The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was Tuesday given a rousing welcome when he returned to Kumasi after a short vacation in South Africa. A large number of chiefs from the Ashanti Region, including the occupant of the Silver Stool, Mamponghene Daasebre Osei Bonsu II; the Omanhene of Offinso,  Nana Wiafe Akenten; the Omanhene of Tepa, Nana Adusei Atwenewa Ampem I, and the Omanhene of Kokofu, Barima Offe Akwasi Okogyeasu II, converged on the Kumasi Airport to welcome the Asantehene, who was rumoured to have died in South Africa. Clad in white cloths and waving white handkerchiefs, the chiefs and the people shouted with joy when the stairway was lowered for the Asantehene to disembark from the plane. The tarmac was nearly turned into a durbar ground as people from all walks of life, including the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Kumasi, Mr Kojo Bonsu; the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Yaw Adusei, and the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Augustine Gyening, turned up at the airport to accord the Asantehene a royal welcome. The visibly teary-eyed Asantehene and his security officials had a hectic time going through the crowd that had gathered at the airport. The security detail  had to literally push people, including some chiefs, aside to make way for him to enter his Rolls Royce. In a calm composure, he waved at the people and intermittently wiped what looked like tears from his eyes. He was later taken through some principal streets of the metropolis in a convoy comprising chiefs and well-wishers to announce his arrival and to reassure the people that he is alive. As early as 2:30 p.m, the airport was filled to full capacity. People who could not gain access to the airport stood near its walls to catch glimpses of the king. The Akyempimhene, Oheneba Adusei Poku, said the rumours about the king’s death were unfortunate and unethical and asked Ghanaians to stop spreading such rumours about people.  He wondered what the motive of the person who began the rumour was but denied suggestions that the Asante deity, Antoa, would be invoked to deal with the fellow. The Asantehene has been outside the country since January 11, this year. There were rumours that he had passed away but the Manhyia Palace denied them. Click to view more photos of the King's arrival

The Institute of Chartered Accountants   (ICAG),  last Monday, donated office furniture valued at  GH¢7,3500 and a cheque for GH¢2,650 to the Demonstration School for the Deaf at Mampong Akuapem. The Chief Executive Officer  of ICAG, Mr Fred N.K. Moore, said the ICAG had selected the Kumasi Children’s Home, Tamale Children’s Home and the School for the Deaf to benefit from their donation. He also advised the school authorities to maintain the furniture periodically. Mr Moore encouraged corporate bodies to adopt any of the institutions caring for the less privileged in the society and help them. The headmistress of the Demonstration School for the Deaf in Mampong, Mrs Regina Danquah, who received the items, expressed her gratitude to  the ICAG for its kind gesture and added that the items had come at the right time. She also appealed to other societies to emulate the example of the ICAG.

The Commissioner of Insurance, Miss Lydia Lariba Bawa, has expressed her appreciation to the Ghana Police for their support to the insurance industry over the years. Miss Bawa said this when she paid a courtesy call on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Alhassan, to familiarise herself with the operations of the Ghana Police Service.  As the supervisory authority of the insurance industry, the National Insurance Commission (NIC) works hand-in-hand with law enforcement agencies such as the Ghana Police in many areas of its operations.  “The commission has and continues to rely heavily on the Ghana Police in terms of the enforcement of compulsory insurances such as motor and fire,” she said.  Miss Bawa called for deeper collaboration between the NIC and the Ghana Police in the years to come.  She mentioned the enforcement of the compulsory insurance of commercial buildings, including those under construction, as one of the areas that the NIC would be seeking to work closely with the Ghana Police.  The IGP assured the commissioner of the preparedness and commitment of the Ghana Police to support and cooperate with institutions such as the NIC to ensure compliance with the law.  He also solicited support from the insurance industry to enable them effectively perform their duty. 

