The District Security Committee (DISEC) of the Upper Denkyira West District in the Central Region last Thursday arrested three foreigners involved in small-scale mining, in a renewed exercise to flush out illegal miners from the district. When the DISEC team, led by the District Chief Executive, Mr Ambrose Amoah-Ashyia, struck at Ampabena Betenase, the three suspects, all Chinese nationals, took to their heels towards the bush, but the security officers pursued and arrested them. Initially, one of them attempted to release a dog on members of the team, thinking that they were only civilians, but when he saw the security personnel, he abandoned that ‘tactical move’ and bolted. The suspects were subsequently handed over to officials of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for investigation after which the necessary action would be taken against them. Assistant Controller of Immigration, Mr Daniel Tetteh Lomotey, who is in charge of the Upper Denkyira West and Upper Denkyira East districts, said after the investigations, a report would be sent to Accra for further action. Illegal foreign miners return A large number of foreigners, mostly Chinese nationals, have returned to the mine sites in the Upper Denkyira West and Upper Denkyira East districts, a few months after a major national exercise was undertaken to flush them out. The vast lands that were degraded and abandoned by the foreign illegal miners in the districts are yet to be reclaimed because the cost involved, the Daily Graphic learnt, is huge. The illegal foreign miners who were arrested in the national exercise last year were subsequently deported to their home countries. But in spite of that exercise, which prompted diplomatic intervention from the Chinese government, and the falling price of gold on the world market, the foreign illegal miners still found it lucrative to return to the ‘galamsey’ business. New security strategy But the DISEC says it will not relent in pursuing them, as it solicits the support of chiefs, opinion leaders and members of the communities in the renewed fight against illegal mining in the two districts. According to the DCE, the exercise would not be a nine-day wonder, and he cautioned the illegal miners to desist from their operation because the DISEC would continue to pursue them. He said illegal small-scale mining had been a menace in the Upper Denkyira West District, considering the damage it had caused to large parcel of lands. He said the district assembly would endeavour to find ways of reclaiming the vast degraded lands. Oil palm seedlings Meanwhile, the Minerals Commission has distributed 180,000 oil palm seedlings to farmers in the two districts to plant on about 3000 acres reclaimed after mining activities. The initiative is under a five-year project by the commission with the view to restoring the land to good use after mining and giving alternative livelihood support to farmers. Mr Zoogah said the nursing of the  seedlings project was a replication of an earlier one project undertaken by the Minerals Commission at Prestea in the Western Region. Writer’s Email: [email protected]

The Aduana clan and descendants of Nana Kyei Fram at Ayigya in Kumasi  is calling on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and for that matter, Manhyia Palace, to, as a matter of urgency, act on its declaration to stop the Asakyiri family of the Topre Stool from occupying the royal stool at Ayigya. They are also calling on the Manhyia Palace to act on a petition brought before it by the Odikero of Ayigya, Nana Kyei Fram II, who sought to declare that members of the Asakyiri family were not qualified to rule the Ayigya community. Making the appeal through the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, a spokesperson of the Aduana clan, Mr Kwaku Amoa, 48, said the authority of  the Aduana clan and descendants of the Kyei Fram dated back to primitive Ayigya and that occupants of the Topre stool, who claimed to be  rulers of the Ayigya Traditional Community, were strangers. His appeal comes in the wake of a power struggle that has engulfed the two gates as to who is the rightful gate  to rule the Ayigya community. While the Aduana clan claims they are the true traditional rulers of Ayigya, the Asakyiri occupants of the Topre Stool have put in a counter claim that they are the rightful clan to occupy the stool and that in case of the death of the occupant of the stool, every member ( including the Aduana clan) must pay allegiance to the Asakyiri Stool for the usual rituals to be performed before burial can take place. Mr Amoa recalled that when his mother, Obaapanin Akosuah Tawia, died in 2011, at the ripe age of 115,  a fitting royal burial was denied her as  the Asakyiri family members felt the Aduana clan members should have presented drinks (as was the custom) before they could go on with the burial. He said when his family members disagreed and went on with the burial, the Asakyiri family members removed the dead body and that since then, he and the descendants of Kyei Fram have never found the mortal remains of Obaapanin Tawia. “This power struggle must cease. It is about time the Manhyia Palace put its feet on the ground and prevent the Asakyiri family members from causing mayhem in the Ayigya area and set the records straight that the Asakyiri clan members were indeed not the true rulers of the Ayigya Traditional Area. Manhyia must act now!,” he stressed. The Odikro of Ayigya, Nana Kyei Fram II, who has reigned for 20 years, petitioned the Manhyia Palace during the reign of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, and has also petitioned Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to intervene in the matter and set the records straight as to who, between the two gates,was the rightful clan to rule the Ayigya Traditional area but to no avail. A copy of the petition made available to the Daily Graphic prayed the Asantehene to settle the matter for Ayigya to progress in development.

