A brace by Eric Kwabena Bekoe of Kumasi Asante Kotoko in their premier league encounter with Zaytuna F/C at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi last Saturday increased his goal haul to 15 in 22 league matches, getting him closer to the 2007/08 goal king title.
The 2-1 victory chalked up by Kotoko sealed the doom of Zaytuna, who have now joined Accra Great Olympics to the soccer wilderness next season. Zaytuna have so far accumulated 30 points from 29 league matches, and with only one match to end the 2007/08 premier league, there is no way they can escape the relegation net.
Bekoe, who missed a number of league matches due to his commitment to national assignment, scored the goals in the 28th minute and injury time in the first half, but he must be thankful to Kwabena Yaro, whose combination with him upfront proved too potent for the defenders of their opponents.
After holding Kotoko for the greater part of the first half, and coming close to taking the lead on a few occasions, the defenders of Zaytuna, made up of Yeboah Afranie, Godwin Osei Bonsu, Shardrach Kyei and Emmanuel Eyison, finally caved in, giving the Kotoko attackers much room to operate.
In one of their moves in the 28th minute, David Sarkodie of Kotoko pounced on a loose ball supplied by Kwabena Yaro, and after outwitting his marker, he entered the box and delivered a cracker which hit the side post and bounced back into play. Bekoe, who was hovering around the box, quickly connected with a volley which hit the back of the net for the opener.
The combination between Bekoe and Kwabena Yaro during injury time of the first half, again yielded positive results, as Yaro whisked past his markers with cheeky ease before releasing the ball to Bekoe outside the box. Bekoe floated an intelligent volley, beating Lugard Tetteh, in post for Zaytuna, to register his 15th goal in 22 league matches.
The second half saw both teams making series of changes ,but it was Zaytuna who benefited as they carried the game to their opponents and succeeded in reducing the tally through Frank Boateng in the 49th minute.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
ARMED ROBBER TO SERVER 35-YEARS JAIL TERM (MIRROR, PAGE 35)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
THE High Court in Kumasi, presided over by Justice K.A. Pobih, has convicted a 38-year-old armed robber to serve a 35-year jail term with hard labour.
The convict, Kwadwo Ampong, alias Kwaa Addai, who pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to rob and robbing at gunpoint, later changed his plea to guilty in the course of the trial, and based on his plea, the court convicted him.
His accomplice, Osei Kwame, who, however, maintained his plea of not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to rob and robbing at gunpoint, has been remanded in prison custody by the court.
Two of their accomplices, identified only as Desmond and Muhammed, are at large, and the police are hunting for them to face trial, while another suspect, who was alleged to have bought the booty from the convict, and his accomplice, Jacob Fares, has been granted bail by the court in the sum of GH¢10,000.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Mr Ernest Offei, told the court that the complainants in the case , who are Ghanaians residing in Canada, visited the country in May 2005.
He said a few days after their return to Ghana, they were attacked by armed robbers in their residence at Gyinyase, a suburb of Kumasi.
The prosecutor explained that armed with guns, the convict and his accomplices broke into their house between 1.30 am and 2am on May 25, 2005.
Mr Offei said as soon as the robbers succeeded in breaking into the house of the complainants, they started firing indiscriminately, attacking the inmates of the house and shouting at them to bring all their jewellery.
He said to show that they were very serious about their threats, they pointed their loaded guns at the inmates and forced them to surrender all their valuables, including cash.
According to the prosecutor, the robbers also subjected some of the inmates of the house to severe beatings, slapping and punching them at will and succeeded in inflicting injuries in their eyes and other parts of their body.
Mr Offei said after the robbers had escaped with their booty, the victims reported their ordeal to the police.
He said not satisfied with their booty, the convict and his accomplices again attacked a taxi driver near the Atwima Rural Bank at Asokwa in Kumasi and snatched his taxi from him at gunpoint.
He said the policeman on duty witnessed the encounter, but since he could not contain the situation alone, he called for reinforcement.
He said before the reinforcement team arrived at the scene, the driver had sneaked to the Asokwa Police Station to lodge a complain.
Mr Offei said while at the police station, the convict, together with Osei Kwame, now on remand, also drove the stolen taxi to the police station to lodge a complaint that they had been attacked by a security man at a bank.
He said it was at that point that the taxi driver identified his attackers and quickly informed the police about the ordeal he suffered in their hands a few minutes earlier.
The prosecutor said the police arrested the convict and his accomplice and during a search conducted in the taxi, a shotgun, a pump action gun, a dagger, two fake police uniforms, three masks and 20 live cartridges were found in the taxi.
Mr Offei said the police also found in the taxi a bag belonging to the taxi driver and the pieces of jewellery belonging to the victims they attacked at Gyinyase as well as two Motorola mobile phones they snatched from their victims at Gyinyase.
According to the prosecutor, the police also retrieved a Panasonic phone they stole from the taxi driver.
He said during investigations the police arrested Jacob Fares as the one who bought the items stolen from the complainant at Gyinyase.
THE High Court in Kumasi, presided over by Justice K.A. Pobih, has convicted a 38-year-old armed robber to serve a 35-year jail term with hard labour.
The convict, Kwadwo Ampong, alias Kwaa Addai, who pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to rob and robbing at gunpoint, later changed his plea to guilty in the course of the trial, and based on his plea, the court convicted him.
His accomplice, Osei Kwame, who, however, maintained his plea of not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to rob and robbing at gunpoint, has been remanded in prison custody by the court.
Two of their accomplices, identified only as Desmond and Muhammed, are at large, and the police are hunting for them to face trial, while another suspect, who was alleged to have bought the booty from the convict, and his accomplice, Jacob Fares, has been granted bail by the court in the sum of GH¢10,000.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Mr Ernest Offei, told the court that the complainants in the case , who are Ghanaians residing in Canada, visited the country in May 2005.
He said a few days after their return to Ghana, they were attacked by armed robbers in their residence at Gyinyase, a suburb of Kumasi.
The prosecutor explained that armed with guns, the convict and his accomplices broke into their house between 1.30 am and 2am on May 25, 2005.
Mr Offei said as soon as the robbers succeeded in breaking into the house of the complainants, they started firing indiscriminately, attacking the inmates of the house and shouting at them to bring all their jewellery.
He said to show that they were very serious about their threats, they pointed their loaded guns at the inmates and forced them to surrender all their valuables, including cash.
According to the prosecutor, the robbers also subjected some of the inmates of the house to severe beatings, slapping and punching them at will and succeeded in inflicting injuries in their eyes and other parts of their body.
Mr Offei said after the robbers had escaped with their booty, the victims reported their ordeal to the police.
He said not satisfied with their booty, the convict and his accomplices again attacked a taxi driver near the Atwima Rural Bank at Asokwa in Kumasi and snatched his taxi from him at gunpoint.
He said the policeman on duty witnessed the encounter, but since he could not contain the situation alone, he called for reinforcement.
He said before the reinforcement team arrived at the scene, the driver had sneaked to the Asokwa Police Station to lodge a complain.
Mr Offei said while at the police station, the convict, together with Osei Kwame, now on remand, also drove the stolen taxi to the police station to lodge a complaint that they had been attacked by a security man at a bank.
He said it was at that point that the taxi driver identified his attackers and quickly informed the police about the ordeal he suffered in their hands a few minutes earlier.
The prosecutor said the police arrested the convict and his accomplice and during a search conducted in the taxi, a shotgun, a pump action gun, a dagger, two fake police uniforms, three masks and 20 live cartridges were found in the taxi.
Mr Offei said the police also found in the taxi a bag belonging to the taxi driver and the pieces of jewellery belonging to the victims they attacked at Gyinyase as well as two Motorola mobile phones they snatched from their victims at Gyinyase.
According to the prosecutor, the police also retrieved a Panasonic phone they stole from the taxi driver.
He said during investigations the police arrested Jacob Fares as the one who bought the items stolen from the complainant at Gyinyase.
FIRE OUTBREAK CASES DROP IN KUMASI (PAGE 18)
THE effective educational campaign embarked upon by the Ashanti Regional Command of the Ghana Fire Service led to the reduction of fire outbreaks in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs between January and May this year.
According to the Ashanti Regional Fire Officer, ACFO Mr Obeng D. Dwamena, 420 fire outbreaks which cost about GH¢3,505,685.90 was recorded in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs between January and May 2008 as against 445 fire outbreaks recorded during the same period in 2007.
The estimated amount of property destroyed through fire outbreaks in 2007 was GH¢2,735,976.00.
Briefing members of the Fire Service Council during their maiden visit to Kumasi to find out the performance of the Fire Service personnel in the region, Mr Dwamena expressed his appreciation to his officers and men for their commitment and professionalism in the execution of their responsibilities.
The visit enabled members of the council and the regional fire officers and men to have fruitful interaction on measures that could help improve the image of the service.
Mr Dwamena pointed out that the marginal achievement of the Fire Service personnel would not make them complacent but would rather ginger them to work very hard to make civil society aware of the dangers of fire outbreaks and their consequences.
He said being conscious of such issues would help the public to take precautions to reduce fire outbreaks.
He said fire education campaigns would also be taken to schools, marketplaces, churches and industries in order to minimise further the incidence of fire outbreaks.
" We are also making concerted efforts to sensitise the general public to fire precaution regulations and also meet our internally generated target for the year 2008", he noted.
He pointed out that last year they succeeded in meeting about 95 per cent of the set target on the internally generated fund for the state.
Mr Dwamena said since discipline formed part of the bedrock of every successful organisation, he was committed to promoting discipline among his subordinates and would not condone any act of indiscipline by personnel that would undermine the image of the service.
According to the Ashanti Regional Fire Officer, ACFO Mr Obeng D. Dwamena, 420 fire outbreaks which cost about GH¢3,505,685.90 was recorded in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs between January and May 2008 as against 445 fire outbreaks recorded during the same period in 2007.
The estimated amount of property destroyed through fire outbreaks in 2007 was GH¢2,735,976.00.
Briefing members of the Fire Service Council during their maiden visit to Kumasi to find out the performance of the Fire Service personnel in the region, Mr Dwamena expressed his appreciation to his officers and men for their commitment and professionalism in the execution of their responsibilities.
The visit enabled members of the council and the regional fire officers and men to have fruitful interaction on measures that could help improve the image of the service.
Mr Dwamena pointed out that the marginal achievement of the Fire Service personnel would not make them complacent but would rather ginger them to work very hard to make civil society aware of the dangers of fire outbreaks and their consequences.
He said being conscious of such issues would help the public to take precautions to reduce fire outbreaks.
He said fire education campaigns would also be taken to schools, marketplaces, churches and industries in order to minimise further the incidence of fire outbreaks.
" We are also making concerted efforts to sensitise the general public to fire precaution regulations and also meet our internally generated target for the year 2008", he noted.
He pointed out that last year they succeeded in meeting about 95 per cent of the set target on the internally generated fund for the state.
Mr Dwamena said since discipline formed part of the bedrock of every successful organisation, he was committed to promoting discipline among his subordinates and would not condone any act of indiscipline by personnel that would undermine the image of the service.
Friday, June 27, 2008
KATH ESTABLISHERS CLEFT FOUNDATION (PAGE 30)
A Foundation designed to mobilise adequate financial resources to facilitate access to cleft surgeons for children with defects at their lips and palate is being established in Kumasi.
The foundation, which has Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, as the chief patron, would be launched on Saturday, July 5, 2008 at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi.
With the requisite financial support from the public, including churches, institutions, corporate bodies, firms, industries, among others, children who would otherwise have died, or grown up with permanent deformities, due to the stigmas attached to their predicaments, would receive medical care that would correct their deformities.
Cleft refers to children born with splits in their lips, gums or in the roofs of their mouths.
The condition is referred to as cleft lip or palate, depending on which part of the body was affected, and victims with such deformities find it difficult to live normal lifestyles due to the challenges they face in their daily lives.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview on the significance of the launch of the foundation, the President of the foundation, Professor Peter Donkor, said many children were born with both cleft lip and palate, which affected their growth.
"Children with such deformities mostly face many challenges in life to the extent that some of them are rejected not only by their family members, but also their neighbours, community and school mates."
"Rejection by their families, even to the point of losing their lives, can be a major problem, and those allowed to live are laughed at and bullied in school where many of them are forced to drop out from school with its attendant consequences," Prof. Donkor said.
He said deformity had no barrier, because children from both the poor and the rich families could be affected.
He said it was to address such problems that the Cleft Foundation was being launched on Saturday, July 5, 2008 with the hope of generating adequate financial resources to address the concern of babies and adults with such deformities.
Prof. Donkor said "with financial support from the public, a child's life can be transformed from one of shame and embarrassment to one of acceptance and fulfilment through a relatively minor surgical operation".
He said parents who failed to seek medical care for such children might be ignorant of the fact that the deformity could be corrected, or had no financial means of paying for the cost of the operation which he put at GH¢300,00.
“Such children are forced to grow up with low self-esteem, lacking the confidence needed to fulfil their potential in life," Prof. Donkor noted.
The president of the the foundation said the KATH had established a Cleft Palate Clinic with a team of health professionals who treated children with cleft.
“Since the clinic began operation in 2003, we have repaired and provided care and support to over 400 children with cleft lip and palate, with many adults also benefiting from the gesture," Prof. Donkor said.
He said limited financial resources had prevented the team of health professionals from the clinic from reaching out to many children with such deformities and correct them to enable them live normal lives.
“The success story of those who have had their deformities corrected over the years is an indication that with public support, the clinic would be up to the task of reaching out to all victims of cleft and palate deformities to give them the requisite opportunity to be fully integrated into society,“ he stressed.
This, he said, would enable them explore their potential to the fullest, build their capacity in a more effective and efficient way and contribute more meaningfully to the nation’s sustainable socio-economic development.
The foundation, which has Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, as the chief patron, would be launched on Saturday, July 5, 2008 at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi.
With the requisite financial support from the public, including churches, institutions, corporate bodies, firms, industries, among others, children who would otherwise have died, or grown up with permanent deformities, due to the stigmas attached to their predicaments, would receive medical care that would correct their deformities.
Cleft refers to children born with splits in their lips, gums or in the roofs of their mouths.
The condition is referred to as cleft lip or palate, depending on which part of the body was affected, and victims with such deformities find it difficult to live normal lifestyles due to the challenges they face in their daily lives.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview on the significance of the launch of the foundation, the President of the foundation, Professor Peter Donkor, said many children were born with both cleft lip and palate, which affected their growth.
"Children with such deformities mostly face many challenges in life to the extent that some of them are rejected not only by their family members, but also their neighbours, community and school mates."
"Rejection by their families, even to the point of losing their lives, can be a major problem, and those allowed to live are laughed at and bullied in school where many of them are forced to drop out from school with its attendant consequences," Prof. Donkor said.
He said deformity had no barrier, because children from both the poor and the rich families could be affected.
He said it was to address such problems that the Cleft Foundation was being launched on Saturday, July 5, 2008 with the hope of generating adequate financial resources to address the concern of babies and adults with such deformities.
Prof. Donkor said "with financial support from the public, a child's life can be transformed from one of shame and embarrassment to one of acceptance and fulfilment through a relatively minor surgical operation".
He said parents who failed to seek medical care for such children might be ignorant of the fact that the deformity could be corrected, or had no financial means of paying for the cost of the operation which he put at GH¢300,00.
“Such children are forced to grow up with low self-esteem, lacking the confidence needed to fulfil their potential in life," Prof. Donkor noted.
The president of the the foundation said the KATH had established a Cleft Palate Clinic with a team of health professionals who treated children with cleft.
“Since the clinic began operation in 2003, we have repaired and provided care and support to over 400 children with cleft lip and palate, with many adults also benefiting from the gesture," Prof. Donkor said.
He said limited financial resources had prevented the team of health professionals from the clinic from reaching out to many children with such deformities and correct them to enable them live normal lives.
“The success story of those who have had their deformities corrected over the years is an indication that with public support, the clinic would be up to the task of reaching out to all victims of cleft and palate deformities to give them the requisite opportunity to be fully integrated into society,“ he stressed.
This, he said, would enable them explore their potential to the fullest, build their capacity in a more effective and efficient way and contribute more meaningfully to the nation’s sustainable socio-economic development.
FEMALE STUDENTS BEMOAN CONGESTION
FEMALE students of Jachie –Pramso Senior High School have bemoaned the deplorable condition of the school and have called on the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and the GETFund to come to their aid.
The students who made the appeal when some former students paid a visit to the school, also appealed to the Old Students’ association to assist the school in various ways in order to create a conducive atmosphere that would enhance effective teaching and learning.
During the visit, it was realised that the female dormitory, which was designed as a one-storey building, had been abandoned since 2000 when the ground floor was completed.
Years of abandonment has affected the project, thereby making it leak badly anytime it rained.
The absence of adequate louvres at the dormitory has also led to invasion of the rooms by various insects including mosquitoes, which usually attack them at night, creating health hazards that undermining serious academic work.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic during the visit, the students expressed concern about the continuous neglect of the school by stakeholders.
They pointed out that in the Bosomtwe District, Jachie-Pramso Senior High School was the only school selected for upgrading to a well-endowed school, but strangely enough the infrastructure development was nothing to be proud of.
The students said it was time attention was paid to the school to enhance academic work because apart from the female dormitory, the school lacked many facilities, which militate against effective teaching and learning.
They mentioned the library, which accommodates only 40 students at a time as another dent in the image of the school, which was established 40 years ago.
"The student population is now 1,400, but the library, built for less than 120 students 40 years ago is the same facility we are using now," they said.
They noted that the school had adequate land that could contain a new library and other infrastructure and had therefore appealed to stakeholders, especially the district assembly, citizens of the Bosomtwe District in all parts of the country and those abroad, as well as institutions, companies and individuals to come to the aid of the school.
The students who made the appeal when some former students paid a visit to the school, also appealed to the Old Students’ association to assist the school in various ways in order to create a conducive atmosphere that would enhance effective teaching and learning.
During the visit, it was realised that the female dormitory, which was designed as a one-storey building, had been abandoned since 2000 when the ground floor was completed.
Years of abandonment has affected the project, thereby making it leak badly anytime it rained.
The absence of adequate louvres at the dormitory has also led to invasion of the rooms by various insects including mosquitoes, which usually attack them at night, creating health hazards that undermining serious academic work.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic during the visit, the students expressed concern about the continuous neglect of the school by stakeholders.
They pointed out that in the Bosomtwe District, Jachie-Pramso Senior High School was the only school selected for upgrading to a well-endowed school, but strangely enough the infrastructure development was nothing to be proud of.
The students said it was time attention was paid to the school to enhance academic work because apart from the female dormitory, the school lacked many facilities, which militate against effective teaching and learning.
