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Tag: togo

  • Togo tops African countries streaming my songs – Celestine Donkor

    Togo tops African countries streaming my songs – Celestine Donkor

    Ghanaian gospel musician Celestine Donkor has revealed that Togo leads the list of African countries streaming her music the most.

    Speaking on Hitz FM, she said, “Yes, Ghana is number three. Togo followed by Benin, then Ghana, and this happens with most of my songs.”

    Celestine further clarified that the trend shifts whenever she releases songs entirely in Twi.

    “I’ve noticed that when I do completely Twi songs, Ghana tops. But the moment you introduce some Ewe, then the conversation changes,” she explained.

    In 2023, young Ghanaian drill musician, Mohammed Ismail Sherif, also known as Black Sherif chalked another success with his latest song ‘Soja’ on the digital streaming platform, Audiomack.

    As you may remember, Black Sherif just released “Soja,” another banger on September 22, 2022, and the single has already made great waves across the country.

    The song’s release date was confirmed by Black Sherif, who was just nominated for a BET Award in the Best International Flow category.

    Since the release of the single, it has recorded a series of achievements and frankly we are not surprised.

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    A post shared by Audiomack Africa (@audiomackafrica)

    The song recently peaked at number one on Ghana’s Apple music defeating Asake’s ‘Terminator’ after leading the charts for a couple of weeks.

    Black Sherif also celebrated after his ‘Soja’ surpassed 1 million views in 3 days on YouTube.

    Well, Blacko has reached another milestone with the song as it becomes the most streamed song on Audiomack this week.

    The list was posted on the digital streaming platform, Audiomack’s social media pages on September 27, 2022.

    The award-winning singer, who has dominated the field in his brief time in the music business, earlier revealed his upcoming album ‘THE VILLAIN I NEVER WAS’ will be available for purchase and streaming on all digital music platforms on Thursday, October 6, 2022, according to the details he shared via his official Apple Music account.

    The album, ‘The Villain I Never Was’, contains 14 tracks which include the ‘Second Sermon’ remix featuring Burna boy, ‘Kweku The Traveller’, and ‘Soja’.

    Black Sherif, has been on fire with his unmatched talent since breaking into the Ghana music industry in 2021 and is arguably the hottest artist in Ghana right now.

    The Empire Records signee has solidified his name by dropping some bangers that are leaving rent-free in our heads, with the likes of First Sermon, Second Sermon, Second Sermon remix, and Kwaku The Traveller, among others.

    The Barbie film has achieved remarkable success, emerging as the biggest film of the year so far in the US and Canada, according to distributor Warner Bros.

    It raked in an estimated $155 million (£120 million) during its opening weekend.

    In the same weekend, another new release, “Oppenheimer,” distributed by Universal Pictures, made $93.7 million (£72 million) in the US.

    These film successes are particularly noteworthy as cinemas have been facing challenges due to competition from streaming platforms.

    However, in the UK, both films created a surge in cinema attendance, with Vue reporting its busiest weekend in four years.

    The cinema chain, which operates in the UK and Ireland, saw a record number of admissions, with around half a million people flocking to Vue screens to catch the movies. “Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig, seems to be on track to become the biggest film of 2023 in the region, surpassing “Super Mario Bros.”

    Vue experienced 4,000 sold-out viewings for “Barbie” across the UK and Ireland, further highlighting the film’s popularity and success.

    On Twitter, one user said that it had been years since she had felt like going to the theatres to re-watch a movie, but Barbie had achieved that for her. She said it would “remain a timeless masterpiece over the years – ideas really are forever”.

    Before the films’ release, Odeon in the UK said more than 200,000 advance tickets had been bought and some 10,000 filmgoers were expected to see both the Barbie and Oppenheimer films during the opening weekend.

    Meanwhile, Vue cinema in the UK reported on Friday that Barbie’s pre-sale purchases were “higher than any other blockbuster released this year”. Admissions on Friday were the highest for any Friday since the pandemic – and the chain’s third biggest Friday ever.

    Oppenheimer, distributed by Universal Pictures, has performed exceptionally well in the UK and Ireland, grossing £8.05 million since its release on Friday.

    The film is expected to surpass the opening three-day earnings of Christopher Nolan’s other blockbuster films, including Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Inception.

    However, the premiere of Oppenheimer faced some challenges in July when strike action led stars to leave early due to grievances, including concerns about the increasing influence of artificial intelligence in the filmmaking and writing process in Hollywood.

    Internationally, Oppenheimer also achieved success, making $93.7 million (£75 million) in other markets, contributing to a global total of $174.2 million (£135 million), according to Universal Pictures’ reports.

  • 2025 AFCONQ: Niger cancels plan to host Sudan in Morocco; match to be relocated to Togo

    2025 AFCONQ: Niger cancels plan to host Sudan in Morocco; match to be relocated to Togo

    Niger has reversed its decision to host their round-five match against Sudan in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in Morocco.

    Initially, Niger, lacking a CAF-approved stadium, had selected the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat as their venue. However, the Nigerien Football Federation has now opted to move the game to the Stade de Kegue.

    Although Niger had already set up camp in Morocco, they have since relocated to Lome, where they will continue their preparations for the match, scheduled for Thursday, November 14, 2024.

    The first-round encounter between the two teams, held at Juba Stadium in September 2024, saw Sudan edge Niger 1-0 thanks to a goal from Eisa Abobaker.

    Sudan’s head coach, Kwasi Appiah, only requires a draw to secure his team’s qualification for AFCON in Morocco and will rely on his players to achieve a positive result in this crucial fixture.

    For Niger, the match represents a battle for pride. Despite winning their remaining matches, they are already out of contention for a spot in Morocco, having accumulated just one point from their four previous matches.

  • Ghanaians in Togo cannot be barred from voting – Asiedu Nketia warns

    Ghanaians in Togo cannot be barred from voting – Asiedu Nketia warns

    The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has cautioned that any attempts to disenfranchise Ghanaians living in Togo in the upcoming general elections will not be tolerated.

    He emphasized that the opposition party would strongly oppose any form of discrimination against individuals crossing into Ghana by land to vote.

    Speaking at a rally in Ziope, located in the Agotime Ziope Constituency along the Ghana-Togo border, Asiedu Nketia questioned the rationale behind the ROPAL Law, which was passed by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). He criticized what he perceived as a double standard in the voting process for Ghanaians living abroad.

    “So, the logic they want us to understand is that if you are a Ghanaian living in America and you fly to Kotoka International Airport, they will allow you to go and vote, but if you are a Ghanaian living in Togo and you want to come and vote in your hometown, that one you are a Togolese, you are a stranger, so we must not allow you to vote. We shall not accept that discrimination,” he asserted.

    He urged the electorate in the NDC-stronghold constituency to remain resolute, warning that the NPP might attempt to suppress their votes by blocking their relatives from crossing the border to vote.

    “They [NPP] will find every reason to prevent you from voting and to prevent those who live in Togo from coming to their own country to vote,” he stressed.

    Asiedu Nketia further appealed to the constituents to vote for the NDC in the upcoming elections to free themselves from the hardships they are currently experiencing under the NPP government.

    “Our compatriots in Agotime Ziope, we don’t need to convince you to vote for NDC because you suffer most when NPP is in power, and if you want to continue living under that suffering, it is up to you,” he added.

    The NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Agotime Ziope, Charles Agbeve, also called on the electorate to come out in large numbers and vote on December 7th, 2024, aiming to meet the constituency’s target of 25,000 votes for the NDC.

  • Togo rejects Ghana’s proposal to use Kégué Stadium for Sudan match

    Togo rejects Ghana’s proposal to use Kégué Stadium for Sudan match

    Togo has allegedly declined Ghana’s request to use the Kégué Stadium for their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan.

    As reported by PURE TV, Togo stated that they need the stadium in optimal condition for their own upcoming qualifier against Algeria.

    The Ghana Football Association (GFA) had been considering relocating Ghana’s home match to Togo, with Ghanasoccernet revealing that both Togo and Ivory Coast were options, with Togo initially being the preferred choice.

    However, following Togo’s refusal, Ivory Coast is now Ghana’s only alternative to host Sudan.

    The GFA is searching for a new venue after CAF revoked the Baba Yara Sports Stadium’s approval for Ghana’s remaining home fixtures.

    Ghana currently lacks an international-standard stadium, as all its national venues have been shut down for renovations.

    The National Sports Authority (NSA), responsible for managing the country’s stadiums, closed Baba Yara Sports Stadium after criticism of its poor pitch condition following the Black Stars’ loss to Angola.

    In addition, the NSA also closed the Accra Sports Stadium and Cape Coast Sports Stadium, both of which were also found unsuitable for hosting matches.

    Should these venues remain unavailable, Ghana will be forced to play its upcoming matches at a neutral location, as none of the three national stadiums meet CAF’s category 3 requirements.

    The first-leg match between Ghana and Sudan is scheduled for October 7, 2024.

  • GIS foils smuggling of fuel from Ghana to Togo

    GIS foils smuggling of fuel from Ghana to Togo

    The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has intercepted 45 jerrycans of petrol being smuggled into Togo.

    The operation was carried out by officers from the Aflao Sector Command, led by Assistant Superintendent of Immigration (ASI) Richmond Wuntah Awuni, acting on intelligence during routine patrols at Pillar 12, an unauthorized route. No arrests were made.

    Assistant Commissioner of Immigration, Michael Amoako-Atta, Head of Public Affairs at GIS, stated that the interception follows a recent directive from the Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI), Kwame Asuah Takyi, instructing border commanders to intensify patrols amid concerns about terrorism and cross-border crimes.

    He explained that the patrol team discovered the unattended jerrycans hidden in an uncompleted building, likely prepared for night transport.

    Mr Amoako-Atta commended the team’s diligence and confirmed that the seized fuel has been handed over to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

    He added that surveillance in the area would continue to apprehend those responsible for the smuggling attempt.

    He also urged border residents not to allow their facilities to be used for illegal activities that could compromise national security.