There may be some relief in sight for power consumers as the country is in the final lap of negotiations for Ghana Compact ll under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) that focuses on the energy sector. Mr Jonathan O. Bloom, Deputy Vice-President of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for Africa, has given an assurance that the Compact ll was due to take off by the middle of the year. In an interview on the second compact in Accra last Friday, Mr Bloom explained that the processes leading to its take-off had unusually gone on for a long time because its focus was on energy, which is a complicated sector. The compact, which is expected to last for about five-and-a-half years, is designed to deal with energy challenges in the country. The decision to focus on energy, Mr Bloom stated, was born out of a study conducted by the MCC and the government on what was drawing back economic development “and power turned out to be one of the major actors”. “We’ve been going on for three years now, which is an unusually long time, but because we are tackling one of the biggest problems in the country – we are seeking access to reliable power, it is a difficult problem to solve,” he said. Cause of delay Speaking to the concern from various quarters on the delayed take-off of Compact II, he said “there has been a team that has come several times, because the critical process for the MCC is to prepare in great detail to know what is going to be done by who, when, with what result to expect, through what mechanisms, for what amounts of money, and so we design all that with a team from (Millennium Development Authority) MiDA.” While admitting that the components of Compact II were still being defined, he said they were likely to be three modules – demand side management (helping to ensure efficient use of electricity); investments in ECG to improve distribution, reach, access for poor consumers and for businesses, and building an enabling environment (investments in capacity of the rest of the systems – generation and fuel supply). He said when the processes were through, they would have to be approved by the MCC Board, followed by several months of preparation “and it’s only at the end of that, that the big money starts to flow”. Mr Bloom said it was his hope that the processes would be approved by the board, which would pave way for the signing ceremony for work to start on the second compact, which he estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He, however, stated that the greater part of the work, which he described as “the large drawings”, would be done in 2015. Critical areas Mr Bloom said some of the critical areas identified were finishing up the reforms of the Electricity Company of Ghana Ltd (ECG), which was central to the whole process; completion of the gas sector; ensuring  adequate fuel supply for generating electricity, and assisting investors to build their electricity generation capacity. He commended the government of Ghana and other stakeholders for identifying a problem and knowing the solutions, but said the hard part was doing it, because people naturally were not susceptible to change. Tariffs and investments  He also lauded the government for initiating some reforms in the energy sector towards getting the compact started, saying the efforts made on tariffs were very significant and that “it’s been good progress on structuring the supply of gas,” while there had been some studies on ECG that had already begun to improve the sector.  “The decision that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) made in October, 2013 to raise tariffs substantially was a politically courageous decision. It was necessary, but it requires courage. In many countries they cannot advance because their leadership doesn’t make those hard decisions. So I congratulate the government on making those hard decisions, but it takes time,” he stated. According to the MCA Deputy Vice-President for Africa, no matter the contributions made by the MCA, “the real money would come from private investors, both Ghanaian and international, who are willing to build the generating facility in exchange of the electricity distributed”. He said the initial US$8 million grant agreement signed between the Government of Ghana and the MCC in July 2013 was not part of the actual compact II amount, but was to facilitate feasibility studies in engineering and consultancies, and had greatly contributed to the progress made so far towards the compact’s take-off. “That US$8 million has substantially been spent and it is essentially what has enabled us to make a lot of progress,” he said. On whether the power situation would improve with the implementation of Compact II, he replied with an emphatic yes, but cautioned that the real impact would not be felt until some decades; because it would take time to build plants, ensure power generation and do all other associated works. Writer’s email: [email protected]

A Ssevere rainstorm last Thursday hit Osiem in the West Akyem municipality ripping off the roofs of about 25 buildings. A two -year-old boy who sustained injuries from falling debris during the rainstorm, was treated and discharged from the Hawa Memorial Savior Hospital in the town. A number of inhabitants who have been forced to stay with relatives and friends, have engaged artisans, especially carpenters to re-roof their buildings. Some other victims, however, said they did not have the resources to re-roof their buildings. The Eastern Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Ransford Owusu Boakye, who was at the scene to assess the situation said efforts were being made to deliver relief items to the victims and to assist them to re-roof their buildings.

