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Koforidua commercial drivers grumble over fuel price increase

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Some commercial drivers in the New Juaben Municipality have complained about the increases in fuel prices, saying the situation is having a negative toll on the transport business and cost of living.

Scores of the drivers who spoke with GNA said they were looking up to their union leadership to adjust upwards transportation fares in the coming days to help cushion them against the hike.

Petrol, diesel and LPG are the most purchased fuel products in Ghana, and any price increase turns to affect transport fares and prices of goods and services.

Current figures from the pump show that prices of petrol and diesel which were both selling at an average price of GHS 5.450 per litre in April 2021 are now going for on average of GHS 6.020.

Both drivers and passengers continue to show their displeasure over the persistent upward adjustment of fuel prices and expressed fears prices might go up again within the year.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Koforidua, Mr Richmond Atteh, a commercial driver, expressed worry that fuel cost was taking a major chunk of his daily income with little to save.

He said if the expected daily sales demanded by car owners were not met, it created lots of inconveniences for drivers, who sometimes had to rush for passengers or loads.

Mr Harruna Mohammed, another driver, said transport fares must be adjusted to reflect the percentage increase in fuel prices to avoid confrontation with passengers.

A passenger, Mr Ali Nuhu, called for a downward revision of fuel prices to relieve Ghanaians from the high cost of living.

Meanwhile, the 17 pesewas per litre increase in fuel margins previously announced by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has been slashed to 9 pesewas per litre.

The situation has triggered oil marketing giants like Shell quoting GHS 6.130 per litre, Total GHS 6.130 per litre and GOIL 6.050 per litre.

19 alleged national security operatives arrested for illegal mining in Atewa forest

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At least, 19 persons who claim to be national security operatives have been apprehended by the police in the Eastern Region for illegally mining gold in the Atewa forest reserve.

The suspects who were wearing military uniforms, according to the Kade District manager of the forestry Commission, invaded the reserve in Akyem-Akateng onboard a Toyota Land Cruiser V8 with sophisticated rifles on the dawn of Tuesday under the guise of clamping down on illegal miners.

They reportedly clashed with angry residents and forest guards who had vowed to resist illegal miners.

The angry residents reportedly deflated the tires of the five V8 vehicles they used for the operation.

Confirming the arrest to JoyNews, the forestry boss, Kwabena Adu-Bonnah said, they were able to arrest them after the residents outnumbered the armed men.

“Yesterday around 8: 30 pm, an informant from Akanteng informed us about the presence of some people in military outfit entering the galamsey area so we mobilised and around 4 o’clock we went to the community, by then they were coming down so with the help of the community we were able to arrest about nineteen and later eleven,” he stated.

The arrest of these persons brings to 65 the number of persons who claim to be members of the state security embarking on illegal mining in the Eastern region, in a spate of 10 days.

“In a matter of 10 days, we’ve been able to arrest 65 people who are either in military or police outfits claiming to be national security officers.

“Last week we arrested some, this week, we arrested four, 19, and 11 on some galamsey sites in the region. They have all been handed over to the police for further action,” Mr Adu-Bonnah explained.

Even though, the police has remained tight-lipped, our sources confirm the suspects have since been transferred to the Eastern regional police headquarters at Koforidua for investigations.

Kotei Neequaye promises pension scheme for boxers and coaches

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Mr. Abraham Kotei Neequaye a presidential aspirant of the impending Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) election has promised a pension scheme for boxers and coaches if voted into office as president of the GBA.

Speaking in an interview with the media, the Second Vice President of the GBA who lost the Okaikoi South Parliamentary seat during the 2020 General Elections said boxers and their coaches must have a pension scheme to cater for their future.

According to Mr. Neequaye, he would embark on a thorough consultation with all stakeholders in his quest to develop the appropriate pension scheme for boxers and coaches after their career.

Mr. Neequaye has what it takes to attract the needed corporate support for the sport to ensure the growth of the sports in Ghana.

“We need someone who has time for boxing, and I am the one. I believe I am the heavyweight among the contestants as I have experience from amateur where I was Chairman of Greater Accra and also worked as CEO of Baby Jet Promotions,” he stated.

The GBA goes to the polls in an Elective Congress on July 22, 2021.

Among personalities who have expressed their interest in the top post are Messrs. Henry Manly-Spain, Rabon Dodoo, Rasheed Williams, Mohammed Amin Lamptey, Alhaji Tofik, Referee Roger Barnor, and Coach Charles Quartey.

Kpone Katamanso MCE assesses progress on Municipal roads

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Mr Solomon Tettey Appiah, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE)Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly, has inspected ongoing road rehabilitation projects across the municipality to ensure the quality of work.

Mr Appiah, together with the Municipal Roads Engineer and some staffs from the Assembly, toured Kpone Barrier, Zenu, Santoe, Oyibi and Bawaleshie all within the Kpone Katamanso Municipality in the Greater Accra Region.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Appiah noted that the 17 kilometres stretch of road from the Tema round about to Miotso in the Ningo-Prampram District would see some facelift soon to deal with the traffic situation on the Kpone Barrier to Prampram road. 

