Volta Handball Set to Begin League with more Clubs

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October 12, 2018

By: Davis Nii Attuquaye Clottey | Voltaonlinegh.com |

The Volta Regional Handball Association (VRHA) after its stakeholders meeting on Wednesday, October 10, has set a date to begin the second edition of the regional league at the Ho Sports Stadium.

The League will be preceded by a gala to be held on Saturday, October 20 at the Ho Sports Stadium at 7am.

The school cum community-based league which saw the unplanned wrap up of the first edition in July 2018 has seen other schools and community clubs joining to battle for supremacy, promotion and laurels.

Sonrise Christian SHS, Akatsi College of Education, Dabala Youngsters and Unique Stars are new Clubs that have showed interest in the league that will have a different approach to ensure its effectiveness, with the production of good materials for national assets.

Being the second regional organized league in Ghana, the VRHA demands interested teams to show commitment with a non-refundable registration fee of GH₵150.00. A team is given the period between October 8 and December 30 to register and also allowed to register a maximum of 25 players, if not all at a go with passport size photographs for the period October 8 to February 27, 2019.

The league is pegged at Saturday, 27th October at the Ho Sports Stadium with more than 3 matches expected to be played each week and with matches on Sunday afternoon being considered.

In an interview with Voltaonlinegh.com, Chairman of the Association, Togbe Palmas Howusu, said, with the technical and review meetings done, they were sure of a good season this time.

“A whole lot of factors didn’t ensure the smooth ending of the league in the maiden edition. As human institutions, we only work on improving on previous works and so as we have sat to realise our lapses and found better ways out, the second season will be better. At least, we have also seen more clubs joining and it is a sign of good things to come. We shall keep improving and the fever will be all over the region.”

Stars of Asha male and TERESCO female won the maiden edition of the league and were presented with trophies on July 21, 2018 at the Ho Sports Stadium.

Interested clubs within the region are to call on the Association to register to partake in the gala and league.

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com

Volta Boxers Secure Quarter Final Berth at National Championship

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Volta Online

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October 12, 2018

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By: Davis Nii Attuquaye Clottey | Voltaonlinegh.com

Three of the 6 boxers from the Volta Region exited at the quarter finals at the just ended National Individual Championship at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The 3-day championship which begun on Thursday October 4 and extended to Monday, October 8 saw Captain Prosper Afagbedzi, Holy Dorgbetor and Bernard Adzewoda reach the last eight in the Bantamweight, Lightweight and Light Welterweight divisions respectively.

The championship which was to select boxers into the Black Bombers team after the previous team which participated in the Australia 2018 Olympic Games was dissolved, also saw Osei Maxwell who faced a fellow Volta opponent Ameyaw Confidence reach the last 16 stage in the Middleweight division.

Veku Prosper and Agbo Wisdom who joined the Volta contingent also lost out to Daniel Oduro and Shakul Samir in the Welterweight and Middle weight categories.

Meanwhile, last year’s Lightweight silver medalist at the National Sports Festival, Nana Antwi was beaten by Accra-based Charles Tetteh in the preliminaries of the bantamweight.

Nana Antwi in an interview with Voltaonlinegh.com said he wasn’t getting time to train after he was promoted to JHS 3.

Head Coach Sadick Abubakar Akake was impressed with the entire performance of the team, believing their time to make it to the Black Bombers is near.

“My captain was supposed to make it to the national team because he is very good although he lost. In all, I think we have made a great impact at the championship and hope to get there very soon. We are only lacking financial muscle and enough training facilities. Should we get those intact, we will always triumph over Accra boxers anytime any day. For the Black Bombers, we will have Volta boxers in soon.”

Meanwhile the Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) had selected winners of each of the 10 weight divisions into the Black Bombers team which included Super Heavyweight’s Felix Agboletey, Light Heavyweight’s Issah Inusah, Light Welterweight’s Jessey Lartey, Light Flyweight’s Theophilus Allotey, and Flyweight’s Abraham Mensah.

The rest were Samuel Y. Addo for Bantamweight, Abdul Wahid Omar for Lightweight, Abubakar Quartey for Welterweight, Mussah Rahman Lawson for Middleweight and Anani Kutsoke for Heavyweight.

According to the President of the GBF, George Lamptey, all losing finalists will also be invited to camp for preparations for Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The championship saw about 105 boxers from Greater Accra, Volta, Upper West, Central and Ashanti regions participating.

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com

Children with Special Needs Deserve Equal Right to Education–HR Student

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Volta Online

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October 11, 2018

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By: Fred Duhoe | Voltaonlinegh.com |

A Human Resource Management student, Emma Elinam Sallah has mobilised resources to start a special needs school to cater for children with special needs in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region.

Ms. Sallah who saw the need for the school, fell on her friends for support to rent an apartment and procure some materials needed to run the school.

She said the school, Anlo Special School at Tegbi has the endorsement from the Special Education Unit of the Keta Municipal Assembly and therefore called on parents to enroll their children in the school for better future for them.

Giving her reasons, Ms. Sallah noted that she feels unhappy about parents hiding their children with various forms of intellectual disabilities; hence denying them the opportunity to education.

She revealed to Fred Duhoe, a freelance journalist that “some parents want us to run a boarding system to permanently accommodate their wards but since running boarding facilities needs more financing and more hands, we will rather like to implement this system gradually.”

Anlo Special School – A Haven of Hope is under the Butterfly Ghana Foundation which seeks to champion the cause of children with special needs, their siblings, parents and the community as a whole as well as empower the youth within the Keta Municipality and surrounding areas.

The young determined Executive Director has started a sea foods business – Le Fresh Foods, as a fundraiser for the school.

Mad. Cecilia Gokah, the first parent to enroll her son with speech disorder after he was treated for cancer of the brain in an interview said “our educational system doesn’t have the conducive atmosphere to accommodate and teach our children with special needs, hence, my decision to bring my son here (Anlo Special School).”

In the whole of Volta Region, we have just one at Hohoe which is too far a distance. I don’t appreciate it when I see these vulnerable children helplessly on the streets begging for alms. It’s my desire for my son to become an interpreter someday” she stated.

Education in Ghana has done very little to address the plight of special needs children. Policies have been instituted to make education all-inclusive but this has not materialised over the years.

Much emphasis is rather placed on regular children to the neglect of children with special needs. Stereotyping, stigmatising and abuse of the rights in some cases is what parents of/and children with special needs suffer in society.

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com

Demand for Oti Region not ‘Land Grabbing’ Agenda-Krachiwura

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Volta Online

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October 11, 2018

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By: Obrempongba Kwame Owusu | Voltaonlinegh.com |

Paramount Chief of Kete-Krachi, Nana Mprah Besemuna III has debunked claims that the demand for a new region in the northern part of the Volta Region is orchestrated at taking over ownership of lands in the north perceived to belong to Ewes.

According to him, persons circulating such claims are ignorant of the Ghanaian history.

He explained that dwellers in the Oti enclave occupied the lands under the Trans-Volta Togoland, administered as the Northern Territory before being added to the Ewes to form the Volta Region in 1950s by the colonial masters.

He was speaking at the durbar of this year’s yam festival at Krachi in the Krachi West District of the Volta Region.

Nana Mprah Besemuna who doubles as the Chairman for the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) of Oti Movement, the group leading the demand for a new region out of Volta.

He detailed the Oti enclave had received very little proportion of development in the Volta Region, hence, their demand for the new region.

The Krachiwura reaffirmed the commitment of chiefs and residents in the Oti enclave to vote yes for the new region

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com

Swerve: Volta Region Gets 5,000-Seater Capacity Youth Resource Center instead of 10,000

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Volta Online

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October 11, 2018

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The ongoing 5,000-seater capacity youth center

By: Eric Eli Adzie | Voltaonlinegh.com |

The 10,000-seater capacity Youth Resource Center promised the people of the Volta Region is not being fulfilled by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

The 10,000 capacity sitting facility promised is being built by Wilkado Construction Company Limited at a cost of $2.4 million and will have a FIFA standard football pitch, an eight lane modern track, tennis, handball and volleyball courts.

It will also house a gymnasium, multi-purpose ICT center, an entrepreneurship center, counseling unit and a modern restaurant.

However, months after the sod cutting, a visit to the construction site revealed the capacity currently under construction is 5,000 contrary to the common knowledge of 10,000.

Confirming this, the Project Manager, Mr. Williams Akpih said he was aware of the promise made in regards to the expansion of the capacity to 10,000 but nothing official has been received in writing by the company hence work for a 5,000-seater edifice.

“It was promised but there is no paper work confirming it for 10,000, the 5,000 is what we are working on now because that is what was confirmed in the contract to us. The 10,000 has to be confirmed and issued on contract bases. When it comes, we will make provision for the 10,000 by enlarging the stands.”

It will be recalled that on the day of the sod cutting, the Warlord and Divisional Chief of the Asogli Traditional Area, Togbe Howusu Adzi Lakle expressed mixed feelings about the sod cutting for the construction of a youth resource center against the priority of a modern sports stadium.

He however, commended the government for the step taken to provide a befitting infrastructure that would afford the youth a place to train. He further appealed to the government to increase the capacity which was approved by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Isaac Asiamah.

