Christian Sheriff Asem Darkei, the man at the centre of the shipment and disappearance of 77 parcels of cocaine, opened his defence Wednesday. Darkei, also known as the Limping Man, told the Fast Track High Court in Accra, presided over by Mr Justice Mustapha Habib Logo, that he was a fisherman and did not deal in narcotics. Consequently, he denied the charges of conspiracy to import, importation and exportation of narcotic drugs. Led in evidence by his lawyer, Mr Isaac Aidoo, Darkei told the court that a friend asked him to purchase the MV Benjamin for him for fishing but that transaction did not materialise. He gave the friend’s name only as Charwartey and said the friend provided him (Darkei) with $150,000 to be used to purchase the MV Benjamin. He said the money was given to him by Charwartey in February 2006, adding that Charwatey took back the $150,000 after the purchase agreement failed.  He said the MV Benjamin, to his knowledge, imported fish and not narcotics. Cross-examination  After his evidence, a Principal State Attorney, Ms Yvonne Obuobisa Attakora, in her cross-examination, asked Darkei of his whereabouts in the course of the missing cocaine saga. Darkei said at that time he was in his village at Kasseh receiving treatment for asthma and later moved to a village between Togo and Ghana for further treatment. He said while in Togo, he shuttled between Togo and Nigeria for treatment. Asked whether he was not aware that he had been declared wanted by the police in Ghana, he responded in the affirmative and said he was so ill at the time that his focus was on how to treat himself. Darkei said he owned two vessels that were used for fishing and that his friend intended to buy the MV Benjamin for the importation of fish. He mentioned the name of his company as Atiko Fisheries, while the two vessels were the MV Check One and the MV Alabanya. Asked by Ms Attakora the date on which he travelled, he told the court that he travelled to his village on April 26, 2006.  Asked what he had used a loan of GH¢25,000 he secured from the UT Bank for, Darkei said it was used to purchase parts to replace damaged ones in his ship.  However, the State Attorney suggested to him that on the loan form, he had stated that he was going to use the facility to buy marine fuel. Darkei said he finished paying for the loan on May 4, 2006. Darkei is alleged to have played a major role in the shipment of 2,310 kilogrammes of cocaine, with a face value of $138.6 million, into the country in April 2006.  The prosecution closed its case on April 23, 2013.   Arrest Darkei was arrested by BNI officials at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on February 2, 2012 upon a tip-off, after he had been pursued for years by the security agencies. He has, however, pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy, importation and exportation of narcotic drugs. Facts of the case It is the case of the prosecution that around midnight on April 26, 2006, the MV Benjamin, reportedly carrying about 77 parcels of cocaine, with each parcel weighing 30 kilogrammes, docked at Kpone/Tema and discharged the parcels. The parcels were offloaded into a waiting vehicle which carried them away. According to the prosecution, in the course of investigations, Darkei’s name featured prominently as the importer and/or owner of the drug. He was said to be the person who had chartered the vessel at a cost of $150,000 to tow another vessel from Guinea to Ghana and, subsequently, carted the alleged 77 parcels. The disappearance of the cocaine led to the constitution of the Justice Georgina Wood Committee and the subsequent trial of persons alleged to have played various roles in the importation. Hearing continues on February 10, 2014. Writer’s Email: [email protected]

Ten houses were Wednesday demolished at Agya Herbal, a neighbourhood of Ofankor in Accra, on the orders of an Accra high court. The intervention of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Trobu, Mr Moses Anim, and the Municipal Chief Executive of the Ga Central Municipality, Mr Aristo Aryee, saved 20 other houses from demolition. The exercise, which was carried out by the Nii Nikoi Olai We, with the backing of an Accra high court, started at around 6 a.m., during which parts of a number of houses were pulled down. However, the intervention of the two political heads calmed the situation and owners of the targeted properties were given a two-week relief period to work out an agreement with the landowners. The lands on which the buildings were situated had been the subject of a protracted litigation between the Nikoi Olai family and one Emmanuel Fradey and others. Demolition site When the Daily Graphic team got to the site, quite a sizeable crowd had gathered there, some of them bemoaning their fate while others complained bitterly about the rate of demolitions in the country. More than 50 police officers from the Regional SWAT team were on hand to provide security for the court bailiffs and also to maintain law and order. While most of the houses in the hilly community, close to the Rev. John Teye Memorial School, were yet to be completed, others were occupied by caretakers, who watched on helplessly. Most of the houses earmarked for demolition had the notice, “Remove Nikoi Olai Family” posted on them, together with a telephone number. The houses marked for demolition, according to some sources, had been built on parcels of land that the family had not sold to the encroachers. “Some of us bought the land from the Nikoi Olai We in 2000, but another group came claiming ownership of the land around 2009 and threatened demolition. We had to pay again to them. Those of us who were lucky to have documents from the Nikoi Olai people are those whose property had been spared the demolition,” one source said. Landowners  Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Asafoatse Kotey Kortey, a member of the Nikoi Olai family, said after years of litigation that ended in 2012, the family had given enough notices to the affected property owners to no avail. “It is a legitimate demolition backed by the courts and law enforcement body. That means it is legitimate and we are not flouting the law.” He said the plea from the MP notwithstanding, the family would sit down and take a collective action on what to do. “Let tomorrow come, we’ll decide what to do. We are demolishing the houses of all those who don’t have documents from us,” he added. Member of Parliament Mr Anim said when he heard about the demolition, he called the DCE to find out if it was an order from the assembly and he said no. “So we had to rush here.” The MP said after the police had shown him the necessary documents, he pleaded with the family heads while the MCE also did same.   He said the way forward would be to meet the residents and let them know the truth and the facts, so that they could meet with the family and have the issues sorted out. Writer's email:[email protected]

