Waste management firm, Zoomlion Ghana Limited has begun disinfection of military installations and schools in the Volta and Oti regions as part of measures to curb the spread of the corona virus pandemic in the country.
The 21-days exercise, which took off on Tuesday at the 66 Artillery Regiment barracks in Ho would be replicated across some 54 other military facilities including operation detachments and training commands.
Lieutenant Colonel Bernard B. Pantoah, commanding officer of the Regiment said the exercise formed part of measures by the Military High Command to ensure the safety of the uniform men and women and their families against the pandemic.
Lt. Col. BB Pantoah
He said detachments in Nkonya/Alavanyo, Kpassa, Kete Krachi, Aflao, Sogakope, among others would all be catered for as part of exercise.
He added that, though the unit has not yet recorded any COVID-19 case, they were not letting down their guards with regards to the observance of the safety protocols by all in the barracks.
Schools Disinfection
Meanwhile, a total of 2,654 public and private basic schools, 100 second cycle schools and 32 tertiary institutions in the two regions are expected to also benefit from the disinfection exercise.
Dr. Archibald Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister at the press launch of the exercise said the government was committed to containing the coronavirus, hence its continuous investment into the pandemic fight but urged all stakeholders to play their part to ensure the desired outcome.
Dr. Archibald Letsa
He entreated local assemblies to ensure success of the programme as was in the case of previous mass disinfection exercises undertaken in the markets, public facilities, police facilities and some tertiary institutions in the Region.
The Regional Manager of Zoomlion, Mr. Solomon Denyo said his outfit was ready with the needed personnel and logistics ensure a thorough exercise in the Regions.
He also revealed that the Company was engaging the local authorities to ensure commercial vehicles were disinfected regularly to contain the spread of the virus.
The Volta region has witnessed an astronomical rise in its COVID-19 case count, recording a total of 162 confirmed cases by close of June 8, 2020 as against 84 cases on May 31, 2020.
According to a June 8, 2020 COVID-19 Situational Report (SITREP) by the Regional Health Directorate and sighted by Volta Online, the region’s active cases now stood at 122 with 37 recoveries and three deaths.
Also the number of affected districts and municipalities has jumped from nine to 15 within the same period, with the Ho municipality overtaking Ketu South as the pandemic hot spot, recording 62 cases as against the latter’s 40.
Three other districts, namely Akatsi North, North Dayi and Afadzato South remain the only districts yet to record a COVID-19 case in the region.
Meanwhile, total of 805 people from identified target groups have been screened with 38 testing positive, while 8 persons have also tested positive to virus out of 93 people quarantined, the reported noted.
Below is the breakdown of all the cases, Click on the Keys on the chart to see the corresponding figures.
Chairman of the Volta Regional branch of the Sports Writers Association Ghana (SWAG), Eric Eli Adzie has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EX TV, a web based television channel to produce audiovisual broadcast of his social media content, #VoltaFootballFacts now rechristened, Volta Sports Fact.
The partnership will see Eric Eli Adzie, one of the leading sports journalist in Volta region content (Volta Sports Facts) shown on the online TV channel to viewers across the Globe.
At a brief ceremony at the office of Ex TV in Ho, Mr .Adzie outlined the rationale behind the partnership with Ex TV in rewriting the rich sports histories in the region.
“Ex TV is a fast growing online TV in the region, in today’s fast space environment, ‘Do it alone’ approach cannot be the best strategy for growth”
“The reality of today’s business landscape is partnership, if you want to do it better; you go into partnership “he said.
According to him, the reason for the rebranding and partnership was to expand the scope from football to all sports disciplines and unveil the hidden sports facts that exist in the region for the consumption of the general public and the upcoming generations.
“This partnership with Ex TV will document the history and facts about individual athletes’ achievements, group achievements and all sporting disciplines laurels in the region. In so doing, the future generations will get to know their regional histories and facts about sports in the Volta region”, he added.
Mr. Christian Sowada initialed the MoU on behave of Ex TV, which has paved way for the broadcast of the first edition of show.