Forty-one widows at Agona Oketsew in the Agona East District in the Central Region have been presented with items to help them take care of some of their basic needs. The items, worth GH¢2,000, included rice, cooking oil and tins of sardines and tomato paste. The presentation was made possible as a result of a collaboration between the Mbrantsehen of the town, Nana Kobina Nyarkoh I, and Mr Tim Davis, the Director of N’Jul Rest Stop. Addressing the gathering, Mr Davis said the items were their widow’s mite towards their upkeep.  He noted that though the women were very supportive of their husbands in the upkeep of the home, they were disadvantaged because of the death of the husbands and that they needed to be supported in order to take up “fatherly” responsibilities as well. He urged the widows to come together and form an association so that they could be trained in some trade and be able to acquire entrepreneurial skills to engage in income-generating ventures. He encouraged them to be strong, as there was hope for the future and also assured them of his continuous support. Nana Nyarkoh encouraged the widows to be focused and engage in businesses that would help them to lead decent lives in the absence of their husbands since they had the capacity to do better without their husbands.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life are trooping to Adomfe, a small town in the Asante Akyem South District in the Ashanti Region, to fetch water from a borehole which is believed to heal all manner of illnesses. They are not perturbed by any cost – be it money, distance or long queues for hours and days – to fetch the water for their personal use and for their relatives and friends, far and near. One gallon (popularly called Kufuor gallon) of the borehole water is being sold for GH¢10 to visitors and GH¢1 to community members. And when the Daily Graphic visited Adomfe last Friday, a day reserved for visitors to fetch the water, there were long queues of people carrying gallons. The atmosphere was one of mixed feeling, with people who were fortunate to fetch the water wearing smiles on their faces, while anxiety was written on the faces of those yet to have their turn. News about the healing potency of the Adomfe borehole water has even gone beyond the shores of Ghana, as some Ghanaians living abroad call their relations back home to go fetch the water for their ailing relatives. Some residents of Adomfe are said to be doing brisk business, fetching and selling the borehole water to visitors. The Daily Graphic learnt that some pastors had visited the borehole site, while other prominent people had also sent emissaries to fetch the water for them. Testimony 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. The power of these testimonies had lured Madam Akua Comfort from Ohene Nkwanta at Konongo-Odumase to Adomfe with a ‘Kufuor gallon’ to fetch the water for her ailing mother who is stricken with waist pain and swollen legs. “I have a heart problem and so I’ll also drink some of the water,” she added. However, one woman the Daily Graphic spoke to in town was not enthused about the borehole water because after drinking it, she said “I did not see anything.” Background The borehole was sunk in September 2008, but, according to Mr Wilberforce Obeng Anane, popularly called WO Anane, the people abandoned it for five years. That was because they did not find the water suitable for cooking and, when they used it for washing and bathing, the soap did not lather. He said he later learnt that the borehole water was hard water, hence the inability of soap to lather when the water was used for bathing and washing. Mr Anane, who is the Financial Secretary of the Water and Sanitation Committee at Adomfe, said having read about hard water from the science notes of his nephew in junior high school and also done further research into it, he discovered the health benefits of the water and started proclaiming same to the people. He said following the promotion of the water, some people tried it and immediately many of them started giving testimonies of its healing potency against diabetes, heart diseases, abnormal menstrual cycle and other sicknesses. What is hard water? According to scientists, water is considered to be hard when it has relatively high levels of calcium and magnesium and other metals. Water is referred to as hard because it requires more soap for a good lather, making it harder to clean with than soft water, which, unlike hard water, contains few of calcium and magnesium and other metal cations. Scientists say hard water is not harmful to human health. Rather, it has many health benefits when compared to soft water because calcium and magnesium are considered essential nutrients required in diet to maintain healthy body functions. “Calcium is a critical component of bone, and has many positive effects on the body, as well as the prevention of serious life-threatening and painful ailments like osteoporosis, kidney stones, hypertension, stroke, obesity  and coronary artery disease,” according to information from a website on chemistry: http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu. “Magnesium also has positive health effects because inadequate amounts of magnesium in the body increase the risks for health problems, such as hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, coronary heart disease, and diabetes mellitus. “Studies done on the health effects of hard and soft water have shown that people who drink greater amounts of soft water have much higher incidences of heart disease, as well as higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels and faster heart rates, than those who drink mostly hard water,” it added. Scramble for Adomfe hard water The source of hard water at Adomfe is believed to be rocks beneath the ground on which the borehole was sunk. In view of the high patronage, the managers of the boreholes have scheduled days on which visitors and community members are allowed to fetch the water. The borehole is opened to visitors on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, while the community members are given access on the remaining days – Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Upon arrival, one has to register and wait for his or her turn to be served according to the numbering on the registration list in an orderly arrangement supervised by Mr Anane. However, Mr Anane gives room for what he termed as “consideration” to people with special needs, such as the aged and the sick, who are served earlier than their position on the registration list. Some of the community members complained that whereas they were restricted to the number of gallons with which they could fetch the water, visitors were allowed to fetch as many as they could. Business Meanwhile, some community members are cashing in on the situation by fetching the water at a low cost of GH¢1 and selling it to visitors at GH¢10. But there are concerns about dubious business practices, as some people allegedly mix the borehole water with tap water for sale to unsuspecting visitors. The Gyaasehene of Adomfe, Nana Boakye Yiadom, advised visitors to endeavour to fetch the water from the borehole in order not to fall prey to such fraudsters. He appealed to the government to support the community with a big water tank in order to ensure that people, especially those who travelled long distances to the place, could fetch the water in good time. Commercial drivers plying routes from Adomfe to Konongo and other surrounding towns are also making brisk business, given the increased human traffic to and from Adomfe. Writer’s Email: [email protected] {gallery}healingwater{/gallery}

