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Review centralised police–media communication directive – GJA

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The Central Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP),  Dr George Akuffo- Dampare, to review the new centralised communication directive between the police and the media.

It said the directive was inimical to the free flow of information from the police to the media, which had kept the media and the public in the dark with regard to crimes and related activities.

Hitherto, there was a long standing mutual relations between the media and the Ghana Police Service’s Regional Public Relations Office, where the media could freely seek clarification on issues bothering on crime.

However the new directive indicates that every information must come from the national headquarters, which was hampering information flow.

The Association, in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Mr Kingsley Nana Buadu, the Regional Secretary, said the directive was inimical to accessing information from the police when necessary.

“The media thrive on credible information and any attempt by public institutions and individuals to prevent the timely verification of information needs to be checked,” it said.

“An attempt to prevent the media from confirming or seeking details regarding a story creates room for speculation and misinformation, which would rather create fear in the society.”

It recalled that on Monday, September 20, 2022, the police, upon investigations, exhumed the body of one Georgina Asor Botchwey, who went missing for about two weeks at Mankessim in the Central Region.

However, after more than 24 hours of the incident, the media had not been able to authenticate the facts of the story from the Police, the statement said.

“The Regional branch of the Association is, therefore, calling on the IGP to review this new directive to allow the regional police to interact and communicate freely with the media.”

The Association expressed the belief that reviewing the directive would not only serve the interest of the police but foster stronger relations between the police and the media.

 

Woman with spinal condition requests GH¢97K for bone grafting procedure

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The general public is being urged to donate money to help 48-year-old Rebecca Eshun pay for a bone grafting procedure.

For the treatment intended to treat her spondylolisthesis, a spinal condition that has impacted her lower vertebrae, she would need to pay GH¢97,048.

The FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital is scheduled to perform surgery on Rebecca Eshun, but the former independent jeweler’s failure to raise the required finances is making the disease she has been battling since 2019 worse.

She has struggled with back discomfort, upper and lower limb pain, and difficulty walking for about three years.

During the period, initial recommendations by doctors after neurological and radiological evaluation suggested she was to be treated without surgery.

However, frequent follow-ups now point to a surgical intervention in her lower back to relieve trapped nerves and stabilise the spine using implants.

The cost covers theatre, ward stay, recovery medication, feeding, physiotherapy, six months of orthopaedic outpatient follow-up care, x-ray and laboratory tests.

Individuals willing to assist can do so through her MTN Mobile Money number – 0551145709 [Rebecca Eshun] to enable her garner funds for onward payment into the hospital’s account.

Chinese allegedly slits girlfriend’s throat, sparking outrage in Nigeria

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A Chinese businessman accused of killing his Nigerian lover has been remanded in custody by a magistrates’ court in Kano, northern Nigeria.

Geng Quanrong, the suspect, is accused of breaking into the victim’s family home last weekend, attacking her, and slitting her neck with a knife.

In Nigeria, the incident prompted widespread indignation, with social media users and the victim’s family demanding justice.

On Wednesday, Mr. Geng, 47, appeared in court and was charged with murder.

But they requested time from the court so they could formulate appropriate charges. Suspect has not yet admitted guilt or innocence.

A spokesperson for the judiciary in Kano state told the BBC the case had been adjourned to 13 October.

The victim, Ummukulthum Sani Buhari, 22, was taken to a local hospital after the stabbing. Doctors confirmed she was dead on arrival.

The suspect was arrested as he attempted to flee the scene – after residents raised the alarm. Since then he has been in police custody.

It is unclear what exactly triggered the incident on Friday night, but residents and family sources say the estranged lovers had started having problems when the deceased indicated she was no longer interested in marrying the Chinese man.

‘I always wanted to stay at Barcelona’– Frenkie de Jong

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After being heavily linked to a move to the Premier League, Frenkie de Jong stated he “always wanted to stay at Barcelona.”

De Jong was said to be attracting interest from Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool, with new United manager Erik ten Hag particularly eager to reestablish his relationship with the Dutchman whom he previously worked with at Ajax.

Barcelona was prepared to transfer De Jong because to their financial crisis, but he chose to stay and is currently under contract until 2024.

Throughout an interview with the media prior to the Netherlands’ Nations League match against Poland, De Jong stated, “I always intended to stay at Barcelona and this is why I always kept calm in the summer.

“I can’t give too much details away. But look, the club has its own ideas and I have my own ideas too and sometimes this clashes with each other. But at the end of the day things went okay.”

Despite the financial difficulties at Barcelona, they signed seven players in the summer including Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha and Franck Kessie.

De Jong has continued to play a key role in midfield for Barcelona and is part of manager Xavi’s plans.

He has played eight times so far this season, scoring one goal with Barcelona two points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid in La Liga.

