democratic Congress (NDC)government officials as they prepared to leave office.
According to the document sighted by GhanaWeb, 361 automobiles at $110 each were sold to government appointees for a pitiful $3 million.
Abronye asserted that the state lost $107 million as a result of this.
“The table above shows 40 out of the available 361 documents exposing how various state cars were purchased by high-rank NDC officials after they had lost the 2016 polls. The total value of all 361 cars was $110, but John Mahama sold it to his appointees at $3m, causing a financial loss of $107m equivalent to GHC1.5 billion to the state,” he shared as part of a press conference organised by the Patriotic Forum for Accountable Governance at the International Press Centre on Monday, September 19, 2022.
The press conference was on the back of a statement by former President John Dramani Mahama that he will review Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution, which covers emoluments such as ex-gratia for senior government officials if he wins power in 2024.
But according to Abronye, the former president’s promise is aimed at scoring political points and has no actual commitment behind it.
He tagged former President Mahama as being the biggest beneficiary of Article 71.
Per details of the document shared by Abronye, some of the cars, including a 2015 model Toyota Avensis registered WR 2798-15 with a market price of $28,965.00 (GHC167,846.38), were sold to former Deputy Education Minister Alex Kyeremeh for a paltry GHC500.
Some other beneficiaries of the 361 cars include Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Collins Dauda, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Sylvester Mensah, Murtala Mohammed, Victor Smith, Dr Raymond Atuguba and Dzifa Attivor.
Abronye noted that a good number of persons who benefited from the sale of the cars were cronies of former President Mahama and officials of the NDC and did not merit an ex-gratia in the first place.
According to a post shared by AJ+, a social media publisher owned by Al Jazeera Media Network, the amount will now add to the estimated $116 million bill UK taxpayers pay every year to support the royals.
“Queen Elizabeth’s funeral cost an est. $9 million — adding to the est. $116 million bill UK taxpayers pay every year to support the royals. Due to the ceremony, hospitals canceled “non-urgent” services like cancer treatment and many food banks have closed “out of respect,” the post shared on Twitter read.
On Monday, September 19, dozens across the world witnessed the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II who died on September 8, 2022.
The British Monarch has been lying in state from Edinburgh in Scotland all through to Westminster Hall in London with a final ceremony held at Westminster Abbey, where her final funeral rites was held in front of an expected crowd of about 2,000 persons.
Dozens of heads of state and dignitaries including Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo and first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo have travelled from all over the world to London for the funeral.
After the service, the Queen will be taken in a procession across London to Windsor Castle. Her interment will take place at the St. George’s Chapel inside Windsor Castle after a committal service.
Queen Elizabeth’s funeral cost an est. $9 million — adding to the est. $116 million bill UK taxpayers pay every year to support the royals.
Due to the ceremony, hospitals canceled “non-urgent” services like cancer treatment and many food banks have closed “out of respect.” pic.twitter.com/fFRKGWIG5a
The royals cost UK taxpayers $116M a year — almost half used for upkeep of their land holdings.
Meanwhile,
▪️ 2.4 million people in the UK can’t afford to eat every day
▪️ 2.6 million children without regular access to healthy food
▪️ Food insecurity up ~60% from start of year pic.twitter.com/LtWQ8iCZZC
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, is in Wa of the Upper West Region today, September 19, 2022.
Mr Dampare’s visit comes in response to the most recent purported claims of murders and disappearances in Wa.
The IGP was accompanied with other top officers, additionally, his visit comes after police in Wa’s “Napogi-ba Kolee” expansion uncovered a body buried in a shallow grave.
The deceased identified as Seidu Dakpuli is the latest security personnel who went missing two days ago.
Some body parts are said to be missing after the exercise.
This comes days after angry youth in the area massed up on the streets and burnt tyres protesting the unexplained killings.
The IGP’s visit is expected to boost Police morale and also assure the citizenry of the readiness of the law enforcement agency to protect them.
Apart from the IGP’s presence, the Police administration has also assured the people of the Wa and its environs that it has taken cognizance of their security concerns and has, therefore, put in place measures to support the Regional Police Command to beef up security to ensure the safety of all persons in the Metropolis.
In this regard, special purpose investigation and intelligence teams as well as additional police visibility and crime combat teams have been deployed to Wa under the leadership of the Director-General of Operations.
The Police reiterated its pledge to the public that they will continue to work towards ensuring the safety and security of all persons across the country.