    Fuel smuggling remains a significant challenge in Ghana’s petroleum supply chain, affecting both bulk distribution companies and consumers.

    To combat this, the NPA, in collaboration with state security agencies, has intensified efforts to crack down on fuel smuggling, particularly in the Upper East and Volta regions, through periodic operations in smuggling hotspots.

  • A £3k shoes, G-Wagon, Rolls Royce : A look at Adebayor’s luxury

    A £3k shoes, G-Wagon, Rolls Royce : A look at Adebayor’s luxury

    Togolese footballer Emmanuel Adebayor recently displayed his luxurious possessions during an interview with Ghanaian media personality Bola Ray.

    Adebayor gave a tour of his home in Togo, showcasing his opulent belongings. Among the highlights were his collection of vehicles, featuring a G-Wagon and a Rolls Royce worth $295,000.

    He also showed off several pairs of expensive shoes, with one pair priced at £3,000. Adebayor expressed that owning such extravagant items is a pleasure he indulges in following his successful football career.

    “These possessions remind me of my achievements. This shoe cost me £3,000. I also own a Rolls Royce Phantom, which cost $295,000, along with everything else I have purchased, and I am enjoying it.

    “As a successful man and youth in today’s world, it’s important to have a G-Wagon, so I have one. This is my living room, where I spend most of my time, including sleeping and other activities.

    It features a sofa chair, television, and other amenities,” he stated in a video shared by Bola Ray on X.

    It is important to highlight that Adebayor is also dedicated to philanthropic efforts, aiming to support vulnerable individuals and improve their quality of life.

    Adebayor has earned a reputation as one of Africa’s top footballers, with a career that includes playing for prestigious European clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid.

    Although he is Togolese, the footballer also maintains a residence in Ghana.

  • Rainstorm from Togo to impact northern, transition sectors of Ghana

    Rainstorm from Togo to impact northern, transition sectors of Ghana

    The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has issued a weather alert, forecasting a rainstorm currently observed over the northwestern borders of Togo.

    This storm is anticipated to move westwards, bringing rain of varying intensities to parts of northern and transitional sectors of Ghana from this morning into the afternoon.

    According to GMet, the impending rainstorm will be accompanied by gusty winds, which may affect several areas, including Bawku, Zebilla, Bolgatanga, Pwalugu, and Paga.

    Residents in these regions are advised to take precautionary measures to mitigate any potential impact.

    https://twitter.com/GhanaMet/status/1804096504459665449/photo/1
  • Bawumia vows to adjust Ghana’s import levies to align with Togo’s

    Bawumia vows to adjust Ghana’s import levies to align with Togo’s

    The Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has vowed to align Ghana’s import duties with those of Togo once he takes office.

    He mentioned that the Lome port presents a major issue for Ghana due to its lower tariffs, causing importers to redirect their traffic.

    This plan aims to reduce the ongoing smuggling and redirection of imported goods to neighboring ports, which has been depriving the country of millions of cedis needed for swift development.

    During his interaction with religious leaders at the start of his two-day tour of the Central Region, Dr. Bawumia stated, “The Tema port will undergo full automation.”

    “We are introducing a new import duty policy that will align with the duties at the Tema port with those at the Lomé Port. This policy will benefit our business community by eliminating the need for smuggling.”

    He added, “Ghanaian ports will not impose higher duties than those at the Lomé port. This is our stance; we will maintain equal duties as they are our competitors.”

    Dr. Bawumia highlighted a significant advancement in Ghana’s history, where consumers can now easily buy electricity units from their homes or anywhere without needing to queue at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) offices.

    He stressed the government’s introduction of transformative policies, including the issuance of digital national ID cards and the pioneering Mobile Money interoperability between telecommunications companies and banks in Ghana.

    These measures have made Ghana the fastest-growing mobile money market in Africa.

    Dr. Bawumia also detailed his plan to stabilize the local currency and ensure exchange rate stability through the Bank of Ghana’s gold-purchasing policy, emphasizing the importance of price predictability for businesses.

    He affirmed, “My government will adopt a business-centric approach to enhance Ghana’s standing as one of the most business-friendly economies globally.”

    The NPP flagbearer also revealed the government’s plan to launch a Credit-Scoring System for entrepreneurs and individuals by June this year. This system aims to reduce interest rates on loans, especially for borrowers with a strong repayment history.

    He encouraged the religious leaders to support and vote for him to guide the nation towards progress.

  • Rainstorm from Southern Togo drifts to Southern Ghana

    Rainstorm from Southern Togo drifts to Southern Ghana

    The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has issued a weather advisory indicating that a rainstorm observed over southern Togo is expected to drift westward and affect areas in southern Ghana.

    The storm, which is currently moderate to heavy, is forecasted to impact the southeast of Ghana in the morning and move towards the southwest later in the day.

    Additionally, another rainstorm over Burkina Faso is expected to bring cloudiness over parts of the upper west region of Ghana, with varying intensities of rain.

    Areas likely to be affected by these weather conditions include Aflao, Keta, Anloga, Ho, Akatsi, Somanya, Tema, Accra, Koforidua, and Begoro.

    The GMet advises residents in these areas to take precautionary measures to ensure their safety during the expected rainstorms.

  • Togo’s president signs new constitution eliminating presidential elections

    Togo’s president signs new constitution eliminating presidential elections

    Late on Monday, Togo’s president signed into effect a new constitution, abolishing presidential elections in a move that critics argue will prolong his family’s decades-long rule. The decision has prompted civil society groups in the West African nation to call for demonstrations.

    Under the new constitution, the president will be chosen by Parliament. This development follows closely on the heels of the announcement by the election commission on Saturday, declaring President Faure Gnassingbe’s ruling party as the winner of a majority of parliamentary seats.

    Ahead of the vote, there was a notable crackdown on civic and media freedoms. The government enforced a ban on protests opposing the proposed constitution and detained opposition members.

    Additionally, the electoral commission restricted the Catholic Church from deploying election monitors, while Togo’s media regulatory body halted the accreditation process for foreign journalists.

    The revised constitution also extends presidential terms from five to six years and introduces a single-term limit. However, it exempts Gnassingbe’s nearly two decades in office, leading political opposition, religious leaders, and civil society to express concerns about Gnassingbe potentially retaining power beyond his current mandate, which ends in 2025.

    Togo has been under the rule of the same family for 57 years, initially led by Eyadema Gnassingbe and later succeeded by his son, Faure Gnassingbe. Faure Gnassingbe assumed office following elections that were heavily criticized by the opposition.

    Moreover, the new constitution introduces a role akin to that of a prime minister, to be appointed by the ruling party. Critics fear this could further entrench Gnassingbe’s control over the government.

    In response to these developments, a coalition of approximately 20 civil society organizations in Togo has urged protests to demand a reinstatement of the previous constitution.

    “We will never accept this new constitution, even after its promulgation,” David Dosseh, a spokesperson for the civil society groups, told The Associated Press, calling the 2025 election “absolutely necessary for the people to choose a new president and finally achieve a democratic transition in Togo.”

  • We are not losing transit trade to Togo and Ivory Coast – Customs division of GRA clarifies

    We are not losing transit trade to Togo and Ivory Coast – Customs division of GRA clarifies

    The Ghana Revenue Authority’s Customs division has refuted rumors alleging that Ghana is losing transit cargos to neighboring countries like Togo and Ivory Coast.

    During an episode of the “Eye on Port” show on Metropolitan Television in Accra, Gerald Agbettor, Chief Revenue Officer and Officer in Charge of Transit at the Customs division of GRA, affirmed that Ghana is not experiencing losses in transit cargoes. He emphasized that customs declaration data indicates growth in the volume of transit trade in the country.

    Agbettor reported that the transit trade volume for January to March 2024 increased by 136,000 metric tons compared to the same period in 2023, rising from 308,000,000 metric tons to 444,000,000 metric tons in 2024.

    “Some time ago, I joined the chorus, especially transit business from the ports to the hinterlands, they say that Ghana is losing the transit trade to other places. By my background, I was able to have access to the data manifest and when I went through it, I saw transhipment to Benin, transhipment to Togo, and it became alarming. But the fact that it is transhipment on the manifest to Togo and Benin does not mean we are losing transit trade to them,” he explained.

    The Officer in charge of Transit also disclosed that the rate of diversion in Ghana is low. However, he urged that security be tightened at the various ports and transit terminals in order to facilitate fair trade.

    Additionally, the Chief Revenue Officer praised the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority for saving the Customs division of GRA GH¢90 million in their efforts to reduce diversion rates at the port.

    He further acknowledged Ghana Link’s significant contribution, as they provided dedicated monitoring devices for house-to-house containers moving from transit terminals to transit parks.

    “It is not really rampant, but it does not mean security should be relaxed, it should rather be tightened. A meeting was recently held with stakeholders to gather data from them so it can be used to best serve customers,” he said.

    Eric Adiamah, a Council member of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders and a panelist on the show, concurred with the Chief Revenue Officer that transit operations in Ghana were flourishing. He asserted that the Port of Tema is the top choice among landlocked countries along the West African coast.

    However, he disclosed that Ghana was experiencing some loss of transit volume to neighboring countries due to regulations and the high cost associated with transit operations, despite the Port of Tema offering quality services in terms of safety and security.

    “Transit business is thriving well. Only problem we see as operators of transit business is the cost of doing the business. The volumes as my brother has said are from data I have no access to, but on the ground what we know is that we are losing some volumes to neighbouring countries like Lomé. Meanwhile, between Togo port and Tema Port, when it comes to security and quality of service, the Port of Tema is way ahead, he said.

    Mr. Adiamah expressed that the regulations overseeing transit trade are adequate to manage the diversion of transit cargo at the ports.

    He encouraged the GRA Customs division to strengthen its operational partnerships with freight forwarders to dissuade them from engaging in transit diversion.

    To deter others, he recommended that individuals caught for transit diversion offenses should face the full consequences of the law.

