The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) has denied allegations of inflating the cost of the construction of its single-unit tower.
Management of the Company says claims that it padded the contract sum to $78 million are not only misinformed, but also lack intellectual honesty.
The Minority in Parliament had hinted at a procurement scandal at BOST to the tune of $39 million.
The caucus alleged that, a contract sum for the construction of a single unit tower estimated at US$ 39 million has been inflated and approved by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) at $78 million, indicating a 100 percent inflated price.
But speaking on Face to Face on Citi TV, Edwin Alfred Provencal, Managing Director of BOST said:
“The conclusion is based on a lot of misinformation and some intellectual dishonesty. The contract was signed but based on some circumstances, my predecessor thought that it should be looked into again. My philosophy on this matter is the fact that, we do not have to mix politics and business.â€
The twin-office space was initially procured at $39 million under the previous administration, but had to be halted in 2017 after allegations of inflated cost.
A value of money audit was subsequently carried out, resulting in a new value of $49.6 million for the office space.
However, BOST could not afford $49.6 million due to financial constraints and thus had to negotiate for a single block.
“Because we are not into the real estate business, and we have liquidity challenges, we have decided that due to cash flow constraints, we can not afford the two towers so we opted for one which the contractor agreed. We went to the PPA, they said there was a procurement irregularity that we needed to rectify before we go ahead to vary the contract to a single block.â€
“It is that ratification request that we sent to PPA and the response that people saw and said we are buying a single block at $39 million. But the final cost of the single building is $31 million and not US$ 39 million or $78 millionâ€, Mr. Provencal added.
On Monday, September 12, 2022, the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is expected to open the Regional Meeting of African National Commissions for UNESCO on UNESCO’s Global Priority Africa Programme in Accra.
The conference is on the theme “Mobilizing Partnership for the Global Priority Africa Programme.”
The Conference is expected to bring together National Commissionsfor UNESCO from the African continent.
The UNESCOPriority Africa Programme is an initiative by UNESCO to provide solutions to the continent’s developmental challenges concerning youth unemployment, education, climate change, Africa’s cultural renaissance, heritage, history, democracy and peace.
The project aims to achieve its main objectives by 2063 through ‘The Africa We Want, Vision 2063. As such, key stakeholders of the Global Priority Africa Programme will deliberate on Africa’s collective actions toward a renewed implementation agenda.
Objectives of the meeting
The three-day meeting which climaxes on September 14 seeks to raise awareness of the five flagships for National Commissions to be able to prioritize, participate in the Global Priority Africa flagships and effectively implement them.
It also seeks to engage National Commissions and experts to share experiences on best practices and to share ideas on the implementation process.
There has been a surge in SIM card re-registration following the implementation of punitive measures meant to force unregistered subscribers to comply with the directive to re-register all SIM cards by September 30.
The National Communications Authority (NCA) says after the announcement of plans to re-route outgoing calls for special messages to be played and temporarily block calls and data of unregistered numbers last Sunday,registration on the self-service App had risen by more than 1,200 as of midday last Monday.
The authority said by the end of last Sunday, the recorded 5,500 successful registrations on the app had risen to 6,700 by midday the following day.
The Deputy Corporate Affairs Director at the NCA, Kwame Gyan, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said barely a day into the implementation of the punitive measures, the NCA had seen an increase in the number of subscribers using the self-service App to register their SIM cards.
He maintained that people started rushing to register their SIM cards when the telcos started implementing the measures.
The punitive measures
A press release issued by the NCA in Accra last Sunday read: “A set of punitive measures designed to culminate the year-long nationwide SIM registration exercise will kick in from Monday, September 5, 2022.
“From Monday, September 5, 2022, subscribers who have not started their registration will have all outgoing calls re-routed to an interactive voice recording (IVR) for a SIM registration sensitisation message to be played before all calls are connected.
“Subscribers with uncompleted registration; that is, those who linked their Ghana cards to their SIM cards via *404# but have not proceeded to have their biodata captured, will also face similar disruption in service from Wednesday, September 7, 2022.â€
It also said the punitive measures for data services for uncompleted SIM card registrants would kick in from September 12.
The release said outgoing calls and data services would be blocked for affected subscribers for 48 hours once a week once the punitive measures kicked in from September 2022.
Also, subscribers who had neither begun stage one nor completed stage two of the SIM registration process would be allowed to reconnect their SIMs after duly completing the two stages of the registration process, it said.
“After September 30, 2022, these SIMs as described above will not have access to any service, as their SIMs will be deactivated.
Subscribers will have a period of six months to register to redeem their SIMs, failing which their numbers will be churned – that is, re-assigned to the pool to be sold to potential new subscribers.
“The NCA encourages subscribers to register their SIMs to avoid the associated inconvenience and potential disruption in service after September 30,†the release added.
Data from the NCA say so far 17 million SIM cards have successfully gone through the complete registration since the exercise began in September 2021.
This is out of the about 42 million subscribers currently in the system
The SIM card re-registration, according to the NCA, would help curb fraudulent and criminal activities, secure SIM card-based transactions, as well as help determine at every point in time the accurate number of valid and accurate SIMs on the networks
For the telcos, the exercise will enable them to build better demographics of their customer base and help them to develop products and services to suit the various groupings.
Unregistered subscribers
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, confirmed that implementation of the punitive measures by the telcos had already kicked off.
“The point is that implementation has started, but whether it has resulted in an increase in registrations I cannot tell for now, “ he told the Daily Graphic.
“By July 28, we were registering more than 250,000 a day. On the day the minister was announcing the extension, the registration centres were full of people eager to register. But after the announcement, the people left without registering.
“We have also monitored that after August 18, the numbers dwindled totally to 5,000 per day,†he said.
Mobile money agents
The General Secretary of Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG), Evans Otumfuo, said the association was against the punitive measures in principle because it would impact many of its members and customers who, through no fault of theirs, did not have access to the Ghana cards.
He underlined the need for the government to reconsider extending the deadline for the registration of SIM cards in the interest of the gains made in the communications industry.
“The association has since endorsed this policy to re-register SIMs due to its positive impact on our businesses by helping to curb fraud.
“As business people in the industry, it will be very detrimental to our businesses and the industry in general should the deadline be pursued, since many Ghanaians, running into millions, are yet to be registered and issued with the Ghana cards,†he said.
The High Court sitting in Kumasi has granted bail to an interdicted police officer and a final year student of KNUST, standing trial for allegedly gang-raping a first-year student.
The two have been granted bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 each with two sureties; a relative and a government worker not earning less than a net salary of GH¢1,000 a month.
They were remanded after appearing before the Asokore Mampong District Court in July.
Since the Asokore Mampong District Court lacks jurisdiction in granting bail on the matter, the lawyers for the two accused persons applied for bail at the High Court and has been granted.
The substantive matter which is being heard at the Asokore Mampong District Court has been adjourned to 19th September 2022.
According to Dr. Adomako-Boateng, the regional director, 229,926 children in the Bono East Region are scheduled to receivepolio vaccinations.
This year’s vaccination dates were set for the first round to take place from September 48, and the second round from October 69.
The regional director stated this last Thursday at the regional launch of the first round of oral polio vaccination campaign, at Kintampo, in the Bono East Region.
He stated that “The oral polio vaccination exercise will boost the immunity levels of beneficiary children, and to ensure polio-free life for every child.â€
Dr Adomako-Boateng was optimistic that administering the vaccines at health facilities, schools, market centers, churches, on the street including house-to-house, outreaches and camps would make it easily accessible to the people.
The regional director implored parents and guardians to fully rally behind the campaign, saying that it was important to vaccinate every child and strengthen routine immunisation services as well.
Mr Kwasi Adu-Gyan, the Bono East Regional Minister, who launched the vaccination campaign, said all forms of polio viruses were earmarked for global eradication.
The regional minister expressed worry about how the virus was transmitted by person-to-person mainly through faeces contaminated with the virus that ended up in the mouth, and contaminated water and food.
He noted that though there was no cure for polio, it was preventable through the vaccines, and entreated all parents to fully immunise their children to protect them from polio viruses.
Mr Adu Gyan said as long as a single child remained infected, children in all countries were at risk of contracting polio, adding that all the stakeholders must join the campaign.
The regional minister urged parents and communities to avail their children for the exercise, where each child would be given two drops in each round, saying that the media must create awareness.
He used the occasion to appeal to adults in the area who had not received the COVID 19 vaccines, to take the opportunity to go for a jab.
In a statement, it mentioned that some anti-foreigner groups had made preparations to oust foreigners from their workplaces or occupations starting in September.
“Whilst recognising that this is not a government or state policy, such activities by individualsor groups could degenerate into violence aimed at foreigners or threaten their lives, safety and livelihood,†the statement said.
The violent xenophobia against Africans in South Africa has a recent history.
Foreign Africans have been used as a scapegoat and blamed for crimes, economic instability, and poor governance.
They have been targets of nationwide protests and shutdowns characterised by mob violence, looting, and torching of their businesses.
The Ghana mission urged members of the Ghanaian community to “be vigilant to any such incidents, restrict their movements to safe areas, avoid mass gatherings and refrain from engaging in activities that could result in conflict, brawls or deterioration in their safety.â€
Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has alleged that Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang was never deported from the country as claimed by the government in 2018.
In a tweet on September 6, Dafeamekpor premised his argument on the fact that the purported Ghana Card of Aisha Huang which has surfaced online was issued to her on Sunday, February 27, 2022.
He said the Chinese national was in the country for which reason her biometric details were able to be captured on a weekend.
“Evidence is that on Sunday, 27th February, 2022, Aisha Huan a.k.a Aisha En got her NIA Card issued to her by Govt. Same Govt said she had long been deported to China. Look, this woman was never deported that’s how come her biometric details could be captured for this weekend job,†Dafeamekpor tweeted.
Background
Chinese national and galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang evaded immigration authorities and re-entered Ghana to conduct illegal business despite her controversial deportation in 2018.
Reports by Accra-based Citi News revealed that Huang despite last leaving by air, returned to Ghana via the eastern land border i.e. Togo.
Whilst the report is silent on when she first reentered and how many times she has been in and out of the jurisdiction, it turned out that she also used a different name on her return.
This was established with evidence that upon her return, Huang applied for and obtained the Ghana Card in February 2022 using the name “Huang En.”
The year of issuance of the non-citizen Ghana Card has however been dismissed by NIA.
The Citi News report added that she always sneaked out of Ghana when she got intelligence about the possibility of an arrest.
Despite coming in through Aflao, Aisha made the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi her base from where she engaged in the business of selling mining materials. She was arrested with other accomplices at Ahodwo in Kumasi.
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9 presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang, into custody.
This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.
The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer. The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
The recipients were made up of 36 males and 14 females from five prison stations such as the Sunyani Central and Female Prisons in the Bono Region, Yeji Prison Camp in the Bono East Region and the Duayaw-Nkwanta and Kenyasi Prison camps in the Ahafo Region.
The medals were awarded to staff of the service, who had served for 16 years and above and exhibited good character throughout their operational duties.
Professionalism
Speaking at the medal ceremony, the Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu-Banahene, advised prison officers to avoid unprofessional behaviours that would bring the image of the service into disrepute.
She urged them to maintain highest standards of respect and professional conduct at all times and be mindful of the nature of their work as it involved taking care of people who had been deprived of their liberties and, as a result, were psychologically and emotionally deprived.
She said awards were pivotal in the lives of workers “as we are all aware, the slightest recognition in work, serves as a great motivation for the individual and encourages him or her to work even harder and sincerelyâ€.
Ms Owusu-Banahene said recognising efforts of officers with awards made them to stand out and be motivated to work harder.
Commitment
The Bono Regional Commander of the GPS, Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP) Benedict Bob-Dery, said despite the numerous challenges facing the command, the awardees had served with great dedication, commitment and exhibited high sense of professionalism.
He said it was a fact that the service was going through hard times, as it was encountering severe constrains in implementing its mandate of safe custody, welfare, reformation and rehabilitation of inmates.
DDP Bob-Dery, who is also in-charge of Bono East and Ahafo regions, said there was a huge accommodation problem facing the command.
He said the command had inadequate furniture, making its work very difficult, adding that the Sunyani Central Prison, which was constructed for about 400 inmates, currently had more than 900 inmates.
DDP Bob-Dery said the overcrowded nature of the prison had resulted in the outbreak of communicable diseases and also posed security challenges.
DDP Bob-Dery also expressed concern about the GH¢1.80 feeding rate, explaining that “the amount was last increased in 2011 and had remained so even in the face of increase in food prices. The amount is woefully inadequate to ensure proper feeding of inmatesâ€.
Barely 24 hours following the news of Aisha Huang‘s re-arrest following her earlier deportation in December 2018, former Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo has been topping trends on Twitter.
This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.
The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
Prior to this development, Aisha Huang was arrested and deported from Ghana in 2018, and was charged with undertaking small-scale mining operations, contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
She was also charged with providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act; and also charged with illegal employment of foreign nationals (in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act and regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations).
Many are on social media questioning what the next possible defense of the former Senior Minister will be considering he gave justification previously as to why Aisha Huang could not be prosecuted.
“So, what all does osafo Marfo want? Every scandal he is involved. I suspect he is the landlord of Aisha Huang.†Barima Osei Tutu quizzed
“I’m sure Osafo Marfo will come up with a great reason why we need to just repatriate her back to China. Just like last time.†El Jefe added
“My interest is in what Mr Osafo Marfo go say this time around, †another user said.
In a statement, the Ministry said that based on the advice of the Upper East Regional Council, the review begins today, Monday, September 5, 2022.
The present curfew time of 8:00pm has been changed to 6:00am, 6:00pm, and 6:00am.
“The review of the curfew has been as a result of threat to security in the communities concernedâ€, the statement added.
The administration is also urging local citizensand youthto put their energy toward constructive endeavors rather than violence, which is endangering the peace.
The release further announced that, “there is a total ban on all persons in the aforementioned communities and its environs from carrying arms, ammunition or any offensive weapon and any person found with any arms or ammunition will be arrested and prosecuted.â€
Bawku is a hotspot for clashes between residents of various ethnic groups.
The government has on several occasions imposed a curfew on the town to calm tensions and maintain law and order.
Chinese national and galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang‘s re-arrest after her deportation in December 2018 has dominated the news headlines for obvious reasons.
How she re-entered the country without detection till her recent arrest has been the major question on the minds of many Ghanaians.
According to new details that have emerged, Huang opted to use Ghana’s eastern land border to enter the country when she decided to return to continue her trade.
According to a report by Accra-based Citi FM, Aisha Huang returned to Ghana through the Togo border in January this year and upon her arrival acquired a Ghana card in February 2022 with a new name, Huang En.
The report added that sources confirmed that she always sneaked out of Ghana when she got intelligence about the possibility of an arrest.
Despite coming in through Afloa, Aisha made the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi her base from where she engaged in the business of selling mining materials. She was arrested with other accomplices at Ahodwo in Kumasi.
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9 presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang, into custody.
This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.
The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer.
Based on the circumstance, the lead prosecutor, Chief Inspector Detective Frederick Sarpong, prayed to the court for an adjournment.
The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
Aisha Huang arrested in deported from Ghana in 2018
Ms. Huang, who was described as “untouchable” on some media platforms, was in 2017 charged with undertaking small-scale mining operations contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
She was also charged with providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act; and also charged with illegal employment of foreign nationals (in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act and regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations).
Her deportation meant the state discontinued the trial against her.
In a GBC interview monitored by GhanaWeb, the Archbishop of the Cape Coast Archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Ghana said that it is long overdue for Christians in the country to have a place to worship God together.
He also commended the president for adding him to the board of trustees of the Cathedral.
“I thank the president of the republic for adding me to the trustees. It was quite a surprise but not a surprise. I also want to thank him (the president) and my colleague trustee members for what we have made of the president’s simple vision that he told us.
“Because he (the president) came up with the vision of a place where Christians come together to thank the Lord together with the nation for the many blessings. And he entrusted it to us, and that is why we’re trustees. 13 of us were called to duty, and we have had a lot of time thinking about what the National Cathedral should mean physically, biblically, spiritually, even financially and economically.
“What attracted me (to the Cathedral project) I will say, I was called to duty. As a Catholic Archbishop, I believe that it is long overdue for Christians in this country to have a national monument that we are united in the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the project, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, on Tuesday, August 30, confirmed that the National Cathedral Project had been suspended due to a lack of funds.
The National Cathedral project has been riddled with controversies, including financing.
President Akufo-Addo, who has tagged the project as his personal pledge to God and his government, has been accused of channelling state funds into the project despite indicating that the private sector will fund the project.
The Citizens Coalition, which includes attorney Akoto Ampaw, protested the Auditor General’s failure to deny and surcharge for the various financial violations found in its reports since 2019.
“The protest is in respect of a matter which is of very major national importance. That is to ensure that those who misuse public funds are made accountable and the Auditor General as we know under the constitution has the duty to disallow any such expenditure and surcharge the persons responsible for such unlawful expenditure.
“In its reports, the Auditor General has repeatedly identified persons in the public service that have misused public funds and indicated that they ought to be surcharged. And yet, to date, the Auditor General has not rallied the spine to take that decisive action that the constitution imposes on him.
“So in this era, where we have a crisis of revenue, people who misuse public funds ought to be dealt with without any hesitation, and we are here to make sure that the Auditor General complies with his constitutional obligation and to ensure that public funds are safe.
“This would be part of the message to all public officials who have control of public funds that if they misuse public funds, they will be made to account for it,” he told GhanaWeb’s George Ayisi during the protest.
Prior to 2017, OccupyGhana, a Civil Society Organization (CSO), conducted a national campaign against corruption and poor governance, organizing a number of protests across the country.
OccupyGhana in 2017 secured a Supreme Court ruling which charged the Auditor General to issue surcharges and disallowance for the various infractions on the government’s accounts.
However, since the inception of the current administration, OccupyGhana has been accused of taking a backseat in putting pressure on the government and state institutions. The group has been accused of being in bed with the current government.
But according to lawyer Ampaw, the Citizens Coalition, by its structure, is insulated from political associations. He, however, underscored that Occupy Ghana continues to play a significant role in the advocacy terrain, including pushing for the Auditor General to exercise his powers.
“You know that for us, Citizens Coalition, one of our important membership conditions is that you will not be a member or an active participant in any party-political organisation. So that helps to insulate us from the kind of problems that may have occurred in the past.
“But it isn’t really true that OccupyGhana is not doing anything. OccupyGhana has been pushing this matter with the Auditor General. So it may not be on the streets, but it is still defending rights and ensuring that so-called duty bearers comply with their obligations to the public,” he said.
Other prominent members of the Coalition who joined Monday’s protest include lawyer Samson Ayenini, lawyer Martin Kpebu, Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch, Nana Ama Agyemang Asante, Edem Senanu and Akwasi Pumpuni and Kofi Bentil.
She stated that the action is crucial for ensuring the swiftness and effectiveness of the nation’s judicial system.
In a JoyNews interview, the lawyer explained that the main benefit of plea bargaining is that people can seek restorative justice for themselves or their loved ones, regardless of the events that have already occurred.
“Plea bargain is to achieve three things; it is to avoid protracted trials delay in trials – and thereby ease off the congestion that we have in the court. One of the main goals of plea bargaining, as well, is to decongest the prison. Because if persons can plea negotiate and arrange whereby they are given a lesser punishment then it will reduce the prison sentencing that we have.
