Day: April 5, 2024

Ms Christiana Saratu Awini, a 31-year-old student of the Bolgatanga Midwifery Training College, says she would be going into organic onion production in the Binduri District in the Upper East Region to complement her midwifery profession.

The final year student made the declaration of her intention in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of a graduation ceremony of 38 beneficiaries who participated in an eight-week intensive training programme at the Bolgatanga Technical University.

It was part of the Social Entrepreneurship Development Businesses, organised by the Youth Challenge International Programme, a Canadian Non – Governmental Organisation, under the Herstart Project.

It was aimed at empowering young girls between the ages of 18 and 35 to come up with new innovations related to challenges in their respective communities and to map out strategies on how to deal with such problems.

Ms Awini, who showcased her business development plan dubbed ‘Onion Production in Binduri’, said s
he was already engaged in onion farming but was doing that with inorganic farming practices.

The final year student said she had decided to go into organic onion production because she had realised that apart from the health effects of inorganic farming on humans, such farming practices were less costly because fertilizers were more expensive.

She said to complement government’s effort to generate employment for the youth, particularly young girls and to also help curb rural urban migration in the area, she intended to establish a composting plant where she would train more young girls and women to go into compost making and to supply at a cost to onion farmers in the Binduri community.

‘Through this intervention I will not only be seen addressing the health needs of onion consumers but also generating employment for young girls in the Binduri community who usually migrate from Binduri to the southern sector to seek for non-existence jobs’, she said..

Addressing the participants at the closing ceremony, P
rofessor, Daniel Azerikatoa Ayoung, the Programme Team Leader, expressed happiness about the outstanding performance of the beneficiaries and said the Herstart Project, focuses on gender and economic empowerment of young girls.

He said one of the project implementation strategies was to train young girls as Social Entrepreneurs and to empower them with capital to establish their own economic ventures to cater for themselves.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Samuel Okoe Amanquah, the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has said 35 road projects within the municipality were worked on by the Assembly in 2023, to enhance the free movement of people, goods, and services.

Dr Amanquah said the projects were funded from the Internally Generated Funds (IGF), the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), and nine other Ghana Roads Funded Projects, which were at different completion stages.

The MCE announced this at the general meeting of the assembly and said the road facelifting projects included reshaping re-gravelling spot improvement, and the construction of slabs and culverts.

He said the continuous investment of large portions of the IGF in capital and infrastructure projects was aimed at improving the livelihoods of the people of Kpone-Katamanso.

Dr Amanquah said the road and minor drainage works also took place in communities such as Green Hill Area, Gbetsile, Bethlehem-Saki, Naanoman, Bawaleshi, Saaduasi, PS Global, Kpone, Zenu, Saasabi, Kubekro,
and Oyibi, among others.

The MCE said although these roads were completed, the Urban Roads Department was currently carrying out a reassessment for correctional work to be done on some of them with the onset of the rains.

He said some of them deteriorated, hence the need for urgent attention to facilitate the free movement of people, goods, and services.

Dr Amanquah said the Assembly collaborated with the Department of Urban Roads for the ongoing construction of the bridges at Prince Bar-Kubekro Sabra Farm-Zenu; Ngmlitsakpo poultry farm; Akweley and Akuorkor-Kpone; and the Borger Bridge-Kpone.

The completion of these bridges would go a long way to address the flooding problems in the communities, especially during the rainy season.

The MCE said other projects undertaken in 2023 included the completion of a two-storey police station at Oyibi and the construction of a Community Health-Based Planning Services (CHPS) compound at Nmlitsakpo.

Mr Gorge Nuertey, the Assembly member for the Hebron electoral area
, commended the MCE and the assembly for face-lifting some of the roads and embarking on other projects that his area benefited from.

He said it was an attestation to the residents that their representatives pushed for development in their areas.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Moro Musah, a 33-year-old farmer, has been apprehended by the Tumu Police for allegedly stealing cattle in October 2023 at Kroboi in the Sissala East Municipality of the Upper West Region.

In a caution statement presented to the Circuit Court in Wa, the accused, Mr Moro Musah, admitted to the theft but said: ‘I stole 14 of the cattle, not the reported 60’.

He was put before the court allegedly charged with stealing 60 cattle and was remanded in police custody pending investigation.

This follows a complaint lodged to the Tumu Police by one Barry Abdoulaye, a Fulani herdsman from Yigantu in Sissala East, who reported the theft of his 60 cattle from his kraal.

The prosecutor, ACP Albert Adiita, presenting the facts to the court, said the Wellembele police motor patrol team, on October 29, 2023, intercepted a Hyundai Grace mini-bus with registration number AS-6743-19, driven by Wakilu Abubakari, loaded with three cattle suspected to have been stolen.

Upon interrogation, Abubakari mentioned Musah as the o
ne who had tasked him to transport the animals from Kroboi to Wa.

A subsequent telephone conversation between Abubakari and Musah confirmed the latter’s ownership of the cattle.

The vehicle with the cattle was sent to the Wellembele Police Station during the investigations, where Mr Barry Abdoulaye, the complainant, identified a distinct mark on the three cattle matching some of his stolen livestock.

ACP Adiita said further examination on Abdoulaye’s kraal revealed similar markings on his other cattle, confirming the suspicion of theft by Musah.

However, a search for Musah proved futile until December 8, 2023, when he was eventually apprehended by the police, ACP Adiita said.

The accused, after interrogation, returned the 14 cattle, while the search for the rest continued.

The court remanded the accused person to reappear on April 16, 2024.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in line with its vision to transform lives, has sponsored the construction of some projects in four communities in the Atwima Kwanwoma District.

The projects, which included three educational infrastructures and a health centre, were executed in partnership with the Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Kofi Amankwa-Manu.

They are a six-unit classroom block with library and 10-seater toilet facility at Atwima Kokoben; a 10-unit classroom block, mechanised water system and 12-seater toilet facility at Foase; 10-unit classroom block with 12-seater toilet facility at Kotwi, and a health centre with nurses’ quarters and water system at Winsa.

Speaking at separate ceremonies to commission the projects, Mr Amankwa-Manu said they emanated from the strong partnerships between his office, the District Assembly and the Church.

The goal was to pursue private partnerships to complement the government’s efforts in ensuring quality education and healthcare delivery in the distr
ict.

Education and health, he said, were two critical sectors that impacted every household and stressed the need for massive investments in those areas.

The MP pointed out the crucial roles health and education played in national development and pledged his commitment to partnering with the relevant stakeholders to improve the lives of the people through such interventions.

He appealed to all stakeholders to join forces with his office and the Assembly to provide the enabling environment for quality education to thrive.

Mr Prince Karikari, the District Chief Executive (DCE), in a speech read on his behalf, underlined the need for users of all the projects to ensure proper maintenance of the facilities under their care.

He entreated the beneficiary communities to own the projects and showed a keen interest in their maintenance to prolong their lifespan.

Mr Samuel Appiah, the President of the Suame Area of the Church, said the gesture was to help promote quality education and healthcare, which was aligne
d with the vision of the church, saying that caring for the people was equally a way to spread the gospel at the grassroots.

The church would continue to support humanity and support the district through the partnership with the Member of Parliament, he said.

Madam Doris Ofori, the District Education Director, reiterated the need for the school children to take good care of the projects and admonished teachers and other stakeholders to ensure the facilities were used for their intended purposes.

‘The facilities have come at the right time and would help address the infrastructural challenges in the district,’ she said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Women farmers at Fosukrom in the Bia East District of the Western North Region have appealed for processing, storage and irrigation facilities.

With the facilities, the women said they would be able to engage in commercial production of maize, rice and cassava for increased food productivity.

Madam Mavis Odoi, the Secretary of the Fosukrom Women Farmers Association (FWFA), made the appeal through the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a day’s training on the adoption and application of indigenous technology.

With support from the Global Greengrants Fund (GGF), the Association organised the training for more than 150 women farmers in the area, which also exposed the participants to climate change impact, contributory factors as well as the nation’s adaptation and mitigation actions.

The women were taken through the use of leaves for the preparation of organic manure, and the proper application of the compost.

Madam Odoi said the area had a population of around 1,758, with women and girls being t
he majority, and predominantly peasant farmers, with few of them engaged in large-scale farming.

They grow plantain, cocoyam, maize, yam, cassava, cocoa, and oil palm with a few others engaged in vegetable production.

She explained that the women were mainly in the farming business because they depended largely on it as their source of livelihood due to the lack of formal education.

‘In fact, they cannot secure white colour jobs and so farming has become their main alternative, ‘ Madam Odoi stated, worrying that because of a lack of processing, storage and irrigation facilities those engaged in the cultivation of cereals and vegetables could not produce in large or commercial quantities.

Recently, she said the area had been experiencing frequent droughts and disease outbreaks, resulting in low crops yields, and thereby leading to hunger and high poverty, particularly among the women farmers.

This continues to increase their socially marginalized situation and they are compelled to use synthetic agrochemi
cals in controlling pests and diseases which affect their health, destroy soil quality, enhance climate change impacts and poison biodiversity through run-off water.