He said the traffic situation from the Kpone Barrier towards community 25 was another challenge motorists faced, saying this compelled the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly to upgrade some portions of the various intersection to make it easy for cars to manoeuvre.

Mr Appiah explained that roads were one basic challenge the entire Municipality was faced with, adding that Kpone-Katamanso would receive its share of the 2021 year of roads declaration by President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo for and on behalf of the people of Ghana.

The Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Chief Executive assured the people that the Municipal Assembly would work on the various inner roads to make them accessible for vehicles and residents as the rainy season approaches.

Tema West NCCE engages traders on Constitution

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The Tema West Municipal Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has engaged traders and nursing mothers on the need to uphold the tenets of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

The engagement with traders at the Community Two market and the nursing mothers at the Klagon CHPS Compound formed part of nationwide activities to ensure that Ghanaians were imbued with the faith and culture of constitutionalism as the bastion of democracy. 

The 2021 annual National Constitution Week celebration is on the general theme: “We are One, Ghana First,” which seeks to emphasize the need for every Ghanaian to put Ghana First, rally around the Constitution and defend it at all times.

The Municipal Director, Mr Fidel Nii-Akuffo Bortey, in an address at separate locations, admonished the traders and nursing mothers too, at all times, uphold the Constitution as it had guaranteed the country’s freedoms and liberated it for the past 29 years and counting.

He encouraged them to live in harmony with others and help build the nation by performing their duties as citizens as enshrined in Article 41 of the Constitution. 

He took the opportunity to educate them on the observance of the COVID-19 preventive protocols and avail themselves of the vaccination when vaccines were made available for rollout.  

He mentioned the payment of taxes, keeping surroundings clean, respecting national symbols and promoting national unity, as part of the duties and responsibilities expected of citizens.  

Mr Bortey emphasized the pillars upon which the nation was built which included the respect for human rights, freedom, justice, probity and accountability, respect for rule of law, among others as stipulated in the preamble of the constitution.

He said activities for this year’s celebration would continue with further engagements with GNTDA Community Two Branch, Texpo Market and other general outdoor sensitization exercises.

Mr Edward Sam Aryee and Ms Enyonam Gagakumah, both staff of the Municipal Office of the NCCE, took turns to encourage the market women to get copies of the Constitution for themselves and their children.

Bono Minister presents 45 harvesters to rice farmers

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Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, on Wednesday presented 45 harvesters to rice farmers in the region.

Sixteen farmer-groups applied for the machines through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to help expand their economic activities.

Speaking at a short ceremony in Sunyani, Madam Owusu-Banahehe advised the farmers to engage the services of agriculture extension officers and ensure proper application of fertilizers and agro-chemicals.

She said farming was a lucrative business and called on the teeming unemployed youth to take advantage of the Planting for Food and Jobs and engaged in commercial farming to enhance their socio-economic livelihoods.

The Regional Minister appealed to farmers in forest fringe communities to support the nationwide fight against illegal mining and logging by reporting activities of the miners and loggers to the relevant institutions and traditional authorities.

Mr Dennis Abugri Amenga, the Bono Regional Director of MOFA, advised farmers to form associations and cooperatives to enable them to easily access credit support to expand their farming activities.

Asafo Railway Line slum poses security threat – GNFS

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The Ashanti Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), has warned of dire consequences if authorities do not expedite action to demolish the sprawling slum dotted along the Asafo Railway Line in the Central Business District of Kumasi.

“We are sitting on a time bomb, because, the varied human activities being undertaken in the area could trigger fire outbreaks at any point in time,” Divisional Officer (DO) III, Desmond Ackah, the Regional Public Relations Officer, GNFS, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

He expressed concern at the way the area had become notorious for criminal activities, while serving as a den for drug peddlers, whose course of activities had made the area susceptible to fire.

Illegal electricity connections, naked flames and other unsupervised activities relating to fire had also compounded the problem, the fire fighter added.

The advice comes in the wake of Sunday’s (May 02) fire outbreak which swept through about 30 wooden structures at the slum, leaving one person dead.

The body of the deceased, identified as Nana Yaw and said to be in his early 20’s, had since been deposited at the morgue for autopsy.

The raging fire has left in its wake the wanton destruction of property worth thousands of Ghana Cedis.

When the GNA visited the scene of the incident on Monday, some of the affected residents were still searching through what had been left of the damage caused by the inferno.

A huge cloud of smoke had engulfed the area, barely twenty-four hours after the outbreak, as some of the desperate residents tried to put out the pockets of fire raging slowly to the untouched areas.  

“It took firefighters several hours to overcome the fire,” DO III Ackah stated, stressing that they were forced to call for additional tenders and security reinforcement due to the intensity of the fire as well as the recalcitrant nature of the residents.

“We had to bulldoze our way through many illegally-sited structures in order to reach the affected zones,” he said.

Court refuses bail application of alleged Kasoa Cops killer

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IMAGE COPYRIGHT/ AFP/ Eric Kojo Duah [in yellow shirt], the prime suspect being escorted from court

An Accra High Court has turned down the bail application by lawyer for Eric Kojo Duah, the man who allegedly shot and killed two police officers on the Kasoa-Buduburam-Aprah road in August 2019.

