Ghana poster an 'embarrassment' to South Africa
Key stakeholders in South African football on Thursday washed their hands of the street poster at the African Cup of Nations in Ghana which depicts the old South African flag.
The poster depicted the old South African flag as well as the face of striker Benni McCarthy who was not even selected to the Bafana Bafana squad for the tournament.
The poster also carried the logo of cellphone giant MTN as the title sponsor but MTN has distanced itself from the poster completely.
The poster has been labelled an "embarrassment to South Africa".
Morio Sanyane, director of communications for the South African Football Association (Safa), said the organisation was embarrassed that the poster was in full view of the world without any shame.
"It is an embarrassment to the country but we will take it up with the relevant authorities," he said.
Sanyane said Safa needed to verify the poster and check its authenticity as a matter of urgency but the problem was that the poster was up in Ghana and so was beyond the jurisdiction of SA.
Nozipho January-Bardill, MTN group executive, said MTN had not given any authorisation for the use of its logo as the title sponsor.
"We wish to place on record that any such use is illegal and MTN will be investigating the matter," she said.
January-Bardill said the matter would be taken up with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to scrutinise how the poster went through its approval process.
She added that MTN could not speculate on how the title sponsor logo was accessed.
Sanyane added: "If it is found that foul play has taken place we will have to take it up with the CAF and LOC. We are living in a digital era and things can be manipulated."
Sanyane said a delegation of Safa visited Ghana but no one had seen the poster in question.
Tumi Makgabo, communications manager for the 2010 Fifa World Cup organising committee, said that because the 2010 LOC logo was not on the poster it "did not affect us at all".
"It won't be appropriate for us to comment," she said.
Source:
IOL
Kufuor receives German Deputy Chancellor
Accra, Feb. 10, GNA - German Deputy Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Dr Frank Walter Steinmeier, on Sunday arrived in Accra on the first leg of a three-nation tour of West Africa.
The visit, which would take him to Togo and Burkina Faso, is to lend his country's support to the giant socio-economic and political strides they were making. He said during a courtesy call on President Kufuor at the Castle, Osu, that these were countries that were on the right path and needed to be given every necessary encouragement.
"I am here to help to show the positive face of Africa to the rest of the world and to correct the widely held impression particularly among Europeans now, that Africa is a continent torn apart by conflicts."
Dr. Steinmeier thanked President Kufuor for his leadership and mediation efforts in the Kenyan political crisis. He said he was hopeful that former United Nations (UN) Chief, Kofi Annan-headed Panel, set up by President Kufuor as then Chairman of the African Union (AU), to assist to restore the East African country to normalcy would succeed.
On a lighter side, he touched on the 26th MTN African Cup of Nations Tournament, which Ghana the host nation failed to reach the finals and said his country found itself in the same situation when it failed to get to the finals of the 2006 FIFA World Tournament. The disappointment notwithstanding, he said, "the benefit was that it took place in our country."
Responding President Kufuor said, Ghana being a nation with a lot of passion for football understood that, "we take part in soccer competitions not always to win."
He said what was heart warming and reassuring was that the National Team, the Black Stars performed so well and that he had no doubt that, it would be the team to beat in the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer fiesta in South Africa.
Switching to political conflicts in Africa, he said this was part of the challenge of an emerging Continent and that the leaders were determined to take the initiative to resolve them. In doing this, they would however want the Region's development partners to support them.
President Kufuor said he was happy about the co-operation, the Panel, chaired by Mr Annan was receiving from the Kenyan political leaders and expressed optimism that there was going to be a breakthrough soon.
Source:
GNA
Police pose as buyers to arrest car thieves
Aflao, Feb. 10, GNA - Police personnel at Nogokpo on Friday posed as interested buyers of a Hyundai taxi cab and arrested three persons suspected to have stolen the car from Madina in Accra. Mustapha Mohammed, 23, Kasim Rashid, 21 and Shaibu Iddrisu, 20, the suspects are all from Nima 441.
Two others, one Suraj, driver, also based at Nima said to be the architect of the plan and Agbosika, a native of Nogokpo, who came with the three to his village looking for a buyer, are on the run. Mr Ahmed Issah Yakubu, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in charge of Aflao Police, told the GNA that about three weeks ago, the owner of the newly bought car with registration number GX 7924 Y employed Suraj as driver.
He said Suraj after working with the car for a few days expressed disinterest in the job, prompting the owner, one Ibrahim Ali, to take the car back to his base at Madina. Mr Yakubu said Suraj duplicated the key while he was driving the car and sneaked into the owner's house at Madina with the three at dawn that Friday to drive it away.
He said Mohammed, Rashid and Shaibu, were joined by Agbosika and they drove in the car to a fitting shop at Nogokpo to look for a buyer. Mr Yakubu said to avoid suspicion; Suraj did not come with his accomplices but went back to his base at Nima. He said while the group was looking for a buyer, the police who had been hinted, posed as interested buyers and during negotiations arrested the three, but Agbosika, who sensed danger on the stroke of time escaped into a nearby bush. Mr Yakubu said the police were in contact with the owner of the car and were conducting further investigations, while pursuing Agbosika and Suraj who was said to have vacated his Nima residence. He said the three would be put before court for conspiracy and stealing.Source:
GNA
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107 Criminal Cases So Far At Ghana 2008
One hundred and seven criminal cases have so far been reported from the four match venues of the 26th Africa Cup of Nations Cup (Ghana 2008).
The Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra had 53, Essipon in Sekondi, 34, Baba Yara in Kumasi, 13, and the Tamale Stadium, seven cases.
Police sources said the crimes involved assault, ticket racketeering, stealing of mobile phones and cameras, snatching of bags, possessing and smoking of Indian hemp, offensive conduct and obstructing peace, among others.
Eight culprits have been sentenced to imprisonment for periods ranging from one year to 24 months, while others have been remanded in prison custody pending further investigations.
The Accra Regional Crime Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Boi-Bi- Boi, gave the names of those convicted in Accra as Imoro Chazli, Abdulai Mohammed, Elliot Bampoe, Timothy Mensah and Nii Boi.
He said a number of the cases were still under investigations and expressed concern that there was no clear cut law on the offence of ticket racketeering, saying that had made it very difficult to prosecute those arrested for that offence.
He said majority of the cases involved stealing but so far no fake ticket case had been recorded in Accra.
ACP Boi-Bi-Boi said many of the complainants, after reporting the cases, refused to follow up and that hindered the smooth prosecution of some of those arrested.
He said the police had been able to manage security at the four match venues effectively and appealed to supporters to be circumspect in their celebrations after matches.
For his part, the Crime Officer of Sekondi, Superintendent Dennis Abade, said 34 suspects, comprising 23 foreigners and 11 Ghanaians, were arrested for various offences during the tournament.
He said 17 out of the number were arrested for stealing, nine for offensive conduct and the rest for possessing Indian hemp, and added that majority of those arrested were Nigerians.
Supt Abade said one Malian who snatched a mobile phone had been sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, while six Nigerians who appeared before court had been remanded to reappear at a later date while investigations continued.
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Bright Oduro, said out of the 13 cases reported, seven were for stealing mobile phones and digital cameras, one for car snatching and five for possession of Indian hemp.
He said Masawudu Ibrahim, 34, who stole a mobile phone, had been sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment in hard labour, while Mumuni Mahazu, 23, who also snatched a mobile phone and a German passport, was sentenced to five years’ in imprisonment in hard labour.
ACP Oduro gave the names of the suspects who had been remanded as Issifu Mohammed, 32, Kwaku Owusu, 21, Alidu Amandi, 32, and Mohammed Jobo, 24.
He said in Tamale, the seven cases involved ticket racketeering, stealing and possession of Indian hemp and all suspects had been remanded to reappear at a later date.
Source: Daily Graphic
Stars Now For Bronze
• Ghana’s Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew (left) breaks away from veteran Camerounian defender, Rigobert Song, in yesterday’s semi-final battle at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium.
After losing gallantly to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun in their semi-final duel in Accra yesterday, the Black Stars of Ghana are now heading for Kumasi to gun for the Africa Nations bronze medal.
The third place match, to be played on Saturday, will not only provide an opportunity for Kumasi fans to appreciate the current brilliance of the Stars but also be a chance to claim some honour for the Stars’ relentless hard work.
In the steamy semi-final match against Cameroun yesterday, substitute Nkong Alain ended Ghana's fifth Nations Cup title dream with a 70th minute drive as the 40,000 capacity Ohene Djan Stadium went dead and the players broke down in uncontrollable tears.
The Black Stars had dominated all evening, but as fate would have it, none of their surging runs and countless corner kicks worked from the start of the second half.
The Camerounians exhibited character and experience, even in the face of their stamina suspicion. Seven-time Nations Cup player, Rigobert Song, the lych-pin around which the Camerounian defence revolved, his nephew, Alex, and rasta-haired Bikey Amougou were solid and compact at the back as Ghana's long kicks were all foiled.
By the first 15 minutes of the second half it was obvious that the day was not for the Black Stars as nothing including the introduction of Baffour Gyan, senior brother of Asamoah Gyan, worked.
Junior Agog's header which rammed off the cross bar in the 75th minute and Andre Ayew's goal-bound curler minutes earlier were loud enough to send the appropriate signals to coach Claude Le Roy who won the Cup with Cameroun in 1988 in Morocco.
Even with the absence of Bikey, who was shown the red card during time added on after hitting one of the red cross men who had come to attend to goalkeeper Idris Kameni, the Camerounians held onto their solitary lead.
It was a re-enactment of the Ghana-Nigeria match when the Stars won with 10 men. Barely five minutes after coming on for Desire Job, Alain joined Eto'o in a counter attack, raced with the ball and shot the ball past goalkeeper Richard Kingson.
The Stadium went dead silent briefly but the fans urged the boys on in anticipation of a repeat of what happened during the Nigerian match when the Stars fought from a goal down to win 2-1.
Backed by drum-beating and ceaseless clapping from the stands, the Stars went all out in search of the equaliser but all their firing power were unsuccessful.
Coach Cluade Le Roy played most of his important arsenal in the midfield in the first half as lone striker Junior Agogo could hardly make any impact, apart from wearing down the Camerounian defence.
Eric Addo should have given Ghana the lead in the fifth minute but failed to connect Sulley Muntari's free kick from the flank.
With only goalkeeper Idris Kameni to beat, he allowed the ball to fly over his head to the chagrin of the packed crowd.
The impatient fans could not contain the pressure any longer and directed their anger at Moroccan referee Abderahim who let go many infringements against Ghana.
But those decisions did not deter the confident Black Stars who surged forward, but Andre Dede Ayew could not connect a 45th minute chance for the Stars.
Three-time African footballer of the year, Samuel Eto'o, was completely anonymous and his real threat was in the eighth minute when he collided with goalkeeper Richard Kingson in a mid-air tussle and then decided to withdraw into the middle.
But anywhere he went he was religiously followed by Michael Essien who played absent skipper John Mensah's libero role with ease.
Dede Ayew who made Coach Le Roy's starting line-up for the first time brought the stadium alive with a replica display of his father's talent, when he took the ball at the last third of the pitch, dribbled past his markers, but his unfamiliar right foot delivery was too feeble to beat Kameni.
That action was immediately rebuffed by Geremie Njitap's trade mark pile driver which ricocheted off the cross bar minutes later in what could have been a surprise goal.
It was indeed a bad day for the Stars who had played four matches and won them all and had looked beyond yesterday’s game for a dream final with Cote d'Ivoire or Egypt on Sunday.
Source: Daily Graphic
PARLIAMENT FAILS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION
…MP alleges
A Member of Parliament has slammed Parliament for abdicating its constitutional responsibility to fight corruption, but looks on helplessly while the canker penetrates all facets of society.
The fearless MP for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Hon. Paul Collins Appiah-Ofori who made the scathing attack, points out that in financial administration, the conventional practice is that the person or institution to whom audit reports are submitted is the one responsible for taking remedial action to forestall further irregularities; and this is where he thinks Parliament has failed.
He notes that while the Auditor-General has been honouring Article 187(5) of the Constitution by bringing the audit reports to Parliament , though belatedly, and drawing Parliament’s attention to irregularities, Parliament on the other hand, has failed to honour its part of the bargain- punishing the culprits cited in the reports.
Article 187(5) stipulates, “ The Auditor-General shall, within six months after the end of the immediately preceding financial year…. submit his report to Parliament and shall, in that report, draw attention to any irregularities in the accounts audited and to any other matter which in his opinion ought to be brought to the notice of Parliament.”
Hon. Appiah-Ofori was commenting on the final Reports of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the 2004 and 2005 Auditor-General audited accounts of the MDAs which took centre stage of Parliament’s deliberations last week.
The Reports revealed that for the two years under review the State lost a staggering 433.1 billion cedis in respect of uncollected tax, cash irregularities, outstanding loans, debts, fees, imprest, payroll and contract irregularities and staff rent arrears.
He stresses, “Universally, it is the person to whom audit reports are submitted who has to take remedial action to prevent the irregularities from recurring. It is therefore Parliament which must take remedial action to prevent recurrence. But Parliament has failed to take action and people steal. In other words because they steal and Parliament does not take any action they continue to steal.”
He contends that the continuous plundering of state coffers with impunity by some public officials is adversely affecting government’s effort at raising money to make life a little bearable for the extreme poor.
He urges the Speaker of Parliament to constitute the committee prescribed under Article 187(6) of the Constitution to implement the recommendations of the PAC.
“Exactly a year ago, I raised the issue on the floor of the House urging the Speaker to constitute the committee to deal with the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee but he failed to do so and therefore all those who were cited in the previous report for malfeasance have gone unpunished; they are enjoying the booty and the loot,” he recalls.
