John Dumelo with some NDC supporters

Popular Ghanaian actor, John Dumelo has hit the grounds running for President Mahama re-election campaign, charging the youth wing of the NDC to work hard to secure a second term for the president in the November 7, general elections.

Addressing enthusiastic supporters in the Volta region during a health walk dubbed ‘Walk for JM’ on Monday at Hohoe, Mr. Dumelo said, ” I’m glad that you have all joined in the walk, that’s the same way we will walk to maintain this present government.”

The actor who is also a native of Likpe-Bala in the Hohoe constituency further stated that “you have to keep the fire burning, you don’t have to loose guard. They will throw punches at you, don’t have to worry. You have to hold the fort because at the end of the day, we want development for the country and it’s the youth that will make it happen, we hold the power.” 

The walk which was organized by the regional youth wing of the party, was to reenergize the party’s grassroot ahead of the general elections.

Top government officials who participated in the walk included , the Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, his predecessor and now Interior minister Prosper Bani, former transport minister, Dzifa Attivor and Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah.

Add caption

Source: Voltaonlinegh/LA

One of the abandoned town roads

President Mahama in his recent state of the nation address in parliament, listed several road projects, he said are progressing steadily  in the Volta region, including the Ve-Golokwati to Hohoe and the Hohoe township roads.

An assertion, which angered some  residents, ostensibly because  the contractors have abandoned the projects many months ago with very little work done. 

The roads and highways minister, Inusah Fuseini who also defended the president’s assertion, quoting 68 percent of work done, had  to virtually eat humble pie, when he visited area last Wednesday and realized the reality on the grounds is far different from what is on paper.

But speaking to Journalists  on the sidelines of a health walk dubbed ‘ walk for JM’ at Hohoe on Monday, the NDC chairman said, that blunder would have been avoided, if the technocrats in charge of supervising the projects provided accurate and right to the president.

“The position that Hohoe roads were done was not just taken from anyone, it was taken from the technocrats. The highways director should have known, there is a problem that the contractor has abandoned the project and not to provide wrong information just to embarrass the president.”

Mr. Gyanpon Kudjoe also urged political leadership in the region to keep eyes on contractors working on projects  to ensure that they deliver the projects in time.

Source: Voltaonlinegh/LA

Deceased Wisdom Amu

A nineteen year old boy  has met his untimely death Sunday afternoon, after he was stabbed by some youngmen  in Ho, the Volta regional capital.

The incident  is said to have occurred around the Ho sports stadium at about 5:00pm,  when the victim, Wisdom Amu, was returning from the 59th Independence Day celebration at the  Jubilee park.

According to an uncle of the deceased, Dr. Winfred Naccortsey, his nephew, who is a tailor-apprentice was stabbed on  the left  breast by one of the four young men who were said to have accosted him, which resulted in a scuffle. 

He said bystanders who went to scene to separate the  fight, found Amu unconscious with the knife stab and rushed him to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead and  the incident has since  been reported at the Ho central police station.

Meanwhile, the four suspects have been arrested and are assisting in police investigations.

According to a  source, three of the suspects were arrested immediately at the incident scene by some bystanders  and handed over to the police  while  the fourth person who absconded was  later arrested by the police on Monday.

The body of the deceased is currently at the morgue for autopsy.

Source: voltaonlinegh/LA

Photos from Facebook

A strong tidal storm which hit the coast of Aflao in the Ketu South municipality has washed ashore a ‘stray’ ship, on Tuesday.

The ship with the inscription  ‘Barca Lome’, is believed to have been abandoned on the high seas with no crew on board.

Some residents who trooped to the scene to catch a glimpse of the ship, expressed varied opinions about how the ship made its way to he area, with some putting a political twist to it.

“This ship here, is probably telling our government that, we need a mini habour in Aflao,” one resident retorted.

Meanwhile, a combine Togolese and Ghanaian naval team have successfully towed the ship  back onto the high seas.

A security source at the Aflao border who disclosed this, said the ship which was anchored on the sea between the Togolese capital Lomé and Aflao, had its anchors broken by strong tidal winds, which drifted it onto the shores of Aflao.

‘A Combine team of Ghanaian and Togolese naval officers however manage to tow the stray ship back using another vessel later in the day,’ the source stated.

Collapsed mast

A strong wind which accompanied a downpour in the Volta  regional capital of Ho, on Monday afternoon has colapsed some transmission masts belonging to some radio stations and a telecom company  in the area.

The rainstorm which started at about 4:00pm and lasted barely 40 minutes brought down the masts of Ho based KuulFM and ToshFM as well that of  telecom operator  Glo Ghana, which were  all situated on top of the Galenkui mountain near Ho.

The situation has compelled the stations to go off air for the mean time, while they assess the extent of damage. An electricity transmission pole located within the same vicinity was also affected,  leading  to cut in power supply to some parts of the municipality. 

Checks in  other parts of the municipality revealed  that, the rainstorm also ripped of portions of the roofings of the Vodafone Ghana regional office,  while some bill boards have also been pulled down. No casualty was however reported in the disaster.