The sides will meet in the first El Clasico on October 16 in the middle of a packed month due to the Qatar World Cup which takes place from November 20 to December 18.

 

Teeth whitening can lead to sensitivity- Physician Assistant Dental

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Ms. Patricia Boateng, a Physician Assistant Dental, at the Prampram Polyclinic has cautioned the public against using chemicals to whiten the teeth as it can cause teeth sensitivity.

Ms Boateng speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Prampram said dental health officials do not recommend teeth whitening as it was seen as teeth bleaching which removed the protective mechanism.

Liking teeth whitening to skin bleaching, she stressed that “the way the skin reacts after bleaching, it is the same way with the teeth, when you whiten the teeth, which is teeth bleaching, initially it will look white for you.

“People will admire it but as time goes on, you will get the effect of the whitening, because you have removed the protective mechanism from it so you will feel this sensitivity.”

She added that it could also affecting eating of food and drinking of water, whether hot or cold, and even talking would be difficult because of the air.

“When it gets to that stage there is nothing we can do for you, you can buy different kinds of toothpaste, and drugs at that time but the effect will never leave you,” she cautioned.

The Physician Assistant Dental explained that a tooth was considered to be clean when it was free from any brownish, and cavity, adding that the whiteness of the teeth was based on the calcium composition content of one’s teeth.

She added that when the calcium composition content is higher it gives brighter teeth and vice-versa therefore people should not compare the colour of their teeth to others and use it as a basis to use chemicals to bleach the teeth.

Israeli paid internship will be cancelled if absconsion continues- Dr Akoto

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Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, says Israeli paid internship for agriculture students will be cancelled should absconsion of students continue.

He said the initiative was to enable selected agriculture students to acquire modern skills in the value-chain to help pass on the skills to others when they return after 11-months and not to escape in search of greener pastures.

Dr Akoto, who was speaking at a brief ceremony to bid farewell to 200 agriculture students in Accra to Israel on the programme, noted that although all the cohorts had been praised for their hard work, a few decided to abscond after their programme. 

He said apart from the exposure and skills transfer, they were paid good money for the work on the farms every month.

“This development is not good for Ghana’s image and the country risks losing its slot to such actions. This prgramme is of great benefit to development of the sector,” he said.

The Minister said as part of measures to curtail the challenge, the beneficiaries would be required to sign a bond with a guarantor and parents who would be liable to pay GHC 7000 should the students abscond after the completion of the programme.

He said participating schools whose students absconded would be blacklisted from the programme.

The government of Ghana through MoFA and the Israeli government through AgroStudies of Israel reached an agreement to offer Ghanaian agriculture students training in modern practices, especially in the areas of GreenHouse vegetable production to increase local production.

Under the agreement, the programmes, which started with 50 students in 2018 had increased to 200 in 2022 recruited from six tertiary institutions, including Kwadaso Agriculture College, University for Development studies, University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast.

While in Israel, the graduates will be attached to cooperative farms called Kibbutz, where they will work on the field for five days and be in the classroom for a day.

The Ghanaian graduates will be joined by other beneficiaries from other parts of Africa, Asia and South America.

Mr Lawoetey Tettey, the Human Resource Director of MoFA, said the internship was a life changing experience and urged the students to open up and acquire knowledge, skills and return to support the agriculture sector.

“We are now trying to modernise Ghana’s agriculture sector and Israel is a country with capacity and reputation with regard to agriculture,” he said.

Mr Emmanuel Asante, a beneficiary from Kwadaso Agriculture Collage, thanked the government for the opportunity and assured that they would return armed with farming technologies to help develop the country.

Volta Regional Coordinating Council deepens existing bilateral ties, seeks new grounds

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The Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) has paid courtesy calls to some Embassies in Accra to deepen existing bilateral ties and seek new grounds for partnership and cooperation.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, the Regional Minister, who led the delegation, visited the Suriname Embassy, Colombia and the Indian High Commission and had warm and fruitful discussions for mutual social and economic benefits.

The Minister told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the visit was to foster bilateral and technical cooperation between the VRCC, the business community in the region on one hand and the diplomatic missions, Embassies and their countries on the other hand for a win-win partnership.

The delegation visited Ms Fidelia Graand-Galon, the Suriname Ambassador to Ghana, where discussions focused on agri-business, tourism, healthcare delivery and capacity building.

Key on the agenda also was exploring twinning partnership in a Sister-City Relationships.

Similar bilateral and technical cooperation discussions were held with the Ambassador of Colombia to Ghana, Ms Claudia Turbay Quintero, on the need for fruitful partnerships between the Region, the Colombia Embassy and the Regions of Colombia.

Dr Letsa described the events as forward-looking and held lots of prospects for business enterprises in the region as well as its people.

“We shall continue to hold working cooperation and engagements with the Embassies, as VRCC agenda towards raising the investment portfolios and production outcomes towards making the local economy buoyant.”

