The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council has announced that the Tema Metropolis, which will host the regional celebration on March 6th, would launch Operation Clean Your Frontage on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of 2023.
The council says the initiative which is in preparations for the 6th March celebration will see to the closure of shops to get everyone involved in cleaning their frontages.
Speaking during a stakeholder meeting with all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the region, the Regional Minister,Henry Quartey courted the support of all stakeholders to ensure its success.
He said the decision of the RCC to take the operation to Tema is a result of consistent calls for the operation to be replicated there to facilitate neatness across the Municipality.
“We would want to fully operationalize Operation Clean Your Frontage in Tema and I have seen a lot of posts on my Facebook pages where the people of Tema keep saying that they have been left out of the operation and so the message is that we are here in Tema and Operation Clean your Frontage is going to come from March 2 to March 4, and it is going to be massive, and we will appeal to the traditional council to assist us in appealing to residents, businesses and churches to join the exercise.”
He however stressed and explained that the Operations team is not going t clean people’s frontages, but that is going to be done by residents as pair the by-law that established the initiative.
“We will not come and clean people’s frontages for them, the by-laws are clear, and the residents are expected to clean their immediate frontages and up to the middle of the streets.
Mr. Quartey also outlined a few series of programmes that will be undertaken as part of the initiative.
“We will be doing a series of activities which will include a football tournament at Tema New town Park but more importantly, there will be a cleanup exercise.”
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Tema Regional Branch, has stated that the new Junior High School (JHS) Two curriculum has not yet been introduced to schools in Tema and its surrounding area.
All basic schools in the Tema Metropolis, Tema West, Ashaiman, and the Kpone-Katamanso municipalities are yet to receive the JHS Two textbooks three weeks into the reopening of schools for the 2023 academic year.
The Chairman of GNAT, Tema, Mr Abednego Tettey Nuertey, in an interview with GNA, said the form two students were the first group to start the new curriculum.
He, therefore, urged the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to ensure that the books reach the schools to make teaching and learning effective.
“For now, teachers are using their own resources by searching on the internet for relevant information or the use of alternative books to guide their teaching, based on the syllabus,” he said.
He observed that the private schools mostly resorted to giving the pupils research topics to search on the internet based on the syllabus.
However, in the quest to research on the internet, the children would be exposed to unwanted materials, which often pop-up during searches, Mr Nuertey said.
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has resisted pressure from some quarters to start the Keta Port project right once in the Volta region, which will become the third seaport in the country after Tema and Takoradi in the Greater Accra and Western regions, respectively.
The authority has been under intense pressure over the lack of activity at the site earmarked for the project.
However, Managing Director of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Michael Luguje insists a project of such magnitude doesn’t happen within a few months.
He was responding to a suggestion by president of Port Journalists Network, Elvis Darko, at a soiree organised by the authority where Joy Business was present.
The journalist asked GPHA to intensify communication on the strategic national project to lay the public’s mind to rest over concerns of delay.
“When you talk to people, you realisze that they have very little idea about the project. Once it has been announced by the government, they assume it will be funded by same, forgetting that investors are going to make it happen”
“Once the project hasn’t taken off, there is something wrong and they’re pointing fingers at government,” he shared.
He said seeking capital from the private sector takes time and would certainly delay the project compared to government-funded ones.
“This speaks to lack of communication on the project and ought to change. All details including construction of railway as part of the project must be made known. He cited Boankra Inland Port which has been on paper for 20 years and the difficulty in getting investors with deep pocket to get the project going,” Mr. Darko added.
In acknowledging the suggestion from the journalist, the Managing Director of GPHA, admitted that more needs to be done in sharing information on the Keta port project.
He quickly likened the seaport project to building a house which will ordinarily not happen just a day after taking the decision.
“Constructing a port is a lengthy process. The port of Tema took 10 years to get the port from beginning to commissioning to start operations”.
“And it’s not the Tema you see today. It was a small port built to serve trade and expanded over time to accommodate growing trade and it was the same for Takoradi,” he narrated.
He urged that this history should guide Ghanaians into construction of Keta port which will not come completed the next morning after announcing it.
“Port construction begins with a lot of studies, partnerships, stakeholder and investor engagements. Unlike way back in the when these two early ports were built by government. Now it’s more about public-private partnership with all the hurdles,” Mr. Luguje remarked.
According to him, feasibility studies are concluded, environmental and social impact assessment studies are expected to start soon with the consultant engaged in the next couple of months, aside seeking for investors as advertised in the dailies.
“A number of them have written to us and we are going to assess and analyse what we’ve received and then look at those that actually will be representative and interested in providing what we are looking for,” he hinted.
He reassured that government remains committed to this seaport project.
Michael Luguje reminded the media of the need to always have balanced story particularly with issues concerning the port.
General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Affairs at GPHA, Esther Gyebi Donkoh was displeased with the path some media houses have taken which she described as deliberate with intention to misinform the public.
“Their stories are one-sided and devoid of the truth. They fail to crosscheck from all parties to produce a balanced reportage. Their desire to break the news first is important to them than professional and ethical principles,”
“My worry is about how this is harming the public and the country as a whole and must be stopped,” she lamented.
For her, the media is a strategic partner in helping to communicate the authority’s policy decisions.
“As part of our plans for 2023, the media will be exposed to different initiatives, planned activities, training sessions, among special events. We will furnish you with progress report on the Keta project. GPHA is committed to this project despite the huge misinformation campaign launched against us. We are not perturbed at all,” she assured.
A trailer truck driver narrowly escaped death on Thursday, December 15, 2022, after his vehicle overturned in an accident on the Accra-Nsawamroad.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver whose name has been withheld, was transporting spare parts from Kumasi to Tema.
However, in an attempt to turn and use the road heading towards Dzorwulu when he got to the Achimota overpass, he veered off the road, causing the vehicle to lose its balance, and subsequently capsised.