    “If the rules provided by the books are followed to the latter, monitored by customs and all the authorities, the rules as they stand now are enough to do the business. The new things they are bringing up, will not improve anything, they will not stop diversion, it will only worry people who do legitimate business,” he averred.

    The Officer in charge of transit explained that section 95, ACT 891, 2015, (6) of the Customs Act allowed for escorts for high risked goods under transit when the Commissioner deems it so.

    “There were suspicions that some high risk goods were likely to be diverted and because of that, we have to place escorts on them. So, it is not the entirety of the whole transit trade. High risk goods like rice, tomato paste, cooking oil, vegetable oil, ethanol, alcohol, diapers are being brought in more, hence, the directives from the Commissioner and Commissioner General that we should ensure that we put escort on them,” he explained.

  • Akufo-Addo’s directive to stop exportation of electricity to Togo and Burkina Faso commendable – IPGG

    Akufo-Addo’s directive to stop exportation of electricity to Togo and Burkina Faso commendable – IPGG

    The Independent Power Generators Ghana (IPGG) has praised President Akufo-Addo for his directive to the Volta River Authority to cease the exportation of electricity to neighboring nations such as Togo and Burkina Faso.

    While acknowledging that this suspension may not entirely resolve the current energy crisis, the group emphasized that it will certainly offer some relief and stability within the domestic market.

    Samuel Atta Akyea, Chairman of the Energy Committee of Parliament, disclosed on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, that President Akufo-Addo has instructed the Volta River Authority (VRA) to reduce electricity exports to neighboring countries due to the ongoing intermittent power outages, commonly known as ‘dumsor’.

    In a statement issued by Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, CEO of IPGG, the group expressed satisfaction with the president’s decision.

    “We are pleased that H.E. the President, as reported by the Chairman of Parliament’s Committee on Energy, Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea, who also serves as the MP for Abuakwa South, has directed the VRA to suspend electricity exports to our neighbors.

    “We are gladdened that H.E. President is reported by the Chairman of Parliament’s Committee on Energy, Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea, who doubles as the MP for Abuakwa South, as having ordered the VRA to suspend electricity export to our neighbours.

    “This action will go a long way in providing some respite and stability to the domestic market by increasing supply, even though it may not solve the power supply challenge entirely. It is thus important and appropriate to commend H.E. the president of the republic for prioritising the domestic market which I the right thinking to do at this critical moment,” the statement added. 

  • Togo adopts new constitution to reduce powers of the president

    Togo adopts new constitution to reduce powers of the president

    Lawmakers in Togo have endorsed a new constitution, marking a significant shift from a presidential to a parliamentary system of governance.

    Under the revised framework, executive authority will be vested in the prime minister, relegating the presidency to a ceremonial position.

    In this updated model, parliament will select the president for a single six-year term, departing from the previous direct public vote.

    Notably, opposition parties, which had previously boycotted Togo’s elections and hold minimal representation in parliament, largely supported this constitutional overhaul.

    The adoption of the new constitution was nearly unanimous, with only one legislator voting against and another abstaining during the Monday session.

    However, it remains uncertain whether this revamped system will be implemented in time for the upcoming regional and legislative elections scheduled for next month.

    In a related development, Togolese lawmakers had previously ratified a constitutional amendment in 2019, imposing a two-term limit on the presidency.

    As this amendment did not apply retroactively, President Faure Gnassingbé, in power since 2005, remained eligible to contest two additional terms under the former regulations.

  • Ghana, Togo ink deal for free roaming services to commence in 2024 – Bawumia announces

    Ghana, Togo ink deal for free roaming services to commence in 2024 – Bawumia announces

    Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed that Ghana and Togo have agreed to initiate free roaming services starting this year.

    He highlighted the government’s proactive move towards implementing the ECOWAS Free Roaming Services.

    Despite being adopted in 2016, Ghana’s agreement on free-roaming services with Cote D’Ivoire in June 2023 marks the first of such arrangements.

    “Ghana has also signed an agreement with Togo to begin free roaming services between the two countries this year.”

    Speaking at the official outdooring of Telecel Ghana, he said, “The National Communications Authority (NCA) is also engaging Benin and Gambia to establish similar bilateral agreements”.

    Dr. Bawumia commended Telecel Group’s investment in Ghana’s telecommunications sector and urged the multinational corporation to maintain exemplary standards of ethics, transparency, and corporate governance.

    The introduction of Telecel Ghana follows Telecel Group’s acquisition of a controlling stake in Vodafone Ghana. Consequently, the company has been rebranded as ‘Telecel’ to enhance economic access to communication services.

    Telecel Ghana has assumed responsibility for Vodafone’s fixed-line telephony, internet provision, voice and data services, as well as financial transfer and other business offerings.

    Dr Bawumia said, “In the ever-evolving technological landscape, innovation remains key to staying afloat,” he said, and entreated the telecom firm to provide its customers with accessible, safe, affordable and reliable network always.

    “In today’s fast-paced world, access to reliable and efficient communication is not just a luxury; it is a necessity for socio-economic development.”

    “Additionally, we have introduced technology neutrality, which has allowed increased capacity within the industry to serve more customers using existing spectrum allocation,” Dr Bawumia said.

    “Telecel has leveraged this opportunity to introduce its 4G+ spectrum.”

    Mobile money

    In 2023, mobile money transactions hit a record GHC199.3 trillion, which represented a 64.3% increase from the previous year.

    The opportunities that the mobile money platform, backed by the introduction of mobile money interoperability, had created was enormous, he added.

    Dr Bawumia commended Vodafone Ghana’s role in the mobile money transactions and urged Telecel to strive to do more since mobile money was one of the surest ways to promote financial inclusivity.

    He expressed delight to see the emphasis placed on inclusivity and accessibility in services as Ghana, like in many parts of the world, still had underserved communities with limited access to telecommunications infrastructure.

    “By expanding your reach and investing in infrastructure development, you are not only expanding access to communication but also creating opportunities for economic growth and social empowerment for the underprivileged”.

    “I applaud your commitment to corporate social responsibility through the Telecel Foundation and Africa Start-Up Initiative Programme (ASIP).

    “Your initiatives to support education, healthcare, and support for start-ups reflect your dedication to making a meaningful impact beyond business success.

    “This aligns perfectly with our government’s vision of building a more equitable and prosperous society for all Ghanaians”.

    He challenged Telecel to look beyond physical infrastructure and make sure that corporate social responsibility included a deliberate investment and development of the digital capabilities and capacities of young Ghanaians across the country at all levels.

    “As we celebrate this momentous occasion, remember that you also have a role in shaping the future of our nation.”

    “I have no doubt that this brand will not only thrive but also contribute significantly to the advancement of our nation’s telecommunications sector.”

    Patricia Obo-Nai, the chief executive officer, of Telecel Ghana, recalled the trajectory of the telecom company, dating back to 1974 as P&T and transitioned to Vodafone Ghana in 2009.

    It currently has more than six million customers using its mobile telephone network with over 200,000 on fibre and thousands of others patronising its cash transfer services.

    Obo-Nai assured the company’s numerous customers of its readiness to provide innovative services to them and impact more lives in the coming years.

  • North East Region shelters over 200 refugees due to Nagudi attack in Togo

    North East Region shelters over 200 refugees due to Nagudi attack in Togo

    Over 200 residents from border communities have fled to various parts of the North East region following a suspected attack in Nagudi, Togo.

    Residents from Tantra 2, Tambeng, and Jangbande have evacuated their communities, seeking safety in nearby towns and villages such as Yunyoo, Bunkpurugu, and Wanchiki.

    According to reports, a Togolese community was targeted by approximately 10 unidentified armed men on motorbikes, leading to residents fleeing the area. The attack resulted in two fatalities.

    The District Chief Executive of Bunkpurugu, Joseph Luknan, confirmed the incident on Eyewitness News, stating that the attack occurred around 9 pm when armed individuals targeted four young men at a store, resulting in two deaths.

    “On [Tuesday] around 9 pm, when we got a call that some armed people attacked a community in Togo near the border, we alerted our security personnel to beef up patrols around that area. Immigration officers decided to move closer to that area.

    The information was that young guys were seated at a store in the evening around 9 pm, and 4 people arrived on two motorbikes and shot at them. And two people passed on.”

    Mr Luknan stated that efforts are underway to identify the perpetrators, and security measures in the area have been heightened.

    The MCE for Bunkpurugu mentioned that security forces at the Togo border are unable to determine whether the suspects are jihadists or common criminals.

    “They decided to monitor throughout till today, March 6. Togo side, they also deployed their security. We gathered that the people who did that fled, so up to now they are searching and Ghana too, the Bunkpurugu district, and our security is monitoring.

    “I spoke with my colleagues at Yunyoo and  Chereponi and is the same thing, that the Togolese have arrived at some of the communities. The Togo side cannot tell whether they are jihadists or not. But the Togo people confirmed those who passed on were two,” he stated.

    Mr Luknan also mentioned that the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has been tasked with conducting a census in various homes to determine the number of individuals who have fled Togo.

  • I will make Tema a free port enclave when I become president – Alan Kyerematen

    I will make Tema a free port enclave when I become president – Alan Kyerematen

    The leader of the Movement for Change, Alan Kyerematen, has pledged to transform Tema into a free port enclave in Ghana should he emerge victorious in the December 7, 2024 elections.

    Kyerematen believes that establishing a free port in Tema would stimulate economic activities in Ghana by enticing landlocked West African nations to utilize the Tema port as a transit hub.

    He envisions that this move would foster development in Ghana, drawing parallels with the positive impact such initiatives have had in advanced countries.

    During a visit to the Tema market on February 26, 2024, as part of his Greater Accra Market Tour, Kyerematen outlined his vision: “Tema, under my presidency, will become a freeport enclave. And when I talk about a freeport, we all know the benefits of a freeport enclave. You find that all the Sahelian countries and even some of our neighbouring countries that are not landlocked still will prefer to come through Tema with their cargo.”

    Kyerematen emphasized that creating a freeport enclave would facilitate access to markets due to transit cargo.

