Mr. Kwabena Ohemeng Tinyase (right) administering the oath of office to the national executives.

The practice of alternative medicine in the country has received a boost with the launch of a new association which aims at bringing all practitioners of the various forms of alternative medicine together under one umbrella.

The group, Alternative Medical Association Ghana, (AMAG) which was inaugurated over the weekend will also work to provide acceptable operating standards of practice for members as well as internally monitor and regulate the operations of its members.

Lawyer Yaw Buaben Asamoa, officially launching the Association, congratulated the minds behind the formation of such a group.

He said the country was privileged to have other forms of medical practices like homeopathy and herbal medicine. He nonetheless urged the first executives of the Association to fight for the credibility of the group through ensuring that members uphold the best standards in their practice.

“You must be objective and ruthless in upholding best practices in order to sustain the activities of this Association,” he said.

Anne Sylvia Afi Vuvor, head of the secretariat of the Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC), the body which regulates and promotes the practice of alternative medicine in Ghana, congratulated the Association for the aim which would augment the efforts of the TMPC.

She said the Council has been very strict in implementing the dictates of Act 575 and other guidelines in the practice of alternative medicine in order to ensure the safety of the public who patronise traditional and alternative medicine.

“We, despite criticisms from some corners, are clear in our minds that the incessant insistence on best practices would better change the face of traditional and alternative medicine practice in Ghana,” she said.

Ms. Vuvor therefore called for the Association to sustain and enhance the public confidence in the profession and its services by joining forces with TMPC to enhance proper regulation and promotion of the industry.

Inauguration

The launch of the Association coincided with the inauguration of the seven member national executives who have been tasked with the running of the Association’s activities.

Kwabena Ohemeng Tinyase, chairperson of the event led the executives including Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, President, Dr. George Essiamah, Vice President, Dr. Kojo Asamoa, General Secretary, Mrs. Esther Elorm Richmanrobert Aghayedo, Treasurer, Dr. Samuel Atta  Kontoh,  Finance Secretary, Dr. Kwaku Boateng, Organiser and Dr. Eudorah Baht  Ammi Kudiabor, Public Relations Officer, to take the oath of office.

President of the Association, Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, speaking on behalf of the other national executives gave his word on championing holistic alternative medicine practice in the country by discharging their mandates effectively.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri

The post Alternative Medicine Association Launched appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

Suspect Senusi Zibo right and Abudu Mohammed

Two suspected armed robbers, who allegedly attacked an Israeli businessman at East Legon in Accra and robbed him of his bag containing an amount of GH¢4,030 and other personal effects have been arrested by the police.

The suspects- Senusi Zibo and Abudu Mohammed- were apprehended when a taxi driver crossed them with his cab when they attempted to flee with the money.

The bag containing the money was recovered from them upon their arrest by residents and handed over to the police.

Narrating the incident to the media, ASP Efia Tenge, Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer said suspects Senusi Zibo and Abudu Mohammed were arrested by witnesses in the case on Friday, July 14, 2017 around 1:30pm and handed over to the police.

They were also followed by the victim, who is an Israeli businessman residing in Ghana.

According to the victim, around 1pm that day, he was returning from town and upon reaching a spot called ARS near American House in East Legon, he stopped and parked his car on the shoulders of the road to receive a phone call.

While still talking on the phone, suspect Senusi approached him to alert him that his car had a flat tyre.

The victim said he got down to check the said flat tyre but instead, suspect Senusi pointed a knife at him and ordered him to keep calm.

The suspect then escorted the victim to his car and picked the bag containing the money and attempted to escape on a motorbike manned by the second suspect who had parked a little further from the robbery scene.

The victim however raised an alarm and a taxi driver, who stumbled on the scene crossed the suspects with his vehicle and knocked them down.

Residents then pounced on the two suspects and grabbed them.

After subjecting them to severe beatings, the residents took them to the East Legon Police station together with the stolen bag.

The two are still in police custody assisting in investigations.

By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey

(Lindatenyah@gmail.com)

The post East Legon Robbers Busted appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Barring any last-minute hitch, President Akufo-Addo will today hold his maiden encounter with the media.

The press encounter for selected Ghanaian journalists, which is expected to be carried live on all major networks, including radio and television stations across the country, would kick-start at exactly half past midday at the Banquet Hall of the State House.

The President is expected to use the opportunity to tell the good people of Ghana what he and his government have been doing to transform the nation after six months into his four-year mandate.

Members of the presidential press corps and some selected members of the media from various media houses would be given the opportunity to ask questions.

Also expected to be present are his ministers, who would help him respond to specific questions related to their respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

In an interview, Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid, who is expected to moderate the programme, told journalists that “this press conference by the President is in line with his pledge when he took over office to be accountable and open and accessible to Ghanaian people.”