“But more importantly the main aim of a plea bargain to ensure restorative justice. Plea bargaining ensures that a very critical stakeholder of the justice delivery system which is the victim or complainant will also get justice. And for me, that is the key issue. So, it is a reformative step within the criminal-justice delivery system where victims are included in the whole process of the system,†she said.
She added that “we know that in Ghana when you are cited for an offense it is seen as one committed against the state. In the past, the interest of the victim was disregarded. But now, with the plea bargain, the victim, complainant or their representative can make an input into the agreement negotiated between the prosecutor and the defendant.â€
On Friday, July 22, 2022, President Akufo-Addo signed Act 1079, the Criminal and other Offences (Procedure) (Amendment) Act of 2022, which establishes the use of plea bargaining in the administration of the criminal court system.
After the passage of the bill, some stakeholders berated the government saying that it will encourage crime, particularly by government officials.
Under the law all offenders except those who commit some offences exempted by the bill are eligible to plea bargain can reach an agreement with the government for a reduced sentence.
The crimes that are exempted from plea negotiations include offences in the nature of high treason, high crime, rape, defilement, genocide, robbery, kidnapping, murder, attempted murder, abduction, piracy, hijacking and an offence related to public elections.
According to him, the motive for these prosecutions is to hold public officers to account.
“The Office of the Attorney-General is prosecuting other high-profile cases involving the offences of wilfully causing financial loss to the State, stealing, corruption, fraud, procurement breaches, and money laundering.â€
Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame
“These cases have as their sole object, the principle of holding public officers to account and involve sums of over $850 million.â€
Mr. Dame made this known when he spoke on the financial sector crisis in Ghana at Cambridge University on Monday, September 5.
Godfred Yeboah Dame, Attorney General
At the same event, he disclosed that the dockets for the prosecution of the CEO of the defunct Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah is almost ready.
He said thorough investigations went into the building of the dockets.
“Painstaking investigations, dockets of the financial crime, are almost ready for the prosecution to commence in earnest.â€
The arrest comes after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were accused of illegally mining and selling minerals without permit.
Meanwhile, the court on Monday could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects, due to the lack of an interpreter present to assist the Chinese nationals during the proceedings, the court, however, rejected Aisha Huang and her allies’ request.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer.
Based on the circumstance, the lead prosecutor, Chief Inspector Detective Frederick Sarpong, prayed to the court for an adjournment.
The court postponed hearing the case until Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
Aisha Huang arrested in deported from Ghana in 2018
Ms. Huang, who was described as “untouchable” on some media platforms, was in 2017 charged with undertaking small-scale mining operations contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
She was also charged with providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act; and also charged with illegal employment of foreign nationals (in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act and regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations).
Her deportation meant the state discontinued the trial against her.
In 2018, the then Senior Minister, Nana Yaw Osafo Maafo, justified the decision.
Justifying why the state had to deport the Chinese national, the Senior Minister, addressing some concerns of Ghanaians in the diaspora at a town hall meeting on April 18, 2019, revealed that, “Putting [Aisha Huang] in jail in Ghana is not going to solve your money problem. It is not going to make you happy or me happy.”
“We have a very good relationship with China. The main company that is helping develop the infrastructure system in Ghana is Sinohydro; it is a Chinese Company. It is the one that is going to help process our bauxite and provide about $2 billion to us. So when there are these kinds of arrangements, there are other things behind the scenes. There are many other things beyond what we see in these matters, and everybody is wide awake. The most important thing is that we established regulations and we are protecting our environment. That is far more important than one Chinese woman who has been deported back to her country,” he explained further.
Fast forward to September 20, 2019, President Nana Akufo-Addo described the deportation of Miss Huang as a mistake.
“I think the decision to deport Aisha Huang in hindsight was a mistake, and that is why that process and procedure is being stopped,” he said at a forum at Princeton University during his visit to the United States of America.
In his address at the induction ceremony in Accra, Prof. Koomson intimated that he was more than committed to see the university succeed.
“I can assure you of my commitment to work fairly with all those who, like myself, love this great university and seek to put its success above all else,†he said.
“I will in no way underestimate the power of your services to the university. I entreat you kindly to respect my motivation as I serve as your Vice-Chancellor for this great institution,†he added.
Right Attitude
Prof. Koomson noted that the road would not be an easy one but with the right attitude, everything was achievable.
“Perfection on this fallen earth is a journey, not a destination. So together we may face successes, as well as disappointments; but I give you my word that I will rise to the task and serve till the last,†he said.
He further expresed appreciation for the honour to serve the university in the high office capacity of V-C, stating that “this is an incredible opportunityâ€.
“I am also grateful to see so many of you, my friends, church, family, colleagues, Search Committee, the Council Chair and Vice-Council Chair, the University Council, the University Constituency members and the West Central Africa Division of SDA Administration here today to celebrate with me this important milestone,†he said.
Success
The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, attending the event as Guest of Honour, advised the new V-C to maintain the existing structures and programmes of the university that made the institution a pace-setter among private universities.
“As a new Vice-Chancellor, please ensure that you promote very good human relations with all stakeholder groups and individuals without whom you may not succeed. It is expected that you maintain the existing structures and programmes, improve upon them, and establish new ones to retain Valley View University as a pace-setter among private universities in Ghana,†she said.
Good leadership
Ms Osei-Opare said Ghana was counting on Prof. Koomson to produce well-trained graduates.
“Please, always bear in mind that your students, workforce, supervisors and Ghanaians, after your induction today, will expect good leadership from you as they, in turn, reasonably offer you good follower-ship and the needed support for your work. Ensure the production of well-trained and highly ethical graduates who will help solve problems of our people in innovative ways,†she said.
Dr Adutwum, in the presence of his wife, Selina Adutwum, and son, was presented with a memento and assorted items including a ram in appreciation of his good works.
As he was being decorated by the Abrankese Nyameanihene, Nana Opoku Amponsem II, the chief charged him to do a lot more to cover the entire district.
Acknowledgement
Dr Adutwum, who is also the Minister of Education, was acknowledged as a believer of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) education.
The MP, among others, has constructed a new Bosomtwe STEM Academy and Senior High School (SHS), and instituted the Dr YOA STEM Scholarship scheme of which 97 beneficiaries were currently studying at the University for Development Studies (UDS), the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
He was also credited with offering foreign scholarships to several constituents who are now studying in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Hungary and Morocco, among other countries.
Dr Adutwum was also credited with the construction of a modern administration block at Beposo SHS, a 66 seater bus for Beposo SHS, the construction of kitchen and dining hall at St George’s Technical High School and the construction of a modern TVET college at Abrankese.
Support
Speaking at the durbar, the Sawuahene, Nana Kwaku Amankwaa Sarkodie II, praised the minister for working hard to transform the educational sector of the country and the district, in particular, with a firm focus on hands-on training.
He assured him that the chiefs and people of the district would continue to support him to deliver on his mandate.
The Bosomtwe District Chief Executive, Joseph Kwasi Assumin, said education remained the priority of the Akufo-Addo administration that was why there had been massive investment in the sector.
He said the district assembly also placed premium on educational development, and assured that nothing would be left to chance in doing what was best for the people.
Students loan
The Chief Executive Officer of the Students Loan Trust Fund, Nana Agyei Yeboah, said starting next academic year, all final year students at the Senior High School (SHS) level will be eligible to apply for the students loan while they awaited their results to enter any of the tertiary institutions.
However, only those who make the grade to enter tertiary will have access to the loans.
The new inclusion under the “no guarantor” loan scheme policy, forms part of the processes to expand the scheme and make it accessible to all.
Nana Yeboah explained that the expansion of the scheme was to avoid long periods of waiting for students while on campus to access the loan.
Francis Kofi Okesu reportedly passed away on September 4, 2022, in a hotel room in the Ashanti Region.
Mr Okesu’s death was confirmed by the police after they were alerted by the hotel staff that the MCE had not been seen the whole of Sunday.
According to a Graphic.com report, the door of his room was forced open, and he was found naked in a supine position on his bed and traces of spermatozoa were spotted on his thighs.
However, the police said they could not immediately establish any traces of foul play as there were no marks of violence.
The body has since been conveyed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for preservation and autopsy.
No casualties were reported, but the inferno damaged thousands of cedis belonging to the students.
Meanwhile, management of the institution is looking at how best it can accommodate the affected students .
The Principal of the Dadiesoaba Nursing College, Marcelina Teni Kwose has been speaking to Citi Newsabout the inferno.
“A student hostel that takes about 208 has been razed down. The students are in a classroom as we look for accommodation for them. The light was off for a while. The moment it came back on, we heard a sound, and the fire started. Our fire extinguisher could not help.â€
“We want as much support as we can get as the students are stranded.â€
Of the number, four Deputy Directors of Prisons (DDP) who previously held positions in various capacities within the Prisons Service have now been elevated to the rank of Director of Prisons (DOP), while 21 Assistant Directors of Prisons (ADP) have been promoted to the rank of Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP).
Directors of Prisons
A statement signed by the Chief Public Relations Officer of the GPC, Chief Superintendent of Prisons (CSP) Courage Atsem, named the four who have been promoted Directors of Prisons as the former Eastern Regional Commander, Samuel Kwame Owusu-Amposah, the former Bono Regional Commander, Benedict Bob Dery, the former Chief Legal Officer, Gloria Essandoh, and the former Greater Accra Regional Commander of Prisons and Commandant of the Prisons Officers Training School, Joana Fofo Tackie-Otoo.
Deputy Directors of Prisons
The 21 Assistant Directors of Prisons promoted to the rank of Deputy Director of Prisons include Brandford Gilbert Hama, Daniel Boi-Tawiah Abbey, William Kular, Emmanuel Aidoo, David Ofosu-Addo, Millicent Owusu, Francis Selorm Hagbe, and Paul Teye Ademan.
