Over 300 people rendered homeless in Dixcove

 
About 300 people in Dixcove in the Ahanta West District of Western Region have been rendered homeless after a rainstorm hit the town on last Friday.
According to the Assembly member for Lowre Dixcove, Mr. Isaac Simons Bassaw, those rendered homeless are currently lodging with relatives and friends.
He said the Dixcove Government Hospital, the only health facility in the area, was seriously affected with its roofs being ripped off completely.
Another social facility affected by the rain storm was the Methodist basic and Junior High school buildings, which also had its roof ripped off.
He said properties worth millions of Ghana cedis were destroyed.
Mr. Bassaw said the assembly had taken records of the people and property affected and forwarded it to the regional office of the National Disaster and Management Organization (NADMO) for support.
The assemblyman appealed to non-governmental organizations and the Methodist church to come to their aid of the affected persons.
According to the regional NADMO Boss, Mr Japheth Baidoo, his outfit had received the report and would do everything humanly possible to help those affected.
Source: GNA

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Government to compensate farmers affected by gas project

Government has approved payment of compensations to farmers to be affected by the Domunli Gas Project in the Jomoro District of the Western Region.
It was to ease tension between affected farmers and workers at the project site.
Mr Sylvester N. Dattieh, Jomoro District Chief Executive said this at Takinpa near Half Assini on Monday, when he met the enclave farmers of the town.
He said affected farmers would by end of May receive their cheques for compensation, and that it is being processed at the moment.
The DCE said the Ghana National Petroleum Company would soon move to site to commence operation and appealed to the farmers whose property would be affected to cooperate with the company.
He advised the affected farmers to invest their compensation properly for their future and generations yet unborn.
Mr Dattieh said an investment advisory team would soon be at the area to educate the beneficiary farmers on how to invest their compensation and appealed to them to turn up at the programme.
Mr James Botolo, Assemblyman for Takinpa, said the meeting was a follow up on their earlier meeting held on May 1 with authorities concerned.
He appealed to land owners to be fair with their tenants on the compensation to ensure peace and order.
Aggrieved farmers of the enclave had for some time going after workers at the site due to their unpaid compensations.
Source: GNA

GH¢20,000 market shed commissioned at Azulenloanu

A GH¢20,000 market shed has been commissioned at Azulenloanu in the Ellembelle district.
The project, which commenced 16 years ago, has finally seen completed with the help of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) for the area.
Commissioning the project, Deputy Energy Minister Mr. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, said his ambition to lead the people was borne out of the fact that he wants to continue the works of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
He said the NDC government has the development of Nzemas at heart and will give Nzemaland a general facelift in honour of Dr. Nkrumah.
Mr. Buah reminded Nzemas of their future progress saying that ,they must not be deceived by some self-seeking politicians and that as social democrats, the NDC was sensitive to the plight of Ghanaians.
The Deputy Minister of Energy said a 450 megawatt plant from New York in the United States will be cited at Bonyere with a fishing harbour to be built at Axim, to offer employment to the people in the area.

He assured the people that the Assembly was drawing a budget plan for the construction of a new Junior High Schoo l(JHS) block in the town.
Mr Daniel K. Eshun, District Chief Executive (DCE), who donated GH¢11,000 towards the completion of the market shed, said within 3 years, the MP has initiated and completed many projects in the district.
Source: GNA

BNI ‘pursues’ Nkrumah’s son

Dr. Onsy Nathan Nkrumah, the 55 year old man who claims to be the son of Ghana`s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah appears to be in some sort of trouble as his application for a Ghanaian passport has attracted the eagle eyes of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) which apparently wants Onsy`s claim as the son of Dr. Nkrumah fully verified and authenticated before he is issued with a Ghanaian passport by the relevant authorities.
According to a highly-placed source at the Passport Office who spoke to our roving scouts on condition of strict confidentiality, the BNI`s interest in the matter of Onsy`s application for a Ghanaian passport stems from the fact that the Government of Ghana (GoG) which is the owner of Ghanaian passports has no official or unofficial records biologically or historically linking Onsy to Ghana`s Founder and First President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory and it has therefore become necessary for Onsy to assist the relevant Ghanaian authorities including the BNI and the Passport Office with the relevant and appropriate information relative to his childhood, educational background and work experience in Egypt and elsewhere which could help the relevant Ghanaian authorities make an informed decision on his application for a Ghanaian passport.

” For instance, the provision of his birth certificate indicating the exact date of birth and the original name(if any) given to him then; documentation on his early childhood schooling and subsequent adult educational progression as well as details of his work experience and various residential locations both in Egypt and elsewhere since birth on March 17th, 1957 which is the date of birth Onsy has publicly disclosed to Ghanaians as the day on which he was born to Dr. Nkrumah by his (Onsy`s) Egyptian mother, could all be of enormous value to the relevant Ghanaian authorities in evaluating, verifying and authenticating his claim before the issuance of a Ghanaian passport to him. This verification and authentication process is ultimately in the mutual interest of the country and Onsy as it would help in undermining some of the doubts surrounding his claim of being Nkrumah`s son particularly in the absence of a DNA verification,” our source submitted.
He further clarified that the requirement of the preceding details and information had become inevitable in view of Onsy`s purported lack of enthusiasm to undergo a DNA test as proposed by Sekou Nkrumah and the BNI.
“It will be highly irresponsible on the part of State Agencies to proceed to issue important documents such as passports to persons who claim to be Ghanaians or even sons and daughters of prominent Ghanaians including the First President Of the Rpublic of Ghana without any due diligence or verifiaction of their claims. That could be a blueprint for national embarrassment hence the pro-active stance of the BNI in this particular case especially considering the controversy and dispute even among the Nkrumah Siblings and Family”, quipped our source.
However, a retired senior diplomat who had worked with various Ghanaian governments from the Nkrumah days, and who spoke to the New Crusading Guide paper on condition of strict anonymity, vehemently disagreed with what he perceived as an undesirable and unnecessary intrusion of the BNI in areas which have been legitimately left for the attention of other State bodies such as the Passport Office or the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS). He accused the BNI of behaving like an “unchained octopus running riot and trampling on people’s fundamental human rights”.
“Onsy`s case is a very delicate matter and should be treated with some compassion and sensitivity. The integrity of Nkrumah`s own memory and that of his family is on the line and all concerned should be mindful of that implication. I think the President should call the BNI to order and direct them to cease their unwarranted intrusion into the work of other State Agencies”, he emphasised.
The retired senior diplomat was however not happy about how Onsy and the Nkrumah family including Sekou Nkrumah had handled the issue since Onsy made public his claim to be a son of Dr. Nkrumah.
He argued that all sides should have appreciated the delicate and sensitive nature of the matter and should have initially treated it with “utmost privacy and strict confidentiality subject to public disclosure only after a family consensus had been reached as to the authenticity or veracity of Onsy`s claim. It was unfortunate that Onsy decided to use the media to project his claim which then provoked yet another unfortunate reaction from Sekou. The Nkrumah Family can do without such negative publicity. The great man`s memory is too precious to be dragged into the mud”.
Meanwhile, the BNI declined to react to our enquiries when contacted on the matter. All efforts to reach Onsy also proved futile.
Source: New Crusading Guide

Esiama gets GH¢32,000 water closet toilet facility

 
A GH¢32,000 water closet toilet facility has been inaugurated at Ahunlu, a suburb of Esiama in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.
The facility was constructed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and the District Assembly.
Mr Buah said the facility forms part of measures to better the social lifestyle of the community.
Source: GNA

Benso Oil Palm makes GH¢9.59m profit in 2011

The Benso Oil Palm Plantation Limited (BOPP), raked a profit of GH¢9.59 million last year as against GH¢2.67 million in 2010.
As a result, the company declared a total dividend of GH¢2.4 million out of a total profit of GH¢9.59million to be paid to its share holders.
The profit, which represents an approximate increase of 25 per cent was due to the increase in volumes, upward movements in the world market price of crude palm oil, and the positive impact of cost saving initiatives as well as best management practices embarked upon by the company.
Mr. Ishmael Yamson, Chairman of Board of Directors of BOPP, announced these at their annual general meeting at Takoradi on the theme: “Sustainable agriculture.”
He said the company processed 82,154 metric tons of fresh fruits, representing an increase of 30 per cent as compared to the year 2010.
Mr. Yamson said the success was due to good rainfall pattern and good agronomical practices that contributed to higher productivity.
He said the company also purchased 38,901 metric tons of fresh fruit bunches representing 47 per cent of the total production at a cost of GH¢5.8 million from small holders and out grower farmers in the Western and Central Regions, which created considerable wealth in the catchment rural economies.
He said operating profit went up by 282 per cent from GH¢2,426,000 in 2010 to GH¢9,267,000 in 2011, and that in addition to high prices of crude palm oil and increase in volumes, the company continued with its cost savings and efficiency measures to improve its performance.
The company paid a dividend of GH¢2.4 million out of a total profit of GH¢9.95 million for 2011, according to Mr. Yamson.
He said the company was supporting 18 brilliant but needy students in Senior High School in Adum-Banso, Benso, Adum-Dominase and Manso in the catchment area.
 

Satellites to play Starlets in May 9th anniversary

The male national U-20 and U-17 teams will play in a friendly on Wednesday to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the May 9th stadium disaster that struck Ghana football.
A Ghana Football Association statement says, the match between the Black Satellites and Black Starlets will kick off at 3:00pm at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Every year since the tragic incident in 2001, the football family gathers at the site of the scene, the Accra Sports Stadium, to pay their respects to the 126 people who died in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.
Ghana recorded Africa’s worst football tragedy 126 football fans were crushed to death after a stampede broke out in one of the stands at the stadium after a league game between rivals, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.
Source: Ghanafa.org
 

PPP will fix Ghana’s economy

The Flag bearer of the Progressive People’s Party, Dr. Papa Kwesi Ndoum has appealed to the people of the Brong Ahafo Region to vote for a party which will spend the tax payer’s money wisely.
According to Dr. Nduom, the PPP is one party which will not waste the nation’s resources paying huge judgment debts.
He said the people of Ghana wallowed in poverty although the country is endowed with rich resources such as gold and oil.
“Now that you have realized that both the NPP and NDC have failed the nation, it will better to vote for the PPP to fix the economy. The PPP has got the right policies and programs to salvage Ghana’s situation,” he said.
The PPP flag bearer was in Sunyani as part of the party’s nationwide campaign to win votes ahead of the upcoming general elections.

Court orders police to reinstate five Cops

The Fast Track High Court has given the Ghana Police Service and two others 14 days to reinstate five policemen who were dismissed in March 2011 for alleged misconduct.
It also ordered the Police Service, its Central Disciplinary Board and the Attorney-General to reinstate the five policemen in their various offices and positions with full benefits and emoluments before the commencement of the disciplinary proceedings.
It also prevented the respondents from taking any steps to eject the applicants from their official residences and further awarded total costs of GH¢2,500 against the respondents.
Each applicant benefitted from a GH¢500 cost.
The five — General Lance Corporals Isaac Annan, Dominic Amezah, George Akoi, Anthony Adjei and Collins Ohemeng — were dismissed in March 2011 by the Central Disciplinary Board of the Ghana Police Service for various acts of misconduct, neglect of duty, conspiracy to take part in an unauthorised operation, making false entries in an official document, among others.
The five policemen, who were alleged to have gone on an unauthorised operation with Lance Corporal Ekow Russel, were, in July 2007, put before the Greater Accra Regional Tribunal but the charges were withdrawn against them.

However, Lance Corporal Russel, who was alleged to have given unspecified amounts of money to the five applicants, is currently serving a 12-year jail term.
His accomplice, Maxwell Antwi, who pleaded guilty to the charge of possessing a narcotic drug without lawful authority, cited Russel as the supplier of the narcotic drug.
They were both convicted on March 24, 2011 but Antwi died in detention some time later.
Following developments in relation to the roles the five applicants allegedly played in the unauthorised operation on January 15, 2007, the Central Disciplinary Board of the Ghana Police found the applicants guilty of misconduct and other offences and subsequently dismissed them.
Dissatisfied with the board’s decision, the five applicants filed an application for a judicial review, citing breaches of the rules of natural justice, lack of jurisdiction and error of law based on the records available.
Ruling on the application for a judicial review, the court, presided over by Justice K. A. Ofori-Atta, held that the Central Disciplinary Board breached laid down procedure as stipulated in the regulations governing the Police Service.
It held that the regulations stated that officers investigated by the board must not be below the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police, adding that the appointment of a senior police officer to hold a service enquiry in respect of the applicants was procedurally inappropriate.

It, accordingly, declared the entire proceedings, as well as the decision by the senior officer who presided over the enquiry, as null and void.
Citing authorities to reinforce its decision, the court held that all acts, directives, signals and orders in respect of or in consequence of the said decision were void and of no legal effect.
Consequently, it directed the respondents to reinstate the applicants within 14 days of the receipt of the court order.
It also restrained the respondents from interfering with the status of the applicants or ejecting them from their residences or barracks or classes in which they were immediately before the disciplinary proceedings.
Source: Daily Graphic

Miss World 2011 storms Ghana on May 19

The world’s ‘most beautiful’ woman Ivian Sarcos, 22, winner of the 2011 edition of the most prestigious beauty pageant on earth, Miss World, is set to visit Ghana from the 19th to the 23rd of May.
Accompanying Sarcos, who hails from the Southern American country of Venezuela, is a full entourage of the Miss World team including the first and second runner ups from the Philippines and Puerto Rico, Miss World Europe, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Miss World organization Julia Morley, and some members of the international press among others.
This historic visit by the reigning Miss World forms part of plans by the Miss World Organization to support winners of the Beauty with a Purpose Award.
This is an honour to contestants who have made real differences in the lives of people in their countries; especially those of underprivileged children. Miss Ghana 2010, Stephanie Karikari, was a joint winner of the award at the Miss World 2011 event.
Miss Ghana 2010, Stephanie Karikari, seeks to build a state of the art nursery for a day care facility at Ayalolo. This is to help the children at Sodom and Gomorrah slum in the Central Business District of Accra.
A charity Ball will be held on the 22nd of May 2012 at the Banquet Hall, State House to help raise funds for Miss Ghana 2010, Stephanie Karkari’s nursery project. During this exclusive and special event, the Miss Ghana 2012 pageant will be launched. Limited tickets are available for just 400 guests.
The Miss World Team will also pay courtesy calls on very important personalities including the President, John Mills. In addition, they will visit some important tourist attraction sites.
“We’re going to Ghana to work on a project there and I know that she’s a down-to-earth person and she won’t be afraid to get her hands dirty,” Miss World Chairman and Chief executive Julia Morley, has told news agency AFP.
“I want to carry on doing the wonderful work that Beauty with a Purpose and the Miss World Organization does and to help people in need,” Ivian Sarcos also told the AFP.
“I want to help ‘people like me’ – other orphans,” she added.
Exclusive Events Ghana, have said.
Managing Director of Exclusive Events Ghana, organizers of the Miss Ghana pageant, Inna Patty said everything has been put in place to ensure a successful visit adding that “we are ready to host them. This is a historic visit, which must be celebrated to the fullest. Together, we can make it happen, and we know that just as Stephanie was able to make us proud, the team will leave here with fond memories.”
Miss Ghana 2012 is an Exclusive Events Ghana event, and supported by Manet Properties, Ghandour Cosmetics, Africa Cola, Ederick Ghana Limited, FC Skin & Beauty Klinik, Special Ice Mineral Water, Accents& Arts, TT Brothers, International Energy Insurance (IEI), Edern Security, Intercom Programming & Manufacturing Company Limited (IPMC) and Total Fitness Health Club.

Having more babies ‘would be a blessing’

Now that the relationship of Jennifer Lopez and boyfriend Casper Smart appears to be stronger than ever, does the pop star possibly have more babies on the brain?
“It would be a blessing,” Lopez, the mother of 4-year-old twins, Max and Emme, told PEOPLE about the prospect of having more kids. “Every day … they just bring so much joy and happiness to your life, [and] they just bring you right back down to earth.”
But as the star of the new movie What to Expect When You’re Expecting, who’s been juggling her American Idol duties while preparing for her upcoming tour, also admits: “I’ve got my hands full.”
Besides, being a single mom is never exactly easy.
“There’s the guilt that comes along with it,” Lopez said. “You leave and they go, ‘Don’t go to work, Mommy! ‘ ”
So how has the star – who last year split with husband Marc Anthony – managed to balance it all? By putting her twins first.
“That’s my philosophy. So as long as that’s … working in the right way, then I can dedicate whatever time I need to dedicate to my career,” she said. “You just do the best you can, and say no when you have to say no.”
And, fortunately, she hasn’t had to do it entirely alone.
“I have a lot of great people in my life who help … at work and at home,” she said. “I have a great family – so all together – we do it. It takes a village.”
Source:People
 

Former Senegalese international dies

Former Senegal international Jules-Francois Bocande died at the age of 54 on Monday in the French city of Metz where he played two seasons between 1984 and 1986.
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) confirmed the news on Monday evening, adding that the former striker had been unwell for months after he suffered a stroke and recently travelled to France for treatment, where he died after a surgical intervention.
Bocande began his professional career in 1978 at Senegalese club Casa Sport but it was at FC Metz he enjoyed wide success, scoring 25 goals in the 1985-86 season to finish top scorer of the then Championnat de France.
He later moved on to Paris Saint Germain, Nice and Lens and participated in the 1986, 1990 and 1992 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring 20 goals for the Teranga Lions in 73 appearances.
Upon his retirement from international football in 1994, he was appointed as the national team’s coach but was quickly demoted to become a member of the coaching staff.
“It’s an enormous loss for Senegalese football. We knew that he was suffering. Bocande revived Senegalese football. He gave everything to Senegalese football through his talent and his commitment,” said the FSF president Augustin Senghor.
The Senegalese government announced on state television that the fallen player would be honoured with a state funeral.
Source: Goal.com

Ghana launches €40.5m urban project for four cities

Vice President John Dramani Mahama, on Monday gave the assurance that Government would continue to source funds for the provision of basic social amenities, to improve the living conditions of people in the urban areas.
He explained that, currently 53 per cent of Ghanaians lived in the urban areas, a figure he said was likely to increase to 67 per cent by 2030, and there was the need to provide services to meet the ever increasing population.
Vice President Mahama gave the assurance when he launched the €40.5 million Ghana Urban Management Pilot Project (GUMPP) at Ho, the Volta Regional capital.
GUMPP, which is supported by Agence France Development (AFD), would be piloted in Kumasi, Tamale and Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis, and the Ho Municipal Assembly, to promote a comprehensive city-wide approach to urban issues within the framework of the draft National Urban Policy and its action plan.
Under the initiative would ensure the implementation of urban development programmes such as provision of lorry parks, ultra-modern markets, water, sewerage and sanitation issues, enhance the revenue collection capacity of local governments and increase strategic planning, local management and internal organization of local administration.

Vice President Mahama said apart from providing infrastructure in the pilot areas, the project would also help streamline the haphazard planning of major cities of the country and avoid perennial waste and poor sanitary conditions.
He announced that the project, which would be executed within five years, would be replicated in other cities after successful implementation in the pilot cities.
Vice President Mahama called on the beneficiary cities to make judicious use of the resources to encourage their development partners to support other projects.
He appealed to market women in the Ho Municipality, who allegedly demonstrated against Government for failing to provide them with a modern market, to exercise restraint and rally behind Government to successfully implement the GUMPP, which would include an ultra-modern market in the area.
Mr Ford Kamel, Volta Regional Minister, said that the Ho University for Science and Allied Sciences would enroll the first batch of students in September this year, and that Government was taking the necessary measures for its smooth take off.

He said the establishment of the University would not only benefit the people of the region, but the entire country and the West African Sub-Region and called for support so that Government could achieve its goals.
Mr Frederic Clavier, French Ambassador to Ghana, said France had been supportive of Ghana’s Public Sector Reforms, and promised to provide more resources in the coming years to build the capacities of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and the decentralization programme.
Mr Bruno Leclerc, Resident Manager of AFD, said the group had already provided GH¢22 million for the decentralization programme, to build the capacities of assemblies through the Community-Based Rural Development Project.
Vice President Mahama inspected on-going development projects in the Ho Municipality, including the projects of the Ho University for Allied Sciences.
Source: GNA

Central Region tops in pedestrian deaths

Central Region leads in causing pedestrian deaths, says Mr Stephen Anokye, Regional Manager, Ghana Road Safety Commission.
Speaking at a Road Safety Education campaign at Apam, Mr Anokye said the Region led with 49.6 per cent in pedestrian deaths.
He said the Region was classified among four other regions with the highest accidents records in the country.
Mr Anokye said 326 accidents were recorded in the first quarter of 2012 as against 296 during the same period last year with 63 deaths as against 78 in 2011.
He advised drivers to be extra careful when approaching zebra crossings to prevent knocking down people crossing roads.
The Apam Police commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Lawrence Lumor said 22 accidents were recorded on Apam-Winneba road this year with five deaths.
He noted that the energetic Ghanaians are being lost through road accidents, majority of which were caused through human error.
Mr John Coffie, Apam Branch Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union appealed to the Commission to organise periodic forums for drivers to refresh their minds on road safety regulations.
Source: GNA

Man sentenced for attempted double registration

The Bibiani Circuit Court on Wednesday sentenced Tahiru Issifu to 18 months imprisonment for attempting to register twice in the ongoing biometric voter registration exercise.
Giving the facts of the case, DSP Raymond Kofi Erzuah told the court presided over by Mr. Emmanuel Ankamah that the convict first registered at Sefwi Fawokabra on March 27 this year.
He added that on April 24, the convict attempted registering for the second time at Sefwi Asantem, a different registration centre but the vigilance of the electoral officer lead to his arrest.
The prosecution said the convict pleaded guilty during interrogation and was convicted on his own plea.
He was thus slapped with a sentence of 250 penalty units, the equivalence of GHc3000 or serve an 18 months’ prison term with hard labour to serve as a deterrent.
Nana Esi Brew Monney

FONKAR forms movement to restore NDC values

A leading member of the Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings (FONKAR), Ernest Owusu Bempah, has revealed that its members are scattered nationwide to form a comprehensive movement to restore the true values of the National Democratic Congress.
The group is convinced that the John Mills-led NDC administration has deviated from the principles of probity, accountability and social justice which formed the bedrock of the ruling party.
He told Citi News: “President Rawlings and those people including FONKAR who believe in probity, accountability and social justice which form the pivot of the formation of the NDC, are going out there to make sure that we propagate the ideals and principles to the grassroots.”
“The only way we can do that is that we are collating a comprehensive movement nationwide to make sure that we restore the ideals and principles that formed the bedrock of the NDC,” he said.
Mr. Owusu Bempah stressed that FONKAR would decide the winner of the 2012 December elections.
“FONKAR is going to decide the winner of the 2012 elections and I am making it absolutely clear that we are going to be part of the King making body of the 2012 general elections.”
He emphasized: “There are a lot of indicators that are being pointed at the direction were I am making the statement to and people who understand the political framework and dynamics today will understand what I mean.” 

Ghana launches hoteliers’ pension fund

The Deputy Central Regional Minister, Mr. Aquinas Tawiah Quansah has launched the “Ghana Hoteliers’ Pension Fund” (GHPF) with a call on the Ghana National Hoteliers’ Association to “walk the talk” and ensure that they contribute to the scheme to make it beneficial to their employees.
He said the hotel business was capital intensive and therefore they needed to seek government’s support through interactions to enable them to create more employment.
The GHPF has Axis Pension Trust Limited as its trustees and Databank Asset Management Services as Fund managers and Stanbic Investment Management Services Limited as custodians.
The launch was performed at the National Executive Council Meeting of the Association at Elmina on Thursday.
It is estimated that the hotel industry employs about 42,000 people with 33,000 being full time employees and the rest, part time and temporary or casual employees.
The meeting was on the theme “improving the retiring benefits of the Ghanaian hotel employee.”
The National Chairman of the Ghana Hotels Association, Mr. Herbert Acquaye, said 62% of employees in the sector are below the age of 35 years whilst 40% leave to join other industries within five years of being employed.
He said the Association faces challenges like the shortage of career oriented employees to fill vacancies and that it had become imperative for those in the industry to improve on conditions of service to attract and retain quality career focused staff.
Mr. Acquaye said the three companies it had engaged had the capability and trade records to administer their pension fund to the benefit of staff and called on all hoteliers to get on board and also create provident fund schemes to further enhance their service conditions.
An official of Databank, Rev. Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, said improving one’s pension fund was very critical in securing them a better future and described the three tier pension scheme as a “brilliant structure’
He explained that the tier one and two are defined or mandatory benefits and the tier three, an incentive to put money aside as a solid retirement income.
Mr. Afriyie Oware, the Chief Executive Officer of Axis Trust, urged the Association to ensure that the retirement benefits of their employees are well managed.
The Central Regional Chairman of the Association, Mr. Ben Aidoo, said Ghana had an enviable hospitality industry, hence hoteliers should continue to take measures to improve upon their services.
Source: GNA

I’m sorry; I misfired – Teye Nyaunu

The NDC MP for Lower Manya, Michael Teye Nyaunu, has apologised to former President Rawlings for claiming on Thursday that the NDC founder demanded the expulsion of Johnson Asiedu Nketia as General Secretary of the party.
Mr. Nyaunu in an interview with Citi News yesterday stated categorically that the NDC founder made the demand during a meeting with chiefs from the Volta Region. But in less than 24 hours, the lawmaker said that he misfired in his earlier interview.
“When I was granting interview with respect to this matter, I think I misfired somewhere,” he said, adding that, “about a week or so ago, I had a discussion with a group of people with respect to what is going on in the party and I think I imported those things into the interview which is not correct.”
Hon. Nyaunu contended that no mention was made of the NDC chief scribe at last Tuesday’s meeting, insisting that “I made a mistake and I want to accept that mistake.”
He said: “I am just a human being and there are a lot of things in my bloody so maybe that accounted for it.”
Hon Nyaunu told Citi News he takes full responsibility for the utterances and apologised to the former president for dragging his name into the issue. When asked whether he made the u-turn due to pressure from his superiors, Hon. Nyaunu answered “what I know to be the fact is what I standby and I when I make mistakes, I always agree that is my fault.”
The spokesperson of the Rawlingses, Kofi Adams had in an earlier interview with Citi News denied any discussion took place between the chiefs from the Volta Region and the former president regarding the removal of Mr. Nketia as General Secretary of the NDC as claimed by Hon. Nyaunu.
 

Ghana to host West African Investment Conference 

 
Ghana is to host the maiden edition of West Africa Investment Conference in Accra, aimed at promoting the private sector in the sub region.
The conference, scheduled for May 8-10, would identify different sources of investment capital, and the potential for their use, to create employment, social engagement and economic growth, thereby delivering a long-term positive impact on the region’s economy.
It is being organised by Objective Capital, an international investment company, with special expertise in handling metals and minerals companies.
Ms Ros Lund, Managing Director of Objective Capital, said the conference aim to create an annual investment pilgrimage in West Africa, which would attract potential investors, as well as provoke debate that would identify investment opportunities in Ghana and the sub-region.
She said the four-day conference would look at key sectors such as agriculture, which had 60 per cent of the country’s work-force and the mining sector.
“We want to educate Small and Medium Enterprises, to find business opportunities and not excuses for not finding enough opportunities,” Ms Lund said.
About 100 participants from Canada, Australia, England, US, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and France, are expected to participate in the conference.
Source: GNA

NDC cries foul over shortage of electoral materials

The National Democratic Congress has fumed at what it describes as the acute shortage of materials in its strongholds especially in the Volta region.
In a release signed by the party’s Propaganda Secretary, Richard Quashiga, the NDC has raised these concerns with the Electoral Commission offices, but said nothing has been done about it so far.
Below is the full release.