Aim

“He thinks that this accountability and interaction with Ghanaian people, first of all, is a democratic requirement that as a democratic President, once in a while you come back to the people and tell them what you are doing with the mandate that they gave you; secondly also, he recognizes he is a human being therefore he is not perfect and therefore once in a while you meet the people, they will give you ideas, they will make suggestions, they will even criticize your policies and so on, so that you can take on these criticisms on board and better fashion out your vision for the development of the country,” he emphasized.

Asked why the President would not wait for a year to render a proper account to the people, this was what he said, “we thought that one year will be a very long time; you know that the President already has a policy that once he is in the country, every month he will be in one of the regions of Ghana to interact with the people; interacting with the people has to be as frequent as possible and that is why he doesn’t think we have to wait till one year to do this”

“What we also have to emphasise is that this is not a press interaction to, if you want my favourite word, engage in self aggrandizement and say that we have done this, we have achieved this, we have achieved that; that’s not the purpose. It’s not proper to set exam questions, answer them and mark and grade ourselves,” he noted.

Format

Instead, he said, “The President will make a few remarks, then after that we will open the floor for questions…he will account to the people what he’s been doing this past six months which he believes if he keeps doing it will improve the fortunes of our country and help us achieve our development goals.”

DAILY GUIDE has gathered that questions, which are likely to come up, would focus on the recent $15 billion agreement signed between the government of Ghana and the Chinese government, the issues of Delta Force [NPP internal security details], the Bulk Oil Storage (BOST) contaminated oil brouhaha and the government’s reintroduction of 3% Value Added Tax (VAT) flat rate.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent

The post Nana Meets Journalists appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

From left  to right: Clement Kofi Humado, Abuga Pele, Philip Assibit

A witness in the trial of the two persons involved in the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) scandal yesterday dropped a bombshell, saying that Clement Kofi Humado, former Sports Minister, cannot be absolved from the alleged scam.

The witness, Jacob Adongo said Mr Humado, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Anlo, was involved in almost all the processes leading to the payment of GH¢4.1 million to Goodwill International Group (GIG).

The former National Coordinator of GYEEDA and NDC MP for Chiana Paga, Abuga Pele, together with Philip Akpeena Assibit, are standing trial for the various roles they played in the GYEEDA scam.

The Attorney General’s Department told the High Court (Financial Division) in Accra that the accused persons caused huge financial loss to the state.

Mr Humado, who was the Minister of Youth and Sports and allegedly approved the payment, is currently serving as prosecuting witness.

The witness told the court that Goodwill International Group had a service contract with GYEEDA which was signed by Kofi Homado and witnessed by Abuga Pele.

Mr Adongo, testifying as a defence witness, told the court that the agreement for the contract was prepared by the Attorney General’s Department.

Assibit is being accused of putting in false claims that he secured $65 million World Bank funding for the creation of one million jobs for the youth, which led government to part with GH¢4.1 million.

When asked whether the Agency still has the agreement in their custody, the witness said it was unfortunate that EOCO invaded their office and picked various documents, including the said agreement.

“My Lord, I guess AG will get a copy, since their office was not invaded,” he added.

According to Jacob Adongo, a Deputy National Coordinator of the defunct National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), which later changed to GYEEDA and now called Youth Employment Agency (YEA), the former minister was part of the processes that led to the payment.

He argued that the National Coordinator of NYEP does not have the “capacity” to approve payments “beyond GH¢20,000.”

The witness disclosed that payment procedures begin with a request from the service provider attached to the relevant documents which could not be paid without the approval of the minister.

“…The (request and relevant documents) are sent to the minister who will usually approve or otherwise authorise his Chief Director to communicate the approval or otherwise to the NYEP,” Mr. Adongo claimed.

He added: “When the approval comes to the NYEP, the NYEP prepares payment vouchers which are taken back to the ministry for audit, attaching all relevant documents/agreements.”

Abuga Pele is accused of wilfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of GH¢3,330,568.53, while Assibit is being tried for defrauding the state of an amount equivalent to $1,948,626.68.

Mr. Assibit opened his defence after the court had dismissed his submission of no case.

Led in evidence as the third witness for Assibit, who is also the CEO of Goodwill International Group (GIG) at the Financial and Economic Crimes Court yesterday, Adongo said payments made to Assibit went through the processes at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

“…I may not be exact but I remember that we discussed six cheques that were paid to GIG or it’s Consultancy.”

He stated that the document was in the custody of officials of the Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO), because the NYEP offices were “invaded” by EOCO.

Mr. Adongo said the payments made to GIG were for services rendered to NYEP, which included the training of 250 people to help develop the Youth Action Plan, development of proposals to the World Bank and DANIDA, which were both approved, and assisting the NYEP to go through the processes to become a public sector organisation in order to qualify for World Bank funding.