Article 187(6) provides, “Parliament shall debate the report of the Auditor-General and appoint where necessary, in the public interest, a committee to deal with the matters arising from it.”
Asked why the need for another committee instead of the PAC implementing its own recommendations, Hon. Appiah-Ofori explains that since the recommendations came from the PAC it would be expedient to have another committee to see to the implementation.
Parliament at the end of the two-day debate made some far-reaching recommendations including the prosecution and surcharging of some public officials who have been found culpable by the Auditor-General.
Author: By Ebenezer Hanson / Public AGENDA
Poverty keeps Ghanaian children out of school
Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - Six young reporters campaigning on 'Quality Education for all children' a UNICEF project, on Saturday said poverty and parental irresponsibility among other things were reasons why many children did not go to school.
The young reporters aged between 10 and 17, sharing their experiences and challenges faced by Ghanaian children in an interview on a local radio station in Accra said during their campaign, it was realized that many children did not go to school because their parents could not provide them with basic educational materials, such as school uniforms, exercise books, bags and pens.
They disclosed that, some children they interviewed engaged in different kinds of trade such as selling iced water, plantain chips and bread rather than going to school because they had to support their mother's who were mostly single parents, adding that some father's of the children were irresponsible especially for their education. The young reporters were, Sandra Nyarko, Samuel Tronu, Stephen Iseh, Edith Asamani, Sophia Kuyoli and Miata Kuyichiana. The project is a special partnership between UNICEF and young reporters as part of the ongoing quality education awareness campaign conducted in collaboration with the confederation of African Football (CAF) using the tournament to hammer home the message of quality education for all Ghanaian children.
According to them, some children said their parents did not see the importance of education, hence keeping them at home, while some unfortunate children were orphans who could not afford formal education. Miata Kuyichiana, said some pupils walked about two hours every day to school while others went on empty stomach, saying, "these things affect the quality of education since most of them miss early morning lessons and perform poorly at school".
The emotional Sandra Nyarko did not understand why children in Ghana did not have equal opportunities to quality education, adding that the government should help provide quality educational facilities in all schools because children in the rural areas, especially lacked furniture and classrooms for quality education.
Stephen Iseh, said using the African Cup of Nations season for the campaign was a laudable idea because he believed the campaign message will sink well since many children liked football. He said some children at the Street Academy in Accra (a school for street children) told him during an interview that the owner of the school used football as a platform to get them enroll in the school. The young reporters urged parents to give quality education to their children, adding, "a child without quality education was like a child in the dark."
The reporters said among the challenges they faced during interviews was, language barrier because most of the children could not speak English; some children refusing to talk fearing their parents will discipline them if they did, while others did not open up to them because they did not know the exact reasons for the interview. Peter De Vries, Chief of Education-UNICEF, said the quality education for all children campaign was organized during CAN 2008, because sports was important in the life of children for psychosocial development, good health and togetherness which build children into the future.
He said the project was targeted at quality education for children in Ghana because many children still did not go to school while those at school lacked quality education for a brighter future. Peter De Vries said, UNICEF was prepared to create the platform for the children but the greater responsibility lied on the shoulders of everyone.
Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, United Nations Children's Fund Representative, said to help children go to school and also have quality education, there was the need to know what was keeping them out of school, the challenges they faced and how best to solve such problems. She said the best way to get children open-up was to use people they could easily share their problems with hence the use of the young reporters to educate, influence and campaign for quality education.
Source:
GNA
15,000 teachers leave the classroom each year
Kumasi, Feb. 09, GNA - About 15,000 Certificate "A" Teachers leave the classroom each year for further studies, thereby creating vacancies that are difficult to fill, Professor Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, has said. This, he said, calls for regular training for adequate number of teachers for the ever increasing primary sector of education in the country.
Professor Asabere-Ameyaw said this at the matriculation ceremony of the sixth batch of diploma in Basic Education by Distance held in Kumasi on Saturday.
The Vice-Chancellor said a total of 3,800 distance learners were admitted at the level 100 of the diploma in distance education programme last year.
He indicated that a total of 2,880 students are matriculating with 1,364 from the northern sector and 1,516 from the southern sector with over 70 per cent being females.
He emphasized that the distance education programme would enable the educational system to respond to the national need to train as many teachers as possible for the pre-tertiary level while at the same time keeping them in the classroom during the period of the programme. Professor Steve Sobotie, Principal of the College of Technology Education noted that distance learning had become the latest mode of knowledge acquisition throughout the world.
He made mention of a library equipped with relevant books, an Information Communication Technology (ICT) and internet facilities available on the campus to enhance research and learning capabilities of students.
The Principal said the Kumasi Campus also runs a two-year diploma programme in Vocational and Technical Education by distance, adding that, 37 pioneer students of the programme would graduate this year. Professor Sobotie hinted that it was the strategic policy of the College to contribute immensely to the government policy of training more qualified teachers to help make the educational reform a success.
Source:
GNA
Five suspects arrested at Akuse
Akuse, Feb.08, GNA - The Akuse Police have arrested five suspects who allegedly robbed passengers on the Ayikuma-Larteh road last Sunday, February 3. The suspects who hailed from Somanya are Richard Amanor, wanted by the police for rape, Felix Ayenor, Yaw Isaac, Emmanuel Tetteh and Christopher Adjinoki.
Four of them were arrested at Somanya during a routine check by a police night patrol team while Adjinoki was identified by a victim of the robbery at a court premises and was immediately arrested. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Bernard Twum Barimah, Akuse Divisional Commander of Police, told newsmen that at dawn last Sunday, a police patrol team at Somanya signalled a taxi cab with registration number GR 4609 V to stop for routine checks. He said after a check on the vehicle including the boot and the lights, the police asked the driver to put on the inside light, but he suddenly took to his heels.
ASP Barimah said one of the suspects in the front seat also took to his heels leaving the three suspects sitting at the back. He said two of the policemen pursued them and managed to arrest the driver, while the other policemen ensured that the three suspects at the back did not escape. ASP Barimah said the four suspects were sent to Somanya police station and a search conducted on them and the taxi revealed three locally manufactured pistols, nine mobile phones, passport pictures and GH¢ 400 cash.
He explained that before their arrest, the police had not been informed of the alleged robbery on the Ayikuma road until one of the mobile phones found on the suspects was identified to belong to a customs officer at Takoradi when it rang and the police responded. ASP Barimah said the caller was the sister of the customs officer enquiring from her brother if he had reached Accra safely, subsequently, the sister connected her brother to the police who narrated their ordeal around 2100 hours that same night on the road to the police. He said the suspects were later paraded for identification during which Amanor also known as Sagmor was identified as an alleged rapist wanted by the police.
ASP Barimah said the suspects appeared before the Krobo-Odumase Circuit Court and were remanded in police custody to re-appear on Februar 21.