The incident resulted in a heavy traffic congestion.
Fortunately, the driver escaped unscathed despite being quite traumatized.
The incident also resulted in heavy traffic on the road.
The Ghana News Agency conducted a market survey in certain neighborhoods in Tema and found that market vendors selling rocket crackers, fireworks, and other items had taken over the majority of the streets and were doing well.
Others were discovered at some stores, including noisemakers and bangers, which are small explosive devices primarily made to make a lot of noise, particularly in the form of a loud explosion.
Residents within the Tema Metropolis in an interview with Ghana News Agency said they envisaged Christmas without the usual decorations because of the economic hardship the country is currently experiencing.
Madam Grace Amoah, who sells hampers at the Krakue Street Tema Community One, explained that the season’s purchases were yet to pick up, but expressed optimism that the trend would change.
“The least price of a hamper last year sold at GH$150.00 and this year it starts from GH$300.00. The prices of my hampers have doubled because of the increases in prices of items,” he said.
Mr. Ebenezer Kwabena Oboubi Appiah, a salesperson at Melcom, said the company had initiated X’mas Sales Promotion to increase patronage.
Mr. Armstrong Asamoah, a dealer in X’mas souvenirs, said Ghana’s economic situation had made the cost of living difficult, which is going to affect the merriment.
“I am waiting on God’s intervention ahead of this Yuletide. My goods are not being patronized and the little sales I make are what my family, and I depend on which is not enough,” he said.
Some residents in the Cape Coast Metropolis have called on the Government to be tactful with its expenditure and invest in productive ventures to spur economic growth.
Speaking in separate interviews with the Ghana News Agency, the residents said the Government’s move to halt the depreciation of the Cedi should work at all costs.
Mrs. Gladys Baidoo, a banker, said the country’s prudent management of scarce economic resources through technology remained the ultimate goal to save it from the difficulties.
“It is, therefore, important for government to improve its financial management and budgeting practices to create the environment which could support the possibility for prudent and sustainable borrowing for public infrastructure and services at the local level,” she stated.
In addition, she praised efforts to support Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to step up their revenue mobilization to improve development at the local level and reduce their dependence on the central government.
“The huge potential in property rate collection remains untapped. There are many property owners who are yet to pay any rate to the Assemblies because the Assemblies have not yet approached them to collect the rates.
“The MMDAs must, therefore, find innovative ways of mobilizing resources in an equitable and efficient manner,” she urged.
Mr. Jones Kofi Darko, an entrepreneur, also commended the President for the resolve to ban the imports of some goods that could be produced locally to revive the local industrial sector.
He said a country’s development, depended on its level of industrialization, however, any nation that neglected that sector will be a burden to itself and its people, as it will have to depend on the importation of all kinds of goods at great cost to meet the needs of its populace.
It was for this reason, he noted, that in the immediate post-independence period, Ghana set out to build some industries for rapid development.
As a result of the resolve to speed up the country’s progress, the Tema industrial township was built, in addition to the creation of industrial enclaves in Accra and many parts of the country.
Many private individuals and companies also set up industries which provided hope for the future of the new independent country which was the envy of many a country on the continent and beyond.
Nevertheless, decades down the line, however, many of the manufacturing establishments, that provided the youth with job opportunities everywhere, have become “ghosts” and trading activities have taken over, defeating the country’s attempts at import substitution.
On the country’s negotiation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Daniel Danso, an educationist, said the whole of Ghana seemed to be waiting for the ‘presumed saviour IMF’ that has not been able to save us on its 16 previous occasions.
“The Government opting for an IMF programme will not address the current difficulties but would rather worsen them.
“The impact of the IMF programme would be worse than the reliefs the country would be seeking,” he said.
Mr. David Annan, a driver, asked President Akufo-Addo to redeem his promise to transform Ghana in 18 months if voted.
“Yes, he promised to turn around the fortunes of Ghana and create opportunities for all and he charged all of us to be citizens and not spectators.
“A significant number of us citizens associated the promises with good and noble intentions in return and despite our best efforts, the Ghanaian people have offered the NPP a clear mandate in 2017 to steer the affairs of our dear country but with nothing to show for,” he said.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has vowed to clamp down on entities that fail to comply with tax obligations.
This comes after six companies were shut down on Friday for tax evasion offences as part of efforts by the GRA to boost revenue mobilization.
Speaking to the media after the closure of the facilities, the Enforcement Manager of GRA, Joseph Annan urged firms evading taxes to desist from the act else they will face the consequences.
“We will always be on the field. We will knock on doors but if you run today, you may not run forever because we will surely knock on your door. Companies must do the right thing by paying all their taxes”, he advised.
The Domestic Tax Revenue Division of the GRA, shut down operations of the UnderBridge event Centre located in East Legon for failing to register for Value Added Tax (VAT).
This action was part of moves by the authority to check entities failing to honour their tax obligations, leading to loss of revenue to the state.
Five other firms including four cold stores at Tema and a beverage distribution company; Josh Nartey ventures were also closed.
The GRA says the offences of these companies include the non-registration of Value Added Tax (VAT) and the non-issuance of invoices.
”We got intel that they were not registered. We also did our own background checks and confirmed it.”
”We have locked up the place. They must do the needful by registering, and then we look at the sanctions for non-registration, after which we will open up the place”, Mr. Annan said.
He added that, the action by the firms contributes to revenue loss to the state.
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 gang of armed robbers comprising six individuals on Tuesday attacked a man in Tema and left him for dead.
The victim was shot and was robbed of his money.
The Police Service in a Facebook post revealed that the “victim is currently receiving medical attention at a health facility and is in stable condition.”
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) Tema Regional Command Safety Department has admonished institutions and companies to adhere to fire safety procedures to reduce outbreaks in the country.
Divisional Officer Grade III (DOIII) Nancy Amaka officer in charge of the Safety Department expressed concern about the flagrant disregard for our safety, stressing “security and safety must go hand-in-hand, it is suicidal to play security above safety, when you build a house only with security in mind, in case of emergency, you will notice that you have limited safety exit pointâ€.
DOIII Amaka stated after leading a three-member GNFS Fire Risk Assessment Audit team to Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office to conduct a risk assessment, stressing that putting a fire prevention plan in place can significantly reduce the extent of damage that a fire can cause and help to avert one from breaking out in the first place.
“As part of the assessment we outline fire emergency evacuation plan details with the institution on how staff, throughout the building, can exit in a safe and appropriate manner,†she said.
Addressing the GNA Tema Regional officials after the audit which was also conducted at Plan B FM, and GBC Obonu FM, and other media houses in Tema including the Graphics Group Communication, and the New Times Corporation, she called for proactive engagement with the service.
DOIII Amaka said the aim of carrying out a Fire Risk Assessment is to remove or reduce the risk of hazards and to determine what safety measures are needed to ensure the safety of everyone in the building. There are various things to consider, including fire detection and warning systems.
“Fire risk assessment is an organized look at what, in your work activities and workplace, could cause harm to people from fire. It will help determine the chances of a fire occurring and the dangers of fire that the workplace poses for the people who use it.
“We have done this auditing over and over, recommendations have been written, reports have been sent, you go back the following year and you realize that most of the things that were recommended had not been put in place,†she said.
She said the failure of some people to adhere to safety measures, for both private and commercial facilities, to prevent fire incidences was worrying.
She noted that adhering to safety practices contributed immensely to the growth of the economy and encouraged Ghanaians to call on the Service in cases of fire outbreaks.
She said while the Service was devising measures to reduce fire outbreaks, it needed support from the public for the efforts to succeed and called on both private and public institutions to request the GNFS risk assessment, if necessary, to prevent any unforeseen occurrence.
Assistant Divisional Officer Grade II (ADOII), William S. K. Klebeti, said the audit was to identify the various fire hazards with the institutions and companies to indicate the necessary recommendations to them adding that it was also to assess knowledge on some of the workers on some equipment they use.
The Accra Circuit Court (IV) has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Prophet Daniel Nkansah for failing to attend court.
Mr Nkansah, who is charged for GHC390,000.00 fraud under the pretext of supplying 60,000 pieces of jute bags to a businessman, was absent when the case was called.
He has denied the charge and has been granted bail.
The trial, which is already in progress, has been adjourned to August 24, 2022.
Meanwhile, his accomplice one Alhaji Mohammed Sanni is on the run.
Police Inspector Eric Pobee had earlier told the Court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh, that Yakubu Yaya, was a businessman living in Tema, who often bought jute sacks in large quantities.
The Prosecution said the accused person resided in Accra and in May 2021, one of the witnesses in the case had information that, a quantity of jute sacks had been displayed at a warehouse at Atico along the Odorkor Mallam highway for sale.
It said the witness proceeded to Atico and met the accused person who claimed to be the owner of the jute sacks and was looking for potential buyers and the witness also informed the complainant accordingly.
The prosecution said on May 24, 2021, the complainant came to the store at Atico with the witnesses and bargained on the price with the accused person for 60,000 pieces of the jute sacks valued GHC390,000.00.
The prosecution said the next day, the complainant made full payment to the accused person in his office in the same building in the presence of the witnesses.
The Court heard that the accused person after receiving the money took GHC 150,000.00 in their presence and put it aside in his office.
Later, the Court heard that the accused person took the complainant and the witnesses in his car to his other office at Chantan Tabora where the accused person handed over the remaining Gh¢240,000.00 to one suspect Alhaji Mohammed Sanni and further introduced him to the complainant as his worker.
It said said the accused person and his worker suspect Alhaji Mohammed Sanni asked the complainant to come back to Atico and load the goods, but the complainant and the witnesses went to the store at Atico and realised that the store was under lock.
The complainant then reported it to the Police leading to the accused person’s arrest.
The Tema Regional office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has advised women to insist on their right to matrimonial property.
Senior Principal Investigator of CHRAJ at the Tema Regional Office, Mr John Ato Breboh, said women have the right to matrimonial property when their spouse dies, and they should not allow the families of their husbands to deprive them of that right.
He said this when speaking with the Ebenezer Society of Tema Community one on the topic: “Matrimonial Property Right,†as part of a comprehensive citizen sensitization programme started by CHRAJ Tema Regional Office.
The citizen engagement was to educate them on specific issues of human rights, child marriage, domestic abuse, violence, and other functions of the Commission and empower the public to seek redress in case of infractions on their rights.
Mr Breboh explained that for polygamous marriages, surviving spouses were entitled to equal shares of 50 per cent of the estate, the children, 40 per cent, five per cent to the parent(s), and five per cent to customary devolution.
“A spouse shall have equal access to property jointly acquired during marriage; assets which are jointly acquired during marriage shall be distributed equitably between the spouses upon dissolution of the marriage,†he said.
However, a wife is not legally entitled to her husband’s self-acquired property and can only enjoy her husband’s self-acquired property till her husband’s death; “a wife cannot claim her husband’s property before or after divorce at most, a wife can only claim money for her maintenance or alimonyâ€.
The Senior Principal Investigator said CHRAJ wanted to expose residents, especially women to the 1992 Constitution Article 22, “which states that a spouse shall not be deprived of a reasonable provision out of the estate of a spouse whether or not the spouse died having made will or notâ€.
He stressed that upon divorce, a spouse shall have equal rights to the share of the property that they had acquired.
Mr Breboh advised couples, especially women, to ensure that their marriages were registered and attended by the relatives of both the man and the woman.
Residents of the Tema Region are eager for the 2021 Population and Houses Census (PHC) as the various stakeholders, the Regional Police Command, the Metropolitan Authority and Members of Parliament have outlined operational modalities to ensure smooth take-off.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Barima Tweneboah Sasraku II, Tema Regional Commander of the Ghana Police Service said personnel were deployed to provide security and ensure that the census night passed without any criminal activities.
