Drama unfolded at an Accra circuit court Monday when a man convicted of dealing in narcotic drugs told the court after his conviction that he believed in the usefulness of Indian hemp. His comments sent the courtroom into uncontrollable laughter. “I have used Indian hemp for the past 11 years and it has made me potent in bed. l wish my wife were here to testify to that,” Barima Odei Ampadu said. According to him, Indian hemp does not cause madness, but rather cures asthma and cough. “My wife

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has earmarked a new dumpsite at Nsumia in the Ga West District. The new site, which has been engineered to contain refuse for the next two years, is to replace the closed Pantang landfill site. Pantang Site The EPA last month shut down the Pantang landfill site near Abokobi to address the health and environmental concerns the dumpsite posed to residents of Pantang and other communities in the Ga East Municipality. Even though the site has been shut down

A number of displaced families at Promised Land and Solomon City near Adjei Kojo, where there was massive demolition, have relocated. A few families who claim they have nowhere to go, however, continue to reside in tents provided by the National Disaster Management Organisation  (NADMO). On a visit to the area at the weekend, a little over two weeks after the demolition exercise which displaced over 800 persons, mostly women, children and the aged, the  Daily Graphic reporter saw that the site

A tax policy advisor at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Edward Larbi Siaw, has criticised the situation in which only a few Ghanaians honour their tax obligations. “We cannot continue to deal with a population of 25 million and collect taxes from only two million out of the six million eligible taxpayers,” he stated. Describing the situation as “not tax justice”, Dr Siaw said it was unfair to increase tax rates for those in the tax net, while other eligible taxpayers walked

Construction workers are to enjoy a 40 per cent increase in salaries, wages and allowances. The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to that effect has been signed between the Association of Road Contractors (ASROC) and the Construction and Building Materials Workers Union (CBMWU) of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC). The salaries and wages cover a period of one year, while the allowances cover a period of two years. The increment brings the minimum salary and wage from GH¢6.97 to GH¢11.62

Authorities of the University of Ghana say they are yet to receive any formal notification from the government asking them not to collect tolls from motorists who use the university’s campus roads. Until that was done, the authorities said, motorists would have to pay road tolls before they could access the campus. The Director of Public Affairs of the university, Mrs Stella A. Amoa, made the statement in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, in reaction to the government’s

There is a growing public concern over the siting of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and fuel stations in residential areas in Accra. This is in the wake of a gas tanker crash at Kwahu Fodua, near Nkawkaw, that killed eight people and injured more than 20 others, three weeks ago.  According to some residents of Accra, it was about time the authorities concerned, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS),

Some land developers at Kwabenya have appealed to the National Security and the Inspector General Police (IGP) to come to their aid and stop the activities of persons suspected to be land guards operating in the area. The land developers said the land guards, who acted with impunity, harassed and seized their working equipment, as well as parcels of lands that had been genuinely acquired. Confrontation  The developers made the appeal at their meeting at Kwabenya last Saturday. One of the developers,

The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre in The Netherlands have established a project to develop scalable models that will ensure sustainable water services delivery in rural communities in the Brong Ahafo Region. The Sustainable Services at Scale (Triple-S) Project operates under the auspices of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, and in partnership with other stakeholders. It is to support processes to increase learning and adaptive

The Financial Division of the High Court has given Alfred Agbesi Woyome up to March 17, 2014 to file his submission of ‘no case’. It also directed the state to file the necessary papers in rebuttal to the businessman’s claim that the state had failed to prove a case against him. Woyome’s lawyer, Mr Sarfo Buabeng, declared the defence team’s intention to file a submission of ‘no case’ on behalf of the businessman, who has been accused of defrauding the state to the tune of GH¢51.2

Alleged professional negligence in the administration of intravenous infusion to two  children has led to the amputation of their limbs. The victims, both males, are a 10-month-old baby, Mohammed Hafiz, whose left arm has been amputated, and  two-and-half-year-old Prosper Nsumba, who has had his right arm amputated. The incidents occurred separately at a private clinic in Tamale and at the Bimbilla Hospital in the Nanumba South District in the Northern Region. While Hafiz was sent to the clinic

