The Chairman of the National Peace Council, the Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, has been awarded the 2014 US Embassy Martin Luther King, Jr Award for Peace and Social Justice. This is in recognition of his unwavering commitment to promoting peace and security throughout the country during Ghana’s 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections. The award, which was initiated in 2007, recognises Ghanaian citizens who personify the philosophy and actions of Dr Martin Luther King Jr by helping

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced two people to two years’ imprisonment with hard labour for possessing Indian hemp. Farouk Abubakari Sadiq, alias Alex, 22, and Sumail Yusif, alias Blackee 30, were arrested with the narcotic drugs at Kasoa in the Central Accra Region on December 30, 2013. They were charged with possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority and they pleaded guilty to the charge. An accomplice, Samuel Bortey, a 27-year-old driver’s mate, who was also arrested together

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and shipping agents are in a tango over the payment of port charges in dollars, in view of directives by the Bank of Ghana. While the GPHA insists that it is empowered by law to demand the payment of port charges in dollars, agents of ships- providing oil and gas services, as well as ocean-going vessels, are questioning why state institutions in charge of the maritime industry continue to collect their payments in dollars instead of cedis following the

The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mr Najon Bilijo, has called on fish farmers to take advantage of emerging technologies to increase their production. He also called for private sector partnerships to modernise aquaculture to help create employment and wealth in rural areas. The minister made the call when he launched a range of organic fertiliser products in Accra on Wednesday. The introduction of organic fertiliser for both aqua and crop cultivation is aimed at ensuring sustained

Two hunters have been remanded in prison custody for allegedly mistaking their hunting partners for game and shooting them dead. The accused, Fuseini Iddrisu, 25, and Abdul Rahman, 36, have been provisionally charged with murder and the docket sent to the Attorney-General’s Department for advice. Their victims, Hamidu Bayorbor, 45, and Ahmed Abubakari, 24, have since been buried. Briefing the Daily Graphic in Wa yesterday, the Upper West Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, Assistant Superintendent

The National Planning Committee for the 2014 International Job Summit has been inaugurated in Accra, with a charge on members to come up with solutions to the unemployment problem in the country. Membership comprise representatives of government ministries, the Police Service and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). About the summit The three-day summit is expected to help address the unemployment problem, especially among the youth and graduates from the country’s tertiary institutions. It

Two persons have been arrested for allegedly diverting 500 bags of cocoa beans. The GH¢100,000 worth of cocoa beans were meant for export, but Kofi Owusu, 32, a driver, and his mate, Kwabena Kwakye, 30, allegedly diverted the commodity they were carting in their truck, with registration number AW 7693-12, from Anweaso Nkwanta, near Sefwi Bekwai in the Western Region, to Ayirebi in the Eastern Region. Police briefing Briefing the Daily Graphic in Akyem Oda last Wednesday, the Oda Divisional Police

The chiefs and the people of Deduako in the Bosomtwe District in the Ashanti Region have constructed a two-kilometre road to make the community accessible to Kuntanase, the district capital, and other communities. The construction of the road by the community was necessitated by drivers’ refusal to visit or ply the community because of the bad nature of the road connecting the community to the Kuntanase-Ejisu highway. The construction, which cost GH¢80,000, involved the shaping of the two-km

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the COCOBOD, Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, has embarked on a working visit to cocoa-growing areas in the Ashanti Region to acquaint himself with the situation on the ground. The visit was to afford the chief executive the opportunity to interact with cocoa farmers and the chiefs in the cocoa-growing areas to have a first-hand knowledge about issues affecting them. Addressing the chiefs and some of the cocoa farmers at Toase in the Atwima-Nwabiagya District, Dr Opuni

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has reiterated its commitment to ensure the provision of accurate data on beneficiaries of money that was given to victims of the various market fires which occurred last year. “While mindful of the myriad of challenges and the daunting task faced by the ministry in the execution of this task, it would be highly unprofessional and totally irresponsible to disregard the use of accurate data in a national disbursement of this kind,”

