Robber dies in exchange of gun fire with Police/Military patrol
Accra, Aug. 30, GNA - The exchange of gun fire between a Police/Military team and some suspected armed robbers at Darkuman in Accra at about 0100 hours on August 30 left one the suspects dead, police said in Accra on Monday.
The body of the suspect, which is yet to be identified, has been deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary. Briefing journalists in Accra, Superintendent of Police Dennis Abade, Regional Crime Officer, said on August 30 Moses Ashie, 28, was driving a lady from Dansoman to Darkuman when three armed men in another taxi cab trailed them unnoticed.
He said as soon as the lady reached her destination and alighted, two men armed with a machete and a pistol ordered them to lie on the ground.
The men further asked them to surrender their mobile phones and they further collected 80 dollars, GHC 75.00 cedis, from Mr Ashie and sped off with his taxi cab.
The crime officer said Mr Ashie reported the matter to the Police at Kwashieman who quickly sent wireless messages around alerting the Military/Police Patrol Team. Supt. Abade said at about 0230 hours, the patrol team spotted the stolen car at Sukura but they were unable to make out the members on board because the car had tainted glasses.
He said immediately the occupants of the car noticed the presence of the Police/Military team, they reversed and sped off. The patrol team pursued them and when they were closing in on them, the robbers opened fire.
The patrol team returned the fire and the robbers abandoned their vehicle. Supt. Abade said later during the day, the Police at Darkuman discovered the body of a male adult with gun shot wounds abandoned in Darkuman area. He said the unidentified body has been deposited at Police Hospital Mortuary awaiting identification and autopsy.
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NGO support girls education in Northern Region
Tamale, Aug. 30, GNA - Maltiti Development Centre, a voluntary non-profit organisation offering educational and vocational support to girls in the Tamale Metropolis, at the weekend provided some 17 girls with materials to enable them complete their education. The items which were from donors in the United Kingdom included a bicycle each, clothes and stationery.
Madam Maggie Williams Choo, Project Manager of the Centre, who presented the materials, said currently about 50 girls aged between seven and 18 years were being taught how to read and write in English, Mathematics, Religious and Moral Education, Social Studies and the option to learn sewing techniques.
Source: GNA
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NDC Accuses EC Of Fraud
Weeks after the end of the limited Voters Registration exercise, it has emerged that contrary to regulations by the Electoral Commission (EC), some registration officials resorted to their own rules and issued voter Identity Cards to people who were challenged by party agents, even before such challenged people could be cleared by the EC’s Review Committee. The Asutifi South Constituency branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has raised the red flag to draw the attention of electoral authorities to what the party finds as a monumental electoral fraud that was perpetrated by some electoral officials in the constituency, during the recent limited voter registration exercise.
The constituency branch of the NDC has complained that a number of people who were challenged over their age, nationality or other matters in a polling station at Nkeseim, where Mr. D.D. Peprah was the Returning Officer, have had their voters IDs secretly issued to them by registration officials in contravention of laws regulating registration exercises. The party backed its claim with a voter ID card that was secretly issued to one Nsenkyire Brobbey Mavis who was challenged on the first day of the registration exercise on suspicion that she was not up to 18 years. Mavis’ name is fifth on the list of 57 people who were challenged at registration centre number GO 31102, located in Nkaseim.
In a petition to the District Electoral officer over the irregularities that have been detected, the NDC explained that registration form number 24394698(HI) was filled in the name of Nsenkyire Brobbey Mavis. The petition said Mavis was challenged by the NDC agent at the centre, Mr. Osman Ahmed on the grounds that she was not up to 18 years. The petition, signed by Mr. Modestus Nuworsu, the NDC’s Constituency Secretary, pointed out that days after Mavis had been challenged, she told Mr. Ahmed who was the one who challenged her that he (the NDC agent) had failed because she and some other persons were subsequently invited into the house of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) agent, where their voter ID cards were prepared for them.
Explaining how Mavis’ voter ID card was obtained by the NDC to serve as evidence, Mr. Ahmed told The Chronicle that after Mavis had told him that she had gotten her card, he told her to bring it to him so that he would look at her particulars and cancel her name out of the challenged list. The NDC agent said Mavis obliged and brought the card to him later, and he collected the card to be used as evidence.
