Day: April 9, 2024

Dr. William Kwame Amankrah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, has cautioned second-cycle educational institutions to avoid violence and acts of hooliganism during sports competitions.

They should at all times uphold sportsmanship, discipline and respect the rules of engagement at competitions.

Dr. Amankrah, addressing the closing ceremony of the 2024 Ashanti Regional Inter-Schools and Colleges Athletics Super Zonals Competition, in Kumasi, reminded the students that the sports competitions were not avenues for brawls and confrontations.

The age-old tradition of some schools bearing grudges against each other, which normally triggered vandalism at the least provocation, should cease, he noted.

He warned that the authorities had resolved not to hesitate in meting out the appropriate sanctions to schools and students who misbehaved at sports competitions.

It would be recalled that some forty-five (45) students of the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI) were arrested by the police some six years ago, when
the law enforcers tried to restore calm after the students clashed with other students during the Regional Inter-Schools’ Athletics Competition.

Dozens were left injured in the incident, which triggered a public outcry at the excessive use of force by the police in their engagement with the students.

Over the years, clashes among rival schools have created tension – some of them resulting in the destruction of property, including stadium seats, school buses, among others.

Dr Amankrah advised the students to stay focused on building their educational and sporting careers.

They should learn hard to justify the huge investment made in them by the Government as well as their parents.

The 2024 Regional Athletics Super Zonals Competition saw Prempeh College emerging as champions of the boys’ division with 142 points, followed by OWASS (123 points) and T. I. AMASS (91.5 points).

It was the fourth time since 1988 that Prempeh College had won the Competition, having emerged champions in 2019, 2006 and 2002.

In
the girls’ division, St. Louis SHS were crowned the winners with 150.5 points, followed by T. I. AMASS (114 points) and KASS (94 points).

More than 40 schools participated in the Competition, involving some 22 events administered in accordance with the IAAF rules.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has pledged to change the ‘tag of corruption, ineptitude and inefficiency’ around the Judiciary and the Judicial Service.

‘We cannot do this without the support and attention of all stakeholders. To shake off these tags, training needs to be supplemented with consistent culture changing strategies to deepen ethical models of work in the courts.’

She was speaking at the launch of a Strategic Framework titled: ‘LEADing Justice’.

LEAD is an acronym for Law, Ethics, Assets, Due Process and Digitilisation.

The framework of her vision for the Judiciary called for bold and multiplied outlay of paralegal learning to be made available to over 7,000 staff of the Judicial Service Staff and countless professionals who work with the Judiciary to deliver justice.

These professionals include police investigators, prosecutors, mediators, valuers, surveyors, and auctioneers.

The occasion was used to outdoor some models of practice and directions of the courts.

They include practi
ce Directions on Court Connected Alternative Dispute Resolutions under Order 32 as Amended by CI 133, Administrative Direction to aid expeditious disposal of trial by Jury and Administrative Guidelines on generation of suit numbers and guidelines for procedures for online publication of judgements and rulings.

Chief Justice Torkornoo said Judicial administration ought to close the gaps through, which court users were subjected to exploitation and rent seeking behaviour.

‘This demands the removal of as much of human inter-facing that the court work is exposed to. Court officials are expected to work with independence, with impartiality, competence, and integrity.

‘Much of these ethical values are lost in the heavy traffic of human inter-facing between court officials and court users, including brokers functioning around the courts.’

According to her, the vision of producing culture-changing re-orientation programmes could not be achieved without the active partnership and support from stakeholders, includi
ng communities of businesses and donors.

Chief Justice Torkornoo said steps were being taken to revert to the opening and closure of assizes, which ensured that jurors remained with the Judiciary for only a short season.

According to her the current situation where one juror could be attached to the court for years, leaving their full-time work for long periods and earning from both institutions through the same public purse, needed to be ‘seriously deconstructed.’

‘In order to do so effectively, this vision contemplates the engagement of the private sector in the jury services, as is the situation in virtually every country.

‘I wish to humbly ask for the cooperation of the private sector in implementing strategies such as this, because we need to increase the ethical content of integrity and efficiency in criminal justice delivery.’

She said twelve Administrative Guidelines and Practice Directions had been stated in her vision statement.

They include Practice Direction on Commercial Pre-Trial Settlemen
t under Order 58 as amended by CI 133, Practice Direction in respect of Prerogative Writs involving Chiefs and Chieftaincy issues, Practice Directions on Adjournments and Adoption of Proceedings in Part heard Trials.

