By: Mary Mensah, ACCRA
Interior Ministry launches service charter
The Ministry of the Interior has launched a service charter that will provide information to members of the public, especially those who require its services.
The charter contains the vision, mission, core values, objectives, functions, services rendered and the fees charged among others.
It is also aimed at enhancing service delivery and providing a form of social contract with the ministry’s clients. Again, the charter is a promise that the ministry will deliver the various services within the time frame when the clients are able to fulfil its requirements.
Charter launch
Launching the charter at the first staff durbar of the ministry and a press soiree in Accra, the Minister, Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, said in addition to being responsible for the development of policy and co-ordination of activities of the various agencies under the ministry, it also offered direct services to the public.
The services include the issuance of work permit, indefinite residence permit, registration and naturalisation as citizens of Ghana, right of abode, registration of spouse and registration of minors as citizens of Ghana.
Other services are licensing of private security organisations, granting of auctioneers licences, exportation of dead bodies, permit for key cutting and permit to import and export guns.
Mr Woyongo said a committee would be constituted in the next few weeks to see to the smooth implementation of the charter and would, among others, make recommendation for sanctioning of officers who perform below expectation.
Media, staff commended
He commended the media for a good work done, and advised that reportage on security issues should be done with the utmost circumspection because of their sensitive nature.
Mr Woyongo stated that the media as the fourth estate of the realm had been given the mandate to act as the watchdog on activities of government and public officials on behalf of the public.
He noted that the media had executed that task to perfection over the years, giving praises where it was due and not shying away from offering constructive criticism.
The minister also appealed to the media to sensitise the public to assist and co-operate with the security agencies to ensure that the public continue to live in peace.
He also urged members of the public to assist the security agencies, by reporting suspicious movements in their communities.
Mr Woyongo expressed the hope that the media would cross-check all stories bordering on national security with the appropriate institutions before publishing them.
He thanked the staff and management of the ministry for their hard work and dedication and urged them to continue in that manner to ensure orderly development and peace in the country.
For his part, Mr James Agalga, the Deputy Minister, said the occasion was to provide an avenue for the ministry to evaluate it’s performance, correct the wrongs and reinforce the right actions.
“Ours is a human institution and we need to commit ourselves to improving upon our operations and practices as well as move ahead”, he said.
Mrs Adelaide Annor Kumi, the Chief Director of the ministry, expressed gratitude to the minister and his deputy for their able leadership, in spite of all the challenges.
Quick Read
The Ministry of the Interior has organised its first staff durbar and press soiree, at which it took stock of its activities and performances over the last 12 months.
Pull quote
“Ours is a human institution and we need to commit ourselves to improving upon our operations and practices as well as move ahead”,
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
14 Arrested for Defrauding Australian $2 Million
By: Mary Mensah, ACCRA
NINE out of the 14 people who allegedly hatched a scam and succeeded in defrauding an Australian businessman, Peter Melvin Kleining, to the tune of two million Australian dollars under the pretext of assisting him to invest in Togo and Benin have been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
Four of the suspects are Nigerians, while five are Ghanaians.
Two other Nigerians and three Ghanaians who are also members of the syndicate are, however, on the run and the police have mounted an intensive search for them.
The suspects
The Nigerian suspects are Japhet Lucky Ogoro, also known as Ogoro Lucky Onome, alias James Frank Kwofie, 31; Stephanie Akile, 29; Gospel Robbie Ovie, 33, and Peter Emuobo Ubiebor, 42.
The Ghanaian suspects are Henry Biney, 43; Samuel Asiedu, 40; Prince Ebo Biney, 23; Joseph Iyaniu, 47, and Pascal Mensah, 34.
According to the Director General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Prosper Kwame Agblor, the two million Australian dollar investment scam was reported by the Australian Federal Police through the Financial Intelligence Centre, Ghana.
He said investigations carried out by the CID revealed that initially Western Union Money Transfer had been used to transfer the money but, at a point, the company became suspicious and blocked the Australian businessman and his friend, who then resorted to family members to assist them to transfer the rest of the money on their behalf.
COP Agblor said it all started some time in 2008 when two Nigerians, Ogoro and Nelson Seme, alias Festus, hatched the plan in Nigeria and came to Ghana to execute it.
He said on arrival in Ghana, the two went into business by sending e-mails to Kleining and managed to convince him that they owned a company called Silver Gold Investment Limited in Benin and Togo.
They then asked Kleining to invest in the business, to which he agreed.
Ogoro solicited the assistance of Ovie, another Nigerian resident in Ghana, to provide a bank account into which Kleining could transfer money.
Ovie in turn contacted Ubiebor, who had also come from Nigeria to Ghana to open an account at the Access Bank using a non-existent company called PS&E Global Limited.
Ovie indicated in his business registration documents that he was into real estate development and haulage services in Accra.
COP Agblor indicated that at that stage, Iyaniu too contacted Henry Biney who worked with SG-SSB Bank and requested him to provide a bank account for the transaction.
Personal account
Henry Biney provided a personal account which he opened at the National Investment Bank in Sunyani.
Stephanie, a petty trader, was also contacted and she provided her account details at the Stanbic Bank branch Kasoa.
He said Mensah, a graphic designer, who had indicated in his account opening documents that funds into the account would come from his business, also agreed to provide his personal account details at the Bank of Africa branch at Madina.
The director general said all those suspects provided their account details to Kleining, who transferred money on many occasions into those accounts over the years.
The account holders cashed the money, took 10 per cent commission and handed the rest to Ogoro, who took the money to Benin and shared it with his accomplice Seme.
Kleining, convinced that the business could be a good deal, also asked his friend, 78-year-old pensioner Fred Williams, to invest in the venture.
The two used the banks and then changed to Western Union to transfer the money to their supposed business partners in Ghana.
At a point Western Union became suspicious and later blocked the two businessmen from sending money through Western Union, but they got their friends and relatives to send money to the syndicate in Ghana, believing that it would yield high returns.
After all efforts to get returns from the investment had failed, Kleining realised that he and his friend had been duped. They made a report to the Australian Federal Police who, in turn, contacted the Financial Intelligence Centre, Ghana in December last year for help.
Investigations conducted by the CID, to which the matter had been referred, led to the arrest of the nine suspects.
Quick Read
A collaboration between the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has led to the arrest of nine suspects who defrauded an Australian businessman to the tune of $2 million.
CAPTION
Six out of the nine suspects who have been arrested. From left: Henry Biney, Samuel Asiedu, Peter Emuobo Ubiebor, Gospel Robbie Ovie, Pascal Mensah and Joseph Iyaniu. The pictures of the remaining three suspects are yet to be captured.
NINE out of the 14 people who allegedly hatched a scam and succeeded in defrauding an Australian businessman, Peter Melvin Kleining, to the tune of two million Australian dollars under the pretext of assisting him to invest in Togo and Benin have been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
Four of the suspects are Nigerians, while five are Ghanaians.
Two other Nigerians and three Ghanaians who are also members of the syndicate are, however, on the run and the police have mounted an intensive search for them.
The suspects
The Nigerian suspects are Japhet Lucky Ogoro, also known as Ogoro Lucky Onome, alias James Frank Kwofie, 31; Stephanie Akile, 29; Gospel Robbie Ovie, 33, and Peter Emuobo Ubiebor, 42.
The Ghanaian suspects are Henry Biney, 43; Samuel Asiedu, 40; Prince Ebo Biney, 23; Joseph Iyaniu, 47, and Pascal Mensah, 34.
According to the Director General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Prosper Kwame Agblor, the two million Australian dollar investment scam was reported by the Australian Federal Police through the Financial Intelligence Centre, Ghana.
He said investigations carried out by the CID revealed that initially Western Union Money Transfer had been used to transfer the money but, at a point, the company became suspicious and blocked the Australian businessman and his friend, who then resorted to family members to assist them to transfer the rest of the money on their behalf.
COP Agblor said it all started some time in 2008 when two Nigerians, Ogoro and Nelson Seme, alias Festus, hatched the plan in Nigeria and came to Ghana to execute it.
He said on arrival in Ghana, the two went into business by sending e-mails to Kleining and managed to convince him that they owned a company called Silver Gold Investment Limited in Benin and Togo.
They then asked Kleining to invest in the business, to which he agreed.
Ogoro solicited the assistance of Ovie, another Nigerian resident in Ghana, to provide a bank account into which Kleining could transfer money.
Ovie in turn contacted Ubiebor, who had also come from Nigeria to Ghana to open an account at the Access Bank using a non-existent company called PS&E Global Limited.
Ovie indicated in his business registration documents that he was into real estate development and haulage services in Accra.
COP Agblor indicated that at that stage, Iyaniu too contacted Henry Biney who worked with SG-SSB Bank and requested him to provide a bank account for the transaction.
Personal account
Henry Biney provided a personal account which he opened at the National Investment Bank in Sunyani.
Stephanie, a petty trader, was also contacted and she provided her account details at the Stanbic Bank branch Kasoa.
He said Mensah, a graphic designer, who had indicated in his account opening documents that funds into the account would come from his business, also agreed to provide his personal account details at the Bank of Africa branch at Madina.
The director general said all those suspects provided their account details to Kleining, who transferred money on many occasions into those accounts over the years.
The account holders cashed the money, took 10 per cent commission and handed the rest to Ogoro, who took the money to Benin and shared it with his accomplice Seme.
Kleining, convinced that the business could be a good deal, also asked his friend, 78-year-old pensioner Fred Williams, to invest in the venture.
The two used the banks and then changed to Western Union to transfer the money to their supposed business partners in Ghana.
At a point Western Union became suspicious and later blocked the two businessmen from sending money through Western Union, but they got their friends and relatives to send money to the syndicate in Ghana, believing that it would yield high returns.
After all efforts to get returns from the investment had failed, Kleining realised that he and his friend had been duped. They made a report to the Australian Federal Police who, in turn, contacted the Financial Intelligence Centre, Ghana in December last year for help.
Investigations conducted by the CID, to which the matter had been referred, led to the arrest of the nine suspects.
Quick Read
A collaboration between the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has led to the arrest of nine suspects who defrauded an Australian businessman to the tune of $2 million.
CAPTION
Six out of the nine suspects who have been arrested. From left: Henry Biney, Samuel Asiedu, Peter Emuobo Ubiebor, Gospel Robbie Ovie, Pascal Mensah and Joseph Iyaniu. The pictures of the remaining three suspects are yet to be captured.
National migration policy in the offing
By: Mary Mensah, ACCRA
National migration policy in the offing
Ghana is in the process of finalising its first-ever national migration policy to facilitate the management of the country’s internal and international migratory flows.
The policy intended to enhance national development, as well as sub-regional, regional and global interest and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the lead state institution in the management of migration in Ghana, has a daunting task of leading the implementation of the policy.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, made this known at an orientation and interactive meeting of the GIS board, management and regional commanders in Accra yesterday.
He said the ministry was also leading and facilitating the agenda to re-enact the Immigration Service Act 1989 (PNDC Law 226) to make the service more relevant and adequately strengthen it to discharge its mandate.
Draft bill
“Indeed Cabinet has already approved a draft bill in this respect, and this would be laid before Parliament for further action.
The ministry is also assisting the service to finalise the GIS regulations, which, when completed would greatly better the conditions of officers while in active service and on retirement”, he said.
Mr Woyongo said it was important to recognise that in the current dynamic phase of the globalisation process, migration was inevitable and it would be an illusion to believe that goods, capital and services could move freely across state borders
without a simultaneous expansion in the scale and scope for human mobility.
Mr Woyongo said the GIS was well placed and had the responsibility to create the conditions which were required for investments to flourish for foreign nationals and Ghanaians to feel safe, for rights to be respected and for speedy processes to be designed that did not clog the wheel of the government’s developmental agenda.
The Minister announced that the border patrol unit of the service would see some drastic transformation as the ministry was in talks with relevant dealers to procure weapons and communication equipment, as well as special all-terrain vehicles for the unit.
Benefits of Migration
The Director of GIS, Commissioner of Police (COP), Dr Peter Wiredu, said the true benefits of migration could only be derived if the requisite structures such as policies, laws and implementation framework of relevant state institutions involved in the management of migration, were enhanced and co-ordinated.
He said Ghana had about 3,200 kilometres of land borders, stretching from the east, west and north with the Atlantic Ocean to the south and of varying typography with several river bodies, lakes, streams, as well as mountains, making the border demarcation spongy and porous.
Difficult Typography
For his part, the Chairman of the GIS Board, Mr Cletus Avoka, said the GIS was a key statutory agency in the national security architecture of the nation as it served as the frontline agency responsible for the management and control of the nations borders, as well as the first point of contact for travellers arriving in the country.
“A GIS of the 21st century must be well resourced and well motivated to meet the growing dynamics of immigration and migration-related functions,’’ he said.
Quick Read
An orientation and interactive meeting of the board, management and regional commanders of the Ghana Immigration Service opens in Accra today.
Caption
The Director of Immigration, COP Dr Peter Wiredu with the Interior Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo and the Chairman of the GIS Board, Mr Cletus Avoka interacting after opening of the meeting.
National migration policy in the offing
Ghana is in the process of finalising its first-ever national migration policy to facilitate the management of the country’s internal and international migratory flows.
The policy intended to enhance national development, as well as sub-regional, regional and global interest and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the lead state institution in the management of migration in Ghana, has a daunting task of leading the implementation of the policy.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, made this known at an orientation and interactive meeting of the GIS board, management and regional commanders in Accra yesterday.
He said the ministry was also leading and facilitating the agenda to re-enact the Immigration Service Act 1989 (PNDC Law 226) to make the service more relevant and adequately strengthen it to discharge its mandate.
Draft bill
“Indeed Cabinet has already approved a draft bill in this respect, and this would be laid before Parliament for further action.
The ministry is also assisting the service to finalise the GIS regulations, which, when completed would greatly better the conditions of officers while in active service and on retirement”, he said.
Mr Woyongo said it was important to recognise that in the current dynamic phase of the globalisation process, migration was inevitable and it would be an illusion to believe that goods, capital and services could move freely across state borders
without a simultaneous expansion in the scale and scope for human mobility.
Mr Woyongo said the GIS was well placed and had the responsibility to create the conditions which were required for investments to flourish for foreign nationals and Ghanaians to feel safe, for rights to be respected and for speedy processes to be designed that did not clog the wheel of the government’s developmental agenda.
The Minister announced that the border patrol unit of the service would see some drastic transformation as the ministry was in talks with relevant dealers to procure weapons and communication equipment, as well as special all-terrain vehicles for the unit.
Benefits of Migration
The Director of GIS, Commissioner of Police (COP), Dr Peter Wiredu, said the true benefits of migration could only be derived if the requisite structures such as policies, laws and implementation framework of relevant state institutions involved in the management of migration, were enhanced and co-ordinated.
He said Ghana had about 3,200 kilometres of land borders, stretching from the east, west and north with the Atlantic Ocean to the south and of varying typography with several river bodies, lakes, streams, as well as mountains, making the border demarcation spongy and porous.
Difficult Typography
For his part, the Chairman of the GIS Board, Mr Cletus Avoka, said the GIS was a key statutory agency in the national security architecture of the nation as it served as the frontline agency responsible for the management and control of the nations borders, as well as the first point of contact for travellers arriving in the country.
“A GIS of the 21st century must be well resourced and well motivated to meet the growing dynamics of immigration and migration-related functions,’’ he said.
Quick Read
An orientation and interactive meeting of the board, management and regional commanders of the Ghana Immigration Service opens in Accra today.
Caption
The Director of Immigration, COP Dr Peter Wiredu with the Interior Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo and the Chairman of the GIS Board, Mr Cletus Avoka interacting after opening of the meeting.
National Biosafety Authority Board of Directors inaugurated
By: Mary Mensah, ACCRA
National Biosafety Authority Board of Directors inaugurated
A Thirteen-member Board of Directors of the National Biosafety Authority has been inaugurated at a ceremony in Accra.
The board is expected to approve the development, transfer, handling and the use of GMOs in accordance with the Biosafety Act 2011 (Act 831) and direct the operations of the authority, among others.
The authority, which was mandated to oversee the regulation of modern biotechnology in Ghana, was established by the Biosafety Act 2011 (Act 831) in line with Ghana’s obligation under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
Swearing in the members, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technologies and Innovation (MESTI) , Mr Akwasi Opong Fosu, said the act was to legalise biosafety for the country to take decisions on modern biotechnology based on risk assessment and other considerations.
He said the government recognised the potential adverse effects that technology could have on the environment and the health of the people and had, therefore, adopted biosafety as the decision-making mechanism for the management of the technology.
According to the Minister, the inauguration climaxed 16 years of relenting effort by the government to put in place an appropriate and transparent decision-making mechanisms for modern biotechnology for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
Modern Biotechnology
“The government has taken this line of action because it sees great potential in modern biotechnology and has, therefore, cited it in the National Science Technology and Innovation Policy as one of the precision technologies to be adopted to enhance the socio-economic development of the country”, he said.
Mr Opong Fosu said through the effort of the NBC, a comprehensive biosafety framework had been developed which spells out the road map for the implementation of biosafety in Ghana.
Training of Stakeholders
He indicated that training of stakeholders had been carried out involving staff of the regulatory agencies and related organisations and added that five permits had been granted for the conduct of confined field trials of some genetically modified crops.
He expressed appreciation to the members for accepting to serve on the board, adding that with the calibre of the members he had no doubt that they would discharge their duties creditably.
Board Members
A Former Minister of MESTI and Presidential Affairs, Dr Christiana Amoako Nuamah, is the chairman of the board with Dr Yaa Dufie Osei, Mr Fredua Agyeman, Mr Andrew Akolaa and Justice V.C.R.A.C Crabbe, as members.
Other members are Dr King David Amoah, Prof. Victoria Dzogbefia, Prof K. M. Bosompem, Dr Stephen K. Nutsugah, Mrs Milly Kyofa-Boamah, Mr Kwame Dei Asamoah, Ms Angela Owusu and Eric Amaning Okoree.
Quick Read
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technologies and Innovation (MESTI), Mr Opong Fosu, has inaugurated the board of directors of the National Biosafety Authority.
The board is expected to approve the development, transfer, handling and the use of GMOs in accordance with the Biosafety Act 2011 (Act 831).
National Biosafety Authority Board of Directors inaugurated
A Thirteen-member Board of Directors of the National Biosafety Authority has been inaugurated at a ceremony in Accra.
The board is expected to approve the development, transfer, handling and the use of GMOs in accordance with the Biosafety Act 2011 (Act 831) and direct the operations of the authority, among others.
The authority, which was mandated to oversee the regulation of modern biotechnology in Ghana, was established by the Biosafety Act 2011 (Act 831) in line with Ghana’s obligation under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
Swearing in the members, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technologies and Innovation (MESTI) , Mr Akwasi Opong Fosu, said the act was to legalise biosafety for the country to take decisions on modern biotechnology based on risk assessment and other considerations.
He said the government recognised the potential adverse effects that technology could have on the environment and the health of the people and had, therefore, adopted biosafety as the decision-making mechanism for the management of the technology.
According to the Minister, the inauguration climaxed 16 years of relenting effort by the government to put in place an appropriate and transparent decision-making mechanisms for modern biotechnology for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
Modern Biotechnology
“The government has taken this line of action because it sees great potential in modern biotechnology and has, therefore, cited it in the National Science Technology and Innovation Policy as one of the precision technologies to be adopted to enhance the socio-economic development of the country”, he said.
Mr Opong Fosu said through the effort of the NBC, a comprehensive biosafety framework had been developed which spells out the road map for the implementation of biosafety in Ghana.
Training of Stakeholders
He indicated that training of stakeholders had been carried out involving staff of the regulatory agencies and related organisations and added that five permits had been granted for the conduct of confined field trials of some genetically modified crops.
He expressed appreciation to the members for accepting to serve on the board, adding that with the calibre of the members he had no doubt that they would discharge their duties creditably.
Board Members
A Former Minister of MESTI and Presidential Affairs, Dr Christiana Amoako Nuamah, is the chairman of the board with Dr Yaa Dufie Osei, Mr Fredua Agyeman, Mr Andrew Akolaa and Justice V.C.R.A.C Crabbe, as members.
Other members are Dr King David Amoah, Prof. Victoria Dzogbefia, Prof K. M. Bosompem, Dr Stephen K. Nutsugah, Mrs Milly Kyofa-Boamah, Mr Kwame Dei Asamoah, Ms Angela Owusu and Eric Amaning Okoree.
Quick Read
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technologies and Innovation (MESTI), Mr Opong Fosu, has inaugurated the board of directors of the National Biosafety Authority.
The board is expected to approve the development, transfer, handling and the use of GMOs in accordance with the Biosafety Act 2011 (Act 831).
Police to pursue justice for assaulted journalists-- IGP assures GJA
By: Mary Mensah, ACCRA
Police to pursue justice for assaulted journalists-- IGP assures GJA
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Alhassan, has assured the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) that it will leave no stone unturned to ensure that justice is served in the assault against the two Multimedia journalists at Senchi in the Eastern Region.
He described the incident as very unfortunate and said the police administration took a serious view of brutality perpetrated by its personnel against civilians.
Mr Alhassan said whenever such incidents occurred everything possible was done to get to the bottom of the matter, irrespective of the victim’s status.
Serious attention
At a meeting with the GJA executives at the Police Headquarters in Accra last Tuesday, the IGP said the case was receiving serious attention; the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was investigating the criminal aspect while the Police Professional and Intelligence Bureau (PIPS) was also investigating the conduct of the policemen.
He said the police recognised the very important role of the media in modern-day policing and would do everything to maintain the cordial relationship that already existed between the two institutions.
“We are in a democratic dispensation where freedom of speech is revered, and the police will not be part of any effort to stifle it”, he said.
Mr Alhassan indicated that the police appreciated the essence of the media in any democratic state and this had informed the service to initiate measures to foster a cordial relationship with the media.
The police, he said, would not do anything to jeopardise that friendship.
GJA to defend members
The President of the GJA, Mr Roland Affail Monney, indicated that the GJA executives visit to the Police Headquarters was to meant to make a formal complaint and demand the immediate investigation and subsequent punishment of the perpetrators of the brutal assault on some journalists.
Mr Monney said as the umbrella body of journalists in the country, the GJA would at always defend their members who were mistreated in their line of duty.
He, however, expressed the association’s appreciation of the police’s swift response to the incident and added that the current achievements chalked up by the police administration could not have happened without the unflinching support of the media.
The President of the GJA commended the IGP for his effective leadership which had led to the general public’s respect for the police administration and added that the bad lots should not be allowed to tarnish the police’s hard-won reputation.
Last week, two police officers, Django Fatau and Mr Tetteh shoved aside Joy News’ reporter, Matilda Wemegah and slapped the cameraman, David McCarthy, for filming a scuffle between the policemen and a trailer driver on the Senchi ferry in the Eastern Region.
Quick Read
The Police Administration is investigating the alleged assault of two journalists from the Multimedia Group at Senchi in the Eastern Region.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Police Professional and Intelligence Bureau (PIPS) are investigating the case.
Police to pursue justice for assaulted journalists-- IGP assures GJA
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Alhassan, has assured the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) that it will leave no stone unturned to ensure that justice is served in the assault against the two Multimedia journalists at Senchi in the Eastern Region.
He described the incident as very unfortunate and said the police administration took a serious view of brutality perpetrated by its personnel against civilians.
Mr Alhassan said whenever such incidents occurred everything possible was done to get to the bottom of the matter, irrespective of the victim’s status.
Serious attention
At a meeting with the GJA executives at the Police Headquarters in Accra last Tuesday, the IGP said the case was receiving serious attention; the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was investigating the criminal aspect while the Police Professional and Intelligence Bureau (PIPS) was also investigating the conduct of the policemen.
He said the police recognised the very important role of the media in modern-day policing and would do everything to maintain the cordial relationship that already existed between the two institutions.
“We are in a democratic dispensation where freedom of speech is revered, and the police will not be part of any effort to stifle it”, he said.
Mr Alhassan indicated that the police appreciated the essence of the media in any democratic state and this had informed the service to initiate measures to foster a cordial relationship with the media.
The police, he said, would not do anything to jeopardise that friendship.
GJA to defend members
The President of the GJA, Mr Roland Affail Monney, indicated that the GJA executives visit to the Police Headquarters was to meant to make a formal complaint and demand the immediate investigation and subsequent punishment of the perpetrators of the brutal assault on some journalists.
Mr Monney said as the umbrella body of journalists in the country, the GJA would at always defend their members who were mistreated in their line of duty.
He, however, expressed the association’s appreciation of the police’s swift response to the incident and added that the current achievements chalked up by the police administration could not have happened without the unflinching support of the media.
The President of the GJA commended the IGP for his effective leadership which had led to the general public’s respect for the police administration and added that the bad lots should not be allowed to tarnish the police’s hard-won reputation.
Last week, two police officers, Django Fatau and Mr Tetteh shoved aside Joy News’ reporter, Matilda Wemegah and slapped the cameraman, David McCarthy, for filming a scuffle between the policemen and a trailer driver on the Senchi ferry in the Eastern Region.
Quick Read
The Police Administration is investigating the alleged assault of two journalists from the Multimedia Group at Senchi in the Eastern Region.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Police Professional and Intelligence Bureau (PIPS) are investigating the case.
Solar Home Systems needed to address power problems
Solar Home Systems needed to address power problems
By:Mary Mensah, ACCRA
The Board Chairman of the Energy Commission has stressed the need for the immediate deployment of Solar Home Systems (SHS) to address the current challenges facing the country.
He said the deployment of renewable energy systems could also be applied to achieve the objective of further lowering consumer demand on the power supply system.
Rooftop Solar
Dr Kwame Ampofo, who said this at a stakeholders meeting on rooftop solar installation in Accra yesterday said if all homes could have their lighting loads and other small appliances such as radios and fans removed from the grid and placed on SHS ,they could be some reduction in the grid load .
He said this would be good for the energy economy and would also result in continuous power for beneficiaries but with lower electricity bills.
Electricity Consumption
The chairman said a cursory look at the electricity consumption profile of the Ghanaian economy indicated that the industrial and residential sectors of the economy held the biggest potential for making sufficient impact on the power supply system through demand management.
“It is for this reason that we have selected the residential sector to be the avenue for achieving significant reduction in the load profile of the power system,” he said.
He said even though there were several technological interventions available to manage the residential load, a desirable technology was the deployment of solar photo voltaic technology,especially packed as Solar Home System (SHS).
He said it was common knowledge that the power sector of the country was facing a number of challenges the combination of which had led to a gaping imbalance between the electricity supply capacity of the national grid and electricity demand.
Load Shedding
According to him, the challenges were due to poor hydrology, erratic and unreliable fuel supplies and also the non-availability of some generating units and to respond to these, the utilities were compelled to impose a load-shedding regime of between 350 and 600 megawatts.
He said to quickly ease the pressure on the electricity supply system ,there was the need to look at the demand side of the energy balance where there were a lot of opportunities for addressing the current challenges.
Energy Efficiency
This, he said, included energy efficiency initiatives, responsible consumer behaviour and a shift to non-grid renewable energy systems to quickly ease the pressure on the electricity supply system and offer the needed relief that the country needed.
He said to achieve these objectives ,the Energy Commission was proposing a market approach for the self-sustaining deployment of the SHS.
Quick Read
A meeting with stakeholders to discuss how the housing industry could take advantage of the country’s abundant solar resources has opened in Accra .
By:Mary Mensah, ACCRA
The Board Chairman of the Energy Commission has stressed the need for the immediate deployment of Solar Home Systems (SHS) to address the current challenges facing the country.
He said the deployment of renewable energy systems could also be applied to achieve the objective of further lowering consumer demand on the power supply system.
Rooftop Solar
Dr Kwame Ampofo, who said this at a stakeholders meeting on rooftop solar installation in Accra yesterday said if all homes could have their lighting loads and other small appliances such as radios and fans removed from the grid and placed on SHS ,they could be some reduction in the grid load .
He said this would be good for the energy economy and would also result in continuous power for beneficiaries but with lower electricity bills.
