Author: eradmin

A Cameroonian student, Samuel Nkongho Tanyi, has been sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for importing 9.5 kilos of drugs to Cyprus from Cameroon. The verdict was passed on April 11th 2023.

The high court Judge Murat Soytaç together with two other judges noted that the accused came into the country as a student and imported 9.5 kilograms of cannabis-type drugs through the Ercan Airport because he did not have enough money to cover his education. He also stated that this portrays weaknesses in the student admission policy of foreigners by the state.

“It raises serious questions about the issue, and also points to serious weaknesses in the student admission policy of the State,” the North Cyprus News Agency reported.

He highlighted that importing drugs into North Cyprus, which is claimed to be the “country of universities”, through Ercan Airport also raises serious questions as to how well students can be protected.

“The fact that such a large amount of drugs can be brought into the country from Ercan Airport in a suitcase without taking any additional measures shows us a picture as grave as the crime committed.”

The High Court Judge has criticized the management of foreign students and says

urgent measures are needed to address the problem of African students who arrive in North Cyprus and become either the perpetrators or victims of crimes.

The online news for North Cyprus had reported in September last year that most African students, mainly from Nigeria, are lured to North Cyprus by agencies who promise them the opportunity to work while they study. There have been incidences where some have been kidnapped and forced to work as sex workers.

While Others have been unable to pay for their tuition because they cannot find employment to help pay for their studies and thus they resort to selling drugs.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

A Women farmers group at Wooredaa, a suburb of Zanlerigu community in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region, is appealing to Non-Governmental Organizations, philanthropist and individuals to help it expand its vegetable gardens.

The women, numbering 113 said they had outgrown the capacity of the garden which only accommodates 36 farmers compelling them to run in shift which reduces productivity.

The group is part of an irrigation project being implemented by the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO) with support from MISEREOR which covers 18 communities across the Upper East and North East Regions and targets 12 communities for the provision of solar mechanized water systems for irrigated vegetable cultivation.

Mrs Modesta Azumah, the leader of the group in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said it had secured land and needed support to fence it to enable the women cultivate their vegetables and provide more opportunities to more of their members to improve their livelihood.

“As women farmers, one of our major challenges now is getting our land fenced to expand production and accommodate more of us but we cannot afford it”, she stated.

According to her “the garden in its current capacity can only accommodate 36 farmers and so what we do is that we farm in batches, such that 36 farmers are allowed to cultivate for three harvesting periods and makes way for another batch and this I must say is not yielding the desired results for us.

“If we could expand and fence the garden, I assure you, we could provide good and affordable vegetables all year round which would greatly reduce the burden on all of us having to provide for our families”, she added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Upper East Regional Office of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) has appealed to caterers in the Region to continue to cook for pupils while management addressed their concerns.

Delays in payments to caterers had been in the news lately, as they were owed third and first terms of 20221/2022 and 2022/2023 academic years.

At some beneficiary public basic schools, especially in rural communities, where the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited, it observed that the kitchens were deserted, and some children sent their own food to school.

At the Chuchuliga Old Primary School in the Builsa North Municipality for instance, the pupils said ever since schools re-opened, they were not served meals, and were hopeful that the caterers would resume work soon.

Madam Georgina Ayamba, the Regional Coordinator of the GSFP, in a statement copied to the media in Bolgatanga, said management of the GSFP shared in the plight of caterers of the programme.

The statement indicated that management had initiated steps to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

“Management has also made a proposal to the government to review upward the amount currently paid to caterers which is receiving attention,” the statement said.

It commended caterers in the Region for their patience and pleaded with them to continue to cook for the children while their legitimate concerns were being addressed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Two people have died with seven others recuperating at Longisa County referral hospital following an outbreak of rabies in Bomet County. The County Governor, Prof Hillary Barchok revealed that a total of 179 cases of the disease have been reported in the county. Barchok said this while launching the distribution 12,000 doses of anti-rabies vaccine targeting both human beings and animals including cats and dogs. He said in a quick response the government through the veterinary officers have managed to vaccinate 40 dogs in Longisa Ward which has the highest incident of the disease. According to Longisa Ward Member of the County Assembly Stephen Chang’morik, there was a rabid dog on the loose in Longisa town which has since bitten four cows and a goat. He however said security agencies and veterinary officers were doing their best to apprehend the canine before it wrecks more havoc in the area. He said the most affected areas were Kipreres, Motiret and Cheboin of Bomet East Sub County. The MCA further urged the residents to ensure that they were vaccinated and ensure that their pets equally received the jab. This follows an outbreak of zoonotic disease including Anthrax and Black Quarter that have since been put under control as the county Government has provided and distributed the vaccines.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Mombasa County Governor, Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir has issued a cautionary alert to the public of a diarrheal disease that is accompanied by severe vomiting. Addressing the media in his office, Nassir said that he was alarmed with the increase of the reported cases of extreme diarrhea and vomiting especially from infants. He said that there have been 75 recorded cases in the last two weeks and that tests have been conducted, ruling out Cholera. So far out of 15 patients, 3 were confirmed with Rotavirus. Rotavirus is a very contagious genus of double- stranded RNA viruses in the family of Reoviridae that causes diarrheal disease among infants and young children. The most affected area is Kisauni Sub-County. Nassir noted that a cautionary measure has been taken to hire 54 more medical staff at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital to handle the influx of patients. He also added that the Community Health Volunteers (CHV) will help in the first aid of treatment of this disease noting that they will be under the County Government’s stipend until the end of the financial year (June). ‘In collaboration with the Water Department we shall install chlorination ports in the county to treat all water sources to ensure the residents have access to clean water and also regularize all Early Childhood Education (ECD) and the daycares for children under the age of 2 years by providing hand washing stations while sensitizing on the practice of proper hand hygiene,’ Nassir said. Nassir assured the public that if the rest of the cases are confirmed to be Rotavirus, the Public Health Department will immediately roll out a vaccination drive. He urged the trade department to sensitize food handlers and restaurants to have hand washing stations. He also urged the residents of the county to observe utmost cleanliness, cooperate in the vaccination process and visit the nearest medical facility for checkup and treatment if they experience any of the aforementioned symptoms.

Source: Kenya News Agency

From a country where athletics faces an uphill battle with football in the popularity stakes, Dodin is in a race against time to boost his speed in a bid to qualify for the World Championships in Budapest in August and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The remote Indian Ocean archipelago, which has a population of only around 100,000, has never come close to winning a medal at either Olympic or world level.

Dodin, a 100 and 200 metres specialist, is now in training in Kenya with the country’s sprint sensation Ferdinand Omanyala to hone his skills for the upcoming outdoor season.

Both men will line up for their first competitive outdoor meet of the year at the Athletics Grand Prix in Pretoria on Wednesday, the same event where 24-year-old Dodin set his personal best of 10.47sec.

That, however, came way back in March 2018 and is leagues away from the current African record of 9.77sec run by Omanyala in September 2021.

But the Seychellois says the tough training regime with the Kenyan and former South African 100m champion Henricho Bruintjies is already bringing out the best in him.

“When I got here in Kenya the first week, it was really, really hard to keep up with these guys because every day is fast training,” said Dodin.

“It’s really good to run with them because they’re always pushing hard to achieve their goals, and they help me better myself.”

Dodin has represented Seychelles in the Indian Ocean Islands games, the Francophone games and the African junior championships.

– ‘Main target’ –

He said he hopes to qualify for both the 100m and 200m at the World Championships.

But it has been made much harder for the likes of Dodin to make the cut, with World Athletics raising the bar for both events at the World Championships.

The qualifying time in the 100m is now a tough 10.00 and for the 200m it is 20.16, with a deadline of July 30. A large percentage of lesser sprinters, however, are expected to qualify outside those times through the world ranking system.

“It is the main target for every athlete to make it to the World Championships,” says Dodin, a trained mechanic.

“The work I am putting in should help me get there. That’s my main target this year.”

His sole international podium to date is an African under-20 championship bronze, which was also the country’s first sprint medal at the continental level.

The youngest of six siblings, Dodin used to play football, the number one sport in the island nation better known for its idyllic beaches.

He only decided to make a career in athletics at the age of 15 after being inspired by Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt.

Dodin said there was great potential in athletics in Seychelles but it was hampered by a lack of serious training.

“The people on the island love a lot of leisure and the talented ones don’t like to put in lots of hard training to become successful.”

Source: Seychelles News Agency