A major fault on the Tafo-Nkawkaw transmission line has been identified as the cause of the nationwide blackout that plunged several parts of Ghana into darkness on the night of Thursday, April 3, according to the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo).
In a statement issued following the incident, GRIDCo revealed that the disruption occurred at precisely 8:09 pm, initiating a cascading failure across the power network. The fault triggered further malfunctions on adjacent transmission lines, eventually forcing multiple power plants offline and leading to power outages in key areas such as Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani, Techiman, Bui, Tumu, Sawla, and parts of the northern regions.
The blackout, which was felt most intensely in areas beyond Kumasi, was attributed to a significant drop in national power generation. GRIDCo’s System Control Centre, however, acted swiftly, deploying emergency response protocols to stabilise the grid and begin the restoration process.
By 10:57 pm, full electricity supply had been restored to all affected regions.
“The Ghana Grid Company sincerely apologises to the general public for the disruption,” said Dzifa Bampoh, Manager of Corporate Communications at GRIDCo. The company expressed regret for the inconvenience caused and assured the public of its commitment to reliable power delivery.
A fuel tanker burst into flames on Wednesday evening near Memphis Construction Ltd in Enyiresi, located within the Atiwa East Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The inferno unleashed thick plumes of black smoke and intense heat, prompting nearby residents and passersby to scramble for safety.
Firefighters from the Anyinam Fire Station responded swiftly, battling the raging fire for several hours.
They deployed a foam concentrate solution to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to the tanker’s head. Given the intensity of the fire, reinforcement was called in from Nkawkaw.
The joint efforts of the Anyinam and Nkawkaw fire teams successfully extinguished the flames, averting a potential explosion. Initial findings point to a possible fuel leak that may have been ignited by a spark, and investigations are underway to confirm the cause.
In a related incident in Wa, a container shop near a GOIL fuel station caught fire. Fire crews managed to control the flames, stopping them from spreading to eight adjacent shops and the nearby fuel station.
A trailer traveling from Burkina Faso to Accra has been involved in an accident at Asona, a town near Nkawkaw, the Eastern Region, off the main Accra-Kumasi Highway stretch.
The cause of the trailer overturning, which blocked the highway, remains unclear. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
The accident has resulted in a significant traffic jam, leaving hundreds of travelers stranded for more than five hours.
Frustrated commuters speaking to Channel One News urged authorities to expedite the dualization of the Accra-Kumasi Highway to prevent similar situations in the future.
“So what I noticed on the road was a vehicle that had fallen off and blocked the main highway and that has led to this serious gridlock, those coming from the Accra side tried using the part of vehicles from Kumasi and vice versa and that is also part of what we are all witnessing here.
“I have been sitting in my car for more than two hours now, but people I enquired from said the gridlock started in the morning, I will suggest that the Accra Kumasi highway is dualized immediately because these single lanes have not been helpful over the years.”
A video gone viral on social media has highlighted unlawful conduct in the corporate environment.
The boss of a Savings and Loans Company in Nkawkaw of the Eastern Region has been caught physically assaulting a female employee.
In the video sighted on X platform, the businessman continued to hit the employee despite intervention from some workers.
Recounting the incident on Maakye FM, Captain Smart noted that the employee slandered his wife after he passed some derogatory remarks against her.
“There are certain words you don’t use in a certain environment,” he said.
Captain Smart expressed disgust over the video where the man was seen physically assaulting the female employee.
“You don’t treat a woman like this in public. If he has a girlfriend, she must leave him and if he has a wife, she must start parking,” he said.
Per Ghana’s Labour Act 2003, Clause 18 notes that “An employer shall take appropriate measures to safeguard the health and safety of employees.”
Clause 38 of the law reads that “A person who contravenes any of these regulations commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of twenty-five penalty units.”
Businessman Speaks After He Was Accused Of Beating A Female Employee, At His Savings And Loans Company Office In Nkawkaw pic.twitter.com/x5yRI5hPgu
— Jasper Ziggle 🥷🇬🇭 🇺🇸 (@JasperZiggle) June 26, 2024
Five school children, who tragically lost their lives in the Ampeah Memorial Institute school bus accident on the Nkawkaw highway in the Eastern region, have been laid to rest.
The parents of the children were overcome with grief, unable to control their tears as they bid farewell to their beloved wards.