They mentioned the library, which accommodates only 40 students at a time as another dent in the image of the school, which was established 40 years ago.
"The student population is now 1,400, but the library, built for less than 120 students 40 years ago is the same facility we are using now," they said.
They noted that the school had adequate land that could contain a new library and other infrastructure and had therefore appealed to stakeholders, especially the district assembly, citizens of the Bosomtwe District in all parts of the country and those abroad, as well as institutions, companies and individuals to come to the aid of the school.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
FOREST ZONE TOURISM AWARDS (SHOWBIZ, PAGE 14)
By George Ernest Asare
THE Sunyani Municipality is slowly but steadily emerging as the destination with the most tourism potential in the Forest Zone of Ghana, which according to the Ghana Tourist Board(GTB), comprises the Eastern, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions.
Apart from being adjudged the cleanest municipality for 2007 due to its efficient and effective traffic and sanitation management, Sunyani also swept most of the 8th Zonal Tourism Awards organised for the Forest Zone at the Golden Tulip, Kumasi City Hotel last weekend.
The Zonal Awards was part of the activities of the GTB to reward excellence and professionalism in the tourist industry as a way of facilitating the positioning of Ghana as a competitive destination for both domestic and international tourists.
The Sunyani Municipality succeeded in winning honours in all the three categories of the GTB excellence awards to prove that with time, it would emerge as the most attractive tourist destination centre for both domestic and international tourists.
For her prize of being adjudged the most cleanest Municipality in the Forest Belt, the GTB has assured to erect a giant bill board, at the outskirts of Sunyani to create awareness among the travelling public, indicating the uniqueness of Sunyani, in terms of its serene atmosphere, clean environment and comfort enjoyed when travelling through its principal streets.
Other awards won by Sunyani which came with a lot of attractive packages included the Guest House of the Year which went to Morinest Guest House, The One-Star Hotel of the Year award went to Regent Resorts, and The Two-Star Hotel of the Year was won by Eusbett Hotel.
Kumasi did not win any award in the A category of the GTB awards where accommodation facilities dominated, but the Metropolis swept most of the B and C categories where culinary services and Travel and Tours agencies operated.
According to the GTB, the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi attracted the most domestic and international tourists in 2007 and was therefore honoured with a half page advertisement on the GTB website.
St Michael Car Rentals, also based in Kumasi was adjudged the Car Rental Agency for 2007. Mr Sly Hutchison, a Kumasi based tour guide was adjudged the Tour Guide of the Year. He received a plague and a two-week stay at the plush African Regent Hotel, Accra.The Tourism Retail Outlet of the Year was won by Aid to Artisans Ghana, Kumasi.
Kumasi also won almost all the awards in the B category where quality culinary services were offered tourists. The Fast Food Establishment of the Year went to Foods Inn, Kumasi, while that of Traditional Caterer of the Year went to Confidence also in Kumasi.
Morti Mahal Restaurant in Kumasi was also adjudged The Restaurant Grade One of the Year award. Linda D'or at Bunso junction and Kyidom restaurant in Nkawkaw all in the Eastern region won the The Best Restaurant Grade Two and Three awards respectively.
Other award winners included Washington View Hotel at Ejisu in the Ashanti region adjudged the Budget hotel of the year and the Kyidom Restaurant at Nkwawkaw in the Eastern region also received the restaurant Grade three of the year award.
Speaking at the ceremony Mr. Martin Mireku, Executive Director said the National Tourism Awards was aimed at rewarding excellence and professionalism in the industry to facilitate the positioning of Ghana as a competitive destination for both domestic and international tourists.
He called on practitioners to ensure good customer service delivery at all levels of customer service delivery.
The highest award, the Three Star Hotel Award for 2007, was won by Volta Hotel, Akosombo in the Eastern Region.
THE Sunyani Municipality is slowly but steadily emerging as the destination with the most tourism potential in the Forest Zone of Ghana, which according to the Ghana Tourist Board(GTB), comprises the Eastern, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions.
Apart from being adjudged the cleanest municipality for 2007 due to its efficient and effective traffic and sanitation management, Sunyani also swept most of the 8th Zonal Tourism Awards organised for the Forest Zone at the Golden Tulip, Kumasi City Hotel last weekend.
The Zonal Awards was part of the activities of the GTB to reward excellence and professionalism in the tourist industry as a way of facilitating the positioning of Ghana as a competitive destination for both domestic and international tourists.
The Sunyani Municipality succeeded in winning honours in all the three categories of the GTB excellence awards to prove that with time, it would emerge as the most attractive tourist destination centre for both domestic and international tourists.
For her prize of being adjudged the most cleanest Municipality in the Forest Belt, the GTB has assured to erect a giant bill board, at the outskirts of Sunyani to create awareness among the travelling public, indicating the uniqueness of Sunyani, in terms of its serene atmosphere, clean environment and comfort enjoyed when travelling through its principal streets.
Other awards won by Sunyani which came with a lot of attractive packages included the Guest House of the Year which went to Morinest Guest House, The One-Star Hotel of the Year award went to Regent Resorts, and The Two-Star Hotel of the Year was won by Eusbett Hotel.
Kumasi did not win any award in the A category of the GTB awards where accommodation facilities dominated, but the Metropolis swept most of the B and C categories where culinary services and Travel and Tours agencies operated.
According to the GTB, the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi attracted the most domestic and international tourists in 2007 and was therefore honoured with a half page advertisement on the GTB website.
St Michael Car Rentals, also based in Kumasi was adjudged the Car Rental Agency for 2007. Mr Sly Hutchison, a Kumasi based tour guide was adjudged the Tour Guide of the Year. He received a plague and a two-week stay at the plush African Regent Hotel, Accra.The Tourism Retail Outlet of the Year was won by Aid to Artisans Ghana, Kumasi.
Kumasi also won almost all the awards in the B category where quality culinary services were offered tourists. The Fast Food Establishment of the Year went to Foods Inn, Kumasi, while that of Traditional Caterer of the Year went to Confidence also in Kumasi.
Morti Mahal Restaurant in Kumasi was also adjudged The Restaurant Grade One of the Year award. Linda D'or at Bunso junction and Kyidom restaurant in Nkawkaw all in the Eastern region won the The Best Restaurant Grade Two and Three awards respectively.
Other award winners included Washington View Hotel at Ejisu in the Ashanti region adjudged the Budget hotel of the year and the Kyidom Restaurant at Nkwawkaw in the Eastern region also received the restaurant Grade three of the year award.
Speaking at the ceremony Mr. Martin Mireku, Executive Director said the National Tourism Awards was aimed at rewarding excellence and professionalism in the industry to facilitate the positioning of Ghana as a competitive destination for both domestic and international tourists.
He called on practitioners to ensure good customer service delivery at all levels of customer service delivery.
The highest award, the Three Star Hotel Award for 2007, was won by Volta Hotel, Akosombo in the Eastern Region.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
SHIPPERS COUNCIL TO SET UP ICT CENTRE (PAGE 44)
The Ghana Shippers Council has initiated a move to establish Information Communication Technology (ICT) centres to make internet facilities more accessible to their clients to enable them to source for the requisite information that would enhance their business operations.
This is to expand their business operations to enhance their competitiveness in the international market, and maximise their profit margins.
The Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers Council, Mr Kofi Mbiah, who announced this, said the council was also collaborating with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to source for the requisite funding that would facilitate the establishment of the Boankra Inland Port to enable the project to begin as early as possible.
He explained that the early execution of the inland port would enable shippers in the northern sector of the country and neighbouring landlocked countries to access their goods through the inland port, thereby reducing the cost and risk of travelling to the Tema Port to cart their goods.
Mr Mbiah, who announced this in Kumasi during a forum organised by the Ghana Shippers Council to offer a platform for Shippers to interact with stakeholders, pointed out that "the issue of efficiency in our ports and land entry points in relation to the clearance of goods has been a matter of concern to Ghanaian shippers over the years".
Representatives from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President’s Special Initiatives; Ministry of Harbours and Railways; Destination Inspection Companies; Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority; Customs, Excise and Preventive Service; Shipowners and Agents Association of Ghana, as well as Customs Brokers Association of Ghana, Freight Forwarders Association of Ghana, and the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, attended the forum.
Others like the GCNet, Guta, Meridian Port Services, Golden Jubilee Terminal, Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry also attended the forum.
Mr Mbiah admitted that efforts made by stakeholders to streamline the clearance procedures at the ports had not "attained the efficiency levels anticipated by shippers".
He said the missing of containers at the ports, excessive charges by some clearing agents and shipping lines, delays in processing documents at entry points and the delays in the processing of Final Classification Valuation Report, rent and other costs, were among the numerous problems that shippers in Ghana had brought to the attention of the Ghana Shippers Council over the years.
Mr Mbiah noted that delays in berthing, difficulties in locating containers, pilfering, damage to cargo, deterioration of perishable goods due to faulty reefer points, excessive examination by CEPS, as well as congestion caused by trucks, proliferation of charges, the non-payment of freight by forwarders to shipping lines and the uncleared cargoes that detained containers of shipping lines thereby taking up space of the port, were some of the problems that had been confronting the council over the years.
"Solution to these problems would require the concerted efforts of all the stakeholders," he stated, but noted that it would be necessary for the government to strengthen its internal tax collection mechanism as a long-term solution to the high level of corruption associated with the cargo clearing process and the huge loss of revenue to the state.
Explaining further, Mr Mbiah noted that the strengthening of the internal tax collection mechanisms would reduce the high dependence on import duties as the mainstay of government's revenue generation.
He also commended the government for introducing the talk tax as a way of enhancing its revenue generation, but suggested that measures should be put in place to enforce standards to prevent importers from using the country as dumping grounds for shoddy goods.
He also advised shippers to always transact business with reputable Clearing and Forwarding Agents to enhance their operations.
He said it was equally important for the shippers to consult the council for guidance in their business transactions to "forestall being swindled by charlatans".
This is to expand their business operations to enhance their competitiveness in the international market, and maximise their profit margins.
The Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers Council, Mr Kofi Mbiah, who announced this, said the council was also collaborating with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to source for the requisite funding that would facilitate the establishment of the Boankra Inland Port to enable the project to begin as early as possible.
He explained that the early execution of the inland port would enable shippers in the northern sector of the country and neighbouring landlocked countries to access their goods through the inland port, thereby reducing the cost and risk of travelling to the Tema Port to cart their goods.
Mr Mbiah, who announced this in Kumasi during a forum organised by the Ghana Shippers Council to offer a platform for Shippers to interact with stakeholders, pointed out that "the issue of efficiency in our ports and land entry points in relation to the clearance of goods has been a matter of concern to Ghanaian shippers over the years".
Representatives from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President’s Special Initiatives; Ministry of Harbours and Railways; Destination Inspection Companies; Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority; Customs, Excise and Preventive Service; Shipowners and Agents Association of Ghana, as well as Customs Brokers Association of Ghana, Freight Forwarders Association of Ghana, and the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, attended the forum.
Others like the GCNet, Guta, Meridian Port Services, Golden Jubilee Terminal, Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry also attended the forum.
Mr Mbiah admitted that efforts made by stakeholders to streamline the clearance procedures at the ports had not "attained the efficiency levels anticipated by shippers".
He said the missing of containers at the ports, excessive charges by some clearing agents and shipping lines, delays in processing documents at entry points and the delays in the processing of Final Classification Valuation Report, rent and other costs, were among the numerous problems that shippers in Ghana had brought to the attention of the Ghana Shippers Council over the years.
Mr Mbiah noted that delays in berthing, difficulties in locating containers, pilfering, damage to cargo, deterioration of perishable goods due to faulty reefer points, excessive examination by CEPS, as well as congestion caused by trucks, proliferation of charges, the non-payment of freight by forwarders to shipping lines and the uncleared cargoes that detained containers of shipping lines thereby taking up space of the port, were some of the problems that had been confronting the council over the years.
"Solution to these problems would require the concerted efforts of all the stakeholders," he stated, but noted that it would be necessary for the government to strengthen its internal tax collection mechanism as a long-term solution to the high level of corruption associated with the cargo clearing process and the huge loss of revenue to the state.
Explaining further, Mr Mbiah noted that the strengthening of the internal tax collection mechanisms would reduce the high dependence on import duties as the mainstay of government's revenue generation.
He also commended the government for introducing the talk tax as a way of enhancing its revenue generation, but suggested that measures should be put in place to enforce standards to prevent importers from using the country as dumping grounds for shoddy goods.
He also advised shippers to always transact business with reputable Clearing and Forwarding Agents to enhance their operations.
He said it was equally important for the shippers to consult the council for guidance in their business transactions to "forestall being swindled by charlatans".
POLICE IN KUMASI REMOVE FOR LIGHTS (PAGE 29)
As part of the measures to reduce the spate of road traffic injuries and death, as well as the destruction of property during road traffic accidents, the Kumasi Central Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission and the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has started removing fog lights from both private and commercial vehicles that operate within the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
According to Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, the Ashanti Regional MTTU Commander, the exercise, which started barely a week ago, has seen the removal of many fog lights from a number of vehicles, including private cars.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic after the exercise, the MTTU commander noted that investigations had revealed that motorists misused fog lights, especially in the night.
He said drivers used both headlights and the fog lights at night "completely blinding the sights of oncoming vehicles, leading to fatal accidents, which destroys lives and property".
He said as the December general electioneering campaigns geared up, more vehicles would be on the roads, especially at night "so the police would have to be vigilant to ensure safety for motorists".
Mr Sarfo Peprah pointed out that it was time drivers adhered strictly to road traffic regulations to ensure sanity on the roads to make travelling more enjoyable.
He said so far the police are educating motorists on the need to use only their headlights, but as time went on, those who continued to use fog lights would be arrested and prosecuted.
Mr Sarfo Peprah said the exercise also coincided with the checking of speeding, overloading and other traffic offences, such as the use of bathroom sandals to drive.
He said 15 vehicles which drove above the 50-kilometre speed limit within residential areas were arrested, explaining that those who were arrested were driving between 67 and 94 kilometres an hour, in residential areas, which was strictly against road traffic regulations.
He gave the assurance that those who were arrested would be arraigned as soon as investigations were completed to deter other reckless drivers to commit similar offences.
He said in the course of the exercise, many bathroom sandals were seized from drivers, indicating that they were ignorant of the fact that it was against road traffic regulations to use such sandals to drive.
He explained that asphalted roads become very slippery when it drizzled "so using bathroom sandals to drive worsens the situation in case of emergency, and this sometimes causes fatal accidents".
He said the need for drivers to change worn-out tyres was also key to the reduction of road traffic accidents, and therefore advised drivers to change their tyres periodically to reduce the spate of accidents in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
According to Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, the Ashanti Regional MTTU Commander, the exercise, which started barely a week ago, has seen the removal of many fog lights from a number of vehicles, including private cars.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic after the exercise, the MTTU commander noted that investigations had revealed that motorists misused fog lights, especially in the night.
He said drivers used both headlights and the fog lights at night "completely blinding the sights of oncoming vehicles, leading to fatal accidents, which destroys lives and property".
He said as the December general electioneering campaigns geared up, more vehicles would be on the roads, especially at night "so the police would have to be vigilant to ensure safety for motorists".
Mr Sarfo Peprah pointed out that it was time drivers adhered strictly to road traffic regulations to ensure sanity on the roads to make travelling more enjoyable.
He said so far the police are educating motorists on the need to use only their headlights, but as time went on, those who continued to use fog lights would be arrested and prosecuted.
Mr Sarfo Peprah said the exercise also coincided with the checking of speeding, overloading and other traffic offences, such as the use of bathroom sandals to drive.
He said 15 vehicles which drove above the 50-kilometre speed limit within residential areas were arrested, explaining that those who were arrested were driving between 67 and 94 kilometres an hour, in residential areas, which was strictly against road traffic regulations.
He gave the assurance that those who were arrested would be arraigned as soon as investigations were completed to deter other reckless drivers to commit similar offences.
He said in the course of the exercise, many bathroom sandals were seized from drivers, indicating that they were ignorant of the fact that it was against road traffic regulations to use such sandals to drive.
He explained that asphalted roads become very slippery when it drizzled "so using bathroom sandals to drive worsens the situation in case of emergency, and this sometimes causes fatal accidents".
He said the need for drivers to change worn-out tyres was also key to the reduction of road traffic accidents, and therefore advised drivers to change their tyres periodically to reduce the spate of accidents in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
2 ARMED ROBBERS JAILED 46 YEARS (PAGE 29)
A Kumasi High Court presided over by Justice K.A. Pobih, last Friday convicted two armed robbers to serve a total of 46 years in prison it hard labour for snatching a number of vehicles from their owners at gunpoint.
The convicts, Nana Kwame Poku, alias Brutal, and Osei Yaw who operated separately with their gang of armed robbers, were convicted after the court found them guilty on charges of conspiring to rob and robbing at gunpoint.
Poku, who had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him when he appeared before the court, later changed his plea to guilty in the course of the trial, and the court convicted him accordingly to serve 25 years.
The court found him guilty of conspiring with others to rob and robbing some Kumasi taxi drivers of their Opel Astra taxis at gunpoint and selling them to one Agya Osei, alias Osei Wayo, who is also facing trial at the same court.
Osei, on the other hand, pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiring to rob and robbing at gunpoint and was jailed 21 years after the court found him guilty of snatching a vehicle at gunpoint from its owner and forcing a fuel attendant to fill the vehicle with fuel to enhance his armed robbery operations.
The Assistant State Attorney, Mr Ernest Offei Ayeh, who prosecuted, earlier told the court that Poku, a tailor, 42, conspired with Kwadwo Owusu alias TK, now on trial, and Osei Wayo, a Kumasi-based car dealer, as well as two others now at large, to snatch taxis from their owners.
He said on July 7, 2006, they laid ambush at the Regional Office area in Kumasi and succeeded in robbing one Isaac Boakye of his Opel Astra car at gunpoint. He said the taxi was valued at GH¢4,000.
According to the prosecutor, the convict and his gang also succeeded in snatching another Opel Astra taxi valued at GH¢5,000 from one Kwabena Sarpong at gunpoint and sold it to the car dealer.
The prosecutor said, again on July 31, 2006, the convict and his gang ambushed one Akwasi Sarkodie at the VRA area in Kumasi and snatched his Opel Astra valued at GH¢4,000, his Motorola cell phone valued at GH¢140, and cash of GH¢30.
He said the gang succeeded in snatching an Opel Astra from one Kwame Simon at gunpoint at Nhyiaso, a Kumasi suburb on August 10, 2006. He said the vehicle was valued at GH¢4,500.
He said the convict and his gang also at gunpoint snatched an Opel Astra, a Nokia 1100 cell phone and cash of GH¢100 from one Nana Ekow Forson.
