Eternal West African foes, Nigeria and Ghana have another opportunity today to revive their rivalry as the home-based Eagles take on the Black Stars in the second semi-final of the 2014 African Nations Championship in South Africa.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has identified ignorance on the part of consumers as one of the constraints to the fight against counterfeit food and medical products in the country. It noted that not knowing the dangers of using sub-standard, spurious, falsified, falsely-labelled counterfeit (SSFFC) products, consumers highly patronised those products. The Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Mr Hudu Mogtari, who expressed the concern, said consumers, therefore, needed intensive education about counterfeit medical products and unwholesome food substances. Training programme Mr Mogtari was speaking at the opening ceremony of a capacity-building programme organised by the FDA for its staff to enable them to detect counterfeit food and medical products. The programme, which was on the topic “Intelligence gathering and analysis on fake and substandard food and medical products,” formed part of measures being taken by the authority to reduce the menace of counterfeit and substandard food and medical products in the country. The programme was sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Capacity Development Mechanism Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance. Mr Mogtari described the programme as timely and crucial in equipping the staff of the FDA with the needed skills and knowledge for the task, since counterfeiters had upgraded their skills and activities, making detection very difficult. He announced that the FDA, in the course of the year, would acquire modern devices for on-the-spot checks and detection of counterfeit products. Effects of fake products Fake drugs have significant negative effects on human health which sometimes lead to death. It also has an impact on the national economy, as well as on pharmaceutical companies, since they lose part of their profits to the unfair competition from counterfeit activities.  “Today, all kinds of food and medical products have been counterfeited. Counterfeit drugs range from medicines for the treatment of life-threatening conditions to inexpensive generic versions of painkillers and antihistamines,” Mr Mogtari stated. Outlining some of the challenges in the quest to rid the country of counterfeit food and drugs, Mr Mogtari said the use of unapproved entry points and cross-border trade in medical products served as the conduit for fake and substandard medical products. He said the sale of medicines at unapproved premises and the peddling of medicines had become channels for the distribution of SSFFC medicine. FDA mandate Notwithstanding these challenges, Mr Mogtari said the FDA would continue to execute its mandate of ensuring safe food and medical products for the public. A Consultant from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the United Kingdom, Mr Gift Minta, said the problem of counterfeiting had become a global issue which could not be eradicated but reduced. He, therefore, called on all Ghanaians to join hands with the authority to help fight against SSFFC products which threatened human health.

The fight against the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was taken to another level yesterday as Rastafarians and members of some civil society groups hit the streets of Accra to demonstrate against GMOs and the Plant Breeders’ Bill which is before Parliament. Groups The groups that took part in the demonstration were the Rastafarian Council, Food Sovereignty Ghana, the Vegetarian Association of Ghana, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), the All African People’s Revolutionary Party and the Earth Replenishers Foundation. Route Chanting “No GMO”, “Away with GMO” and “Chooboei” and intermittently singing the national anthem, with emphasis on the words: “…and help us to resist oppressors’ rule”, the demonstrators started from the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, branched through Adabraka and the TUC, passed in front of the National Theatre before converging on the National Arts Centre to address the press. Under heavy police guard, the demonstrators stopped from time to time to explain to passers-by the implications of the Plant Breeders’ Bill and GMOs. Placards They carried placards with weird photos of GMOs, some of which read: “Say no to Man Satan (Monsanto)”, “Monsanto out of Ghana”, “Farmers’ right come first”, “No to the Plant Breeders’ Bill”, “Ban GMOs”, “GMOs will make Ghanaian farmers poor” and “GMO is poison, beware”. Implications of the Plant Breeders’ Bill Addressing the participants at the Arts Centre in Accra, the Chairperson of the Coalition for Farmers’ Rights and Advocacy against GMOs, Ms Samia Yaaba Christine Nkrumah, said there was the need for Ghanaians to rise against the imposition of the Plant Breeders’ Bill, which was currently in Parliament.  The passage of the bill will allow the introduction of the GM foods into the country. Ms Nkrumah stated that the imposition of the bill had far-reaching social, economic and political consequences on Ghanaians and the entire African continent. She explained that the passage of the bill would disable Ghanaians from having total control over their agricultural and food commodities. “So can’t we even control our own foods? Is this what our forefathers left for us? Do we want a day to come when someone will control what we eat as Africans?” she asked.  Ms Nkrumah said there was the need for all Ghanaians to come on board to help kick against the bill, since it was not in the interest of the Ghanaian farmer, adding that the call on the ban on GMOs went beyond partisan politics. Official launch She also used the platform to officially launch the coalition and called on bodies such as the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, traditional rulers, women’s advocacy groups, youth groups, the National Chief Imam, among others, to join hands and help defend the interest of the Ghanaian. Ms Nkrumah further called on parliamentarians to help educate Ghanaians on the bill before attempting to pass it into law, adding, “It is full of legal jargon that cannot be understood by the ordinary Ghanaian.”

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Ex-Ghana star Nii Odartey Lamptey expects a tough tie between Nigeria and the Black Stars of Ghana in their semi-final clash in the African Nations Championship on Wednesday, saying it will be the ‘final before the final’.