Source:
GNA
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Rail line service from Accra to Tema on course
Accra, Feb. 8, GNA - The Ministry of Harbours and Railways and the Ghana Railway Company Limited have intensified activities aimed at extending the suburban rail line from Accra Central to Tema Port by June. A statement signed by Ahmed Ayuba, Special Assistant to Minister said the activities formed part of the Phase II of the Accra-Tema railway line rehabilitation project to provide rail commuter service for the people.
It said currently, a team of Engineers of the Ghana Railway Company Limited had completed track formation works from Sakumono to the SSNIT flats near Tema, after which the team would complete track formation activity and start the laying of tracks. As part of the project, the statement said, Diesel Multiple Unit Trains would be imported to replace the current locomotive engines currently in use on the Accra-Asoprochona line.
It stated that a key component of the Accra-Tema railway project would include the construction of a major workshop at Tema to service and maintain trains and vehicles to be used on the line. The Ministry wished to debunk statements in certain quarters that the railway system had been neglected by Government. "Indeed, evidence indicates that after decades of neglect leading to the near collapse of the rail network, government has injected considerable funds from the HIPC Initiative, Budgetary Allocation and the Floating of Government of Ghana Bonds for revamping the system", it added.
According to him, the Ministry was working towards reversing the trend of low patronage of the Accra-Sakumono shuttle service, especially the afternoon service, adding that there would be the rehabilitation of additional coaches to be used for the shuttle service.Source:
GNA
Comments:
Kofi Annan's Hotel Room 'Bugged'
The Kenyan peace talks are in tatters after it was discovered that Kofi Annan's hotel room in Nairobi has been bugged.
Independent Newspapers has learnt from multiple reliable, impartial sources - both in Kenya and abroad - that the former UN Secretary General's business and personal conversations were being intercepted during the ongoing negotiations after a thorough search was carried out on his Serena Hotel room on Tuesday evening.
For how long the room has been planted or by whom is unclear. "Kofi's security aides found the device yesterday," one source explained, while the talks were in session. Annan is said to be "livid", but it is not yet known how he intends to act on Tuesday night's revelations or whether he will walk away from the already troubled negotiations. Annan arrived in the Kenyan capital on January 15 on an African Union (AU) invitation to head up the talks around Mwai Kibaki's disputed election victory. He was joined by Graca Machel and the former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, under the banner of the Panel of Prominent African Personalities.
Together they brought members of both sides of the political divide to the table at the Serena Hotel, where Annan was also staying. Athough a breakthrough had been announced last Friday, when a four-point framework was agreed upon to curb the violence and address the December 27 poll, Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga continued to wage a war of words on the sidelines. News of the bugging comes just 24 hours after Cyril Ramaphosa withdrew as the intended chief negotiator when the government of Kibaki made it be known that they would not trust the South African's intervention.
Ramaphosa was not the first South African to receive his walking papers. Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu's efforts to broker a deal last month were also met with a luke-warm reaction. Meanwhile, more than 1 000 lives have been lost, some 300 000 people are internally displaced and billions of shillings worth of damage has been carried out on properties and businesses throughout the country, home to the third largest UN headquarters in the world.
Machel is due to arrive in Nairobi on Wednesday after a brief trip home to Johannesburg. Meanwhile, Fresh violence in western Kenya on Wednesday left 12 dead, nine of whom were shot by police cracking down on gangs of youths who have attacked houses and other property, police sources said.Weeks of turmoil have delivered a major blow to Kenya's tourism industry, the top foreign currency earner, while tea production and agriculture have also been hard hit. About 300 business leaders issued a statement supporting Annan's mediation effort and warned that the economy faced a meltdown if the crisis was not resolved quickly.
Uganda, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia decided to dispatch their foreign ministers to Nairobi today to show support for "government efforts to restore stability".Annan has set a deadline of seven to 15 days to resolve the crisis.
Source:
IOL
Woman defrauds man of GH¢960
Cape Coast, Feb. 8, GNA - A circuit court at Cape Coast on has fined Regina Dukah, 37, for defrauding a man of GH¢960. She pleaded guilty and was convicted on her plea but sentence was deferred to Tuesday February 27.
Chief Inspector Hope Azasoo told the court that Dukah collected GH¢960 from the victim in a promise to get him an apartment but failed to do so.
He said Dukah promised the victim that she was going to vacate from the apartment she was occupying very soon to a new place so she would give it to the victim.
After the victim had waited for months without hearing from Dukah, he approached her and she told him to wait but the victim asked for a refund because he was no longer interested in the apartment but Dukah was unable to provide the money and so he reported the case to the police.
Source:
GNA
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We were mentally tough - Pfister
Accra, Feb 7, GNA - Otto Pfister, head coach of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, has said his side won against Ghana because they were mentally tough and had a strong bench.
Speaking at after-match press briefing the Coach said his players were prepared to go the full length to pick a place in the finals and demonstrated it throughout the game, hence the outcome.
Cameroon defeated Ghana by a lone goal at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra in the first semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday. Coach Pfister said his team had a strong bench with players, who were equally good as those on the pitch and this aided the performance of the team in the competition.
"In a tournament like this, you need very good players, who would be up to the task at any moment, that is why I have an all round team." He further revealed that the camping programme of the team in Burkina Faso, which had the same climatic condition as Ghana played a role in the success of the team.
Coach Pfister said the team had achieved its major target of reaching the finals and would now work towards winning the Cup on Sunday.
"The final is now the most important task ahead of us and we are going to do our best to annex the trophy for the fifth time." Coach Pfister said.
The German, one of the longest serving foreign coaches on the Continent dedicated the victory to the President and people of Cameroon.
Source:
GNA
Unexplained murder in Bawku
Bawku (U/E), Feb 7, GNA - A twenty-three year old man, Faisal Musah Bawore, was on Wednesday lynched by unknown persons in Bawku. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Peter King Gyinae, Bawku Municipal Commander of Police, said the deceased picked someone on his motor bike on their way to Pusiga when they were stopped by an irate group of people.
The second person escaped but Bawore was lynched. Mr Gyinae said the body was sent to the Bolgatanga hospital for autopsy and later buried in Bawku.
He said no arrest had been made and suggested that that the violence could be linked to the tribal conflict between the Kusasi and Mamprusi tribes.
In another development, Mr Gyinae said there had been some unrest and panic at the Gbewaa Teachers' Training College earlier in the week, when two armed men on a motorbike went to the school campus, looking for Mamprusis.
He said three of the students who were of the Mamprusi tribe, ran to a neighbouring village in Togo, for fear of their lives, prompting the Principal of the school Mr. Luke Abugri to call for security surveillance in the area.
Calm has since returned to the school, he said.
Source:
GNA
Trafficked children now go to school
Sadzikope (V/R), Feb. 7, GNA - Some trafficked children employed to weave kente at Sadzikope, a settler community in the Hohoe District, now combine the weaving with schooling.
The children, many of them below the age of 15 years, now go to school in the morning and do weaving after school hours. This followed a directive from the Volta Regional Directorate of the Department of Children that the children should be enrolled in school.