The witness further explained that DANIDA’s proposal was to secure funding to support employment drive for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) while that of the World Bank was for Youth Enterprise Development.

Sitting continues today.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

jeffdegraft44@yahoo.com

The post Minister Nailed! In GH¢4m GYEEDA Scam appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

Nicholas Kwame Adjei and the cab carjacked

Nicholas Kwame Adjei, a 35-year-old man described as a notorious armed robber, has been arrested after snatching a Toyota Corolla taxi cab.

The suspect, said to be a recidivist, who resides at Akim Oda in the Eastern Region, snatched the taxi with registration number GS 328-13 from one Isaac, the cabbie, at gunpoint at Ataase Nkwanta, near New Edubiase in the Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region.

He hired the services of the taxi driver from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Roundabout in Kumasi to New Edubiase for an undisclosed amount of money last Tuesday.

The New Edubiase District Police Commander, ASP Martin Assenso, who confirmed the incident, told DAILY GUIDE that Nicholas Kwame Adjei threatened to shoot the cabbie with an Italian pistol with four rounds of ammunition at around 7pm.

He narrated that the officers responded quickly to calls of the victim within minutes, but the suspect got away from the location before the law enforcers got there.

The suspect was later arrested by police personnel at Akim Oda when he moved to the Eastern Region with the car following the relay of information to the officers, ASP Assenso narrated.

The police boss added that the law enforcers found a pair of pliers, screw driver, mask and the Italian pistol known as Bruno Mod with four rounds of live ammunition used in committing the crime in the car when Nicholas Kwame Adjei was arrested.

He also changed the registration number of the vehicle from GS 321-13 to AW 178-13 and the roadworthy sticker.

ASP Assenso said the 35-year-old has been handed over to the Anti-Robbery Unit of the Ashanti Regional Police Command in Kumasi.

The Police said the suspect also jumped bail in Takoradi last year and allegedly defrauded a fuel station manager at Akim Oda, Charles Kwame Asare to the tune of GH¢56,997.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that the suspect is also wanted for questioning over similar carjacking and robbery at a filling station in 2013.

He has committed various crimes in Takoradi and Akim Oda, and has miraculously escaped from police custody to ply his trade.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi

The post Notorious Robber Arrested Over Carjacking appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

The Greater Accra Minister swearing in the MCE

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashitey acting in furtherance to the fulfillment of Article 243(1) of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana and section 20(1) of Local Governance Act 2016 Act 936 has sworn into office Jennifer Dede Afagbedzi, the La Nkwantang Madina Municipal (LaNMMa) Chief Executive (MCE).

Miss Jennifer Dede Afagbedzie who was endorsed by the LaNMMA assembly members last week is being sworn into office after three attempts.

Mr. Ashitey performing the swearing in ceremony at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) auditorium on Monday indicated that the ceremony has become necessary to complete the process of putting in place the full complement of government machinery especially at the lower tier for effective administration.

He added that it is also for deepening democracy, participation and rapid socio-economic development across the country.

The Minister urged Miss Afagbedzi to serve the people  to the best of her ability such that it reflects in the general improvement of their living  conditions, make them part of her decision making process which according to him is the basis of the local government structure.

“For your mandate, you have become a legislator, planner, development economist and manager of human resource and natural resources; as you identify these potentials and combine them in the right proportion, your task turns lighter and obviously you become a hero among your people,” he advised her.

The LaNMMa MCE, Jennifer Dede Afagbedzi expressed her appreciation to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo for nominating her to represent her people in the Municipality.

She assured that although the municipality which is cosmopolitan in nature is bedeviled by a myriad of challenges, she believed with support from her team mates, much will be done to transform the place making it a preferred destination for investors and businesses.

Ms. Afagbedzi reaffirmed her commitment to work towards the improvement of the lives of the youth, children and women within the municipality.

By Solomon Ofori

The post La MCE Takes Office appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

The post I Don’t Know Status Of My $14m Residence – Bawumia appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

President Akufo-Addo has stated that the biggest challenge his government is seeking to address is job creation.

According to him, the government is adopting various measures including the National Entrepreneurship and Innovations Plan to tackle the high level of unemployment in the country.

Speaking at the press conference in Accra to account for his first 6 months in office, he said: “the greatest challenge we face is the creation of jobs.”

The National Entrepreneurship and Innovations Plan which was lunched last week with a seed amount of 10 million cedis is to help start-ups and entrepreneurs to establish themselves in business.

Outlining other plans to create jobs at the meeting, Nana Addo mentioned his government’s much-touted Planting for Food and Jobs program saying that agriculture is one of the major sectors his government targets to create jobs.

Nana Akufo-Addo said he also expects the reduction in economic indices like inflation to soon translate into economic gains for all Ghanaians including businesses.

He said the Bank of Ghana’s reduction in the Monetary Policy Rate, Treasury Bill rate and other economic indices has set the economy on the path of recovery.

The Monetary Policy Rate of the Bank of Ghana has been cut from 25.5 percent to 22.5 percent, while T-Bill rate has gone down from 22.8 percent to 11.9 percent, said to be the lowest in five years.

Inflation has also reduced from 15.4 percent to 12.1 percent.

-Citifmonline

The post Gov’t’s Biggest Problem Is Job Creation – Nana Addo appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

The police are on the heels of a man at Teshie who is believed to have left a chilling note, accusing a deceased woman of infesting him with HIV/AIDS.

“You gave me HIV – Die,” was the note reportedly written on a sheet of paper and left on the floor where the body of the deceased, identified only as Chioma, was found.

The body of Chioma was discovered lying naked on the floor in an isolated single room apartment at Teshie-Tafo with multiple wounds all over her body. She is suspected to have been stabbed.

Residents suspect she was a prostitute whose service was hired by the occupant of the room for the night. Others claim she was the girlfriend of the suspected killer.

The Teshie police are also looking for the owner of the house to assist them with information that could lead to the arrest of the killer.

Residents have denied having seen the deceased person in the area.

Some Nigerians in the country have identified the deceased as their compatriot who had been in the country since April this year.

In addition to the note left by the suspected killer were also some used condoms.

A television set in the room was still working together with the ceiling fan when the body was found around 5pm on Monday.

A resident, Nii Kpakpo Allotey, told DAILY GUIDE at the scene that even though they did not know the occupant of the said apartment, they know the agent who brought the suspect to occupy the room

The Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Efia Tenge, told DAILY GUIDE that the police received information about the murder at about 5pm.

The incident actually took place at a place called Nkomefa, near the Methodist Church, Teshie-Tafo.

She said investigation was conducted after photographs were taken of the deceased person.

The body has since been deposited at the Police Hospital for preservation while investigation continues.

By Linda Tenyah- Ayettey

(lindatenyah@gmail.com)

The post Woman Killed Over AIDS appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

President Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo yesterday had his first encounter with the Ghanaian media after taking office as president, with a barrage of questions fired at him.

He took time to walk the journalists through some of the measures he and his government have been putting in place to restore the country to normalcy after what he called a shocking revelation about the state of affairs.

After giving an introductory speech which lasted for almost 35 minutes, addressing a wide range of issues from the economy, illegal mining, security, rule of law, governance, agricultural, infrastructural development and many more, the man availed himself for questions.

President Akufo-Addo arrived at 12 midday prompt as announced, leaving many journalists who came late, locked outside, even though the hall was filled to capacity and by 2:30 pm the programme was over with a cocktail and exchange of felicitations.

A lot of journalists couldn’t have the chance to ask questions.

In attendance were some senior journalists – including one of his old friends who has for some time now become an ardent critic of his party –  Kwesi Pratt Jnr; President of the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA), Affail Monney, Egbert Faibille Jnr, and members of the presidential press corps, among others.

Issue

The president, however, did not take it lightly when a journalist created the impression as though he (president) had abandoned the idea of implementing the ‘Free Senior High School’ policy – one of his major flagship programmes – which he had campaigned on during the 2016 electioneering campaign that saw him winning the election massively.

The journalist’s reasoning was that once Nana Addo did not mention it in his introductory remarks, it sought to give credence to suggestions that the government might not implement the policy to the letter and also about       cut-off point.

But President Akufo-Addo said that was far from right because the modalities for introducing the policy had been spelt out in a series of engagements by the sector minister, including the setting up of a secretariat and an implementation committee to that effect.

He said there is a clear roadmap for the implementation of the policy and that all students admitted to public schools will benefit from it.

He therefore expressed surprise when the journalist sought to create the impression as though the government was devising means to cut off some students from benefiting from the policy.

“The reason why there is no mention about it here today is not because it’s been abandoned; on the contrary, it is a very high priority,” he rebuffed.

Justification

Instead, he said, “I’m gonna look very foolish in the eyes of people and also extremely dishonest after being in office and one of the things I don’t see to, is the Free Senior High School system.”

He could not but asked rhetorically, “Won’t everybody come to say I came to hoodwink them and con them; I’m not a hoodwinker, I’m not a con man, I’m an honest man and I will make sure that it will be done.

“I don’t know there is a shift in the goal post as far as cut-off is concerned; what I’ve heard and I think it’s correct, is that the policy will avail those who are accepted in the senior high schools.  He’s gone further…to say that the policy that is being devised by the Ministry of Education is that the so-called elite schools in Ghana are going to be required to reserve 30 per cent of places to those schools that come from, if you like, more disadvantaged backgrounds and locations,” he explained.

He therefore stressed that “the effort to create some kind of balance in what is being proposed is one that is engaging all of my attention and it must engage all of our attention…an educational system…where only people who have money can guarantee the successful education of their children and then perpetuate that, is one that is creating a society that ultimately is not stable or tenable,” he emphasized.

Kennedy Agyapong

President Akufo-Addo rejected claims that the attacks by the Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, against his government do bother him.

According to him, having been in the same political party with the maverick politician, he is aware of his nature and has gotten used to it.

“Regarding Kennedy Agyapong’s comments, I am not surprised at where he is going. I have been in the same party with Ken for many years and so I understand him and we know ourselves very well.

“His comments do not irritate me; we can have different views on different matters and that is fine, but the statement on the appointments from the Central Region, I will not accept because I don’t believe it is true,” the president responded to a question.

I’m Not Wild

The president dismissed suggestion that he is a wild person and that the presidency had tamed him

He said the image of him created by his opponents as a violent and aggressive person is nothing close to who he is.

The president stressed that there are people who are not his political sympathisers but have known him for a long time to attest to the fact that there is nothing ‘wild’ about him.

“Yes! I am a man of strong views and it is difficult to threaten or bully me…I will stand my grounds as small as I am…and if that translates into being wild, then I have not changed at all,” he said.

“The idea that I am sort of intoxicated, crazy character going around and causing problem was never part of the reality so what they are seeing of me in office is Nana Akufo-Addo as I have always been,” he added,.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent

The post I’m Not Con Man Nana Fires Back Touts Credentials appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

The coffin carrying Dorcas’ mortal remains   

A 31-YEAR-OLD pregnant midwife, Dorcas Waja, who was working at the Atebubu Government Hospital in the Brong-Ahafo Region, was yesterday found dead in her room at the nurses’ quarters.

The body, which was reportedly in an advanced stage of decomposition, is believed to have died four days earlier, but the hospital authorities are said to have claimed that they were not aware of the incident. The body was hurriedly buried at the Atebubu cemetery.

Brong-Ahafo Regional crime officer, Superintendent Nana Kwaku Duah, confirmed the death to DAILY GUIDE on phone but said the police were still gathering information on the mysterious death.

However, Kwasi Benyado, a family member of the deceased who spoke to the media, accused the hospital authorities of negligence, unprofessional conduct and refusing to answer so many questions. He wondered why, for four days, Dorcas was not coming to work and yet, the authorities failed to find out her whereabouts, though she was living at the hospital premises. “Hasn’t she got friends or where was the husband?” he queried.

The district crime officer, named only as ASP Simon, would not give further details because he was in a meeting with the DCE. The hospital authorities refused to answer our calls when the administrator was reached on the telephone. The incident, DAILY GUIDE learnt, had created fear and panic among the workers at the hospital.

However, DAILY GUIDE has gathered that Dorcas’ husband lives in Accra.

FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Atebubu

danielyaodayee@yahoo.com

The post Pregnant Woman In Mysterious Death appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

Nana Dwomoh Sarpong planting a tree whilst Kumasi Mayor, Osei Assibey and other dignitaries look on

THE HOPES of Kumasi returning to its glorious days when the city was referred to as the ‘Garden City of West Africa’, has seen a significant boost.

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) intends to plant 70,000 different species of trees at vantage parts of the city from now to December.

The tree planting programme, dubbed ‘Me and My Tree Project’ is being done by the KMA in conjunction with Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, an NGO.

The Nhyiaeso sub-metro, particularly Atasemanso, has been selected for the pilot tree planting exercise.

The exercise started on Saturday with the planting of about 1,500 different tree species at river banks, wetlands and roadsides at Atasemanso.

The event was graced by the Kumasi Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi, Nhyiaeso MP, Kennedy Kankam, Atasemansohene, Nana Owusu Berimma, among others.

Osei Assibey indicated that he is determined to work assiduously to help Kumasi reclaim its ‘Garden City of West Africa’ status once again.

He therefore urged the people to patronize the project, urging residents to own and cater for the planted trees so as to ensure their growth.

Hon. Kennedy Kankam enumerated the immense benefits of trees to mankind and applauded the KMA and the NGO for the bold initiative.

Nana Dwomoh Sarpong, President, Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, warned that the absence of trees poses a great threat to man’s survival on earth.

He therefore entreated residents of Kumasi to actively support the tree planting project to make the city beautiful.

Nana Owusu Berimma III, the Atasemanhene, assured that he would lead the crusade in his community to help make the project a success.

Nana Yaw Wiredu, the Environmental Sub-Committee Convener at the KMA and other officials of the assembly, were present at the exercise.

 FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi

The post KMA Plants 70,000 Trees appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) pulled a major surprise over the weekend when it beats other state-run agencies to win two major awards.

This was during the 7^th edition of the Ghana Information Technology and Telecom Awards (GITTA) held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra on Saturday.

The awards recognise customer service innovation and excellence in the Ghana Telecom and Information Technology industry.

The Theme for this year’s awards ceremony was “Promoting and Rewarding Excellence in Ghana ICT sector”

ECG competed in the category: Best Government use of Social Media (Citizen Engagement) alongside Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and the National Communication Authority, but still beat them to it.

The company was selected as part of the category: Best MDA Website.

In this category, the nominations included Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, but ECG again beat them to it.

This year’s edition introduced two new categories to reward institutions which are using innovative ICT technologies in the government sector.

ECG is credited for being proactive in customer engagement on social media in addressing issues of interest and concern to customers.

It has initiated and rolled out various campaigns to educate its customers online. There are a number of educative content on its website, alongside social media campaigns such as ‘Knowing your meter’, ‘Understanding your bill’, ‘Getting Electricity’, among others.

The pro-activeness of its digital media team in responding to customer complaints and solving them in real time, innovative creatives like GIFs, to make easy understanding of ECG’s operations and processes has been remarkable.

The quick responses online was what earned the ECG Digital media a Green Badge on Facebook for three months consistently since last year.

It is therefore believed these activities have made ECG an effective customer engaging and interactive institution online and thus earned the Company the prestigious awards of Best Government use of Social Media (Citizen Engagement), and Best MDA Website.

Managing Director of the Company, Ing. Samuel Boakye Appia, has since expressed delight in the achievements of the Digital Media Team under just a year of kicking into motion.

He is elated about efforts of the Public Relations Division in restoring a good image and enhancing the reputation of the Company. Moving forward, the ECG is looking at more innovative ways to improve customer services such as email delivery of bills, and the use of mobile technology to ease paying of bills.

The post EC Grabs Award appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

Some of the tutors demonstrating on the campus

ABOUT 50 tutors of Kintampo Rural Health Training School, now College of Health, yesterday demonstrated against the Rector of the College, Prof Adu-Oppong calling for his removal from office alleging corruption and incompetence.

The Rector, Prof Adu-Oppong who was appointed by the Ministry of Health to head the College since August last year was accused by members of Health Tutors Association of Ghana, Kintampo branch, of incompetency, lack of leadership skills and conniving with the procurement officer to engage in corrupt practices in the school. They also accused the Rector of not being a permanent staff of the institution and that he is above 60 years so should have been on retirement by now.

The tutors who registered their displeasure yesterday on campus wore red armbands and went on a peaceful demonstration by calling on the Ministry of Health to heed their call by the end of this week to sack the man or they will desert the school.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE on phone about their grievances, secretary of the local branch of the Association, Taadi Peter, explained that the school is facing a lot of challenges like lack of classrooms, lack of clinic for the training of physician assistants, lack of equipped laboratories and demonstration rooms for the training of students and lack of buses to convey students to health institutions for practicals, and rather, the Rector is using the school fund to do unnecessary things.

He accused the Rector of using GH¢463,000 of the school fund to buy V8 Land Cruiser though the school has a Nissan Navara pick up for him. He said external auditors who investigated the allegation found him culpable and he was asked to refund the money but till date he has done nothing about it.

Mr Taadi blamed Professor Adu-Oppong of giving contract to his family members and friends who supplied substandard materials to the college to the displeasure of students and tutors.

He insisted that the Rector is not a permanent staff of the school but rather of University of Cape Coast so is not always on campus to take care of the day to today running of the College. “Currently he is attending an interview at the UCC campus to become the provost of that institution so cannot discharge both responsibilities at the same time. Last but not the least; the reactor is 63 years now so cannot continue to head the institution.”

danielyaodayee@yahoo.com

FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Kintampo

The post ‘Sack Our Rector’ appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

Two beneficiaries of the Youth Employment Agency in the West Akyem Municipal Assembly of the Eastern Region, are being investigated for fraud.

Shaibu Zuhari and Dorah Baah are said to be drawing double wages from the government coffers.
The two work at the Asamankese Hospital and the West Akyem Municipal Assembly as casual workers and are also beneficiaries of some modules of the YEA.

According to the Eastern Regional Director of YEA Jerry Osei Poku,  Shaibu Zuhari earns a wage at the Asamankese Government Hospital as a casual worker but managed to become a beneficiary of the Youth Employment Agency under the Community Health module, working at the same facility.

That means Shaibu gets paid twice by government for a single work done.

