Category: General

Apostle Seth Dwamena Asante, the Nkwanta Area Head of the Church of Pentecost, Oti Region, Easter Sunday encouraged Christians to let the death and resurrection of the saviour Jesus Christ bring them peace and forgiveness.

He explained that the resurrection of Christ brought joy, peace, hope and forgiveness to those who believed in Him.

‘Therefore, as believers there is the need to emulate the teachings of Christ and let your lives shine in the society.’

Apostle Asante made the call during his sermon at the climax of the Nkwanta Zone Easter Convention, on the theme: ‘He is not here, He has risen.’

He said: ‘There is life beyond this existence hence the resurrection of Christ.’

He urged the congregants to live a Christ-like life by impacting positively on their communities.

A true Christian must live an exemplary life for others to emulate and by so doing the society would be a better place to live, he said.

Pastor Asante reflected on the resurrection and Jesus Christ’s appearance to the women, which he
explained as His show of appreciation to them on their contribution to His work on earth.

‘His appearance was also to show his love for mankind, clear doubt about his death and resurrection, and also breath in life into the lives of his disciples,’ he said.

‘Let’s embrace the benefits of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and seek his face in our daily lives and we shall all rise again even in death.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRM-GC) has organised a training session for the District Oversight Committee (DOC) on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and corporate governance.

The goal was to provide committee members with the necessary knowledge to educate Ghanaian traders, especially those in Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), about NAPRM activities.

Participants were chosen from ten districts in the Eastern Region and converged in Koforidua, the capital city.

The District Oversight Committee is composed of a diverse range of representatives, including those from civil society groups, traditional authorities, private sector groups, women’s groups, disability advocates, and faith-based organisations.

Its purpose is to rally community backing for the APRM process to advance good governance at the district level.

The African Union (AU) member states voluntarily acceded to APRM, a self-monitoring mechanism, to promote conformity with politi
cal, economic, and corporate governance values, according to Madam Winniefred Akoto-Sampong, Acting Executive Secretary of NAPRM-GC.

Mr David Asante-Apeatu, a Council Member of the NAPRM Governing Council, who chaired the programme, highlighted Ghana’s progress within the APRM framework since its review in 2006.

He emphasised the role of NAPRM-GC in promoting good governance for peace, growth, stability, and poverty reduction in Ghana.

He stated that the expectation was for the DOC to enhance its understanding of corporate governance practices, thereby simplifying intra-African trade under the AfCFTA for small businesses.

Reverend Mrs. Angela Carmen Appiah, President/Chair of the Governing Council of the Institute of Directors, Ghana, highlighted the importance of good corporate governance practices that would enable MSMEs to thrive in the AfCFTA market.

She said MSMEs’ readiness could be achieved through the observance of the principles of corporate governance; accountability, transparency, truthfulness
, integrity, responsibility, effectiveness, and efficiency (ATTIRE).

‘Wearing this ATTIRE as an ethical leader is synonymous with putting in place the systems, structures, and processes to ensure one operates a business as a going concern.’

Madam Ophelia Ankrah, Eastern Regional Director of NCCE, assured the Commission’s commitment to good governance.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has arrested another person reportedly involved in a ‘sophisticated mobile money and sim swap fraud scheme.’

EOCO officials appeared before an Accra Circuit Court and filed an amended charge and facts sheet, after which the court retook the pleas of the accused persons.

The five accused persons namely Richmond Donkor Alias Chino, Cecilia Asabre, Salifu Eshum , Daniel Asomani Baawiah and Shadrack Anthony alias Target have been jointly charged with conspiracy to steal GHC113, 947.57.

They are being held on several charges, including abetment of stealing, attempt to steal, altering of forged documents, possession of forged documents, abetment of money laundering, and money laundering.

They have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court, presided over by Mr Isaac Addo, admitted the five accused to bail in the sum of GHC600,000 each, with two sureties.

The court said the sureties should be public or civil servants earning GHC3,000 monthly.

It further ordered
the accused to deposit their passports at the Court’s registry.

Lawyer for Shadrack Anthony, the fifth accused who was recently arrested by the EOCO, prayed for bail, saying his client had a fixed place of abode, was married with children, was gainfully employed, and would not interfere with police investigations when released.

The defence counsel told the court that Anthony was also unwell and would come to court at any time if granted bail.

The prosecution did not dispute the granting of bail and requested the court to admit them to bail on the same terms as the fifth accused person’s police enquiry bail term, which was GHC600,000 with two sureties.

The prosecution, however, opposed any variation of the bail terms.

The matter before the court is that on February 14, 2024, EOCO received complaints from a reputable bank in the country that GHC 113,947.57 had been stolen from six of its customers’ bank accounts via a sophisticated mobile money and sim deactivation and reactivation fraud scheme.

The prose
cution said with the collaboration of the Ghana Police Service, the individuals behind the scheme were arrested at Kasea on March 2, 2024, upon a tip-off.