The next stop was the visit to the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Sugandh Rajaram.

Dr Letsa said the initiative was a well-positioned vehicle that provided an opportunity to showcase the investment potentials of the Region, including the agenda of transitioning agriculture from farming to the development of an end-to-end agribusiness value-chain to bring increased worth to the players in the industry.

“We are eager to promote the rapid growth of businesses, create jobs for young people and encourage industrial networks among entrepreneurs.”

Reverend Isaac Adja Tetteh, the Regional Planning Officer, said the agricultural, ICT and tourism sectors of the region remained largely untapped, hence the committed focus on making these areas substance for support and cooperation.

He said the “VRCC would continue to explore the low hanging fruits through bilateral and other partnerships with the rest of the world but particularly from Colombia, Suriname and Mexico,” disclosing that the ties between the VRCC and India through its High Commission have gained some traction.

He said some members of the VRCC would be undertaking a study tour of India, a translation from their earlier economic and social ties, specifically, stemming from the Volta Trade and Investment Fair, in an exchange programme.

He said cultural dimension would be brought to bear on the bilateral ties and making chiefs and queens the centre of the transformative agenda of the region.

Rev Tetteh disclosed that the VRCC was exploring relations with Surinamese Maroons, who are descendants of Africans, who fled the colonial Dutch forced labour plantations in Suriname and established an independent community in the interior of rainforests, who have maintained a distinctive identity based on their West African origins.

On the radar is the 2022 Maroons (former slaves) day celebration, which commemorates over 200 years since the signing of a peace treaty between the Maroons and the British, and is marked with a carnival, to epitomise the cultural values of these people including food and dance, is expected to be witnessed by a team from the VRCC in October.

He said the Surinamese people were eager to tap into the ‘Kente’ weaving industry, adding that though ‘gari’ is consumed, they lacked the skills in its production and had expressed strong interest in exchange programmes in these areas, which are being considered strongly.

The delegation included, Mr Etornam James Flolu, District Chief Executive of Afadzato South, who doubles as the Dean of Municipal and District Chief Executives of the region, Mr Geoffrey Badasu, Municipal Chief Executive for Kpando, Mr Emmanuel Gemegah, Municipal Chief Executive for Keta, Mr Seth Yormewu, District Chief Executive for Anloga and Rev Tetteh, the Regional Economic Planning Officer.

NGO launches project to tackle farmer-herder conflict

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Save Ghana, a Non – governmental Organization (NGO),  has launched an eight-month project  in Tumu to solve conflicts between nomadic herdsmen and farmers.

The project, dubbed: “Strengthening Capacity and Evidence-Based Action” (SEA Action), also aims at creating a sustainable peaceful co-existence between farmers and the Fulani community, reduce farmer herder conflicts, strengthen local conflict management structures and smoothen cordial working relationship between security agencies and the Fulanis in the Upper West Region.

The project, with support from the European Union, is expected to be implemented in 40 communities across three administrative Districts and Municipalities, namely, Sissala East Municipality, Sissala West District and the Wa East District.

Mr Sule Dintie, the team leader for Save Ghana, speaking to participants at the launch of the project, said the project was expected to establish and train 20 functional conflict rapid response teams and establish 40 conflict resolution structures in each of the project communities, organize district level project dialogue and review meetings for key stakeholders, including security agencies.

He said the project would also liaise with security agencies to embark on community-level sensitization on conflict and early warning signs, prevention and appropriate response mechanisms through radio programmes to periodically share security tips with citizens and obtain feedback from the citizens.

Mr Thomas Tendangrubil, Grants Manager for COGINTA Ghana, an NGO in Upper West region, said the main objective was to prevent electoral violence in the Northern borders and provide security by coordinating and strengthening government and NGOs in efforts to prevent violent extremism actors in the Northern part of Ghana.

He reminded everyone to take security seriously and avoid stereotyping, marginalization and perception, which had the tendency of disintegrating the country.

Mr Tina Amadu, a participant, who spoke on behalf of the Fulani community, expressed gratitude to the NGO and pledged that the Fulbe community would support the project to achieve its intended purpose, adding that “This is the first time we participated in a stakeholder forum like this to discuss sustainable peaceful co-existence intervention for mutual benefit”.

Speaking on behalf of the Sissala East Municipal Chief Executive, (MCE) Mr Doha Sumaila, the Presiding Member of the Sissala East Assembly, said there had been peaceful coexistence between different clans, ethnic groups and tribes in the municipality, adding that “the assembly would continue to protect the peace that we have maintained and live in harmony and use the meeting to harmonize our co-existence”.

Madam Ayisha Batong Hor, the Sissala West District Chief Executive (DCE), urged all the participants to be ambassadors of peace and champion the national security alert initiative.