Mr George Adenya, an opinion leader in the community, confirmed to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday that majority of master-craftsmen had sent their "employees" to school and provided school uniforms for them. However, a source in the community told the GNA that few master-craftsmen were yet to comply with the directive. Master Agorso Dodzi, a 15-year old boy who refused to mention where he had been trafficked from, said he was back in school. "I love to be in school," he added.
He however said he was missing "work" badly because he could make between GH¢300 and GH¢400 a month by weaving kente. Meanwhile, a Junior High School in the community has remained closed due to low enrolment.
Mr Samuel Joy Darko, Assistant District Director of Education, said at the time of the closure, the School had only nine students, far below the 20 required by the Ghana Education Service. He said the District Directorate had held several fora with the community to normalize the situation but to no avail, hence the decision to shut down the school. He said the nine students were transferred to a school in a nearby village.
Mr. Edwin Gamadeku, Volta Regional Director of Department of Children, expressed worry about the situation and said his outfit would continue to sensitize the community on the need for children to go to school.
Source:
GNA
Traditional before court for aiding assault on fisherman
Cape Coast, Feb. 7, GNA - A circuit court in Cape Coast on Thursday granted bail to Nana Kwame Okyeri Bantu, a 39-year-old traditional leader at Gomoa Feteh, in the sum of GH¢1,000 for aiding assailants to beat up One Nana Kofi, a fisherman. Nana Bantu pleaded not guilty and will reappear in court on Friday, February 22, 2008.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Hope Azasoo, told the court, presided over by Mr Richard Asiedu-Badu that on January 13, 2008, both Nana Kofi and Nana Bantu attended a funeral at Gomoa Feteh and that from the funeral, Nana Kofi decided to visit the sister on his way back home. He said while chatting with his sister, a group of unidentified boys pounced on him and started beating him but he escaped to a nearby compound house he met Nana Bantu who grabbed and pinned him to the ground and allowed the assailants to beat him up.
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GNA
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GHACEM eject squatters from premises
Tema, Feb 6, GNA- About 500 squatters residing in wooden structures at the forecourt of GHACEM Limited in Tema, were on Monday morning ejected by the police in conjunction with GHACEM officials. The squatters, some of whom had occupied the place for the past 15 years, were engaged in illegal sale of cement and fuel.
The exercise started around 0700 hours and saw the demolition of several structures including vulcanising, fuel and communication shops that had electrical connections.
Dr. George Dawson-Amoah, the Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director of GHACEM, told journalists that the company legally acquired the land from Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority to develop it into a modern truck park.
He said the completion of the project would help prevent accidents as trucks carting goods from the area would use the facility instead of parking by the road side.
Dr. Dawson-Amoah said the refusal of the squatters to vacate the place had delayed the start of the second phase of the project. Deputy Superintendent of Police Daniel Ansong Denkyi, Commander of Ports and Harbours Police, said the team embarked on the exercise after the February 2 deadline issued to the squatters expired. Five Jeri cans of diesel were retrieved by the police during the exercise, and no one had claimed ownership of them yet.
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GNA
NMC shuts down unaccredited nursing schools
Budumburam (C/R), GNA - The Nurses and Midwives Council (NMC) on Wednesday closed down two unaccredited schools offering certificates and diploma courses in nursing at the Budumburam refugee Camp in the Central Region. When the Council members, including 10 Police officers from the Kasoa District Police arrived at the Preparatory College of Health Sciences (PRECOHS)it was revealed that a Liberian Medical Assistant, one Mr Ishmael Mcgill owned the school for seven years now. However ownership of the St. Amos Nursing Training School is unknown because the school was not in session neither was its management around to answer questions when the team got there. The schools were offering courses for Health Assistants, Nursing Assistants, Advance Birth Attendance, Laboratory Assistants, Pharmacist Assistants and First Aid nursing with their requirements below the general entry requirements for nursing.
Mrs. Veronica Darko, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of NMC told newsmen that the Council ordered for the closure of the schools following a tip off from a parent who had wanted to verify the status of the school.
She explained that it had become necessary to close down the schools because without professional accreditation from the National Accreditation Board and the Council, quality teaching and learning of trainees could not be guaranteed. She said the Council would not compromise with any institution that would not operate contrary to the regulations considering the delicate nature of the nursing profession.
Mrs Darko stated that the schools would not be allowed to operate until they met all requirements and advised all parents to verify the status of any institution before enrolling their children. On the fate of the trainees who had left the schools with certificates to practice, Mrs Darko said the Council would caution all health facilities across the country not to employ them. She further advised the students to apply to other health training schools if they have the requirements in order to guarantee their efficiency and professionalism.
Mr David Sede, PRECOHS Administrator told the team the school had made several attempts to gain accreditation and could therefore not explain why it was not yet accredited.
PRECOHS with a total student attendance of 170 has only four-classroom block, a room for practical works with no furniture or equipment, a visitor's room and one administrative office. The St. Amos School also operated in an uncompleted classroom block, which it shared with another basic school thus the students come for lectures only between 1400 to 1800 hours. Only a time-table on its programmes posted on a notice board showed the existence of St. Amos Nursing School.
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GNA
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Suhum Residents appeal to IGP to investigate recent killings
Suhum, Feb. 6, GNA- Members of the Suhum Bungalows Welfare Association has appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to institute immediate investigations into the recent murders in the area. Making the appeal at the annual general meeting of the association, its Chairman, Mr E. K. Martey said if immediate measures were not taken to arrest the culprits the whole Suhum township would be thrown into jeopardy.
According to Mr Martey, four people including a nine-year-old girl have so far been murdered at Suhum within the last two months. He said in December last year, a 51-year-old watchman, Musah Benoabo of the Suhum Presbyterian Senior High School was found dead in a pool of blood with a cement block beside him believed to have been used to kill him.
Mr Martey said early January this year, another watchman, a 62-year-old Musah Gruma of Co-Willie Trading Enterprise was found dead at the entrance of the store in a pool of blood with his legs put in a cocoa sack with cement blocks beside it. He said on January 21, this year, a nine year old pupil of Suhum Islamic Primary School, Afua Dansua was murdered on a cocoa farm and the body dumped at the outskirts of the Suhum-Adarkwa road.
Mr Martey explained that the deceased who lived with the grandmother at Suhum Gariba Zongo was sent to buy matches at a nearby store but never returned.
He said early this month, another watchman, 63-year-old Siabu Kotokoli of Royal commodities, a private licensed cocoa buying company was found dead in a pool of blood with a cement block beside the body. He said no arrest had so far been made by the police and that fear has griped the people of Suhum and its surrounding areas, especially among school children.
Reacting to the story, the Kibi Divisional Commander of Police, who has jurisdiction over Suhum area, Mr Owuredu Nkansa assured the people of Suhum and its environs that the police was monitoring the situation and had taken several measures to contain the situation. He appealed to people in Suhum and the surrounding communities to co-operate with the police to arrest the culprits by volunteering information to them.
