An eminent Ghanaian jurist has entreated institutions to honour leaders and personalities who have contributed immensely to the development of the country. Justice V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe, a former Justice of the Supreme Court, said this at the launch of the maiden edition of the Society Transformation Challenge Awards ceremony which was held in Accra last Friday. The award scheme, which is under the auspices of Global Family Care, is slated for next year and it is to award personalities in the various sectors in the country for their contributions to national development. Speaking on the theme, “Enhancing the wellbeing of the Ghanaian Society in the 21st Century,” Justice Crabbe indicated that rewarding such personalities would encourage them to give their quota to spearhead the aspirations of the government and society. He said introducing such an initiative in this country would help people by encouraging them to provide societal changes in the country. Addressing the media after the launch, the former Justice  indicated that the Ghanaian society was fast breaking down because the citizenry were adopting the traditions of the western world and forgoing the heritage of the nation.  “We are fast losing our self-respect because we are copying blindly from the western world. The things we see outside there were achieved by some determined personalities, and we as Ghanaians must take cue from it and develop our own country,” he added. In an interview with the Daily Graphic, a board member of Global Family Care International, Mr Kuku Dsane, said the subsequent award schemes would be expanded to include Ghanaians living abroad who were working to raise the image of the country and the continent. He said  a committee would be put in place to help define the categories and select the awardees through an electronic system.  

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLibertyEgypt: Jail For 3 Leading ActivistsRadioFreeEurope/RadioLibertyAhmed Maher, Ahmed Douma, and Muhammad Adel were found guilty of involvement in an unauthorized protest. Tweet. Follow @RFERL. TEXT SIZE - +. By RFE/RL. December 23, 2013. A court in Egypt has sentenced three prominent activists who helped ...Three activists jailed over role in Egypt's 2011 revolutionIrish IndependentDark Days in EgyptNew York Times3 Egyptian activists get prison terms for protestingLos Angeles TimesIrish Times -The Globe and Mail -Firstpostall 610 news articles »

  The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has presented various items to the Mampong Babies Home in Asante Mampong in  the Ashanti Region, towards the upkeep of the inmates. The items, which were made up of 10 boxes of Cerelac, two cartons of Ideal milk, five boxes of chocolate, 20 pieces of cloth and toys, were presented as part of the ministry’s package to some selected orphanages and prisons across the country. The sector minister, Nana Oye Lithur, said the presentation was made to champion a positive change in the lives of the less privileged and also to put smiles on the faces of the vulnerable, excluded, aged and persons with disability through the use of social protection and other innovative interventions. She said despite the limited resources of the ministry, it was necessary to ensure that beneficiary institutions from all the regions of the country received such donations, and commended the sponsors for collaborating with government for  sustainable national development. She reiterated the ministry’s commitment to build collaborations with relevant stakeholders to advance the course of all persons, especially the vulnerable, and called on individuals and organisations to emulate “this sterling example and join the crusade to provide an improved life of the less privileged. The sponsors are the First Lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama, National Lottery Authority, Nestle Ghana Limited, Sanita Consumer Products, Special Ice Mineral Water and Akuma Mama Zimbi Foundation. The Asante Mampong Suffrigan Bishop of the Anglican Church, Rev. Dr Cyril Ben-Smith, and the Superintendent in-charge of the home, Margaret Addai, who received the items, expressed gratitude to the ministry for the gesture. She appealed to the ministry to support the home with vehicles to aid their operations. The Mampong Municipal Chief Executive, Mohammed Konadu Aboasu, gave the assurance that the assembly would work closely with the Social Welfare Department to help the home.  

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  The mastermind of the recent child kidnappings from churches in the Accra metropolis was Sunday arrested by the police, along with his accomplice. That was after the suspect had picked up the ransom for the release of the fourth child he had kidnapped at the Lighthouse Chapel International at Kaneshie in Accra. Ernest Kwabena Koomson, alias Ernest Abotsi, a 27-year-old self-styled pastor, is believed to be behind the abduction of three children in separate operations between December 1 and 15, 2013. The police had trailed Koomson and his accomplice, Isaac Ntie, a 19-year-old unemployed, after the kidnapping of a 10-year-old son of one of the pastors of the Lighthouse Chapel.  Sensitisation in 70 churches  The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, told journalists in Accra yesterday that police commanders and their men under the Accra Police Region visited 70 churches in the city as part of a sensitisation programme in reaction to the recent abductions. He said it was in the course of the programme that the police had information on the alleged kidnapping of the 10-year-old boy at the Lighthouse Chapel. The incident happened 30 minutes after the police had left the church after educating the congregation on personal security and how to take care of their children. The IGP said the kidnappers adducted the boy and demanded GH¢5,000, with a 45-minute ultimatum to pay the ransom or they would kill him. Kidnappings on Sundays  He said the first kidnapping took place at the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), where a 10-year-old boy was abducted, on December 1, 2013. The kidnappers demanded GH¢2,500 from the boy’s parents, who paid without involving the police. On December 8, 2013, another kidnapping incident took place at the Winners Chapel International at North Kaneshie, where a nine-year-old girl was taken hostage. Her parents parted with GH¢3,000 before she was released. The third kidnapping, which involved a 10-year-old boy, took place at the Grace Outreach Church on December 15, 2013 and the kidnappers demanded GH¢3,000. In all the instances enumerated, the children were released unharmed at places indicated by the kidnapper after the ransom had been paid.  The boy at the centre of yesterday’s incident had been held hostage in the kidnapper’s rented room in a compound house at Darkuman in Accra. Even though in all the instances the victims appeared traumatised, their parents were happy to have been united with their children. The police believed that Koomson and Ntie were behind all the kidnappings.  Parents’ co-operation  Mr Alhassan commended the parents of the children who were kidnapped for co-operating with the police and the media for their support in educating the public on general safety and how to train children to be security concious.  “It was not the singular effort of the police that led to this success; it was a partnership which led to the arrest of the suspect and his accomplice. The police will strive to make Ghana safe,” the IGP declared. Modus operandi  The police said the kidnappers visited a particular church on Sunday and picked up a child, from whom they acquire the phone number of his or her parents. The kidnappers then called the parents to inform them that their child had been kidnapped and that they should pay a quoted amount or the child would be killed. The parents were then told where to drop the money and also warned not to involve the police. When the money is dropped at the point, the accomplice goes there to pick it up and then joins the mastermind, who had been waiting on a motorbike close by and then the two take off. Later, the parents are told where to find their children, either by the roadside or in front of the Darkuman chief’s house, as was the case in the earlier abductions.

  The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has presented agricultural equipment to boost agricultural production in the Dawhenya community in the Greater Accra Region. The equipment, valued at $298,400 comprised three tractors, seven power tillers, two combine harvesters and eight motor cycles. A representative from KOICA, Mr Cho Kwang-Geol, presented the machines to the Chief Executive of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority, Dr Ben Nyamadi,in a handover ceremony at Dawhenya. The occasion was also used to officially outdoor a $3.6 million “Dawhenya Integrated Rural Development project” which commenced months ago, aimed at enhancing the standard of living of the people of Dawhenya. The Dawhenya Integrated Rural Development The project involves the rehabilitation of the Dawhenya irrigation scheme, replacement of inefficient electrical pumps, construction of schools and training centres and capacity-building programmes for farmers. The overall goal of the project is to improve livelihoods of the people in the area and its surrounding villages through increasing agricultural productivity and raising their living standards. Speaking at the function, Dr Nyamadi said the equipment would be distributed to the districts and municipal offices as well as the main office of MOFA in the region to serve the purpose for which they were donated. He stated that the presentation of the equipment was timely since farmers in the area especially were faced with irrigation challenges. Dr Nyamadi added that the equipment would help ease the farming activities of farmers in the community and its environs and was hopeful that their farm yields would be increased. He advised farmers and those who would use the tractors to use them efficiently and effectively. Mr Kwang-Geol encouraged the members of the community to ensure that the equipment were properly kept and maintained.