Day: December 15, 2023

A Circuit Court at Gbetsile, near Tema, has sentenced crane operator Rudy Agyemang to 15 years imprisonment in hard labour for robbing, contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960.

The court, presided over by Mrs. Eleanor Kakra Banes Botchway, sentenced the accused after a full trial of which the court found him guilty and convicted.

Inspector Maxwell Ayeh, prosecuting, said the complainants are Emmanuel Frimpong is a teacher, Bright Mensah Akpese is a building contractor, and Richard Jojo Wilson and Sunday Okafor are entrepreneurs, all residents at Castle Gate Estate, Mataheko/Afienya.

According to the Prosecution, the accused, Agyemang is a crane operator and lives at Valco Flats, Ashaiman.

He said on August 28, 2023, at about 1000 hours, the Afienya District Police Rovers received a distress call from the complainants of a robbery attack on them at their residence.

The Police Rovers responded swiftly to the scene and saw four men, some carrying back packs and others with travelling bags
, in the compound of the house, as described on the phone to the Police.

He said the men included the accused who upon seeing the police took to their heels, but was pursued, and arrested at a distance in an old foundation trench.

The three who escaped abandoned their bags whilst an immediate search conducted on the bags revealed nine assorted laptop computers and one MP3 player.

Inspector Ayeh said one Sunday Okafor, later identified the items as his and that they were the things the accused and his accomplices robbed them of.

He said on that same day Agyemang led the police to the house of Bright Mensah Akpese, where he and his accomplices scaled a fenced wall into the compound.

Inspector Ayeh said he used cement blocks to cause damage to the backdoor to the kitchen and the one leading to the living room. He also identified the

accused as the one who fired a gun through his kitchen window and caused damage to it.

The accused again took the Police to the residence of complainants Emmanuel Frimpong, Ri
chard Jojo Wilson, and Sunday Okafor and demonstrated how he and his accomplices, now at large, broke into their rooms and robbed them of their computers, laptops, and Samsung mobile phones.

Two spent AAA cartridges, which the accused and his accomplices fired at the scene, were found at the compound and retrieved. A blue face mask and a knife were found in the bathroom of the complainants.

After the investigation, the accused was charged with the offences and arraigned.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Parliament on Thursday granted Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, the authority to grant licenses and permit the cultivation of cannabis, a drug obtained from the hemp plant (cannabis sativo), for medicinal and industrial purposes.

However, the cultivation would not exceed more than 0.3 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content (the active ingredient) on a dry weight basis for industrial and medicinal purposes.

Consequently, the regulation would license the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale, export and importation of cultivars, grains, seeds and biomass of cannabis with not more than 0.3 per cent THC content.

The approval was a result of the maturity of the regulation after being laid before the House on Thursday, November 9, 2023, by Mr Dery, under Article 11(7) (a) of the Constitution and Order 77 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.

Mr Alban Bagbin, the Speaker, therefore referred the Instrument to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee for consideration and report to the House sub
sequently.

The Legislative Instrument (LI) will also provide for a strict licensing regime throughout the value chain, that is from production and processing to transportation and distribution.

The LI’s pursuit would be to operationalise paragraph (b) of subsection (3) Section 112 of the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019).

Section 13 provides that the Minister of the Interior shall cause to be laid in Parliament regulations to ‘restrict or prohibit the export or import of any goods.’

Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, the Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, who moved the motion for the adoption of the Committee’s report on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, December 14, said there had been a global shift and the increasing realisation of the benefits of cannabis cultivation.

The benefits, including being used for industry and medicine, were reflected in the passage of the Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020 (Act 1019).

He said Parliament, after deep consideration and deliberat
ion, voted to pass the Act with a provision to legalise the cultivation and use of cannabis for industrial and medicinal purposes.

The Act mandated the Interior Minister, on the recommendation of the Board, to make regulations by legislative instrument to give effect to or enable effect to be given to the Act within 12 months after its coming into force.

‘This regulatory milestone is expected to pave the way for the development of a well-regulated cannabis industry in Ghana, ensuring that its cultivation and usage adhere to strict guidelines and quality standards,’ he said.

The smooth passage of the L.I. into law was truncated due to the declaration of the Supreme Court in the case of Ezuame Mannan vs The Attorney-General and The Speaker of Parliament (Ezuame case), which declared section 43 of the Law as unconstitutional.

To resolve the case, the Narcotics Control Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed into law by Parliament to empower the minister to grant licenses for cannabis cultivation withi
n the country.

According to Dr Ayine, also a National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga East, the Committee noted the significant benefits Ghana would derive from the cultivation of the plant in a regulated manner.

‘…So Mr Speaker, I want to make it abundantly clear that this is not for the legalisation of the recreational use of cannabis,’ Dr Ayine said.

