From George Ernest Asare Kumasi,
There was drama at the Kumasi High Court 7, located behind the Prempeh Assembly Hall, last Tuesday, August 26, when two out of three armed robbers convicted to serve 24-year jail term each immediately charged at the Assistant Principal State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Otoo-Boison, who prosecuted their case, and attempted to lynch him.
Moments after their conviction, Kwasi Bonsu, alias Oyibo, and Isaac Siaw surged forward and attempted to vent their spleen on the prosecutor, amid cursing and the invocation of the spirits of almost all the river gods in the Ashanti Region to deal ruthlessly with Mr Otoo-Boison whom they accused of being the principal architect of their long prison term.
In court, the convicts put up an uncouth behaviour, and in the course of his summary, Mr Otoo-Boison pleaded with the Judge, Mr K.A. Pobii, to take their negative attitude into consideration and offer them the appropriate punishment to deter others.
Moments later, the three — Kwasi Bonsu, Osei Bonsu and Isaac Siaw — who were standing trial for conspiracy to commit robbery and robbing two residents at New Tafo at gun and knifepoints and pleaded not guilty to the charges, were found guilty and convicted to serve 24-year jail term each.
Just after their conviction, Kwasi Bonsu and Isaac Siaw surged forward and made fruitless attempt to attack the prosecutor, but the timely intervention by the security officers who handcuffed them prevented the convicts from achieving their aim.
However, they succeeded in cursing him and threatened to use all the arsenals in their disposal to kill him even while they were in prison.
The action of the convicts attracted a large number of people into the courtyard, and the security officers had to fire sporadic shots to pave the way for them to whisk the convicts to begin their jail term.
Earlier, the prosecutor had told the court that around 8pm on March 6, 2004, the convicts, together with two others at large, attacked two residents at New Tafo with knives, and guns and succeeded in robbing them of a total of GH¢350.00.
Explaining, the prosecutor said the complainants went to a drinking spot at New Tafo and on their way, they saw Kwasi Bonsu, Osei Bonsu, Isaac Siaw, Yaw Frimpong, now at large, and Moro, also at large, gambling in front of the drinking spot.
He said when the complainants were leaving the drinking spot, they saw the same people gambling, and without any provocation the convicts, together with those at large, pounced on them, and pounded them with their fists and legs until the complainants fell down.
He said in the course of the attack, the convicts threatened to cut their victims into pieces with the knives they were holding and also blast their heads with the guns they were wielding, if the victims made any noise.
Mr Otoo-Boison said the convicts succeeded in robbing their victims of a total of GH¢359.00 and immediately fled the scene, leaving their victims who had sustained various degrees of injury and bleeding profusely from their nostrils and mouth to their fate.
Mr Otoo-Boison said the victims later reported their ordeal to the police who initiated investigations into the case.
According to the prosecutor, the police succeeded in arresting Kwasi Bonsu and Osei Bonsu in their hideout on March 19, 2004 and a few days later, Isaac Siaw was also arrested to assist the police in their investigations . When they were arrested, they denied attacking the victims and robbing them of any money, but investigations proved otherwise.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Discharge of mining waste into water bodies...EPA CALLS ANGLOGOLD TO ORDER (FEATURE, PAGE 9)
ON September 6, 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a directive ordering Anglogold Ashanti, Obuasi Mines to stop discharging waste products into waterbodies around the Obuasi Municipality and its environs.
The directives indicated that Anglogold Ashanti, Obuasi Mines, should stop operations until it had put corrective measures that would prevent the discharge of waste products from their operations into waterbodies.
The company complied with the directives of the EPA and for almost three weeks from September 6 to 20, 2007 no production was made, and this greatly affected its revenue generation, leading to losses in many areas.
The enforcement letter, signed by the Executive Director of the EPA, Mr J.A. Allotey, and headed “Closure of Sansu, Pompora Tailings Storage Facilities and All ancillary facilities”, expressed concern about the operations of Anglogold with regard to the discharges of waste products into waterbodies, which were at variance with EPA’s directives.
The letter, which observed that Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mines had taken no measures to treat waste products from their operations before discharging them into waterbodies, also indicated that such discharges had “culminated into pollution of the two waterbodies — Nyam and Kwabrafoso” and therefore directed the company “to stop pumping of slurry, discharging of any supernatant solution from the two TSFS and operating of any ancillary facilities with immediate effect”.
Other observations the EPA made prior to the issuing of its directive to stop the company’s operation were that “the seepage collecting ponds towards Dokyiwa village of the Sanso Tailings Storage Facility were non-functional, resulting in seepage of effluent into the external environment”.
The EPA also noted that “input tailings deposition into T1 and T2 was carried out inappropriately and with no reference to the Agency”, adding that “the reconstruction and management of the Pompora Tailings Storage facility under the technical advice of Alexandra Fraiser Company limited, was undertaken without reference to EPA. The said construction and management cannot withstand the climatic conditions of the area”.
Another area that attracted the attention of the EPA was what it considered as the volume of solutions discharge into the Sansu River.
Explaining, it said “about 95 per cent of supernatant solution from the Sansu TFS is discharged into River Nsam with concentrations ranging from cyanide as reported in your monthly environmental monitoring returns from September 2006 to May 2007 against EPA’s guidelines of using free cyanide and soluble arsenic”.
The EPA also stressed, “Washed water from the plant is directly discharged into pond 1 and through pond 2 and into pond 3, which is a natural waterbody. Washed water from the Pompoara Treatment Plant is directed into the Kwabrafoso stream. The treatment facility for the supernatant solution from Sansu TSF is not adequately functioning”.
It was these and many other observations by the EPA that forced it to order Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mines to stop operations and put adequate measures that would prevent further discharges of waste products into waterbodies in place to enhance environmental friendliness.
In that letter, the EPA further directed the Obuasi mining company to construct “an earth embankment which will be able to withstand the climatic conditions of the area on the Sansu and Pompora Tailings Storage Facilities, and also ensure that the seepage collection ponds at the Sansu TSF are functional and the area around the pond towards Dokyiwa village is adequately cleaned”.
The EPA also ordered the company to “install a functional treatment facility which will be able to treat supernatant solution to meet EPA’s guidelines and submit an Action Plan to the Agency for review and verification”.
Concluding, the letter warned, “The enforcement notice will ONLY be lifted after all the directives have been complied with.
“Take notice and notice is hereby given that if you fail to comply with this enforcement notice, you will be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the law.”
The temporary closure of the operations of the mining company and its negative impact on revenue generation forced Anglogold Ashanti, Obuasi Mines to properly sit up, and since September 6, 2007, the company has initiated innovative projects that are bringing the pollution of waterbodies in its catchment areas so far as their operations are concerned, to the barest minimum.
Among their initiatives were the treatment of supernatant solutions in both the North and South processing plants to ensure that only quality water entered the various ponds created to feed the natural waterbodies in its catchment areas.
When the Daily Graphic visited the North and South Treatment Plants to ascertain how the company was responding to the EPA directives, it was noticed that the company was not taking the directives of the EPA lightly.
Apart from treating waste water from their various ponds, cleaning of their coffer dams and piping of the supernatant solutions from the North Tailings Storage Facility before discharging them into waterbodies, the company had also raised lateritic materials as an embankment at the Sansu Tailings facility that would check the inflow of any solid material into waterbodies
As directed by the EPA the company was also diverting its operational areas from the Kwabrafo stream as a way of restoring the “ integrity of the stream”.
The construction of the pipes that pump water directly from their dams to its operation facilities, which is about three kilometres long, was to separate the pollutants from the natural water, thereby preventing any mixture, which was the order of the day prior to the EPA directives.
In an interview with the acting Environmental Manager of Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mines, Mr Peter Owusu Yeboah, on the directives of the EPA after visiting the problem sites, he said the Agency was very emphatic on the discharges of supernatant into waterbodies and this had brought the mining company to its feet to address all the issues raised.
He pointed out that the management had been meeting every week since September last year to review the policies and programmes initiated to address the 39 concerns raised by the EPA.
Mr Yeboah pointed out that since the image of the mining company with regard to environmental issues were at stake the need to address them to prevent any loggerhead with the EPA and also to prevent any health problems among the various communities were very important.
He said following the initial measures taken to address some of the concerns raised by the EPA the Agency issued another letter to lift the ban on their operations.
The letter issued and signed by the Deputy Executive Director of EPA, Mr D.S. Amlalo, on behalf of the Executive Director and dated September 26, 2007, noted that “to ensure continual environmental improvement, coupled with production to generate some funds, we are by this letter lifting the enforcement notice to enable you to resume the usage of the Sansu and Pompora Storage Facilities and the Ancillary Facilities”.
The letter, however, urged the company to as a matter of urgency restore seepage sumps at the Sansu Tailings Storage facility, and dredge the holding pond near the pilot detoxification plant and the sumps near the biox plant and repair pipelines from the coffer dam to the Pompora Pumping Station.
After lifting the ban on its operations, the EPA gave the mining company six months to install appropriate detoxification plants to avoid pollution of various streams and also avoid discharge of supernatant solution into the Nyam and Kwabrafo streams.
Mr Yeboah said so far they were busily addressing the concerns of the EPA and gave the assurance that they were on course and would not relent in their effort to address all such concerns.
Mr Owusu Yeboah noted that so far, the mining company had spent $8 million on installing facilities for the treatment of waste products, consultancy and dredging of the various ponds to prevent any pollution.
He said apart from their weekly meeting, the management visited the sites to ensure that people placed in responsible positions to address the environmental problems were on course.
“We do not only meet regularly to cross-check on the volume of work done but also find out what remains to be done. This will continue in future because as an international company we would not do anything that would undermine our integrity to the outside world,” he assured further.
Mr Owusu Yeboah said the regular rainfall in the country, especially in the Obuasi Municipality, was undermining their efforts to address the environmental issues raised by the EPA but said as soon as it reduced, they would continue to “clean the coffer dams, prevent any discharges into waterbodies and restore the integrity of waterbodies which had been a major source of worry to the EPA to enhance environmental friendliness”.
For his part, the General Manager of Public Affairs, Mr John Owusu, said after over 100 years continuous operations at Obuasi, this was not the time to do anything that would undermine an otherwise good relationship between the company and the communities.
“We are working very hard to improve the situation so that the challenges today would be history anytime we are accessing the quality of life the people had enjoyed during our operations here,” he noted
In an interview with Mr Kwabena Dwomo, an environmentalist, on the issues raised by the EPA against Anglogold Ashanti and how the company had responded to it so far, he commended the EPA for their initiatives so far and urged the Agency to continue monitoring mining companies to ensure that their operations do not undermine the health of Ghanaians.
He said the operations of the companies should be extended to galamsey operators whose activities were also causing a lot of destruction to the environment.
Mr Dwomo also urged the management of Anglogold Ashanti to maintain its policy of ridding the environment of any form of pollution caused by their operations, stressing that any form of pollution would have adverse effects on the health of the people in their catchment area and that would undermine productivity.
The directives indicated that Anglogold Ashanti, Obuasi Mines, should stop operations until it had put corrective measures that would prevent the discharge of waste products from their operations into waterbodies.
The company complied with the directives of the EPA and for almost three weeks from September 6 to 20, 2007 no production was made, and this greatly affected its revenue generation, leading to losses in many areas.
The enforcement letter, signed by the Executive Director of the EPA, Mr J.A. Allotey, and headed “Closure of Sansu, Pompora Tailings Storage Facilities and All ancillary facilities”, expressed concern about the operations of Anglogold with regard to the discharges of waste products into waterbodies, which were at variance with EPA’s directives.
The letter, which observed that Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mines had taken no measures to treat waste products from their operations before discharging them into waterbodies, also indicated that such discharges had “culminated into pollution of the two waterbodies — Nyam and Kwabrafoso” and therefore directed the company “to stop pumping of slurry, discharging of any supernatant solution from the two TSFS and operating of any ancillary facilities with immediate effect”.
Other observations the EPA made prior to the issuing of its directive to stop the company’s operation were that “the seepage collecting ponds towards Dokyiwa village of the Sanso Tailings Storage Facility were non-functional, resulting in seepage of effluent into the external environment”.
The EPA also noted that “input tailings deposition into T1 and T2 was carried out inappropriately and with no reference to the Agency”, adding that “the reconstruction and management of the Pompora Tailings Storage facility under the technical advice of Alexandra Fraiser Company limited, was undertaken without reference to EPA. The said construction and management cannot withstand the climatic conditions of the area”.
Another area that attracted the attention of the EPA was what it considered as the volume of solutions discharge into the Sansu River.
Explaining, it said “about 95 per cent of supernatant solution from the Sansu TFS is discharged into River Nsam with concentrations ranging from cyanide as reported in your monthly environmental monitoring returns from September 2006 to May 2007 against EPA’s guidelines of using free cyanide and soluble arsenic”.
The EPA also stressed, “Washed water from the plant is directly discharged into pond 1 and through pond 2 and into pond 3, which is a natural waterbody. Washed water from the Pompoara Treatment Plant is directed into the Kwabrafoso stream. The treatment facility for the supernatant solution from Sansu TSF is not adequately functioning”.
It was these and many other observations by the EPA that forced it to order Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mines to stop operations and put adequate measures that would prevent further discharges of waste products into waterbodies in place to enhance environmental friendliness.
In that letter, the EPA further directed the Obuasi mining company to construct “an earth embankment which will be able to withstand the climatic conditions of the area on the Sansu and Pompora Tailings Storage Facilities, and also ensure that the seepage collection ponds at the Sansu TSF are functional and the area around the pond towards Dokyiwa village is adequately cleaned”.
The EPA also ordered the company to “install a functional treatment facility which will be able to treat supernatant solution to meet EPA’s guidelines and submit an Action Plan to the Agency for review and verification”.
Concluding, the letter warned, “The enforcement notice will ONLY be lifted after all the directives have been complied with.
“Take notice and notice is hereby given that if you fail to comply with this enforcement notice, you will be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the law.”
The temporary closure of the operations of the mining company and its negative impact on revenue generation forced Anglogold Ashanti, Obuasi Mines to properly sit up, and since September 6, 2007, the company has initiated innovative projects that are bringing the pollution of waterbodies in its catchment areas so far as their operations are concerned, to the barest minimum.
Among their initiatives were the treatment of supernatant solutions in both the North and South processing plants to ensure that only quality water entered the various ponds created to feed the natural waterbodies in its catchment areas.
When the Daily Graphic visited the North and South Treatment Plants to ascertain how the company was responding to the EPA directives, it was noticed that the company was not taking the directives of the EPA lightly.
Apart from treating waste water from their various ponds, cleaning of their coffer dams and piping of the supernatant solutions from the North Tailings Storage Facility before discharging them into waterbodies, the company had also raised lateritic materials as an embankment at the Sansu Tailings facility that would check the inflow of any solid material into waterbodies
As directed by the EPA the company was also diverting its operational areas from the Kwabrafo stream as a way of restoring the “ integrity of the stream”.
The construction of the pipes that pump water directly from their dams to its operation facilities, which is about three kilometres long, was to separate the pollutants from the natural water, thereby preventing any mixture, which was the order of the day prior to the EPA directives.
In an interview with the acting Environmental Manager of Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mines, Mr Peter Owusu Yeboah, on the directives of the EPA after visiting the problem sites, he said the Agency was very emphatic on the discharges of supernatant into waterbodies and this had brought the mining company to its feet to address all the issues raised.
He pointed out that the management had been meeting every week since September last year to review the policies and programmes initiated to address the 39 concerns raised by the EPA.
Mr Yeboah pointed out that since the image of the mining company with regard to environmental issues were at stake the need to address them to prevent any loggerhead with the EPA and also to prevent any health problems among the various communities were very important.
He said following the initial measures taken to address some of the concerns raised by the EPA the Agency issued another letter to lift the ban on their operations.
The letter issued and signed by the Deputy Executive Director of EPA, Mr D.S. Amlalo, on behalf of the Executive Director and dated September 26, 2007, noted that “to ensure continual environmental improvement, coupled with production to generate some funds, we are by this letter lifting the enforcement notice to enable you to resume the usage of the Sansu and Pompora Storage Facilities and the Ancillary Facilities”.
The letter, however, urged the company to as a matter of urgency restore seepage sumps at the Sansu Tailings Storage facility, and dredge the holding pond near the pilot detoxification plant and the sumps near the biox plant and repair pipelines from the coffer dam to the Pompora Pumping Station.
After lifting the ban on its operations, the EPA gave the mining company six months to install appropriate detoxification plants to avoid pollution of various streams and also avoid discharge of supernatant solution into the Nyam and Kwabrafo streams.
Mr Yeboah said so far they were busily addressing the concerns of the EPA and gave the assurance that they were on course and would not relent in their effort to address all such concerns.
Mr Owusu Yeboah noted that so far, the mining company had spent $8 million on installing facilities for the treatment of waste products, consultancy and dredging of the various ponds to prevent any pollution.
He said apart from their weekly meeting, the management visited the sites to ensure that people placed in responsible positions to address the environmental problems were on course.
“We do not only meet regularly to cross-check on the volume of work done but also find out what remains to be done. This will continue in future because as an international company we would not do anything that would undermine our integrity to the outside world,” he assured further.
Mr Owusu Yeboah said the regular rainfall in the country, especially in the Obuasi Municipality, was undermining their efforts to address the environmental issues raised by the EPA but said as soon as it reduced, they would continue to “clean the coffer dams, prevent any discharges into waterbodies and restore the integrity of waterbodies which had been a major source of worry to the EPA to enhance environmental friendliness”.
For his part, the General Manager of Public Affairs, Mr John Owusu, said after over 100 years continuous operations at Obuasi, this was not the time to do anything that would undermine an otherwise good relationship between the company and the communities.
“We are working very hard to improve the situation so that the challenges today would be history anytime we are accessing the quality of life the people had enjoyed during our operations here,” he noted
In an interview with Mr Kwabena Dwomo, an environmentalist, on the issues raised by the EPA against Anglogold Ashanti and how the company had responded to it so far, he commended the EPA for their initiatives so far and urged the Agency to continue monitoring mining companies to ensure that their operations do not undermine the health of Ghanaians.
He said the operations of the companies should be extended to galamsey operators whose activities were also causing a lot of destruction to the environment.
Mr Dwomo also urged the management of Anglogold Ashanti to maintain its policy of ridding the environment of any form of pollution caused by their operations, stressing that any form of pollution would have adverse effects on the health of the people in their catchment area and that would undermine productivity.
Monday, August 18, 2008
SEDASSI APPEALS FOR IRS OFFICE (NSEMPA, PAGE 20)
By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
EXECUTIVE members of the Sekyere East District Association of Small Scale Industries (SEDASSI) have urged the Internal Revenue Office (IRS) to establish a revenue office, at Effiduase as a matter of urgency, to enhance the payment of income tax by the business community in the area.
According to the SEDASSI, the absence of a revenue point at the district was not only undermining revenue mobilisation to accelerate sustainable national development, but was also inconveniencing those who want to honour their taxes promptly.
The executive made the request when they paid a familiarisation visit to the Ashanti Regional Director of the IRS in Kumasi.
The visit afforded opportunity for the members to outline the challenges affecting them as taxpayers in the district and the measures that should be taken to address those challenges.
It also offered opportunity for the members to outline a programme of collaboration that would enable their members assist the IRS identify all potential taxpayers within the district and its environs to enhance revenue mobilisation.
Concerns
Outlining their concerns, the Vice Chairman of SEDASSI, Mr Moses Agyei said a research conducted by the association revealed that the Sekyere East District had already been assessed and recommended for the creation of an IRS office since 2000.
“WE believe that action on the proposal has been delayed for far too long, and we therefore call on the relevant bodies and authorities, to expedite action, to ensure that the district is provided with an office, as soon as possible, to enhance tax payment in the district,” he stressed.
He pointed out that siting an IRS office at Effiduase was important “because at the moment, taxpayers have to travel to Mampong to pay their taxes.”
This, he said, undermined efficient and effective revenue mobilisation by the IRS, “ because taxpayers, are always reluctant, to travel to Mampong just to pay tax due to the risk involved and the time wastage in travelling very far, to honour your tax obligation,”
“While taxes of workers in the formal sector are deducted at source those in the informal sector in this district are required to pay our taxes by travelling to the offices of the IRS, in the Sekyere West District, which add additional cost to our businesses in terms of transportation cost, loss of time and travelling risk,” he stressed.
Taxes
Ms Lillian Kuutiero of the Participatory Development Associate Limited, who was a member of the team, noted that tax collectors, only visited their district, to collect taxes on quarterly basis, “ but they are unable to reach out to all tax payers in the district resulting in arrears of unpaid taxes,”
“More people would be reached by tax collecting officials in all parts of the district when the IRS opens an office at Effiduase and this would ensure increased revenue and equity in the payment of taxes,” she noted.
Ms Kuutiero also noted that “our members and other tax payers can also pay their taxes, more promptly and conveniently, thereby reducing the defaulter rate, to minimise confrontations and harassments associated with tax collection.”
She noted further that with an office at Effiduase officials of the IRS would be able to take advantage of their presence, to initiate educational programmes to sensitise the public, to their rights and responsibilities regarding tax payments.
Lobbied
She said already SEDASSI had lobbied the Effiduase District Assembly to provide an office accommodation for the IRS to enhance revenue mobilisation, and assured all that their members would be eager to collaborate with the IRS to identify all potential taxpayers for them to honour their taxes promptly.
Responding, the Regional Director of the IRS, Mr John Defortse, commended the members for their sense of initiative and assured them, he would pay a familiarisation visit to the area to inspect the office allocated to the IRS by the District Assembly.
Mr Defortse said inadequate facilities and logistics had always undermined revenue mobilisation but said measures been taken to address the lapses.
“There is a procedure to follow before approval is made for the collection point to be opened, but I assure you that by the second quarter of next year, we will open an office at Effiduase,” he assured.
EXECUTIVE members of the Sekyere East District Association of Small Scale Industries (SEDASSI) have urged the Internal Revenue Office (IRS) to establish a revenue office, at Effiduase as a matter of urgency, to enhance the payment of income tax by the business community in the area.
According to the SEDASSI, the absence of a revenue point at the district was not only undermining revenue mobilisation to accelerate sustainable national development, but was also inconveniencing those who want to honour their taxes promptly.
The executive made the request when they paid a familiarisation visit to the Ashanti Regional Director of the IRS in Kumasi.
The visit afforded opportunity for the members to outline the challenges affecting them as taxpayers in the district and the measures that should be taken to address those challenges.
It also offered opportunity for the members to outline a programme of collaboration that would enable their members assist the IRS identify all potential taxpayers within the district and its environs to enhance revenue mobilisation.
Concerns
Outlining their concerns, the Vice Chairman of SEDASSI, Mr Moses Agyei said a research conducted by the association revealed that the Sekyere East District had already been assessed and recommended for the creation of an IRS office since 2000.
“WE believe that action on the proposal has been delayed for far too long, and we therefore call on the relevant bodies and authorities, to expedite action, to ensure that the district is provided with an office, as soon as possible, to enhance tax payment in the district,” he stressed.
He pointed out that siting an IRS office at Effiduase was important “because at the moment, taxpayers have to travel to Mampong to pay their taxes.”
This, he said, undermined efficient and effective revenue mobilisation by the IRS, “ because taxpayers, are always reluctant, to travel to Mampong just to pay tax due to the risk involved and the time wastage in travelling very far, to honour your tax obligation,”
“While taxes of workers in the formal sector are deducted at source those in the informal sector in this district are required to pay our taxes by travelling to the offices of the IRS, in the Sekyere West District, which add additional cost to our businesses in terms of transportation cost, loss of time and travelling risk,” he stressed.
Taxes
Ms Lillian Kuutiero of the Participatory Development Associate Limited, who was a member of the team, noted that tax collectors, only visited their district, to collect taxes on quarterly basis, “ but they are unable to reach out to all tax payers in the district resulting in arrears of unpaid taxes,”
“More people would be reached by tax collecting officials in all parts of the district when the IRS opens an office at Effiduase and this would ensure increased revenue and equity in the payment of taxes,” she noted.
Ms Kuutiero also noted that “our members and other tax payers can also pay their taxes, more promptly and conveniently, thereby reducing the defaulter rate, to minimise confrontations and harassments associated with tax collection.”
She noted further that with an office at Effiduase officials of the IRS would be able to take advantage of their presence, to initiate educational programmes to sensitise the public, to their rights and responsibilities regarding tax payments.
Lobbied
She said already SEDASSI had lobbied the Effiduase District Assembly to provide an office accommodation for the IRS to enhance revenue mobilisation, and assured all that their members would be eager to collaborate with the IRS to identify all potential taxpayers for them to honour their taxes promptly.
Responding, the Regional Director of the IRS, Mr John Defortse, commended the members for their sense of initiative and assured them, he would pay a familiarisation visit to the area to inspect the office allocated to the IRS by the District Assembly.
Mr Defortse said inadequate facilities and logistics had always undermined revenue mobilisation but said measures been taken to address the lapses.
“There is a procedure to follow before approval is made for the collection point to be opened, but I assure you that by the second quarter of next year, we will open an office at Effiduase,” he assured.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
OXFORD VOLUNTEERS REHABILITATE KUMASI CHILDREN'S HOME (PAGE 24)
A group of young volunteers from Oxford, in the United Kingdom, has rehabilitated the main block of the Kumasi Children's Home to improve the living conditions of the inmates.
Known as the Themish Volunteers, the group which is made up of young men and women, painted the block to give it a new outlook, and also replaced three water closets that were in a very deplorable state.
They also rehabilitated the showers, replaced broken louvre blades that had exposed the inmates to the vagaries of the weather, especially when it rained. The group of volunteers also donated a gas cooker to the Home to facilitate preparation of meals for the inmates.
One of their leaders, Mr Paul Stockley, told the Daily Graphic that their attention was drawn to the plight of the inmates through a Ghanaian friend, Mr Isaac Nketia, who was resident in Kumasi.
He said they were in the country to learn the culture and traditional values of Ghanaians, but "we decided to assist the inmates of the Kumasi Children's Home and establish a bond of friendship between us".
"The walls looked very bad when we came and their toilets and showers were not the best, so we immediately decided to contribute to fix them before we leave for the United Kingdom," he noted.
Mr Stockley said the main floor of the block was also in a deplorable state and this could cause some of the young ones to get injured anytime they wanted to play "but since we do not have sufficient funds to rehabilitate it we have decided to go back and raise more funds to rehabilitate it during our next visit to Kumasi".
"With a new outlook at their block, the inmates will look more comfortable and enjoy their stay. This will make it possible for them to grow and develop their potential to enable them contribute to the development of society," he stressed.
The Supervisor of the home, Madam Victoria Asumgnya, commended the Themish Volunteers from Oxford for their gesture, and called for more of such assistance to enable the inmates feel more at home.
She said prior to the fixing of the louvre blades, for example, the inmates always felt uncomfortable anytime it rained.
She said the toilets were also in a very deplorable state, "but thanks to the volunteers they now look better".
She also commended the volunteers for providing them with a gas cooker and "that will make it easy for us to prepare meals for the inmates".
Known as the Themish Volunteers, the group which is made up of young men and women, painted the block to give it a new outlook, and also replaced three water closets that were in a very deplorable state.
They also rehabilitated the showers, replaced broken louvre blades that had exposed the inmates to the vagaries of the weather, especially when it rained. The group of volunteers also donated a gas cooker to the Home to facilitate preparation of meals for the inmates.
One of their leaders, Mr Paul Stockley, told the Daily Graphic that their attention was drawn to the plight of the inmates through a Ghanaian friend, Mr Isaac Nketia, who was resident in Kumasi.
He said they were in the country to learn the culture and traditional values of Ghanaians, but "we decided to assist the inmates of the Kumasi Children's Home and establish a bond of friendship between us".
"The walls looked very bad when we came and their toilets and showers were not the best, so we immediately decided to contribute to fix them before we leave for the United Kingdom," he noted.
Mr Stockley said the main floor of the block was also in a deplorable state and this could cause some of the young ones to get injured anytime they wanted to play "but since we do not have sufficient funds to rehabilitate it we have decided to go back and raise more funds to rehabilitate it during our next visit to Kumasi".
"With a new outlook at their block, the inmates will look more comfortable and enjoy their stay. This will make it possible for them to grow and develop their potential to enable them contribute to the development of society," he stressed.
The Supervisor of the home, Madam Victoria Asumgnya, commended the Themish Volunteers from Oxford for their gesture, and called for more of such assistance to enable the inmates feel more at home.
She said prior to the fixing of the louvre blades, for example, the inmates always felt uncomfortable anytime it rained.
She said the toilets were also in a very deplorable state, "but thanks to the volunteers they now look better".
She also commended the volunteers for providing them with a gas cooker and "that will make it easy for us to prepare meals for the inmates".
Sunday, August 10, 2008
TEACHERS ASKED TO MOTIVATE THE ACADEMICALLY WEAK (PAGE 31)
THE new Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority, (NIA) Professor Ken Agyemang Attafuah, has advised teachers at all levels to adequately motivate pupils and students perceived to be weak academically to enable them to unearth and develop their potential effectively.
This, he said, would enable them to acquire the requisite skills that would make it possible for them to contribute more meaningfully to accelerate socio-economic development.
He pointed out that students who excelled in life as a result of the motivations they received from their teachers, did not only acknowledge those contributions and reward them adequately, but also grow to become national assets who enhance sustainable development.
Addressing a cross section of the public in Kumasi during the launch of his book, Fighting Armed Robbery in Ghana, at the weekend, Professor Attafuah said in an attempt to correct their pupils and students considered to be deviants and weak, some teachers resorted to the use of vulgar language and corporal punishment, thereby intimidating the students and discouraging them from unearthing their talents at their tender age.
Such negative attitudes, he noted, contributed to making students frustrated in school, leading to the large dropouts at all levels of the educational ladder.
School dropouts, he said, eventually found solace in indulging in criminal activities such as prostitution, drug peddling and stealing, while others became pick pockets and armed robbers.
Fighting armed robbery in Ghana traces the trends of crime over a 10-year period, and dwells on its characteristics as well as implications of armed robbery, common sites of armed robbery in the country, target selection and rules of engagement in the crime.
It also concentrates on deadly encounters and rape-related cases of victims of the crime, how the criminals enjoy their gains and attempt to avoid any trouble, factors affecting the probability of arrest, societal responses to armed robbery in the country, factors that inspire the criminal to quit armed robbery, and the capacity of the police in combating the criminals to enhance peace in the country.
Professor Attafuah, who served as the Executive Secretary of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) and former Chief Investigator and Director of Operations at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said irresponsible parenthood contributed immensely to turn otherwise sober children into deviants in society as they grew up.
“When they experienced a gap between their legitimate expectations of success and real achievements, they adopted deviant means to achieve their conventional goals; they chose the criminal path, because it assured wealth quickly without the usual aggravations inherent in the patient pursuit of legitimate, long-term investment,” he stressed.
He said the police recorded over a 10-year period, between 1997 and 2006, a total of 7,471 cases of armed robbery in the country.
He said inadequate motivation to the police by the state to enable them to be committed to combat armed robbery effectively and efficiently, a lack of logistics such as bicycles, motors bikes, armoured vehicles, bullet proof vests and fast-moving vehicles, among others, also make it difficult for the police to face armed robbers head-on to bring the situation under total control.
This, he said, would enable them to acquire the requisite skills that would make it possible for them to contribute more meaningfully to accelerate socio-economic development.
He pointed out that students who excelled in life as a result of the motivations they received from their teachers, did not only acknowledge those contributions and reward them adequately, but also grow to become national assets who enhance sustainable development.
Addressing a cross section of the public in Kumasi during the launch of his book, Fighting Armed Robbery in Ghana, at the weekend, Professor Attafuah said in an attempt to correct their pupils and students considered to be deviants and weak, some teachers resorted to the use of vulgar language and corporal punishment, thereby intimidating the students and discouraging them from unearthing their talents at their tender age.
Such negative attitudes, he noted, contributed to making students frustrated in school, leading to the large dropouts at all levels of the educational ladder.
School dropouts, he said, eventually found solace in indulging in criminal activities such as prostitution, drug peddling and stealing, while others became pick pockets and armed robbers.
Fighting armed robbery in Ghana traces the trends of crime over a 10-year period, and dwells on its characteristics as well as implications of armed robbery, common sites of armed robbery in the country, target selection and rules of engagement in the crime.
It also concentrates on deadly encounters and rape-related cases of victims of the crime, how the criminals enjoy their gains and attempt to avoid any trouble, factors affecting the probability of arrest, societal responses to armed robbery in the country, factors that inspire the criminal to quit armed robbery, and the capacity of the police in combating the criminals to enhance peace in the country.
Professor Attafuah, who served as the Executive Secretary of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) and former Chief Investigator and Director of Operations at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said irresponsible parenthood contributed immensely to turn otherwise sober children into deviants in society as they grew up.
“When they experienced a gap between their legitimate expectations of success and real achievements, they adopted deviant means to achieve their conventional goals; they chose the criminal path, because it assured wealth quickly without the usual aggravations inherent in the patient pursuit of legitimate, long-term investment,” he stressed.
He said the police recorded over a 10-year period, between 1997 and 2006, a total of 7,471 cases of armed robbery in the country.
He said inadequate motivation to the police by the state to enable them to be committed to combat armed robbery effectively and efficiently, a lack of logistics such as bicycles, motors bikes, armoured vehicles, bullet proof vests and fast-moving vehicles, among others, also make it difficult for the police to face armed robbers head-on to bring the situation under total control.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
THREE HELD FOR MURDER OF WOMAN (BACK PAGE)
THE police at Tepa in the Ashanti Region have arrested three people, including a 17-year-old boy, for the murder of a 56–year-old woman, Afia Yinka, alias No Lie, for ritual purposes.
The woman was butchered in her farm at Tepa, where her assailants were said to have used a calabash to collect blood from the body.
The 17-year-old boy, Stephen Ofori, was arrested alongside Isaac Apraku and Justice Adusei Baffour, all natives of Tepa.
Ofori went to the farm with the woman that day while Apraku allegedly threatened the deceased a few weeks before she was murdered.
For Adusei Baffour, he and an accomplice (at large) were alleged to have butchered the deceased in the farm and collected the blood into the calabash.
They have been remanded in prison custody to enable the police to initiate investigations into the case to facilitate prosecution.
They would re-appear before the Tepa Circuit Court on August 15, 2008
Ofori, who was arrested on July 23, 2008, was first remanded by the Tepa Circuit Court when he appeared before it.
While in custody, he was said to have told the police that Adusei Baffour and another man (now at large) butchered the deceased and bribed him ( Ofori) with GH¢40 to keep his mouth shut.
He was also alleged to have confessed to the police that Adusei Baffour dipped his finger into the blood in the calabash and tasted it.
Ofori further stated that Adusei Baffour threatened to kill him if he ever revealed the secret.
The Tepa District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stephen Awuah Baffour, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the incident, said: "It was while in prison custody that Ofori started making some revelations in respect of this case."
ASP Awuah Baffour explained that on August 1, 2008, Ofori disclosed to the police that while on the farm with the deceased on July 21, 2008, he saw a certain palm wine tapper whose name he could not disclose coming to the farm to greet the deceased.
He said Ofori also told the police that the palm wine tapper had an axe on his shoulder and shortly afterwards the deceased sent him (Ofori) to fetch water from a nearby stream.
ASP Awuah Baffour said it was when returning from the errand, that Ofori was alleged to have seen Justice Adusei Baffour and his accomplice holding a calabash beneath the neck of the deceased which had a deep cut and blood oozing from it.
According to the District Police Commander, the suspect also told the police that when he attempted to use the deceased's mobile phone to alert some people at Tepa about the gruesome murder of the 56-year-old woman, Adusei Baffour threatened to kill him and later offered him GH¢40.00 in order that he would not disclose the incident to anyone but he allegedly refused to take the money.
The district commander indicated that later, Adusei Baffour dipped his hand into the blood collected and touched the lips of Ofori.
Adusei Baffour pulled a wooden cross and made a sign of the cross before taking the blood in the calabash away.
He said Ofori also told the police that it was after the two had vanished from the crime scene that he managed to board a vehicle to Tepa to inform one Nana Yaw Gyamfi that some people had butchered the woman, stressing that it was based on the latest development that Adusei Baffour was arrested to assist in police investigations.
The woman was butchered in her farm at Tepa, where her assailants were said to have used a calabash to collect blood from the body.
The 17-year-old boy, Stephen Ofori, was arrested alongside Isaac Apraku and Justice Adusei Baffour, all natives of Tepa.
Ofori went to the farm with the woman that day while Apraku allegedly threatened the deceased a few weeks before she was murdered.
For Adusei Baffour, he and an accomplice (at large) were alleged to have butchered the deceased in the farm and collected the blood into the calabash.
They have been remanded in prison custody to enable the police to initiate investigations into the case to facilitate prosecution.
They would re-appear before the Tepa Circuit Court on August 15, 2008
Ofori, who was arrested on July 23, 2008, was first remanded by the Tepa Circuit Court when he appeared before it.
While in custody, he was said to have told the police that Adusei Baffour and another man (now at large) butchered the deceased and bribed him ( Ofori) with GH¢40 to keep his mouth shut.
He was also alleged to have confessed to the police that Adusei Baffour dipped his finger into the blood in the calabash and tasted it.
Ofori further stated that Adusei Baffour threatened to kill him if he ever revealed the secret.
The Tepa District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stephen Awuah Baffour, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the incident, said: "It was while in prison custody that Ofori started making some revelations in respect of this case."
ASP Awuah Baffour explained that on August 1, 2008, Ofori disclosed to the police that while on the farm with the deceased on July 21, 2008, he saw a certain palm wine tapper whose name he could not disclose coming to the farm to greet the deceased.
He said Ofori also told the police that the palm wine tapper had an axe on his shoulder and shortly afterwards the deceased sent him (Ofori) to fetch water from a nearby stream.
ASP Awuah Baffour said it was when returning from the errand, that Ofori was alleged to have seen Justice Adusei Baffour and his accomplice holding a calabash beneath the neck of the deceased which had a deep cut and blood oozing from it.
According to the District Police Commander, the suspect also told the police that when he attempted to use the deceased's mobile phone to alert some people at Tepa about the gruesome murder of the 56-year-old woman, Adusei Baffour threatened to kill him and later offered him GH¢40.00 in order that he would not disclose the incident to anyone but he allegedly refused to take the money.
The district commander indicated that later, Adusei Baffour dipped his hand into the blood collected and touched the lips of Ofori.
Adusei Baffour pulled a wooden cross and made a sign of the cross before taking the blood in the calabash away.
He said Ofori also told the police that it was after the two had vanished from the crime scene that he managed to board a vehicle to Tepa to inform one Nana Yaw Gyamfi that some people had butchered the woman, stressing that it was based on the latest development that Adusei Baffour was arrested to assist in police investigations.
Friday, August 1, 2008
KUMASI ANGLICAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL FAST EXPANDING (PAGE 11)
THE government's decision to turn the Kumasi Anglican Senior High School into one of the model schools in the country is impacting positively on the school in terms of infrastructural development and academic excellence.
The school, which was handicapped in terms of infrastructural development five years ago, now has a lot of physical structures such as a spacious dining hall and a kitchen, as well as a mighty assembly hall that can accommodate as many students as possible.
Other projects that have been completed and impacting positively on the academic work of the students include a modern library stocked with assorted books, a computer laboratory to facilitate Information Communication Technology (ICT) programmes for both teachers and students, three new staff bungalows, an infirmary and an administration block.
A newly constructed boys and girls dormitory that has created a congenial atmosphere for both male and female students to concentrate on their academic work, additional borehole, washrooms and a modern gate for the school are the other projects that have been completed since the government took the bold decision to develop the school a few years ago.
Existing edifices, including a two 15-unit blocks of classrooms, seven teachers’ bungalows, a Science laboratory, a headmaster's bungalow and the chaplain's bungalow, also have benefited from the government's gesture by way of upgrading, and today, the school can be counted among the well endowed schools in the Kumasi Metropolis and elsewhere.
The headmaster, Rev. Canon E.Y. Brobe-Mensah, who was full of praise to the government for initiating the pilot project of injecting capital to develop selected second cycle schools, pointed out that the construction of the girl's dormitory in particular was promoting female education in the school.
In a speech to mark the 35th anniversary of the school and the second Speech and Prize-giving Day, Rev. Canon Brobe-Mensah noted that for more than 20 years, girls were attending the school as day students.
“But since the beginning of this academic year, girls who desire to enjoy boarding facility have been admitted,” he added.
Speaking on the theme “Enhancing academic excellence through infrastructural development,” the headmaster urged the students to take advantage of the massive infrastructural development to focus on academic work.
He said the school was now a force to reckon with in the academic arena, stressing that "our results in external examinations since 2000 have been creditable, but in the last three years, they have been extremely creditable, and that of 2007 being exceptional,” he stated.
Explaining further, Rev. Canon Brobe- Mensah said out of the 803 students who participated in the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations, 522 excelled in eight subjects with 168 performing creditably in seven subjects while 64 of them passed in six subjects.
He said the excellent performance of the students in their last external examination made it possible for many of them to gain admission to tertiary institutions to pursue various programmes.
He said in the 2007 Mathematics quiz programme, the school came close to winning the competition, but lost narrowly to St. Augustine’s College and therefore commended Masters Francis Opoku Agyapong, Daniel Boakye and Dominic Osei, who represented the school.
On the challenges that faced the school, Rev. Canon Brobe-Mensah said the increase in boarding facilities had boosted admission and therefore appealed for more staff accommodation to enable as many teachers as possible to be housed in the school to enhance discipline among the students.
He said the school also needed a bus to address its transportation problems, as well as a “wide range of books to stock the library”.
He said it was equally important for the public to support the school with computers to augment the few it had to enhance ICT programmes.
The school, which was handicapped in terms of infrastructural development five years ago, now has a lot of physical structures such as a spacious dining hall and a kitchen, as well as a mighty assembly hall that can accommodate as many students as possible.
Other projects that have been completed and impacting positively on the academic work of the students include a modern library stocked with assorted books, a computer laboratory to facilitate Information Communication Technology (ICT) programmes for both teachers and students, three new staff bungalows, an infirmary and an administration block.
A newly constructed boys and girls dormitory that has created a congenial atmosphere for both male and female students to concentrate on their academic work, additional borehole, washrooms and a modern gate for the school are the other projects that have been completed since the government took the bold decision to develop the school a few years ago.
Existing edifices, including a two 15-unit blocks of classrooms, seven teachers’ bungalows, a Science laboratory, a headmaster's bungalow and the chaplain's bungalow, also have benefited from the government's gesture by way of upgrading, and today, the school can be counted among the well endowed schools in the Kumasi Metropolis and elsewhere.
The headmaster, Rev. Canon E.Y. Brobe-Mensah, who was full of praise to the government for initiating the pilot project of injecting capital to develop selected second cycle schools, pointed out that the construction of the girl's dormitory in particular was promoting female education in the school.
In a speech to mark the 35th anniversary of the school and the second Speech and Prize-giving Day, Rev. Canon Brobe-Mensah noted that for more than 20 years, girls were attending the school as day students.
“But since the beginning of this academic year, girls who desire to enjoy boarding facility have been admitted,” he added.
Speaking on the theme “Enhancing academic excellence through infrastructural development,” the headmaster urged the students to take advantage of the massive infrastructural development to focus on academic work.
He said the school was now a force to reckon with in the academic arena, stressing that "our results in external examinations since 2000 have been creditable, but in the last three years, they have been extremely creditable, and that of 2007 being exceptional,” he stated.
Explaining further, Rev. Canon Brobe- Mensah said out of the 803 students who participated in the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations, 522 excelled in eight subjects with 168 performing creditably in seven subjects while 64 of them passed in six subjects.
He said the excellent performance of the students in their last external examination made it possible for many of them to gain admission to tertiary institutions to pursue various programmes.
He said in the 2007 Mathematics quiz programme, the school came close to winning the competition, but lost narrowly to St. Augustine’s College and therefore commended Masters Francis Opoku Agyapong, Daniel Boakye and Dominic Osei, who represented the school.
On the challenges that faced the school, Rev. Canon Brobe-Mensah said the increase in boarding facilities had boosted admission and therefore appealed for more staff accommodation to enable as many teachers as possible to be housed in the school to enhance discipline among the students.
He said the school also needed a bus to address its transportation problems, as well as a “wide range of books to stock the library”.
He said it was equally important for the public to support the school with computers to augment the few it had to enhance ICT programmes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)