A Kumasi Circuit Court has convicted a self-professed evangelist, George Amoah, for duping a trader of her GH¢2,000.00 under the pretext of securing for her a plot of land at Afrancho in the Afigya-Kwabre District to build a house.   This was after he had pleaded guilty to the offence. His punishment was however, deferred to December 23, to allow him space to make a refund. He had already paid back GH¢1,000.00 to the victim, Vida Effah, a trader at Suame Magazine “Club 600” in Kumasi. The court presided over by Mr. D.W.P. Amedior admitted him to a GH¢5,000.00 bail with a surety. Police Chief Inspector Rose Essuman told the court that Amoah took the money in 2010 and after persistent demand by the victim to show her to the land or return the amount failed, a formal report was made to the police. He did not deny taking the money in his caution statement and refunded GH¢1,000.00. 

Some 2,073 communities in the Western and Central regions are to be connected to the national grid under the rural electrification project, embarked upon by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to ensure speedy development of the communities.    In the Western Region, a total of 1,500 rural communities have been selected to benefit out of which about 600 have so far been connected. In the Central Region a total of 573 communities are to benefit, from which about 40 communities have been connected. The project, which is countrywide, was to ensure that the communities improved on their social and commercial activities. Speaking at various communities visited in the Western and Central regions, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr. Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah said government had a social contract to improve the lives of the people of Ghana, especially those in the rural area. The minister said his move to the communities to monitor the projects was to ensure that it was delivered to the people. “We will not sit in Accra and presume that projects directed to the communities were being executed. We at the ministry decided to monitor, move to the communities, fold our sleeves and help in ensuring that the projects were delivered,” Mr Buah said. He said it was important to ensure that various communities, which hold the potential for serious economic activities and the transformation of the rural economy, had access to power to address challenges such as value addition and conservation. The team also toured the completed projects at Akonu, Egyan, Dominlimo, Kukuaville, Jomoroeshiem and Nuabesa in the Nzema District and moved to the Ahanta West where ongoing and completed projects at Asuboi, Animakrom, Seremanu and Adelazo were commissioned. The team also toured the sub stations B and D of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Takoradi before going through Shama and Anhowiom, Ahwoim junction, Kumasi, Appiahkrom, Appiko, Camp C, Ankaase and Bepokokoo among others. At Jomo in the Nzema East, the Chief of the Community, Nana Amoako Anuah, Gyasehene III, of Lower Axim Traditional Area III, said since the community settled in 1948, this was the first time they had light. He noted that the location of the community made several companies express interest in investing in resort facilities to open up the community but due to the lack power and good roads, the people refused to come. “We can now engage in commercial activities and we also hope to have the complement of the resort companies to move in now to open our community for bigger business and we are grateful to government,” he said. The contractor and sub-contractors working in the communities told to the minister and his team that, bad roads to some of the beneficiary communities made the transportation of materials to the sites very difficult. They said at a point, right of way enters into areas where members of the rural communities already have their farms and made it difficult to reach an agreement to enter, with many farmers demanding compensation.