Member of Parliament (MP) for the Wa CentralConstituency in theUpper West Region, Dr. Rasheed Pelpuo has urged that the police to come up with initiatives to help curb the recent killings in the municipality.
According to him, the police’s present tactics and procedures are failing to address the of ritual killings in the municipality.
So far, nine private security guards working at night in the Wa municipality have allegedly been slaughtered for ritual purposes.
In an interview with Class 91.3 FM, the chief member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), recommended that the RESEC conducts regular inspections on all vehicles leaving the area.
Dr. Pelpuo is also of the view that the identity of people who out of the blue exhibit wealth in the municipality must be known to help unravel the situation of alleged ritual killings.
He alleged that reports available have it that the bodies are being taken to Sierra Leone for some rituals.
An epileptologist at the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Patrick Adjei, approximately 300,000 people in Ghana are battling with epilepsy.
According to him, a large number of people do not realize they have epilepsy as a result of the country‘s flawed diagnostic system.
In addition, he said that there are non-convulsive forms of epilepsy, they include automatism, repetitive blinking, chewing, and swallowing.
He said that non-convulsive epilepsy “represented a considerable burden in prevalence which, if not treated, interfered significantly with a person’s functioning.”
He noted that there “were two principal deficits in the knowledge of the burden of the disease in the country — seizures, because they were easy to detect, and no data on the prevalence of the disease in the urban environment,” Graphic reported.
Pro. Adjei, who is also a team member of the country’s Epilepsy Pathway Innovation in Africa (EPInA), made this known at an intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy, neurological disorders and strengthening the public health approach to epilepsy in the country organised by WHO.
Meanwhile, WHO Representative in Ghana, Dr Francis Kasolo, has said that efforts are being put in place to reduce the gap in epilepsy treatment in the country.
According to him, over 2,700 people have been provided with care and treatment since the ‘Fight against epilepsy’ initiative was rolled out in the country between 2012 and 2016.
He added that the WHO had expanded its work on epilepsy treatment and care with the introduction of a flagship programme, the Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), aimed at training non-specialist health workers to diagnose and manage mental, neurological and substance use conditions.
Epilepsy
A disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures.
Epilepsy may occur as a result of a genetic disorder or an acquired brain injury, such as a trauma or stroke.
During a seizure, a person experiences abnormal behaviour, symptoms and sensations, sometimes including loss of consciousness. There are few symptoms between seizures.
Epilepsy is usually treated by medication and, in some cases, by surgery, devices or dietary changes.
Publisher at the Africa Briefing, Jonathan Offei-Ansah, has advisedGhana and other African countries to give up on seeking restitution from their former colonial masters.
He asserted that thecontinent doesn’t need leader who come to power for their personal gains, but those who will nurture the nation’s natural and people riches to create opportunity for all of its citizens.
“The issue of reparation began long ago; even in America, they are talking about reparation to African Americans. But one has to be realistic. This is arguable, but I believe that it is a mirage to talk about reparations. I believe it is never going to happen.
“What we need today as Africans is good leadership, good governance, leadership that will serve the people, that will have the welfare of the whole nation at heart. Not leadership that comes in to serve themselves,” he said in a TV3 interview on Monday,” he said in a TV3 interview on Monday, Septemeber 19.
He added that even if Africa gets reparations, it will be when it is united, and its demands come from a position of strength and not in its current state.
The publisher also said that African leaders must be wary of the presence of the Chinese on the continent. According to him, the Chinese are only in Africa to rob the continent of its natural resources.
Meanwhile, at the beginning of a four-day summit with diaspora participants in August 2022, President Akufo-Addoargued that Africa deserved compensation for the slave trade.
He said the effect of the slave trade was being felt today as a result of the drain it had on the population and development of the continent. He insisted that calls for reparation for the slave trade were long overdue.
“Reparations for Africa and the African Diaspora are long overdue. Predictably, the question of reparation becomes a debate only when it comes to Africa and Africans. We believe the calls for reparations for Africa are just,” President Akufo-Addo said.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II has reopened the reparation debate in many African countries. Some have said the Britain monarchy must return all the historic artefacts they took from African countries and also repay the African Continent for the resources, both human and material, it used to develop the United Kingdom during the eras of slavery and colonialism.
Among others, he spoke to political leaders and some royal leaders with close ties with the British monarchy.
According to a list shared by Cameron Walker, a Royal Reporter with GB News, King Charles spoke to the ‘King of Ashanti,’ as well as Presidents of Ghana, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt and Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
President Akufo-Addo and First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo have been spotted in London along with other world leaders attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
A formal invitation to the Asantehene was also formally invited via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, FCO. A later report indicates that the Asantehene also communicated his inability to attend the funeral.
The world’s longest serving leader, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, was pronounced dead on Thursday, September 8, 2022, via a statement from the royal family.
Born on April 21, 1926, the Queen, christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, immediately acceded the British throne on February 6, 1952, when her father, King George VI died.
She became queen at the age of 25 and remained on the throne for seven decades before her death.
Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and Head of State for 14 other jurisdictions.
Queen Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles, 73, has been named succesor and by that becomes king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. His wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort.
Despite the president’s travel to London for the funeral not officially being communicated, President Akufo-Addo somewhere hinted at his intent to attend the state funeral of the Queen when he signed her book of condolence last week.
“I intend to go to London for the funeral; I don’t know whether you have anything particular to tell me about that?” he asked High Commissioner Harriet Thompson.
Ahead of the commencement of theservice on Monday, September 19, 2022, several heads of state and dignitaries have been trooping into the London Chapel, where the Queen’s coffin will be brought for the service.
President Akufo-Addo, who is dressed in a black suit and white shirt, was flanked by his wife, who was also adorned in a black dress with a scarf and a handbag to complement.
Born on April 21, 1926, the late Queen, christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, acceded the British throne at the age of 25 and ruled for 70 years.
She died at the age of 96 on Thursday, September 8, 2022.
Some survivors of attempted suicide have called on the government to decriminalize thelaw on suicide attempts and instead channel resources towards its prevention.
Their calls come as the world marks World Suicide Prevention Day observed on 10th September every year, to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides.
In Ghana, suicide rates in the country have decreased from 7.80 in 2010 to 6.60 in 2019, with 1500 reported cases of suicide nationwide yearly and over 700,000 global suicide deaths annually. Also, in Ghana, in each reported case of suicide are four unreported cases, summing the number of unreported cases to almost 6000 yearly.
The 1960 Criminal Code Act 29, Section 57 states: “Whoever attempts to commit suicide shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.”
But describing the law as senseless and meaningless, Mr. Edmond Tetteh Padi, a 48-year-old survivor of three suicide attempts and a resident of Somanya in the Eastern Region, argued that victims of suicide attempts need to be counselled and not prosecuted.
“I don’t think that law is meaningful and sensible enough… it’s like something is urging you, something is pushing you to do it, either psychological or whatever, so at the end of the day, the person rather needs to be counselled than rather you prosecuting the person and putting the person in jail,” he reasoned.
Proposing how such survivors should rather be used in sensitizing members of the public against the act, he said, “I think that they have to give us counselling and then maybe gather people that have made an attempt and survived to come out and talk to people that are thinking or want to do a similar thing that all hope is not lost yet.”
Mr. Edmond Tetteh Padi is one of several thousands of Ghanaians who have survived attempts to take their life, his case on three occasions – and all three had a common underlining cause – frustrations due to what he described as life’s failures.
Speaking about his experiences for the very first time to GhanaWeb’s Eastern Regional Correspondent, Michael Oberteye in Somanya, the divorcee and father of one attributing his actions to dejection following failures in his life and hardships especially considering his age, Mr. Padi intimated, “It is like out of perplex and frustration simply because what I was expecting in life, I was not getting it and I thought that if such situations should continue then the best way is to end my life.”
Adding that he carefully thought over his intended actions before proceeding, the businessman and commercial farmer recalling the last incident in 2019 disclosed, “I sat down, and I thought of it for three days, and I took action. I bought chemicals that I thought that if I take it, I’ll surely die, so I mixed the DDT with water, and then I took it.”
The suicide survivor who said the chemical didn’t take his life attempted the act again three days later, this time with rat poison but added that just before he could drink the toxic substance, he received a call from someone he described as God-sent who counselled him.
Describing his survival as miraculous, he said, “I’ll say all the occasions of attempting, I took the drugs, but they didn’t work…after taking the medicines, I went to bed expecting to die, but I didn’t, so I’ll say survival is a miracle and the work of God.”
GhanaWeb Special: Suicide survivors share how they escaped death
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Asked if he had finally gotten over his troubles and was not likely to attempt the act again, Mr. Padi answered in the affirmative, adding that he was ever ready to serve as an advocate against the act.