The day is coming, when members of the public would be able to buy units from vendors for their electricity meters as they currently do for their mobile phones. Consumers of electricity would also be able to purchase electricity online if they are far away from home, or buy from handheld devices operated by accredited agents at public places. Not only that, electricity consumers would also be able to recharge their power at home or establishment through an SMS Server, by way of text messages from their phones wherever there is a telecommunication service. Power could also be bought without a card, provided a consumer is able to mention accurately his unique meter number and would be able to use his or her name if there are no similar ones in the system that would make it difficult to get the right meter on which to load credit. Disclosing this yesterday at a meeting with selected media in Accra, Mr Duke Nelson, Head, IT and Projects, Ghana Electrometer Company, said all these would become possible after the successful completion of a pre-pilot project involving a newly introduced electricity prepaid meter known as the SMART-G Prepayment System. Pre-pilot project The pre-pilot project currently ongoing at Danyame, a suburb in Kumasi, in partnership with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), began in October 4, 2013 and is expected to move to the actual pilot stage in April, this year. Explaining that the ‘G’ in SMART-G stood for green, Mr Nelson said the new prepaid meter was unique, because it did not only come in two components – outdoor and indoor units – but had other features that made its use convenient to the user and very beneficial to the service provider. According to him, the indoor or Customer Interface Unit (CIU) allows consumers to track their consumption, while simultaneously reducing the risk of tampering with the meter and can be used with dry cell batteries when there is no power.  “Consumers are provided with flexible and secure means of transferring credit to their meters, through the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communication technology, as well as the user friendly keypad interface,” he added.  He said the SMART-G metering system could be used for single phase, three phase and transformers, and operated using a database server, SMS server, GPRS server, Fire Wall, which is the actual operating system, and vending system, among others. Guarantee against theft Another unique feature of the meter, Mr Nelson said, was its anti-tampering facility which informed the utility provider of an open cover, open terminal, high magnetic fields, reverse current and fault energy.  It also has an accuracy class of one. He cautioned that as distribution transformers from the utility provider were also going to have meters attached, it was going to be difficult to bypass the household and institutional meters to illegally tap electricity, as had been done in the past. Answering a question on proper billing of customers, Mr Nelson said the new metering system automatically generated receipts when power was bought but urged customers to always check their receipts. “In actual fact the customer would have been given the net, having had some deductions made such as an outstanding bill,” he said. Describing the new meter as a “living meter”, Mr Obed Solomon, Operations and Internal Relations Manager, Ghana Electrometer Company, said the company currently operated electronic cash meters in the Volta, Eastern, Western, Central and Greater Accra regions. He said the company, which is the only one in Ghana manufacturing meters, had its products in use at Tema, Adenta and Dodowa, among other places  in the Greater Accra Region, with none of them being on electricity poles. Writer’s email: [email protected]

For the first time in five years, the chiefs and people of Buipe in the Northern Region have celebrated their annual Damba festival in unity and fanfare. Damba, the most prominent festival among Gonjas, is celebrated to mark the birth of the founder of Islam and it is celebrated among many ethnic groups in northern Ghana in different forms. Despite its traditional and religious importance to the people of Buipe, Damba could not be celebrated for the past five years due to the acrimonious chieftaincy dispute that characterised the area. With the dispute now resolved, the chiefs and elders of the area came together to celebrate the festival in unity and to demonstrate to the world that they had settled their differences and were now united to chart a new path of development for themselves and the whole country. Clad in royal regalia and paraphernalia, the Paramount Chief of the Buipe Traditional Area, Buipe Wura Jinapor II, sat in state in a grand durbar and was assisted by his sub- chiefs and aides — some of whom were his opponents in the chieftaincy dispute,— to mark the occasion. In attendance were people of different ethnic and professional backgrounds including the Wangara Chief, who came from Kintampo with his elders; tourists and Fulanis. In a speech read on behalf of the Buipe Wura, his spokesperson, Dr Ahmed Jinapor, said the chiefs, queens, elders and people of the Buipe Traditional Area carefully settled on   “Peace and Reconciliation for Sustainable Development”,  for this year’s Damba  for good reasons. He described the occasion as a joyous one for him as it marked the first anniversary of a Damba during his reign where all the chiefs, stakeholders and people of Buipe were behind him and actively participated in the celebration of the festival. He said there was genuine peace, reconciliation and togetherness among all the people of Buipe and “I want to use this opportunity to reiterate my irrevocable and unflinching commitment to sustain the peace that exists in Buipe and to ask all and sundry to join me in this noble endeavour”. The Buipe Wura thanked President John Mahama and  Yagbonwura  Borenase for their contribution to the restoration of peace and tranquillity in Buipe. The Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini, thanked the people of Buipe for their sense of tolerance and maturity which had enabled them to peacefully resolve the chieftaincy dispute that characterised the area some time ago. He said their Dagomba counterparts also exhibited the same spirit of reconciliation and togetherness for the first time in many years during this year’s Damba festival by coming together to mark the occasion. He expressed delight that the decision of many traditional areas in the Northern Region to resolve their chieftaincy problems and come together would chart a new path for the rapid development of the region. The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mr Bilijo Nayong, asked the people of Buipe to take advantage of its strategic location and attract investors to come and develop the huge aquaculture potential in the area. Such a move, he noted, would create a lot of employment opportunities for the youth and also create wealth for many people in the area.