Ghana has marked this year’s World Customs Day with a call on tax administrators to deepen their engagement with the public. That, according to the Commissioner-General of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr George Blankson, would pave the way for Ghanaians to understand the operations of the GRA and afford “the institution the opportunity to transmit its organisational goals and values”. Customs Day This year’s event, on the theme, “Communication: Sharing Information for Better Co-operation”, brought together all the agencies under the GRA and other stakeholders, including representatives of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority and the Ghana Community Network Services. Certificates from the World Customs Organisation (WCO) were presented to 20 corporate institutions and individuals for their outstanding contribution to the operations of the GRA. Mr Blankson said as part of plans to promote and enhance the image of the GRA, its main goal was to develop communication systems to engage stakeholders. He, however, urged stakeholders to improve their corporate performance using effective communication as one of the tools. Challenges confronting the GRA A Senior Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA) at the University of Ghana, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, urged the GRA to create an effective channel of communication to ensure that all the agencies under it were able to co-operate without any obstructions. In a speech read on his behalf, the WCO Secretary General, Kunio Mikuriya, said one efficient way of delivering quality service and promoting positive attitude among custom officials was by consistent communication.

Three suspected armed robbers and their three accomplices who allegedly robbed residents of the Koforidua Medical Village and other communities in the New Juaben municipality appeared before the Koforidua Circuit Court yesterday, charged with robbery, rape and dishonestly receiving stolen items. Their pleas were not taken and the court, presided over by Mr Ebenezer Osei Darko, remanded them in custody to reappear on February 6, 2014. They are Samuel Akwetey, alias Kwame Agbeko, 35, the alleged mastermind and leader of the group; Godwin Ametoyo, 38, and Isaac Agomor, 22. Their accomplices are Gideon Boateng, 28, said to be the carrier of the stolen goods; Charles Awuku, 47, and Mohamed Zebu, who allegedly received the items. Another member of the gang, Nicholas Eshun, who was arrested by a police patrol team at the Daasebre Estates at dawn on January 1, 2014, leading to the arrest of the six others on Thursday, January 23, was remanded to reappear on February 12, 2014. Meanwhile, the six suspects have led the police to 16 houses in which they had robbed residents of their valuables. The houses are located at Old Estates, the St James Hotel and Capital View Hotel areas, Korle Abansoro, the Daasebre Estates, the Kenkey Factory and the Medical Village. According to the Eastern Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Faakye Kumi, who led a team of detectives to the robbery scenes, the residents of all the houses visited claimed to have been victims of robberies at different times in 2013. The police, he also indicated, had on their record that those houses were burgled last year. Chief Supt Kumi also confirmed that hard disks retrieved from the robbers contained materials such as teaching notes and pictures of some of the doctors at the Medical Village. Responding to a question on whether there would be an identification parade for victims to identify the suspects, Chief Supt Kumi ruled that out, with the explanation that the suspects wore masks during their operations and that would make it difficult or impossible for the victims to identify them. ASP Nketia-Yeboah debunks allegation Responding to another question on an allegation that one of the suspects was an elder of a church, the Eastern Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, ASP Yaw Nketia-Yeboah, said police investigations had not yet established the truth or otherwise of that assertion. In a related development, the Eastern Regional Police Command has impounded a private Toyota Corolla saloon car, with registration number GE 2882-12, belonging to Gideon Boateng, one of the suspects, which was used to cart the stolen goods.

Agang SA decides to 'expel Ramphele'BDliveMEMBERS of Agang SA have decided to expel the party's leader Mamphela Ramphele following her decision to accept an offer by the Democratic Alliance (DA) to be its presidential candidate in the upcoming elections, it emerged on Wednesday morning.and more »

The newly-installed Benkumhene of Gomoa Dabayin, Nana Yaw Owusu, has pledged to do his best to tackle challenges facing the town so as to make it a centre of attraction in the Central Region. According to him, the town deserved the best of amenities including clinics, schools and modern markets to, among other things, to boost the economic fortunes of people through trading and other businesses. Consequently, he has called on citizens of the town to rally behind him and give him the necessary support to bring developments to the area. The real estate developer was enstooled the first Benkumhene of Gomoa Dabayin as part of activities to mark this year’s Gomoa Two Weeks Festival last Saturday. Among other things, Nana Owusu said he would bring everybody on board no matter their status in the town in his agenda to ensure that the people got the best. He said his installation was by the grace of God and, therefore, thanked God for the honour done him. The Benkumhene also thanked the people for the honour bestowed on him, adding that although he had previously turned down the opportunity, he fully accepted it because he wanted to see the area developed. “We would all come together to move this townforward. I will share my ideas with the elders and then see how we can implement them for the betterment of the lives of the people,” he said. He said he would use the contacts he had to attract the investments that were needed to fast track the development of the town. The chief of the area, Nana Idan Amo, called for the support of all for the rapid development of the area. Abusuapayin Kobina Egyir said the town needed a community centre, a school, a clinic, among other things. He, therefore, called on the government to come to their aid.  A son of the chief of the area, Mr Kwame Morgan, deplored the frequent accidents on the main road leading to and from Winneba, and called on the Ghana Highways Authority to construct speed humps to control the speed.

Ennahda, an Islamist party, ended two strife-ridden years as Tunisia’s first elected government, ceding power to a government of technocrats that will preside over elections this year.    

A string of fatal bombings in Cairo which targeted security headquarters have also taken a toll on the country's art collection.

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