Ghana’s leading telecommunication company, MTN Ghana, has reacted to government’s plans to implement a new policy ostensibly targeted at breaking its dominance in the country’s telecom market, saying they were ‘a responsible market leader in a highly competitive market.’
Communications Minister, Madam Ursla Owusu-Ekuful in a statement over the weekend directed the industry regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA) to enforce the provisions of the Electronic Communications (EC) Act 2008 and the National Telecommunications Policy to address glaring disparities in market share and revenue share in the sector.
The directive, according to the minister was motivated by evidence of a growing market imbalance and creation of a near-monopoly in the telecom sector by the market leader, MTN, which controls almost 75 per cent of telecommunications market share, according to the statement.
This situation, she noted has impacted negatively on competition and consumer choice, necessitating corrective action.
The Telecom Market share districts for the first Quarter of 2020
Read the Government’s full statement below.
However, the telecom giant in a brief response on Monday noted that, though it was yet to receive a formal notification from the regulator on the new policy directives, it respects the NCA’s purview to regulate the telecommunication sector in Ghana based on legislation and best practices.
“We remain an ethical business committed to its regulatory obligations while striving to deliver on its belief that everyone deserves the benefits of modern connected life,” the statement noted as the company refrained from commenting further on the issue while it awaits details from the regulator for assessment.
MTN Ghana however assured its stakeholders of its commitment to the delivery of a bold new digital world in Ghana, while it remained focused on providing the enabling technology to support Ghana’s digital economy and drive productivity, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MTN’s full statement below
Highlights
– MTN is a South African Multinational company which entered the Ghanaian market in 2006 after taking over then telecom operator, Areeba.
– It has since maintain its lead in the highly competitive market, delivering superior voice, data and other value added services to its subscribers.
– MTN was the first to launch Mobile Money Service in the country, which it remains the market leader.
– The company in 2015 acquired a 4G license from government to deliver high speed internet connectivity across the country.
– In line with regulatory requirements for the 4G license, MTN in 2018 offloaded 30 percent of its stake to Ghanaians through an Initial Public Offer (IPO), making it a partly owned Ghanaian entity.
The telecom giant is also a good corporate citizen, who has on a number occasions received platinum awards from the Ghana Revenue Authority as the highest taxpayer to government.
BY: Lambert Atsivor & Daniel Orlando | Voltaonlinegh.com |
The Public Health Emergency Committee of the Ho Municipal Assembly is set to deploy a task force to enforce the compulsory wearing of nose masks by residents in the municipality.
This has become necessary as a result of the non-adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols especially the use of nose masks in public.
According to a circular issued by the Acting Municipal Information Officer, Richmond Abake, the task force comprising officers of the Assembly and the Security Services would commence work from Tuesday, June 9, 2020 and apply appropriate sanctions on offenders.
Spot Fine
As part of its mandate, the task force would impose a spot fine of not less than GH₵20 on persons found without nose masks in accordance with the current Fee Fixing Schedule of Assembly Bye Laws, the circular stated.
“The general public is hereby informed that it's an offence to move in town without a mask (which is a government health directive) and would attract a fine of not less than GHc20 as contained in the fee fixing schedule of the Ho Municipal Assembly bye laws.”
Under the ‘Miscellaneous Offences’ provision of the Fee Fixing schedule, ‘Refusal to adhere to Environmental, Government and Health Regulations’ attracts a fine.
Providing further details on the issue to Volta Online, Mr. Abake said the Assembly does not intend to profit from the debilitating global pandemic, hence pegging the spot fine at GH₵20.
He added that, the task force would issue official receipts to offenders upon payment and also provide them with nose masks before being allowed to continue with their rounds in town.
The acting Municipal Information officer thus appealed to the public to strictly adhere to all safety protocols against the further spread of the corona virus pandemic in the municipality in order to avoid being sanctioned.
Background
The Minister of Health pursuant to section 169 of the Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851) on April 25, 2020 announced a compulsory use of nose masks in public as a means of preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
That provision grants the sector minister the power to order an individual to take a preventive measure in respect of a public health concern by an Executive Instrument (E.I).
