Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has assured parents in other schools in the country of government’s resolve to ensure that the H1N1 virus which has taken the life of four students in Kumasi Academy won’t spread to other schools.
A statement on his Facebook page said “I know that parents and other schools are getting nervous about the possibility of further outbreak of swine flu in their respective schools. I will like to assure the public of Government’s resolve to continue to review and strengthen measures to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu around the country and keep our schools safe”.
The statement further thanked health personnel who have worked tirelessly since the outbreak.
“I am very grateful for the health care professionals and education staff who have worked tirelessly to contain the virus and prevent further outbreak”.
The President and his Vice have been criticized for not visiting the school since the outbreak although they have both been in Kumasi this week but the statement from the Vice President indicated that he is scheduled to visit the school and the bereaved families today.
“My prayers are with the school and the bereaved families in these difficult moments. I will be visiting the school and the bereaved families today by the grace of God.”
The Bolgatanga Magistrate court has sentenced a butcher at the Bolgatanga slaughter house, Shaibu Sapak to four years imprisonment for what the court describes as dishonestly receiving and slaughtering a pregnant cow from a minor.
Revealing the facts of the case to the court, Police Inspector, Boateng Addei said Shaibu Sapak bought the cow from 16 year-old Ayindenaba Kojo who stole the said Cow from the Gambibgo Chief Palace on 8th October 2017.
Though Shaibu pleaded not guilty to charge, evidence presented by the police prosecutor found him guilty of the offense and he was subsequently sentenced to four years imprisonment
Meanwhile, Ayindenaba who is a juvinal was on October 31, 2017, given a three-year jail term which he is serving in a bolster home.
Dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale has said he has visited spiritualist on several occasions to seek for their help in his music career but they could not help him achieve his goal.
“I have visited lots of mallams, let me say 10 million of them, they couldn’t do what I needed from them. You have no idea the things I was searching in this world but it took the intervention of God who showed me the right way.”
He indicated that God needs the patience of every individual because in his time, he makes all things beautiful adding that there is no need for individuals to rush in life.
Shatta Wale who was speaking on Accra-based Onua FM indicated that “We are from Africa, we have lots of ‘juju’ here, If you are an artiste and you think ‘Juju’ can give you a hit, you are deceiving yourself. God needs your patience, your heart, you need to endure pain, God is bigger than everything and I believe God has made me who I am today”.
He noted that he is enjoying the blessings of God however, people think he talks too much and that he always talks rubbish but for him, he will always talk about the goodness of God wherever he finds himself.
“When I’m talking, I talk with confidence, I don’t talk with fear, I don’t talk nonsense, I talk straight forward, some people think I talk nonsense, I know when they realized it’s God that is working for me, they will come to me and those people are going to be baptized with Shatta movement because Shatta movement is of God.”
Youth in the Brong Ahafo Region remain defiant in their resolve to travel to Libya en route to European countries regardless of the recent expose on slavery and the murder of black youth from others parts of Africa.
The youth, especially, those from Nkoranza, Techiman and Berekum are still bent on travelling to overseas through Libya despite the dangers involved.
This was disclosed by the Chief Superintendent of Immigration in charge of the Migration Information Centre at Sunyani, James Hayford Boadi yesterday in an interview with the DAILY GUIDE.
He said even though the centre is trying its best to convince the youth from embarking on such dangerous trips, their response has persistently been their preference for hardship in Libya to hunger and joblessness in Ghana.
Brong Ahafo tops the other regions in terms of youth migration to Europe through the North African countries. “So far, Nkoranza, Berekum and Techiman are the leading producers of illegal immigrants most of whom have little or no knowledge about what awaits them on the way and their final destination,” he said.
There are more than 1, 500 illegal Ghanaian immigrants in Libya, he said adding that between January and October 2017 a total of 3,669 Ghanaians returned from Libya. The breakdowns are 406 Greater Accra, 536 Ashanti, 129 Central and 164 Western. The rest are 155 Volta, 151 Upper West, 224 Upper East, 298 Northern, 180 Eastern and 1,426 Brong Ahafo.
He explained that in the wake of the crisis, the government through the Ghana Immigration Service evacuated 127 Ghanaians on 29th of November 2017 into the country. 29 from Brong Ahafo, 6 from Eastern, 2 from Northern, 3 from Volta, 18 from Ashanti and 30 from Western. The rests are, 5 from Greater Accra, 23 from Central and 11 from Upper East.
He said each returnee was given GH¢ 400 to help them get to their respective homes in the country. He pleaded with the youth in the region to listen to travel advice from the centre adding that Libya is not safe. He appealed to the youth in the region to engage in farming because there are fertile lands in Brong Ahafo which are good for cash crops like cashew and cocoa.
The Migration Information Centre was set up in February, 2016 to educate youth in the region about the dangers of illegal migration and is funded by the European Union and the International Organization for Illegal Migration and the Japanese government.
The Office of HE John Dramani Mahama has described as irresponsible and reckless, an allegation by Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul that the former president is occupying or has appropriated a land or property belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces.
A statement released Thursday evening, said while the minister did not provide any details of the said property, “We presume that the minister’s irresponsible claim is in respect of the current residence of the former first family.”
“President Mahama has not appropriated or acquired any land or property belonging to the military and which he is currently occupying.”
The statement said the former president and his family as is commonly known, currently reside in a residential estate developed by a private real estate development company.
Mr Mahama’s Office said the estate has been in existence for several years and the former first family lives peacefully with several Ghanaian and expatriate neighbours.
“This Office is appalled at the minister’s unfounded accusation because any serious Defence Minister, with the Military Intelligence apparatus under him would know that President Mahama has no claim to the ownership of the land of the property in which he resides.”
The statement reminded the Defence Minister to concentrate on the responsibilities of his office instead of making spurious allegations against the former president.
“It is sad that the minister with oversight responsibility over our men and women in uniform, who risk their lives to preserve the security of our nation, would descend into the gutter and dabble in propaganda of the most undesirable kind. This behaviour falls short of the requirements of a Defence Minister whose office calls for sobriety and reflection”, the statement ended.
The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) will expand to enroll in children with special needs.
Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Gifty Twum-Ampofo revealed this on a working visit to the Upper East Region.
According to her, the expansion aims to alleviate the poverty level parents of children with special needs go through.
“Even if the household is well to do or they have a child who is cerebral palsy of highly autistic, such a child needs to be on LEAP. At least the mother will have a little money to buy diapers from LEAP, because mothers like that can never leave their homes for 24 hours because of the child”.
The minister who doubles as Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North also announced some changes that LEAP is embarking on.
According to her some beneficiaries who have been on LEAP for a number of years will be exited “not because a new government has come so we want to take their names out, no; it is because they may not be as needy as they used to be”
LEAP since its inception in 2008 has supported the aged and vulnerable in society through cash and entrepreneurial support. In the Bolga Municipality, a total of 292 beneficiaries from Dachio, Dubila, Kolbia and Aguusi communities are benefiting from the program.
Madam Gifty Twum-Ampofo entreated the beneficiaries to prudently utilize the money given them in order to help alleviate poverty in the country.
“They should use the money for some investment; those who are into craft works can buy materials to boost their business to improve their standard of living.”
A beneficiary, Aduko Atogetege said the program has aided her in taking care of her son’s education up to the JHS level.
Another beneficiary, Ayin-ita Ayarika thanked government for absorbing the cost of registering and renewing their health insurance under the program.
The Director for the Ghana High Way Authority in the Upper East region, Philip Samini has said the construction of the popular Bolga-Bawku road has delayed partly due to the lack of funds.
The contract for the construction of the Bolgatanga-Bawku road has been awarded to two companies; a Ghanaian company, MAWUMS and a Brazillian company, Queiroz Galvao construction limited.
Although the stretch been constructed by the MAWUMS is a smaller portion of the road and per the contract signed in 2012 the company was expected to complete it after eighteen months, the company has stayed on site for years and has been unable to complete the work.
Some few weeks back, the contractor after been frustrated by lack of funds moved off site; a move that infuriated the masses considering the deplorable state of the road.
But speaking to A1 Radio’s Samuel Mbura on Daybreak Upper East, Philip Samini indicated that the delays on the road is partly due to the failure of government to fulfill its part of the contractural agreement.
“It takes a lot of money to construct roads and if the contractor is not been paid it becomes very difficult for him/her to execute the work easily. The 12 kilometer stretch can be done within some few months but if government is releasing funds say every eight months, the work delays and that is what is happening to MAWUMS.”
According to him, he had to speak with the contractor to consider the plight of his people using the road and the fact that the road was recording several numbers of death through armed robbery attacks.
He, however, indicated that although the contractor has moved to site, he was not sure for how long the resources mobilised will keep him there.
Although there have been calls on government to terminate the contract it has with MAWUMS, Philip Samini indicated that it will not be logical on the government to take such a decision because of the cost the it will incur.
“It is not logical for government to terminate MAWUMS’ contract because it will bring an extra cost to government. The government will have to pay for demobilization and pay for his inconvenience and when they mention the monies involved, they are not small sums . MAWUMS is capable and if given the needed funding can give good results.”
Paramount Chief of Nangodi Traditional Area, Naba Kosom Yelzoya Asaga II has stated that the introduction of government’s Free Senior High School policy has come to stay and only thwarters will pray for the programme not to succeed.
According to Naba Asaga II, the Free SHS policy has come at the right time to alleviate the poverty level of parents.
“For me, from day one, I wanted Free education that targets form 1, form 2 [and] form 3; but it is better to have it initiated, and the English man says half a loaf is better than none. But this is a half a loaf that will soon be full”.
The paramount chief said this during a programme held at Kongo Senior High School to observe the implementation of the Free SHS policy.
Naba Asaga II while pledging his unflinching support for the success of the policy also thanked president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for restoring trainee teachers and nurses allowances.
According to Naba Asaga the cancellation of the allowances worsen the poverty level of parents most especially “we the Northerners were feeling the impact the most because of our poverty”.
A retired educationist, Stella Kate Yimbila, also commended the president for introducing the policy which she also believes is a pro-poor policy for Ghanaians especially those in the three regions of the north.
Mrs. Yimbila was optimistic the policy could be well sustained if the country utilizes its natural resources judiciously.
“I say that this program already has been sustained…All other things were sustaining without oil…we only have to stop the corruption” Mrs. Yimbila stated.
The governing New Patriotic Party early today held a thanksgiving service to mark exactly one year of coming into power.
The event which took place at the Accra International Conference Center saw in attendance the President, his Vice, the first and Second ladies, Ministers and members of the New Patriotic Party.
Speaking at the event, the President of Ghana indicated that it is imperative for Ghanaians to pray for the preservation of the peace, unity and freedom enjoyed in the country.
He reassured Ghanaians of his commitment to fulfill the promises made during the electioneering season to make Ghana a better place for all.
The Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Winfred Ofosu has revealed that a total of 79 women died during child birth in the Upper East Region between 2016 and 2017.
Speaking at the regional launch of Girls’ Iron-folate Tablet Supplementation (GIFTS) programme in Bolgatanga Wednesday, Dr. Ofosu said 36 deaths were recorded in 2016 but the figure strangely soared to 43 deaths this year thus bringing the total number of deaths to 79 within the two years.
He attributed those deaths infections due to induced abortion at unhygienic places, poor road network, hypertensive conditions, anaemia, complications and sometimes internal factors within health facilities.
Dr. Ofosu, therefore, said it was against this background that GIFTS was introduced with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to ensure adolescent girls were given the needed education and support to avoid future what their mothers were going through now.
“The decision to introduce this intervention is informed by the high level of anaemia among adolescent girls. This situation is further worsened every month with menstruation where they lose blood. According to the 2014 Ghana Demographic Health Survey report, anaemia among women in the region is 39.6%.” He revealed
He said although other factors aside the lack of iron-folate such as poor diet, intestinal warms, malaria, blood diseases like sickle cell anaemia, lack of other vitamins like vitamin A, Vitamin B12 contributed to anaemia in the population, Iron-Folate deficiency was by far the major contributor.
According to him: “A lot of our women who die as a result of child birth die through bleeding. And we have observed that women that have sufficient blood, even during child birth when they bleed heavily, they are able to survive. But those that have insufficient blood, small bleeding, they are not able to cope and often they die.”
Dr. Ofosu observed that anaemia in school children was immense and included learning problems or disabilities and low physical activities and stressed that anaemia was not limited to adolescent girls alone but boys as well but reiterated the girls were much affected because the menstruated every month and that led to blood loss.
The GIFTS intervention was intended to reach about 57,538 both in-school adolescent girls and close to 78,730 out-of-school adolescent girls in the region. To ensure the smooth take off of the intervention, 1,076 teachers and health workers have been trained through the all 13 districts in the region to support the weekly administration of the Iron-Folic Acid (IFA) supplements to adolescent girls between 10 and 19 years old.
While in-school adolescent girls would receive their supplements in their schools on weekly basis, out-of-school girls would receive theirs on monthly basis at health facilities nearer them. the regional director assured that measures to ensure the beneficiaries take the medicines have been put in place as the would be directly monitored by the teachers in the case of those in school and by their parents in the case of those who are out of school.
Mr. Rockson Bukari Ayine, Upper East Regional minister who launched the programme, advised beneficiaries to fully participate and adhere to taking the supplements diligently for good health, growth and development.
While calling on the Ghana Education Service to include the programme in on its academic colander and mobilize girls to take the supplements, the minister also encourage parents and guardians to see the need for the exercise and lend their support.