A novel research to help identify the causes of breast cancer among women in the country has been launched. The programme, labelled the Ghana Breast Health Study, is being undertaken by a team of local and foreign medical researchers from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital ( KBTH), the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Peace and Love Hospitals (PLHs), undoubtedly the three leading hospitals handling majority of breast cancer cases in the country, and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) based in

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has arrested Maxwell Doe, the managing director of Maxi Spark Enterprise, for allegedly producing and distributing fake alcoholic beverages at New Jerusalem, near Afienya. Some of the alleged fake products are Castle Bridge London Dry Gin (manufacturer’s label), Madingo Bitters and Herb Afrique. A statement signed by the Chief Executive of the FDA, Mr Hudu Mogtari, said 21 cartons of Castle Bridge London Dry Gin, (manufacturer’s label), 21 cartons of empty

Vice-President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has charged regional ministers to provide early warning signals to the government of the existence or likelihood of any security threats in their respective regions. He said as chairmen of the regional security councils (REGSECs), it was their responsibility to ensure that the government was abreast of the security situation in their respective regions. The Vice-President made the call when he addressed the Second Conference of Regional Ministers at the Busua

It has emerged that the bull which was found in the sea at Chorkor on Wednesday had been offered as a sacrifice to the gods by the people of Winneba, a few days earlier. According to the Chorkor Wulomo Chief Fisherman, Nii Kukurudu, when a delegation from Chorkor was about to go to Winneba Thursday, another delegation came from Winneba to Chorkor. Nii Kukurudu indicated that the delegation from Winneba informed them that the bull was sacrificed to their gods alive, as a result of which it was left

A former Deputy National Co-ordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA), Mr Nuru Hamidan, has said he did not read the contents of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) which has resulted in a GH¢4.1 criminal case against two persons before signing as a witness. According to Mr Hamidan, who is also the current Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Asokore Mampong in the Ashanti Region, he did not read the contents because he trusted his boss, Abuga Pele,

About 50 young men and women Thursday stormed the Maternity Ward (Ward A1) of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and assaulted nurses and doctors on duty, demanding the body of a baby believed to have been stillborn. The police arrested three of them when they went to the hospital to restore law and order. The names of the suspects arrested have been given as Ousman Mohammed, 25; Sadat Mohammed, 30, and Ahmed Mohammed Baba, 38. The baby was allegedly stillborn to Madam Swabia Abdul-Mumin

A minor who allegedly killed her 66-year-old mother at Abutia–Degblevi during an argument has provisionally been charged with murder to stand trial at the Ho District Court. The 17-year-old suspect, name withheld, allegedly smashed the head of her mother, Gadzi Abla, with a pestle, killing her instantly. The incident occurred when Abla attempted to flog the suspect, a nursing mother of a year-and-a-half baby, for disobeying orders to return a phone her boyfriend bought for her. Disagreement over

Five suspects, including a couple and a commercial sex worker, have been arrested in connection with the murder of a Fidelity Bank official at Odorkor Tweneboah in Accra. The suspects include David Boafo Daniels, a 36-year-old businessman, his wife, Juliet Korkor Kwaasi, 32, a caterer, and Fati Issah, alias Maame Yaa, a 25-year-old commercial sex worker. The police gave the names of the rest as Kwesi Nyamekye, alias Rasta Nyame, a 23-year-old beads maker, and Sule Issaka, a 23-year-old undertaker. Three

Mrs Grace Nkrumah, Brand Manager of Nestle Ghana, has expressed fears that the country might not achieve the Millennium Development Goal four (MDG 4) by 2015 since malnutrition was still a major obstacle. Mrs Nkrumah said though Ghana was on track to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it was far from meeting MDG 4 by 2015 unless coverage of effective child survival interventions were intensified. Mrs Nkrumah expressed the concern in Tamale on Wednesday during the launch of

The French Institute for Research and Development (IRD) and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) have developed new strategies for the prevention of malaria. The development of the strategies was led by Dr Nicaise Ndam, Molecular Parasitologist at IRD, and Dr Michael Ofori  at Noguchi. A statement copied to the Daily Graphic said the project was officially launched on January 31, 2014 at a ceremony hosted by the Ambassador of France, Frederic Clavier, and the Director of