Day: November 17, 2023

The National House of Chiefs (NHC) has donated an amount of GHC100,000.00 to support flood victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage.

A statement issued by Mr Stephen Owusu, the Public Relations Officer of the House, said the amount was presented by the President of the House, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, at a short ceremony at the studios of Peace FM in Accra.

The statement said Ogyeahoho Gyebi praised the media for bringing the plight of the affected people to the attention of all Ghanaians, and said the donation was the widow’s mite of the chiefs, to help alleviate some of the sufferings of the people in the affected communities.

It said members of the House were in constant touch with their colleagues in the affected areas and were praying that things would normalise soon to enable the people go about their normal duties.

The President of the House was accompanied by Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu VIII, Breman Asikumahene and Nana Mprah Besumuna III, Krachiwura, together with Mr Anthony Yeboah Tabiri, Registrar of the
House.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Sylvester Anemana, a Former Chief Director, Ministry of Health, in the trial involving Dr Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, and one other in the Ambulance saga, has opened his defence.

Dr. Anemana, in his witness statement, said he was transferred to the Ministry of Environment and was not privy to the processes leading to the purchase of the ambulance.

The Former Chief Director said he retired from the Environment Ministry in September 2015 before the ambulances were purchased.

Dr Forson is on a self-recognisance bail of GHS3 million. He has been charged with wilfully causing financial loss of 2,370,000 euros to the State.

He is also facing an additional charge of ‘Intentionally misapplying public property contrary to section 1 (2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD 140).’

Dr Anemana was also granted a bail of one million Ghana Cedis with three sureties, one of whom shall be a public servant not below the rank of a director.

While Mr Dzakpa, was granted bail of five million Ghana Cedi
s with three sureties one of whom must be justified with documents of landed property.

He said somewhere in September 2010, when he was then Chief Director for Ministry of Health, Jakpa@Business Limited, a local partner of Big Sea General Trading LC of Dubai, submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Health (MOH) for the supply of 200 Mercedes Benz ambulances to the government at a cost of 15.8 million Euros.

He said the said proposal was attached with a proposed financing scheme and Term Sheet from Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited purposely for financing the purchase of the ambulances.

The accused person said upon the receipt of the proposal and Term Sheet from Stanbic Bank, he wrote to the Ministry of Finance to advise on the acceptability of the lending terms as provided in the term sheet.

‘I received a reply from the Ministry of Finance in January 2011, indicating that Stanbic Bank Term Sheet was acceptable for Government borrowing,’ he added.

He said the then Health Minister, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin,
presented a Memorandum to Cabinet for consideration of Stanbic Bank facility of 15.8milion Euros to purchase the 20 Mercedes Benz ambulances, Cabinet executive approval was conveyed to MOH in January 2012.as Exhibit A2(4)8.

Dr Anemana said Parliament equally approved the loan facility of 15.8milion Euros Financing agreement between Ghana and Stanbic Bank Limited for the purchase of the 20 ambulances on the 14 November 2012.

Upon the approval of the loan facility by Parliament, he put together all relevant documents and made a request to Public Procurement Authority (PPA) by a letter dated November 5, 2012, for approval, to sole source the ambulances from Big Sea Trading LC.

He said PPA upon the receipt of his request for approval, made further demand to MOH for clarification, which he later wrote to PPA per a letter dated November 19, 2012, to clarify things.

He said the PPA after following due procedures as required of its establishment, approved MOH request on December 13, 2012, that Big Sea LC Trading
should be sole sourced to supply the 200 ambulances at cost of 15.8 million Euros.

The accused person said in September 2012, he wrote and submitted a draft Supply Agreement to the Attorney General for its review and legal opinion on the agreement to guide the MOH in finalizing the contract between the Government and Big Sea.

The Attorney General in its reply made certain recommendations to the MOH to consider before the final agreement was ready for execution.

Based on the Attorney General’s advice, the draft agreement was revised in line with the recommendations made.

Meanwhile, the Minority Leader has concluded his defence. Initially, he intended to summon former Health Minister Alex Segbefia as his third witness, but Mr Segbefia was absent.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Western North Regional Secretariat of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has vetted 10 out of 11 parliamentary aspirants who filed their nominations to contest in the parliamentary primaries in five orphan constituencies in the region.

The party has sitting Member of parliament in Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai, Wiawso and Akontombra constituencies out of the nine constituencies in the region.

Mr Felix Foster Ackah, Regional Secretary of the party told the Ghana News Agency after vetting that, 11 persons filed to contest but that one of the aspirants Mr Evans Amoah who filed to contest in Bia East decided to step down.

He said the stepping down of Mr Amoah meant that Mr Nicholas Kupog Yayin, the District Chief Executive of Bia East and the party’s 2020 parliamentary candidate would be contesting for the seat.