Madam Tettey Kenie, a 51-year-old food seller at Asitey in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, attempted suicide on two occasions, the second only three weeks ago.
Also attributing her actions to financial challenges and abandonment by her estranged husband, the mother of seven (one deceased) sharing her story, narrated that being abandoned by her former husband more than ten years ago after realizing their daughter whom she had delivered couldn’t speak and being pursued by her debtors whom she had credited food items from convinced her that death was the only way out.
“I had a daughter with my husband, but he abandoned us due to the child’s inability to speak. My debtors and the police were also coming after me, and I ran away. When I returned home, I realized I had no money, so I decided to end it all.
“I mixed DDT with salt and drank the contents. I realized the walls of my stomach had shed,” she narrated, adding that it took her landlord to rush her to the hospital after she disclosed her actions to him.
Three weeks ago, Madam Kenie repeated her suicide attempt by mixing powerzone bleach with alcohol and akesha (a local chemical used to scrub floors and other surfaces), once more attributing her actions to financial difficulties. Again, she survived after being rushed to the hospital.
Asked if she could be tempted to attempt taking her life if her predicaments persisted, she answered: “While my debtors come after me and I have the money? For that, I can’t stand it.”
She called for the repeal of the act criminalizing attempted suicide in Ghana, arguing that such persons need support and not be prosecuted and possibly jailed.
Madam Kenie’s brother, 40-year-old Mr. Stephen Odei Kwabla confirmed his elder sister’s actions, adding that he personally counsels his sister against her suicidal habits.
He also condemned the law criminalizing attempted suicide and called for its immediate repeal.
Mr. Eric Narh, a medical statistician, however, maintained that the law must be maintained to serve as a deterrent to persons who may want to take their lives.
“The law should be maintained because once there’s a law, it means that once you want to commit any crime, you should look at the magnitude of the crime because once it involves a penalty for you to be sentenced or jailed or to be fined, you know that once what you’re going to do [can land you in prison, you avoid it],” said the statistician.
He further called on the government to resource and empower the state agencies and service providers, particularly the Mental Health Authority of Ghana, Ghana Health Service, and the Department of Social Welfare, among others, to sensitize and make comprehensive psychological support available at all levels of the health system and in educational institutions for people who might have the tendency to attempt suicide.
Even though no official communication of his departure from Accra has been made, GhanaWeb sighted a Reuters video in which Akufo-Addo and the First Lady arrive for a state reception held in honour of the late monarch.
It was widely expected that he will travel having been listed as one of the invited leaders of the Commonwealth.
Last week, after signing the book of condolence at the British High Commission in Accra, Akufo-Addo announced that he had intentions of travelling to London for the funeral.
“I intend to go to London for the funeral, I don’t know whether you have anything particular to tell me about that?” he asked High Commissioner Harriet Thompson.
To which she responded: “The invitations have been sent, they will be with your High Commission in London. They were sent over the weekend and we’ll make sure the arrangement works smoothly between your team there and our team here.”
After signing the condolence book, President Akufo-Addo also sent his well wishes to the new monarch, King Charles II.
“Let me take the opportunity to also wish the King the best of luck with his tenure. He has been here with us a few occasions, he is a good friend and I am confident that he will do a very good job in her succession,” he stressed.
Queen Elizabeth dies
The world’s longest-serving leader, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, was pronounced dead on Thursday, September 8, 2022, via a statement from the royal family.
Born on April 21, 1926, the Queen, christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, immediately acceded the British throne on February 6, 1952, when her father, King George VI died.
She became queen at the age of 25 and remained on the throne for seven decades before her death.
Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and Head of State for 14 other jurisdictions.
Queen Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles, 73, has been named successor and by that becomes king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. His wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort.
The Volta Region‘s Hogbetsotso Festival, held annually by the chiefs and residents of Anlo, was postponed for two years because to the COVID-19 pandemic is back.
In accordance with the COVID-19regulations, the celebrated festival, also known as Hogbeza, which honors the fabled Ewe-Dogbo people’s escape from Notsie in modern-day neighboring Togo, was suspended to stop its spread.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Silas Aidam, the publicity chair of the 2022 Hogbetsotsoza Planning Committee, stated that preparations were in progress for the launch on September 21 to announce events of the one-month festival.
