Month: March 2015

The onset of the raining season has increased worries of residents of Ablekuma Central Constituency in the Greater Accra Region over their roads.

Some of the residents at Kaneshie first light who spoke to Ghanamps.gov.gh said even without the rains they were confronted with serious challenges with transportation as a result of the poor nature 0f roads in the area.

“The roads in the area are very bad and whenever we go to town and pick a taxi, they refuse to come, since they know the nature of the road”, a resident said in an interview.

According to them, their transportation ordeals will get worse and the safety of their children remains a major concern since most of them have to walk considerable distance to get a vehicle. “Let us also not lose sight of the negative effects of these on socio-economic activities in the area”, a resident added.
We have not seen any improvement in the area, since the MP doesn’t come around, not even for community meetings, for us to express our concerns” another resident also added.

They also raised issues about the safety of their properties especially their walls which are likely to be lost to erosion with the absence of gutters to allow smooth flow of waste water.

They were also disappointed that several complains made so far to the authorities to get the roads constructed have fallen on deaf ears, adding that the authorities in charge have failed in their numerous promises to get the road fixed.

When Ghanamps.gov.gh visited the area, some parts of the road were spotted with serious potholes which have been filled with coconut peels, whereas most parts were eroded creating gullies.

They have therefore called on government to come to their aid in the construction of their road to make it motorable especially gutters that will pave way for smooth flow of running water without causing serious damage to their properties.

Efforts to get reaction from the Member of Parliament for the area however proved futile.

Theresa Workartey/Ghanamps.gov.com

The Member of Parliament for Keta, Hon. Richard Quashigah has pledged his support towards any positive effort aims at helping Keta regain its academic excellence as was the case in the past.
Mr. Quashigah made the pledge when he supported basic schools quiz competition organized for schools around Kedzi in the Keta Municipality.

The competition organized by the Kedzi Youth Association, (KeYA) is an annual event which was started last year as contribution to the development of education in the area.

Hon. Quashigah who provided funds for the organization and awards for winners said he was motivated by the larger goal of boosting education in the constituency to help students improve their academic performance which has been on the decline.

He said the only way the youth can climb the academic ladder is by taking their studies seriously especially at the basic level.

According to him, every positive effort that aims at helping Keta regain its academic excellence as was the case in the past will have his support.

The MP also indicated that improving academic performance requires multiple initiatives ranging from infrastructure improvement, improved monitoring and supervision, provision of necessary logistics among others.

“A number of these initiatives have been implemented by relevant stakeholders and I will also continue to make the necessary contributions so that together we will achieve great results”, he stated.
He advised the pupils to make books their best friends and study hard for the future. He also commended KeYA for the initiative and urged them to keep it up.

Mr. Sebastian P.K. Adehoke, Vice President of KeYA and Coordinator of KeYa Quiz Competition said they are worried as youth of the area about the falling standard of education in Kedzi and are determined to make a difference with the quiz competition that will motivate the pupils to spend more time with their books.

Mr. N. K. K Gidiglo, an opinion leader in the community and chairman for the occasion commended the efforts of the MP in trying to uplift standard of education in the area. According to him, not too long ago, he brought in the 2nd lady who came to donate computers and books to the Kedzi AMA Zion School, a sign of his commitment to improving education in the municipality.

Of the three schools that took part in the competition, Kedzi AMA Zion emerged winners in both the Upper Primary and JHS level competitions, while Havedzi and Horve came second and third respectively in the upper primary levels.

The table however turned between the two in the JHS category with Horvi placing second and Havedzi placing third.

Winners will be presented with certificates of participation and citations on Saturday.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Some residents living in Taborah in the Anyaa Sowutuom Constituency have complained bitterly about the services of some of the waste management companies operating in the area.

They said Zoomlion Ghana Limited which used to operate in the area offered households with free waste bins yet charge less but this is not the case with the new companies. “The new ones charge exorbitant fees yet their services are not very encouraging”, a resident stated.

“One of the new companies, Honest Waste which operates within the area is charging 70 Ghana cedis per household a month for waste collection, and this is without the waste bins that Zoomlion provided, an aggrieved resident told ghanamps.gov.gh.