He said police investigations led to the arrest of the convict, Kwadwo Owusu, and Osei Wayo but the two accomplices escaped.
Mr Ayeh said Kwadwo Owusu and Osei Wayo would appear before the court on July 17, 2008.
Mr Osei Hwere who prosecuted in the case against Osei Yaw, said the convict, together with one Poku and Lazu now at large, snatched a vehicle at gunpoint from its owner with the intention of using it to undertake their armed robbery operations.
He said in the course of their operation they detected that the fuel in the vehicle was not enough so they went to a fuel attendant at Anyinasu No2, near Nkawie and forced the attendant, one Mohammed Issah, to fill the tank without paying a pesewa.
Mr Osei Hwere said police investigations led to the arrest of Osei Yaw, but his accomplice managed to escape.
The convicts, Nana Kwame Poku, alias Brutal, and Osei Yaw who operated separately with their gang of armed robbers, were convicted after the court found them guilty on charges of conspiring to rob and robbing at gunpoint.
Poku, who had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him when he appeared before the court, later changed his plea to guilty in the course of the trial, and the court convicted him accordingly to serve 25 years.
The court found him guilty of conspiring with others to rob and robbing some Kumasi taxi drivers of their Opel Astra taxis at gunpoint and selling them to one Agya Osei, alias Osei Wayo, who is also facing trial at the same court.
Osei, on the other hand, pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiring to rob and robbing at gunpoint and was jailed 21 years after the court found him guilty of snatching a vehicle at gunpoint from its owner and forcing a fuel attendant to fill the vehicle with fuel to enhance his armed robbery operations.
The Assistant State Attorney, Mr Ernest Offei Ayeh, who prosecuted, earlier told the court that Poku, a tailor, 42, conspired with Kwadwo Owusu alias TK, now on trial, and Osei Wayo, a Kumasi-based car dealer, as well as two others now at large, to snatch taxis from their owners.
He said on July 7, 2006, they laid ambush at the Regional Office area in Kumasi and succeeded in robbing one Isaac Boakye of his Opel Astra car at gunpoint. He said the taxi was valued at GH¢4,000.
According to the prosecutor, the convict and his gang also succeeded in snatching another Opel Astra taxi valued at GH¢5,000 from one Kwabena Sarpong at gunpoint and sold it to the car dealer.
The prosecutor said, again on July 31, 2006, the convict and his gang ambushed one Akwasi Sarkodie at the VRA area in Kumasi and snatched his Opel Astra valued at GH¢4,000, his Motorola cell phone valued at GH¢140, and cash of GH¢30.
He said the gang succeeded in snatching an Opel Astra from one Kwame Simon at gunpoint at Nhyiaso, a Kumasi suburb on August 10, 2006. He said the vehicle was valued at GH¢4,500.
He said the convict and his gang also at gunpoint snatched an Opel Astra, a Nokia 1100 cell phone and cash of GH¢100 from one Nana Ekow Forson.
He said police investigations led to the arrest of the convict, Kwadwo Owusu, and Osei Wayo but the two accomplices escaped.
Mr Ayeh said Kwadwo Owusu and Osei Wayo would appear before the court on July 17, 2008.
Mr Osei Hwere who prosecuted in the case against Osei Yaw, said the convict, together with one Poku and Lazu now at large, snatched a vehicle at gunpoint from its owner with the intention of using it to undertake their armed robbery operations.
He said in the course of their operation they detected that the fuel in the vehicle was not enough so they went to a fuel attendant at Anyinasu No2, near Nkawie and forced the attendant, one Mohammed Issah, to fill the tank without paying a pesewa.
Mr Osei Hwere said police investigations led to the arrest of Osei Yaw, but his accomplice managed to escape.
Monday, June 23, 2008
NO EASY WAY IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE (NSEMPA, PAGE 23)
BY George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
With the premier league entering the home stretch, there is intense struggle at the top and the bottom of the league table.
While some of the clubs are fighting to get into the final top four, others are moving heaven and earth to escape relegation.
With 57 points at the time of going to press, and with only four matches to end the league, it is only Kumasi Asante Kotoko who could be assured that it has both legs firmly planted among the top four clubs in the competition.
Supporters of the Porcupine Warriors can also breathe an air of confidence that the 2007/2008 Premier league trophy will find its way to the Garden City .
This is because with accumulated points of 57, it will be extremely difficult for Kotoko to be dethroned from the top of the league ladder.
Other clubs likely to make it to the top four are- Kpando Heart of Lions, who have accumulated 47 points, Dansoman Liberty Professionals with 44 points, and Obuasi Ashantigold -with 41 points.
While these four clubs are doing everything possible to maintain their positions at the top of the league so as to participate in the more lucrative African champions league, or the less endowed CAF Confederation Cup competitions, others like Berekum Arsenals on 39 points, Hearts of Oak, Keesben F/C and King Faisal, all on 35 points are breathing hard on the neck of Heart of Lions, Liberty Professionals and Ashantigold, hoping that they would falter along the way while they won all their matches.
Life at the bottom of the league is perhaps the most interesting.
With only four matches to end the league, as many as seven teams feel threatened and could find themselves in the soccer wilderness if they fail to win all the four matches ahead of them.
With only 23 points and firmly rooted at the bottom of the league, Accra Great Olympics need more than a miracle to catapult them out of the bottom of the league and place them at a respectable position that would enable them participate in the next premier league.
Zaytuna F/C, Hasaacas, Tema Youth, Real Sportive, Wa All Stars are all in danger and can go on relegation if they do not get better results in their last four matches.
As the competition gets keener and keener, the need for referees to be fair and firm is very important.
Of late, some coaches, including Sir Cecil Jones Attuquefio who see soccer fans to condemn referees for their poor performances.
Players who cannot contain their anger when they feel cheated by referees, sometimes forget about sportsmanship by turning the pitch into a boxing arena, and venting their spleen on referees.
The Okwahu United and Nania F/C experience, where they succeeded in turning Ghana soccer into a basket ball tournament with cricket score lines in their last matches, should not be repeated at the home stretch period of the premier league.
Last minute, they say, is always dangerous, so there is the need for the Ghana Football Association, and all stakeholders to be vigilant to ensure that, referees, soccer administrators and fans, do not pull strings that would give undue advantage to some clubs to either escape relegation or jump into the top four.
It is only when the league ends successfully that companies that doled out money to sponsor the competition, or sponsored some of the participated clubs in the league would get their monies worth, and be prepared to do it the next time round.
With the premier league entering the home stretch, there is intense struggle at the top and the bottom of the league table.
While some of the clubs are fighting to get into the final top four, others are moving heaven and earth to escape relegation.
With 57 points at the time of going to press, and with only four matches to end the league, it is only Kumasi Asante Kotoko who could be assured that it has both legs firmly planted among the top four clubs in the competition.
Supporters of the Porcupine Warriors can also breathe an air of confidence that the 2007/2008 Premier league trophy will find its way to the Garden City .
This is because with accumulated points of 57, it will be extremely difficult for Kotoko to be dethroned from the top of the league ladder.
Other clubs likely to make it to the top four are- Kpando Heart of Lions, who have accumulated 47 points, Dansoman Liberty Professionals with 44 points, and Obuasi Ashantigold -with 41 points.
While these four clubs are doing everything possible to maintain their positions at the top of the league so as to participate in the more lucrative African champions league, or the less endowed CAF Confederation Cup competitions, others like Berekum Arsenals on 39 points, Hearts of Oak, Keesben F/C and King Faisal, all on 35 points are breathing hard on the neck of Heart of Lions, Liberty Professionals and Ashantigold, hoping that they would falter along the way while they won all their matches.
Life at the bottom of the league is perhaps the most interesting.
With only four matches to end the league, as many as seven teams feel threatened and could find themselves in the soccer wilderness if they fail to win all the four matches ahead of them.
With only 23 points and firmly rooted at the bottom of the league, Accra Great Olympics need more than a miracle to catapult them out of the bottom of the league and place them at a respectable position that would enable them participate in the next premier league.
Zaytuna F/C, Hasaacas, Tema Youth, Real Sportive, Wa All Stars are all in danger and can go on relegation if they do not get better results in their last four matches.
As the competition gets keener and keener, the need for referees to be fair and firm is very important.
Of late, some coaches, including Sir Cecil Jones Attuquefio who see soccer fans to condemn referees for their poor performances.
Players who cannot contain their anger when they feel cheated by referees, sometimes forget about sportsmanship by turning the pitch into a boxing arena, and venting their spleen on referees.
The Okwahu United and Nania F/C experience, where they succeeded in turning Ghana soccer into a basket ball tournament with cricket score lines in their last matches, should not be repeated at the home stretch period of the premier league.
Last minute, they say, is always dangerous, so there is the need for the Ghana Football Association, and all stakeholders to be vigilant to ensure that, referees, soccer administrators and fans, do not pull strings that would give undue advantage to some clubs to either escape relegation or jump into the top four.
It is only when the league ends successfully that companies that doled out money to sponsor the competition, or sponsored some of the participated clubs in the league would get their monies worth, and be prepared to do it the next time round.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
KUMASI BUSINESSMAN WEEPS AT ACCIDENT SCENE (MIRROR, PAGE 34)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
A Kumasi-based businessman, Nana Osei of NAASEI Enterprise, broke down on Thursday, June 12, 2008 and wept like a baby when he realised that the driver he had entrusted his articulated truck to Karim Musah, had plunged him into deep trouble.
Nana Osei, who had directed the 34-year-old driver, who had seven years’ driving experience, to cart some goods from Takoradi in the Western Region to Kumasi, realised to his dismay that Musah had ignored his directives and diverted the route as directed.
According to the police, Musah also disregarded the need to rest when fatigue set in, causing him to drive in the wrong lane on the Kumasi-Accra Road, crashing the DAF articulated truck into an oncoming Kumasi-bound OA bus at Atwedie. Six passengers were killed in the process, while 45 others sustained various degrees of injury.
Musah had secretly loaded large quantities of teak, bound for Accra to generate additional revenue for his personal use and he was, therefore, in haste to discharge the teak in Accra before venturing onto the Accra–Takoradi road to undertake his official assignment.
Moreover, instead of reporting the accident to the truck owner or to the police, as stipulated in road traffic regulations, for action to be taken, the driver absconded with his mate minutes after the accident, thereby putting Nana Osei into mental torture as to how the truck found its way to Atwedie loaded with teak bound for Accra.
When Nana Osei initially heard the news on air that his DAF articulated truck, with registration number AS 5127 N, had been involved in a fatal accident on the Kumasi-Accra Road, he did not believe it because he thought that the truck was on its way to Takoradi through the Obuasi-Anhwia-Nkwanta-Yamoransah trunk road to cart building materials to Kumasi.
He, however, decided to check the veractiy of the news item and it was when he reached the accident scene at Atwedie, near Juaso in the Ashanti Region, and saw the wreck that he came to terms with the problem his driver had plunged him into.
Moments after he saw the wreck and its consequences, he struggled to keep the tears from flowing and, oblivious to the crowd that had gathered around him at that particular time, he started sobbing, bemoaning the problems his driver had created for him.
"I did not assign him to go to Accra. I told him to go to Takoradi with the empty articulated truck to cart goods to Kumasi. So I did not believe the news item that my truck had been involved in a fatal accident on the Kumasi–Accra road. This was because all along I knew that the driver was on his way to Takoradi," he bemoaned.
In that particular accident, four of the passengers on board the bus died on the spot, while two others died at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where they had been rushed for medical care.
The bodies of all the deceased passengers, which included three females and three males, have been deposited at the KATH mortuary, awaiting identification, autopsy and collection by their family members.
According to the police, the accident occurred when the articulated truck veered off its lane into the lane of the OA bus, completely blocking the road.
The bus crushed into the mid-section of the truck, causing the death of the six passengers and injuring 45 others.
At the time of going to press, the police were still hunting for Musah and his mate to assist in their investigations.
A Kumasi-based businessman, Nana Osei of NAASEI Enterprise, broke down on Thursday, June 12, 2008 and wept like a baby when he realised that the driver he had entrusted his articulated truck to Karim Musah, had plunged him into deep trouble.
Nana Osei, who had directed the 34-year-old driver, who had seven years’ driving experience, to cart some goods from Takoradi in the Western Region to Kumasi, realised to his dismay that Musah had ignored his directives and diverted the route as directed.
According to the police, Musah also disregarded the need to rest when fatigue set in, causing him to drive in the wrong lane on the Kumasi-Accra Road, crashing the DAF articulated truck into an oncoming Kumasi-bound OA bus at Atwedie. Six passengers were killed in the process, while 45 others sustained various degrees of injury.
Musah had secretly loaded large quantities of teak, bound for Accra to generate additional revenue for his personal use and he was, therefore, in haste to discharge the teak in Accra before venturing onto the Accra–Takoradi road to undertake his official assignment.
Moreover, instead of reporting the accident to the truck owner or to the police, as stipulated in road traffic regulations, for action to be taken, the driver absconded with his mate minutes after the accident, thereby putting Nana Osei into mental torture as to how the truck found its way to Atwedie loaded with teak bound for Accra.
When Nana Osei initially heard the news on air that his DAF articulated truck, with registration number AS 5127 N, had been involved in a fatal accident on the Kumasi-Accra Road, he did not believe it because he thought that the truck was on its way to Takoradi through the Obuasi-Anhwia-Nkwanta-Yamoransah trunk road to cart building materials to Kumasi.
He, however, decided to check the veractiy of the news item and it was when he reached the accident scene at Atwedie, near Juaso in the Ashanti Region, and saw the wreck that he came to terms with the problem his driver had plunged him into.
Moments after he saw the wreck and its consequences, he struggled to keep the tears from flowing and, oblivious to the crowd that had gathered around him at that particular time, he started sobbing, bemoaning the problems his driver had created for him.
"I did not assign him to go to Accra. I told him to go to Takoradi with the empty articulated truck to cart goods to Kumasi. So I did not believe the news item that my truck had been involved in a fatal accident on the Kumasi–Accra road. This was because all along I knew that the driver was on his way to Takoradi," he bemoaned.
In that particular accident, four of the passengers on board the bus died on the spot, while two others died at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where they had been rushed for medical care.
The bodies of all the deceased passengers, which included three females and three males, have been deposited at the KATH mortuary, awaiting identification, autopsy and collection by their family members.
According to the police, the accident occurred when the articulated truck veered off its lane into the lane of the OA bus, completely blocking the road.
The bus crushed into the mid-section of the truck, causing the death of the six passengers and injuring 45 others.
At the time of going to press, the police were still hunting for Musah and his mate to assist in their investigations.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
A Kumasi High Court, presided over by Justice K.A. Pobih, last Friday convicted two armed robbers to serve a total of 46 years in prison with hard labour for snatching a number of vehicles from their owners at gunpoint.
The convicts, Nana Kwame Poku, alias Brutal, and Osei Yaw, who operated separately with their gang of armed robbers, were convicted after the court found them guilty of charges of conspiring to rob and robbing at gunpoint.
Poku, who had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him when he appeared before the court, later changed his plea to guilty in the course of the trial, and the court convicted him accordingly to serve 25 years.
The court found him guilty of conspiring with others to rob and robbing a section of Kumasi taxi drivers of their Opel Astra taxis at gunpoint and selling them to one Agya Osei, alias Osei Wayo, who is also facing trial at the same court.
Osei, on the other hand, pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiring to rob and robbing at gunpoint and was jailed 21 years after the court found him guilty of snatching a vehicle at gunpoint from its owner and forcing a fuel attendant to fill the vehicle with fuel to enhance his armed robbery operations.
The Assistant State Attorney, Mr Ernest Offei Ayeh, who prosecuted, earlier told the court that Poku, a tailor, 42, conspired with Kwadwo Owusu, alias TK, now on trial, and Osei Wayo, a Kumasi-based car dealer, as well as two others now at large, to snatch taxis from their owners.
He said on July 7, 2006, they laid ambush at the Regional Office area in Kumasi and succeeded in robbing one Isaac Boakye of his Opel Astra car at gunpoint. He said the taxi was valued at GH¢4,000.
According to the prosecutor, the convict and his gang also succeeded in snatching another Opel Astra taxi valued at GH¢5,000 from one Kwabena Sarpong at gunpoint and sold it to the car dealer.
The prosecutor said again on July 31, 2006, the convict and his gang ambushed one Akwasi Sarkodie at the VRA area in Kumasi and snatched his Opel Astra valued at GH¢4,000, his Motorola cell phone valued at GH¢140, and cash of GH¢30.
He said the gang succeeded in snatching an Opel Astra from one Kwame Simon at gunpoint at Nhyiaso, a Kumasi suburb on August 10, 2006. He said the vehicle was valued at GH¢4500.
He said the convict and his gang, also at gunpoint, snatched an Opel Astra, a Nokia 1100 cell phone and cash of GH¢100 from one Nana Ekow Forson.
He said police investigations led to the arrest of the convict, Kwadwo Owusu, and Osei Wayo but the two accomplices escaped.
Mr Ayeh said Kwadwo Owusu and Osei Wayo would appear before the court on July 17, 2008.
Mr Osei Hwere who prosecuted in the case against Osei Yaw, said the convict, together with one Poku and Lazu now at large, snatched a vehicle at gunpoint from its owner with the intention of using it to undertake their armed robbery operations.
He said in the course of their operation, they detected that the fuel in the vehicle was not enough, so they went to a fuel attendant at Anyinasu No. 2, near Nkawie and forced the attendant, one Mohammed Issah, to fill the tank without paying a pesewa.
Mr Osei Hwere said police investigations led to the arrest of Osei Yaw, but his accomplice managed to escape.
A Kumasi High Court, presided over by Justice K.A. Pobih, last Friday convicted two armed robbers to serve a total of 46 years in prison with hard labour for snatching a number of vehicles from their owners at gunpoint.
The convicts, Nana Kwame Poku, alias Brutal, and Osei Yaw, who operated separately with their gang of armed robbers, were convicted after the court found them guilty of charges of conspiring to rob and robbing at gunpoint.
Poku, who had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him when he appeared before the court, later changed his plea to guilty in the course of the trial, and the court convicted him accordingly to serve 25 years.
The court found him guilty of conspiring with others to rob and robbing a section of Kumasi taxi drivers of their Opel Astra taxis at gunpoint and selling them to one Agya Osei, alias Osei Wayo, who is also facing trial at the same court.
Osei, on the other hand, pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiring to rob and robbing at gunpoint and was jailed 21 years after the court found him guilty of snatching a vehicle at gunpoint from its owner and forcing a fuel attendant to fill the vehicle with fuel to enhance his armed robbery operations.
The Assistant State Attorney, Mr Ernest Offei Ayeh, who prosecuted, earlier told the court that Poku, a tailor, 42, conspired with Kwadwo Owusu, alias TK, now on trial, and Osei Wayo, a Kumasi-based car dealer, as well as two others now at large, to snatch taxis from their owners.
He said on July 7, 2006, they laid ambush at the Regional Office area in Kumasi and succeeded in robbing one Isaac Boakye of his Opel Astra car at gunpoint. He said the taxi was valued at GH¢4,000.
According to the prosecutor, the convict and his gang also succeeded in snatching another Opel Astra taxi valued at GH¢5,000 from one Kwabena Sarpong at gunpoint and sold it to the car dealer.
The prosecutor said again on July 31, 2006, the convict and his gang ambushed one Akwasi Sarkodie at the VRA area in Kumasi and snatched his Opel Astra valued at GH¢4,000, his Motorola cell phone valued at GH¢140, and cash of GH¢30.
He said the gang succeeded in snatching an Opel Astra from one Kwame Simon at gunpoint at Nhyiaso, a Kumasi suburb on August 10, 2006. He said the vehicle was valued at GH¢4500.
He said the convict and his gang, also at gunpoint, snatched an Opel Astra, a Nokia 1100 cell phone and cash of GH¢100 from one Nana Ekow Forson.
He said police investigations led to the arrest of the convict, Kwadwo Owusu, and Osei Wayo but the two accomplices escaped.
Mr Ayeh said Kwadwo Owusu and Osei Wayo would appear before the court on July 17, 2008.
Mr Osei Hwere who prosecuted in the case against Osei Yaw, said the convict, together with one Poku and Lazu now at large, snatched a vehicle at gunpoint from its owner with the intention of using it to undertake their armed robbery operations.
He said in the course of their operation, they detected that the fuel in the vehicle was not enough, so they went to a fuel attendant at Anyinasu No. 2, near Nkawie and forced the attendant, one Mohammed Issah, to fill the tank without paying a pesewa.
Mr Osei Hwere said police investigations led to the arrest of Osei Yaw, but his accomplice managed to escape.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
CONTROLLING MOB ACTION ...Are the Police prepared for the task? (PAGE 9)
Feature: George Ernest Asare
THE incident at Ashaiman on June 3, 2008, where irate drivers in the Ashaiman township, clashed with the police, leading to the death of two persons, including an 11-year-old boy, Moses Kassim, again puts to test the efficiency and combat readiness of the police for riot control.
It also questions the investments the state has made over the years in terms of providing resources for the Police Service for the purpose of efficient and effective policing in the country .
According to a Daily Graphic report on June 4, 2008, a seven-hour stand-off, between irate drivers at Ashaiman (whose ranks were later infiltrated by hooligans ) and the police, almost turned the Ashaiman township into a war zone.
" With the bodies of the dead and blood spilled on the main street, Ashaiman, for the greater part of the day, looked like a war zone until nature intervened with a heavy downpour to wash away the blood and dispersed the crowd", That was part of the Daily Graphic report on the Ashaiman incident.
The report further indicated that "those who dropped dead from the police shooting were a driver, identified as Mustapha Somah, 24 and an 11-year-old school boy, Moses Kassim, who was trapped in the commotion while selling sachet water".
It also stated that " in the confusion, all roads leading to the town were blocked, and lorry tyres were set ablaze in the middle of the roads " adding, " police vehicles and private cars belonging to individuals were smashed by the angry mob, leaving some beyond repairs".
In the same issue of the Daily Graphic, the Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahen, was reported to have described the Ashaiman incident " as unfortunate and unnecessary".
Nana Obiri Boahen was reported to have said that "there was no justification whatsoever for the action of the mob that attacked the police station and the rented barracks of the police at Zongo Laka, a suburb of Ashiaman, where the wives and children of the police were subjected to severe beatings".
The action of the mob was based on a report made by a section of the electronic media that, "a driver from Ashaiman who was arrested by the police a day before, had died in cells as a result of a severe beating he received from the Police".
It was in the course of finding out the authenticity of the news or otherwise, that the Palestinian style stone throwing to repel armed security men started, causing the police to react immediately in military fashion, leading to the death of the two.
The Ashaiman incident, and others that occassionally occur in the country, underlines the need for the police to be adequately prepared at any point in time and to use the right methods to quell mob attacks in a more effective and efficient way.
The reports in the Daily Graphic proves that, the Police in Ashaiman used live ammunition in controlling the mob who stormed the Ashaiman police station instead of rubber bullets , water cannons and tear gas canisters, which are the acceptable methods in contemporary times for the control of mob action. The essence here is to bring fatalities to the barest minimum.
The question is, would the police have resorted to the use of live ammunitions instead of rubber bullets and tear gas canisters if they were readily available at the station, and at the time the mob started pelting them with stones?
What about weapons that are used in firing the rubber bullets, as well as water cannons and armoured cars that are the best equipment for riot control .
How trained are the police in the skill of firing tear gas canisters when the need arises?
Going back to the incidents of rioting in the country, and police response over the years, especially the May 9, 2001 Accra Sports Stadium incident, which claimed over 100 lives and maimed many others, there have been serious lapses in the control of violence in the country.
A telephone interview with two senior police officers in Accra on the inability of the police to effectively deal with riot control in Ghana revealed that, all Police Training Schools in Ghana do not include riot control in their syllabi.
" Police recruits do not learn anything about riot control in their six-month training at the various Police training schools in Ghana to build their capacity, and so they come out ill-equipped when it comes to riot control " they revealed, adding "even when it comes to weapon handling, it is a mere three -week training that is offered the recruits, so how can they come out well equipped to handle weapons and mob action in the country?
According to the senior police officers, many police stations in the country have no access to tear gas canisters , rubber bullets and weapons used in firing rubber bullets. They also pointed out that the public has a wrong perception that rubber bullets are readily available at all police stations, " but that is not so. This is because rubber bullets are only kept in the armoury at the regional and national head quarters, and it was only when there was violence at a particular community that the rubber bullets , together with the special weapons used in firing them, are released to police men to control crowd violence".
"If ordinary rubber bullets are not available at the various police stations to enable the police control crowd violence when the need arises, the least said about water cannons, tear gas canisters and armour cars the better", the officers said. They pointed out that it takes a lot of time for rubber bullets and tear gas canisters to be transported to the areas where they are needed in case of mob violence.
"So if the police are under fire through mob action, do they wait to be lynched before they defend themselves? One of the officers questioned.
They said that apart from these vital facilities, the duration for training police recruits also undermine their efficiency and combat readiness.
They explained that while countries in the Middle East and Europe offered three years of training for their recruits which “ makes them fully baked police men, capable of handling any form of crime, including mob action, we in Ghana offer a mere six months training for our recruits, so how can we build their capacity in a way that would make it possible for them to operate efficiently?"
They noted that to address the lapses in the Police Service, the was the need for the service to be completely overhauled.
We need to be trained and re-trained, but can you believe that many police men have never received further training since they passed out from the depot several years ago?
On the activities of the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) and their impact on riot control and violence in the country, the police officers said that the RDF was not the answer to combating violence in the country.
They said that the RDF was concentrated in Accra and a few urban centres "so how can they be deployed rapidly when there is an emergency in any part of the country?”
"If every recruit has the ability to combat violence in a more effective and efficient manner, there would be no need to create any unit in any part of the country" they noted.
THE incident at Ashaiman on June 3, 2008, where irate drivers in the Ashaiman township, clashed with the police, leading to the death of two persons, including an 11-year-old boy, Moses Kassim, again puts to test the efficiency and combat readiness of the police for riot control.
It also questions the investments the state has made over the years in terms of providing resources for the Police Service for the purpose of efficient and effective policing in the country .
According to a Daily Graphic report on June 4, 2008, a seven-hour stand-off, between irate drivers at Ashaiman (whose ranks were later infiltrated by hooligans ) and the police, almost turned the Ashaiman township into a war zone.
" With the bodies of the dead and blood spilled on the main street, Ashaiman, for the greater part of the day, looked like a war zone until nature intervened with a heavy downpour to wash away the blood and dispersed the crowd", That was part of the Daily Graphic report on the Ashaiman incident.
The report further indicated that "those who dropped dead from the police shooting were a driver, identified as Mustapha Somah, 24 and an 11-year-old school boy, Moses Kassim, who was trapped in the commotion while selling sachet water".
It also stated that " in the confusion, all roads leading to the town were blocked, and lorry tyres were set ablaze in the middle of the roads " adding, " police vehicles and private cars belonging to individuals were smashed by the angry mob, leaving some beyond repairs".
In the same issue of the Daily Graphic, the Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahen, was reported to have described the Ashaiman incident " as unfortunate and unnecessary".
Nana Obiri Boahen was reported to have said that "there was no justification whatsoever for the action of the mob that attacked the police station and the rented barracks of the police at Zongo Laka, a suburb of Ashiaman, where the wives and children of the police were subjected to severe beatings".
The action of the mob was based on a report made by a section of the electronic media that, "a driver from Ashaiman who was arrested by the police a day before, had died in cells as a result of a severe beating he received from the Police".
It was in the course of finding out the authenticity of the news or otherwise, that the Palestinian style stone throwing to repel armed security men started, causing the police to react immediately in military fashion, leading to the death of the two.
The Ashaiman incident, and others that occassionally occur in the country, underlines the need for the police to be adequately prepared at any point in time and to use the right methods to quell mob attacks in a more effective and efficient way.
The reports in the Daily Graphic proves that, the Police in Ashaiman used live ammunition in controlling the mob who stormed the Ashaiman police station instead of rubber bullets , water cannons and tear gas canisters, which are the acceptable methods in contemporary times for the control of mob action. The essence here is to bring fatalities to the barest minimum.
The question is, would the police have resorted to the use of live ammunitions instead of rubber bullets and tear gas canisters if they were readily available at the station, and at the time the mob started pelting them with stones?
What about weapons that are used in firing the rubber bullets, as well as water cannons and armoured cars that are the best equipment for riot control .
How trained are the police in the skill of firing tear gas canisters when the need arises?
Going back to the incidents of rioting in the country, and police response over the years, especially the May 9, 2001 Accra Sports Stadium incident, which claimed over 100 lives and maimed many others, there have been serious lapses in the control of violence in the country.
A telephone interview with two senior police officers in Accra on the inability of the police to effectively deal with riot control in Ghana revealed that, all Police Training Schools in Ghana do not include riot control in their syllabi.
" Police recruits do not learn anything about riot control in their six-month training at the various Police training schools in Ghana to build their capacity, and so they come out ill-equipped when it comes to riot control " they revealed, adding "even when it comes to weapon handling, it is a mere three -week training that is offered the recruits, so how can they come out well equipped to handle weapons and mob action in the country?
According to the senior police officers, many police stations in the country have no access to tear gas canisters , rubber bullets and weapons used in firing rubber bullets. They also pointed out that the public has a wrong perception that rubber bullets are readily available at all police stations, " but that is not so. This is because rubber bullets are only kept in the armoury at the regional and national head quarters, and it was only when there was violence at a particular community that the rubber bullets , together with the special weapons used in firing them, are released to police men to control crowd violence".
"If ordinary rubber bullets are not available at the various police stations to enable the police control crowd violence when the need arises, the least said about water cannons, tear gas canisters and armour cars the better", the officers said. They pointed out that it takes a lot of time for rubber bullets and tear gas canisters to be transported to the areas where they are needed in case of mob violence.
"So if the police are under fire through mob action, do they wait to be lynched before they defend themselves? One of the officers questioned.
They said that apart from these vital facilities, the duration for training police recruits also undermine their efficiency and combat readiness.
They explained that while countries in the Middle East and Europe offered three years of training for their recruits which “ makes them fully baked police men, capable of handling any form of crime, including mob action, we in Ghana offer a mere six months training for our recruits, so how can we build their capacity in a way that would make it possible for them to operate efficiently?"
They noted that to address the lapses in the Police Service, the was the need for the service to be completely overhauled.
We need to be trained and re-trained, but can you believe that many police men have never received further training since they passed out from the depot several years ago?
On the activities of the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) and their impact on riot control and violence in the country, the police officers said that the RDF was not the answer to combating violence in the country.
They said that the RDF was concentrated in Accra and a few urban centres "so how can they be deployed rapidly when there is an emergency in any part of the country?”
"If every recruit has the ability to combat violence in a more effective and efficient manner, there would be no need to create any unit in any part of the country" they noted.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
CENTRAL MTTU BAGS GH¢574,538 IN SIX MONTHS (PAGE 29)
THE Kumasi Central Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) realised a total of GH¢574,538 from fines imposed on recalcitrant drivers within the Kumasi metropolis and its environs between January and June 15, this year.
The court fines were imposed on 234 deviant drivers who were arrested and prosecuted by the Central MTTU in Kumasi within that period.
According to the Ashanti Regional MTTU Police Commander, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, the drivers were fined for offences such as drink driving, going through red light, picking of passengers at unauthorised places, speeding and road obstructions.
He said in January this year for example, the courts fined 13 drivers a total of GH¢3,800 for various traffic offences.
In February 19 drivers were fined a total of GH¢4,600 for various traffic offences. The number of drivers prosecuted in March rose to 53 with a fine of GH¢ 106, 650 imposed on them after being convicted.
Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah said between March and April this year 79 drivers who committed various traffic offences were fined a total of GH¢202,500 after being convicted.
He said the fines decreased in May with only 36 deviant drivers being arrested and prosecuted. They were fined a total of GH¢8,850.
Between June 1, and June 15 , the fines realised shot up to GH¢10500. In all 34 drivers were prosecuted and convicted for various traffic offences.
Mr Sarfo Peprah expressed concern about the rampant flouting of traffic regulations by drivers in spite of the intensive education the MTTU had mounted in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission to educate commercial and private drivers over the years.
He said the continuous flouting of road traffic regulations had caused serious accidents, resulting in the death of innocent pedestrians and passengers and that the police would not relent their efforts to arrest and prosecute drivers whose actions and inaction caused havoc on the roads.
He said in Kumasi some driver always took the law into their hands because of the wrong perception that they were untouchable.
He explained that the road linking the Morocco Shoe to the Manhyia Palace was always choked during the evening rush hours because the commercial drivers stopped anywhere to pick passengers, and anytime they were arrested, they threatened to embark on demonstrations.
According to him, the police would never yield to the threats of the drivers and allow them to do their will.
He attributed the traffic jams at certain spots to the activities of drivers and not any other peculiar problem. “The roads are so choked in the evenings that when there is any emergency it becomes very difficult to move through the vehicles," he lamented.
The court fines were imposed on 234 deviant drivers who were arrested and prosecuted by the Central MTTU in Kumasi within that period.
According to the Ashanti Regional MTTU Police Commander, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, the drivers were fined for offences such as drink driving, going through red light, picking of passengers at unauthorised places, speeding and road obstructions.
He said in January this year for example, the courts fined 13 drivers a total of GH¢3,800 for various traffic offences.
In February 19 drivers were fined a total of GH¢4,600 for various traffic offences. The number of drivers prosecuted in March rose to 53 with a fine of GH¢ 106, 650 imposed on them after being convicted.
Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah said between March and April this year 79 drivers who committed various traffic offences were fined a total of GH¢202,500 after being convicted.
He said the fines decreased in May with only 36 deviant drivers being arrested and prosecuted. They were fined a total of GH¢8,850.
Between June 1, and June 15 , the fines realised shot up to GH¢10500. In all 34 drivers were prosecuted and convicted for various traffic offences.
Mr Sarfo Peprah expressed concern about the rampant flouting of traffic regulations by drivers in spite of the intensive education the MTTU had mounted in collaboration with the National Road Safety Commission to educate commercial and private drivers over the years.
He said the continuous flouting of road traffic regulations had caused serious accidents, resulting in the death of innocent pedestrians and passengers and that the police would not relent their efforts to arrest and prosecute drivers whose actions and inaction caused havoc on the roads.
He said in Kumasi some driver always took the law into their hands because of the wrong perception that they were untouchable.
He explained that the road linking the Morocco Shoe to the Manhyia Palace was always choked during the evening rush hours because the commercial drivers stopped anywhere to pick passengers, and anytime they were arrested, they threatened to embark on demonstrations.
According to him, the police would never yield to the threats of the drivers and allow them to do their will.
He attributed the traffic jams at certain spots to the activities of drivers and not any other peculiar problem. “The roads are so choked in the evenings that when there is any emergency it becomes very difficult to move through the vehicles," he lamented.
HIT AND RUN DRIVER ARRESTED (PAGE 29)
After two years of intensive search, the Kumasi Central Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service has succeeded in arresting a driver who knocked down a 43-year-old farmer and ran away.
The incident led to the farmer sustaining multiple degrees of injury on the head and other parts of the body, and eventually died at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where he was rushed to for medical attention.
The suspect, Mohammed Abubarkar, was arrested at 10;30 a.m. on Monday, June 16, 2008, at the Manhyia lorry station, minutes after he had offloaded some passengers from Moshie Zongo, from where he operates.
At the Kumasi Central MTTU office where he was confronted with the offence, which he committed in October 2006, the suspect confessed and said because he failed to report the accident to the police to assist in their investigations he had not been comfortable since then.
He said the incident had also been haunting him over the years but he had not been courageous enough to present himself to the police.
Moments after the police arrested him, they also arrested the car owner, Sherif Alhassan, to assist in their investigations.
The victim was a native of Kensere, near Bekwai in the Ashanti Region, and was in Kumasi to visit some family members when he met his fate.
The Police told the Daily Graphic that the owner of the vehicle was aware that his employee had committed a crime but failed to report to the police.
The suspect, who resides at Moshie Zongo, a Kumasi suburb, and a native of Bawku, was arrested by Sergeant Michael Broni of the Central MTTU during one of his usual rounds to hunt for the suspect.
The suspect was driving the same vehicle - a 207 Mercedes Benz bus with registration number GW2709T - used in killing the pedestrian at the Kajetia traffic lights.
He told the police after his arrest that he had been using the vehicle for the past four years and rarely gave it to any other driver.
According to Sgt Broni, when the incident occurred, he had been combing the Techiman and Mampong trunk roads, where the suspect had allegedly been operating, with the view of arresting him, to assist the police in their investigations.
He said the incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. at the Kajetia — Suame traffic light, where the suspect allegedly went through a red light at a time the victim was crossing the road.
He said following the green light signal, the victim entered the road but the suspect, who had by then ignored the red light signalling him to stop, hit the victim in the middle of the road.
Sgt Broni said the suspect rushed the victim to the KATH but left him to his fate.
He said the victim died a few minutes later, but the suspect failed to report to the police, and all efforts to trace him proved futile.