The Ghana Medical Association has given the National Labour Commission (NLC) a one-month ultimatum to enforce its ruling regarding the payment of conversion difference to members of the association in the public sector. It said failure to enforce the ruling would compel the GMA to embark on a series of measures it had put in place, including a possible industrial action, effective March 3, 2014 “to press home our demands, since the state institutions are clearly failing or working against our common good per their code”. This was contained in a February 3, 2014 letter signed by Dr Justice Yankson, Assistant General Secretary of the association, and addressed to the chairman of the NLC. It said the association was disappointed with the seeming lack of commitment on the part of the NLC to enforce its ruling in the matter of the GMA verses the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) regarding the payment of conversion difference to its members. “The GMA is highly disappointed at the conduct of both the NLC and the FWSC that had led to the striking out of the NLC’s motion on the subject matter for want of prosecution by an Accra high court on January 31, 2014,” it said. It said the GMA was of the opinion that the NLC and the FWSC “have evinced a clear intention through their acts of commission and omission to ensure that members of the GMA are denied their rights and/or the NLC has deliberately failed to ensure enforcement of its own ruling”. That, it explained, was because for almost nine months, a motion of enforcement of the said ruling was not moved by the NLC culminating in same dismissed by the high court at the instance of the FWSC when on January 31,2014, the NLC failed to appear in court to move the motion. According to the GMA, that situation was grossly “unfair/unacceptable to the GMA, especially when we are reliably informed that the legal teams of NLC and FWSC had earlier agreed to go to court on a later date instead of on January 31, 2014, at the request of the FWSC”. It said it was also not in tune with the letter and spirit of the Labour Act. “The GMA believes this conduct by both NLC and FWSC is a calculated attempt to frustrate and deny its members their rights by the two state institutions under the pretext of working through the courts,” it said. It said the GMA would not allow that to happen and, therefore, urged the NLC to, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the situation was corrected and the case relisted for hearing.

The Police Administration has made changes to some of its regional commands.  Western Regional Commander, DCOP Mr Kofi Boakye, is to take over as the Ashanti Regional Police Chief and he will be replaced in the Western Region by DCOP Mr Isaac Alex Quainoo, who is the Upper East Regional Commander. In line with those changes, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Augustine Kwabena Gyenning, has been moved to head the National Patrol Department as Director-General. A memo to that effect signed by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed A. Alhassan, said the Deputy Ashanti Regional Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Simon Yaw Afeku, would take over as Upper East Regional Commander. It said the Deputy Upper East Regional Commander, ACP Mr Peterkin Yentumi Gyinae, would take charge as the Volta Regional Police Commander, while ACP Mr John Owiredu-Nkansah, who is the Deputy Volta Regional Commander, would become the Upper East Regional Deputy Commander. It said ACP Mr Fred Agyapong Asare, who is the acting Volta Regional Commander, would take charge of Service/Workshop in Accra, while DCOP Osabarima Asare Pinkro II would move to the headquarters from the Workshop. Explaining the movements, the Director of the Police Public Affairs Directorate, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Cephas Arthur, said they were in line with the Police Administration’s policy to undertake such administrative changes from time to time.