Mr Nkansa advised watchmen in the Suhum area to desist from taken alcoholic beverages when on duty to enable them keep awake throughout the night to help in arresting the murderers. Present at the interaction was the Eastern Regional Commander of Police, Mr Felix Asare-Darko and his Deputy, Rev. Ampah Benning and the Regional Crime Officer, Ms Anyonam Apasu.
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GNA
Prophet fined for assaulting a teacher
Goaso (B/A), Feb 6, GNA - Michael Nkansah, a 35-year-old prophet of Africa Faith Tabernacle Church has been convicted by a circuit court at Goaso in Asunafo North district to pay a fine of GH¢250 for assaulting a teacher.
He will serve six months' imprisonment in default Prosecuting, Police Inspector Douglas Asaana told the court, presided by Mr Charles Quampah, the prophet and the teacher lived at Nkensere, near Mim.
He said the teacher had received complaints about a relationship between his wife and the prophet.
The prosecutor said the teacher therefore warned the wife to stop attending prayers at the prophet's camp but this fell on deaf ears. Inspector Asaana said at about 1400 hours on January 25, this year, the teacher's wife went out to fetch water, leaving their one-year old child with the husband.
The court heard that as of 1800 hours, the woman had not returned home so the teacher became suspicious and traced the wife only to meet her in the prophet's house.
A quarrel ensued between the teacher and the prophet whose aides, now at large, assisted him to mercilessly beat up the teacher.
The same court sentenced 55-year-old Margaret Okra, also known as Naana, a resident of Dumasua, near Sunyani, for dealing in Indian hemp. Inspector Asaana said the police on July 11 had information that Naana and some accomplices, now on the run, were dealing in Indian hemp in a building at Goaso.
He said went to the spot and arrested Naana. They also found on her 71 wrappers and a big parcel of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
The leaves were sent to the police forensic laboratory and the result proved that they were Indian hemp and
weighed 62gm.
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GNA
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Govt Blamed For Collapse of Cotton Industry
The government has been accused of not showing serious interest in the socio-economic advancement of the three Northern regions.
According to Mr. Mohammed Kwaku Doku, Executive Director of the Centre for Empowerment of the Vulnerable (CEV), it was wrong for the government to willingly allow cotton and sheanut production, which are the main economic commodities in the three regions, to suffer severe setbacks.
Speaking at a dialogue meeting, with members of the Cotton Growers Association of Ghana, and other stakeholders in Tamale, the CEV Director indicated that cotton had the potential to reduce the poverty situation in the north by 45%, if given the needed boost and attention by government. The BUSAC Fund sponsored the meeting.
He disclosed that some countries like Burkina Faso, Togo, Mali, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal had gained so much income from the cotton industry, because their governments had given it the desired attention and supports. Cotton, which is serving as the main export commodity and providing valuable foreign currencies, also accounts for about 5 to 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is on record that Benin receives 80% of its export revenue from cotton.
Mr. Doku further disclosed that cotton production in Burkina Faso increased by 175%, between 1993 and 1998, which in turn increased incomes and reduced the incidence of poverty from 50% to 42% in cotton growing areas of the country.
However, he said, the government of Ghana seemed to be virtually swallowing every deadly bait, from some of its development partners, in the form of grants and succumbing to pressures from the local textile manufacturers to import cheap lint cotton from the US, where the home government has given subsidies to its local farmers.
"Another serious issue compounding the problems of the industry, is the unfriendly policy environment in which we are operating, particularly in relation to the over liberalization of the economy, compelling government to withdraw its support and funding to the cotton industry. The decision of government to lift tariffs on imported lint cotton, since 2006 is a policy that has dealt a final and most devastating blow to the industry, thus throwing businesses out of competition and plunging our membership into serious debt crises."
Mr. Mohammed Doku, on the other hand, suggested to government to create investor motivation and friendly policies, to attract private investors into the industry, and to also review its decision, that led to the withdrawal of its support and the lifting of tariffs on the importation of lint cotton.
The National Secretary of the Cotton Growers Association of Ghana, Mr. Mohammed Nashiru, also gave a brief history about the industry and the association.
He also blamed the government for difficulties facing cotton farmers.
Mr. Nashiru appealed to the government, and its partners, to allocate some amount of money for research into how the cotton industry could be transformed to benefit the rural poor.
At the Dialogue Meeting, Mr. Hamadeh Ramez, Managing Director of the Inter-continental Farmer Limited (INCOF), disclosed that the few cotton companies assisting the farmers in three northern regions were going through hell in recovering the huge loans given to farmers.
He cited instances where farmers sell out farming inputs, allocated to them, including fertilizers, cotton seeds and chemicals, whilst others invest them in their stomachs or divert inputs into maize and pepper farming.
Mr. Ramez, who is also the Northern Regional Manager of Consar Construction Limited, indicated that the situation has therefore crippled most cotton companies financially, since farmers still continued to repay their debts.
The farmers on the other hand, blamed the cotton companies for not helping them to achieve the desired results, after collecting loans from them to go into cotton farming. The outcome of the meeting suggested that capacity building workshops ought to be organized for cotton farmers, and cotton companies, to enable both sides know what was expected of them, and what each was to contribute towards the progress of the sector. Participants also proposed for the setting up of a National Association of Cotton Growers, which would seek to explain problems of farmers.
Source:
Chronicle
Nigerians are not heckling Ghanaians
Accra, Feb 05, GNA- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD on Tuesday discounted media reports of heckling and intimidation of Ghanaians residing in Nigeria
Following Ghana's Black Stars victory over Nigeria's Super Eagles in last Sunday's 26t MTN Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals match, there were rumours that Ghanaian were being attacked in Nigeria. The Sector Minister, Mr. Akwasi Osei Adjei, in a statement in Accra said: "The Ministry wishes to inform the general public, that the Ghana High Commission in Abuja, as well as the Consulate of Ghana in Lagos have been contacted over these allegations and have received assurances that no such incidents have been reported."
The Minister said the Nigerian High Commission in Accra had corroborated that no such hecklings had occurred.
Mr Osei Adjei advised media practitioners to exercise great decorum in their reportage and desist from creating unnecessary panic in the wake of an encounter characterized by sportsmanship between the players, camaraderie and brotherliness by supporters at the stadium.
"The Ministry appeals to all concerned to ensure that we make the 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2008 Tournament an event that ignites passion, African unity and love," the statement said.
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GNA
WTO praises Ghana's Economic Performance
Accra, Feb. 05, GNA - The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has commended Ghana for its impressive economic performance over the past few years, with high real GDP growth rates, decreasing inflation, improved fiscal situation, and substantial progress in poverty reduction.
The commendation came up at the just ended Third Trade Policy Review of Ghana by the World Trade Organisation, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from Monday, January 29 to Wednesday, January 31, 2008.
A statement sent to the Ghana News Agency by Mr Daniel Okaiteye-Blessyn, Head of Chancery, Ghana Embassy, Berne, Switzerland on Monday said; "WTO members noted that the strong growth of Ghana's economy had been supported by trade liberalisation, through, inter-alia, reduction of tariff rates and the number of bands, as well as the streamlining of customs procedures.