The body of Komla Afeke Dumor, who passed away in London on January 18,  2014, will be flown to Accra at about 8 p.m today. Dumor’s body will be formally received by the Paramount Chief of Aflao Traditional Area, Togbe Amenya Fiti V, a delegation of chiefs from Aflao where Komla was a youth development chief,  the clergy from the Roman Catholic Church, as well as members of the Dumor family. A statement signed and issued in Accra by Ms Esther Cobbah,  the Dumor family spokesperson, said arrangements to enable the public to be part of the arrival of the body of Dumor would be announced in the course of the day. The statement further said information could be obtained at www.komla-dumor.com and [email protected] as well as on hotline, 0303 932 383. It provided further media contacts as Amb. Patrick R. D. Hayford, 020 601 309; Ms Esther A. N. Cobbah, Stratcomm Africa 28 Samora Machel Road, Accra 023 084 7021 Komla Dumor, was the son of Professor Ernest Dumor, the first Chief Executive Officer of the National Identification Authority (NIA) and a former member of the Electoral Commission of Ghana and Professor of the University of Cape Coast.  Dumor was a well-respected international broadcast journalist who worked for the BBC.  He previously hosted the Super Morning Show on Joy FM in Accra for almost a decade before joining the BBC in 2007 He is survived by his wife Kwansema and three children. He was the brother of Mrs Mawuena Trebarh, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), and Dr Korshie Dumor, a medical doctor currently practising in the USA. Meanwhile, the BBC last Saturday held a memorial service for Komla Dumor. The memorial service, which was held at the St. Martin-in-the-Field Church at Trafalgar Square, London was attended by his friends, family and colleagues at BBC. Speaking at the memorial service, Ms Josephine Hazeley, the Deputy Editor of the BBC Africa Service said Komla had shown that Africans could be understood. “Komla represented all that is good in Africa. He has opened doors and we have to make sure those doors are never banged or closed anymore. He has broken the glass ceiling,” she said Dumor, who passed on at 41, was reported to have died after a cardiac arrest.

The National Security Council has arrested eight persons believed to be from Niger in a police-military operation at the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) Acquisition Area who have buried over 800 cannon balls in some dugouts.   The suspects are currently in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) which is investigating to establish the source of supply, disposal methods and what use their customers have for the cannon balls.A source from the Council told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the National Security was undertaking a police-military operation to smoke out hardened criminals, armed robbers and armed land guards who had become notorious and a nuisance to genuine developers and people who wanted to go about their daily activities in peace.“One main objective of the National Security is to ensure that peace and tranquility prevails in the land administration and acquisition in this country,” the source said.It added that the Council had the responsibility to ensure that land and property owners lived in safety and were protected at all times without intimidation, fear and harassment from criminal elements and armed land guards.It said this phenomenon has engulfed land acquisition and ownership in the country especially in Accra and other major urban centres.According to the source, recent events of criminality and encroachment on government lands had given cause for concern for the National Security apparatus, since such phenomenon tended to undermine the national security interests and, by extension, a threat to peace, stability and security. At the centre of land acquisition, administration, ownership and related developments are state institutions like the TDC, Land Valuation Board, Land Commission, Survey Department and other related agencies including the Land Title Registry.It said one such critical entity which had come under public criticism recently was the TDC for the demolition of illegal structures in Communities 23 and 24 of the Tema Acquisition Area.“In spite of TDC’s attempt to operate within the law establishing it, the phenomenon of what National Security would describe as Armed Landguardism has taken root in most of TDC’s land acquired areas,” the source said.It commended the TDC for putting in place a Task Force which patrolled the acquired area in order to address the indiscipline and impunity with which encroachers invaded undeveloped areas. However, the Task Force has come under severe harassment, intimidation, fear and physical attacks from armed land guards who subject them to severe beatings and deadly attacks, wielding AK 47s and machetes among other things.In addition, the surveyors of the Corporation find it difficult to carry out survey of the areas as a result of the activities of land-guards and other encroachers.According to the source, during a routine patrol of the area, the Task Force stopped to caution an illegal developer, only to find about 60 armed land guards surrounding them. In the ensuing confrontation and to escape the wrath of the armed men, a member of the task force had his wrist severely cut by a member of the armed gang while a second person was beaten to pulp.The source said the National Security Council was aware of encroachment in the Free Zone Board’s land area and it was as a result of this that it was sending a stern warning to armed land guards and other hardened criminals to desist from their activities or face the wrath of the security forces.  “The National Security will not compromise on this threat to the nation,” the source said.     It advised nationals from the ECOWAS sub-region and other foreigners to respect Ghana’s laws and avoid getting themselves into criminal activities.Credit: GNA 

A driver’s mate who snatched an amount of GH¢4,070.00 from an ex-soldier has been sentenced to 700 days imprisonment by the Nyinahin Magistrate’s Court in the Ashanti Region. Gideon Agyei, 18, was convicted after he pleaded guilty to the offence. He committed the crime on January 13 at Sreso-Timpom in the Atwima-Mponua District.    The ex-military man, Mr Martin Broni, was carrying the money in a polythene bag and as he attempted to board a bus the convict snatched the bag and fled into the bush.    Police Inspector Daniel Otabil told the court, presided over by Mr Sam Nibi, that some young men in the community chased the convict and arrested and handed him over to the police but that GH¢2,070.00 of the stolen amount was retrieved. Credit: GNA

