The Paramount Chief of Challa Traditional Area in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region, Nana Kennewu Chedere Addo II has charged government to invest more in basic education especially the Kindergarten to ensure that the educational system of Ghana had a very strong foundation.
Nana Chedere Addo noted that early childhood and primary education were the foundation of the educational system so government must ensure that proper attention and logistics were provided to promote quality education in the country.
He made this call during the opening ceremony of a week-long training workshop for 771 teachers in the municipality on the new curriculum for basic schools.
He appealed to stakeholders especially parents and government to provide an incentive package for teachers to encourage them to put in their best for the development of pupils.
Nkwanta South Municipal Coordinating Director, Alhaji Yussif Ibrahim entreated teachers to take the training very serious in order to improve on the falling standard of education in the area.
Municipal Director of Education, Stephen Kwame Tsuartofe expressed optimism the new curriculum would create an easy environment for children to study.
Chairman, Nkwanta South branch of Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Maxwell Djoko appealed to government to resource teachers with logostics to improve teaching and learning in schools.
Owners of two shops in Timber Market at Aflao in the Ketu South Municipality are counting their losses after fire engulfed the wares in the shops.
The incident which occurred in the early hours of today [Thursday] razed the two shops to ground.
Residents who witness the destruction were thrown into shock and empathy as they could not tell the cause of the fire.
A timely response from Personnel from the Ghana Fire Service to douse the fire saved the third shop from being completely razed in the inferno.
According to an Eyewitness ” Everything got burnt in the shop where all tailoring materials, such as zip, lining, jewelry, clothes and polyester and some cotton clothing and other things that tailors use for designing, and everything got burnt in it.
He added ‘there were three (3) shops in a row, the third shop is for a mobile money vendor and they sell hair there as well… Just few of the hairs got burnt before the fire service came”
Attempts by Voltaonline to speak with one of the affected owners, Mad Evelyn Avorkah were not successful as she struggled to come to terms with the incidence.
The Municipal Fire Commander, Mr Stanley Nusetor said his outfit has begun investigation into the cause of the fire.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) will commemorate its 70th Birthday on Thursday, August 15, 2019, at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra.
The GJA was birthed on August 15, 1949 to promote high journalistic standards, media freedoms and welfare of journalists. It was also meant to defend journalists against abuse by state and non-state actors.
A release by the Association’s General Secretary, Kofi Yeboah on Wednesday said the commemoration of the 70th anniversary would involve the cutting of anniversary cake and reflections on the history and relevance of the GJA by some distinguished personalities, with Prof. H. Kwasi Prempeh, the Chairman of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), as the Guest Speaker.
Other key speakers would be Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere, former GJA President; Most Rev. Prof Emmanuel Asante, the Chairman of the National Peace Council and Dr. G.T. Anim, the first Ghanaian General Manager of the Ghana News Agency.
The release also said representatives of key partners including the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana), UNESCO Ghana, and the US Embassy in Accra would also deliver goodwill messages.
The event expected to be chaired by Ambassador David Anagletey, former Ghana Ambassador to Togo and Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation would be telecast live on GTV, Atinka TV, GHOne, TV3 and other broadcast networks.
The release said the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in a solidarity message, congratulated GJA on its 70th anniversary.
“The GJA is a shining example – a journalists’ association with an unwavering commitment to standing up and speaking out in defense of journalists and journalism.
“From your successful struggle against the Criminal Libel and Sedition Law to the adoption this year of the Right to Information Law the GJA has been at the forefront of protecting n ot only the country’s journalists, promoting the best in independent, ethical journalism but also in defending citizens’ rights to information.
“Today, on your anniversary, that spirit and courage in defense of media freedom is needed more than ever. Around the world journalism is under attack – and even in Ghana which enjoys greater media freedom than all other countries in Africa – your solidarity, your voice, your advocacy is increasingly vital to defend your achievements.
“We are proud to honor you today, to thank you for 70 years of struggle and to pledge to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the future. Happy Birthday GJA,” the IFJ’s statement concluded.
The Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Zone Coordinator, Adaklu District Health Service, Irene Elorm Afenuvor has appealed to drivers and motor-riders in the district to support the efforts of the directorate to avoid preventable deaths in the area.