The rest are Edmund Ahia Armah, Nathaniel N. Agyeman Onyinah, Sophia Osei-Bonsu, Thompson Otyokpo, Eric Ainoo Ansah, Edward Ashun, Joseph Asabre, Issaku Yahaya, Alfred M. Cudjoe, Augustine Ohene-Tutu, Samuel Fiifi Dontoh, Christiana Asiedu and Christopher Hayibor.
Recall
In February last year, a similar promotion exercise was undertaken with six DDPs promoted to DOPs while five ADPs also got elevated to the rank of DDPs.
Despite the fact that some second-cycle institutions in Ghana are fully equipped with infrastructure projects, unfortunately students at Wulugu Senior High School (WULSEC), in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region, unlike students at other schools, cannot brag of any physical projects.
The students in the school are always seen taking their meals at the mercy of the weather due to the lack of a dining hall.
The students protested in March of this year, asserting that the food provided to them was of low quality. Despite their complaints to the school administration, nothing significant has been done to improve the situation.
GhanaWeb’s North East Regional Correspondent, Dokurugu Alhassan, visited the school campus at the time the dining room attendants were arranging the saucepans on tables in an open space in the scorching sun for the students to take their last meal for the day.
The students in an interview with GhanaWeb indicated that, the situation is affecting them negatively as such, called on government to come to aid.
“The last time we protested against the quality and quantity of the food, we also protested because of the water and electricity issues on campus, but after the protest, it is better now, but our major problem is now the dining hall. As you can see, we always take our meals in the scorching sun and sometimes in the rain, so these are the challenges we face,” a student told GhanaWeb.
Another student also bemoaned that the situation makes them always miss food anytime it rains.
“Our major problem is that we don’t have a dining hall which is affecting us a lot. If there is rain, the majority of the students will not collect the food. They can’t walk through the rain to collect the food and sometimes the scorching sun. We always suffer before taking the food in the scorching sun,” another student also lamented.
The students are appealing to the government, NGOs, philanthropists, and other well-meaning Ghanaians to support the school with a dining hall and toilet facilities.
“So we are appealing to the government to look into Wulugu Senior High School and help us with a dining hall and toilet facilities. I think everything will go well for us when we get these things in our school,” he appealed.
The school, which was established on the 28th of January 1991, is still facing sufficient infrastructure project challenges.
Hence, the students are imploring the duty bearers to see to the development of the school.
Also attempts by GhanaWeb to get headmaster of the school to comment on the issue proved futile.
The program held on Friday August 19, 2022 is to encourage readers to donate old books from a stationed booth and pick up new ones in order to encourage sharing and repurposing old books among the youth while maintaining an environmentally friendly way of reuse that eradicates the burning of books.
According to Knoema, in 2018, the adult literacy rate for Ghana was 79 %. The adult literacy rate of Ghana increased from 57.9 % in 2000 to 79 % in 2018 growing at an average annual rate of 17.02%. The book exchange booth is one of our ways of contributing our quota to increasing the literacy rate in Ghana.
The inspiration for this project sprouted from a work-related visit to the Czech Republic by one of the founders of OFWA in 2019 During his trip, he stumbled on a booth stocked with books and people exchanging books by dropping off old ones and picking new ones in return.
The fascinating concept triggered him to propose the idea to the team. Two years later we are elated to say that the idea came to fruition with the help of our wonderful partners and our vibrant community members.
We started off by making a call for donations of books to stock the booth. We received books from the EPP Books and A Rocha Ghana and some community members. After receiving these books, we were steadily communicating with most of the malls in Accra to mount our booths. Fortunately, the ARA Children shop at the Achimota mall shared our vision and has agreed to place one booth at the ARA children playground.
While we waited for confirmation from these malls, we thought it wise to put the books we received to use before the launch of the Book Exchange Booth. We came up with the idea of a mini-library project on the office premises.
The Goethe-Institut donated a bookshelf to aid us in starting off this project. We stocked the bookshelf with the books we received from our donations and made the office available to our community members and the public to visit the office and read the books.
The concept of the book exchange booth pivots on the tenets of sharing, trust, and sustainable reuse. These booths will be mounted at vantage points all over the country starting from the ARA Children Playground at the Achimota mall.
We are still accepting book donations and calling on organizations who see an avenue to strike a partnership, to reach out to us.
The writer is Eugene Makafui Masiku, a Communication Officer at Open Foundation for West Africa.
Following the Biden administration‘s approval of more than $1.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, China has warned the United States that it will take “countermeasures.”
China is “firmly opposed” to the sales, which “seriously imperil China-US ties and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” according to Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy, who also urged Washington to “immediately rescind” them.
Liu’s comments on Twitter came after the Biden administration on Friday formally notified Congress of the proposed sales, which include up to 60 anti-ship missiles and up to 100 air-to-air missiles.
The State Department said the sales are in line with a longstanding US policy of providing defensive weapons to the island and described the “swift provision” of such arms as being “essential for Taiwan’s security.”
China, however, has accused the US of interfering in what it sees as its internal affairs.
China’s Communist Party claims Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, as part of its territory — despite never having governed it — and has long vowed to “reunify” the island with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary.
“The US interferes in China’s internal affairs and undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests by selling arms to Taiwan,” Liu tweeted.
“It sends the wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and severely jeopardizes China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Liu said.
He called on the US to “honor its commitments to the one-China principle” and ended his series of tweets by saying Taiwan is “an inalienable part of the Chinese territory” and warned China will “resolutely take legitimate and necessary counter-measures.”
US-China tensions have spiked since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last month.
Taiwan said Saturday it “highly welcomes” the latest arms sales and thanked the US government for “continuing to implement its security commitments to Taiwan.”
“In response to China’s recent continuous military provocations and unilateral changes in the status quo and creating crises, Taiwan’s determination to defend itself is extremely firm,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday.
“This batch of arms sales includes a large number of various types of missiles that are needed to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense, which fully demonstrates that the great importance the US government attaches to Taiwan’s defense needs, assisting our country to obtain the equipment needed for defense in a timely manner and to enhance our national defense capabilities.”
In an incident that underscored the heightened tensions, Taiwan’s military shot down a drone hovering over one of its island outposts just off the Chinese coast on Thursday.
A day earlier, Taiwan said it had warned off drones hovering over three of the islands it occupies off the coast of the Chinese port city of Xiamen.
“So sing and dance and laugh and cry and scream and make some noise so he can hear us right now.”
Hawkins had been Foo Fighters’ drummer for 25 years
Grohl was speaking as Foo Fighters topped the bill at an all-star concert in honour of Hawkins’ life at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The drummer was found dead in a hotel room in Colombia this March, shortly before Foo Fighters were due to play a festival in Bogotá. He was 50 years old.
No cause of death was announced, although a toxicology report showed traces of 10 substances in his body, including opioids, marijuana and anti-depressants.
Taylor Hawkins was found dead in his hotel room in Colombia in March
Saturday night’s concert was the first of two gigs organised by the musician’s wife and bandmates, with proceeds going to charities Music Support and MusiCares.
Sir Paul McCartney, Queen and AC/DC were among the rock royalty who showed up to pay tribute at Wembley; while Liam Gallagher opened the show with a fitting rendition of Oasis’s Rock And Roll Star.
Sir Paul was a surprise addition to the line-up – giving a full-throttle rendition of The Beatles classic Helter Skelter, and duetting with Chrissie Hynde on Oh! Darling. “A song I haven’t performed since we recorded it 100 years ago,” Sir Paul said.
British teenager Nandi Bushell, who went viral after challenging Grohl to a drum battle during lockdown, also got to join her heroes onstage, taking Hawkins’ place during Learn To Fly.
Grohl introduced her as, “one of the most badass drummers I’ve ever met in my life”.
She was one of several musicians to fill Hawkins’ seat, including Blink-182’s Travis Barker, Roger Taylor’s son Rufus and Hawkins’ 16-year-old son, Shane – who gave a thunderous performance of My Hero, on what can only have been an emotionally-charged night.
“If you could only see how many drum sets are back there,” joked Grohl. “It’s like your local music store.”
It was a family affair through and through. Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet, who had known Hawkins all her life, also gave beautiful, sensitive readings of Jeff Buckley’s Grace and Amy Winehouse’s version of Valerie – while her dad watched proudly from the side of the stage.
Shane Hawkins briefly took his father’s place behind the drum kit
The concert also featured performances from some of Hawkins’ favourite bands and musicians, including Metallica, Rush, Supergrass and Stewart Copeland of The Police.
“The last few days we have been asking ourselves the same question after every rehearsal: ‘I wonder what Taylor would think of this – to see all of these amazing people together making music?’” said Grohl at one point, again struggling to contain his emotions.
Queen tribute
There can’t be many drummers whose death would warrant a Stadium-sized tribute, let alone two (a second date will be played in LA next week) – but Taylor Hawkins was no ordinary drummer.
His energy and positivity and passion for life were on display every time Foo Fighters took to the stage. He wasn’t just Dave Grohl’s sideman, he was his equal – playing with a grin as wide as the Grand Canyon, and the power to match.
Saturday night’s concert was about capturing and celebrating that spirit. A gesture of love, instead of sadness. One that honoured his love of music, whether it was Jeff Buckley or George Michael.
“He was a musicologist,” Grohl told the audience. “He knew more about music than anyone I’d ever met in my life.”
That focus on Hawkins’ favourite songs made the concert more personal than most benefit shows, where bands only appear to promote their latest album.
IMAGE SOURCE,KEVIN MAZUR
Image caption,
Pop star Kesha performed with Hawkins’ side-project The Coattail Riders
Image caption,
Wembley Stadium was flooded with light – and the Hawk symbol that Hawkins had tattooed on his shoulder – as Queen played Love Of My Life.