      Ghana’s marine resources are over-exploited due to open access and weak controls, resulting in excessive over capitalisation and over-fishing in the nation’s maritime and inland capture fisheries. The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), Mr Nayon Bilijo, made this known when he took his turn at the meet-the-press series in Accra yesterday. He said the nation’s fish supply was in deficit relative to the national requirement as, in 2012, the total fish production was 482,000 metric tonnes, while the fish requirement was 968,000 metric tonnes, showing a deficit of about 50.2 per cent. He indicated that in spite of the 50.2 per cent shortfall in the country’s domestic fish requirement, post-harvest loss in the sector was estimated in the region of 37 per cent, adding that during the period the private sector had to import fish valued at $157 million to augment fish supply. Policy objectives  Mr Bilijo said it was estimated that about 2.4 million people in Ghana were dependent on the sector for their livelihoods and said to help address that challenge, the ministry had developed programmes and measures driven by policy objectives to address the situation. “To achieve the policy objectives, the ministry has planned setting up structures of the MoFAD and the Fisheries Commission, initiating processes for the establishment of the fishermen life insurance scheme,constructing the first  phase of the Fisheries College at Anomabo, among others,” he said. Achievements He noted that for the effective implementation of its mandate, the ministry had, since its establishment, focused on building the requisite institutional and human resource capacities and was working in collaboration with the Public Services Commission and the Management Services Division of the Civil Service to strengthen the Fisheries Commission to enable it to operate effectively. It had also engaged and collaborated with the European Union (EU) and produced a road map for improving processes for industrial fisheries operations in the short and medium term. Challenges   The minister asserted that the sector was besieged with challenges, including over fishing, excess catching capacity, depletion of some marine stocks, human induced changes in ecosystems, post-harvest losses, among others. He noted that in order to overcome the challenges and derive maximum economic benefit from the fisheries sector, the government in January, 2013 established the ministry to turn around its fortunes in the medium and long term. Way Forward Mr Bilijo said the ministry, through the West African Regional Fisheries Programme, would be developing governance structures and processes, such as the creation of a computerised and modern registry for artisanal fleet in both inland and marine fisheries, as well as the establishment of modern registration and licensing management systems, for all fishing vessels. He stressed that the ministry was determined to explore innovative ways of funding and improving its activities and services to ensure that the sector contributed its quota to national food security and socio-economic development in general.      

  About 250 youth from five districts along the Black Volta in the Upper West Region are to benefit from a new dry season farming project by the end of this year. The project, which is being spearheaded by the Regional Coordinating Council ( RCC), with support from the Northern Rural Growth Programme ( NRGP) and the Upper West office of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), is aimed at halting  migration of the youth from the region to the southern part of the country during the dry season.  The  five districts are to select 50 youth from communities in the respective districts to participate in the project. The Upper West Regional Minister, Dr Ephraim Avea Nsoh, who made this known at a media briefing in Wa, said  experts from the NRGP and the MoFA would supply water pumping machines and train the beneficiaries on the use of the machines. "In addition, the experts would assist in the selection of sites for the farms, as well as offer technical advice throughout the farming period. For now, we want to do this as a pilot and we hope to extend it from along the Black Volta to the other dams in the region when it becomes successful," he noted and stressed the need for the beneficiary districts to include more women in the selection process. The dry season farming project,  according to Dr Nsoh, was expected to engage many of the youth in order to discourage them from  migrating to the southern part of the country during the dry season. He said the Upper West Region had a lot of potential in the area of agriculture and that, the project would consider other cash crops apart from cereals and tubers. The regional minister, therefore, called on the people to take advantage of the new initiative and make the best out of it. Sharing his thoughts on why the security agencies must rigorously enforce the road traffic regulations in the region, Dr Nsoh, who had just returned from the Wa Regional Hospital,  expressed sadness over the frequency with which people in the region were dying  from accidents involving motorcycles. “One out of the four people I visited at the hospital died just before we got there, another is paralysed while the other two, according to the doctors, are in very critical conditions" he lamented and called for closer police-community relations to nip the incessant motorcycle accidents in the region in the bud. He further appealed to the media to intensify their education on road safety and said people who erected illegal speed humps must also be arrested and dealt with according to law. That, he explained, was because the  illegal speed humps were also killing a lot of people.  

The Pamela Bridgewater Project in Ghana has expressed its heartfelt condolence to the South African High Commissioner in Accra, Ms Jeanette Ndhlovu, on the death of former President, Mr Nelson Mandela. The project, which supports Kayayei (female head porters) in the country through the Kunata Voluntary Organisation, said South Africa and indeed Africa as a whole had lost a great son. A release signed by the Founder of Kunata voluntary organisation, Mr Yahaya Alhassan, expressed the organisation’s deep condolence to the South African High Commissioner, saying  the continent had lost an illustrious son whose exemplary life and services to Africa over the past decades were immeasurable and worthy of emulation. According to Mr Alhassan, “Ms Ndlovu has been an eminent campaigner of our kayayei programmes, and we stand with you and South Africans during this moment of sorrow’’.