“Under the registration procedures, a person who is challenged does not take a photograph until he or she is cleared by the District Review Committee, before the person’s photograph is taken and an ID card prepared for him or her. We are therefore shocked that after the persons were challenged, their ID cards were secretly issued to them in the house of the NPP agent,” the NDC agent said. The District Electoral officer for the Asutifi District, Rev. Osei Bonsu, confirmed to The Chronicle that he had received such a petition from the NDC.
He said the Commission had started its investigations into the matter but could not state exactly w ere the investigations had reached and when the commission was likely to finish the investigations. Meanwhile, The Chronicle has gathered that the Goaso police has picked up the Returning Officer on Tuesday morning over the issue.
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Akufo-Addo's posters trashed in V/R
Officials of the New Patriotic Party in the Volta Region have accused members of the opposition National Democratic Congress of masterminding the removal of the posters of NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo.
Posters of the NPP flag-bearer are being defaced in the Volta Region by an unidentified group of people.
Party officials say most of Akufo-Addo's posters in the regional capital, Ho, and its environs have been destroyed.
But NPP officials blame members of the opposition for what they see as a well-orchestrated effort to obstruct the ruling party's campaign in the Volta Region.
Joy News' correspondent, Agbeko Ben Cofie, who filed the report, said the situation has created tension in the municipality.
Mr Johnson Avuletey, NPP Volta Regional Organiser, said the party is setting up a committee to investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.
Blaming the opposition for the act, Mr Awolete said "they've realised that Nana Akufo-Addo is changing things on the ground," he their [opponent's] action.
Meanwhile a 19-member regional campaign monitoring team has been inaugurated in Ho. The team will assess the progress of the party's campaigns in the city and its environs.
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Midnight fire destroys stores at Tema Fishing Harbour
Tema, Aug. 30, GNA - At least 36 stores at the European Market in the Tema Fishing Habour were razed down by fire shortly after midnight, the Fire Service said on Saturday. There were no casualties, but items mainly groceries were destroyed. It took the Tema Fire Service two hours to bring the blaze under control, Mr Prince Anaglatey, Assistant Divisional Fire Officer told reporters
He said acting on a distress call at about 1243 after midnight, personnel from his outfit joined others from Tema Oil Refinery, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority to fight the fire. Mr Anaglatey said although investigations were yet to be concluded to ascertain cause of the fire, human error cannot be ruled out, adding that the stores at the market also served as dwelling place for some of the traders.
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Armed robbers attack District Director of Health Services
Suhum, Aug. 29, GNA - Armed robbers last Sunday night attacked Dr Albert Antobra Boateng, Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District Director of Health Services, at his residence at Suhum.
The robbers, numbering four and covering their faces with masks, made away with some of his personal effects, mobile phones and cash. A source at the Suhum Police station who spoke to the GNA on condition of anonymity said the robbers forced the main door of the building opened.
He said one of the robbers pointed an AK 47 assault rifle at the medical doctor and demanded that he surrendered all money he had on him or he would be killed.
When Dr Boateng told the robbers that he had no money on him, one of them got angry and hit him with the gun while the other members of the gang ransacked the room and made away with the items.
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Madina Police arrest 40 drivers
Accra, Aug. 29, GNA - The Motto Traffic and Transport Unit of the Madina Divisional Police Command, has apprehended 40 drivers and their buses for various traffic offences this week. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr James Owusu Mensah, Divisional Commander, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Friday that his outfit had wage war against indiscipline on the roads and would spare no one.
He said the drivers were arrested for offences such as driving on the shoulders of the road, refusing to adhere to road signs, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with an under-weight driving license, and usage of defected vehicle and number plates. ASP Owusu Mensah said most of the drivers were arrested at the new overhead being constructed at the Atomic Junction, near Madina, where road signs in the area h ave destroyed due to lack of adherence to traffic regulations.
He appealed to the Madina Metropolitan Assembly to help the Madina Police to remove all traders, who sell on the roads and the pedestrian pavements from Zongo Junction to the Social Welfare area. The Commander also advised the vehicle owners to always ensure that their drivers possessed the requisite driving licenses before allowing them to drive. He said of the forty drivers arrested, 21 have already appeared before the Madina Magistrate Court Grade I, who were slapped with a fine ranging between GH¢60 and GH¢240. He added that the rest 19 drivers would also be prosecuted.