Pop star Kesha tore into a sleazy version of T. Rex’s Children Of The Revolution, while AC/DC’s Brian Johnson lit up the stadium with muscular renditions of Back In Black and Let There Be Rock, accompanied by Grohl and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.
“Taylor I know you’re watching,” said Ulrich from the stage. “I know you can hear this, I know you can feel this. We love you.”
The metal legends were also joined by Justin Hawkins from The Darkness – one of the day’s most unstoppable performers, who brought a cocksure swagger to songs like Van Halen’s Hot For Teacher and Queen’s Under Pressure.
Queen – Hawkins’ favourite band – also ran through a compact set of their biggest hits, including We Will Rock You and Somebody To Love, the latter ably assisted by a jump-suited Sam Ryder.
Guitarist Brian May then led the crowd in an acoustic version of Love Of My Life, reflecting on the Freddie Mercury tribute concert that took place on the same stage 30 years ago.
“We said goodbye to Freddie in a style similar to this,” he said, “but I know Freddie would be very happy to use this song to honour Taylor”.
IMAGE SOURCE,KAVIN MAZUR
Image caption,
Sam Ryder, whose TikTok covers of Queen resulted in him becoming the UK’s Eurovision entrant, finally got to sing with his heroes
Queen were the first group Hawkins ever saw live, at the age of 10; and he would regularly step out from behind his kit to serenade Foo Fighters’ fans with one of their songs.
Somebody To Love was the last track he ever performed live, during a show in Argentina earlier this year.
Some sections of the tribute veered into self-indulgence. Wolfgang Van Halen’s finger-twisting guitar riffs left the audience unmoved, while Josh Homme should never be allowed to sing Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ever again.
Ohio band James Gang and Canadian prog rockers Rush laid bare the gulf between British audiences and disciples of US rock radio – although their technical skills were hard to deny.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Grohl and Hawkins performing together earlier this year
Video tributes came from Elton John, Billie Eilish and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who told the story of how Hawkins would visit his local music shop and buy instruments for aspiring drummers.
“I love him and I miss him every day,” he added.
“Taylor’s music and his passion will be remembered for ever and ever and so should his warmth and kindness with every person who was ever lucky enough to meet him,” said Eilish in her tribute.
Fans leaving the show said it had helped them heal.
“Everybody is devastated, still, that he’s gone, but after that, I feel better” said Jennifer, who flew in from California to see the show.
“There were a lot of tears, a lot of emotions, but I think the band loved it. They were rocking out for him.”
“I think it was a release,” agreed Sherilyn, who’d come from Norfolk with her partner, John. “We were missing Taylor, that’s for sure. I cried a lot. But everybody came together tonight. What more can you ask for?”
It was a sentiment that Grohl echoed on stage.
“We hope that you guys felt the love from all of us and all of the performers,” he said, before closing the show with Everlong.
“Because we felt it from you, for Taylor tonight.”
IMAGE SOURCE,SEAN COX
Image caption,
All the performers took a bow as the show ended, shortly before 22:30 BST
Okoe Boye advised Agbana to conduct research before criticising, and clarified at the contract was signed with four newly promoted clubs not only Nsoatreman.
He continued that the objective of the deal is to increase NHIS membership in the areas where the teams are based.
He explained on Asempa FM that the objective is to use the operational money to facilitate registrations in the regions.
The clubs that have partnered with NHIS include Nsoatreman FC, Samartex, Tamale City, and Kotoku Royals.
“Agbana is a young man like myself. I’m not 60 years to act like I’m old enough to advise him but I’d like to let him know that it helps a lot to be slow to judge and be very quick to get the details,” he said.
“Yesterday’s sponsorship is a partnership between National Health Insurance and four football clubs. The new entrants. What we did was that we looked at the operational monies we send to districts and said instead of the general of going to the market, focus on the area these teams are in and drive up membership. Cover all footballers on the team, all technical team, their wives, their children, minimum of ten thousand of their supporters. This time instead of paying allowance for our workers and feeding and fuel, we are handling the processing fees for the ten thousand,” he added.
The NHIS have signed a five-year deal with each club.
Edem Agbana implied in a Facebook post that the newly promoted side earned the sponsorship because the team owner, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, and other board members are parliamentarians on the ruling government’s ticket.
“It appears every member of this government wants to leave a legacy of scandals. The latest is Dr Oko Boye. How can a scheme suffocating financially give sponsorship to a privately owned football club? Is it because Nsoatreman FC is owned by Ignatius Baffuor Awuah, NPP MP for Sunyani West, and Employment Minister? The board chairman is Majority leader and Suame MP, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu. On what merit did the team qualify for such support if not for its owner? Shameless folks in government, always looking for the opportunity to USE state resources for their private benefits? I’m highly disappointed in OKO BOYE!!”
The Chief Executive Officer of Procal Links Ghana Limited, the official match ball partner of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Alhaji Alhassan Mutala has hinted that his outfit is capable and ready to supply match balls to other African football leagues.
Alhassan Mutalatold Power and TV XYZ Sports that his companywhich has been the sole supplier of balls to both Ghana Premier League and Division One for the past three seasons, took delivery of a forty-fetter container of tempo balls just to fulfill a contractual obligation with the Ghana Football Association as the new football season is about to start.
Procol Links first introduced Macron match balls in their business relationship with Ghana Football Association before coming up with the famous and match talked about TEMPO which later gained strikes and became coaches’ favorite in the Ghanaian Premier League.
Mr Mutala also disclosed the mechanism, the behavior, and the tempo of Macron and Tempo balls are specially designed for the African weather condition and the facilities available for our game, so he is calling on all African Football Federations to honor their football leagues with match balls design for Africa performance for football fans to enjoy.
Afriyie Barnieh struck the first goal for Ghana from the spot after a barren first half.
Seidu Suraj later doubled the lead to seal a convincing victory with four minutes to end the game.
In the second leg at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on September 3, 2022, Ghana will need a draw, a win, or avoid losing by a 3-goal margin to qualify for the tournament that will be hosted in Algeria.
Below is the 22-man squad for the second leg
GOALKEEPERS
Danlad Ibrahim Asante Kotoko
Stephen Kwaku Great Olympics
Abdulai Iddrisu — Bechem United
DEFENDERS
Konadu Yiadom Hearts of Oak
Mohammed Alhassan Hearts of Oak
Samuel Osei Kuffuor Bechem United
Augustine Randolph — Karela United
Emmanuel Siaw — FC Samartex 1996
Dennis Korsah — Hearts of Oak
Henry Ansu — Berekum Chelsea
MIDFIELDERS
Dominic Nsobila Accra Lions
Razak Kasim Great Olympics
Umar Bashiru — Karela United
Maxwell Arthur Dreams FC
Suraj Seidu Hearts of Oak
Gladson Awako – Hearts of Oak
FORWARDS
Evans Osei Owusu Tema Youth
Jonah Atuquaye Legon Cities
Daniel Afriyie Barnieh Hearts of Oak
Agyenim Boateng Mensah Dreams FC
Maxwell Abbey Quaye — Unattached
David Abagna Sanda — Real Tamale United
Max Verstappen suffered a car failure early in Dutch Grand Prix first practice and managed only seven laps as Mercedes set the pace with a one-two.
Verstappen, championship leader after a series ofFerrari errors, stopped on track. Team boss Christian Horner said he lost drive while shifting gear.
He was fastest at the time but slipped down to 19th out of 20 runners.
George Russell was fastest by 0.240 seconds from Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton with Carlos Sainz third.
Mercedes set their times on the fastest soft tyre much later in the session than most others, so their times are not necessarily comparable.
Ferrari’s Sainz was 0.390secs off the pace, with McLaren’s Lando Norris less than 0.1secs further back in fourth.
Russell led the way by more than two tenths of a second from his team-mate
The second McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo was fifth, ahead of Verstappen’s main title rival Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.
No-one crashed as the teams returned to the seaside Zandvoort circuit, which last year was reintroduced to the calendar for the first time since 1985 as F1 and local organisers sought to capitalise on Verstappen’s huge popularity in his home country.
A few drivers ran wide through gravel traps – including Perez and the Haas drivers Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen – but there were no serious incidents.
Drivers were asked to try using the DRS overtaking aid through the banked final corner with the intention of it being in place for the race to aid overtaking, which is traditionally tricky at Zandvoort. As expected, none reported any issues.
In the first year of The Hundred in 2021, teenagers Alice Capsey and Will Smeed rose to prominence with their eye-catching performances on the big stage.
Both continued to shine in 2022, with Capsey making her England debut before the competition began and Smeed making history as the first player to hit a century in The Hundred.
But what about the otheryoungsters who enjoyed the spotlight this year?
We have chosen six players, three male and three female, aged 25 or under, who made their mark on this year’s Hundred.
  Men’s competition
 Jordan Thompson – London Spirit
Jordan Thompson has taken 14 wickets at an average of 15.85 in this year’s Hundred
Yorkshireman Jordan Thompson, 25, has flourished at London Spirit under former England captain Eoin Morgan, having made the move south from Northern Superchargers.
The all-rounder finished the group stages as the joint-highest wicket taker in the competition with 14, alongside Birmingham Phoenix’s Tom Helm.
Morgan called Thompson a ‘big-match player’ and praised his desire to step up for his team in the crunch moments of games, with either bat or ball.
He bowls in the powerplay and at the end of the innings, and provides quick, useful runs with the bat in the lower order.
Will Jacks – Oval Invincibles
Will Jacks has a strike rate of 171.71 in the 2022 competition
Just a few days after Smeed hit the competition’s first century, Will Jacks followed suit as he smashed 108 from just 48 balls, including eight sixes, in a breath-taking display of power-hitting against Southern Brave.
But while Smeed struggled for consistency around his century, Jacks finished the group stages as the fourth-highest run scorer, with 261 runs at an average of 43.50.
Jacks, 23, is no stranger to county cricket fans, having made his Surrey debut at 19 and been a regular in all three formats since, also bowling handy off-spin.
His form has been rewarded with a call up to England’s T20 squad for the seven-match tour of Pakistan later this month.
And with Jason Roy dropped for both that tour and the subsequent World Cup, Jacks could well have the chance to state his case as his Surrey and Invincibles team-mate’s long-term replacement as England T20 opener.
Josh Little – Manchester Originals
Josh Little has played 46 T20 internationals for Ireland since making his debut as a 16-year-old
Ireland’s Josh Little has only played three games in The Hundred so far, but has certainly made them count.
The 22-year-old has the best figures in the competition, taking 5-13 to set up Manchester Originals’ victory over Oval Invincibles that secured their place in the eliminator.
He gets in just ahead of team-mate Tom Hartley. The spinner played a crucial role in taking nine wickets in the group stage, but Little matched that tally in just three matches.
Having received a call-up to the Originals side via a message from Phil Salt on social media, Little will be a key player in Friday’s eliminator against London Spirit.
Women’s competition
Sophia Smale – Oval Invincibles
Slow left-armer Sophia Smale also plays for Western Storm
At just 17, Welsh spinner Sophia Smale has been the surprise package of The Hundred and the breakout star of the women’s competition – she could be described as this year’s Alice Capsey.
Smale was a last-minute pick for defending champions Invincibles as an injury replacement for Emma Jones, but was trusted to bowl in the powerplay of their opening game against Northern Superchargers and picked up the wicket of Australia star Alyssa Healy with just her second ball.
Dismissing big names has become a very useful knack of Smale’s. Her first six wickets were all huge scalps: Healy, Tahlia McGrath, Danni Wyatt, Bryony Smith, Sophie Devine and Emma Lamb.
With an Under-19 World Cup on the horizon, it would not be a surprise if Smale’s name was one of the first on England’s team sheet.
Emily Arlott – Birmingham Phoenix
Emily Arlott averages 11.11 with the ball in this year’s Hundred
Fast bowler Arlott has been named in England squads, most recently the Test squad to face South Africa in June, but is yet to make her international debut – though her performances for Birmingham Phoenix this summer suggest a first cap is not far away.
Despite Phoenix crashing out in disappointing fashion, 23-year-old Arlott shone throughout and finished as the third-highest wicket-taker in the group stages, with nine in six games, and the only non-international in the top five.
Arlott is quick and tall, with her height allowing her to extract some awkward bounce for batters to contend with.
With the retirement of Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt reaching the end of her career, Arlott joins an exciting crop of young England fast bowlers ready to step up.
Lauren Bell – Southern Brave
Lauren Bell took 2-73 on her Test debut against South Africa in June
Another tall fast bowler, Lauren Bell has already made her England debuts in Test and one-day internationals.
But her performances for Southern Brave this summer have reaffirmed her status as one of the most exciting young talents in the country, with a bright international future.
Bell took 10 wickets in the group stages, second to only team-mate Amanda-Jade Wellington’s 14, including 4-10 against Trent Rockets – the best figures in the women’s Hundred this year.
With pace, canny slower balls and natural in-swing, Bell possesses all the attributes – and is just 21 years of age.
Opener Jason Roy has been dropped from England’s squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia but bowlers Mark Wood and Chris Woakes are fit to return.
England Test captain Ben Stokes is included despite missing all of England‘s T20s since March 2021.
White-ball captain Jos Buttler will miss the start of the tour of Pakistan, with Moeen Ali deputising as skipper.
England play seven T20s in Pakistan from 20 September before the World Cup starts on 16 October.
Roy, 32, has been an integral part of England’s white-ball success in recent years, but has endured a poor summer.
His highest score in his past 11 international innings is 43 and he managed only 51 runs in six innings for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred, including three ducks.
“He’s a hit a bad patch of form at the worst time,” said England managing director Rob Key, who confirmed Jonny Bairstow will be promoted to open with Buttler.
“I don’t see that this is Jason’s T20 career over. We still see the 50-over format as his strongest suit, so still see him as very much a part of that set-up.”
England have included five uncapped players in a squad of 19 for the series in Pakistan, while the squad for the World Cup is trimmed to 15, with three travelling reserves.
Buttler’s side play three matches against hosts and defending champions Australia before the tournament. England’s campaign begins against Afghanistan in Perth on 22 October.
England, the 50-over world champions, were beaten semi-finalists in the last T20 World Cup in 2021 and reached the final in the previous edition in 2016.
This will be their first global white-ball tournament since 2014 without the leadership of Eoin Morgan, the former captain who retired in June.
Both Wood, 32, and Woakes, 33, last played for England on the Test tour of West Indies in March. They return from elbow and knee surgery respectively and boost an injury hit pace-bowling department that remains without Jofra Archer.
“They are back in with fingers crossed,” added Key. “The likelihood for Wood and Woakes is they will start getting fit at the back end of the Pakistan trip.”
Stokes, who continues to be available for T20s despite retiring from one-day internationals, is rested for the tour of Pakistan, which begins little more than a week after England’s final Test against South Africa at The Oval concludes. Bairstow is also rested for the Pakistan tour but he too will join up with the World Cup squad.
Liam Livingstone is another missing the Pakistan leg as he continues to recover from an ankle injury, while World Cup reserve Tymal Mills (toe) will also go straight to Australia.
Buttler has a calf injury, but is expected to be fit for the latter stages of the Pakistan series. His absence means Moeen, whose family originates from Pakistan, will have the honour of leading England on their first tour of the country in 17 years.
Key confirmed England’s intention to tour Pakistan despite the floods that have devastated large parts of the country. England pulled out of a trip to Pakistan last year citing “increasing concerns about travelling to the region”.
“It’s a trip we’re desperate to go on,” said Key. “It’s going to take a lot for us not to get out there.
“Hopefully us going out there and playing will be a positive story in what has been a pretty harrowing time for the people of that country.”
Warwickshire quick bowler Olly Stone, who has played three Tests and four ODIs for England, makes his return to international cricket from a back injury as part of the quintet of uncapped T20 players for the Pakistan tour.
He is joined by Middlesex pacer Tom Helm, Lancashire left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood and batters Jordan Cox and Will Jacks of Kent and Surrey respectively.
England squad for the Men’s T20 World Cup: Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood. Travelling reserves: Liam Dawson, Richard Gleeson, Tymal Mills.
England squad for T20 series in Pakistan: Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Dawson, Richard Gleeson, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Luke Wood.
Gabon striker Aubameyang, 33, scored 13 goals in 24 appearances for Barca after joining the Spanishclub in February from Arsenal.
Left-back Marcos Alonso has left Chelsea by mutual consent and is expected to sign for Barcelona.
Chelsea have the option to sign Zakaria on a permanent deal.
The 25-year-old Switzerland international only joined Juve from Borussia Monchengladbach in January.
When Aubameyang signed for Barca he had a buyout clause of 100m euros (£83.4m) in his contract, but has only played eight minutes this season. Barcelona have been looking to offload players after spending almost £200m on new arrivals despite being more than £1bn in debt.
The deal for Aubameyang means Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly has spent £255.3m in his first transfer window since buying the club from Roman Abramovich – the highest amount any English club has spent in a single transfer window.
Aubameyang said: ‘I’m really happy. It’s an honour to be part of this team and I can’t wait to start. I have some unfinished business with the Premier League so it’s good to be back and really exciting.’
He scored 92 goals in 163 games in all competitions for Arsenal, but left on a free transfer after falling out with manager Mikel Arteta.
That departure played a big part in the Gunners documentary All or Nothing.
Only four players have scored more Premier League goals than Aubameyang’s total of 68 in the period since 31 January 2018 – the date he joined Arsenal.
Aubameyang played under Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund between 2015 and 2017.
He scored 79 goals in 95 games in that time, 38 more than under any other manager.
Denis Zakaria, like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, had only joined his team earlier this year
This summer the Blues have brought in nine players, including Leicester’s French defender Wesley Fofana for a fee in the region of £70m, Spain left-back Marc Cucurella from Brighton for £62m, England forward Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for £50m, Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for £34m and English midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa for £20m.
Boehly said: ‘Pierre-Emerick is an elite striker with a proven track record in the Premier League and his arrival strengthens our squad, giving us new attacking options. We are thrilled to have Pierre-Emerick on board with us in the new era at Chelsea and we’re really looking forward to working with him.’
After twogames, the 23-year-old, who is on a season-long loan fromHamburger SV, has made an outstanding impression.
For Karlsruher SC in the German Bundesliga 2, Ambrosius has been fantastic in his first two games.
He featured in the side’s 6-0 and 2-0 win over Regensburg and Rostock respectively.
Last Saturday, Ambrosius helped his side to defeat Rostock 2-0 and his output has been praised by Karlsruher SC coach.
“Stephan plays with us as a right central defender in a back four. His calmness on the ball is impressive, he’s doing a very good job so far,”
“Stephan plays very aggressively, has a strong defensive header, good timing, defends well going forward. He always wants to dismantle his opponent, can read the game, has a good eye.â€
“In his first two appearances, he was often correct when opponents passed through the gaps. He was already there when the ball came. I liked that very much.†Ambrosius is a “stroke of luck†for KSC. It’s no coincidence that he’s in the extended circle for Ghana’s World Cup squad,” he said.
In today‘s match, which was the ninth game of the ongoing 202223 football season, the shrewd attacker got the start for his squad.
Following a bright start by Mladost Lucani, the visitors scored through Milan Bojovic in the 10th minute to take the lead.
Thehosts fell behind but kept their composure and six minutes later they were able to keep the game again.
The Gambian player Muhammed Badamosi equalised with a fine effort in the 16th minute to bring the scoreline to 1-1.
Shortly after in the 20th minute, the Gambian was presented with another chance and made no mistake as he scored to give FK Cukaricki the lead for the first time in the game.
Later in the second half, the visitors tried to get back into the game but their spirit was killed when Black Stars forward Samuel Owusu struck gold with his dangerous left foot.
The attacker found the back of the net of the visitors with a super strike to seal a 3-1 win for FK Cukaricki against Mladost Lucani.
The 23-year-old scored a stunning volley to open the scoring for Red Star on Wednesday evening as they shared the spoils with their rivals.
Bukari stated he was glad to have scored but was disappointedwith his team’s scoreless draw after the game.
“I’m happy about the goal, but we didn’t win and that’s why I’m sad. The goal was nice, I practiced shots like this in training yesterday… Then the ball went over the goal, but now it was a perfect shot. I think this is the most beautiful goal in my life “
“There are positive impressions when it comes to the derby, but I am sure that it will be even better when we are the hosts. I think we can do better than this, we need to act more as a team. The pressing was not good, we have to be better in that segment, but now we are going to rest and focus on the next match that is waiting for us already at the weekendâ€
The visiting team took the lead in the 26th minute on a scorcher of a volley byBukari.
Bebras Natcho scored from the penalty spot 11 minutes into the second half to restore parity for the home team, making the final score 1-1.
In his first season in Serbia, the 22-year-old Ghanaian forward has four goals and one assist in league five matches.
He netted thrice in the Champions League qualifiers, making it a total of seven goals in nine appearances.
The enterprising left-back is back for a second loan spell until the end of the 2022/23 season from Chelsea.
“We are delighted to announce that Baba Rahman has sealed a return to Reading Football Club for a second season-long loan spell in blue and white hoops,†Reading announced.
Reacting to the acquisition of the defender, Mark Bowen disclosed he has become fans favourite due to his energetic, wholehearted and powerful performances on the pitch during his spell last season.
“Through his energetic, wholehearted and powerful performances on the pitch and his infectious character off it, Baba became something of a fans favourite here at Reading last seasonâ€
“Since the day his loan spell ended in the summer, we have been hoping to bring him back and I am very pleased we have been able to secure his services for the 2022-23 campaign,†he said.
The amount was owed the Directorate between February 2019 and December 2020 for the risk-based inspection and phytosanitary certification of cocoa beans in the Western, Greater Accra and Ashanti regions.
The Auditor General made the recommendation in its 2021 Report on the Public Accounts of Ministries, Departments and Other Agencies (MDAs) for the year ended 31 December 2021
It noted that the delay in recovery of the debt was contrary to Regulation 46 of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2378), which noted that a Principal Spending Officer shall ensure that non-tax revenue was efficiently collected and immediately lodged in gross within 24 hours in the designated Consolidated Fund Transit bank accounts
Between April 2020 and May 2020, it was revealed that revenue cheques totalling GH¢50,820.06 presented to Access Bank, which were returned had remained outstanding while 195 used General Counterfoil Receipts (GCRs) from the various revenue collection centres across the country were not submitted for examination.
The report also highlighted that used GCRs at nine collection points used in collecting a total of GH¢1,244,334.00 were not included in the returns submitted to the PPRSD.
“We recommend that the Head of the Directorate should ensure that the Regional Officers provide the GCRs for our inspection failing, which the Regional Officers will be held liable for the amounts collected with the GCRs.
“The Heads of the Directorate and Accounts should immediately liaise with the nine collection centres involved and ensure that the returns for the used GCRs are submitted for review†the report stated.
After spending over 10 years in a mentorship under some public universities, the three universities in February 2022, received approval from President Akufo-Addo to grant them presidential charters.
Addressing officials of the three university colleges at the Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo said that the now fully-fledged universities would be monitored to ensure that they maintained high standards.
President Akufo-Addo congratulated the three universities for their achievements but warned them of section 27 of Act 1023 which states that “The President may on the recommendation of the Commission, through the Minister, revoke, vary or in any other way, amend the provisions of the Charter where the President considers that the revocation, variation or amendment is in the best interest of tertiary education in the country.â€
President Akufo-Addo asked the universities to continue to improve and introduce more innovative programmes and courses that would equip their students with the requisite skills and competencies needed to develop the country.
President Akufo-Addo said the Methodist University College, Presbyterian University and College Catholic University College, have been working toward receiving the charter, adding that they were the first to receive their charters upon the coming into effect of the new reforms, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1023).
Prof Obeng Ofori, Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University, who spoke on behalf of all three universities, expressed appreciation to the President for granting them their respective charters.
He added that the development marked a very important day in the “annals of the history†of the three faith-based academic institutions.
Prof Obeng Ofori requested buses from the President to help solve urgent transportation challenges the three universities face.
President Akufo-Addo directed the Minister for Education, Yaw Adu-Twum, to ensure that the request was honoured.
The donations, according to the 2021 Auditor General’s (A-G) report, were made to aid the effort to combat the COVID-19 epidemic.
The A-G has, however, noted that the Nkroful District Health Administration’s accountant failed to account for the funds that came from contributors, including the area’s Member of Parliament, Armah Kofi Buah.
According to the A-G, this contravenes Regulation 78 of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2378).
“We noted that cash donations totalling GH¢65,000.00 from Hon. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah and four others could not be accounted for by the Accountant,” the report stated.
The report recommended that the head of the District Health Administration and the accountant be made to pay for the missing money in the absence of documents to support its disbursement.
“In the absence of relevant supporting COVID-19 documents to acquit disbursement, we recommended that the Heads of the Institution and Accounts should pay.”
Theengagement also involves collating views and ideas to be factored into a broad policy framework to enhance the industry.
The programme is themed: “Harnessing creativity and innovation to transformational change in road safety management,†will also serve as a hub of ideas to engineer cost-effective and practical solutions to the issues that confront various regions.
“This year, we have seen a reduction in crashes, injuries and deaths for the seven months of 2022 and that we must work together to keep the reduction on the ascendancy and reward hard work,†the Board Chairman of the NRSA, Jermaine Nkrumah said.
According to him, the government has started working with stakeholders on a program that would annually recognize and reward safer regions yearly.
The board chair reaffirmed the commitment of his organization to collaborating with management to strengthen the authority’s finance condition.
Deaths
The Minister of Transport, Kweku Ofori Asiamah, in a speech, said experts estimated that road traffic deaths and injuries in low-and-middle income countries would cause economic losses of up to five per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in those countries.
He said the provisional statistics from the NRSA from January to July, 2022 on road traffic crashes indicated that a total of 8,869 cases were reported involving 15,239 vehicles with 1,443 casualties.
Mr Asiamah said since the importance of road safety in the developmental agenda of a country could not be overemphasised, the ministry would double its effort in educating the populace to make the roads safe.
“We need strong institutions to exert control on the safety environment to build a firm safety culture for sustainable development,†he said.
Mr Asiamah gave the assurance that the authority would augment its capacity to increase its visibility beyond the regional capitals.
BRRI
The Director of CSIR-Building and Road Research Institute, Dr Daniel Asenso-Gyambibi, said there were about 2,000 mortalities every year in the country as a result of road crashes.
He said since engineering was key in road safety, roads should be designed in a way that would be comfortable and friendly for drivers.
Dr Asenso-Gyambibi recommended that the NRSA be empowered to take active role in policy formulation in road network.
The visit in line with the network’s mission to broaden people’s access to economic opportunity, guarantee food security for Africa, and promote investment in the sector.
The teams first stop was at a thriving rice plantation. One major element ensuring its success is the proximity to a water body that guarantees all year flow of water to the farmland through mechanical water pumps.
Statistics from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) show that urbanization, population expansion, and shifting consumer preferences have all contributed to an increase in rice consumption.
The statistics shows that between 2008 and 2020, paddy rice production was in the range of 302,000 metric tones and 987,000 metric tones (181,000 to 622,000 metric tones of milled rice) with large annual fluctuations.
The total rice consumption in 2020 amounted to about 1,450,000 metric tones which is equivalent to per capita consumption of about 45.0kg per annum.
Ghana depends largely on imported rice to make up for the deficit in domestic rice production, an area investors could take advantage of.
Bola further urged Africans to venture into agriculture as it is an economically thriving investment while stressing that agribusiness is one of the easiest ways to alleviate poverty, providing employment and ultimately strengthening the cedis through exports of farm produces.
According to Article 207(3) of the Constitutionfrom 1992, the president’s action is in accordance with this provision: “subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the power to appoint persons to hold or to act in an office in the Prisons Service shall vest in the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prisons Service Council,â€
Among the list of 25 persons promoted, four have been moved from Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP) to Director of Prisons (DOP).
They are DDP Samuel Kwame Owusu-Amposah, who was formerly the Eastern Regional Commander, DDP Benedict Bob Dery, formerly the Bono Regional Commander, DDP Gloria Essandoh, who until the promotion was the Chief Legal Officer and DDP Joana Fofo Tackie-Otoo (Mrs.) who until the promotion was the Greater Regional Commander of Prisons and Commandant of the Prisons Officers Training School.
The remaining 21 of the promoted personnel have been moved from Assistant Director Of Prisons (ADP) to Deputy Director Of Prisons (DDP).
They are ADP. Brandford Gilbert Hama, ADP. Daniel Boi-Tawiah Abbey, ADP. William Kular, ADP. Emmanuel Aidoo and ADP. David Ofosu-Addo.
Others include ADP. Millicent Owusu, ADP. Francis Selorm Hagbe, ADP. Paul Teye Ademan, ADP. Edmund Ahia Armah, ADP. Nathaniel N. Agyeman Onyinah, ADP. Sophia Osei-Bonsu and ADP. Thompson Otyokpo.
The rest are ADP. Eric Ainoo Ansah, ADP. Edward Ashun, ADP. Joseph Asabre, ADP. Issaku Yahaya, ADP. Alfred M. Cudjoe, ADP. Augustine Ohene-Tutu, ADP. Samuel Fiifi Dontoh, ADP. Christiana Asiedu (Mrs.) and ADP. Christopher Hayibor.
