Day: November 17, 2023

Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, the Chief Justice (CJ) of Ghana, has asked the striking jurors to return to work as soon as possible.

She said her outfit was working around the clock to ensure the prompt payments of all outstanding allowances meant to facilitate the activities of staff of the Judicial Service, including jurors.

Addressing jurors in the Ashanti Region at a meeting in Kumasi on Friday, she pleaded with them to return to work in the interest of Ghana.

‘In the interest of Mother Ghana, allowances should not lead to strike’, she stated.

Justice Torkonoo explained that most of the jurors were public servants who were being paid their salaries by the government, so such allowances must not be a guarantee to break off work.

Touching on how the jury system operated in Ghana, she said the system was not meant to be a standard adjunct service to the judicial process.

She said: ‘A juror is therefore supposed to come in once, sit on the matter and go back into the community, but where a jur
or is stacked to a court system, and is being cycled between courts over the years, then clearly, we are compromising the integrity of decisions.

‘So, to me, that is a huge systemic weakness we have created that must be dealt with as soon as we can.

‘Currently we have cases ongoing, so with the groups that are working on the cases, we have to find immediate, medium- and long-term solutions,’ she added.

The Chief Justice indicated that the short-term solutions would be that judges sat on cases on different days so that those (jurors) who were doubly panelled could function effectively.

Again, the judicial service would ensure that the number of jurors were increased to avoid double panelling.

Mr Albert Ackah, Leader of Jurors in Ashanti, pledged that on Monday, they would resume their duties at the courts.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The President of the ECOWAS Court, Justice Amoako Asante, has affirmed that a three-day Judges Retreat organised by the Court is expected to provide guidelines that will help the Court in scheduling cases.

‘The guidelines that will emerge from the discussions during this retreat are expected to help us with the scheduling of cases in relation to applications for expedited procedure, interim measures and default judgment,’ the president said.

Delivering the opening remarks at the Retreat holding at Global Village Suites in Nigeria ‘s Nasarawa State, Justice Asante said the event, organised under the theme Strengthening the ECOWAS Court of Justice ‘will focus on a myriad of issues deemed important to the effectiveness of the Court’.

According to the President, these issues include the modalities for the award of compensation and the need for uniformity and unique practices before the Court and the need for convergence with the legal systems of the Member States.

In addition, he said the participants would
reflect and deliberate on the guidelines for the scheduling of cases with special emphasis on the applications for expedited procedure, interim measures and default judgments.

The President called for uniformity in practice in the award of compensation noting that ‘the template will not only be consistent with the best international practice but also help to rest the unfounded notion of arbitrariness in the existing arrangement.’

He expressed the confidence that the outcome in the development of templates would contribute to furthering the case law of the Court and its leadership among the regional courts in Africa.

Justice Asante mentioned that the Court was taking steps to strengthen the Community legal order and improve the enforcement of its decisions by engaging with the national courts of Member States for synergy towards the convergence of the legal system of the Community.

Participants at the three-day retreat will, among others, also reflect on the effect of applications for extension of time as
well as on the consolidation of cases.

The retreat which the Court organises annually is designed to enable the Judges reflect and provide direction on contemporary issues important for the seamless functioning of the Court.

Other honourable judges that attended the retreat include Justices Gbéri-bè Ouattara (Vice-President), Dupe Atoki, Sengu M. Koroma and Ricardo Claúdio Monteiro Gonçalves.

Also present are the Chief Registrar, directors, heads of divisions and units, legal officers and some key support staff of the Court.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Rice farmers at Akuse near Somanya in the Eastern Region, are compelled to use their feet to dry rice due to lack of mechanical dryers.

The farmers are part of a 3000-hectare government rice farming project at Akuse and Asutuare, under the Kpong irrigation project and a subsidiary of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority.

Mr Eric Teye Martey Tsu, a farmer and aggregator, told the Ghana News Agency, that they faced a lot of challenges in the rice farming industry, including the lack of drying floors, mechanical dryers, storage facilities and combined harvesters, leading to huge annual post-harvest losses.

‘Our major challenge that is the lack of mechanical dryers where we are forced under the circumstance to use our feet which affects the grain quality.’

He explained that the rice grain could often loose its quality three-days after harvesting without proper drying and said, ‘these challenges pose a disincentive to the youth who want to go into agriculture.’

Madam Doris Korkor Tawiah, a rice merchan
t, said the lack of mechanical dryers were affecting their business, as the quality of the grain was compromised.

‘Everyone farms during the rainy season because rice does well in rain, so all of us harvest at the same time, and drying becomes a problem and if you’re not able to dry, within few days your grains will begin to germinate again, which leads to a huge loss,’ she said.

Ms Tawiah noted that the local rice tasted better than that of the foreign and appealed to government to provide them with dryers to boost the rice industry.

Mr Samuel Evans Lamptey, the Project Manager of the Kpong Irrigation Project, said mechanical dryers were the solutions to stop the use of bare feet to dry the rice, adding that the entire rice farm project had no dryers.

He said the farmers used to hire a dryer from a private company which unfortunately, had stopped operating now.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Region Food and Drugs Authority Boss, Ms Anita Owusu Kuffuor, has cautioned the farmers against using their feet, as it c
ould lead to the contamination of their produce.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Bono East Regional Coordinating Council (BERCC) has partnered with the Dangote group for the establishment of a 12,000- tonne capacity sugar factory.

The proposed factory is a greenfield sugar project with a crushing capacity of about 12,000 tonnes of sugar per day, and it was planned to be established on approximately 25,000 hectares of land for sugar cane plantation using modern irrigation systems.

Mr Kwasi Adu-Gyan, the Bono East Regional Minister, disclosed this at the end of the BERCC’s 2023-year meeting at Techiman, saying the project on completion would create jobs for the youth, and drive home the needed revenue for the development of the region.

Mr Adu-Gyan explained that apart from the production of the sugar for domestic consumption and industrial use, the facility would also produce useful by-products such as molasses, fuel grade ethanol and food grade water.

He said the project to be sited at Kwame-Danso in the Sene West district of the region, was consistent with the government’s aim of
transforming the industrial landscape of the country through the one district one factory industrialisation policy.

Mr Adu-Gyan announced that the project was in the process of receiving parliamentary ratification to provide the legal and regulatory framework for the investments in the sugar industry, saying parliament would place the sugar policy on its legislation agenda to be passed into law very soon.

The Minister observed that the local production of sugar would create agricultural and industrial jobs, to attract investments in other commercial and industrial activities to bring about socio-economic development in the project area.

Mr Adu-Gyan urged the Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) and the public to contribute towards the kickoff of the project as it was key to solving the unemployment issues in the region and the country in general.

He charged the MDAs to sustain the security situations in the region since some areas needed much security attention to check robbery and other insecurity is
sues bedeviling the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A Madina District Court has granted the Police access to the mobile phones of three persons involved in the murder case of Bennette Agyekum Adomah, the owner of Kikibee Restaurant.

The Police are to access the phone of Mr Adomah, the deceased, Mam Yandey Joof, the deceased alleged girlfriend and one Roy Addy Lamptey to ascertain the call logs on those phones.

The court also asked the Police to furnish it and defence counsel with copies of Adomah’s autopsy report.

The prosecution in the case told the court presided over by Ms Sussan Nyarkotey that they wanted to access the phone of three persons because they suspect a ‘conspiracy.’

Meanwhile, Inspector Jameson Awumey who held brief, informed the court that Adomah’s autopsy report was ready.

However, the contents of the report were not disclosed.

The defence counsel, Muniru Kassim, disagreed with the prosecution’s petition, stating that the police should do the application formally, and that they were basing their investigations on suspicion.

Soon after
the court proceedings, some family relations of the accused persons were elated when the defence counsel informed them that the autopsy report ‘was good.,’ meaning it would inure to their benefit.

The court has adjourned the matter to November 30, 2023.

Mam Yandey Joof, the girlfriend who is currently being held on a murder charge, has been remanded by the District Court.

The prosecution’s case was that the deceased, popularly known as Kikibee, and the accused person had been in an amorous relationship allegedly for the past three years.

The prosecutor said the deceased traveled overseas three months ago and returned to the country on October 7, 2023.

On his arrival, Adomah reportedly went to his East Legon residence about 1800 hours on the same day, and later proceeded to his restaurant also at East Legon.

The prosecution told the court that on October 8, 2023, at about 12:30am, Adomah left the restaurant to visit the accused person at her residence at Ogbojo, near Madina.

It said at about 0130 hours,
Adomah began acting erratically and hurling things around the room, amid cries that some people were after him.

The prosecution said the shouts of the deceased woke some tenants in the house.

It said Joof then allegedly called a friend of the deceased to come to her residence and help her.

When the said friend arrived, he found the deceased lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen.

The prosecution said some tenants in the house helped the accused and the deceased’s friend to take the deceased to DEL Hospital at East Legon.

It said Mr Adomah, however died shortly on arrival.

The prosecutor said a report was made to the Police and the body was sent to the Police Hospital for preservation and autopsy.

At the scene, the prosecutor said some pieces of broken ceramic glasses with blood stains were found at Joof’s apartment.

It said when the body was inspected, there was a cut on the deceased left thumb.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Embassy of the United States of America in Ghana, as part of efforts to make its presence felt in the Ashanti Region, has opened the first American Corner outside the capital in Kumasi.

Located at the Top Martins Complex at Asokwa, the newest American Corner would serve as a cultural and information centre, providing free and open access for young Ghanaians to learn more about the United States.

The centre, which forms part of a global network of over 600 American spaces in 140 countries, would also allow young people to attend free educational programming, develop new skills and access a wide range of resources.

‘As diverse as the communities where they are located, the common goal of all our spaces is to create welcoming environments where communities have free and open access to learning more about the United states,’ Ambassador Virginia Palmer, said at the opening of the Corner.

She said the United States believed in empowering young Ghanaians to take the lead in shaping the future of Ghana and t
o deepen their friendship with the people of the US.

Young people across Ghana, she noted, were working every day to make a difference by promoting economic opportunity, political participation, public health, peace, and community building.

The Ambassador indicated that it was not by chance that Kumasi was chosen as first American space outside Accra, but because the city was home to numerous important universities, businesses and also had historic ties to the United States.

According to the 2023 Open Doors Report, more than 6,400 Ghanaian students studied in the United States last academic year, representing 30 per cent increase over the previous year.

Also, Ghana ranks 14 in the world in terms of countries sending their graduates students to study in the United States.

‘And judging from the record numbers of students at our September Education Fairs in Kumasi and Accra, we are confident that the number will continue to grow,’ Ambassador Palmer stated.

Mr. Samuel Pyne, the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Exe
cutive, welcomed the establishment of the American Corner in Kumasi, which he said would further deepen the ties between Ghana and the United States of America.

He was hopeful that services provided at the facility would inure to the benefit of both the people of Kumasi and the United States.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has organised a blood donation exercise in Tamale to help stock the blood bank in the Northern Region to be ready to serve the people at all times.

Hundreds of residents of Tamale including staff of NHIA visited the Regional Library, and Vittin Senior High School to take part in the exercise, which formed part of activities to mark the 20th Anniversary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Alhaji Hudu Issah, Director, Private Health Insurance Scheme, NHIA, who was in the region to monitor the exercise, described it as extremely impressive in view of the high turn-out at both places saying ‘We have hundreds of people donating blood at the two places. It tells you that we care about one another.’

Alhaji Issah spoke about innovations to ensure ease of subscription to the NHIS saying the NHIA had come out with digital platforms to help subscription to the NHIS with ease, adding the benefits packages were also being expanded to include childhood cancers
amongst others.

He touched on some health facilities charging illegal fees, urging members of the public to speak against such practices to ensure that people were not denied services because of such illegal charges.

Mr Abdul Latif Issahaque, Northern Regional Director of NHIA expressed gratitude to the public for turning out in their numbers for the exercise, saying the high subscriptions to the NHIS and the number of people using NHIS at health facilities showed that there was high confidence in the NHIS.

He said the facilities engaging in collecting illegal charges from patients were being made to refund such fees, adding other sanctions would be applied to them to help stop such practices.

He said as of now, ‘no health facility can complain that it has not been paid by the NHIA’ adding ‘If we pay you, you must render the services as required by our contract.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu VIII, the Paramount Chief of Breman Traditional Area, has urged Ghanaians to protect the peace and tranquility in the country for development.

He said maintaining national peace, and harmony was a civic responsibility of every well-meaning Ghanaian, therefore, it was incumbent on the citizenry to bury their deep seated political and ethnic diversities to chart a national course of growth and development.

Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu, who is also President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, gave the advice at a ceremony to outline activities for the commencement of the 2023 Odwira Festival for the Chiefs and the people of Breman.

The festival on the theme: ‘Bremanman y?nbom na y?ny?,’ meaning, Breman should unite and forge ahead, is aimed at making the traditional area a place of choice.

The weeklong celebration which commenced on Wednesday, November 15, is the period for homecoming, stock taking, reunion and development.

On Saturday November 18, there would be spiritual cleansing, g
eneral clean up exercise while inter denominational Church Service would be held on Sunday, November 19.

Other activities include a Health walk, free health screening, traditional games and quiz on Wednesday, November 22 and Thursday, November 23.

There would be Egyato Festival amidst Brass Band Music to the Palace on Friday November 24 and the procession of Chiefs through the principal streets to a grand durbar on Sunday, November 25 where Odeefuo Buadu would sit in state to climax the festival.

The grand finale would also be used to raise funds for the completion of the Palace extension project and other social necessities.

The Breman Traditional Council had temporarily banned drumming and noisemaking and had put in place, prudent measures to ensure full compliance, cautioning particularly, religious groups to adhere to the directive to avoid the consequences.

Odeefuo Buadu described the Odwira Festival as Ghana’s most historic festival, which teaches Ghanaians their beliefs, norms, traditions and hist
ory.

He urged all indigenes to return home and fully participate in the programme.

‘Everyone must contribute their quota to make this year’s celebration memorable and unique for the many visitors within and outside the country who will join in the celebration to appreciate it.

‘The development of the Traditional Area relies on us, hence while we have strength, let us combine our forces together as one family towards the total development of the area to attract tourist and investors to the area,’ he said.

Nonetheless, he announced plans to celebrate his 15th anniversary on the throne as the Paramount Chief of Breman and gave thanks to the Almighty God for bringing them that far.

He further prayed to God to continually guide, protect and lead them in all their endeavours.

Nana Afful Nyankwen, Kontihene of Breman Traditional Area and Chairman of the Festival Planning Committee in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, cautioned all citizens of Breman State and others who will join them against misconduct
.

They should comport themselves and desist from indulging in anti-social vices and immoral deeds which could mar the beauty of the festival, the rich tradition and culture of the area, he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Divisional Chief of Apremdo, Nana Egya Kwamena XI, has requested of the Chief Justice to ensure that the Judicial Service guaranteed the extensive dissemination of information on substantiated petitions filed against its personnel.??

‘This will give confidence to the farmer and market woman that he or she has a voice and that the Judicial service has ears to listen,’, he said.?

Nana Egya Kwamena XI made the request when the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkonoo opened the new Effia Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) Court, to bring justice close to the people in that Municipality.?

?The Divisional Chief said: ‘Often, we?hear cases of unprofessionalism by some very few judicial services staff who taint the image of the Ghana Judicial Service.’?

?He said unfortunately, the judicial service had no clear, complaint mechanisms easier for victims to lodge complaints against any member of the Judiciary or court staff who made any unlawful demands, in performing his or her judicial duties, for
disciplinary action to be taken against that person or group of persons.? ??

?Speaking on land matters, Nana Egya Kwamena XI said, apart from Burma Camp, Apremdo was the only community in Ghana that had released lands to the Government of Ghana to establish two military barracks: Air force and 2BN Army barracks.? ??

‘However, since our grandfathers released these lands to the Government to protect the air space and the land territories of Ghana with the understanding that compensation will be paid to the stool, successive governments have not paid the due compensation for both lands,’ he said.??

?He said the situation, had created tension between the families and the military units for land encroachment among many others adding, ‘in?as much as Apremdo is giving lands to promote administration of Justice to the people of Ghana, we hope the Judicial service of Ghana will be responsive enough to hear cases on time.’???

Source: Ghana News Agency

Some Civil Society Organizations, Development Planners and Traditional Authorities, have called on the government to resource Technical Universities to advance research in alternative energy mix as the country plans for a just energy transition.

The group also called for the implementation of the framework in all sectors, holistic analysis of infrastructure, cost and technology to be deployed to help the country achieve the objectives of the transition before the 2070 deadline.

Nana Akosua Gyamfua, the Queen Mother of Nyankrom in the Shama District of the Western Region, said the importance of sensitisation, Education and awareness creation on the subject for Oil Producing Communities was key to have the buy-in of all Ghanaians.

The event, on the Capacity Building on Energy Transition for Oil Producing Communities, was organised by the Natural Resources Governance Institute (NGRI) in the Western Region.

Meanwhile, the push for green policies had intensified over the last two decades, fueled by Climate Ch
ange.

Ms Nafi Chinery, the Africa Director of the NGRI, said while many countries in the West had been leading the transition to low carbon energies, Africa was relatively slow.

However, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa were among group of countries that had developed Energy Transition Plans to provide policy guidelines for the shift to clean energy, Ms Chinery added.

She indicated that most countries were already experiencing the most dramatic impacts of climate change in agriculture, human settlement and livelihoods.

The engagement with the Community leaders, CSOs and Government officers was to facilitate understanding of key concepts, create awareness on priorities, targets and challenges and enhance dialogue with government on the impact of the energy Transition.

Dr Robert Sogbadji, the Member of the National Energy Transition Committee, said Ghana developed and launched the framework during the COP27 to outline mitigation measures to decarbonise adaptation measures for persons and communities.

The fram
ework also referred to the updated Nationally Determined Contributions.

Already, the country was switching gradually to electric vehicle usage, solar power, and other energy mix with over 2000 electric cars already in the country, he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency