A heavy rainstorm which occurred on Thursday evening has rendered over 300 people including a 95-year old woman homeless at Nyambong, a farming community in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region.
Chief of Nyambong, Nana Obiako Akoula II, who led the Unit Committee and the Assembly member of the area to the affected areas, told Voltaonlinegh.com that many houses in the area had their roofs ripped off by the storm.
Nana Akoula therefore appealed to the Nkwanta South Municipal Assembly, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and philanthropists to come to the aid of the victims.
MCE for Nkwanta South, John Thassun visiting Nyambong after the rainstorm
The Assembly member, Anthony Kwame Badu appealed to the Deputy Oti Regional Minister designate, Maxwell Blagodzi, non-governmental organisations and philanthropists for assistance.
Mr. Badu said the homeless were for the time being, staying with friends and relatives at Nyambong.
The Municipal NADMO Officer, Abajene Marcillinus who was there to access the extent of damage, disclosed that the estimated cost of the storm would be accessed for appropriate actions to be taken in bringing relief to the victims.
The 95-year old Otorbuetan Agyaru who is among those currently putting up with friends and relatives, called for support from individuals to get her building repaired.
The other victims also made similar call for support to help them get their homes back in order to continue with their economic activities.
Volta Region is geared up for a night of exciting and wonderful performances as great talents from the region will be gathering at the Ho Technical University (HTU) auditorium on Saturday night for the biggest music contest, helloadipa Volta Music Awards 2019.
Among the nominees to battle for supremacy on the night is the 3-member group, Aikons of Keta Business College (KETABUSCO) whose campaign song, Stop Galamsey track and video earned them a slot in the Best Entertainment School of the Year category.
The maiden edition of the Awards which had Agbeshie awarded as the Artiste of the Year with two other big winners, Kasare of Gome Ne fame and Keeny Ice sweeping three awards each, saw amazing and energetic performances from artists including Volta’s gospel icon, Israel Nanevi Maweta which kept patrons on their toes as they sang along into the spirit.
Tonight’s Awards was preceded by helloadipa Volta Music Awards Nominees Jam which took place on February 16 at the border town of Aflao in the Ketu South Municipality which brought together nominees and some great djs to thrill the crowd that showed up for the night.
Massive crowd that turned up at the nominees jam last month
Speaking to Voltaonlinegh.com, former Consultant and Publicist for Eventic Gh, Organisers of the Awards, Jonathan Nii Laryea also known as Jonilar said all is set for the event which is few hours away.
Mr. Laryea on his expectations said, he expects a “massive turnout” at the event and at the end, deserving artists should win” in order to continue promoting the region through their music
The Volta Music Awards was initiated in 2018 by Eventic GH and their partners including Volta Regional branch of Musicians Unions of Ghana (MUSIGA) to reward the efforts of musicians, individuals and institutions who are promoting Volta music.
The second edition of the prestigious annual music awards is being headlined by helloadipa, an online store and has up to 27 categories including Best Artiste of the Year with the year under review being from December 1, 2017 to November 25, 2018.
Ladies in Ministry International, non-denominational Christian group which aims at mentoring young ladies into women of substance and vessels for God, has celebrated some seven outstanding women in a ceremony held at Hlefi in the Host West District of the Volta Region.
The event on Friday, March 8 to mark the 2019 International Women’s Day (IWD) themed, “Balance for Better”, was meant to encourage more women to aim for excellence in their various endeavors.
The most outstanding award for the day went to Rev. Mrs. Christiana Adehenu for her sterling qualities.
Rev. Mrs. Adehenu, a recently ordained pastor in the Assemblies of God Church and also Founder of the Ministry, was described as “a motivator, an encourager, an inspirer” and “an honourable vessel of God”.
The award also extolled her qualities as someone “into whose hands God has entrusted the enormous task of helping young ladies discover their God given talents, nurturing them to become useful instruments in the hands of God as agents of transformation.”
Rev. Mrs. Adehenu (in white) being awarded
Other outstanding women on the day included a retired educationist, Mrs. Janet Abiwu whose contribution towards provision of learning materials for Kpale-Xoase Basic School was recognised.
Again, Mad. Margarete Quaye who before her retirement headed the school which produced Volta’s best 2018 BECE pupil.
Also, Queen mother from Ziavi Traditional Area, a Rev. Minister, NDC Ho West Constituency Women’s Organiser, and Assembly woman from the area were also honoured for distinguishing themselves in their respective fields.