DCOP Sasraku II told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Tema that the Police was mandated to maintain law and order as well as to prevent and detect crime, to apprehend offenders and to maintain public order and safety of persons and property, the census night is therefore classified as high operational day.
Mr Solomon Tetteh Appiah, Metropolitan Chief Executive Officer for Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly urged all residents in the Metropolis to stay home during the Census Night.
He told the GNA at Kpone, that the Assembly organised the 30-day count down to the Census Night was therefore eager to climax the event with remarkable events to ensure that people can recollect the day during the enumeration period.
Mr Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, Chief Executive Officer of Tema Metropolitan Authority also noted that in collaboration with faith based organisations and other identifiable stakeholders the census night would be celebrate to ensure that it serves as memorial for the main event.
Mr Anang-La told the GNA that Church bells would sound at midnight, while other faith based organisations would also make dramatic calls to remind its adherents of the day.
Ms Sara Dugbakie Pobee, Ada East District Chief Executive also told the GNA that the district through the 30-day advocacy towards census night, had sensitize the citizen of the need to participate in the census night and subsequently get involved in the enumeration.
She said there was no need to change location or travel to the hometown to be enumerated, “the Census process requires the Census officials to visit places of residence and all structures to count and enumerate all persons who spend the Census Night in those structures regardless of their residential status.â€
Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, Member of Parliament for Tema East Constituency told the GNA in an interview at Tema that the Census would provide adequate data to guide in measuring the socio-economic status of citizens.
He stressed that the census shall cover all residents in the city including; the vulnerable and the disadvantaged such as persons living with disability (PLWDs), orphans and vulnerable children, the elderly and street families.
Mr Odamtten urged residents irrespective of Political Affiliation to participate in the exercise, stressing that both Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians who may be resident or non-resident, but maybe in the Metropolitan / Municipal / District Assembly on the Census Night must participate in the national exercise.
Mr Carlos Ahenkorah MP for Tema West urged residents to bear with the Census officials as they go about their business and provide complete and accurate information.
He reiterated that the information provided to the Census official is strictly confidential; “it will be handled only by persons who have taken the “Oath of Secrecy†under the Statistical Service Act 2019 (Act 1003)â€.
Mr Ahenkorah appealed to political and religious leaders, the business community and private sector, as well as civil society and the media to support the Census process for a smooth enumeration.
Mr Yves Hanson-Nartey MP for Tema Central Constituency called on residents to consider the census night as preparation grounds for the main census event.
He urged all residents to participate in the census exercise irrespective of political affiliation and consider it as a national agenda.
Mr Ebenezer Cudjoe, the Tema Metropolitan Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), has recommended the demolition of unauthorized structures around the Tema Community Seven Post Office because of the risk they pose to life and property.
In a statement signed and copied to the Ghana News Agency at Tema, the Tema NADMO Regional Director stated that the structures were constructed indiscriminately, as a result, obstruct the free flow of water.
NADMO, therefore, urged the Tema city authorities to pull down the structures to avert a possible disaster in the future.
The NADMO statement explained that the Community Seven Post Office area was a flood-prone zone due to unauthorized structures blocking the free flow of rain water.
NADMO, therefore, called for urgent action to remove the structures before the start of the rainy season to avoid flooding.
Meanwhile, a Ghana Post Office Company Limited petition to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) copied to the GNA asked the Assembly to be swift with the demolition exercise to prevent the destruction of property.
The petition, which was signed by the Accra East Head of GPCL, Madam Georgina Donkor, said: “anytime the place floods, the office loses letters, parcels and other valuables and important documents for both the company and customers.â€
The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) in conjunction with the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) has intercepted 152 kilogrammes of cocaine at Tema in the Greater Accra Region.
A statement issued by NACOC said the cocaine was concealed in a shipment from Brazil.
The NACOC said a number of persons have been arrested and are assisting in investigations.
It said preliminary investigations have revealed the consignment was delivered to Tradepass Gh Limited.
The statement said that the consignment with bill of lading number MEDUST209567 was shipped from Brazil by Usina Santa Isabel S/A Fazenda Tres, a Brazilian company on behalf of Sucden Middle East, based in Dubai.
The shipment consists of 27,000 bags of Brazilian crystal white sugar, with a gross weight of 1,350mt.
NACOC said Global Cargo and Commodities Limited, Tema, was the consignee of the shipment.
The statement said the seizure was based on intelligence received that, a consignment of 50 containers of sugar destined for Ghana from Brazil is suspected to be narcotics.
It said that NACOC, BNI and NSCS mounted surveillance on the shipment until the narcotics substances were retrieved from the consignment on September 12, 2020.
After the interception, the statement said that the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) commenced physical search on the bags of sugar on September 10 and on September 12, eight bags of sugar were identified to contain the suspected narcotics.
The statement said the narcotics were tested and the result proved positive for cocaine.
Following that, NACOC took custody of the exhibits and subsequently forwarded same to the Ghana Standard Authority for analytical examination and report which also confirmed the substances to be cocaine.
A furnace explosion at the United Steel Company Limited on Monday, August 24 at the Freezone Enclave in Tema has injured nine persons and destroyed property belonging to MND Metals Company Limited.
The nine injured included; six Ghanaians and three Indians working in the company (United Steel Company); the impact also put workers in the neighboring company at risk.
Mr Mahmoud El Kurdi, Manager, MND Metals Company Limited, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview with the Company after the explosion.
He explained THAT one of the furnaces used by United Steel to melt scrap metals for its production exploded, at about 1810 hours and caused damage to the changing room of their workers among other property.
MND Metals Company Limited is situated just behind United Steel Company Limited.
The Manager said the fumes released from the explosion and that released daily from the company contained carbon, harmful to the health, adding that most of his workers were diagnosed of respiratory infections and some coughed blood.
He said the consistent pollution of the air by United Steel Company Limited had affected his business because most expatriates he brought to work for the company had left due to the unhealthy air quality.
Mr El Kurdi said he approached management of United Steel personally to resolve the inconvenience, but to no avail and he had also written several letters with videos on pen drives holding the evidence of the pollution to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ministry for Environment Science Technology and Innovation (MESTI).
He said about 200 workers in his company; 50 expatriates and 150 Ghanaians were being exposed daily to the poisonous gases and the company was investing a lot to see that the right thing was done.
“The situation is bad and this had been going on for so long; decline in business, losing staff and our health are all in danger,†he said.
He called on the government and stakeholders to ensure United Steel Company Limited followed laid down guidelines given by EPA to prevent all forms of air pollution in the Free Zone Area to avert future dangers.
Mr Adams Aikens, Foreman, MND Metals Company Limited, said they as workers had also reported the inconvenience to the Kpone Police Station and the Environmental Health Safety Office at Kpone.
He said a worker, George Amoah died out of the air pollution, two years ago adding that his doctor also advised him after a health checkup that his life was at stake due to the poor air quality caused by the pollution from United Steel Company Limited.
Daniel Adraku, 33, folk lift operator of MND Metals Company Limited, said the smoke clouded his vision during work and had to wait for over an hour to continue working which delayed his output.
“One of our guys called John Tetteh is suffering from Asthma as a result of the pollution,†he said.
Mrs Cynthia Asare Bediako, Chief Director of MESTI when contacted said the Ministry had little information about the incident and needed to conduct further investigations.
The Ghana News Agency was unable to gather information from United Steel Company Limited as those contacted were unwilling to volunteer information.
A 22-year-old electrician apprentice was electrocuted on a high tension pole in Sakumono, Tema West on Saturday.
The man was identified as Kofi Owusu by some onlookers who thronged the Chapel Square area in the sprawling community.
He wore a blue overall, with no hand gloves on and hanged on for over four hours with a few of his tools lying beneath the pole that bore his corpse.
The onlookers, mostly from Sakumono Village where the deceased lived with his family, wailed uncontrollably as they waited for the Police.
His body was later brought down with the help of police personnel and officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) after they cut power to the area.
Some residents who were spotted earlier said he had been invited to fix an electrical fault few hours after the rains subsided Saturday afternoon.
The body latched atop the electric pole with both hands firmly gripping the wires and head propped backwards.
It is however unclear he was a certified electrician and authorized by the ECG to climb such electrical poles.
Corroborating the incident, Chief Inspector Collins Antwi Kweku Amankwah, Station Officer, Sakumono Police Station, said the deceased was an electrician apprentice who inadvertently slipped whiles working on a faulty line and in the process held onto a live wire leading to his death.
The body of the deceased, he added, had been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue.
The Chief Executive Officer of Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), Mr Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, has disclosed that the assembly recorded 18 percent growth in revenue generation in the 2019 fiscal year.
This, according to him, was due to the deployment of robust revenue mobilization techniques.
Addressing the first ordinary meeting of the first session of the 8th assembly here yesterday, Mr Anang-La said the assembly raked in revenue of GH¢35,390,234.44 out of a budget of GH¢44,495,142.72.
He explained that money collected was made up of internally generated funds of GH¢23,292,321.49 and Government of Ghana grants and other transfers amounting to GH¢12,097,912.95.
Mr Anang-La said the assembly incurred an expenditure of GH¢35,703,387.62 on programmes and projects within the same period.
He said to boost revenue mobilization, the assembly would introduce mobile money payment system.
He warned against the erection of structures without permits and hinted that the assembly would take steps to rid the area of slums.
Mr Anang-La commended the metropolitan security committee for helping to reduce the crime rate in the area, and indicated that the security personnel would intensify patrols in communities and highways, to keep the metropolis safe.
On health, he said records from the Tema General Hospital showed that upper respiratory tract infection, acute ear infections, skin infections and gynecological conditions were among the top 10 outpatient department conditions.
“The Assembly and the Department of Health Services have instituted measures to reduce the impact of these diseases in 2020. These include reduction of maternal mortality through capacity building in managing pregnancy-induced hypertension, malaria and upper respiratory tract infection and equip five CHPS compounds with the needed logistics to provide healthcare at the community level,†Mr Anang-La said.
He said 80 per cent of refuse generated in the metropolis was evacuated to land fill sites.
Mr Anang-La said the assembly was implementing plans to register waste service providers, inspect selected premises, increase awareness on hygienic practices, scale up screening of food vendors and enforce sanitation by-laws.
He thanked individuals and organizations that supported the TMA Covid-19 Response Team to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Tema Metropolitan Officer of the Electoral Commission, Manase Ofosuhene Asante, outlined the programme for registration of voters in the Tema Metropolis from June 30, 2020 to August 6, 2020.
He said the programme to be executed in five phases would cover all the 268 polling stations in the Tema Metropolis.
Mr Asante urged all Ghanaians aged 18 and above and of sound mind to visit their respective polling stations and register.
He said a registration centre (District Registration Centre) would be set up at the district electoral office to cater for the needs of vulnerable people.
Mr Asante advised all visitors to polling registration centres to follow hygiene protocols being rolled out by the EC, to prevent COVID-19 infections.
Private basic schools in the Tema Metropolis in 2019 recorded better results in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) than their counterparts in public schools as 87 per cent of their 1,800 candidates passed.
Public schools in the Metropolis, on the other hand, recorded an unimpressive 56 per cent pass out of the 2,014 candidates they presented.
The Metropolis, according to statistics presented by Mr Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, at a General Assembly Meeting, revealed that the area achieved a total of 71 per cent in the 2019 BECE.
