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President’s tours: Evidence of projects should bring back smiles
President Akufo-Addo in the last five weeks has been visiting various parts of the country.
On these visits, he interacts with chiefs and people, commissions project, inspects ongoing ones, and break grounds for new ones.
His tours which are in accordance with his commitment to pay yearly visits to each of the 16 regions of the country have so far taken him to the Northern, North East, Upper East, Upper West, Savannah and Central Regions.
Especially at a time when many people are complaining about economic difficulties, why is the President seemingly restless in visiting various parts of the country?
When I asked him this ahead of the Northern Regional tour, he reiterated to me his reasons for these tours.
First, they give him an opportunity to touch base and get a firsthand appreciation of the challenges many people are going through.
The tours also give him an opportunity to see for himself the progress of work on the ground and feedback it into the programmes and projects that are being executed.
Most importantly, the President said now is the most critical time when reinvestment in the Ghanaian economy is required, and he want to be out there to see evidence of the reinvestment that are being done to build back the economy.
On the tour, the President inspected the ongoing construction of the district hospitals under his much-touted Agenda 111 project.
Agenda 111, remember is government’s priority health infrastructure project that signifies the biggest investment in healthcare in the country.
This huge investment in the healthcare sector is to address the uneven distribution of healthcare infrastructure and also make Ghana the center of excellence in healthcare delivery in the sub-region.
Agenda 111 projects are not a myth, they are really happening on the ground.
So far, work has begun on majority of the 88 district hospitals across the country with the President inspecting works on the Kpandai, Issa, Lambussie and Gomoa Afransi among other Agenda 111 construction sites during his tour.
It was interesting to observe him reprimand some contractors for delays and be impressed with others for speedy work.
Also, the President is using the opportunity to assess the success of the One District One Factory (1D1F) flagship programme.
The programme seeks to transform the country’s economy from a predominantly agro raw material-based to a more industry-oriented economy.
So far, some 125 companies have been completed and are fully operational with 129 of them at various stages of completion and a further 24, at the mobilization stage.
It was almost impossible to believe two factories; the gas cylinder factory in Chochoe and the lubricant factory in the Gomoa East District being commissioned under the initiative in the Awutu Senya West Constituency of the Central Region.
Each of these factories will contribute hundreds of jobs directly and indirectly, tens of thousands of incomes in the years ahead to the people who are working in them and an improvement in their own livelihoods.
President Akufo-Addo commenced his regional tours with a visit to the Northern Region where he inspected ongoing projects including the Agenda 111 hospital at Kpandai as well as the yam and cassava processing factory in Bimbilla under the 1D1F initiative.
As part of the tour, the President also cut sod for the dualization of the Bimbilla town roads.
The two-kilometre project, which forms part of the Eastern Corridor trunk road project consist of the construction of roundabouts, covered drainage systems, traffic lights, among other facilities.
In the Upper West Region, the President spent three days inspecting ongoing projects and cutting sod for the construction of new ones.
President Akufo-Addo first paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of the Waala Traditional Council, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo where he instructed the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to sought approval for the procurement of 3,000 streetlights to be placed at vantage points to curb insecurity in the region.
He assured the people of Wa of significant development in the region, emphasizing that his government will make sure that “the national cake is shared equitably.”
He proceeded to inspect ongoing works on the Phase II of the Wa Youth Resource Centre in the Wa Central constituency.
The youth center is 1 of the 10 resource centers being constructed across the country.
The Phase I of the project is 98 per cent complete while the second phase which is ongoing is 30% complete.
The project consultant assured the President of the completion and handing over of the project by end of this year.
President Akufo-Addo departed Wa to Lambussie where he inspected the ongoing construction of the district hospital as part of the Agenda 111 project.
The hospital, when completed will boost healthcare delivery in the district. He also cut the sod for the dualization of the Nandom town roads.
He inspected ongoing works at the Wa Shopping Centre and proceeded to Kaleo to commission the Kaleo Solar Power Project.
The 13 megawatts solar power project helps government in its efforts to diversify the country’s entire generation portfolio to renewable energy and at the same time, increase the region’s power generation to provide enough energy capacity to meet industrial power demands and domestic needs.
His visit to the Savannah Region saw him inspect rehabilitated works at the Salaga Water System in the Salaga North constituency.
The President also inspected work on the Tamale-Salaga-Mankango road, and the Bunjai-Fulfulso road bringing an end to his two-day two of both the Upper West and Savannah Regions.
President Akufo-Addo switched his attention to the southern part of the country where he visited the Central Region last Friday.
The two-day tour of the region began in Kasoa in the Awutu Senya East constituency, where the President inspected work on a Court Complex.
He proceeded to the Awutu-Senya West constituency to inspect work on the Kasoa-Bawjiase road and commissioned a 1D1F gas cylinder factory in Chochoe.