According to him, “if one compares what is offered by Zoomlion to that of Honest Waste, you realize we are being short changed. In spite of the free bin, we paid 10 Ghana cedis to Zoomlion for collecting our wastes.

Speaking with ghanamps.gov.gh, the Member of Parliament for the area Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchway said even though the price is high, residents should bear with the waste companies and pay the amount.

Failure to pay the amount could plunge the area into waste management crises in the constituency leading to resurfacing of cholera cases.

Rosemary Obeng-Yeboah/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Member of Parliament for Mampong in the Ashanti Region, Francis Addae-Nimo has held a party for kids of the Dzorwulu Special School to mark his 50th Birthday, which fell on Monday, March 23, 2015. The event took place at the school’s premises in Accra.

In Addition to mouth-watering meals served with chilled bottles of minerals and water, the children were also given biscuits and toffees to make them have the feel of a great day.

There was a good music which saw the kids on their dancing feet, making merry and having fun to the fullest.

But that was not the end of the show, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) bigwig also made a personal cash donation of one thousand Ghana Cedis (1,000.00) to the management of the school to be used in buying teaching materials and aids for the school children.

Francis Addae-Nimo, after the party, told journalists his inspiration to celebrate his birthday with the kids was borne out of love and concern for the underprivileged in the society.

“I draw the inspiration from the fact that we need to show love and concern for this intellectually challenged young ones who are also our integral part of Ghanaian system and so upon consultation and discussion with my wife and other good friends of mine we chose to come to the Dzorwulu Special School to share the joy of being a 50-year-old man,” he explained.

Mr. Francis Addae-Nimo also expressed his desire to reach out to other children’s homes come this Easter Season.

“In fact I do dedicate this day to the children of Ghana, that’s why I came here. I will also be in my constituency during the Easter Holidays, there’s a children’s home also in my constituency and during the Easter Holidays, I will also be there to share with them and encourage them that we recognize their existence and that they are also part of the Ghanaian Society and whatever we need to do, being government or non-governmental, to help in their development so that they’ll also contribute to the society we will also not hesitate to do [it],” he posited.

Meanwhile, Mr. Addae-Nimo has advised parents not to hide children with disabilities in their homes but rather find a way to bring them out to schools so teachers can help train them to be somebody in the future and so they will not be a burden on society.

He also cautioned the public not to look down on the physically challenged in society but rather support them with love and care as demanded by all and sundry.

The Headmistress of the school, Mrs. Veronica Sackey who received the donation on behalf of the school thanked Mr. Addae-Nimo for the gesture, wishing him a long life, good health, prosperity and above all, success in his political career.

Myjoyonline.com

A resident at Odorkor Official Town has commended the Member of Parliament for the Ablekuma North Constituency, Mr. Joe Appiah for his intervention leading to improvement in some access roads in the constituency.

The resident, a middle age lotto staker who wants to remain anonymous was particularly impressed about the road linking Gloryland Hotel through Mount Calvary Cross , part of Odorkor Official Town, Darkuman and its environ.

“As a matter of fact, these roads were all in a deplorable state full of dust and portholes before he assumed office, but through his initiatives you can see how motorable they have become” he added.

He was however not happy about the drainage system, suggesting that open drains were not helping the fight against unclean environment.

“Because of the open gutters the drains are already chocked with filth and this will certainly bring problems to residents now that the rains are with us”, he added.

When Ghanamps.gov.gh contacted the MP, he disclosed that he had to lobbied the then Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr. Joe Gidisu to construct those access roads which he obliged and did that with Government of Ghana (GoG) funding.

He said it is his desire to see improvements on all road networks in the area but that can only be achieved over a period depending on financial strength of the government.

Dominic Shirimori/Alice Abubakari/ Ghanamps.gov.gh

Members of Parliament, especially the minority have strongly kicked against their recall from the Easter break to consider a new Constitutional Instrument (CI) 89, which is to guide the running of the District Assemblies elections.

Following a Supreme Court ruling, that cancelled the District Assemblies election which was originally scheduled to be held on March 3, the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Doe Adjaho tasked a special committee made up of Chairpersons and Ranking Members of the committees on Subsidiary Legislation, Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Local Government and Rural Development and Special Budget to deliberate on the cancellation of the elections and report back to the House.

The Committee among other things recommended that the Rt Hon. Speaker may consider recalling the House during the Easter break to enable the regulation meet the mandatory requirement of 21 sitting days of Parliament for the timely conduct of the election by the Electoral Commission.

However, Parliament is likely to go on recess for the Easter holidays on March 26, and reconvene by mid May and if that is the case it will mean that the new CI which was laid in Parliament on 20th March would have been there for only four days which is not enough to make it effective and that has necessitated the proposal to recall the MPs from the break.

But in debating the report, the proposal by the committee was met with strong opposition led by the Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who said such a recall must never be thought of, as previously the Electoral Commission has treated Parliament with utmost contempt.

“We’ve had previous occasions where MPs were made to sit on Saturdays and Mondays which are not Parliamentary sitting days just to enable a CI to mature to pave way for the EC to conduct elections, but they disregarded what Parliament did with impunity and now they need our support again, it will not happen this time, calling us back for seventeen more days will be most outrageous as MPs will be denied any rest from their tedious work” he said.

Other MPs such as K.T Hammond and Gifty Kusi were of the view that the EC must be told in clear terms that they cannot continue to push Parliament around, as if the august House is at its beck and call.

Ghanamps.gov.gh/Kwadwo Anim

Ghana National Gas Company has stated that it will monetize all natural gas liquids (NGLs), except Isopentane–which is less than 0.5 percent–contained in the gas extracted from the Jubilee Oil Fields and processed by the Atuabo Gas Plant in the Western region.

Hon. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, minister of Energy and Petroleum who together with the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Company disclosed this to the Government Assurances Committee on Thursday, said the Government is currently looking for a company that can use Isopentane to produce energy so that it would be commercialized rather than flared.

Dr Sipa Yankey on his part also elucidated to the Committee that Isopentane is actually a waste product from the gas processing system but noted that the Gas Company is determined to sell it due to the ‘no flaring’ policy of Ghana’s petroleum industry.

He noted that his outfit has been working with a company that is prepared to take that waste product and then produce that into power and so sooner than later after the agreement has been reached and the company sets up its plant, the waste product will be used to produce power of about 21 Megawatts which will be added to the national grid.

Ghanamps.gov.gh

Even before the IGP-led special task force investigating the recent fraudulent police recruitment presents its report to Government possibly on Friday, some MPs have called its neutrality into question.

Speaking on behalf of his colleague MPs, a member of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markins told Joy News a ministerial committee would do “a better job”.

He fears that the police will not do a “thorough job” because several scams are being investigated by the police and “we are not getting appropriate responses”.

He said his suspicion is also grounded on the fact that the Interior Minister got wind of the recruitment scam, and informed the Service months ahead, and yet nothing was done with the intel.

Mr. Afenyo-Markins argued that under this “circumstance you cannot trust the police to be judges in their own court”, emphasising the need for President Mahama to commission a ministerial enquiry into the scam to “clean their own battered reputation”.

“The IGP (Mohammed Alhassan) himself must appear before the [ministerial] committee,” he said explaining that in some jurisdictions the IGP should have resigned or should have been asked to resign.

Director of Police Human Resource and Administration COP Patrick Timbillah who has been interdicted in connection with the fraud is set to face service enquiry. But the MP said, with the magnitude of the fraud, he disagrees with that approach, more importantly when civilians involved in the case are being tried in court.

Afenyo-Markins who is the MP for Effutu is however raising an eyebrow asking if COP Timbillah would “risk hostaging his professional fortune… it doesn’t seem to add up”.

He also suspects Mr. Timbillah may have been “set up” in the case, making it necessary for the top police officer to publicly speak about the issue.

The MP’s position contradicts that of the chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, Fritz Baffuor who had told Joy News the committee is satisfied with what is being done by the police service and have full confidence in them.

Meanwhile, a deputy ranking member of the committee, Major (rtd) Derrick Oduro said the committee would constitute its own independent enquiry into the issue.