About 120 ladies drawn from the Afadjato District, Ho Municipality and some other districts in the Volta Region have received make-up training organised by a Loyal Ladies; the women wing of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The training programme on Monday, Setember 23 was by the Ho Central executives led by the by the Constituency Women Organizer, Doris Dzifa Kaledzi.
According to the Women Organizer, the idea is to enhance the looks of ladies, while giving them a means of livelihood.
In an interview with the media, she said “this initiative is all about empowering ladies. We wanted women to participate in politics but at the same time empowering them to be economically independent,” she said.
Participants at the training said the initiative provided a platform for them to enhance their beauty but also use it to make money, since the public would be engaging their services.
The training was facilitated by Dezire and sponsored by Daliah Cosmetics.
The Regional Women Organizer of the party, Madam Afi Adzagbo who was also at the training, lauded the initiative and noted that it was the NPP’s utmost objective to empower women and make them self dependent through such trainings.
The #FixTheLowerVoltaBridgeNow march slated for Thursday, September 26 has been called off and put on hold pending fulfillment of a promise made by the authorities to fix the bridge in two weeks.
The intended demonstration is part of efforts by residents of Sogakope, South Tongu District capital in the Volta Region to get authorities repair the rusting expansion and contraction joints on the Lower Volta Bridge also Known as Sogakope Bridge, which they say is getting progressively worse and claiming lives of residents.
The 650-metre long Lower Volta Bridge constructed from January 1965 to January 1967 connecting Sogakope to Sokpoe over the Volta River on the Togo-Ghana-Ivory Coast corridor has been described by many including the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Area, Emmanuel Louis Agama as death trap
The decision to put the demonstration on hold followed a meeting between the organisers and the appropriate authorities on Tuesday, September 24 where it was agreed that there was the need for an immediate intervention to fill the road surfaces which are the cause of accidents.
The meeting was attended by the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, DCE for South Tongu, Director of Bridges at the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Yaqub Koray and his team and the organisers represented by George Kwesi Asafo, Yao Amekor, Kanghla Blasu, Joe Kove-Yaw and Gladys Afetsi.
Dr. Letsa (4th from right) and the other participants in a pose after the meeting
During the engagement, it was revealed that the fixing of the problem on the bridge had been awarded as a contract in December 2018, and expired in August 2019.
Mr. Yaqub Koray indicated that the contractor requested more time although the GHA was evaluating other alternatives stating, by the end of the following week, a decision would be arrived at.
He assured the campaigners that a temporary measure of covering/filling the expansion joints with bitumen would take place from Tuesday, October 1 to Thursday, October 10, 2019.
Dr. Archibald Letsa entreated the leaders to embark on an education drive of motorcycle users in the area on the need to be extra careful when using the bridge to forestall further accidents.
Meanwhile, the organisers told Voltaonlinegh that “if the agreement to fix the bridge on the said date is breached, we will communicate to you our next line of action which will definitely be the March.”
Personnel of the Ghana Police Service had a tough time Tuesday morning maintaining law and order during a demonstration by a group of aggrived residents in the South Dayi district against the abandonment of road projects in the area and other parts the Volta region.
The protesters, mostly commercial drivers and traders clad in red defiantly blocked and burnt lorry tyres on the Kpeve section of the Eastern corridor road to drum home their demand for government to as a matter of urgency resume work on the road project, which has stalled for over two years now.
Protesters set tyres ablaze0
Attempts by the police to clear the road and allow for a smooth flow of traffic through the busy commercial town attracted stiff resistance from the protesters, which nearly turn chaotic.
This, compelled the security personnel to rescind their action, with the situation causing a temporarily halt in traffic flow through the town.
Vehicles traveling from the upper part of the region including Hohoe and Kpando as well as the Oti region to the national capital, Accra and vice versa, were forced to park and wait for the almost an hour and half protest to end before continuing with their trip.
A Police man trying to clear the road blockade
Grievances
According to the demonstrators, the deteriorating nature of the Eastern corridor road as result of its abandonment was adversely impacting their businesses.
A yam trader, lamented about the long hours and in some cases, days she and her colleagues spent on the road carting the produce from Dambai and Kpassa in the Oti region.
“The bad nature of the Eastern corridor road has become a nightmare for us traders, because most drivers are no longer willing to transport our goods and the few who would do so to would charge us exorbitant fares,” the woman added.