    He referenced successful freeports globally, such as Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, and even in Africa, citing Mauritius and Togo.

    However, Kyerematen clarified that the proposal is specific to the Tema port enclave and not applicable to the entire country.

    He stated,

    “Creating a freeport enclave does not mean that the whole country becomes a freeport. But you create an enclave that will allow transit cargo to pass through this country. And that is the only way we can also attract traffic of vessels, shipping vessels. A lot of them would like to consolidate their cargo in Ghana. If we have a free port enclave, doesn’t mean that the whole country becomes a free port,” he clarified.

    Alan also denied assertions that the creation of the free port would lead to the country losing revenue.

    Addressing concerns about potential revenue loss, Kyerematen dismissed such worries, “So, the issue of revenue loss does not come in. Rather you find enhanced economic activity arising out of the creation of them. So, if you want to be like Singapore, like Hong Kong… that is the way to go.”

  • Price of goods, services in Ghana 3 times higher than Togo, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso combined

    Price of goods, services in Ghana 3 times higher than Togo, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso combined

    Ghana’s struggle with rising prices continues, as the year-on-year inflation rate for January 2024 sees a slight increase to 23.5%.

    This places Ghana among the Sub-Saharan African countries with the highest inflation rates, nearly three times the combined rates of neighboring Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Togo.

    Within the ECOWAS bloc, both Ghana and Nigeria share inflation rates above 20%, with Nigeria’s nearing 30%. In contrast, neighboring countries like Ivory Coast, Togo, and Burkina Faso boast single-digit inflation rates.

    Burkina Faso, currently under military leadership, has an inflation rate of 4.3%, while Togo’s rate is as low as 2%. Ivory Coast, the 2023 AFCON winner, also boasts a single-digit inflation rate, currently at 3.1%.

    Ghana’s inflation has not touched single digits for almost four years, with the last instance occurring in March during a lockdown.

    Despite receiving close to $2 billion from the IMF, World Bank, and the African Development Bank within the past year and a half under the Extended Credit Facility Programme, Ghana is struggling to maintain healthy international reserves.

    The country’s Gross International Reserves have dropped from a historical peak of $11 billion, providing almost six months of import cover, to $5.9 billion as of January 2024, affording less than three months of import cover.

    This decline has intensified pressure on the local currency, the cedi, leading to its depreciation against major trading currencies such as the US dollar.

    The exchange rate fluctuations impact import duties and other costs, contributing to the rising domestic prices of imported goods. Food inflation stands at 27.1%, persistently rising for four consecutive months and surpassing the overall inflation rate of 23.5%. Ongoing border restrictions in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso continue to impact the prices of essential farm produce like onions and tomatoes imported into Ghana.

    Crucial ingredients for common household meals, including jollof, banku, and fufu, have recorded inflation rates above 40% in January. Fresh tomatoes, with a significant weight in determining national inflation, have surged by 52.3%. Other essential ingredients like cassava, fish, carrots, and garden eggs have inflation rates twice the national average.

    As the December 2024 general election approaches, Ghanaian voters prioritize key issues such as price stability, a resilient currency, and tackling unemployment. Addressing these concerns as the country faces economic headwinds has become paramount for the electorate.

  • Ghana, Togo set to sign agreement ending Maritime Boundary dispute

    Ghana, Togo set to sign agreement ending Maritime Boundary dispute


    Ghana and Togo are on the verge of finalizing a Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreement, aiming to resolve the longstanding dispute over the ocean boundary between the two nations.

    Currently, a delegation from Togo is meeting with the Ghana Boundary Commission in Accra to determine the signing dates for the agreement by the Presidents of both countries.

    The disputed area has seen restrictions on fishing and economic activities. The National Coordinator for the Ghana Boundary Commission, Major General Emmanuel Kotia, emphasizes that the signed agreement will unlock economic opportunities in the region, offering a favorable environment for investors.

    Major General Kotia points out that the negotiated resolution stands in contrast to the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire situation, where international legal mechanisms were involved.

    “We have been able to solve a maritime barrier through negotiation and mediation so going to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea is unlike what happened between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.”

    Negotiations between Ghana and Togo regarding their maritime boundary have been ongoing since 2018. Concurrently, the Ghana Boundary Commission Bill is undergoing parliamentary consideration.

    Major General Kotia anticipates that once passed, the bill will empower the Commission to not only address external boundary disputes but also play a crucial role in resolving internal boundary and electoral boundary disagreements.

    Speaking at the Commission’s annual retreat in the Eastern Region, Major General Kotia expressed optimism about the expanded responsibilities, emphasizing the potential for the Commission to contribute significantly to the resolution of internal disputes through negotiation and mediation.

    “This is a major development so far as the bill is concerned. The new area that we may be seeing ourselves performing is to help resolve internal boundary disputes, including electoral boundaries where they are deferred to us or where we have problems so far as internal boundaries are concerned. We are not going to be responsible for demarcating internal boundaries, but just to assist in amicably resolving this dispute through negotiation and mediation. It is going to enhance the tasks of the Boundary Commission,” Major General Kotia states.

  • Togolese, Ghanaians to enjoy reduced call costs with concluded free-roaming agreement

    Togolese, Ghanaians to enjoy reduced call costs with concluded free-roaming agreement

    A recent agreement has brought good news for both Togolese and Ghanaians, as they can now enjoy lower rates for roaming calls. The free-roaming pact between the two nations has been officially completed.

    The agreement, as reported by asaaseradio.com, was officially signed on November 1, 2023, in Accra, Ghana.

    It was signed by Michel Yaovi Galley, the Director-General of Togo’s telecom watchdog, ARCEP, and Joe Anokye from Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA).

    Togo’s ARCEP expressed that the successful conclusion of this deal followed months of discussions between regulatory authorities and representatives of mobile operators operating in both countries, including MTN, Airtel, Vodafone Moov Africa Togo, and Togo Cellulaire.

    Commencing from March 1, 2024, cell phone users in both Ghana and Togo will experience reduced roaming charges, thanks to this agreement. Mobile operators in both countries have decided to lower rates for travelers from Togo visiting Ghana and vice versa.

    “In detail, call reception is now free for the first thirty (30) consecutive days for Ghanaian customers visiting Togo and for Togolese customers staying in Ghana, whereas it is currently billed at CFA240 per minute with Togo Cellulaire and CFA207 with Moov Africa Togo.

    “Calls will cost CFA8.67 (GHC 0.17) per minute, compared with CFA279 (GHC5.45) with Togo Cellulaire and CFA550 (GC10.73) with Moov Africa Togo before. The cost of internet data has been capped at CFA1.6 per MB, against CFA8,400 (GHC163.92) on Togocel and CFA200 (maximum) on Moov, at present,” asaaseradio’s report said.

  • Niger sever diplomatic ties with France, United States, Togo, and Nigeria

    Niger sever diplomatic ties with France, United States, Togo, and Nigeria

    Niger’s military junta has decided to sever diplomatic ties with Nigeria, Togo, the US, and France after unsuccessful talks with an Ecowas delegation aimed at resolving the political stand-off following the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum last week.

    Col Amadou Abdramane, a member of the junta, announced the decision on state TV, recalling Niger’s ambassadors from the four nations.

    A delegation led by Nigeria’s former military head of state, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, met some junta members on Thursday but left without any signs of progress after just a few hours.

    The response from Nigerian President and Ecowas head, Bola Tinubu, is yet to be received regarding Niger’s cutting of diplomatic ties.

    West African defense chiefs are concluding a three-day meeting in Nigeria to discuss possible military interventions if diplomatic efforts fail.

  • 2023 Mid Year Budget Review: Ghana could be owing Togo – Ato Forson

    2023 Mid Year Budget Review: Ghana could be owing Togo – Ato Forson

    Minority leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on Monday shared a jest to emphasise Ghana’s debt situation.

    Addressing the media following the presentation of the 2023 Mid Year Budget Review by the Finance Minister, the Minority leader indicated that Ghana has defaulted its external debt.

    According to him, Ghana has failed to pay the debt it owes to Euro bond holders and countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, India, UK, Japan, France, Czech Republic.

    He noted that the list goes on and “I don’t know of Togo but it could be that we owe them.”

    He attributed the stability of the cedi against the dollar to the external debt default.

    “The Ghana cedi has stabilized relatively because we have defaulted in the payment of our external debt.

    If you are to look into the budget, we should have serviced our external debt, approximately 11 billion Ghana cedi,” he noted.

    While presenting the Mid-Year budget review, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta noted that from February to July this year, the local currency has depreciated by “an impressive 1.84%”.

    Cumulatively, the Ghana cedi depreciated by 22.1 percent against the US Dollar
    in the year to July 17, 2023.

    This is in comparison to 21.1 percent depreciation recorded in the same period in 2022.

    Statements from the Finance Minister indicates that in January 2023 alone, the cedi depreciated by 20 per cent.

  • Details of how prime suspects in Ablekuma bullion van robbery were arrested

    Details of how prime suspects in Ablekuma bullion van robbery were arrested

    A significant suspect involved in the Ablekuma bullion van robbery, suspected to be of Togolese nationality, was apprehended on Sunday, July 17, 2023, at a concealed location in Togo while attempting to escape the country following the incident.

    In a joint operation between the Ghana Police Service and Interpol in Togo, Blessing Njoma was apprehended on Saturday, July 15, 2023, in the Togolese town of Asigame. The arrest was made based on information received from a reliable source.

    Blessing Njoma is implicated as a key figure in the robbery of a bullion van in Ablekuma, located in the Greater Accra Region. The incident tragically led to the loss of a police officer, Callistus Amoah, who was laid to rest over the weekend.

    Confirming the arrest of the suspect, a police situational report read in part “On 15/07/23 about 0700 hours, Aflao District Police Command gathered intelligence that one of the suspects in Ablekuma bullion van robbery case has been spotted in Asigame market in Lome Togo.