The data showed that 1,474 candidates made up of 726 boys and 748 girls from the private schools passed while a total of 1,011 candidates comprising of 453 boys and 558 girls from public basic schools passed.
Mr Anang-La said 55 per cent of boys in public schools passed the BECE whereas 45 per cent failed while 58 per cent of girls in public schools passed whereas 42 per cent also failed.
“This means that the 45% of boys and 42% of girls who failed their examination may not have the opportunity to benefit from the Free Senior High School Policy. We must do everything possible to make sure that this unacceptable result is not repeatedâ€.
He said, to improve the situation in subsequent exams, the TMA had instituted a number of mitigating strategies such as intensifying supervision teaching and learning process at the basic schools, provision of learning materials.
He also encouraged the participation of parents in school development programmes as well as the need for the prevention of pupils from unproductive activities such as the patronage of gaming centres.
Ten inmates in the Tema metropolis have tested positive for the Coronavirus disease [COVID-19].
Tema Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Edward Johnson Akrofi-Oyirifi, made the disclosure on the sidelines of a disinfection and fumigation exercise which took place in the regional command on Thursday, May 21, 2020.
According to him, of the ten COVID-19 inmates, nine were from Ashaiman cells while one was recorded in a cell in Kpone.
However, he said none of the police personnel in Tema has tested positive for the disease so far.
“Thankfully, all the other inmates who were in the cells with these COVID-19 inmates have tested negative, and have thus been transported to the Ankaful Prisons,†the Regional Commander said.
DCOP Akrofi-Oyirifi further indicated that, to ensure the safety of these COVID-19 inmates, his outfit has moved motions at the courts for them to be isolated and treated.
On social and physical distancing in the cells, he stated that the inmates were more protected in the cells.
This, he said, was because by confining them in the cells they were not exposed to the rest of the population.
“So I think that even they being in the cells was better for them because, then they are isolated and quarantined from the rest of the Ghanaian population,†he opined.
The Tema Regional Police Commander used the opportunity to praise his officers who were deployed during the partial lockdown.
“Our personnel in the deployment during the partial lockdown were always brave to educate people who were commuting to Tema and its environs. And, I must say that they were professional in dealing with the lockdown directives,†he gladly expressed.
In this regard, DCOP Akrofi-Oyirifi gave an assurance that his officers remained resolute in the fight against the global pandemic.
The Regional Security Council was collaborating with the metropolitan assemblies to enforce the “No Face Mask, No Entry†directive in Tema to ensure that the virus is contained, he said.
“We also have officers who regularly patrol the region to make sure that residents, factories, pharmacy shops among others were strictly adhering to the COVID-19 preventive protocols,†he added.
According to him, the exercise, which is a collaboration between the Ghana Police Service and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, will cover four divisions and fourteen districts in the Tema enclave.
He said it will include the disinfection of police stations, cells, offices, and barracks under the above jurisdictions.
“They have started with the regional headquarters and from here they will be moving to the various divisions,†he noted.
Zoomlion Regional Manager, Tema, Seth Appiah, explained that the exercise was a collaboration between his outfit and the Ghana Police Service.
According to him, the Tema police have been very cooperative in the discharge of their work.
For the disinfection and fumigation of Tema police facilities, he discloses that they have deployed twenty workers for the exercise
Former Ashanti Regional Deputy Minister under the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joseph Yamin has underscored the need for the current administration to recognise the significant role former President John Dramani Mahama played in the construction of the Tema motorway interchange.
To him, the former President should have been specially invited for the commissioning of the project.
Mr. Yamin said the NPP does not recognise the need to appreciate the efforts of the former administration.
He referenced how the late President Atta Mills invited former President Kufour to the commissioning of the N1 Highway because he [Kufour] started the project.
“Sincerely, if the NPP wants to be sincere, they have to invite former President Mahama to the ceremony and appreciate him for his performance. But I am not sure the NPP would be sincere to do that,†he added.
The newly constructed Tema Motorway Interchange was opened to traffic on Saturday, May 16, 2020
The five new interchanges were built on the Accra-Tema motorway as part of the expansion works on the stretch.
The motorway was closed to traffic for construction works to be carried on the three-tier Tema Motorway Roundabout Interchange.
The project had a June 6, 2020 deadline but it has been completed before the scheduled date.
The Interchange is a $57 million project financed under a grant from the Japanese government through its agency, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Head of the Disease Surveillance Department at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Franklin Asiedu- Bekoe says the Tema Fish Processing Company can open for operations after the first test of 624 workers came out negative.
This follows the closure of the company after 533 out of 1,300 workers of the well-known company tested positive for Covid-19.
President Akufo-Addo who gave details during a national address said, all the 533 people were affected by one person.
Speaking at a weekly press brief held at the Information Ministry, Dr Franklin Asiedu- Bekoe said GHS has put in place protocols for the workers so work can resume.
“We went to look at the gaps that exist in such a facility. The first thing we noticed was that the employees were more than the space.
“The other thing was that social distancing was also being disregarded, then they had an issue with their canteen.
“The dinning table has about 6 people sitting close to each other and also there is a bus that drives them around and social distancing was not being practice on it. They also had a log in system that uses finger print. Those are all factors that can spread the virus.
“So going further, the spread has to be prevented and for the 695 possible cases the result that has come is that 624 are negative and only 7 are positive.
“Currently handwashing facilities have been placed at each department. There are also floor managers to show people where to stand. Also all staff are to wear face masks and hand sanitisers have been placed at all vantage points now.
Ghana has recorded 5,918 confirmed cases of the virus with 31 deaths. While Greater Accra has the highest record of 4,422 cases, the Ashanti region is next with 881 cases.
Some residents of Tema have bared their teeth at the Ghana Water Company Limited for making their taps run dry for four days.
The Tema metropolis and its environs from Wednesday had interruptions in their water supply as the GWCL embarked on an unannounced emergency maintenance work schedule.
The residents speaking to the Ghana News Agency, said the water shortage made it difficult for them to fully comply with the COVID-19 protocols, especially the handwashing under running water.
They explained that due to the unavailability of water, some residents were resorting to collecting water from any available source for domestic use, a situation which could lead to spread of communicable diseases.
According to them, they had exhausted the little water stored before the unannounced interruptions in water supply, indicating that they were now resorting to only the use of hand sanitizers which does not give full protection like hand washing.
Mr Shadrach Tetteh, a resident of Tema Community Four, told the GNA that he did not have water to even bathe before going to work adding that if the taps were not opened by the close of day, it meant he would not be able to do proper bathing when he returned home, fearing that he could be exposing his family to any bacteria and possibly COVID-19 virus he might have had contact with.
Mr Tetteh said “how do they expect us to practice the hand washing when they have closed the taps for the past four days without making provision for water tankers to provide water to us since they did not give us advance notice to enable us store enough waterâ€.
He added that the water shortage was so bad that he saw some residents of Tema Community One, drawing water from drains.
Mr Lawer Turson Coffie, a septuagenarian resident of Tema Community Eight, told the Ghana News Agency that he did not have water at home, describing the situation as “frustrating” as he had to beg for water from neighbours.
Mr Coffie appealed to the GWCL to urgently restore the flow of water or send tankers around as they embark on the maintenance works.
Ms Rebeca Afari, a hairdresser and resident of Community One, Site One, said she could not fill her veronica bucket for hand washing, revealing that she had to buy three bags of water sachets daily for the family to bathe and cook with.
Ms Afari said it was inappropriate for GWCL to embark on such an exercise without notice or provision of water for residents.
Mr Sampson Ampah, Tema Regional Communication Manager of GWCL, apologized to residents for not giving them ample notice before the shutdown, explaining that it was due to the emergency nature of the works.
Mr Ampah however indicated that the maintenance work had been completed but engineers of the company were undertaking an integrity test after which water supply would be fully restored.
Seven persons have been arrested by the police in Tema for allegedly taking part in the stealing of 120,845 cedis robbed from a Lebanese businessman last Thursday.
According to the police, the seven suspects were part of eyewitnesses who scrambled for the cash thrown onto the street by the armed robbers as they were pursued by the police.
Three of them, Richard Attoh alias Amartey, 30; Qaadir Bancey, 31; and Awudu Mohammed alias Vuga, 36, have admitted to having taken part in the scrambling and pocketing a total of 2,500 cedis from the crime scene.
They have been charged with stealing, the police said in a statement.
The other four suspects are Sulemana Bancey, 62; Kwesi Hanson Smith, 66; Kabul Akuaku, 53 and David Nartey Daniels, 30.
According to the police, intelligence gathering led to the arrest of the seven suspects.
“Police is therefore urging members of the public who witnessed the incident to provide information leading to the arrest and retrieval of all the money robbed from the victim,†the police appealed.
How the incident happened
Two robbers on Thursday April 23 trailed the Lebanese, Mashood Hamid, from the Tema Community 1 branch of Zenith Bank where he had gone to withdraw 123, 345 cedis at about 12:30 p.m.
At the TDC traffic light, they two robbers who rode on a motorbike ambushed him when the light turned red.
They shot at the tyres of the vehicle to immobilize him before snatching the money, the police said.
An alarmed was raised and a police patrol team within the area pursued them. The robbers were said to have engaged the police in a shootout which resulted killing the two robbers.
One died on the spot and the other later at the Police headquarters.
“The money scattered on the streets,†the Tema police said, noting people around then scrambled for the banknotes “leaving only 2,500.00 Ghana cedis salvaged by the complainantâ€.
Police have described the gun used by the robbers as “powerfulâ€.
Residents of Tema have expressed concern about congestion and the lack of social distancing among traders located between the Tema Port Clinic and the Oninku Primary School in Tema Community 1.
The foodstuff sellers are part of the sprawling market on the Oninku Junior High School Park.
The new market is one of three open markets created by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly as part of measures to decongest the Community 1 market (quarters) and to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
However, the other two at Twedaase Junior High School park and Chemu Senior High School park have observed good social distancing measures.
During a visit yesterday to the Oninku JHS market the Ghanaian Times observed that traders at the Oninku JHS side were observing good social distancing but the same could not be said of those located close to the Port Clinic.
A housewife, Mrs Leticia Abbey, after waving through the crowd to buy some foodstuffs said she felt very uncomfortable.
She called on the TMA to decongest that portion of the market by sending some of the traders to outlying areas of the park.
Public Relations Officer of the Tema Central Market, Kwabena Andoh, said he went round with officials of TMA on four occasions to encourage the traders to space out their wares but their advice fell on deaf ears because most of the traders chose to settle close to the lanes to attract patronage.
He said the issue was discussed at a meeting on Monday between the TMA and leadership of the market and a Task Force was asked to intervene.
A good number of the traders said they were aware of the outbreak of the virus but did not see how they could contract it by getting close to each other. Some of them requested for more Veronica buckets, soap and water to wash their hands as what they had received from the City Authority was not adequate.
When contacted the Public Relations Officer of TMA, Frank Asante, said TMA planned to install poly tanks to serve free potable water to all the open markets so that the traders could wash their hands often as directed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He added that the Assembly had ordered a large quantity of locally made face masks to be distributed to the traders to reduce the spread of the virus.
The Tema Metropolis has confirmed two new COVID-19 cases bringing to four the total number of cases seen in the harbour cum industrial city.
The Metropolis initially confirmed two cases out of which one had fully recovered leaving one active case with 43 out of 46 contacts traced and tested negative.
Dr. Sally Quartey, Tema Metropolitan Director of Health Services, disclosing this to the Ghana News Agency said, the two new cases were males who visited the hospital sick with symptoms of COVID-19.
