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.
Ghana Needs Agressive Leadership
By: Mary Mensah, ACCRA
THE Founder of the International Leadership Foundation (ILF), Dr Delanyo Adadevoh, has called for an aggressive leadership that will lead the country into a better future.
According to him, any development agenda without a strong and aggressive leadership backed by enlightened citizens would cause the country’s development aspirations to be a mirage.
“We cannot develop by trading other people’s resources; we have to build the capacity to transfer our own natural resources and add value to them”, he said.
Ethics and Leadership
Delivering an inaugural lecture at the annual lectures dubbed “Ethics and Leadership”, instituted by the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) in Accra, Dr Adedevoh said he was looking for the day when Ghanaians would agitate against the country’s development agenda which had been going back and forth over the years”.
Delivering his address on the topic “Transformational Leadership and Ethics: A key Driver for Excellence and Wealth Creation”, Dr Adadevoh said in countries such as the United States of America (USA), issues of developmental agenda were settled and untouchable and subsequent governments had no choice than to continue from where their predecessors left off.
Technological Gap
Dr Adadevoh, who also serves as the Chairman of the Interim Leadership Team for the African Forum on Religion and Government (AFREG), said the gap left between developing countries and the Western World was a technological one which ought to be bridged.
He added that the skills of an aggressive leadership in the country had been lost, saying that “the time had come for all Ghanaians to embrace the kind of leadership that would lead the country into a true development.”
Dr Adadevoh said leadership involved engaging, equipping and empowering a growing force of willing followers to accomplish a commonly owned vision.
Economic Partnership
He expressed regret at the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which allowed the country unlimited access to the European market, while the Europeans exported their goods to Ghana duty free.
He said such a move meant that Ghana’s developmental agenda would be delayed for the next 20 years since already the country was a net importer of finished products from the developed countries.
Collapsed Buildings
A Justice of the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Issifu Tanko Amadu, expressed concern about the rate buildings collapsed and asked the Ghana Institute of Engineers to sit up.
He urged them to set up a task force that would monitor structures being put up and ensure that there was a structural engineer otherwise the developers should be made to stop.
Mr Justice Amadu, who launched the lectures on behalf of the Chief Justice, Mrs JusticeGeorgina Theodora Wood, urged the engineering body to endeavour to bring any of their members found to have been involved in the construction of a collapsed structure to book, adding that “you must however give them a fair hearing.”
Code of Ethics
The President of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, Mr Magnus Lincoln Quarshie, explained that the “Ethics and Leadership” Lecture Series had been instituted by the GIE to be held in February of every year for the enhancement of ethical practice of the profession.
Quick Read
The Ghana Institute of Engineers has launched the Ethics and Leadership lecture series which would be delivered annually.
The inaugural lecture was on the topic "transformational leadership and Ethics, a key driver for excellence and wealth creation##” and was delivered by Dr Delanyo Adadevoh.
THE Founder of the International Leadership Foundation (ILF), Dr Delanyo Adadevoh, has called for an aggressive leadership that will lead the country into a better future.
According to him, any development agenda without a strong and aggressive leadership backed by enlightened citizens would cause the country’s development aspirations to be a mirage.
“We cannot develop by trading other people’s resources; we have to build the capacity to transfer our own natural resources and add value to them”, he said.
Ethics and Leadership
Delivering an inaugural lecture at the annual lectures dubbed “Ethics and Leadership”, instituted by the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) in Accra, Dr Adedevoh said he was looking for the day when Ghanaians would agitate against the country’s development agenda which had been going back and forth over the years”.
Delivering his address on the topic “Transformational Leadership and Ethics: A key Driver for Excellence and Wealth Creation”, Dr Adadevoh said in countries such as the United States of America (USA), issues of developmental agenda were settled and untouchable and subsequent governments had no choice than to continue from where their predecessors left off.
Technological Gap
Dr Adadevoh, who also serves as the Chairman of the Interim Leadership Team for the African Forum on Religion and Government (AFREG), said the gap left between developing countries and the Western World was a technological one which ought to be bridged.
He added that the skills of an aggressive leadership in the country had been lost, saying that “the time had come for all Ghanaians to embrace the kind of leadership that would lead the country into a true development.”
Dr Adadevoh said leadership involved engaging, equipping and empowering a growing force of willing followers to accomplish a commonly owned vision.
Economic Partnership
He expressed regret at the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which allowed the country unlimited access to the European market, while the Europeans exported their goods to Ghana duty free.
He said such a move meant that Ghana’s developmental agenda would be delayed for the next 20 years since already the country was a net importer of finished products from the developed countries.
Collapsed Buildings
A Justice of the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Issifu Tanko Amadu, expressed concern about the rate buildings collapsed and asked the Ghana Institute of Engineers to sit up.
He urged them to set up a task force that would monitor structures being put up and ensure that there was a structural engineer otherwise the developers should be made to stop.
Mr Justice Amadu, who launched the lectures on behalf of the Chief Justice, Mrs JusticeGeorgina Theodora Wood, urged the engineering body to endeavour to bring any of their members found to have been involved in the construction of a collapsed structure to book, adding that “you must however give them a fair hearing.”
Code of Ethics
The President of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, Mr Magnus Lincoln Quarshie, explained that the “Ethics and Leadership” Lecture Series had been instituted by the GIE to be held in February of every year for the enhancement of ethical practice of the profession.
Quick Read
The Ghana Institute of Engineers has launched the Ethics and Leadership lecture series which would be delivered annually.
The inaugural lecture was on the topic "transformational leadership and Ethics, a key driver for excellence and wealth creation##” and was delivered by Dr Delanyo Adadevoh.
Road Minister Inspects projects in Accra
By: Mary Mensah: ACCRA,
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Innusah Fuseini, has expressed satisfaction with the level of construction works so far done on some selected projects in Accra.
The projects are: the construction of the pedestrians footbridge at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, Traffic management works around the Accra Mall and the Polo Court Roundabout, reconstruction of the Giffard Road and the construction of the Burma Camp roads one and two.
The other projects are the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, construction of Awoshie-Pokuase road and community infrastructure projects, public transport improvement measures and the BRT on the Amasaman-Accra central business district (CBD) route.
Accompanied by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, and the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs Joyce Bawah Mogtari, the Roads Minister inspected six projects in Accra last Friday.
Level of Completion
Alhaji Fuseini said levels of completion ranged from 34 to 94 per cent and that all the contractors had worked within specifications, noting that all the projects would be completed on schedule.
He said the government, acting through the Department of Urban Roads, was implementing the Turket project to construct four pedestrian footbridges at hazardous road locations in Accra and Kumasi.
The four bridge locations as the Tetteh Quarshie, Mallam Market, Shiashie, all in Accra, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Junction (KNUST) in Kumasi.
The 76 million Euro pedestrian bridges project is being funded by the Austrian government and the government of Ghana. The objective is to provide safe crossing for pedestrians at those locations and also allow traffic to flow freely without pedestrian interruptions.
At the Polo bypass in Accra, Alhaji Abass Awulu, Director for Urban Roads, who conducted the ministers round the projects, said henceforth the road from the Airport Roundabout to Woolworth, no longer linked the main 37-Tetteh Quarshie road from the Kotoka International Airport.
On the Awoshie-Pokuase road and community development project also in Accra, Alhaji Fuseini said the project sought to ensure improvement in mobility and accessibility to the rapidly developing north-western corridor of Accra.
Safety Measures
For her part, Mrs Mogtari advised the contractors to provide all the necessary safety measures, such as road markings on the road, as early as practicable.