Participants of the meeting included; the MDCEs, Leadership of the Fulbes, Chiefs, Presiding Members, NIB, Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Police Service, Dept. of Agriculture, Sissala Youth Forum, Regional Peace Council, COGINTA representatives, the Media, Assembly members.

 

Mother, three children drown in pit on lagoon at Laklevikope

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A woman, aged 41, has drowned along with her three children in a pit dug in the Keta Lagoon at Laklevikope, near Aflao, in the Ketu South Municipality.

The deceased, Madam Yawa Apenu on Saturday fell off into the pit together with her two children, Bridget Amewu, 14, Daddy Amewu, 10 and another child, who stayed with the family, Sitsofe Ahiawor, 8, while they reportedly went fishing.

Of the five, who went fishing, Mr Atitso Amewu, husband to the deceased woman was the only person who managed to escape death.

Some residents, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), suspected that the pit that claimed the lives of the four might have been the creation of Seven Seas Salt Limited, which had uncompleted dyke on its concessions in the area.

Barely two months ago, two people reportedly drowned along the stretch of the lagoon, while they attempted to fish.

Mr Victor Ayaku, Assembly member for the area, in an earlier interview with the GNA following the first drowning incident in early July, complained that “there’s no form of protection around the dykes, no demarcation and it’s almost like a death trap” to unsuspecting residents who might want to go fishing in the lagoon.

Mr Adams Mensah, the Public Relations Officer, Seven Seas Salt Limited, in a reaction, noted that the Company was not responsible for Saturday’s disaster.

He said the pit was outside the company’s concession and that it was a fish pond, belonging to an individual and not known to the Company.

Regretting the loss of lives, he disclosed that the salt mining company was ready to support the family of the deceased.

He underscored the need for collaboration between them and stakeholders, especially Assembly members of communities in which the Company had concessions to forestall such avoidable deaths.

Mr Mensah said though the Company had constructed danger signposts, which it would start mounting on its concessions from Monday to ward off people and fishers from deep pit areas, there was still the need for education for the people to use sticks to test the depth of the water while fishing to avoid unfortunate situations because there was individual fish ponds created in the lagoon.

Meanwhile, a Police source, who confirmed the incident, said the bodies have been deposited at the morgue for preservation, while a meeting is scheduled with the family of the deceased Sunday afternoon to help in investigations.

EU-funded project boosts shea production, marketing

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The West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), a €120 million European Union (EU) funded project, adopted under the 11th EU Development Fund (EDF) Regional Indicative Programme, implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), has boosted shea production and marketing in Northern Ghana.

The project, through funding and capacity-building support to shea pickers, processors and marketers has seen a significant increase in production, packaging as well as market extension.

This was made known to Mr Irchad Razaaly, the EU Ambassador to Ghana, when he toured Small Scale Enterprises, who were beneficiaries of the project in the Northern Region.

Mr Razaaly visited shea processing and packaging and cosmetics shops in Tamale to assess their progress and challenges as beneficiaries of the four-year project.

The beneficiaries of the project shared successes in their products and enterprises, which resulted from the project’s interventions.

Mr Kumadey Churchil, the Director of Churchwin, a shea and other African commodities production and marketing company, said the company received capacity building in packaging and marketing, which propelled it to sell products on Amazon and Walmart.

He said WACOMP’s intervention, through capacity and network building, had increased the company’s monthly sales capacity from $50 to $15,000 selling online, adding sales increased by about $1000 every month.

He said, “Prior to the support, we had no brand. We were basically exporting raw shea butter to people with brands, who packaged and retailed. We initiated the process to get onto the global market but got stuck until WACOMP came in with a series of networking sessions that opened up space for us to get onto the market.”

Madam Safia Alhassan, Head of Production at the Pagsum Shea Pickers and Processors Centre at Sagnarigu, said funding support from WACOMP had improved shea production as well as projected the women of the centre to a level worth emulating.

She said the centre had been producing a grade of organic shea butter that consumers wanted, which had widened the customer base both nationally and internationally.

She noted that until the assistance from WACOMP, production volume and quality at the centre were very low, adding that, production had increased from about four tonnes to over 20 tonnes every month.

Mr Charles Kwame Sakyi, Chief Technical Advisor of the WACOMP, said the project was aimed at adding value to shea butter to meet the quality required in the domestic and international markets, as well as enhancing the competitiveness of the country’s economy.

He said the project was focused on building competitiveness of selected value chains such as cosmetics, personal care products and fruits for exports, strengthening marketing capacity as well as connecting SMEs to financial institutions.

The beneficiaries shared some challenges they were faced with in the business, which included certification difficulties as a result of financial instability and the inability of their products to penetrate the European market.

The EU Ambassador to Ghana, however, assured them of the EU’s unflinching support to ease the difficulties, commending the SMEs for working hard to project shea and other Ghanaian products to the world.

 

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