The President also commissioned another 1D1F lubricant factory in the Gomoa East District at Fetteh and inspected an Agenda 111 Project in Gomoa Afransi in the Gomoa Central constituency.
As the President prepares for his Volta Regional tour next week, for those who were beginning to despair as a result of the pains of the economic challenges, his tours and the evidence of the rebooting works going on around the country should bring back your smiles.
As he works to bring back stability after the globally induced turbulence, his next objective is to invest in the real sector.
These investments, evidence of which are unfolding before our very eyes on TV are the things that will bring back the growth, jobs, incomes, and an improvement in the quality of life that we need.
You no longer need to be told about the works that are ongoing across the country or hear a distorted version of it from somebody else.
Now, courtesy the Ministry of Information working with affiliate media partners, the President’s major stops where he is commissioning factories and projects, inspecting works on roads and Agenda 111, interacting with key demographics of our society are all live for Ghanaians to see and determine whether the planned reinvestment are taking effect.
By Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information
- National honours conferred on COVID-19, ITLOS champions – 15 March 2023
- Misinformation undermining democracy, eroding gains in Ghana – 14 March 2023
- Dr Akoto: With right investment in agric, Ghana will not need IMF – 14 March 2023
Individuals, institutions and partners who distinguished themselves in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, have been honoured by the State at the National Honours and Awards 2023.
Other awards receivers are members of the legal team of men and women, who were charged with ensuring that the maritime boundary dispute with Cote D’Ivoire, ended favourably for Ghana.
Apart from these two main categories of awardees, that is the COVID-19 and International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) awardees, there was a third category of awardees of a few individuals whose work deserve the plaudits of the nation.
They are the late great philosopher, Prof. Johnson Kwame Wiredu, by common consent one of the outstanding philosophers of global repute of the modern age, who will be given a befitting posthumous award, Order of the Volta – Companion.
The rest are Ms. Margaret Sophia Darkwah, the first female Commissioner of Police; Prof. Akwasi Osei, former Chief Executive of the Mental Health Authority; and Dr. Veronica Agartha Martinson, former Executive Director of the Cocoa Research Institute, Ghana.
In all, some 19, 557 frontline health workers received certificates and plaques for their dedicated services in the line of duty.
Additionally, about 50 individuals and entities also received the Order of the Volta – Companion awards, comprising Members of the National COVID-19 Taskforce, Trustees of the Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund, and ITLOS Technical Team and Legal Advisors.
The national awards are presented to persons who have made immense and recognized contributions in sectors such as the civil service, military, prisons service, education and public health, agriculture, commerce and industry, the judiciary, scientific and other research, sports, culture and the arts, and the financial sector.
The country received many commendations for the measures it put in place to contain the viral disease, after it recorded the first two cases in March 2020.
“Ghana is indeed indebted to you,” President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo saluted the awardees.
The selflessness and commitment demonstrated by the health workers helped saved many lives, the President noted, citing the difficulties the nation went through at the height of the pandemic.
These ranged from the imposition of a three-week lockdown in some parts of the country, and social distancing to the adherence to safety protocols.
President Akufo-Addo stated that the Government instituted some one billion Ghana Cedis as a relief package to alleviate the plight of the people in the wake of the pandemic.
Additionally, personal protective equipment worth several millions of Ghana Cedis were also procured for the safety of the citizenry.
The President lauded the ITLOS main legal team for their effectiveness and able manner in which they handled Ghana’s maritime dispute with its immediate western neighbours.
“This ensured that our western maritime resources remained legitimately in our possession,” he said.
“It is important to state that today’s awards ceremony is a purely national event, devoid of partisan, ethnic or religious considerations, and organised solely in recognition of the services offered by its recipients to the growth, development, progress and prosperity of Ghana.
“I, as the President of the Republic, the Fount of Honour, act as the Head of State, and not as Head of Government, in the distribution of awards.
“I can happily say that I am not aware of the political sympathies or views of the overwhelming majority of today’s awardees. Their politics is of no moment to me, only their exploits in favour of Mother Ghana, he said.
- National honours conferred on COVID-19, ITLOS champions – 15 March 2023
- Misinformation undermining democracy, eroding gains in Ghana – 14 March 2023
- Dr Akoto: With right investment in agric, Ghana will not need IMF – 14 March 2023
Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has expressed grave concern about the rising spate of false publications and misinformation within the Ghanaian media landscape.
According to him, the phenomenon is gradually undermining the democracy of the country and eroding the gains made over the years.
With a significant section of the Ghanaian population now relying on online platforms and other social media platforms for information, he noted that some unscrupulous persons had resulted to using those channels to propagate falsehood and misinformation.