An infuriated driver also complained bitterly about how they have to frequently change their vehicle parts as result of the deplorable state of the road.
He even wondered why they should continue paying for roadworthy stickers for their vehicles annual while the some of the roads were not worthy of vehicles.
“Every year we are compelled to pay for road worthy but the roads are also not worthy,” he stated and appealed to President Akufo-Addo to make true his promise to complete the Eastern corridor road project.
The protest which had the backing of the opposition National Democratic Congress in the region, saw in attendance the Members of Parliament for South Dayi and Afadzato South respectively, Mr. Rockson Nelson Defeamekpor and Madam Angela Oforiwa Tay, who accused the New Patriotic Party government of deliberate neglect of the Volta region.
South Dayi MP
According to Mr. Defeamekpor, the current government was punishing the people of the region by halting almost all road projects initiated by its predecessor.
“A government operates in a single quantum so when a government start a project and is unable to finish and a new person is voted into power to form government, he ought to continue. You don’t come out with a government policy of discontinuation, that’s what the people detest, because the President came to Parliament to tell us that he has ordered all these projects to be audited and because of all these contractual audit, the project should be halted. I blame the Nana Addo administration for this delibrate neglect.”
Mr. Joshua Edem Tetteh convener of the #FixAbandonedVoltaRoad campaign, said the group will continue to agitate untill they see work resume on the abandoned projects.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Volta region has thrown its weight behind a planned demonstration by a group of residents campaigning for the construction of abandoned roads in the region.
The protest scheduled for today, Tuesday, September 24, 2019 at Kpeve in the South Dayi district, comes on the heels of a social media campaign (#FixVoltaroads), seeking government immediate action on deplorable roads such as the Eastern corridor road, whose construction has stalled in the last three years.
A statement signed by the NDC Regional Secretary, Mr. James Gunu said as a social democratic party, the NDC supports every legitimate action on the part of citizens to demand the region’s share of the national cake, and thus called on all “constituency and branch executives, members,
supporters, sympathizers and indeed all well-meaning Ghanaians to participate in the said fix
abandoned volta roads demonstration which the organizers say the attire is all red.”
VR NDC Sec, James Gunu
The statement also described as ‘insensitive’ the seeming neglect on the part of the Nana Addo led government, projects initiated in the region under the erstwhile Mahama led NDC government, and as such entreated all to join the protest to get “all abandoned projects of Mahama completed and abandoned Volta roads fixed.”
Social Media Campaign
Social media in recent weeks has been awashed with images and videos of deplorable and abandoned road projects in a campaign dubbed #FixVoltaroadsNow by some youth from the region.
Among them were, the Sokode-Ho dual carriage road, Peki-Hohoe stretch of the Eastern corridor road, Ho-Denu road and a host of others.
The campaign which has gained traction in the traditional media, has also gained the attention of the Volta Regional minister, Dr Archibald Letsa who at various fora assured that, work would resume on some of the stalled road projects from September 2019.
Though that assurance is yet to materialise, Prof. Stephen Adei, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) at function in Ho last week, also announced government’s plans to make all roads in the country motorable and work on the selected roads in all 16 regions will begin immediately after the rainy season.
“The finance ministry is making arrangements to get contractors to fix most of the deplorable roads accross the country and this will be done concurrently in all 16 regions, when the rains are over,” Prof. Adei stated at the 2019 Annual General meeting of the Eastern/Volta/Oti branch of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI).
Mr. Kanyi (R) Expressing Appreciation to Togbe Edem III of Adaklu Tsrefe
By: KALD | Voltaonlinegh.com |
The Volta chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA-Volta) has been gifted a 4-acre land for its Media Village project.
The gesture by the Dzokli clan of Adaklu Tsrefe, according to Tufia of Adaklu Tsrefe, Togbe Edem III was in support of the 70th anniversary of the GJA and also in recognition of the media’s contributions to societal progress.
Speaking at a brief ceremony on Monday, the chief indicated the readiness of the family to release extra acres should the need arise and commended the inky fratenity on its 70th milestone.
Chairman of GJA-Volta, Mr. Anthony Bells Kafui Kanyi expressed profound gratitude to the Dzokli clan, for being the first to respond to the association’s appeal to traditional authorities for land for the media village project.