“The launch is happening on 21st September after which the rest of activities and ceremonies will follow to climax the festival on Saturday, November 5,” he said.
These include ‘dodede’ – removal of diseases and expulsion of evil spirits; ‘nugbidodo’ – reconciliation; glimetoto – an enactment of the departure or escape from Notsie, and mini Hogbeza – best described as dress rehearsal for the main festival.
The others are MTN Hogbetsotsoza health walk, Anlo State dinner dance, congress of chiefs, Mama Hogbe beauty pageant, and musical concerts.
“The message we want to send to our Anlo citizens home and abroad, local and foreign tourists, is that after the COVID-19 break, Hogbeza bounces back in a special form.”
Hogbeza is celebrated every first Saturday in November at Anloga, the traditional and ritual capital of the Anlo State.
It is usually characterised by a display of rich tradition and culture with people treated to a variety of drumming and dancing, including the ever-popular “agbadza”, “atsia” and “misego” or “husego”, the incorporated dance style of the backward movement of the people during their exodus from Notsie.
The 2022 edition is on the theme: “60 Years of Anlo Hogbetsotsoza: Uniting for development, sustaining our unique cultural commonwealth for future generations.”
A health walk andmedical screening were held on Saturday in Accra as part of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission’s week celebrations 2022.
The event, which had “Artificial Intelligence, E-Governance, and Access to Information” as its theme, aimed to enable individuals to have access to information from public institutions in order to support a culture of accountability and transparency.
The activities began with a health walk at 7:00 am from the RTI headquarters in Dzorwulu via Accra Mall, all the way to Legon, and then to the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School in the Madina area.
During the walk, staff members, students and a section of the public around the areas, covered in multi-coloured Lacoste shirts and jerseys, were seen holding placards and reciting the inscriptions on the cards.
Again, aerobic sessions and soccer games were organised at the premises of the Odadee Alumni and Mentorship Centre in the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School, coinciding with the medical screening.
Participants were seen seated in a queue around 10:00 a.m. being refreshed while waiting for their turn to be attended to.
The health screenings covered Hepatitis B, Lab tests, blood pressure, eye test, breast examination and medical consultation.
In an interview with the Executive Secretary of RTI commission, Mr Yaw Sarpong Boateng, said keeping fit was very important which was why their celebration was planned to remind people of being healthy.
“We are also using this opportunity to sensitise, create the awareness and interest in the citizenry towards the right to information,” he said.
Mr Boateng encouraged everyone to access their service whenever they needed any information, especially because it was free.
“The law has come for us all not for a few people to use, we must activate the use of the laws so we all see the loopholes to make some amendments hopefully, also our office our open to all as well as our phone numbers,” he added.
A Medical Laboratory Scientist at MDS-Lancet laboratory, Bright Kumi, who supported in the screening exercise said with about 97 people who tested for Hepatitis B, a few tested positive.
“Those who tested positive have been advised on the way forward and others who tested negative have been asked to get vaccinated and take care of themselves to prevent them from any exposure,” he stated.
He advised the general public to be very alert on their health, know their status and not overlook the Hepatitis B infection because it was more dangerous and could easily kill than HIV/AIDS.
An Agro-tourism organization, the Ghanaian Farmer Tourism Club (GHAFTC) has joined forces with travel firm Adansi Travels and airline RwandAir to introduce the “Agric Exchange” program in Accra.
This is part of the GHAFTC’s attempts to give Ghanaian farmers travel opportunities to broaden their understanding of contemporary agricultural techniques and build contacts with foreign farmers for the benefit of their businesses.
The joint venture is also aimed to expand the local market and promote agro-tourism while encouraging foreign farmers to visitGhana and take advantage of the opportunities provided by the agricultural industry.
The package, which would be priced affordably, would include a flight, a hotel, transportation, meals, networking events, and sightseeing.
The group announced that the first trip was scheduled for Rwanda in November, this year.
Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, in his keynote address in Accra on Friday lauded the initiative, saying that any project that targeted the well-being of Ghanaian farmers and offered such opportunities to “enable them compare notes with other counterparts was welcomed.”
He said advancements by government in its Planting for Food and Jobs programme was producing entrepreneurs and wealth in the sector and was encouraging people to pursue agro-tourism.
“A lot of people have ventured into farming because of the potential of Planting for Food and Jobs and this is creating more opportunities in the sector as well as changing its image,” he disclosed.