She said the goals of her vision, manuals and guidelines would cover myriad lines of court work.

The Chief Justice said the purpose was to increase transparency, competence, due process, and integrity in court work.

She said in the coming weeks, she intended to call for a Land Conference to discuss the huge number of land disputes streaming across the country.

‘As administrator of justice, I deem it my bounden duty to call for such conversations that will assist all of us to break these high walls against the flow of capital and investments into our country because of the uncertainty of security of investments in landed property.

Justice Torkornoo announced that the Judiciary was to embark on digitization of its paper records by building a modern archive centre to store all records emanating
from court in a coherent and orderly manner that could be easily retrieved whenever citizens and court users needed them.

She said the Judiciary had also set goals for its digital libraries.

Nana Otuo Siriboe II, Chairman of the Council of State and Omanhene of Asante Juaben Traditional Area, who chaired the occasion, urged the Chief Justice to ensure that more awareness was created cross the country on her vision.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) in partnership with Dubawa, a West African independent verification and fact-checking project, has organised a digital skills and fact-checking training for Reporters and Editors of the Agency.

The training, sponsored by Google News Initiative, is to sensitise participants on the importance of fact-checking and how to fact-check data and information in the discharge of their duties in order not to misinform, dis-inform or mal-inform the public.

The project is initiated by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development.

Mrs Beatrice Asamani Savage, the Director of Editorial, GNA, underscored the need for fact-checking before a story was published to enable reporters to produce factual and authentic news reports.

‘As Journalists, we don’t have to take everything that persons in authority say as accurate or true, as we have a duty to accurately inform our audience. As a News Agency, we need to make sure we are accurate and factual at all times,’ she advised.

Mr Nathaniel Ky
ere Bekoe, a Fact Checker in Dubawa, who took participants through ‘Information Disorder’, said information disorder had seven types – satire or parody, misleading content, imposter content, fabricated content, false connection, false context and manipulated content.

He admonished Journalists to be cautious in the discharge of their duties in order not to employ information disorder in their write-ups.

Ms Maxine Danso, a Communications Officer, Dubawa, speaking on ‘Fact-Checking Steps and Methodology’, said Fact checking was a process of confirming whether a piece of information was true or misleading.

For journalists to possess the skills of fact-checking, she entreated them to have good writing and research skills, analytical and critical thinking ability, and be aware of social issues.

They were also to be objective, knowledgeable in diverse topics, have interpersonal skills, be computer literate and have the ability to promptly meet deadlines.

Speaking on researching, Ms Danso asked them to use inter
net search, geographical mapping, calls, and documents to aid in their research.

She also cautioned them to desist from trying to fact-check opinions, promises/caveats/predictions, and satire/jokes and estimates.

‘Let your copy flow, be transparent with your write-up, present all sides without being biased, insert links when necessary, break down the jargon, and ensure you self-edit and get your reports edited by another person before publication,’ she added.

The two-day training is to equip the participants with fact-checking skills ahead of the December polls.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flagbearer, has underscored the indispensability of digitalisation in the advancement of justice system in Ghana.

At the launch of LEADing Justice, an acronym for the framework of the vision of the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Margaret Torkonoo, in Accra on Monday, the Vice President said digitalisation was crucial for the Chief Justice’s vision framework and crucial towards the realisation of the vision, as well as the transformation of the overall justice delivery system in Ghana.

‘As we have learnt today, the vision of Her Ladyship Chief Justice hinges on the fundamental pillars of law, ethics, assets management and digitalisation, a trajectory I am profoundly interested in and committed towards the preservation of due process – all of which are crucial for the continuing advancement of our justice system,’ Dr. Bawumia stated.

The Vice President, in 2018, launched the Electronic Case Tracking System for the criminal justice sector
and had since witnessed positive changes.

The e-justice system was also outdoored a year later, thus, bringing to the administration of justice digitalisation as a key component of that strategic vision.

Vice President Bawumia commended the new Chief Justice for her commitment to enhancing the administration of justice in Ghana through her LEADing initiative, and called on all stakeholders to support the vision.

The Vice President also lauded the Judiciary and the Judicial Service for bringing justice closer to the people by employing the tools and strategies to make it much more comfortable for them to access and utilise the instruments of justice.

‘I note with great admiration and excitement the new impetus, focus, energy, and dynamism that Her Ladyship has brought to the administration of justice since she took over the reins of office less than a year ago.

‘It is this new zeal and sense of urgency that has culminated in the Vision that we are launching today which would be the blueprint for her admin
istration and point the way for the Judiciary and the Judicial Service towards the goal that meets the justice demands of the 21st Century and beyond,’ he stressed.

Dr Bawumia encouraged all the key players in the justice delivery value chain to lend their support towards supporting the vision of the Chief Justice.

The Vice President re-affirmed the Government’s resolve to supporting the Judicial Service to ramp up the e-Justice system to other levels of court beyond the High Courts in Accra.

‘We shall continue to invest in court infrastructure, residential accommodation for Judges and Magistrates and the general re-tooling of the human resources of the institution to improve justice delivery,’ Dr Bawumia said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit of the Municipal Assembly has said it was able to collect and dispose off over 70 per cent of household wastes generated in the Awutu-Senya-East Municipality.

Data from the sanitation unit showed that the municipality generated about 118.26 tonnes of waste daily and 70 per cent out of the total figure was collected in collaboration with private waste management companies.

Mr Godson Lodo, the Municipal Environmental Officer, said waste collection in the area had improved, although there was more work to be done as some residents still complained about the heaps of waste mostly left unattended to by the Assembly.

Mr Lodo said the Assembly lacked the capacity to manage the huge waste generated due to limited logistics and a landfill site for final disposal, therefore it had engaged the assistance of some private companies.

He said their involvement had helped improve sanitation, particularly waste management collection in the municipality.

Out of the 13 electoral
areas in the municipality, 10 had waste management companies actively working there, in addition to hired sweepers who constantly sweep the markets daily, he said.

‘We are doing our best and if you come to the Kasoa new market for instance, we have our own labourers sweeping after every market day, and they supervise the waste while Zoomlion oversees to the Central Business District (CBD).’

‘We have officers at the zonal council level and have also intensified public awareness and education trying to get the public to register with waste management companies for a waste bin to help improve sanitation,’ he added.

Mr Lodo said a major challenge facing the Assembly was the non-availability of a landfill site, compelling it to depend on the one at Ojobi in the Gomoa East District, which was far.

However, the Assembly was in the process of acquiring a 28-acre land at Ojobi to begin operating a landfill site, he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

An abandoned five-year-old toilet projects are fueling open defecation at Fosukrom, a cocoa growing community in the Bia East District of the Western North.

Residents said they were upset about the work on the construction of two toilet projects, a digester type, which began somewhere in 2019, but had stalled, and left in ruins under the mercy of the weather.

During a visit to the farming community, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) noticed weeds had taken over the 12-units toilet project, a digester type, and left to deteriorate, though the works had reached roofing levels.

Mr Abdul Karim Mohammed, the Assemblyman for Fosukrom Electoral Area, in an interview with the GNA, said the community had made persistent appeals to the District Assembly to complete the projects for use, but had not received any positive response.

He regretted that many houses in the area lacked household toilets, and because of that some of the residents had no option than to defecate openly in the town.

The unpleasant situation, he add
ed, was worrying because it could serve as a public health threat as the rains set in.

He appealed to NGOs, corporate bodies and philanthropist individuals and organisations to come to their aid and complete the projects for use to control open defecation, which was becoming disturbing in the town.

Mr Mohammed explained the District Assembly started the construction of the projects, but work had since been abandoned due to limited funds, saying the projects ought to be completed because there were no public toilets in the area to cater for visitors and travellers.

He said the town shared a boundary with the Ahafo Region and was well known for commercial cocoa and foodstuff production, which was making Fosukrom a business hub, where a lot of people visited during the market days.

It is therefore imperative to complete the toilet projects for use and that would further enhance the Assembly’s revenue mobilization drive in the area, Mr Mohammed stated.

Other pressing challenges facing the community which req
uired urgent attention, he added, were deplorable condition of school buildings and inadequate desks and learning and teaching materials in schools as well as bad roads in the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Italian President Sergio Mattarella, during his working visit to Ghana, launched the ‘Ghana Project’ at the Don Bosco Training Institute at Ashiaman, Greater Accra Region.

The project, a collaboration between Ghana and Italy, aims to train 250 Ghanaian youth in practical skills such as welding, catering, and forklift truck operation, among others.

It is led by the Confederation of Italian Industries (Confindustria Alto Aldriatico), Salesians of Don Bosco, West Africa South Province (AOS), VIS Ghana, an Italian non-governmental organisation and UMANA Spa, an Italian employment service agency.

Under the arrangement, Don Bosco Training Institute will conduct the training at its centres. VIS Ghana will give Italian language classes to the trainees, while UMANA will recruit them to work in Italy once the three-month courses are completed.

President Mattarella, accompanied by his daughter Laura Mattarella and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Edmondo Cirielli, toured facilities at the Don Bosco Training Instit
ute last Saturday.

Speaking at the event, Mr Mattarella praised the Institute’s progress in training young people in vocational skills, as well as the collaboration between the Confederation of Italian Industries (Confindustria Alto Aldriatico), Salesians of Don Bosco, and other agencies on the project.

He said the ‘Ghana Project’ fell within the scope of friendship between Italy and Ghana and expressed confidence that the partnership would provide the needed opportunities for the youth.

‘We have entered into a number of convergence of ideas and opinions and we were in full sink of all the subjects with the firm willingness of both parties to further enhance cooperation between Italy and Ghana…We have to pull together our respective capacities because we want to grow together and this is the way forward,’ he said through an interpreter.

Mr Mattarella said the youth played an important role in national development and needed to be equipped with the requisite skills and knowledge in all aspects.

Rev Fr Mar
k Eshun, Principal, Don Bosco Training Institute, said the partnership between Ghana and Italy would encourage the Institute to train more people and provide the required human resource for national development.

He called for more collaboration in acquiring the necessary equipment and resources which would enhance skills training in various training institutions.

Fr. Chris Nizniak, PDO Director of Don Bosco, presented a gift to Mr Mattarella on behalf of the leadership and staff of Don Bosco Training Institute.

Present at the event were Daniela d’Orlandi, Ambassador of Italy to Ghana, Mrs Merene Benyah, Ambassador of Ghana to Italy, Mr Titus Glover, Greater Accra Regional Minister-designate, Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Representatives of Salesians of Don Bosco, staff and students at Don Bosco Training Institute.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Eric Oduro Osae, the Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), said the Government has initiated major legislative and policy reforms to restructure internal auditing and inject fiscal discipline into the management of public funds.

The enactment of the IAA Act, 2003 (ACT 658) and a Public Financial Management (PFM) Act 2016 (ACT 921) are to strengthen the position and practice of internal audit in the country.

Dr Osae made this disclosure in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a two-day training in Ho on Monday for Public Institutions on the National Adoption of the 2024 Global Internal Audit Standards (GIAS).

Also for national adoption are the International Auditing Public Sector Accounting Standards-based Financial Statements and Application of the (PFM) Commitment Control Checklist system.

He announced that work was progressing steadily to finalise the Internal Audit Restructuring process and the IAA Amendment Bill, 2024, expected to rationalise conditions of service and provid
e the framework for professional effectiveness.

The Government had made commitments to implementing some interventions in the 2024 Economic Policy and Budget Statement to improve accountability and transparency in the management of public funds, he said.

These include verification and validation of arrears identified as of December 2022 before payments are made, undertake expenditure and procurement control measures, enforce sanctions under the PFM ACT and strengthen internal audit functions.

Others are the use of GIFMIS in all transactions to prevent unbudgeted expenditure, alignment of quarterly budget allotments with cash flow forecast, revision of cash plans for quarterly basis and all ministries, departments and agencies to use GHANEPS for procurement among others.

He commended Internal Auditors in the public sector for their hard work and professionalism to keep the economy running despite the difficulties.

Dr Osae said auditors had performed creditably in the first quarter of 2024 compared to same
period in 2023, with majority submitting their 2024 Risk-based Internal Audit Work-plans on time.

A total of 157 work-plans were in default as against over 200 submitted at the close of deadline in the same period of 2023, which captured four Ministries, 59 Departments and Agencies, 32 State Owned Enterprises or SIGA institutions, and 44 GTEC/tertiary institutions and 21 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.

He entreated internal auditors to support external auditors, management of institutions and audit committees to ensure adherence to sound management practices.

Key of the reforms was the set-up of statutory audit committees for over 99 per cent public sector institutions and review in 2023 of new guidelines for effective functioning of committees.

Dr Osae said the national adoption of the new International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) of GIAS issued by the IAA Global and the move from conventional pre-auditing to full scale risk-based audit system was another leg.

On National Ad
option of Global Internal Audit standards in Ghana, Mr Benjamin Adjetey, Director, Training, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, IAA, said the Global Internal Audit Standards or the new International Professional Practices Framework adopted was to guide public sector internal audit practice was in line with Global standards.

The module objective was to provide a roadmap for adoption of the Global Internal Audit Standards by IAA for public sector internal audit in accordance with the Internal Audit Agency Act, 2003 (ACT 658) effective January, 2025.

He urged internal auditors not to compromise ethical professional standards governing their work.

Participants include heads of public institutions, directors and staff of the various audit units, principal spending officers and account holders as well as audit committee members.

Source: Ghana News Agency

MTN Ghana as part of its corporate social responsibility has donated food items and an amount of GHS20,000 cash to the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu, to commemorate the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The items donated included 25 bags of rice, 15 cartons of vegetable oil, 40 Packs of Mineral Water, 10 cartons of canned drinks, 20 packs of assorted soft drinks, and a ram.

Mr Salihu Abu, Senior Manager for Customer Relations and Credit Management, speaking during the donation, said the gesture reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting their customers across all religious backgrounds and cultures.

He said that similar donations were being made to all Regional Chief Imams in Ashanti, Western and Northern regions.

Mr Abu said during the festival celebration, MTN would set up stands at vantage points to provide customers with enhanced customer services.

‘Customers will be able to do their sim change, register for MoMo and we also leverage on platforms to educate customers on Mobile Mone
y fraud,’ he added.

Mr Abu said the donations across the country were to affirm the company’s appreciation for customers support, patronage and loyalty to MTN.

He hinted that MTN Ghana Foundation had opened entries for the MTN Bright Scholarship scheme, which aims to assist students in public tertiary and vocational institutions with their financial commitments whilst in school.

The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, accommodation, stipend, and a laptop.

He said the deadline for submission of applications was on Friday, 31st May, 2024.

‘Eligible applicants will have to apply only through the web portal at scholarship.mtn.com.gh. No hardcopy applications will be accepted’, he said.

However, he urged the Muslim community to be charitable towards the less privileged, and to learn to live in harmony with their neighbours.

He expressed his deepest condolences to his Eminence the National Chief Imam for the loss of his wife. ‘May Allah grant her the highest place in Jannah.’

His Eminence Sheikh Usman N
uhu Sharubutu expressed appreciation to MTN Ghana for the gesture and prayed that Allah rewarded their loyalty.

‘Giving to children of God is a blessing because you have done Allah’s Will.’

He said donating for the cause of God was a blessing to Allah and prayed for success and prosperity to MTN Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Transaction Banking Team of Stanbic Bank Ghana has donated a GHS 30,000 cheque to the Gynecology and Maternity Ward of the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) Hospital.

The donation covered the medical bills of 15 new mothers who have remained at the hospital after childbirth due to financial challenges.

Kate Agamah, Head of Transaction Banking, at Stanbic Bank, said that the donation aligned perfectly with the Bank’s commitment to give back to the community.

She said that based on that principle of giving, the Bank was compelled to come to the aid of the mothers who struggled to pay their bills after delivery.

‘At Stanbic Bank, we strongly believe in leaving a positive impact in our community towards driving national growth and development. This gesture was born out of our desire to make a positive impact beyond our normal banking activities’, she said.

She added, ‘Today, we are proud to have raised GHS 30,000 to assist 15 of these women, knowing that they can now return home to their famili
es, fills our hearts with warmth and fulfilment.

‘This act of kindness is just one example of our ongoing commitment to supporting our community and contributing to the growth and development of our beloved country.’

Dr. Akua Afriyie Gyimah-Asante, Medical Superintendent at LEKMA Hospital, expressed profound gratitude for the donation.

She emphasised the impact it would make on the women, saying, it would enable them to reunite with their families.

‘We are extremely grateful to the Transaction Banking Team at Stanbic Bank for this remarkable act of generosity.

‘This gesture has made a significant difference in the lives of these women, enabling them to reunite with their families and move forward with their lives. We appreciate their continuous support and encourage them to keep up the good work,’ she said.

Recipients of the donation also shared their heartfelt appreciation.

They expressed how the support had positively impacted their lives.

One of the new mothers said the period had been incredibly c
hallenging for her and her colleagues.

She said their inability to settle their medical bills after delivery made it impossible for them to leave the Hospital.

‘Thanks to Stanbic Bank’s kindness, I can finally return home with my baby and be with my family. This donation means the world to us, and we are truly overwhelmed by this act of kindness. May God continue to bless the team at Stanbic Bank for their thoughtfulness’, she said.

Source: Ghana News Agency