The all-women affair which brought women together to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women in society and to deliberate on the way forward was also attended by basic school pupils in the area and two friends of the Ministry from Uganda.
Some participants at the event
Speaking at the event, Volta Regional Human Resource Manageress, Community Water and Sanitation Agency, Mrs. Sally Donkor-Zonu observed that the issue of gender inequality was about the mindset and nothing more saying, “we have tuned our mind to the fact that we have been made vulnerable and treated unequally.”
Mrs. Donkor-Zonu said women were not created weaker than the men as perceived by society because “in the first creation account, God fashions man and woman as fully equal bearers of his image” and they “jointly receive His blessing and commission to rule the earth.”
According to her, it was about time women stopped singing the gender inequality song and made good use of the “power and numerous opportunities and advantages” they have.
She gave an instant where she was in the labour ward to be delivered of her child. She recalled that her husband could not stand the sight of the childbirth and had to rush out. She added that despite the pain in childbearing, some women had gone to labour wards several times in their lifetime and wondered how such a group could be referred to as “weaker vessel”.
The Ministry member therefore called on parents, especially mothers, to provide good training to their children, not assign gender-based roles to them and make the efforts to empower their girls by educating them, building their communication skills and giving them decision-making roles to spur them on for great exploits in future.
Senior Nurse at Volta Regional Hospital, Mrs. Victoria Dumevi led a chat on cervical cancer and underscored the need for women to go for checks to know their status.
She touched on its possible causes including early sexual life and multiple sexual partners. She also outlined some symptoms, preventive measures, insisting on good diet (with vegetables and fruits) as well as treatment for the cancer.
Nana Amanfo Monfankye I of Dadiase Adele Traditional Area in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region has appealed to the Ministry of Special Initiatives to establish a gari processing factory under the government’s One District, One Factory (1D1F) programme to accelerate socio-economic development in the area.
Nana Monfankye said Dadiase is known for cultivating cassava in commercial quantities and therefore underscored the need for the assembly and government to establish gari processing factory in the area to boost productivity in the country.
He bemoaned the fact that as a food growing area, the community has been bedeviled with several challenges including bad roads, thus, militating against their socio-economic progress.
Ohemaa Nsifor Okolor, a Queen mother from the traditional area also stressed on the need for government to establish the factory in the area saying, it would reduce poverty.
She also appealed to the District Health Directorate to provide the community with a health post to bring health services to their door steps to help in reducing maternal and infant morbidity.
Some gari producers who spoke in an interview with Voltaonlinegh.com, disclosed that the factory would reduce their burden and enable them produce more.
The Deputy Minister designate for Oti Region, Maxwell Blagodzi indicated that government had put in place various intervention programmes and assured that very soon, the local people would begin benefitting from those programmes.
As part of efforts to keep Ghana clean, students and residents in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region have spent the holiday on a clean-up exercise to keep the streets of the capital, Nkwanta clean.
According to the students, taking an active part in the clean up exercise would enable them contribute to the eradication of communicable diseases, thus, giving them a sense of responsibility.
Speaking to Voltaonlinegh.com, students who took part in the clean up exercise said, dirty environment has many negative implications for the country and that having realised the benefits of having a clean environment, they would always be ready to respond to calls to assist with clean up exercises.
The Assemblyman for Nkwanta Nsana Zongo Electoral Area, Richard Kwame Nayo, commended the students and residents for keeping the streets clean saying that cleanliness is important for a healthy society.
He therefore urged other students and communities to emulate the example of these students and get involved in clean up exercises.
A resident, Festus Okpora lauded the media for taking key interest in ensuring that Ghana is made clean.
He indicated that it was important that the youth of the country be inculcated in them the spirit of communalism and volunteerism at a very early stage of their lives so that it would become a part of them.
Nkwanta-based Gateway Radio morning show Host, Christiana Ativi, urged media practitioners to focus more on sanitation-related issues instead of the daily political talk shows.
Residents of Nkwanta North District with Kpassa as it capital in the newly created Oti Region have given government a 9-month ultimatum to fix the deplorable state of the Nkwanta-Damanko stretch of the Eastern Corridor road.
According to the residents, failure of government to get the road fixed would leave them with no option than to hit the streets to demonstrate to Ghanaians and the entire world to know what they had suffered for ages.
Paramount Chief of Kpassa Traditional Area, Ubor Konja Tassan VI who disclosed this on West FM’s morning show, West Breakfast Drive on Thursday, said successive governments kept promising to fix their road but had failed to keep their word.
Ubor Tassan said vehicles including heavy duty ones from the south to the north of the country, ply the stretch leaving communities along the roads, engulfed in dust, a situation which has health implications for the residents.
According to him, his people had suffered enough for “we eat and drink dust” and could not continue living like that all the time.
The Paramount Chief also lamented about other issues that the people of Nkwanta North had to suffer due to the poor state of their roads including difficulty in transporting their produce to market centres when rains set in, thus, making life very difficult for them.
Scores of people including pupils from basic schools and students from senior high schools (SHSs) from different parts of the Volta Region as well as the general public have gathered at the 66 Artillery Regiment in the capital, Ho for an Open Day celebration.
The event which started very early in the morning, attracted schools, especially SHSs from far and near who kept busing in student groups, mostly cadet corps till late in the afternoon for the annual experience.
A school cadet corps being conducted around
The Armed Forces Open Day celebration which is held on March 7 every year, forms part of activities to mark Ghana’s Independence Day celebrations. The Day is essentially organised to display military equipment to the children, pupils, students and the general public to foster civil-military relations.
Patrons of Thursday’s event were conducted around the Regiment to see what was on display. There were also briefings on the history and evolution of the Regiment, military dressing and ranks among others.
An officer briefing a group of patrons
The visitors to the barracks after receiving education on some weapons on display, had the opportunity to have a feel of them while volunteers from each group (crowd was conducted around in groups to manage the number and stress on the officers) fired from the 25-pounder.
Some patrons who spoke to Voltaonlinegh.com, expressed their excitement about the day and described it as a great experience they would love to have again with others referring to themselves as “one-day soldier”.
A patron displaying her “one-day soldier” skill.
A teacher, Vivian Kokofi-Setor said until her experience at this year’s Open Day, she thought soldiers were the all too-serious people and the unfriedly ones among the other workers in the country.
“There are just like us the civilians. I interacted with some of them and they are so friendly. I believe because we only see them in their uniforms and we don’t interact with them often and that’s why we consider them strange.”
A student of EP University College, Agape Alorvor said her expectations for visiting the barracks were met.
“When I was coming, I was expecting to see the military and their weapons. When we came, they showed us their weapons and we learnt about them in terms of how to use them and we even had the chance to try one. Again, we learnt about how they dress for battle. Coming here has been a good thing for us because we learnt a lot.”
Association of Togolese Youth Living in Ghana (AYTG) has commended President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for helping to restore peace and political stability in Togo.
President of the Association, Mr. Koblavi Kansu speaking at a press conference organised in Aflao in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region, noted that the swift intervention of the President and the people of Ghana, their closest neighbours contributed to the peace currently being enjoyed in Togo.
According to Mr. Kansu, political crises in Togo in the past few months hindered development in their country.
“Since August 19, 2017, the Republic of Togo has known political crises that lasted for so many months. This has shaken the socio-economic life of the country.”
“We believe that when there is peace in Togo there will be peace in Ghana and when there is peace in Ghana there will be peace in Togo,” he added.
The Association also commended the Togolese Head of State, His Excellency Faure Gnassingbe for “allowing for peaceful, transparent and credible elections in Togo, evidence of progressive and democratic development.”
It said the government of Togo was working to maintain an atmosphere of peace and security in the country for the citizens and to attract investors to invest and reside in Togo.
AYTG also commended ECOWAS and the international community for their united support towards restoring democracy and peace in Togo.
The Association however expressed its dislike for acts not in national interest stating that “we do not support the selfish decisions taken by leaders to satisfy their own selfish gains while abandoning policies that will bring development to the people”
It concluded by calling on all opposition parties, Togolese resident in Togo and the diaspora to cooperate with the government of Togo to promote development, peace and political stability.
The people of Volta Region have joined the rest of Ghanaians to mark the country’s 62nd Independence Anniversary with colourful parades at the Golden Jubilee Park in Ho and the various district capitals across the region.
The event which was massively attended had dignitaries including the Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Deputy Volta Regional Minister designate, Mr. Johnson Avuletey in attendance.
Also, regional security chiefs, heads of department, traditional leaders and regional executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) were also present for the celebration themed, “Celebrating Peace and Unity”.
Students and pupils as well as cadet corps and 8 contingents of security services took part in the parade. In an addition were other identifiable groups including who performed march past to commemorate the day.
In a solidarity message to the people read by the Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa, President Nana Akuffo-Addo challenged Ghanaians to prove their citizenship by being responsible and not just be holders of “a birth certificate or a certain passport.”
“Fellow Ghanaians, let me remind all of us, again, that being a Ghanaian puts an obligation on each one of us to work at establishing a progressive and happy nation, and calling yourself a Ghanaian must mean we look out for each other. It means also that we must look after the land, the trees, the rivers, the mountains, the animals, all of God’s creatures, that represent this nation of Ghana,” the President demanded.
He expressed hope of a prosperous future saying, “we should be fortified in the knowledge that, despite our challenges and difficulties, we are on course to reaching our goal of a Ghana Beyond Aid, that is realising the vision of the free, fair, democratic, self-reliant, prosperous Ghana” and asked that the citizenry “remain steadfast and united” as “the goal is within reach.”
Independence Parade in Agotime-Ziope District
Pupils and students from 13 primary schools, 11 junior high schools (JHS) and the only senior high school in the Agotime-Ziope District converged at the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) Academy, Kpetoe for the parade in commemoration of the day.
Though the parade delayed till after 10am, the schoolchildren with some of their teachers marched with enthusiasm to the admiration of the gathering.
Schoolchildren performing march past
The parade also saw march past from Red Cross Society, GRA Cadet Corps, Staff of Zoomlion, Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association motorcycle riders with Kekeli Brass Band providing inspirational music.
The march past was preceded by a spectacular performance by pupils of Kpetoe Methodist Basic School who choreographed to selected local music attracting cheers from the crowd.
The pupils treating the gathering to some dance steps
District Chief Executive for the area, D.D. Dzorkpe welcomed everyone to the celebration and thanked all through whose support the 62nd Parade in the district was possible.
He spoke on the theme for this year’s celebration and called for peace and unity among his people for progress.
DCE, Mr. Dzorkpe sandwiched by Police Commander, DSP Ansah and Education Director, Madam Tsifokor
Inheritance International School, Kpetoe won the march past competitions at both the primary and JHS levels and were presented with awards. Awards were also presented to schools that came second and third at both levels while every participating school received certificate of participation.
Also present at the function were district security heads, religious leaders, heads of departments, and traditional leaders including Konor of Agotime, Nene Nuer Keteku III and the Warlord, Nene Akoto Sah VII.
By: Davis Nii Attuquaye Clottey | Voltaonlinegh.com |
Ho Kpodzi Basic School Girls Cricket team have qualified to play in the finals of the ongoing U-12 Schools’ Cricket League at the Ho Sports Stadium after a 100% winning record in Group A.
The determined girls climaxed their last group encounter against Housing MA with a steady victory on Saturday, March 2, 2019 to maintain their position on top of the table with 8 points. Housing MA, having won two straight matches in the group suffered their first defeat after choosing to bat first upon winning toss.
Housing scored 95 runs, for 2 wickets with Belinda Bliboo scoring 42 runs off 38 balls not out. Ho Kpodzi’s Jackline Hotorwokua took 2 wickets, gave away 19 runs in 3 overs in the bowling figures, and became the Man of the Match as she scored 33 runs off 41 balls, not out in her team’s total score of 97 runs, for a wicket in 14.3 overs, thereby winning by 9 wickets.
Ho Kpodzi Girls are likely to meet Group B table leaders, United MA or runners up, Heve Basic who will both be playing their final matches next week for the finals of the league.
Fiave E.P on a rather sad note could not turn up for their last matches against Methodist, which had lifted the latter to 4th on the table pushing the former to 5th on the girl’s table.
Methodist, 3rd on the boy’s table are having an upper hand to qualify to play the final, with 2 more matches to play whereas Ho Kpodzi and Fiave E.P completed their number of matches in the group on Saturday.
Ho Kpodzi boys however, lost their final group game against Housing, who had their first victory in 3 matches. Housing had to bat first after Ho Kpodzi won the toss and elected to field. They scored 117 runs for 3 wickets with Alex Agbana scoring half a century, off 36 balls. Housing won the match by 54 runs as Ho Kpodzi could only manage 63 runs for 4 wickets.
Anglican boys still top the group with 4 points with 1 more match while Fiave E.P, & Housing follow with 4 points. Housing despite their win lie bottom with 2 points, with Ho Kpodzi 1 step above the former with 2 points as well.
The 15-over league bounces back on Saturday, March 16 with Group B, Match 4 fixtures. Heve Basic will be locking horns with Bankoe RC while United MA battle Dome RC.