Dora Baah is also a paid as a casual worker at the West Akyem Municipal Assembly but dubiously engaged as a pupil teacher at the Freeman Primary School in Asamankese under the Community Teaching Assistant module of the Agency.

Mr. Osei Poku disclosed to Joy News’ correspondent Maxwell Kudekor that, the two have been handed over to the security agencies for investigations.

He believed they were aided by some officials of the Agency to defraud government and deprive genuine unemployed Ghanaian youth from benefiting from the modules.

Jerry Osei Poku hinted that, the modules under the YEA are meant for unemployed Ghanaian youth, not those who are already engaged by government or other agencies.

He added, it is wrong to get double salary from government for the same work done.

-Myjoyonline

The post Two NYEP Beneficiaries Cited For Fraud appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

Charlotte Osei – Chairperson of EC

Some aggrieved workers of the Electoral commission are demanding the removal of the chairperson of the commission Charlotte Osei .

According to the staff, who have petitioned the President over their demand, Mrs. Osei lacks the managerial skills needed to lead the commission.

The petition claimed the EC chair “single-handedly renegotiated the contract with the vendor without the involvement of the members of the Commission, not even the deputies. She then awarded the contract to the tune of $21,999,592 without going through tender contrary to the Public Procurement Act. The Chairperson then re-awarded these contracts without approval from the Commission”.

It also said Mrs. Osei “has poor human relations not befitting of any leader in public space”.

They are therefore asking the President to forward their petition to the Chief Justice to subsequently begin the process to impeach the EC chair.

-Starrfmonline

The post EC Staff Petition Akufo-Addo To Remove Charlotte Osei appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

Dignitaries at the function take a pose with the graduands

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC), Yofi Grant, says educating children is the best investment any parent can ever make.

Speaking at the 10^th graduation ceremony for eight pupils of Daddy Day Care located at East Legon, Accra last Saturday, Mr Grant, an investment expert, averred that parents, who invest in the education of their children, have nothing to worry about in their old age.

“I have taken care of my children in the past as required and ensured that they received the best of education and affection they deserved  so I understand how costly these sacrifices can be for any parent even in these financially challenging times. The fact remains that an investment in education never fails the investor,” he stated smilingly.

The CEO, who is also a renowned child development psychologist, called on parents to spend time with their children and family.

He urged them to create a friendly environment at home to empower children to open up to them at all times, adding that such a practice builds in children affection and confidence.

“It is only natural as parents to want the best for children, however the truth is that academic success must not be seen as the end goal; what really matters is a happy and fulfilling life which is achievable through encouragement and right support,” he stressed.

Vice Principal, East Airport International School, Benjamin Peprah Boakye-Dankwa, called on parents to encourage their children and stop making derogatory statements about their performance in school.

According to him, negative pronouncements to a large extent have very serious consequences for children as they grow.

“Remember that your influence outweighs all others and your child will definitely follow your lead,” he stated.

Making reference to a quote by Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful tool that can be used to change the world,” Mr Boakye-Dankwa lauded the management of the school for establishing the pre-school on sound Christian principles.

Director of the School, Irene Ayesu indicated that it started as an “after school” project and later evolved into a Summer School and now a registered Pre-School institution, offering the best to its pupils.

The Director averred that nearly all pupils, who have undertaken its programmes, have been admitted to very reputable primary schools in Ghana and abroad.

By Solomon Ofori

The post ‘Make Kids Education Priority’ appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

Kweku Kwarteng 

A Deputy Minister of Finance Kweku Kwarteng has defended government’s decision to borrow exceedingly more than the previous government six months into office.

He said government has been compelled to borrow more in order to defray the debt the Mahama government left behind.

Dr. Mahammudu Bawumia at Monday’s press interaction justified government’s quest to borrow more money from the international and domestic markets.

The Vice President who in time past lambasted the Mahama government for its voracious appetite for loans which he said bloated the country’s debt stock when asked why six months into office they [NPP] have had to borrow over GH40 billion, Dr. Bawumia said under the NPP government, the debt to GDP ratio is instead stabilizing.

“…If you are borrowing rampantly in the domestic market, you will see that interest rate declines. So the simple answer is that, the debt stock in terms of its impact burden on the economy is not actually increasing. The debt to GDP ratio is actually stabilizing and we are hoping to bring it down by the end of the year even if marginally,” he added.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday,  Kwaku Kwarteng said securing the loans was necessary to retire mature debts the NPP government inherited from the previous administration.

Mr. Kwarteng further explained that government’s decision to borrow more prevented it from defaulting on its debt payments.

“We are having to measure the rate at which we are trying to reduce the borrowing. We are measure that with the need to expend on certain critical expenditures. When we assumed office, there were people who have been engaged to do things for the state, the contracts have been signed. In the case of vehicles, some have been telling us that have already procured the vehicle and we stand the risk of incurring judgment debts and other obligations if we abrogated these contracts.”