Giving the accident statistics within the Madina-Adenta jurisdiction, he said, between January and June 2007, 109 accidents involving 165 vehicles with three fatalities were recorded. He noted that between the same period this year, 98 accidents involving 156 vehicles and one fatality occurred. He emphasized that, due to the regular road checks, accidents within his jurisdiction have reduced drastically and added that the exercise would continue until there was sanity on the road. 29 Aug. 08
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Minister bemoans fragmented forest ecosystem
Accra, Aug. 29, GNA-Mrs. Esther Obeng Dapaah, Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines has blamed the state, traditional and civil society organisations for the nation's highly fragmented forest ecosystem. She said satellite images have revealed the fragmented forest system, which has consequently denied wild animals the requisite space to regenerate.
Mrs Dapaah made the observation in a speech read on her behalf at a national workshop at the University Ghana, Legon, to develop a framework for the establishment and management of Community Resources Management Areas.
The framework is to be incorporated into Ghana's Forest Master Plan, which is currently under review.
The CREMA, an initiative of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, has the aim of providing skills, capacity, and finance to communities to better handle and preserve the forest resources in the areas where a CREMA is established.
So far one CREMA is fully established at Amokwasoazo in the Western Region, and at least, there are 15 others at other areas countrywide and are at different stages of development.
Mrs. Dapaah recalled that a study commissioned 10 years ago by the Ministry revealed that annual bush meat consumption was about 225,000 tonnes and valued at US$ 350 million, but very little of that amount trickled down to the local communities.
Also the wildlife based enterprise economy is floundering and the major players are desperately putting in survival strategies. The Minister said the CREMA concept was designed to devolve responsibility and authority for wildlife management, and called for support for such programmes to regulate wildlife utilisation off reserve.
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NGO calls for immediate halt to rape of forest resources
Accra, Aug 28, GNA - The boss of the Environmental Monitoring Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, on Wednesday called for a halt to the over exploitation of the nation's forest resources and urged the Forestry Commission to stop issuing permits to timber contractors. Mr Asante Bediako, the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, told the GNA in an interview that the Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines had abandoned the policy of competitive bidding for concessions that was transparent and have resorted to issuing of permits.
Under the competitive bidding system, companies and individuals interested in acquiring the right to enter forests and fell timber were invited to bid and this enabled the nation to obtain the maximum revenue from its forest resources. This system has been stopped and has been replaced by the permit system under which there is no competition and there is favouritism. "The Forestry Commission, with or without prompting from the Minister of Lands, Forestry and Lands, will simply grant the right to fell timber to a particular company for no clear reason." Mr Bediako alleged that permits have been issued within the last few weeks for the harvesting of teak trees at the Pru Shelterbelt at Mampong, Abutia Hill Forest Reserve at Sokode Gbogame, Boumfuom Forest Reserve at Kumawu and the Dede Forest Reserve in the Begoro District. He said the Foundation had written to state institutions detailing irregularities at the Forestry Commission in the allocation of concessions and implementation of export procedures and in one instance the state lost 4 million dollars in revenue. "In my experience malpractices have always been present in the timber industry and not exclusive to the present administration but the truth of the matter is they are now totally out of control." Mr Bediako called for the suspension of all permits issued in recent weeks and appealed to NGOs operating in the timber and climate change sectors not to be silent over these abuses but should make their voices to ensure compliance with internationally accepted standards of forestry practices.
He said if the NGOs fail to do this they should leave the country because they have no moral to continue to stay here in the face of the impunity with which forestry laws are being flouted.
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Germans to modernise Ghana's railways system
Berlin, Germany Berlin, Aug. 28, GNA - The German Railways Authority has expressed interest in assisting Ghana to improve and modernise its railways system. A team of experts is therefore expected in the country within the next few days to carry out feasibility study, cost calculation and steps to be taken for the realisation of the goal.
Dr. Otto Wiesheu, a member of the Management Board of the Comapny, led a delegation to break the news to President John Agyekum Kufuor who was on a two-day state visit to Germany at his Hotel Suite in Berlin on Thursday.
The Germans offer of help came barely 24 hours after Chancellor Angela Merkel had pledged, during bilateral talks with President Kufuor, to encourage more investment flow from her country to Ghana. Dr. Wiesheu said the Company was determined to come in with the needed technical expertise and funding.
President Kufuor directed the Foreign Minister and Ghana's Ambassador to Germany to liaise with the Company and arrange to get the two sides to hammer out the details without delay.
 Berlin "Alexanderplatz" 2 ICE passing the station | 
Takoradi |
(c) copyright: www.PhotographerInSwansea.biz / www.EventPicture.co.uk
The Government, he said, wanted to see the two main maritime ports of Tema and Takoradi and the Boankra In-land Port linked with reliable and efficient railways system that would also be extended to the northern parts of the country and connected with the neighbouring landlocked countries.
Meanwhile, President Kufuor has demanded from development partners sincere commitment in their dealings with Africa.
Responding to a toast at a state banquet held in his honour by German President Horst Kohler, he said the Continent must be seen more as an emerging market whose raw materials should be given added value in order to attract fair returns on the wider international market. It was through this that they would be helping to reduce poverty in the Region and make for meaningful and mutually rewarding partnership.
He underscored the need for everything necessary to be done to make the World Trade Organisation (WTO) credible among all of its member countries.
The rich and powerful should develop the political will to provide countries of the South fair access to the international market through the removal of farm subsidies.
Earlier, President Kohler praised President Kufuor for his tremendous services not only to Ghana's democracy but to the peace, stability and regional integration of Africa, describing him as "a statesman and great political leader." He said President Kufuor belonged to a new generation of African leaders, who, confident of the Continent's future, were exploring Africa's paths to democracy and the rule of law as well as international co-operation. 28 Aug. 2008
Source:
From Kwaku Osei Bonsu, GNA Special Correspondent, |
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Police save suspected thief from being lynched
Koforidua, Aug. 28, GNA - Richard Kwesi Kwao, a 20-year-old driver's mate, among a gang of three, who raided a nurses quarters and made away with two standing dryers and a hand dryer at near Koforidua was nearly lynched at dawn on Wednesday. Kwao was saved by members of the Cobra Unit of the Police Service led by Chief Inspector John Dzokoto, who took him to the Eastern Regional Headquarters of the Police Service at Galloway, a suburb of Koforidua.
The gang were also said to have attempted to steal from a container shop near the Koforidua Sports Stadium that day. The police arrived at the scene, when Kwao had received severe beatings from an angry mob that caught him and was lying naked with his trousers pulled down around the legs, partially paralyzed. The instruments used in cutting through the container also laid by his side.
According to the Public Affairs Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Service, Chief Inspector Christopher Tawiah, Kwao and his other colleagues now at large first broke into the house of one Miss Vida Deborah at the nurses' quarters at about 12:30 am. He said, they followed up to the Koforidua Sports Stadium area and then cut into one of the container shops there, but while in the act, somebody saw them and raised the alarm. Chief Inspector Tawiah said they took to their heels, but were chased and Kwao was arrested and brought to the scene of the incident. He said Kwao during the beaten by the mob confessed that they were three and that they stole the dryers, which had been taken away by his accomplices.
Chief Inspector Tawiah said the suspect was brought to the police station in a bad shape and later taken to hospital adding that upon recovery, he would be processed for court. He said the police had initiated investigations into the case to get the two other members of the gang arrested. He advised the public not to take the law into their hands by attempting to discipline or beat a criminal and instead handed him to the police deal with matter. Chief Inspector Tawiah advised communities to organize meetings to know each other, collect each others telephone numbers so that they could support one another in times of distress.
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Kufuor honoured with Germany's highest national award
Berlin, Aug. 28, GNA - Germany on Wednesday night conferred her highest State Honour,
" Bundesverdienstkreuz " on President John Agyekum Kufuor for his outstanding leadership.
German President Horst Kohler decorated President Kufuor with the medal during his two-day state visit to reinforce Ghanaian-German bilateral co-operation.
President Kohler in a citation said Germans had followed with admiration progress made by Ghana within the last eight years, which had made the nation a model of democracy and stability on the African Continent.
"We are encouraged by the leadership you have provided not only for your country but Africa."
President Kufuor expressed appreciation to Germany for the honour. Ghana and Germany had enjoyed fruitful bilateral relations over the decades and earlier in the day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged her country's resolve to continue to deepen and broaden the relationship.
To date, Germany has committed over one billion euros to various projects and programmes in key sectors of the Ghanaian economy within the context of financial and technical co-operation.
Germany has been making funds to Ghana through contributions to the European Development Fund (EDF), multilateral institutions and United Nations (UN) systems.
Ghana Government's agenda for good governance has received technical support from Germany.
These include technical assistance to strengthen rule of law, support to Land Administration Project, strengthening the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Tax Administration.
President Kufuor was accompanied by his wife Theresa, Mr Akwasi Osei-Adjei, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD and Senior Government Officials.
He wraps up on Thursday and expected home on Saturday, August 30.
