The newly appointed Oti Regional Minister, Mr. Joshua Makubu has charged Municipal and District Chief Executives in the region not to relent in the discharge of their duties, so as to ensure the needed development of the areas.
According to him, their appointment by the President as MDCEs was still valid and, as such they remain at post, whilst awaiting the President’s next directive.
Mr. Makubu, made this known at a meeting with the MDCEs, Co-ordinating Directors, and Presiding Members from all nine (9) Assemblies of the region on Wednesday, where he assured them on his commitment towards the delivery of the President’s developmental agenda for the new region.
Oti MDCEs with Regional Minister
The minister however bemoaned the leakage of official document and information on the social media by some assembly staff and demanded an end to that.
Touching on chieftaincy and disputes the area, the Minister advised the Chief Executives to channel all such issues to the Oti Regional House of Chiefs for settlement. He also outlined measures to tackle the water challenges at in parts of the Nkwanta North and Krachi West districts.
Speaking on behalf the MDCEs, Mr. Lawrence Kwame Aziale, the DCE for Jasikan congratulated the minister on his assumption of office and and thanked the President for the appointment. He assured the minister of their support to deliver the needed development to the new region.
The Regional Coordinating Director, Mr. Andrews Nawil Okumah, on his part directed the MDCEs to identify tourist and investment opportunities in their respective jurisdictions to attract investors.
Investigators with the Anti Human Trafficking Unit of the Volta Regional Police Command, have ended a 10-day capacity building programme, organized by the International Justice Mission (IJM), a global Human Rights advocacy organization.
The programme, held at the Hotel Stevens in Ho, took participants through various aspects of investigation into issues relating to Human Trafficking, which was aimed at enhancing the skills of investigators whose chief task is to help reduce or possibly eliminate the incident of Human Trafficking in the region.
DCOP Mr. Edward Oduro Kwateng, Regional Police Commander, who opened the session on 16 March, 2021, noted that human trafficking was a global menace where Ghana was identified as a source, transit and destination country for the traffickers. He further lamented the incidents of trafficking young boys and girls to fishing communities to engage in fishing and selling smoked fish respectively.
The selected investigators were taken through topics such as Basic Knowledge of Anti-Human Trafficking, Interrogation Skills, Victim Trauma Care, Crime Scene Management, Networking within Human Trafficking, Preparation of Operational Orders for Anti Human Trafficking Operations and Ethics.
Participants at the end of the training expressed their appreciation to IJM, the facilitators especially C/Supt. Rtd Mr. Felix Mawusi for the knowledge imparted and also assured of putting the new skills to good use in enhancing their productivity.
The Ghana Health Service is set to commence a mass vaccination of health workers in the Volta region against the corona virus pandemic, beginning, Thursday, 25th to Monday, 29th March 2021.
The exercise, which forms part of the country’s phase one rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination, will cover a total of 14,450 health workers across all 18 municipalities and districts of the region.
A press release signed by Dr. Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, Deputy Regional Director in-charge of Public Health stated, the “Vaccination shall cover health workers in all Public Facilities, CHAG Institutions, Health Training Institutions, Allied Health Facilities, and Private For-Profit Facilities.”
According to the release, since the beginning of the pandemic, health workers in the Volta Region have accounted for one (1) out of six (6) infections, hence, ‘this vaccination exercise marks the dawning of a new light in our regional and district response.’
The Regional Health Directorate, the statement noted, would soon share details of the vaccination rollout plans for all eligible residents within the second quarter of this year, and as such, urged the general public to hold themselves in preparedness towards this all-important exercise.
It also reminded residents to continue observing the safety protocols, in order to curb the spread of the virus.
The Akyode Traditional Council in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region, has summoned and charged the Constituency Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the area, Kennedy Yekple over alleged tribal comments made against them during a recent press conference.
He also questioned the tribe’s contribution in terms of votes to the NPP’s electoral victory to be making such demands, even though they have benefited from other appointments in the past.
“On record, at the just-ended 2020 general elections, out of the 20,272 Parliamentary votes gained by the New Patriotic Party as a result of the tireless efforts and dedication of the teaming youth and other tribes within the constituency, the Akyode tribe gathered a total of 4,256 votes while out of the 18,174 votes gathered by the president, 4,249 came from the Akyode. So, my question is, where did the remaining votes come from,” he quizzed during the presser.
His comments however incurred the wrath the traditional authorities, who described the utterances against the Akyode tribe as insulting, hence his summoning.
Accompanied by his father, Seth Yekple, and some elders from Ntrubo traditional area, the youth organizer was slapped with a fine of a sheep, drinks, and some undisclosed items and also directed him to retract the comments made against them.