A day's workshop has been held for small and medium-scale timber operators in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region. It aimed at supporting intermediaries with information and guidance to comply with Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) and also engage participants in policy advocacy on domestic market reform in Ghana.  Speaking at the opening ceremony, Alhaji Musah Abu-Juam, Technical Director of Forestry Division of  the Forestry Commission, said over the years the country had been losing its forest reserves, contributing to the low revenue from timber industries. He attributed the degradation of the country’s forest cover to the illegal logging and other disadvantages of illegal logging including chainsaw milling. Alhaji Abu-Juam commended Tropenbos International Ghana for its contribution to the development of the Forestry Division and gave the assurance that the ministry would continue to provide the necessary support for the improvement of the forestry sector in the country. 

Residents of Agape near Accra are living in fear because of threats from a gang which calls itself the Armed Robbers Association (ARA). The gang had given the residents of the community a deadline of December 30, 2013 to pay not less than GH¢500 per tenant in each household to avoid incurring its wrath. But the residents have failed to meet that deadline, for which reason the gang continues to harass them. “We don’t know what to do. We are living in fear because we do not know when they will attack us,”  one resident told the Daily Graphic yesterday. Deadline  One day in December, 2013, the residents woke up to find notices posted 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 ARA, 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. The notice indicated further that the decision to solicit money from the residents was taken at a board meeting of the association. A copy of the typed notice, titled Armed Robbers Association and printed on an A-4 sheet, read:  “We thank God for your life’s. The year have ended and we want every body to celebrate the New Year in peace.(sic) “ARA went for a board meeting and we decided that all tenantes should pay something small to us, but no less than five hundred Ghana Cedis (GH¢500.00). (sic) Mobile Money  “Please send the money to MTN mobile money number: 0544133436.” Beneath the notice was a handwritten note in red ink which said, “If you send your money, call us and give us the number of your area.” Calls made by some residents to the mobile number were sometimes answered by a man who described himself as the president of the ARA, while in some cases the phone was switched off. Resident speaks  A resident of Agape told the Daily Graphic that the landlords association of the area organised an emergency meeting to discuss the way the issue could be addressed after the notices were seen. She said initially the residents agreed to ignore the threat, but the gang sent a second threat that its operation would start with the burning of cars and property. Another resident, who said he moved to the area after completing his house in 1995, said, “Most of us have enforced security in our home. But we cannot tell if we are safe.”  The Police  The issue was immediately reported to the Anyaa and Odorkor Police, which sent officers to the ground and intensified their patrols. However, the threats persisted and the Odorkor Police Command, therefore, re-enforced its search for the members of the gang. The Odorkor Police District Commander, Superintendent Abraham Acquaye, confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic. He said investigations had established that there were about 80 members of the association.  He assured the residents that “the police are on top of the issue. We are working around the clock to ensure that they are safe”. Kingpin Arrested  The Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Christian Tetteh Yuhuno, told the Daily Graphic that the police had arrested a man suspected to be the kingpin of the association. The suspect, Samiru Salifu, who had been on the police wanted list for five years, was arrested 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. The 27-year-old unemployed had been on the police wanted list for allegedly engaging in robbery at residential areas and filling stations, and for other violent crimes. Items retrieved from the suspect included two pump action guns, a pistol, a long dagger, 60 rounds of pistol pellets, six rounds of AA cartridges and three mobile phones. writer’s email: [email protected]

The Eastern regional office of the Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, recorded more cases of domestic violence in 2013 than in 2012. The unit in 2013 recorded a total of 1,929 cases as compared to 1,502 cases recorded for the same period in 2012. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs Eunice Annor, the Regional Coordinator for DOVVSU, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency  (GNA) in an interview in Koforidua on Tuesday. She said the highest number of cases reported at the unit were non-maintenance 744, assault 472, threat of death and causing harm 154, defilement 145 and offensive conduct 68. The others included unlawful child removal 49, stealing 42, abduction 42, rape 41 and indecent assault, 10. According to DSP Mrs Annor, as a result of intensive education on domestic violence, most people, especially women, had been enlightened to freely report cases at the unit for redress and for amicable settlement. “This year, we intend to extend the education to special schools, orphanages and to the remotest areas in the region as we are opening more district offices,” she added. DSP Mrs Annor lauded the media for their committed role in championing the welfare of the vulnerable in the society. She, however, appealed for continuous collaboration with the media to step up the sensitisation activities this year to ensure that domestic violence was reduced to the barest minimum. GNA