The solemn occasion unfolded with a mass funeral service, followed by the burial of the deceased in their respective hometowns.
In a poignant display of solidarity, over a thousand residents in Nkawkaw paid their last respects to the young pupils who perished in the devastating accident.
The names of the departed children—Kwasi Nyarko (12), Jerome Narmenu (7), Acher Binney (4), Asare Joseph (9), and Gafktsi Marcus (3)—echoed through the mourning crowd.
The heart-wrenching incident occurred when a Nissan Patrol vehicle, believed to be the official vehicle of the District Chief Executive for Atwima Kwanwoma in the Ashanti region, Prince Karikari, collided with the Hyundai minibus with registration GE 2291-10.
Eyewitnesses reported that the bus driver attempted an unapproved U-turn while driving on the shoulders of the road from the Accra-Kumasi direction at a spot near Nanchia. The result was the tragic loss of five young lives.
The Municipal Education Director for Kwawu West Municipality, Mr. George Yankyera, has visited the families affected by the recent school bus accident at Nkawkaw Nankyea in the Eastern Region.
He expressed his deepest sympathies and provided support to the grieving families, as well as visiting the school affected by the accident and the hospitalized individuals.
The Education Directorate had previously advised the school to replace their bus due to its poor condition, but unfortunately, this advice was not followed, leading to the tragic incident.
The accident involved a Nissan Patrol vehicle, reportedly the official vehicle of the District Chief Executive for Atwima Kwanwoma in the Ashanti region, Prince Karikari.
Eyewitnesses stated that the driver attempted an unauthorized U-turn while driving on the shoulders of the road from the Accra-Kumasi direction near Nanchia. All the victims, including a female teacher identified as Dorcas Dede, succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment at the Holy Family Hospital in Nkawkaw.
Mr. Yankyera emphasized the importance of adhering to safety recommendations and expressed concern that the prior advice on the school bus was not heeded. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the accident are ongoing.
Today, Friday, December 15, residents in the Nkawkaw constituency expressed their discontent through a large-scale demonstration against their Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Frimpong.
Protesters asserted that the MP has not effectively advocated for the development of the area, pointing to specific grievances such as the perceived neglect of the construction of the Nkawkaw Sports Stadium.
They contended that the MP has not successfully pushed for the prompt completion of the stadium project. During a media interview, one of the leaders of the demonstration called on the MP to resign from his position, citing incompetence as one of the reasons.
“The MP has lost touch with the constituency and the constituents. He does not know what the needs of the people are and has done very little to improve the development of the constituency since he was elected in 2020.”
“He promised to ensure the completion of our stadium and has failed to do so. He should just go and not even think of contesting the party’s upcoming primaries,” he said.
A forest guard affiliated with the Leopard Unit in the Asukese Forest Reserve, who vanished while on a mission to combat illegal logging in the Asukese Forest within the Suyani Forest District of the Bono Region, has been miraculously located alive.
Reports indicate that a driver from Zoomlion Ghana Limited stumbled upon the missing forest guard, Vitus Yourdong, in a distressing state near a refuse site in Nkawkaw, Eastern Region. His service uniform lay in tatters, both legs were bound with a rope, and his hands were handcuffed to his back, leaving investigators puzzled and the community in deep concern.
Saza Agbotiyao, the driver from Zoomlion Ghana Limited, reported that they came across him in that condition and unresponsive during the early hours of Monday, July 24, 2023, near the Asona refuse site while they were on their way to dispose of waste.
“We found him unconscious near the Asona refuse site when we went to dispose of rubbish with his legs tied and his hands handcuffed at his back”.
Narrating events leading to his disappearance, the victim disclosed that he was captured by three illegal operators after he left his other colleagues to ease himself in the forest.
“We went to Sunyani for an operation but after the operation, I told my other colleagues I wanted to ease myself so they said they will wait for me but I was captured by three men who harassed me and took me hostage”.
Sounded very surprised when his rescuers told him he was in Nkawkaw, he added that his captors took him to a different part of the forest and kept him there for over two weeks so he thought he was still in Sunyani.
“When they captured me, they took me to a different place, a cocoa forest and they only dump me here but I have been told here is Nkawkaw and I am surprised because I thought I was in Sunyani”.
Meanwhile, the victim is currently responding to treatment at the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital.