“We all know what happened on the N1 Highway and we don’t want a recurrence of that on the new roads,” she cautioned.
For his part, Nii Afotey Agbo also said he was satisfied with the level of development in the region and urged the contractors to stay focused on the projects and work according to specifications.
The projects in Accra which started almost two years ago, are expected to be completed by the end of this year, to ease congestion on the Spintex and Tema motorway roads, as they would serve as major alternative routes.
Quick Read
• Work on a number of road and traffic management projects in the Accra metropolis are expected to be completed before the end of the year.
• They include the pedestrians footbridge at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, traffic management works around the Accra Mall and the Polo Court Roundabout and the reconstruction of the Giffard Road.
Pull quote
Alhaji Fuseini said levels of completion ranged from 34 to 94 per cent and that all the contractors had worked within specifications, noting that all the projects would be completed on schedule.
Ministry of Roads alters traffic routes to Spintex
By:Mary Mensah, ACCRA
The Ministry of Roads and Highways has altered traffic from Accra to Spintex, Accra Mall and Madina as part of efforts to ease traffic at the Tetteh Quarshie interchange.
Henceforth, motorists from Accra and the 37 Military Hospital to the Spintex area would be expected to turn right at the airport traffic light to the airport roundabout towards the Polo Grounds and then turn right unto the new diversion that links the Spintex road.
The Minister of Roads Highways, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, made this known when he toured some project sites in the metropolis .He was accompanied by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Afotey Agbo, and the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs Mogtari.
He expressed satisfaction at the rate of work on the roads on the eastern part of Accra after the inspection .
Accra Mall to Spintex
He said motorists exiting the Accra Mall to the Spintex area would be expected to turn right unto the new diversion by the mall which was close to the motorway, go straight and turn at the roundabout onto the Spintex road.
According to the minister, motorists coming from Spintex to Accra and 37 Hospital areas would be expected to turn left unto the new diversion towards the Polo Grounds and left to the airport roundabout then to Accra or 37.
Achimota to Spintex
He said motorists coming from Achimota to the Spintex area will have to descend the loop unto the mall roundabout and use the new diversion by the mall which was close to the motorway and go straight and turn to the Spintex road.
Alhaji Fuseini said motorists coming from Accra and 37 to Legon and Madina areas would be expected to use the main highway directly from 37 area, adding that those from the Aviance areas to Madina would have to drive to the airport roundabout and turn left to join the main road.
Projects to Complete
He said the projects, which started almost two years ago, were expected to be completed by the end of this year to ease congestion on the Spintex road and the Tema motorway in the coming years.
Apart from the roads, there will be an interchange at the Congo junction, improvement on the Teshie township roads, and total improvement on the Burma Camp roads as supplementary projects.
He commended the contractors for working within the scheduled time, adding that once completed, traffic on the Spintex road, Tema Motorway and Beach roads would ease as these roads would serve as major alternative routes.
Quick Read
Government to Construct Modern International Airport
By: Mary Mensah, ACCRA
The government’s plan to construct a modern international airport in the Dangbe West District in the Greater Accra Region is on course.
The Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, has said.
Land acquisition process, she said, was currently ongoing.
The plan to construct a new international airport forms part of the government’s policy to open up the country by establishing at least an aerodrome in every region of the country.
Mrs Dzifa Attivor made this known at the 2014 annual general meeting of the Chattered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Ghana in Accra yesterday.
New members were admitted into the CILT.
Regional Airport
She said the role of regional airports within the broad aviation hub would be to serve as feeder airports to the international airports.
She said an aviation system master plan study was currently ongoing with support from the World Bank to identify probable locations for greenfield aerodromes in order to guide a systematic development of the aviation sector.
Aviation hub
The theme for the meeting was, “The Role and Importance of an Aviation Hub in the Economic and Social Development of the Country”.
The Minister said the theme was in line with the ministry’s vision to make Ghana an aviation hub within the sub-region.
With regard to infrastructure development, she said, there were major infrastructure works in progress which when completed would make the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) an aviation hub.
Potential Benefits
Mrs Attivor said for the aviation hub concept and policy to be successful and to derive the associated potential benefits, necessary infrastructure and safety measures, among other facilities should be in place.
She said there was also the need for a home based national airline to drive the programme and a key elopement was to ensure an effective distribution of transit and connecting passengers.
First phase
The minister said the first phase of the arrival hall expansion was partially opened for use and would be fully completed by the end of the first quarter of 2015 to accommodate the growing number of travellers .
According to her, negotiations were also ongoing for the award of contracts for works to start in the first quarter of 2015 on the construction of a third terminal, adding that the construction of a southern apron at KIA for wide body aircraft was nearing completion.
New facelift
She said those projects would give a new facelift to the airport with modern infrastructure to handle the growing traffic as well as transit facilities to ensure flexibility in travel.
Mrs Attivor indicated that further important areas that would ensure the sustainability of the drive to create Ghana as an aviation hub was in the area of training and capacity building for the aviation sector.
Quick Read
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Ghana has held its annual general meeting in Accra.
The theme for the meeting was, “The Role and Importance of an Aviation Hub in the Economic and Social Development of the country”.
The government’s plan to construct a modern international airport in the Dangbe West District in the Greater Accra Region is on course.
The Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, has said.
Land acquisition process, she said, was currently ongoing.
The plan to construct a new international airport forms part of the government’s policy to open up the country by establishing at least an aerodrome in every region of the country.
Mrs Dzifa Attivor made this known at the 2014 annual general meeting of the Chattered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Ghana in Accra yesterday.
New members were admitted into the CILT.
Regional Airport
She said the role of regional airports within the broad aviation hub would be to serve as feeder airports to the international airports.
She said an aviation system master plan study was currently ongoing with support from the World Bank to identify probable locations for greenfield aerodromes in order to guide a systematic development of the aviation sector.
Aviation hub
The theme for the meeting was, “The Role and Importance of an Aviation Hub in the Economic and Social Development of the Country”.
The Minister said the theme was in line with the ministry’s vision to make Ghana an aviation hub within the sub-region.
With regard to infrastructure development, she said, there were major infrastructure works in progress which when completed would make the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) an aviation hub.
Potential Benefits
Mrs Attivor said for the aviation hub concept and policy to be successful and to derive the associated potential benefits, necessary infrastructure and safety measures, among other facilities should be in place.
She said there was also the need for a home based national airline to drive the programme and a key elopement was to ensure an effective distribution of transit and connecting passengers.
First phase
The minister said the first phase of the arrival hall expansion was partially opened for use and would be fully completed by the end of the first quarter of 2015 to accommodate the growing number of travellers .
According to her, negotiations were also ongoing for the award of contracts for works to start in the first quarter of 2015 on the construction of a third terminal, adding that the construction of a southern apron at KIA for wide body aircraft was nearing completion.
New facelift
She said those projects would give a new facelift to the airport with modern infrastructure to handle the growing traffic as well as transit facilities to ensure flexibility in travel.
Mrs Attivor indicated that further important areas that would ensure the sustainability of the drive to create Ghana as an aviation hub was in the area of training and capacity building for the aviation sector.
Quick Read
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Ghana has held its annual general meeting in Accra.
The theme for the meeting was, “The Role and Importance of an Aviation Hub in the Economic and Social Development of the country”.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Acting IGP took over Ghana Police Service
Story: Mary Mensah
THE Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIGP) of the Ghana Police Service, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, took over yesterday as acting IGP.