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10th anniversary of the Children's Act launched
Accra, Aug. 27, GNA - Ms Theresa Amerley Tagoe, Deputy Minister of Greater Accra Region, on Wednesday launched activities to mark the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Children's Act.
Some of the activities lined up for the programme include counselling of vulnerable children, interaction with presidential aspirants, fun games, free birth registration and immunization of babies.
The most paramount of all the activities is the launch of a national competition among Ghanaian children to design a logo for the Children Department of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC).
Speaking at the launch, Ms Tagoe said the winner of the competition as well as the school would be duly rewarded and urged the department to work out the modalities about the competition. She expressed her appreciation to the Ghana Health Service, Births and Deaths Registry, the Police Hospital and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit for their assistance towards the celebrations. Giving a brief background on the creation of the Department of Children,
Mr. Valentine Kuuzume, Chief Director of MOWAC said on August 26, 1979, the government passed a decree establishing the Ghana National Commission on Children and adopted August 31 as the National Children's Day.
He said in 1998, the Parliament upon further deliberations on child related issues passed the Children's Act which provided a list of enforceable children's rights and obligations of parents towards their wards.
"Since the passage of the Children's Act, the Ghana National Commission on Children and other stakeholders (both public and private) have been given the legal backing to fight for the cause of children in the country," he added.
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Two killed in accident near Nkroful
Axim (W/R) Aug. 27 GNA - Two person died on the spot and four others sustained various degrees of injury when a taxi cab on which they were travelling, from Teleko Bokazo to Essiama in the Ellembenle district of the Western Region was involved in an accident on Saturday.
The Nzema East Municipal Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dan Ohene-Djan, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency at Axim on Wednesday, gave the names of the dead as Mr Wereko Bonzo, the 28-year old driver, who hails from Teleko Bokazo and Madam Banno Prah, 30, from Anwia.
According to the Police Commander, the accident occurred on August 23 2008 at about 2000 hours, when the driver of the taxi cab with registration number WR 1255 V, was travelling from Teleko Bokazo.
The Police commander said in the middle of the journey the driver claimed he was blinded by the high light of an oncoming vehicle and in the process run into a stationary Cargo Benz bus with registration No. GN 912 Y, whose driver had parked and was attending to 'nature's call'.
ASP Ohene-Djan said four persons who sustained various degree of injury and are under critical condition of health at the Eikwe Catholic hospital, are Francis Ezoah, aged 43, Benjamin Krah 20, Mary Awuah, 29 all from Anwia and Andrew Adjako, from Teleko Bokazo.
He said the bodies have since been released for burial and the driver of the Bus, Dick Samuel, from Asenta has been granted police enquiry bail pending further investigations.
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Lift the 101-year-ban on Pra-Aum forest
Gyadam (Ash), Aug. 27, GNA - Communities along the Pra-Anum forest reserve in the Asante-Akim South District, have renewed calls on the government to release portions of the reserve for residents to farm on.
The communities, which include Gyadam, Amantia, Muronaim, Banka and Tokwai, are predominantly farmers but have been debarred from cultivating the forest for farm. The concern of the people was said to dates back to 1907 when the then colonial government, placed a ban on the forest following a protracted dispute between the Akyems and the people of Adansi over the ownership of the forest. The people raised these sentiments on Tuesday when the District Chief Executive, Mr Abdul Karim Boakye-Yiadom, embarked on a familiarisation tour of the area. They said they have been denied of access to the forest, which had affected their livelihood since they were left with limited land portion to cultivate. Another major issue they raised was the growth in population in the area over the years, which had been compounded by the stoppage of the payment of royalties to the chiefs. The people said a Social Responsibility Agreement (SRA) between the communities and timber contractors to undertake some meaningful projects had been flouted by the contractors with impunity. Reacting to some of the issues, the DCE said, the assembly together with the Member of Parliament, Mrs Gifty Ohene Konadu were liaising with the Ministry of Mines, Lands and Forestry to address the problem.
He said enquiry by the assembly indicated that the royalties were being paid into government chest and gave the assurance that the assembly would work to ensure that the right thing was done. Mr Boakye-Yiadom said the assembly would also impress on the timber contractors to respect the agreement between them and the communities to ensure mutual benefit and peace.
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Survey finds food adulteration common in cities
Accra, Aug. 26 GNA - A survey conducted in eight regions has revealed that food adulteration is common in big markets in urban communities and towns. The survey conducted jointly by the Food Research Institute (FRI) and the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) found food adulteration in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Central, Western, Volta, Ashanti, Northern and Brong Ahafo Regions.