  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONEFormer President John Agyekum Kufuor returned home  Saturday after a Month-long consultations with word leaders in his capacity as the United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Change. He was also at the 22nd Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was introduced as United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Change. A statement signed by his spokesperson, Frank Agyekum said former President Kufuor together with his co-Special Envoy Jans Stoltenberg, ex-Prime Minister of Norway, interacted with the various heads of state and briefed them on their new roles. Among the leaders the two Special Envoys met were, Presidents Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia and Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania. The statement said former President Kufuor also interacted with Vice-President Kwesi Amissah Arthur, who represented Ghana at the Summit. Before arriving in Addis Ababa, the two Special Envoys attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where their new roles were spelt out to world leaders and business executives by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon. It said former President Kufuor, among other events, addressed a seminar on ‘Scaling Green Investment.’ “The two Special Envoys had earlier attended a two-day retreat at the Greentree Resort in New York, the United States, where they were engaged by experts from the United Nations and the World Bank on various aspects of climate change” it added. President Kufuor in his capacity as the Global Envoy of the Neglected Tropical Diseases Coalition, attended the second anniversary of the London Declaration on eradication of Non-Communicable Diseases in London, Great Britain. He also addressed the British All-Parliamentary Group on Malaria and NTDS to further deepen their commitment and raise awareness among their fellow MPs in the fight to eradicate the diseases.   Credit: GNA

Three hundred Ghanaian peacekeepers serving under the United Nations Operations in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) are being redeployed to South Sudan. The GHANBAT 19 team, currently in Cote d’Ivoire, becomes the first-ever team of Ghanaian peacekeepers to be redeployed from one mission in a country to another. The contingent has already served close to six months in Cote d’Ivoire, contributing to the restoration of peace, security and stability in that country, according to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). The redeployment followed the outstanding professionalism and commitment of the team in Cote d’Ivoire, it stated. As part of preparations for their departure to South Sudan in early February, a high-powered delegation of the GAF paid a visit to the peacekeepers at their base at Bondoukou in Cote d’Ivoire on January 30. The entourage, led by the Chief of Army Staff of the GAF, Major General Richard Opoku-Adusei, was there to psyche up the personnel for their next mission, as well as to gain insight into the challenges facing the contingent. Other officials were 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. They were met at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny International Airport by the outgoing Defence Attaché in Cote d’Ivoire, Commodore Kwadwo Osei Sarfo, and his predecessor, Commodore Isaac Osei Kuffour, who flew with them to Bondoukou.   Troops making a difference   Major General Opoku-Adusei stated that since Ghana started contributing to peacekeeping operations globally, none of the country’s battalion had ever performed “abysmally”. “This envious record has attracted the eyes of the international community to praise Ghana for its performance towards peace, security and stability in conflict-prone regions,” he said.  He told the soldiers that it was the first time a UN peacekeeping mission had been selected and transferred from one country to another. “You, as special forces, have been selected to continue your outstanding mission in South Sudan and this has never occurred before. “The UN has recognised your role in helping to mitigate the suffering of Ivorians and instead of letting you go home, it wants you to go and make a similar difference in South Sudan,” the Major General added.   Think positive  Major General Adusei-Opoku, who spent a lot of time interacting with the troops, reminded them of how the people of Cote d’Ivoire cherished their presence. He was highly optimistic that they would be appreciated by the people of the newest country in the world, where rebels and the government had signed a peace accord to halt violence. Nonetheless, he advised them not to relax in their efforts, as going to a new environment could expose them to hostilities, “hence the need to apply the principles you have learnt”. “It is a matter of standing firm and applying the principles you have been taught in the military, since this is what makes the military different,” he added    Logistical support The Chief of Army Staff told the contingent that the GAF headquarters was making efforts to acquire new equipment that the contingent would need to make the South Sudan operation a success. He said the government had already provided 15 armoured vehicles, 12 Toyota Land Cruisers, 20 tents, 10 air conditioners, 300 camouflaged uniforms, several cartons of medicines and communication gadgets for the mission.  Major General Adusei-Opoku appealed to the peacekeepers to take good care of the logistics.   Adhere to discipline  For his part, MWO Neequaye reminded the troops that discipline had always been the backbone of the army and advised them to always adhere to the rules and regulations of the military. The Commanding Officer of the Ghana Battalion in Cote d’Ivoire, Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd Atror, thanked the government and the hierarchy of the Ghana Army for their support for the mission. He, however, called for more support as they moved to South Sudan.  

The  Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has awarded  a US$400,000 consulting service contract  to Messrs  Louis  Berger SAS, a French company,  to study  and design an alternate four-lane  dual carriageways to link the Tema Port  to the motorway. The consulting services, which are scheduled to begin in February, 2014, with a report expected to be submitted  in July, 2014,  will be done in association with Transtech  Consult  Ghana Limited.    It is expected that  dedicated  and highly  efficient  roads and railways  would  be developed  under the  programme  to facilitate  the movement of cargo   and people  through  the Tema Port  cluster. Briefing the media on the  project, the acting Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA),  Captain James Owusu Koranteng,  observed that  access to the port had become  very critical to its  efficient operation.    He said the only two access  roads  to the Tema Port  through  the motorway  and the Tema General  Hospital had become  too inadequate  to cope with the traffic  volumes,  hence the need for the  expansion projects  on the road network. Captain Koranteng  noted that the  Louis Berger SAS,  in joint consortium with  Transtech Consult Ghana,  would design an alternate four dual carriageways to link the  Tema Port and the motorway. He said  it was the objective of the authority to have the project undertaken with the  total expansion of the  Tema Port  for easy and efficient connectivity. He said the project, which would include rail network, would have flyovers  over the rail crossing at Sakumono and an interchange at the meeting point of the road linking Nungua and Ashaiman  on the motorway.   Bids on expansion  According to  Captain Koranteng, the  GPHA received  seven valid bids on Monday, January 27,  2014  for the  proposed expansion  of  Tema Port. He recounted that the  GPHA International  Competitive  Tender  began in  March 2013 with calls for  Expression of Interest (EoI),  to which 53  internationally  recognised bodies and joint venture organisations  expressed interest to tender  for the expansion works. Captain Koranteng  disclosed that after the evaluation of the Expression of Interest, the  GPHA  prequalified  21 bidders,  including two Ghanaian companies  to proceed to the next stage.   He said  when  bidding  opened on Monday, only seven out of the number  were received,  with bid values  from US$489 million  to over  US$2 billion,  depending on  the phasing  arrangement selected by the bidder.   Phases of expansion Captain Koranteng explained that  the project had five phases, with the phase one requiring the provision of  main basic  port infrastructure, including the development of five new berths for containers, a multi-purpose  berth dedicated  to passenger and cruise  vessels. He said phases  two, three and  four  would  add up more  container terminals  and food/fruit  terminals  to the cluster,  while phase  five  would target  the oil rig  market along the   West African coast.  Captain Koranteng disclosed that the first phase was expected to be completed in a period of  two-and-a-half years.    