NDC CONCERNED ABOUT SHORTAGE OF ELECTORAL MATERIALS IN ITS STRONGHOLDS
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is deeply concerned about the acute shortage of registration materials in the on-going biometric registration exercise in NDC strongholds, particularly the Volta Region. Since the start of the last phase of the exercise, most centers in the Volta Region have remained non functional. Complains to Electoral Commission officials have not so far resolved the challenge.
The shortage of especially Forms 1A and 1C, cartridges as well as laminates in NDC strongholds leaves us wondering if this is deliberate especially when our checks reveal the EC at its headquarters in Accra has more than enough of such materials. Our suspicion is heightened because of the person who currently is the Director of Elections, Mr. Isaac Kofi Asomaning.
He was the same EC officer who superintended over electoral matters in the Ashanti region in 2008 and created a bloated register there to the disadvantage of the NDC.
We are by this statement putting on record that Mr. Asomaning, has severally been alerted about the situation but failed to take action. We are hereby appealing humbly to the high office of Mr. Afari Gyan, the Electoral Commissioner to help resolve the challenge.

Thank you.
Signed

No bank will fail to recapitalize – Bank of Ghana

The governor of the Bank of Ghana Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur believes that no bank in the country will fail to meet the central bank’s minimum capital requirement of GH¢60 million by the December 2012 deadline.
The central bank issued new regulations in 2008 asking banks to recapitalized to the tune of GH¢60 million. Although foreign owned banks were given a one year period within which to meet the directive, domestic banks were expected to recapitalise to GH¢25 million by December 2010 and subsequently reach the GH¢60 million by December 2012.
As at December 2011, 16 of the 27 commercial banks licensed to do business in Ghana have so far raised the new stated capital requirement required by the regulator.
But according to Mr Amissah-Arthur, discussions with the banks who are yet to meet the requirement, suggests that they are all ahead of schedule in the recapitalization process.
“I don’t believe that any bank will fail to recapitalize because the discussions we are holding with them suggests that they are all way up front ahead of schedule in the recapitalization,” Mr Amissah-Arthur told reporters during the BoG’s 50th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Accra April 13, 2012.
The governor said some banks are doing private placement and he [Amissah-Arthur] has been “receiving offers everyday from external banks that want to buy into Ghanaian banks”.
“On that score alone they will be able to make it,” he stated.
But some, according to Mr Amissah-Arthur, are looking for domestic solutions to this problem. “Some are looking for domestic solutions…so their default is that if everything else fails, they have offers from outside they can look at,” he said.
Some banks have already considered listing on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) to raise the required capital after stakeholders at their Annual General Meetings (AGMs) approved of such a move.

CPP to mark 40th anniversary of Dr Nkrumah’s death

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) on Thursday rolled out a programme of activities to mark the 40th anniversary of the death Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, First President of Ghana.
A statement issued by Nii Akomfrah, CPP Director of Communications, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said the party will hold a memorial service at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, on Friday April 27, which would be addressed by the two CPP Presidential Aspirants, Mr Bright Oblitei Akwetey, and Dr Abu Sakara Foster.
Source: GNA

President Mills woos more US investors

President John Evans Atta Mills has assured the international business community that Ghana has many opportunities that make her one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.
“We as a government have ensured that we create the necessary environment to ensure that investors have good returns on their investments,” he affirmed.
A statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday said President Mills gave the assurance when he addressed a business luncheon held in his honour in New York, USA.
The luncheon was organised by the highly influential Business Council of International Understanding (BCIU) , a US think-tank that provides a platform for Senior Business Executives to interact with Heads of State and Governments, Cabinet Ministers and senior government officials.
It was attended by more than 28 leading companies in the US, some Ghanaian businessmen, Ghana’s envoy to the US and Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
“Now that Ghana’s economy has been described as the fastest growing economy in the world, and at a time oil has been struck, let me be quick to say that it is our determination to ensure that this God-given resource becomes a blessing and not a curse.
“Indeed one of the things which we promised to do as a government and which we are doing, and you can find evidence is in my State of the Nation Address given in February, is that we are giving full account of the revenues that we are deriving from our oil resource. Of course, we are also going to be accounting to the people about how these revenues are being used.”
President Mills referred to the personal experiences of many American and other businessmen concerning the many investment opportunities in Ghana, saying that “We want to make sure that you have a credible judicial system, you have the kind of labour which will respond to the needs of the business, that you have a system which will respond to the very needs of investors”.
President Mills maintained that transparency was one of the hallmarks of Ghana’s business investments climate, and pointed out that his government had also made sure that the administrative burden that investors had to carry was lessened.
“So far, we have been able to attract quite a number of investors, but there is the need for more and more to come to Ghana. As far as the human potential is concerned, luckily we have taken education very seriously. So luckily you may find when you come to Ghana that getting the right calibre of people to work with will not be that difficult.
“We have a number of universities, tertiary education is being given a pride of place and therefore, you get a bunch of very eager graduates who want to learn”.
President Mills affirmed Ghana’s belief in democracy explaining that without the rule of law, natural justice, respect for the judicial system, non-selective justice and all, the country could not move forward.
To the excited investors, he said “We have made this choice and we do not intend to go back. This is because if one looks at the experience of other countries that have chosen to go the opposite way, the results have not been very good for them.
“We ought to ensure that we are an example to many of our colleagues in Africa and we believe that as we go on upholding democracy and showing the rest of Africa that democracy can be practiced with tremendous results, many African countries will decide to join us,” he added.
Admitting that there is no country that can say that everything is perfect, he noted that it was important to recognise one’s difficulties and be able to tackle those challenges.
Dr Patrick Lukulay, Vice President, Global Health Impact Programmes, representative of US Pharmacopeia announced the company’s decision to establish a permanent presence in Ghana, where other African countries could come and receive training in quality control medicine as well as control of the huge problem of counterfeit drugs.
To a question on government’s commitment to helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by Mr James Prusky, Chief Operations Officer of Crecera Finance Company, President Mills responded that the SMEs were the backbone of the economy, and welcomed foreign financial support to make them stronger and increase their capacities.
The representative of Citigroup Incorporated, Mr Zubaid Ahmad, Vice Chairman, Institutional Clients Group described Ghana as a place to do business and recounted his experience with the Ghana Cocoa Board.
Mr Dan Markin, a Ghanaian businessman and Chairman of Ghana Railway Development Authority, urged his US counterparts to do business in Ghana because the environment was good and had been enhanced by the liberalisation of the banking sector for investors to easily repatriate their profits, apart from the freedom from executive interference.

He said the decision by General Electric (GE) to inject over one billion dollars into Ghana’s railway system was a confirmation of the fine business opportunities for investors in Ghana.
Mr Markin said the Bank of Ghana was pushing for American and European banks to come and set up branches in the country.
Dr Anthony K. Nyame, Chairman of General Capital Corporation, who had just returned from Ghana with a business delegation confirmed the fine business and investment conditions in Ghana and challenged US investors to venture into the housing , oil and gas sectors of the economy, where huge investment opportunities existed.
This is the third time President Mills has been invited to the forum, which is a model business-government partnership in the US Government’s National Export Strategy, extremely active in expanded free trade. It also forges partnership with multilateral organisations like the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Source: GNA

My award can’t be a bribe

Blakk Rasta is counseling organizers of the annual Ghana Music Awards, Charter House, that if winning the Raggae Song of the Year was a bribe then “they’ve made the biggest mistake that they could ever make.”
There has been bad blood between the reggae musician/host of Taxi Driver on Hitz 103.7, and organizers of the awards Charter House, after the musician unleashed a series of criticisms and name-calling for what he said were unfair and biased nominations released for previous awards.
Speaking in an interview with Myjoyonline.com, days after his song, Miss Right was crowned Reggae Song of the Year at the 13th edition of the Ghana Music Awards, Blakk Rasta said his criticisms soured an already fragile relationship with the events organizing outfit.
He recounted that, “I talked about Charter House in 2008 and from that time they have never nominated me, they actually banned me. They sent press releases out there saying that they had banned me.
“I was waiting to find out when the ban was going to end so I never submitted anything for nomination from 2008. I criticized Charter House twice when they nominated,” outdated songs in the 2010 awards “like the song [Mama Africa] of Black Prophet,” and “Samini’s Baby” which was a calypso but nominated for the Reggae song of the Year.
He said those songs were later removed from that year’s awards.
“I was nominated for Reggae song of the Year and I felt that I had the biggest song in Africa then, not Ghana. It was Barack Obama which was on CNN, Aljazeera, and all the major networks and for the first time a Ghanaian artiste was mentioned in the New York Times.”
“The song was so huge they decided to give us a nomination for only Reggae song of the Year”, he said, adding that he felt that song also deserved nominations for Song of the Year, Artiste of the Year, and Album of the Year.
Because of those criticisms, he alleged, he “was banned. They knew that I was going to win so they decided to ban me because of the criticisms.”
Several years down the line, he has no qualms against his nomination this year, disclosing he did not submit the song for the awards. He was rather approached by the organizers due to public recommendations.
“For me it [the award] was well deserving, they realized that they couldn’t do away [with me]. I’m sure Charter House regretted for not nominating Barack Obama as the Song of the Year … because the kind of rave reviews we had that year, the song that was picked as the song of the year never tasted an iota of those reviews that we had internationally and even at home. It was the biggest song we had in this country and Africa for a very long time.”
He said this year’s awards was almost free-and-fair, stressing he was not bribed to keep his mouth shut. “Blakk Rasta is ‘unbribable’,” he indicated, warning Charter House that he “will criticize if I have to.”

I am not a snob – Jocelyn Dumas insists

Pretty actress and television personality, Jocelyn Dumas has refuted seemingly growing allegations that she is a snob and that she is not accommodating of her fans.
Showbiz celebrities owe their rise to fame to their talents, hard work and most especially their fans. Experts have said it will be suicidal for showbiz persons to ignore their fans if they want to get to the top.
There have been reports that the Adams Apples star is most often rude and always gives her fans, most especially, a cold-shoulder whenever she is approached.
“Obviously that’s a big lie,” she denied when Myjoyonline.com posed that question to her. She explained, “I am not snobbish, my fans make me who I am so I try as much as possible to be accessible to my fans.”
The allegations, Jocelyn said, she has heard but emphasized that, “the fact that sometimes you keep to yourself doesn’t necessary make you a snob, sometimes you are just being careful, there is nothing wrong with being careful …”
To her, one might not know who is real and whose is not “so you have to be a bit careful and I think that there is a fine line between being careful and being called a snob and that’s where the problem is, but no I am not a snob at all, I am very friendly, I am down to earth, I am very jovial especially jovial to a lot of my fans.”
Her jovial nature, she said, is one thing she intends not to change “just because I think that I am high and mighty because I am not, it’s just the beginning for me.”
Although she was a favourite face on television hosting television shows, such as Rhythms, Jocelyn’s popularity attained its peak when she got a role in Shirley Frimpong Manso’s ten-chapter Adams Apples as Jennifer Adams in the series.
True to her accommodating nature, she recounted instances where she had people walking up to her at the mall and at gas stations asking for photo opportunity which she gladly obliged.
“Sometimes I am driving and they ask me and I get out of my car and I take the picture. I can’t say that because I am driving I am not going to mind you. Like I said, the fans are the reason why we are here, they make me who I am, without them I don’t think that my work will be recognized … so they are my number one priority.”

Enebeli Elebuwa fights fraudsters over ‘hospital bills’

Veteran actor, Enebeli Elebuwa has become the latest victim of fraud being experienced by some top Nigerian celebrities.
BlackBerry broadcasts went viral, Friday, requesting about 5 million Naira for hospital bills of the actor, who was said to be in an Indian Hospital in Abuja.
Reliable sources close to the actor denied knowledge of the said request adding the broadcast is false and it was intended to defraud unsuspecting fans of the actor.
Sources also confirmed that Enebeli is responding positively to treatment and nobody has asked for any money from anyone.
We also learnt that no hospital, medical institution or group of people responsible for the veteran actor’s health and well being has requested for such an amount.
Relations of the actor are cautioning the general public not to pay any amount of money to anyone or deal with anyone asking for money for his well being.
You will recall that the actor was hit with partial stroke last year. He was first treated at St Nicolas Hospital, Yaba, Lagos before being taken to St Topaz Hospital, Surelere, Lagos, Nigeria.
He has since being discharged from the hospital.
Source: Nigeriafilms.com

Free entry for women and kids at Kotoko-Arsenal match

The Premier League Board has approved Asante Kotoko’s request to allow free entry for certain categories of people for their league match on Sunday.
The Porcupine Warriors host Berekum Arsenal in Sunday’s Glo Premier League game in Kumasi.
The PLB has approved Kotoko’s request which means women and children under the age of 10 will be allowed to watch the game free of charge.
Source: Ghanafa.org

Referees named for match-day-26 games

The Referees Committee of the GFA has announced the complete list of match officials for the weekend’s matches.
Below is the list of referees and assistants for match-day-26 of the Glo Premier League on Saturday, Sunday and on May 6:
Saturday, April 28
Match: Dwarfs vs. Mighty Jets
Venue: Carl Reindorf Park
Referee: Solomon Mordey
Assistant 1: John Hodzade
Assistant 2: Beatrice Thaud
4th Official: Samuel Gyasi

Sunday, April 29
Match: Medeama vs. Tema Youth
Venue: Tarkwa T&A Park
Referee: John Atikese
Assistant 1: Isaac Boadi
Assistant 2: Richard Kotey

4th Official: Ali Musa Plato
Match: Liberty vs. AshantiGold
Venue: Carl Reindorf Park
Referee: Cecil Fleisher
Assistant 1: Ben Vomarwor
Assistant 2: Isaac Bassaw
4th Official: Otis Oppong

Match: Aduana vs. Bechem
Venue: Agyemang Badu Park

Referee: Joseph Lamptey
Assistant 1: William Okoampa
Assistant 2: Kofi Asare
4th Official: Charles Nii Tagoe

Match: Wa All Stars vs. Heart of Lions
Venue: Wa Park
Referee: Theresa Bremansu
Assistant 1: Augustina Fugah

Assistant 2: E. T. Allotey
4th Official: Awal Mohammed

Match: Asante Kotoko vs. Arsenal
Venue: Baba Yara Stadium
Referee: Sumaila Ibrahim
Assistant 1: F. D. Ocansey
Assistant 2: Bernard Asare
4th Official: Samuel Sukah

Match: New Edubiase vs. Hearts of Oak
Venue: Gyamfi Park
Referee: Seidu Bomison
Assistant 1: Rubean Laryea
Assistant 2: James Mornah
4th Official: Vincent Otoo

Sunday, May 6
Match: Berekum Chelsea vs. Wassaman
Venue: Golden City Park

Referee: Silas Okine
Assistant 1: Kennedi Bentil
Assistant 2: A. F. Zakari
4th Official: Nuhu Liman
Source: Ghanafa.org

GFA sets out plan to help retired players

The Ghana Football Association has set out its vision to help retired footballers in the country who are struggling to make ends meet.
The GFA will provide the seed money for the setting of a fund for ex-players and contributions will be sought from companies, well-wishers and the public.
GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi revealed the plan on Thursday during a visit to the residence of Alhaji Shitu Mouda, a former Black Stars player, who has gone blind.
Several ex-players are in dire difficulty with many struggling with insufficient funds on a daily basis.
Accompanied by several former players including legend Mohammed Polo and Bashiru Gambo during the visit, Nyantakyi said plans are afoot to set up the fund to help those in need.
“There is life for everyone after football,” said the Ghana FA boss at the residence of the former Great Olympics star.
“We need to ensure that the sacrifices of such wonderful men who have served the country and their clubs with honour and dedication are always appreciated.
“So in line with the GFA’s policy of helping our brothers who are in difficulty, we will set up a fund in due course to help cater for them.”
The leader of Ghana football suggested other innovative ways of raising resources to help support some of the retired players.
“I suggest a special levy to be placed on sections of the stands at the stadiums which will be used purposely for the welfare of retired players in the country,” Nyantakyi said at the meeting in Zagbon Zongo, in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.
The Ghana FA chief asked the retired footballers to form effective body which will advance their cause.
“The GFA will always try to help but it is more imperative that there is one union for every retired player to belong to,” he said.
“It makes it easier formulating programmes to their benefit. I urge all retired players to close their ranks and support each other,” the GFA President said.

The GFA President made a cash donation to Alhaji Mouda at the meeting which was also attended by the family of the ailing ex-player.
“It’s a delight for me to be here. We all come from different backgrounds but football is a game that unites everybody no matter where you are coming from,” said, the GFA President.
“It unites various races and religion and also brings different generations together,” Nyantakyi said at the meeting.

Source: Ghanafa.org

A season of incredible highs for Konadu 

In a season which began with the hope of building his team to compete with some emerging forces, Maxwell Konadu has moulded a squad who are on the verge of an historic 22nd league title.

Perhaps it will be inevitable that Kotoko’s fine season would be defined without the influence of their former player.

Konadu, a former assistant coach at Wa All Stars, in his first term as head coach of Kotoko could be celebrating a league success on Sunday if the Porcupine Warriors beat Berekum Arsenal in the Glo Premier League.

A win in Kumasi will hand Kotoko the title with four games remaining, their first since the 2007/08 season and return them to the African Champions League after a three-year absence.

Konadu said: “To be honest with you I wasn’t expecting this.”

Kotoko have stretched the league by 14 points, brushing aside the threat of defending champions, Berekum Chelsea, their rivals, Hearts of Oak, Medeama and AshantiGold, whose second round push has since died down.
“When I took the job, I was not looking at making an impact in a short time. But here we are.
“I am very surprised and I believe the collective effort of everybody has helped us a lot,” Konadu said.
Kotoko are on the cusp of history and the impact appears far greater. They are not finished though, despite their form in the league having overshadowed another opportunity of a silverware, the FA Cup.
He could seal the double by clinching the FA Cup when the Round of 16 action resumes and repair the hurt of being losing finalist in the previous season.
However, Konadu could cap a busy year with an appointment as assistant Black Stars coach. And he has already sounded his desire to work with Ghana head coach, Kwesi Appiah.
“Why not? If they call me to come and do it I think I will take it up,” Maxwell Konadu said.
And that move appears to be unsettling nerves within his team with goalkeeper Isaac Amoako, the first to talk about Konadu’s influence on the Kotoko team the possible effects of his departure.

“He (Konadu) treats us like brothers and so we’re very happy what he’s doing for us but I believe that if he leave us, we will suffer next season,” says Amoako.
“He is a former player and so understands the philosophy of the team and that has played a crucial role in what we’re achieving so far in the league.
“If he’s appointed as the Black Stars assistant coach, it will affect us. We simply don’t want to lose him at this time. Not at all.”
Amoako and Kotoko’s ambition might not march Konadu’s, but for now, they will all have to savour the output of his impact on the team.
A league title success, an FA Cup to look up to and a possible appointment with the Black Stars has certainly defined Maxwell Konadu’s season.
Source: Ghanafa.org

Nigerien remanded for acquiring Ghana biometric voter card

Hassane Hamidou Seybou, a 23-year-old Nigerien was on Thursday remanded into police custody by the Tema Circuit Court for registering in the on-going Biometric Voter Registration exercise at Afienya.
The court presided over by Mr Kyei Barfo, remanded Seybou to re-appear on May 3, after he pleaded not guilty to the charge of making false statement, in order to get his name inserted into the voter register.
Chief Inspector Adolphus Otchere told the court that Seybou, who is a trader registered as a Ghanaian at a polling station at Afienya in the Ningo-Prampram District on April 23.
He said he was presented with a voter ID number 1721041158 after successfully going through the process.
Chief Inspector Otchere said Mr Nicholas Kyei, a polling agent at one of the registration centres who is a customer to Seybou, saw him with the voter ID card on April 24, and lodged a complaint with the Tema Regional CID who was subsequently arrested after he admitted the offence in his caution statement.

He said the police retrieved from him, the biometric voter ID card, two Nigerien ID cards and a Nigerien driving license.
Seybou told the court in Pidgin English that he came to Ghana to look for his mother who was said to be a Ghanaian, hailing from Damango in the Northern Region.
He added that when he was not able to locate the mother after several years in the Northern Region, he re-located at Afienya five years ago to trade.
Seybou further stated that he was informed by a friend that the assembly man for his area was calling on all Ghanaians to go and register, adding that he also joined the queue and registered because his mother is a Ghanaian.
Source: GNA

Nollywood star Ramsey Nouah to quit acting

One of Africa’s brightest movie stars, Ramsey Nouah has disclosed that he is on the verge of bowing out of his cherished love, acting, after about two decades on the silver screen.
The actor made his breakthrough into one of the world’s biggest movie industries, Nollywood, after auditioning and earning a role in the television series, Fortunes, in 1991.
About two decades down the line and starring in several well-known productions, Ramsey Nouah wants to say bye-bye although many think he is still in his prime.
The actor made this astonishing revelation during an interview with Joseph Akahome of Nigerian Entertainment Today.
According to him, “I think I’ve had my fair share. To my fans and loved ones, I know they’ll always want to see me on screen, but as they say, it’s best to leave when the ovation is loudest. I want to leave a very strong legacy. I believe I have left a very strong imprint in that line. There’s no possible way you can mention ‘Nollywood’ without mentioning Ramsey Nouah.”
He however revealed that all is not lost as he will not abandoning the movie industry entirely.
Ramsey wants to spend the future behind the scenes: “Well, I’ll be going behind the scenes. I’ll still be acting a bit here and there, but it will phase out for directing eventually. For a while now, I’ve not really been on the screen, and that’s because I don’t want to act just because I want to be on TV.
“I only want to be associated with the kind of movies that are poised to take the industry to another level, which is where we are headed now. Plus, I want to focus on working behind the scenes.”
Apart from being behind the scenes, Ramsey born in Edo, Nigeria to an Israeli father and a Yoruba mother, said he will also be dedicating his time to humanitarian activities and charitable ventures.
“I started a project at one point in time, but due to circumstances I wasn’t able to see it through, so it didn’t see the light of day, but I’m working on that now and getting the resources together. Like I said, I grew up not having much, so I know the pains. Sometimes you want to help, but greedy people hijack it and in the end, the people who really need the help don’t get it.”
Born Ramsey Tokunbo Nouah Jr, in 16 July 1973, he has starred in several productions such as A Private Storm, Hidden Treasure, True Sacrifice, Last Faculty, Governor’s Wife, Dangerous Twins, and Figurine which earned him Best Actor in a Leading Role award at the 2010 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).

Gold buyer found dead

A 28-year-old gold buyer has been found dead in the bush at Bonsawire in the Tarkwa Nsueam Municipality on Tuesday.
The body of the deceased, Kwebena Nti could not be conveyed to the Tarkwa government hospital for autopsy, as it was in a highly decomposed state.
Chief Superintendent Ernest Kuukure Maayeb told westerngh.com on Wednesday that Mr David Bavanasco, the father to the deceased, reported to the Tarkwa police on Monday April 23 that his son Kwebena Nti left Tarkwa on April 18 to collect money from a colleague at Bonsawire but has since not returned.
He said a day after the complainant made the report, the police received information from one Mr Joseph Adjei Sowah, a relative to the deceased that the lifeless body of the missing gold buyer had been found in a bush upon a search organized by the chief of Bonsawire Nana Kwasi Ampon II.
Superintendent Maayeb said when the police visited the scene; they saw that the body had multiple cutlass wounds all over.
He said to avoid any health hazard, the police arranged for a medical superintendent to examine the body immediately at the spot where the incident occurred, after which it would be released to the family for burial.
He said investigation is still ongoing.

Nana Esi Brew Monney

Registration officer drowns, materials missing

Mr Gideon Kwarteng Yeboah, a 24-year-old National Serviceman, teaching at Kwabre near Elubo in the Jomoro District, engaged in the Biometric Registration Exercise in the Mepeasem Area has drowned in the Tano River.
The Jomoro District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police John Fugerson Dzineku, told the GNA that the incident occurred when a passenger outboard motor boat on which he and some others were traveling on capsized on Tuesday.
He said the EC officials were coming to the District Electoral Office at Half Assini to submit their returns on the registration on the third phase of the exercise when the accident occurred.
The area can be reached only by boat on the River Tano.
Superintendent Dzineku said the boat loaded with passengers and foodstuffs hit a rock in the river and split into two, forcing some to swim to safety but Yeboah was unable to do so.
A search party has been organised by the people in the area to look for the body of Mr Yeboah who hails from Babiani in the Western Region.
The Jomoro District Electoral Officer, Mr Kwabena Asante, told the Ghana News Agency that some of the registration materials including registration forms are missing.

Source: GNA

K.K Kabobo now a pastor

If someone has told highlife artiste Kwabena Kwakye Kabobo popularly known as K.K Kabobo that he will become a Reverend Minister when he was making waves with songs like Nyatse Nyatse Girl, Running Away and Onyame Ehuwo in the 90’s, he wouldn’t have believed it.
The singer was ordained a Reverend Minister on Saturday, April 14 by Covenant Mission Bible College at Achimota where he had a three months intensive Bible study course.
Talking to Showbiz on how it all came about, the 52 year-old man and a father of nine said “there was a time I almost gave up in life, but pastors, prophets and apostles came to me saying God wants to use me to bless people so I shouldn’t disappoint God.” According to him, although he never dreamt of it, there were times when he preached at different churches and miracles took place. “I was invited to different churches to preach and after preaching, a lot of miracles happened, I was amazed myself, from there, I knew God had something for me”, he explained.
Rev. K.K Kabobo takes exception to the fact that there are a lot of upcoming pastors who rob people of their wealth. He advises them to takes steps to have a fair knowledge of the industry before venturing into it.
“The pastors themselves who are coming into the profession should know the impartiality, the boundaries and other things before they make a mess of themselves,” he opined.
Rev. K.K Kabobo believes that with the training he acquired from Covenant Mission Bible College, he will change many lives through Christ who strengthens him.
Asked whether he would continue playing highlife, K.K Kabobo says he can never go back since playing secular highlife will mean going back to the world and as such his work would not even permit him to do so.
Talking about his music, Rev. K.K Kabobo noted he has a fully loaded album featuring gospel artistes like Amy Newman, Mary Ghansah among others, which will be released by June. “I have decided to do reggae gospel so that people can dance to it, most gospel songs are slow but with my gospel, I believe everybody will dance to it” he added.

Source:Showbiz
 

Ghana to import timber from Cameroon – Report

Ghana intends to import timber from Cameroon to feed local sawmills, a Reuters report cites Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mike Hammah as telling reporters after a two-day trip to that country Monday April 23, 2012.
He was quoted as saying, “We have so many sawmills but then the raw material is lacking because over the years there has been excessive exploitation.”
According to the Minister local sawmills lack the raw materials to operate fully.
At the turn of the 20th Century, Ghana’s forests covered around 8.2 million hectares of land.
But by the late 1980s, the forest cover has shrunk to less than 18,000 km2, which means a reduction of the forest cover to 2.1 million hectares.
By the year 2007, the forest cover of the country has been reduced significantly to 1.6 million hectares. Forestry sources say since independence from Great Britain in 1957, the annual rate of forest loss has been averaging 65,000 hectares yearly.
And according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, between the year 2000 and 2005 Ghana lost an average of 115,400 hectares of forest per year.
The decline rate of Ghana’s forests was so alarming that a former Minister of Lands and Forestry in the NDC government, Dr. Kwabena Adjei once expressed the fear that, Ghana will become a net importer of wood in the 21st century if immediate reforestation is not vigorously pursued, taking into account the country’s population and diminishing forest resources.
In 2009 when the Ministry of Lands and Forestry took stock of the forest resources of the country, it was found that the cover which was about 8.3 million hectares in the year 2000 had shrunk to 1.5 million hectares in the year 2006. The analysis was made then that if the current rate of depletion of 65,000 hectares continued, Ghana would have no forests in 23 years’ time.
Meanwhile, the country’s rich forests contribute about five to eight per cent of GDP and it is 15% of merchandise exports. As at 2008, forest products, especially timber are the third highest foreign exchange earner for Ghana’s economy after cocoa and gold. Every year Ghana earns some $300 million from timber products. The country’s largest importers are Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Britain.

Transparency International to monitor Ghana

Transparency International’s local chapter, the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) in collaboration with Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana (CDD) on Wednesday launched a project to monitor abuse of incumbency and political corruption during Election 2012.
Activities under the project are aimed at promoting electoral integrity by engaging the electoral process to enhance election transparency, equality of opportunity, credibility and peace in Election 2012.
Mr Vitus Azeem, Executive Director of GII indicated that the integrity of the electoral process was threatened if the Government’s power and resources were used to the advantage of a candidate contesting with another.
He noted that the character of abuse of incumbency and its manifestations were the greatest impediments to democratic consolidation in any country, including Ghana.
“Election 2012 proves to be a critical test of Ghana’s democratic institutions, therefore the confidence in the democratic process will depend largely on the transparency and credibility of political campaigns in order to gain broad acceptance and legitimacy, regardless of the outcome.”