Food adulteration is an act of adding or mixing something inferior, harmful, useless and unnecessary to food. It is intended to reduce manufacturing cost, increase bulk or weight, make it appear better and conceal inferiority. In a survey report copied to the Ghana News Agency, Dr Kafui Kpodo, Head of the Food Chemistry Division of FRI, noted that food adulteration was on the increase and was done deliberately or unknowingly by traders, mostly in urban markets with perpetrators playing on the ignorance of innocent buyers.
According to Dr Kpodo, the adulteration problem could be addressed by ensuring that the law enforcement department was vigilant. "There should be training, education and community outreach programmes on food adulteration for manufacturers and consumers." While recommending the formation of consumers' associations to take on unscrupulous traders and manufacturers, Dr Kpodo advised consumers to buy whole grains and spices and grind them at home for meals. He said food safety was a complex and many-faceted issue which included all the hazards which made food injurious to the consumer. The report identified improper agricultural practices, poor hygiene at all levels of the food preparation chain, lack of preventive controls in food processing, misuse of chemicals, as well as inadequate storage facilities, as factors contributing to potential hazards.
In Ghana, many households spend up to 70 per cent of the family's income on food and it is therefore necessary that imported and locally produced foods are wholesome, Dr Kpodo noted, reiterating that food safety was not a luxury but a necessity for all.
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Fire Service closes hotels, guesthouse
Accra, Aug. 26, GNA - The Ghana National Fire Service together with the Ghana Police Service on Tuesday closed down six hotels and a guest house in Accra for not obtaining fire certificates.
Some of the hotels are Beach Dive Hotel, New Vision Hotel, AAT Hotel and Marvellous Guest House, all located at Weija. The rest are Homey's Palace, Siesta Lodge and Atomic Hotel, all situated at Dansoman. Mr J. Y. Torsu, Greater Accra Regional Fire Commander, said it was against the law for any premise used for public activities without attaining a certified fire certificate.
He stressed that the law being enforced had been in existence since 2003 and the owners of the affected hotels and guesthouses had been served two letters each to remind them of the need to obtain their fire certificates.
The Accra Regional Fire Service on Monday embarked on the first enforcement exercise since the coming into force of the Fire Precaution Regulation in 2003 to demand for fire certificates and apply sanctions on owners whose premises have failed to comply.
The regulation requires owners of premises for public use such as accommodation, entertainment, work, healthcare, education or research to obtain a fire certificate, as a precautionary measure.
The certificate is subject to renewal every 12 months, attracting a fee of at least one Ghana cedis depending on the size of the premises. The Fire Service expressed the hope that the ongoing exercise would ensure more compliance to help reduce fire outbreaks. Ghana records about 2,000 fire outbreaks every year, leading to the loss of lives and damage of properties worth million of Ghana cedis.
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Massive corruption at ports
THE Minister of Ports, Harbours and Railways, Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi says there is massive bribery, pilfering and corruption, going on in the shipping industry. According to him, the Ministry was doing its best to eradicate the cankers, but they would simply not go away.
He expressed worry over situations where vehicles shipped to the ports could vanish, even though security men were around, adding “I don’t know if these security men have been sleeping on duty.”
Speaking at an open forum, organized by the Ghana Shippers Council in Takoradi over the weekend, for importers and exporters in the shipping industry, Professor Ameyaw Akumfi deplored the increases in charges, revealing that legislation was being considered to halt it.
The Minister also appealed to importers and exporters, to pay the right taxes, because it was a source of revenue for the state.
The open forum formed part of the Shippers Council policy, of reaching out to and interacting with shippers and trade associations in their localities, to ascertain problems confronting them in their day-to-day transactions, and address to them.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Shippers Council, Mr. Kofi Mbiah, told the forum that the issue of efficiency in ports and land entry points, in relation to the clearance of goods, had been a matter of concern to Ghanaian shippers over the years.
He argued that it was not members of the council alone, that cleared goods from the ports, and that they could not be blamed for the problem.
He called for collaboration from all stakeholders, to find a lasting solution to the problem. “Despite efforts being made to minimize the problems in the clearance of goods, the expected results will not be achieved, if shippers do not do the right thing,” he said.
Mr. Mbiah called for scanners at the ports for the examination of containers, the compulsory wearing of uniforms and badges, by all customs excise staff and the registration of operators within the ports, among others.