Contributing to the debate on the motion, Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, an NDC MP for Adaklu, inquired about how effective control measures could be put in place to stop the potential hazards associated with the cultivation of cannabis in the country.

He said: ‘The young man abusing wee in Ghana would not take such substance to the laboratory to test the 0.3 per cent THC content before he smoked it.’

‘And none of you is even talking about the potential abuse and how that can degenerate into mental problems we all have in this country.’

‘Even though the sources of electricity produced in Ghana are known, the authorities are
unable to police the amount of electricity produced… and you are now talking about giving licence to people to produce Cannabis (wee)?.’

He, therefore, expressed worry over clauses to be contained in the Instrument to regulate effectively the cultivation of wee and also urged the House to be cautious in the LI.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Heritage Commission has launched the multi-stakeholder heritage strategic framework for Ghana to promote its diverse heritages.

The framework will also serve as an implementation plan to streamline policy actions of agencies and stakeholders towards a common national agenda.

Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, the minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture in a speech read on his behalf by his deputy Mark Okraku Mantey said the framework had put forward a sustainable pathway to address the challenges facing the heritage resources management.

He said the framework was timely as he expected the various stakeholders in the sector to leverage it to develop Ghana’s heritage centres.

‘This unique multi-dimensional approach could not have come at a better time than this, and I am convinced that the culture and heritage sectors will draw synergies to strengthen collective efforts towards harnessing the diverse heritage of Ghana for sustainable development,” he said.

He urged the development partners interested in
the culture and heritage of Ghana to come on board and support the implementation of the plan.

The launch was attended by government officials, actors, musicians and heads of the various art groups including MUSIGA and Actors Guild.

Professor Kodzo Gavua Chairman of the Ghana Heritage Committee in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the event said the plan was to enable various stakeholders in the heritage sector to work in a cooperative manner to promote various aspects of Ghana’s culture.

‘The cooperation we need from stakeholders is for them to work together for everybody to study the document into details and then apply the aspect that will benefit their various establishments. The framework is not for the consumption of Ministries, departments and agencies, it is for Ghana at large, ‘he said.

Kingsley Ofosu Ntiamoah, Executive Director, Ghana Museums and Monuments Board in an address said the plan would provide strategic guidance and approaches to complement the efforts
of the Board in addressing the challenges facing Ghana’s heritage, in particular, monuments and sites.

The Implementation Plan outlines Strategic Actions that agencies under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture and other sister Ministries, such as the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.

Other institutions: Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources would address the Priority areas and their related objectives and goals as outlined in the MSHSF.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Some stakeholders have called for stronger partnership between industry, academia, and policymakers to use entrepreneurship to transform the country’s economy.

They expressed confidence that with the right government policies, entrepreneurial education, affordable financing schemes for businesses, the country stood the chance of becoming a major economic force, the world over.

At the opening of a two-day Financial Innovation and Enterprise Conference in Accra on Thursday, December 14, the stakeholders encouraged enhanced public-private partnerships to achieve that goal.

The conference was organised by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) in collaboration with Birmingham City University, University of Sunderland, Institute for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship, and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programmes (ACBSP.

Speaking at the event, Ms Abena Osei-Asare, a Deputy Minister of Finance, stated that: ‘By exploring the interconnections between entrepreneurial educatio
n, the business environment, and financing today, we open the gateway to transformative change.’

She referred to a World Bank data to highlight the importance of entrepreneurship in economic development, noting that, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for example, represented more than 95 per cent of registered firms worldwide.

Also, SMEs account for more than 50 per cent of jobs and contribute more than 35 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in emerging economies.

Ms Osei-Asare explained that the government, recognising the key role of entrepreneurs and private businesses, made regulatory and legislative reforms, including registration, insolvency and tax arbitrations to support them.

That, she said would reposition businesses to leverage opportunities and mitigate risks.

Dr Richard Ampofo Boadu, Administrator, Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), said it was important to acknowledge the unique challenges and opportunities in the economy and adopt educational programmes to solve them.

He called
for strategic collaborations between government, academia and industry, to provide tailored entrepreneurial education, alternative financial modules and the right policy framework, which he noted would contribute to making Ghana a robust economy.

Javed Hussain, a professor of Entrepreneurial Finance, Birmingham City University, explained that by bringing academia closer to businesses that provided bread and butter to people, the Ghanaian economy would transform.

‘We need to promote policies that will enable financial institutions to collect information for the betterment of everyone, especially, in lending to SMEs,’ Prof Hussain said.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Central Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Robert Ekow Ewur, has advised the electorate against using monetary and tribal considerations in choosing their representatives in Tuesday’s District Level Elections.

They should rather prioritse the development of their communities, and thus elect competent, selfless and patritiotic individuals.

‘Do not allow yourselves to be influenced with money by any aspirant to vote for them or even foment trouble before, during, and after the elections,’ he cautioned the youth.

‘We must remember that receiving a small amount of money to cause violence against our brothers and sisters can send us to prison.’

Mr Ewur said these in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) after he supervised a quiz competition, organised by the Agona West Directorate of the NCCE for Basic Schools, in Agona Swedru.

District Level Elections will be held by the Electoral Commission, across the nation, on Tuesday, December 19, for Ghanaians to choos
e their representatives for their local government assemblies.

The quiz was held under the theme: ‘Thirty years of Consolidating Constitutional Democracy: Building National Cohesion through Civic Education and Participation in Local Governance’.

It was to sensitise the students on the tenets of Constitutional Democracy, Patriotism and Respect for Ghanaian values.

Mr Ewur maintained that assembly members must be focused, patient, and tolerant.

They should also have dynamic ideas and visionary leadership skills.

‘Voters should,therefore, endeavour to elect persons with such qualities to be able to identify problems in their localities, resolve them, and represent them effectively at the assemblies,’ he said.

In view of the low turnout recorded in the elections over the decades, he encouraged voters to exercise their franchise this time around because of the critical role of local government to sustainable development.

Mr Ewur advised the electorate that, irrespective of their religious, ethnic, and polit
ical backgrounds, they should uphold the principles of peace and cohesion towards sustaining national development.

‘You have nothing to gain if you allow yourself to be used for counter-productive endeavours, instead of grooming yourself to become a patriotic citizen.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Relatively dry and hazy conditions of different intensities are expected across the entire country today with visibility range of 3-8 kilometres persisting throughout the forecast period.

Early morning mist or fog patches are predicted over few areas along the coastal, hilly and forest areas.

However, there is a slim chance of showers over some few areas of the south western portions of the country from late afternoon into the evening, according to the Ghana Meteorological Authority.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Catholic Relief Services has donated analytical devices and equipment valued at $90,000 to the Food and Drugs Authority as part of their support to the government’s public health initiatives.

The devices will reinforce the capacity of regulatory control and monitoring institutions.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said the devices included eight rapid test kits, iCheck devices including 2 iCheck Chroma, 2 iCheck Iron and 4 iCheck Iodine and reagent kits for the rapid quantitative detection of iron, vitamin A and iodine in wheat flour, vegetable oil and salt respectively.

The statement said Mr Daniel Mumuni, Country Representative of CRS who donated the devices said they would contribute to achieving impact on improving micronutrient intake in Ghana and neighboring countries importing fortified food from Ghana as well as imported fortified food into Ghana.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an American non-governmental organization founded in 1943 by the bishops of the United States
.

CRS carries out the commitment of the bishops of the United States to serve the poor and vulnerable overseas.

‘We are motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to value, protect and defend the sacredness and dignity of all human life, to promote charity and justice, and to embody Catholic social and moral teaching.

‘As part of the universal mission of the Catholic Church, we work with local, national, and international Catholic institutions and structures, as well as other organizations, to help people on the basis of need, not creed, race or nationality’.

The statement said the Catholic Relief Services in partnership with GIZ had initiated the second phase of the ECOWAS wide regional large-scale food fortification project in West Africa project to expand and improve large-scale food fortification to contribute to addressing the high burden of micronutrient deficiencies and its public health consequences in the most vulnerable, women, girls and school age children.

‘One of the specific objectives of the
first phase of the project was to identify the fundamental challenges of food fortification in ECOWAS countries, based on assessments of key regional and national institutions working to promote sustainable LSFF in West Africa, including national food fortification alliances and regulatory monitoring and control structures.

‘Therefore, following capacity assessments of public and private actors, CRS is helping to fill the gaps by strengthening the capacity of public sector institutions to enforce mandatory policies and regulations to improve compliance with food fortification standards.

It gave the assurance that they would be available to continue working to improve the health of the people of Ghana and thanked and congratulated public and private sector stakeholders for their food fortification programme.

Mrs Delese Darko, Chief Executive Officer of FDA expressed optimism that the devices would enhance the work of the authority.

‘The donation is part of efforts by the project to strengthen the capacitie
s of public sector institutions on control and regulatory monitoring systems, in large-scale food fortification in Ghana.

The three-day capacity strengthening programme targeted participants from the FDA across the country, Customs Excise and Preventive Service, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Standards Authority, and Ghana Police Service.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghanaian boxing prodigy John Laryea (12-0-1, 10KOs) has signed a managerial deal with astute promoter Peter Kahn, President of Fight Game Advisors.

The undefeated boxer is ranked number 15 on the World Boxing Organisation’s (WBO) featherweight rankings.

He recently defended the WBO African Featherweight Title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Gabriel Odoi Laryea on October 7 at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, Ghana.

Additional recent victories for the hard-hitting Laryea include Solomon Martey (TKO-6), George Krampah (KO-2), and Sebastianus Natanael (TKO-4).

Peter Kahn, in an interview, said: ‘As I have said many times before, Ghana has such a rich boxing history not only in Africa but in the entire world. I am very excited to be working with John Laryea and his team to guide John to the next level towards becoming a world champion.’

With respect to the announcement, Laryea said, ‘This news hit me so well, and I can’t stop thinking about the day my coach and manager told me about the good news.’

‘
I am very grateful to my manager, Samuel Anim Addo, and my coach, Carl Lokko, for changing my life as a professional boxer. It’s time for me to work harder so that I can become a world champion for Ghana.

‘I am looking forward to working with my team and Peter Kahn as I prepare to fight on the biggest stages of boxing. Still, God is my strength!’

Kahn has experience working with fighters from Ghana, including organising Emmanuel Tagoe’s fight with Ryan Garcia on April 9, 2022.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Kwarko Mensah Gyakari, National Chairman, Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) Of TUC, Ghana says the industry players have introduced a destructive non-standard form of employment termed ‘Fixed term’ contract, outsourced workers, temporary and casual workers.

He said this type of employment arrangement without any doubt was the most destructive but that was the working arrangement most if not all the employers were embarking on.

Mr Gyakari was speaking at the 13th Quadrennial Delegates’ Conference of the GMWU) of TUC Ghana in Obuasi.

The event was on the theme: ‘Building Trade Union Resilience in a Rapidly Changing World of Work: Strategies for 2024 and Beyond.’

He said this type of employment did not train or resource the youth to take up positions in the future.

The Chairman said all the mining companies in Ghana had two or more people trained from Obuasi Mine, saying if these people had worked as fixed-term workers, they would not be in the position to share their experiences.

‘Now it is becoming an
albatross to employ our ladies because of this fixed term contract because the contract is a maximum of two years,’ he added.

He said the challenge with the fixed-term form of employment was that there was a serious power imbalance to the extent that workers were left with little or no power to compete as a result they became vulnerable to the exploitative interest of the employer.

The Chairman called on the government, the Mineral Commission, and all stakeholders to critically look at and assess this crucial employment model.

He said after all, the government had little to do in the mining communities because miners built most of these infrastructures.

Dr Yaw Baah, the Secretary General of TUC, Ghana said the now stood at the edge of a cliff and any miscalculated move will send the whole country down the cliff.

He said the economy would collapse and Union activities would be seriously affected if not halted completely.

Dr Baah cited Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe as examples of collapsed economies.

‘We at the
TUC think we are where we are because the 1992 Constitution gives too much power to the President,’ he said.

He said there should be a change to the concept of the President is the State and the State is the President situation by changing the Constitution to give power back to the people of Ghana

He said the TUC had launched a Workers’ Manifesto Scheme, which outlined their position/views on various issues, including the need to change the Constitution.

He said either many of their members in the mines lost their jobs or had their permanent contracts changed to fixed-term contracts thereby affecting the quality and security of their jobs and the security of their incomes.

He said despite all the challenges, the GMWU stood its ground and defended the rights and interests of its members and the Union remained one of the strongest Unions in the TUC Family.

He said they were at the current position through much sacrifice and dedicated devotion to the course of the struggles of the Trade Union Movement.

He
said they had fought, disagreed, and touched on nerves in the interest of our cherished Union and members and as a Union, they had remained solid, stronger, and united around the principles they stood for.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Some Fisherfolks along the coastal belt of the Volta region have lamented over insufficient premix fuel to enhance their fishing activities.

This, according to them, has affected their fishing activities, leading to low productivity.

Mr Seth Agbokede, Chief Fisherman at Dzelukope, a suburb of Keta, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that many fisherfolks faced several challenges due to the unavailability of the premix fuel.

‘The last time we had premix fuel here was in early November which was not even enough to sustain our work.’

Mr Agbokede further lamented about the acts of some fishermen using a mixture of petrol and engine oil which they claimed, remained expensive in fuelling their outboard motors for fishing activities.

He said fisherfolk for the past three weeks have been purchasing a gallon of petrol and engine oil for Gh?400 and Gh?100 respectively, which they explained could not even last beyond two days.

‘The Yuletide is just at the corner, and we needed to work and get our families ready for
the Christmas festivities, but the problem is where do we get the premix fuel?’ he queried.

Mr Agbokede has since appealed to corporate organisations, individuals, and the government to help provide premix fuel for fishermen along the coastal belt to help improve their productivity towards the season.

He, however, warned fishermen to always adopt better methods of fishing to avoid any punishment from the authorities.

Some fishermen, the GNA engaged, also lamented about the lack of premix fuel and are pleading with the authorities to come to their aid.

Meanwhile, the GNA, during a visit to the shores at Keta, Adzido, Anloga, and the surrounding communities, have observed some form of bumper harvest by fishermen as they geared up for the festive season.
Source: Ghana News Agency