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Liberia Election: ECOWAS Commission deploys 15-member long-term election observers     

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Dr Omar Alieu Touray, President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, has approved the deployment of 15-member Long-Term Election Observers (LTOs) to monitor key stages in the upcoming general election in                Liberia. 

Liberians are going to the polls for elections on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. 

A statement issued by the ECOWAS Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday said the deployment was consistent with the provision of Articles 12 to 14 of the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance on assistance to Member States holding elections. 

It said the Long-Term Observation Mission (LTOM), headed by Mr Serigne Mamadou KA, Acting Head of the Electoral Assistance Division comprised of experts in election administration, gender and civil society, constitutional law, security and the media. 

The statement explained that the LTO Mission would be in Liberia until Sunday, October 15, 2023, to observe the electoral processes and serve as an early warning mechanism for preventive diplomacy. 

“During their stay, the electoral experts will hold working sessions with various stakeholders, including the National Elections Commission (NEC), government, civil society organizations, the media, security agencies, as well as political parties and candidates, toward ensuring a smooth electoral process,” it said. 

The ECOWAS LTOs would be reinforced on October 3 October by 80 of their Short-Term colleagues drawn from the ECOWAS Council of the Wise, ECOWAS Parliament and Community Court of Justice, member States’ foreign ministries, electoral management bodies, as well as civil society organisations. 

The combined observation Mission, led by Prof Attahiru Jega, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria, observers would be deployed across Liberia’s 15 Counties including the national capital, Monrovia. 

The Mission would issue a Preliminary Declaration within 48 hours after the elections, to be followed by a detailed Final Report on its observations. 

Some 2,471,617 registered voters among Liberia’s estimated population of 5.4 million are expected to elect Liberia’s new President, 15 Senators, and 73 members of the House of Representatives. 

President George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) is seeking re-election for a second term. 

He stands up against 19 other candidates, Mr Joseph Boakai, a former Vice-President of the Unity Party and Mr Alexander Cummings of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP). 

Tema Collection Sector of Customs holds consultative committee meeting 

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The Tema Collection Sector of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has held a Customs Consultative Committee (JCCC) meeting involving all stakeholders involved in the port business. 

The stakeholders included the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Meridian Ports Services, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Standard Authority, Veterinary Services, Navy, Police, National Security, National Intelligence Bureau, and freight forwarders, among others. 

Assistant Commissioner Christiana Odi Adjei, Tema Collection Sector Commander of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), said in a welcome speech that the JCCC was created as a medium through which all stakeholders in the port could interact seamlessly and channel the challenges faced in their daily operations. 

Assistant Commissioner Adjei said these challenges were then addressed by the appropriate institutions to enhance the turnaround time of port clearance and to also promote cordial working relations among the agencies. 

She said the in-person engagements of the committee were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that management of the Tema Collection deemed it fit to resume the in-person engagement again after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 no longer high-risk. 

She said the JCCC was of priority to GRA, especially the Customs Division, in a time such as the current, when the country was relying on them to help move the economy to its expected point. 

She added that the periodic engagements by the Committee would improve the customs clearance processes and procedures, especially the joint examination of goods, while promoting swift and cost-effective clearance of goods at the port. 

Mrs. Esther Kwakyewaa Amekudzi, the Chief Revenue Officer in Charge of Systems Administrator, commended stakeholders for their contributions towards having a robust clearing system. 

Mrs. Amekudzi said it was important that stakeholders, especially importers and agents, get themselves abreast of the system for smooth operations, stating, for instance, that some do not know the procedure to follow when they want to convert a transit declaration to home consumption. 

She said in such a case, the appropriate procedure was that whenever they have such an intent, they must first apply to the assistant commissioner of transit, and when he approves it, it would be sent down to the Tema Collection Sector for the necessary change to be effected. 

She said that when that happens, the immediate thing is that the consignment must be moved to the nearest customs office from whichever location it is, “so if it’s within Tema, it means that you have to move it to the state warehouse.” 