He called on the government to strengthen its tax collecting system, to stem corruption.
This, he observed, must go along with a systematic reduction in duties, as a way of reducing the high dependence on import duties, to raise revenue.
Some of the participants also subjected officials of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Police Service, and other institutions, who were present at the forum, to questions ranging from bribery and the taxes they pay at the ports.
The high taxes, the participants noted, were seriously affecting their businesses, and appealed to government to do something about it.
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Two suspected armed robbers arrested
Dormaa-Ahenkro (B/A), Aug. 26, GNA - Police in Dormaa have arrested two suspected members of an armed robbery syndicate that has been terrorising residents along the Dormaa-Cote D' Ivoire boundary. Dramani Djalo, alias Sergeant and Abubakar Siddique were arrested on Monday following a tip-off by a hunter that passengers on two vehicles were being robbed at gun point on the Dormaa-Nkrankwanta trunk road. Police Chief Inspector M. K. Yeboah, who confirmed the incident and the arrest, told the GNA that Dramani Djalo was brought to the police station at Dormaa Ahenkro with wounds on his legs believed to have been sustained from gun shots. He said after taking his statement, Djalo was referred to the Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital where he is currently receiving medical attention.
Chief Inspector Yeboah said hours after Djalo was sent to the hospital, Abubakar Siddique was also brought to the station after he had been apprehended by residents of Kuren, a community along the Nkrankwanta road. He said police had intensified their search for the remaining four suspects while Djalo and Abubakar would be arraigned before court soon.
Samuel Kwadwo Yeboah, driver of Benz bus with registration number AS3038D, one of the two vehicles attacked by the robbers, told the GNA that at about 2200 hours on Sunday the robbers who were in pairs on three motor bikes stopped him at gun point in the Diaba Forest whilst he was conveying 22 passengers to Dormaa Ahenkro. He said the robbers stopped another Dormaa-bound vehicle with five passengers and some poultry products on board and for six hours the robbers who kept referring to colleagues with ranks as sergeant and corporal molested and robbed them of all their cash and personal belongs.
The driver of the second vehicle, Mr Lasso, who suffered multiple head injuries, identified Djalo as the sergeant during the operation at the hospital. He told the GNA that the suspects were young boys and wore masks, amulets and talismans.
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Tema records 43,733 malaria cases in six months
Tema, Aug. 25, GNA - Health facilities under the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate recorded a total of 43,733 malaria cases in the first half of the year. The number of cases reported at the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) of the various health facilities show a slight decrease over the 46,943 cases recorded during the same period last year.
Mr Harvey Akafu, Tema Metropolitan Health Information Officer in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said while the Tema Township had the highest data of 24,815, Kpone recorded the lowest of 2,126. Mr Akafu stated that majority of residents of Ashaiman, Kpone and Tema Manhean preferred to seek medical care at the Tema General Hospital and the Tema Polyclinic as compared to the other health facilities near them leading to a high record of the disease in the Tema township.
He advised residents of the Tema metropolis and the Ashaiman municipality to observe good sanitation practices in a bid to destroy the breeding grounds of mosquitoes.
Mr Akafu reiterated the need for the public, especially children and pregnant women to sleep under treated bed nets. Meanwhile between January and July this year, the Directorate recorded a total of 1,047 typhoid fever cases compared to the 1,217 recorded in the first quarter of 2007. The Health Information Officer giving the breakdown noted that, health facilities comprising both public and private in the Tema township recorded 642, followed by the Tema Manhean Health Centre with 255. He said, while the Ashaiman Health Centre had 150 typhoid cases, the Kpone Health centre did not record any during the period.
He indicated that typhoid fever, which is a feaco-oral disease, is spread by houseflies that get into contact with the typhoid bacteria from affected human excreta and deposit it on foods. Mr Akafu therefore urged the public to always eat warm food, as well as practice personal hygiene including the washing of hands with soap anytime one visits the toilet, before touching food. He stressed the need for traders especially iced water and cooked food sellers, to regularly wash their hands with soap, to avoid transferring the bacteria onto the food and selling to unsuspecting buyers.
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Free healthcare for pregnant mothers, a burden to Wa Hospital
Wa, Aug 25, GNA - Lack of adequate gynaecologists and midwives at the Wa Regional Hospital, is affecting the success of the free medical care for pregnant women, Dr Jacob Abebrese, Medical Director of the hospital has said. He said since the policy took-off in July this year, the hospital had witnessed an influx of pregnant women, which had placed a lot of stress on the few staff available, hospital infrastructure and medical consumables. Dr Abebrese, who told the Ghana News Agency at Wa, indicated that in July this year alone, 162 pregnant women were registered at the hospital as against 147 for the whole of 2007 and 183 in 2006. He said 156 and 142 pregnant women delivered at the hospital in 2007 and 2006 respectively.