    “Based on the information the District Crime Officer DSP Eric Vondee in charge D/Insprs Gabriel Damadzi, Martin Afari Koranteng and Cpl Issah Ayamba proceeded to Asigame market Lome Togo and with the assistance of Togo Interpol, arrested suspect Blessing Njoma a Nigerian. The suspect was searched on the spot, but nothing incriminating was found on him. The suspect was taken to Togo Interpol Headquarters and when his body was searched old bullet scars were found on the right shoulder.

    “According to him, he was shot in Nigeria in 2014 in a fight. Efforts are being made to search his place of abode before extraditing him to Ghana.”

    Earlier this month, two other suspects, Benjamin Ojogbe and Rashid Abdul were arrested for their alleged involvement in the robbery and killing of the police officer which happened on June 22, 2023.

    Their accomplices are being prosecuted in Court.

  • Ablekuma bullion van robbery: Fourth suspect arrested in Togo

    Ablekuma bullion van robbery: Fourth suspect arrested in Togo

    One of the suspects involved in the robbery of the Ablekuma Fan Milk bullion van, Blessing Njoma, which resulted in the tragic death of a police escort, has been apprehended by the Aflao District Police Command.

    The arrest of the fourth suspect was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Ghana Police Service and Togo Interpol. The Nigerian suspect was apprehended at Asigame market in Togo’s capital city, Lome.

    With this arrest, a total of four suspects have now been taken into custody in connection with the Ablekuma Fan Milk bullion van robbery.

    The incident took place on June 14, 2023, leading to the shooting and fatal loss of Lance Corporal Callistus Amoah. The robbers attempted to escape with the van’s contents but were intercepted by the police.

    Lance Corporal Amoah was laid to rest on Saturday, July 15, 2023, as the nation mourned his loss.

    In the meantime, the other suspects, namely Benjamin Ojogbe and Rashid Abdul, along with a third individual whose identity remains unknown, have been remanded to police custody by the Kaneshie District Court.

    The accused individuals are facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of Lance Corporal Callistus Amoah.

  • Adebayor criticises lack of recognition for Ghanaian football legends

    Adebayor criticises lack of recognition for Ghanaian football legends

    Former Togolese footballer Emmanuel Adebayor expressed his displeasure about Anthony Yeboah and other stalwarts of the Ghanaian game not receiving enough recognition.

    Adebayor passionately discussed his childhood affection for Anthony Yeboah with fellow footballer Asamoah Gyan.

    He feels that the former Leeds United striker has not received enough praise in his native nation.

    He mentioned that he spent a lot of time looking for an Anthony Yeboah shirt to buy but was unsuccessful.

    Adebayor expressed his fears that in some years to come the names of some Ghanaian football legends would be forgotten .

    “I grew up knowing the name of Anthony Yeboah and up to today I’m searching for a place where I can get his shirt to buy but I don’t see anything in Ghana” Adebayor said.

    “That is sad which means our youngsters in three years or 30 years will not even know who is Asamoah Gyan,” the former Arsenal player said.

    Adebayor’s sentiments come following calls to immortalize Ghanaian football legends with a football museum.

  • Farmers moving to Togo as PFJ fertilizer prices rise

    Farmers moving to Togo as PFJ fertilizer prices rise

    Increases in fertiliser prices under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) program in the 2022 agricultural season has prompted farmers to buy inputs from neighboring Togo, according to the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG).

    The finding is part of an assessment of last year’s PFJ policy and its impact on smallholder farmers across the country by the PFAG, and showed that PFJ fertiliser prices escalated from GH¢96 for 50 kilogramme (kg) NPK and GH¢106 for 50kg Urea in 2021 to about GH¢320 for both products in 2022 – constituting some 233 percent increase.

    Speaking at a PFJ Stakeholder Validation and Budget Credibility Workshop in Accra, Executive Director-PFAG, Dr. Charles Nyaaba, said one of the critical points that led to farmers’ disinterest in the programme was the high prices slapped on subsidised fertiliser from 2021, which reached an all-time peak last year – in contrast to prices in neighboring countries.

    The assessment by PFAG indicates that about 92 percent of respondents perceived the 2022 prices as being too high.

    While PFAG was hoping for government intervention to normalise the situation – particularly in 2022, that did not happen.

    A 28-years old farmer in Chereponi, according to the findings, shared his frustration and how they rather bought fertiliser from Togo in 2022…which was unusual.

    He said: “In Togo, they have two types of fertiliser. One is expensive and the other one is not too expensive. The cedi equivalent of the less expensive one in 2022 was GH¢210/50kg and the expensive one was GH¢270/50kg. In 2022, most of us bought our fertiliser there and even bought some and sold to other farmers in Chereponi. Is the COVID-19 and Ukraine-Russian War not affecting them?”

    It must be noted that Chereponi is a border town. In previous years, farmers from neighbouring Togo purchased fertiliser from Ghana – with some reported cases of smuggling the subsidised fertiliser.

    The 2022 turn of events, according to the association, was therefore surprising – as to how prices could escalate beyond controllable limits in Ghana.

    This is what a 43 year-old female farmer from the Telania community in the Kassena Nankana West District shared: “Why would I buy just one bag of government fertiliser for GH¢320? I need about three bags of NPK and one bag of urea for one acre. When I put the cost together, it is more than GH¢1,000; what about tractor service, agro-chemicals, labour and harvesting cost? How much do I get paid for a bag of maize? Where is government support for farmers when the price of open market fertiliser is same as the subsidised?

    Dr. Nyaaba suggested that the current PFJ should be modified and a value chain approach adopted, as hinted by the sector minister.

  • Ghana Boundary Commission begin 3-week exercise with Togolese counterpart to fix boundary line

    Ghana Boundary Commission begin 3-week exercise with Togolese counterpart to fix boundary line


    A joint technical committee consisting of representatives from the Ghana Boundary Commission and the Land Boundary Commission of Togo has commenced a three-week operation to locate and replace damaged or destroyed boundary pillars along the international border between the two countries.

    Major General Emmanuel Kotia, the National Coordinator of the Ghana Boundary Commission, emphasized the significance of this reaffirmation exercise in preventing land boundary disputes during a community sensitization program held jointly by Ghana and Togo in Agortime-Kpetoe, Volta Region.

    “The Joint Technical Committee will be identifying all tampered, removed or destroyed boundary pillars within the demarcated line. We are not going to re-demarcate the boundary. In addition to this, we have realized that most of the residents in the border communities have difficulty locating where the boundary line is.

    Ghana Boundary Commission and Togolese counterpart begin re-affirmation of land boundaries
    Major General Emmanuel Kotia

    “We will be discussing with our counterpart from Togo to introduce additional boundary pillars which will be intermediary pillars, border crossing pillars and monumental pillars along towns so that it will be easier for the residents to identify the boundary line and also help us protect the boundary line”.

    He urged residents to cooperate with the team that will be engaged in the exercise.

    “We will need help from the traditional leaders, opinion leaders to educate the population in the border community that they will see a team going around the boundary lines within the next three weeks. They should cooperate with them. They should give them the necessary support,” he said.

    The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio said most of the Boundary markings that define the land boundary between Ghana and Togo among others have been destroyed.

    “The fact remains that most of the boundary markings that define the land boundaries between Ghana and Togo have been displaced due to several factors such as erosion, tampering or outright removals”.

    Ghana Boundary Commission and Togolese counterpart begin re-affirmation of land boundaries
    Benito Owusu-Bio

    He also commended the Ghana Boundary Commission and the National Coordinator for the tremendous work to secure Ghana’s boundaries.

    He said, “Major General just yesterday I received a letter from the President of the Republic of Ghana congratulating you for the good work you are doing, kindly continue with that work. Because the good work you are doing is there for everyone to see”.

    Head of the Land Boundary Commision of Togo Dr, Lardja Douti who spoke through an interpreter said he is excited about the three week exercise. Volta Regional Minister Dr. Archibald Letsa said the Ghana Boundary Commission continues to brief his office about the commission’s activities in the region.

    “We are always briefed by Major General Kotia and his team about all their activities. So we are part of all they have been doing, they have our maximum support”

    Member of Parliament for Agortime Ziope, Charles Agbeve said the residents have a role to play in ensuring a successful exercise.

  • Stop smuggling fuel to Togo – NPA to Volta, Oti residents

    Stop smuggling fuel to Togo – NPA to Volta, Oti residents

    The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has warned inhabitants of the Volta and Oti Regions against indulging in fuel smuggling to Togo.

    The authority has emphasised the dangers of this illegal activity and urged citizens to avoid participating in it.

    Fuel smuggling has become a significant issue in the region, with many people transporting fuel across the border to Togo, where they sell it for a higher price.

    However, the NPA has warned that this practice is not only illegal but also poses serious risk to the smugglers and the general public.

    The Volta Regional Director of NPA, Godwin Konu, gave the warning during a media engagement organised by the NPA in the Volta Regional capital Ho.

    According to Godwin Konu, the fuel being smuggled may be of inferior quality and may contain harmful substances that could damage engines and lead to accidents.

    Furthermore, smuggling fuel through illegal channels also contributes to the loss of revenue for the government, which could be used to fund various development projects in the region.

    Mr. Konu has reiterated the NPA’s commitment to working with other relevant agencies to clamp down on fuel smuggling and to ensure that the public is adequately informed about the risks associated with such illegal activities.

    He has therefore called on residents to report any suspicious activity related to fuel smuggling to the appropriate authorities.

    He has also urged the general public to use legal channels to purchase fuel and to ensure that they are buying from licensed fuel stations.

    The journalists expressed their readiness in helping the NPA achieve its aim of clamping down smuggling of fuel to and fro Togo and Ghana.

    In response to the warning, some residents have expressed their support for the NPA’s efforts and have pledged to cooperate with the authorities to put an end to fuel smuggling in the region.

    Others have called for stricter penalties for those caught engaging in the illegal trade.

    The NPA’s caution comes as part of its ongoing efforts to promote the safe and legal use of petroleum products in the country.

  • Christian Council elects Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard Dogbe as its chairman

    Christian Council elects Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard Dogbe as its chairman

    The Christian Council of Ghana has elected Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard Dela Dogbe as its Chairman.