His father, advised young politicians to stay away from tribalism and politics of insult, as these traits destroy parties and communities.
Nana Bayen Asanyo, on behalf of Akyode traditional council also called on the youth to be decorous in their politicking, noting that, the traditional rulers will not allow themselves to be intimidated by politicians on any grounds; warning who will be brought before the chiefs will not be spared.
In yet another bizarre story of love turned sour, a 25-year old lady in Ho, the Volta Regional capital has allegedly been killed by her boyfriend following a brawl between them on Monday night.
The lady identified as Harriet Kafui Ahiati, was said to be staying in a compound house around Freedom Hotel in the Fiave Electoral Area, where her boyfriend, identified only as ‘Jay’ reportedly slit her throat to death after heated confrontation in the late hours of Monday, 22nd March 2021.
According to a Facebook post by Egbenyawo, co-tenants of the deceased said they earlier heard an argument from the lady’s room but thought it was a sound from the television. However several minutes after the noise subsided, some young men rushed to the house and asked for the door to the deceased’s room, only to come across bizarre incident upon entering.
The lady was found in a pool of blood in the siting room with knife cuts on her throat, while the gentleman was seen in the bedroom with knife wounds on his throat and stomach, in what is believed to be a attempted suicide, after he killed the lady.
A ceiling fan with a rope tied around it, which the guy was suspected to have used for his attempted suicide mission was also found on the floor where deceased laid.
The Volta Regional Police Command has since launched investigations into the incident, as the suspect is in critical condition at the Ho Teaching Hospital , while the body of the deceased has also been deposited at the morgue for autopsy.
The Nkwanta South Municipal Assembly in the Oti Region, has handed over 980 units of dual desks to the Municipal Education Directorate for onwards distribution to 34 public schools in the Municipality to aid in the delivery of quality education.
Several schools in Nkwanta South have been faced with numerous infrastructure challenges, notable among them being inadequate classroom furniture to promote effective learning in schools.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area, John Thasun, noted that the intervention was in response to lack of classroom furniture in some schools within the Municipality.
He added that the assembly recognized educational infrastructure as critical to improving academic outcomes, hence the need to provide adequate furniture to create a conducive environment for studies.
The MCE emphasized that the Assembly would continue to provide schools with the needed infrastructure to enhance effective learning.
He however called on other stakeholders, including Non-governmental Organizations and philanthropists to come and support the Assembly to deal with the infrastructure challenges in the schools.
Taking delivery of the furniture, the Municipal Director of Education, Mr. Jonathan Korsinah, thanked the assembly for the timely intervention, which he said would go a long way to curtail several seating defects among the school children and also ensure adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols in schools.
He also commended this reporter for his continuous reportage on the challenges in the various schools, which has solicited a positive response from the assembly.
The Chiefs and people of Sonuto- Kumadekope in the Ketu South Municipality are crying over deficient sources of potable water, which has compelled them to depend on water from a dugout for domestic use.
The community of over 500 residents struggle for potable water, has compelled some residents to wake-up as early as midnight to go in search of the basic utility for their daily chores.
According to the Assembly member for the area, Mr. Francis Kportiskla, the water situation in the area has reached a crisis level, stating that, women and children have to wake-up midnight just to get potable water before getting ready for school and other daily activities which could pose a threat to teaching and learning in schools.
” I made an appeal to the MCE and individuals and they promise to help provide us with potable water, ” he noted,
Mr. Noah Setsoafia, Unit Committee Organizer, said though the community members believed a self-help initiative would solve the problem, they do not have the resources needed to start and appealed for external support.
Representative of Torgbui Adzakpo, Chief of the area said the water situation was a source of worry to them as their reliance on unwholesome water source could expose residents to contracting water-borne diseases.
He therefore appealed to government, benevolent individuals and institutions to come to their aid.
Two schools in Dzodze, the capital of Ketu North Municipality have received sets of library books from Mama Agbaledzopui II Foundation to improve teaching and leaning in the schools.
The foundation, led by its founder, Mama Agbaledzopui II, the Queen mother of Dzodze Afetefe presented the learning materials to Dzodze R.C Central and E.P Primary schools, in line with her commitment towards quality education delivery in the area.
Speaking to Volta Online, Mama said, it was the desire of her foundation to promote good education in Ketu North hence the gesture, noting that, “with time we’ll be visiting to see how teaching and learning is improving and the challenges they are facing to see how to help.”
“Even though government introduced free SHS and free feeding, government alone cannot do it all, so it is necessary for parents to also help by buying books to improve child’s future,” she added.
Mama Agbaledzopui II with the school children
She further indicated that, Girl-child education was the foundation’s topmost priority, and thus entreated the young girls to take their education seriously and avoid teenage pregnancy for a brighter future.