On July 2, 2023, Vitus Yuordong was reported missing along with his equipment, including a pump-action gun with registration number AFOO63604, a machete, and a handbag prompting an extensive search in the reserve and nearby communities to find him.
On December 19, 2022, I held a meeting between the leadership of the various drivers union in Akoasi, the Unit Committee and the Chief Inspector in charge of the Akoasi Police Station on the new transportation fares directive issued by the Ghana Road Transport Cordinating Council and the GPRTU of TUC.
Considering the distance from Nkawkaw to Akoasi (19.5 km) and that of Akoasi to Abirem, and juxtaposing with the new fares chart issued by the GPRTU and the Ghana Road Transport Cordinating Council, it was resolved that all taxes from Nkawkaw to Akoasi and from Akoasi to Abirem must charge Nine Ghana Cedis (GHC9.00).
Per the calculations, it was supposed to be Eight Cedis Fifty Pesewas (GH¢8.50), but due to the difficulty in getting the Fifty Pesewas (0.50P) change it was agreed to be adjusted or pegged at the GH¢9.00.
This proactive measure was taken to prevent any unpleasant occurrences between our cherished drivers and the traveling public.
We are by this statement directing all drivers and the passengers to strictly comply with the agreed fares to help prevent any unpleasant situations.
I thank the leadership of the various drivers union in Akoasi, the Chief Inspector in charge of the Akoasi Police Station and the Unit Committee of Akoasi for attending the meeting.
President Akufo-Addo says he is hopeful the outcome of the International Monetary Fund ( IMF) negotiations would tackle the high cost of living in the country.
He admitted the cost of living was high but was optimistic that the package of measures which would accompany the IMF programme would address the economic issues successfully and reduce the hardship on Ghanaians.
“Yes we are going through difficulties but at the same time we trying to do well in other areas, the fundamentals of government policy is working. We have about 120 One District, One Factory completed and 300 of them in the pipeline,” he said.
President, Akufo- Addo made these statements at Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region on Friday when he spoke to the media as part of his three-day tour of the Eastern Region.
Speaking on concerns made by some persons to review the free Senior High School (SHS) policy, the President said he was a bit skeptical about it.
He argued “I have to confess my attitude when I hear the word review I hesitate because, first people who spoke about the review are people who opposed the policy in the first place and so if someone who did not want the policy comes to tell us that we should review it then my understanding is that he is to review the policy to reverse it.”
According to the President, the two fundamental thrust of the policy which was to expand access that has been dramatically achieved.
“The other was to include quality outcomes of education and I must say The outcomes of the free SHS graduates are a major improvement on the free SHS data that we have whether it is mathematics or integrated science, english across the board.”
President Akufo-Addo added that each of these areas of study has seen a significant increase in the results of the students.
President Akufo-Addo said reviewing these two thrusst of the policy and the improvement made will somehow be compromised, adding the country cannot tamper with the two fundamentals.
He said “as a country, we have ensured that nobody in the country, no matter their social origin and financial background should be denied access to good quality secondary education and added that for the past five years, the implementation of the policy has been established.”
He indicated that so far, his government have been able to financially sustain the free SHS policy and would continue to sustain it.
The President later attended an official opening of the NPP National Executives and directors Training and Orientation Conference at Rock City in the Abetifi Constituency.
He then proceeded to Nkawkaw to inspect the construction of the Nkawkaw-Abirem- Ofoase -Akim Oda road Project.
President Akufo Addo later paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Ofoase, inspected the construction of the Ofoase-Ayirebi Agenda 111 hospital project and departed to Akyem Asuboa in the Asene Manso Akroso constituency to inspect a similar project.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has ordered the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to pay compensation to its customers affected by its prepayment system across the country from September to early October, this year.
This follows the failure in ECG Prepayment vending System at Volta, Takoradi, Tema, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Swedru, Koforidua, Nkawkaw andTafo among other locations.
To demonstrate good customer service, the commission has asked ECG to pay lifeline customers GH¢15, residential customers with 10 penalty units equivalent GH¢120; non-residential customers with 20penalty units equivalent GH¢240; commercial customers with 40penalty units equivalent GH¢480 and industrial customers with 100 penalty units equivalent GH¢1,200.
Dr Ishmael Ackah in a statement issued and signed and copied to Ghanaian Times in Accra on Tuesday said the ECG would pay the compensation in the form of a one-time electricity credit from last Saturday to Friday October 7, 2022 with the compensation clearly indicated on customer receipts.
“ECG shall issue widespread notifications to inform customers of the compensation due to them and shall maintain accurate records of measures taken to comply with this order including the number of temporary staff engaged (if any), for purposes of regulatory monitoring,” he stated.
“This order is without prejudice to any additional directives the Commission may issue with respect to the incident,” he added.
Dr Ackah noted that the order was issued under sections 11 and 12 (1) and (2) of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission Act, 1997 (Act 538); and regulations 41 and 45 of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (Consumer Service) Regulations, 2020 (L12413).
He said that the law imposed a duty on public utilities to provide safe, adequate, efficient, reasonable and non-discriminatory service.
“The law also mandates the Commission to impose compensation orders among other penalties on public utilities for failure to comply with their legal obligations,” he said.
Dr Ackah said it was for that reason the commission in consideration of the inconvenience occasioned by the failures with the ECG prepayment meter system determined that ECG would pay compensation to all its affected customers.
The Executive Secretary of the PURC said that the ECG would additionally adopt immediate measures to increase staff output and responsiveness to customers.
Dr Ackah said ECG would extend the working hours at all affected locations to 8pm,
engage temporary staff to ensure that affected customers were speedily attended to and were credited with the approved compensation by October 7, 2022.
“Final resolution of the vending failure as soon as possible with minimum further inconvenience to consumers,” he added.
Filming and voicing out his frustration in the dark, a livid Derrick Kobina Bonney (DKB) was concerned about the technical challenge that has affected prepaid metering systems making it impossible for customers to top up.
The situation has led to some customers sleeping in darkness as the purchase of electricity credit for prepaid metres has sadly been interrupted.
“Prepaid network down, can’t buy lights, darkness everywhere! But I have to wait on NDC before I’ll know if I’m in darkness! Pure rubbish and nonsense!” the comedian fumed in a tweet, Thursday.
In the video clip that had the aforementioned caption, DKB could not fathom why genuine concerns are diluted for political expediency. He noted that whenever concerns are raised, there is a swift attempt by a section of the public to politicize the matter, a posture he condemned without equivocation.
“In this country, if there is a socio-economic problem bothering you and you complain about it, they’ll tell you you’re manipulated by the opposition,” he said.
“Since morning that we’ve not had prepaid to buy and our lights are off, me as a human being, as a Ghanaian, I can’t see that I don’t have light so I need to wait for NDC to tell me that I don’t have light so that I’ll complain about it and it will unpopularize NDC.”
Meanwhile, the Electricity Company of Ghanahas in a statement assured the general public of its resolve to surmount the challenge.
“Affected customers should please note that our ICT team is working assiduously to correct the anomaly and restore the system to normalcy. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this technical challenge,” parts of the statement read.
Some customers in Volta, Kumasi, Accra, Takoradi, Tema, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Swedru, Koforidua, Nkawkaw, and Tafo have been affected by the hiccup.
The Commission, in a statement, said it was closely monitoring the situation and was in full discussions with the service provider to address the issue.
The ECG on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, informed its customers on the E-cash and PNS metering systems that due to a technical challenge, purchase of electricity credit had been interrupted, affecting customers in Volta, Takoradi, Tema, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Swedru, Koforidua, Nkawkaw, and Tafo.
The Company on Thursday, September 29, 2022, said that it was working to rectify the technical anomaly, which had affected the purchase of electricity.
It, therefore, urged customers in the Greater Accra, Central, Eastern, Western and Volta regions to visit the Company’s district offices to purchase electricity.
Meanwhile, some customers have described the incident as unfortunate and asked the PURC to direct ECG to compensate those affected.
A gory accident at Nkawkaw-Oframase in the Eastern Region has claimed the lives of five persons.
District Police Commander, DSP Foster Asante, confirmed the incident to the media over the weekend.
According to him, a sprinter bus with registration number, GC 6521-21 crashed into a stationary truck on Sunday down after the commercial vehicle driver took a wrongful overtaking.
He disclosed further that the driver of the commercial bus was a spare driver.
He finally advised the drivers to be careful with their speed, especially during weekends, myjoyonline reports.
Whereas some electorates queued and waited for officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) in most constituencies, the situation is quite different in the Nkawkaw constituency.