Policy think tank, IMANI Ghana has been dragged before the specialized Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) court for the non-payment of contributions of its workers, Accra-based Citi FM has reported. Quoting an unidentified source at at SSNIT, Citi FM said a writ of summons has been served on IMANI Ghana at its Legon offices, adding that IMANI Ghana would put in an appearance this Saturday at the court.  According to the report, the Founding President of IMANI Ghana, Mr Franklin Cudjoe, confirmed the summons.Mr Cudjoe, the report continued, expressed surprise at the the leakage of the news to Citi FM, saying someone is up to some mischief.  “IMANI has never really had permanent workers. But this year, we got a grant and decided that those interns who have spent more than two months we will be paying them this month. So we went to SSNIT to start the process”, he was quoted as saying.He reportedly said: “We went to SSNIT to actually begin the process so I’m very confident that SSNIT itself will probably not be happy that somebody has leaked this issue possibly for their own good. It is very interesting but there is nothing problematic about this issue at all.“Assuming it’s the case that these things are not being paid, that’s why they are going on their education campaign that people come forward and comply so for me, it’s a red herring. Is that not what SSNIT itself wants?” “Our financial status and everything is actually not in doubt so for me, it is a matter of somebody who wants to laugh at us,” Mr Cudjoe was quoted as saying.    

Health authorities in the Asante-Akyem South district of the Ashanti region have initiated investigation into claims that water from a borehole at Adomfe has medicinal properties. Officials from the District Health Directorate have already visited the town to take samples of the water for testing, following media reports of people trooping there to buy water for healing purposes, myjoyonline reported Tuesday. Hundreds of people from all walks of life have been trooping to Adomfe, a small town in the Asante Akyem South to fetch water from a borehole which is said to have healed all sort of illnesses. One gallon (popularly called Kufuor gallon) of the borehole water is being sold for GH¢10 to visitors and GH¢1 to community members. The only proof of the healing power of the borehole water lies in the testimonies of people who have used it. “This water is very good. I have used some already and it’s good; that is why I’ve come for more,” an elderly woman told the Daily Graphic, as she carried a gallon of the borehole water on her head with broad smiles on her face. Madam Yaa Fosu Hemaa was waiting patiently for her turn to fetch the water after joining the queue for more than five hours before the visit of the Daily Graphic. “I have an ear problem and after putting some of the water into my ear, I felt an improvement in my condition. So I’ve come to fetch more of the water,” she said. In another instance, a man was said to have testified that his wife could not take seed again nine years after giving birth to their only child, but after drinking the borehole water, she had become pregnant. Continue reading: Mad rush for 'miracle' borehole water at Adomfe which is said to heal all sicknesses  

  The Right Reverend Professor Emmanuel Martey, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has urged  government to cut down on waste, fight graft, and find a more efficient way of doing things to turn the economy around. He said the imposition of taxes was not the solution to the prevailing economic challenges, and warned that this could only worsen the plight of the people. The Rt Rev Prof Martey, who was speaking at the induction service for the newly-elected Chairperson of the Sekyere Presbytery, the Rev Ernest Odame Asare, at Asante-Mampong, rallied the church to lead the fight against corruption. He encouraged Christians to fearlessly expose and speak against corrupt practices in the society. The Moderator said they should refuse to either roll over or be intimidated by insults, threats and name calling. Mr. Addai Nimoh, Member of Parliament (MP) for Mampong, praised the church for its significant contribution to the nation’s development, in the areas of education, health and spiritual growth. He called for continued partnership between the church and the state, to bring progress to the people. Rev Asare pledged to work hard to spread the gospel, and purge society of social evils.  

Authorities at the University of Ghana have reviewed the tolling system introduced in the school on Saturday, making it possible for students to access the University without paying road tolls. Commercial drivers who were supposed to pay GHC400 for year due to the introduction will now pay GHC100 . According to the Press and Information Secretary of the Students Representative Council of the University, Mikdad Mohammed, the move “will shift the huge burden on innocent students.” According to Citifmonline, Mr. Mikdad also announced the University’s intentions of providing a shuttle system for students. “We have received very positive indication that in two weeks, we are going to meet the arrival of new shuttles which will begin operations at very vantage points,”Mr. Mikdad stated. The authorities of the University of Ghana on Saturday started charging road tolls to vehicles making entry into the campus. The University said it must charge the tolls to pay for the loan to refurbish and reconstruct roads within the campus. The Student Representative Council (SRC) of the school have protested the new charges and threatened to stage a demonstration over the refusal of the school authorities to exempt students from paying the toll. They have also petitioned Parliament to intervene on their behalf.  

  A woman who extorted GHC 2,000 from the Greater Accra Regional Min¬ister, Julius Debrah, has been granted bail in the sum of GHC10,000, with two sureties by an Accra Circuit Court. The court ordered that the sureties must reside in Accra with a fixed place of abode. Madam Jemima Dufie Ayikpa, 28, a resident ofTaifa, in the Greater Accra Region is said to have alleged that Mr. Debrah was the father of her two children whom he denied responsibility. Prosecuting, Chief Superintendent of Police, Duuti Tuareka told the court, pre¬sided over by Mr. Francis Obiri that the complainant, Mr. Julius Debrah was a former boyfriend of the accused, Jemima Ayipa 28, but the relationship did not last longer. He said few months after their relationship had ended, the accused informed the complainant that she was pregnant, to which he denied responsibility. He said the accused in view of the denial by the complainant, started embarrassing him in the attempt to cause him his job but did not succeed. Chief Superintendent Tuareka said in 2012, Madam Ayikpa, on hearing that the complainant was contesting as a Member of Parliament for the Suhum Constituency, started pestering him to give her money or else she would exposed him in the media He said the complainant, alarmed by her threats, was compelled under the circum¬stance to part with GHC 2,000 out of the GH04,1OO she demanded to trade to avoid further disturbances from her. He said after collecting the money, the complainant never heard from the ex¬girlfriend until his ministerial appointment when she re-surfaced again demanding another GHC 25,000 failure of which she would tarnish his image in the media. True to her words, Madam Ayikpa leaked the story to newspapers. He said Mr. Debrah also received a text message I! [0IW J 11 ^rorn Adotey, a party activist of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to the effect that the accused had agreed to accept GH010,000 instead of the GH025,OOO to end her threats against him after several negotiations, but Mr. Debrah refused the offer and re¬ported the case to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service (DOVVSU) for investigations, He said after preliminary investigations, Mr. Debrah applied to the Madina District Magistrate court to re¬quest for a DNA test to determine the biological father of the children. The court then ordered that the test should be conducted at the Med Laboratory at Madina and the result proved negative. Later on the accused alleged that the complainant was again responsible for her second child to which the court ordered for another DNA test for both children at Sciencellet Laboratory in the presence of her lawyer and some court officials and again the result proved negative meaning that the complainant was not the biological fa¬ther of the woman’s children. He said Madam Ayikpa, not satisfied with the test results, continued to threaten the complainant but was subsequently arrested by the police for investigation during which she admitted collecting GH02,000.00 but denied threatening to expose him in the media. The court adjourned the case to February 12. 2014.  