The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government to significantly adjust wages upwards to cushion workers against the current economic hardships. It said workers had been stretched to the limit, adding, “We cannot contain any further burden imposed on workers due to economic mismanagement.” It, therefore, called on the government to consider its proposal for an upward adjustment of the national daily minimum wage without further delay. The TUC made the call in a statement on the economy signed by its Secretary General, Mr Kofi Asamoah, and issued in Accra yesterday. “Once consultation on the national minimum wage was concluded, then negotiations for a review of the base pay and relativity on the Single Spine Salary Structure would commence,” it said. Reviewing the economic situation, the TUC said  the economic framework over the past 30 years had been exacerbated by pervasive corruption, cronyism, incompetence and extreme partisanship.  The issues  “The economic indicators, as robust as we are told they are, have failed to make any significant impact in the lives of Ghanaians. Good jobs are disappearing faster than they are being created, even as the economy registers what is claimed to be ‘impressive’ growth rates,” the TUC said. It explained that incomes  were falling in real terms, as inflation was on the rise, while trade deficits were growing at an alarming rate, as imports saturated and Ghana continued to export its natural resources in raw form. Describing the national debt as “ballooned and continues to soar” and the cedi as being in a “slaughterhouse”, having fallen in value against the international currencies, the union indicated that the government, out of desperation, had resorted to increases in VAT and road tolls.  Notwithstanding the fact that the government had increased VAT, abolished fuel subsides and allowances to teacher and nursing trainees, the union said public services were still deteriorating, many schools were still operating at the margins and hospitals had been stretched to the limit. It said it was unfortunate that the dismal economic performance had occurred at a time when additional resources were coming from the commercial production of oil which had added about half a billion dollars annually to the national purse since 2011. Oil revenue The union said it was gravely concerned “that the government and its agencies are not efficiently managing oil resources for the benefit of Ghanaians”. For instance, it said, in 2012, GH¢232,403,269 out of the oil revenue was committed to road infrastructure but “we are yet to be told exactly which roads the funds were applied to improve”. Again, it said, in 2012, while GH¢72,471,824 (14%) was committed to agricultural modernisation, we used GH¢111,959,738 for so-called capacity building.  In its 2012 annual report, the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), the committee charged with monitoring compliance with the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, called on the government to indicate how the funding for capacity building was utilised.  “We still hold the view that the economic and social challenges that we face as a country are rooted in the nature of economic policies and the manner in which we have chosen to conduct national affairs.  “The economic woes we are facing can be attributed to the hands-off neo-liberal economic policies and failure on the part of the leadership to do the right things for the country.   “The policy of unbridled trade liberalisation or more appropriately import liberalisation has compelled us, as a nation, to live virtually on imports.  “We import practically everything, as the manufacturing sector gradually, but surely, grinds to a halt. Our increasing appetite for imports means that our demand for foreign currencies, particularly the US dollar, is growing exponentially.  “More than two-thirds of our export revenues are generated from gold, cocoa, oil and timber. And we continue to export these in their raw forms, earning very little.  “Policy makers have failed to address the monumental challenges that confront domestic industry, compelling many exporters to convert their factories into warehouses as they join the lucrative import trade,” the TUC declared.   Short-term solutions Admitting the fact that there were no easy solutions to the current situation, the union said the country needed immediate short-term remedial measures to ameliorate the plight of Ghanaians. Providing solutions to the problems confronting the nation, it said it was important that the government rolled back some of the many taxes it had imposed on the people, including the downward review of charges and fees.  It suggested to the government to consider re-introducing subsidies on utilities and fuel because the rate at which it was raising fuel prices and utilities was neither sustainable nor socially desirable for the country.  Furthermore, the union was of the view that  the government should check and rid itself of corruption and corrupt elements to ensure that its services and programmes reached their intended beneficiaries in a timely manner.  Long-term solutions  For a long-term solution, the TUC proposed a radical overhaul of the economic and social policies of the country. For instance, it said there was the need to strengthen the state and its agencies to allow for effective conduct of government and state policies and programmes. It said economic policies must emphasise the centrality of adding value to natural resources and being able, as a country, to produce some of the basic necessities of life.  “We cannot make any headway in reducing poverty and improving living conditions by living on imports. We need policies and programmes that reward domestic production and penalise imports,” it stated. It said it was also crucial for the country to offer unalloyed support to Ghanaian businesses. “State power must be leveraged to promote domestic industry. The fruitless attempt to destroy businesses perceived to be politically unfriendly must end,“ it said. The TUC also underscored the need for a review of our capital accounts and external payment system. “Ghana cannot afford to continue to allow foreigners and foreign-owned companies to transfer any amount of foreign currency out of the country. The Americans and the Chinese, with all their economic might, do not allow that,” it said.  It further suggested to the government to initiate a national dialogue on the economy to tap into the best brains and ideas on the way forward for our country.

Unilever Ghana Limited has re-launched the “GROW FM” campaign aimed at improving the health and well-being of children in Ghana. The campaign forms part of Unilever’s strategy to improve the health and well-being of one billion people in the world. Speaking at the launch of the programme in Accra, Mrs Sylvia Acquah of Unilever Ghana said GROW FM was part of the organisation’s behavioural change programmes designed to influence the behaviours of children using interactive music. “This year, the programme will be carried out in three regions in Ghana, namely Ashanti, Greater Accra and Western, and our target is to reach one million kids in the first year, which represents 25 per cent growth over what we achieved last year,” she said.  Mr Annang, the National Director of Physical Education of the Ghana Education Service (GES), on behalf of the Minister of Education, said the GROW FM campaign was linked to the government’s policy on child health care and child education and added that, “the goal is to inculcate healthy lifestyle practices into these young minds for them to grow in healthy and fulfilled adults for a vibrant national workforce”. He also said the government would continue to make primary education a priority in its better Ghana agenda by distributing free laptops, exercise books and school uniforms. Mr Annang commended Unilever for the initiative and appealed to teachers and schoolchildren to embrace the concept rolled out by the organisation.

The Somanya Ebenezer Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has presented various food items and a bale of second-hand clothing worth GH¢1,700.00 to the Blessed Bride Future Organisation, an orphanage at Asitey, near Odumase Krobo. The food items included five maxi-bags of rice, three cartons of soap, two gallons of cooking oil, five packets of toilet rolls, 15 crates of minerals, one carton of milo, a carton of milk, and seven packets of biscuits. The church also presented cash of GH¢500.00 in addition to the items.  At the presentation, held at the orphanage, the District Minister of the Somanya Ebenezer Congregation of the Presbyterian Church, Rev. E. T. Muno, noted that the only way to show love to the orphans as a church was to help feed and clothe them. He said taking care of orphans should be seen as the social responsibility of everybody including Christians. He explained that when proper care was taken of such orphans we might not have a lot of deviants who would be a worry to communities where they lived. Rev. Muno, together with his assistant, Rev. Tetteh Addey, and some of the members of the church who interacted with the orphans, advised them not to see the absence of their parents in this physical world as the end of their lives. “My dear young children, the fact that you have lost your biological parents does not mean the end of your lives. I am assuring you that we, as a church, shall always come to your aid as and when it becomes necessary,” Rev. Muno assured. Rev. Muno also urged the orphans to be more serious in their various schools so as to become useful citizens for themselves, their various communities and mother Ghana  and help those who might also be in need in future. He prayed for God’s love for the management of the home to enable them to take good care of the inmates. The founder of the orphanage, Mr. Philip Anim, who received the items, was very grateful to the church for its kind gesture. He said the orphans, numbering 47 were made up of 25 boys and 22 girls aged between three and 16. They were from various places such as Osudoku and Shai Hills in the Shai-Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region and Yilo Krobo and Lower Manya Krobo municipalities. Mr Anim said in spite of scarce resources, he put the orphans in the basic and senior high schools so that they could have formal education. He was very grateful to the Krobo Chapter of Royal House Chapel, the Methodist Church, Ghana, the International Central Gospel Church, and volunteers from United Kingdom and Australia for occasionally supporting the home. He appealed to other well-wishers and organisations to contribute to the running of the home.

The Ghana Medical Association has served yet another warning of possible industrial actions beginning March 3, 2014, to press home their demands for its members in the public sector to be paid a Conversion Difference. The warning, contained in a statement by the GMA, follows what it says are the reluctance or clear lack of will by state institutions - National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) - to pursue the matter.The statement which was copied to President John Mahama and the Health Minister among a tall list of recipients, accused the NLC and FWSC of evincing a clear intention to ensure that members of the GMA are denied their rights while the NLC itself has deliberately failed to ensure enforcement of its own ruling.It said this is because for almost 9 months, a motion for enforcement of the said ruling was not moved by the NLC culminating in same being dismissed by the High Court at the instance of the FWSC when on January 31, 2014, the NLC failed to appear in Court to move the motion.“This situation is grossly unfair/unacceptable to the GMA especially when we are reliably informed that the Legal Teams of NLC and FWSC had earlier agreed to go to Court on a later date instead of on January 31, 2014, at the request of FWSC. It is also not in tune with the letter and spirit of the Labour Act.”The GMA said it believes the conduct by both NLC and FWSC is a calculated attempt to frustrate and deny its members their rights under the pretext of working through the Courts. But the Association said it will not allow this to happen.“The GMA hereby urges the NLC to as a matter of urgency ensure that the situation is corrected and the case relisted for hearing.“The GMA also takes this opportunity to formally notify the NLC of the Association's decision to put in place a series of measures including possible industrial action(s) effective March 3, 2014, to press home our demands since the state institutions are clearly failing or working against our common good per their conduct.”

The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Mr Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, has described members of an armed robbery gang, which calls itself 'Armed Robbers Association of Ghana (ARA)', as “a bunch of useless criminals”. Mr Baako slammed the modus operandi of the association, which had given the residents of Agape in Accra a deadline of December 30, 2013 to pay not less than GH¢500 per tenant to avoid being robbed. The association posted notices on their walls, gates, electricity poles and other places, directing them to pay the said amount through MTN mobile money. The notice, which was issued by the President of the association, had the MTN number 0544133436 as the number to which the residents were to pay the money. After paying the amount, the residents were also expected to call the same number to inform the association that the money had been paid and also indicate their house numbers so that they could be pruned off a list of places to be robbed. Some residents of Agape, however, made a report to the Anyaa and Odorkor Police, which sent officers to the ground and intensified their patrols. Police investigations soon led to the arrest of Samiru Salifu, who is suspected to be the kingpin of the association. Salifu who had been on the police wanted list for five years, was picked up from his hideout at Ablekuma Fan Milk, near Agape, on Thursday, January 2, 2014, after exchanging gunshots with the police. He was arrested from his hideout at Ablekuma Fan Milk, near Agape, on Thursday, January 2, 2014 on a tip-off. Speaking Wednesday on Accra-based Peace FM, Mr Baako said it was foolish for the robbers to have announced their intention to rob ahead of time and then go ahead to advertise a channel of funding. He said the robbers should have known that such a move would prompt the security agencies to carry out intelligence gathering in the area until they (the robbers) were arrested. Mr Baako said: “If serious armed robbers form an association, the mode of operation won’t be like this.” “I’m not surprised that you say they’ve been arrested,” he added.

The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) is entreating the general public to conserve electricity because it is facing challenges in the supply of electricity across the country. A statement signed by the Head of Public Relations, Albert Quainoo said increased demand for electricity and the non-availability of some generators in the power system has resulted in the occasional curtailment of power across the country. It said, the annual peak demand for electricity grew from 1,729MW in 2012 to 1,943MW in 2013 which is a growth of over 12%. “Forecast demand now is 1,980MW at peak. With the current available generation capacity from the power producers at 1,965MW, there is therefore supply inadequacy especially during the peak periods,” the statement said. It noted that at present, six generators at the Akosombo Power Plant, four generators in Kpong and another two generators at Bui were available and even though all the three units at Bui had been commissioned, power evacuation facilities for one of the units is yet to be completed at the Sunyani substation. It further said expansion and maintenance works were ongoing at the TICO and TAPCO plants at Aboadze respectively and was expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter to increase the capacity of the TICO plant from 220MW to 330MW. “The Mines Reserve Plant in Tema which has been out of service for over a year was restored to service on February 3, 2014, adding 40MW to the system. In all, about 422MW of installed generating capacity is currently not available from various generators across the system because of the above stated reasons,” the statement noted.   

