Posts in category: Other News

Ghana continues to make significant progress in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic as the country’s active cases on Thursday, August 13, dropped to 1,906 from a previous 2,007 on Wednesday.  

This follows the clinical recovery and discharge of a total of 39,718 persons, the Ghana Health Service announced via a designated website.    

The latest update by the country’s health management body also confirmed 122 new cases of infection, bringing the accumulated cases to 41,847.    

The new infections are from tests conducted on August 11.    

The death toll, however, remains at 223 since the last update.    

The active cases, the update said, were being managed in treatment sites, isolation centers across the country, while some were under home management.    

It said 17 cases were in severe conditions, with six in critical condition, and four on ventilators.    

The new infections were recorded in six regions with the Greater Accra recording the highest infections of 41; Western- 31; Ashanti- 23; Eastern- 22 and Bono East and Volta recorded three and two respectively.    

Out of the total confirmed cases 16,354 were from the General Surveillance; with 25,493 cases from the Enhanced Contact Tracing, the update stated.

A total of 421,588 tests have been conducted so far. Out of this, 153,569 were from Routine Surveillance with 268,019 from Contact Tracing.    

The positivity rate is 9.9.    

The latest infections take Greater Accra’s total cases to 20,865, representing almost 50 per cent of the national total.    

The Ashanti, Western and Eastern Regions have case tally of 10,431; 2,860 and 2,013 respectively.    

The rest are: Central – 1,751

Bono East Region – 703

Volta Region – 628

Western North Region – 580

Ahafo Region – 469

Northern Region – 454

Bono Region- 439

Upper East Region – 282

Oti Region- 213

Upper West Region – 88

Savannah Region – 62

North East Region – 9

SOURCE: GNA 

The Tema-Akosombo Railway Project is progressing steadily with 70 per cent of construction works done.

Out of the 97.625 Kilometer railway line expected to be completed by July 2021, 93 Kilometers of formation just below the subgrade level had been done, 65 kilometers of Skelton Tracks had been laid and 138 out of 156 structure culverts and bridges had been completed.

In addition, 200,000 steel-reinforced concrete sleepers – produced in the country, had been casted with many others being produced.

On the Volta Lake, where a 300-metre rail bridge at Ogoli, near Juapong in the North Tongu District was currently under construction, some 18 out of 30 pile foundations had been completed and a few others were being worked on.

The Railway Project is part of the Tema-Mpakadan railway under the Ghana-Burkina inter connectivity railways project which is being constructed by AFCONS Infrastructure Limited, an Indian construction company.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) made these observations during a monitoring and verification visit to the railway construction sites with officials of Penplusbytes and the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA).

The visit, which was a validation of citizens’ reports on government’s assurances under the “Connecting Citizens to Parliament II” project being implemented by Penplusbytes with technical support from OSIWA, afforded the team the opportunity to assess at first hand, the veracity of aggregated claims and feedback sent on digital platforms by citizens.

Mr Jeremiah Sam, Deputy Director, Programmes, Penplusbytes, addressing the media said, the visit was testament of the contribution of new media and digital tools to entrench citizens’ participation in governance and providing an easy and impactful avenue for expanding the democratic space.

“What we seek to do is use technology to assist the Committee on Government Assurances (CGA) to enable citizens to be a part of the legislative process and further play an effective oversight role by engaging them on various government assurances using new digital tools, ” he said.

He observed that the claims by citizens in the construction communities, corroborated what the team had observed as work was ongoing impressively and said “the outcome of the visit would form part of a policy brief to be generated and passed on to the CGA ahead of their own monitoring visits after which a final report would serve as evidence.”

Maame Yaa Agyaa Ayensu, Corporate Affairs Manager, Ghana Railway Development Authority, said the project which was anticipated to be completed by close of August 2020 has had to be delayed as a result of some unexpected challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic which affected some 82 workers of the construction company.

She said the encroachment of Railway Company lands was a major challenge, adding that appropriate compensations had been duly paid to affected land owners.

She said the Railway Redevelopment Projects was 70 per cent freight and 30 per cent passenger mix and would go a long way to accelerate the country’s socio-economic growth.

As part of the 30 per cent of the project to be completed, she said, some stations would be constructed, including a freight terminal at Tema Harbour to facilitate the transportation of goods inland .

Mr Gupta Asim, Head of Legal, AFCONS Infrastructure Limited, told the GNA that with progress of work so far, the project would be completed in March, four months ahead of the originally scheduled date.

SOURCE: GNA

Liberia’s vice president and former first lady, Jewel Howard-Taylor, has been flown to Ghana for medical treatment after developing “respiratory complications,” her office said in a statement.

Howard-Taylor flew out of Liberia on Tuesday following a four-day stay at a private medical facility in Monrovia, her press officer Solomon Ware told The Associated Press.

The Monrovia-based clinic recommended her transfer to a more advanced healthcare facility abroad after she had been stabilized, he said.

Ware rejected a Liberia News Agency statement linking the vice president´s ailment to COVID-19.

Liberia´s health sector has remained weak since the country’s civil war ended 17 years ago. Government officials and those who can afford it routinely travel abroad for medical attention.