Mr Azeem explained that the project was the institution’s contribution towards a credible and peaceful election, where the coalition sought to use the monitoring project approach as an early warning mechanism.
He said findings of electoral impropriety would be communicated to electoral stakeholders and the general public through avenues including the media for prompt action.
Mr Azeem indicated that this was to prevent the situation where government officials exploited State resources and their governmental powers for illegitimate private gains at the expense of both the public and their political competitors during elections.
He said a manual had been designed to aid the 35 trained observers under the project who would undertake intense monitoring of political activities in some selected constituencies as well as in selected media institutions, commencing from May 1 to November 30, 2012.
Mr Azeem said the primary goal was to initiate a set of interventions that would ensure that Election 2012 was conducted in a peaceful and fair atmosphere.

“This means that every effort must be made to restrain parties from doing anything that will give advantage to one party and put the other at a disadvantage,” he said.
The Rev. Dr Fred Deegbe, Chairman of Christian Council of Ghana, launching the manual for monitoring the process, underscored the importance of ensuring a fair and level playing field for all contesting political parties in Election 2012, to ensure a credible outcome.
He said it was important that Ghana sustained her infant democracy to ensure national development.
Rev. Deegbe appealed for the collaboration and support of all stakeholders, and urged the media to analyse the outcome of issues that would be reported by the observers, without personalising them, to bring about change.
Source: GNA

Ghana prays for Andre Ayew to speedily recover

Ghanaians are praying for Olympique Marseille player Andre Dede Ayew to have a speedy recovery after the midfielder had a successful shoulder surgery in France on Tuesday April 24, 2012.
The 22-year-old’s service is needed as his country Ghana prepares for the 2014 World Cup qualifier. But he has been ruled out of two games – against Lesotho and Zambia in June.
The Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi in a statement said the association is delighted that Ayew’s operation was a success.
“Ghanaians are praying for you to recover properly and return to the game you love most. At this point all we can say is our thoughts are with you (Andre) and we hope you make a speedy recovery,” said Mr Nyantakyi.
Ayew is expected to be out of action for about three months.

Medeama’s Mpong pleased with breakthrough season

Medeama midfielder Richard Mpong is delighted with the season that has seen him make an impressive debut for the Black Stars.
The 21-year-old scored in his maiden appearance for the senior national team against Chile in an international friendly played in the United States in February.
And this was on the back of helping the national U-23 side to an historic gold medal at the All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique last year.
And though haven found the back of the net just three times in the Ghanaian top flight, Mpong says the season couldn’t have been better for him.
“I am very happy with my performance this season,” he told GHANAsoccernet.com.
“It started with a victorious run in the All Africa Games then my first call up to the Black Stars which I scored against Chile.
“There are quite a number of things this season that I can be happy about and hopefully it will get better going forward.”
The former All Blacks player is however looking to build on the season’s achievement both at club and national team level.
“It is very important for me now to be very focused on the future especially with respect to Medeama.
“We’ve had quite a disappointing season but we are looking to finish very strongly and hopefully can challenge for the title next season.
“As for the national team, it will definitely depend on my performance and that is what I am keen to keep up.
“After my debut goal I am sure a lot of people will like to know more about me and I intend not to disappoint by keeping up my performance.
“Once that is done I am sure I will get a chance in the Black Stars and do more wonderful things.”
By Ameenu Shardow

Ghana’s producer price inflation increases to 16.3%

The annual Producer Price Inflation (PPI) rose to 16.3 per cent in March 2012 from 16.1 per cent in February, Acting Government Statistician, Dr Philomena Nyarko said in Accra on Wednesday.
This means that the ex-factory prices of goods for all industry increased on average by 16.3 per cent in March 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.
“Based on the revised figures for February 2012, the year–on-year producer inflation rate for March 2012 was 0.2 percentage point higher than that of February 2012,” Dr Nyarko said.
The monthly change rate is 1.1 per cent, meaning that compared to February 2012, the PPI increased by 1.1 per cent in March 2012.
Dr Nyarko said the producer inflation rate in mining and quarrying sub-sector dropped by 7.8 percentage points to 31.5 per cent relative to the rate recorded in February 2012 (39.3 per cent) mainly on account of a decrease in gold prices on the world market.
The manufacturing rate for March 2012 stood at 15.6 per cent, slightly higher than that for February 2012 by 1.4 percentage points.
Dr Nyarko said the slight increase in the manufacturing sector could be attributed to the depreciation of the cedi to the dollar, thereby increasing the cost of imported inputs in the production process.
The rate for utilities for February 2012 was virtually unchanged, Dr Nyarko said.
The highest monthly change of 1.9 per cent was recorded in the manufacturing subsector, followed by mining and quarrying (-1.0 per cent).
The rate for utilities remained unchanged.
Source: GNA

Medeama signs sponsorship deal with Gold Fields

Medeama SC have sealed a three-year sponsorship deal with mining giant Tarkwa and Damang Gold fields Limited.
The Mauves and Yellows have already been paid the first installment of the money which was used to purchase the 53-seat Mercedes Benz bus to the Tarkwa-based Premier League side.
The deal sponsorship package will serve as a morale booster to the side as they continue to push for a top-four finish in the top-flight.
The mining company has promised to pay the remainder of the money to the club before the end of the season.
Both parties will sign the official agreement on Friday April 27 at GoldFields Club House at Tarkwa.
Source: Medeamasc.com

Ghana FA chief backs Boateng’s return to Black Stars

Kwesi Appiah’s quest to coax retired player Kevin-Prince Boateng back to the Black Stars has received the full backing of the country’s Federation.
The Ac Milan player called time on his international football last November after claiming the demands for playing for both club and country was taken a toll on his physical condition.
It was widely believed the 25-year-old had clashed with ex-Ghana boss Goran Stevanovic.
But the newly appointed Black Stars coach will fly out to Milan to hold showdown talks with the player in an apparent attempt to persuade the former Tottenham enforcer to return to the National team.
And that has received the full backing of the Ghana Federation.
“Any effort to bring in quality players from anywhere will be welcomed and so we’ll encourage him to embark on such an adventure,” FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi said.
“We want the best for the national team and so if succeeds we’ll welcome him with open arms,”
Boateng came into prominence after he featured for the Black Stars at the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa where he shone to attract Italian giant Ac Milan to swoop for his services.

Government to pay 2012 Single Spine Salary increase in May

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning on Wednesday announced that, payment of the 2012 Single Spine Salary increase of 18 per cent would commence in May 2012.
In addition, the 2012 salary arrears for April would be paid in July while all other earlier payment schedules relating to the 2012 Single Spine salaries remain the same.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Ministry and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra.
It said: “Owing to the rather short time span between completion of the 2012 Single Spine Salary negotiation and the minimum period required for the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to input and process April salaries, it has not been possible to commence the payment of the 2012 base pay increment of 18 per cent in April as originally scheduled.
“Consequently the implementation of the 2012 Single Spine Salary Structure would be rescheduled.”
The Ministry assured stakeholders that the new schedule would be strictly adhered to, and any inconvenience caused is sincerely regretted.
Source: GNA

GFA committed to education for footballers

Ghana Football Association President, Kwesi Nyantakyi says the sport body’s ambitious campaign in the field of education for footballers will be sustained.
The Executive Committee of the GFA has introduced a strategic educational reform that will be binding on all juvenile footballers in the country.
The new reforms, set to come into force next year stipulates a mandatory basic school enrollment criteria before players will be eligible for the national colts league.
And the initiative by the sport body is to develop the talents of children through academia and provide education for all children in the country to sustain the development of football.
“If we discover a player who is not educated, we as an institution will arrange an evening class for the player to ensure that his/her level of education is raised to an appreciable level. After that the player will be made to join main stream education,” said, the President of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi at the launch of the second season of the Airtel Rising Stars tournament in Accra on Tuesday.
Part of the GFA’s effort to get every juvenile footballer to pursue academic work is the development of physical structures at the Ghanaman Soccer Center of Excellence at Prampram.
“That is why we are providing a physical structure at the Ghana Soccer Center of Excellence at Prampram, which is part of the academy to provide formal education for our players.
“At the academy, players will have their skills polished here and will receive formal education as well so that they will become complete footballers,” Kwesi Nyantakyi said.
According to the GFA President, the era when football was perceived to be for school drop-outs are over, explaining that football is an unpredictable business since injuries could set in and derail one’s career, hence the need to find alternative source of living by ensuring better education for players.
“Educated players could always find an alternative source of living if their career ends abruptly through injuries.”
Source: Ghanafa.org

Pastor Mensa Otabil chairs IEA’s 2012 Presidential Debates Committee

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Presidential Debates Committee for Ghana’s 2012 Presidential Election, was inaugurated in Accra on Wednesday.
It forms part of the IEA’s efforts to promote issue based and violence free elections.
Brigadier General Francis Agyemfra (Rtd), Visiting Senior Fellow, IEA, inaugurating the committee said, despite the jolts in the country’s democratic practice, Ghana had since 1993, become one of the rare models of democracy, with a future for stability and development.
He said as part of IEA’s quest to promote peaceful and violence free election, as well as achieve an issue based campaign, it was organising three Presidential Debates for the Presidential Candidates of Political Parties with representation in Parliament.
Three debates will be organised in Accra, Takoradi and Tamale before the general elections on December 7.
The committee will meet monthly, at least six times, before the debates, scheduled for October and November.
The 11-Member Committee is chaired by Reverend Dr Mensa Otabil, General Overseer of International Central Gospel Church.
Other members are, Mrs Jean Mensa, Executive Director of IEA, Professor Ivan Addae Mensah, Chairman of National Petroleum Commission, Professor Stephen Adei, former GIMPA Rector and Mr Kabral Blay Amihere, Chairman of National Media Commission.
The rest are Mr Justice Emile Short, former Commissioner of CHRAJ, Maulvi Wahab Adam, Ameer of Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Dr Rose Mensah Kutin, Executive Director of ABANTU and Mr Kofi Asamoah, General Secretary of GTUC, Mr Tony Oteng Gyasi, Managing Director of Tropical Cables and Professor Esi Sutherland-Addy, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana.
The committee is an initiative of IEA and sponsored by Star-Ghana and UNICEF.
Source: GNA

PLB demands ambulance services at centres

League organisers, the Premier League Board is demanding ambulance services at every league centre in the Glo Premier League.
After watching health issues at league grounds around the world turn fatal, the PLB says home clubs are to provide the services, which are mandatory.
“The Premier League Board has noted with concern the failure of some clubs to provide ambulance services during their home matches.
“The PLB wishes to stress that this failure is in serious breach of Article 42(1) of the FA Regulations,” said the PLB statement.
“It is the PLB’s view in the light of some tragic health related concerns in some football matches, even at the world stage, it is imperative all clubs comply with the directive.
“Accordingly all clubs are directed to provide ambulance services, effective this weekend, to avoid sanctions.
The PLB has also demanded of match co-ordinators and commissioners in the league to ensure that such facilities are available at every match venue.
“By copies of this circular, all General Co-ordinators and Match Commissioners are to ensure that no match under their charge is allowed to commence until an ambulance has been provided.”
Source: Ghanafa.org

Global initiative against cholera in Africa launched

Sanofi Pasteur, a vaccination company based in France has launched a programme christened ‘Initiative against Diarrheal and Enteric Diseases in Africa (IDEA) aimed at fighting cholera in sub-Saharan countries.
IDEA is an independent and multidisciplinary group committed to sharing information, analysing relevant issues, raising disease awareness and suggesting measures to support the formulation of policies required to improve disease control in Africa.
Dr Luc Hessel, General Secretary of the Initiative noted that the African Enteric Diseases Expert Bereau is a group of 11 scientific and medical experts from seven French-speaking African countries which met in Dakar in November 2011 to discuss ways of fighting against cholera and enteric diseases.
He said the French countries included Benin, Cameroon, Cote d’lvoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mali and Senegal while some of the English African countries comprised Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Uganda.
He said diarrheal diseases represented the third most common cause of death by infectious diseases worldwide.
The World Health Organisation estimates that three to five million cholera cases occurred every year leading to 100,000 to 120,000 deaths.

Dr Hessel said despite national and international efforts, most cholera cases occurred in the Third World countries particularly in Africa with a very high mortality rate.
He said his outfit would meet the leadership of Ghana to be included in the English speaking African countries.
Dr Portia Manangazira, Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control at the Ministry of Health in Mozambique said since January 2009, 12,819 cases of cholera including 119 deaths were reported out of nine provinces and Maputo city.
She said the two most affected provinces are Cabo Delgado with 2,345 cases of cholera including 35 deaths and Nampula with 2,137 cases including seven deaths.
Dr Manangazira said her outfit had put in place action plan to help address some of the problems associated with cholera, adding that there was the need for African countries to provide safe water and good sanitation in reducing the transmission and impact of cholera.
Dr Laurrent Assogba, Technical Adviser in Health Policy at the Ministry of Health for Benin said in October 2011, Benin reported 350 cases of cholera including two deaths.
He said 95 per cent of the cases were reported from the Atlantique Department and 15 cases from the Department of Zou.
Dr Assogba said Benin had strategised measures in fighting the incidence of cholera, thus providing adequate and timely information to policy-makers to foster rational approach to prevention as well as early detection to the outbreak of cholera.
Source: GNA

Petroleum Commission ready to enforce Ghana’s local content provisions

Dr Kwame Donkor, Chief Executive Officer of Petroleum Commission, has said the Commission would ensure that international oil companies meet the demands of the local content provisions across the broad spectrum of oil exploration and production.
He said the local content in the oil and gas industry was the centre piece of national development agenda and the Commission would ensure that contractors and subcontractors complied with the law.
Dr Donkor was speaking at a stakeholders’ forum on guidelines and procedures for the oil and gas industry in Accra, organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers Ghana and Ghana Oil Club to discuss new developments in the industry, including the guidelines for acquisition of work permit.
The Commission, Dr Donkor said, would place emphasis on the local content in all negotiations for the exploration of oil and gas and issue specific guidelines to enable Ghanaians maximise the benefits.
He debunked assertions that the country had no local content law, saying PNDC Law 84 had sections and specific provisions on local content that were binding and had been used in agreements with oil companies.

Dr Donkor said what the legislative instrument on local content, which was yet to be passed by Parliament, sought to do was to update the existing law and fill in the gaps in the face of new knowledge in the industry.
He assured stakeholders that the Commission as a national body would pursue the national interest rather than a partisan one to ensure that investors made good returns on their investments.
In doing this, Dr Donkor said, the Commission’s intentions were to keep to world standards in the regulations of the sector through the issue of guidelines, advice on policy and coordinate all petroleum activities and to ensure compliance.
He expressed optimism that the Petroleum Commission would become fully operational in July.
Dr Juliette Tumasi-Anokye, Officer-in-Charge of Legal Services at the Commission, said it was a misconception to say that there was no local content law.
She said specific provisions had been made in the Exploration and Production Law and these provisions had further been buttressed by agreement signed with the oil companies.
Dr Tumasi-Anokye said the Commission would be seeking from the companies their local content plans that spelt out the intentions of the companies on the promotion of Ghanaian interest in the industry.
She said the Commission would undertake the registration of service providers adding that key areas to be covered by the plan would include employment, training, research and development activities, technology transfer and legal services and insurance.
Mr Felix Addo, Senior Country Partner, PwC Ghana, said all necessary guidelines should be put in place to ensure that all sectors of the economy derived maximum benefits from the oil and gas industry.
Source: GNA

Cost of treating malaria in Africa exceeds $2b annually

Dr. Aba Baffoe-Wilmot, a medical entomologist, said on Tuesday the direct and indirect costs of malaria in Africa exceeded $2 billion a year.
She said the disease was responsible for a “growth penalty” of up to 1.3% while estimated annual economic burden in Africa stood at $1.7 billion, representing 1.3% of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product.
Dr. Baffoe-Wilmot of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) said this at a press briefing in Sunyani in connection with the celebration of World Malaria Day.
The Day was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th assembly and is held on April 25 every year to recognize global efforts to provide effective control of malaria.
Dr. Baffoe-Wilmot expressed appreciation that Ghana had made progress with a consistent reduction in cases and deaths and commended the government, donors and other relevant institutions for their contributions.
She, however, noted with regret that malaria affected economic growth and development, with 3,000,000 cases of the disease recorded annually in the country, resulting in 3,859 deaths. Some 1,500 children under five years and 60 pregnant women die every year from the disease.
Dr. Wilmot-Baffoe said NMCP distributed 7.8 million Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs) to thousands of households in the country between 2010 and 2011.
She said the programme was expected to supply 12 million nets to meet the country’s Universal Access target by the end of 2012.
She said Ghana targeted an expansion of coverage for malaria treatment using Artemisinim-based Combination Therapy (ACTs) to rise from 12% in 2008 to 80% at health facilities and 65% at community levels.
Dr. Baffoe-Wilmot said in spite of the achievements made in the control of malaria in the country, there was still the need for support and commitment from the government and private/corporate organisations to sustain the gains and save lives.
“In Ghana, under-five mortality has decreased from 120/1000 to 80/1000”, she said.
Dr. Keziah Malm, Deputy Programme Manager of the NMCP, said clinical trials were being carried out in the country for the manufacture of malaria vaccine.
She said scientists conducting the trials had made significant strides and expressed optimism that by 2015 an effective vaccine would have been produced to help bring the spread of the disease under control.
Source: GNA

Kennedy Agyapong dragged to ICC

The Ghana Coalition for the International Criminal Court (ICC) has petitioned the court to investigate the genocidal statements and ethnic-cleansing pronouncements of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
The petition was presented by three members of the coalition, Mr Francis Kojo Arthur, Mr Eric Akomayi and Mr Fortune Sase.
Below is their full statement and attached (above) is their petition to the ICC:
We, members of the Ghana Coalition for the International Criminal Court, on Wednesday April 25, 2012 at 2pm (local time in Netherlands), presented to Mr. Luis Moreno- Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on behalf of millions of Ghanaians a petition pursuant to Article 15 of the Rome Statute of the ICC.
In doing so, the Ghana Coalition for the ICC believes firmly in the view expressed by the Court on January 24, 2012 that it is better to avert future acts of genocide and violence.
The Ghana Coalition in its petition received by Mr. Ocampo here in The Hague- Netherlands, is asking the Office of the Chief Prosecutor to investigate the genocidal statements and ethnic-cleansing pronouncements of a Member of Ghana’s Parliament, Kennedy Ohene Adjepong.
Mr. Adjepong who owns a radio station, Oman 107.1 FM and a television station, Net2 TV, on Friday April 13, 2012 publicly declared on his radio station that the Akan population living in the Ashanti Region of Ghana should attack any Ewe and Ga person they come into contact with.

The Akans are one of the largest ethnic groups in Ghana, while the Gas and Ewes are two of the many ethnic groups we have in Ghana.
In a broadcast that has shocked many in Ghana and received wide spread condemnation from religious and civil society groups among others, Mr. Agyepong also announced that he has declared war. He then proceeded to challenge the National Security Coordinator of the Republic of Ghana, Colonel Larry Gbevlo- Lartey (Rtd) to arrest him if he could.
We have provided the ICC through Mr. Ocampo with audio recordings; newspaper cuttings and other evidential material necessary to enable his office consider our petition.
The three-member team from the Ghana Coalition who travelled from Accra to The Hague, in its petition to the ICC also provided enough background to the current developments in Ghana. This includes recordings and press materials that show that leading members of the opposition New Patriotic Party who have endorsed and hailed Mr. Adjepong as a hero, have over the last 12 to 24 months engaged in the broadcast of hate speeches and inciting the youth to violence.
These include the NPP’s Presidential Candidate Nana Akufo Addo, NPP National Chairman Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, NPP Youth Organiser Anthony Karbo and NPP Deputy Director of Communication Samuel Awuku.
It is the strong belief of the Ghana Coalition that Mr. Adjepong’s statements make him liable for prosecution under Article 3c of the United Nations convention on the prevention of genocide.
Ghana may be the most stable democracy in Africa with relatively strong institutions. But the examples of Kenya and Ivory Coast have shown us that the prospect of violence is real especially in a situation where the country’s Judiciary appears unwilling to punish individuals who incite or engage in violence.
We trust that the ICC will act in a timely manner to avert bloodshed so that in the years to come, regret will not be expressed, as in the case of Rwanda; particularly so as the month of April marks the 18th anniversary of the unspeakable evil perpetrated against over eight hundred persons who were slaughtered in that country.
Thank you.
 

Britney Spears’ fiance is her conservator 

Britney Spears’ fiance Jason Trawick has officially become the singer’s new conservator, joining her father as the caretaker of her finances – according to a US report
The Toxic hitmaker’s father Jamie was placed in charge of her legal and business affairs in 2008 following the singer’s much-publicised breakdown and hospitalisation.
Last month Trawick, under the behest of Jamie, petitioned for co-conservatorship duties as part of the reported process to gradually transfer control of the estate back to the singer.
TMZ.com reports that Jamie was “thrilled” after the hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Source: WENN

Facebook users in Ghana hit 1.1 million

The facebook subscription for Ghana as at 31 March 2012 was 1,146,560, representing 4.6 per cent penetration rate, according to the 2011 Internet World Statistic Report.
Statistic indicated that as at December 2011, the Ghanaian internet users were 2,085,501 representing 8.4 per cent of the population.
Africa came fifth in the facebook subscription growth rating between 31 March 2011 and 31 March 2012 with a total population of 40,205,580 representing 3.9 penetration rates.
For the subscriber growth of the various continents, Europe came first with 232, 855,740, followed by Asia 195,034,380, North America 173,284,940, South America 112,531,100, Central America 41,332,940 and Middle East 20,247,900.
Facebook subscriptions of some of the African countries were as follows: Equatorial Guinea subscription is 18,180 representing 2.7 penetration rates, Nigeria, 4,369,740 representing 2.8 per cent and South Africa, 4,822,820 representing 9.8 per cent penetration rate.
The rest are Egypt,391,580 representing 11.4 per cent of the penetration rate and Ethiopia, 472,460 representing 0.5 per cent penetration rates.
Gabon facebook users are 91,200 representing 5.8 per cent penetration rate, The Gambia 4,840 of 4.2 per cent penetration rate and Kenya 1,298,560 representing 3.2 per cent of the penetration rate.
Facebook is a social networking service and website was launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook Incorporated.
Source: GNA

Stakeholders urged to make use of fisheries research findings

 
Dr Alhanssan Yakubu, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food and Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, has urged stakeholders in the fisheries industry to respect and implement fisheries research findings to help sustain the industry.
He said the fisheries industry has over the years recorded low yields as a result of improper management and the failure to make efficient use of research findings in the industry.
Dr Yakubu said this at the opening of a two-day “Ghana Coastal Fisheries Governance Dialogue” at Elmina in the Central Region.
The dialogue jointly organized by the “Hen Mpoano Project” a local NGO based in the Western Region and the USAID, is under the theme “Sustainable Coastal Livelihood and Food Security” and is being attended by fishmongers, fisheries interest groups, fish managers as well as regional, national and international governance researchers and practitioners.
Dr Yakubu said managing and sustaining fresh water resources was a critical situation and that it was imperative for stakeholders to apply themselves in addressing the situation and that government institutions should take decisions that would work for the growth of the industry.
He said it was also important for governmental institutions to enforce regulations that would serve the present and future generations and continue to dialogue to so as to help sustain the fisheries industry.
NIi Amasa Namoale, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Fisheries, said the government has recognized an urgent need to change the way the nation’s fisheries sector was being managed stressing that it was no longer going to be a reality to allow anyone to go out and purchase a boat and fish.
In this regard, he said the ministry intends to address the issue of open access and carefully consider how this would be done in a fair, responsible and equitable way so as to move the sector towards sustainability.
Nii Namoale said, in reforming the fisheries sector three major components made up of developing the legal and operational policy to enable implementation of the Ghana Fisheries and Aquaculture sector development plans, strengthening fisheries management, including fishing rights and stakeholder-based management and ensuring the necessary research activities for the exploitation as well as aligning fishing capacity and effort to sustainable catch level would be critically considered.
Mr Peter Trenchard, Director of the Economic Growth office of the Ghana Coastal Fisheries Governance Dialogue, said a dialogue among the users and mangers of the fisheries resources presents an essential element for good fisheries governance, consensus and respect for management prescription aimed at sustaining the resources base, stressing that there was the need for collaboration to re-store Ghana’s once vibrant fishing industry.
He said the US government as part of its global feed and future programme was piloting fisheries governance programmes in many countries around the world to sustain food and livelihoods security for fishing communities and countries which are highly dependent on marine fish in their diets.
Mr Trenchard was hopeful that the dialogue would help address the issue of Ghanaian children in the worst forms of child labour in agriculture and fishing, stressing that it is important that the government of Ghana increase remediation efforts to combat the worst forms of child labour in the fishing sector.
Mr Kofi Agbogah, Deputy Director Coastal Resources Centre Ghana, in his welcoming address, said Hen Mpoano was supporting the government of Ghana to achieve its development objectives of poverty reduction, food security, sustainable fisheries management and biodiversity conservation through the dialogue.
He said the two–day dialogue would not resolve the critical issues in the fishing sector in Ghana but it was an important and essential step in identifying co-management scenarios that could help ensure food and livelihoods security in the Coastal areas.
Topics to be discussed in the Dialogue includes: Ghana’s fisheries policy direction, Nested governance systems, co-management in the Gambia and lessons from the regional fisheries livelihood programme.
Source: GNA

Woman stabs rival to death

 
A 26 year-old farmer on Monday allegedly stabbed her suspected rival to death at Tarkwa Banso near Tarkwa in the Western Region.
Martha Amprofi, who is married for more than 10 years with three children, felt the deceased identified as Twadu Armah, a 30-year-old small scale miner who hails from Yaabea near Agona Nkwanta was threatening her marriage.
The body has since been deposited at the Tarkwa Government Hospital awaiting autopsy.
Confirming the incident to westerngh.com, Chief Superintendent Ernest Kuukure Maayeb, Tarkwa Nsueam Municipal Police Commander, said the frequent visit of Mr Anthony Afari, the husband of the suspect to his elder brother’s house where Twadu lived was misconstrued by Martha as a ploy by her spouse to flirt.
He said Martha followed the husband to his brother’s house where she fought with her suspected rival.
Superintendent Maayeb said Mr Afari who was not pleased with the conduct of her wife went home and beat her up.
This infuriated Martha who proceeded to Twadu’s home where she took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the deceased.
He said the suspect fled from the crime scene and reported herself to the police.
Nana Esi Brew Monney

Andre Ayew undergoes successful shoulder operation

Andre Ayew on Tuesday went under the knife in a successful shoulder operation in Lyon, France.
Specialist, Dr Walsch operated on Andre’s left shoulder which has hindered his campaign.
The Ghana and Olympique Marseille player is expected to return to action in approximately three months time.
Andre, prior to the operation which has ended his season had scored eight league goals for Marseille.
Source: GFA

We’ll deal with troublemakers

The Inspector General of Police, Paul Tawiah Quaye, has served notice the police will not treat anyone beating war drums in Ghana with kids’ gloves, because they want to “jealously guard” the prevailing peace.
The IGP, who did not mince words at a press briefing at the Police Headquarters in Accra on Wednesday, said they are poised to “religiously protect the peace” in Ghana and warned that no one should overstretch their patience.
“Don’t misconstrue our calmness as sign of weakness,” IGP Quaye told the press. “We’ll jealously and religiously protect the peace.”
He added: “The police are poised to deal decisively with anyone who wants to disturb the peace in Ghana before, during and after elections. I urge all Ghanaians to respect and use existing police structures in addressing all grievances. We’ll not discriminate or be bias towards any political groupings.”
“We shall stay glued to our legally accepted position to be accountable to the law. We welcome open, honest and constructive criticism because we believe it will refine us. We caution that destructive criticisms are not welcomed. Some people are becoming overly temperamental and using harsh words to bring our work down.”
IGP Quaye called on all Ghanaians, especially the media to help promote peace this election year by ‘blacklisting’ all individuals bent on using their platforms to “promote parochial lies.”
“We need the active cooperation of all stakeholders to safeguard the peace of Ghana. The media should be very professional in this election year.
“Don’t use issues that will create problems. Don’t give platforms to individuals or groups that will go about promoting parochial lies. It will help us avoid situation that will let us compromise our peace,” the IGP said.

NDC has blown the chance to win 2012 elections

The founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings, has reiterated his worry with the leadership style of sitting President John Evans Atta Mills and party executives, which he believes will adversely affect the party’s fortunes during the elections.
Meeting with a 20-member delegation of chiefs and traditional leaders from the Volta Region on Tuesday at his Ridge Residence, ex-President Rawlings expressed concerns that the values and principles on which the NDC was founded have been ignored.
He feels the Mills-led administration had lost a better opportunity come the December elections to retain power.
Speaking to journalists moments after the four-hour meeting with the chiefs, Kofi Adams, the spokesperson for the Rawlingses, told journalists in the presence of the former president that: “It was his [Rawlings] wish that the NDC would win the elections but, the leadership, as he put it, at the government executive level and party level, have completely thrown away that chance. He bore no grudge against anybody but we’ve kind of abandoned the values.”

Rawlings, who opted to speak only through Mr. Adams, remarked: “They [NDC] have lost a lot of morale high grounds.”
The crunch meeting with the chiefs and queen mothers – Royals for Peace and Development – from the Volta region was aimed at resolving the strained relationship between the Rawlingses and sitting President Mills.
His wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, as well as Lower Manya Krobo MP, Michael Teye Nyaunu, Mr. Kofi Adams, Mr. Josiah Aryeh, Madam Sylvia Awornu, General Secretary of the 31st December Women’s Movement sat in the four-hour long meeting.
The spokesperson of the group, Togbe Hotormaho Amedzake III told Citifmonline.com: “Our motive of coming here is to visit Chairman Rawlings and his wife and his household and find out how they are faring.
“Secondly, there is this issue of bad blood between him and some of his working colleagues, whether now or former and so we want to find out from him to what extent has this gotten to so that we can inform ourselves and know the way forward.”
 

Dede Ayew ruled out of two World Cup qualifiers

France-based Ghana Black Stars midfielder Andre Dede Ayew has been ruled out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zambia in June.
The 22-year old successfully underwent a shoulder injury on Tuesday and is expected to be out for about three months.
The Stars will host Lesotho on June 1 before flying to Lusaka seven days later to face the Chipolopolo of Zambia, who are the defending African champions.
Meanwhile, Kwesi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has expressed his positive thoughts on the player’s current status.
“We are delighted the operation went so smoothly and successfully. Ghanaians are praying for you to recover properly and return to the game you love most.
“At this point all we can say is our thoughts are with you (Andre) and we hope you make a speedy recovery,” Nyantakyi said in a statement copied to GNA Sports on Tuesday.
Ayew who plays for French side Olympique Marseille has been an integral part of the Black Stars since making his debut in 2007.
He was adjudged the third best player on the continent by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) last year behind Ivorian Yaya Toure and Seydou Keita of Mali.

Source: GNA

Why the GH¢1m Ghana Media Development Fund is in limbo

The Ghana Media Development Fund is in limbo. Long after the government announced a GH¢1 million seed money to start the fund to facilitate media development in the country it has not taken off yet.
Vice President John Mahama announced the government’s intention to set up the fund on September 9, 2011, when he spoke as the guest of honour at the 16th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awards held in Accra.
And November 16, 2011, the Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor announced the allocation of the funds while he was presenting the 2012 budget statement in Parliament.
A great idea that would facilitate the healthy development of the media in Ghana appears to be still-born because as usual the politicians want to do ‘their own things’ with it.
The Ministry of Information wants to manage the fund! But it is ill equipped to do so. Besides, it has no good history of disbursing funds to the media as our recent history has shown.
For instance up till now, no one knows which group of ‘editors forum’ that the Ministry gave GH¢150,000, even though speculations have been going about who handled the money at the Ministry and which specific journalists were given the said money.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has made it clear to the Ministry that it doesn’t have a good record when it comes to disbursing funds to the media. The GJA therefore, suggested to the Ministry to set up a Board of Trustees and put the Fund under the management of the National Media Commission (NMC). It is also on record that Alhaji Haruna Atta, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Accra Daily Mail has written to the Ministry making a suggestion similar to that of the GJA.
The media is a significant player in national development, but in Ghana, the media is seen as an appendage to the highest bidder. Media organisations are run mostly as business first, which makes its social role opaque. Journalists are made to believe that ethics and social responsibility do not matter, but serving a ‘master’ is all that matters even if that meant threatening social cohesion and the well being of the masses.
The announcement of this fund gave some hope that, at that point the government was taking cognisance of the important role of the media by offering support, but alas it is support with a string. A string to be used to control the media and to support mercenary journalists and to borrow former Attorney-General Martin Amidu’s words ‘the rented press’.
If the case was not so, then the government must prove skeptics like me wrong and let an independent body manage the fund. As the case already stands, government is not being fair to a section of the media that is also making significant contributions to national development. Government advertising is unevenly spread, with ‘government friendly’ but often unprofessional media organisations getting a good chunk of government advertising while, some very high quality publications are starved of funds because they are seen as ‘unfriendly media’.
The future of this country can to some extent be determined by what kind of media we have and if indeed the government means well for the people of this country, it must do the right thing to develop the media by making this fund functional.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

Focus on women’s achievements too

Dr Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills on Tuesday appealed to the media to enhance their coverage on the achievements of women in all areas and sectors of accomplishment.
She said this would facilitate and attract the visibility of more role models for the younger generation.
Dr Naadu Mills who was addressing the opening session of a two-day Leadership Conference on Innovative Women in Business and the Workplace in Accra, urged the media to put the spotlight on women, who did not usually receive the attention and the publicity they deserved, especially those who excelled in so-called male-dominated areas of trade.
The conference organised by Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network in partnership with Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), was used to award women of excellence in their fields of endeavours, as well as some outstanding personalities in the country.
In addition, it would provide cutting edge interactive knowledge transfer session and opportunity to learn from success stories of prominent women attending the conference from the public and private sectors.
Dr Naadu Mills said “We need to look in areas of sports, the automobile industry, airline industry, science and invention, engineering and many more areas that are traditionally male-dominated and encourage women doing remarkable things”.

She therefore, called for media assistance in this regard to enhance the coverage of women and refrain from looking for only negative or the sensation in every story.
Dr Naadu Mills said “We need more pioneers to get involved to ensure that the voices of our women are represented at all levels”.
She underscored the important role that women played and had played in the advancement of mankind.
The First Lady stressed the need to continue to develop the essential qualities that would assist women in developing strategies, trends and tactics that would enable them take on effective leadership positions.
She said despite the celebration of the achievement of women of leadership qualities, there still remained many more women who were still living in abject poverty and many that were constantly abused in Ghana, Africa and the rest of the world.
Dr Naaadu Mills stated that it was unfortunate that the legacy of oppression still weighed heavily on women, and for many, it was directly from within their own homes, where patriarchal and sometimes antiquated rules were upheld.
She said there were still a high percentage of women in the country and Africa, who faced real hardship and yet, had helped shape the history of the country and Africa at large.

“The freedom we have fought for over the years for women is still under threat due to serious violent crimes against women,” she said.
She saluted hardworking women of Africa and the Diaspora, whose achievements were often catalogued for public admirations and which had become household names and subjects of encouragement to many women.
She affirmed Ghana’s commitment to ensuring women empowerment for national development.
Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, said the Ministry intended to sustain the programme as a channel to reward hardworking women, especially the unsung ones in the society.
She explained that the conference would help women understand what leadership was about and develop the essential skills and qualities of effective leadership.
Other objectives of the conference were to support and encourage women across Ghana and beyond to embrace innovation as a key economic driver, assist in increasing the capacity building and serve as a vehicle to sustain growth, push forward competitiveness and encourage new ideas to be turned into commercial success which would ultimately be of benefit to the country and the international community.

Source: GNA

UNESCO bemoans low level reading habit among Ghanaians

Mr Tirso dos Santos, Country Director of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), on Tuesday bemoaned the low level of reading habit among Ghanaians in the country.
“The indicator to this fact is the report of the National Forum on the Falling Standards of the English Language which was organised last year,” he said.
Mr dos Santos made the call during the celebration of “World Book and Copyright Day,” on the theme: “The Role of a Reading Society in National Development, on April 23.
In a message read on behalf of Mr dos Santos by Mr Kwesi Asare Odoi Anim, Assistant Programme Specialist for Education, UNESCO, Ghana Office, he called for more education on the need for Ghanaians to cultivate good reading habits.
“We should come out with modalities on identifying the preferred and available medium and channels for acquiring readable materials,” he said.
Mr dos Santos commended the efforts of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Student Parliamentarians Forum that organised the programme, for its efforts in promoting the development, nurturing and sustenance of reading habit and culture among people in the West African Sub-Region.

He appealed to researchers, translators, archivists, bookshop proprietors, writers, policy makers and other stakeholders to assist in inculcating reading habit into Ghanaians.
Mr Oma’ Adwuma, Convener, ECOWAS Student Parliamentarians Forum, called for the rejuvenation of the Bureau of Ghana Languages, to ensure the continuous development of local languages.
He bemoaned the lack of stakeholder interest in the affairs of the ECOWAS Parliamentarian Forum, and cited lack of funds as its main challenge.
Source: GNA

Journalists tasked to explain climate change issues to citizenry

Journalists have been urged to breakdown the subject of climate change in order to make it meaningful for the citizenry to relate to its impact on national development.
Dr Delali Dovie a Researcher at the Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana (UG) gave the advice when he spoke on a topic: ‘Understanding Climate Change’ at a workshop for 20 journalists, at Akosombo in the Eastern Region.
He said 20 years from now the effects of climate change would be intense if measures were not taken to reduce the impact on global warming.
The workshop was organised by the African Adaptation Project (AAP) as part of its media capacity development programme funded by Japan and the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and the World Food Programme.
The AAP seeks to enhance journalists’ capacity to report on and raise public understanding of the need to protect the sustainability of Africa’s development by mainstreaming climate resilience into national development strategies.
Dr Dovie, said climate change issues cut across all aspects of human endeavour and therefore needed to be understood by all.
He indicated that, human activities such as cutting of trees, sand winning and other destruction of nature had contributed immensely to changes in the climate and journalists must create the awareness for the public to appreciate the issues.

Dr Mrs Elaine Tweneboah Lawson, Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies also of the UG who spoke on “Climate Change and Gender “, noted that women were more vulnerable to the effects of climate change because as majority of the world’s poor they were also more dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods.
She indicated that in applying a gender perspective, attention needed to be given to what had been called, “women’s special conditions” as mechanisms which kept women at disadvantageous positions than men.
Mrs Ama Kudom-Agyemang, a journalist and team leader for cluster D of AAP countries, said climate change issues permeated all stories such as political, health, economic, crime and therefore must not be relegated to the background.
“Climate Change encompasses the economy, health, national security, agriculture, food security, land use, natural resources exploitation, forest energy, poverty and sustainable livelihoods, coastal erosion, finances, gender adaptation and responses” she pointed.
Source: GNA

Rihanna left ‘embarrassed’ by mother’s joke

Rihanna has revealed her embarrassment after her mother made a joke about her brief romance with Ashton Kutcher.
Monica Braithwaite accompanied her superstar daughter to the Times 100 Gala in New York where Rihanna was celebrated as one of the most influential people in the world.
However, the ‘Where Have You Been’ singer may have regretted bringing her mother along as she appeared to out her relationship with the Two And A Half Men actor.
“Well….2nt consisted of us singing Bob Marley, drinkin Vintage Scotch, and my mom thinkin a joke abt Kutcher was appropriate! #Thxtime100,” Rihanna wrote on Twitter.
Rihanna was named influential alongside President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and the Duchess of Cambridge.
The singer fuelled rumours of a romance with Ashton last month, when she was spotted leaving his mansion in the early hours of the morning.
Source: Yahoo UK

Amnesty International releases report on state of Ghana’s prisons

Amnesty International (AI), a non-governmental organization, has called on Government to expedite action on plans to decongest the country’s prisons.
In addition, the Judiciary should speed up processes on trials to check over- crowding in the prisons.
Mr James Welsh, Coordinator, Health and Human Rights, AI, made the call during a courtesy call on Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information in Accra on Tuesday, to inform him about the launch of a research conducted on situations in Ghana’s prisons last year.
The NGO’s report would be launched in Accra today Wednesday, April 25.
Mr Welsh said during the research, the AI visited 10 prisons in Ghana, including four female prisons, and it was revealed that the prisons were over–crowded, especially the small prisons with four or five prisoners sleeping in a cell.
“We also found out that remand prisoners were high on the list and the Central Prisons in Kumasi had the largest population of prisoners,” he said.
Mr Welsh said during the period, government daily feeding subsidy was 60 pesewas but they were happy that that amount had been tripled and commended the Government for the effort.
The research, he said, revealed that although the country’s prisons had vocational training facilities, most of the machines were obsolete and urged Government to give more tools to the prisons for the facilities to function well.
Mr Welsh said: “We believe that it would be better for prisoners to return with skills that would make them acceptable into the society rather than allowing them to come back worse than before.”
He said the AI conducted similar research around the world in different countries, and presented the reports to the individual countries for action, and hoped that their concerns would be addressed.
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa, commended AI for the exercise, and pledged Government’s continuous commitment decongesting the country’s prison.

He said on assumption of office in 2009, the Government promised transparent and accountable government, and opened up to credible institutions like the AI to ensure that peoples’ rights were not abused.
Mr Ablakwa emphasised government’s commitment to good governance, transparency and accountability.
He announced that plans were underway to build more prisons to decongest Ghana’s prisons.
Mr Ablakwa said the Attorney General’s Department and the Judicial Service were charged to investigate why remand prisoners ended up spending more time in the prisons and find a solution to the problem.
He hoped that the AG’s Department and the Judicial Service would expedite action on addressing the challenges.
Mr Ablakwa said for the first time in Ghana’s history, government was sourcing funds to enable the Electoral Commission include prisoners in the country’s elections.
He asked Ghanaians to welcome efforts like that of AI to find solution to human rights problems.
“We all in one way or the other visit people we know in our prisons before and we are all aware of the challenges prevailing there,” Mr Ablakwa said, and urged the media to discuss the report from different angles to sustain the debate.
He said: “It is only sustaining the debate that we would find solution to the challenges”.
Mr Ablakwa emphasised that it was important to make the country’s prisons comfortable, and to make the facilities reform centres to make prisoners relevant to society after serving their prison terms.
Mr Welsh was accompanied by Mr Lawrence Amesu, Director, Amnesty International, Ghana.

Source: GNA

Ghana’s Accreditation Board orders Methodist University to withdraw 1,465 students

The National Accreditation Board (NAB) has ordered the Methodist University College Ghana (MUCG), to withdraw 1,465 unqualified students it has admitted to various degree programmes by the end of April, this year.
The order follows an audit inspection conducted by the NAB at the university which found out that some of the students who were at various levels were admitted with only proficiency certificates in Computer Studies and other courses.
Others had not attained grade C6 or less in one, two or all three of the core subjects such as Mathematics, English and Integrated Science or Social Studies in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Executive Secretary of the NAB, Mr Kwame Dattey, said that if the university did not comply with the order, the NAB would remove its certification and prevent it from advertising itself.
Mr Dattey said the board’s auditing team would continue with its inspection in other tertiary institutions. The purpose, he said, was to ensure that the institutions complied with regulations set out by the Board to promote quality education.
In response to the order, the university has made submissions to the NAB on the issue, prompting the Quality Assurance Committee of the board to schedule a meeting on Thursday, to determine the fate of the affected students.
According to Mr Dattey, the university had indicated that it had some clarifications to make on the matter, and would be doing that before the committee on Thursday.
Commenting on the order, the Principal of the university, Professor Samuel Adjepong, said the letter asking the university to withdraw the students was invalid.
He explained that the university had pointed out a number of flaws which the Quality Assurance Committee of NAB was going to examine.
“Their directive is no longer valid,” Professor Adjepong said.
When contacted on the issue, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr Kwesi Adjepong, disagreed with the number of the students the NAB had asked the university to withdraw but would not disclose what he thought to be the right figure.
Without indicating what the university planned to do about the order, Mr Adjepong said “we are still in communication and would respond at the appropriate time”.
Source: Daily Graphic

Mining firms in Ghana could up expenditure on local products to $200m annually

Mining firms operating in Ghana could scale up their expenditure on locally manufactured products by 66 per cent in the next few years to $200 million annually, the Ghana Chamber of Mines has said.
“Based on data gathered by our Supply Managers, it could well be possible to increase our expenditure on Ghana manufactured products in the long term by 66 per cent from around $120 million per annum to $200 million,” Dr Toni Aubynn, Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on the sidelines of the Buyers and Sellers Forum of Supply Chain Managers for the Mining Industry.
He said the multiplier effect of this growth on the economy would be many times more than incremental increase in direct expenditure, adding that local companies would be in position to employ more people.
The Chamber in September 2011, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Minerals Commission and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to boost local content.
A GAP analysis has been carried out to find ways of equipping local suppliers to be competitive to meet international standards.
Dr Aubynn said the partnership had helped to shape the agenda and discussions on local content as well as help address concerns relating to product quality and continuity of supply.
He said there was the need for the partners to work together to develop the capacity of local suppliers, and gradually move to a phase where most of the needs of mining companies could be met within the local economy.
“We will need to work together with our partners to develop a capacity building and import substitution programme which will allow us to meet our objectives,” Dr Aubynn said.
He said it is in this direction that the forum was a good ground to enhance the knowledge of local industries on the needs of the mining industry, open up access to information and opportunities available to enable local industries share experiences with their foreign counterparts.
Dr Aubynn said the implementation of the local content would allow local industries opportunities to compete on the same terms as their foreign partners benefit from training and transfer of technology to enable them meet standards required by mines
Besides, it would help in the integration of mining with the rest of the economy and in the process help to maximise the country’s gain from mining operations.
Dr Aubynn called on all suppliers to join the Chamber in order to benefit from such capacity building, development and training efforts.
The Minerals and Mining Act 703 Section 105, enjoins mining companies to source materials, labour, products and services locally.
The objective of the forum is to ensure quality, cost-effective and efficient, transparent, and timely service delivery.
It is also to build the capacity of local industries within the Chamber by offering incentives, technology transfer and training and participation in the development of the local content and import substitution strategy, which would ensure a paradigm shift in the sustainable development agenda.
The Chamber expects to hold an exclusive marketing forum with the Chamber’s Supply Managers in Tarkwa on November 16, for members to market their products, logistics and services.
Source: GNA

Mills has surrounded himself with law students – Kpegah

A former Supreme Court Judge, Justice F.Y. Kpegah, is in no mood to defend the John Evans Atta Mills government.
He said the President treats elderly people like him with “contempt” and he has taken a decision to withdraw support for the Government.
“The President has surrounded himself with law students,” said Kpegah. “Instead of relying on the wise counsel of people like us. That is why the government is having problems.”
The Mills government has lost almost all courtroom battles initiated against former officials of the John Kufuor administration. The most recent was the unsuccessful case against former Foreign Affairs Minister, Akwesi Osei Adjei, and former National Investment Bank boss, Daniel Charles Gyimah. An Appeals Court in Accra acquitted and discharged the men of all charges related to public funds and several tonnes of rice ordered from India during their tenure in office.
Last week, a judge in Accra released Assin North Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, on bail. The judge, in ordering the release of the detained MP, asked state prosecutors to revise the charges of treason felony, attempted genocide, and terrorism. The Attorney General’s Department filed charges against the NPP MP for making what has been described as hate speech on Oman FM recently. The judge explained that the facts of the case did not support the severity of the charges against the fiery Assin North MP.
Previously, the State lost high profile cases such as the Yaa-Naa murder trial, the Ghana at 50 trial and others initiated against former state officials of the John Kufuor administration.
Justice Kpegah said this pattern of failure has a simple impetus.
“Take, for instance, the Deputy Minister for Information; he is a law student. Rawlings is older than those young men, the President has surrounded himself with them, but he does not take our advice on legal or political matters,” he said, adding, “If my support for the government is giving me personal damage then I must withdraw and look at them from afar.”
He went on, “I have written several memos to President Mills like the Yaa-Naa issue and the need for him, as a Constitutional matter, to probe the NPP administration because of probity and accountability, which is enshrined in the Constitution (but) he has refused.
“Again, on the Yaa-Naa Issue, I told him (President Mills) to set up a Commission of enquiry with a retired Chief Justice as Chairman and they will send their recommendations to government rather than politicise the matter, but he refused. In the end we wasted a lot of state money on prosecuting the matter in court. That is why I have decided to take a back seat.”
Justice Kpegah became an ardent critic of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after the government of John Kufuor overlooked him, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court at the time, to nominate Justice Georgina Wood as Chief Justice.
In noticeable protest, Justice Kpegah subsequently resigned his position from the Supreme Court and has since been a stern critic of the party whose government failed to make him the third most powerful public official in the land. Also, he has over the last three years made public statements on matters of law and national politics in support of the Mills government.
Last year, Justice Kpegah kicked a major storm within the judiciary when he described as “awful” the trial judge who acquitted and discharged the 15 persons charged for the murder of Ya-Naa Yakubu Andani in 2002.
He said Justice E.K Ayebi’s ruling showed he was totally confused by the case.
Justice Kpegah told Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana show that if the ruling by the judge was submitted to his desk for promotion as is done by judges, he would have awarded Justice Ayebi less than one percent due to his poor ruling on the case.
The Fast Track High Court on Tuesday March 29, 2011 acquitted and discharged all the 15 accused persons on trial for the murder of Ya Na Yakubu Andani II. They were acquitted and discharged on three counts of rioting, conspiracy to murder and murder.
In its ruling, the court presided over by Mr Justice E.K. Ayebi said facts presented by the prosecution had no locus and failed to establish any complicity of the accused persons in the murder of the Ya Na.
“From now on, I will just take a back seat and watch them because that is what my family and chiefs from the Volta Region have advised me to do,” Justice Kpegah concluded in an interview with The Globe.

Source: The Globe newspaper

Mendieta backs ‘special’ Messi to inspire Barcelona past Chelsea

Former Barcelona midfielder Gaizka Mendieta has backed Lionel Messi to fire the Spanish side to a place in the Champions League final at the expense of Chelsea.
Fifa World Player of the Year Messi has failed to score in seven meetings with the Blues but Mendieta believes that he can still help Barcelona overcome a one-goal deficit from the first leg when the clubs meet in their Camp Nou showdown on Tuesday.
“I know Lionel Messi has never scored against Chelsea but there is no special reason for that,” Mendieta told Goal.com.
“He is marked closely whenever he plays. It is just a coincidence. He will be very dangerous at Camp Nou because Barcelona’s style is more suited to the home ground.
“Messi is so special because he makes things look so easy. He is unbelievable. He is so clever. Even when he is faced with two or three defenders he goes around them as if they aren’t there.
“Plus he is switched on in every single game. He wants to play in every game. He never stops playing incredible football and that is what makes him such an outstanding player.”
Former Spanish international Mendieta, who helped Valencia reach two Champions League finals, believes that home comforts will prove decisive ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.
“The key thing for Barcelona is that the second leg is in Spain and that is a disadvantage for Chelsea although we have seen Chelsea play at Camp Nou and do well in the past,” added Mendieta, who also played for Lazio and Middlesbrough.
“So I think we are going to witness a great semi-final. It will be fascinating and very tense because there is a place in the final at stake.
“The pitch is a lot bigger and they use the space very effectively, especially with people like Daniel Alves who plays like a winger when he goes forward. When they play at home it seems more difficult for the opponents to stop Barcelona getting space when they are attacking.
“Plus having all their supporters behind them will not only encourage them but it could also put off the Chelsea players but they are very experienced and that will be helpful to them.”
The 2009 semi-final between the two sides was overshadowed by controversial refereeing decisions but Mendieta is hoping that there is no repeat this time around.

“The main thing is that I hope it won’t be decided by a refereeing decision because I don’t like to speak about referees,” Mendieta continued.
“It is a tough job for them and I prefer it if we just talk about football and not controversy although unfortunately there always seems to be controversy in football.
“Ultimately, I think Barcelona will go through. I am not so sure about whether they will go on to win it because Real Madrid are playing very well and Bayern Munich are a very good team as well and they would have home advantage in the final if they got through.”
Source: Goal.com

Samuel Eto’o warns media on defamation

Former Cameroon captain and Anzhi Makhachkala striker Samuel Eto’o released a statement on his website over the weekend to denounce a number of articles published by two Cameroonian websites.
The sites in question are Camfoot and Nouvelle Expression, as well as Football356, an international sports website, threatening to take necessary court action if the “attacks” persist.
“I made it a point of honour to stay away from Cameroon football news following the sanction imposed on me by the Fecafoot (Cameroon FA),” Eto’o said. “However, some certain media like Football365, Camfoot and Nouvelle Expression are taking the advantage to tarnish my image.
“I was extremely angered by the articles these websites published recently linking me to a number of problems within the Fecafoot and the country’s football.
“By God’s grace and strength of my work, I’ve managed to build a respectable image that I use to serve both my continent and my country. And should the media persecution persist, I would find myself in the sad obligation to take necessary court actions to protect my image,” he added.
The four-time African Football of the Year is serving out an eight-month suspension imposed by the football body last January for his role in the team’s boycott of a friendly match against Algeria last November.
Source: Goal.com

Asante Kotoko To Play In Sa Tourney With Man Utd

Asante Kotoko have received an invitation to play in a four-team tournament with Manchester United as participants in South Africa.
The tournament being played in honour of South Aftica’s first president Nelson Mandela is slated to come off in July.
The Porcupine Warriors will be battling the English giants alongside the PSL duo of Sundowns and Amazulu.
Kotoko’s Public and Supporter Relations Manager Listowell Bukarson in confirming the news says it is in recognition of the great strides made by the club under the Dr. K K Sarpong led administration.
“We are delighted at the invitation. It adds to the recognition of the enhanced corperate Kotoko brand,” he told GHANAsoccernet.com
“It tells also of the professionalism at Kotoko under the leadership of DR. K.K Sarpong.
“Its exciting for us to have this rear opportunity to play against Manchester United in a tournament in honor of a great personality like Nelson Mandela.”
Bukarson adds the club will be looking to take full advantage of the opportunity that comes with playing in this tourney.
“Kotoko have positioned itself to maximise PR and marketing mileage that comes with this monumental invitation.”
Kotoko are just a point away from sealing an historic 22nd league feat with five games more left to go in the Ghanaian top flight.
By Ameenu Shardow

Fire destroys another radio station

Nabina Radio, a community radio station in the Kasena-Nankana East District, was at the weekend razed by fire destroying all studio equipment.
The station’s transmission goes beyond the district to some parts of the Northern Region and mostly promotes agricultural issues and various contemporary national matters.
This brings to two the number of radio stations that had been gutted by fire, the first one being Radio A One in Bolgatanga about three months ago.
Narrating the incident, the head of programmes at the station, Mr
Alfred Kutagera, said the fire started at about 0945 hours on Saturday morning when the block experienced power fluctuation and efforts to put it out with fire extinguishers proved futile.
He said the Ghana National Fire Service was contacted but when the personnel arrived the fire had spread to other parts of the building.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo who visited the scene, expressed shock at the incident and appealed to management of the station to take inventory of the lost items so that the station could be assisted for transmission to resume.
Source: GNA

Ken Agyapong’s conduct is equal to a mentally retarded person – Kofi Wayo

The Founder and Leader of the United Renaissance Party (UFP), Charles Kofi Wayo has called for the immediate dismissal of the Assin North Member of Parliament, Ken Agyapong from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Kofi Wayo said the conduct of the lawmaker can only be equated to the behaviour of a mentally retarded person who does not think about the repercussion of his actions.
“It is obvious Ken Agyapong is suffering from mental instability based on his utterances. Is either he is mentally retarded or he’s got some psycho-pathological problems,” he added.
Kofi Wayo’s outburst comes on the back of inflammatory comments made by the Assin North MP inciting Ashantis against Gas and Ewes on Oman FM.
Ken Agyapong who is facing charges of treason felony, attempted genocide and terrorism act was granted bail in the sum of GH¢200,000 with one surety on health grounds.
But Kofi Wayo who was contributing to a panel discussion on the issue on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Monday, said Ken Agyapong must be hauled before the Privileges Committee of Parliament to explain the motive of his declaration of ‘war’.
He maintained that the Assin North MP’s continuous ‘explosion’ in public makes people think Parliament is a joke.
Kofi Wayo said Ken Agyapong has brought the name of Parliament into disrepute hence does not qualify to be in the august house.
The URP founder stressed that “if he [Ken] was in my party I would have suspended him because I fear God”.
He indicated that “the NPP must show to the world that they have some form of civilization and dismiss him[Ken] from the party because this is offensive to Ghanaians.”
Kofi Wayo advised the Assin North MP to use his money to provide basic social amenities like good drinking water, schools, healthcare and set up industries in his constituency to provide employment to his “poverty stricken constituents than propagating violence ahead of the December polls”.

Meanwhile, NPP MP for the Upper West Denkyira, Benjamin Ayeh, who was a co-panelist on the programme said Ken Agyapong has been quoted out of context.
He said the Assin North MP who has children from the Volta region has no intention to incite other tribes against Voltarians.
The Upper West Denkyira MP called for a seize fire on the issue since according to him, Ken Agyapong has shown remorseful for his action.
Ben Ayeh warned that attempt by government propagandists to blow the unfortunate ethnocentric comment by the Assin North MP out of proportion for political expediency could plunge the country into chaos

Over 20 million Ghanaians don’t have proper sanitation! – Report

More than 20 million of Ghana’s 23 million population do not have proper sanitation, the findings of a new report show.
The report says by 2010 only 2,023,000 (two million) people have access to improved sanitation in the country, leaving 20,977,000 people without proper sanitation.
In the whole of Africa, the report says over 572 million (equivalent to about four times Nigeria’s population) of the world’s 2.6 billion people are without access to proper sanitation.
The figure, a compilation of the number of people in 36 off-track African countries listed as not having access to proper sanitation by 2010, according to the report, that means over half of Africa’s estimated one billion population from 53 countries, do not have access to appropriate sanitation.
The report, “Saving Lives”, which was launched by WaterAid, an international aid organisation last week as the prelude to a high level meeting on sanitation on water in Washington D.C., puts the total figure of Africa’s population in need of proper sanitation, at 572,091,000.
Furthermore, the total estimated population of the 36 countries is 784,565,246, meaning only about 212,474,246 have access to adequate and proper sanitation.

Topping the list of countries with large populations without access to basic dignifying sanitation is Nigeria, with 109,312,000 of its 154,729,000 population without access and thus only 45,417,000 having access.
Following on the heels of Nigeria is Ethiopia, with 65,530,000 of her population of 85,237,338 without proper sanitation, then DR Congo, which has 50,134,000 out of its 63,655,000 population being without the required sanitation access as at 2010.
Ghana’s situation is also very intriguing, as out of a total population of 23 million, the report indicates that 20,977,000 people were without proper sanitation by 2010, which means only 2,023,000 (two million) people have access to improved sanitation in the country.
Although the report does not state why the other African countries are not included, it has been gathered that a country like Liberia is missing because records are not available.

Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb wakes from coma

Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb has woken from a coma after more than a week and begun to show signs of recovery.
Spokesman Doug Wright said he was able to nod and communicate with his family who have held a constant vigil at his beside in a central London hospital.
The 62-year-old fell into a coma after contracting pneumonia in his battle against colon and liver cancer.
Gibb’s wife Dwina has revealed he cried when she played him Roy Orbison’s 1962 song Crying.
Fellow Bee Gees star Barry Gibb had also been singing to his brother to try to rouse him.
Dwina Gibb told her local paper The Impartial Reporter, based in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland their children Robin John, Spencer and Melissa have been playing him music to “try and bring him back to us”.

Facebook tributes
She said thousands of people have been saying prayers for him every day, and thanked his fans for their support.
In February Gibb said he had made a “spectacular” recovery from cancer but was later back in hospital for surgery.
Gibb was too ill to attend last week’s premiere of his latest work The Titanic Requiem, a classical piece composed with his son to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.
He was due to sing Don’t Cry Alone in person at Central Hall Westminster in London.
The singer’s website is down because of traffic volumes, with fans directed to his Facebook page, where messages of support can be left.
The British-born singer had surgery on his bowel 18 months ago for an unrelated condition, but a tumour was discovered and he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon and later of the liver.

It had been thought his cancer was in remission as early as last month.
Robin Gibb’s musical career began when he formed the Bee Gees with his brothers Barry and Maurice in 1958.
The group is among the biggest-selling groups of all time with hits spanning six decades including Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Massachusetts, and Words.
Their soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever was one of the best-selling albums of the 1970s and the band have won seven Grammy Awards.
Robin’s twin brother Maurice Gibb died in 2003 aged 53 due to complications from a twisted intestine.
His younger brother Andy, who had a successful solo career, died of a heart ailment in 1988, aged 30.
Gibb last performed on stage at the London Palladium in February, supporting injured servicemen and women in a charity concert.
Source: BBC

Actress Mulligan wore rain boots to wed

 
Actress Carey Mulligan shunned traditional wedding shoes and wore rain boots as she exchanged vows with folk rocker Marcus Mumford in the English countryside on Saturday.
The An Education beauty married the Mumford & Sons star in a converted barn in Somerset and she chose a custom-made cream Prada gown to wear as she walked down the isle.
But Mulligan decided to ditch her high heels and don pink Wellington boots under her dress as light rain started to fall during the ceremony, according to UsMagazine.com.
Guests at the low-key event included Colin Firth, Sienna Miller and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Mulligan and Mumford, who were childhood pen pals, became engaged last year after a whirlwind romance.
Source: WENN

Ground change for FA Cup Round of 32 fixture

The FA Cup Committee has moved the Danbort FC vrs BA Stars outstanding Round of 32 game to the Nungua Town Park.
The game on Wednesday 25th April was initially scheduled to have been played at the Tema Stadium.
Both teams are playing for a place in the Round of 16.
There will be two other outstanding games set for Wednesday.
Division One campaigners, Yegoala will welcome Edubiase to the Baba Yara Stadium.
Hearts of Oak, who have seen their premier league title ambitions ended, will turn their focus to the Cup competition as they attempt to reach the fourth round.
The Phobians and Dunkwa United will clash at the Accra Sports Stadium in the Round of 32 fixture.
Source: Ghanafa.org

Hearts seek Cup salvation after league setback

Hearts of Oak, who have seen their premier league title ambitions ended, will turn their focus to the MTN FA Cup competition as they attempt to reach the fourth round.
The Phobians and Dunkwa United will clash at the Accra Sports Stadium in an outstanding Round of 32 fixture on Wednesday 25th April.
The FA Cup represents Hearts’ only chance of silverware this season after falling off the pace in the premier league to rivals, Asante Kotoko – also involved in the Cup competition.
Hearts are 15 points adrift Kotoko but hope to seek salvation in the FA Cup when they take on the Division One campaigners, Dunkwa.
Two other Round of 32 games will also come off on Wednesday as all the clubs chase for places in the Round of 16.
Danbort FC will welcome BA Stars to the Nungua Town Park after the FA Cup Committee agreed to change the match venue from the Tema Stadium to Nungua.
Yegoala will take on New Edubiase at the Baba Yara Stadium to complete the fixture list.

Wednesday’s outstanding Round of 32 fixtures

Danbort FC vrs BA Stars
Hearts of Oak vs Dunkwa Utd
Yegoala vs New Edubiase
Source: Ghanafa.org

Over 200,000 guns in circulation in Ghana

The Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons has raised grave concerns about arms in circulation indicating that about 20 percent of illegally manufactured weapons in circulation are from the nation’s security services.
According to the Commission, the porous nature of the record keeping and data management systems by the security services has led to the phenomenon, adding that per the records over 200,000 small arms are in the custody of civilians.
Analysts have described the situation as problematic as the December elections approach. Johnson Twum–Asante is a Senior Research Officer at the Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons and he told Citi News: “The difficulty is with our record keeping and data management system.”
He added: “We still keep this records in hand written form and we all know what can happen to data in this country. As a commission what we’re trying to do is to set up a digital computerised data based system for the police.
“We’ve been able to do this for five of these regions and even the five that we’ve done is not being effectively utilised.”
“We want to help them capture all these so that at the click of a button they can tell how many weapons have been issued even at Bunkurugu Yonyo or Zabzugu Tatale, sitting at the Police Headquarters. Even if the police issue it to everybody and there is crime and they retrieve a weapon, how to even trace the owner of that weapon is a problem,” Twum-Asante pointed out.
“You should not also rule out some miscreants within the security services.”
Twum-Asante further indicated to Citi News a marking system has been initiated by the Commission and will seek to help rectify the situation.

University for Health and Allied Sciences takes off in September

The proposed University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) for the Volta Region is certain to takeoff in September this year, Professor Fred Binka, its first Vice Chancellor asserted in Ho on Monday.
He was addressing a well-attended public forum, organised under the auspices of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council.
At the forum reports of activities concerning the establishment of the University, including policy-blueprint, human resource searches and physical structure build-ups were presented.
“We are on the ground and ready to start work in September 2012, with the first intake of 200 students,” Prof Binka stressed.
He said the process of certifying programmes to be offered with the National Accreditation Board were about starting and that as soon as that clearance was given advertisements for applications for admissions would be put out in the media.
Prof Binka said the University Council was also in consultation with the relevant professional bodies for their input into course contents.
He said work on the permanent site would be developed as the University grew.
The UHAS was one of two public universities promised by President John Evans Atta Mills, the other being, University for Energy and Natural Resources, for the Brong Ahafo Region.
Source: GNA

Kwaku Bonsam predicts Buju Banton’s release

Popular fetish priest, Nana Kwaku Bonsam has predicted that Jamaican roots reggae/dancehall artiste, Buju Banton who is currently serving a jail term in America, will soon leave prison a free man.
The fetish priest made the prediction during an interview with Blakk Rasta on the Boiling Point segment of the Taxi Driver programme on Hitz FM.
According to Kwaku Bonsam, not only will the reggae maestro walk a free man, he will be accompanied by a string of reggae hits that will let a lot of people cry or laugh out of emotion.
The renowned fetish priest is widely known for predicting the freeing of Jesus One-Touch as well as some accidents and fires in the country late last year.
He has been a torn in the flesh of so many Christian ministers who he openly challenged to spiritual duels – all of who developed cold feet.

Blakk Rasta, host of the show called Nana Bonsam to interpret a dream that a Guyanese woman, Pixie Massiah Aboya, now resident in Ghana had last Friday.
According to Pixie, in the dream she saw Buju in a lonely American court being shaved of his locks and beard. He later caught a taxi out of the court house in New York City. Pixie wondered why a rich man like Buju will be in a taxi rather than in his private car but she remembered he had just been released from jail.
A pastor, Kumchacha, interpreted the dream as Buju losing all his power in jail as Sampson in the Bible did. But Nana Kwaku Bonsam interpreted the dream, ‘after consultation with his gods’, that Buju is so sad in prison that his property that he entrusted into the care of some friends are all being misused.
He, Buju, therefore feels let down by trusted friends who he left his cherished legacy with before going to jail.
Nana Bonsam, who is a regular listener of Blakk Rasta’s Taxi Driver show praised the host for a good job done saying that the chief of his gods, Kofi-Kofi, enjoys reggae music.
He added that Buju will soon leave prison and shock the world with a massive musical hit which he has never envisaged.
Buju Banton, born Anthony Mark Myrie in Jamaica was convicted, controversially, of cocaine trafficking by an American court a couple of years ago.
He is a Grammy award-winning artiste known for such hits as Boom Bye-Bye and Destiny. He is married to a Ghanaian woman called Nina and have a child between them.
The Boiling Point airs as a segment on Hitz FM’s Taxi Driver reggae show hosted by Ghana’s number one controversial, Blakk Rasta from 10:00am to 1:00pm Monday to Friday.
Source: Hitz FM

Ghana’s Margaret Simpson hopeful of winning a medal

Heptathlon Queen of Africa Margaret Simpson is promising to end Ghana’s medal drought at the Olympics after booking qualification last week Friday to the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The 32 year old won this year’s Africa combined events Championships-which also served as London Olympic qualifier –in Bambous,Mauritius.
According to her, winning a medal at this year’s Olympics for Ghana is possible considering her performance over the years.
“I’m hoping all will go well for me to at least win a medal for the country”.
“I have participated along with most of the athletes I’m going to meet there so I believe i can win a medal”.
Simpson who is renowned for her strong javelin throw won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland and also won a Gold medal at the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo.

Gold, cocoa, oil exports earn Ghana $3.8b in 2012

Ghana earned $3.8 billion from merchandise exports, preliminary estimates of total exports for the first three months of 2012 by the Bank of Ghana shows.
The earnings represent a year-on-year growth of 22.8 per cent according to the central bank.
The Bank indicates that the growth in export earnings continues to be driven by gold, cocoa beans and crude oil.
“Exports of gold amounted to $1.5 billion, cocoa beans $939.8 million and crude oil $689.6 million. Other exports, including non-traditional exports, amounted to $675.2 million during the period,” says the governor of the Bank, Mr. Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.
Giving a breakdown, the Bank says, total non-oil imports amounted to $3.6 billion of which capital imports was $781.2 million, intermediate imports $1.7 billion, consumption imports $775.8 million and others US$251.8 million.
However, the Bank reports that total merchandise imports provisionally amounted to $4 billion in the first quarter of 2012, representing a year-on-year growth of 19.8 per cent. Oil imports, including crude, gas and refined products amounted to $457.2 million compared with $692.2 million for the same period of 2011, it adds.
“These developments in the merchandise trade resulted in a trade deficit of $202.1 million compared with a deficit of $246.1 million for the same period in 2011,” says Mr. Amissah-Arthur.

FDB seizes unwholesome fish

The Food and Drugs Board, upon a tip off has seized a consignment of about One Thousand (1000) cartons of unwholesome fish, imported by C & G Company Limited based in Tema.
Inspection at the C & G facility indicated that the said consignment of fish was being stored under unhygienic conditions, a release by John Odame-Darkwah, Ag Deputy Chief Executive (Food) has said.
According to the release, “it was also detected that C & G indulges in the repackaging of unwholesome fish for placement on the market”.
These actions of C & G Company Ltd. contravene sections 7 and 8 (1) of the Food and Drugs Law, PNDC Law 305B, it said.
Section 7 of the Food and Drugs law stipulates: “Any person who sells, prepares, packages, conveys, stores or displays for sale any food under insanitary conditions commits an offence.
“Section 8(1): “Any person who (a) sells, or offers or exposes for sale, or has in his possession for sale or (b) deposits with or consigns to any person for the purpose of sale, any food intended for, but unfit for human consumption commits an offence.”
The Food and Drugs Board has confiscated the consignment of unwholesome fish for safe disposal, to protect public health and safety.
“Importers of frozen animal products should note that proper and constant maintenance of the cold chain, as well as hygiene during storage and /or transportation of their frozen products are basic requirements to guarantee product wholesomeness,” the statement noted.
The Food and Drugs Board promised to continue its monitoring of the operations of all Bulk Cold Storage Facilities to ensure that they adhere strictly to Good Cold Storage Practices.
The Board also assured the public that it would continue to do all to protect public health and safety.
“Information from the general public on persons suspected to be in any practice with the potential of endangering public health and safety with respect to FDB’s mandate is most welcomed through any of the following contact numbers; 0244337235, 0244337243 or 0244337247.”

Drivers adviced to keep fire extinguishers within reach 

Drivers have been advised to place fire extinguishers closer to them, preferably under the driver’s seat or at the front compartment, to enable them react speedily and defensively to vehicular fire threats.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alexander Kweku Obeng, Head of Education and Research Unit of National Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of Ghana Police Service gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday.
He said though fire extinguishers, together with spare tyre, first aid kits and other accessories were required by law to be onboard a vehicle without any reference to specific location, it was preferable for the fire extinguisher in particular to be located closer to the driver for quick assess in case of fire threat.
ASP Obeng said in case of a fire threat, a driver might not have the luxury of time to get to the trunk (car boot) to search, locate and take a fire extinguisher adding “The fire cannot wait for you to do all that before it starts spreading fast.”
He said regulations on fire extinguishers, stressed that a driver should have on board his or her vehicle, a fire extinguisher that had the appropriate weight and functioning.
In case of fire threat, ASP Obeng advised drivers to be capable of pulling the pin around the nozzle of a fire extinguisher, hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from the user, aim the nozzle of the extinguisher, which had been held in an upright position at the base of the source of fire.
He added that the trigger should be squeezed slowly and evenly to release the extinguishing agent or chemical while the user made a sweeping motion until the fire was diminished.
ASP Obeng cautioned drivers involved in vehicular fire emergencies not to fully open the bonnet of their vehicles since oxygen, which aided burning, could enter the fire source to make situation worse.
He failed to disclose the number of vehicular fire cases in the country but said the danger was getting worse due to existence and use of older vehicles on the road.
ASP Obeng recommended that drivers needed to upgrade their knowledge and skills in driving by enrolling at the National Drivers Academy.
Source: GNA

Blackouts to end in September

The Minister for Energy, Dr. Oteng Adjei, has assured Ghanaians that the constant blackouts being experienced in Ghana will cease by the third quarter of this year.
According to him, the NDC government is committed to providing affordable and sustainable energy for the country. Dr. Adjei said there is ongoing reinforcement and replacement work in all major substations across the country to boost energy supply and power generation.
The Minister said: “We are upgrading the Mallam substation, by May ending there would be two more transformers so that the seven transformers within the system can hold all the demand of Accra.”
“Because of the industrial nature of Tema, we’re building a second bulk supply point. After we’ve finished reinforcing the transmission system it would give us that comfort; we want it eradicated,” he added.
“We assure you, by September, October, when most of our plants have been integrated; you’d see a real change in the power supply system of this country.”

Ghana fines Glo Mobile $200,000

Glo Mobile Ghana, the sixth licensed mobile operator in the country, has been slapped with a penalty of $200,000 or its cedi equivalent by the Ghana National Communications Authority (NCA) for failing to commence commercial operations three years after it was granted licence.
Failure on the part of the company to redeem the fine would attract another $100,000 annually or its cedi equivalent in the preceding year.
Should the company continuously flout the demands of the licence, the industry regulator would be forced to withdraw its licence.
Communications Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, who confirmed this to the Daily Graphic in Accra, described the move by the industry regulator as “justified as it is in line with the licence regulations and in tandem with the NCA Law.
Three years ago, Glo Mobile Ghana, which has been very instrumental in the support of the country’s premier league and the national team, was granted a licence to operate as the sixth mobile telecommunications company.
Since then, the company has involved itself in a lot of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities across the country and has also rolled out a massive marketing campaign in an attempt to whet the appetite of Ghanaians.
The company has, however, consistently postponed its scheduled date to launch its commercial service, making many lose interest in the brand.
As per the licence granted to the company, the first phase of the implementation of the conditions of the licence should see Glo launch in at least six regions of the country and two years after, add two more regions as part of phase two and go nationwide with its service after a couple of years in the third phase.
However, in spite of the conditions as stated, Glo has not started operations.
Source: Daily Graphic

USAG threatens demo against NDC, NPP on violence

The University Students Association of Ghana, USAG, is threatening to embark on a demonstration against, ruling National Democratic Congress and the opposition New Patriotic Party to protest violence and hate-speech.
According to the group, the two leading parties have lost focus and are rapidly moving away from their core mandate to contribute to the development of the country.
The President of the group, Kingsley Baffoe, said the demonstration will urge the politicians to act responsibly to foster peace during this election year.
“If these two parties fail to live up to expectation we will not hesitate to marshal all forces to demonstrate against them,” he told Citi News. “The demonstration would be to show our disappointment towards them on the continuous violence.”

BECE pupils complete exams today

Final year Junior High School students are writing their last and final paper in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) today.
The examination began on the 16th of this month with over 376, 000 candidates from 11,164 public and private Junior High Schools taking part.
They are made up of 203,394 boys and 173,465 girls. The examination is an entry requirement for pupils planning to go to Senior High Schools in the country.
 

Majid Michel wins Best Actor in Africa

 
Ghana failed to put up a strong showing at the 2012 AMAA awards which came off yesterday in Lagos, Nigeria. Ghana’s actors, directors, producers in all got sixteen (16) nominations picking only two awards.
Majid Michel won the award for ‘Best Actor In a Lead Role’ for the movie ‘Somewhere in Africa’. The second award for Ghana was for the film ‘Ties That Bind’ which won ‘2012 AMAA Achievement in Screenplay.’
The South African film ‘How To Steal 2 Million’ swept 5 awards on the night which was filed with lots of glitz and glamour and a host of celebrities from across Africa and Hollywood.
‘How To Steal 2 Million’ by Charlie Vundla’s won ‘Best Film’, ‘Best Director’, ‘Supporting Actor’ ‘Supporting Actress’ and ‘Best Editing.’
Rita Dominic beat strong competition from Yvonne Okoro in the movie ‘Single Six’ and Ama K. Abebrese in the movie ‘Ties That Bind’, to win ‘Best Actress In A Lead Role‘with the movie ‘Shattered’.
AMAA 2012 ACHIEVEMENT IN SCREENPLAY
Ties That Bind – Ghana
Mr & Mrs – Nigeria
How To Steal 2 Million – South Africa
Otelo Burning – South Africa
Unwanted Guest – Nigeria
Two Brides And A Baby – Nigeria

AMAA 2012 BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Menzi Ngubane – How To Steal 2 Million
Majid Micheal – Somewhere In Africa
Chet Anekwe – Unwanted Guest
Jafta Mamabolo – Otelo Burning
Karabo Lance – 48
Wale Ojo – Phone Swap
Hakeem Kae-Kazim – Man On Ground

Liberia electoral officials observe biometric registration exercise in Ghana

Officials of the National Elections Commission of Liberia have observed the ongoing biometric registration exercise in the Akuapem North District as Liberia intends to go biometric.
The three-member delegation led by Mr Nathan P. Garbie, the Deputy Executive Director in- charge of External Affairs, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that they were in the country to observe the biometric registration exercise because Liberia also wanted to adopt it in their next national elections.
He commended Ghana for taking ‘the bull by the horn’ to go biometric in this year’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections and added that all African countries were looking up to Ghana for a successful election in December.
Mr Garbie said having gone through five successful general elections without any political upheaval he believed that Ghanaians would exhibit another high sense of political maturity in December.
He said the time had come for all African countries to understand that democracy was the answer to much political unrest.
The Akuapem North District Director of the Electoral Commission, Mr Joseph Addo Boateng who took the delegation round some registration centres, said the exercise had been successful in the area except some few technical hitches at the initials stages.
He said the Akuapem North District recorded 52,252 voters during the first and second phases of the biometric registration exercise. The first phase recorded 30,644 and the second phase recorded 21,608 with 80 challenge forms were filled in both phases.
He said it had become necessary for voters to go through biometric registration because the old method of registration did not have built-in mechanism for detecting multiple registrations and voting.
Mr Boateng commended all the stakeholders for supporting his outfit to make the exercise success.
Source: GNA

Political tension costly to nation 

The Executive Director of Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA) and the President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) say the rising political tension can undermine investor confidence in the local economy.
While the CEPA boss, Dr Joe Abbey, attributed the fall of the cedi to the high demand for the dollar due to fears of political uncertainty regarding the December polls, Nana Owusu-Afari said no businessman would invest in areas where there was persistent conflict.
They, therefore, appealed to politicians, political parties and their agents to defuse the political tension which was gradually creeping into the political discourse for the sake of the national economy.
Joining the fray of institutions and individuals concerned about developments in the local economy, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) also expressed worry and attributed the rapid decline in the value of the cedi to those developments.
In an interview on the economic implications of the current political tension, Dr Abbey said though Ghana had enjoyed a relative political and economic stability since the inception of democracy in 1992, the current political tensions might send wrong signals to the investor community.

The cedi has in the last four months lost more than 10 per cent in value against the US dollar on the back of a high corporate demand for the dollar and the withdrawal of some foreign investors from the secondary markets.
On Friday, April 20, 2012, the Ghana cedi traded at 1.792 to the dollar. The currency remains within sight of its recent record low of GH¢1.800.
This is in spite of the Bank of Ghana’s efforts to bolster the currency with a hike in the policy rate to 14.5 per cent in addition to other measures to free up foreign reserves held by local banks.
The CEPA boss said :“The investors in our market are speculating about future events in Ghana and those speculations are fuelled by the tensions we are currently witnessing”.
According to the renowned economist, though all the appropriate monetary and fiscal policies are in place for a stable currency, “inflammatory statements from politicians have tended to poison the atmosphere, thereby sending wrong signals to investors who have invested heavily in the country’s markets.”
He warned that “the weakness of the currency posed an inflationary threat and endangered the stability of the economy”.
The Bank of Ghana has since the beginning of the year circulated more than US$800 million dollars in order to stem the fall of the local currency, but the cedi is yet to stabilise.
Nana Owusu-Afari said the emerging violence in the biometric registration exercise could discourage investors from putting their monies in the Ghana’s economy.
“As a businessman, I know no investor will invest in areas of persistent conflict. The result will be lack of development in those areas, which in turn will perpetrate poverty, which will lead to further conflicts-a vicious circle Ghana can ill-afford,” he said.
Speaking at the induction and graduation ceremony of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) students, Nana urged the media and others on the political platforms to use language skills effectively.
Good communication skills, he noted, was key to ensuring peace and avoiding national and international disputes and conflicts.
“The resort to the politics of insult should be minimised. We in this country should be reminded of Budumburam and other refugee camps that harbour citizens from neighbouring countries. It is those countries today and, God forbid, it should not be Ghana tomorrow,” he said.
He observed that there were matters that could be resolved by parties through the process of mediation.
Meanwhile, a statement signed by the Secretary General of TUC, Mr Kofi Asamoah said the workers movement was worried about the rapid decline in the value of the Ghana cedi against its major trading currencies.
The TUC said depleting the national reserves to shore up the value of the cedi amounted to treating the symptoms of the problem rather dealing with its root cause.
The statement attributed the free fall in the value of the cedi to what it described as failed economic policies championed by governments over the last three decades under the influence of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
It said the structure of Ghana’s economy made the nation over-reliant on imports while bringing down the value of exports.
These policies, according to the TUC, had been compounded by the over-liberalisation of the country’s external payment system allowing for the transfer of foreign currency out of the country.
It said the legal limits of people and companies transferring millions of dollars through the country’s porous borders had rarely been enforced.
“The regime of allowing foreign currencies to be traded like any other commodity is part of the problem,” it said.
The TUC believes that halting the free fall of the cedi would require a fundamental shift in policy and attitudes, particularly among the monetary authorities.
It called on the government and its agencies to review Ghana’s trade policies to ensure that in the medium to long term, Ghana put in place measures to wean itself from excessive imports.
“We expect them to address the many constraints that hinder domestic production and value addition and which perennially necessitate over-dependence on imports,” it said.
The statement said the current state of the cedi was worsening the living conditions of Ghanaian workers since it had pushed up the prices of goods and services. It had also forced a number of businesses that dealt in the dollar out of business.
“The TUC also urges the BoG to curb speculation on the forex market by imposing a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) on foreign exchange transactions. The FTT would not only help stem the speculative attacks on the cedi but importantly generate revenue for national development” the statement said.
The TUC concludes with a call on the government to break the tradition of excessive spending in this election year.
“The tradition does not inure to the benefit of the people of Ghana. Also, a discerning voting public is increasingly becoming averse to such fiscal recklessness” it said.
When the local currency was redenominated in July, 2007, it traded at GH¢0.92 to US$ 1.00. By the close of 2008, it had fallen to par at GH¢1.00 to US $1.00.
Since the beginning of the year 2012, the national currency has depreciated by 8.3 percent against the dollar compared to the two percent depreciation it saw the same period in 2011.

In January, 2012 alone, the value of the cedi went down by 5.9 percent.
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has explained that the situation was transitory as a result of the increasing demand by businesses for the dollar to pay for goods and services procured in December for Christmas.
Source: Daily Graphic

Konadu’s exit will crush Kotoko

Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Isaac Amoako fears the exit of coach Maxwell Konadu will crush his ‘project’ at the club next season.
The future of the former All Stars boss has been hugely speculated after he was strongly linked with the Black Stars job
It’s widely believed the 40-year-old will be appointed as the assistant coach of the Black Stars after Kwesi Appiah sealed a two-year deal as the permanent boss of the African powerhouse.
The two worked wonders to hand the country their first ever gold medal in football at the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo.
Coach Konadu looks set to hand Kotoko their first league title in four years after they opened a staggering 14-point lead at the summit of the table following a 2-0 win over Mighty Jets over the weekend.
But the glovesman believes the exit of their boss will affect their ambition next term.
“He (Konadu) treats us like brothers and so we’re very happy what he’s doing for us but I believe that if he leave us, we will suffer next season,” Amoako said
“He is a former player and so understands the philosophy of the team and that has played a crucial role in what we’re achieving so far in the league.
“If he’s appointed as the Black Stars assistant coach, it will affect us. We simply don’t want to lose him at this time. Not at all,”
Kotoko will need all their arsenals to make a huge impact on their return to the African Champions League next season.
By Patrick Akoto

Acheampong concedes title to Kotoko

AshantiGold coach, Yaw Acheampong has given up on the title and will focus on finishing the season well.
The Miners after a great run of form, seven consecutive wins in the second round have now draw their last three games on the bounce.
With a 14-point gap separating them from leaders, Asante Kotoko, who need just one win from their remaining five games to seal a 22nd title, Acheampong is looking at mounting a good challenge next season.
“We have to congratulate them [Kotoko] for what they have done this season. I think they have won the title and I don’t see how they will lose all their remaining games,” said Acheampong, whose side drew 1-1 at home to Medeama on Sunday.
“We didn’t have a good first round but we have turned things around this second round. We are in second and still in the FA Cup. But we have to prepare well for next season and challenge.”
AshantiGold now face a difficult season run-in with their next game away to Liberty Professionals as they are just one point ahead of Hearts of Oak, who are lying third on the Glo Premier League standings.
Source: Ghanafa.org

Wise maintain unbeaten run in DOL  

Real Tamale United continued their march for a play-off place with a 3-0 win over Utrecht in the Division One League.
RTU have now opened a 5-point lead at the top of Zone 1A.
In Zone 3A, Great Olympics picked a 2-1 win against Nania FC while Eleven Wise continued their unbeaten run in Zone 2B to stay top.
Below are the full results of the weekend’s matches:
Zone 1 A

Upper East Utd 1-1 Guan Utd
Juventus 1-0 Bazooka
Utrecht 0-3 R .T .U

Zone 1B

Yagbon Stars 1-0 B.A. Utd
Unity FC 2-0 Kyenkyenkye
Bofoakwa 2-1 Berlin F .C
Universal Stars 2-0 B .A. Stars

Zone 2A

Mine Stars 2-0 Gold Stars
Yegoala 4-0 Kessben
Dunkwa Utd 3-1 Deportivo
King Faisal 1-0 Samosa Kfc
Zone 2B

Metro Stars 1-1 Eleven Wise
Hasaacas 1-0 Vipers
Elimina Shark 1-0 Starke F C
Tarkwa Utd 1-0 Windy Profs

Zone 3A

Amidaus Profs. 3-0 Sp. Miren
D’international 0-1 Instabul
Gt. Olympics 2-1 Nania F C
Easy Profs. 1-3 Inter Allies

Zone 3B

Pure Joy 0-0 Danbort
Red Bull 1-1 Okwawu Utd
Rehoboth 1-1 Zaytuna
Hot Steel 0-1 King Solomon
Source: Ghanafa.org

Passenger gets refund after Ghana International Airlines collapse

After media campaigns a passenger of bankrupt Ghana International Airlines has received a refund, the Guardian newspaper has reported.
According to the report by the publication, the campaign carried by Guardian Money and the BBC consumer affairs for two years eventually paid off when Beryl Lynch was repaid the money she paid for tickets for flights to Ghana to witness the wedding ceremony of her daughter. She never made it to see her daughter marry. None of her family members as a result could make it to Ghana for the wedding, it said.
Ms. Lynch according to the report missed her daughter’s wedding when the airline suddenly ceased operations. She got the refund of £2,460 that she paid the airline in February 2010 for four return flights.
The woman took her case to what is known as small claims courts.
“The north London travel agent involved paid out a few days before the court case – and her credit card provider has paid her court fees,” the report said.
The defunct Ghana International Airlines was established to replace the defunct Ghana Airways, the national carrier, but it also collapsed.

Ghanaians asked to promote peace for development

Speakers at a peace forum in Accra on Friday asked the citizenry to guard the peace and unity the country is enjoying jealously for national development.
They asked the youth in particular to refrain from acts of lawlessness and violence and rather work towards achieving peace at all times.
The event was organised by the Centre for Community Studies, Action and Development (CENCOSAD), in collaboration with Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights, both non-governmental organisations, on the theme: “Promoting Health Rights and Accountability in a Peaceful and Fair 2012 Elections,” in Accra on Friday.
The forum was attended by representatives of various political parties, youth groups, civil society and the media.
Nii Ankonu Annorbah-Sarpei, Acting Executive Director, CENCOSAD, said the event preceded a two-year project funded by DFID, DANIDA and European Union that seek at galvanising the citizenry to demand from political parties, political institutions and government, violence-free, transparent, fair and peaceful elections.
He said the project, which would be implemented in selected districts in the Greater Accra, Western and Central regions, would help orient 2,500 youth to promote peaceful and transparent elections in areas like Ashiedu Kete Sub-metro, Juaboso, Agona East District and Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem Municipality.
Nii Annorbah-Sarpei said a platform would be created for another 2,500 people from the target assemblies to demand improved maternal and child health services, which includes family planning, emergency obstetric care services from politicians as outlined in political party manifestoes.
He explained that the project would use citizens’ led approach for women, especially pregnant women, who would be oriented and mobilised to participate in street campaigns, to demand peaceful and fair elections and improved health service delivery.
Ms Ophelia Palm, a nurse at the Ussher Polyclinic, Accra, said peace must start in the home where husband, wife and children work towards it, in order to reflect in the entire community and the nation at large.
She said peace in the home, work place, schools and in society enables everybody to unite, work together to keep surroundings clean to avoid diseases like cholera and typhoid thereby promoting the health of the people.

“Peace ensures and promote good mental health, which is needed by all to live and work happily as citizens,” Ms Palm said.
Ms Fuseina Mohammed, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, CENCOSAD, said electoral conflicts must be avoided at all cost since it affects socio-economic and political development.
She also expressed worry during conflicts, the vulnerable, including women and children suffer impoverishment and abuses such as rape, human trafficking, displacement and death.
Ms Cecilia Dam, Civic Education Officer at the National Commission on Civic Education, reminded Ghanaians of their civic responsibilities to promote peace, especially in an election year, and called for tolerance towards the promotion of true democracy.
She said: “The whole world is watching Ghana and we must ensure that we monitor and involve ourselves before, during and the election.”
Deputy Superintendent of Police Edna Kuadey of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit of the Ghana Police Service said the experience of conflicts in other countries was bitter for the citizens.
He therefore, appealed to Ghanaians to avoid negative tendencies that could disturb peace and unity of the country.
Source: GNA
 

Pozzolana takes giant step to revamp cement industry

Pozzolana Ghana Limited (PGL) on Saturday rolled out a mechanism to revamp the cement industry with its brand produced from clay and palm kernel shells.
The product is also cheaper to produce and inexpensive as compared with Portland cement on the market.
In the wake of the huge housing deficit facing Ghana, natural and locally-produced pozzolana cement provides a superior building product at a reduced cost of construction, PGL President Douglas Borgsdorf noted in a statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.
He said pozzolana cement plays an important milestone in the local building industry as it is expected to reduce the cost incurred by developers in constructing houses.
He said PGL produces cost-efficient mortar and concrete, improves the workability of mortar and concrete and reduces the heat of hydration, bleeding and segregation of concrete.
“It minimises the effect of sulphate attack in concrete and mortar. It also reduces the effect of alkali aggregate reactivity and is more suitable for polluted environments like abandoned refuse sites,” he said.
Mr Borgsdorf observed that in view of the new developmental drive of PGL, a new management has been constituted under the directorship of Mr Vivek Garg, tasked to employ extensive complex manufacturing technological environments to expand PGL’s footprint in the construction and cement industry.
He said under the new management, PGL is to become a respected and vital contributor, not only to Ghana as a whole, but directly within the communities it service.
Mr Garg’s Curriculum Vitae made available to the Ghana News Agency indicates that prior to joining PGL, he was chief operating officer at a manufacturing facility in Indonesia and has held a number of plant manager, product distribution and project management roles.
Mr Garg holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, India.
Responding to the appointment, Mr Garg said: “I look forward to improving the performance of our existing facility from both a process and personnel perspective. We currently have a great operation and we are committed to continuous improvement.
“My initial roles are to help prepare PGL for expansion through training and development of our employees, support for our local distributors and building strong relationships with Ghana’s builders.”
Pozzolana was developed and approved by the government as a new construction material, perfect for any type of building. The Ghana Building and Road Research Institute, conducted extensive research and development activities on the production of pozzolana from clay and has exclusively licensed Pozzolana Ghana Limited to produce the cement for building materials.
PGL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Valley, California-based PMC Global, currently operates one plant in Gamoa Mprumem, Central Region but has plans to open a cement pre-mix plant and distribution depots in the near future.
Source: GNA

Ghana not in politically volatile situation

Though there had been unpleasant incidents in Ghana recently, the situation now is well within limits, and cannot be described as volatile.
Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, head of the National Enforcement Body on the 2012 Political Parties Code of Conduct (NEBPPCC), who gave the assurance, said: “We may have come close to volatile but we are definitely not yet there.”
Rev. Prof. Asante said these in Accra on Friday at a meeting between NEBPPCC and some political parties in the country, as part of efforts to ensure peace and order during Election 2012.
“In countries where things have gotten out of hand, you do not get political parties coming together for the sake of the nation. We have easily achieved that here,” he said.
The Rev. Prof. Asante, who is also the chairman of the National Peace Council, called on stakeholders in the political process to initiate measures to ensure peace building in the country.
Concerning the meeting, he said the political parties, including the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), had appreciated the need to ensure the security of the country.
“We have had frank discussions and reached a consensus that we should all do what we can, to ensure peace,” Rev. Prof. Asante said.
The clergyman said the media played a pivotal role in ensuring national peace, and added that “We would encourage both the print and electronic media to facilitate discussions that promote peace and unity in the county”.
The 13 member body has the mandate to reprimand any political party that would engage in electioneering, which can endanger the peace and stability of the country.
Source: GNA
 

There will not be major changes in Black Stars

Black Stars Coach Akwasi Appiah has indicated that, he will not make major changes to the current Black Stars squad in his two year tenure as coach despite concerns, many of the players have gone past their prime.
Several Black Stars squad players are inactive at club level and Akwasi Appiah had indicated he would only invite players who have regular playing time at club level.
But in a surprise turnaround to comments that raised eyebrows by some senior players of the team, Akwasi Appiah in an interview with JOY Sports explains, he will work with the current set up.
“It will not be the best to collapse the old team and bring out a whole set of new players but I think it will best to build around the old team”. Said Coach Kwasi Appiah
There are suggestions, Ghana should gradually be fading out some old stars with the likes of John Paintsil, John Mensah, Richard Kingson and others struggling with club form but Akwasi is adamant he has a great squad.

Ghana Policy Fair provided platform for Ghanaians to dialogue

Mr Baba Jamal, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Culture said at the weekend that the Third Ghana Policy Fair has provided a unique platform for Ghanaians to dialogue with government officials on new ideas and submit inputs on how the various sectors should approach issues.
He said this will impact positively on the way government formulates policies, plans and programmes which are critical to national development and the achievement of the government’s ‘Better Ghana Agenda’.
Mr Jamal was speaking at the end of the Ghana Policy Fair under the theme: “Building Together in a Better Ghana” organized by the Ministry of Information in Accra.
He said under the guidance of government, a lot of gains had been made in terms of contribution to national revenue generation, employment generation, tourism, infrastructural development, as well as preservation of Ghana’s culture and conservation of the environment.
Mr Jamal reiterated the Ministry of Tourism and Culture’s readiness to work closely with agencies for the attainment of the Ministry’s vision and to realize the sector’s full potential in contributing to economic growth, poverty reduction, national cohesion and an increase in the GDP growth.
He said the Ministry had embarked on an initiative with the Cable News Network (CNN) dubbed “Eye on Ghana Project” which aimed at the massive re-branding and re-marketing of Ghana’s tourism to attract more patronage and enhance revenue generation in the country through the CNN which had over one billion viewers worldwide.

Mr Jamal said the project was expected to bring much dividend to the country in terms of widening the range of investment opportunities and jobs, increasing international tourist arrivals and receipts and increase tourism contribution to GDP, as well as strengthen Public-Private Partnerships and institutional collaboration amongst all stakeholders.
He said Ghanaians had galvanized a collective resolve to promote active participation of the citizenry in domestic tourism programmes and events during public holidays and vacations as it brought many dividends to people in the communities.
“Our success in the domestic tourism drive will not only help promote the health of the citizenry and improve productivity, but will also help Ghanaians to know their country better and appreciate the environment and cultures of various communities.”
Mr Jamal said it was important to add that people’s appreciation of various cultures resulting from travels to different parts of the country will go a long way to foster national cohesion, which was critical for national development.
Source: GNA

King Ayisoba appeals to government

King Ayisoba, one of Ghana’s outstanding contemporary traditional musicians, is appealing to the government to declare May 12 as Batakari/Kente Day to promote the products and create more employment for Ghanaians.
In an exclusive interview, the King of Kologo music, who is staging a special concert on May 12 to mark his official entry onto the Ghanaian music scene, said it was about time Ghanaians gave value to their rich culture in order to boost the economy and improve upon their lives.
“We have Batakari, Kente and other beautiful costumes but we prefer other countries’ clothing to the destruction of our own; let’s patronize made-in Ghana products.
“I have performed in many countries across the globe; I have staged concerts in Denmark, Germany, Italy and the US, among others, and this is the time for me to express appreciation to Ghanaians for supporting me over the years’, he said, adding that “I want all of them to come in their numbers to witness this special show on May 12 at the National Theatre.”
Dubbed Ayisoba@15, the concert, put together by La Monde de Multimedia and supported by the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture, is to celebrate the achievements of the man whose Pidgin English/local language songs have become popular across the world.
Whole world, Modern Ghanaians and I want to see you my father are some of his popular songs that both the young and old sing with ease.
King Ayisoba will be launching the newest of his works, Don’t do the bad thing at the show and as he put it, ebe ye butubutu, kai kai kai.
“Come in your Batakari or Kente to express your love for Ghana,” he declared as he reminded Ghanaians of the need to contribute to making Ghana a better place.
According to Mr. Collins Obeng Agyare aka Odehyie, a member of the organising team, the event is their way of promoting culture and encouraging musicians like King Ayisoba, who are raising the flag of Ghana high in the world.
He urged Ghanaians from all walks of life to come in their numbers to honour a national hero. “The fees are very moderate and artistes like Kwabena Kwabena, Okyeame Kwame and Kwaw Kesse (Abodam) would be performing along the King of Kologo music.”
“Please try as much as you can to be in Batakari or Kente,” he pleaded.
Source: Daily Guide
 

Sekondi-Takoradi inundated with banned electrical appliances 

Sekondi-Takoradi has for some time been inundated with second hand electrical appliances which has the potential of creating health hazards and consuming high energy for users and the country.
A cursory look at electrical shops in the oil-city revealed a worrying situation as most of the shops are stocked with used-electrical appliances.
Despite the ban on used-fridges, air-conditioners and incandescence bulbs by legislative instrument (LI 1932) passed in 2008, some importers still use unapproved routes to smuggle these appliances into the country.
A visit by the GNA to a place near PWD park in Takoradi, some importers had brought such banned appliances popularly known as ‘As it is’ in large quantities while retailers were busily transporting them into their shops.
When this reporter asked the buyers why they prefer them, Kwasi Amakye, a retailer, said the used-electrical appliances are affordable and durable.
The Western Regional Public Affairs Manager of the Energy Commission, Mr Victor Owusu, responding to the situation, said the Montreal Protocol banned such goods and that since Ghana is a signatory to that accord, the authorities must enforce the ban.
He said as a country, if we fail to enforce the ban on used-electrical appliances, Ghana would be sanctioned by the United Nations.
He said that such goods consume more energy than brand new appliances adding that there are health and environmental hazards associated with the use of secondhand appliances.
Mr Owusu said research conducted by the Noguchi Memorial Institute had revealed that some used-refrigerators imported abroad contained bacteria which could be detrimental to our health if we use them.
He said some of such imported refrigerators were used for research projects in their home countries and that the next user might not know exactly what the research was about therefore using them has the potential of attracting diseases.
The Energy Commission Manager noted that some of these appliances are not suitable for our climate since most of them were imported from temperate climate compared to our tropical climate therefore they develop fault after using them for few years.
Mr Owusu said by December 31, no retailer would be allowed to display used-fridges for sale and those who fail to abide by the directive would be prosecuted.
He said energy consumption of used-fridges alone stood at 1,200 kilowatt per hour and warned that if we don’t change our attitude and continue with used-appliances, the country would pay dearly in terms of our energy consumption.
Source: GNA

Phase 3 of biometric registration progresses at Wassa Amenfi East.

The third phase of the biometric registration exercise which is ongoing nationwide has recorded remarkable improvement in the Wassa Amenfi East district.
In an interview with the westerngh.com, Madam Juliet Asante, electoral officer in charge of Wassa Amenfi East said though the registration officers routinely have minor problems with the tool kids they are using in the registration process, she said challenges during the first and second phases of the exercise, have reduced drastically in the third phase.
She said a total of 18,821 as against 19,531 electorates were registered in the first two phases adding that they hope to exceed this figures in the third phase.
Madam Asante said because the district is a typical farming community in which most of the indigenes spend most of the time in their farms, turnout at most registration centers are slow, but she added it would not affect their estimated figure of registering sixty thousand people at the end of the exercise.
She said due to the poor road network in certain part of the district, some of the registration officers had to walk for about three kilometers with the tool kids to their respective registration centers.
The electoral officer therefore appealed to the electorates to exercise patient whenever they get to a registration center to help maintain peace throughout the exercise.

Nana Esi Brew Monney

Government to decentralise Ambulance service

Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Friday announced that government would give meaning to the ambulance decentralisation programme by procuring a minimum of 600 ambulance vehicles in the next two years.
He said: “In the interim 161 of those vehicles would be received by the end of July this year to set the tone for the procurement exercise.”
Vice President Mahama announced this when he presented 50 of the Ambulance vehicles to the Ministry of Health to be distributed to some districts.
The Ambulance service which started with 41 vehicles in 2004 can now boast of more than 100 ambulance vehicles and would by the end of the year acquire a total of 200 for onward distribution to other districts.
Vice President Mahama said after the procurement of the ambulances, every district would have about three of the vehicles to carry out emergency quality health care in the rural areas.
He said decentralisation of the service was crucial in the face of numerous road accidents and the spread of serious diseases in the rural areas.
The Vice President said apart from providing the ambulances, government had also trained paramedics to handle all kinds of emergencies that needed their assistance.
Vice President Mahama said the ambulance service would help government to achieve Millennium Development Goals four, five and six, which are health related.
He gave the assurance that the construction of polyclinics which began in six communities in the Northern Region last year had been replicated in the Upper West and Brong Ahafo Regions and would soon be extended to all the regions.
Mr Alban Bagbin, Minister of Health said the trained paramedic technicians would be posted to all the districts to diligently offer assistance to accident and other emergency cases.
He appealed to the staff of the service to take good care of the vehicles to be able to serve more generations.
Source: GNA

Religious discrimination in schools will not be tolerated – GES

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has warned that it will not tolerate religious discrimination in schools and asked heads of especially the mission education units to ensure that freedom of worship is upheld.
Mr Charles Aheto-Tsegah, Deputy Director General of the GES asked that everything should be done to protect the constitutional rights and freedom of all students.
He was addressing the Seventh Annual National Conference of Heads and Managers of Ahmadiyya Muslim Educational Institutions at Fomena in the Adansi North District, Ashanti region.
The theme for the conference was “Maintaining and sustaining academic, moral and spiritual values in Ghanaian schools, the role of Ahmadiyya heads and managers”.
Mr Aheto-Tsegah called for the need to vigorously promote and encourage religious tolerance to safeguard national peace and stability, adding that fanaticism and suspicion must be avoided.
He also called for strict enforcement of discipline in the schools, pointing out that, this was the way to go to raise academic performance.
Mr Jibrim Moomen Dimbie, General Manager of Ahmadiyya Education Unit, said they had drawn up a comprehensive plan to refurbish all their schools, particularly those in the deprived communities and this is to help create the right environment for effective teaching and learning.
Nana Okofo Sobin Kan II, Dompoasehene and President of the Adansi Traditional Council, invited all stakeholders to come together and tackle the growing indiscipline and waywardness of students.

Source: GNA

Heart of Lions boss August faces sack

Heart of Lions boss Ken August could be sacked if his side fails to bag maximum points against Aduana Stars in the Ghana Premier League on Sunday.
The former Great Olympic coach is reeling under pressure following the side’s purple patchy performance in the country’s top-flight league.
The Kpando-based side were dealt a morale-inflicting blow when Liberty Professionals walloped them 5-1 last weekend to drop to 11th on the league table with six games to spare.
Club owner Victor Ahiakpor is believed to be unhappy with the setback and wants to reshuffle the technical team to save their top-flight status.
Coach August’s men faces the former League Champions at the Kpando Park knowing only victory will save him his job.
“The owner is not happy with the turn of event and so is taken measures to ensure we’re not relegated,” a source close to the owner told GHANAsoccernet.com
“He is not happy with the way the coach has handled the team so far and could be sacked if we’re unable to pick the three points at Aduana.
“He wants to take matters into his own hands now after he left it to others to run the club for him,”
August replaced Paa Kwesi Fabian in December last year following his appointment as the national Under-17 coach.
By Patrick Akoto

If you love me no more, say so – Agya Koo’s Wife

Victoria Owusua Adomako, wife of popular actor Agya Koo, who had refrained from making any public comment since her husband caused her arrest two weeks ago on the allegation that she had stolen his car, has poured her heart out to Graphic Showbiz.
“If my husband doesn’t love me anymore because he is now rich and famous, the best thing is to divorce me but not to accuse me of theft,” the 38-year-old mother of one told Showbiz last Monday in Accra. According to her, never in the 17 years that she has been married to Agya Koo has she stolen a pesewa from him.
Victoria was responding to news that first broke on Adom News that her husband Agya Koo had cased her arrest for allegedly stealing his car and giving it to her boyfriend.
She told Showbiz, “Agya Koo himself knows how much I have contributed to his career. At the beginning of our relationship, there were many hard times for us. At one stage, he was not working and I was earning two cedis a day but I shared it with him. Even though it wasn’t enough, we managed.”
Victoria said Agya Koo started behaving funny when he began to rise in to fame with movies like Asoreba, Ohia Asoma Wo, Wonyame Som mpo Nie and Otan ne Ahooyaa.
“He would not eat my food and would insult me at the slightest disagreement.” Victoria said she left her matrimonial home to avoid the continuous intimidation and humiliation and rented a single room at Kasoa to have her peace of mind.
She stated that she was very sick for some days when she moved in to her new place so a guy who lives closer to her named Kwadwo who is now being accused as her boyfriend drove her to a nearby clinic for treatment after which he drove her back home.
After that she and Kwadwo became good friends. “There was nothing amorous between us because he knew I was married and I also respected myself as a wife,” she said.
Narrating her arrest incident, Victoria said “I was home when I was informed that Kwadwo had been picked up by the Tesano police because of me so I drove there to find out if it was true. Just as I arrived at the station and my husband saw me, he shouted, ‘arrest the prostitute, she has stolen my car for her boyfriend’. I was arrested there and then and kept in police cells overnight.”
When Showbiz contacted Agya Koo over the phone last Tuesday, denied his wife’s allegations. He said he caused the arrest of his wife because she stole his car and gave it to her boyfriend. He said that he had been loving husband and has been adequately providing for the wife and child so he was very surprised when he returned from a trip abroad only to find that his wife has stolen his car.
Agya Koo said he was very much aware that his wife is being encouraged by her peers to bring him down but all that will not materialise because he knows he has done his duty as a loving husband.
“I have not spoken on any media network yet but I am planning to clear myself next week so that Ghanaians will know who is telling the truth,” he said.
Source: Graphic Showbiz

Glo Mobile facing NCA deadline

The Minister of Communications Haruna Iddrisu has revealed that Glo Mobile has up to the close of today, Friday to notify the National Communications Authority (NCA) on its intended launching date.
The NCA, it would be recalled gave the telecommunications up to the end of April to start operations or risk paying some hefty fines.
Glo Mobile which has rescheduled its launch into the Ghanaian market on a number of occasions is expected to reach a compromise with the NCA which will reveal the launching date of the company.
Glo earlier this year launched a number reservation facility which will enable the public reserve their chosen numbers on the 023-3 number series on the Glo Mobile Ghana Network.
Dubbed “Reserve Your Number” campaign, the facility required the public to text their preferred numbers to 0230010100 for their confirmation and reservation.

Timber exports decline as value increases

Timber exports for the first quarter of this year declined in volume reflecting in the total revenue to the country. The timber volume reduced from 90 thousand cubic meters to 62 thousand translating into about 22 million Euros in revenue to the country compared to 30 million Euros within the same period last year.
This decline has been attributed to lack of timber logs as raw material for timber processing.
According to the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Afari Dartey, although the volume of exports continues to fall, the value in terms of unit price has improved. He also said that even though the country is exporting less, it is getting more for its export adding that despite the fact that there is a difference of close to 30 thousand cubic meters, in terms of value the difference is just 9 million Euros.
He said that the decrease revealed that the Commission is achieving one if its targets which is to have low volume of export but high export value.
Mr Afari Dartey also revealed that Ghana must do its best to support the industry to go into further processing which will be highly beneficial in the face of increase competition from a country like Liberia, which hitherto was under a UN embargo.
According to Mr Afari Dartey, the increased competition will hurt Ghana if it remains in the primary processing stage.

Meanwhile, there was a 5 percent decline in export figures for 2011 to record a total 320,000 cubic meters. This resulted in about €110,000 million to the country.

Mining firms tasked to source inputs locally

Mining firms in the country will from end of next month be required to procure all their inputs that can be sourced locally.
They would also be required to submit a five-year procurement plan to the Minerals Commission for approval.
These were some of the highlights contained in the revised local content law set to come into force from the end of May.
Ben Aryee, Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission at the ongoing Buyers and Suppliers forum for mining firms in Accra said companies that import goods that can be sourced locally will not be granted any duty exemption as they will pay they will the full duty being the first sanction.
According to the CEO, defaulting companies will pay a further levy as disincentive just to make business sense for these companies to buy locally rather than import.
The President of the Chamber of Mines, Dan Owuredu however told Joy Business that the government has to grow the capacities of these local firms in order for the revised to be meaningful.
Government is also expected to come up with a list of items that mining firms should source from, which will be reviewed yearly. Mining firms are currently sourcing about 40% of their good and service.