The court heard that preliminary investigations revealed that the accused’s mode of operation was such that, with the connivance of some unscrupulous individuals within Vodafone (now

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Telecel Ghana Ltd), AT (AirtelTigo), and the bank, mobile phone numbers attributed to particular bank accounts were swapped without the knowledge of the actual account holders.

‘This swapping enables the accused persons to take over control of the account holder’s banking channels (Mobile Application and USSD) and with this the accused persons transfer funds in the accounts of the victims to different bank accounts and mobile money accounts.’

The prosecution said investigations revealed that Anthony, the fifth accused, who is a registered third-party agent of Telecel Ghana Ltd, illegally gained access to the user login credentials of one Grace Chartey Gador, his empl
oyee, deactivated and reactivated the sim numbers of the bank customers to enable the other accused persons to steal the money from their accounts.

Preliminary investigations further showed that Richmond Donkor and Salifu Eshum, altered the same ECOWAS Identity card with the number GHA 001091841-0 in the name of one William Agyei Kwarteng and used the ID to swap the phone number attributed to the bank number 2030200665017 belonging to William Agyei Kwarteng.

The accused also transferred a total of GHC 33, 850 from the said account to bank numbers, 2030438618518 and 2100438618512 belonging to Cecilia Asabre, who withdraw the funds immediately the accounts were credited.

According to the prosecution, one Comfort Asamoah-Adu’s account was taken over, resulting in a total transfer of GHC10,341.2 from those accounts to Eshum’s MTN mobile money wallet.

‘Finally, our preliminary investigations showed that in an elaborate social engineering scheme, the fourth accused (Daniel Asomani Baawiah) attempted to steal an
unspecified money belonging to one Muhibatu Abdul Basit through her AT (AirtelTigo) cash number.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ashiman Circuit Court has sentenced two siblings, Safianu Osumanu and Aishatu Osumanu, respectively, to a fine of Gh? 720 and Gh? 600 for verbally assaulting four public officers.

The two would serve a three-month prison term if they defaulted on paying the fine.

The court, presided over by Mr. Simon Gaga, sentenced them after they changed their plea from not guilty to guilty to five counts of assault on public officers, offensive conduct, and disturbance of court.

Police Chief Inspector Christian Oscar Norgbedzi, prosecuting, said the complainants in the case are Ms. Millicent Zogli, a janitor at the Ashiaman District Court, while the second, third, and fourth complainants, respectively, are Inspector Henry Tetteh Nartey, a prosecutor, Corporal David Kwame Nyong, a Court Warrant Officer (CWO), and Lance Corporal Rebecca Addo, also a CWO.

The prosecutor stated that on February 1, 2024, the complainants arrested and brought to the Ashaiman Divisional CID the two accused siblings with a complaint that o
n the same day at about 1345 hours while at the premises of the court, they acted together and disturbed the court sittings.

He said they attacked and rained insults on the complainants who tried to call them to order.

He added that the siblings, on the day in question, accompanied their mother, Hamdiya Inusah, to the court in respect of a civil suit against her.

According to the prosecutor, while in the immediate vicinity of the court, Safianu publicly verbally assaulted the first complainant using unprintable words.

He said that peeved by the court’s judgement against their mother, they started making noise to disturb the court proceedings.

Following their behaviour, the police officer complainants attempted to call them to order, but they fiercely resisted, attacked, and rained insults on them.

The prosecutor said the accused persons were however, overpowered, arrested, and subsequently arraigned before the court.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Binduri District of the Upper East Region, has no networks of farmers, agro-input dealers, extension service providers, researchers, and financial institutions, which is adversely affecting agricultural value chain functionality.

To address this, World Vision Ghana for the second time running, organised an Agricultural Market Linkage Fair for agricultural value chain stakeholders in the District.

This was organised under the auspices of the Farmer Managed National Regeneration for Positive Land Utilisation Systems (FMNR PLUS) Project, funded by Knauer family with technical support from World Vision Germany.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said it was aimed at linking smallholder farmers, input dealers, agricultural extension officers, financial institutions, aggregators, tractor service providers, and research institutions to improved service delivery.

It said about 450 smallholder farmers, agricultural cooperatives, input dealers, extension officers, and tractor service providers
participated and shared their experiences to improve agricultural market systems in the district.

It provided an opportunity for value chain actors to have open forum discussions on the activities of various actors and how services and products could be accessed.

Some business deals were sealed and contacts exchanged for future business transactions.

According to Edward Anaba Akunyagra, the FMNR PLUS project manager, the lack of a vibrant agricultural network made access to critical agricultural services impossible and affected productivity and contributed to poverty and household food and nutrition insecurity.

‘Agricultural Market Linkage Fair presents an opportunity to bridge this gap to enable smallholders to access critical services to improve crop production and improved markets,’ he said.

Agricultural value chains play an important role in improving farmers’ incomes and household food security.

Aside from linking farmers to critical service providers, active value chains can also provide opportuni
ties for rural people, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth.

Additionally, functional value chains can help reduce poverty and hunger and improve access to markets for farmers.

For smallholder women farmers like Poanab Atinbun Mumuni, timely access to inputs and other services can increase crop yield, food security, and income for farmers.

She thanked World Vision Ghana for creating an opportunity for farmers to network for a better future.

Ayinga Abagre Yakubu, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Binduri District, described World Vision Ghana as a reliable development partner and thanked the organisation for its numerous interventions in the district.

He urged farmers and other stakeholders to take advantage of the enabling environment World Vision Ghana was creating to better their lives, livelihoods, and income.

Aside from the Savings for Transformation (S4T) that provides access to financial services to farmers, World Vision Ghana has facilitated the establishment of school eco-clubs to cre
ate environmental consciousness in children.

‘Support for dry season farming to enhance the livelihoods of vulnerable communities is a key intervention under the project’.

At the sidelines of the event, World Vision Ghana donated pumping machines and its accessories to support communities involved in dry season gardening as garden and hygiene apparatus to promote environmental stewardship among the youngsters.

The DCE urged women to take advantage of the support in various sectors being implemented by World Vision Ghana to build themselves for improved livelihoods.

World Vision Ghana has implemented some social interventions that have contributed to improving the lives, livelihoods, income, and food security of farmers in the district.

Other support includes, sanitation, and hygiene; environmental restoration and livelihood; and income-generating activities that aim to transform the lives of the most vulnerable children and their families.

World Vision is a child-focused humanitarian and relief organisa
tion focused on transforming the lives of the most vulnerable children.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Green Diversity Foundation (GDF Africa) has marked the International Day of Zero Waste with a call on young people to play active role in reducing the impact of waste to promote sustainable development.

Mr Hobson Agyapong, Executive Director of GDF Africa, said young people constituted the future of the planet, making it critical for them to be involved in solving the world’s environmental challenges.

‘Young people are the future. We cannot neglect them. If we decide to solve the problem without involving them, at the end we know definitely we will also leave, and we will not get people to continue the process.

‘Then it means we have created a mess and we made an attempt to solve it but then we could not sustain it. So for sustainability sake, we believe that the young ones should play a pivotal role in this process of solving our environmental challenges,’ Mr Agyapong said.

He made the call when GDF Africa celebrated the Day at the Lakeside Horticulture Village, Lakeside Estate Ltd, in the Adentan Mu
nicipality, on the theme: ‘Partnership for Sustainable Production and Consumption’.

Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 14, 2022, the International Day of Zero Waste is observed annually on March 30 by nations across the globe.

The occasion brought together stakeholders from government institutions, civil society organisations, academia and the private sector to assess human actions impacting the climate, come up with innovative solutions, and to form partnerships to tackle the impact of climate change

Mr Agyapong noted that waste had become a serious menace, with the United Nations reporting that every one minute, a truckload of plastic is dumped into the ocean.

He said young people must come up with innovative technologies and approaches for avoiding waste and reducing the impact of waste.

He said Ghanaians should adopt indigenous and nature-based solutions such as the use of leaves and paper in place of plastics.

‘Corporate institutions should incorporate waste reduction into t
heir environmental and social governance system to ensure sustainable production and consumption,’ he added.

Mr John A. Pwamang, Board Chairman of GDF Africa, noted that every year, Ghana generated 840,000 tonnes of plastic waste, with only 9.5 per cent being collected for recycling.

He said ensuring zero waste would require bold leadership, unwavering commitment, a fundamental shift in mindset, rethinking traditional business models, and adopting a holistic approach.

‘Together, we can build a world where waste is minimised, resources are preserved, and prosperity is shared by all,’ he said.

Mr Joy Hesse Ankomah, Deputy Director, Built Environment Department, Environmental Protection Agency, noted that to reduce waste, the country must have a ‘good strategic roadmap for implementation and enforceable legislations’.

He said zero waste called for waste avoidance, reuse and recycling.

He advocated reforms, including decentralised management of organic waste, dry waste and domestic hazardous waste, redesign
ing concessionaire agreement, integration of the informal sector, capacity building of waste management officials, adopting financially sustainable models, and upscaling of pilot projects.

Mr Abdulrahim Shaibu-Issah, Executive Director, Recycle Up Ghana, encouraged Ghanaians to take up the responsibility for ensuring zero waste by taking initiatives to avoid single-use plastics.

Lady Vera Wiredu, Executive Director, Volunteers for Victory Network, called for the passing of legislations to cut down single-use plastics and to promote reusable materials among Ghanaians.

Ms Jessica Kpendo, Miss Tourism Ghana, Second Princess, encouraged Ghanaians to make conscious effort to get their own sustainable water bottles for water and bowls to buy food in order to cut down plastics.

Present at the event were students from Mercy Senior High School, Lakeside, and Pinoko Educational Complex, Akyem Brenase in the Eastern Region.

Some of the students called for incorporation of Zero Waste as critical part of the school c
urriculum, as well as the implementation of waste segregation in homes and schools.

The event was organised in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Association of Ghana Industries, the Climate Tribe- United Arab Emirates, and Energy Free.

Source: Ghana News Agency