The completion date for the Tarkwa-Ayanfuri-Bogoso Road project has been extended. The contractor, Reynolds Construction Company Limited (RCC), was initially scheduled to complete the work by June, this year, but he has been given four more months, extending the completion date to October, this year. The Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani and a team of engineers have visited the project site to assess the progress of work.  The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Highway Authrity (GHA), Mr Michael Abbey, stated that the contractor would need 12 more months to complete the entire 93-kilometre stretch. “Even after this extension, the contractor will still need another 12 months to complete this project but a decision is yet to be taken on that,”  he told the Daily Graphic. The project has suffered delays following the contractor’s initial inability to identify a rock source for the works. Currently, only 23 per cent of the 60.48-million-euro, European Union (EU)-funded project has been executed. Roads minister unhappy with pace of work  Alhaji Sulemani, at a meeting with the contractor,  expressed his frustration at the rather slow pace at which the work was being carried out. “The contractor has promised to mobilise more equipment but there is still a lot of worry because technically, the project is expected to be completed in June, this year.”  This is the second time the minister and his team of engineers, including the Chief Director at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Dr Daniel Darku, the directors of Urban and Feeder roads, Mr Abass Awolu and Mr George Adu Afful, respectively, have visited the project. The first time was in April, 2013. At that time, work done was only five per cent. Project now on course Identifying  a rock source for the works had been a major challenge in the execution of the project but that had been resolved, the resident engineer for the project, Mr Chandra Solanki, stated. He described the pace of work now as healthy, and indicated that there were adequate equipment and personnel to speed up the work.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has called on workers of the various textile companies to desist from the unlawful trading of some textile designs to their agents outside the country. He said the practice was unacceptable and undermined the growth of the same textile industry that the government was working with the public to protect. “I have information which alleges that some workers of the textile companies engage in the unlawful trading of some of these designs to their agents in China and India,” he said.  Mr Iddrisu asked those engaged in the practice to stop and support efforts at protecting the country’s textile industry.  He made the call at a stakeholders’ forum on the national crusade against the trade in pirated Ghanaian textile designs and trademarks in Accra yesterday. The forum, which was organised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), brought together some members of the various security services, textile traders and associations, representatives of the Ghana Standards Authority, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, among others. Among others, the forum was to educate the stakeholders on the need for them to join forces to halt the practice.    In June, 2012, the Anti-Textile Piracy Task Force was set up to check the importation of pirated Ghanaian textile prints into the country. The task force confiscated 1,035 pieces of pirated textiles made up of both fancy and wax prints which were later destroyed to serve as a deterrent to others. Mr Iddrisu said the trade in pirated textiles, particularly the designs and trademarks, was not only an infringement on intellectual property but also facilitated the illegal importation of pirated textiles into the country. He said there was no government policy that was seeking to ban the importation of textiles into the country, explaining that the government was rather seeking to regulate the entry of all textiles into the country through defined and designated routes “in order that we have improved statistics and control illegal importation”. Custom Officials  Mr Iddrisu said it was unacceptable for some custom officials to argue “naively” that they could not distinguish between pirated and legitimate textiles. “Your title, as I understand, is Customs, Excise and Preventive Service. Customs because you bring us some import taxes, excise because you monitor what is produced locally and preventive because you must stringently monitor and control the borders and not permit the entry of all unacceptable pirated textiles into the country,” he said. He urged them to exercise their preventive mandate that gave them the authority to help the government deal with the menace of pirated textiles. Mr Iddrisu advised the traders not to import pirated textiles and urged them to make their country proud and show patriotism. He impressed on them that they could deal in genuine textiles and still make profit. Traders/Textile Manufacturers Speaking on behalf of the traders, Mr Joseph Tetteh, a member of the Agbate Textiles Traders Association, said it was about time the local manufacturers made their registered designs public and educated traders on how to differentiate them from the pirated ones. For his part, the Sales and Marketing Manager of the Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL), Mr Stephen Dutton, said even though the company would be 60 years this year, it would not be able to celebrate the anniversary because of the lack of funds. He attributed the company’s situation to the influx of pirated textiles, a development that was hindering the business of the company.  He pledged that ATL would join in the effort to contain the importation of pirated textiles. Mr Dutton, however, denied claims that workers in the textile industry traded designs to their counterparts elsewhere, asking, “What benefit would it be for us when we engage in such acts?”