Madam Odoi commended the GGF for funding the Association to implement a project to help sustain the women in their farming activities.

The project seeks to mobilize women farmers in the area and train them on how to prepare organic (indigenous) herbicides and pesticides for their farming, which has no impact on the environment or influence climate change or land fertility, is cheaper and has the ability to improve productivity.

It further creates awareness of climate change, she stated and urged the farmers to endeavour to back and share and apply the knowledge acquired to bring positive change in their communities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Western Regional Branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has announced plans to increase transport fares by 30 per cent effective Monday, April 8, 2024.

Mr Kingsley Eshun, the Western Regional Vice Chairman of the Union, confirming the matter to the Ghana News Agency, said the decision followed a comprehensive survey conducted by the GPRTU which revealed significant increases in the prices of spare parts and fuel.

That, he said, had increased the operational costs of transport operators across the nation.

‘The rising costs of spare parts and fuel pose a significant burden on transport operators, directly and adversely impacting their ability to provide affordable and sustainable transportation services to the public,’ he indicated.

He said the decision to increase transportation fares by 30 per cent, therefore, reflected the GPRTU’s commitment to maintaining the viability of its members’ operations while striving to balance the interests of commuters.

According to Mr Eshun, despite
Union’s pressing concerns, the Ministry of Transportation had shown little concern to dialogue with the GPRTU to mitigate the impact on transport operators.

He said: ‘It is of much interest for the public to know that, GPRTU had sought a meeting with the Ministry to discuss the challenges faced by transport operators and explore potential solutions to mitigate the impact on the transport.

‘Regrettably, the Ministry’s lack of cooperation to convene discussions has left GPRTU with no other choice but to independently proceed with the upwards fare adjustment which will be a win-win for both the commuters and transport operators.’

He stated that the union remained open to constructive dialogue with the Ministry of Transportation and other relevant stakeholders to find long-term solutions that would benefit both transport operators and passengers alike.

He noted that the GPRTU acknowledged the importance of maintaining stable fares to ensure accessibility for all commuters, but without the appreciable support
and collaboration from government, such efforts became challenging.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Three persons accused of stealing metals worth GHC100,000 at a warehouse at Odorkor in Accra have been acquitted and discharged by the Dansoman Circuit Court.

The three accused persons are: Desmond Nartey, 18, Seth Kwakye Boafo, 21, and Sule Musah, 55.

The three accused persons were freed by the court after their counsels led by Mr Lord Delvin Essandoh and Cynthia Ademadjiku filed a submission of no case on their behalf.

This was after the prosecution had closed its case by calling witnesses.

Mr Essandoh, in the submission of no case, held that prosecution led by Chief Inspector Wonder Adele had failed to make a case because the Police could not link the three accused persons to the relevant offences and their corresponding ingredients.

The court presided over by Halimah El Alawa Abdul Bassit upheld the submission of no case, saying that the court could not see the link in all the charges preferred against the accused persons.

According to the court, the prosecution failed to prove their case beyond re
asonable doubt, adding the ‘the evidence of prosecution was so manifestly unreliable and same lost credibility’ after cross examination by defence counsels.

The court has however ordered Ebenezer Assan, the first accused person, to open his defence because a case has been made against him.

Assan, Nartey and Boafo were held on charges of conspiracy to commit crime and stealing.

Sule Musah, the fourth accused person was charged with dishonestly receiving.

They pleaded not guilty, and the court admitted them to bail in the sum of GHC120,000 with three sureties each.

Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Wonder Adele told the court earlier that the complainant Awurama Asanewaa was a businesswoman, residing at North Kaneshie.

The prosecution said Assan, the first accused, was unemployed and resided at Odorkor while Nartey, the second accused person, was also unemployed and resided at Kasoa.

Prosecution said Boafo, the third accused person, was also unemployed and lived at Weija, Accra and Musah, a scrap dealer
, at Odorkor.

The case of the prosecution is that the complainant owns materials used in mounting stages for events and she has her warehouse at Odorkor.

The court heard that Assan, Nartey and Boafo were employees of the complainant.

According to the prosecution, Assan was the warehouse manager.

Prosecution said the complainant had installed CCTV cameras around the warehouse.

The prosecutor said the complainant detected that Assan, Nartey and Boafo had been stealing some of the metals used in mounting stages valued GHC100,000.

The complainant reported the matter to the Police at Odorkor and Assan, Nartey and Boafo were arrested and detained to assist the Police in investigations.

Prosecution said during investigations, Assan, Nartey and Boafo admitted the offence and told the Police that they sold some of the metals to Musah and one other person, also a scrap dealer.

The Court heard that the Police arrested Musah to assist in investigations and during interrogation, Musah told the Police that he was a
scrap dealer at Odorkor Market, and that Assan brought him some metals as scrap to purchase.

Prosecution said Musah then asked Assan of the one who sent him, and Assan told Musah that it was the complainant who sent him.

Source: Ghana News Agency

An 18-year-old driver’s mate who claimed that his penis shrunk after a mason touched his shoulders, has been remanded by a District Court in Awutu Bereku in the Central Region.

When the Police issued a medical form to Emmanuel Arhinful to seek treatment, the report indicated that his penis was ‘Intact and functioning normal without any deformity ‘.

Arhinful has therefore been charged with publication of false news and deceiving a public officer, Corporal Mercy Nyarko Boatemaa, an investigator, that his penis shrunk after the complainant, Prince Zo Brimo touched him.

The accused person had denied the charges.

The court presided over by Naomi Kontuor remanded Arhinful into police custody to reappear on April 17, 2024.

Prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Thomas Sarfo and Chief Inspector Bernice Wie Kpuusuu told the court that the complainant, Prince Zo Brimo, was a mason, residing at Liberia Camp and the accused Emmanuel Arhinful, a driver’s mate, residing at Ofaakor, Kasoa.

Prosec
ution said on April 1, 2024, the complainant was on his way to Ofaakor and on reaching Kasoa, he realized that the accused person was following him and started making a phone call.

He became alarmed and wanted to report the behaviour of the accused person to a nearby Police station for assistance.

Prosecution said whiles the complainant continued his journey towards Kasoa New market, Arhinful followed him until the complainant entered the Kasoa New Market Police Station where he lodged a complaint.

Prosecution said when the accused was interrogated, he alleged that he followed the complainant because he detected that his manhood had shrunk after he touched his shoulders at the Kasoa MTN office.

The Court heard that Arhinful was issued with a Police medical report form to attend hospital for examination and report.

The report was duly received by the Police, and excerpts indicate that the penis of the accused was ‘Intact and functioning normal without any deformity ‘.

Prosecution said Arhinful was arrest
ed and cautioned.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Bernard Aborkugya Mensah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Krachi East, has died after a year in office.

A Ghana News Agency source said the MCE was delivering a martriculation speech at the Dambai College of Education Friday morning, when he collapsed and was rushed to the Dambai Health Centre.

He was later referred to the WoraWora Government Hospital for further treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival at the facility.

Hospital authorities are, however, tight-lipped on the incident.

Mr Kingsley Okuneggy, Krachi East New Patriotic Party Communication Officer, confirmed the incident on the party’s platform.

The deceased, 60, was nominated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to replace the late MCE, Francis Kofi Okesu, who died in September 2022.

Mr Mensah was a former Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party in the Krachi East Municipality.

A close source disclosed to the GNA that deceased wife also collapsed on hearing the news collapsed and currently on admission at the sam
e facility at WoraWora.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Some residents in Tema have appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to reconsider its decision to increase passport application fees, taking into account the prevailing financial difficulties in the country.

They described the over 500 per cent increment in the fees as unfair, saying Ghanaians were experiencing some hardships and that the increment could be a deterrent to the public to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

In a random survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the respondents called on the Government to rather create opportunities for the youth to be self-reliant as most of them lacked jobs after completing school.

The timing was inappropriate, Mr Emmanual Asante, a taxi driver, said and called on the authorities to listen to the plight of the taxpayers and make the application of a passport easier for the ordinary Ghanaian.

It was about time government institutions learnt to make good use of the limited resources available to the benefit of the nation, he n
oted.

Mr Kwasi Annang, an unmemployed, said even if the fees were to be increased to 1,000 per cent, people would still travel abroad for business or further their education, adding; ‘After all, you’ll make more money there compared to the fee for a passport here’.

Ms Glora Tweneboah, a trader, had a contrary opinion, saying: ‘If people can pay more than GHs1,000 to ‘Goro’ boys when they need passports, then the current price is not a problem; the only thing we need is that they must improve upon their services to justify the current fees.’

Ms Cynthia Laryea, a shop attendant, argued that it was not the time to blame any political party, but to ensure the institutions and systems worked effectively because politicians were the same in making promises they did never intended to honour when they won power.

She said although she understood the need for an increment, the percentages were too high, and it was disappointing that the views of the larger number of the citizenry were often not considered by the le
adership before taking such decisions.

She said she was not travelling any time soon, but it was just annoying how politicians were behaving, and it was important for the citizenry to get serious enough to make them listen to the voices of the underprivileged.

Source: Ghana News Agency