He urged Ghanaian farmers to partner and access opportunities that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provided to grow their various products.
A farmer and founder of Count on Crops Hub, the agric advocacy firm behind GHAFTC, Enyonam Manye, said travelling would afford and expose Ghanaian farmers to the importance of value addition and the utilisation of post-harvest losses.
“A lot of Ghanaian farmers discard post-harvest losses because they have no knowledge or skill on its benefits. But just travel to Rwanda and you will see how they are utilising post-harvest losses from pear for oil and body lotion. Same in India where post-harvest losses from pawpaw are utilised in the same way.
“When us farmers we travel, it opens our eyes to such innovations and also introduces us to value addition companies and agro-processors to help us grow our business,” she said.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Adansi Travels, Gideon Asare, said the constant introduction of new technologies and inventions into farming made it imperative for Ghanaian farmers to travel and witness what was being done elsewhere to improve their practice.
He called on all famers to also register their farms and to open business accounts that was separate from their personal bank accounts.
On his part, Country Manager for RwandAir, Robert Okumu, expressed delight at the partnership saying that as the project sought to improve farming in effect it improved Africa.
On Saturday, September 17, 2022, the Prestea-Huni Valley Municipality of the Western Region‘sZero Waste Bosomtwi organization and youth organizations conducted a clean-up operation in the communities of Huni Valley, Damang, Amoanda, and Bompieso.
The event took place onWorld Clean-up Day, which was established in 2008 to help the small country of Estonia in northern Europe clean up its houses and streets.
The program, sponsored by the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) via Abosso Gold Fields Limited (AGL), drew enthusiastic young people, volunteers, assembly members, unit committees, chiefs, corporate organizations, and Damang Mine staff, who cleaned palaces, the Huni Valley Clinic area, social grounds, markets, and waste disposal sites.
According to Justice Frimpong, the chairman of the Huni Valley Youth Association and program coordinator in an interview with the Ghanaian Times, Mr. Ebenezer Afful, the CEO of Zero Waste Bosomtwi, was the inspiration behind the initiative, which will start in 2020.
Initially, he recalled that, the event was held only in Huni Valley, but, the Damang, Amoanda and Bompieso communities were added this year, to expand and increase participation in environmental cleanliness in the mining areas.
He said “In the next five years, we expect it to be an embracing catchment programme beyond the four areas even up to Prestea, Bogoso and Takoradi, that’s our vision.
“The event today has been overwhelming and great. Partnership had also been good working with the chiefs, particularly Huni Valley chief, Nana Kwabena Amponsah. We will indeed make an impact on environmental cleanliness,” Mr Frimpong added.
He thanked AGL for their support.
The Senior Community Affairs Officer at Damang Mine, Eric Doe Ackuayi, also applauded the leadership shown by Huni Valley Youth and partners, adding that their efforts would help clean the environment and also be devoid of waste.
He believed the worldwide event would rekindle spirit of volunteerism and a driving force to maintain good environmental management in communities.
He said GFGF had spent about $1.3 million on water and sanitation programme and projects, including construction of toilets and solid waste management.
“AGL, through the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation seeks to promote development in all our host communities. Our focus areas include water and sanitation and if the whole world is commemorating this day, as a cleanup exercise, automatically, it falls within our key focus area when it comes to development. So we’re happy the youth in all these communities approached us and requested that the foundation collaborates with them,” Mr Ackuayi said.
A former director of elections for theNational Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has declared his intention to run for the party’s general secretaryposition.
He declared that in order to unify the party, engaging unhappy cadres and party members is his top priority.
Mr Ankrah asserted that the party, particularly those party members who felt abandoned in the past, needs to be united at this point.
“The general approach is to bring everybody on board. I know so many people. You know it’s not as if there is a deliberate attempt to sideline anybody, it’s just an evolution of the party and even the society.
“We are both physical and spiritual beings so you don’t want to have very key strategic people walking around with bitterness. Of course there is some bitterness which is unfounded.
“If you are harbouring bitterness in your heart for no reason, you will die, but people who genuinely feel they’ve been neglected there is a way to bring them back and bring the spirit of the party back. That is what wins elections and it is going to be a major thing and I’m well positioned to do that,”he added.
MTN Staff Celebrate Global Appreciation Week
MTN Staff Yvonne Takyi assists customer to check her registration status
MTN Staff in the field to support Customers with their SIM Re-registration
MTN Staff interacting with Customers in the Market