In his caution statement, the suspect told the police that after knocking down the victim and realising that he was dead, he rushed home to inform the transport owner about the incident.
He said the transport owner advised him to report to the police, but fearing that he would be arrested he refused to do so.
He said after waiting for three days without being arrested by the police, he resumed his normal duties and had been operating between the Dr Mensah area to Moshie Zongo since then.
He is currently in police custody assisting in investigations.
The incident led to the farmer sustaining multiple degrees of injury on the head and other parts of the body, and eventually died at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where he was rushed to for medical attention.
The suspect, Mohammed Abubarkar, was arrested at 10;30 a.m. on Monday, June 16, 2008, at the Manhyia lorry station, minutes after he had offloaded some passengers from Moshie Zongo, from where he operates.
At the Kumasi Central MTTU office where he was confronted with the offence, which he committed in October 2006, the suspect confessed and said because he failed to report the accident to the police to assist in their investigations he had not been comfortable since then.
He said the incident had also been haunting him over the years but he had not been courageous enough to present himself to the police.
Moments after the police arrested him, they also arrested the car owner, Sherif Alhassan, to assist in their investigations.
The victim was a native of Kensere, near Bekwai in the Ashanti Region, and was in Kumasi to visit some family members when he met his fate.
The Police told the Daily Graphic that the owner of the vehicle was aware that his employee had committed a crime but failed to report to the police.
The suspect, who resides at Moshie Zongo, a Kumasi suburb, and a native of Bawku, was arrested by Sergeant Michael Broni of the Central MTTU during one of his usual rounds to hunt for the suspect.
The suspect was driving the same vehicle - a 207 Mercedes Benz bus with registration number GW2709T - used in killing the pedestrian at the Kajetia traffic lights.
He told the police after his arrest that he had been using the vehicle for the past four years and rarely gave it to any other driver.
According to Sgt Broni, when the incident occurred, he had been combing the Techiman and Mampong trunk roads, where the suspect had allegedly been operating, with the view of arresting him, to assist the police in their investigations.
He said the incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. at the Kajetia — Suame traffic light, where the suspect allegedly went through a red light at a time the victim was crossing the road.
He said following the green light signal, the victim entered the road but the suspect, who had by then ignored the red light signalling him to stop, hit the victim in the middle of the road.
Sgt Broni said the suspect rushed the victim to the KATH but left him to his fate.
He said the victim died a few minutes later, but the suspect failed to report to the police, and all efforts to trace him proved futile.
In his caution statement, the suspect told the police that after knocking down the victim and realising that he was dead, he rushed home to inform the transport owner about the incident.
He said the transport owner advised him to report to the police, but fearing that he would be arrested he refused to do so.
He said after waiting for three days without being arrested by the police, he resumed his normal duties and had been operating between the Dr Mensah area to Moshie Zongo since then.
He is currently in police custody assisting in investigations.
KMA'S TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MAKES POSITIVE IMPACT
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Traffic Management Paid Parking Project, initiated at the central business district (CBD) two years ago, is making giant strides in their operations.
Two years after the project began, as much as GH¢794226.10 has been generated by Goldstreet Real Estate Consult, which is managing the CBD on-street and off-street parking spots.
The consult makes a daily average collection of GH¢1,627.31 and in May it made the highest collection of GH¢42,310.
The Executive Director of Goldstreet Real Estate Consult, Mr Mark Kakraba Ampeh, told the Daily Graphic that the company was committed to the effective and efficient management of the project to ensure that it generated adequate revenue as well as improved sanitary conditions at the CBD.
He said in January 2008, the company collected GH¢42,380.97, from the on-street and off-street collection, clamping and towing operations. He gave the figures for February, March, April and May as GH¢39,251.60; GH¢39,252.48; GH¢41,587.28 and GH¢42,310.00 respectively.
Mr Kakraba Ampeh further said the monthly collection between January and May, this year was higher than what was collected last year and that there was consistency in the growth in revenue for 2008 as against 2007.
For his part, the General Manager of Goldstreet Real Estate Consult, Mr G. K. Arkoh-Mensah told the Daily Graphic that apart from the cumulative revenue of GH¢794226.10 over the two-year period, the company was also committed to carrying out the usual regular cleaning and collection of garbage "to ensure proper environmental sanitation".
He said it was only when the CBD was put into proper shape and good sanitary practices were carried out that commercial activities would improve and result in a corresponding increase in revenue generated there.
He said the undue pressure on the company’s cleaners had reduced considerably with the door-to-door collection system gathering momentum in the CBD.
He said the past months had also seen regular cleaning of gutters, streets and pavements, which made it possible for the business community to operate in a healthy environment.
Mr Arkoh-Mensah commended the public for their co-operation since the inception of the paid parking operations and urged them to sustain it.
He said the revenue recovered from their towing and clamping operations was also increasing steadily and stressed that as much as GH¢2,537.00 was generated from the towing and clamping of vehicles in April this year.
He said the amount generated in April from the towing of vehicles was an indication that there was " high level of wrongful parking at the CBD" and gave the assurance that “concrete steps are being taken to control the situation".
Two years after the project began, as much as GH¢794226.10 has been generated by Goldstreet Real Estate Consult, which is managing the CBD on-street and off-street parking spots.
The consult makes a daily average collection of GH¢1,627.31 and in May it made the highest collection of GH¢42,310.
The Executive Director of Goldstreet Real Estate Consult, Mr Mark Kakraba Ampeh, told the Daily Graphic that the company was committed to the effective and efficient management of the project to ensure that it generated adequate revenue as well as improved sanitary conditions at the CBD.
He said in January 2008, the company collected GH¢42,380.97, from the on-street and off-street collection, clamping and towing operations. He gave the figures for February, March, April and May as GH¢39,251.60; GH¢39,252.48; GH¢41,587.28 and GH¢42,310.00 respectively.
Mr Kakraba Ampeh further said the monthly collection between January and May, this year was higher than what was collected last year and that there was consistency in the growth in revenue for 2008 as against 2007.
For his part, the General Manager of Goldstreet Real Estate Consult, Mr G. K. Arkoh-Mensah told the Daily Graphic that apart from the cumulative revenue of GH¢794226.10 over the two-year period, the company was also committed to carrying out the usual regular cleaning and collection of garbage "to ensure proper environmental sanitation".
He said it was only when the CBD was put into proper shape and good sanitary practices were carried out that commercial activities would improve and result in a corresponding increase in revenue generated there.
He said the undue pressure on the company’s cleaners had reduced considerably with the door-to-door collection system gathering momentum in the CBD.
He said the past months had also seen regular cleaning of gutters, streets and pavements, which made it possible for the business community to operate in a healthy environment.
Mr Arkoh-Mensah commended the public for their co-operation since the inception of the paid parking operations and urged them to sustain it.
He said the revenue recovered from their towing and clamping operations was also increasing steadily and stressed that as much as GH¢2,537.00 was generated from the towing and clamping of vehicles in April this year.
He said the amount generated in April from the towing of vehicles was an indication that there was " high level of wrongful parking at the CBD" and gave the assurance that “concrete steps are being taken to control the situation".
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
HIPC FUND TO SUPPORT BREAST CANCER AWARENESS (BACK PAGE)
THE government is to make available adequate resources from the HIPC Fund to actively support breast cancer education in the country as a way of creating the requisite awareness about the dangers associated with the disease.
With sufficient financial support by the government, the capacity of women across the country will be built to enable them to appreciate the need to seek early medical treatment when infected with the disease.
This is to reduce complications associated with breast cancer, high cost of treatment and mortality rate.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, who announced this, pointed out that with the requisite financial resources to intensify education on breast cancer and the danger it posed to women, ignorance associated with the disease would be reduced.
He was speaking at a free breast cancer screening exercise organised by Breast Care International (BCI), in collaboration with Peace and Love Hospital for women at Agogo in the Asante Akim District last Sunday.
The minister said breast cancer education would make it possible for women in particular to appreciate the need to seek early medical treatment when infected to promote healthy lifestyles among them to prolong their lives.
As many as 730 women, including students from Collins Secondary Commercial, Agogo Presbyterian Training College and traditional authorities from the Agogo township and its environs, benefited from the exercise.
The beneficiaries were also schooled on the Hepatitis B virus modes of infection and mortality rate.
Mr Baah Wiredu commended BCI, a Kumasi-based NGO, for its commitment in creating awareness on breast cancer and Hepatitis B, which, he said, were having a big toll on Ghanaians.
The President of BCI, Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai, educated the participants on the symptoms of breast cancer and how to undertake monthly breast examinations.
She pointed out that with the regular examinations, they would be able to detect any form of abnormality in their breast to enable them to seek early medical care
She noted that since the disease could infect anybody, irrespective of status, ethnic group and age, the need for women to undertake self monthly breast examination and also seek early medical treatment instead of resorting to the use of herbal treatment was key to promoting good health among them.
With sufficient financial support by the government, the capacity of women across the country will be built to enable them to appreciate the need to seek early medical treatment when infected with the disease.
This is to reduce complications associated with breast cancer, high cost of treatment and mortality rate.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, who announced this, pointed out that with the requisite financial resources to intensify education on breast cancer and the danger it posed to women, ignorance associated with the disease would be reduced.
He was speaking at a free breast cancer screening exercise organised by Breast Care International (BCI), in collaboration with Peace and Love Hospital for women at Agogo in the Asante Akim District last Sunday.
The minister said breast cancer education would make it possible for women in particular to appreciate the need to seek early medical treatment when infected to promote healthy lifestyles among them to prolong their lives.
As many as 730 women, including students from Collins Secondary Commercial, Agogo Presbyterian Training College and traditional authorities from the Agogo township and its environs, benefited from the exercise.
The beneficiaries were also schooled on the Hepatitis B virus modes of infection and mortality rate.
Mr Baah Wiredu commended BCI, a Kumasi-based NGO, for its commitment in creating awareness on breast cancer and Hepatitis B, which, he said, were having a big toll on Ghanaians.
The President of BCI, Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai, educated the participants on the symptoms of breast cancer and how to undertake monthly breast examinations.
She pointed out that with the regular examinations, they would be able to detect any form of abnormality in their breast to enable them to seek early medical care
She noted that since the disease could infect anybody, irrespective of status, ethnic group and age, the need for women to undertake self monthly breast examination and also seek early medical treatment instead of resorting to the use of herbal treatment was key to promoting good health among them.
ATWIDIE ACCIDENT CLAIMS ONE MORE LIFE (BACK PAGE)
The accident at Atwidie near Juaso on the Kumasi-Accra road involving a Kumasi-bound OA bus and a DAF articulated truck, which claimed the lives of five passengers last Wednesday, has claimed an additional life.
The latest victim was a 46-year-old businesswoman, Felicia Peprah, who is a native of Chiraa in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The deceased was said to have been discharged from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) three days after the accident, but complained of bodily pains minutes after she reached home.
She was, therefore, rushed to the Emergency Unit of KATH, where she died moments after she was re-admitted.
The body of the deceased, who was a mother of two, has been transferred to the Sunyani Government Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
The other five passengers who lost their lives in the accident were yet to be identified as of yesterday.
The driver of the DAF articulated truck, with registration number AS 5127 N, and his mate, who were said to have vanished from the accident scene as soon as bus crashed into the truck, are yet to report themselves to the police to assist in investigations.
As many as 46 passengers sustained various degrees of injury when the bus crashed into the truck, which veered into its lane at Atwidie, near Juaso.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), Mr. James Sarfo Peprah, told the Daily Graphic that the driver of the truck was directed by his employer, Nana Osei, to cart some goods from Takoradi to Kumasi, but he (the driver) rather diverted his route to the Kumasi-Accra trunk road where he loaded large quantities of teak into the articulated truck, with the view to transporting them to Accra for his personal gains.
He said the police had mounted a search to arrest the driver, who has been identified as Karim Musah, to assist in their investigations.
The latest victim was a 46-year-old businesswoman, Felicia Peprah, who is a native of Chiraa in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The deceased was said to have been discharged from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) three days after the accident, but complained of bodily pains minutes after she reached home.
She was, therefore, rushed to the Emergency Unit of KATH, where she died moments after she was re-admitted.
The body of the deceased, who was a mother of two, has been transferred to the Sunyani Government Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
The other five passengers who lost their lives in the accident were yet to be identified as of yesterday.
The driver of the DAF articulated truck, with registration number AS 5127 N, and his mate, who were said to have vanished from the accident scene as soon as bus crashed into the truck, are yet to report themselves to the police to assist in investigations.
As many as 46 passengers sustained various degrees of injury when the bus crashed into the truck, which veered into its lane at Atwidie, near Juaso.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), Mr. James Sarfo Peprah, told the Daily Graphic that the driver of the truck was directed by his employer, Nana Osei, to cart some goods from Takoradi to Kumasi, but he (the driver) rather diverted his route to the Kumasi-Accra trunk road where he loaded large quantities of teak into the articulated truck, with the view to transporting them to Accra for his personal gains.
He said the police had mounted a search to arrest the driver, who has been identified as Karim Musah, to assist in their investigations.
Monday, June 16, 2008
KOTOKO, TIGO MUST RESPECT CONTRACT (NSEMPA, BACK PAGE)
By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
About three weeks ago, Milicom Ghana Limited, operators of Tigo, took a giant step when they signed a three year contract to sponsor the Porcupine Warriors, Kumasi Asante Kotoko
The deal which enjoins Milicom to dole out as much as $3 million in cash and kind, is not only expected to facilitate the efficient and effective development of Kotoko, but was also to rekindle the fighting spirit of the Porcupine Warriors to enable the club win more laurels at both the local and international arenas.
After appending their signature on the contract form, the Board Chairman of Milicom, Mr Temark Inja, together with some management members, formally informed the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II about their initiatives, assuring him that Milicom would be committed to the sponsorship package and assist the Porcupine Warriors in diverse ways to enable Kotoko excel.
The formal interaction with Otumfuo Osei Tutu to brief him about that sponsorship package was very important.
This was because as the owner of the club, there is the need for him to be adequately briefed about developments in the club.
It was therefore not surprising that the Akyempimhene, Oheneba Adusei Poku, who represented the Asantehene during the meeting, commended Milicom for their sense of initiative to sponsor the Porcupine Warriors who have massive following in the country and abroad than any other club.
The massive turnout of Kotoko fans in the principal streets of Kumasi when Millicom, in collaboration with Kotoko management, organised a float to outdoor their sponsorship deal, was an indication that, the marriage between Kotoko and Milicom was acceptable to the numerous Kotoko fans.
With the formal launching of the Milicom –Kotoko sponsorship in Kumasi, the expectation was that, both parties would respect the contractual deal for their mutual benefits.
While Milicom is expected to make good the $3 million package in cash and kind that would enable management of the great club take good care of the players to enable them deliver to the satisfaction of the massive followers, Milicom is also expecting that the numerous Kotoko supporters across the country would effectively patronise its products as regularly as possible.
One thing is certain, Ghana soccer seems to have been marking time over the years because of inadequate sponsorship by companies in the country.
Apart from Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak, who are sometimes offered sponsorship packages by some companies in the country, the other participating clubs in the premier league struggle to compete in the league due to financial difficulties they encounter in the course of the competition.
The regular payment of salaries of their players, winning bonuses, hospital bills, accommodation and kits among other expenditures, always become a burden to club management, and this have direct consequences on the performance of players on the field of play.
About three weeks ago, Milicom Ghana Limited, operators of Tigo, took a giant step when they signed a three year contract to sponsor the Porcupine Warriors, Kumasi Asante Kotoko
The deal which enjoins Milicom to dole out as much as $3 million in cash and kind, is not only expected to facilitate the efficient and effective development of Kotoko, but was also to rekindle the fighting spirit of the Porcupine Warriors to enable the club win more laurels at both the local and international arenas.
After appending their signature on the contract form, the Board Chairman of Milicom, Mr Temark Inja, together with some management members, formally informed the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II about their initiatives, assuring him that Milicom would be committed to the sponsorship package and assist the Porcupine Warriors in diverse ways to enable Kotoko excel.
The formal interaction with Otumfuo Osei Tutu to brief him about that sponsorship package was very important.
This was because as the owner of the club, there is the need for him to be adequately briefed about developments in the club.
It was therefore not surprising that the Akyempimhene, Oheneba Adusei Poku, who represented the Asantehene during the meeting, commended Milicom for their sense of initiative to sponsor the Porcupine Warriors who have massive following in the country and abroad than any other club.
The massive turnout of Kotoko fans in the principal streets of Kumasi when Millicom, in collaboration with Kotoko management, organised a float to outdoor their sponsorship deal, was an indication that, the marriage between Kotoko and Milicom was acceptable to the numerous Kotoko fans.
With the formal launching of the Milicom –Kotoko sponsorship in Kumasi, the expectation was that, both parties would respect the contractual deal for their mutual benefits.
While Milicom is expected to make good the $3 million package in cash and kind that would enable management of the great club take good care of the players to enable them deliver to the satisfaction of the massive followers, Milicom is also expecting that the numerous Kotoko supporters across the country would effectively patronise its products as regularly as possible.
One thing is certain, Ghana soccer seems to have been marking time over the years because of inadequate sponsorship by companies in the country.
Apart from Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak, who are sometimes offered sponsorship packages by some companies in the country, the other participating clubs in the premier league struggle to compete in the league due to financial difficulties they encounter in the course of the competition.
The regular payment of salaries of their players, winning bonuses, hospital bills, accommodation and kits among other expenditures, always become a burden to club management, and this have direct consequences on the performance of players on the field of play.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
FREE HEALTH CARE FOR KONONGO-ODUMASE (PAGE 43)
Over three thousand residents of Konongo-Odumase and its environs in the Ashanti Region have benefited from a free medical outreach programme initiated by the Konongohene, Nana Batafo Akyeampong Nti, and the Queen, Nana Twumwaa Asantewaa Bankoni.
A 25-member medical team from the United States of America provided free medical care for the Konongo-Odumase community for a period of one week. Residents with eye problems, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, ulcer, among others, were treated free of charge during the one-week period and also provided with various drugs to improve their health.
Those with eye diseases were also provided with spectacles. About 2,500 pairs of spectacles were distributed to residents to improve their sight.
The medical officers, who were visiting Konongo-Odumase for the second time since 2007, have decided to adopt the twin community of Konongo and Odumase to offer free annual medical services to the people to improve their health to enhance economic ventures and improve their standard of living.
The medical team, led by Dr Eugene A. Nwosu of the Goodness and Mercy Foundation, has already donated a quantity of medical supplies to the Konongo Government Hospital to enhance quality delivery of services.