The country's commitment to the WTO, including the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations was welcomed, but Ghana was encouraged to increase its notifications under various WTO Agreements. Mr. Vesa Himanen of Finland, Chairman of the meeting, observed that WTO members could assist Ghana by keeping their markets open for products and services of interest to Ghana, and by providing technical assistance.
Ghana's seven-member delegation, which was led by Mr. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, MP, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiatives included Mr. Kwabena Baah-Duodu, Ghana's Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva.
The statement said other members of the delegation were officials of the Ghana Permanent Mission in Geneva, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiatives, the Registrar General's Department and Customs and Excise and Preventive Service.
Ghana's policy objective of increasing its regional and global integration, strengthening and diversifying its export base was also well appreciated.
It said the WTO encouraged Ghana to pursue its reforms, including its trade regime, and to improve its multilateral commitments on goods and services, to enhance the transparency and predictability of the regime, and adherence to WTO principles. The statement said the Chairman of the meeting observed that WTO members could assist Ghana by keeping their markets open for products and services of interest to Ghana, and by providing technical assistance.
Mr. Kwaku-Manu had earlier briefed the meeting on economic developments in Ghana and highlighted the new trade policy of Ghana, which was being implemented under a five-year Trade Sector Support Programme.
He called for assistance from the WTO and Ghana's development partners to assist her in various areas, including assisting the country to overcome the supply-side constraints, which had prevented her from taking full advantage of the market access openings offered by the multilateral trading system and from other preferential regimes. On the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), the Deputy Minister urged members to redouble their efforts to ensure that the negotiations were successfully concluded. The discussant for the review was Professor Arsene Balihuta, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Uganda to the UN and other International Organisations in Geneva. CKA 05 Feb. 08
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GNA
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Assembly provides potable water to 18 communities
Dunkwa-On-Offin (C/R), Feb 5, GNA - The Upper Denkyira District Assembly is spending more than GH¢160,000 to provide potable water to some communities under its water and sanitation programme.
With partnership from the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), the Assembly had constructed 18 boreholes and three hand-dug wells with the boreholes waiting for the installation of pumps. Mr Richard Anane Adabor, District Chief Executive, who announced this at the third ordinary meeting of the first session of the Assembly at Dunkwa-On-Offin, said the project formed the first phase of a sustainable programme to provide potable water for the people. The beneficiary communities include Besease, Twifu-Kyebi, Buabinso, Amobaka, Congo Number One, Gyampokrom, Zion Number One and Anantenten. The rest are Ampabena, Nipanekro, Subin Compound, Yirepe, Nmaatodie, Agyempoma, Kyirepo, Meretweso, Achiase and Anwiamsoh. The DCE said under the second phase of the programme, additional 13 other communities would be provided boreholes and hand-dug wells. They include Akyinekrom, Dabiasem, Compong JSS, Kyerenfem, Tegyamorso, Compound, Burgas Estate and Amoafo. The rest are Presentease, Pokukrom Number One, Nyamebekyere, Siaw and Agave. Mr Adabor said others would also benefit from Small Town Water System to be funded by the European Union. He said Jameso-Nkwanta, Ayanfuri and Diaso were to have benefited from the same facility under an International Development Agency (IDA) programme but those projects had been rolled over to this year. Mr Adabor commended the assembly for its performance in 2007. "The assembly performed creditably well in the execution of the projects," he said.
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GNA
Fishermen advised against illegal fishing methods
Takoradi, Feb. 5, GNA- Mr Alexanader Addo, Western Regional Director of the Ministry of Fisheries, on Tuesday advised fishermen against using illegal fishing methods to prevent the depletion of the country's fisheries resources.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Takoradi, he said fishing methods including the use light, dynamite, undersize fishing nets and poisonous chemicals are prohibited by the Fisheries Act 625.
Mr Addo said it is also illegal to possess prohibited fishing gear under the Act, adding that, any method that aggravates fish catches is not allowed by the Act.
He said the Fisheries Act is still in the statutory books of the country and would be strictly enforced by the Ministry of Fisheries with assistance from the Ghana Navy.
Mr Addo asked fishermen to discard the notion that the law has been scrapped because the court action by the Ghana Inshore Fisheries Association against the government at a High Court at Tema to allow its members to use light for fishing was thrown out.
He urged operators of inshore vessels to co-operate with the Ministry of Fisheries to ensure that "the proper things are done". Mr Addo said inshore fishing vessels should have qualified captains to pilot the vessels and ensure the provision of safety equipment such as life jackets, fire extinguishers and first aid boxes on board for safety at sea.
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GNA
Football Coach in custody for sodomy
Accra, Feb. 5 GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday remanded a coach in prison custody after he had been charged for sodomising of a 14-year-old boy.
Inspector Irene Oppong, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), told the court that in August 2007, the accused, Samuel Nii Dega Annan, a football coach training juveniles at the Azumah Nelson Sports Stadium in Accra, embarked on a tour with the boys to Benin where they were lodged in a classroom.
She said during the tour, coach Annan invited the victim to another classroom, undressed him and forcibly had sex with him through his anus. Inspector Oppong said the act continued in the house of the accused at North Kaneshie in Accra after they returned to Accra. She said in September 2007, the victim fell sick and all attempts by the parents to cure him at various hospitals proved futile. The PRO said upon interrogation by the victim's parents, the teenager disclosed and confessed about his sexual escapades with his coach since August 2007.
Inspector Oppong said a report was therefore lodged at the DOVVSU by the parents where a medical form was issued for the victim to be sent to the hospital for treatment.
She said when Annan was interrogated he confessed to the act and was subsequently charged with the offence. Coach Annan has been remanded in prison custody to reappear on February 19, 2008.
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GNA
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Doctors refuse to give deported Ama cancer-drug treatment
Video Link: www.GhanaSound.com
A TERMINALLY-ILL patient removed from Wales is being denied cancer drugs in Ghana.
Ama Sumani was taken from the University Hospital of Wales, where she was undergoing kidney dialysis, by immigration officials last month. A fund to pay for her ongoing medical treatment in Ghana has so far raised more than £20,000, but it emerged yesterday that doctors are refusing to give her thalidomide to combat the cancer.
Her friends in Wales said that the 39-year-old`s condition is deteriorating and they fear she will die.
Janet Simmons said, "Her prognosis is now so bad the doctors are not suggesting a timescale of how long she can survive. They are afraid of giving her the drug without having official forms signed in case anything goes wrong and they are held responsible. But she has been given everything else and it`s not working."
Ms Sumani, a widowed mother-of-two, arrived in Wales five years ago on a student visa but breached its terms and conditions. Her supporters want to pay for Ms Sumani to return to Wales to get life-saving treatment.