Pentecost Council condemns Ken Agyapong’s comments and attackers of Ursula

The National Executive Council of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council on Friday condemned the ethnic-related statement of Mr Kennedy Adjepong, Member of Parliament for Assin North.
The Council also condemned the assault of Ms Ursula Owusu, and other politically-related violent attacks and acts of intimidation taking place in some parts of the country.
A statement signed by Apostle Opoku Onyinah, President of the Council and copied to the Ghana News Agency attributed the causes of confusion in the biometric registration exercise to what members described as the “ordinarily resident clause in our registration regulations and the various interpretations given to the clause”.
“During the rest of the registration exercise, we call on the Electoral Commission to clearly educate the citizens on the meaning of “being ordinarily resident in an area” and the effect there of!”
The statement also attributed some of the confusion to “misguided attempts by sections of the people to manipulate the important national exercise for parochial political gains”.
It called on the police to be more proactive and halt any form of violence during the registration exercise and campaigns towards the elections.
“Those who are arrested must be prosecuted, irrespective of political affiliation or status in the society, “the statement said.
The Council advised the Judiciary to ensure that there is a level playing field for all political activities.
They also called on the media to be circumspect in their reportage during this election year to avoid inflaming political passions.
Source: GNA

Tigo Profits Drop on Poor Performance of African Markets

Millicom International Cellular SA, owners and operators of the Tigo mobile networks in Latin/Central/South America and Africa has reported that its 2012 first-quarter (Q1) profits fell by 13.1 per cent to US$159 million even though revenues rose by 8.4% to US$1.68 billion.
The report attributed the dip in profits to diluted EBITDA margin to 44.2%, mainly due to price pressure in some markets, particular Africa and El Savador, among other factors.
It said in Africa, revenue growth slowed down to 5.4% reaching US$239 million in Q1, with Ghana, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo showing negative growth while Tanzania and Rwanda continued to report strong performance, supported by the success of Mobile Financial Services.
The report showed that voice communication revenue in particular reduced from US$220 million in Q4 2011 to US$212 million in Q1 2012 in Africa.
This was in spite of the fact that subscriber level in Africa increased by almost 11% from 15.5 million in Q4 2011 to 17.2 million in Q1 this year.
Tigo Ghana, for instance, introduced heavy price cuts all the way down to 3Gp per minute (1.7 cents) of on-net call and now 8.4Gp (4.7 cents) per minute of off-net calls.
ARPU (average revenue per user) in Africa also declined by 6.8% due to reduction in tariffs to support affordability, while ARPU remained fairly stable in Latin America. Total ARPU for the group declined by 2.6%, from $9.3 in Q4 2011, to $9 Q1 2012.
In Latin America, where the company generated 80% of its revenues, top line revenue grew by 9.2% in local currency, which was in line with average growth in the region over the past twelve months; and mobile data accounted for close to 12% of revenues.
The report said in the first quarter of 2012, 26% of customers had an ARPU in excess of $10, while only 10.7% of total customer base were mobile data users.
Meanwhile, group subscriber level grew 10.1% from 39.8 million to 43.8 million between Q4 2011 and Q1 this year.
Group President and CEO, Mikael Grahne was quoted as saying at a presentation that: “We are currently implementing various pricing initiatives in the markets experiencing negative growth to improve our affordability perception. This margin is in line with our internal expectations and we are comfortable reiterating our previously communicated guidance for the year and our mid-term growth ambitions.”
He added that he believed that cross-selling and up-selling services to their existing customers would enable the company to continue growing revenues and EBITDA, while generating attractive returns.

Scammers have former Bank of Ghana governor’s ‘passport’

Scammers operating from Ghana appear to be going to all lengths to bait and convince their potential victims to part with their hard earned money, by faking the passports of key public figures.
They forge all kinds of documents including ID cards and passports to convince their potential victims that they are who they say they are. In one instance, a scammer who duped a foreign victim of thousands of US dollars used an ID card purported to be that of the IGP of the Ghana Police.
This scammer or group of scammers have by using modern technology forged the passport of former Bank of Ghana governor, Dr. Paul Acquah to convince a potential victim to part with money.

I have a psychiatric problem – Man with 15 voter IDs tells court

Emmanuel Archibald Laryea, a labourer who was arrested with 15 biometric voter identity cards, has been arraigned before an Accra District Magistrate Court.
Laryea, who pleaded not guilty, was charged with two counts of engaging in multiple registrations and causing harm to Lance Corporal William Afedor by biting his thumb.
The court presided over by Mr Ali Baba Bature convicted Laryea on his own plea and remanded him into custody but deferred sentence to April 24.
Responding to questions as to why he flagrantly violated the law and engaged in multiple registrations, Laryea said he had a psychiatric problem.
A lawyer who acted as friend of the court pleaded with the court and requested that Laryea be sent to the Psychiatric Hospital for medical examination.
The trial judge however rejected that submission saying he was medically fit since he had committed similar offence in the last general elections during which he obtained 13 voter ID cards.
Inspector P.Y Manu told the court that the complainant was Gideon Asare Baffour, a Regional Electoral Officer, whiles the accused who resides at Dansoman, on April 19 went to the Navoda registration center at Mallam to register after producing his old voter registration card.
He said Laryea after going through the initial registration procedure of providing his name, age and other requirements, but the scanner machine detected that his fingerprints had already been registered.
He said it was realized that Laryea had registered at Tantua registration centre, hence the Police at Odorkor was called in and he was arrested.
Inspector Manu said later, fifteen new biometric voter registration cards and 13 old Voters ID cards all bearing his photograph under different names were retrieved from on him.
He said four revolving toy pistols were also retrieved from his residence and in a bid to run away from justice, Laryea bit the thumb of Corporal Afedor but he was apprehended after a hot chase.
Source: GNA

Tullow hits double-well in West Africa

Tullow Oil Plc on April 19, 2012 announced that the Mercury-2 exploratory appraisal well in Sierra Leone and the Kosrou-1 exploration well in Côte d’Ivoire have both encountered water bearing reservoirs with oil shows.
According to the British explorer, the Mercury-2 well which was drilled 12 kilometres northwest of the Mercury-1 oil discovery, intersected over 270 metres of reservoir quality sandstones which were water bearing with oil shows at this location.
The Kosrou-1 well on the other hand, intersected 90 metres of reservoir quality sandstones with oil shows in the primary target and over 120 metres in total in the well, according to the company with operations in Ghana, Uganda among others.
Commenting, Angus McCoss, Exploration Director, said “The existence of thick sandstone fairways and a working hydrocarbon system, proven by every well in our exploration campaign, mean that our West African Transform Margin acreage remains highly prospective.”
The well data will now be integrated into our regional models to improve our chances of making a hub-class discovery with the ongoing campaign which includes the Strontium-1 well in Liberia and the Paon-1 well in Côte d’Ivoire, Angus McCoss added.

Ghana’s Margaret Simpson wins Heptathlon Olympic qualifier

Ghana’s Margaret Simpson proved her status as the Heptathlon Queen of the Africa continent by emerging top at the Africa Combined Events Championship held in Bambous, Mauritius last week.
Simpson, 30, garnered 6,184 points to emerge winner of the seven-event championship held from 13-14 April at the Germain Comarmond Stadium located in the Black River District of the Indian Ocean Island.
The two-day event also served as a qualifier for the London 2012 Olympic Games, meaning the 2011 All Africa Games gold medalists has sealed her ticket for the July 27 to August 12 championship in London.
Information gathered by GNA Sports indicates that Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium finished second on 5906 points.
Ivorian Gabriella Kouassi, Selloane Tsoaeli of Lesotho and Togolese Sandrine Thiebaud finished in that order with 5766 points, 5194 points and 5025 points respectively.
Simpson also finished first at the last edition held last year.
Source: GNA

Media tasked to assist security agencies control arms proliferation

Mr Jones Applerh, Executive Secretary, Small Arms and Light Weapons Commission, (SALW), on Friday appealed to the media to help security agencies control small arms proliferation in the country, especially before, during and after the December polls.
He urged the media to use the power of mass communication to expose the dangers of illicit proliferation of small arms into Ghana and other West African States.
Mr Applerh was addressing a three-day capacity building workshop for journalists and media practitioners on current developments related to small arms and light weapons.
He said a baseline study in 2004 revealed that about 400,000 small arms were in circulation in the country, stressing that small arms were responsible for 60 to 90 per cent of direct conflict deaths each year.
He said the study identified that modern day chieftaincy disputes, land litigation, inter ethnic wars in the past and conflicts within the Sub-region were facilitated by the illegal importation, exportation and local manufacture of guns.
The workshop was organised by the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission on Small Arms at Sogakofe in the Volta Region.
He, therefore, urged the media to collaborate with SALW in curbing the use of arms in our society.
On the on-going Biometric Voter Registration Exercise, Mr Applerh noted the need for adequate education on the electoral process and modalities for peacefully resolution of disagreements.
Dr Cyriaque Agnekethom, Head of ECOWAS Small Arms Unit, stated that public education and awareness creation on measures to be taken ahead of the general election were vital to be able to inform every member of the society.
Showing a documentary on arms proliferation and its devastating effects in Liberia and Mali, Dr Agnekethom said women and children were the most affected when people were displaced and were faced with diseases, death and disability.
He said that the importation, exportation and manufacturing of small arms and light weapons were becoming alarming in the ECOWAS Sub-region and appealed to journalists to work against gun violence.
The workshop would also find ways to prevent and combat the accumulation of small arms and light weapons in the country as most of them were being used in armed robbery, chieftaincy disputes and other vices.
Source: GNA

Ghana Journalists Association calls for broadcasting law now!

In view of the “disturbing developments on our broadcast media landscape” the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) is urging the government and all stakeholders including the National Media Commission to start a dialogue as soon as practicable to build consensus quickly on the passage of a broadcasting law in Ghana.
In a news release issued Thursday April 19, 2012 and copied to westerngh.com, the GJA says Ghana needs to pass that law without any further delay in conformity with best practice, to among other things alert operators of radio and television stations to their gate-keeping responsibility, requiring that they do not permit the use of abusive, threatening, hate speech or otherwise provocative language on the airwaves.
According to the GJA, a broadcasting law would provide Ghana with the legal framework to regulate the broadcast industry through the demand for operators of radio and television stations to adhere to stringent regulations in addition to ethics.
“ It would place the onus on radio and television stations to carry out their gate-keeping role more diligently and thereby protect democracy and promote peace, especially, in our political discourse which is essential in an election year,” the group says, adding that, “A broadcast legislation would infuse greater responsibility in terms of civility, decorum and circumspection in our broadcast industry and strengthen the hands of the National Media Commission to both regulate and monitor the content of the industry and apply appropriate sanctions.”
The GJA believes that the gate-keeping role of the media has become very critical during the period of the preparations towards election 2012. There is therefore the need to balance the freedom and independence of the media with the high obligation of social responsibility.
“The GJA gives every encouragement to the media to promote free expression and healthy political discourse. But we urge journalists never to relax in their gate-keeping role by ensuring that ethnic and divisive utterances, similar to the one recently made on radio by the Assin North Member of Parliament Kennedy Agyepong, which has contributed to heightening political tension are not allowed on our airwaves,” it says.

CID Invites Oman FM’s Morning Show Host

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has invited Fiifi Boafo, the host of Oman FM’s flagship programme, National Agenda, on whose platform the Assin North Member of Parliament “declared war” and incited Ashantis against Ewes and Gas.
Fiifi Boafo told westerngh.com in an interview that he will be at the CID headquarters on Monday to answer questions relating to the interview he granted his boss. It is however not clear why he has been invited by the investigators.
Mr Agyapong was invited by the Police CID on Monday and incarcerated till Wednesday when a charge of treason was proffered against him.
Kennedy Agyapong, owner of Oman FM, was on Thursday, granted bail by the Fast Track High Court where he was facing charges of treason, felony, attempted genocide and engaging in terrorist acts.

Dr. Nduom tours Ghana ahead of 2012 elections  

The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) led by its Presidential Candidate Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom and National, Regional and Constituency Executives will begin a national tour to all 10 regions next week.
The national tour will begin in the Central Region and end in the Northern Region. The purpose of the tour will be to assess the biometric voters’ registration and make the case for Ghanaians to support and vote for the PPP as the change Ghana needs.
In the wake of the violence, anger and divisive behavior exhibited by the NDC and the NPP over the past month, many Ghanaians have expressed the willingness to vote for an alternative political party. Many are afraid of what will happen in December if any one of the two parties somehow won the presidency. Ghanaians want to protect the peace and stability we have all sacrificed to establish.
“In our short period of existence, the PPP has sworn to be disciplined and show respect to all Ghanaians including our political opponents. We have committed ourselves to forming a government that uses the best men and women without regard to religious, ethnic or political affiliation. We will complete all projects started by previous administrations and we pledge to provide incorruptible leadership. We believe that Ghanaians are ready to vote for a peace-loving, respectful, purposeful party. We are working hard to deserve the vote,” a statement from the party and signed by National Secretary, Kofi Asamoah-Siaw.
The National Tour will enable the PPP to make its case directly to the people in small community group meetings, on radio stations and at places of work.

France gives 100 classical movies to Ghana’s film

The French Embassy in Ghana on Thursday presented 100 pieces of European and African classical movies to the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI).
The classics would expose the students to critical image makers in Africa and Europe at large, making it easier for the teaching of film techniques.
Speaking at the presentation, Mr Fritz Baffour, Minister of Information, lauded the French Government for its numerous assistance to NAFTI and the nation as a whole.
“French cooperation in Ghanaian education is enormous, with the development of French Language ensured through the well known network of Alliance Francaise in Ghana”.
He said NAFTI had become a full member of the International Association and Television Universities (CILECT), an organisation that ensures that members’ academic curriculum and general training programmes conformed to international standards.
Mr Baffour appealed to the Embassy to consider NAFTI’s proposal for the provision of radio equipment for its newly introduced course of Broadcast Journalism.
“While NAFTI has facilities for training in television, the Institute does not have facilities for radio,” he added.
Professor Linus Abraham, Rector of NAFTI, cited the provision of a Sound Dubbing Centre, which could be used to dub programmes from English into other languages and a Viewing Centre designed to have a centralised database of films as some of the French assistance to the Institute.

Mr Frederic Clavier, French Ambassador to Ghana expressed the Embassy’s willingness to assist NAFTI.

Source: GNA

NGOs condemn Gambia government for blocking online media

Civil societies in Africa have condemned the government of The Gambia for blocking online news sources in the country.
According to a press release issued by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) participants at the NGOs Forum of African Commission on Human and People’s Right (ACHPR) on April 12, 2012 added their voice to the widespread condemnation of the Gambian authorities over their deliberate policy of blocking access to critical online news websites in that country.
“Systematically, the Gambian authorities have either attacked the online news newspapers by hacking into their websites or blocking their IP addresses, making it impossible for Gambians to access the news sites,” it said.
The release indicated that the participants adopted a resolution in which they said, “We the participants of the NGO Forum are deeply concerned at the continuous blocking of the online newspapers and information websites thereby denying alternative sources of information to the Gambian public. We note with grave concern that the Gambian government continues to unduly restrict freedom of expression and access to information.”
It said, both the online newspapers and the mainstream media have suffered repeated censorships from the authorities. “This situation has forced several independent journalists to flee into exile,” it said.
Citing examples, the release noted that in 2008 for instance, ‘The Gambia Echo’ and ‘Freedom Newspaper’, two online newspapers, were blocked for being critical of the administration. In the case of the Freedom Newspaper, it reported on the alleged corruption and mismanagement at the country’s state telecommunication company.
The participants appealed to the Gambian government to urgently engage in a comprehensive media law reform and repeal all draconian laws, especially the criminal defamation, publication of false news and all other anti-freedom of expression legislation in the country’s law books, the release said.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

Corrupt Player Agents Warned

Ghana Coach, Akwasi Appiah says unscrupulous football agents will not be tolerated during his tenure as Ghana coach.
The Black Stars has in recent times been dominated by the perception of call ups being based on how influential a player agent is.
But Appiah who signed a two-year renewable contract with the Ghana FA tasked with leading the team to 2013 Nations Cup triumph and a semi final berth at the 2014 World Cup says such corrupt agents better stay away from him or risk getting their clients dropped.
“If you are are manager or a football agent, the best thing you do is to talk to your players to do well in order to get call ups,” he told Kumasi-based Angel FM.
“I want to make it clear that no agent shoud call me with the intention of talking to me about his player. It might even incur my wrath on the said player.
“I have an open door policy for player call ups, it is only left with them (players) to do well in their respective clubs to earn being called to the Black Stars.
“As an agent you could have $1bn and I can have only $100 but you cannot influence me with that.”
Appiah’s immediate assignment will be to guide the Black Stars through two tough 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zambia in June.
By Ameenu Shardow

Panel dismisses Dwarfs complaint

The Match Review Panel of the Ghana Football Association has dismissed a complaint filed by Dwarfs against referee Patrick Kyeremanteng for unfair treatment during their Week 19 league match against Aduana.
Dwarfs complained against referee Kyeremanteng and his assistants George Seijah and Augustine Akugre claiming they wrongly disallowed a goal scored by Bismark Asiedu.
But the Match Review Panel says the decision “to disallow the goal scored by player Bismark Asiedu of Dwarfs was right and in line with the Laws of the Game.”
The Executive Committee of the GFA has upheld the recommendations by the Match Review Panel.
The Executive Committee further commends referee Kyeremanteng and his assistant referees for disallowing an offside goal in the face of mounting pressure from the home fans.
Source: Ghanafa.org

Six-match ban for referee Ametepe

The Ghana Football Association has banned referee Yaw Ametepe for six consecutive matches for awarding a bad penalty to New Edubiase in their Week 21 match against Wa All Stars.
The Executive Committee of the GFA has approved the decision taken by the match review panel.
Consequently, the Executive Committee has decided to suspend Ametepe for a period of six(6) consecutive matches, starting from week 24 of the on-going 2011/2012 Glo Premier League.

Source: Ghanafa.org

Referees named for weekend’s matches

The Referees Committee of the GFA has announced the complete list of match officials for the weekend’s matches.
Below is the list of referees and assistants for match-day-25 of the Glo Premier League on Saturday and Sunday:

Saturday, April 21
Match: Mighty Jets vs. Asante Kotoko

Venue: Accra Sports Stadium

Referee: Seidu Bomison

Assistant 1: Tanko Ganiyu

Assistant 2: Issaka Mumuni

4th Official: Fred Andoh

Sunday, April 22

Match: Heart of Lions vs. Aduana

Venue: Kpando Park

Referee: Daniel Offie

Assistant 1: David Adjin

Assistant 2: Robert Dodoo

4th Official: Franklin Cobbina

Match: Bechem vs. Liberty

Venue: Bechem Park

Referee: Samuel Gyasi

Assistant 1: Agyeman Dua

Assistant 2: Fred Odonkor

4th Official: Reginald Lathbridge

Match: AshantiGold vs. Medeama

Venue: Len Clay Stadium

Referee: Vincent Otoo

Assistant 1: A. S. Malik

Assistant 2: Dawood Ouedraogo

4th Official: J. A. Amenya

Match: Wassaman vs. Edubiase
Venue: Tarkwa T&A Park
Referee: E. R. Biney
Assistant 1: Abigail Sowah
Assistant 2: Lawrence Antwi
4th Official: Joe Baffoe
Match: Arsenal vs. Wa All Stars
Venue: Golden City Park
Referee: Ali Musa Plato
Assistant 1: Eric O. Mensah
Assistant 2: Frank Bossman
4th Official: O. B. Amankwa
Match: Hearts of Oak vs. Dwarfs
Venue: Accra Sports Stadium

Referee: Charles Nii Tagoe
Assistant 1: Ibrahim Adams
Assistant 2: Alex Anning
4th Official: John Atikese
Match: Tema Youth vs. Chelsea
Venue: Tema Stadium
Referee: Delight Alorbu
Assistant 1: Emmanuella Aglago
Assistant 2: Tina Fugar
4th Official: Theresa Bremansu
Source: Ghanafa.org

Ghana begins to review all compulsory acquired lands

Mr. Mike Hammah, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, on Wednesday said the government had began a process of reviewing all compulsory acquired lands by the state with the view to revising the executive instruments covering those lands which are not needed by the state.
He said this in an address read for him at an orientation workshop on the second Ghana Land Administration Project (LAP-2) for members of the Western Regional House of Chiefs at Sekondi.
Mr. Hammah said after finalizing the inventory of such lands, Cabinet approval would be sought for the lands to be released through formal legal processes.
He said the government is committed to paying systematically for all the outstanding compensation for lands to be retained after determination of ownership of the lands.
Mr. Hammah said some investors had acquired or are acquiring large tracks of land that might make some indigenes “landless” in future.
“We need to be circumspect in managing our resources well without being driven by monetary gain alone”, he said.
Mr. Hammah said giving out large tracks of lands without entering into any form of equity could be a disincentive to the Ghanaian economy in general and the people in particular.
He said this calls for a great deal of restraint in order to avoid the situation where land speculators could come in to cause distortions in the land market.
Source: GNA
 

TEWU group demands mandate to prepare salaries

The Central Executive Committee of Polytechnics Local Unions (CECPLU) of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), has called on government to mandate Polytechnics to prepare their own salaries as it is done by the universities.
CECPLU said that there had been some continuous distortions and fluctuations in their salaries without any justification from the Controller and Accountant-General, adding that while in one breath incorrect salaries were paid, several others received low and unrealistic amounts.
The Resolution signed by Mr Peter K. Lumor and Mr Mohammed S. Bogobiri, National Chairman and General-Secretary respectively of TEWU, said deductions of salary allowance in respect of earned overtime were effected from arrears paid.
It said the unfortunate non-issuance of pay slips by the Controller and Accountant-General had become the norm since January 2012 “to some of our employees.”
The Resolution cited other shortcomings from the Controller and Accountant-General to include: the Non-issuance of deductions schedules/advice since July 2011, delay/non-correction of reported problems on salaries of polytechnic employees unsolved, failure in the payment of approved single spine salary as scheduled and the non-payment of overtime allowances since June 2011.
The CECPLU demanded that the anomalies must be corrected without delay, adding “all single spine salary arrears must be paid by April 30, 2012”.

Source: GNA
 

WHO to hold 13th World Congress on Public Health in Addis Ababa

The 13th World Congress on Public Health on the theme: “Towards Global Health Equity: Opportunities and Threats,” is scheduled for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from April 23 – 27, 2012.
Dr Luis Sambo, World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, would deliver the keynote address at the Congress which would offer unique opportunities to discuss global, continental and national public health issues among the global public health community and other key stakeholders.
A statement issued by the WHO and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday said Ethiopia was the second African country to host the Congress, after one organised in Arusha, Tanzania in 1997.
The congress is expected to deliberate on important and defining public health issues through evidence based and transparent interactions among the global public health community, researchers, academicians, scientists, and public health officials.
It would be co-organised by the Ministry of Health – Ethiopia, Ethiopian Public Health Association and World Federation of Public Health Associations.
In attendance would be the Ethiopian Minister of Health, Dr Tedros Adhanom; President of World Federation of Public Health Associations, Professor Ulrich Laaser; President of Ethiopian Public Health Association, Dr Tewabech Bishaw; Heads of UN Agencies, representatives of stakeholders, public health associations and other agencies.
More than 3,000 participants from different disciplines are expected to participate.
The general objectives of the congress are to contribute towards protecting and promoting public health at global, continental, national levels and to create a better understanding of Africa’s public health challenges within global public health.
In all, five plenaries and more than 100 pre-organised and free sessions on a multiplicity of public health issues would be held over a five-day period, while it would provide participants an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences and learn from one another.

Source: GNA
 

3,829 biometric applicants challenged

A total of 3,829 had their applications challenged throughout the country as of the end of the second phase of the biometric voters registration exercise.
Currently, the Electoral Commission (EC) has registered eight million voters.
The acting Director of Communications of the EC, Mr Christian Owusu-Parry, who disclosed this in an interview with graphic.com.gh, said the Brong Ahafo Region topped the number of challenges with a total of 775 cases, followed by Ashanti, 681; Greater Accra, 588 and Central, 555.
The rest are Eastern, 290; Northern, 261; Volta, 31, Upper East, 86 and Upper West, 85.
Mr Owusu-Parry said the records show that the Ashiedu Keteke District in the Greater Accra Region recorded the highest number of challenges at the district level with 453, followed by Upper Denkyira West in the Central Region with 397, Jasikan in the Volta Region, 144, while Dormaa Municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region recorded 115 challenges.
An applicant may be challenged on the grounds that he or she is not a Ghanaian citizen, is below 18 years, is not resident of a locality, is not of sound mind, is previously registered or is not the person he or she claims to be.
District Registration Review Committees have been set up in each district to investigate the challenges and report on their findings to the commission.
An applicant’s registration as a voter may be challenged by anybody who qualifies to be registered as a voter. A challenge on the eligibility of an applicant to register as a voter will not stop him or her from going through the process if he or she insists that he or she is qualified.
The applicant would be allowed to go through the process except that he or she will not be issued with a voter identity card until the challenge is determined by the District Registration Review Committee.
If an applicant is challenged, both the applicant and the challenger will appear before the committee for hearing and determination of the challenge.
Source: Graphic.com.gh

NPP commends Judiciary

The Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, has commended the judiciary for upholding the rule of law and not doing the will of President Mills in the ongoing saga involving the Assin-North Member of Parliament, Kennedy Ohene Agyepong, but rather proceeding to grant him bail.
In a statement issued by the NPP Chairman, he noted that the Attorney General, knowing well that the magistrate’s court had no jurisdiction to hear the matter, took Ken Agyepong to that court only to request for the court to remand him in police custody for an additional two weeks.
“It was merely to seek to keep the Member of the Parliamentary in custody in order to ‘teach him a lesson’”, Jake noted, describing the treason charges levelled against Mr. Agyapong “only as a mockery of the law being perpetrated for reckless partisan advantage.”
Jake maintained that had the magistrate done the will of the President and his appointees and remanded Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong for two (2) weeks, “no one could have answered for the reaction of those showing him [Kennedy] support in Accra, Cape Coast, Takoradi, Kumasi and other cities and towns across Ghana.”
According to the NPP Chairman, since the police had shown by their arrest of Hon. Kennedy Agyapong “that they are not fearful of taking action against a senior NPP politician”, they must also show their even handed application of justice by taking action against NDC orchestrated violence and or incitement to violence, during and before the ongoing registration exercise.
Jake recounted statements made by Mr. Amatepe, deputy Volta Regional Minister, who called on Ewes in the Region at Aflao and elsewhere, at the time of the visit to the region by President Mills, “to beat NPP Akan registration monitors.”
The NPP Chairman also cited the example, for police action, of NDC thugs photographed going through the Odododiodio Constituency with guns, shovels, pickaxes, cutlasses and clubs wreaking havoc and terrorising residents.
“Let the Ghana Police meet this challenge,” Jake charged.
According to the NPP Chairman, the ongoing brouhaha surrounding NPP firebrand Kennedy Agyepong is a deliberate ploy by President Mills to intimidate and cow the entire leadership of the NPP into submission.
Jake noted that President Mills in deploying state resources against political opponents is “prepared to sacrifice the rule of law and the national interest to satisfy his desire for his own political gain, by the use of violence and cheap propaganda.”
The NPP chairman noted that the primary aim of arresting, detaining and prosecuting Ken Agyepong is first and foremost “to put the fear of the ‘Asomdwehene’ in the NPP” and secondly to punish Ken for leading the crusade on the GH¢51 million Woyomegate scandal and other dubious multi-million dollar judgment debts made by his government mainly to his major financiers.
“It is obvious that President Mills and his administration have been rocked by Kennedy Agyapong’s exposé on the judgment debt scandals, in which GH¢51.8 million was doled-out to Mr Woyome, and arbitration settlements of €35 million and €94 million were given to Waterville and CP Construction Ltd, respectively.
“These payments were illicit because no evidence was proffered to support the claims. On the contrary, government ignored all the glaring evidence that the claims were fraudulent,” Jake added.
Jake noted that President Mills’ agenda of seeking to discredit the character of Ken Agyepong will not whitewash the criminal wrongdoing of his administration.
Mr Obetsebi-Lapmptey reaffirmed the NPP’s backing of Hon Ken Agyepong adding that “the NPP remains firmly behind the Hon. Kennedy Agyepong in his quest for justice in the unfounded accusations of treason made against him.”
Jake continued, “We would not sit by and allow the rule of law to be transformed into the misrule of Mills.”
Citifmonline.com

New pensions regime can check corruption – Prof. Adei

An economist and lecturer, Professor Stephen Adei, has said a well functioning pensions system is a crucial requirement in the country to correct the misery pensioners found themselves in.
He said the appalling pension system we operated for a long time and the thought of retirement sometimes compelled public sector workers to be corrupt.
Launching the Metropolitan Pensions Trust Ghana in Accra last Tuesday, Prof. Adei said a good pension system would also serve as a good source of long-term financing for infrastructure development.
It would also enable financial services sector, especially banks to get access to long-term financing to deepen their funding of small and medium-scale enterprises, adding that the inclusion of the private sector in the management of pension fund would become critical in growing the country’s capital market.
Metropolitan Pensions Ghana is a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Group of South Africa which has footprints in 12 African countries in health insurance, insurance and pensions and boasts of over 10 million customers.
Prof. Adei, who is author of investment books and an ardent savings practitioner, expressed the hope that the introduction of the private sector in managing pensions would bring a major milestone in the country, bringing significant change on the financial landscape.

He highly recommended Metropolitan Pensions Trust to the public, saying they had good systems, expertise and a wide investment reach that would give their clients the value they need when they retired.
The Chief Executive Officer of Metropolitan, Mr Diop Frimpong, said the company had the personnel and a good infrastructure system to provide timely, accurate and consistent services, with creative web-based operational processes which enabled their customers to do several things including checking their balances on-the-go.
“We have transparent operational processes which are web-based, we have lined up excellent service providers and we’ll ensure that members are appropriately represented on the company’s board,” Mr Frimpong stated.
The Regional Director for West Africa and New Business of Metropolitan, Mr A. J. Kruger, the company already had operations in Ghana in area of insurance, health insurance and now pensions, which he said would be managed expertly to ensure the security of pensions assets.
He gave the assurance that the company would draw on its vast experience in Africa to develop an efficient first-rate operations in Ghana.
Metropolitan was established in 2010 following the passage of the National Pensions Act 2008, Act 766, which allowed private pension fund companies to manage the five per cent second tier in the three-tier pensions management provided under the law.
Source: Daily Graphic

CPP fixes May 12 for National Delegates’ Congress

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has fixed May 12 for the party’s National Delegates’ Congress to elect a flag bearer for Election 2012.
Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, CPP General Secretary, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra on Thursday that 11 delegates each from the 230 constituencies would attend the congress.
He said two candidates, Mr Bright Akwetey and Dr Abu Sakara Foster, are contesting for the flagbearership slot.
Source: GNA

I want to be the greatest: Kwasi Appiah

Black stars coach Akwasi Appiah has indicated that, he wants to be Ghana’s greatest Coach by winning titles that have never been won in the history of the Black Stars like the next Cup of Nations in South Africa and the 2014 world cup in Brazil.
Akwasi Appiah is only in his second week as Black Stars Coach but has ambitions to supervise a flawless tenure with qualifiers for the January 2013 AFCON set to begin in two months time.
According to him, he has the abilities to deliver major titles.
“There have been so many coaches but I want to achieve what no one has ever done before”. He told JOY Sports
“We have not won the world cup before and I’m looking forward to do that”.
Coach Kwasi Appiah’s two year initial contract means he will be in charge of qualifiers for the world cup 2014 in Brazil.

Vodafone’s Red Room experience….. hmmm

One of Ghana’s leading mobile telephone giants Vodafone, headline sponsor of the just ended Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) treated some of its patrons to a special ‘Redroom Experience’ on the awards night.
Well, the concept as explained by the organisers was supposed to give the select few who were privileged to be in the ‘Redroom’ an experience of a lifetime where they would watch the entire event (VGMA) on a giant screen in a very relaxing environment.
There was supposed to be lots of drinks and food for the people gathered there so they do not lack in anything one needs when he or she attends shows like the VGMA’s. A host of celebrities were also supposed to come through the Redroom to interact with the persons who had gathered there.
This is a wonderful concept especially if you do not want to be locked up in the extremely noisy audience with all the sweat and people stepping on your toes, your belongings getting stolen amongst the many mishaps that could occur when one goes for such public events.
Planners and organisers of the idea tried but failed woefully in their final execution of this well thought through idea. Several of the people who came for the Vodafone Redroom experience really got an experience but not one that they could write home about.
As a matter of fact in my interaction with some people who were specially invited for this experience, they applauded the concept but were quick to add that they would have preferred to be in the Dome of the Conference Centre where the main action was taking place than to be in the Redroom where they were totally cut out.
Here are a few pointers I think Vodafone can consider if they want to perfect the Redroom Experience. First of all the music in the main hall was awfully loud for the numbers that had gathered there to the extent that one had to literally shout to be heard by his or her partner.
Organisers should ensure that the giant screen which was supposed to give a live feed from the action point-in this case the Dome- works properly before the show begins. I mean all technical aspects should be checked and double checked and there should be alternative means of enjoying the show should any problem arise be it technically or otherwise.
I hope the organisers were not expecting that we (the privileged few) were going to stand throughout the over 4 hour show because there were not enough chairs for those who had gathered there and everyone else was waiting for someone to stand up so they can also sit. Infact if you got a seat and you stood up to do anything, you did that at your own risk because people were waiting for seats there were unavailable.

For the food and drinks, it was in abundance but that was not the reason why people would leave their homes for the Conference Centre because none of the people who had gathered there came for the purposes of food but rather to enjoy the Music Awards and then maybe the food.
Source: Citifmonline.com

MCE asks EPA to conduct further tests on Butuah Lagoon

Captain Anthony Cudjoe (rtd), Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, on Wednesday asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct further scientific tests on the Butuah Lagoon at New Takoradi to inform Assembly’s decision to lift the ban on fishing in the lagoon.
He said the tests are necessary to prevent re-occurrence of the fish kill in the lagoon about seven months which led to the ban on fishing.
He made the call at a stakeholders meeting on the lagoon convened by the Metropolitan Assembly at Sekondi.
He said a buffer zone should be created around the lagoon to stop the dumping of garbage and waste materials close to the lagoon.
Captain Cudjoe said there was also the need to identify polluters of the lagoon and work with them to stop the practice.
He said the Metropolitan Assembly would step up its education on the environment at New Takoradi and assist to the community keep its environment clean.
Mr. Yaw Sarfo-Afriyie, Western Regional Director of the EPA, said investigations conducted by the agency in the lagoon has revealed that the fish kill was as a result of the presence of volatile poisons in the lagoon which affected the quality of water.
He said the pollution could have been caused by fishing with chemicals and application of pesticides by vegetable farmers along the lagoon.

Mr. Sarfo-Afriyie said fishermen in the community must be educated on proper methods of fishing and that fishermen should desist from using chemicals for fishing.
He said vegetable farmers within the Butuah Catchment area must be educated on the proper use of agrochemicals.
Source: GNA

Convict threatens to kill police officer

Drama unfolded at the Takoradi Circuit Court ‘B’ on Wednesday morning when a convict, Leonard Tompori, a 32-year-old plumber, threatened to kill a police officer.
This was after he was slapped with a four-year jail-term for stealing a pen drive belonging to the Electoral Commission (EC).
Tompori who was being handcuffed, Tompori shouted angrily and threw his legs desperately in the air in a bid to hit CWO Yawson for allegedly insulting him after the court pronounced the sentence.
The convict was charged on two counts of stealing and tempering with the EC equipment being used for the biometric registration exercise.
He pleaded not guilty initially but after the trial, the court found him culpable and sentenced him accordingly.
The presiding judge, Mr Charles Bamford Nimako, pronouncing judgment, said what the convict did was a serious offence that could have put the registration officer into trouble.
He said the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others who harbour the intention of disrupting and creating confusion at the registration centres of the ongoing biometric registration exercise.
Presenting the facts of the case, Inspector Fuseini Yakubu, told the court that, the complainant is a teacher who had been engaged by the EC as a registration officer while the convict, Tompori, is a plumber residing in Sekondi.

He said on April 5, Tompori went to the Club 51 registration centre at Sekondi to register so that he could vote in the December General Election.
The prosecutor said after the convict had registered and left the centre, the registration officer detected the theft of a pen drive belonging to the EC.
The registration officer suspected Tompori and reported the case to the Sekondi police immediately.
Inspector Yakubu said the police accompanied the registration officer to search for Tompori and upon a tip-off, the police found him at his hideout at a ghetto, near, the Sekondi beach.
A search conducted on him by the police retrieved the lost pen drive from his pocket and was arrested.
The prosecution said Tompori admitted the offence in his caution statement was arraigned.
Source: GNA

Ghana women’s coach worried over camping delay

Ghana’s women national team coach Kuuku Dadzie fears the delay in moving to camp ahead of their final qualifying hurdle against Cameroon could prove disastrous.
The Black Queens battle Cameroon next month in their last qualifying round for this year’s African Women’s Championship to be staged in Equatorial Guinea.
But the team has been forced to shelve plans to move to camp due to congestion at the Ghanaman Soccer of Excellence at Prampram.
The various national team comprising the Black Starlet, Satellite, Maidens and Princesses have all set up their camping base at the place.
Dadzie, who guided the country’s female Under-20 side to clinch silver at the 2011 All Africa Games fears the delay could hamper his preparations for the game against the Cameroonians.
“We should have started camping this Sunday but authorities say we can’t start on the 15th but we should wait till 27th,” the former Ghana international told Accra-based Radio XYZ.
“Definitely it’s going to affect me towards the Cameroon match. In the next few weeks, the girls will be doing nothing.
“They’re sitting in the house. Actually I have five players with the Princesses but the bulk of the team are sitting in the house and doing nothing.
“I have seen them. They’re so physical and they’re technically and tactically ok. They are in camp preparing and we’re sitting down here.
“I don’t have any option,”
By Patrick Akoto

Fire Guts Kumasi Central Market Again

Reports from the Kumasi Central Market indicates that market is on fire for the second time in a week.
This comes barely five days after parts of the market was razed down destroying millions of Ghana cedis in the process.
It is not clear what might have caused the fire, but XYZ News’ Ashanti Regional correspondent, Isaac Bediako Justice, reports that the fire is still raging even though it has been confined.
Personnel from the Fire and Police services arrived on the scene early but struggled to enter the market due to the heavy congestion.
The fire is a few metres away from the main entrance which was gutted last Sunday. It is however not clear what might have cause this outbreak.
Items such sugar, clothes among other wares have been lost in the fire.
Source: Radioxyz

Abedi Pele Backs Gyan For Europe Return

Ghana legend Abedi Pele believes UAE-based striker Asamoah Gyan has a higher possibility of returning to Europe.
The Ghana international was severely criticized for his shock loan move from English Premier League side Sunderland to Al Ain last September.
Some say the 25-year-old moved because of the money involved and a return to the Stadium of Light in the summer is in serious doubt.
There are reports clubs in the Gulf are interested in signing him on a permanent basis.
But Pele-who played in UAE in the early stages of his career-believes will return to top-flight action in Europe.
“I also played here at the start of my career [in Qatar] and then moved on to Europe to become one of the greatest players then,” the triple African Footballer of the Year said.
“I don’t think this is the end of Gyan’s career. He is going to benefit from this experience and then move on to bigger things and become one of the big players in Europe.
“Gyan started off in Europe and now he has come here for the experience. He is still young. He has so many years before him.
“I hope he is going to do well here, and if there is a possibility for him to move back to Europe then he would do so.”
Gyan is currently the leading scorer in the UAE top-flight with 22 goals in 21 matches.

Source: MTNfootball.com

Berekum Chelsea’s Agyemang Signs New Deal

Berekum Chelsea defender Eric Agyemang has signed a three-year contract extension, the club announced on Wednesday.
The right-back’s current contract will expire at the end of the season and will now stay with defending Ghana Premier League champions until 2015.
Agyemang joined from King Faisal Football Club on a free transfer three seasons ago.
He was a key member of the side which won the historic Ghana Premier League title last season.
Agyemang has maintained his form and is helping the Blues reach the money zone fo this year’s CAF Champions League.
Source: MTNfootball.com

GFA makes strategic reform in youth football

 
The Ghana Football Association has introduced a strategic educational reform that will be binding on all juvenile footballers in the country.
Faced with the age-long issue of players abandoning any form of academic work for football, the GFA has approved plans to give its Juvenile Committee more mandate to run a development programme for youngsters who pursuing footballing careers.
George Afriyie has exclusively told Ghana Football that a mandatory basic school enrollment criteria for considering players for the national colts league.
The GFA’s executive approved plans comes into force next year and is an initiative by the sport body to develop the talents of children through education.
Afriyie, also member of both the Executive and Emergency Committees of the GFA, has hailed the approved measures.
“This is an initiative by the GFA to ensure that every child who plays football at that level is in school,” Afriyie said in an interview with Ghana Football.
“We (GFA) have realized that a lot of these players who play at the colts level are extremely talented but many of them don’t want to go to school. We don’t want a situation like that.
“They may be talented in football but it is also very important that they don’t miss their education because they are playing football.
“It’s very simple; if you are not in school, you will not be considered for registration to feature in the colts league.”
Afriyie said the reform measures will however grant certain exceptions in a bid to rope in talents while getting them in school.
“It’s a strict rule but there will be exceptions on rare occasions. The exception is a player with exceptional skill who is not in school may be considered for registration, but after that such a player would have to go to school.
“Such players may be considered for scholarships in the GFA’s academy at Prampram.”
The reforms will also see the number of registered colts clubs throughout the country cut significantly.
Seven of the ten regions will have only twelve registered colts clubs whiles Greater Accra, Ashanti and the Brong Regions will have 24 clubs each.
Source: Ghanafa.org

Sulley Muntari Blasts Inter Director

AC Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari has launched a vicious broadside at Inter director Marco Branca.
The 27-year-old claims Branca walks around thinking he is “God” and that nobody likes him.
Muntari has revived his career since joining the Rossoneri on loan from their city rivals in January.
According to the Ghana international, Branca forced him out of Inter.
“Who? Branca. Please, write down his name,” said Muntari.
“When he entered the changing rooms, he wanted me to bow down to him as if he was my God. But, he and I are both employees and paid by Massimo Moratti.
“The truth is that none of the Inter players can stand him. I’m a man, a clean man. He, instead, is a fake.
“I couldn’t take it any longer after three years. Before I left for the African Cup of Nations, I told his associate Piero Ausilio that my patience had come to an end.”
Muntari has scored two goals in eight Serie A games for Milan since his arrival at the start of 2012.
Source: MTNFootball.com

Workshop to review draft regulations for Ghana’s postal

Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communication, has urged operators in the postal and courier services to adopt innovative ways and deploy Information Communication Technology (ICT) to help augment their business activities.
He said the operators had no reason to declare themselves unprofitable because there were lots of avenues that they could take advantage of to make their businesses more profitable and viable.
Mr Iddrisu was speaking at a day’s workshop organised in Accra to review draft regulations for the Postal Sector and provide a platform for all stakeholders to understand the draft regulations and how they would impact the postal sector.
The workshop under the auspices of the Ministry and the Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission, (PCSRC) is also aimed at giving the operators opportunity to discuss operational matters with the Consultants and the Commission.
The Sector Minister said the objectives of the National Postal Policy aimed at complete market liberalisation, generating increased business volumes, revenues, mail security, and improved quality of service and establishing a fully functional postal regulator with expertise and capacity to transform the industry.
“As partners in development to enhance and enrich the regulations that govern the Postal Industry, your valuable inputs and comments are critical for its completion and implementation. The Regulations would create the conditions for the growth of competition and pave the way for new entrants into the sector,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu said postal services continue to evolve and that evolution was being shaped by changes in the communications sector.
“While it is true that the use of e-mails had increased in recent years and that letter mail is declining, businesses are re-organising bulk mail deliveries, letters and parcels as an exceptionally effective medium for forging and strengthening commercial relationships. In short, mail continues to have a bright future as a key communication channel,” he added.
He, therefore, urged the Commission to check the activities of unlicensed and unregulated courier services operators to ensure that they were not allowed to operate within the system.
Osabarima Ansah Sasraku III, Chairman of PCSRC, said postal services had been playing important social and economic roles ever since the formation of national governments.
He said postal services had undergone series of structural reforms in line with different cultural, economic and technological factors, particularly, in recent years, with the stepped-up pace of change.
“Just as in the past many were predicting the down fall of postal service with the invention of the telegraph and telephone, this same prophecy had been repeated for a number of years now.
“However, in the same way the postal service confronted that emerging threat by incorporating the new breakthrough of that time into their own operations by offering new services to the public, the current threat posed by the development of new technology is being turned into an opportunity for postal operators,” he said.
Osabarima Sasraku said “today’s new digital infrastructure provide a foundation for the operation of different types of services, including both existing and completely new services such as e-post, logistics services, messaging and financial services”.
He said that postal services penetrated all social strata and segments of society and one of the conditions for the success of a reform programme in the sector was the broadest possible involvement of all affected stakeholders.
Mr Samuel Instiaba, Executive Secretary of PCSRC, said a similar exercise was conducted by the Commission in 2008 to transform the sector and that had brought unlicensed operators on board and directed their attention to customer care service which invariably increased their revenue.
Source: GNA

Menaye Muntari Leads Hunt For Africa’s Next Fashion Star

Menaye Muntari, Ghanaian model, entrepreneur, philanthropist and wife of AC Milan footballer Sulley Muntari, is leading the search for Ghana and Nigeria’s next top fashion designer as the lead judge on the new reality TV series, ‘Fashion Power’.
Menaye, who was crowned Miss Ghana Universe 2004 and has since worked with many acclaimed international fashion designers, will use her experience, knowledge and connections in the fashion world to help to guide budding fashion designers through a series of tasks where they will showcase their skills and talents in the hope of being crowned the winner of Fashion Power 2012.
In the 13 series reality show, the 12 contestants between the ages of 18 and 35 will battle it out in the competition to make their dream come true and ultimately launch their career as a fashion designer.
The winner will receive $30,000.00, mentorship with renowned fashion designers, PR and media support to gain exposure in magazines across the world, platforms to sell their designs and sponsorship to participate in international fashion weeks, all of which will help build the designer’s brand as the next big fashion icon.

With successful open auditions already having taken place in Ghana and Nigeria attracting hundreds of hopeful contestants, the short listing process has now taken place and 12 contestants, six each from Ghana and Nigeria, have been selected to compete in the Fashion Power reality show.
Menaye, supported by Nigerian born television host Faith History and an array of celebrity guest judges, will now begin to judge the 12 selected finalists each week as they participate in training, tasks and challenges. The contestants aim is to use African fabrics as inspiration, then to blend them with other influences, inject their own ideas and explore their creativity fully to produce original and expressive clothes for a variety of occasions.
The 13 episode reality series is scheduled for broadcast on VIA SAT 1 in Ghana and selected networks in Nigeria. The winner will be unveiled at a major red carpet fashion event in Lagos, Nigeria in the grand finale in week 13.
Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

EL: Awards not my focus

Ghanaian rapper, singer and producer , EL has expressed appreciation to his fans that voted for him in three categories at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), but has urged them not to be perturbed that he did not win any award out of the three.
In an exclusive with NEWS-ONE, EL said though he appreciated the nominations, the priority of his music career was not to win awards but to satisfy his fans all over the world and do the type of music that would be accepted in Ghana and on the international music scene.
EL was nominated for the categories of Best Collaboration of the Year for the song ‘You Go Kill Me’ with Sarkodie, Best New Artiste of the Year and Best Rapper of the Year.
During the awards last Saturday, when TV and radio presenters Jeremie and Jay Foli were called to present the award for the Best New Artiste of the Year, the crowd started chanting EL’s name in anticipation that it would go to him: The room however went somewhat silent when the award went to Stay Jay.
NEWS-ONE asked EL how he felt about that particular category.

“That moment was the best feeling for me when I heard the crowd chanting my name. They were chanting my name because they expected me to win and I was happy that my works have been accepted. But I took it in good faith because it was not my award and they gave it to who they wanted to give it to.
“I am not surprised about the whole thing because I have a way of accepting things and putting them in the best perspective. If it is a sign that I have to work harder, then that is what I must do,” EL explained.
EL’s collaboration with Sarkodie, ‘You Go Kill Me’, emerged as the Most Popular Song of the year, yet that song did not win collaboration of the year. Though the song was produced by EL and he did the rap with Sarkodie, his name was conspicuously absent from that category.
Europe Tour, HHP & Caabo Snoop
The artiste confirmed to NEWS-ONE that he had a tour this May and that he would be performing in Germany, Amsterdam, London as well as Singapore. He revealed that very serious rehearsals were underway for the tour.
EL is currently collaborating with South African rap giant HHP and Angola’s Caabo Snoop.
“I produced a song for HHP and Samini and after the show; Samini called and brought Snoop on. We did a feel good song together and I am sure the whole of Africa would be happy about that production”.
VGMA Performance
EL, during his performance at the VGMA in the early hours of Sunday morning, left the audience when it seemed to be enjoying him most and he explained to NEWS-ONE what happened.
“I was asked to do a single song. That was what the organizers gave me but I managed to squeeze two songs within that limited time. If I had my way, I would have gone on until the audience got satisfied but it was not my show and there was nothing I could do about it.
“The music I do, I do them for my fans. It is about them and I try to appeal to their hearts, minds and emotions as I entertain them. It has always been 90% concentration on my fans and just 10% for me. It’s all about them.”
Source:News One

Wanlov denied US visa

Ghanaian musician Wanlov the Kubolor and colleague Mensa have cancelled scheduled shows in New York because he has been refused visa by the US Embassy in Accra.
According to a Voice of America (VOA) news publication dated April 9, 2012, the hip-hop duo, after performing at venues throughout Europe and South Africa, said a trip to the US to visit another side of their worldwide audience was not fruitful as they were forced to cancel the concerts when US officials denied Wanlov a visa.
“I applied in Accra, and I was denied a visa. They are telling me the reason they are denying me a visa is because I have a son and a wife that are American and live in Los Angeles, and because I’ve never applied for a green card. So the only way I can come to America is if I apply for a green card,” Wanlov told the VOA.
The report said Wanlov had applied for a performance visa. A green card is an immigrant visa for applicants intending to live in the US. But Wanlov said he has no intention of moving and just wants to play shows for his American fans.
US consular officials are reported to have told the artist that his only options were to apply for a green card or get a divorce, so he does not foresee future US tour dates.
Wanlov said problems like these make it hard for popular African musicians to play in the US, no matter what level of success they enjoy.
“We do shows all the time all around the world,” the VOA quoted Wanlov as saying.
He continues, “For me it’s a very silly situation that I’ve been put in. I was just invited to come there for a week, financially I’m stable. I’ve seen over 20 countries in the past three years, from the music and from touring and stuff and yet there’s this whole notion that I want to move to the United States.”
The concerts were supposed to have taken place early this year in some parts of the US.
However, bandmate Mensa told the VOA that the group is hopeful they will manage to get to the US one day.

Castro Deceives Event Organizers In America

The Ghanaian community in the United States of America (Bronx) is noted for celebrating “Ghana’s Parade” every July which in actual terms is a day set to celebrate and showcase Ghana’s culture with some top musicians.
For this year’s celebration, information reaching Flex Newspaper is that Castro, one of Ghana’s Top Musician has been booked as the main headline artiste to grace the after party aspect of the occasion.
Unfortunately, he has decided to play hide and seek with the organizers of the program, after getting the required money from them.
In Our quest to investigate the issue, we tried talking to one of the organizers of the event who doubles as the C.E.O of (S and S) Sarfo and Sarfo Entertainment in the United States of America Isaac Tweneboah, Younger brother of Ghanaian Top Movie director and producer Socrates Sarfo. He revealed to Flex Newspaper That they have now decided to cancel the show because the agreement that was presented to them (Dred African Movies) who are the main organizers of the program is different from what they have on their table.
He added that organizers of the program Dred African Movies & Entertainment booked Castro early this year and decided to make arrangement for his Visa acquisition, airline and hotel reservation but after some few months they have been informed and have seen some soft copy posters of Castro on the internet advertizing Castro is scheduled to perform on the same day in New York.
When queried about the agreement and its nature, Isaac Tweneboah stated they didn’t book Castro to perform after the Ghana Parade and to also perform for another organization at the same time. So until Castro and the other Organization”Boogie Down Nima” Cancel their show, they will not proceed with him.
Talking to DJ Amess who is the manager of Castro, he responded that he is shocked at Dred Africa Movies and Entertainment for coming out on the issue because as far as he is concerned, Castro’s Management has not taken any money from any event organizer in U.S.A ‘we were in a verbal negotiation with both parties whiles Boogie down Nima Managed to secure the Visa for us‘he added.
He continued that they didn’t want to take chances in the Visa issue because with their experience in the Industry, there are some event organizers who will come and brag that they will be able to get you the Visa and at the end of the day, they will end up letting the embassy bounce you, so they were very careful on that aspect.
‘Even after we landed the Visa we even went ahead to inform Dred African Movies and entertainment that with the Visa, we have managed to get it through our own means, so they should take that out of the deal, so I don’t know why they are saying they paid us and in the process of getting us the Visa, we have betrayed them. Or is it a crime to get your own Visa to America ‘he asked.
All efforts to get representatives of Boogie down Nima to hear their side of the story proved futile as their contacts failed to connect.

Source: Mustapha Ayinde Inusah/Flex Newspaper

Make Youth Policy available to students – Teacher

Mr George Buah-Kwofie, a teacher at Mpohor Senior High School in the Western Region, on Tuesday called on the National Youth Authority to make available the Youth Policy document in schools.
This, he, said would enhance the study of the policies put in place by government for the youths for them to take advantage as well as contribute their quota to the overall development of the country.
Mr Buah-Kwofie made the call at the launch of a documentary on “Youth and Governance” by the Youth Bridge Foundation, an NGO at Daboase in the Mpohor Wassa East District of the Region.
The documentary according to Mr Seth Oteng, Executive Director of the NGO, said was a study, which highlighted the concerns of the youth in the decentralization process.
He said there were several issues raised in the findings of the study which included general apathy towards the entire local governance processes by the youths due to the lack of involvement.
Mr Oteng said the youths were cardinal in the development process and therefore must be well-informed regarding the opportunities that exist for them within the society in order for them to make use of them.
Source: GNA

Kennedy Agyapong Granted Bail

Beleaguered Member of Parliament of Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong, has been granted bail.
A Human Rights Court granted him bail this morning, Thursday, April 19 with two sureties, but the treason charges leveled against him still holds.
The embattled MP was released on bail based on health grounds. The NPP firebrand is reported to be have high blood pressure following his three-day detention in Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) cells.
He was also granted bail because he is a Member of Parliament.

Metro Mass Transit to increase fleet

The Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) would increase its fleet of buses to 1,000 by the end of the year to enable it reach the remotest towns and villages across the country.
Currently, it has 830 buses plying 360 routes in all parts of the country.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at the on-going Ghana Policy Fair in Accra, Mr Eric Boadi-Misa, Head of Communications, MMT, said management’s intention was to expand to serve the marginalised parts of the country, which were currently not being served or were underserved.
“When we increase the fleet of buses, it will enable us perform our social mandate better,” he said, adding that the social role the company played absolved it from any competition with the various transport unions.
“Our role is a people-centred service provision and that is significantly different from the operations of the other transport unions,” Mr Boadi-Misa said.
The company, last year, carried more than 36 million passengers to various destinations in the country.
Government in February, this year, provided the company with 50 new TATA buses while the company is working to acquire additional 150 more buses from its internally generated funds to enhance operations.

Mr Boadi-Misa said the company was scaling up construction of depots and improvements of existing ones as well as waiting lounges for passengers.
In addition, there are programmes to enhance customer service delivery, re-training of drivers and thorough checking of vehicles to ensure safety of passengers.
He said the company had installed speed limit devices on all long distance buses and passengers could hear clearly the warnings when the driver goes beyond the 80-kilometre per hour limit.
The company will also introduce a tracking system to check the location and speed of vehicles to ensure reliability and safety of passengers.
On women drivers, Mr Boadi-Misa said management would by close of this year bring their number to 100.
He said since 2010, 50 women drivers had undergone training in La Cote d’Ivoire to acquire international experience while additional 25 would undertake similar training later this year.
Mr Boadi-Misa said the objective of introducing women drivers had been achieved since most of the passengers felt comfortable travelling on their buses.
“The company’s future looks bright, “ he said, adding that with the expansion programmes in place, there was more room for improvement.
Ms Esther De-Rex Tanor, a woman driver, said most passengers preferred joining her bus because she was always careful on the road.
The company currently provides direct and indirect employment for 4,300 people.
Source: GNA