He said the project was aimed at providing decent and affordable accomodation facilities for journalists and media practioners in both Volta and Oti regions.
Mr. Kanyi disclosed that, the association was already in talks with estate developers to commence construction on the site, which is about 10 minutes drive from the regional capital, Ho.
Present at the ceremony were some members of the Dzokli clan, Togbe Agbobada of Adaklu-Anfoe and dozens of journalists and media practitioners.
Some four Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Volta region have been axed from office, Voltaonlinegh.com has gathered.
They are, Mr. John Nelson Akorli, MCE for Ho, Mr. Elvis Djampoh, Kpando MCE, DCE for Agotime-Ziope district, Mr. Dickson Dzokpe and Mr. Wisdom Semanu Seneadzah Esq, Afadzato South DCE.
Voltaonlinegh.com understands, letters to the affected MDCEs were dispatched from the Local Government minister, Hajia Alima Mahama through the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Leta last week, with three of them receiving their copies as of Saturday.
However, that of the DCE for Agotime-Ziope is expected to delivered by close of Monday, as he was unavailable at the time of the first dispatch.
This action from the president comes on the back of months of speculations of an impending shakeup in the top most polical leadership at the local government level.
Sources close to issue revealed to voltaonlinegh.com that, similar fate will befall few other MDCEs in the coming days and weeks, as the Nana Addo led New Patriotic Party administration prepares for the final lap of its first term in 2020.
Meanwhile, the President has nominated the following individuals as replacements pursuant to their confirmation by the respective assebmlies from October 1, 2019.
1. Prosper Kofi Pi- Bansah – Ho Municipal 2. Ernest Theophilus Quist – Kpando Municipal 3. John Kwaku Amenyah – Agotime-Ziope District 4. James Etornam Flolu – Afadjato South
President of Krachi Youth Association in the Oti Region, Prosper Boanyah has made a passionate appeal to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah to as matter of urgency provide the people of Dambai and Krachi with an additional pontoon and construct a bridge over River Oti to facilitate transportation in the area.
Speaking to Voltaonlinegh, Mr. Boanyah complained about how drivers and travelers alike got stranded and had to sleep over at the river bank for the past days as result of bad landing site and weak pontoon.
According to him, the people of Krachi had sacrificed their lands and resources for the construction of Akosombo Dam which the country currently enjoys from and so, government must ensure that the people have good roads and bridge to facilitate development.
He appealed to President Akufo-Addo to deliver on his promises made to the people during his visit to the region and also provide another standby pontoon to make travelling and doing business easier.
Some drivers and passengers who spoke in an interview also decried the situation and called for government’s intervention to save travelling time.
A yam trader, Jacob Kenja told the reporter that he had spent 5 days at the river bank and still unable to cross over and expressed worry that his yam might get rotten before reaching the market centre in Accra.
Mr. Kenja therefore called on the government to come to their aid and provide them with better means of transport to enable them send their goods to market for sale with ease.
The Volta Regional department of Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service has organised a day’s sensitisation programme to recruit schoolchildren as watchdogs in their various schools and communities in the fight against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
The programme held on Wednesday, September 18 at Tsito, Ho West District in the Volta Region which drew about 42 pupils from various basic schools and students from two second cycle institutions in Afadzato South District as participants, got funding support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The Regional Coordinator, DOVVSU, Chief Supt Mercy Wilson-Brown in a presentation on protection and welfare of the child in domestic and other related violence, educated participants on what constitute abuses and the various Acts that protect the interests of a child.
Chief Supt Wilson-Brown who spent considerable time on SGBV including rape, defilement, incest, and child marriage, tasked participants to monitor changes such as truancy, moodiness, sitting posture, worry among others in their peers in school and report early to avert disaster.
“We should not wait until it confuses us. Let’s be watchdogs in our schools and identify such situations and call the attention of teachers.”
Chief Supt Wilson-Brown addressing participants
She cited the infamous kidnapping of the Takoradi girls recently confirmed murdered by the Police and crimes such as sextortion (committed over cyber space) as “things coming up which were hitherto not known to us” and called on pupils to beware of their environment and report unusual situations to teachers, parents, and the Police to help detect and prevent crimes.
She also cautioned adolescent girls especially, to stay away from sexual activities saying “sex is not for children, because it has dire consequences” while reminding the participants to “keep these things I’m telling you in your heart” for the good of society.
The in-charge, Regional Police Clinic, Ho, Dr. Emmanuel Amaglo called for concerted efforts to reduce cases of domestic violence saying, its effects could be damaging to the victim, the family community and the country at large.
Dr. Amaglo who broadly classified the effects of domestic violence into medical and socio-cultural, said it could lead to mental imbalance, permanent disability and even death (in the case of victims) and developmental challenges, social disorder and loss of human resource (in the case of the society).
Focal Person, UNFPA at the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), Victoria Odurowa Fato who was at the programme for monitoring, explained that the Agency was running adolescent-targeted programmes in some selected districts in the region and having DOVVSU, National Youth Authority, Department of Gender and Ghana Health Service as sub implementing partners with VRCC playing supervisory role.
Also present at the programme were key stakeholders including representatives of traditional leaders, assembly members, driver unions and teachers from various districts with most of them expressing delight at the programme which they said was appropriate in the wake of increasing incidence of crime across the country.
Pencils of Promise and World Vision has collaborated to celebrate this year’s International Literacy Day under the theme, “Literacy and Multilingualism” at Kadjebi in the Oti Region to draw people’s attention to the importance of multilingualism towards literacy.
Speaking at the event, Fred Parku who represented the Country Director of Pencils of Promise outlined the motive behind the celebration, which is promoting literacy and multilingualism worldwide, and charged parents to ensure that their wards speak their mother tongue as well as other languages.
The Nkwanta cluster manager of World Vision, Salomey Yeboah gave the importance of being multilingual.
Mrs. Yeboah disclosed that World Vision International in Ghana had invested close to US$1 million in the past seven years to support communities in the Kadjebi District with school infrastructure, training of teachers and providing teaching, learning and recreational materials, as well as water and sanitation facilities for schools.
The impact of these interventions included improved reading outcomes, improved water coverage for children, improvement in school enrolment, functional Parent Teacher Associations and School Management Committees among others.
According to her, many of the children in the district were at risk of competing at the knowledge market, because averagely only 1.63 per cent of primary two children in the district could read a grade level text (WVG-AMIC 2018) noting, it was for such a reason that Pencils of Promise and World Vision used the day to emphasise the need for all stakeholders to join hands to say no to illiteracy.
Okyeame Aseidu Kwesi Akyea of Kadjebi Traditional Area was optimistic that “if all subjects in our schools are being taught in our local languages, students would understand what they are being taught better.”
Okyeame Akyea finally appealed to the government to consider fixing into the school curriculum the use of Ghanaian languages to enhance education in the country.
Present at the event were schoolchildren from the various communities in the Oti Region, chiefs and elders of the land, the Kadjebi Education Director, a representative of the District Chief Executive, Pencils of Promise, World Vision and residents of the community and surrounding ones.
Three entities have made cash donations towards the 3rd Ghana Journalists Association (GJA)-Volta Region Awards.
Two of the companies, Zoomlion Ghana Ltd and Luggu Motors Ltd on Monday, September 16, handed separate cheques of GH¢3,000.00 and GH¢5,000.00 respectively to the leadership of GJA-Volta at the Press Centre in Ho, Volta Region capital.
Management of Luggu Motors registered the intention to scale up their support with additional GH¢5,000.00 later to make a total of GH¢10,000.00
Earlier last week, DW Akademie donated an amount of GH¢1,500.00 towards the Awards, which is slated for Saturday, October 5, 2019 at the plush Volta Serene Hotel.
The 2019 edition of the Awards which is on the theme “Environmental Cleanliness: Media as Vanguards. Don’t drop that litter”, will award deserving media practitioners in Volta/Oti Region in 11 categories including the newest addition, the coveted Overall Regional Journalist Award.
The 2019 Awards Committee Chairperson, a veteran journalist and former Dean of the Parliamentary Press Corps of Ghana, Rev. Ruby Amable during the launch some weeks ago, declared nominations open from Monday, August 26 to Friday, September 27, 2019 disclosing that only published works from November 1, 2018 to September 15, 2019 were eligible.
GJA-Volta in 2017, instituted and organised the country’s first ever regional awards programme to recognise and reward outstanding media practitioners based in Volta/Oti Region working in the print, electronic and online media so as to motivate them to do better.