Shops under construction

Redevelopment works at  the Ho central market  is set for completion in June, 2016.  The project which is under the Ghana urban Management Pilot Project (GUMPP) started in the first quarter of 2014 with the aim of modernizing the central market, which hasn’t seen any major renovation for decades.

Facilities under construction at market include, 231 shops, ware houses, places of convenience, Police and fire service post as well as a crèche.

Mr. Kofi Hayford, resident engineer in charge of the project told the Volta regional minister, Helen Ntoso during an inspection tour that, the project is over 60 percent complete with the most difficult aspect being the structural framing done. He said the remaining is the partitioning of structures into the various shops.

He also noted that, two other projects under the GUMPP such the construction of an abattoir and an engineered land fill site with the Ho municipality are on course and will also be ready by the June deadline.

Helen Ntoso inspecting the project

The Ho Municipal chief Executive, Fafa Adinyira who accompanied the regional minister on the tour, also told journalists, the assembly has set a committee that will allocate the shops to the various traders upon completion based on a data base, which was developed during the demolition of initial structures to pave way for the construction. 

On her part, the regional minister, Helen Ntoso expressed satisfaction about the progress of work and urged the contractors to finish the work on schedule in order for the traders to have conducive environment to do business. 

The GUMPP,   is a 40.5 million euros project funded by the French Agency for Development (AFD) and it’s being executed in three other metropolitan areas including Kumasi, Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi.

Regional minister in a handshake with Jon Benjamin

The British High commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Jon Benjamin has on Monday embarked  a one day working visit to the volta region.

Mr. Benjamin upon arrival , paid a courtesy call of the volta regional minister, Helen Ntoso and her deputy Francis Ganyaglo at the Volta regional coordinating council in Ho.

According to him, the visit is to afford him the opportunity to familiarize with other parts the country beyond the national capital Accra.

‘As a High commissioner,  I   see it necessary to travel out of the Accra to other parts of the country, just to see things for myself. There is a historic British involvement in the volta region and my visit here is to strength that relationship,’ Mr. Benjamin, who is also the British ambassador to Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso,  noted.

Mr. Benjamin in a pose with Hon. Ntoso & Ganayaglo

He said currently, the UK government through the Department of International Development (DFID) is funding a nationwide project dubbed ‘ENGINE’  a multi-year competitive venture project, aimed at equipping Micro and Small scale business with the need skills and resources to enhance their operations and urged businesses in the region to take advantage of the project.

Touching on the November, 7 general elections, the British diplomat expressed UK government’s readiness to provide technical and logistical support to the Electoral Commission of Ghana and other allied agencies to ensure transparent  and peaceful election.

‘Our only interest is for the election to be peaceful and credible, so we will work with the electoral commission with other donor partners, and that is to do with logistics and administration of the election. So we are waiting for what request the EC will make from us.’

Mr. Benjamin who earlier paid a courtesy call on the paramount chief of the Asogli traditional area, Togbe Afede XIV, was scheduled to hold separate meetings with leadership of the various political parties  as well as the security chiefs in the region.

The  Volta Regional Minister, Helen Ntoso on here part thanked the high Commission  for their continuous support to the development of the country and the region  at large. She however appealed to High commission  to assist  the region in harnessing  some of its natural resources such as the volta Lake to create jobs for  the teeming youth through  into irrigation and fish farming.

Ho Poly – SSNIT flat road

Road networks within three towns in the Volta region  are  to be  given an asphaltic facelift, President Mahama has revealed.

The re-surfacing which will take place before the end of 2016 forms  part of an urban roads improvement project being undertaken by government to improve  the standard of roads in Ho, Hohoe and Keta. 

President Mahama  who disclosed this, during  a courtesy called on the paramount chief of Asogli traditional area, Togbe Afede XIV, in Ho over the weekend, said 25 kilometers of roads have been earmarked for the asphaltic surfacing in Ho as part of the phase of the project. 

“The project is being awarded and very soon the contract will be on site to raise the standards of the roads with asphalt and this will also be done in Keta and Hohoe,” he stated.

The president’s assurance comes on the back sentiments expressed by  residents, which Togbe Afede re-echoed  at the meeting, about the  quality of some roads which were recently resurfaced with bituminous  chipping within the Volta regional capital.

Togbe Afede in handshake with President Mahama

“One project that is very dear to the heart of our people and over which we the Chiefs have suffers insults are the Ho roads. The concern of our people is the quality of work that is being than as compared to what they see elsewhere. Elsewhere we see roads that are in asphalt, but here what we’re seeing is different,” Togbe Afede told the president and his entourage, which include Vice President Amissah Arthur, Chief of staff Julius Debrah, National Democratic Congress General Secretary, Mr Asiedu Nketia and  other government ministers. 

The president and his appointees were at the Volta Serene Hotel in Ho for a two day retreat to review the government’s performance in the last three years and also strategize for the final year of their 4years mandate. 

Source: voltaonlinegh/LA