Electricity Consumption
The chairman said a cursory look at the electricity consumption profile of the Ghanaian economy indicated that the industrial and residential sectors of the economy held the biggest potential for making sufficient impact on the power supply system through demand management.
“It is for this reason that we have selected the residential sector to be the avenue for achieving significant reduction in the load profile of the power system,” he said.
He said even though there were several technological interventions available to manage the residential load, a desirable technology was the deployment of solar photo voltaic technology,especially packed as Solar Home System (SHS).
He said it was common knowledge that the power sector of the country was facing a number of challenges the combination of which had led to a gaping imbalance between the electricity supply capacity of the national grid and electricity demand.
Load Shedding
According to him, the challenges were due to poor hydrology, erratic and unreliable fuel supplies and also the non-availability of some generating units and to respond to these, the utilities were compelled to impose a load-shedding regime of between 350 and 600 megawatts.
He said to quickly ease the pressure on the electricity supply system ,there was the need to look at the demand side of the energy balance where there were a lot of opportunities for addressing the current challenges.
Energy Efficiency
This, he said, included energy efficiency initiatives, responsible consumer behaviour and a shift to non-grid renewable energy systems to quickly ease the pressure on the electricity supply system and offer the needed relief that the country needed.
He said to achieve these objectives ,the Energy Commission was proposing a market approach for the self-sustaining deployment of the SHS.
Quick Read
A meeting with stakeholders to discuss how the housing industry could take advantage of the country’s abundant solar resources has opened in Accra .
Movenpick Hotel bar opened to all - General Manager
By: Mary Mensah, ACCRA
THE Management of Movenpick Hotel in Accra has denied a publication in the Daily Graphic that the hotel has a policy that prevents single or a group of women from accessing its facilities, unless escorted by a man or men.
According to the General Manager, Mr Axel Hauser, it was the policy of the hotel to treat its guests, patrons and visitors equally and offer them the needed professional services.
First Class Services
“We are here to offer our guests first-class services and will never do anything that will compromise or tarnish the reputation of the hotel,” Mr Hauser said.
He said currently, women formed the majority of the population, for which reason no business entity in its right senses would prevent or turn them away from such a facility.
Mr Hauser was speaking to the Daily Graphic following a reader’s concern published in the letters column of the Monday, February 16, 2015 edition of the paper, on an incident the writer said occurred at the Movenpick Hotel Bar/Lounge on Friday, February 6, 2015.
No Incident
Mr Hauser said after their attention was drawn to the Daily Graphic publication, management of the hotel carried out an investigation and found out that no such incident had occurred at the hotel.
He said the Movenpick Hotel bar was opened to all people throughout the week, adding that every Friday and Saturday, life music was played which attracted a number of guests to the hotel.
“For people not to get confused and enter the restaurant instead of the bar the management placed a red carpet in front of the corridor and positioned a member of staff there to direct people,” he said.
THE Management of Movenpick Hotel in Accra has denied a publication in the Daily Graphic that the hotel has a policy that prevents single or a group of women from accessing its facilities, unless escorted by a man or men.
According to the General Manager, Mr Axel Hauser, it was the policy of the hotel to treat its guests, patrons and visitors equally and offer them the needed professional services.
First Class Services
“We are here to offer our guests first-class services and will never do anything that will compromise or tarnish the reputation of the hotel,” Mr Hauser said.
He said currently, women formed the majority of the population, for which reason no business entity in its right senses would prevent or turn them away from such a facility.
Mr Hauser was speaking to the Daily Graphic following a reader’s concern published in the letters column of the Monday, February 16, 2015 edition of the paper, on an incident the writer said occurred at the Movenpick Hotel Bar/Lounge on Friday, February 6, 2015.
No Incident
Mr Hauser said after their attention was drawn to the Daily Graphic publication, management of the hotel carried out an investigation and found out that no such incident had occurred at the hotel.
He said the Movenpick Hotel bar was opened to all people throughout the week, adding that every Friday and Saturday, life music was played which attracted a number of guests to the hotel.
“For people not to get confused and enter the restaurant instead of the bar the management placed a red carpet in front of the corridor and positioned a member of staff there to direct people,” he said.
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