Day: March 3, 2024

Mr John Armooh, a building contractor, has been enstooled as the new Divisional Chief of Daboase in the Wassa East District of the Western Region.

He would occupy the stool, which had been vacant for the past 14 years with the name Nana Nyamfo Panyin II.

He took the oath of allegiance before the chiefs and people of Daboase at a durbar held at the market square in the community.

The ceremony was graced by traditional and religious leaders, security service officials, and people from the academia, among others.

Nana Panyin II, addressing the gathering after his installation, commended the people and elders for the trust reposed in him and pledged to promote peace and unity for development.

He said he would help the community to improve upon its health, education, sports and other infrastructure to enhance its standard of living.

Education, he said, was the bedrock for sustainable development and promised to ensure the youth acquired training, especially in technical and vocational education, for the requ
isite skills to better their lives.

On recreational activities, Nana Panyin mentioned the prioritisation of sports development through measures that would unearth the talents of the youth in the community.

Mr Oscar Tawiah Dadzie, an elder at the palace, expressed confidence that the new Divisional Chief would lead the people to realise the desired development for the community.

He, however, entreated Nana Panyin to rule his people with fairness and diligence and avoid indulging in partisan politics.

Madam Veronica Ntiako, a resident of Daboase, said: ‘We have never known him to be a man with bad behaviour, he is kind, God fearing and loves everyone’

‘May God grant him the wisdom to keep doing his good works for humanity.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Former President John Dramani Mahama said education is crucial to the country’s development, hence the sector attracts greater chunk of budgetary allocations by every government.

He said the sector continued to produce human resource capital for accelerated development, thus it was heartwarming when individuals committed their resources to complement the government’s efforts to educate the youth.

Mr Mahama said this on Saturday at the 40th Anniversary of the enstoolment of Togbe Dzegblade IV of Adaklu Kodzobi in an address delivered on his behalf by Mr Kwame Agbodza, the Member of Parliament of Adaklu.

He commended Togbe Dzegblade for setting up an educational fund to help brilliantl but needy students in the area.

The former President entreated students to take advantage of the Fund to upgrade themselves.

He said before the political dispensation chiefs were at the forefront of leadership who ensured the development of their communities.

Mr. Mahama said Togbe Dzegblade’s stay on the stool for 40 years
without chieftaincy disputes that translated into the rapid development of the community was commendable and congratulated him for the feat.

Togbe Gbogbi Atsa V, Paramount Chief and President of the Adaklu Traditional Council, said Togbe Dzegblade had helped to shape the fortunes of Adaklu across all spectrums of development.

‘I commend you for your hard work and excellent demonstration of neighbourliness that have helped to establish and maintain peaceful coexistence with other traditional areas,’ he stated.

Togbe Dzegblade, in his welcome address, gave a catalogue of development projects undertaken by the community without government’s assistance.

They included a 20-seater water closet toilet, classroom blocks, pipe borne water and a one-storey information Centre.

The Education Fund would not only support brilliant students but also those in apprenticeship and skills training, he said.

He said he would soon establish a Centre for Fabrication and Crafts Construction to sharpen the talents and skills of
the youth interested in those fields.

Professor Kenneth Egbadzor, the Head of Agriculture Science Department, Ho Technical University, who chaired the function, reminded the youth that the path to success was education and entreated them to prioritise it no matter how rough it might be.

Solidarity messages were delivered by the National Democratic Congress, University of Health and Allied Sciences, chiefs from other traditional areas, and religious leaders.

An 11-member board was inaugurated to run the Togbe Dzegblade Education Trust Fund.

Mr Mahama donated GHC10,000 in support of the Fund whilst Mr Agbodza also donated GHC5,000 in addition to the GHC20,000 he had earlier donated.

Present were Mr Ganyaglo, a former Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Mr Phanuel Kade Donkor, former DCE for Adaklu, heads of tertiary institutions and leaders of political parties.

Agboti Yao, a renowned artiste from Togo, entertained the gathering to good music.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Participants at the Bank of Ghana’s sensitisation programme on banking services, consumer rights and responsibilities, have appealed to financial institutions to reduce interest rates on loans to stimulate business activities in the country.

They expressed concern over the ‘excessively high’ lending rates by banking and micro-finance institutions, making it difficult for entrepreneurs and young business owners to succeed in the business environment.

The objective of the programme, held in Sunyani, was to educate the public, particularly informal sector workers, on financial management to enhance their fiscal literacy to make informed decisions.

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The participants included artisans, traders, small and medium-scale enterprises owners, members of the garage association and social clubs drawn from Sunyani and its environs.

?During an open forum, Madam Yaa Abrafi, a hardware dealer, said the current interest rates were unaffordable for traders.