She also educated the stakeholders on what could lead to being blocked in the system and what must be done to avoid that, as well as the application for an extension of days for transit cargo clearance. 

Madam Abena Serwaa Opoku Fosu, the Marketing and Communications Manager at Tema Port, enumerated some challenges chalked under the current sector commander. 

These, she said, included the securing of Terminal 2 as a fix station, adding that an office was being set up for customs officers who would be assigned there, revealing that it would cut the cost for a lot of people as they would no longer have to bring the containers from Terminal Three to Terminal Two and then back to Jubilee. 

She said a number of pieces of equipment have also been procured by the GPHA, including tele trucks and mobile cranes, among others. 

There were other presentations from the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), the FDA, and the GSA.  

Gas Refilling operators express concerns on the Cylinder Recirculation Model

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Some gas refilling station operators in Accra have expressed reservations about the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM).

They contend that the initiative could negatively impact many low-income consumers, as well as businesses and jobs in the industry.

The CRM programme, which became operational on September 1, allows bottling plants to fill gas and distribute it to consumers through exchange points.

Under this system, the consumer takes an empty cylinder to the exchange point and picks up a filled one. The empty one is taken to the bottling plant, filled, and returned for other consumers to pick up.

Mr Nuhu Chamba, a gas refilling attendant at Avenor, was concerned about those who do not buy gas in standardised quantities but rather according to how much they can afford.

“For example, five kilogrammes go for 64.15 cedis, six kilogrammes for 77 cedis, seven kilogrammes for 90 cedis, and eight kilogrammes for 103 cedis, but usually, when customers come, they would buy 20 cedis, 30 cedis, 50 cedis, 60 cedis, 70 cedis and so on. And you have to fill it for them.

“Now under the CRM, the cylinder will be filled according to standardised quantities. So, how do you cater for all those customers who cannot afford it?” he asked.

Mr Chamba was also concerned about how to assure consumers that the quantity they were paying for was exactly what had been put into the cylinder.

He added that under the refilling procedure, even when customers watched the scale as the cylinder was filled, they believed the gas attendant was defrauding them.

“Now under the CRM, you bring an already filled cylinder and say it is 5 kg or 10 kg—but the customer did not witness the cylinder being filled and thinks that the quantity is not genuine—how do you assure the customer that he or she is not being cheated?” Mr Chamba asked.

Foreman, another gas refilling attendant at Apenkwa, questioned the CRM’s viability.

“Will the exchange points continuously supply gas so that anytime consumers need it, they will get some to buy?

“How about if a refilling station converts into an exchange point and then the CRM is not well maintained and so after a while, it collapses?” he asked.

Foreman also feared that he would lose his job once the CRM was instituted, which would cause hardship for him and his family.

He was also concerned that other workers, such as gas station attendants, tanker drivers, and mechanics, might be laid off.

Mr Maxwell Appau, a gas station attendant at Alajo, was concerned about how customers who drove gas-powered vehicles would be able to refill their tanks under the CRM system.

He pushed for the proper storage of the cylinders at the exchange points to avoid mishaps, as well as intensive education on the CRM programme to ensure its success.

The 25 most deadly earthquakes in the previous 25 years

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More than 2,800 people were killed in an earthquake that slammed Morocco late Friday, and the death toll is anticipated to grow when rescuers reach hard-hit isolated mountainous areas. Below are the 25 worst earthquakes in the previous 25 years:

September 8, 2023

In Morocco, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake kills more than 2,800 people.

February 6, 2023

In Turkey and Syria, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake kills more than 21,600 people.

April 25, 2015

In Nepal, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake kills more than 8,800 people.

March 11, 2011

A 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan triggers a tsunami that kills more than 18,400 people.

January 12, 2010

In Haiti , more than 100,000 people are killed by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. The government put the death toll at 316,000, but the scale of the destruction made an accurate count impossible.

May 12, 2008

Magnitude 7.9 earthquake hits eastern Sichuan in China, killing more than 87,500 people.

May 27, 2006

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits the island of Java, Indonesia, killing more than 5,700 people.

October 8, 2005

Magnitude 7.6 earthquake kills more than 80,000 people in Kashmir region , Pakistan .

December 26, 2004

A 9.1 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia triggers a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, killing around 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

December 26, 2003

Magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits southeastern Iran, killing more than 20,000.

January 26, 2001

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake hits Gujarat, India, killing 20,000 people.

August 17, 1999

Magnitude 7.6 earthquake hits Izmit, Turkey, killing around 18,000 people.

Morocco: Rescuers continue to look for survivors as hope fades

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Volunteers and rescue personnel were engaged in Morocco on Tuesday to search for survivors, despite the fact that hopes are fading more than 72 hours after the earthquake that killed almost 2,900 people.

According to the most recent data on Monday evening, the epicentre of the quake, which killed 2,862 people and wounded 2,562, is located in a hilly area of the High Atlas, where landslides have made access to the afflicted towns even more difficult.

Moroccan rescuers are working with foreign teams to expedite the hunt for survivors and give shelter for hundreds of people who have lost their houses.

But in some isolated areas, the inhabitants claim to have been abandoned to their fate.

In the village of Imoulas, perched in the High Atlas, residents seem lost amid the rubble of their homes.

“We feel completely abandoned here, no one has come to help us. Our houses have collapsed and we have nowhere to go. Where are all these poor people going to live?” laments Khadija, a resident of this hard-to-reach village, masking her face with her veil.

“The state didn’t come, we didn’t see anyone. After the earthquake, they came to count the number of victims. Since then, not a single one of them is left. No civil protection, no assistance force. No one is here with us,” says Mouhamed Aitlkyd amid the rubble.

Helicopters have been flying back and forth to bring food to quake survivors in some of the small, isolated villages, as AFP journalists have observed.

– Solutions on the drawing board –

The head of the Moroccan government, Aziz Akhannouch, chaired a meeting on Monday devoted to the reconstruction of homes destroyed in the disaster zones.

“Citizens who have lost their homes will receive compensation (…) a clear offer will be announced shortly”, he declared.

According to him, solutions are currently being studied for the homeless.

Meanwhile, the villages closest to the epicenter of the earthquake remain inaccessible due to landslides.

The Moroccan army has set up field hospitals to treat the injured in isolated areas, such as the village of Asni, in the stricken province of Al Haouz, just over an hour from Marrakech.

More than 300 patients have already been admitted, Colonel Youssef Qamouss, a physician, told AFP.

“We assess severity, so serious patients are sent to Marrakech. We also have a radiology unit, a laboratory and a pharmacy,” he told AFP.

On Sunday evening, Morocco announced that it had accepted offers from four countries to send search and rescue teams: Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

According to AFP correspondents, Spanish rescue workers were present on Monday in two quake-stricken localities south of Marrakech, Talat Nyaqoub and Amizmiz.

“The big difficulty lies in remote, hard-to-reach areas like here, but the injured are being helicoptered in,” Spanish team leader Annika Coll told AFP.

“It’s hard to say whether the chances of finding survivors are diminishing, because for example in Turkey (hit by a very violent earthquake in February), we managed to find a woman alive after six and a half days. There is always hope,” she added. “It’s also important to find the lifeless bodies because the families need to know and grieve”.

Lionel Messi will not participate in Argentina’s next World Cup qualifier due to his “two worst games as a footballer,” according to an ex-Bolivia goalie.

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Lionel Messi is certain to miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia following what has been described as his “two worst games as a player” in La Paz.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is part of the Albiceleste side, which is set to return to play on Tuesday. He scored the game-winning goal for his country, who defeated Ecuador 1-0 to begin their quest to reach the 2026 finals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

There has been talk of Messi being rested against Bolivia, given his recent workload at MLS side Inter Miami, but ex-Bolivia goalkeeper Jose Carlos Fernandez believes memories of the past will be leading the all-time great to ponder whether he really wants to take to the field in testing conditions that are played at the highest altitude.

Fernandez has told D Sports Radio of the questions surrounding Messi’s potential involvement: “If you ask me, I prefer him to play. The two worst games in his history as a footballer have been in the city of La Paz, I have seen him suffer. The height kills him psychologically. I think he will not play in this game.”

Messi was part of the Argentina squad that famously lost 6-1 away to Bolivia under Diego Maradona in 2009. Four years later, he struggled again as the Albiceleste could only claim a 1-1 draw in La Paz, but Messi finally tasted victory in Bolivia in October 2020 as Argentina earned a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win.

  • Messi Argentina 2023GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?While spotting a potential chink in Messi’s often impenetrable armour, Fernandez does hold the 2022 World Cup winner – who has been starring in America for Inter Miami – in the highest regard. He added: “I think the Argentine national team won the World Cup thanks to him. He wins the games when it suits him, and that’s perfect.”

‘I wouldn’t argue with Lionel Messi,’ says Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou in response to Argentina superstar Cristian Romero’s daring Cristian Romero remark.

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When it comes to Cristian Romero’s huge billing, Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou concedes he “wouldn’t dispute with Lionel Messi.”

Argentina’s Lionel Messi has said that Romero is “the finest defender in the world right now.” The Spurs center-half helped his country win the Copa America in 2021 before playing a key role in their World Cup victory in Qatar in 2022.

Romero has taken on more of a leadership role for club and country, with his value to those respective causes continuing to grow. Messi is clearly a big fan, and that is good enough for Postecoglou – even if others may not entirely agree with the opinion that has been shared.

Spurs boss Postecoglou has told talkSPORT when asked about the glowing reference that Romero has received: “I wouldn’t argue with Messi. I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t like to play against him [Romero]. Most of the boys don’t like to train against him. He’s a real competitor and I love that about him. Whether it’s training or a game, what you see is what you get with Romero.”

  • Cristian Romero Tottenham 2023-24GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?Romero joined Tottenham from Atalanta in an initial loan agreement in the summer of 2021. That deal has seen been turned into a permanent transfer, with the commanding 25-year-old taking in 68 appearances during his time in north London.

My first priority is the completion of La General Hospital – NPP Aspirant to the seat of La Dadekotopon

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Dr. Joseph Gerald Tetteh Nyanyofio, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the La Dadekotopon seat, has committed to prioritise the development of the La General Hospital if won in the 2024 elections.

The hospital was dismantled in 2020 to make way for a new one, but the project appears to have been abandoned.

Addressing to the media on the margins of his inauguration, Nyanyofio stated that the hospital’s building is a top priority for him and the NPP.

“The La General Hospital was supposed to give us some good health because the NDC had been in government and had seen the dilapidated situation in which people were accessing medical services and the president in his wisdom decided to come and cut sod for the commencement for a reconstruction project and whatever the reasons are, it is now or never,” he said.

Nyanyofio said he will work with the government to ensure that the project is completed as soon as possible.

He also promised to provide better healthcare services to the people of La Dadekotopon.

The hospital was a major healthcare facility in the area, and its closure has caused a lot of inconvenience to people.

French embassy partners Mabia-Ghana to improve adolescent health 

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The French Embassy in Ghana has partnered Mabia-Ghana, a Bolgatanga based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to refurbish and equip two Adolescent Health Centres in the Yikpabongo and Yizesi communities in the Mamprugu-Moagduri District of the North East Region. 

The Centres, equipped with medical and non-medical equipment and consumables were meant to educate adolescents on sexual and reproductive health issues, and serve as recreational facilities for them. 

At Yikpabongo, the NGO refurbished an abandoned dilapidated structure attached to the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound and equipped it with furniture, medical equipment and consumables, games, contraceptives, among others. 

Related items were presented to another Adolescent Health Centre at the Yizesi Health Centre, where Mabia-Ghana also refurbished an adolescent-friendly facility constructed by Plan International. 

Mr Moses Liyobe Nanang, the Programme Manager for Mabia-Ghana, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Yizesi after two separate ceremonies to commission the projects, that the initiative to refurbish and equip the Centres was part of a project implemented by Mabia-Ghana. 

He said the project was aimed to improve the sexual health and development of adolescents in the Yikpabongo sub-district, adding that apart from the two communities, the project would benefit adolescents from the Tantala, Nangrumah and Zukpeni communities. 

He said the total cost of the two projects including capacity building workshops for nurses, midwives and teachers, community, and school outreaches to provide Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) all amounted to GHȻ221,100. 

Mr Nanang explained that the French Embassy in Ghana supported with GHȻ179,700 through its Dwabo Small Grants Programme, whilst Mabia-Ghana topped up with GHȻ41,400. 

He said the North East Regional Health Directorate, through the efforts of the former Regional Director, Dr Abdulai Abukari, presented a brand-new motorbike to the Yikpabongo CHPS compound as the Region’s contribution to the project. 

The Programme Manager said Mabia-Ghana paid critical attention to sexual and reproductive health and had over the years worked to ensure adolescents had access to information and services on their sexual and reproductive health. 

“Many adolescents end up with issues later in life because they did not get the right information and did not get the right service as well. So, we want to make information available to the adolescents through the Centres we have established,” he said. 

He said the trainings equipped the nurses, midwives, and teachers with the requisite knowledge to enable them to impart same to adolescents in the beneficiary communities to improve on their sexual reproductive health. 

 “We know that some of the adolescents avoid the health facilities because of the attitude of some of the healthcare providers,” he noted. 

For the teachers, Mr Nanang said they were trained on how to form and manage school clubs, so that pupils would share information on sexual and reproductive health with their colleagues outside their schools. 

Mr Nanang called on stakeholders, especially parents to take interest in the sexual and reproductive health of their adolescents, insisting that “The education must start from home. 

Dr Abdul-Rauf Sulemana, the Mamprugu-Moagduri District Director of the Ghana Health Service, expressed gratitude to Mabia-Ghana and the French Embassy in Ghana for collaborating to promote sexual reproductive health in the district, and gave the assurance that the Centres and equipment would be put to clever use. 

Mr Caesar Wedam Avugu, the Adolescent Focal Person for the Yikpabongo CHPS zone, told the GNA that even though adolescents in the area visited the CHPS compound for services, they had no equipment and a convenient place to attend to them. 

Participate in the limited voter registration exercise – Bawumia to Ghanaians

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Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of Ghana, has urged eligible Ghanaians, especially those who have just turned 18 and adults who have not yet registered, to take advantage of the Limited Voter Registration operation, which began on Tuesday, September 12.

The practise is being carried out across the country at all Election Commission district offices. Dr. Bawumia stressed that the basic right to vote begins with the duty of registering with the Electoral Commission (EC), and he encouraged individuals to actively engage in the process to assure their eligibility for the future elections in 2024.

Dr. Bawumia conveyed this message through a Facebook post, underscoring the significance of civic engagement and the role of voter registration in enabling citizens to exercise their democratic right to vote.

Despite facing an injunction application from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and four other political parties, the Electoral Commission is proceeding with the Limited Voters Registration Exercise on September 12.

The registration is taking place at all 268 District Offices. According to the EC, the exercise is scheduled to run until October 2, 2023.

Eligible individuals who have turned 18 since the last registration in 2020 or those who did not register for various reasons are encouraged to visit their District Office of residence.

To register, they will need either their Ghana Card or Ghana Passport as identification. In cases where eligible applicants do not possess these identification documents, they can be vouched for by two registered voters to facilitate their registration.

The five political parties, including the NDC, CPP, All People’s Congress, Liberal Party of Ghana, and Great Consolidated Popular Party, filed a lawsuit on September 7 challenging the EC’s decision to limit the voter registration exercise to its district offices.

They argue that this decision may disenfranchise many eligible voters, particularly those in remote areas.

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