On their part, Mr, Ben Dzata, Headmaster of Dzodze R.C Central, and Madam Grace Akpaka, acting Headmistress of Dzodze E.P Primary School, both expressed profound gratitude to Mama Agbaledzopui II Foundation for the gesture and promised to put the books to good use for the benefits of the students.
“My expectation is to receive more of this to advance leaning, I’m pleading with the general public especially old students to also come to our aid because we have books but no classrooms,” Madam Akpaka stated.
Mama Agbaledzopui II, again entreated all to observe personal hygiene, and adhere to the COVID-19 protocols to curb the spread of the virus in the area.
A Timber merchant in the Krachi East Municipality of the Oti Region, Maxwell Amanyo has presented 100 dual desks worth GH¢ 10,000 to some schools in the Kparekpare community, after Volta Online reported on the infrastructure challenges facing the schools.
Kparekpare M/A Basic Student siting on a Wooden Blank
Touched by the situation, Mr. Amanyo, who is also an old student of Kparekpare M/A Basic School, responded swiftly to the appeals of the school authorities.
He told Volta Online correspondent, Benjamin Owusu, the gesture was his modest contribution to alleviate the plights of his former school, which nurtured him into a responsible adult, adding that, the furniture would help students to focus on their lessons and enable more children to attend school.
Receiving the furniture, Mr. Mawuli Ketor, Headteacher of the Kparekpare M/A School, said the donation was timely as some students in the community had to sit on the floor to learn and appealed to other old students to emulate his example.
He noted that education was a shared responsibility, as such every stakeholder should endevour to lay their parts in complementing government’s efforts in the provision quality education.
On his part, the Headteacher of Victory Presbyterian JHS School, Mr. Newton Bordor, said the gesture would go a long way to curtail several seating defects related to lying on the floor and thanked the donor for his kindness.
Master Issac Asare, School Prefect of Victory Presbyterian and some other students commended the donor for the presentation and also expressed the hope that the desks would help improve their academic performance.
Mawuli School have emerged champions of the first ever Poetry Competition organized for Senior High Schools in the Ho Municipality to commemorate this year’s World Poetry Day.
The competition dubbed “Ehalakasa Senior High School Poetry Slam Competition,” was an initiative of Ehalakasa in partnership with Goethe Institut, Ghana Library Authority and the Ghana Education Service.
A total of five schools, namely, Sokode Senior High Technical School, OLA Senior High School, Mawuli School, Taviefe Senior High and Mawuko Girls Senior High participated in the competition held at the Ho Municipal Assembly Hall on Friday, March 19, 2021.
After three rounds of keen contest, Mawuli School emerged winner with 76 points, OLA Senior High came second with 73 points and Mawuko Girls secured the third spot with 71 points.
They were presented with cash prizes of Three Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH₵300), Two Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH₵200) and One Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH₵100) respectively, in addition to a plague each and sets of branded T-shirts. All the participating schools were awarded certificates of participation.
UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
Winners-Mawuli School
A contestant from OLA SHS receiving their 2nd place prize.
A contestant from Mawuko Girls SHS receiving their 3rd place prize.
The Organizer at Ehalakasa, Yibor Kojo Yibor alias Sir Black, speaking at the event, noted that, the competition did not only showcase the poetry talent of participants, but also boosted their confidence level in public speaking. “Poetry as an art helps us to mature, think, expand, and gather information as well as research for information,” he added.
He thus entreated teachers to continue to nurture the interest of students in poetry, noting “this is the only way to project the Ghanaian culture and values”, likewise he called on stakeholders in the region to support the arts industry for what has been started to continue. `
The Head of Library and Information at Goethe Institut Ghana, Mad. Meli Eyram Portia Mansu, said the aim of decentralizing the initiative to the regions has been justified by the high level enthusiasm exhibited by the students during the competition, and called on stakeholders especially GES to sustain the initiative as part of promoting the region and Africa Literature.
The Volta Regional Librarian, Mr. Guy Amarteifio, in an address expressed gratitude to the organizers for pioneering the first ever poetry competition in the region, as he expressed optimism that, the idea to arouse the poetry interest in students and people in the region will not be truncated but rather turned into a daily activity in order to revive and sustain poetry in the region.
He also noted the Ghana Library Authority has launched the Ghana Library App to stimulate reading interest among the public, including school children.
A representative of the Regional Director of Education, Mr. Eric Kofi Gamadeku who also doubled as the chairman at the event in his remarks thanked the organizers of the competition and commended both the teachers and students for preparing in such a short notice and suggested the use of literary devices in the subsequent competitions.