The outgoing IGP, Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, begins his official terminal leave prior to retirement and his deputy has been directed by President John Dramani Mahama to act until further notice.
Mr Alhassan was enlisted into the Service in 1979 as a Chief Inspector of Police, graduating from the Police College in 1980 as Assistant Superintendent of Police, with honours.
He has held many command appointments nationally and internationally. He has served as a career officer in all command levels from the field to the headquarters.
He has served as a staff instructor at the Police College, district commander, divisional commander and regional police commander in various parts of the country and before his appointment as DIGP, Mr Alhassan was the Director-General of Administration at the Police Headquarters.
He was once the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Police Operations at the Police Headquarters in 2003, having earlier served at the same place as Assistant Staff Officer to the IGP between 1981 and 1984 on two occasions.
His contribution to the development of the service includes a wide range of law enforcement advice, guidance, direction, as well as reforms and restructuring initiatives to the service and various national law enforcement agencies across the world.
He is widely credited with the introduction of neighbourhood watch policing (Community Policing) in Ghana in 1984, while as a district officer, the tent city policing concept in Tema as Regional Commander and the establishment of the Highway Patrol Unit at the Police HQ as the Deputy Commissioner Operations, as part of innovations to make the police more proactive, visible, accessible and responsive to community needs and crime trend in the country.
His initiative, good operational planning and innovation significantly contributed to the widely applauded police professional feats and crowd management standards achieved in recent high-profile public events in the country.
His international appointments and contributions have included various appointments with the United Nations and other international organisations.
He was appointed Interim United Nations Police Advisor to the UN Secretary-General at the UNHQ, New York in 2007, having been earlier appointed UN Police Commissioner for UN Mission in Liberia in 2005.
Between 1999 and 2003, Mr M. A. Alhassan was appointed Desk Officer at the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, responsible for Mission Management in Europe, Latin America and the Middle-East.
He also served as Station and District commander with the UN Mission in Namibia ( UNTAG) and International Police Task Force (IPTF) Weapon Instructor in Bosnia Herzegovina.
He has extensive legacies in the UN circles including the present reforms and restructuring initiatives of the Liberian National Police Education.
He successfully completed studies in National and International Security from the John Kennedy School, Harvard University, Boston USA.
He holds an MSc degree in Police Administration and Criminology from the University of Cardiff, UK and a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon.
He has attended numerous management and leadership training programmes across the world as a resource person.
Between 1987 and 1999, he was a lecturer at the University of Ghana (Police Administration).
The acting IGP has made extensive presentations and research and write-up contributions to national and international seminars/workshops on varied policing areas including Ghana Police: Forces of Order; Community Policing in Ghana; Internal Crisis Management, Ghana Police Service Roles, Capabilities and Limitations, the Role of the United Nations Civilian Police in UN Peacekeeping Operations; Policing Election - Election Security, and many others.
THE Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIGP) of the Ghana Police Service, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, took over yesterday as acting IGP.
The outgoing IGP, Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, begins his official terminal leave prior to retirement and his deputy has been directed by President John Dramani Mahama to act until further notice.
Mr Alhassan was enlisted into the Service in 1979 as a Chief Inspector of Police, graduating from the Police College in 1980 as Assistant Superintendent of Police, with honours.
He has held many command appointments nationally and internationally. He has served as a career officer in all command levels from the field to the headquarters.
He has served as a staff instructor at the Police College, district commander, divisional commander and regional police commander in various parts of the country and before his appointment as DIGP, Mr Alhassan was the Director-General of Administration at the Police Headquarters.
He was once the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Police Operations at the Police Headquarters in 2003, having earlier served at the same place as Assistant Staff Officer to the IGP between 1981 and 1984 on two occasions.
His contribution to the development of the service includes a wide range of law enforcement advice, guidance, direction, as well as reforms and restructuring initiatives to the service and various national law enforcement agencies across the world.
He is widely credited with the introduction of neighbourhood watch policing (Community Policing) in Ghana in 1984, while as a district officer, the tent city policing concept in Tema as Regional Commander and the establishment of the Highway Patrol Unit at the Police HQ as the Deputy Commissioner Operations, as part of innovations to make the police more proactive, visible, accessible and responsive to community needs and crime trend in the country.
His initiative, good operational planning and innovation significantly contributed to the widely applauded police professional feats and crowd management standards achieved in recent high-profile public events in the country.
His international appointments and contributions have included various appointments with the United Nations and other international organisations.
He was appointed Interim United Nations Police Advisor to the UN Secretary-General at the UNHQ, New York in 2007, having been earlier appointed UN Police Commissioner for UN Mission in Liberia in 2005.
Between 1999 and 2003, Mr M. A. Alhassan was appointed Desk Officer at the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, responsible for Mission Management in Europe, Latin America and the Middle-East.
He also served as Station and District commander with the UN Mission in Namibia ( UNTAG) and International Police Task Force (IPTF) Weapon Instructor in Bosnia Herzegovina.
He has extensive legacies in the UN circles including the present reforms and restructuring initiatives of the Liberian National Police Education.
He successfully completed studies in National and International Security from the John Kennedy School, Harvard University, Boston USA.
He holds an MSc degree in Police Administration and Criminology from the University of Cardiff, UK and a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon.
He has attended numerous management and leadership training programmes across the world as a resource person.
Between 1987 and 1999, he was a lecturer at the University of Ghana (Police Administration).
The acting IGP has made extensive presentations and research and write-up contributions to national and international seminars/workshops on varied policing areas including Ghana Police: Forces of Order; Community Policing in Ghana; Internal Crisis Management, Ghana Police Service Roles, Capabilities and Limitations, the Role of the United Nations Civilian Police in UN Peacekeeping Operations; Policing Election - Election Security, and many others.
Human Rights Activists
A HUMAN rights activist has dragged former President John Agyekum Kufour, President Yahaya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh of Gambia and the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the International Criminal Court.
According to the activist, the three men failed to act appropriately in the gruesome murder of 72 Ghanaians and eight Nigerians in the Gambia on July 22, 2005.
Mr Anthony Kwabena Abrebrese Rau, a Ghanaian resident in Humburg, Germany, indicated that he had evidence to prove that President Jammeh intensionally ordered the murder of the stowaways.
He said Mr Kufour, who was the president at the time, intentionally failed to have his Attorney General take immediate legal action against Mr Jammeh.
At a press briefing in Accra yesterday, Mr Rau said he had an eye witness who claimed that when Mr Kufour sent his then Foreign Minister, Nana Akufo-Addo, to meet Mr Jammeh to ascertain the facts about the incident, Mr Jammeh refused to meet him but rather told him that he was not prepared to meet any minister except President Kufour himself.
He said in this case, President Kufour should have taken international legal action against Mr Jammeh and he strongly believed that Mr Kufour misused his power to cover Mr Jammeh.
“Nana Akufo-Addo was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from April 2003-2007 and if his boss failed to work, he should have resigned and made a case against the Gambian President, Mr Jammeh. I suspect Nana Akufo-Addo also covered the others, which was a crime against the international human rights act,” he said.
He said under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all human beings were born free and equal in dignity and rights and they were endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
He added that everyone had the right to effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Mr Rau asserted that on June 8, 2011 he received a whole evidence which he thinks was good for prosecution and called on the International Criminal Court to use their good offices to prosecute the three men with the international law of crime.
“The one who gave me this information said it was not true that 44 Ghanaians were murdered in the Gambia, but rather 72 Ghanaians and eight Nigerians. He also alleged that the bodies which the present government requested from the Gambian some months ago and were buried in Ghana were not the rightful dead bodies.