The bail of Michael Osafo Ani, Duah‘s accomplice, who was charged with abetment of crime, was also refused.

The court presided over by Mrs. Justice Elfreda Denkyi, ruled that the court was not inclined to grant bail to the accused persons.

Mr Augustine Obuor, counsel for the accused persons in his oral application for bail prayed the court to admit his clients to bail because they had been incarcerated for closely to two years.

Mrs. Frances Mullen Ansah, Senior State Attorney opposed the grant of the bail, saying the defense counsel should formally apply for it.

Mr. Obuor indicated to the GNA that he was going to formally file the bail application by May 10.

The court earlier on read out the charges and the facts to the accused person.

The accused have been remanded into lawful custody to reappear on May 20.

Duah is being held on two counts of murder, for allegedly shooting and killing General Lance Corporal Mohammed Awal and Lance Corporal Michael Dzamesi, who were on task force duty on the Kasoa- Buduburam-Accra road on August 28, 2019.

The Prosecution said the officers allegedly asked Duah, who was driving an unregistered vehicle to stop but he ignored them.

According to the Prosecution, the officers who had a service vehicle under their command chased him, and Duah pulled a pistol from his car and shot the officers in turns, the court was told.

While Awal died instantly, Dzamesi died shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Daily Devotional: 4th May “ARE YOU WORKING ?”

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READ : John 15:4-16

“…we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” – 1 John 3:22

This Scripture is very clear. God answers the prayers of people who obey Him. If you had a disobedient son who did not please you, would you just give him anything he asked for? Certainly not! Neither does your heavenly Father answer the prayers of disobedient children. If God has called you to the ministry, just obey! Your obedience opens the door for answers to your prayers.

Another step to receiving answers to your prayer is to be a fruit-bearing Christian. If you are a born again Christian, the only reason you are being kept alive is so that you can bear fruit. After all, Heaven is guaranteed. You have a place in Heaven after you are born again. What else do you need? Earthly treasures are transient and useless. We are being kept alive on this earth so that we can win souls for Him. God wants every Christian to bear fruit.

One thing that many Christians do not know is that God has linked bearing fruit to answering prayer. The Scripture above is very clear! God will be happy to answer the prayer of someone who bears fruit. What do you do for God? What fruit are you bearing? If you sit in spiritual barrenness just wanting God to answer prayers, you may wait forever. Some people just know how to say, “Give me! Give me! Give me!” What are you contributing to God’s kingdom?

Receive this revelation into your spirit and begin to bear fruit from today. Stop being an observer.

COVID-19: We’ve halted importation of cases through Kotoka-Port Health

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Dr Lawrence Lartey, Director of Port Health at the Kotoka International Airport, says measures are in place to halt the importation of COVID-19 cases into the country through the Airport.

“We have our laid down rules and regulations and we are working hand in hand with the relevant agencies to ensure that there is a limitation of the transmission of the virus by persons who travel in and out of the country,” he said.

Dr Lartey told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that Port Health was not compromising on the Guidelines for International Flight Operations on COVID-19 Safety at the KIA, which was generating positive feedbacks from international community since its operationalisation in September 2020.

He said the Ghana Health Service (GHS) had begun investigations into the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases recorded at the KIA from April 21 to 24 to ascertain what happened and said while they awaited the findings, Port Health was not losing its guard.

Dr Lartey said presently “the number of coronavirus cases recorded at the KIA has reduced drastically as no COVID-19 cases were recorded by the Port Health between April 27 and 29.”

He said his outfit would keep testing all passengers who arrived at the Airport to ensure that Ghana did not experience any wave, noting that the COVID-I9 Antigen test structure for passengers had not changed.

“All passengers who arrived in Ghana are expected to come along with a PCR test results, which is not more than 72 hours old after which they are made to fill a health declaration form for another COVID test to be done by the Port Health,” he said.

Dr Lartey said passengers who tested positive to the coronavirus on arrival were sent to a holding area at the KIA to receive counselling and support before other processes.

He said to maintain uniformity in the protocols, results on any COVID-19 test at the KIA not sanctioned by GHS was not recognised for any action.

“If we sanction the test, we will take actions based on the results accordingly, but if any passenger goes out of their way to do an independent test, GHS will not take any decision based on the independent test results,” he said.  

Dr Lartey entreated the public to have confidence in the system and approach being used by Port Health for the good of all.

Frontiers Healthcare Services, managers of Ghana’s COVID-19 testing programme at the Kotoka International Airport, in a letter to the Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited, drew attention to the high number of COVID-19 cases recorded at the Airport about two weeks ago.

Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General of the GHS said the high numbers detected justified the setting up of the facility to test all passengers arriving in the country.

The Minority in Parliament, in a reaction, urged government to place a temporary ban on flights from COVID-19 hotspot countries until the high record of COVID-19 cases reduced in those countries go down.

As of April 29 this year, a total of 1,639 COVID-19 cases have been detected at the Kotoka International Airport.

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