Mr Ackah said the committee cleared all the 10 aspirants to contest for the December 2, parliamentary primary.

Other aspirants are Mr Samuel Opoku Nyame, Mr Nicholas Andoh and Mr Francis Atta Owusu who wou
ld be contesting in the Bodi constituency.

Mr Alex Ampaabeng and Mrs Martha Kwayie Manu would contest at the Juaboso constituency.

Mr Ackah said Mr Abanga Yakubu Fuseini and Mr Isaac Brew would contest at the Aowin constituency while, Mr Benard Blay, District Chief Executive for Bia West and Mr Franklin Cudjoe, the constituency chairman would contest in Bia West constituency.

The Regional secretary said Mr Frederick Addy was in September this year acclaimed the party’s parliamentary candidate for Suaman, since he was the only person to file in that constituency by close of nominations.

He advised both aspirants and supporters to do a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks to ensure unity before, during and after the primaries for a resounding victory in 2024.

He hinted that the party increased its votes in the 2020 general elections and was optimistic of winning additional seats in the 2024 elections.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The School of Medical Sciences of the University of Cape Coast (UCCSMS), has held its 14th White Coat Ceremony to usher 141 medical students into the clinical stage of their training.

The students, comprising 85 regular and 56 graduate entry medicine students, were formally robed in the traditional doctors’ White Coat before taking the UCCSMS Oath to demonstrate their commitment to their training and the medical profession.

The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage held to officially initiate fourth year medical students into the clinical stage of their training and welcome them into the profession.

At this stage, the students are entrusted with human beings rather than mannequins.

Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, the Vice Chancellor of UCC, in a statement delivered on his behalf, entreated the students to pay critical attention to their superiors since their slightest mistake could end somebody’s life.

‘Remember that you do not know it all and you should be prepared to take criticisms and suggestions
in good faith as it forms part of your training to become a highly sought after medical professional worldwide,’ he advised.

He admonished them to demonstrate high sense of discipline, comportment and moral high ground, while living by confidentiality and other moral ethics of the profession.

‘Remember that you carry the image of the School of Medical Sciences and the entire university at your hospital and your attitude toward patients reflects the kind of training you have been given,’ he added.

The UCCSMS was established in 2008 to augment the training of medical professionals to help close the patient-doctor ratio gap and since then, they had produced high quality doctors for Ghana and the world through world class curriculum.

Prof. Boampong indicated that SMS had seen significant improvement in infrastructure and facilities, pointing to modern laboratories, a new administration block, and office spaces for lecturers as some instances.

The Vice Chancellor assured the school that the university would c
ontinue to offer the necessary support to ensure that it continued to deliver high quality medical training.

Prof. Sebastian Eliason, Dean of UCCSMS, reminded the clinical students of their oath and entreated them to work with empathy to heal the minds, hearts, souls, and bodies of their patients.

He explained that the White Coat as prescribed by the Medical and Dental Council for all doctors was for easy recognition, cautioning them to always wear it to avoid sanctions.

Prof. Kobinah Nkyekyer, an Associate Professor and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, told the students that they owed it to themselves, their patients, families and school to become the best doctors through dedication and discipline.

He urged them to exhibit professionalism, integrity, compassion and altruism in their line of duty as demanded by the profession.

‘Confidentiality is a key rule in this noble profession and so you need to be warned of taking pictures of patients and putting them on social.

‘You are to make sacrific
es for the patients you are going to look after and so do not allow self-interest to interfere with that virtue,’ he added.

Prof. Nkyekyer urged them to pursue excellence by committing to lifelong learning and embracing teamwork.

For his part, Dr Eric Kofi Ngyedu, the CEO of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, said being a doctor was a privilege and not an entitlement, urging them to deliver care without discrimination.

He entreated them to be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually balanced to be able to withstand the various challenges they might encounter.

He advised the professionals to manage their ego and seek knowledge because they would work with a variety of professionals.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Nana Yaw Pimampim Kabrese IV, President of the Bono East Region House of Chiefs and Paramount Chief for the Yeji Traditional area has reiterated the need to end factions in the region for peace and rapid socio-economic development in the region.

Nana Kabrese lamented the high rate of chieftaincy disputes in the region which did not augur well for the development of the area, saying they need to be settled permanently.

‘There are chieftaincy disputes in almost every part of the region, and we need to find ways to resolve them for the people we rule and protect them to enjoy our leadership,’ he stressed.

Nana Kabrese IV was speaking at the Bono East Region Coordinating Council 2023-year meeting at Techiman.

He mentioned that the region recorded about 19 chieftaincy dispute cases in which 12 of the cases had been resolved remaining seven saying efforts were being made to institute measures such as inaugurating a dispute resolution council to deal with cases of such nature.

Nana Kabrese IV mentioned that th
e youth had to be educated on the need to stay peaceful always and understand the power of unity was key in resolving some of these disputes,

He stressed that the youth were used to perpetrating violence always, but it was necessary to make them be aware of the danger ahead of their future so that they could refrain and turn their ears from irresponsible self-centered people.

Touching on the Kintampo shooting incident that happened last Friday, November 10, 2023, which claimed one life and left several injured, Nana Kabrese expressed worry, because the issue, he said, could scare investors away.

He urged stakeholders to get involved in addressing such matters.

Mr. Kwasi Adu-Gyan, Chairman for the Bono East Regional Security Council, promised to collaborate with the traditional authorities and its partners to collectively restore peace in the affected areas because community could not be development without peace.

Mr. Adu-Gyan mentioned that efforts were being put in place by the Security Agencies to retu
rn calm to Kintampo area and its environs to ensure the people go about their business and farming activities without any fear.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Odumase-Krobo Circuit Court has sentenced Enoch Amponsah, a 28-year-old teacher at a private basic school at Kpong, to 12-years imprisonment for defiling an eight-year-old girl.

He pleaded guilty for the charge of Defilement at the court presided over by Mr Kwasi Appiatse Abaidoo.

Police Chief Inspector Daniel Apedo, said on October 19, 2023, the victim went for a weekend class organised by the school, and after closing, the accused told the victim to get him his laptop in the office.

The accused then followed her, removed her underwear and had sexual intercourse with her and warned her not to tell anyone else he would be punished.

He said on the next day, the accused person lured the victim to his house which was adjacent the school and had another intercourse with her and repeated the act again on November 4, which caused the victim pain such that she could not walk properly.

Upon reaching home, the mother detected changes in the walking of her daughter, and when interrogated the victim opened to
the mother saying, ‘Sir Enoch,’ as they affectionately called him, had sexual intercourse with her several times.

The accused person was arrested, and in his caution statement, he admitted having intercourse with the victim several times.

The victim was issued a medical form to go to the hospital for treatment while the accused was charged with the offence of Defilement.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Parliamentary debate on the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government will begin on Tuesday, November 21.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, made the disclosure during his presentation of the Business Statement of the House for the week ending, Friday, November 24.

He said following the presentation of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government, a two-day post-Budget workshop was scheduled for the participation of all Members of Parliament (MPs) beginning from Saturday, November 18, to Sunday, November 19, at the Chamber of Parliament House in Accra.

He said though the ensuing week would be dedicated to the debate for the approval of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government for the 2024 Financial Year, some Ministers had been scheduled to respond to parliamentary questions.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the Business Committee was proposing that the debate on the Budget Statement took place during the morning sessio
n (1000 hours to 1400 hours) while Ministers responded to parliamentary questions during the afternoon session (1400 hours to 1800 hours).

‘Mr Speaker, in view of this proposal, the Committee urged Ministers of State to take note of the arrangement and accordingly plan their work schedule to facilitate the business of the House.’

He said the closing time for each sitting day for the ensuing week would be 1800 hours.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has welcomed the commitment of the Ghana Bloggers Association to publish exciting and attractive stories about Ghana in the run up to the ‘December in Ghana’ festivities.

This was after the Association launched the initiative dubbed: ‘Blog and Promote Ghana,’ urging social media users and bloggers to share positive stories about the country on their respective platforms.

‘December in Ghana’, held within December and first week of January, treats Ghanaians, Africans in the diaspora, and the global community to Ghana’s rich arts and cultural heritage.

Mr Andre Mustapha Nii Okai Inusah, during the launch, emphasised Ghana’s uniqueness and encouraged citizens to take pride in projecting the nation positively.

He made reference to Ghana’s position as the ‘Center of the world’ and its abundant natural resources, and the prevailing peace, which made the country a premier travel and tourism destination in Africa.

Mr Inusah disclosed plans for ‘a Ghana tour’ and a global promoti
on campaign set to commence in December to promote the country.

He said events scheduled for ‘December in Ghana’ were perfect moments to tell Ghana story considering the significance of Christmas and the number of visitors who came into the country.

Mr. Kwasi Agyemang, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Authority, commended the Bloggers Association for the foresight.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Stakeholders in the HIV and AIDS space say access to health care delivery continues to be a hindrance to persons living with HIV (PLHIV) and Tuberculosis (TB), due to stigmatization and discrimination.

According to the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) and stakeholders, stigmatization and discrimination situation had still not been dealt with, affecting PLHIV and TB persons, hence the need for a broader approach to address the issues.

This became known at the third annual stakeholder implementation review meeting of a five-year comprehensive response to Human rights related barriers to HIV and TB Strategic Plan, developed by the GAC in collaboration with stakeholders

The goal of the plan was to remove human rights related barriers to HIV and TB services and to improve access to quality healthcare and support services through pragmatic implementation services.