My witness is prepared to show the International Criminal Court where the real bodies were buried,” he said.
According to the activist, the three men failed to act appropriately in the gruesome murder of 72 Ghanaians and eight Nigerians in the Gambia on July 22, 2005.
Mr Anthony Kwabena Abrebrese Rau, a Ghanaian resident in Humburg, Germany, indicated that he had evidence to prove that President Jammeh intensionally ordered the murder of the stowaways.
He said Mr Kufour, who was the president at the time, intentionally failed to have his Attorney General take immediate legal action against Mr Jammeh.
At a press briefing in Accra yesterday, Mr Rau said he had an eye witness who claimed that when Mr Kufour sent his then Foreign Minister, Nana Akufo-Addo, to meet Mr Jammeh to ascertain the facts about the incident, Mr Jammeh refused to meet him but rather told him that he was not prepared to meet any minister except President Kufour himself.
He said in this case, President Kufour should have taken international legal action against Mr Jammeh and he strongly believed that Mr Kufour misused his power to cover Mr Jammeh.
“Nana Akufo-Addo was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from April 2003-2007 and if his boss failed to work, he should have resigned and made a case against the Gambian President, Mr Jammeh. I suspect Nana Akufo-Addo also covered the others, which was a crime against the international human rights act,” he said.
He said under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all human beings were born free and equal in dignity and rights and they were endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
He added that everyone had the right to effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Mr Rau asserted that on June 8, 2011 he received a whole evidence which he thinks was good for prosecution and called on the International Criminal Court to use their good offices to prosecute the three men with the international law of crime.
“The one who gave me this information said it was not true that 44 Ghanaians were murdered in the Gambia, but rather 72 Ghanaians and eight Nigerians. He also alleged that the bodies which the present government requested from the Gambian some months ago and were buried in Ghana were not the rightful dead bodies.
My witness is prepared to show the International Criminal Court where the real bodies were buried,” he said.
A National Integrated Programme Developed
A NATIONAL integrated programme has been developed by the government to tackle drug trafficking and its related problems in the country.
The programme, developed in co-operation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, is meant to improve the ability of the country to respond appropriately to drug trafficking.
The Vice-President, Mr Akwesi Amissah-Arthur, announced this at the inauguration of the West African Commission on the Impact of Drug Trafficking on Governance, Security and Development in Accra yesterday.
The high-powered commission was convened by Mr Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN).
The commission is under the chairmanship of the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and members include distinguished leaders and individuals in West Africa including President Pedro Verona Pires of Cape Verde.
Mr Amissah Arthur said the value of the drug trade was a significant proportion of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and, therefore, had the ability to undermine national institutions, as the profit from the drug trade could fund and corrupt national institutions and subordinate them to the will of the traffickers.
He added that drug trafficking was, therefore, a threat to the well being, security and stability of nations.
It was in view of that the government would continue to collaborate with ECOWAS, the African Union (AU) and the UN to find a lasting solution to the problem, he said.
Mr Amissah Arthur said there was the need for countries to work closely with drug producer and consumer regions for the world to deal effectively with drug trafficking.
He underscored the need for the acquisition of accurate information on drugs, adding, ”we must make every effort to ensure that our youth are given the kind of help that reduces their vulnerability to drug pushers and diminish the risks they run in using drugs.”
He added that the government welcomed the initiative, which was taken by Mr Kofi Annan to raise awareness of the negative impact of drug trafficking in the sub-region.
He said the initiative had come at a crucial time when the countries in the sub-region were facing the threat of sustained instability due to the destructive activities and corrupting influence of drug traffickers.
For his part, Mr Kofi Annan said the massive surge in drug trafficking over the last decade presented a serious and growing threat to the region’s stability and development.
“Left unchecked, illegal drug trafficking could compromise the encouraging progress that West African nations have made in strengthening democracy and promoting human and economic development,” he added.
Former President Obasanjo said the illegal trade in drugs could cause political instability and social upheavals.
“The trade in illegal drugs has already caused devastation in other regions of the world. We must all work to prevent West Africa from experiencing the same fate. The commission looks forward to its urgent and important work,” he said.
The commission, which will publish a comprehensive report later this year, aims at developing evidence-based policy recommendations for political and civil society leaders to address drug trafficking; creating public awareness and ensuring political commitment to the issue, and promoting local and regional capacities to deal with drug trafficking.
The programme, developed in co-operation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, is meant to improve the ability of the country to respond appropriately to drug trafficking.
The Vice-President, Mr Akwesi Amissah-Arthur, announced this at the inauguration of the West African Commission on the Impact of Drug Trafficking on Governance, Security and Development in Accra yesterday.
The high-powered commission was convened by Mr Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN).
The commission is under the chairmanship of the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and members include distinguished leaders and individuals in West Africa including President Pedro Verona Pires of Cape Verde.
Mr Amissah Arthur said the value of the drug trade was a significant proportion of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and, therefore, had the ability to undermine national institutions, as the profit from the drug trade could fund and corrupt national institutions and subordinate them to the will of the traffickers.
He added that drug trafficking was, therefore, a threat to the well being, security and stability of nations.
It was in view of that the government would continue to collaborate with ECOWAS, the African Union (AU) and the UN to find a lasting solution to the problem, he said.
Mr Amissah Arthur said there was the need for countries to work closely with drug producer and consumer regions for the world to deal effectively with drug trafficking.
He underscored the need for the acquisition of accurate information on drugs, adding, ”we must make every effort to ensure that our youth are given the kind of help that reduces their vulnerability to drug pushers and diminish the risks they run in using drugs.”
He added that the government welcomed the initiative, which was taken by Mr Kofi Annan to raise awareness of the negative impact of drug trafficking in the sub-region.
He said the initiative had come at a crucial time when the countries in the sub-region were facing the threat of sustained instability due to the destructive activities and corrupting influence of drug traffickers.
For his part, Mr Kofi Annan said the massive surge in drug trafficking over the last decade presented a serious and growing threat to the region’s stability and development.
“Left unchecked, illegal drug trafficking could compromise the encouraging progress that West African nations have made in strengthening democracy and promoting human and economic development,” he added.
Former President Obasanjo said the illegal trade in drugs could cause political instability and social upheavals.
“The trade in illegal drugs has already caused devastation in other regions of the world. We must all work to prevent West Africa from experiencing the same fate. The commission looks forward to its urgent and important work,” he said.
The commission, which will publish a comprehensive report later this year, aims at developing evidence-based policy recommendations for political and civil society leaders to address drug trafficking; creating public awareness and ensuring political commitment to the issue, and promoting local and regional capacities to deal with drug trafficking.
Malaria Prevelance dropped in Ghana
Malaria prevalence in the country has dropped considerably from 86.8 per cent to 27.5 per cent, Dr Constance Bart-Plange, the Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), has said
The achievement is partly attributed to the distribution of free insecticide treated nets to households throughout the country.
Addressing the opening session of the Media Malaria Advocacy Orientation for media practitioners in Accra yesterday, Dr Bart-Plange said a total of 11,443,691 mosquito treated nets had so far been distributed nationwide.
The meeting was organised by the NMCP, the John Hopkins University Centre for Communications Programmes and the Voices Against Malaria in partnership with the Ghana Media Malaria Advocacy Network (GMMAN).
The aim of the meeting was to ride on the back of the ongoing AFCON 2013 football season to improve upon the capacity of the media to enable journalists to sustain media advocacy malaria programming and the launch of the AFCON 2013 Goal, Malaria magazine.
It was also to direct efforts towards energising the media to increase their advocacy support for the programmes and actions in malaria management.
Dr Bart-Plange said almost 90 per cent of Ghanaian mothers of children under five years now knew the cause of malaria and were able to identify mosquito bite as being responsible for the disease.
That, she said, was a positive move to taking the right step in preventing the disease and properly treating it. “The NMCP is proud of the achievement,” she said.
Dr Bart-Plange called on the media and all partners to play their roles of providing and disseminating the required information that could enhance efforts to promote the adoption of the approved tools in preventing and treating malaria.
For his part, Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, Country Director, John Hopkins University Centre for Communications Programme, said malaria killed a child every 60 seconds in Africa and 655,000 people worldwide every year.
He said malaria increased healthcare cost for governments and led to loss of working days, a situation which contributed to absenteeism and decreased productivity at the workplace.
Mr Fiagbey indicated that malaria contributed to reduction in internal mobility and damage to the potential growth sectors of the economy such as tourism and deterred foreign and local investors from moving their capital around.
According to him, it was estimated that Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could have been $100 billion higher today if malaria had been eliminated in the early 1960s.
He said a 10 per cent reduction in malaria cases was associated with 0.3 per cent higher annual growth of the economy of any country.
He said “any expenditure made in malaria prevention today is an investment in development for tomorrow, for the children saved today are surely the builders of tomorrow.”
Ms Vivian N. A. Aubyn said that there was a need to work together to reduce the social and economic impact of malaria in order to promote development.
She said fostering partnerships was a strategy of the National Malaria Control Programme in Ghana captured in the Malaria Strategy Document (2008-2015).
Ms Rosemary Ardayfio, Chairperson of GMMAN, said the purpose of the programme was to ride on the back of the ongoing African Cup of Nations 2013 football season to improve upon the capacity of the media in Ghana to enable journalists to sustain media advocacy for malaria programming.
The achievement is partly attributed to the distribution of free insecticide treated nets to households throughout the country.
Addressing the opening session of the Media Malaria Advocacy Orientation for media practitioners in Accra yesterday, Dr Bart-Plange said a total of 11,443,691 mosquito treated nets had so far been distributed nationwide.
The meeting was organised by the NMCP, the John Hopkins University Centre for Communications Programmes and the Voices Against Malaria in partnership with the Ghana Media Malaria Advocacy Network (GMMAN).
The aim of the meeting was to ride on the back of the ongoing AFCON 2013 football season to improve upon the capacity of the media to enable journalists to sustain media advocacy malaria programming and the launch of the AFCON 2013 Goal, Malaria magazine.
It was also to direct efforts towards energising the media to increase their advocacy support for the programmes and actions in malaria management.
Dr Bart-Plange said almost 90 per cent of Ghanaian mothers of children under five years now knew the cause of malaria and were able to identify mosquito bite as being responsible for the disease.
That, she said, was a positive move to taking the right step in preventing the disease and properly treating it. “The NMCP is proud of the achievement,” she said.
Dr Bart-Plange called on the media and all partners to play their roles of providing and disseminating the required information that could enhance efforts to promote the adoption of the approved tools in preventing and treating malaria.
For his part, Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, Country Director, John Hopkins University Centre for Communications Programme, said malaria killed a child every 60 seconds in Africa and 655,000 people worldwide every year.
He said malaria increased healthcare cost for governments and led to loss of working days, a situation which contributed to absenteeism and decreased productivity at the workplace.
Mr Fiagbey indicated that malaria contributed to reduction in internal mobility and damage to the potential growth sectors of the economy such as tourism and deterred foreign and local investors from moving their capital around.
According to him, it was estimated that Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could have been $100 billion higher today if malaria had been eliminated in the early 1960s.
He said a 10 per cent reduction in malaria cases was associated with 0.3 per cent higher annual growth of the economy of any country.
He said “any expenditure made in malaria prevention today is an investment in development for tomorrow, for the children saved today are surely the builders of tomorrow.”
Ms Vivian N. A. Aubyn said that there was a need to work together to reduce the social and economic impact of malaria in order to promote development.
She said fostering partnerships was a strategy of the National Malaria Control Programme in Ghana captured in the Malaria Strategy Document (2008-2015).
Ms Rosemary Ardayfio, Chairperson of GMMAN, said the purpose of the programme was to ride on the back of the ongoing African Cup of Nations 2013 football season to improve upon the capacity of the media in Ghana to enable journalists to sustain media advocacy for malaria programming.
32,000 School Girls to Benefit from Cervical Cancer Vaccinations
THIRTY-TWO thousand schoolgirls in 13 districts in the Central and Northern regions are to benefit from cervical cancer vaccinations.
The beneficiaries, aged between nine and 11, would be given a three-phase vaccination exercise against cervical cancer, which is said to be the leading cause of cancer deaths among women.
At a press briefing in Accra yesterday, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Appiah Denkyira, said the MoH had received 64,000 doses of Human Papillovirus Vaccines (HPV) worth $8,289,408, to help prevent cervical cancer among women of reproductive age.
Cervical cancer ranks as the first most frequent cancer among women between the ages of 15 and 44 in Ghana.
The vaccines were provided by Axios of the USA through the Rural Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment (Ruwide).
On the theme, “Prevent cervical cancer, vaccinate the girl child”, all seven districts in the Central Region and six others in the Northern Region would benefit from the exercise.
The districts in the Central Region are Awutu-Senya, Awutu-Senya East, Cape Coast, Efutu, Ekumfi, Mfantseman and Agona West. Those in the Northern Region are East Gonja, Kumbungu, Mion, Savelugu-Nanton, Tolon and Yendi.
All the girls identified would be vaccinated three times and the vaccination exercise would begin from February 11 to 15, followed by the second exercise from March 18 to 22 and the third vaccination from September 23 to 27, 2013.
Dr Denkyira said the young girls were being targeted because it was assumed that at the age of nine and 11, the girls might not have had any sexual contact and, therefore, the vaccine would help to prevent them from contracting cervical cancer when they were initiated into sexual activities.
Cervical cancer is contracted when girls are initiated into sexual intercourse at an early stage or when they have unprotected sex with multiple partners or when one is infected with HPV, which is the virus that causes cervical cancer.
The young girls are being targeted and vaccinated before they have any sexual contact.
Explaining why the Central and Northern regions were chosen for the pilot programme, he said the 2010 Census showed that teenage pregnancy was rife in the Central Region, a situation which he said could lead to a lot of them having cervical cancer in future.
He said there was, therefore, the need to vaccinate the young ones before their first sexual contact.
Also the Northern Region, he explained, was chosen because the 2010 Census showed that sex was mostly delayed among young girls.
Therefore, he said the Northern Region was an idle location to immunise the girls.
Dr Dankyira said for the HPV vaccine to work best, “it is very important for adolescents to get all three doses long before sexual activity begins”.
Research, he said, had shown that the vaccine was highly effective against the commonest HPV types that cause cancer of the cervix, saying that it was only effective when all three shots were given at the required intervals.
The MoH, he said, was supporting the exercise with GH¢600,000, while an additional GH¢300,000 would be provided during the third phase of the vaccination in September this year.
The Executive Director of Ruwide, Ms Maria Don-Chebe, said her organisation, which sourced for the support, would assist rural women to be self-sufficient through skills training and development.