    He takes over from the Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante who served as Chairman of Council for two years.

    Profile

    Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard K. Dela Dogbe is the Presiding Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (A.M.E Zion Church), Western West Africa Episcopal District, an area covering Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo, with additional responsibilities over Angola and Namibia.

    He is the First Resident Indigenous Bishop of the A. M. E Zion Church in Ghana. Rt. Rev. Dr. Dogbe is a product of Accra Academy and Trinity College, University of Ghana, Legon.

    He is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Practical Theology (Christian Education) and Trinity Theological Seminary, Accra, Ghana where he graduated with a Master of Theology in Pastoral Care and Counseling.

    He also holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Practical Theology with distinction from Luther Seminary, St Paul, MN, USA, and has several certificates to his credit in leadership and administration.

    The Rt. Rev. Hilliard Dogbe is a member of the Society of Pastoral Theology, an international professional body of pastoral theologians, headquartered in Decatur, Georgia. He has served as an adjunct professor in practical theology at Luther Seminary and still teaches as an adjunct at Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon.

    As an ordained minister of the A. M. E. Zion Church, he has over 20 years of experience in pastoral ministry and has also served for many years as an International Supervisor for Field Education for Princeton Theological Seminary, U.S.A.

    Dr. Dogbe has authored two books: “Alcoholism in the African Family: A Christian Perspective” (2011) and “The Church and Alcoholism in Ghana: A Practical Theological Interpretation” (2014).

    Bishop Hilliard Dogbe is married to Cynthia and they are blessed with two children.

  • Togo president’s half-brother flees to Gabon after 14 years in prison

    Togo president’s half-brother flees to Gabon after 14 years in prison

    A half-brother of Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé who has been in detention since 2009 on suspicion of conspiring to overthrow the government has been evacuated to Gabon, according to one of his advisers, for “sanitary reasons.”

    Kpatcha Gnassingbé, 52, a former minister of defense from 2005 to 2007, was deemed the brains behind a botched putsch and was condemned in September 2011 to 20 years in prison for “conspiring against state security.” On April 15, 2009, he was detained in front of the American embassy where he was seeking safety.

    “I can confirm that Kpatcha Gnassingbé has been evacuated to Gabon for health reasons since March 23. I am in contact with his relatives. He is currently in a hospital where he is being treated,” said Me Zeus Ajavon .

    “We have asked for his evacuation several times, because of his state of health which has deteriorated. In any case, we appreciate this gesture, which can be a sign of relaxation within the Gnassingbé family”, he said . he adds.

    No official Togolese or Gabonese source has yet confirmed the information.

    Kpatcha Gnassingbé had been hospitalized in the military pavilion of the Sylvanus-Olympio University Hospital Center (CHU) in Lomé since June 17, 2021.

    According to Me Ajavon, his client, who suffers in particular from diabetes , “is still considered a prisoner, because he has not benefited from parole or a presidential pardon” .

    A total of 33 soldiers and civilians involved in this foiled putsch of 2009 were tried by the judicial chamber of the Supreme Court and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 months to 20 years. All had pleaded their innocence.

    Kpatcha Gnassingbé and two officers are still being held in this case, the others having been released.

    “We would like the two officers who are still in detention in this case to also benefit from a medical evacuation, because they are also sick” , pleaded Me Ajavon.

    Togo has been ruled since 2005 by Faure Gnassingbé , who came to power after the death of his father, General Gnassingbé Eyadéma , who himself had ruled Togo for 38 years. He was re-elected in polls that were all contested by the opposition.

  • Emmanuel Adebayor retires from football at 39

    Emmanuel Adebayor retires from football at 39

    Former striker for Manchester City and Arsenal, Emmanuel Adebayor, has announced his retirement at the age of 39.

    Throughout a professional career that began in 2001 with Metz, the former Togo international also spent time with Real Madrid, Tottenham, and Crystal Palace.

    In 2003, Adebayor moved from Metz to Monaco, where he caught the attention of legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who brought him to the Premier League in January 2006.

    He was reportedly paid a reported £25 million by City in July 2009, and in September of that same year, he made headlines for sprinting the length of the pitch to celebrate a goal in front of Arsenal fans.

    He joined Real Madrid for a short loan spell in January 2011 after falling out of favour under Roberto Mancini and then moved to Tottenham – initially on loan – in August that year.

    After having his contract terminated by mutual consent in September 2015, Adebayor had a nomadic end to his career, featuring for Palace, Istanbul Basaksehir, Kayserispor and Olimpia before returning to Togo with Semassi in July 2021.

    Announcing his retirement with a video on Instagram, Adebayor said: “SEA, from the highs to the lows, my career as a professional athlete has been an incredible journey. 

    “Thank you to my fans for being there every step of the way. I’m feeling so grateful for everything, and excited for what’s to come!”

  • Opposition party in Togo holds rally ahead of elections

    Opposition party in Togo holds rally ahead of elections

      The National Alliance for Change (ANC) party in Togo drew hundreds of supporters who demonstrated in Agoè-Nyivé ahead of elections.

      Sunday’s (Feb. 12) meeting which took place in neighbourhood located in the northern suburbs of Lomé was attended by the ANC president who also serves as mayor of one of Lomé’s 13 localities.

      He focused on the upcoming legislative elections.

      “This was a remobilisation rally,” Jean-Pierer Fabre said.

      “You may have noticed that we have called for people to go and register to vote when the census is launched. This is important because we called before not to register and many of our voters are not registered. So they have to go and register.”

      Indeed, main opposition parties boycotted the previous legislative polls in 2018, citing “irregularities” in their preparation. Consequently some of their supporters did not vote.

      Togolese president Faure Gnassimbé annouced late last year, that elections would be held this year but no date has been set. This has not deterred the hundreds of ANC supporters dreaming of change.

      “We want change in this country and the ANC is a political party that fights. The Togolese people are suffering and we must fight to get the country out of this situation,” this man said.

      “I am very happy, because the powers that be have repeatedly prevented us from coming together. We must wake up, because this country is badly governed.”

      ANC leader Jean-Pierre Fabre denouced the rule of the Gnassingbé family over Togo since 1963 as well as irregularities in the management of funds intended to fight the Covid pandemic in the nation.

      Source: African News

    • Wode Maya’s refusal to pay an alleged bribe lands him in trouble with Togolese border officials

      Wode Maya’s refusal to pay an alleged bribe lands him in trouble with Togolese border officials

      Ghanaian YouTuber and tourism ambassador, Wode Maya, who is famed for his travels on the African continent has called out officials at the Togolese border for manhandling him and also seizing his equipment during his recent visit to the West African state.

      The content creator who has a huge social media following recounts that he had to get into a fight with some unprofessional border officials for his alleged refusal to pay a bride of CFA 2,000 to have his passport stamped.

      In a disturbing video shared on Twitter, Wode Maya whose cameras were seized for failing to comply with them was heard demanding his equipment which had been taken away from him.

      “I need my cameras” he shouted during the heated argument that was captured on tape.

      “This is me fighting to save my camera at the Togolese border because I refused to pay a bribe of CFA 2000 in order for my passport to stamped,” he captioned the viral video.

      Meanwhile, some social media users who have suffered same at the Togolese border also shared their experiences adding that authorities claimed payment of the CFA 2000 was part of the procedures.

      Source: Ghanaweb

    • Akpema, the initiation rites in Togo that prepare a girl from the age of 1 to womanhood

      Akpema, the initiation rites in Togo that prepare a girl from the age of 1 to womanhood

      Akpema is the rite of passage for young maidens in the West African nation of Togo. It is held shortly after the initiation ceremony for boys which is known as Evala wrestling. Akpema is often held a week after Evala.

      The ceremony is to deepen the knowledge of girls’ self-worth and help them preserve their virtues. The significance of Akpema is also to groom the young maidens to preserve their virginity before marriage.

      While the initiation rite for the girls starts at the age of 1, the rite for the boys begins at the age of eight, according to Exploring Africa.

      The main initiation ceremony is performed for the girls when they are 18 years old. It is maintained that the girls are virgins and need to be prepared for marriage. The ceremony begins with the shaving of the hair on their heads. They are then stripped of their clothes.

      They walk in a procession with no clothes. What the girls are permitted to wear on that day are only necklaces and a pearl belt while holding the hands of their companions. The girls are later taken to the sacred wood where the initiation rites are held. The girls are accompanied by elderly women and traditional priests while being led to the sacred wood.

      The girls are made to sit on a sacred stone as evidence that they are pure. Any girl who is able to undergo this part of the ceremony brings honor to their family. Once this is done, the girls are passed as suitable for marriage and ushered into adulthood.

      Source: face2faceafrica

    • Worst day of my life – Ghanaian event organizer laments unfair treatment in Togo

      Ghanaian event organizer, Van Calebs has narrated an unpleasant experience he encountered in an attempt to stage a big event in Togo.

      The show dubbed “Black Friday’ was billed to serve patrons great entertainment with the merging of music, fashion and sports.

      With a host of Ghanaian and Togolese artistes lined up for the event, expectations and confidence were high within the camp of Van Calebs and his team that the Palais de Congress event center was going to be filled to capacity.

      But despite the presence of Ghanaian celebrities like Van Vicker, Prince David Osei, Patapaa, Chief One, Jah Phinga and a host of A-list Togolese artistes and entertainers, the auditorium was almost empty and organizers had to wave the charge and make it a free event in order to get people into the auditorium.

      Van Calebs described the development as “the worst day of my life”.

      According to him, the objective of the show was to contribute to the revival of entertainment in Togo but the local promoters whom he trusted and invested in to market the event sabotaged him.

      “I had to personally start bringing in people to enjoy the show for free. The Togo people felt threatened that we were gonna make it big so they sabotaged our show . I cried all night.

      “Investing into entertainment in Togo is worst than entering hell fire. As a person with over a decade of experience in the event and advertising industry, this has been my worst experience so far, “he bemoaned.