Polling stations such as liberty church, Post Office b, Brotherhood Church are virtually empty as electorates have failed to troop into these polling stations even though the EC is prepared for the elections.
About thirteen (13) shops have been gutted by fire at Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region.
The shops located opposite the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly were consumed by the inferno Monday dawn.
The shops include mobile phones and fashion shops.
The relatively swift intervention by personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service helped to extinguish the fire from spreading to other shops.
However, items worth thousands of cedis were destroyed.
Some of the items consumed by the blaze were electric sewing machines, manual or butterfly sewing machines, electronic pressing irons, dryers, cooking utensils, mirrors, phones and accessories.
The cause of the fire is not known but officials of the Ghana National Fire Service have commenced an investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, officials of the National Disaster Management Organization, NADMO, have visited the scene for assessment.
Isaac Asiamah, Minister for Youth and Sports has cut sod to begin reconstruction of the Nkawkaw Sports Stadium into a multi-complex sports facility.
The project is estimated at a cost of Ghc27 million cedis and is being sponsored by the Middle Belt Development Authority as part of the one million per constituency project.
Expected to be completed in two years, the stadium complex would consist of close to 10,000 seater capacity, a standard FIFA pitch with the capacity to host international football matches.
Other ancillary facilities would include eight-lane tartan tracks, a gym center, restaurant, the multipurpose court for tennis, and a hostel facility to house sportsmen and women of about 20 sporting disciplines.
The Minister said since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government took over power, most of the sporting facilities in the country were in a bad state and neglected.
He noted that the government was determined to promote sports across the country and therefore instituted measures to renovate the Accra Sports Stadium, which is in good shape now to host sporting events.
Mr. Asiamah mentioned that renovation works were ongoing at the Essipong and the Kumasi sports stadiums, whiles that of Tamale would begin soon.
Others including Secondi, Gyedu, Saltpond, Bekwai, Konongo, Tarkwa, Mampong, Berekum, Kaladan, Techiman, Oda, Sunyani coronation, and Wa Malik Kabir parks would also be given a facelift
He disclosed that 10 multipurpose resource centres were being constructed across all regional capitals in the country to boost sporting infrastructure
Mr. Joe Danquah, Chief Executive Officer of the Middle Belt Development Authority, said his outfit had constructed 10 standard Astroturf pitches in the Eastern Region at a cost of Ghc22.1 million, whiles five others were also under construction.
Prof. Peter Twumasi, Chief Executive of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Prof. Peter Twumasi said plans were advanced to build or reconstruct in all parts of the country to harness the talents of sports in people in all parts of the country.
He commended the government for renovating and reconstructing sporting infrastructure in the country to serve to improve sports in the country.
The Nkawkaw Sports Stadium after being left to rot will soon see massive renovation to become a modern-day edifice.
The stadium which has staged Ghana Premier League games in the past is now in a deplorable state as a result of poor maintenance.
Earlier this week, the Director-General of the National Sports Authority, Professor Peter Twumasi had a meeting with the management of the Middle Belt Development Authority in Kumasi
The meeting saw the parties discussing the need to give the Nkawkaw Sports Stadium a facelift.
Pending a final meeting between the Sports Authority, the Youth and Sports Ministry as well as the Middle Belt Development Authority, renovation works will be started on the sports facility in the Eastern Region.
The once-iconic stadium now appears bushy and does not even seem like the edifice with the history it has.
In the past, the facility served as the home grounds for Okwahu United when they were counted among the top clubs in the Ghana Premier League.
A 24-year-old bread seller at Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region has died after a man allegedly stabbed her several times in her abdomen.
Esther Afrifa who trades by the roadside in Asona, a suburb of Nkawkaw was said to have been attacked by her assailant while trading at about 10 pm on Friday.
A statement issued by DSP Ebenezer Tetteh, the Regional Police PRO said Emmanuel Oppong Yeboah, husband of the deceased accompanied by one George Frimpong came to Nkawkaw Central Police Station to report that his wife, had been stabbed by Yaw Johnson, 24, without any provocation.
The statement said the deceased was rushed to Holy Family Hospital, Nkawkaw for treatment but died eventually.
The Police say they proceeded to the Hospital and found the deceased at the mortuary with multiple knife wounds in her abdomen and on her two hands.
Preliminary investigations led the police to Odumasu, a village near Nkawkaw where suspect Yaw Johnson was apprehended.