Madam Afenuvor who bemoaned the absence of a major health facility and an ambulance to serve the district made up of 91 communities with over 55,000 people mostly engaged in subsistence farming, with a few enclaves of herdsmen said, the only way to improve on the health status of the people was to get people to support a Community Emergency Transport System (CETS).
She explained CETS as “a way of involving the community in transporting our referral cases to referral points because in our district, we don’t have hospitals but CHPS compounds and health centres” for providing first aids and minor health care services but not major treatments.
“So when emergency cases arise and need to be referred to Ho Municipal Hospital or the Regional Hospital (now Ho Teaching Hospital), transporting the people there sometimes becomes difficult,” she added.
Though Madam Afenuvor disclosed that the directorate liaised with community members, opinion leaders and chiefs to get the taxis being used for now and had the intention to liaise with the assembly to provide tricycle to be improvised into an ambulance, she said drivers and riders were key to get the CETS function properly to serve its purpose, to prevent deaths.
“We realised that the system was not really functioning in that when the drivers or riders are called to take cases that are being referred to hospitals, the nurses complain that some of them charge very high. Some say they will take GH¢200.00 from Waya to Ho, which is very huge and an amount the clients will not be able to pay.”
The CHPS Zone Coordinator spoke to Voltaonlinegh on Thursday, August 8 on the last day of a sensitisation campaign for five communities in the Adaklu District on CETS and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at Tsrefe.
Community members at the programme at one of the communities visited
The outreach programme educated members of Wumenu, Tsrefe, Kodzobi, Torda and Adaklu Waya communities on the need to construct household toilets, address issues and challenges associated with WASH as well as the relevance of CETS to health care delivery and how to make the system more functional in these five communities.
The sensitisation programme formed part of a project dubbed People for Health (P4H) funded by USAID and being implemented by a consortium of three, SEND GHANA, Penplusbytes, and the Ghana News Agency in 25 districts selected from five regions across the country.
District Environmental Health Officer, Godwin Dogbey urged the people to construct household toilets and desist from open defecation, a causative factor for illnesses such as cholera and typhoid.
Mr. Dogbey dissuaded the people from defecating around and in bushes saying, one other danger people could be exposed to was bites from snakes which could have serious implications for their lives.
Executive Director, GOSANET Foundation, focal NGO in Adaklu District for P4H Project, Samuel Yao Atidzah explained that the project sought to strengthen organisational and institutional capacities of both government and civil society for mutual accountability in health, HIV, Malaria, WASH and nutrition policy formulation and implementation.
Mr. Atidzah who underscored the importance of the project expected that there would be at least one sensitisation on WASH every quarter to downstream the education for acceptance by the people.
Meanwhile, chiefs and people of the communities visited promised to give the needed assistance to CETS committees to make them more functional and also expressed readiness to construct household toilets to deal with open defecation.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Volta Region has officially inaugurated a regional council of elders committee and nine other working committees to foster smooth running of the party in the region.
The Committees inaugurated over the weekend in the regional capital, Ho included the Political Committee, Communication Committee, Research and Strategy Committee, Constitution and Legal Committee and Finance Committee.
The rest were Special Complaint Committee, Disciplinary Committee, Social Welfare Committee and Security Committee.
Members of the various committees were expected to work together and engage the grassroots in order to increase electoral fortunes for the party in the region for victory 2020 and also help in administering the party’s activities in pursuance to the its Constitution and applicable laws and regulations.
General Secretary of NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia who swore in members of the committees, cautioned member to see the new role as a call for work and productivity and urged them to actively work to increase votes for the party.
Mr. Nketia advised the leadership of the party to protect and secure the strongholds and not take them for granted asking, “let us work to improve what we have.”
He r bemoaned the culture of treating new members well and forgetting faithful and committed members noting that, that act affected the party negatively hence the call for equal treatment for all members in the party.
Mr. Nketia argued, “it’s more important to protect and secure the core voters rather than fighting for floating voters, thus, when core voters feel the sense of belonging there will be no need to fight for floating voters.”
He described the call for electing Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) as a step in the right direction believing that it would take “the winner takes it all” politics away and rather bring balance at the district level for accelerated development.
Volta Regional Chairman, NDC speaking on behalf of members of the committee assured the General Secretary and party members that, the committees were poised and ready to deliver in order to increase votes for the party to win the 2020 general elections and to bring development to the doorstep of the people of the Volta Region.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Akatsi North Constituency and Ranking Member on Education Committee of Parliament, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe has called on the Muslim community to desist from giving out their teen daughters into early marriage but rather prioritise their education.
Hon. Nortsu-Kotoe said Zongo communities across the country were deprived, and the best way to changing the narrative was to have children from Zongo communities attaining higher standards in the area of education, calling for much focus on the girl child.
The MP who made the call when he joined Muslim faithful from the constituency at Ave-Afiadenyigba Zongo on Sunday for Eid Prayers disclosed that the people’s request for additional classroom block for the Islamic school had been heard and that work would start by September this year.
He however noted that “the facility if completed, would have to be occupied by your children and it is important you send all these young ones to school, that’s the only way we can put the facility to use.”
He urged them to dump the culture of giving out their young daughters into marriage and secure their future by sending them to school.
“It is also important you desist from giving out your daughters into early marriage, it jeopardizes their future. I am by this extending the call for you to make the education of your daughters a paramount issue. They can also become lawyers, doctors, teachers and big time personalities in the future.”
“If they’re educated, nobody can swindle or deceive them and that’s also the best way of alleviating the poverty level of our Zongo communities,” he added.
Ghanaian Muslims on Sunday, August 11, joined Muslims across the globe to offer Eid prayers in commemoration of the 2019 sacrificial Eid-Adhar.
The Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin has called for a change in attitude of the citizenry to rid the country of malaria epidemic and its attendant deaths.
Osagyefo Ofori Panin bemoaned illegal mining and other environmental degrading activities that offered breeding places for malaria-causing mosquitoes, thus, increasing malaria cases, resulting in loss of lives especially children below 5 years nationwide.
According to him, there was the need for concerted efforts with the media assuming a crucial position in championing the crusade for attitudinal change hammering, “medical science cannot ensure malaria-free Ghana but our attitude.”
The Okyenhene who was the Guest Speaker at the second edition of the Eastern Region Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards held on August 9 in Koforidua under the theme “Securing a Malaria Free Ghana, Role of the Media”, found the theme for the Awards appropriate and timely and tasked the media to do its best to arrest malaria cases in the country to secure the future of the younger generation.
He observed that a lot of things were not going on well in the country saying, “here we are 62 years later, we are talking about eradicating malaria” while the masses were plagued with the disease of poverty just as in other countries on the continent, Africa blessed with rich natural resources “yet we’re the headquarters of poverty, a poverty without option.”
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin said only the media, an important tool for change could help the situation and in every circumstance, alert people in authority to the gloomy state of affairs appealing, “help us, speak to power.”
Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye-Dafour admitted that the work of a journalist was not easy as they faced challenges while carrying out their duties and commended the Eastern Region GJA for instituting an awards scheme to reward deserving journalists.
Mr. Kwakye-Dafour promised not to deliberately obstruct the work of journalists but partner with them “so together, we can move the region forward.”
Chairman, Eastern Region GJA, Maxwell Kudekor urged members to up their game and focus on developmental stories to benefit the region and the country.
Mr. Kudekor disclosed that there were no winners for 4 out 11 categories explaining, 3 nominations; Best Water and Sanitation, Agriculture, Business and SME did not meet the criteria set by the Awards Committee while that of Best Malaria received no entry.
Giving staggering statistics on the dangers of malaria, he expressed disappointment that there was no single entry for competition on malaria even when the theme for the Awards was on malaria eradication.
GJA Prez, Affail Monney (3rd from right), Maxwell Kudekor (4th), an awardee, Bertha Badu and some regional GJA chairmen in a pose after the Awards
Friday’s Awards which had the National GJA President, Affail Monney, tall list of chiefs and elders from the region and distinguished personalities in attendance, saw competitive and honourary awards given to journalists, and an individual and organisations respectively for their contribution towards the growth of the journalism profession in the region.
For the competitive category, Bertha Badu, Chief Reporter of Ghana News Agency picked the Best Health Reporting, Ama Takyiwa Ampadu Agyeman, Ghanaian Times, Best Road safety Reporting and Daniel Bampoe, Daily Guide, Best Crime and Court reporting.
The other award winners included Sylvanus Gatorwu, a freelancer, the Best Rural Reporting, Gilbert Kwasi Frimpong, Daily Statesman, Best Environment Reporting, Felix Yaw Adjei, Okwahu FM, Best Development programme, and Kwaku Aboagye Appenteng of Kingdom Fm, Indigenous News Caster Award.
The Honourary awards went to the Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye-Dafour, GBC-Sunrise, Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Royal Mac-Dic Hotel.
The Eastern Region GJA are the second to institute a regional awards scheme in 2018 after the pacesetters, Volta Region (2017) to reward and motivate journalists producing and publishing compelling development-oriented stories in the region.
Telecommunication giants, MTN Ghana has celebrated valued customers in its loyal region, the Volta Region at Yello Soirée 2019 in the capital, Ho.
The customers aside being treated to good music and meal at the event, received valuable items from MTN with some lucky ones winning exciting prizes such as latest Samsung phones and Iphones.
The soirée, the second of its kind in the region and the 17th nationwide which took place on Saturday, August 10 at Volta Serene Hotel was attended by a tall list of dignitaries including the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa and his Deputy, Rev. Johnson Avuletey.
The event saw an informal engagement between the leadership of MTN and their customers with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Selorm Adadevoh going round, shaking hands with everyone in a show of appreciation for sticking to the company.
MTN CEO, Mr. Adadevoh interacting with customers at the event
Senior Manager, General Trade for South Eastern Business Unit, MTN, Peter Bimpeh was grateful to the region which could be considered as the “World Bank” (not in the political sense) for the loyalty saying, “Volta owns the highest market share”, contributing to over 75 per cent of its subscription in the country.
Mr. Bimpeh paid tribute to the region referring to the welcoming nature of its people coupled with the serene atmosphere it offers and said “it’s always exciting to be in the Volta Region” and on behalf of MTN, “we thank you for your loyalty.”
CEO of MTN, Selorm Adadevoh put simply the aim of the annual Yello Soirée initiated in 2015 as “to celebrate our customers and to say thank you” because “business can’t be business without your business.”
Mr. Adadevoh highlighted some gains the company had made in the 2019 year touching on its newest product, the TurboNet Router (ideal for home and office use) saying, MTN had a record sale of 30,000 units of the plug-and-play super high speed 4G internet in three months.
He spoke of another product, MTN feature smartphone (which is easy on the pocket) aimed at delighting customers.
He noted the company’s activities in terms of investing in innovations and technologies with the aim to expand network coverage and provide quality service to customers.
The CEO disclosed that an amount of GH¢5.5 million was invested in the region hinting, “by the end of 2019, 133 new cell sites would have been constructed in the Volta region.”
Mr. Adadevoh urged Mobile Money (MoMo) subscribers to continue using service to stand chances of winning more than 1,000 awards and prizes including cars as part of 10 years of its introduction while encouraging customers to remain on the network with about 21 million subscribers to continue enjoying exciting products and services.
The National House of Chiefs (NHC) has attributed the numerous uncompleted projects, joblessness, broken homes, poverty, suffering and the general slow pace of development in Ghana to the failure of successive governments to fight grotesque corruption.
According to a statement signed by Togbe Afede XIV, President, and Daasebre Nana Kwebu Ewusi VII, Vice President, there had been countless number of corruption cases recorded in the past and present governments, and yet no government was able to gather the confidence to fight it.
“The list of scandals and controversies is endless: Guinea fowl scandal; SSNIT software scandal; NHIS scandal; GYEEDA saga; BOST contaminated fuel scandal; GFA 2018 scandal; Ghana Judiciary scandal; Ghana Electoral Commission scandal; Tema Port scandal; Cocoa Board scandal; Eurobond scandal; NCA scandal; National Cathedral; Ameri scandal; new 450 Chamber Parliament Complex; PDS scandal, etc. The list is indeed endless.”
The statement indicated that corruption had benefited a few individuals, but kept hurting the country in many ways; diversion of resources from urgently needed development projects; increased the government debt; caused leakages that create distortions and made management of the economy difficult; and undermined price and exchange rate stability.
“Corruption has also undermined productivity and the ability of the economy to create jobs and incomes; discouraged hard work, and stifled innovation and initiative, as people look for short cuts to wealth; contributed to the increasing crime rate; brought acrimony into our politics, and bred indiscipline and vigilantism; harmed the image of our nation; and led to mass poverty and suffering. Given the humiliation and inhumane treatment that black Africans are subjected to all over the world, one would have expected our leaders to commit themselves to working for the advancement of their countrymen, and the restoration of their dignity and pride,” the statement added.
It bemoaned that, after 62 years of nationhood, most Ghanaians were still muffled by poverty and could not access basic necessities of shelter, food, water, health, education, electricity, roads and good drainage, jobs and incomes, enhanced living standards, and ultimately, happiness.
The members of the NHC wept over the growing stories of people, young and old, taking their own lives due to their unbearable living conditions.
They maintained that, poverty was also the reason why most of the youth of Ghana thought that everywhere else was better than Ghana, and so were willing to risk their lives through deserts and across stormy seas, to escape from the difficulties at home, and in search of greener pastures.
The House of Chiefs recalled the unfortunate murder of 44 Ghanaians in cold blood in The Gambia in 2005, who were only exercising their right to pursue happiness, which they could not find at home.
Poverty should not be our lot.
The members of the House of Chiefs could not comprehend why Ghana should be poor or struggle to cater for the basic needs of her citizens in spite of all the available natural resources and unimaginable fertile land.
Ghana, they said was endowed with a lot of natural resources such as bauxite, diamonds, gold, iron ore, timber, cocoa, salt, oil and gas among many others coupled with the vibrant, energetic, educated and peace-loving human resource and therefore did not have to be poor.
The statement encouraged the future leaders [youth] not to allow themselves to be used by self-seekers, as serial callers, let alone vigilantes, to attack the few people who dare to speak for them.
They charged the people of Ghana to begin to insist on their traditional and political leaders to use the resources of the state prudently for the sole benefit of the people and in pursuance of their development needs.
“Leadership is an opportunity to serve, not to exploit. We must hold our leaders to account. Enough of the politricks!”
The Volta Regional Coordinator, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Supt Mercy Wilson-Brown has asked adolescent girls to report people who perpetrate crimes especially sexual abuses against them assuring of their protection by the Constitution of Ghana.
Chief Supt Wilson-Brown mentioned such crimes as defilement, rape, child marriage, assault among others which must be reported to either parents or teachers and institutions like the Social Welfare Department and the Police for appropriate actions.
The Regional DOVVSU Coordinator who made this call at a 3-day (6th-9th August, 2019) regional camp for adolescent girls in basic school held at Adult College, Tsito, Ho West District cited articles 26 and 28 of Ghana’s Constitution which dealt with the protection and welfare of a child, to support her claim.
She spoke on Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence to the 103 adolescent girls drawn from four districts in the region which included North Dayi, South Dayi, Central Tongu and Ho.
The adolescent girls at the regional camp
She advised girls to warn people wanting to abuse them sexually of the jail term they could face and insisted that they must not fall to tricks and threats of such perpetrators saying, “every sex (rape/defilement) has terrible repercussions and can affect you for the rest of your life.”
Chief Supt Wilson-Brown urged girls who had ever been sexually abused to speak up as such a crime had no timeline, “it’s like the steadfast love of God, it’s always fresh.”
She advised the girls to be careful of their environments, know how to keep themselves safe to become role models for other girls noting that though there were laws to protect them, they better be “safe than sorry” as “sex is not young people’s game, don’t play it.”
She charged parents and guardians to be mindful of who their wards chat and meet with, what they do outside home, and befriend them to know what goes on around them in order to prevent them from falling victims to such crimes as kidnapping and sextortion.
An official from the Reproductive Health Unit, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Claudia Donkor urged the girls to make informed decisions so that they could stay in school
longer to achieve their desired aspirations.
Dr. Donkor said it was important for the girls to receive guidance and counseling education on sexual reproductive health and to exercise their rights to it to ensure the fulfillment of their potentials.
Volta Regional Director, Department of Gender, Lena Alai, explained the need for the UNFPA-sponsored camp saying, the teenagers “have taken over child bearing from the adults” citing the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Report of 2017/18 which showed that the region had a high adolescent birth rate of 103 per 1,000 births which was above the national average of 75 per 1,000 births.
Madam Alai said it was important to assemble the girls for education on dangers of teenage pregnancy and how they would fall out of Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4 and 5 which talked about Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, and Gender Equality respectively.
Two young role models from University of Ghana, Legon, Melanie Mensah, a level 300 Law student at and Wendy Dogbegah, a level 200 Biological Science student each motivated the girls with their stories of how determination and focus contributed to what they had achieved as girls themselves.
The young role models encouraged the campers, assuring that they needed not to have started great but be ambitious having the sky as not the limit but the springboard to reaching higher heights.