The team has also donated a quantity of hospital beds and other facilities, such as X-ray equipment, bed sheets and curtains, to the hospital as part of its outreach programme.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Dr Nwosu noted that the outreach programme was in line with the objectives of the Goodness and Mercy Foundation, an NGO, which strove to provide medical services free of charge for people in the West African sub-region.
He said the team first visited the sub-region about four years ago and that the visit took it to Ajali in Nigeria. It later decided to venture into Ghana as a result of the interest shown by some traditional rulers.
He said the decision to adopt Konongo-Odumase for an annual outreach programme during which the team would provide free medical services for the community also stemmed from the immense interest shown by Nana Nti and the Nana Twumwaa Bankoni.
Dr Nwosu pointed out that the outreach programme had benefited the people very much because apart from the medical supplies and equipment donated to the hospital to facilitate quality delivery of health services, it also afforded members of the team the opportunity to address the health needs of the people, some of whom were very complicated and needed surgery.
" Some of the patients come here thinking that they are very healthy, but during examination, we detect that they have complications in their blood pressure which need prompt medication," he noted.
He pointed out that the medical supplies the team brought down were of tremendous significance because apart from making it possible for it to provide efficient and effective health care for the community during the outreach programmes, "we always leave large quantities for the management of the Konongo Government Hospital to be used to treat patients who go there on a daily basis".
Dr Nwosu commended the traditional rulers of Konongo for the interest shown in support of the health needs of their people and assured them that the outreach programme would be invigorated as the years went by.
He, however, urged the Ghanaians, especially the affluent, to support the needy by sponsoring similar programmes.
A 25-member medical team from the United States of America provided free medical care for the Konongo-Odumase community for a period of one week. Residents with eye problems, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, ulcer, among others, were treated free of charge during the one-week period and also provided with various drugs to improve their health.
Those with eye diseases were also provided with spectacles. About 2,500 pairs of spectacles were distributed to residents to improve their sight.
The medical officers, who were visiting Konongo-Odumase for the second time since 2007, have decided to adopt the twin community of Konongo and Odumase to offer free annual medical services to the people to improve their health to enhance economic ventures and improve their standard of living.
The medical team, led by Dr Eugene A. Nwosu of the Goodness and Mercy Foundation, has already donated a quantity of medical supplies to the Konongo Government Hospital to enhance quality delivery of services.
The team has also donated a quantity of hospital beds and other facilities, such as X-ray equipment, bed sheets and curtains, to the hospital as part of its outreach programme.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Dr Nwosu noted that the outreach programme was in line with the objectives of the Goodness and Mercy Foundation, an NGO, which strove to provide medical services free of charge for people in the West African sub-region.
He said the team first visited the sub-region about four years ago and that the visit took it to Ajali in Nigeria. It later decided to venture into Ghana as a result of the interest shown by some traditional rulers.
He said the decision to adopt Konongo-Odumase for an annual outreach programme during which the team would provide free medical services for the community also stemmed from the immense interest shown by Nana Nti and the Nana Twumwaa Bankoni.
Dr Nwosu pointed out that the outreach programme had benefited the people very much because apart from the medical supplies and equipment donated to the hospital to facilitate quality delivery of health services, it also afforded members of the team the opportunity to address the health needs of the people, some of whom were very complicated and needed surgery.
" Some of the patients come here thinking that they are very healthy, but during examination, we detect that they have complications in their blood pressure which need prompt medication," he noted.
He pointed out that the medical supplies the team brought down were of tremendous significance because apart from making it possible for it to provide efficient and effective health care for the community during the outreach programmes, "we always leave large quantities for the management of the Konongo Government Hospital to be used to treat patients who go there on a daily basis".
Dr Nwosu commended the traditional rulers of Konongo for the interest shown in support of the health needs of their people and assured them that the outreach programme would be invigorated as the years went by.
He, however, urged the Ghanaians, especially the affluent, to support the needy by sponsoring similar programmes.
TAX INCENTIVE: WILL IT HAVE AN IMPACT? (MIRROR, PAGE 29)
Mrs Cynthia Osei, Lecturer, KUMASI Poly
Perhaps the directive by the government to waive taxes on some basic food items such as cereals, is in the right direction.
I am saying this because majority of Ghanaians depend on such food for survival.
With the reduction in taxes on some petroleum products, commercial drivers will also have a bit of relief, and I am certain they will also respond positively by reducing the fare in transporting some basic food items from the hinterlands to the urban centres.
The implication is that, the price of food items, such as plantain, yams, cocoyam and cassava among others, will also come down tremendously.
I am however disappointed that the government did not include petrol in the reduction of taxes on fuel generally.
I am saying this because other commercial vehicles also use petrol in their daily transactions. With the exclusion of petrol from the tax reduction, how does the government expect such drivers to reduce their fares as directed.
Normally, whenever there is an increase in the prices of petroleum products, service providers react very sharply, and increase their prices seconds after the announcements, but whenever there is price reduction, it takes days for them to react accordingly.
This shows that, some service providers are very greedy and take Ghanaians for granted. It also undermines governments policies and programmes of making life a bit comfortable for the ordinary Ghanaian, so this time, I expect service providers to become more responsible and patriotic and respond to the government’s directive. Importers should also reduce the prices of cereals to ensure that all Ghanaians benefit.
Organisations and Institutions that collaborate with service providers to increase or reduce prices should be at work immediately to ensure that nobody extorts money from Ghanaians for their selfish benefits and that of their immediate families.
As a worker, I was expecting the government to increase the basic salary of workers to cushion us a bit on the high cost of living, so I was disappointed that no such announcement came from the government.
However, I am still hoping that the government will take a second look at the increase of basic salaries for workers to make life a bit comfortable for us.
Kwabena Owusu Dwomo,
Soil Scientist
So far as I am concerned, the government has taken a bold decision which is of tremendous benefit to all Ghanaians.
However the onus rests on all to support the government to ensure that the benefits trickles down to every body.
I am saying this because Ghanaians are fond of seeking their own interest by maximising their profit margins at the least opportunity to the detriment of the larger society.
If there is no mechanism to check importers and service providers, there is no way that the government will be able to seek relief for Ghanaians through this initiative of waiving taxes on cereals and reducing taxes on fuel in the country.
If the government initiates a policy and Ghanaians do not help to implement it, there is no way that the policy can be of benefit to anyone, no matter how important the policy is. So with the support of every Ghanaian, prices of food items especially are likely to be reduced considerably.
When drivers supposed to transport food items from the rural areas to the urban centre reduce the cost of transportation, the farmer will also reduce the prices on food items and this will go a long way to cause prices at the markets to fall.
With the initiatives of reducing the cost of tractors and making fertilisers readily available to farmers at a reduced cost, the cost of production is likely to come down.
Under the circumstances farmers will take advantage of the situation to expand their farms to increase productivity and profit margins.
The future will be bright for Ghanaians because if the policy is strictly implemented and supported by all, there will be more to eat at a relatively cheaper cost to make life more meaningful.
There is the need to take partisan politics out of this initiative because immediately politics is introduced into this initiative, everything is likely to go wayward, so we should be more realistic and offer the requisite support to move the nation forward since this policy is likely to move the agriculture sector forward.
Evelyn Safoah
Ntiamoah,
Resident OF Kumasi
It was good for the government to waive taxes on the importation of cereals such as rice, and wheat .
This is because they are consumed by a large number of Ghanaians, more especially those in the low income group and the unemployed, so waiving the taxes on their importation will make their prices more affordable.
The escalating prices of these basic food items was becoming unbearable, and for the government to come out with this directive is a source of relief so the government should be commended for this.
However, I strongly disagree with the inclusion of yellow corn. This is because I don’t know the number of Ghanaians who consume that food. I think the government would have earned much commendation if it had added beans , oil and other food items which are largely consumed by majority of Ghanaians.
I also have strong reservation on the reduction of taxes on fuel. I am saying this because a large number of Ghanaians do not own vehicles and depend solely on public transport .
If this directive is strictly implemented, it is those who own vehicles , such as the politicians as well as the few well to do, who will benefit tremendously from this directive to the exclusion of the majority poor.
I think the best solution to the escalating crude oil prices is for the government to increase the number of Metro Mass Transit Bus Services and make them available to a larger group of Ghanaians. This will make travelling more affordable, enjoyable and comfortable.
With the improved services of the Metro Mass Transit Buses , where drivers and their assistants are well catered for, service delivery will also be more efficient and prompt.
With efficiency in the Metro Mass Transit services, congestion associated with our major roads would reduce dramatically, and this will also reduce the rate of road traffic injuries and death which are having a toll on Ghanaians, especially those in the productive sectors.
One thing is certain, and that is the fact that, the escalating crude oil prices is global, so there is the need for Ghanaians to support the government to initiate policies that would benefit all of us.
Charles Robert Amoako ,
Business Development Consultant
Government’s directive to waive taxes on cereals imported into the country is very good. The reduction of taxes on fuel as a policy is likely to move the economy forward, and this should be appreciated by every right minded Ghanaian.
With this reduction, the inflation that is now escalating will be minimal and the windfall will be of tremendous benefit to all Ghanaians.
It is the wish of every Ghanaian that the development initiative of the country will be sustained so the onus lies on everybody to support the initiative to enhance its success.
At the moment, importers are going to enjoy some tax exemptions from products imported into the country, and the benefits will be passed on to retailers, so the need for all of them to be transparent in their business transactions is very important.
This will go a long way to make consumers buy products at affordable prices. With the reduction of taxes on fuel it will trickle down to all sectors of the economy to to make it accelerate at a faster rate.
Market women would be able to buy some basic food items from the rural areas at cheap prices and bring them to the urban areas without much cost to consumers.
Looking at our economy and the level of transportation system, it is diesel cars that go to the rural areas frequently to convey food items to the urban centres, so it was good that government reduced prices of diesel. My expectation is that, prices of food items and other products will also be reduced considerably for all Ghanaians to appreciate the value of good governance.
My advise is that Ghanaians should embrace the government policy because it is in the right direction and also proves the sense of caring of the government for the plight of Ghanaians.
Agyenim Boateng, Businessman
The initiative by the government to reduce taxes on fuel and waving taxes on some food products imported into the country was good, but it came a bit too late.
This initiative will bring down the prices of food and other items to make life quite bearable. With this directive also, there is going to be competition among the business community, especially those who deal in rice.
While some of them will maintain their prices to keep their business afloat, those who will benefit from this exercise will reduce their prices in order to sell the products as quickly as possible, thereby enhancing quick turn over and maximisation of profit.
In the agriculture sector, I think the government ought to have re-introduce State farming, where the youth would be employed to work in the farms, thereby increasing yield for local consumption and export.
With the re-introduction of State Farms, those in the National Youth Employment could be deployed to work there and be paid for their services, and this would go a long way to maximise productivity and generate income for Ghana.
The waving of taxes on some food items and fuel
products to me, is a short term measure that the government has taken, and it would not help the nation much, because in the long run, it could lead to inflation and high prices of goods and services.
Taxes that are supposed to support sustainable national development are being waived for one reason or the other.
However, if the government becomes more focused on State farming where efficiency on food production is introduced, and supervision is strictly enforced, those who would be employed will work very hard to increase yield on basic food items, thereby making their prices more affordable to the ordinary Ghanaian.
This also means that government will generate adequate revenue from the production of these food items and use the profits to develop the nation.
Perhaps the directive by the government to waive taxes on some basic food items such as cereals, is in the right direction.
I am saying this because majority of Ghanaians depend on such food for survival.
With the reduction in taxes on some petroleum products, commercial drivers will also have a bit of relief, and I am certain they will also respond positively by reducing the fare in transporting some basic food items from the hinterlands to the urban centres.
The implication is that, the price of food items, such as plantain, yams, cocoyam and cassava among others, will also come down tremendously.
I am however disappointed that the government did not include petrol in the reduction of taxes on fuel generally.
I am saying this because other commercial vehicles also use petrol in their daily transactions. With the exclusion of petrol from the tax reduction, how does the government expect such drivers to reduce their fares as directed.
Normally, whenever there is an increase in the prices of petroleum products, service providers react very sharply, and increase their prices seconds after the announcements, but whenever there is price reduction, it takes days for them to react accordingly.
This shows that, some service providers are very greedy and take Ghanaians for granted. It also undermines governments policies and programmes of making life a bit comfortable for the ordinary Ghanaian, so this time, I expect service providers to become more responsible and patriotic and respond to the government’s directive. Importers should also reduce the prices of cereals to ensure that all Ghanaians benefit.
Organisations and Institutions that collaborate with service providers to increase or reduce prices should be at work immediately to ensure that nobody extorts money from Ghanaians for their selfish benefits and that of their immediate families.
As a worker, I was expecting the government to increase the basic salary of workers to cushion us a bit on the high cost of living, so I was disappointed that no such announcement came from the government.
However, I am still hoping that the government will take a second look at the increase of basic salaries for workers to make life a bit comfortable for us.
Kwabena Owusu Dwomo,
Soil Scientist
So far as I am concerned, the government has taken a bold decision which is of tremendous benefit to all Ghanaians.
However the onus rests on all to support the government to ensure that the benefits trickles down to every body.
I am saying this because Ghanaians are fond of seeking their own interest by maximising their profit margins at the least opportunity to the detriment of the larger society.
If there is no mechanism to check importers and service providers, there is no way that the government will be able to seek relief for Ghanaians through this initiative of waiving taxes on cereals and reducing taxes on fuel in the country.
If the government initiates a policy and Ghanaians do not help to implement it, there is no way that the policy can be of benefit to anyone, no matter how important the policy is. So with the support of every Ghanaian, prices of food items especially are likely to be reduced considerably.
When drivers supposed to transport food items from the rural areas to the urban centre reduce the cost of transportation, the farmer will also reduce the prices on food items and this will go a long way to cause prices at the markets to fall.
With the initiatives of reducing the cost of tractors and making fertilisers readily available to farmers at a reduced cost, the cost of production is likely to come down.
Under the circumstances farmers will take advantage of the situation to expand their farms to increase productivity and profit margins.
The future will be bright for Ghanaians because if the policy is strictly implemented and supported by all, there will be more to eat at a relatively cheaper cost to make life more meaningful.
There is the need to take partisan politics out of this initiative because immediately politics is introduced into this initiative, everything is likely to go wayward, so we should be more realistic and offer the requisite support to move the nation forward since this policy is likely to move the agriculture sector forward.
Evelyn Safoah
Ntiamoah,
Resident OF Kumasi
It was good for the government to waive taxes on the importation of cereals such as rice, and wheat .
This is because they are consumed by a large number of Ghanaians, more especially those in the low income group and the unemployed, so waiving the taxes on their importation will make their prices more affordable.
The escalating prices of these basic food items was becoming unbearable, and for the government to come out with this directive is a source of relief so the government should be commended for this.
However, I strongly disagree with the inclusion of yellow corn. This is because I don’t know the number of Ghanaians who consume that food. I think the government would have earned much commendation if it had added beans , oil and other food items which are largely consumed by majority of Ghanaians.
I also have strong reservation on the reduction of taxes on fuel. I am saying this because a large number of Ghanaians do not own vehicles and depend solely on public transport .
If this directive is strictly implemented, it is those who own vehicles , such as the politicians as well as the few well to do, who will benefit tremendously from this directive to the exclusion of the majority poor.
I think the best solution to the escalating crude oil prices is for the government to increase the number of Metro Mass Transit Bus Services and make them available to a larger group of Ghanaians. This will make travelling more affordable, enjoyable and comfortable.
With the improved services of the Metro Mass Transit Buses , where drivers and their assistants are well catered for, service delivery will also be more efficient and prompt.
With efficiency in the Metro Mass Transit services, congestion associated with our major roads would reduce dramatically, and this will also reduce the rate of road traffic injuries and death which are having a toll on Ghanaians, especially those in the productive sectors.
One thing is certain, and that is the fact that, the escalating crude oil prices is global, so there is the need for Ghanaians to support the government to initiate policies that would benefit all of us.
Charles Robert Amoako ,
Business Development Consultant
Government’s directive to waive taxes on cereals imported into the country is very good. The reduction of taxes on fuel as a policy is likely to move the economy forward, and this should be appreciated by every right minded Ghanaian.
With this reduction, the inflation that is now escalating will be minimal and the windfall will be of tremendous benefit to all Ghanaians.
It is the wish of every Ghanaian that the development initiative of the country will be sustained so the onus lies on everybody to support the initiative to enhance its success.
At the moment, importers are going to enjoy some tax exemptions from products imported into the country, and the benefits will be passed on to retailers, so the need for all of them to be transparent in their business transactions is very important.
This will go a long way to make consumers buy products at affordable prices. With the reduction of taxes on fuel it will trickle down to all sectors of the economy to to make it accelerate at a faster rate.
Market women would be able to buy some basic food items from the rural areas at cheap prices and bring them to the urban areas without much cost to consumers.
Looking at our economy and the level of transportation system, it is diesel cars that go to the rural areas frequently to convey food items to the urban centres, so it was good that government reduced prices of diesel. My expectation is that, prices of food items and other products will also be reduced considerably for all Ghanaians to appreciate the value of good governance.
My advise is that Ghanaians should embrace the government policy because it is in the right direction and also proves the sense of caring of the government for the plight of Ghanaians.
Agyenim Boateng, Businessman
The initiative by the government to reduce taxes on fuel and waving taxes on some food products imported into the country was good, but it came a bit too late.
This initiative will bring down the prices of food and other items to make life quite bearable. With this directive also, there is going to be competition among the business community, especially those who deal in rice.
While some of them will maintain their prices to keep their business afloat, those who will benefit from this exercise will reduce their prices in order to sell the products as quickly as possible, thereby enhancing quick turn over and maximisation of profit.
In the agriculture sector, I think the government ought to have re-introduce State farming, where the youth would be employed to work in the farms, thereby increasing yield for local consumption and export.
With the re-introduction of State Farms, those in the National Youth Employment could be deployed to work there and be paid for their services, and this would go a long way to maximise productivity and generate income for Ghana.
The waving of taxes on some food items and fuel
products to me, is a short term measure that the government has taken, and it would not help the nation much, because in the long run, it could lead to inflation and high prices of goods and services.
Taxes that are supposed to support sustainable national development are being waived for one reason or the other.
However, if the government becomes more focused on State farming where efficiency on food production is introduced, and supervision is strictly enforced, those who would be employed will work very hard to increase yield on basic food items, thereby making their prices more affordable to the ordinary Ghanaian.
This also means that government will generate adequate revenue from the production of these food items and use the profits to develop the nation.
MAN CONVICTED FOR SHOUTING IN COURT (MIRROR, PAGE 34)
From George Ernest Asare,
Kumasi.
A young man whose sentiments got the better part of him, making him to shout when a Kumasi High Court was in session is now languishing in jail as he has been convicted to serve 21 days prison term with hard labour.