  The First lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama, has called on governments, the United Nations, the African Union and other international organisations to ensure that perpetrators of sexual violence against women in conflicts situations are punished. According to her, there must be institutions and structures to hold individuals and organisations accountable for their actions and impose punishments, provide adequate and timely remedies for victims and survivors. The First Lady made the call at the spouses programme of the Elysee Summit for Peace in Africa which was chaired by the First Lady of France, Ms Valerie Trierweiller, in Paris. Women under threat Addressing the summit, Mrs Mahama noted that if perpetrators were not punished, crime would flourish, women’s right would continue to be violated and past crimes would persist.  Some of the atrocities, she noted, include rape, unwanted pregnancy and forced marriage which she said were the worst forms of human rights violations and crimes against humanity. “As a continent, we must strengthen measures to protect women against sexual violence in conflicts. The future of women and their communities is constantly threatened by violence. Even though they are recognised in conflict and disaster situations as agents for peace and security, they remain marginalised in the decision making processes of their communities.” she added.  Women’s participation Mrs Mahama also used the platform to call for more women participation in peacekeeping to enhance the security of women and children in conflict areas.  "I must say women can achieve a lot in preventing sexual violence during peacekeeping when given capacity training before deployment” adding that there must be a gender action for peace and security to ensure conflict prevention and using women as sex objects during wars. Ghana’s commitment The First Lady reiterated the Government of Ghana's commitment to join the African Union and the international community to fight sexual violence, “so that we enhance and build strong violence free and safe places for our dear women and children”, she said. As to the governments’ effort at curbing GBV, she said, "Since 1998, a Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit has existed within the Ghana Police Service. As at today, the unit has 106 offices across the country to protect victims of violence”. “We have also worked and continue to collaborate with actors at the West Africa sub-regional level to address women, peace and security issues.” Lordina Mahama told the summit.   

  A committee has been set up to find out the cause of death of marine mammals washed ashore along some parts of the country’s coastal lines. The setting up of the committee followed a directive from President John Dramani Mahama to the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to investigate the phenomenon and make the appropriate recommendations. A director in charge of the Oil and Gas Unit of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr Kojo Agbenor-Efunam, made this known to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of a seven-day training workshop on oil, gas and mining reporting organised in Accra by Penplusbyte, a non-governmental organisation. He said the committee had been tasked to take samples from the latest whale which was washed ashore.   More whales die  As of October 21, 2013, eight marine mammals, believed to be whales, had been spotted dead along the shores in the Western Region within two months, while one whale was washed ashore at the Krokrobite Beach in the Greater  Accra Region. Friends of the Nation, a socio-environmental NGO in the Western Region, which has been documenting and keeping track of the number and locations of the dead mammals, indicates that in the past four years, 19 carcases of such mammals had been found. Residents of coastal towns and some non-governmental agencies had linked the increasing death to the recent offshore oil and gas production activities. A number of questions had been asked any time the whales were washed ashore in a decomposing state, while the EPA was informed about such incidents. The Chief Fisherman of Asanta, Mr Joseph Ebambey, was not happy about how EPA officials in Takoradi and the local assembly in the Ellembelle District buried the whales without trying to find out the causes of their death. Friends of the Nations had asked experts to look into the incident to find out if the whales were being hit by vessels in the deep sea and died because of the collision, or if the whales became disoriented due to noises caused by oil and gas exploitation activities and, therefore, swam to shallow waters where they died? The Programme Coordinator, in charge of Natural Resource Management of the Friends of the Nation, Kyei Kwadwo Yamoah, stated that “the bio-diversity conversation was of utmost importance to ensure balance in the eco-system’s functions and services.  The washing ashore of dead mammals should be a major concern not only for coastal communities, but for all of us. When whales die, we have to take it seriously and investigate to unravel the mystery of their deaths.” Don’t blame oil find  Mr Agbenor-Efunam stated that “the whales are not being washed ashore as a result of the oil exploration”. “I have studied geoscience and there is no link between dying whales and oil and gas exploration activities,” he stated.  

  A public lecture in memory of the founder of Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, Nana Awuah–Darko Ampem, has been held in Accra. The lecture was delivered by Mr Bernard Mensah, an economist and Head of Europe, Middle East and Asia of Merrill Lynch, a world leading financial management and advisory company. The ceremony coincided with the official  launch of the Vanguard Group of Companies, comprising Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, Vanguard Life, City Investments Company Limited and Vanguard Properties Limited. Speaking on the theme for the occasion, “When we were kings”, Mr Mensah requested the strengthening of regional capital markets in Africa to boost their capacity to generate funds towards the improvement of infrastructural projects, particularly in the energy sector.  He commended efforts by governments in the West Africa sub-region to attract foreign direct investment, which was quite huge, but advised that emphasis should be placed on ways to move away from relying solely on commodities. He said between the year 2000 and 2010, Africa grew by six per cent, the largest in any region of the world, which signifies a new interest and resurgence to invest in the continent and which, as a consequence, has also brought about expansion of the middle class. He noted further that the GDP growth rates of many African states were such that they would require linkage of their economies in order to build large markets to attract investments. This was because countries perceived to have big economies attracted investments unlike those with small economies. However, he assessed that while population dynamics and per capita income did play a role in attracting foreign direct investment, the positioning of a country in providing unique end user services was also critical. He cited the example of Singapore which although was a country of only five million people, was the hub of economic activity in Asia because of its strong capabilities in banking, insurance and port services. He said through improvements in education and focus on its comparative advantages, Ghana could also show the way by becoming a commercial hub in the West Africa sub region. The late Nana Awuah-Darko Ampem who was also an Nkosuohene of Ashanti Juaso first established Marine and General Insurance Brokers in 1969 after returning from his studies and working abroad. But a law in 1972, making it obligatory for all government institutions to deal directly with State Insurance Company and not through a broker, compelled him to found Vanguard Assurance in 1975, making it the first indigenous insurance company in the country.  

  Galamsey operators and sand winners have started digging the foundations of high tension pylons of the Ghana Grid Company (GRiDCo) for either gold ore or sand. Besides, the galamsey operators are also said to be removing some of the metallic bars of the pylons for use in their operations. The worst affected areas are Kanssawurodu, where sand winners are causing a great havoc through Esiama to Tarkwa, where the galamsey operators are also doing brisk illegal mining under the pylons. The situation has made many of the pylons weak and susceptible to collapse if any heavy storm is to hit the area. The Area Manager for GRiDCo, Mr George Kweku-Mensah Impraim, told the Daily Graphic that the pylons carried 161,000 volts of power and any collapse of the pylons could cause serious damage to property and loss of lives within the immediate environs. Warning He warned that if a single line dropped, communities within the radius of more than eight kilometres could burn to ashes. Mr Impraim said GRiDCo was doing its best to sensitise those engaged to desist from the practice but the operators, sand winners and galamsay operators had not come to terms with the reality.   

  Enormous irregularities amounting to GH¢2,019,188,488.76 (US$50,748,780) has been unearthed from the accounting books of public boards, corporations and other statutory institutions by the Auditor-General (A-G). The irregularities, which include the lack of documentation on loan agreements stipulating the terms and conditions, misapplication of funds, overestimation of funds needed and the failure to notify bankers to stop payments of unearned salaries, are listed in the A-G’s 2012 report on 77 public boards, corporations and other statutory institutions released in September, this year. According to a transmittal letter attached to the report and signed by the A-G, Mr Richard Q. Quartey and addressed to the Speaker of Parliament dated September 10, 2013, the irregularities, which were discovered in seven areas, were outstanding debts/loans/recoverable charges – GH¢1,696,453,352.63; cash irregularities GH¢116,346,697.84 and payroll irregularities – GH¢251,805.19. The rest were procurement irregularities – GH¢50,492,451.95; tax irregularities – GH¢1,072,001.80; stores irregularities –GH¢629,683.13 and contract irregularities - GH¢153,942,496.22. Outstanding debts/loans/recoverable charges  Titled “Report of the Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana – public boards, corporations and other statutory agencies for the year ended 31 December 2012”, irregularities outlined under outstanding debts represented trade debtors, staff debtors and outstanding loans. Absence of a debt collection policy or credit management’s apathy towards loan recovery, also contributed significantly to the anomalies.  Further, improper maintenance of records on debtors, absence of debtors ageing analysis, lack of documentation on loan agreements stipulating the terms and conditions, failure to ensure that loans were repaid and managements’ non-compliance with rules and regulations accounted for these irregularities. Cash irregularities  Under cash indiscretions, the report listed the misapplication of funds, over-estimation of funds needed, outstanding imprest, non-authentication of payments and cash shortages as having occurred due to poor supervision, lack of control, managements’ failure to review approved budgets and the failure of paying officers to demand receipts for payments made.  The report also said the anomalies arose as a result of accountants’ failure to properly file and keep records, managements’ failure to ensure the security and safety of vital documents, non-monitoring of customers’ payment schedules, non maintenance of returned cheques register and the lax of management in ensuring that accountants adhered to the stipulation of the Financial Administration Act and other relevant regulations coupled with poor accounting system. Payroll irregularities  Payroll improprieties were caused by failure of management to exercise due diligence and failure of officers in charge of payroll to review payment vouchers to ensure that salaries were paid to only those who were entitled, the report said. It also pointed out that loopholes in payrolls were also caused by managements’ failure to notify bankers to stop payments of unearned salaries, which mostly comprised payments of unearned salaries to separated staff, non-payment to chest of unearned salaries and payment to staff members who were not entitled to receive those salaries. Procurement and tax irregularities  Irregularities occurred in procurement processes as a result of management procuring goods and services without recourse to procurement committees of the various institutions and going contrary to the provision of the Procurement Act. There was misapplication of tax revenue, failure to pay statutory deductions on due dates as required by law and non-adherence to provisions in the tax laws, which also related to transacting of business with non VAT registered persons. Stores and contract irregularities  Stores anomalies happened as a result of non-documentation of store items and unaccounted for fuel resulting from the absence of store ledgers, lack of awareness of officers assigned to store duties, inadequate supervision, deficient and improvised log books and managements’ failure to procure records. The non-performance of contracts, variations of conditions of contract without following procedures, non-specification of mode of payments and the failure to deliver in contract agreements and ineffective control over contracts resulted in some contract abnormalities. While admitting that most of the 96 audited financial statements submitted by the institutions for validation were prepared under generally accepted accounting principles, the report said “The failure by organisations to prepare financial statements stifles effective planning and decision-making by stakeholders.” “The lack of accounting knowledge by some accounting officers, staff constraints, apathy of some Chief Executives and the failure of some governing boards of these organisations to ensure the preparation of the accounts caused delays in the submission of financial statements or their non -submission,” it noted. The report said there was still the need for organisations to improve upon their processes for preparing their financial statements and annual reports and pay more attention to compliance with the submission deadline of March 31 each year. Recommendations Among several recommendations made, the report tasked sector ministers as a matter of urgency, to take remedial measures to ensure that public Boards, corporations and statutory institutions filled the position of Heads of Accounts Units, with personnel with the requisite skill and experience and installed computerised accounting software to accelerate the production of financial statements for audit. It also charged the ministers to sanction any Chief Executive who failed to prepare and submit for audit the organisation’s financial statements by the March 31 deadline and any official whose inaction resulted in irregularities to serve as a deterrent to others.  The report further recommended that management of public Boards, corporations and other statutory institutions should strictly adhere to rules and regulations pertaining to debts, put in place a proper policy on granting of loans and ensure that adequate measures were put in place to ensure repayment of loans on due dates to avoid or mitigate the occurrence of bad debts. It called for the strengthening of supervisory controls over accountants to ensure that they adhered to the stipulations of the Financial Administration Act and other relevant regulations and for management of the respective institutions to transact procurement dealings strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663). Writer’s email: [email protected]  

  Dozens of world leaders yesterday paid glowing tributes to the late Nelson Mandela, a former President of South Africa. The leaders, who took turns to address a large gathering at the memorial of the global icon at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, variously extolled his virtues of sacrifice, love for humanity, spirit of forgiveness and resilience.  They associated themselves with the values of the anti-apartheid icon. Jacob Zuma  Host President Zuma, who gave the keynote address, described the late Mandela as "one of a kind... a fearless freedom fighter who refused to allow the brutality of the apartheid state to stand in way of the struggle for the liberation of his people". He said while Madiba (Mandela’s clan name) was no more, he had left behind a nation that loved him dearly and a continent that was proud to call him an African.  “Under his leadership, the democratically-elected government focused on building a democratic society based on non-racialism and non-sexism,” President Zuma said, adding that Mandela never wanted to be viewed as a messiah or a saint. The long speech ended with a commitment of “continuing to build a country free of hunger, homelessness and inequality”. Barrack Obama  President Barrack Obama attended the memorial together with his wife, Michelle, former US Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and a former Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. In a 20-minute eulogy, President Obama compared Mandela to Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Abraham Lincoln and America's founding fathers in various aspects of his life and thanked South Africans for sharing Mandela with the rest of the world. “To Graça Machel and the Mandela family; to President Zuma and members of the government; to heads of state and government, past and present; distinguished guests — it is a singular honour to be with you today, to celebrate a life unlike any other,” he said. President Obama said Mandela was a "giant of history" and further described him as the last great liberator of the 20th century. He said Mandela had taught the world the power of action and the power of ideas and that it had taken a man like Mandela to free not only the prisoner but also the jailer.   "We will never see the likes of Mandela again. While I will always fall short of Madiba, he makes me want to be a better man," Mr Obama said. Ban Ki-Moon  The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, in his tribute, said, “South Africa has lost a hero, we have lost a father and the world has lost a beloved friend and mentor.”  He said Mandela taught by example, sacrificed so much and was willing to give up everything for freedom, equality and justice, stressing that his compassion stood out most. Mr Ban recalled that the South African elections of 1994 marked a "triumph for the ideals of the United Nations" and a "victory for everyone who has faced the poison of prejudice”. He said there was no better testament to his influence and fight for equality “than this stadium today, we are here”. Raul Castro  Speaking through a translator, the President of Cuba, Raul Castro Ruz, appealed for a global Mandela-inspired spirit of unity. “Let us pay tribute to Mandela — the ultimate symbol of dignity and unwavering dedication to the revolutionary struggle, to freedom and justice, a prophet of unity, peace and reconciliation,” he said. President Castro said Mandela's life had taught the world that only the concerted effort of all nations would empower humanity to respond to the enormous challenges that threatened its very existence. China and Brazil   Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao, Brazilian President Dilma Roussef, Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee also made speeches before a keynote address by South Africa's President Jacob Zuma.   Mr Li described Mr Mandela as the “pride of the African people”, adding that he dedicated his entire life to the development and progress of the African continent. Speaking through a translator, Brazilian President Roussef said Mandela was a source of inspiration for similar struggles in Brazil and across South America. His fight, she said, reached way beyond his nation’s borders and inspired young men and women to fight for independence and social justice.      

  This year’s Akwantukese Festival of the chiefs and people of New Juaben in the Eastern Region, slated for December 14, will be preceded by a lecture today on the topic, “Evolution of Chieftaincy in Ghana: Harmonising tradition and modernity”, to be delivered by a former Supreme Court Judge, Mr Justice S.A. Brobbey. Mr Brobbey, who is well-versed in the chieftaincy institution, authored the acclaimed standard reference book on chieftaincy titled, The Law of chieftaincy in Ghana.  The lecture is intended not only to educate the public on matters and causes affecting chieftaincy in Ghana, but more importantly, to broaden their understanding on the complex issues emanating from the chieftaincy institution to assist in creating a conducive environment to significantly reduce conflicts in the country. This year’s festival marks the 135th anniversary of the great migration, as well as the 100th anniversary of the enstoolment of Nana Kwaku Boateng I, as Omanhene of New Juaben. The celebration will also mark the 21st anniversary of the enstoolment of Daasebre Prof. (Emeritus) Oti Boateng, the current Omanhene of the traditional area. The Akwantukese Festival seeks to promote socio-economic progress through education of the youth on their origins, traditions and customs and serves as a tourist attraction for people all over the world. The durbar will also be used to honour distinguished personalities who have contributed to the development of New Juaben.