A seven-member presbytery executive of the Sowutuom District of the Church of Pentecost has been inducted into office at a ceremony at Sowutuom in Accra. The Odorkor Area Head of the church, Apostle Johnson Agyemang Badu, who inducted the new executive officers during a four-day fasting and prayer revival, urged them to work steadfastly in truth and to have good functional relations with their various congregations, no matter their social status or ethnic background. He advised them to make the

A final year student of the Diabene Secondary Technical School in Sekondi-Takoradi on Saturday drowned in an abandoned, water-filled quarry used by students as their only source of water.   Master Bernard Aikins, in the company of friends, was attempting to fetch water to do his laundry when he slipped and drowned, sparking demonstrations by students on Monday which temporarily disrupted academic work.   AT THE SCHOOLWhen the Daily Graphic arrived at the school at about 8a.m. on Monday, the

The Chief Executive Officer of Stratcomm Africa, Ms. Esther Amba Numaba Cobbah was awarded by her alma mater, Wesley Girls High School (WGHS) at the schools 177th Speech and Prize ceremony held in Cape-Coast last weekend, for her professional achievements over the years. Last year, Ms Cobbah was adjudged the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) Marketing Woman of the year 2012 and was also adjudged the Outstanding Corporate Woman of the year at the Ghana Women’s Awards. Presenting the

A Conference of World Religions will open at the Guildhall in London tomorrow Tuesday, February 11, 2014. The conference will be a platform for international faith leaders to bring to the fore the distinctive contribution that religion can make towards peace which the world so desperately needs. Organised by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the conference will be attended by more than 500 participants from the world of religion, politics, and diplomacy, as well as specialist NGOs involved in the

Businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome has served notice of filing a defence of no case in the ongoing GHC 51 million cedis paid to him as consent judgement debt. This became necessary when the Chief State Attorney, Mr. Matthew Amponsah ended calling prosecution witnesses to testify. ASP Odamme Otchere was the last prosecution witness to be cross examined by Lawyer Osarfo Boabeng, counsel for Mr. Woyome. Lawyer Osarfo Boabeng dropped the hint of filing defence of no case in court on Monday. He is expected

Twenty-five personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) drawn from the Accra and Tema regions have undergone training in manual rescue operations in elevators. The training was organised by the CFAO Equipment Ghana Limited, sole agents  of Otis elevators in the country, in conjunction with the GNFS. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Dr Albert Brown Gaisie, speaking at the opening session of the training, said rescue was an integral part of fire management. He said as the country was developing

Lieutenant Colonel Selom Kwasi Amengor has taken over as the Commanding Officer of the 66 Artillery Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces in Ho. He took over from Colonel Wekite Abase Seidu, who served the unit for four-and-a-half years. Last Friday, Lt Col Amengor was presented with the Regimental Colours of the unit to signify the transfer of authority to him, and the Volta Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, inspected an infantry parade as part of the handover ceremony at the Volta Barracks. Colonel

The I’Odomey Conference, the highest legislative body of Musama Disco Christo Church (MDCC), has expressed worry about moves by certain people in authority to deepen the cracks within the church. A statement issued by the General Secretary, Reverend Isaac Kwasi Bagyinah, at the end of the 7th session of the body at Mozano,  the  headquarters of the church, said a review of events over the past years had shown that persons in political and security authority were compounding the woes of the mission. It

An Accra circuit court has issued a release for the arrest of Soale Abubakari Yakubu, a 25-year-old apprentice electrician, for attempted murder. The accused attacked a second-year medical student of the University of Development Studies in Tamale and stabbed her severally on the head and later tied a rope around her head to strangle her. He has since the attack gone into hiding and all efforts by the police to apprehend him have so far proven futile. According to the Public Relations Officer of