“We’ve met cases where in the last quarter of the year, so many people were engaged, we cannot dismiss them, we need to look at where the law allows us to do that. So we met those commitments. There were also people from who we had taken short term instruments – Treasury bill; there are some which are three months, six months, one year,” he said.

Kwaku Kwarteng further said government’s hands a tied because of debts and that they are working assiduously to put the economy back in track.

“You come into office you have a policy to reduce borrowing but after three months the people are coming to you that it is due and you have to redeem. What you do is that yes, I will keep my broad objective of succession of borrowing in place, but you may need to do some critical borrowings to deal with this immediate burden. That is what has, if you ask me; reduce the rate at which we wanted to reign in borrowing. But we will get there.

When you inherit an economy in a shape that we did, you are not in a position to do things just as quickly as you would have love to do. But we are confident giving what we are seeing that ultimately, we will get there,” he added.

-Citifmonline

The post Kwaku Kwarteng Defends NPP’s Borrowing appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah

Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah, Apostle General of Royalhouse Chapel International has clarified excepts of a sermon he preached that generated public debate about the people of Denkyira-Obuasi being cursed.

The Apostle General,making clear the portion of the sermon he believes have been quoted out of context, said “In doing an exposition on Galatians 6:7 and with the support of other biblical texts, I made reference to the gruesome murder of Major Maxwell Mahama in the context of the impact of how our actions as individuals, communities and as a nation affect our lives and our generations.”

He said the word of God makes it clear that when a good seed is sown it bears fruits of blessings likewise when bad seeds are sown misfortune is reaped.

“Therefore if I sow the seed of killing a leader I may reap the harvest of not being able to produce leaders,” he explained.

Rev. Ankrah quoting from Genesis 4:1-12 said when Cain shed the innocent blood of Abel, God responded with an enquiry and pronounced a curse thereafter.

“This will be true for every case where innocent blood is shed whether by mob action or by individuals. As such as a nation we must take cognizance of the fact that our present actions will undoubtedly have an effect on not just ourselves but also on our children and children’s children,” he said.

He therefore noted that at all cost, the opportunity for true repentance, in the sincerity and integrity of the heart to seek forgiveness from God,correct wrongs where possible and make reparations where necessary in order to avert any misfortune that might be harvested due to the negative seeds sown through words or conduct must be given.

“I wish to categorically state that my statements were not meant to release a curse on the town of Denkyira – Obuasibut to bring to theattention of the community and the nation what is biblically true;that in life we do reap what we sow,” he said.

He also stated that God is a God of mercy who is willing and able at all times to forgive sins if true repentance is shown.

“The blood of Jesus is able to cleanse us from all our sins, irrespective of the kind of sin; as individuals, as communities and even as a nation.”

“I therefore stand by my proposed road map of atonement and restoration for the people of Denkyira-Obuasi. If the people would humble themselves and earnestly seek the face of God through prayer and fasting every curse that their unfortunate action might have attractedto the community would be averted,” he added.

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” –

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

As a Prophet of God, it is my divine duty to call the nation to order under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and I do this with full knowledge that I am also accountable to God,” he stated.

The post Rev. Korankye Ankrah Clears Air appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on media practitioners to champion inclusive development and social protection in nation-building.

According to UNICEF, one in four Ghanaians is still poor despite the country’s achievement in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1 target of halving poverty since 2000.

It further indicated that the rate of poverty reduction has reduced by half since 1990s and that the gap between rich and poor has increased significantly, with rich people experiencing 40 percent growth higher than the poor.

“Children are much more likely to be poor than adults and they are also more vulnerable to poverty, as it can curtail their potential in life, reducing their performance in school and later in the workplace,” the United Nations Children’s Agency stated.

Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye, Deputy Chair of the National Development Planning Committee, said inclusive development is key to getting the masses, especially the less privileged on board in decision-making, irrespective of their status in the society towards the long-term development plan.

Speaking to media practitioners on Ghana’s Development gap at a media engagement organized by UNICEF, Dr. Ofei-Aboagye, disclosed that at a national forum on inclusive development organized in May 2016, consensus was reached to solve the problem of inequality in the country’s development.

The forum concluded that in order to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in the country, extending credit and banking, improving the agricultural sector, effecting the payment of tax, creating jobs and boosting productive inclusion must be carried out.

She, however, noted that little effort has been made in the implementation of the actions.

 UNICEF advocates for the commitment of Government to maintain zero subsidies on fuel, as a means to reduce inequality in the country.

By Malgu Seebaway

The post UNICEF Champions Inclusive Development appeared first on Daily Guide Africa.