Find below some images of the newly promoted officers
The Auditor General has advised the Ministry of Health to take into account a liability insurance policy for all medical institutions and practitioners against accusations of medical negligence.
The report said, the hospital performed an operation that involved removing a patient’s womb without getting her permission.
“We noted that there was a lack of due care in the processes before undertaking a surgery involving the removal of the womb of a patient without her consent or the consent of a relative leading to her death. We further noted because of the negligence, a judgement debt of GH¢290,030.00 was paid by the Hospital,†the report stated.
The payment per details of the report was made in two parts with GH¢50,000.00 being paid to one Fred Atiso while the remaining GH¢240,000.00 was paid to the Judicial Service.
The A-G, therefore, recommended that “the Ministry of Health should consider a medical liability insurance policy for all medical practitioners and facilities against medical negligence claims for practitioners and Hospitals to cure the payment of judgement debts by the facilities.â€
The report by the Auditor General among other things highlighted various infractions on public accounts of the government of Ghana involving Ministries, Departments and other Agencies (MDAs) for the year in review.
At the Lawra Municipal Hospital, the report stated that “drugs worth GH¢16,189.88 received from the Pharmacy store could not be accounted for by way of records to show quantities received, issues made to patients as well as the balance.â€
Other incidents uncovered in the report involving other health facilities include double payment of salary and allowances, revenue unaccounted for as well as missing store items.
On Sunday, August 28, 2022, the story of a man mauled by lions at the Accra Zoo sparked wild conversation across various platforms.
Aside from the bizarre nature of the incident, there were concerns about what could have warranted the actions of themiddle-aged man.
Amidst this, a lot of speculations about why the man leaped a fence that was 20 feet high and entered the den of one of the savagest animals on earth.
One of these was a suggestion that the man wanted to steal one of two cubs of the male and female lions at the zoo.
While investigations are still underway to determine the details of the incident, GhanaWeb takes you back with a little throwback of when the Accra Zoo welcomed its beautiful pair of white cubs.
The Accra Zoo welcomed fresh set of cubs in November 2021, according to a statement that surfaced the internet indicated that the cubs arrived on November 6, 2021.
A few days after their birth, the two were seen in lovely photographs holding hands together. According to information by the Forestry Commission, both the male and female cubs showed distinctive traits.
They were both born with spotless white coats, quite different from the usual yellowish-brown coat cubs of lions are usually born with.
The commission however indicated that the white colour was not out of place and could change as they grow based on the dominant genes of their parents.
The question though is whether it was one of these two cubs that the said unidentified man may have wanted to have.
Meanwhile, the Forestry Commission and Lands and Natural Resources Ministry have allayed fears that the Accra Zoo may not be safe.
Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Relations at the Forestry Commission, Joyce Ofori Kwafo, and Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Benito Owusu-Bio have assured the public that the incident was not resultant of any security breaches.
They also assured that the place is safe and will be open to the public once investigations into the incident are completed.
Dubbed “Ghanaian Genome (GhGenome) Projectâ€, the initiative will focus on early detection of the diseases to enhance their treatment.
It will involve building the capacity of health professionals in genetic medicine across the country.
With a target of affecting 1,000 children, GhGenome will also seek to shine a light on the root causes of rare diseases and developmental delays in children.
Other planned activities for the project include a nationwide public lecture series to create awareness of sickle cell diseases, childhood cancers and the prospects of the initiative.
This will be coupled with free genetic health screening for sickle cell conditions, breast and prostate cancers and developmental delays.
Event
The launch was attended by the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo; the Divisional Head Chief of Okyeman Gyaasehene and Kwabenghene, Daasebre Anyimadu Kantamanto II, who represented the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, the patron of the project; some traditional rulers of the Ga State, heads of various institutions of the university, students and captains of industry, among others.
In line with objectives
Prof. Amfo said the components of the project were in line with the key strategic objectives she had outlined for the university, which included the conduct of impactful research for the benefit of the country and the world.
“This work will be transformative not only in Ghana but on the African continent as it would be among the fi rst population sequencing in this part of the world,†she added.
Daasebre Kantamanto, who launched the project, commended the university for its efforts in leading the country to join the human genetics revolution via the launch.
He added that it would enable Ghanaians to become more intimate with their genetics and understand its impacts on all aspects of their lives.
Decoding
In a brief lecture, the Lead Director of the project, Prof. Fiifi Ofori-Acquah, said despite the fact that Ghanaians knew more of their genetics than they received credit for, there were other genetically inherited traits that brought sadness to many people.
He added that the burden of undiagnosed diseases and very low genetic information had led many people to jump to conclusions.
Prof. Ofori-Acquah said in the face of those challenges, “it is the duty of Ghanaians to decode and unravel their DNAâ€.
The man who has been described as an intruder is said to have jumped the security fences at a section of the facility housing a lion, a lioness and their 2 cubs and entered.
He was found later by officials at the Zoo with his throat in the mouth of one of the lions with other parts of his body all intact and untouched.
Although the Forestry Ministry says the intent for his actions is yet to be determined, many have suggested he was seeking to steal the cubs.
The Forestry Ministry has also been speaking to the media and clarifying issues surrounding the rather bizarre incident but the question of what caused this remains.
While the police have launched a formal investigation into the cause of the incident, it appears the deceased has already been pronounced guilty in the court of public opinion.
Perhaps, it may have been an action spurred by the victim for unknown reasons but what if there could have been external factors and measures which could have stopped such an incident from occurring or reduced the consequences which in this case was death?
In this piece, GhanaWeb looks at what could possibly have contributed to the occurrence of the incident directly or indirectly.
Recklessness on the part of the intruder:
Whatever his reasons were – one thing is clear; it definitely was a terrible decision on his part.
Lions are obviously caged for a reason – they are dangerous, and unless it is a Daniel situation like where God made the lions kowtow, death is what will await anyone who dares near them.
This yet-to-be-identified man is the first and biggest cause of his own woes. While investigators are yet to determine the true reasons for his actions, many theories have emerged.
The first is a suggestion that he wanted to steal a cub.
The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, who was at the scene of the incident, mentioned this as a possible reason the man came there.
This is ridiculous if that was the case because even without an attempt to steal its cherished baby, a lion will defend itself. How much more when an intruder has dared to touch the pride of the lion from a secured area with an inner wall – 20 ft high?
The 2nd suggestion given by the deputy minister was that the middle-aged man may have been trying to satisfy a death wish something that has not been substantiated in any of the reports shared so far.
The 3rd was a suggestion that he may have been one of the persons who visit the forest to pray, attempting to re-enact the Daniel story from the Bible.
Forestry commission for inadequate checks and personnel?
Yes, the Forestry Commission has confidently said all security checks and measures are in place to safeguard users and visitors of the zoo.
They have also indicated that a visitor would have used the routine way into the zoo and would have been guided by a tourist guide who will not only ensure their safety but also be in a position to deal with any eventualities if any occurred.
For this reason, they are emphatic that it was not a case of a security lapse despite the absence of security cameras which they say will be available after renovation.
Nevertheless, the worrying question is would this incident have been averted if there were enough guides or staff available for patrolling to be able to detect when the man intruded?
In an interview with Citi News, the Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Relations at the Forestry Commission, Joyce Ofori Kwafo said that the facility currently lacks enough personnel to do patrolling.
According to her, the staff in charge of patrolling the zoo are available all through the day, they are not enough to patrol the zoo at all times within a day in addition to their other patrolling duties in other parts of the Achimota forest enclave.
“We so much rely on our patrol team because they don’t sleep.
Achimota forest is big. Apart from the Accra Zoo, there are other issues so we are there 24/7, patrolling but because we can’t be at one place 24/7, that’s why this incident happened behind us,” she said.
Adding that perhaps, the unfortunate incident could have been avoided if the commission had the adequate human capacity to man the facility.
“We are just making use of the few staff members that we have to do all the work. Look at how big the Achimota Forest is. The zoo alone is about 19 hectares, and we have just a handful of men who go around doing the normal patrols. We are also trying to make good use of the little resources that we have. We need more staff, not only security guards, to do the work. In as much as we try to use technology, it is still not enough because the numbers are just inadequate,” Madam Ofori Kwafo said.
Govt for not providing enough resources for the zoo?
This brings us to the lapses in the system that may have played a role in the incident that occurred.
The Forestry Commission is under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources which is a governmental institution.
The admission to lack of resources on the part of the forestry commission raises concerns about how much the government is doing to empower the facility.
Without the necessary resources, the commission cannot adequately operate and these resources can only be provided by the government through the ministry.
Though Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Relations at the Forestry Commission, Joyce Ofori Kwafo indicated that there are plans to renovate the place, to make space for the provision of more security measures including CCTVs among others, it remains unknown whether or not these measures will come with the recruitment of more personnel to man the place and ensure better surveillance.
The Founder and leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Percival Kofi Akpaloo, has stated that when into power as the president of Ghana, his administration will construct 1,200,000 affordable homes for Ghanaians across the country.
According to him, he’s still devoted to helping Ghanaians have better living and working conditions.
Speakingat Bole with a section of Ghanaians during his campaign, he said, “Everyone deserves an affordable place to call home. LPG government will build more homes for Ghanaians, we will quadruple investments in the construction industry.”
“Within my first two years, it is proposed that I will build 1,200,000 housing units on affordable terms that will be developed for all Ghanaians across the country.”
He added: “We all know, is the tip of the iceberg, but it is a good beginning.
Kofi Akpaloo will create an enabling environment by organizing the real estate industry, acquiring and regulating land and housing developments, rationalizing housing subsidies, developing mortgage finance as well as facilitating tax exemptions and holidays for the industry.
He observed the importance of infrastructure in support of economic growth had long been recognized, saying the provision of infrastructure services to meet the demands of businesses, households and other users remained one of the major challenges of economic development.