She questioned how business operators who took a loan at a 40 pe
r cent interest rate could possibly repay and generate profit for the growth of their businesses under such conditions.

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‘The high interest rates have led to the collapse of many businesses in the informal sector, because they struggled to meet their loan obligations and ultimately forced out of business,’ she said.

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Madam Abrafi, therefore, appealed to the BoG, being the financial regulator, to review the existing policies and laws to regulate interest rates in the public’s interest to help promote local businesses growth.

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She, nonetheless, commended the BoG for initiating and implementing the informative programme, and said it had enlightened participants on issues within the banking sector, which, hitherto, they had little knowledge of and hindering their financial progress.

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Reverend Kwasi Twum, the Chief Manager, Financial Stability Department at the Bank of Ghana, said interest rates were not regulated by the Bank of Ghana, clarifying that they were rather determined by the inter-play of ma
rket forces of demand and supply prevailing in the market.

He said the BoG had issued licenses to numerous financial institutions to operate, so it was the responsibility of business operators to identify those offering the most favourable lending rates that guaranteed easiest loan repayment to do business with.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Tema Circuit Court B has granted Michael Opoku Ofori, a 32-year-old businessman, Gh?100,000.00 bail with two sureties, one of which is to be justified, for allegedly defrauding an online rice trader.

The Court, presided over by Mrs Klorkor Okai-Mills, granted him bail after he had pleaded not guilty to the two counts of defrauding by false pretense and issuing a false cheque.

Inspector Jacob Kuubal, prosecuting, told the court that the complainant, Mr Daniel Appertey, and his business partner Ms Patience Sitsope Zartey, were traders in local rice, while Ofori was a businessman who resided at Sakyikrom Nsawam.

He said on March 17, 2023, Ms Zartey was contacted by Ofori through his Facebook account under the name ‘Opoku Clef,’ expressing interest in purchasing some of her advertised local perfumed rice.

Ofori ordered 120 bags of the 25-kilogramme local perfumed rice at Gh?450.00 per bag, making a total of Gh? 54,000.00.

He then requested the WhatsApp number of the witness, which he was provided with.

Prosecution said Ofori later requested that the invoice for the intended purchase be issued in the name of Owusu Agyekum, but the traders requested an in-person meeting to enable them to show him samples of the rice.

They, therefore, agreed to meet at the East Legon Hisense building on the Lagos Avenue Road on March 28, 2023.

On the said date, the traders were picked at the agreed venue by a young man in a taxicab to meet with the accused person in a house that was under renovation.

Prosecution said Ofori received the rice sample and invoice from the complainant in front of the house with the excuse that he was unable to invite them into the house because of the construction works going on.

Instead, the accused person took them to the A and C Mall to have further conversations on the intended purchase and later requested for the bank account details of the complainant, to enable him to transfer the total sum of Gh? 54,000.00.

On March 30, Mr Appertey delivered the 120 bags of rice to Ofori at a different
house also in East Legon upon his directions, after which he (accused) gave the complainant a GCB bank deposit slip showing that he had made payment into his account.

Further police investigations revealed that the deposit was fraudulent and not honoured by the bank after three days, unfortunately, by that time, he had already taken delivery of the rice and had later blocked the phone number of the traders, prosecution said.

He said Ofori belonged to a bigger syndicate, which the police had been investigating and that their modus operandi was to make orders of products online and lure their victims into delivering the products to them at locations suggested by them.

He said after such deliveries were made, they made payment with cheque slips, which were always dishonoured due to a lack of funds.

Efforts are still underway to arrest Stephen Nana Boadi Danso, a key accomplice of Ofori, who is at large.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Youth Authority (NYA), in partnership with Keta-Anloga Youth Parliaments, have organised a sensitisation programme on Mentorship and Adolescent Sexually Reproductive Health (ASRH) for some pupils in the Municipality.

Seven schools benefited from the two-day programme meant to teach adolescent boys and girls how to take care of their reproductive health and set achievable life goals towards a bright and productive future.

Facilitators were drawn from the Keta-Anloga Youth Parliament, Keta Municipal Health Directorate, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Municipal Education Directorate and the National Service Secretariat.

Mr Fred Nuviadenu, the Minority Chief Whip, Keta-Anloga Youth Parliament, who spoke on Goal Setting and Mentorship, said: ‘Life is full of predicaments as you grow up, therefore, you must set achievable goals to be able to overcome them towards self-actualisation.’

Miss Dziedzorm Bensah, the Deputy Speaker of the Youth Parliament, educated the pupils on studyi
ng skills and how to set academic goals.

‘You must set short-term goals for every term and every week, learn how to take and make your notes, and pay attention to your teachers’ lessons.’

A facilitator from the Health Directorate touched on abstinence from irresponsible adolescent behaviours like pre-marital sex, drug abuse, and alcoholism, how to remain chaste until marriage, as well as healthy living.

Mr Francis Susuawu, the Director of the National Youth Authority, Keta office, in an interview with Ghana News Agency, said as stakeholders in the affairs of the youth, it was important to organise the programme to help shape their future.

‘We realise that we have a major role to play in raising the standard of education in the municipality and shaping moral values of our young ones, so this program is meant to augment the efforts of teachers and parents to shape their lives for the future,’ he said.

The beneficiary basic schools were Asadame A.M.E. Zion, Tsiame R.C., Tsiame E.P., Atiavi Agblego R.C., Ati
avi Agblego E.P., Agbodekor RC School, and Atsiame Basic School.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, in collaboration with Media Response, a Civil Society Organisation, has held a training workshop on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocols for students, youth groups and identifiable associations in the Western North Region.

It was to educate participants on the ECOWAS protocols, their operations and conventions, and how best to understand the movement of persons and goods in the sub-region.

They were taken through the mandate and functions of the Regional Integration Bureau, overview of ECOWAS and its protocol on free movements, rights of residence and establishment, the Youth Policy, prospects and achievements among others.

Mrs Perpetua Dufu, the Coordinating Director, Multilateral and International Organisations, Foreign Affairs Ministry, in an address read on behalf of the sector minister, said the Ministry stood as a cornerstone of Ghana’s foreign policy and remained a testament to fostering collaboration and unity wit
hin the sub-region.

She said ECOWAS had been steadfast in its dedication to fostering economic collaboration among member states to elevate the living standards of the people.

She, however, expressed worry over the recent military take-overs in the sub-region, and said those incidents had stained the credibility of ECOWAS.

‘While discontent towards ECOWAS is palpable, now more than ever, there is a pressing need for member states to unite. Despite the hurdles, we must preserve, uphold peace, security, and economic growth in the region,’ Mrs Dufu said.

She urged Ghanaians to stand as a pillar of stability and prevent any domino effect of instability because the citizenry had a shared responsibility to ensure that peace and security prevailed.

Ghana’s interest remained aligned with the ECOWAS Commission, she said, adding that the Ministry would continue to collaborate with ECOWAS member states to address ongoing challenges in the sub-region.

On the ECOWAS protocols, Mrs Dufu mentioned some conventions and
agreements that fostered democracy and good governance, political stability and accountability within member states.

Others also facilitated free movement across borders, which had expanded market access for trade and investments for member states.

She, therefore, encouraged the youth to take advantage of the numerous benefits that came with Ghana’s membership of the Community help better their socio-economic wellbeing.

Mr Ebenezer Amoah, Chief Director, Western North Regional Coordinating Council, on behalf of the Regional Minister, commended the Foreign Affairs Ministry for bringing the activities of ECOWAS closer to the youth in the region.

Nana Elluo Panin III, Chief of Nsuansua, who chaired the programme, expressed worry over the introduction of illicit drugs being sold on open markets by foreigners and appealed to the Ministry to crack down on those involved in the act.

The programme was attended by students from all senior high schools and tertiary institutions in the region, National Service Pers
onnel, and youth groups among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Amansie South District Security Council (DISEC) has summoned managers of Asanko Gold over a deadly clash between the youth of Tontokrom in the Ashanti Region and security officers of the company that led to the death of three persons on Saturday.

Security officers of the mining firm are reported to have fired gunshot leading to the death of a resident.

In retaliation, the locals lynched two members of the private security protecting the concessions of the Mine.

The meeting, chaired by Mr Clement Opoku Gyamfi, the District Chief Executive (DCE), also attended by opinion leaders in the community, was to take steps to resolve the impasse.

The DCE, who confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency, said the DISEC had taken over the case and one arrest had been made.

‘It was a clash between Asanko’s private security and that of the town folks and there was a gunshot from the private security, which unfortunately hit one of the town folks,’ he said.

‘So, they chased the private security men out, got hol
d of them, and lynched them.’

‘The company’s name has been mentioned and it is a legally licensed company operating within the district so we are meeting management of Asanko and the chiefs and opinion leaders to find a lasting solution to this development.’

The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the St. Martin’s Hospital morgue, Agroyesum, for preservation and autopsy.

There has been a longstanding tension between AsankoGold and the locals over alleged trespassing of the legally acquired concessions of the company by the youth, many of whom had taken to illegal mining for survival due to lack of decent jobs in the area.

This latest incident follows a protest staged by residents on Friday, demanding the establishment of a Community Mining Scheme to address the ongoing disputes.

Even though the authorities are yet to succumb to this pressure, there are fears that the development could compromise the security of the mining town.

Source: Ghana News Agency