Category: General

Several Landlords who said they owned landed properties in Mondoli, a neighborhood in Limbe 3 subdivision, South West region, have said their lives are in danger as some youths have persistently targetted them, questioning the ownership of their lands.

‘Chasing farmers with machetes, denied them access and selling their land claiming it’s a native land. They have recently formed a toll gate extorting money from farmers and seizing their produce,’ a victim who said he own a landed property in the area told CNA.

Land issues in the Fako division, South West region, had reached a stage where the Prime Ministry had to intervene. Still, news of land grabbing, illegal sales, and confiscation have continued to reach the media.

CNA learned that several litigation are ongoing in local courts because of such actions but those who innocently bought lands have had no concrete response from the local chief, the Divisional Officer, the Senior Divisional Officer, or the Governor.

They believe that the Chief who is the fi
rst person to contact for any deals in his area is working in complicity with the administration to defraud them of the lands they paid for.

‘We complained to the administration i.e from the D.O. of Limbe 3 to the S.D.O. and Governor and no action has been taken. The village Chief is involved in complicity with D.O,’ a victim said, adding that his land was also illegally seized by some youths who later sold it to someone, claiming it as ‘native land’. But in 2023, the Fakp SDO had warned that there is no land existing in his jurisdiction called ‘Native Land’

CNA has obtained documents showing complaints tabled before the Governor of the South West region and the SDO of Fako Division against some persons in Mondoli for harassment, destruction of crops, extortion, destruction of boundary marks, and illegal sales of land.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Commodore Maxwell Arhin, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Eastern Naval Command, says the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) can leverage some of the Command’s sea exercises to promote global tourism in the country.

He said a similar collaboration yielded great results in 2019 during the year of return and could be revisited.

Commodore Arhin said this in an address to uniformed personnel and civilians selected to cross to the Equator (The centre of the earth) for the first time on Ghana Navy Ships (GNS) ANKOBRA and VOLTA, supported by US Navy ship (USS) Hershel Woody Williams during Exercise Sea Lion 2024.

Commodore Maxwell Arhin, Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command

He said Ghana was the closest country to the centre of the world and that the Ghana Navy considered the location a strategic area.

‘In 2019, the Ghana Navy collaborated with the Ghana Tourism Authority, and it was a huge success,’ the Flag Officer Commanding said.

He also commended the Western and Eastern Naval Commands for their unw
avering commitment and dedication and the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) for roles played in making the 2024 version of the exercise a success.

Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Pepprah, Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), in an address, said military exercises such as the Sea Lion would build capacities of the Ghana Armed Forces after flagging off the troops to set participating ships on sail.

‘The joint nature of the Exercise will help build interoperability for future operations. Contemporary security threats such as piracy and terrorism in the west African subregion require a capable and robust personnel, well trained and equipped to deal with them,’ he said.

The 2024 version of Exercise Sea lion had two of Ghana Navy’s River-class ships, GNS ANKOBRA and GNS VOLTA and made a voyage to the equator (also known as Crossing-the-line), beginning on the evening of Tuesday 19, March at the Eastern Naval Base at Tema.

GNS ANKOBRA and VOLTA had a total of 43 and 42 persons onboard respectively.

They included Naval O
fficers and ratings, other uniformed personnel from the Army, ex-ratings and civilians, including journalists.

As an ancient naval tradition, dating back to the 1520s, all novice sailors, both personnel and civilians, who successfully crossed the equator on Thursday morning, underwent a ceremony of baptism amongst other interesting rites to confirm them as seamen.

The rites were performed by the captains of the two ships, who assumed the role of King Neptune – the ancient Roman sea deity.

On the morning of Friday 22, March, the two ships returned with all onboard to the Western Naval base at Sekondi where the exercise was climaxed with a joint military operation by the Ghana Navy Special Boat Squadron, the Army Special Operations Brigade, and the Ghana Air Force Fighter Squadron.

The last Exercise Sea Lion was held in 2020 in October under the leadership of Vice Admiral Seth Amoama (Rtd) with GNS YAA ASANTEWAA, GNS GARINGA, GNS EHWOR and GNS BLIKA.

It had a team of 229 personnel, including seven females,
and the former CNS.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

In a recent statement issued by His Royal Majesty Fon Ngum IV, concerns over the abuse and misuse of traditional titles have been raised within the Oku community.

Addressing the public via his official Facebook handle, the Fon expressed grave concern over the sudden surge of individuals proclaiming themselves as title holders without proper authorization.

‘It has come to notice that several persons have suddenly proclaimed themselves as title holders ranging from appellations such as Shey, Ebchuo Shey, Yaah, Ebchuofai, Bantock, Tantoh just to name a few of such abusive use of titles,’ the Fon stated.

Highlighting the significance of traditional titles within Oku society, the Fon emphasized that titles are bestowed singularly by the Kwifon and the Fon of Oku, and no individual has the authority to self-proclaim or upgrade existing titles.

Furthermore, the Fon highlighted the importance of upholding noble character and behavior among title holders, stating, ‘Title holders are supposed to
be noble in their characters and actions, including behavior. This is what sets the premise for norms and standards within the context of the Oku Society and this must be respected.’

In light of these concerns, His Royal Majesty Fon Ngum IV issued the following directives:

The practice of self-proclamation of titles should cease immediately; All current traditional title holders should adhere to the original title nomenclature as proclaimed by the Kwifon or the Fon and display exemplary lifestyles to sustain the dignity of Oku culture and tradition.

The Traditional Institutions will take drastic measures should the abuse, misuse, and self-proclamation of titles continue to trend.

The Fon concluded by reaffirming the importance of wisdom and stewardship among titleholders, stating, ‘They are supposed to listen more and speak less. This is the foundation of wisdom and our customs put a lot of emphasis on this.’

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The Cassona Global Imaging Limited, Ghana, a company that specialises in the supply of medical imaging equipment, has donated to the National Mosque in support of the Ramadan festivities.

The Organisation also provided assistance to the National Mosque Clinic for Women and Children project, a news brief shared with the Ghana News Agency said.

The Cassona team presented T-shirts, water, assorted beverages and an unspecified amount of money to the Muslim community to help them deliver their physical and spiritual demands during the festive period.

Mr Liam Smith, Engineer, Cassona Global Imaging, said the purpose of the donation was to encourage the Muslim community to go through a successful fasting period.

‘We wish them the best this Ramadan period and encourage everyone to remain healthy. Cassona remains committed to providing healthcare solutions and we are dedicated to making the sub-Saharan Africa starting from Ghana self-sufficient when it comes to diagnostic imaging equipment,’ he said.

Mrs Gladys T
etteh, Sales Lead for Cassona in Accra, said the organisation was excited about the women and children clinic project and assured that Cassona would provide further support to make the project a reality.

Alhaji Jabir Kango, the Deputy Administrator of the National Mosque, expressed profound gratitude to the Cassona team for the gesture and assured that the items would be distributed to neighbouring communities.

‘We are grateful for the kind gesture by Casosna Global Imaging. Ramadan is a month of giving generosity, and alms giving. So if Cassona has decided to reach out to our people then we are grateful,’ he said.

Alhaji Kango appealed to the public to support the women and children clinic project to deliver specialised healthcare for women and children in surrounding communities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Fire officers drawn from the Maintenance Department at the Headquarters, Greater Accra, and Tema Regions have been trained on the use of the latest On-Board Diagnostic II (OBD II) machine that detects faults on vehicles and proffer solutions to the specific fault.

The OBD II is the latest of its kind in Ghana and it would help identify and replace specific faulty parts of the vehicles belonging to the Service.

A statement issued by the Ghana National Fire Service and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the training targeted 11 maintenance officers who were equipped with the capabilities of the machine to detect faults in the service appliances.

‘With this tool, technicians can swiftly identify and address issues before they escalate, ensuring that our fleet of vehicles remain in peak condition and ready to respond to emergencies at a moment’s notice.

‘We are the first Security Agency to acquire it for our light and heavy-duty vehicles,’ it stated.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has resumed gas delivery at its Regulating and Metering Station at Tema in the Greater Accra Region after a system shut down.

A statement signed by Dr Isaac Adjei Doku, WAPCo General Manager, Corporate Affairs, said at about 2230 hours on Friday, March 22, WAPCo’s Tema facility completely shut down due to a system glitch.

‘Our engineers worked assiduously through the night, and we resumed gas delivery to our customers in Tema at around 0630 hours this morning,’ the statement said.

It gave the assurance that WAPCo was committed to delivering safe and reliable services to its customers.

It noted that WAPCo’s engineers were investigating the root cause of the problem to prevent future recurrence.

‘WAPCo is grateful to its key stakeholders for their patience, while the system was being fixed and regrets any inconvenience caused, especially to our customers in Tema that rely on WAGP gas for power generation,’ the statement said.

Source: Ghana News Agency