The Western Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) is investigating the encroachment on lands belonging to the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL). The lands, some of which are being developed by private individuals, were  obtained by fictitious documents purportedly signed by some management officials of the GRCL. The Western Regional Minister, Mr E.K.T Addo, has, therefore, cautioned workers and other stakeholders to exercise restraint as investigations are going on. The promise and the challenge Addressing the National Executive Council of the Railway Workers’ Union (RWU) in Takoradi last Friday, the regional minister, who was visibly disturbed by the turn of events, told the workers to not  blame the President, the RCC or the Lands Commission for any delays that might be associated with the rehabilitation of the western rail line. President Mahama has promised that the government will revamp the western rail line, particularly the Takoradi-Kojokrom section, this year. The regional minister said he had in his possession letters and documents from developers that suggested that the company itself had given out parcels of land along the rail lines, stretching as far as Kumasi, adding that ‘‘and so we need to deal with all that before work can go on, and this can adversely affect the rehabilitation project’’. Mr Addo hinted that the RCC had hired a bulldozer to demolish structures on the encroached lands and appealed to the workers to advocate the economic significance of the railway rehabilitation programme. Government’s initiative  The Deputy Minister of Transport, Ms Joyce A. B. Mogtari, said the government had allocated $500 million for the development of the western rail line, and that the process to engage a contractor for the project had started. She said with regard to the Eastern rail line, the government had decided to apply the public-private partnership option to attract investors for its development. Ms Mogtari added that the government, with the assistance of the World Bank, was procuring transaction advisory services so that the railway project and the Boankra Inland Port would be undertaken as one project for procurement process for a strategic investor. The General Secretary of the RWU, Mr Godwill Ntarmah, noted with satisfaction that since 2009, salaries of railway workers had appreciated by more than 100 per cent and drew attention to the meagre salary of the company’s managing director.

The diversion of some roads at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra  to make way for the interchange has created traffic jams on roads leading to the Circle.  The otherwise 30-minute drive from Achimota to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle on working days took more than one hour for commuters and motorists Monday. The relocation The traffic was as a result of the relocation of pipelines to pave the way for the construction of the interchange. The relocation works involved digging the ground to locate the pipelines for readjustment. That led to the diversion of traffic from the Mr Biggs Restaurant to the circle onto one of the two lanes leading to the central business district (CBD) of Accra. Motorists moving from Accra to the circle had to use the diversion from Mr Biggs through to the Adabraka Taxi Rank or turn left before the restaurant to join one of the lanes which lead to Accra from the roundabout. The evening situation In the evening, the traffic situation was the same when the Daily Graphic visited the  circle to observe the situation. Traffic was so heavy that vehicles moved at a snail’s pace, especially for motorists moving from Adabraka towards the circle. The situation compelled commuters to get down and walk, instead of sitting in the vehicles for hours. Officials speak An official of the contractor working on the project, Mr Baba Mohammed, explained that they were speeding up work to open the road for use by 6 p.m. yesterday. However, he said there was still work to be done on the relocation of the lines and, therefore, there would be other diversions. Background Construction work on the three-tier interchange at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle began in September 2013.  The Kwame Nkrumah Circle is a key intersection in the arterial road network in Accra which carries about 84,000 vehicles a day. The circle constitutes a key bottleneck in the major road network that links the suburban areas of Accra to the central business district of Accra. The project, funded with a loan from the Brazilian government, is being executed by Queiroz Galvao, a Brazilian company, at an estimated cost of 74 million euros.

The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) has begun work on the Sunyani transmission lines to ensure the evacuation of power from the Bui Hydroelectric Power Plant. The completion of the transmission lines will ensure that the full complement of the Bui Plant is harnessed.  The sector minister, Mr Kofi Armah-Buah, made this known at the inauguration of the reconstituted board of directors of GRIDCo. The eight-member board, chaired by Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, a private legal practitioner, has Dr Patrick Asebiah Buah, a computer engineer, Mr Anthony El-Adas and Daniel Yahaya, Kaipewura as members. Other members are Mr Komla Dogbe Senanu, a legal practitioner; Alhaji Adam Munkaila, an entrepreneur, and Mr William Amuna, the Managing Director of GRIDCo. According to Mr Buah, the completion of the transmission lines was also to position GRIDCo as the preferred power transmitter within the West African sub-region. "It is in this light that government is making the needed investment to ensure that GRIDCo, as managers of the country's transmission lines, has in place a robust transmission infrastructure to effectively address shortfalls within the sector," Mr Buah stated. He charged members of the board to be guided by principles that would ensure that government's goal of increasing the demand of electricity supply from 2,000 megawatts to 5,000 would be achievable. Mr Buah was hopeful that the diverse background of the board members would enable them to strive to ensure they delivered on the mandate given them. The MD of GRIDCo, Mr Amuna, debunked suggestions of a planned load-shedding to be carried out. He indicated that while the demand for power had gone up by 30 megawatts from January 1, this year, officials were working to configure and convert the Takoradi International Power Company's (TICO) 125 megawatts plant to a combine cycle generator to increase supply. "TICO's unit of 125 megawatts is presently running but would need to be configured. Thus if within the period anything happens to any of the generators, we may then have to shed load’ Mr Amuna said. “Let me, however, put on record that there is no official or calculated load-shedding programme as is being speculated," he said. Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, for his part, thanked President Mahama for the confidence reposed in them.  "We are aware of the enormous challenges the sector has faced in the past and continue to face, and we want to assure that we would do our best to address them," he assured.

The Ghana Manganese Company (GMC) and the Shipping Management Transport (SMT), a Dutch worldwide shipping company, have unveiled a new transshipment vessel called MV Gdamsk. The new vessel is to help the GMC to transship large volumes of manganese ore within the shortest possible time to foreign destinations. The vessel is expected to be kept at 3.5 nautical miles safe from all port navigational approaches, where smaller vessels will then be used to load/feed a floating storage unit (FSU) with cargo from the manganese berth. Within the last five years,  it has become imperative to find new and innovative ways to address the anticipated bottlenecks in the export of manganese ore. The new arrangement, which is under the auspices of the GPHA, will not only ensure operational efficiency in terms of quick turnaround time for vessels but will also generate revenue for the GPHA and the government of Ghana. Additionally, it will create employment and training opportunities for Ghanaian sea farers and cadets from the regional maritime academy. Manganese exports Over the last six years, manganese exports have increased from 1, 022, 899 metric tons (mt) in 2009 to 2,000, 000mt in 2013, the highest ever since the port was constructed. There are also prospects to exceed that target this year and beyond. Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, the acting Director of Ports, Capt. James Owusu-Koranteng, recalled that since 1928 when the Takoradi Port was opened for business,the GPHA had been the main facilitator of the GMC in the export of manganese ore. He said the event marked the beginning of a new and improved transshipment mode to facilitate the export of manganese ore. Safety The Managing Director of the GMC, Mr Juren Egen Daal, also said the project was to ensure safety and efficiency in transporting manganese ore to the company’s final destinations, including China. The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Alfred Ekow Gyan, said globalisation was not only increasing demands on the shipping industry but rather making it complex and dynamic with many challenges and innovations.

The absence of females among the Ghanaian peacekeepers redeployed from Cote d’Ivoire to South Sudan in February this year is to allow their male counterparts to go and prepare grounds for them to join subsequent battalions in the country, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has stated. It stated that currently, as pertained to every new mission, the 300-man peacekeepers were faced with challenges such as accommodation, logistics and administrative constraints in South Sudan. “After three months in South Sudan, the troops we are redeploying will make recommendations that will allow the Ghana Armed Forces to take decisions that will serve the best interest of the female soldiers,” the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Richard Opoku-Adusei, stated. He was reacting to allegations made by an Accra-based private radio station that female soldiers had been left out of the troops being redeployed from Cote d’Ivoire to South Sudan. The female soldiers, who served on the GHANBAT 19 in Cote d’Ivoire, have returned home. Army delegation Major General Opoku-Adusei made this known when he and  other high officials of the GAF paid a visit to the troops at their base at Bondoukou in Cote d’Ivoire last Thursday, January 30, 2014. He was accompanied by the Director-General for International Peace Support Operations, Brigadier General Asamoah Yeboah; Director of Army Peacekeeping Operations, Colonel Nick Kporku; and Sergeant Major of the Army, Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Emmanuel Neequaye. The visit was meant to boost the morale of the soldiers, as well as to learn of the challenges facing them. The troops’ redeployment is the third to take place with Ghanaian peacekeepers serving various missions. The first took place when the GAF moved its UN force from Sinai in Egypt to South Lebenon in 1979 and the second happened in 1999 when troops were moved from Liberia to Sierra Leone.  Normal practice The Chief of Army Staff stated that over the years, any new peacekeeping mission that was deployed to a country often faced teething challenges in terms of accommodation, logistics and administration. “Currently, there is lack of accommodation, place for ablution and administrative challenges that will make it inconvenient to send our female troops to South Sudan,” he stated. He said troops being redeployed from Cote d’Ivoire to South Sudan would go and undertake not only due reconnaissance of the region but also ensure that the environment in South Sudan was “more conducive”. The Chief of Army Staff stated that currently there were about 191 women peacekeepers in South Sudan, including some Ghanaian police women. “Sending our female troops home is not a policy of the Ghana Armed Forces but a decision taken in their best interest,” Major General Opoku-Adusei stated. After serving almost close to six months with their 300 male colleagues in Cote d’Ivoire, the women were brought home after being given what was due them.