Dr. Rita Owusu- Amankwah, Director, Policy and Planning at the GAC said the third review meeting was necessary, to ensure effective implementation of the
plan, ascertain status of implementation, identify gaps, challenges and actions needed to accelerate implementation.

Dr Owusu-Amankwah said stigma continued to be an issue as PLHIV and TB were discriminating against themselves and that of the public, preventing them from enjoying their human rights as citizens.

She said: ‘We needed to find ways of removing stigma, once stigma is there, then discrimination follows and so if we do not deal with it, it will mean that PLHIV and TB persons will be discriminated against and prevented from accessing health care, having full joyous and fruitful lives as well as contributing to the overall development of the nation.’

The Director of Policy and Planning stated that the strategic plan was necessary, which would guide stakeholders to implement interventions that would eliminate stigma and discrimination by bringing everyone together.

She expressed concern that the committee did not have a dedicated funding for the implementation of the plan, which was challenging, ad
ding that bringing stakeholders on board would determine what each of them was tackling and be able to allocate funds when they receive any.

Ms Irene Kpodo, Project Manager, NAP + Ghana, stressed that stigma persisted among community members and it was important to highlight the fact that HIV was no longer a threat or a death sentence as projected to be in previous times.

She said: ‘HIV is an infection, it is just like someone with diabetes and hypertension and needs to take his or her medications to stay healthy but the other concern is that the negative attitude and misinformation at the workplace, hospitals, schools and administration of justice remains a challenge.’

She called for holistic interventions to tackle the menace so that stigma and discrimination would be reduced and enable HIV and TB persons to be respected and promoted.

Dr Raphael Adu-Gyamfi, Programme Officer, Clinical Care Unit, National Aids Control Programme (NACP), stressed that stigma and discrimination was a major barrier to HIV se
rvice

delivery in Ghana, which prevented people from knowing their status, taking their medications, and visiting the health facility when necessary.

He said the attitude of some healthcare workers was a major contributing factor to stigma and discrimination, preventing HIV and TB persons from visiting the facilities to the detriment of their health.

Dr Adu-Gyamfi made it known that among other interventions, the NACP would inculcate discipline into the curriculum of trainee nurses while in school to enable them avoid stigma against their clients at the health facilities.

‘Currently, there is a huge knowledge gap about HIV, the education has gone down and we need to start educating the populace on HIV again for everyone to know what is going on,’ he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Justice Edward Amoako Asante, President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice has pledged to implement the outcome of the three-day Judicial Retreat of the ECOWAS Court of Justice. that ended on the 15th of November, 2023 in Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

The President made the assertion in his remarks during the closing ceremony of the Judicial Retreat held in Nasarawa State, Nigeria that contrived a roadmap to reposition the Court for efficiency and effectiveness.

‘This judicial retreat is remarkable, considering the immense contributions of judges and staff towards improving the judicial processes and procedures of the Court. Measures for the implementation of the outcomes will be put in place in line with the guidelines and timelines,’ he said.

During the retreat, the Court decided that departments should develop a rapid response mechanism for cases requiring expedited procedure and/or interim measures, including prioritised translation of the documents into the working languages, English, French and Portuguese, o
f the Court.

In addition, the Court is to set up training programmes for lawyers on the format for case filing, and practice and procedure before the Court.

Participants also agreed to expeditious transmission of documents, and the development of a communication strategy for legal matters of the Court, among others.

Earlier, Justice Gbéri-Bè Ouattara, Vice President of the Court, delivered a vote of thanks during which he highlighted the importance and impact of the retreat to an improved performance of the Court.

He thanked the college of judges and staff for the convivial atmosphere that allowed for productive discussions and recommendations for the overall repositioning of the Court for effectiveness.

Other honourable judges that attended the retreat include Justices Dupe Atoki, Sengu M. Koroma and Ricardo Claúdio Monteiro Gonçlaves.

Also present were the chief registrar, directors, heads of units and divisions, legal officers and some key support staff of the Court.

The judicial retreat which held
from November 12 – 15, 2023, on the theme Case Management before ECOWAS Court of Justice: Relationship between the Registry Department, the Chambers of the Honourable Judges and the Legal Research Departments, focused on four issues specific to the Court namely special forms of proceedings, judgments of the Court and its execution; service of legal documents on the parties and their dispatch to the honourable judges; the role of the chief registrar, deputy registrar and other registrars in the case management process; and the role of the registry and legal research department in support of the judge rapporteur.

The judicial retreat is an important annual activity of the Court that affords the judges and legal staff of the Court the opportunity to reflect, review and where necessary develop an implementable action plan for the enhancement of the operations of the Court.

Source: Ghana News Agency