      Source: Ghanaweb

       

    • Burkina: Six civilians killed in attack near Ghana and Togo

      Four teachers were among the six civilians murdered in a suspected jihadist attack on Sunday in Bittou, a town in Burkina Faso close to the Ghana-Togo border, according to security and local sources on Monday November 5.

      A group of armed men burst into a neighbourhood in Bittou late Sunday afternoon and opened fire on a group of workers, killing six people, a security source told AFP.

      “The defence and security forces as well as the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), civilian auxiliaries to the army, “immediately set off after the terrorists, who retreated to the nearby Nouhao forest”, according to this source.

      Confirming the attack and the death toll, the regional coordination of the Federation of National Unions of Education and Research Workers (F-Synter), said in a statement that four teachers from the departmental high school of Bittou, including the headmaster, were among the victims.

      “This cowardly and barbaric murder is the second to be suffered by education staff in our region after the one in Maytagou on 27 April 2019,” said Ouédraogo Al Hassan, regional coordinator of F-Synter.

      Located in the Centre-East region, Bittou is on the road between Ouagadougou and Lomé. It is an important town close to the borders of Togo and Ghana where commercial activity is very important.

      Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been regularly plagued by increasingly frequent jihadist attacks that have killed thousands and forced some two million people to flee their homes.

      These attacks have increased in recent months, mainly in the north and east of the country.

      On 26 November, four Burkinabe soldiers were killed in an improvised explosive device in the north of the country and three civilians died in another attack in the north-east, according to security and local sources.

       

      Source: African news

    • Rising popularity of electric motorbike taxis in Benin and Togo

      Motorcycle taxis are a popular and cheap form of transportation in West Africa. But increasingly in Benin and Togo, drivers and customers are swapping gasoline-powered motorcycles for electric models that are more environmentally friendly and, above all, less expensive. Oloufounmi Koucoi, 38, company is delivering the models to Cotonou.

      “We have thousands of electric motorcycles in circulation and we are also in several African countries. Environmentally, as you know, electric motorcycles do not pollute the environment. Economically, we’ve been able to reduce the cost of electric motorcycles by doing the assembly locally.”**Oloufounmi JP Koucoï, director of Zed-Motors.

      In Lome, capital of neighbouring Togo, Octave de Souza parades proudly through the streets on his brand-new green electric motorcycle.

      “The new electric bike is a very good bike” he says. “It is very economical and there is no need to do an oil change, there is no need to replace the engines and other parts. Just change the battery.” Souza adds.

      In African cities, pollution caused in particular by heavily clogged road traffic is one of the leading causes of death and a major public health issue. But for many drivers, electric motorcycles are more a question of cost than climate.

      **”One of the things we’re concerned about is the charging point issue. In that regard, you can have a stressful drive because you don’t know where to find a charging point so you don’t break down. This sometimes leads us to exchange (batteries) with 10 or 15% of remaining charge so as not to have any bad surprises along the way.”**Koffi Abotsi, electric motobike driver

      Local authorities also are encouraging the switch to electric in a bid to replace old, highly polluting motorcycles. Many taxi drivers are thus lured by flexible credit or loan deals that they pay off monthly, weekly or even daily.– instead of making a hefty one-off purchase.

       

      Source: African News

    • British soldiers expected in Ghana after withdrawal from Mali – Report

      With the withdrawal of some 300 British peacekeepers from Mali in the wake of frosty relations with Bamako over the involvement of Russian mercenaries in the fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel, some special forces are expected to arrive in Ghana.

      In a report by UK-based ‘The Telegraph’ and sighted by GhanaWeb, British ministers are also expected to be in Accra to hammer out a new security agreement which will position Ghana and by extension Burkina Faso as the new frontline against terrorism.

      It is unclear if the move is a face-saving operation in the wake of the mission in Mali being shut down or something more significant as British forces already train troops in Ghana.

      Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire all signed up for the Accra Initiative in 2017. This is a coalition which aims at stopping insecurity spilling over their borders from the Sahel.

      It was reported on Monday, November 14, that the UK will be withdrawing all of its troops from Mali, which until only a few months ago, Whitehall officials were describing as “the new frontline of the war on terror”.

      Former Africa Minister Rory Stewart, who championed the so-called “pivot to the Sahel” under Prime Minister Theresa May, was scathing about the real purpose of the Ghana trip, suggesting it was no more than a face-saving operation.

      “We struggled to maintain 300 troops in Mali, partly because it cost perhaps as much as a hundred million pounds from tightly stretched budgets,” he told The Telegraph. “I fear that the ‘pivot to Ghana and Burkina Faso’ is largely a way of excusing our retreat from the Sahel and will ultimately add up to less than people pretend.”

      “We have been worrying about Burkina Faso for some time. But without an embassy there or any significant investment, there is a real limit to what the UK can do,” Stewart added.

    • Togo spends $20m a month to keep prices of basic goods down – President Faure Gnassingbe

      Ghana’s Eastern neighbour, Togo spends $20 million every month to ensure the prices of essential goods are stable to protect consumers.

      Amid the double whammy of Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Togo has been able to keep single digits with both headline and food inflation rates for September pegged at 7.90% and 8.60%, respectively.

      According to Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbe, who was speaking at the 2022 Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, the government is spending $20 million a month to cap prices of basic goods such as wheat, corn and fuel in their economy valued at $8.5 billion.

      The President admitted, “That’s not sustainable for our finances so we are trying to set up a new strategy for the mid-and long-term.”

      The West African nation is also taking steps to substitute essential imports and reduce emerging spending to curb inflation. For example, the state plans to urge bakers to mix wheat with locally-grown cassava to cut the import bill. At the same time, drivers of petrol-fueled motorbikes, the most widely used form of transportation, are also expected to switch to electric vehicles gradually.

      Elsewhere in West Africa
      Although Togo’s headline inflation has gone up by more than tenfold, countries like Cote D’Ivoire have seen inflation move from a negative rate of 1.1% in 2019 to 6.3%. Senegal’s inflation rose from 1.8% in 2019 to the prevailing rate of 11.9%. In Ghana, inflation has skyrocketed from 7.1% [pre-Covid] to 37.2% for September 2022.

      Togo spends $20m a month to keep prices of basic goods down – President Faure Gnassingbe

      In his recent address to the nation, President Akufo-Addo admitted that “the whole world has been taken aback by the speed with which inflation has eaten away people’s incomes. Economies, big and small, have experienced, over this year alone, the highest rise in cost of living over a generation…”.

      He emphasised that “between the end of 2019 and now, inflation in Ghana has increased by five-fold, in Togo by sixteen-fold, by eleven-fold in Senegal, and by seven-fold in Cote d’Ivoire.”

      Source: Myjoyonline.com

    • Togo extends state of emergency in the north

      Togo has extended a state of emergency in its northern Savanes border region for six months.

      The border has been hit by jihadist attacks.

      Togo has recorded at least five attacks since November. It therefore declared a state of emergency in June, which was due to end mid this month.

      But on Tuesday, the Togolese national assembly unanimously voted to extend it for six months until March next year.

      The extension was necessary “for the proper conduct of military operations, maintaining order, and for a return of peace and security in this region”, the AFP news agency quoted Togolese Minister of Security Damehame Yark as saying.

      Togolese troops are deployed in the north to try to contain a jihadist threat pushing south from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group operate.

    • Togo begins mediation on detained Ivorian soldiers

      Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey met Ivorian officials in Abidjan on Tuesday for talks on 49 Ivorian soldiers who were arrested in Mali earlier this month.

      The soldiers were arrested on arrival in Bamako on suspicion of being mercenaries.

      Ivory Coast insists the troops were there to support the UN mission, known as Minusma, under an agreed contract between the two countries.

      But the junta in Mali says its foreign ministry was not informed of the deployment via the official channels.

      On Tuesday, Mr Dussey indicated that the Ivorian president and the Malian junta leaders wanted to preserve peace between their nations, according to a statement.

      President Alassane Ouattara expressed his gratitude to the minister for the initiative to find a resolution to the matter, the statement added.

      Ivory Coast has been calling for the immediate release of its soldiers.

      Source: BBC

    • Togo opens border it shares with Ghana

      Togo opened its side of the border with Ghana at midnight yesterday.

      This comes more than 50 days after Ghana had reopened its land borders.

      The Daily Graphic visited some of the border towns, including Aflao, Akanu and Kpoglu-Segbe Border, to ascertain how business was picking up in those places.

      When the Daily Graphic arrived at the border post at Aflao about 8:30 a.m. yesterday, the metal gates which had been closed between the two countries for two years following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic were open.

      The Member of Parliament for Ketu South, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, was among those who turned up early at the border post to see things at first-hand.

      The Kpoglu-Segbe border post was equally quiet when the Daily Graphic visited.

      Desolation

      Although the border had been opened, both sides of the frontier remained desolate, with little human movement and commercial activities across the border.

      “Today is the first day and some people in Lome and Aflao have not yet heard about the reopening,” a senior Togolese Immigration officer who requested anonymity said.

      On the Ghana side, the Aflao Sector Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Frederick Duodu, said the human and vehicular traffic across the border would definitely increase in subsequent days.

      GIS ready for human traffic

      He gave an assurance that personnel of the Aflao Sector GIS were ready for any upsurge in the number of travellers across the border.

      So far, ACI Duodu said, although people had been eager for Togo to open its side of the border, no untoward incident had occurred along the border.

      The Daily Graphic gathered that some heavy-duty vehicles were using the ECOWAS Border Post at Akanu, near Dzodze, some 50 kilometres from Aflao, and that had largely contributed to the low volume of traffic at the Aflao Border Post.

      Later in the day, a few hawkers turned up at the border post, in the hope of doing brisk business.

      As of 1:30 p.m., 65 Ghanaians and 16 nationals of other ECOWAS countries had entered Lome from Aflao, while about a 100 people had left Lome for Aflao.

      At the Kpoglu-Segbe Border Post, nine Ghanaians had crossed into Togo, while four Togolese had crossed from Togo into Ghana as of 11:06 a.m.