Subsequently, the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa in a circular announcing ‘No Mask, No Entry’ policy at the premises of the Regional Coordinating Council in Ho, directed to all Municipal and District Assemblies in the region to pass a bye law to effect the compulsory use of nose masks in public.
The Ketu North Municipality has become the tenth in the Volta region to confirm the COVID-19 pandemic with one death and five active cases.
All six cases were confirmed from the same family, one of whom fell sick in Tema and travelled home for treatment, a statement from the MCE, Mr. Anthony Avorgbedor on Thursday, June 4, 2020 indicated.
According to the release, the sick person was a 28-year old man, who arrived in the municipality on Friday May 29, 2020 and was subsequently referred to the Ketu South Municipal Hospital at Aflao, where he was suspected of the COVID-19.
His sample was then taken to UHAS Testing Centre in Ho but he unfortunately passed on the same day before the result came out as positive on June 1, 2020.
The Assembly Statement
Health officials inform the family and samples of 18 members who came into contact with the deceased were taken for testing, of which five of them turned out positive of COVID-19, the release stated.
The Municipal Health authorities have since began tracing of contact of the five persons, as the Assembly urges the general public to remain calm and adhere to all the preventive protocol in order to prevent further spread, the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, the Volta region as at May 31, 2020 has recorded 84 COVID-19 cases in nine districts with 35 recoveries and two deaths.
Former President Jerry John Rawlings has urged the Electoral Commission to dialogue with all relevant stakeholders on the processes leading to the 2020 general elections in order to prevent unnecessary suspicion and promote a peaceful and cohesive society.
According to him, election was an event but building a democratic free and peaceful society was a process, hence the debate surrounding the new voter’s Register must be thoroughly examined so that ‘we do not undermine the successes we have chalked so far as a nation’.
The electoral body has stood its grounds to compile a new voter’s roll for the December polls, despite fierce resistance from some civil society groups and political parties, including the largest opposition, the National Democratic Congress, who among others described the decision as unnecessary especially in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions it occasioned such as ban on public gatherings.
The NDC has further taken the issue to the Supreme Court for proper determination.
But addressing a virtual commemoration of the 41st Anniversary of June 4 uprising in Accra on Thursday, the former Military leader nonetheless called on all to respect the constitutional mandate of the EC, while they work towards perfecting the electoral process.
He further urged all Ghanaians to pursue and sustain country’s uniqueness in the democratization process.
Touching on the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Rawlings underscored its adverse impact on humanity and the global economy, noting that despite the intervention from state institutions to alleviate the plight of the under privileged there was still a lot to be done by all in ‘our communities to support these groups of people’.
He further commended all healthcare providers and other frontline workers for proving equal to the task in this defying moment of our lives.
Watch Full Speech of J.J Rawlings Below [Video Courtesy: Graphic Online ]
The Eastern/Volta/Oti Regional branch of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has donated a cheque of GHc10,000 with other assorted items to support the fight against the Corona virus pandemic in the Volta region.
Mrs. Lucy Tenkorang, Vice Chairperson of the Association together with Mr. Dela Gbeve, an Executive Member of the Branch made the presentation to the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa at the premises of the Regional Coordinating Council in Ho on Wednesday.
She said the gesture was the regional association’s widow’s mite contribution towards the containment of the virus in the Region in spite of members being hardly hit by the pandemic.
Among the items donated were 15 rolls of paper towels, 5 boxes of surgical masks, 25 gallons of liquid soap, 10 boxes of hand sanitizers, and 20 packs of bottled water.
The rest includes 2 crates of Lucozade Energy Drink, 10 packs of bottled Malt, 2 Infrared Thermometers, 20 loaves of bread and 100 locally-made face masks.
On his part, the Regional minister, Dr. Letsa expressed delight about the gesture and thanked the AGI for complementing government’s efforts in these difficult times.
He noted that the items would be distributed to the UHAS COVID-19 Testing Centre, and the COVID-19 Treatment Centres among others.
Present at the brief ceremony were the Deputy Regional Minister, Rev. Johnson Avuletey; Chief Director of the Coordinating Council, Mr. Felix B. Chaahaah; Chief Executive Officer of the Ho Teaching Hospital, Dr. John Tampuri; and Director of Administration of the Ho Teaching Hospital, Mr. George Tetteh.
Officials of the electoral commission wait for voters at the Menji polling station, a ruling party stronghold, in the district of Tain in Accra January 2, 2009. Electors in the final constituency to vote in Ghana's presidential run-off delivered a further blow on Friday to the ruling party, which was already trailing narrowly in the election and boycotted the ballot. REUTERS/Luc Gnago (GHANA) - RTR2305T
By: Foga Nukunu |OPINION |
The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana on June 02 began the pilot voter registration across Ghana to test the potency of the registration kits.
This piloting exercise is happening just months into the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Obviously, time is not the friend of the EC.
The widespread reports of breakdown of some machines and the duration it took for a prospective voter to register should be a warning to the EC. But there is even more.
As the electoral body prepares to embark on the nationwide voter registration five months into the 2020 general elections, some misguided or misinformed Ghanaians have started pointing figures at some Ghanaians calling them foreigners.
For instance, a cousin to the President of Ghana, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a lawyer did not understand why Ketu South should record the highest voter population in Ghana.
You would agree with me that Ketu South (Volta Region) has always been the target of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as Bantama (Ashanti Region) used to be the target of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
When the target of a constituency intends to make citizens of Ghana look foreign, we must all rise up and defend ourselves.
Sadly, for political expediency, many supporters and sympathizers of NPP believe that Ketu South voter’s roll is populated by non-Ghanaians, thus, accept this unwarranted and unjustified attack on Ketu South.
Who is a Ghanaian?
Every Ghanaian citizen must know that s/he is a Ghanaian because the Constitution of Ghana says so. It is never by the word of a fellow Ghanaian. I will produce Article 6 of the 1992 Constitution:
Article 6(1) Every person who, on the coming into force of this Constitution, is a citizen of Ghana by law shall continue to be a citizen of Ghana.
(2) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, a person born in or outside Ghana after the coming into force of this Constitution shall become a citizen of Ghana at the date of his birth if either of his parents or grandparents is or was a citizen of Ghana.
(3) A child of not more than seven years of age found in Ghana whose parents are not know shall be presumed to be a citizen of Ghana by birth.
(4) A child of not more than sixteen years of age neither of whose parents is a citizen of Ghana who is adopted by a citizen of Ghana shall, be virtue of the adoption, be a citizen of Ghana.”
The Citizenship Act, 2000 (Act 597) re-echoed what the Constitution says about who a Ghanaian is. I will produce the relevant portion of the ACT.
Section 1 of the Act provides that “Every person who on the coming into force of the Constitution was a citizen of Ghana by law shall continue to be a citizen of Ghana.”
Section 3 of the Act provides that a person born before 6th March 1957 is a citizen of Ghana by birth if—
(a) He was born in Ghana and at least one of his parents or grandparents was born in Ghana; or
(b) He was born outside Ghana and one of his parents was born in Ghana.
Section 4 of the same Act provides as follows:
(1) A person born on or after 6th March 1957 and before 22nd August 1969 is a citizen of Ghana by birth if—
(a) he was born in or outside Ghana and either of his parents, and also one at least of his grandparents or great-grandparents, was born in Ghana; or
(b) In the case of a person born in Ghana neither of whose parents was born in Ghana, at least one of his grandparents was born in Ghana.
(2) A person is not a citizen of Ghana for the purposes of subsection (1) of this section if at the time of his birth the parent, grandparent or great-grandparent through whom the citizenship is claimed has lost his citizenship of Ghana.
(3) A person born on or after 6th March 1957 and before 22nd August 1969 is a citizen of Ghana by birth if—
(a) He was born in Ghana and at the time of his birth either of his parents was a citizen of Ghana by registration or naturalisation; or
(b) He was born outside Ghana and at the time of his birth both of his parents were citizens of Ghana by registration or naturalisation.
Section 5— Persons Born on or after 22/8/69—Constitution 1969
A person is a citizen of Ghana by birth if he was born in or outside Ghana on or after 22nd August 1969 and before 24th September 1979 and at the date of his birth either of his parents was a citizen of Ghana.
Section 6—Persons Born on or after 24/9/79—Constitution 1979
A person born on or after 24th September 1979 and before 7th January 1993 is a citizen of Ghana by birth if—
(a) He was born in Ghana and at the date of his birth either of his parents or one grandparent was a citizen of Ghana; or
(b) He was born outside Ghana and at the date of his birth either of his parents was a citizen of Ghana.
Section 7—Persons Born on or after 7/1/93—Constitution 1992
A person is a citizen of Ghana by birth if he was born on 7th January 1993 or born after that date in or outside Ghana and at the date of his birth either of his parents or one grandparent was or is a citizen of Ghana.
Section 8—Foundlings
A child of not more than seven years of age found in Ghana whose parents are not known shall be presumed to be a citizen of Ghana by birth.
From the above provisions, it is lucidly clear that if one of your parents or grandparents is or was a Ghanaian, you are also a Ghanaian. It is immaterial whether one is born outside or inside Ghana.
Fogah Nukunu, The Writer
Can a Mother Transmit Citizenship to the Children?
Though our 1992 Constitution is explicit on this issue, some mischievous Ghanaians have deliberately set out to deprive some Ghanaians whose mothers come from Ghana of their citizenship.
This is exactly what happened to Bonito Olympio, one of the children of Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio in Ghana.
The case went before an Accra High Court presided over by the then His Lordship Justice Wiredu who later became the Chief Justice of Ghana.
In that case, Mr Olympio received a letter from the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Interior stating that his permission to remain in Ghana had been withdrawn and that he must leave within 48 hours.
Consequently, he brought an action seeking a declaration that he was Ghanaian citizen by descent, that he could not therefore be deported from Ghana and that he required no permission from the defendant in order to remain in Ghana.
A suspect in a murder trial at the Sogakofe High Court is said to be in a stable condition now at the Sacred Heart Catholic Hospital at Abor in the Keta municipality, after he reportedly cut off his manhood in a suicide attempt while in temporary custody at the Abor Police station.
The incident which occurred last Sunday nearly sent the 35-year-old Thomas Agbezuke to early graves if not for the timely response of the officers on duty at the time, one of whom was on routine monitoring of the cells and came across the suspect in a pool of blood.
According to a leaked Police Situational Report (sitrep) sighted by Volta Online, the incident occurred at about 11:00pm that fateful day when G/Cpl Emmanuel Kyei was going round to undertake routine checks on inmates in the cell.
Corporal Prince Dogbatse, Public Relations officer of the Volta Regional Police Command confirmed the incident and said, the suspect upon questioning later revealed that he use a piece tile which he managed to break off the floor tile of the cell for the act while the other inmates were asleep.
He however said the suspect was responding to treatment at hospital, adding that, a second charge of an attempted suicide would be leveled against him in addition his substantive case of attempted murder.
The Police spokesperson noted that the incident was an isolated one, as he assured that Police cells in the region remain safe for inmates, while all Police stations have been directed to heighten their alertness while other arrangements are employed to ensure safety and welfare of persons in their custody.
Background
Suspect Thomas Agbeuke, a native of Afife in the Ketu North municipality was originally being held at the Ho Central Prison on remand after he was charged with attempted murder of his own relative, one Francis Agbezuke as far back as May 17, 2017, thus three years ago.
According to Police information, Thomas had stabbed Francis who is believed to be his cousin in the stomach such that his intestines were gushing out. The suspect was then arrested by his own father and another relative, who handed him over to the Police. Francis has however survived the attack and is still alive and well.
The case has since been going through committal processes at the Sogakofe High Court while he was held in Prison custody at the Ho Central Prisons.
His last appearance before the court was on May 22, 2020 where the case was adjourned to July 1, 2020 when trial is expected to commence.
However due to the reviewed protocols at the Ho central prison on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas could not be taken back into custody until he had been tested for virus and results proven negative.
This led to him being sent to the Abor Police station where the COVID-19 task force was contacted to take his samples for subsequent testing.
It was as a result of this temporary arrangement to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the prisons that gave the leeway to the suspect to have attempted taking his own life by using a piece of broken tile floor to cut his manhood.