"This is against the fact that, we have only three Ghanaians and six Cuban doctors in the hospital. Of this number, only one Ghanaian and one Cuban gynaecologists," Dr Abebrese said. He added that of the 100 nurses in the hospital, 35 were midwives, all aged above 45 years. "The Cubans would be leaving for holidays in September this year and when that happens, the work load will even get heavier and more stressful," he said. Dr Abebrese noted that but for the numerous satellite medical facilities in the Wa Municipality, the situation would have been worse for the hospital. He also noted that the delay in the processing and payment of claims by the National Health Insurance Secretariat, was also contributing to the difficulties.
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Education system is a crisis-Nduom
Accra, Aug. 25, GNA- Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, flagbearer of the Convention People's Party (CPP) on Monday said that despite the various interventions by the previous and present government, Ghana's educational system still remained a crisis.
He said that discussions with employers revealed that the quality of people produced by the educational system did not meet industry standard, and were often retrained on basic elements that should have been taken care of while in school.
Dr. Nduom addressing a press conference to react to the release of the results of this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) that showed that, out of the 320,000 students who took part in the examination, 50 percent failed the BECE.
"Many of our children cannot read, write or express themselves well in English or in any one of our local languages. The same difficulty exists in the area of science and technology...The fact of the matter is that our education system is in crisis".
"It is clear that something different needs to happen otherwise, we will continue to slowly but surely create a huge class of unemployed, undereducated, disenchanted and potentially destructive young men and women who will also constitute the majority of the population". Dr Nduom said the Constitution demanded Free Compulsory Basic Education but neither the National Democratic Congress (NDC) nor the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administrations had implemented this, saying, "We do not have free and compulsory education of any type in Ghana". "For education to be useful and productive we must have the right facilities, motivated teachers, healthy children and attentive parents..This ingredients are not available in our system today in any consistent manner".
"I want to implement what our constitution demands- free compulsory basic education and even go beyond to add continuous education to senior high school"
Dr. Nduom thus proposed free, compulsory and continuous education from Kindergarten to Senior high school, stating, "Education has proven to be an equalizing factor throughout the world, and developed countries have used it as a means of accelerating economic and social growth. Dr. Nduom said a CPP government led by him would put quality education high on the agenda to enable the country to meet the demands of the global economy, adding that his administration would enforce the compulsory element of education to ensure that all children get the opportunity to prepare themselves for what the employment that the CPP party would create.
He said that public schools throughout the country would be equipped, through proceeds from the GETfund and other national revenue, in a standard high quality manner, to provide the opportunity for all children to reach their potential.
"The CPP aims to create a just and disciplined society with a passion for excellence and the ability to move from the third world with all its social injustices to the first world with opportunities for every boy and girl"
Dr Nduom acknowledged the importance of teachers in the equation and said that the party would assist teachers own their home, as well as build to ensure that there was enough houses to accommodate teachers throughout the country.
"Teachers deserve a better life on this earth", he added
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Marine fishing drop by 50% in Ghana
Domeabra (Ash), Aug 25, GNA - Records at the Ministry of Fisheries show about 50 per cent drop in the quantity of fish obtained from marine fishing. Mr Papa Joe, Special Assistant to the Minister of Fisheries, said for the past three years the country's marine fishing yielded 450 tonnes instead of the expected 850 tonnes and attributed the drop to bad weather conditions and bad behaviour of some residents who live by the sea side.
He was speaking at the close of a 10-day training workshop for 25 farmers on how to embark on integrated fish farming (aquaculture) in the Ejisu-Juaben District at the weekend. The training, which was organised by the Ministry of Fisheries in collaboration with Kuma Farms Complex, was attended by farmers selected from Ashanti, Greater Accra, Volta, Northern and Eastern regions and some students.
Mr Joe said the ministry had teamed up with some farm complexes to provide training on how to rear fish at the small-scale level. He said the ministry was prepared to offer loan facilities to the farmers to enable them expand.
Nana Kwaku Siaw, Director of Kuma Farms Complex at Domeabra, said the farm in collaboration with the ministry had trained over 500 farmers in fish rearing.
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