      Identities

      Most of the Ghanaians crossing used their Ghana Cards or passports to cross the border smoothly.

      Interacting with the Daily Graphic, Ms Gomashie expressed gratitude to the leaders of the two countries for listening to the cries of their people.

      “In Ketu South, we hope this will restore our livelihood, which is cross-border commerce,” the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP said.

      Ms Gomashie entreated people crossing the border to hold valid identities and proof of vaccination against COVID-19 and also be law-abiding all the time.

      Source: Graphic online

    • Togo withdraws from hosting WAFU U-20 Championship

      Togo has withdrawn its candidacy to host the upcoming WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship due to the coronavirus pandemic.

      The tournament was scheduled to start on 18 November 2 December, 2020.

      Happy Sports understands that the government decided to pull out of hosting the tournament due to the high cases of COVID-19.

      The government has written to WAFU, CAF and FIFA that it cannot guarantee the safety of the players, officials of the various teams thus the decision to withdraw the hosting rights.

      The Black Satellites were in camp preparing for the tournament and will now have to break camp due to the postponement.

      Source: Happy 98.9FM

    • Historic appointment of woman as Togo prime minister

      Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé has appointed the country’s first ever female prime minister.

      Victoire Tomegah Dogbé is ?an economics and marketing graduate and had held a senior post in the president’s office.

      Before that she spent a decade as the minister of grass roots development and youth employment.

      She had earlier worked for the United Nations Development Programme.

      Source: bbc.com

    • Togo bishop ‘targeted in WhatsApp spying’

      A prominent Catholic bishop and a priest in Togo are reported to have been targeted by spyware on their mobile phones the first known cases that involve members of the clergy.

      Last year, the messaging service WhatsApp said 1,400 people around the world including human rights activists were being listened to using a spyware made in Israel.

      An investigation by the French newspaper Le Monde and the British Guardian revealed that Bishop Benoît Alowonou and five other critics of the Togolese government had been spied on via their mobile phones.

      It is not known who carried out the cyber-attack but not surprisingly some of the victims are pointing straight at their own government.

      The Israeli firm that produces the spying software admits it sells the product to governments around the world but says they are supposed to only use it to monitor criminals and terrorists.

      Togo is one of the most oppressive nations on the continent. The same family has held the presidency since 1967 and dissent is not tolerated.

      Source: bbc.com

    • Security personnel round up 107 intruders from Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo

      About 107 foreign nationals who entered the country illegally have been arrested by security personnel stationed in the Upper West and Ashanti Regions respectively.

      Seventeen Burkinabes, made up of 11 males and seven females were apprehended at Babele in the Upper West, while 90 Beninese and Togolese made up of 68 males and 22 females were arrested in the Ashanti Region.

      Speaking to the Ghanaian Times on Sunday, the Upper West Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Immigration Control Officer, (ICO) Ibn Yussif Duranah Abdul-Mumin Seidu explained that the 17 Burkinabes were arrested following a tip-off by some community members.

      He said upon receiving the information, the personnel mounted surveillance at all the unapproved routes along the borders in the region.

      The 17 persons aged between 20 and 40 and were on board a bus with registration AF-5603-C headed for Wa, the regional capital when they were intercepted by the personnel.

      The PRO said the preliminary investigation revealed that the migrants, who were smuggled into the region on a motor tricycle with the help of some residents along the route, were headed for Sunyani in the Bono Region.

      He stated that plans were afoot to transport them back to Hamile for the necessary COVID-19 screening and further repatriation to Burkina Faso, adding that, “Due to the influx of the Coronavirus, repatriation exercise would take less time.”

      Mr Seidu stated that although they had logistical constraints as a service, they would still carry out their duties as expected and not renege on their efforts to protect lives of citizens within the country.

      He used the opportunity to appeal to residents living around the border areas to assist the service in protecting the region, adding that they should desist from smuggling people into the country as it would put indigenes at risk.

      In another development, a joint military and GIS patrol team along the Black Volta River in the Wa West District apprehended some unidentified men at Maase and retrieved some weapons from them, although the suspects fled.

      According to ICO Seidu, the items retrieved included a single bar raffle, two AA armour cartridges, a machete and a pack of cigarette, indicating that the suspects upon sighting the personnel dived into the river and fled to Burkina Faso after swimming across the river.

      He said the service would conduct further investigation into the suspects and unravel their mission at the venue, adding that the patrols would continue unabated to ensure the borders were secured.

      However, those arrested in the Ashanti Region were being kept in isolation at the Atonsu Agogo Hospital.

      They were apprehended in an operation led by Staff Sergeant Asamoah Isaac and other military personnel from the headquarters of the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces attached to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly for the lockdown exercise.

      Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

    • Togo National Assembly summons opposition leader, accuses him of plotting coup

      Togo’s National Assembly has summoned opposition leader Dr. Agbéyomé Messan Kodjo to the National Assembly on Wednesday, March 11 for allegedly plotting a coup.

      Agbéyomé, who continues to contest the February 22 Presidential election results, is being accused of endangering state security.

      This was the subject of the visit made to his home late Tuesday afternoon by a bailiff accompanied by several security personnel and law enforcement officials.

      In the summons, Dr Agbéyomé is accused of endangering state security by appointing a prime minister.

      He told journalists at a press conference Tuesday night that he was accused of appointing a prime minister, writing to the army, and creating a website, all said to be disturbances to public peace or order.

      Dr Agbeyomé placed second to President Faure Gnassingbe according to official results of the 2020 presidential election held on February 22, with a score of 19.46 per cent of the vote.

      The former Prime Minister heads the Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development (MPDD) and is a member of the National Assembly.

      Source: GNA

    • COVID-19: Port Health intensifies screening at Aflao Border

      Officials of Port Health Authority at the Aflao-Lome border have intensified screening of travellers to prevent Coronavirus (COVID-19) from entering Ghana after Togo recorded its first case last week.

      The officials were seen screening travellers at both arrival and departure routes to neighbouring Togo with Thermal Walkthrough Thermometers when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the Aflao border.

      The GNA observed that apart from the intensive screening, personnel of the Authority were also sensitising travellers and hawkers on the virus and safety measures.

      It was also observed that the officers were using only four Thermal Walkthrough Thermometers, with some travellers complaining about having to wait in long queues for long periods.

      As a result, a few travellers were spotted using some detours on the blindsides of Port Health officials to beat the waiting time, claiming they were safe.

      One traveller was heard screaming, “I don’t have any Coronavirus so don’t put that machine on my head, I’m healthy, nothing is wrong with me, I’ve never been to China,” as he moved towards Togo.

      As of March 9, more than 111,000 people have been infected with the virus in more than 80 countries, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

      It said there were over 3,800 deaths globally. Just over 3,000 of those deaths occurred in mainland China with 62,000 people having recovered from the coronavirus.

      Common signs of infection of COVID 19 include; respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

      In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

      Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking of meat and eggs.

      It is also recommended that people avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.

      Officials of Port Health Authority at the border including an inspection team from Accra declined to speak to the media and only said, “We have put the necessary measures in place to deal with the situation.”

      Source: GNA

    • Fred Crentsil named Match Commissioner for Togo Vs Egypt AFCON qualifier

      Frederick Eric Crentsil, an astute Football Administrator and former GFA Vice President has been named as Match Commissioner for the Togo Vs Egypt 2021 AFCON qualifying match.

      The match which is scheduled for the March 29 2020 will be played at the Lomé Stadium in Togo.

      Other officials for the match are Issa Sy(Referee), Nouha Bangoura (Assistant referee 1) and Amadou Ngom(Assistant referee 2)all from Senegal with Adalbert Diouf as Fourth Official.

      Referee Assessor for the match is Lemghaifry Bouchaab from Mauritania.

      Source: ghanafa.org

    • Opposition candidates allege fraud in Togo election

      At least three Togolese opposition candidates in the presidential election have said the vote was marred by fraud.

      Provisional results from the presidential election in Togo indicate that the incumbent, Faure Gnassingbé, will secure a fourth term in power.

      The electoral commission cited provisional results as showing that Mr Gnassingbé had received 72% of the vote, compared with about 18% for the best-placed opposition candidate, Agbéyomé Kodjo.

      Mr Kodjo had earlier said the vote was marred by fraud, and that he considered himself the winner.

      Another candidate, Jean-Pierre Fabre conceded defeat through his campaign manager Patrick Lawson-Banku.

      “The first trends of the voting results put the candidates of the MPDD [which Mr Kodjo leads] and UNIR [the ruling party] in the lead,” said Mr Lawson-Banku.

      Source: bbc.com

    • Togo opposition alleges ‘fake’ polling stations

      A Togo opposition leader has accused authorities of setting up fake polling stations in Saturday’s presidential election to skew the result in favour of the incumbent.

      Agbéyomé Kodjo made the accusation against President Faure Gnassingbé who has been in power since 2005 when he took over from his father.

      The president’s office is quoted by AFP news agency as denying the accusation.

      The results of the vote are expected by Friday.

      Mr Kodjo, former prime minister and head of the national assembly, also accused the authorities of ballot stuffing and getting people to cast multiple votes in Mr Gnassingbé’s favour.

      Troops surrounded Mr Kodjo’s home for around three hours after voting finished on Saturday.

      Togo’s Security Minister, Yark Dameham, told Voice of America that Mr Kodjo’s house had been surrounded as a precaution.

      “We have received reports that he is at risk of an attack on his house by unruly individuals, but I cannot tell you from which side,” he is quoted as saying.

      But Mr Kodjo told the BBC that he was given no explanation and believed this was not for his protection but instead to allow time to rig the vote.

      Mr Gnassingbé has led Togo’s population of eight million people since taking over following the death of his father Gnassingbé Eyadema, who ruled for 38 years.

      He faces six rivals for the position of president.

      Constitutional changes were approved last year allowing him to seek re-election and potentially stay in office until 2030 – an issue which sparked huge protests in 2017-18.

      Source: BBC