The convict, Mickey Akakossi, who expressed remorse for his action was cited for contempt in court as soon as he shouted and was convicted accordingly.
Justice K.A. Pobih, who presided, drew Akakossi's attention to his action in court when the convict explained that his action in court was an attempt to help an accused person to state a fact when he (the suspect) was giving evidence in court.
When the Assistant State Attorney, Mr Richard Osei Hwere, cited the suspect for contempt and asked him to explain his action, indicating why he (the convict) should not be convicted for interfering in the court proceedings, the convict told the court that his action stemmed from the fact that he wanted to help the accused in the box.
" I have no interest. It was my wish to help the accused in the box. I am sorry", he explained to the court.
Convicting Akakossi, Justice Pobih noted " Micky states that he had wanted to assist the accused in his evidence. This is a clear case of contempt of court in the face of the court. I do convict him of contempt and sentence him to 21 days imprisonment with hard labour.
Minutes after Justice Pobih pronounced the sentence, Micky Akakossi was whisked away by the police into a waiting vehicle that eventually conveyed him to the Kumasi Central Prisons.
Kumasi.
A young man whose sentiments got the better part of him, making him to shout when a Kumasi High Court was in session is now languishing in jail as he has been convicted to serve 21 days prison term with hard labour.
The convict, Mickey Akakossi, who expressed remorse for his action was cited for contempt in court as soon as he shouted and was convicted accordingly.
Justice K.A. Pobih, who presided, drew Akakossi's attention to his action in court when the convict explained that his action in court was an attempt to help an accused person to state a fact when he (the suspect) was giving evidence in court.
When the Assistant State Attorney, Mr Richard Osei Hwere, cited the suspect for contempt and asked him to explain his action, indicating why he (the convict) should not be convicted for interfering in the court proceedings, the convict told the court that his action stemmed from the fact that he wanted to help the accused in the box.
" I have no interest. It was my wish to help the accused in the box. I am sorry", he explained to the court.
Convicting Akakossi, Justice Pobih noted " Micky states that he had wanted to assist the accused in his evidence. This is a clear case of contempt of court in the face of the court. I do convict him of contempt and sentence him to 21 days imprisonment with hard labour.
Minutes after Justice Pobih pronounced the sentence, Micky Akakossi was whisked away by the police into a waiting vehicle that eventually conveyed him to the Kumasi Central Prisons.
PASTOR'S DREAM FADES ...Lose GH¢7,000 to con men (MIRROR, PAGE 3)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
When an America-based Ghanaian Pastor, Rev. Owusu Boadu, flew home to unite with his family members last year he was determined to use every available means to extract a hidden treasure of gold buried on his family land at Fufuo, near Barekese in the Ashanti Region, to enable him to realise his childhood dream of becoming a wealthy person.
Prior to his return home in 2007, Rev. Owusu Boadu had dreamt that there was a hidden treasure (gold) in his family land at Fufuo and with a firm belief that his dreams always manifested in the real sense, he decided to return home to extract the treasure.
However, the dreams of Rev. Owusu Boadu of becoming wealthy overnight turned into a nightmare when the people he consulted to assist in extracting the gold from the farm land allegedly succeeded in defrauding him of GH¢7,000.
The pastor consulted Mohammed Awal, a soothsayer, and his assistant, Ibrahim Mahamud, a driver’s mate, who allegedly defrauded him. The two are now facing charges of conspiracy to defraud and defrauding under the pretext of digging an ancestral gold for the complainant and his family.
They pleaded not guilty to both charges when they appeared before a Kumasi Circuit Court presided over by Mr Ernest Yao Obimpeh on June 5, 2008. While Ibrahim Mahamud was granted bail of GH¢10,000, Mohammed Awal was remanded into prison custody for two weeks, pending further investigations into his involvement in the case.
The two will appear again before the court on June 18, 2008 for the continuation of the case.
Presenting the facts before the court, Sergeant Dede Donkor affirmed that the complainant is a Reverend Minister based in the United States of America, and in March 2007, he had a dream that there was ancestral gold hidden on his family land at Fufuo, near Barekese.
She said a few days after the dream, the complainant returned home from his base and confided in Ibrahim Mahamud, who is a driver’s mate about his dream.
The prosecutor said Mahamud in turn, introduced the complainant to Mohammed Awal as someone who was proficient in extracting such ancestral treasures from their hidden places in farm lands.
The prosecutor said after convincing Rev. Owusu Boadu that they could be of help in retrieving the hidden treasure from the land, the spiritualist performed some rituals and prepared some herbal concoctions which he placed in a plastic container and covered it with white calico.
According to Sgt. Donkor, the spiritualist ordered his accomplice and the complainant to dig a hole on the farm land and bury the concoctions there, assuring them that the container which contained the concoctions would be filled with the hidden treasure anytime they did what he ordered them to do.
The prosecutor said after they had buried the concoctions in the farmland, they went there the following day as directed by the spiritualist and found that the container was filled to the brim with shiny objects which they believed to be gold.
She said on the orders of the spiritualist, the complainant hid the shiny objects in his bedroom but was asked never to touch it until it was fully blessed.
The prosecutor further told the court that the process of burying concoctions in the farm land and uncovering it the following morning continued for some time, and anytime it was uncovered, the shiny objects was appeared.
This, she said buoyed the confidence of the complainant, making him have a firm belief that the spiritualist was God send, who was helping him to realise his dreams.
Sgt. Donkor said in the process, Mohammed Awal and Ibrahim Mahamud succeeded in collecting a total of GH¢7,000 from Rev Owusu Boadu. After some time, they assured the complainant of blessing the shiny objects to enable him make use of it.
She said after waiting for sometime without the assured blessing of the objects the complainant became alarmed and therefore decided to test the objects to ascertain their quality. To his dismay, the test proved that there was not an ounce of gold in all the objects sent to his bed room.
According to the prosecutor, a report was made to the police who arrested Mohammed Awal and later granted him bail, but he jumped bail and escaped to Sibiso where he was traced and re-arrested .
She said police also arrested his accomplice and after their investigations, they were charged with the offence.
When an America-based Ghanaian Pastor, Rev. Owusu Boadu, flew home to unite with his family members last year he was determined to use every available means to extract a hidden treasure of gold buried on his family land at Fufuo, near Barekese in the Ashanti Region, to enable him to realise his childhood dream of becoming a wealthy person.
Prior to his return home in 2007, Rev. Owusu Boadu had dreamt that there was a hidden treasure (gold) in his family land at Fufuo and with a firm belief that his dreams always manifested in the real sense, he decided to return home to extract the treasure.
However, the dreams of Rev. Owusu Boadu of becoming wealthy overnight turned into a nightmare when the people he consulted to assist in extracting the gold from the farm land allegedly succeeded in defrauding him of GH¢7,000.
The pastor consulted Mohammed Awal, a soothsayer, and his assistant, Ibrahim Mahamud, a driver’s mate, who allegedly defrauded him. The two are now facing charges of conspiracy to defraud and defrauding under the pretext of digging an ancestral gold for the complainant and his family.
They pleaded not guilty to both charges when they appeared before a Kumasi Circuit Court presided over by Mr Ernest Yao Obimpeh on June 5, 2008. While Ibrahim Mahamud was granted bail of GH¢10,000, Mohammed Awal was remanded into prison custody for two weeks, pending further investigations into his involvement in the case.
The two will appear again before the court on June 18, 2008 for the continuation of the case.
Presenting the facts before the court, Sergeant Dede Donkor affirmed that the complainant is a Reverend Minister based in the United States of America, and in March 2007, he had a dream that there was ancestral gold hidden on his family land at Fufuo, near Barekese.
She said a few days after the dream, the complainant returned home from his base and confided in Ibrahim Mahamud, who is a driver’s mate about his dream.
The prosecutor said Mahamud in turn, introduced the complainant to Mohammed Awal as someone who was proficient in extracting such ancestral treasures from their hidden places in farm lands.
The prosecutor said after convincing Rev. Owusu Boadu that they could be of help in retrieving the hidden treasure from the land, the spiritualist performed some rituals and prepared some herbal concoctions which he placed in a plastic container and covered it with white calico.
According to Sgt. Donkor, the spiritualist ordered his accomplice and the complainant to dig a hole on the farm land and bury the concoctions there, assuring them that the container which contained the concoctions would be filled with the hidden treasure anytime they did what he ordered them to do.
The prosecutor said after they had buried the concoctions in the farmland, they went there the following day as directed by the spiritualist and found that the container was filled to the brim with shiny objects which they believed to be gold.
She said on the orders of the spiritualist, the complainant hid the shiny objects in his bedroom but was asked never to touch it until it was fully blessed.
The prosecutor further told the court that the process of burying concoctions in the farm land and uncovering it the following morning continued for some time, and anytime it was uncovered, the shiny objects was appeared.
This, she said buoyed the confidence of the complainant, making him have a firm belief that the spiritualist was God send, who was helping him to realise his dreams.
Sgt. Donkor said in the process, Mohammed Awal and Ibrahim Mahamud succeeded in collecting a total of GH¢7,000 from Rev Owusu Boadu. After some time, they assured the complainant of blessing the shiny objects to enable him make use of it.
She said after waiting for sometime without the assured blessing of the objects the complainant became alarmed and therefore decided to test the objects to ascertain their quality. To his dismay, the test proved that there was not an ounce of gold in all the objects sent to his bed room.
According to the prosecutor, a report was made to the police who arrested Mohammed Awal and later granted him bail, but he jumped bail and escaped to Sibiso where he was traced and re-arrested .
She said police also arrested his accomplice and after their investigations, they were charged with the offence.
Friday, June 13, 2008
KUMASI RESIDENTS SENSITISED ON ROAD SAFETY (PAGE 30)
TOYOTA Ghana, in collaboration with the New Edition Road Safety Campaign and the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service in Kumasi, has embarked on an intensive road safety campaign in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs to sensitise both motorists and commuters to strictly adhere to road traffic regulations.
The exercise is aimed at reducing the spate of accidents and carnage, especially in the Kumasi metropolis and the country in general.
The programme, which was part of the 10th anniversary celebration of Toyota Ghana, borne out of the Ghana Motor Company Limited (Ghamot) 10 years ago, also sought to bring to the fore the need for motorists to maintain their vehicles regularly to avoid the rampant breakdown of vehicles which had been the major cause of road accidents with the associated loss of lives and property.
The Deputy Manager of Ghamot in charge of sales, Mr Eric Darko, launched the campaign on behalf of the Managing Director, Mr Masato Kimata, in Kumasi.
Apart from the road safety campaign, Toyota Ghana is also organising a tree-planting exercise in parts of the Kumasi metropolis to enhance beautification programmes to keep Kumasi clean and green.
In an address read on his behalf, Mr Kimata had attributed the company’s zeal and interest in road safety matters to the fact that road traffic crashes were the major causes of death, and much resources continued to be expended at both the national and regional levels to minimise the incidence of accidents.
He said the campaign was launched in Kumasi, partly because the Ashanti Region in general and Kumasi in particular "have the worst driver practice, behaviour and road traffic accident record in Ghana".
"Kumasi is the capital of the region and, therefore, an excellent place to focus a campaign of this nature on," he stressed.
He commended the MTTU for its tremendous contribution to the reduction of road
traffic accidents through its collaboration with the road safety committees, and encouraged the unit to sustain it.
He gave the assurance that the company would continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to support road safety campaigns to reduce the carnage on the roads, make travelling more enjoyable and comfortable.
In his address, the Regional MTTU Police Commander, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, expressed concern about the recklessness on the roads, and said "travelling has now become a source of worry to the ordinary Ghanaian, because accidents occur almost every passing day, thus putting people’s lives at great risk".
He said the spate of accidents, leading to the loss of precious lives and property, could also be attributed to the fact that road safety campaigns "have been relegated to the background, and are regarded as the work of only Road Safety Commission and its related organisations".
"Let's not forget that when accidents occur, it is not only members of the commission who are affected. It is our dear mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters and other relations who are worst affected, so we should all join hands to make the campaign more effective and sustainable,” the Regional MTTU Police Commander advised.
Recalling the death of some illustrious sons and daughters, including Messrs, Edward Osei Kwaku, Achuliwor, Bishop James Kwadwo Owusu, Archbishop John Kwadwo Amissah and countless others, he said apart from the loss of precious lives, "properties running into millions of cedis that provided the livelihoods of some people are also destroyed through vehicular accidents".
Superintendent Sarfo Peprah said since 2003, as many as 1,993 people had perished in the region alone through road accidents, while those who suffered various degrees of injuries stood at 11,680.
"This tells us as citizens that we still have enormous challenges ahead," he said, adding that "as Ghana celebrates her 51st birthday, and Toyota Ghana Company Limited her 10th anniversary, let us look back and discuss what went wrong on our roads and address the challenges before things get out of hand".
The exercise is aimed at reducing the spate of accidents and carnage, especially in the Kumasi metropolis and the country in general.
The programme, which was part of the 10th anniversary celebration of Toyota Ghana, borne out of the Ghana Motor Company Limited (Ghamot) 10 years ago, also sought to bring to the fore the need for motorists to maintain their vehicles regularly to avoid the rampant breakdown of vehicles which had been the major cause of road accidents with the associated loss of lives and property.
The Deputy Manager of Ghamot in charge of sales, Mr Eric Darko, launched the campaign on behalf of the Managing Director, Mr Masato Kimata, in Kumasi.
Apart from the road safety campaign, Toyota Ghana is also organising a tree-planting exercise in parts of the Kumasi metropolis to enhance beautification programmes to keep Kumasi clean and green.
In an address read on his behalf, Mr Kimata had attributed the company’s zeal and interest in road safety matters to the fact that road traffic crashes were the major causes of death, and much resources continued to be expended at both the national and regional levels to minimise the incidence of accidents.
He said the campaign was launched in Kumasi, partly because the Ashanti Region in general and Kumasi in particular "have the worst driver practice, behaviour and road traffic accident record in Ghana".
"Kumasi is the capital of the region and, therefore, an excellent place to focus a campaign of this nature on," he stressed.
He commended the MTTU for its tremendous contribution to the reduction of road
traffic accidents through its collaboration with the road safety committees, and encouraged the unit to sustain it.
He gave the assurance that the company would continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to support road safety campaigns to reduce the carnage on the roads, make travelling more enjoyable and comfortable.
In his address, the Regional MTTU Police Commander, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, expressed concern about the recklessness on the roads, and said "travelling has now become a source of worry to the ordinary Ghanaian, because accidents occur almost every passing day, thus putting people’s lives at great risk".
He said the spate of accidents, leading to the loss of precious lives and property, could also be attributed to the fact that road safety campaigns "have been relegated to the background, and are regarded as the work of only Road Safety Commission and its related organisations".
"Let's not forget that when accidents occur, it is not only members of the commission who are affected. It is our dear mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters and other relations who are worst affected, so we should all join hands to make the campaign more effective and sustainable,” the Regional MTTU Police Commander advised.
Recalling the death of some illustrious sons and daughters, including Messrs, Edward Osei Kwaku, Achuliwor, Bishop James Kwadwo Owusu, Archbishop John Kwadwo Amissah and countless others, he said apart from the loss of precious lives, "properties running into millions of cedis that provided the livelihoods of some people are also destroyed through vehicular accidents".
Superintendent Sarfo Peprah said since 2003, as many as 1,993 people had perished in the region alone through road accidents, while those who suffered various degrees of injuries stood at 11,680.
"This tells us as citizens that we still have enormous challenges ahead," he said, adding that "as Ghana celebrates her 51st birthday, and Toyota Ghana Company Limited her 10th anniversary, let us look back and discuss what went wrong on our roads and address the challenges before things get out of hand".
POLITICAL LEADERS ATTEND ROAD SAFETY WORKSHOP (PAGE 16)
THE National Road Safety Commission, in association with the Motor-Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) in Kumasi, has organised a forum for the leaders of the various political parties in the metropolis to educate them on the need to respect road safety regulations in the run-up to the December general election.
According to the organisers, the forum was to reduce the spate of accidents in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs before, during and after the upcoming election.
The leadership of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), together with representatives of the Electoral Commission and the National Insurance Commission, attended the ceremony.
In an address, the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinator of the Road Safety Commission, Mr Kwaku Oware-Boateng, expressed concern about the spate of accidents in the metropolis and its environs in particular, and other parts of the country during elections.
He said in the run-up to the 2000 general election, as many as 1,818 vehicles were involved in accidents in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs alone, leading to the death of 332 people.
He said the last general election in 2004 also saw 2,036 vehicles involved in accidents, causing the death of 577 people.
Mr Oware-Boateng attributed the spate of accidents during such periods to fatigue on the part of drivers, speeding, drink driving, overloading, wrongful overtaking and lack of maintenance, among others, and stressed that human errors alone contributed to over 80 per cent of the road accidents.
He stated that in most cases, political rallies were not effectively planned during elections, and in an attempt to reach their rally grounds on time, politicians and their supporters rushed at break-neck speed on the road, risking their lives and those of other road users.
According to Mr Oware-Boateng, no matter how short a distance was, it should be planned in a more effective way and rest periods should also be observed strictly in the course of the journey, to avoid fatigue on the part of drivers.
He said it was equally important for drivers conveying politicians and their supporters to rally grounds to drive defensively by always keeping a safe distance and avoiding the use of mobile phones.
The road safety chairman also urged the drivers to be alert, especially at intersections, constantly watch their dashboards for signals of troubles and use all their senses to check possible problems to avoid accidents.
He also advised them to regularly maintain their vehicles, inflate their tyres to manufacturers’ specifications and constantly check their brake lights, headlights, indicators and wipers, and wear their seat belts, to put them in steady conditions.
Mr Oware-Boateng called on politicians to ensure that their drivers were healthy before they allowed them to drive in convoys.
The Regional MTTU Police Commander, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, advised them to avoid overloading supporters in pick-ups for rallies and explained that overloading had been the major cause of accidents in the region.
Recalling the accident at Akropong a few years back, which claimed the lives of 34 Catholics when their 207 Mercedes Benz crashed with an STC bus, he said because their vehicle was overloaded, none of the victim’s dependants had succeeded in securing insurance from the insurance companies.
According to the organisers, the forum was to reduce the spate of accidents in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs before, during and after the upcoming election.
The leadership of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), together with representatives of the Electoral Commission and the National Insurance Commission, attended the ceremony.
In an address, the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinator of the Road Safety Commission, Mr Kwaku Oware-Boateng, expressed concern about the spate of accidents in the metropolis and its environs in particular, and other parts of the country during elections.
He said in the run-up to the 2000 general election, as many as 1,818 vehicles were involved in accidents in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs alone, leading to the death of 332 people.
