Selasa, 10 Juli 2012

KOTOBABI YOUTH GIVES AMA NOD TO BUID MILLINUEM SCHOOL

 STORY  BY ZAINABU ISSAH

THE Youth of Kotobabi have finally agreed that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) should construct a Millennium School with modern facilities on the Unity Cluster of Schools compound at Kotobabi, which they claim serves as a recreation ground for them.

This follows a meeting between the Mayor of Accra, Dr Alfred Vanderpuje, the chiefs of Mamobi, and the youth in the community to end the one-year talks on whether or not to build the Millennium City School on the Unity Compound.

The agreement came when Dr Vanderpuje assured the youth that the construction of the school building would in no way affect the activities on the park as only a portion of the park would be used for the construction.

He further explained that the construction of the school would help reduce the overpopulation of students in the classroom and also help end the shift system within the metropolis.

“I understand your need to have a playground but you must also understand that the education of the younger generation is at stake,” he said.

The construction of the school building, he added, was a constitutional requirement which needed to be met, hence the need to put up the structure for the benefit of the community.

The youth leader, Antahir Suraj, pledged to support the construction of the school on condition that the place would be tarred to improve its condition.

He thanked the Accra mayor and the AMA for their understanding of the needs of the youth.
Since the abolition of the shift system, students of the Unity Preparatory School have been attending school on the premises of Culinary Catering School, which has been rented by the AMA at GH¢12,000 per academic year.

The AMA is expected to build 48 school blocks but has so far secured funding for the construction of 27 from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and USAID.

FDB warns against wrongful use of food suppliments

 STORY BY ZAINABU ISSAH

THE Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has cautioned the public against patronising the services of facilities which claim to use food supplements for the treatment of diseases.

“These so-called health facilities/clinics are engaged in fraudulent diagnosis using unapproved/uncertified medical devices and ‘treating’ their patients with food supplements imported and distributed by Dynapharm Company Ghana Limited,” the board said in a statement issued in Accra.

According to the statement, signed by the Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Food of the FDB, Mr John Odame-Darkwah, the board’s post-market surveillance activities had revealed the existence of the illegal treatment schemes in some parts of the country, particularly the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions.

It said some people used food supplements for the treatment of disease conditions including cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, Parkinson diseases, epilepsy, reproductive disorders, allergies, asthma, hepatitis and kidney problems.

Food supplements being fraudulently used, according to the board, included and were not limited to red coffee with Ginseng, Ganoderma, Dyna Serenoa, Spirulina Tablets, Nonicare Instant Cereal, Noni Plus Tea, Dyna GH capsules, Pro Young, Dyna Tonic, Yee Yang Yen and Wheat Grass Extract Powder.

“The FDB reiterates that food supplements are not medicines and, therefore, have no therapeutic indications.

“Their wrongful use to treat disease conditions can result in worsening of the disease condition which can even lead to death in some cases,” it said.

The statement asked the public to report anyone or health facility involved in such fraudulent treatment schemes to any of the FDB offices nationwide.

NEW ROAD LAW HARD TO IMPLEMENT-Ghana.

 STORY: ZAINABU ISSAH

THE full enforcement of the new Legislative Instrument (LI) which bans the use of hand-held communication gadgets and motorcycles for commercial activities may have to wait for now.

This is because officials of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service are now to educate themselves on the provisions of the new law to enable them to have a clearer understanding of the road regulations.

Commenting on the new law and its enforcement, the Commander of the MTTU, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACOP) Mr Angwubutoge Awuni, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that since the law had just come into effect, it was important that personnel of the MTTU had a detailed understanding of the provisions before enforcing it.

 “Enforcing the law without a detailed understanding of it will end up creating problems,” he said.
According to him, the MTTU had planned a three-month intensive training for its personnel in the 10 regions to educate them on the new law to forestall arbitrariness in its implementation.

Under the LI, it is an offence for drivers to use hand-held communication devices such as mobile phones to make calls, send or receive messages or access the Internet while driving or operate television monitors on the dashboard of moving vehicles.

Only members of the security agencies are permitted under the law to use mobile phones and other communication devices in the execution of their duties.

Even before the coming into force of the LI, the use of hand-held communication devices while driving was considered dangerous driving under the Road Traffic Act, Act 683.

The LI now harmonises most of the road traffic regulations into one complete document, hence the need for the personnel of the MTTU to educate themselves on it.

But even before the authorities begin to enforce the law, some commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called Okada, have adopted clandestine methods to outwit policemen.
Some have begun mobile operations soliciting for clients, while those bold enough to stay at stations speed off on seeing policemen approach.

Mr Awuni said personnel of the MTTU had also been asked to buy copies of the LI to be able to better enforce the law.

He, however, gave an assurance that if motorists were found breaking the law, they would be arrested and dealt with, stressing that even before the new LI came into effect, the use of mobile phones while driving was considered an offence under Act 683.

On the use of earpiece or Bluetooth while driving, he explained that although it was not an offence, the MTTU admonished motorists to desist from using it while driving.

He called on motorists to make conscious efforts to respect the new law, since voluntary compliance would not only save their lives but also save them from brushes with the law.

Mr Awuni also urged the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) and the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) to embark on a public education exercise to create more public awareness of the new law.

Since the law came into effect, no arrests had been made, he added.

For his part, the Head of Communications at the NRSC, Mr Kwame Koduah Atuahene, said many road accidents could be attributed to the actions of the Okada riders.

He said although people acknowledged the positive influence of Okada operators in their lives and businesses, that could not be compared to the harm and danger the operators posed to people’s safety.

Mr Atuahene explained that in countries such as Nigeria, Benin and Togo where Okada operations had been legalised, the authorities were now confronted by many challenges because of the devastation the Okada business had caused their economies.

He said insurance companies in Ghana had refrained from taking the Okada business on board because the insurers considered the Okada business as high risk.

Meanwhile, some commercial drivers have particularly welcomed the decision to ban the use of motorcycles for commercial activities and described it as long overdue.

According to the drivers, the commercial motorcycles were major contributory factors to road accidents in areas where they operated.

They commended the government for passing the law, saying it would help reduce the number of accidents on the roads.

One of the drivers, Mr David Otoo, said he was glad the Okada business would come to a stop because the riders caused a lot of nuisance on the roads.

A businessman, Mr Rashid Kanka, described the law as a very good one, noting that the only problem he had with it was whether or not it would be implemented to the letter.

He said his other concern with the new law was how business people would communicate with their clients in the event that they were held up in traffic.

While describing the law as excellent, a doctor at the Maamobi Polyclinic who refused to give his name, however, wondered why doctors were excluded from the list of those permitted to use communication devices while driving, since their work was also delicate.

He explained that with the heavy traffic situation and other operational challenges, most doctors gave instructions to nurses via the mobile phone before getting to  hospitals.

A driver with the State Transport Company (STC), Mr Agyekum Osei, explained that as a long-distance driver, he needed to keep in touch with friends and family at any time of the day.

“I need to be able to call my wife and children and also respond to their calls. What if I don’t pick her calls? She will say I do not have time for her,” he lamented.

A taxi driver who plies the Kaneshie-Korle-bu route, Mr Richard Addotey Addo, said he was grateful to the government for enacting the law.

According to him, it was a good initiative by the government and hoped that it would be implemented and enforced.

A tour of some of the Okada stations at the General Post Office area, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Abossey Okai indicated that the Okada operators had adopted clandestine methods to outwit any law enforcement officer.

Instead of parking at their usual stations, some of them ride around soliciting for clients.

They mostly go around beckoning passengers or stopping to find out from people standing along the road whether they want their services or not.

Those who are bold to park at their usual stations, however, speed off on seeing policemen.
Some drivers at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Trotro Station said if the law banned the use of hand-held devices while driving, then no one should be exempted.

According to them, those permitted to use hand-held devices could also cause accidents
They expressed concern over the selective exemption of security personnel in the use of communication devices and stressed that those in the health and other professions were equally important.

At Abossey Okai in Accra, a section of motorcycle riders said the law would effectively deprive them of their source of livelihood.

The law prohibits the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) from registering motorcycles for the purpose of carrying passengers for the payment of fares.

An Okada rider, Mr Alhassan Antaru, who spoke on behalf of his fellow riders, said the law had put him out of job.

He described the law as not only unfair but also discriminatory, as it prevented those who had opted for the Okada business from getting their daily bread.

CHILD RIGHT PROTECTION ORGANISATIONS VISIT CORRECTIONAL CENTRES

 STORY BY ZAINABU ISSAH

PLAN Ghana, a child rights protection organisation, and the European Union (EU) together with stakeholders working to achieve juvenile justice, have visited correctional centres in Accra and Swedru to interact with inmates and to commemorate the World Day Against Child Labour, which fell on June 12.

The visit was also meant to encourage and reassure the inmates of the need to realise their full potential in life after they have served their term in the remand homes to enable them contribute their quota to the society.

The World Day against Child Labour provides the global community the opportunity to focus on the rights of children and to protect children from child labour, as well as other acts leading to the violation of their fundamental human rights.

The theme for this year’s event is: “Human Rights and Social Justice, let’s end child labour.”