The beneficiaries, aged between nine and 11, would be given a three-phase vaccination exercise against cervical cancer, which is said to be the leading cause of cancer deaths among women.
At a press briefing in Accra yesterday, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Appiah Denkyira, said the MoH had received 64,000 doses of Human Papillovirus Vaccines (HPV) worth $8,289,408, to help prevent cervical cancer among women of reproductive age.
Cervical cancer ranks as the first most frequent cancer among women between the ages of 15 and 44 in Ghana.
The vaccines were provided by Axios of the USA through the Rural Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment (Ruwide).
On the theme, “Prevent cervical cancer, vaccinate the girl child”, all seven districts in the Central Region and six others in the Northern Region would benefit from the exercise.
The districts in the Central Region are Awutu-Senya, Awutu-Senya East, Cape Coast, Efutu, Ekumfi, Mfantseman and Agona West. Those in the Northern Region are East Gonja, Kumbungu, Mion, Savelugu-Nanton, Tolon and Yendi.
All the girls identified would be vaccinated three times and the vaccination exercise would begin from February 11 to 15, followed by the second exercise from March 18 to 22 and the third vaccination from September 23 to 27, 2013.
Dr Denkyira said the young girls were being targeted because it was assumed that at the age of nine and 11, the girls might not have had any sexual contact and, therefore, the vaccine would help to prevent them from contracting cervical cancer when they were initiated into sexual activities.
Cervical cancer is contracted when girls are initiated into sexual intercourse at an early stage or when they have unprotected sex with multiple partners or when one is infected with HPV, which is the virus that causes cervical cancer.
The young girls are being targeted and vaccinated before they have any sexual contact.
Explaining why the Central and Northern regions were chosen for the pilot programme, he said the 2010 Census showed that teenage pregnancy was rife in the Central Region, a situation which he said could lead to a lot of them having cervical cancer in future.
He said there was, therefore, the need to vaccinate the young ones before their first sexual contact.
Also the Northern Region, he explained, was chosen because the 2010 Census showed that sex was mostly delayed among young girls.
Therefore, he said the Northern Region was an idle location to immunise the girls.
Dr Dankyira said for the HPV vaccine to work best, “it is very important for adolescents to get all three doses long before sexual activity begins”.
Research, he said, had shown that the vaccine was highly effective against the commonest HPV types that cause cancer of the cervix, saying that it was only effective when all three shots were given at the required intervals.
The MoH, he said, was supporting the exercise with GH¢600,000, while an additional GH¢300,000 would be provided during the third phase of the vaccination in September this year.
The Executive Director of Ruwide, Ms Maria Don-Chebe, said her organisation, which sourced for the support, would assist rural women to be self-sufficient through skills training and development.
Cyber Security Strategy Developed for Ghana
THE Ministry of Communications is developing a cyber security strategy for Ghana that will prevent fraud on the Internet, the Director-General of the National Communications Authority, Mr Paarock Vanpercy, has said.
The strategy will include the establishment of a national computer emergency response team (CERT) to create security awareness among the ministries, departments and agencies and other government agencies.
Addressing the opening session of the West African Cybersecurity and Cybercrime workshop for West African countries in Accra yesterday, Mr Vanpercy said a cyber security policy document focused on areas such as legislative and regulatory framework, cyber security technology framework, culture of security and capacity building, among others.
The workshop, which was organised by the US Department of State and the Government of Ghana, was aimed at providing the tools and information to evaluate and improve the sub-region’s capacity to address cybersecurity challenges.
It was also intended to help develop a comprehensive and implementable cybercrime and security regulations in Africa.
Mr Vanpercy said it also focused on strategy implementation timeliness, specific initiatives, establishment of a national cyber security working group, a national cybersecurity centre and a national cybersecurity council.
According to him, the ever-increasing threat of cybercrime and its associated impact on the economic and social development of the respective countries were a source of concern.
He said ICT had become essential to the operations of governments, corporate institutions and individuals, but the benefits accruing from the growing access to the Internet was being undermined by those exploiting its capabilities to the detriment of others.
“With such widespread use of the Internet, the data that resides on and flows across networks varying from banking and security transactions to medical records, proprietary data and personal correspondence are at the mercy of persons who have made cybercrime their chosen field of endeavour,” said Mr Vanpercy.
The Director-General of Administration of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP), Ms Rose Bio Atinga, said what was even more distressing about the growing incidence of cybercrime was the fact that the masterminds behind those criminal acts included children.
Regrettably, she said, “hacker tools” were easily available on the Internet and once downloaded, could be used by even novice computer users, thus expanding the population of possible wrongdoers.
Ms Atinga said the current trend included hacking into emails of buyers from Ghana and suppliers from Europe and Asia and obtaining valuable information which was used fraudulently.
She said the introduction of the law on cybercrimes in Ghana which allowed the police to prosecute offenders in the absence of victims or complainants would surely improve the performance of the Ghana Police Service in the arrest and prosecution of offenders.
The Head of the United States Information Service, Ms Jeanne Clarke, said the participants were to share their knowledge and experiences with colleagues from West Africa and to increase their expertise about a subject that was crucial to the security and economic development of the sub-region.
She said the United States, through the Department of State and Justice, had been providing training and technical assistance on cybersecurity in West Africa since 2006 and remained committed to helping the region to address the issue.
“If we do this, we enhance global security and create an economic and social environment that promotes the free flow of ideas and commerce. In sub-Saharan Africa, particulary here in West Africa, as wireless networks and broadband Internet access proliferate at a dizzying rate, nations are grappling with threats to this cyber environment ranging from computer hacking and sabotage to terrorism facilitated over the Internet to transnational crime,” she said.
The strategy will include the establishment of a national computer emergency response team (CERT) to create security awareness among the ministries, departments and agencies and other government agencies.
Addressing the opening session of the West African Cybersecurity and Cybercrime workshop for West African countries in Accra yesterday, Mr Vanpercy said a cyber security policy document focused on areas such as legislative and regulatory framework, cyber security technology framework, culture of security and capacity building, among others.
The workshop, which was organised by the US Department of State and the Government of Ghana, was aimed at providing the tools and information to evaluate and improve the sub-region’s capacity to address cybersecurity challenges.
It was also intended to help develop a comprehensive and implementable cybercrime and security regulations in Africa.
Mr Vanpercy said it also focused on strategy implementation timeliness, specific initiatives, establishment of a national cyber security working group, a national cybersecurity centre and a national cybersecurity council.
According to him, the ever-increasing threat of cybercrime and its associated impact on the economic and social development of the respective countries were a source of concern.
He said ICT had become essential to the operations of governments, corporate institutions and individuals, but the benefits accruing from the growing access to the Internet was being undermined by those exploiting its capabilities to the detriment of others.
“With such widespread use of the Internet, the data that resides on and flows across networks varying from banking and security transactions to medical records, proprietary data and personal correspondence are at the mercy of persons who have made cybercrime their chosen field of endeavour,” said Mr Vanpercy.
The Director-General of Administration of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP), Ms Rose Bio Atinga, said what was even more distressing about the growing incidence of cybercrime was the fact that the masterminds behind those criminal acts included children.
Regrettably, she said, “hacker tools” were easily available on the Internet and once downloaded, could be used by even novice computer users, thus expanding the population of possible wrongdoers.
Ms Atinga said the current trend included hacking into emails of buyers from Ghana and suppliers from Europe and Asia and obtaining valuable information which was used fraudulently.
She said the introduction of the law on cybercrimes in Ghana which allowed the police to prosecute offenders in the absence of victims or complainants would surely improve the performance of the Ghana Police Service in the arrest and prosecution of offenders.
The Head of the United States Information Service, Ms Jeanne Clarke, said the participants were to share their knowledge and experiences with colleagues from West Africa and to increase their expertise about a subject that was crucial to the security and economic development of the sub-region.
She said the United States, through the Department of State and Justice, had been providing training and technical assistance on cybersecurity in West Africa since 2006 and remained committed to helping the region to address the issue.
“If we do this, we enhance global security and create an economic and social environment that promotes the free flow of ideas and commerce. In sub-Saharan Africa, particulary here in West Africa, as wireless networks and broadband Internet access proliferate at a dizzying rate, nations are grappling with threats to this cyber environment ranging from computer hacking and sabotage to terrorism facilitated over the Internet to transnational crime,” she said.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
National Health Insurance Authority adjusted its prices upwards
SERVICE providers under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) are to enjoy upward adjustment of 26 per cent in their tariffs effective February 1, 2013, the Chief Executive of the NHIA, Mr Slyvester Mensah, has announced.
At a press briefing in Accra yesterday, Mr Mensah said prices of medicines on the NHIA list would also go up accordingly to make the service complete.
He said prices of medicines had increased on the market and the idea was to harmonise all the prices and fix a legitimate price under the NHIA medicine list.
Mr Mensah said the review had also resulted in the introduction of additional services under the scheme such as physiotherapy, cataract surgery with lens implant (including the cost of intraocular lens), CT Scan and MRI, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
He was, however, quick to explain that the chemotherapy and radiotherapy would come along with certain restrictions.
Mr Mensah said the increase in the tariffs would come as a relief to many health service providers, hospitals and other healthcare institutions and centres under the scheme after they had raised concerns about the increasing cost of health care.
He said in furtherance of the general upward adjustments, the scheme had adopted the Ghana Diagnostic Related Groupings (G-DRGs) for payment of the tariffs.
The G-DRG is a payment method in health insurance where related diagnoses are grouped together and the average cost of treatment in that group determined. Health service providers are, therefore, paid according to the diagnosis they give their clients.
Over the years, the providers have complained that the fee paid them by the NHIS was not consistent with price changes on the market.
Mr Mensah said following several appeals from the providers, the NHIS embarked on a review of the fees.
The review, which in itself is considered a highly technical endeavour according to the Chief Executive, was done with assistance from a group of experts and consultants in collaboration with health specialists and physicians in tertiary, secondary and primary hospitals.
He said it was projected that the modifications and inclusions of the G-DRG structure and the review process had resulted in a number of key changes to the existing structure.
Mr Mensah said today’s announcement was preceded by a comprehensive nationwide training programme which lasted for a whole year for healthcare providers, representatives of professional associations and scheme staff on the review to ensure a thorough understanding of the changes in order to guarantee a smooth implementation of the new tariff regime.
Mr Mensah expressed his appreciation to providers and stakeholders for their patience and support during the review process.
At a press briefing in Accra yesterday, Mr Mensah said prices of medicines on the NHIA list would also go up accordingly to make the service complete.
He said prices of medicines had increased on the market and the idea was to harmonise all the prices and fix a legitimate price under the NHIA medicine list.
Mr Mensah said the review had also resulted in the introduction of additional services under the scheme such as physiotherapy, cataract surgery with lens implant (including the cost of intraocular lens), CT Scan and MRI, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
He was, however, quick to explain that the chemotherapy and radiotherapy would come along with certain restrictions.
Mr Mensah said the increase in the tariffs would come as a relief to many health service providers, hospitals and other healthcare institutions and centres under the scheme after they had raised concerns about the increasing cost of health care.
He said in furtherance of the general upward adjustments, the scheme had adopted the Ghana Diagnostic Related Groupings (G-DRGs) for payment of the tariffs.
The G-DRG is a payment method in health insurance where related diagnoses are grouped together and the average cost of treatment in that group determined. Health service providers are, therefore, paid according to the diagnosis they give their clients.
Over the years, the providers have complained that the fee paid them by the NHIS was not consistent with price changes on the market.
Mr Mensah said following several appeals from the providers, the NHIS embarked on a review of the fees.
The review, which in itself is considered a highly technical endeavour according to the Chief Executive, was done with assistance from a group of experts and consultants in collaboration with health specialists and physicians in tertiary, secondary and primary hospitals.
He said it was projected that the modifications and inclusions of the G-DRG structure and the review process had resulted in a number of key changes to the existing structure.
Mr Mensah said today’s announcement was preceded by a comprehensive nationwide training programme which lasted for a whole year for healthcare providers, representatives of professional associations and scheme staff on the review to ensure a thorough understanding of the changes in order to guarantee a smooth implementation of the new tariff regime.
Mr Mensah expressed his appreciation to providers and stakeholders for their patience and support during the review process.
Six Members of a Syndicate Busted
SIX members of a syndicate have been arrested for allegedly trafficking young Ghanaian women and men to work as house-helps and shop attendants in Gulf countries.
Although the victims were promised attractive salaries of between $3,500 and $9,000 a month and free visas and tickets to those countries, some of them ended up being paid a paultry $100 a month.
They were also made to work to pay for their tickets and visa fees.
The suspects are Alhaji Dan-Liman, 49, of First Class Travel and Tours at Abossey Okai; Matthew Milla, 35, of Darcam Mission Travel and Tours at Anyaa; Jefferson Amos Albright, 30, a Liberian, and Mitchel Berchie,30, both of Starwell African Recruitment Agency.
The rest are Georgina Adjei, 32, of Georgina Ventures at Ashiaman and Francisca Aku Begbezena, 30, a teacher who acts as an agent by going round churches and other places to recruit young people.
So far, nine women have been rescued from Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar and they are currently assisting the police in their investigations.
The police suspect that more than 1,000 women and men who were sent to those countries under similar circumstances are being subjected to inhuman treatment.
Reports made by the victims to the police spoke of torture and inhuman treatment, resulting in the death of some of them.
According to the reports, some of the victims were made to work without pay, while others were treated like dogs, as food was thrown on the ground for them to pick and eat.
Some of the victims were also said to have been used as sex slaves.
Others were made to sleep in small rooms on roof tops where there was no ventilation. Some of the rooms were so small that the victims had to bend down before they could enter to rest or sleep.
Explaining the modus operandi of the syndicate, the Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Prosper Agblor, told the Daily Graphic that the syndicate ran radio programmes and advertisements, visited churches and attended social gatherings where they distributed fliers to woo people to go and work in those countries.
According to him, more than 20 young men and women recruited by the syndicate and other tour companies travelled on a weekly basis to the Gulf countries to seek greener pastures.
On arrival in those countries, their passports, mobile phones and luggage were taken from them, thereby making it extremely difficult for them to call back home and report to any authority the inhuman treatment meted to them.
Mr Agblor said the victims were made to work for several hours without break, after which they were given only a morsel of Syrian bread as food for the day.
He said some of the girls were forcibly turned into sex slaves for their masters to sleep with at will.
They were also given uniforms to distinguish them from other people in their host countries, a situation which made it very difficult for them to escape.
That was because anyone who saw them in the areas where they worked identified them as house-helps from a particular agency.
The people would, therefore, cause their arrest for them to be returned to the labour or recruiting agencies.
According to Mr Agblor, some of the girls were made to work for families in turns — a week with a family and another week with another family.
At the end of the month, the victims were paid nothing because of the employment rules which demanded that workers could only be paid by families after working for them for a minimum of one month.
He said those rescued were a bit enlightened so they demanded to be sent back home because they could not stand the situation any longer.
He said it was when they had decided to return home that they were informed that their tickets and visas had been paid for by the recruiting agencies and, therefore, they had to work to refund such payments.
In Bahrain, for example, a Ghanaian pastor had to intervene to secure the release of some of the victims.
Although the victims were promised attractive salaries of between $3,500 and $9,000 a month and free visas and tickets to those countries, some of them ended up being paid a paultry $100 a month.
They were also made to work to pay for their tickets and visa fees.
The suspects are Alhaji Dan-Liman, 49, of First Class Travel and Tours at Abossey Okai; Matthew Milla, 35, of Darcam Mission Travel and Tours at Anyaa; Jefferson Amos Albright, 30, a Liberian, and Mitchel Berchie,30, both of Starwell African Recruitment Agency.
The rest are Georgina Adjei, 32, of Georgina Ventures at Ashiaman and Francisca Aku Begbezena, 30, a teacher who acts as an agent by going round churches and other places to recruit young people.
So far, nine women have been rescued from Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar and they are currently assisting the police in their investigations.
The police suspect that more than 1,000 women and men who were sent to those countries under similar circumstances are being subjected to inhuman treatment.
Reports made by the victims to the police spoke of torture and inhuman treatment, resulting in the death of some of them.
According to the reports, some of the victims were made to work without pay, while others were treated like dogs, as food was thrown on the ground for them to pick and eat.
Some of the victims were also said to have been used as sex slaves.
Others were made to sleep in small rooms on roof tops where there was no ventilation. Some of the rooms were so small that the victims had to bend down before they could enter to rest or sleep.
Explaining the modus operandi of the syndicate, the Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Prosper Agblor, told the Daily Graphic that the syndicate ran radio programmes and advertisements, visited churches and attended social gatherings where they distributed fliers to woo people to go and work in those countries.
According to him, more than 20 young men and women recruited by the syndicate and other tour companies travelled on a weekly basis to the Gulf countries to seek greener pastures.
On arrival in those countries, their passports, mobile phones and luggage were taken from them, thereby making it extremely difficult for them to call back home and report to any authority the inhuman treatment meted to them.
Mr Agblor said the victims were made to work for several hours without break, after which they were given only a morsel of Syrian bread as food for the day.
He said some of the girls were forcibly turned into sex slaves for their masters to sleep with at will.
They were also given uniforms to distinguish them from other people in their host countries, a situation which made it very difficult for them to escape.
That was because anyone who saw them in the areas where they worked identified them as house-helps from a particular agency.
The people would, therefore, cause their arrest for them to be returned to the labour or recruiting agencies.
According to Mr Agblor, some of the girls were made to work for families in turns — a week with a family and another week with another family.
At the end of the month, the victims were paid nothing because of the employment rules which demanded that workers could only be paid by families after working for them for a minimum of one month.
He said those rescued were a bit enlightened so they demanded to be sent back home because they could not stand the situation any longer.
He said it was when they had decided to return home that they were informed that their tickets and visas had been paid for by the recruiting agencies and, therefore, they had to work to refund such payments.
In Bahrain, for example, a Ghanaian pastor had to intervene to secure the release of some of the victims.
Customs to Introduce innovations in its operations.
This year’s International Customs Day was celebrated yesterday with a call on the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to introduce innovations in customs processes and procedures to enhance revenue collection and facilitate trade.
The Commissioner General of the GRA, Mr George Blankson, who made the call at the event in Accra, said as part of efforts to increase revenue generation and facilitate trade, it was important for the Customs Division to ease border congestion, ensure smooth movement of both human and vehicular traffic and protect citizens from dangerous and harmful products.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Blankson said such innovations should be underpinned by a high sense of unity of purpose and constant dialogue to resolve any impediments to international trade.
The International Customs Day is celebrated on January 26 every year by the customs fraternity. The theme for this year’s celebration is: “Innovation for customs progress”.
The day also gives customs an opportunity to honour its dedicated and hardworking officers, as well as other stakeholders who together occupy unique and important positions in the facilitation of trade and movement of people.
The Commissioner General indicated that the impressive record of performance of the GRA, Customs Division was well acknowledged.
That, he said, explained why Ghana had been selected to host the 18th World Customs Organisation Regional Conference of Director Generals in Central and West Africa region in March, this year.
For his part, the Commissioner, Customs Division of the GRA, Major General Carl Modey, said for two years running, the performance of customs had been excellent.
He said the division was embarking on an image cleansing exercise to weed out all miscreants, adding that the division was committed to honest and genuine business.
In a message, the Secretary General of World Customs Organisation, Mr Kunio Mikuriya, said innovation was a key driver for sustainable customs reforms and modernisation.
He said innovation was not just about designing and implementing something new but it was also about continuing investment in all aspects of customs work, including its human capital.
Mr Mikuriya said innovation itself could be spurred on by many things, including evidence-based research, thought-provoking dialogue, knowledge sharing, solution-driven development, modern management practices, the use of new technologies, dynamic partnerships among all stakeholders, excellent customer relations, and the desire to do better through creative thinking.
The Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in Tema, Mr Kumi Adjei-Sam, in a solidarity message said GPHA and the Customs Division of the GRA had held several meetings to ensure that key challenges that confronted their clients were addressed.
He said one of the key outcomes of those interactions was the connection of all state institutions involved in permit issuances for clearance of items through the port to the GCNET platform.
The Commissioner General of the GRA, Mr George Blankson, who made the call at the event in Accra, said as part of efforts to increase revenue generation and facilitate trade, it was important for the Customs Division to ease border congestion, ensure smooth movement of both human and vehicular traffic and protect citizens from dangerous and harmful products.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Blankson said such innovations should be underpinned by a high sense of unity of purpose and constant dialogue to resolve any impediments to international trade.
The International Customs Day is celebrated on January 26 every year by the customs fraternity. The theme for this year’s celebration is: “Innovation for customs progress”.
The day also gives customs an opportunity to honour its dedicated and hardworking officers, as well as other stakeholders who together occupy unique and important positions in the facilitation of trade and movement of people.
The Commissioner General indicated that the impressive record of performance of the GRA, Customs Division was well acknowledged.
That, he said, explained why Ghana had been selected to host the 18th World Customs Organisation Regional Conference of Director Generals in Central and West Africa region in March, this year.
For his part, the Commissioner, Customs Division of the GRA, Major General Carl Modey, said for two years running, the performance of customs had been excellent.
He said the division was embarking on an image cleansing exercise to weed out all miscreants, adding that the division was committed to honest and genuine business.
In a message, the Secretary General of World Customs Organisation, Mr Kunio Mikuriya, said innovation was a key driver for sustainable customs reforms and modernisation.
He said innovation was not just about designing and implementing something new but it was also about continuing investment in all aspects of customs work, including its human capital.
Mr Mikuriya said innovation itself could be spurred on by many things, including evidence-based research, thought-provoking dialogue, knowledge sharing, solution-driven development, modern management practices, the use of new technologies, dynamic partnerships among all stakeholders, excellent customer relations, and the desire to do better through creative thinking.
The Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in Tema, Mr Kumi Adjei-Sam, in a solidarity message said GPHA and the Customs Division of the GRA had held several meetings to ensure that key challenges that confronted their clients were addressed.
He said one of the key outcomes of those interactions was the connection of all state institutions involved in permit issuances for clearance of items through the port to the GCNET platform.
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