The facility was originally estimated at $1.8m but had been increased to $2.4m due to the increment in the sitting capacity upon the request of Togbe Howusu Adzi Lakle.

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com

We Can’t Complete Volta Youth Resource Center as Scheduled-Project Manager

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Volta Online

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October 11, 2018

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By: Eric Eli Adzie | Voltaonlinegh.com |

Work on the Volta Regional Youth Resource Center is racing behind time as the 9-month stipulated time frame given by government can’t be attained.

The project which was announced to have a December 2018 completion deadline is still under construction with barely two months to end the year.

A visit to the construction site revealed only 45 per cent of total work done. The youth center which came as a blessing to the people of the region after a total neglect of the present Ho sports stadium is currently far from its realisation.

Project manager, Mr. Williams Akpih attributed the delay in work to the topography of the land and heavy downpours.

“The rains have been our challenge; the ground is such that when it rains no vehicles comes in which means no work goes on. This is the nature of the ground here.”

He further said the company must recourse to leveling the ground with quarry products to make the construction site accessible by both vehicles and human.

“We have to resort to other means of getting the ground conducive for work. We used query products to fill the tarries and this took a lot of time.”

He however assured that the facility will be ready by February 2019.

Meanwhile, during the sod cutting, the Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa echoed his readiness to see the project completed on time and further urged the contractor, Togbui Gbewoaza II of Wilkado Construction Company Limited to ensure the project was completed as scheduled to the specifications as spelt out in the contract document.

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com

Anama Dotse Set to Challenge for ABU Lightweight Title

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Volta Online

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October 11, 2018

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By: Eric Eli Adzie | Voltaonlinegh.com |

Ghanaian Boxer Anama Dotse known as Polo Pala (17-1, 15KOs) is set to challenge Nigerian boxer Oto ‘Joe Boy’ Joseph on Sunday, October 14 for the African Boxing Union (ABU) Lightweight title.

The ABU champion Oto Joseph (15-0, 4KOs) defended the African title when he beat fellow Ghanaian Nathaniel Nukpe in Nigeria on July 29.

The encounter will be one of the headline bouts at the GOtv Boxing Night 16 at the Indoor Sports Hall of Teslim Balogun stadium in Surulere, Lagos Nigeria.

Dotse the knockout specialist will challenge undefeated Nigerian boxer Oto Joseph for his Africa ABU Lightweight title in a ten-round contest.

A confident Dotse said he knows a lot about his opponent and very confident of knocking him down.

“This is my first title bout so am training very hard for this bout, I know Oto is a very good boxer but I am going to knock him down.”

“Moreover he’s fighting in his home country so I have to judge him first before the judges do so, this bout means a lot to me,” he added.

Meanwhile, Oto Joseph also vowed to batter the face of his Ghanaian challenger when they clash.

“I am in the best shape possible. This is a bad omen for Dotse, who should know that Nigeria is superior to Ghana in every way. I will prove that superiority by battering his face. His face is smooth because he has been meeting soft opponents. That will end at GOtv Boxing Night 16.”

There will also be West African Boxing Union Lightweight title clash between Ridwan ‘Scorpion’ Oyekola of Nigeria and Ghana’s Benjamin Lamptey.

Also scheduled is the National Light Heavyweight title bout between Kabiru Towolawi and Adewale Masebinu.

In the Featherweight class, Waidi Usman will have a rematch with Chibuzor Obi.

Anama Dotse hails from Ho, the Volta regional capital.

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com

Some 182 Women Screened for Cervical Cancer in Hohoe

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Volta Online

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October 10, 2018

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By: Kris Delali Asare | Voltaonlinegh.com |

A 2-day cervical cancer screening exercise in Hohoe saw about 182 women participate in the exercise.

Ninety seven women were successfully screened on Monday with 87 on the register as at 4:27pm on Tuesday when Voltaonlinegh.com paid a visit to the municipal assembly, venue for the screening.

Speaking in an interview, Mrs. Cynthia Badasu, the nurse in charge said turnout had met her expectation as she was hopeful the target to screen 500 women will be achieved at the end of the exercise.

She revealed that 3 serious cases needed immediate attention while others had been scheduled for another screening.

Mrs. Badasu said there was a cause for alarm since “the virus which causes the infection is prevalent and moreover, this type of infection is difficult to detect at the early.”

A number of successfully screened women expressed how important the exercise meant to them because it would pave way for the detection of other viral diseases in their private parts if any.

Mrs. Badasu affirmed the team’s presence at Alavanyo for the same screening exercise on Wednesday to be followed by Fodome on Thursday and then to Likpe on Friday.

She advised sexually active women to consider the screening a priority and urged interested women who could not go through the screening during the weekdays to visit Hohoe campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) on Saturday, October 13, 2018 for the last section of the exercise.