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is to support the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) to address the issues of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing along the shores of the country. Labelled the “Technical Co-operation Programme (TCP),” the support would assist the MoFAD to review and amend its domestic legislation, develop a national plan of action against IUU and a scheme of sanctions which draws on the FAO’s Port State Measures Agreement. An agreement to give effect to this was signed between the MoFAD and the FAO last Thursday in Accra. The sector Minister, Mr Nayon Bilijo, signed on behalf of the MoFAD, while Dr Lamourdia Thiombiano, the FAO representative to Ghana, initialled for the UN agency.   Benefits of the TCP Facility  Mr Bilijo said “The assistance from the FAO would strengthen Ghana’s capacity to manage and reduce illegal fishing and increase the value and profitability generated by fish resources and their contribution to the national economy.”  In March 2013, Ghana was confronted with issues relating to IUU fishing which eventually led to some EU countries placing trade blockades on tuna exports from the country. At the peak of the tuna crisis last year, about 6,000 jobs in industrial fish processing were threatened. “ It is, therefore, important that the fisheries resources are managed prudently to satisfy domestic, regional and international obligations,” Mr Bilijo said. He said the Ghana Fisheries Commission, which was mandated to manage and regulate the unitisation of the fisheries resources, had challenges in many fronts, hence the need to seek assistance from the FAO.   FAO response Dr Thiombiano said the MoU signified the need to address a major threat to local, national and sub-regional economies and marine ecosystem, particularly, in Ghana. He said minimising the occurrence of IUU fishing in Ghana’s waters was of paramount importance in the effort to manage and sustain fisheries resources for future generations. “It will send welcoming signals to local and international partners, as well as open the window for employment generation and international trade,” Mr Thiombiano added.

Vice-President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has described the economic prospects of the country for this year as very positive. He said the nation was compelled to take some ‘hard’ but necessary economic decisions last year, which were expected to yield dividends in the medium term this year. Speaking to some members of the Ghanaian community in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday, Mr Amissah-Arthur mentioned some of the tough measures taken as tax increments and upward adjustments of petroleum prices. Admitting that the impact of the measures on the people could be biting, the Vice-President nonetheless remarked that they held positive promises for the medium term this year. Mr Amissah-Arthur, who  represented President John Dramani Mahama at the 22nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, therefore, predicted an appreciable growth rate this year. “We have tried to create a balance to ensure that government finances are stable, and also introduced other tax systems to allow for the growth of the economy,” Mr Amissah-Arthur explained, citing the removal of fuel subsidies and the introduction of the Automatic Tariff Adjustment Formula as examples.   2012 electoral petition The Vice-President said the 2012 presidential election petition was a contributory factor to the difficulties that confronted the country last year. In the situation, he said the government was compelled to take some difficult measures to restore normalcy to the economy.   Inflation Explaining why the inflation target was not achieved, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur said there was first the need to fix the fiscal challenge, which in a way destabilised the economy. He said while the import bill rose from $8 billion to about $14 billion, cocoa and gold earnings slumped. Mr Amissah-Arthur added that while the 2013 growth rate was below expectation, it far exceeded those of many African countries, and this was a plus for the nation.   Ghanaians in diaspora The Vice-President said the government was coming up with some measures to enable citizens living outside the country to support national development. For instance, he said, there were plans to establish a skills bank that would enable Ghanaian professionals outside the country to use their skills to propel national development. To demonstrate its resolve towards realising this vision, Mr Amissah-Arthur said consultations were ongoing with Ghanaian technocrats and scholars in Washington and Addis Ababa to help review government’s project and development initiatives during their leisure times.