He said the last general election in 2004 also saw 2,036 vehicles involved in accidents, causing the death of 577 people.
Mr Oware-Boateng attributed the spate of accidents during such periods to fatigue on the part of drivers, speeding, drink driving, overloading, wrongful overtaking and lack of maintenance, among others, and stressed that human errors alone contributed to over 80 per cent of the road accidents.
He stated that in most cases, political rallies were not effectively planned during elections, and in an attempt to reach their rally grounds on time, politicians and their supporters rushed at break-neck speed on the road, risking their lives and those of other road users.
According to Mr Oware-Boateng, no matter how short a distance was, it should be planned in a more effective way and rest periods should also be observed strictly in the course of the journey, to avoid fatigue on the part of drivers.
He said it was equally important for drivers conveying politicians and their supporters to rally grounds to drive defensively by always keeping a safe distance and avoiding the use of mobile phones.
The road safety chairman also urged the drivers to be alert, especially at intersections, constantly watch their dashboards for signals of troubles and use all their senses to check possible problems to avoid accidents.
He also advised them to regularly maintain their vehicles, inflate their tyres to manufacturers’ specifications and constantly check their brake lights, headlights, indicators and wipers, and wear their seat belts, to put them in steady conditions.
Mr Oware-Boateng called on politicians to ensure that their drivers were healthy before they allowed them to drive in convoys.
The Regional MTTU Police Commander, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, advised them to avoid overloading supporters in pick-ups for rallies and explained that overloading had been the major cause of accidents in the region.
Recalling the accident at Akropong a few years back, which claimed the lives of 34 Catholics when their 207 Mercedes Benz crashed with an STC bus, he said because their vehicle was overloaded, none of the victim’s dependants had succeeded in securing insurance from the insurance companies.
PLUMBER ARRESTED FOR MURDER (BACK PAGE)
A 30-year-old plumber has been arrested by the police in Kumasi for allegedly murdering his four-year-old son.
The suspect, Hayford Owusu Donkor, was alleged to have subjected the deceased to severe beatings on May 26, 2008, causing him to sustain severe head injuries and fracture of his two right ribs.
Nigel Owusu Donkor, the deceased son, died on May 28, 2008, two days after his ordeal.
Briefing the Daily Graphic about the incident, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, Inspector Yusif Mohammed Tanko, said Nigel had been staying with his biological mother since birth, but on December 25, last year, the suspect took control of his son’s upkeep without the knowledge and consent of his mother and brought him to his matrimonial home.
According to Inspector Tanko, the suspect, who started having problems with his wife due to the presence of Nigel in their matrimonial home, always vented his spleen on the boy by subjecting him to severe beatings.
He said on May 26, 2008, the suspect started beating Nigel again, accusing him of soiling himself and in the process, the boy sustained severe head injuries and two of his ribs also got fractured.
Inspector Tanko said the suspect did not take Nigel to hospital for medical care, causing him to become unconscious two days later, after which he died.
Inspector Tanko said it was after the deceased had died that the suspect rushed to the police station to concoct a story that his son had died from injuries he sustained when playing in school, but he could neither lead the police to where the deceased attended school nor could he mention the name of his class teacher.
The police said the suspect finally confessed to the police that his son neither attended school nor died when playing in school.
He further confessed that he had been regularly beating his son who had been soiling himself frequently, thereby creating inconvenience at his matrimonial home.
The suspect, who has been remanded in prison custody pending further investigations, is facing provisional charge of murder.
The body has been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital mortuary, pending further investigations.
The suspect, Hayford Owusu Donkor, was alleged to have subjected the deceased to severe beatings on May 26, 2008, causing him to sustain severe head injuries and fracture of his two right ribs.
Nigel Owusu Donkor, the deceased son, died on May 28, 2008, two days after his ordeal.
Briefing the Daily Graphic about the incident, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, Inspector Yusif Mohammed Tanko, said Nigel had been staying with his biological mother since birth, but on December 25, last year, the suspect took control of his son’s upkeep without the knowledge and consent of his mother and brought him to his matrimonial home.
According to Inspector Tanko, the suspect, who started having problems with his wife due to the presence of Nigel in their matrimonial home, always vented his spleen on the boy by subjecting him to severe beatings.
He said on May 26, 2008, the suspect started beating Nigel again, accusing him of soiling himself and in the process, the boy sustained severe head injuries and two of his ribs also got fractured.
Inspector Tanko said the suspect did not take Nigel to hospital for medical care, causing him to become unconscious two days later, after which he died.
Inspector Tanko said it was after the deceased had died that the suspect rushed to the police station to concoct a story that his son had died from injuries he sustained when playing in school, but he could neither lead the police to where the deceased attended school nor could he mention the name of his class teacher.
The police said the suspect finally confessed to the police that his son neither attended school nor died when playing in school.
He further confessed that he had been regularly beating his son who had been soiling himself frequently, thereby creating inconvenience at his matrimonial home.
The suspect, who has been remanded in prison custody pending further investigations, is facing provisional charge of murder.
The body has been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital mortuary, pending further investigations.
21 PERISH ...In two horrific accidents on Accra-K'si, Accra-Tdi highways (LEAD STORY)
TWENTY-ONE people lost their lives and many others sustained various degrees of injury in two accidents on the Accra-Kumasi and the Cape Coast-Takoradi highways, five hours from each other on Wednesday and Thursday.
The first accident, which occurred at Atwedie, near Juaso, at 11.30 p.m. on Wednesday, claimed five lives, with 46 injuries, while 16 people lost their lives and 32 sustained various degrees of injury in the second accident which occurred at Dompoase, near Komenda Junction, at 4.00 a.m. yesterday.
According to our Central Regional correspondent, it was quite a horrendous scene at Dompoase when a tipper truck loaded with chippings collided with an Accra-bound InterCity/STC Coaches Limited bus, killing 15 people on the spot.
The bodies of the deceased, including a soldier and a member of staff of the Ghana Commercial Bank, are in the morgue at the district and the regional hospitals, both in Cape Coast.
The deceased, who are yet to be identified, also include the drivers and the mates of both the InterCity/STC Coaches Limited bus and the tipper truck.
An official of InterCity/STC Coaches Limited gave the name of the driver as J. T. Kwafo, aged about 45.
Thirty three passengers who received various degrees of injury were rushed to the Central Regional Hospital in Cape Coast where they are receiving treatment.
Miraculously, a nine-month-old baby girl whose mother, said to be occupying seat number 17 on the STC bus, died, escaped unhurt and is on admission at the hospital for observation.
The accident, which left the STC bus mangled beyond repairs, led to a traffic jam that lasted almost two hours in the early hours of the morning.
The police at the accident scene indicated that the accident occurred when the tipper truck veered off its lane and rammed into the STC bus which had 48 passengers on board.
Between 5.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m., people trooped to the scene and the Emergency Ward of the Central Regional Hospital to look for their relatives when the news of the accident filtered out.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Assistant Divisional Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service at the Regional Headquarters in Cape Coast, Mr Anthony K. E. Edusah, said the service received a distress call around 4.00 a.m. and mobilised a rescue team to the scene.
He said as a result of the mangled nature of the STC bus, the team had to cut parts of the body before retrieving bodies and rescuing the survivors.
Information gathered from the Daily Graphic correspondent in Takoradi, Moses Dotse Aklorbotu, indicated that people started trooping to the STC Yard in Takoradi when they heard the news of the accident.
He said others also rushed to Cape Coast to find out about their relatives who were on board the bus.
At the Central Regional Hospital, some relatives could be seen wailing after they had been told that their relatives were dead.
Some doctors at the district hospital had joined their colleagues at the regional hospital to deal with the emergency cases.
The Emergency Ward was filled to capacity and some injured were seen receiving treatment on the floor and on the grass outside the ward.
The Hospital Administrator, Mr Adjei Frimpong, told the press that it was too early to comment on the conditions of the casualties, since the hospital was more concerned about saving lives than compiling statistics.
George Ernest Asare reports from Kumasi that the first accident occurred when a Kumasi-bound OA bus crashed into a DAF articulated truck.
Four of the passengers in the bus died on the spot, while one died later at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where he, together with the other injured passengers, had been rushed for medical care.
The bodies of the deceased, who are yet to be identified, have been deposited at the KATH mortuary for autopsy.
About 46 passengers in the bus were said to have suffered various degrees of injury and are on admission at the Juaso Hospital and KATH where they are receiving medical care.
The driver of the bus, who was identified only as Onassis, was said to have suffered multiple fractures in both legs.
The driver of the DAF truck and his mate were said to have vanished from the accident scene and the police have mounted a search for their arrest to assist in investigations.
The Ashanti Regional MTTU Officer, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the incident, said initial investigations revealed that the articulated truck veered into the lane of the bus in a 'C' shape, completely blocking the lane of the oncoming bus.
He said the situation caused the bus to crash into the mid-section of the truck.
The first accident, which occurred at Atwedie, near Juaso, at 11.30 p.m. on Wednesday, claimed five lives, with 46 injuries, while 16 people lost their lives and 32 sustained various degrees of injury in the second accident which occurred at Dompoase, near Komenda Junction, at 4.00 a.m. yesterday.
According to our Central Regional correspondent, it was quite a horrendous scene at Dompoase when a tipper truck loaded with chippings collided with an Accra-bound InterCity/STC Coaches Limited bus, killing 15 people on the spot.
The bodies of the deceased, including a soldier and a member of staff of the Ghana Commercial Bank, are in the morgue at the district and the regional hospitals, both in Cape Coast.
The deceased, who are yet to be identified, also include the drivers and the mates of both the InterCity/STC Coaches Limited bus and the tipper truck.
An official of InterCity/STC Coaches Limited gave the name of the driver as J. T. Kwafo, aged about 45.
Thirty three passengers who received various degrees of injury were rushed to the Central Regional Hospital in Cape Coast where they are receiving treatment.
Miraculously, a nine-month-old baby girl whose mother, said to be occupying seat number 17 on the STC bus, died, escaped unhurt and is on admission at the hospital for observation.
The accident, which left the STC bus mangled beyond repairs, led to a traffic jam that lasted almost two hours in the early hours of the morning.
The police at the accident scene indicated that the accident occurred when the tipper truck veered off its lane and rammed into the STC bus which had 48 passengers on board.
Between 5.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m., people trooped to the scene and the Emergency Ward of the Central Regional Hospital to look for their relatives when the news of the accident filtered out.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Assistant Divisional Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service at the Regional Headquarters in Cape Coast, Mr Anthony K. E. Edusah, said the service received a distress call around 4.00 a.m. and mobilised a rescue team to the scene.
He said as a result of the mangled nature of the STC bus, the team had to cut parts of the body before retrieving bodies and rescuing the survivors.
Information gathered from the Daily Graphic correspondent in Takoradi, Moses Dotse Aklorbotu, indicated that people started trooping to the STC Yard in Takoradi when they heard the news of the accident.
He said others also rushed to Cape Coast to find out about their relatives who were on board the bus.
At the Central Regional Hospital, some relatives could be seen wailing after they had been told that their relatives were dead.
Some doctors at the district hospital had joined their colleagues at the regional hospital to deal with the emergency cases.
The Emergency Ward was filled to capacity and some injured were seen receiving treatment on the floor and on the grass outside the ward.
The Hospital Administrator, Mr Adjei Frimpong, told the press that it was too early to comment on the conditions of the casualties, since the hospital was more concerned about saving lives than compiling statistics.
George Ernest Asare reports from Kumasi that the first accident occurred when a Kumasi-bound OA bus crashed into a DAF articulated truck.
Four of the passengers in the bus died on the spot, while one died later at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where he, together with the other injured passengers, had been rushed for medical care.
The bodies of the deceased, who are yet to be identified, have been deposited at the KATH mortuary for autopsy.
About 46 passengers in the bus were said to have suffered various degrees of injury and are on admission at the Juaso Hospital and KATH where they are receiving medical care.
The driver of the bus, who was identified only as Onassis, was said to have suffered multiple fractures in both legs.
The driver of the DAF truck and his mate were said to have vanished from the accident scene and the police have mounted a search for their arrest to assist in investigations.
The Ashanti Regional MTTU Officer, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the incident, said initial investigations revealed that the articulated truck veered into the lane of the bus in a 'C' shape, completely blocking the lane of the oncoming bus.
He said the situation caused the bus to crash into the mid-section of the truck.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
SUBIN MHIS OUTREACH PROGRAMME WAS BIG SUCCESS (PAGE 29)
The Management of Subin Sub-metro Mutual Health Insurance Scheme moved a step further at bringing the scheme to the doorsteps of the ordinary Ghanaian when they went to Kajetia-the heart of Kumasi- on Thursday, to launch an educational campaign that enticed hundreds of porters to join the scheme.
This will enable the porters access quality health care at affordable cost.
By the end of the educational campaign which was attended by the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Madam Patricia Appiagyei, and the Ashanti Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority, Mrs Leticia Osei Poku, as many as 1,500 porters had registered to join the scheme.
It is believed that as many as 25,000 porters, many of them female teenagers, are doing brisk business in Kumasi, but most of them do not belong to the scheme and, therefore, pay the full cost of their medication any time they are ill or seek medical care in the various hospitals within the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
About four years ago, a head count of porters conducted by the Street Children Foundation- a Kumasi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), estimated the total number of porters at 19,000 but the number is growing at a fast rate each passing day.
Most of the female porters who are in their teens have given birth to one or more children, making it difficult for them to make ends meet or access quality health care due to their meagre incomes.
Sources at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital indicate that most of the female porters who were on admission escaped from their hospital beds without paying their bills because they did not belong to the scheme.
This has made the hospital’s authorities to write off huge accumulated bills on regular basis but the management cannot ignore the porters when they seek medical care, especially when they are in labour.
According to the Manager of the Subin Sub-metro Mutual Health Scheme, Ms Esther Odoom, measures are being put in place to register all the 25,000 porters and their dependants to enable them to benefit from the government’s gesture to provide health care services to them when the need arises.
Each of the porters who registered paid the minimum premium of GH¢7.20, but those who proved that they were genuinely poor and could not pay their premium were registered free of charge.
Launching the educational campaign, Ms Odoom said the gesture to move to Kajetia to register the porters was to sensitise them to join the scheme for their own benefit.
She pointed out that more than two-thirds of the porters were located at the catchment area of the Subin Sub-metro Scheme, “but have no permanent abode and no parents to address their needs and concerns. They and their dependants always die of common diseases like malaria and diarrhoea because they find it difficult to access health care due to financial difficulties.”
She said it was to address such concerns that they decided to launch the campaign at Kajetia where most of the porters were engaged in their business.
That, she said, “ was to entice them to appreciate the need to join the scheme to reduce the burden they face in accessing quality health care at affordable cost all the time. This is to create the awareness that they are part of the scheme and also remove any doubt that the health insurance package is for the rich in the society,” she explained.
Ms Odoom urged the porters to patronise the scheme “ because it will give you easy access to better health care and you will also pay the least amount of GH¢7.20, even if you want to do so in instalments.”
She gave the assurance that all the porters who were pregnant and those below 18 years would be “registered free of charge” and that they would also be provided with the new National Health Insurance Card, which would enable them to access medical care at any public hospital across the country.
For her part, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Madam Patricia Appiagyei, said the assembly was not only providing accommodation for the porters but was also building their capacity in diverse ways to make them employable. She said Kumasi was developing at a fast rate and that was encouraging the youth across the country to go there in their numbers to seek employment opportunities.
She indicated that measures would be put in place to provide health care, educational and employment avenues to address the needs of those who flocked to the metropolis.
She, therefore, urged the porters to build their capacity more effectively and efficiently to make their future bright and enable them contribute more meaningfully to the socio-economic development of the country.
This will enable the porters access quality health care at affordable cost.
By the end of the educational campaign which was attended by the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Madam Patricia Appiagyei, and the Ashanti Regional Director of the National Health Insurance Authority, Mrs Leticia Osei Poku, as many as 1,500 porters had registered to join the scheme.
It is believed that as many as 25,000 porters, many of them female teenagers, are doing brisk business in Kumasi, but most of them do not belong to the scheme and, therefore, pay the full cost of their medication any time they are ill or seek medical care in the various hospitals within the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
About four years ago, a head count of porters conducted by the Street Children Foundation- a Kumasi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), estimated the total number of porters at 19,000 but the number is growing at a fast rate each passing day.
Most of the female porters who are in their teens have given birth to one or more children, making it difficult for them to make ends meet or access quality health care due to their meagre incomes.
Sources at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital indicate that most of the female porters who were on admission escaped from their hospital beds without paying their bills because they did not belong to the scheme.
This has made the hospital’s authorities to write off huge accumulated bills on regular basis but the management cannot ignore the porters when they seek medical care, especially when they are in labour.
According to the Manager of the Subin Sub-metro Mutual Health Scheme, Ms Esther Odoom, measures are being put in place to register all the 25,000 porters and their dependants to enable them to benefit from the government’s gesture to provide health care services to them when the need arises.
Each of the porters who registered paid the minimum premium of GH¢7.20, but those who proved that they were genuinely poor and could not pay their premium were registered free of charge.
Launching the educational campaign, Ms Odoom said the gesture to move to Kajetia to register the porters was to sensitise them to join the scheme for their own benefit.
She pointed out that more than two-thirds of the porters were located at the catchment area of the Subin Sub-metro Scheme, “but have no permanent abode and no parents to address their needs and concerns. They and their dependants always die of common diseases like malaria and diarrhoea because they find it difficult to access health care due to financial difficulties.”
She said it was to address such concerns that they decided to launch the campaign at Kajetia where most of the porters were engaged in their business.
That, she said, “ was to entice them to appreciate the need to join the scheme to reduce the burden they face in accessing quality health care at affordable cost all the time. This is to create the awareness that they are part of the scheme and also remove any doubt that the health insurance package is for the rich in the society,” she explained.
Ms Odoom urged the porters to patronise the scheme “ because it will give you easy access to better health care and you will also pay the least amount of GH¢7.20, even if you want to do so in instalments.”
She gave the assurance that all the porters who were pregnant and those below 18 years would be “registered free of charge” and that they would also be provided with the new National Health Insurance Card, which would enable them to access medical care at any public hospital across the country.
For her part, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Madam Patricia Appiagyei, said the assembly was not only providing accommodation for the porters but was also building their capacity in diverse ways to make them employable. She said Kumasi was developing at a fast rate and that was encouraging the youth across the country to go there in their numbers to seek employment opportunities.
She indicated that measures would be put in place to provide health care, educational and employment avenues to address the needs of those who flocked to the metropolis.
She, therefore, urged the porters to build their capacity more effectively and efficiently to make their future bright and enable them contribute more meaningfully to the socio-economic development of the country.
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