A member of the Constitution Review Implementation Committee (CRIC), Dr Gheysika A. Agambila, has called on the government to prosecute district chief executives (DCEs) who indulge in corruption. He said it was sad that since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1992, no government had prosecuted any DCE for corruption, in spite of the numerous allegations of financial malfeasance levelled against many of them. “It’s a sad thing that no DCE has ever been prosecuted since 1992, although corruption is rife at the local level,” he told the Daily Graphic in Accra Tuesday on the sidelines of a public forum on the Constitution review process. Any evidence? Dr Agambila dismissed suggestions that successive governments might not have prosecuted DCEs for corruption for lack of evidence, insisting that “if the government wants to find evidence, it will find it”. “So don’t tell me to bring the evidence,” he submitted. Dr Agambila alleged that many DCEs entered office with ‘empty hands’ but by the time they left office they would have acquired many properties. “It’s important to find out how they acquired them (properties); very simple. The government has the means to find the evidence, and it can find it,” he remarked. Election of DCEs During the Constitution review process, many Ghanaians recommended an amendment to the 1992 Constitution to allow for the election of DCEs, instead of their being appointed by the President under the current constitutional arrangement. But, in Dr Agambila’s opinion, partisan politics at the local level had the potential to further polarise the country. “If you elect DCEs on a partisan basis, you risk dividing the country permanently along political lines,” he contended, adding that partisan elections at the district level would divert focus from development to partisanship. Dr Agambila said a middle ground and better approach to addressing the issue was captured in the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC), which provided that the President nominate five people for consideration as DCE. The five nominees would then be vetted by the Public Services Commission (PSC), after which three of them would be shortlisted to contest an election for the position of DCE. CeDRA forum The Constitution review forum was organised by the Centre for Development Research and Advocacy (CeDRA), in collaboration with the British High Commission, as part of its Constitution Dialogue Series. It provided a platform for students, trades organisations and other groups in the Odododiodoo Constituency to share their thoughts on some pertinent issues relating to the Constitution review process. The aim of the Constitution Dialogue Series, according to the Project Lead of CeDRA, Dr Kobby Mensah, was to mop up the concerns of targeted communities into the proposed constitutional amendments, while educating the constituents on the proposed amendments. The Chairman of CRIC, Professor E.V.O. Dankwa, briefed the participants on the work of the committee, saying, “We are doing our best to discharge our functions.” Asked whether a referendum would be organised this year on some of the entrenched provisions in the Constitution, as recommended by the CRC for amendment, he said the committee was working towards that end. He, however, pointed out that the Electoral Commission had the responsibility to organise a referendum. Writer’s Email: [email protected]

President John Dramani Mahama has paid glowing tribute to the late Bolga Naba (Paramount Chief of Bolgatanga), Naba Martin Adongo Abilba III, for being an advocate of peace for his traditional area in the long period of 41 years that he reigned. He said Naba Abilba stood for peace and development and expressed the hope that the succession plan laid down by the family and elders would be carried out peacefully to honour the memory of the departed traditional leader. President Mahama paid the tribute when a delegation of family members, chiefs and people of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area informed him of the demise of the Paramount Chief at the Flagstaff House yesterday. Naba Abilba died on September 26, 2013 at the age of 68. Education Praising the paramount chief for his interest in education, President Mahama said that interest portrayed him as a chief who had the development of his area at heart. The President also said Naba Abilba was very accommodating, a trait that manifested in the way and manner he received everyone, irrespective of their political, ethnic or religious backgrounds. "He was like a father to some of us and we shall greatly miss him," he said. He promised that the government would join the chiefs and the people of the area to accord him a  fitting funeral. Leader of delegation  Briefing the President on the Naba’s death, the leader of the delegation, the Chief of Yorogo, Naba Awuni Azebire Johnson, said Naba Abilba did his best to uplift the traditional area through improved education, especially in the area of girl-child education. "He brought into fruition the Bolgatanga Traditional Area Girl-Child Education Fund, which supported many girls. That gave a true picture of him as an educationist,” he said. Female Genital Mutilation Naba Azebire said the late paramount chief also abolished some traditional practices that were at variance with modern situations, citing female genital mutilation as a typical example. That initiative won the recognition of the United Nations, he said. He said a regent in the person of Mr Raymond Alafia Abilba, the first son of the late paramount chief, had been appointed. "Hopefully, he will continue to provide peaceful guidance in these very difficult times in the absence of his father," the leader of delegation said. The late Naba Abilba left behind eight wives, 45 children and many grandchildren. His funeral arrangements, the family said, would be announced later.

Members of the Association of Second-hand Tyre Dealers have called on the government to remove the ban on the use of second-hand tyres in the country. They have, therefore, threatened to hit the streets in demonstrations and resolved not to give the government "a break" until their demand is met. A bill banning the use of sub-standard tyres in the country was passed into law by Parliament in 2012 as one of the means of ensuring road safety in the country. However, at a news conference in Kumasi, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the association, Mr William Sarpong, noted that about 90 per cent of tyres used on the road in the country were second-hand. He said the second-hand tyres industry employed thousands of people in the country and the ban, if not removed, could cause major unemployment problems, saying that second-hand tyres were being used in the farming and mining sectors also. Apart from that, he also said the ban, if not removed, would place a huge financial burden on the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), which had been taxing the second-hand tyre dealers.  He blamed authorities of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) for not consulting members and the executives of the association before making the recommendation for the bill to be passed into law. Mr Sarpong debunked the notion that second-hand tyres were responsible for road accidents and stated that never had it appeared before in the annual statistics of the NRSC that road accidents, in even a quarter of the year, were caused by used tyres.  He added that though a few people and government officials were using new tyres, they also got involved in road accidents. He rather said most of the road accidents had been attributed to human error and that banning second-hand tyres would not curb road accidents.  He pointed out that second-hand tyres were being used in the advanced countries and mentioned Italy, Spain and Britain to buttress his point and stressed that a developing country such as Ghana was not above the use of second-hand tyres. The chairman of the association, Mr S. A.  Adomako, called on members of the association to calm their nerves and continue their business till the government resolved the impasse.