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) defines child labour as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potentials and their dignity. That is harmful to their physical and mental development. Such work usually deprives children of the opportunity to attend school.

In 2010, the ILO and its global partners adopted a roadmap for achieving the elimination of the worst forms of child labour by 2016 which stressed that child labour is an impediment to children’s rights and a barrier to development. This was to build a new momentum in order to attain the goal of eliminating child labour.

The following year, Ghana, a member of the ILO, also launched the National Plan of Action (NPA) with similar commitments, and followed it up with the ratification of ILO Convention 138, which sets out the minimum age for admission to employment

The Country Director of Plan Ghana, Mr Prem Shukla, at the ceremony, noted that the organisation’s strategic plan for the next five years was in line with its commitment to child protection.

He said the Juvenile Justice Project being implemented by Plan Ghana with funding from the European Union (EU), in partnership with civil society organisations, seeks to enhance the protection of children in conflict with the law and protect them from all forms of violence. It is also to strengthen the capacity of children to advocate and carry out campaigns to protect the rights of juvenile offenders going through the juvenile justice process.

Mr Shukla said the objectives of the Juvenile Justice Project  was to give institutional support to juvenile justice institutions in the country and build the capacity of stakeholders working in juvenile justice institutions to meet international standards.

He said the issues of juvenile justice in the country could not be solved overnight. He added that “it involves enhancing institutional capacity, improving  upon infrastructure as well as adopting modern methods to reform the inmates, so that they reintegrate quickly into the society.”

In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, said the administration of juvenile justice in the country was beset with a number of challenges, and pointed out that the legal provisions on children’s rights were not fully implemented while there was also shortage of programmes and institutional measures that were designed to prevent family breakdowns and juvenile delinquency.

Also, budgetary and resource allocations were insufficient and that did not allow for an efficient function of the system, adding that institutions were also understaffed and under resourced and relied considerably on private and international aid.

Mrs Azumah-Mensah, however, said the government was collaborating with its stakeholders to develop a comprehensive national child protection system that will holistically address child exploitation and abuse.

The head of the EU delegation, Mr Claude Martin, said it was sad to know that children had to suffer in order to have their rights upheld.

He called for a collaborative effort of stakeholder’s and ambassadors of child’s rights to step up efforts in fighting child labour.

Mr Martin reaffirmed the commitment of the EU to support institutions to fight against child labour and lauded Plan Ghana’s initiative to support juveniles in the country.

The Deputy Director of Department of Social Welfare (DSS), Mr Stephen Cofie, in his remarks, also lauded the contribution of Plan Ghana in promoting child rights and juvenile justice in the country.

He, however, called on other stakeholders to help the DSS to put up more structures that would serve as a shelter for children who have come in conflict with the law.

The Acting Centre Manager  in charge of the Girls Correctional Centre, the Boys Remand Home and the Shelter for Abuse Children, Mrs Georgina Mensah, called for more support from the government and other institutions in order to keep the centre running.

She also called for the swift release of the feeding grants from the government to help provide food for the inmates in the home.

“From January till date, we have not received any money from the government and this is becoming a burden on us because we no longer know how to feed the inmates,” she explained.

PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN-As Africa Celebrates Day of the African Child

 STORY BY ZAINABU ISSAH

EXACTLY 36 years ago in South Africa, more than 1000 children were killed on the streets of Soweto during a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the ruling white Apartheid regime to the inferior quality of education for the blacks and to demand their right to be taught in their own language and not Afrikaans- the language of the ruling class.

This peaceful protest saw some children maimed and killed, whilst others were badly wounded in fighting for their rights.

It was for this effort that member states of the then Organisation of African Unity, now African Union, and its partners declared June 16, every year, as the Day of the African Child  (DAC), in accordance with Resolution CM/Res.1290 (XL).

The day, therefore, presented an opportunity to focus on the work of all actors committed to the rights of children on the continent and to consolidate efforts in addressing obstacles to the realisation of these rights.

It also provided an occasion for governments, international institutions and communities to renew their  commitment to look at the plight of marginalised and particularly vulnerable children, by organising activities to promote their rights.

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, in collaboration with the Department of Children, Right to Play Ghana and the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), celebrated this year’s event at the Dzorwulu Special School in Accra yesterday. This years celebration was on the theme; “The Rights of Children with Disabilities: The Duty to Protect, Respect, Promote and Fulfill.”

In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Mrs Juliana Azuma-Mensah, said there was the need for African governments and their institutions to raise the awareness of the public about the rights, capabilities and potentials of children with disabilities and to draw attention to the situation of children with disabilities, particularly, who are  vulnerable and prone to marginalisation and violence.

She noted that Africa was making steady progress towards improving the situation of children living with disabilities but needed to do more by providing peaceful environment for the development of children.

“Children can, only, fully realise their potential in an environment of peace, security and good governance,” she said.

Also, there was the need to take up measures to protect and ensure that children do not suffer from  physical disabilities since the health of children was paramount.

Mrs Azuma-Mensah reaffirmed the country’s support to ensure that the welfare of children and those with  disabilities were promoted and guaranteed.

“The signing of treaties and the harmonisation of international instruments, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), into domestic legislations, including the Children’s Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, the Human trafficking act, the Criminal Code Amendment Act, the Disability Act, Mental Act and the Domestic Violence Act, are major legal strides that have facilitated the child protection issues in the country,” she explained.

She announced that the country was in the process of developing a comprehensive National Child Protection Policy to protect children, including those with disability, from abuse and exploitation.

She, further, assured governments commitment to lay the foundation for the best interest of the Ghanaian and African child and to build the societies to satisfy the needs of all children.

Mrs Azuma-Mensah, however, called on stakeholders, related organisations and individuals protecting the rights of children to continue to support the government to chart a good path for children with disabilities, stressing; “let us dedicate ourselves and rise together to defend our children’s rights to grow up in an all- inclusive society.”

The Country Manager of Right To Play, Dr Bella Bello Bitugu, in his remarks, said it was only when participation and opportunity for all was ensured for everybody in the society that sustainable development could be guaranteed in the country.

He, however, called for continuos support for children with disabilities, in order to give them a voice to contribute their quota to the development of the country.

The UNICEF representative to Ghana, Dr Iyabode Olusanmi, in her address, said UNICEF, in the next few years, would work hard to improve on the schooling system for children with disabilities and other marginalised groups.

“A place where these students will be respected, challenged and empowered so that they can also become doctors, lawyers, athletes and decision makers,” she explained.

Also, UNICEF has initiated the process of expanding their support for inclusive education programmes for children with special needs in deprived communities in the Northern Region.

She said this was an important and essential strategy for the country to achieve universal education, hence the right and smart thing to do.

Speaking on behalf of the children, a primary five people of the School for the Blind in Akropong, Master Asamoah Adjei, said  there was the need to provide a platform for children with disabilities to enable them contribute their quota to the development of the nation.

He also called for the equal rights to education, protection and freedom from discrimination to enable such children feel part of the society and also develop their God-given potential as provided by law.

“Disability can befall anyone in the society, hence the need for all to come together to support us in contributing our quota to mother Ghana,” he said.

CHIEF IMAM ORDERS SPECIAL PRAYERS FOR THE LATE PRESIDENT MILLS

THE National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osumanu Nuhu Sharubutu, has ordered all mosques in the country to offer special prayers for the late President John Evans Atta Mills on Friday, August 10, 2012.

He said the late President was a good man who served the country selflessly to better the lot of Ghanaians.

The aim of the prayer initiative, he said, was to invoke the Almighty Allah to continue to shower His blessings in the form of peace, safer community, development and stability on Ghana before, during and after the 2012 elections.

Sheikh Sharubutu gave the order in a press release signed by his Personal Assistant, Alhaji Khuzaima Osman.

He said while the country mourned the sudden demise of the late President, there was the need to pray for Allah to protect his legacy.

“We need to pray for the country to maintain its peace during, before and after the elections and also pray for Allah to help the current President, John Dramani Mahama, with guidance, protection and wisdom to be able to steer the affairs of this nation well,” he said.

Additionally, he said Islam propagated peace, which was needed to move the nation forward.

Sheikh Sharubutu called on all and sundry to learn to show solidarity, sympathy and a sense of respect to elders and senior citizens of the country  to promote healthy living.

YOUNG WOMEN SPEAK PEACE, PROJECT TAKES OFF

STORY BY ZAINABU ISSAH

ACCORDING to information accessed online, women and children account for almost 80 per cent of the casualties of conflict and war. They also account for 80 per cent of the 40 million refugees in world. During war situations, women and children suffer sexual abuse and their bodies are considered as commodities that can be traded with.

The impact of war on children is also profound. In the last decade, two million children in the world have been killed in wars and conflicts, 4.5 million children have been disabled and 12 million have been left homeless.

Today there are more than 300,000 child soldiers, including many girls who are forced to 'service' the troops.

It is with this background that the Ark Foundation Ghana, an advocacy based women’s rights organisation, on Saturday,organised a Polar Ball to create an environment for politicians, representatives from key institutions as well as other eminent persons in the society to meet in a relaxed atmosphere to share and commit themselves to peace.

The ball was also aimed at promoting peaceful ideals, tolerance and respect for divergent opinions and highlight the need to place the country’s peace agenda, over the interest of any political party.

The event forms part of activities being executed by the Ark foundation, under an 11-month project dubbed: “The nuisance Project: Young Women Speak Peace to Power,” as a way of contributing towards ensuring that Ghanaians commit themselves to peace during and after the upcoming elections.

The project, being funded by STAR-Ghana is expected to provide a platform for 30 young women to employ advocacy to increase accountability and responsiveness of key stakeholders for maintaining peace before, during and after the elections.

Delivering a peace message, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) National Women’s Organiser, Miss Otiko Afisa Gyaba, urged all political parties to put the country first in their campaign messages.

She said, it was not encouraging when politicians talk about peace but yet insult each other. She added that it would be perfect for politicians to practice what they say on their campaign platforms.

“Let us do what we say so that we can tell our story to the next generation about the importance of upholding peace and good conduct,” she said.

Miss Gyaba, however, said the NPP was committed to maintaining peace and called on Ghanaians to express their thoughts in a peaceful manner - through the ballot box.

She lauded the effort of the Ark foundation to ensure and promote peace and bring together all the political parties and civil society organisations (CSOs) to discuss and talk peace.

The Convention People’s Party’s (CPP) First Vice Chairperson, Mrs Susan Adu Amankwa, in her remarks, said peace was not the absence of war but also the state of the mind.

She explained that if the mind and body was at peace, the environment would also be at peace. She added that peace was both a gift and a task that should be worked out.

She gave the assurance that the CPP would do all in its power to ensure that peace prevailed during and after the December elections.

Mrs Amankwa also tasked all political parties to include the message of peace on their campaign platforms.
Speaking on behalf of civil society organisations (CSO’s), the Deputy Director of Women Law and Development, Africa, (WiLDAF), Mrs  Bernice Sam, was optimistic that the elections would be peaceful.

The Deputy National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Ms Barbara Asamoah, said the prime objective of the NDC was to maintain peace in the country. She stressed that “Not only does the NDC preach peace, we also support all efforts to create awareness to ensure peace.”

She said the NDC has also advised its members not to engage in any act that would undermine the peace currently being enjoyed in the country.

Ms Asamoah said it was the expectation of the NDC that all other benevolent groups would emulate the effort of the NDC for a better Ghana.

Adding his voice, the Member of Parliament for Adenta, Mr David Ampofo, called on political parties to work hard to ensure peace in the country.

Delivering the keynote address, the Executive Director of Women Peace and Security Network (WPSN),Ms Leymah Roberta Gbowee, said there was no politician nor political ideology that was worth fighting for during elections or campaigns.

She said during elections, there is a pretentious importance placed on the minority groups thus women and children calling it “women and youth wing.”

Also, huge promises are made to women and children for a better representation in government and a better future but all are often lost after the elections.

With the exception of Rwanda that has 48.75 per cent representation on women in parliament, no country has achieved 50 per cent representation of women in parliament, and indicated that additionally, violence during and after elections had been deeply entrenched within the African continent which needs to be reversed.

Ms Gbowee, who is also the 2011 Noble Peace Price winner, called for tolerance and urged Ghanaians not to use emotions but common sense during the electioneering campaign.

Presenting the peace message on behalf of Young Women for Peace, Ms Affi Agbenyo, called on all political parties to redesign their attitudes for a violence-free election.

She said there was the need for politicians to approach each other with political tolerance and also urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct the upcoming elections in a free and fair manner.

The evening was climaxed with a citation presented to Ms Gbowee for her tireless effort in promoting peace in and across Africa and an African poetry recital form Chief Moomen, a student of the University of Ghana.

SON KILLS FATHER ON THE EVE OF FATHERS DAY!

 STORY BY ZAINABU ISSAH

A 21-year-old man, Anas Adams, is being held by the Nima Police for killing his father on the eve of Father’s Day.

Anas claimed he had been ordered by a spirit to use a pickaxe to kill his father, Adam Abdullahi, 65.

According to the story, which was confirmed by the Nima Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Mr Timothy Bonga, the suspect, his father and his stepmother lived in the same house at Mamobi in Accra.

Anas said on the night of the crime he heard voices telling him to go and hit his father.
“Something came to my mind that I should hit him and I took the pickaxe and hit him,” he said.

Mr Bonga said the suspect struck the left side of his father’s head, killing him instantly.

He said after committing the heinous crime about 11 pm last Saturday, Anas failed to report the incident to anyone.

He said it was not until about 4 p.m. the following day when Anas reported the incident to his brother, Aziz Osman.

Mr Bonga said Osman then led the suspect to the landlord and the Assembly Member for the area, Alhaji Abu Hamid, for them to lead them to report the matter to the police.

According to Mr Bonga, Osman, together with the landlord and Alhaji Hamid, sent the suspect to the police.

He said the police went to the deceased’s house and found his body lying in a pool of blood on his bed, with his brains out.

Mr Bonga said when the suspect was asked about the relationship between him and his father, he said although the relationship between them was not bad, he did not like this father because his father had not supported his education after he had dropped out of school at Primary Two.

He said investigations were ongoing to process the suspect for court.

ITALIAN WOMAN KILLER IN POLICE GRIP

 STORY BY ZAINABU ISSAH

A Twenty-four-year old taxi driver,  Fuseini Mumuni Gariba,  is in the grip of the Accra Regional Police for allegedly being part of a group that robbed three Italian tourists, resulting in the death of one.

The suspect was arrested at Oblogo, near Weija, following the retrieval of his mobile phone from the crime scene.

Upon his interrogation, Fuseini Mumuni Gariba confessed to the robbery and mentioned his accomplices as one Baba Ayitey and two others whose names he could not recall.

According to the story as it was narrated to the media by the  Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbillah, the victims, Donnini Lorenzo, aged 52, Rossono Lungi, aged 48, and Poaloa Badalass, the deceased, aged 49, are Italian tourists and business persons who are in the country looking for business partners.

He said they arrived in the country on April 16, 2012 to look for distributors for their products and were initially residing at Ashaiman until June 17, 2012 when they relocated to their present residence at Teshie-Malik.

 He said on June 18, 2012,  about 12 midnight, the victims and a Ghanaian female friend, Angela Addic, arrived at the entrance of their house from Osu in their VW Passat saloon car No GT 6997-10 being driven by Donnini Lorenzo.

According to DCOP Timbilla, while at the entrance, three armed men who had laid ambush suddenly attacked them and made away with their bag containing travelling documents, three mobile phones, a laptop, and cash of GH¢695.00 and 1000 euros.

The robbers also opened the boot of the vehicle and took away some provisions.

One of the robbers shot Poala Badalass, who was seated in the front passenger’s seat, in the head, injuring her severely and she was rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where she passed away on June 19  about 5:00 p.m.

The robbers, in their haste to leave, left a Nokia C2 mobile phone which was retrieved and traced to the suspect, Fuseini Gariba Mumuni.

NOTOROIUS ARMED ROBBER NABBED

STORY BY ZAINABU ISSAH

A 27-year old ex-convict, Stephen Quarshie alias Fowas Mahmoud , has been arrested for allegedly robbing filling stations and shops

He was aresseted by the Accra Regional Police at his hideout in Kuntunse near Amasaman.
The police retirived a gussi gun with six rounds of ammunition concealed in a bag-pack from the suspect

Upon interrogation, the suspect also known as Fofo confessed to being part of a robbery on June, 8, 2012, where he and his group attacked a filling station at Amasaman around 2pm and went away with a hudge sum of  money.

According to the story narrated to the media by the Accra Regional Police Commander in Accra today (Monday), DCOP Patrick Timbillah, the suspect has been on the wanted list of the police for a long time.

He narrated that on June 8, 2012, when the suspect and his gang has robbed the filling station at Amasaman, the Police swiftly moved to the scene but met the suspects half way on the Accra-Kumasi Highway.

He said the suspect, was seen holding a welding gun but the police could not open fire at them because there were people standing by and vehicles.

That, he explained, made the suspects escape narrowly hence a proactive policing strategy was put in motion to track and apprehend them.

According to DCOP Timbillah, it took the police a hectic struggle before the suspect was overpowered and arrested.

Among the robberies the suspect is alleged to be part of include; a robbery at Antis shop at Haatso in February this year where he had GHC1,500 as his booty, and the robbing of the Shell Filling station at Kpobiman  where his gang had GHC 4,000 and was captured by the CCCTV at the filling station.

Also in December last year, the suspect together with his group snatched a bag containing GHC 20,000.

Asked where he got the gun, the suspect said he brought the gun along with him when he travelled to Libya some months back where he went to seek asylum from his crimes.

The District Commander of Amasaman, Superintendent Kwado Asante said investigations were ongoing to track the rest of the gang involved in the crime activities.

DCOP Timbillah however called on the general public to continue to assist the Police in arresting and detaining criminals who pose as a threat to the society.

“Policing was a collective duty which needs the collective support to operate”, he said.

Jumat, 06 Juli 2012

INCLUDE ENTREPRENURAL SKILLS IN SCHOOLS CURRICULA

 STORY: Zainabu Issah

THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KAMA Group of Companies, Dr Michael Agyekum Addo, has suggested the inclusion of entrepreneurial studies in the curricula of schools from the basic to the tertiary level.

According to him, there was the need to sensitise students to appreciate the need to establish their own enterprises after graduating from school.

In addition, he said graduates should be able to delve into the production of items that would generate adequate revenue for accelerated growth to take place in the country.

Dr Addo made the call at a day’s seminar organised by the Kama Educational Project, an initiative by the Kama Group of Companies, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The seminar which was on the theme: “Linking Courses of Learning to Entrepreneurship-The Teacher Factor”, brought together teachers from some Senior High Schools in the country.

It aimed at equipping teachers with techniques on how to adopt new ways of teaching to make teaching and learning  more useful, meaningful and effective.

Dr Addo attributed the increase in unemployment to the failure of teachers in being practical in the classroom.

He said most of the teachers taught only the theoritical aspect of the school’s syllabus rather than the practical aspect.

He, therefore, challenged stakeholders in the educational sector to include entrepreneurial studies in the curricula from the basic to the tertiary levels as a matter of urgency.

“It is only when the youth appreciate the fact that the 21st Century has little or no room for those who solely rely on the public sector for employment and set up their own enterprises that the upsurge in massive graduate unemployment among the youth would be reduced”, he noted.

He pointed out that the 21st Century was full of challenges and it was only those who devised means of overcoming such challenges who would survive and create wealth for themselves and their communities.

Dr  Addo urged the teachers not to only inspire their students to be interested in subjects perceived to be difficult, but also be innovative enough to make students aware of the various opportunities that awaited the students if they  focused on such subjects.

“The trend of affairs across the world is changing at a faster rate, so there is the need for teachers to keep abreast of time by not only changing their old methods  of teaching, but also using  their imaginative powers to initiate programmes that would unearth the potential of their students and nurture them into fruition”, he advised.

He said students who were creative in class always performed better after graduation, explaining that it was such students who always established their own enterprises and ensured that they grew into viable industries.

He pointed out that performing very well in class and coming out with the best of certificates without the skills to make such certificates useful to society was not enough.

Dr Addo also urged teachers to introduce puzzles, games, quizzes and humour into their subject areas, as a way of making such subjects more interesting and attractive to students.

He said it was equally important for parents and guardians to encourage children to use their vacations to learn various vocations with the view to acquiring skills that could be used to generate revenue to support themselves.

The Director General of the GES, Ms Benedicta Naana Biney, said there was the need to identify students who could generate ideas and turn them into economically viable businesses to support themselves and create some jobs as well.

She, however, called on the teachers to implement the knowledge they had gained from the seminar in the classrooms; so as to make the learning environment a  business one.

“Today’s teacher must be touched  with the entrepreneurial revolution of the 21st century. We must understand it and help these children develop ideas out of the subjects we teach to make a good living by creating jobs for themselves and others,” she added.

WORK OF TASKFORCE NOT TO CONFISTICATE GOODS- SAYS MINISTER OF TRADE.

Story: Zainabu Issah
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hanna Tetteh, has said the exercise being conducted by the inter-agency task force is not aimed at deporting or confiscating items belonging to foreigners but to ensure that foreigners comply with the laws of the country.

The task force was set up by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) to monitor the activities of non-Ghanaians in the trading sector and ensure that areas reserved for Ghanaians under the GIPC act were complied with.

The exercise, which started on July 3, 2012, saw more than 20 retail shops in and around the central business district of Accra being closed down and served with notices for failing to comply with the laws.
She said the reason for the exercise was that there had been a number of clashes, arguments and engagements between some ECOWAS citizens and Ghanaian businesses, especially Nigerians.

That, Ms Tetteh said, had resulted in a number of Ghanaian traders calling on the government to ensure that foreigners who were doing business in the country did so legally.

She confirmed that so far no citizen of an ECOWAS country had been affected by the exercise.

However, a one-month grace period for sensitisation had been given to the ECOWAS citizens for them to be aware of the laws, after which they would not be allowed to operate in the designated market centres reserved for Ghanaians.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the minister recalled that ECOWAS, after 2000, passed a protocol on the Right to Establish, which meant that ECOWAS citizens could establish businesses in a member state but had to fulfill the same legal obligations as a citizen in establishing those businesses.

She explained that in the context of the GIPC Act, ECOWAS citizens could establish businesses in Ghana and enter into any trading activity, adding that in order for them to be legally compliant, those businesses must be registered with the Register-Generals Department, be it enterprises, limited liability companies, small and medium-scale enterprises, among others.