Speaking at the launch of a website for the Information Services Department (ISD) of the Ministry of Information in Accra, Oppong Nkrumah stated that “This phenomenon is gradually undermining our democracy.”
23.05m internet users
The state of digital in Ghana in 2023 report indicates that there are 23.05 million internet users in Ghana at the start of 2023, when internet penetration stood at 68.2%.
6.6m social media users
Ghana is home to 6.6 million social media users in January 2023, equating to 19.5% of the total population.
43.88m cellular mobile connections
A total of 43.88 million cellular mobile connections are active in Ghana in early 2023, with this figure equivalent to 129.8% of the total population.
68.2% internet penetration
Ghana’s internet penetration rate stood at 68.2% of the total population at the start of 2023.
Ghana Today
The platform which is a website called Ghana Today is a reliable news portal that provides accurate information on government projects, programmes, communications and positions.
The website, www.ghanatoday.gov.gh, has been created with the aim of combating public misinformation, a phenomenon that has been on the ascendancy, with the establishment of multiple private media outfits and blogs.
Objective of the portal
The main objective of the portal will be to disseminate information directly from the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, about the works of Government and becoming a repository of all happenings in government.
Oppong Nkrumah in his address stressed that the launch of the news website forms part of the Ministry’s duties of supervising ISD and supporting Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to communicate regularly.
The portal, the Minister noted, will provide facts about government projects and programmes, as well as full texts of all speeches by heads of MDAs, official communications and publications, and policies and programme documents to reduce the level of misrepresentations and misinformation online.
Re-organization and retooling Programme
Oppong Nkrumah indicated that the launch of this project by the ISD forms an integral part of the re-organization and retooling Programme, and is aimed at equipping the Department to serve more audiences with its work even as the times and media consumption patterns change.
He said, “a significant section of our population now relies on online platforms and other social media platforms for information. It is also important to note that some unscrupulous persons have used many of these portals and social media platforms to propagate falsehood and misinformation. This phenomenon is gradually undermining our democracy.”
Fight against misinformation
He continued, “the rollout of this website will, therefore support the department in the fight against misinformation.”
Repository of all happenings in govt
He further indicated that it will provide “direct information from Ministries, Departments and Agencies about the works of government and become a repository of all happenings in government.
Sensitisation of the public
He said, over the years, the ISD had played critical role in the sensitisation of the public on major issues of national interest, including the construction of the Akosombo dam; re-introduction of the 17 per cent VAT after a previous failed attempt; introduction of the new Ghana cedi in 2007 and most recently, the creation of the six new regions and the E-Levy.
Those, he said, the Department had done through the use of various Public Education Campaign strategies and the deployment of Public Relations professionals and Regional and District Information Officers to MMDAS and MDAs.
Keeping up with ever-changing media landscape
However, he noted that, the Department had lost some steam in recent years, mostly due to the inability of successive administrations to equip it as well as keep up with the ever-changing media landscape and the advancement in technology.
In response to these challenges, Oppong Nkrumah stated that Cabinet has approved a Programme for the Department to undergo vigorous re-tooling and re-organization to meet the needs of the present day.
He indicated that the launch of the website formed an integral part of the re-organisation and retooling programme of the Department, aimed at equipping it to serve more audiences with its work even as the time and media consumption patterns changed.
He urged the staff to work quickly and accurately to ensure that the citizenry was reached with all the facts and the necessary documentation as soon as possible.
The Minister tasked ISD to “get to work with speed to ensure that the information and the documents reach ISD Media Today, so they are published. The regular delays in getting materials to your colleagues at ISD media will only undermine the potential efficacy of this very useful tool.”
He urged the general public who want to validate the information about Government works that they may come across, to visit the new website for the information they need.
On his part, the Acting Chief Information Officer of the ISD, Mr. David Owusu-Amoah urged Ghanaians to make use of the Ghana Today platform and to be vigilant in their consumption of online content.
He said it is important that “we all take responsibility for the information we consume and share and be mindful of the impact of false information on our society whiles working together to combat it.
“We all have a role to play in combating misinformation. We must all be responsible and verify information before sharing it. With this new tool, we hope to empower Ghanaians to take an active role in the fight against fake news.”
Mr Amoah, said that “at the inception of the ISD, there was no need to worry about misinformation.”
However, today due to the proliferation of news outlets, the struggle is against misinformation.”
Mrs Adiza Ofori-Adu, Head, Media Division, ISD, said the website would enrich dissemination of information on government’s projects and urged media houses to depend on it for authentic stories.
The ISD was established in the latter part of 1939, some 84 years ago, as a branch of the Colonial Government Secretariat dedicated to conveying news on the second World War to the people of the then Gold Coast through weekly journal.
- National honours conferred on COVID-19, ITLOS champions – 15 March 2023
- Misinformation undermining democracy, eroding gains in Ghana – 14 March 2023
- Dr Akoto: With right investment in agric, Ghana will not need IMF – 14 March 2023
Six persons have been arrested on different dates and at various locations within Ashiaman and its environs in connection with the murder of Trooper Imoro Sherrif, a soldier.
A statement issued by the police indicates that on March 4, Police received information that a male adult had been found lying dead at Ashiaman-Taifa in the Greater Accra Region.
A team of Police officers proceeded to the said location and confirmed the incident.
Police immediately commenced investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the victim.
The officers cordoned off the scene and called in the specialist Police Crime Scene team to process the scene for forensic analysis.
The Crime Scene Team retrieved a number of items, including a knife with blood stains on it and a backpack.
In the backpack, Police found a Samsung tablet, an Apple laptop, a military uniform with the name tag “Imoro”, eight other items of clothing, as well as a Ghana card and a Health Insurance card bearing the name Imoro Sherrif.
Judging from the contents of the backpack, the police suspected the victim could be a soldier, and in line with Police standard operating procedure for handling institution-based victims, the Military was accordingly notified of the incident and some military personnel came to identify the deceased to Police as Imoro Sheriff, a soldier.
The body of the deceased was thereafter conveyed to a hospital for preservation and autopsy.
As part of the investigation, an intelligence operation was immediately launched within Ashiaman and other strategic locations of interest to follow up on all relevant leads on the case.
On the same day, consistent with Ghanaian tradition and as part of the investigation process, a team of police officers after identifying the residence of the parents of the deceased, visited them, commiserated with them and assured them of a thorough investigation into the matter.
During the visit, the parents informed the Police that the deceased was stationed at Sunyani but had come to Accra on a course.
Investigations further revealed that on March 3, the deceased had visited a female friend at Ashaiman Newtown at about 10:30pm and left the place in the middle of the night at about 1:30 am, on March 4.
After almost a week of painstaking intelligence-led operations, on March 9, the police arrested suspects Safianu Musah alias Dayorgu and Ibrahim Abdul Rakib at their hideouts in Ashaiman.
Two other suspects, Samuel Tetteh alias Wiper and Abubakar Sadick alias Birdman were also arrested at their hideouts on March 10.
Two additional suspects, Yussif Mohammed and Abdul Gafaru Abdul Karim were arrested on March 11 and 12, respectively.
Further investigation has established that suspects Samuel Tetteh and Abubakar Sadick at about 1:45 am on March 4, 2023 attacked the deceased at Ashiaman-Taifa in an attempt to rob him of his phone and a backpack.
The deceased, however, resisted and struggled with the suspects. During the struggle, suspect Samuel Tetteh pulled out a knife and stabbed the deceased in the arm, snatched his phone and bolted leaving the deceased with the knife stuck in his arm.
A postmortem examination was performed on the deceased’s body on March 8, after which the pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as exsanguination and laceration of major vessels of the left arm consistent with the stabbed injury.
Investigations also revealed that suspects Samuel Tetteh and Abubakar Sadick sold the phone which they had robbed from the deceased to suspect Ibrahim Abdul Rakib who later sold it to suspect Safianu Musah.
Suspect Safianu Musah is being evasive as to the whereabouts of the phone and claims to have sold it to suspect Yussif Mohammed and later to suspect Abdul Gafaru Abdul Karim.
Both suspects have been arrested and are assisting in investigation to recover the phone.
On March 12, a team of police officers led by the Tema Regional Police Commander visited the family of the deceased and briefed them on the investigations done so far.
The Police commended all police officers at all levels of Command, especially the crack police intelligence and investigation teams as well as the Ashiaman District Police Command for their professionalism and meticulous dedication, working around the clock to unravel this case.
The Police assured the public, especially the family of the deceased, that all the suspects are in Police custody and will be put before the court on Monday, March 13, for justice.
- National honours conferred on COVID-19, ITLOS champions – 15 March 2023
- Misinformation undermining democracy, eroding gains in Ghana – 14 March 2023
- Dr Akoto: With right investment in agric, Ghana will not need IMF – 14 March 2023
National honours conferred on COVID-19, ITLOS champions
Misinformation undermining democracy, eroding gains in Ghana
Dr Akoto: With right investment in agric, Ghana will not need IMF
Police nab 6 in connection with killing of soldier in Ashaiman
National honours conferred on COVID-19, ITLOS champions
Misinformation undermining democracy, eroding gains in Ghana
Dr Akoto: With right investment in agric, Ghana will not need IMF
Police nab 6 in connection with killing of soldier in Ashaiman
National honours conferred on COVID-19, ITLOS champions
Misinformation undermining democracy, eroding gains in Ghana
Dr Akoto: With right investment in agric, Ghana will not need IMF
Police nab 6 in connection with killing of soldier in Ashaiman
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