Ghana is still confronted with serious and complex environmental challenges, despite the various interventions by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the last 40 years. These challenges include waste management, illegal mining, logging, deforestation, noise, water and air pollution. This was contained in a keynote address read on behalf of the Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, at the launch of the EPA’s 40th anniversary in Accra. EPA stakeholders The Vice-President urged the EPA to engage the assemblies, the private sector and other key stakeholders in addressing the waste management problem in Ghana. He applauded the agency for raising awareness of environmental issues and securing the commitment of some individuals, communities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to initiate sound measures to protect and enhance the environment. “I am aware of the AKOBEN flagship programme of the agency known as the Environmental Performance Rating and Public Disclosure Programme, the first of its kind in Africa, aimed at promoting environmental compliance and the adoption of best practices in the manufacturing industries and large mining sectors,” he added. Expectations from 40th Anniversary  He said it was his wish that the 40th anniversary of the agency would be used to intensely highlight and soberly reflect on environmental challenges. Mr Amissah-Arthur said he expected the agency to commit itself to strengthening compliance enforcement strategies and actions at all levels. The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei, said deforestation, coastal and marine resource degradation, the destruction of biodiversity, desertification, climate variability and change, pollution of all forms, the proliferation and mismanagement of chemicals, illegal mining, among others, were challenging Ghana’s environmental management capacity. He said that challenge had exposed institutional shortcomings at all levels. New environmental policies approved Dr Oteng-Adjei said the government had approved the new environmental and climate change policy and he expected that the EPA would be guided by that key policy document in its operations. He said the agency should also facilitate the effective co-ordination of the implementation of the document by all relevant stakeholders. Government subventions  He said the EPA was one of the public sector institutions that had been directed to self-finance itself and invariably go off government subventions within the next two years from 2014. Dr Oteng-Adjei promised his ministry’s continued support to the EPA in that regard to ensure that it lived up to its mandate. EPA’s collaboration The Executive Director of the EPA, Mr Daniel Amlalo, said 40 years in the life of the EPA was a long period that came with achievements, challenges and lessons which called for an occasion like that to reflect, celebrate and plan for the future. He said the launch, under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, Science,Technology and Innovation, was on the theme: “40 years of Environmental Protection in Ghana”. Mr Amlalo said the agency would collaborate with public and private sector institutions to implement projects that would add value to waste governance. Writer’s e-mail: [email protected]

The Superintendent Minister of the Wesley Methodist Cathedral, Kumasi, the Very Rev. Christopher Nyarko Andam, has advised the inmates of the prisons to pray to God for true repentance when they finish serving their terms in prison. He stressed that the predicament in which they found themselves should not be seen as the end of their lives. The Very Rev. Andam gave the advice in a sermon delivered at a church service organised for the inmates of the Kumasi Central Prison when he led a congregation of the Wesley Methodist Cathedral to pay a visit to the prison. He cited the instance in the Holy Bible when Joseph was imprisoned but later turned out to become one of the best personalities in society. He  stressed that Daniel was also put in the lions’ den but he was released by God, emphasising that God was the only saviour.  He noted that many of the  prisoners who came out of the Nsawam Prison were now pastors and urged the prisoners to refrain from acts that could jeopardise their lives or compound their problems when they came out of prison. The Very Rev. Andam, on behalf of the church, presented food items, including 16 bags of rice, three bags of gari, six cartons of second-hand clothing, toilet rolls and mouth wash to the inmates.  The Chaplain of the Kumasi Central Prison, Rev. Fr Martin Padi, on behalf of the inmates, thanked the Wesley Methodist Cathedral for the assistance and assured the church that the items would be put to good use. The inmates, using their band, entertained the congregation.

Fifty-four pig farmers in the Ellembelle District lost GH¢350,000 as a result of the outbreak of African Swine Fever (AFS) in the district. The swine fever claimed more than 1,500 pigs. Currently, the situation has been brought under control, although the Veterinary Services Department is continuining with a disinfection exercise to prevent another outbreak. Veterinary Services The Deputy Director of the Veterinary Services Department in the Western Region, Dr Christopher Tagoe, told the Daily Graphic that his outfit had carried out a first and second disinfection exercise of various pig farms in the district. He said there would be a third spraying of the communities to ensure that all viruses were completely destroyed. “A healthy pig from another part of the country will be brought to the affected areas and if the virus still exists, within a short time it will affect it again. If it does not, then the area will be declared safe for the farmers to continue,” he said. Compensation He said initially, there was no plan for compensation, but the district assembly had submitted a report and made some recommendations as to how best to address the plight of the farmers. Dr  Tagoe could, however, not confirm the exact support that would be given to the farmers. DCE The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr Daniel K. Eshun, said pig farming was one of the most vibrant economic activities of the people along the coastline. He said it was important, therefore, not to ignore them, considering the level of cooperation received from them during the outbreak and the amount they invested in the business.