More than 100 clients of a savings and loans company, ESLOC Investment Limited, have been allegedly swindled by the company of thousands of cedis. Doors to the premises of the company, located at Community Four in Tema, have been secured with padlocks, while the officials cannot be traced. The victims yesterday besieged the premises of the Tema Community Four Police Station to demand the arrest of Mr Evans Kwofie, the Manager of the company. The  District Police Commander, Chief Superintendent, Mr Victor  Amedeker, assured them that the police would investigate the case and bring the perpetrators to book. Contract The management of the company allegedly signed a six-month agreement with its clients but failed to honour its promise of paying two per cent interest on savings per month and a refund of the returns and deposits after the six-month maturity period. Some of the victims, mostly women, told the Daily Graphic that they had contributed between GH¢220 and GH¢2,500 through the company’s commission agents. They said they had been contributing GH¢2 and GH¢5 per day since they registered with the company last year. According to the victims, those who were issued with cheques for payment had the cheques rejected at the banks because the company was said not to have enough funds in its account. Clients Narrating her ordeal to the Daily Graphic,  Ms Agatha Nyame, 30, said since she registered with the company on   June 18, 2013, she had contributed GH¢5 every day. She said when she went to the company’s head office upon the maturity of the savings, Mr Kwofie could not execute the company’s part of the agreement. She said other victims reported the matter to the police but Mr Kwofie agreed to pay back the money by January 31, 2014. Ms Nyame said she and the other contributors got to the office on the scheduled date only to find the premises locked. Another victim, Mr Charles Fondoh, said some of the victims went to Mr Kwofie’s residence at Gbetsile, near the Michel Camp, only to be told by the landlord that he (Kwofie) had relocated to an unknown destination.

A 22-year-old student of the Christian Institute of Professional Studies (CIPS) at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region, Joseph Cudjoe, has been arrested for allegedly stabbing another student to death. The deceased has been identified as Samuel Assumeng Frempong, 20, of the Christian Heritage Senior High School, also at Kukurantum. After he had been stabbed at midnight on Saturday, February 1, 2014, Frempong was said to have been rushed to the Tafo Government Hospital but died shortly on admission. The police are yet to establish the motive for the stabbing of Frempong. Frempong’s body has been placed at the morgue pending a post-mortem, while Cudjoe has been placed in police custody for further investigations into the matter. Reprisal  At the moment the police are on patrol at Christian IPS to prevent any reprisal, following reports that some youth of Kukurantumi had planned to attack the institute. Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Eastern Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Yaw Nketia-Yeboah, said about midnight on that day, Cudjoe had called at the Kukurantumi Police Station to lodge a complaint that four young men believed to be residents of Kukurantumi had attacked him while he was in the town. According to him, Cudjoe claimed the attackers used cudgels and stones and so he stabbed one of them with a knife. Later information received by the police indicated that the young man Cudjoe claimed to have stabbed had died at the hospital. Therefore, the police arrested Cudjoe. Mr Nketia-Yeboah said based on intelligence that some of the young men in the town were planning a reprisal, the police started patrolling the compound of the Christian IPS to contain any reactions. Situation under control While giving an assurance that the situation was under control, Mr Nketia-Yeboah appealed to the youth to not take the law into their own hands and advised that anyone with information on the incident should make it available to the police.