Dr. Quartey added that their samples were collected and subsequently tested at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
She added that the two were receiving treatment under quarantine while contact tracing was ongoing.
She pleaded with residents to strictly obey the laid down preventive measures especially staying at home to prevent spreading the disease in the Metropolis.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has identified, Accra and Tema in the Greater Accra Region and Kumasi in the Ashanti Region as the epicentres of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Ghana.
At a press briefing in Accra Tuesday, the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu said: “What we have identified so far in Ghana now, we may have, we can describe two areas in Ghana now as our own epicentres, Accra and Tema together and Kumasi.”
“We are doing what we describe as contact tracing, in Accra we have deployed 98 field officers …that have been trained doing the tracing and we are getting to people.”
The Minister said in Kumasi for instance, about 50 trained people have been employed who are still doing contact tracing.
He, therefore, advised that based on the evidence, “wherever we are, all those our brothers and sisters who have come in, we should advise them to put themselves in self-quarantine if we haven’t tracked them yet.
“And they should also talk to health authorities in the area where they live, to send teams to serve them, they can be calling on telephone describing their conditions to health officers they get in touch with such that, we can protect the rest of the population against community spread, the horizontal spread we are seeing in our country at the moment,” the Minister said.
New cases
As of Monday night [March 23, 2020], a total of 27 positive cases had been recorded in Ghana with two deaths. There were only 25 existing cases.
But at the press briefing Tuesday morning [March 24, 2020], the Minister of Health explained that an additional 25 cases from those who arrived in Ghana in the last few days and were in mandatory quarantine have tested positive to bring the total positive cases in Ghana to 52, with two deaths.
There are 50 existing cases which are being managed in isolation.
In all, a total of 1030 travellers who arrived in Ghana after air, land and sea borders were closed are currently on mandatory quarantine for 14 days.
Out of the 1030 number, 611 samples have been taken and 185 has been processed and 25 tested positive
The rest is yet to be tested.
The Minister of Health said those on quarantine, psychologists have been deployed to have charts with them.
He said the Ministry was also in the process of handing them over to the case management team in isolated areas for treatment.
“Definitely, not all of them will be critically ill and they are not, some might not be ill at all, but decisions on them will depend on individual case management issue. If you are not even ill, you still have to be quarantined for the mandatory 14 days.”
He said early on, there were indications that if a person tested negative, “we release you after four days but, [based on] technical advice, and we have met all the doctors and we cannot [continue] do that and we have to keep you for the entire two weeks, which is the 14 days.”
He said: “We have adequate rooms in Accra… to actually take care of all those who have tested positive at the moment. But going forward, a team is going round identifying places that we can use for isolation for case management, not only in Accra.”
All high-risk ships that take berth at the Tema and Takoradi ports have been blocked from coming to Ghana by the Ghana Port and Harbours Authority (GPHA).
This forms part of measures to forestall the spread of the coronavirus infection in Ghana after the country recorded seven cases.
The General Manager in charge of Marketing and Corporate Affairs of the Authority, Esther Gyebi-Donkor, said: “The Port Authority is liaising with shipping agents to identify all high-risk vessels that may be coming into the country for the necessary precautionary action to be taken.
“Already, the Authority, in consultation with agents of cruise vessels has advised the postponement of all cruise ships scheduled to take berth at the Ports of Tema and Takoradi respectively and assures the general public that all other high-risk vessels will be treated with the same urgencyâ€.
It added: “Among other things, the Authority is calling on all prospective students who wish to undertake their internship with the Port Authority to avoid coming to the offices seeking such opportunities for health and safety reasons as the window is suspended until further notice.â€
“Again, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to patients admitted to our Health facilities in Tema and Takoradi will be strictly regulated and urge family members and loved ones to bear with the medical teams while they do their utmost best to care diligently for the patients under their care,†the statement added.
At least six people are feared dead in a road crash involving a sprinter bus and a saloon car on the Accra-Tema motorway on Sunday morning.
Eyewitnesses say both vehicles were heading towards Tema when the accident occurred.
According to them, one of the tyres of the sprinter bus burst and the driver lost control of the steering wheel hitting the saloon car in the process.
The only person onboard the saloon car is said to have escaped unhurt.
The victims of the accident were said to have been rushed to the Tema General hospital by the police patrol team in KIA trucks as no ambulances were available, eyewitnesses said.
“The red car was in front of the trotro. The trotro burst one of its tyres and was trying to control the car but a few moments later the driver lost total control of the car and hit the red car that was beside it. The red car went into the gully between the two motorways. The trotro, on the other hand, somersaulted about three or four times before landing inside the bush on the side of the road. So, I got down and checked on the guy in the red car and realized he had survived so we asked him to go to the hospital. Some onlookers came and tried to pull people out of the trotro which was in the bush. We realized that about six people had died but I cannot give a proper account of the number of those that got injured, but it was very serious,†an eyewitness said.
Another eyewitness said “I presume the driver of the sprinter bus panicked a bit when he burst one of his tyres which led to him crashing into the saloon car in front of him. Some officials of the police MTTD showed about 10 minutes after I got to the scene and they carried the injured and those who were feared dead unto a KIA truck. A lady who was on board another bus identified one of the victims as her sister so she was asked to pack the belongings of the victim and have them taken to the hospital.â€
Five dead, many injured in crash on Accra-Takoradi road
A similar accident occurred at Gomoa Antseadze, in the Central Region on Saturday [February 1, 2019] in which five persons lost their lives with about 15 others in critical condition after an articulated truck, with registration number AS 8726-10, collided with a Toyota minibus with registration number GX 3045-18.
The minibus was on its way to Accra from Takoradi, while the truck was heading in the opposite direction towards Takoradi.
Some eyewitnesses who spoke to Citi News said the truck wrongly overtook a vehicle ahead of it and veered into the path of the oncoming minibus, resulting in a head-on collision.
Five dead, many injured in crash on Accra-Takoradi road