A member of the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, Madam Cecilia Appianim, is the future of smallholder and family farming. She ran for election and won the position of National Financial Secretary of the cooperative.  She has taken two trips to the United States to promote Divine Chocolate, Kuapa Kokoo’s own brand, and she enjoys financial security and independence as a woman in a country where men hold most positions of power. As 2014 has been designated as the International Year of Family Farming by the United Nations, and as we look forward to it, it is important to consider all the ways in which opportunities for smallholder and family farmers can be improved.  Supporting female participation in smallholder agriculture – particularly in positions of leadership – could be a huge step towards improving the lives of more than one million food insecured Ghanaians.  Women more sensitive Study after study shows that when women make more money, household food security and nutrition are improved. A landmark study from the World Bank in 2008 showed that women were more likely than men to put their income towards buying food for the family, rather than on personal needs or material goods. Women make up more than 42 per cent of the farmers in Ghana, but lack many of the resources of their male counterparts, including access to extension services, land and credit. Women farmers produce less than their male counterparts.  Research from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has indicated that if women had the same access to resources that men had, global malnutrition could be reduced by at least 12 per cent. Breaking barriers Farming cooperatives can break down some of these barriers for women. Kuapa Kokoo, for example, established a Gender Programme in 1998 to support women in income-building activities, including leadership training, instruction in specialised skills such as milling and fabric-making, and access to credit without requirement of any collateral— many rural women lack the resources to come up with any kind of backing for a loan. Women in positions of leadership and instruction in agricultural organisation can improve participation of women in farming. Studies from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and World Bank show that the low participation of women as extension service officers results in fewer women farmers getting the information they need about farming technologies. This service is intended to provide smallholder farmers with valuable information about new technologies. Women as extension officers As a recent survey of family farmers in Ghana commissioned by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) showed, farmers (both men and women) actually prefer women officers in the agricultural extension service because they take more time to explain issues in farming than their male counterparts.  The recommendations of the survey were that rates of female extension officer training should be increased tenfold, from the current rate of five per cent to 50 per cent. Not all of the ways to support women in smallholder agriculture need to happen through major policy changes, though even seemingly small efforts make a difference. For example, Vivus Limited, a social enterprise in Accra, is working to provide women in the Nkenkasu Organic Vegetable Growers Association in the Ashanti Region with bicycle-driven carts.  These will help women farmers transport the fruits and vegetables that they grow much more easily – the standard method of transportation is for them to carry their produce on their head. The bicycle carts will not only help them transport more at a time but also alleviate pain and discomfort.  Small-scale women farmers carry the potential to nourish the world’s hungry. During the International Year of Family Farming and beyond, policy makers in Accra, farmers, researchers and donors across the world all need to work together to make sure this becomes a reality.  By giving women the tools they need to take the reins, progress will be made in reducing poverty, feeding the hungry and promoting equality. When nourishing the world is what is at stake, there’s no time to wait. The article was written by Danielle Nierenberg, co-founder of Food Tank and Eve Andrews a former Food Tank Research Director.

The Financial Division of the High Court in Accra will on February 19, 2014 decide whether or not to cite the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a manager of UT Bank for contempt of court. Capt Prince Kofi Amoabeng (retd) and the Manager of the Airport Branch of UT Bank risk jail terms or fines or both should they be found guilty of contempt       of court.  The applicant, Kayode Alade, is praying the court to imprison the CEO for failing to adhere to a December 20, 2013 court order directed at the bank to pay an amount of $391,250. He wants them in prison until they purged themselves of contempt.  Arguments in court Counsel for the applicant, Mr Charles Tetteh, moved the application for contempt and set out the cause why the respondents should be cited for contempt of court. According to counsel, the respondents had demonstrated more than enough grounds to be cited for contempt. But counsel for the respondents, Mr Chris Archer, held a different view and argued that the applicants had failed to show cause why his clients must be held liable for contempt of court. He said the respondents had not exhibited any form of willful disobedience to the court to warrant their conviction for contempt. In any case, counsel argued that there was not sufficient amount in the accounts. According to Mr Archer, the account of Auxesia was “near debit.” The presiding judge, Mr Justice John Ajet-Nasam, asked counsel what the bank did after realising that the account was near debit, to which counsel said the bank wrote to the court on that issue. Mr Justice Ajet-Nasam then queried counsel if that was the appropriate thing to do, to which counsel conceded a motion should have been filed instead. Affidavit of applicant According to the applicant, his company rendered service to Auxesia Energy and a cheque dated April 4, 2013 was issued by Auxesia to the applicant’s company. An affidavit in support of the applicant’s motion for contempt said EOCO froze the account of Auxesia Energy and secured a confirmation order to that effect from the court. It said “before the orders of the court suspending payment and freezing of the said account, the interested party which I represent as its Designated Person Ashore (DPA) had rendered services to Auxesia Energy and issued with a cheque for payment.” According to the applicant, his company could not access the account because it had been frozen and for that reason it applied to the court for a review of the freezing order and the subsequent payment of money owed by Auxesia Energy. Court grants motion Following the applicant’s request for a review of the court’s order, the Financial Division of the High Court, presided over by Mr Justice  Ajet-Nasam, reviewed its orders and directed the UT Bank to pay $391,250 to the applicant’s company with immediate effect. “The order was served  the bank the same day but UT Bank, Airport branch, and its managing director have failed, refused and or neglected to pay the said amount as ordered by the honourable court,” the affidavit in support said. A reminder notice, according to the applicant, was served the bank but the applicant did not receive the desired response.  That posturing, according to the applicant, amounted to “blatant disrespect to the court and the sanctity of the judicial system.” The applicant said it had evidence to the effect that the company had more than $1 million at the time its account was frozen. “By  that, UT Bank has evinced an attitude of contempt of the honourable court and ought to be dealt with under the cohesive arm of the law,” the applicant submitted. Writer’s email: [email protected].