Additionally, the minister said ECOWAS countries were not required to meet the US$300,000 capital requirement and employ 10 Ghanaians but required to register their businesses with the GIPC, pay the Value Added Tax (VAT), must get residence permit, among others.

FDB WARNS AGAINST WRONGFUL USE OF FOOD SUPPLIMENTS

THE Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has cautioned the public against patronising the services of facilities which claim to use food supplements for the treatment of diseases.

“These so-called health facilities/clinics are engaged in fraudulent diagnosis using unapproved/uncertified medical devices and ‘treating’ their patients with food supplements imported and distributed by Dynapharm Company Ghana Limited,” the board said in a statement issued in Accra.

According to the statement, signed by the Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Food of the FDB, Mr John Odame-Darkwah, the board’s post-market surveillance activities had revealed the existence of the illegal treatment schemes in some parts of the country, particularly the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions.

It said some people used food supplements for the treatment of disease conditions including cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, Parkinson diseases, epilepsy, reproductive disorders, allergies, asthma, hepatitis and kidney problems.

Food supplements being fraudulently used, according to the board, included and were not limited to red coffee with Ginseng, Ganoderma, Dyna Serenoa, Spirulina Tablets, Nonicare Instant Cereal, Noni Plus Tea, Dyna GH capsules, Pro Young, Dyna Tonic, Yee Yang Yen and Wheat Grass Extract Powder.

“The FDB reiterates that food supplements are not medicines and, therefore, have no therapeutic indications.
“Their wrongful use to treat disease conditions can result in worsening of the disease condition which can even lead to death in some cases,” it said.

The statement asked the public to report anyone or health facility involved in such fraudulent treatment schemes to any of the FDB offices nationwide.

TASKFORCE SHUT DWON FORIEGN RETAIL SHOPS.

Story: Zainabu Issah

More than 20 retail shops purported to be owned by foreigners in and around the central business district of Accra were yesterday closed down by the Inter-Agency Task Force of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The exercise was in response to a directive by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) that all foreigners operating retail shops in the market should vacate before June 25, 2012.

This is because their retail activities are in violation of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Law (Act 478, 1994) which reserves small-scale retail businesses for Ghanaians.
During the exercise, many of the owners, believed to be foreigners, had closed down the shops themselves or were asked to close them.

At shops where the owners had closed them down themselves, the task force, comprising officials of the Registrar-General’s Department, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the police, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Trade and Foreign Affairs ministries, added more padlocks to the locks of the already locked shops.

Additionally, the task force posted notices on the gates of the shops, part of which read, “The law enjoins all non-Ghanaians, including ECOWAS citizens, who wish to engage in trading to comply with the following: To set up businesses outside places designated as markets, invest a minimum of US$300,000 in cash or in kind, register with the GIPC, obtain immigration quota and employ at least 10 Ghanaians in the business.”

“A breach of any of the listed requirements is unacceptable and consequently your business activity will be retained,” the notice added.

The exercise took place against the backdrop of moves by a delegation from the ECOWAS Parliament to intervene on the part of ECOWAS nationals.

Briefing journalists on the exercise, the Director of Domestic Trade and Distribution at the MoTI, Mr K. N. Atuahene, said the ministry was ready to assist foreigners to relocate their businesses out of the market centre to approved areas.

Some Ghanaian traders who buy from the shops operated by foreigners complained about the decision of the MoTI to close down the shops.

According to them, the foreigners, especially the Chinese, sold their products at cheaper prices, a situation which gave the Ghanaian traders the opportunity to buy at lower prices and sell at higher prices to make a living.

Some hawkers and petty traders cautioned against the action, explaining that they would be out of business if the foreigners were made to vacate the markets.

Others expressed fear that Ghanaians living in other countries might be treated in the same way in those countries.

A Lebanese trader, Mr Karim Zahir, who is the owner of a shop that sells dress hangers, produced all the documentation regarding ownership of his shop but the only hitch was in respect of the location of the shop.

He was able to produce evidence of Social Security and National Insurance Trust contribution for his workers, a GIPC certificate, VAT receipts and his Ghana Revenue Authority papers, as well as a certificate of incorporation of business from the Registrar-General’s Department.

But it was explained to him that although he had all the documentation, he was not allowed to own a shop at a market centre, a place reserved for only Ghanaians.

But he argued that he had been made to believe that he could operate as a wholesaler within that vicinity.
“If I, as a foreigner, do not know that l am not allowed to operate in the market centre reserved for Ghanaians, then why did the GIPC issue me a certificate to operate here?” he asked.

Mr Atuahene was optimistic that the foreign traders would adhere to the directive by the ministry, adding that the exercise was for the benefit of both Ghanaians and foreigners in the country.