The Institute of Education at the University of Cape Coast may have to start looking for examiners to mark the end-of-semester examination of students of the colleges of education. This follows the decision of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) neither to invigilate the exam nor mark the scripts. The CETAG has officially written to the director of the Institute of Education and copied the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, explaining the decision of members to distance themselves from the examination.   End of semester exam The Institute of Education is the external examiner of the colleges of education in the country. All the 38 colleges of education in the country, last Monday, began their end of semester examination which would be ending on Friday, February 7, 2014. Normally, it is members of the CETAG who invigilate the examination and mark the scripts for the examining body (the Institute of Education) for it to award the class and certificate. In an interview, the National President of the CETAG, Mr Joseph Nkyi Asamoah, confirmed the decision of members to distance themselves from the examination “because we think the examination has been compromised.”   CETAG’s strike Giving a background to the standoff, Mr Asamoah said the CETAG, on January 20, 2014, declared a sit-down strike to protest poor conditions of service. He said, however, that on January 20, 2014, the National Labour Commission (NLC) directed the members of the CETAG to call off the strike. “We reminded the commission that we did not have the mandate to call off the strike that day because we had to call a council meeting, which was made up of representatives of all the 38 colleges of education in the country. “We did call the meeting, and on Tuesday, February 28, 2014, we met. After deliberations, we called off the strike immediately,” he told the Daily Graphic.   Invigilators Mr Asamoah said  while they were making efforts to end the strike, the principals of all the colleges of education decided that the end of semester examination should go on as scheduled with or without members of the CETAG. “The principals, working with the Institution of Education, decided to look for invigilators within and outside the colleges to invigilate the examination. “While at some places, teachers in junior high and senior high schools have been engaged to invigilate, others have resorted to the use of kitchen staff, security officers and labourers of the schools in supervision of the ongoing examination,” Mr Asamoah alleged. He described the action of the principals as a betrayal, adding that since they (CETAG members) were not involved in the invigilation, they had decided that they would not also mark the scripts.

  The Nkawkaw District Police Command has arrested two galamsey operators whose activities have polluted the River Nwin, which serves the people of the Bramkrom community, near Nkawkaw in the Birim North District. The police have also seized their equipment, including the ‘chanfan’, a piece of equipment they use to dig sand from the riverbed to mine gold from the river. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Bramkrom, the Odikro (chief) of the community, Nana Kwabena Chartey-Bram, said during the dry season, water became very scarce in the area. The situation is even more precarious as nurses at the Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) Centre face serious challenges getting water for their work, especially during deliveries.  Nana Chartey-Bram disclosed that on December 29, last year, when he heard of the illegal mining on the river, their only source water, he reported the matter to the police. He, however, said ‘it seems the police are reluctant to prosecute the case; as the last time I visited the police, the crime investigator told me to withdraw the case and settle it amicably with the illegal miners’.   When the GNA contacted the District Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Seth Yirenkyi, he said he was not aware his crime investigator had made that suggestion, and that his outfit was still pursuing the case. He said he rather expected the complainant to report back to him about his displeasure about the investigator and not to go to the media. DSP Yirenkyi said they arrested two suspected illegal miners, as the others bolted at the sight of the police. According to him, the two suspects had since been granted police enquiry bail, pending further investigations.  Nana Chartey-Bram said the community was heavily starved of water and that the little water from the only borehole flowed late in the night, ‘sometimes a bucket full’, which is shared amongst households, especially to those in dire need. According to him, the River Nwin, which serves as the alternative water source, had now been polluted by ‘galamsey’ miners so they were unable to use it.   

  A privately-owned commercial radio station at Dzodze in the Volta Region, Fafaa 100.3 FM,  in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Ketu North Assembly and Keta New Look Optical Services, has organised a  free medical screening exercise for people from various communities. Over 1000 people from Aflao, Ho, Keta, Daballa, Sogakope, Agbozume-Akatsi and border communities in neighbouring Togo were screened for free. They were screened for breast cancer, malaria, cholera, typhoid fever, diarrhoea, tuberculosis, eye infections, weight-related diseases and blood pressure, among others. Participants were able to know their health status and were also educated on measures to be taken to minimise the effect of their diseases, thereby reducing pressure on hospitals within their communities.  Several medical practitioners were on hand with their medical equipment and actively participated in the exercise dubbed; ‘‘Your Health Is Your Wealth’’. The District Diseases Control Officer for Ketu North, Mr Christian Goxoxo, called for regular health screening within the district, at least twice a year, in order to forestall possible health hazards and enable the people to live healthy lives. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Fafaa 100.3 FM, Mr Emmanuel Ketaman Evortepe, reiterated the station commitment to its mission statement — to deliver information for intervention, with special focus on touching lives each second of its transmission. He said the focus of the station had been on religion, family, governance, education, media, arts and business, with its comprehensive content placing it on the pinnacle as a station with a difference. Mr Ketaman commended the  St Anthony’s Hospital, Dzodze, Keta New Look Optical Services, business associates of Fafaa 100.3 Fm and various churches within the community who played key roles in kind and in cash to make the programme a success. The CEO also called on other media organisations to get involved in key community projects, as the media must spearhead developmental projects in the society, instead of giving room for petty and anti-progress politicking.   

  The Central Regional Development Commission (CEDECOM) has secured GH¢1.2 million Japanese loan to boost the production of organic pineapple in the Ekumfi and Mfantseman districts. The Sugarloaf Pineapple Project, which would also be sponsored by the Government of Ghana, would provide GH¢4,426 each to 220 farmers to cultivate one acre land each for two years. The project aims at expanding and improving organic sugar-loaf pineapple cultivation to reduce poverty in the beneficiary districts. According to Mr William Adofo, the Head of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development of CEDECOM, the loan has come at the right time considering the fact that there is a booming market for the organic sugar-loaf worldwide due to rising health consciousness. He said the 220 beneficiary farmers were selected from 10 communities in the districts, including Ekumfi Abortsin, Abor, Nanabin, Atwaa, Ekotsi, Essuehyia, Fowamanye, Mankessim, Otuam and Techiman. Mr Adofo made this known during a day’s inception workshop to solicit ideas from all stakeholders involved for an effective implementation and management of the sugarloaf project. It was on the theme: “Stimulating high economic growth through pineapple production” in Cape Coast in the Central Region. He said one of the key priorities of the project was to involve females in the production of pineapples, adding that most of the pineapple farms were owned by the men while the women were mostly engaged to work on the farms. He added that the project was also to increase farmers’ income and improve their standard of living. He further stated that the sugar-loaf project would also reduce drastically the huge post-harvest losses in the Ekumfi District where pineapples were produced abundantly but went waste due to unavailability of ready markets. Mr Adofo entreated the beneficiary farmers to fully utilise the opportunity in order to ensure the full realisation of the project. The Central Regional Director of Agriculture, Gershon Wodzrah, who chaired the ceremony, stated that the sugar-loaf project was one of the key projects of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in the region. He said the project would help farmers to compete with their counterparts on the global market. Mr Wodzrah admonished the beneficiaries to be committed to the cause of the project, adding that misappropriation of funds for such projects by farmers discouraged the donor partners.    

Students of the University of Ghana yesterday petitioned Parliament against the introduction of tolls on the university roads. It, therefore, called on Parliament to immediately intervene in the matter and also call the university authorities to order. The university authorities have announced plans to introduce tolls on the university roads effective February 1, 2014. In a petition presented to Parliament by the President of the Students’ Representative Council of the university, Mr Eric Edem Agbena, the students described the action by the authorities as unfair. It wondered why lecturers of the university and their dependents were exempted from the toll charges, while students were expected to pay. In an interview with the Daily Graphic after presenting the petition, Mr Agbena described the action of the university authorities as a deliberate attempt to extort money from students. He said the students were outraged at the fact that the school authorities never considered their plight before imposing the tolls. “How do the authorities expect us to pay the high charges they’ve imposed on us?” the SRC President asked. Although the students would co-operate with the authorities in all their activities, Mr Agbena said the students were not prepared to support the university authorities to impose the tolls.   Work on campus When the Daily Graphic visited the University of Ghana yesterday, it was observed that work on the two major toll booths that had generated a lot controversies had seized temporarily. However, work on the projects could be said to be 60 per cent complete. Efforts to speak to the university authorities proved futile. 

Eight final-year junior high school students of TED Academy at Banana Inn in Accra are likely to miss this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) due to their inability to pay GH¢300 each as registration fee charged by their school. As a result of  their inability to pay the amount, the school authorities prevented them from writing a mock examination. The guardians of the affected students told the Daily Graphic that the director of the school, Mr George Tedeku, had told them at a parent-teacher association (PTA) meeting that they were required to pay GH¢300 each to register their children for the examination.   PTA meeting The guardians,  who wanted to remain anonymous, said parents who attended the PTA meeting (held for final-year students) complained bitterly about the exorbitant registration fees charged by the school. At the meeting, the director of the school told them the fees constituted the transportation and feeding cost for all the 28 BECE candidates.  They said they challenged the director of the about school registration fee but he refused to back down on the payment. “We conducted an investigation to ascertain the appropriate registration charge for a BECE candidate and we were told by the Ghana Education Service that it was GH¢15 per candidate,” one parent said.   The director  When the Daily Graphic contacted Mr Tedeku, he admitted charging each final-year student GH¢300 for the BECE registration. He explained that the amount constituted various expenses including the cost of transporting the candidates from the school to the examination centre. Mr Tedeku said the amount also covered the cost of a graduation ceremony,  a party for the pupils offer the examination and the feeding of the candidates during the final examination. He also admitted that students who had not paid the full amount or made part payment were not allowed to take part in the mock examination which commenced on Monday, January 27. According to Mr Tedeku, eight students out of the 28 registered candidates had paid the registration fee in full but he could not confirm the number of students who had made part payment. When asked if he was aware of the GH¢15 fee charged by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) as the appropriate registration fee, he admitted to that knowledge and explained further that since all the candidates had paid the registration fee of GH¢15, they would all write the examination. “However,  students who do not pay the full GH¢300 would not enjoy the other privileges such as the feeding, transportation, graduation and the after party,” he added.   Response from guardians The guardians, in their response, rejected the claims of the director. They argued that the claims of privileges from the director were not true because he allegedly deceived parents who paid almost the same amount last year, yet their children were not given any such privileges.   Response from GES The Public Affairs Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES),  Mr Parker-Allotey,  told the Daily Graphic that the GES was monitoring the various basic schools to establish the schools charging unapproved fees. He confirmed the approved registration fee for BECE candidates as GH¢15 and further stated that the GES would sanction any institution found culpable of charging unapproved fees.