Source:
ic Wales
Shooting at Anloga, not threat to peace- DCE
Ho, Feb. 4, GNA- Mr Kofi Ahiabor, Keta District Chief Executive (DCE) on Monday said the reported shooting incident at Anloga last Wednesday night has not posed any immediate threat to peace in the area. He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on telephone that investigations were going on to identify those responsible and their intensions.
Mr Ahiabor said the police were on the trails of two people rumoured to be responsible for the shootings. He could not tell which of the two factions in the chieftaincy dispute was responsible for the shooting incident. A policeman and three others were killed last November during a standoff between the factions, resulting in the imposition of a curfew in the area.
Asked if the situation was not tense, Mr Ahiabor said people were going about their normal duties, but would not dismiss outright, the existence of some level of tension between the factions in the dispute.
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GNA
Black Stars victory sends three to hospital
Ho, Feb. 04, GNA - Excessive show of joy and happiness over Black Stars quarterfinal victory over the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the ongoing Ghana 2008 landed three people in hospital last Sunday night in Ho.
Two of the fans, a 16-year-old female student of Mawuli High School, Ho collapsed when she fell during jubilations while a man in his late twenties also collapsed from slaps from a friend during the jubilations in town.
A vehicle also knocked down the third person. Information available to the GNA Sports said that the form two female student, who was watching the match with others in the School's Assembly Hall fell down while celebrating Junior Manuel Agogo's winning goal for the Black Stars and was rushed to the Volta Regional Hospital by some of her colleagues.
Mr Francis Torku, Senior House Father of the School; confirmed the story but said that the girl had a chronic disease. Madam Edith Amoaku, Head of the Emergency Ward at the Hospital, said the girl was revived and discharged a few hours later. 04 Feb. 08
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GNA
Ghana, Guinea renew bilateral co-operation
Accra, Feb. 4, GNA - Equatorial Guinea's President, Theodore Obian Mbasongo on Monday paid a brief visit to Ghana to renew the friendship and bilateral co-operation between the two countries. He was on his way home after attending the just ended African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit in the Ethiopian Capital, Addis Ababa.
President John Agyekum Kufuor was on hand to receive him at the Kotoka International Airport from where they drove to the Castle, Osu, the seat of the Government, for a meeting over breakfast. Mr Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary to the President, said the discussions of the two leaders were part of routine consultations on ways of working together for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two African nations.
Central to this, was the co-operation between Ghana and Equatorial Guinea in the oil sector, an area where the latter, being an important oil producing country, has enormous experience and expertise. He said with the discovery of oil in the country, Ghana could learn a lot from its neighbour.
President Kufuor and President Mbasongo had earlier met on the sidelines of the AU Summit.
The Equatorial Guinea leader returns home later in the day as President Kufuor leaves Accra for Rome to address the Annual General Meeting of the World Food Programme.
He had to delay the trip to spend time with the National Team, the Black Stars, in their crucial MTN African Cup of Nations quarter-finals match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Sunday, which ended in a victory for the Stars.
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GNA
German Naval Ships visit Ghana
Accra, Feb. 04, GNA - A German Naval Task Group, consisting of two Frigates and an Auxiliary vessel, is visiting the Tema Harbour from Monday, February 4, to February 6, 2008 as part of its annual programme to intensify international relations.
A statement from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany on Monday, said the three ships -- Air defence Frigate Hamburg, the multi purpose Frigate Koeln and the Auxiliary vessel Berlin, which formed the training task group of the German Navy, would spend five months, touching three continents and visiting 18 harbours in 13 different countries.
The group has a total crew of 600, led by its commanding officer Captain Michael Budde, who would lead them around Africa to participate in numerous exercises with host countries. While in Ghana, Captain Budde would call on the Chief of Naval Staff, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Traditional chiefs and the Harbour Master.
A group of Officer Cadets from the vessels would also visit the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre to engage their Ghanaian counterparts in sport activities and discussions. The Vessels would leave the Tema Harbour for the Walvis Bay in Namibia on February six, the statement said.
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GNA
Police cautions Ghanaians against excessive jubilation
Accra, Feb. 4, GNA - The Accra Regional Police Command on Monday asked Ghanaians to exercise restraint as they celebrate Black Stars' victories in the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kwaku Ayesu Opare-Addo, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander told the Ghana News Agency that in as much as the Police agreed with the decision and right to jubilate after the victory;
the Police would not compromise its professional stand on hooliganism. He said reports reaching the Police indicated that areas such as Osu, Kaneshie, Airport residential area, High street among others were in total frenzy after Ghana's victory over the Super Eagles of Nigeria yesterday and some residents took advantage to burn lorry tyres in the middle of major roads.
DCOP Opare-Addo said some reports indicated that some went virtually naked while others sat in the trunks of vehicles to jubilate, resulting in huge vehicular and human traffic in such areas. According to him, the Police after Ghana's opening match with Guinea on Sunday January 20 made similar observations and was not happy that the public ignored its advice and repeated the same attitude. The Regional Commander asked the public to note that such acts were criminal offences, saying; "The Police will not allow this to happen the next time. Jubilation should not be a license to misbehave". DCOP Opare-Addo also advised football fans not to carry huge sums of money or valuables to the stadium and further congratulated the Black Stars for qualifying for the Semi-finals stage.
On arrests at the Ohene Djan stadium, the Police said there were few isolated cases of ticket racketeering and attempts to enter into the stadium without tickets or through unapproved routes. He said the suspects were only detained at the stadium until matches were over.
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GNA
Rawlings reacts to insinuations
Accra, Feb. 4, GNA - Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Monday urged all members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to pursue the interests of the party in an atmosphere of unity and strength that would make the party to be victorious in the December elections.
Reacting to insinuations and media reports that he and his wife were behind the health publications of the party's Presidential Candidate, Professor John Evans Atta Mills and the "Bring Mills Down" campaign, Former President Rawlings described the situation as very disturbing, especially, when Prof. Mills has, on two occasions come out to state that he is well and was undergoing routine medical check ups. He said, "more disturbing is the extremely disgraceful publication on the worldwide web that the NDC Presidential candidate had given up the ghost in South Africa."
President Rawlings said he had at all times maintained close contact with Prof Mills and was aware of Prof. Mills' condition and his ability to help rid the country of the opportunists who were convinced that they now owned Ghana.
President Rawlings said he believed that every member of the NDC still has the right to open discourse and to raise concerns even about the health of the party leader when need be, but that ought to be done with utmost circumspect and decorum.
He said Ghana was at the precipice of a political disaster because of the mismanagement of every aspect of the county's social fabric by the New Patriotic Party led by President J.A. Kufuor and which now has Nana Akufo Addo as its Presidential candidate.
"Having recognized how formidable the opposition has become because of the gross disenchantment of Ghanaians and recognizing the fact that a clean campaign will lead to an embarrassing loss in December the NPP supported by sections of the media who lack ethics and balance in their reportage have resorted to mudslinging and below-the-belt tactics to win the election".
President Rawlings cautioned that, "the NDC as a party had to be very wary of those devious machinations and rather present a united front to disabuse the populace of desperate antics."
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GNA
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