The screening comes at a cost of GH₵20 per woman.

Signs and symptoms of a more-advanced cervical cancer include, Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods or after menopause, watery or bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor, Pelvic pain or pain during intercourse. Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com

Secessionist Group Warns Govt to Stay off Minerals in Volta Land

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Volta Online

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October 10, 2018

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By Ewoenam Kpodo | Voltaonlinegh.com |

A secessionist group, Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF) has warned government and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to halt the proposed oil exploration activities in the Nkwanta North District of the Volta Region.

The group in a release signed by it convener, George Nyakpo said Nkwanta North in the Volta Region falls in the boundaries of Western Togoland and cautioned government to stay away from exploring for oil there.

The group’s release was in response to Voltaonlinegh.com’s story on October 4 about the proposed oil exploration activities in the district. The District Chief Executive for the area, Jakayi Jackson during a town hall meeting at Sibi informed residents of the presence of the GNPC officials and solicited their prayers for successful activities.

READ ALSO: GNPC Begins Oil Exploration in Nkwanta North

The HSGF was of the view that per the 1956 plebiscite which unionised Trans-Volta Togoland (now a region) to the Gold Coast, now Ghana, Government of Ghana cannot touch the mineral resources or its boundaries without citizens of the land sanctioning it.

“The area in question is a Mandated Territory by the Leagues of Nations /UN, under the Trusteeship Agreement pending the full realisation of the independence of the Western Togoland. Those resources are what will be used to take care of our citizens and Ghana cannot lay her hands on it.”

“We hereby, wish to inform and caution the government of Ghana, GNPC and any entity to as a matter of urgency put a stop to any other activities leading to the said exercise and any other exercise which we have not sanctioned,” the release noted.

The release added that the proposed creation of the Oti Region out of Volta “is highly aggressive because it is a clear land grab behaviour since the area is part of the Togoland under British administration originally recognised in 1922 as Western Togoland when the obnoxious division of mother Torgo was done by an invading Franco-British Army in a war in which the land and its people had no hand at all.”

In a recent interview, Nana Mprah Besemuna III, Paramount Chief of Krachi and also Chairman of the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) of Oti Movement, a group advocating for the creation of the proposed region warned the Ewes in the southern and middle parts of the region from laying claim on the northern part saying, “we don’t know the Ewes until 1950s when the Germans brought us together and we had brought clearly defined boundaries that we only joined the Ewes, we were not under them.”

The Homeland Study Group Foundation was formed by secessionists to unite all the supporters of Togoland. The movement made waves last year when police arrested some of its leaders on March 7, in Ho for agitating for the restoration of so called Western Togoland as a state and a declaration of independence on March 9.

The group has since been campaigning for the Volta Region in the southeast and parts of Eastern, Northern and Upper East regions of Ghana to join the new state.

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com

CAF Cancels Black Stars Nations Cup Qualifier against Sierra Leone

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Volta Online

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October 10, 2018

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By: Eric Eli Adzie | Voltaonlinegh.com |

Sierra Leone’s African Nations Cup qualifier against Ghana in Kumasi will not go ahead on Thursday after the country’s football Association failed to get a FIFA suspension lifted.

Sierra Leone authorities petitioned FIFA to get the ban lifted after they reiterated their interventions in footballing activities wasn’t against the FIFA rules thereby not meeting a Tuesday ultimatum to reinstate ousted football Association president Isha Johansen.

“Our appeal has been rejected,” Sierra Leone Football Association President Brima Mazzola Kamara, who replaced Johansen, told Reuters.

“It is not what we were hoping for, especially since this now means the CAF match won’t be happening.

“FIFA told us that Isha’s reinstatement was a prerequisite for our suspension being lifted, and when we told them she had not returned to work, they denied us.”

Mazzola Kamara said that the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission will not shove on their pronouncement to oust Johansen and the Association’s General Secretary Christopher Kamara over the several allegations of match-fixing leveled against them involving the national team.

The country’s Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Francis Kaifala, has criticized FIFA saying their suspension of the country is an attack on the sovereignty of Sierra Leone.

“Corruption is the biggest emergency Sierra Leone faces right now, and these actions from FIFA are nothing less than a violation of our national sovereignty,” Kaifala said.

“They may have their rules but we also have our own and will not be bullied around. We will play the game in our hearts even if they block us from playing with them.”

Johansen and Christopher Kamara however, denied any wrongdoing.

Confederation of African Football (CAF) released a statement on its official twitter handle confirming the cancellation of their pending AFCON qualifiers against Ghana.

Sierra Leone has three points from their opening two Nations Cup qualifiers.

Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com