Liberians on Wednesday called into radio stations, expressing disappointment and frustration over the poor healthcare system.

Howard-Taylor, 56, is an ex-wife of former jailed Liberian president Charles Taylor.

Since becoming vice president to ex-footballer President George Weah in 2018 under a coalition arrangement, she has often complained she´s not treated like the second in command.

SOURCE: www.dailymail.co.uk

The Electoral Commission (EC) Sunday ended the two-day mop up exercise as a follow-up to the official 37-day voters’ registration to ensure a credible register for the presidential and parliamentary elections.

The exercise started on June 30 and officially ended on August 6, in 33,367 polling stations, which was done in six phases with each phase assigned six days for eligible applicants to register.

This was followed by the two-day mop up exercise on Saturday, August 8 to Sunday, August 9, 2020 at the various district offices of the EC across the country to enable eligible applicants who were unable to register in the mass registration exercise to do so.

The first and second phases of the exercise were characterised by overcrowding, necessitating the Commission to introduce a queue management system and mobile registration to address the situation.

The Commission projected to register a total of 15 million citizens but a little over 16.6 million were registered on the last day of the 37-day exercise.

A visit by the Ghana News Agency on Sunday to some of the EC district offices saw some people trooping in to take advantage of the mop up to register.

At the Klotey Korle office, Ms Afuah Amoah, the Registration Officer, said as at midday the office had registered 12 applicants.

She said the exercise had been smooth with majority of applicants going by the COVID-19 safety protocols – washing of hands with soap under running water, checking of temperature and observing the two-metre distance.

The situation at the Kaneshie District Office was not different as the GNA observed about 20 applicants seated awaiting their turn to register.

Similarly, the Commission’s office at the Ablekuma North also had a significant number of applicants in the queue.

Mr Robert Tetteh, an applicant, told the GNA that he was initially afraid to go and register due to the COVID-19, “but …it was fast and it took five minutes to complete the process. I think this is an improvement over the previous registration exercise. I commend the EC officials for this and hope the Election day will be good and peaceful.”

Dr Bossman Eric Asare, the Deputy Chairman in Charge of Corporate Service at the EC, said its preliminary assessment of the two-day mop-up exercise showed that “everything has worked according to plan.”

“We are yet to receive all the reports and do a full assessment but now we can say that it has been largely successful. Looking at the performance of temporary and permanent staff, materials and kits have been great.”

He said the Commission could not have successfully executed its mandate without the support and participation of the public.

He called for continuous support for the Commission during the exhibition and other processes for a credible, fair, transparent and peaceful elections in December.

Source: GNA

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has condemned the acts of lawlessness and destruction of properties on the campuses of some Senior High Schools in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

“We condemn in no uncertain terms this show of disrespect for authority, even going to the extent of insulting the President of the nation; the attacks on some heads of institutions, teachers, staff of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and journalists, resulting in varied degrees of injuries suffered by the victims. These unfortunate incidents are very disheartening, to say the least,” it stated.

Perpetrators

A statement by the President of the GCBC, Most Rev Philip Naameh, therefore, called all the major stakeholders in education and the law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators of those acts to book in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Ghana Education Service (GES) as well as the laws of the land to serve as a deterrent to others.

It equally urged all final year students writing the ongoing WASSCE to remain calm and to concentrate on their studies instead of looking for leaked examination questions to enable them to pass their exams.

“We would like to remind our dear students that there is no shortcut to success but only through hard work and discipline. We also urge them to desist from all forms of lawlessness and disregard for authority,” it stated.

Good examples

The statement called on Ghanaians to show good examples to the youth instead of encouraging them to do things that endanger their lives and those of others.

It said the canker of violence that was gradually creeping into the society should be of great worry to all people of peace and goodwill, stressing that “the earlier we nip this in the bud, the better it will be for us.”

Source: Graphic.com.gh

A large blast in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has killed at least 70 people and injured more than 4,000 others, the health minister says.

Videos show smoke billowing from a fire, then a mushroom cloud following the blast at the city’s port.

Officials are blaming highly explosive materials stored in a warehouse for six years.

President Michel Aoun tweeted it was “unacceptable” that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored unsafely.

An investigation is under way to find the exact trigger for the explosion. Lebanon’s Supreme Defence Council said those responsible would face the “maximum punishment” possible.

Hospitals are said to be overwhelmed and many buildings have been destroyed.

President Aoun declared a three-day mourning period and said the government would release 100 billion lira (£50.5m; $66m) of emergency funds.

A BBC journalist at the scene reported dead bodies and severe damage, enough to put the port of Beirut out of action.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab called it a catastrophe and said those responsible must be held to account.

He spoke of a “dangerous warehouse” which had been there since 2014 but said he would not pre-empt the investigation.

Local media showed people trapped beneath rubble. A witness described the first explosion as deafening, and video footage showed wrecked cars and blast-damaged buildings.

“All the buildings around here have collapsed. I’m walking through glass and debris everywhere, in the dark,” one witness near the port told AFP news agency.

The blast was heard 240km (150 miles) away on the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean.

SOURCE: BBC

The Ministry of the Interior has declared Tuesday, August 4, as a statutory public holiday to commemorate Founders Day.

A statement signed by the sector Minister, Ambrose Dery on Tuesday, July 28, urged the public to observe the day as such throughout the country.

It called on all to observe the safety protocols associated with the Covid-19, especially in relation to social events at public places.

One of the key suspects in the torturing to death of 90-year-old Akua Denteh at Kafaba will be arraigned today, August 3, 2020.

Latifah Bumaye was arrested last week at Kejewu Bator, a fishing community along the Volta lake.

She was seen in a viral video continuously hitting the deceased with an object.

The deceased, Akua Denteh a fortnight ago was tortured after she was accused of being a witch.

The Savannah Regional Police earlier arrested five persons who are also linked to the incident.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and have been remanded in police custody to reappear before the court on August 20, 2020.

Speaking to Citi News, Savannah Regional Police Commander, DCOP Enoch Adutwum Bediako said investigations are still ongoing.

“She was arrested on Monday at Kejewu, a small community along the Volta lake. All she keeps saying is that she doesn’t know what was happening to her. Our investigations are still ongoing but we will put her before court today to seek remand as investigations continue. She has not been able to tell us where the priestess (another suspect) is.”

Five Suspects Charged With Conspiracy To Commit Murder

Earlier, five suspects arrested by the Police in connection with the lynching of Akua Denteh, a 90-year-old woman at Kafaba have been formally charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

They are however currently on remand in police custody after making their first appearance in court on Thursday, July 30, 2020.

Kafaba Chief Granted Bail

Meanwhile, the Kafaba chief, Zackaria Yahaya who was earlier arrested has been granted bail.

According to the police, the five other suspects in their statements indicated that the chief did not play any role in the development as he even asked them to send the priestess away when they went to introduce her to him before the lynching incident.

“The youth did not agree with the chief and went on to do what they did and this unfortunate thing happened… All the five said the chief didn’t agree with what they were doing and therefore he was not part of what they were doing. Based on that, we have to grant the chief bail pending further investigations…He spent the night there because we got the suspects the following day,” DCOP Bediako said.

Source: CitiNewsroom.com

Ghanaians will enjoy another three months of free water and electricity supply as government further reduces the burden of the Covid-19 pandemic on the citizenry.

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta who announced this during his Mid-year Budget review said it is because government puts the concerns and aspirations of the ordinary Ghanaian first.

“That is also why we further reduced electricity prices by half and completely provided potable water for free for everybody since March this year. And we will extend it for another three months,” he told Parliament, Thursday.

In April this year, the president announced three months of free electricity for consumers of a particular category, to make up for lost income following a lockdown in Accra and Kumasi due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also announced government’s decision to absorb water bills for all Ghanaians for April, May and June following complaints of lack of portable drinking water in many communities affected by the lockdown.

President Nana Akufo-Addo said the decision is part of additional measures being taken by government to mitigate the impact the outbreak of the virus is having on the public.

Announcing yet another package for the citizenry, Mr Ofori-Atta said it is meant to ease the burden of the virus that has wreak havoc the world over.

According to the Minister, the free water initiative would be for all water consumers while the electricity supply would be limited to only lifeline consumers.

“It takes a caring government of the people, and with that, I mean, a Government of all the people, to offer cost-free water to all across the country: representing all domestic and commercial customers in Ghana for three months.

“It takes a caring government to be for the people and for business, large and small, to choose to subsidise electricity consumption by 50 per cent to 4,086,286 households and 686,522 businesses at a cost of ¢1.02 billion in three months. And we will extend the coverage for lifeline customers for another three months,” he said.

Source: Myjoyonline.com

The President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has commended The Church of Pentecost for making available the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC) as an isolation and treatment centre for persons infected with the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

In a speech delivered during the Virtual May Day (Workers’ Day) Celebration on Friday, May 1, 2020, the President of Ghana said that “The nation is profoundly grateful to The Church of Pentecost for the generous, Christian gesture of making available its multipurpose Convention Centre, at Gomoa Fetteh, as an isolation centre which can house over one thousand (1,000) persons and three hundred (300) medical staff.”

Following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Thursday, April 23, 2020, between the church and the Government of Ghana, the multi-purpose Convention facility was released to the Government to be used as an isolation and treatment centre for persons infected with the viral disease.

The move was part of the church’s efforts in assisting the government to contain, curb the spread and eradicate the Coronavirus as well as promote the recovery of persons who have tested positive for the viral disease.

Consequently, the Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, on Monday, April 27, visited the health workers and COVID-19 patients who were being treated at the Convention Centre.

Ministering to the patients, paramedics and other attendants at the facility via an on-site Public Address (PA) system, the Chairman assured them to keep trusting in God for total healing from the disease. He indicated that another name for the Convention Centre is “Yesu Krom” (The City of Christ), therefore they should expect a miraculous touch of God during their time at the facility.

As at the last count, the total number of confirmed cases in Ghana was 2,074, out of which 212 recoveries and 17 deaths have been recorded. The 1,845 infected persons, on the other hand, are currently receiving treatment at various isolation centres including the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC).