A Spain outfit already confirmed as Euro 2024 Group B winners tackle an Albania side still in with a shot of last-16 qualification at the Merkur Spiel-Arena on Monday night.
Currently residing in the bronze medal position – above Croatia on goal difference – Albania will finish second if they can stun the Spaniards and Croatia beat Italy by no more than two goals at the very least, and qualifying for the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed sides is not beyond the realm of possibility either.
Of course, such scenarios firstly hinge on the Red and Blacks doing what neither Croatia nor Italy have been able to do at the current tournament so far – take a point off or even score against Spain – but Luis de la Fuente‘s side could be forgiven for letting their guard down slightly here.
With six points accrued, four goals scored and zero conceded, Spain have more than underlined their status as a serious contender for continental glory – even if they did fly slightly under the radar before the tournament began – having made a mockery of the so-called group of death thus far.
Furthermore, by topping Group B, De la Fuente’s side will only have to face one of the best third-placed sides from Groups A, D, E or F in their last-16 battle, although that contest could precede a mouthwatering quarter-final with hosts Germany on July 5.
For now, though, extending their applaudable winning sequence to five matches across all competitions and completing Group B with a 100% success rate is the goal for La Roja, who coincidentally have a 100% success rate against Albania, winning all eight of their previous men’s internationals.
Such is the depth in the Spain squad that De la Fuente could make changes in the double figures and still see his side run out comfortable winners in Dusseldorf, even against an Albania side with plenty more to fight for.
Sylvinho’s side have put in performances to be proud of against Italy and Croatia, but even a second-string Roja team – packed with players with points to prove, it should be noted – ought to prove too strong, as Albania prepare to bow out at the first hurdle.
Vying for second spot in Group B at Euro 2024, Croatia and Italy will meet for a Monday night showdown in Leipzig.
While the Azzurri know one point is enough to secure a place in the last 16, their neighbours must win and hope Albania do not beat group winners Spain.
Despite suffering a serious setback on Wednesday – when they conceded a last-gasp goal against Albania to sit on just one point after two Group B fixtures – Croatia can still progress to the knockout rounds of another European Championship.
They will certainly go through to the last 16 if they defeat Italy on Monday and Albania are unable to upset Spain – should the Albanians also win, the pair would be split by means of goal difference.
Defeat would consign the World Cup bronze medallists to an early exit – also a draw and Albania avoiding defeat – as the two teams’ head-to-head record is level after events at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.
Croatia have already had more shots and more attempts on target at Euro 2024 than they managed across three group games three years ago, but an ageing midfield and misfiring attack has not helped their cause this summer.
As his team have also conceded five goals so far – and face the prospect of failing to win at a major finals for the first time since 2006 – long-serving head coach Zlatko Dalic is left with some tough decisions to make.
Croatia hold the upper hand in terms of precedent: since gaining independence in the 1990s, they are unbeaten in eight games against their Italian counterparts.
Meeting Croatia for the third time at a major tournament – having lost 2-1 at the 2002 World Cup and played out a stalemate at Euro 2012 – Italy are armed with the knowledge that a draw on this occasion will send them through as Group B runners-up.
The reigning European champions could already have booked their place in the last 16, but suffering a 1-0 defeat to Spain last time out leaves the Azzurri in some danger of a disappointing exit.
The onus is on Croatia to come out and attack a fragile Italy team, so the Azzurri may concentrate on absorbing pressure and then striking on the break.
Neither side boast a clinical finisher, so a low-scoring draw could be the final outcome, which would send the Italians through and their Croatian counterparts packing.
Mr Richard Jakpa and Godfred Yeboah Dame, Attorney-General
Businessman, Mr Richard Jakpa, has told the Accra High Court that he has declared war on Godfred Yeboah Dame, Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister for Justice for using his law skills to try innocent citizens like him.
According to Jakpa, the battle lines between him and the A-G have been drawn and that whether he is jailed or acquitted, that battle will continue to be waged, since Mr. Dame has caused him to lose millions of dollars, destroy his businesses, as well as his international connections.
Mr. Jakpa, 3rd accused (A3) in the ongoing ambulance trial, told the trial judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, while being cross-examined by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mrs. Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, that he does not see the A-G as a human being, but an evil man who he has no respect for.
A3 said the A-G lied and misled the court while arguing against his bail application that the huge sums of money paid to Big Sea Medical was given to him, and for that reason he was slapped with a harsh bail bond of GH¢5 million, with three sureties, one to be justified with a landed property.
The Court heard that the A-G had apologised to him because he did not know that Jakpa was Justice Kulendi’s brother, but A3 said that the apology cannot hold, as it is abuse of his prosecution powers.
Hitherto, A3 said Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson and Dr. Sylvester Anemana, who were facing multiple charges, were given self-recognisance bail and GH¢1 million bail respectively, whereas he was given a harsher bail condition, despite facing a single count.
“He (Dame) can never be my friend and to eternity…and so far as I’m concerned there is a war between us (Jakpa and Dame),” A3 declared.
And again, if the A-G will be using his law skills to be prosecuting innocent people (like Jakpa), then he, Jakpa, will not shy away from deploying the arsenals of the underworld against Mr. Dame, in order to pay him back.
Furthermore, if the A-G knows the law, he also knows the streets, by which the battle lines were drawn right in court, to test who will survive. To Jakpa, the A-G has stripped him off everything he has ever owned, hence his anger.
Per Jakpa’s testimony before the court, these were events that happened in the presence of Justice Yonny Kulendi in his house.
According to him, even though the justice of the Supreme Court later attempted to calm A3 down by jokingly telling Jakpa that he knows him (Jakpa) to be a diabolical man, and knows what he (A3) can do, therefore, he (A3) should put it behind him, the accused refused to heed his (judge) advice.
Additionally, if the A-G had limited their communication to Justice Yonny Kulendi’s house, Jakpa would not have recorded him, because it’s against family ethics to record secret conversations.
But since the A-G could not achieve his aim on March 25, 2024 after a heated argument that ensued between them, he chose to call him on phone on the morning of March 26, 2024 while they were going to court.
The court heard that most of their exchanges were tainted with unprintable words, and as a result, Justice Kulendi reprimanded A3 for talking in that manner to Mr. Dame, because he is the Attorney-General.
Evil Terkper and Sherry Ayittey
A3 said he suggested to Mr. Dame to use him as a prosecution witness, since it was the evil plan of Seth Terkper, former minister of Finance and the late Sherry Ayittey, former minister of Health, which had occasioned the instant trial.
He said it was Seth Terkper, then a deputy minister of Finance and late Sherry Ayittey who sabotaged the ambulance contract. Jakpa even recounted an encounter between the three of them, which resulted in disagreement, after which the late Sherry Ayittey wrote to Big Sea to halt the production of the ambulance.
To him, if the A-G was interested in trying anybody at all, it should have been these individuals and Dr. Sylvester Anemana (A2), former Director of the Ministry of Health, who has been discharged due to ill health.
I don’t trust the judge
A3 also told the court that he had communicated to the A-G that he did not trust the judge, hence did not want Her Ladyship Serwah Asare-Botwe to have the opportunity to decide his fate. He said the judge from the onset has been hostile to him and, therefore, he does not trust her judgment.
Richard Jakpa
In case he is sentenced to imprisonment, Jakpa feared that he would now have to be appealing from behind the bars and the likelihood that the A-G will no longer be picking his calls was high, therefore, he was going to fight the process to the last drop of his blood.
He said Mr. Dame had told him that he was surprised that the judge ordered him to open his defence, following her ruling on the submission of no case to answer.
A3 narrated that when he confronted the A-G on why he reneged on his promise to discharge him at the stage of the submission of no case to answer, the Minister for Justice started smiling, and said in every case there was always a collateral damage, but assured him that by the end of the trial he would be acquitted.
Reading WhatsApp messages
A3 was asked by the DPP to read the whatsApp messages between himself and the A-G. While reading, as ordered, he indicated that part of the message had been deleted.
Immediately the word deleted was mentioned, a voice from the prosecution side asked, “deleted by who?”
Jakpa, after hearing ‘deleted by who’, stopped reading and started looking at the direction of the prosecution, where the A-G was seated and sandwiched by his two deputies and other team of lawyers.
Thaddeus Sory, Counsel for Jakpa, stepped in and told the court that he heard the prosecution side talking back at the accused. Regardless of his lawyer’s intervention, Jakpa still told the court that he was being heckled by the defence.
The court cautioned the prosecution, particularly the A-G, to note everything down for the DPP to put it across to the accused.
Afterwards, A3 resumed answering the question, “Please read the first page of Exhibit BE1 (WhatsApp chat between Jakpa and the A-G, tendered by the prosecution)
Reading: My Lord, the first page is dated 16th February, 2022.“Good afternoon my brother, I am Richard Jakpa, a junior bro of Justice Kulendi. You intervened to secure my bail some weeks ago. This message was deleted at 2:55. I am humbly requesting for a time and at your convenience to meet you for a brief discussion. I am most grateful for the kind gesture from you. 14:56, hope to hear from you, thank you God bless you (with emoji hand shake)”
A-G: I will arrange through your brother. Thanks.
Jakpa: And I responded that I am most grateful bro, at 19:33,with a prayer emoji, thank you at 19:33. All this took place on Feb 16, 2022. 10 messages on that day.
Q: At 14:55, you deleted a message, is that right?
A: Yes my lord.
Q: The reason why you did not tender all the messages is that you knew that if you tendered all the messages, it’ll show to the court that you harassed the A-G with countless messages, to which he barely responded, is that not so?
A: That is not true and to debunk what she’s claiming, on February 16, 2022 I sent 10 WhatsApp messages, according to my phone records, and he responded on that day and arranged the meeting at my cousin’s house. On 9th May, 2022 I sent him a single message, which bordered on Geo-politics, how the world is governed. I belong to a group like that. Then on May 15, 2024 I sent him another message.
What she’s saying is not true because the total messages are 68 and is not factually accurate. I sent messages to the A-G that did not reflect in the document. The messages the A-G has submitted and additional messages were added to the document that I did not send to him, so to claim that I sent 68 messages to harass the A-G is not true.
Q: That will mean you sent more than 68 messages to the A-G?
A: That is not true. The messages to the A-G are not up to the 68, let alone to be more than the 68. That is, if she decides to include deleted text messages and voice calls, and deleted text messages, you add all of them they are still not up to the 68 he is claiming and text messages are different from voice calls.
Q: When you requested from page 1 of Exhibit for a private meeting with the A-G, you just sought to take advantage of your relationship with Justice Kulendi to get the A-G to agree to a private meeting with you?
A: My Lord that is completely false because if I wanted to take advantage, I would have sent that message to my cousin or called him to arrange with the A-G to meet him. I wouldn’t have sent the messages directly to the A-G, but the evidence they’ve presented to this court without any ambiguity it’s clear that I requested for a meeting private with the A-G at a time and venue of his convenience.
I gave him that discretion in my text message. Then in exercising his discretion, he opted to arrange the meeting through my cousin because he felt more comfortable dealing with me in the presence of my cousin.
There’s nowhere in my message for that meeting did I mention Kulendi’s name or my cousin’s name. It is the A-G who roped in Justice Kulendi into the private meeting he the A-G has agreed to have with me. Kulendi was not involved in deciding where the A-G and myself should have the meeting. The records presented today, by the A-G is self explanatory.
Q: The A-G never arranged for any private meeting with you from the exhibits?
A: He used the word arrange, what is attributed to me documented here on Exhibit 10 is a request for a meeting not an arrangement for a meeting, the two are different. The A-G had the option to decline my request to him for a private meeting knowing very well that his legal profession and its ethics do not allow him to arrange for a meeting.
Q: So the bottom-line is you wanted the A-G to stop prosecuting you. Isn’t it
A: My lord, I wanted the A-G to stop abusing his discretionary powers capriciously, whimsically and with vindictiveness on innocent Ghanaians. Because deep within me and with the knowledge in the of the ambulance project, I was 100 per cent convinced that I was innocent and A1 was innocent and the only person that had a case to answer if there was any financial loss at all it was A2. So I saw it as a responsibility to request a meeting to put the case and the facts before him and appeal to his conscience to do what is right.
Q: And to prove your innocence you did not go to the lawyer but went to the “abuser”?
A: To borrow her words, the said “abuser” is a lawyer and the A-G of this Republic and he’s the number one enforcer of our laws and the ethics of our legal system. I am not a lawyer to have known that I couldn’t communicate with my “abuser” who’s the A-G and that I should pass it through my lawyer.
On hindsight, I have now found out that it should have been the A-G upon the receipt of my request for the meeting to have told me that I cannot communicate or have a meeting with you because I am the very person prosecuting you and it’s against our legal ethics, so contact your lawyer to get to me. He never did that. So the A-G cannot put the blame on me, who is not learned like him.
Members of Onyame Akwan Drivers Union, comprising taxi, trotro, aboboyaa and pragyia drivers at the Race Course market in Kumasi, have added their voices to pleas to the NPP flagbearer to choose the Chief of Staff, Mrs. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, as his running-mate for the upcoming 2024 elections.
Agya Appiah, chairman of the union, said at a press conference yesterday that the entire membership of the union has come to a consensus that Mrs. Osei-Opare is the best choice for the running-mate to partner Dr. Bawumia to win more votes to help the NPP break the ‘8’.
Agya Appiah said Mrs. Osei-Opare has been very helpful to traders and drivers at Race Course, by providing basic needs to ply their trade as drivers and traders.
According to Chairman Agya Appiah, the Chief of Staff has acted on her own behalf and that of the government to alleviate the plight of traders by constructing concrete roads at the market to address the muddy environment in the area and rehabilitate the burnt stalls.
He also said they know that once chosen, she will bring more developments to Race Course and other markets nationwide.
Race course taxi rank
The union has vouched for Mrs. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, following her track record as a successful politician, mentioning that she is the first female Chief of Staff of Ghana, besides spending over 40 years as an astute development practitioner, an academic and an expert in labour.
Mrs. Frema Osei-Opare represented Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Parliament of Ghana from January 7, 2005 to January 6, 2009 under former President John Agyekum Kufuor and from January 7, 2009 to January 6, 2013 under late John Atta Mills’ administration.
She served as the Deputy Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment under the government of President John Agyekum Kufuor.
Madam Frema Osei-Opare lectured at the University of Ghana’s Department of Home Science from 1976 to 1982 and became the Head of department. She has also worked with the United Nations in the Women in Fisheries project in various capacities in Uganda, Ethiopia, Congo and Namibia.
The Valley View University bestowed an honorary Doctorate Degree of Doctor Science (Honours Causa) upon Akosua Frema Osei-Opare on Friday, July 7, 2023 in recognition of her exceptional accomplishments and unmatched contributions to the advancement of Ghana.
A native of Wiamoase in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, she attended St. Monica’s Secondary School, Mampong-Ashanti.
She had her bachelor’s degree in Home Science from the University of Ghana and proceeded to University of Guelph for a master’s degree in Food Science.
It is for these qualities that the Onyame Akwan Drivers Union has recommended the candidature of Mrs. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare for consideration as NPP’s running mate by Dr. Mahammud Bawumia.
Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dakoa Newman
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dakoa Newman, has appealed to Parliament to expedite the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill.She made the passionate appeal in Parliament on Wednesday, June 19, stating the urgency of enacting the bill.
The Affirmative Action Bill aims to ensure greater representation and participation of women in decision-making processes across various sectors.
Dakoa Newman emphasised that the bill was crucial for advancing gender equality and empowering women in Ghana.
In her address, the minister highlighted the significant gender disparities that still exist in the country, particularly in political and corporate leadership.
She pointed out that, despite women’s contributions to national development, their presence in leadership roles remains disproportionately low.
She also said that the Affirmative Action Bill is designed to rectify this imbalance by mandating minimum quotas for women’s representation in key areas, thereby fostering a more inclusive and equitable society.
The Okaikwei South legislator also addressed the broader implications of passing the bill, noting that increased female representation in leadership positions can lead to more comprehensive and effective policies.
She argued that women bring unique perspectives and experiences that are essential for addressing issues such as healthcare, education, and social welfare.
By ensuring that women have a voice in these critical areas, the bill would contribute to more holistic and responsive governance.
Furthermore, the Gender Minister called on all stakeholders, including Members of Parliament, Civil Society Organisations and the general public, to support the bill’s passage.
She urged lawmakers to prioritise the bill in their legislative agenda and to recognise its importance for the nation’s development.
Madam Newman also appealed to advocacy groups to continue their efforts to raise awareness about the bill and its potential impact on gender equality in Ghana.
In conclusion, the Minister’s passionate appeal for the immediate passage of the Affirmative Action Bill reflects a commitment to advancing gender equality and empowering women in Ghana.
“Today, at our premier institution, the University of Ghana, the Chancellor, the Chairperson of the University Council, the Vice Chancellor, and the Registrar are all women, leading the university to greater heights.
“Mr. Speaker, despite these successes, women remain underrepresented in governance. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) enjoins us to adopt temporary special measures to accelerate gender equality. Passing the Affirmative Action Bill will not only promote gender equality and women’s empowerment but also fulfil our international commitments.
“Mr. Speaker, both major political parties, the NPP and the NDC, have unequivocally committed to passing this transformative bill. This bipartisan support underscores the bill’s significance and the urgency of our actions.
“We owe it to the current and future generations of Ghanaians to rise above partisan divides, honour this commitment, and ensure the passage of this landmark legislation,” she said.
Ghana has come of age and gone through this 4th republic successfully.
Civil societies and many organizations have played major roles in shaping the destiny of this country over the years. Consequently, many of them have organized debates to shape the campaigns and manifestoes of political parties.
I am, however, shocked that six months away from this year’s elections none of these civil societies have found it prudent to organize a debate for, at least, the candidates for the major political parties vying for the Presidency.
Where are the IMANIs, the CDDs, Organized Labours, Civic Education organizations and the rest? I am, therefore, challenging any of the civil societies to organize presidential debates to bring out the good and bad of our candidates. Even if not for nothing at all, the Vice President and the former President should avail themselves for this all-important debate.
The presidential debate is very essential. This will let Ghanaians see who has the best leadership skills and ideas to manage corporate Ghana. Ghanaians want to see all that the presidential aspirants are telling us at a one-stop shop and help us pick and choose the best.
The Vice-Presidential candidates should also be quizzed to see if they really have what it takes to become the Veep.
Both positions should not be taken on a silver platter. “If you think you are capable, show your prowess”.
What is happening currently is not giving the citizens the feel and grasp of the ideas and intentions of our aspirants. What is going on in the political landscape currently is, as if everybody is playing his own football on an empty field without referees, hence some of them are playing the ball anyhow and in any direction that pleases them.
No, they can’t have a field day. They should be quizzed. Some are setting their own questions and answering them. Ghanaians deserve to know their plans and policies. One may feel being on top of the game. But one can’t throw anything out there and go scot free.
Indeed, we want a well-coordinated and a prepared field with good referees to moderate and bring out what is in them in one arena.
In fact, all the aspirants should be quizzed. Governing a country is not a child’s play. It is a serious business. Ghana cannot be left in the hands of just anybody at all in the name of elections. He who wants to rule must come well prepared.
The “Ayare-cough” thing will not be entertained this time.
Ghanaians are looking forward to this debate “paaaaa” to see and know who is who. We live in a country where, anytime a presidential candidate speaks, you get people to either correct or explain what he means.
It is important to hear from their own mouths “fiilifiili” so that no one comes to throw innuendos and paraphrase what they mean to us.
As l write, Ghanaians are finding it difficult to understand the vision of the former President and what the 24-Hour economy means and how he intends to execute it.
Many stalwarts of NDC have tried to explain it unsuccessfully. The debate will provide a good opportunity for the former President himself to explain it to the hearing of everyone.
This forum will also provide a good opportunity to the Vice president, Dr. Bawumia to articulate his vision on what he means by a uniform tax system and how he intends to implement it.
Again, it will afford Ghanaians the opportunity to understand “Nkokonketenkete” by the former president John Dramani Mahama and “Monfa steer no mma me” by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Our universities and civil society organizations should take it upon themselves to organize debates among all the Presidential aspirants. Let’s see how they will react to issues and to each other.
Cheddar is touting how he intends to dredge and bring the sea to Kumasi. When he was quizzed, he lamented that some Ghanaians have misconstrued him. So, what does he actually mean? This is why Organizers should help us understand the Presidential aspirants at one forum.
To me, any Presidential aspirant and a running mate who runs away from the debates is not worth voting for. The mere fact that you have been chosen by your party as an aspirant does not mean you can lead and manage a nation.
If indeed, our universities are worth their pedigree, they should come out and organize fora to quiz these aspirants. Civil societies should also show their worth by doing the same. Nevertheless, there can be a collaboration of institutions to let this happen. Ghanaians will be very grateful if this opportunity is provided for them.
By Dr. APC
* The writer is the District Chief Executive of Afigya Kwabre South
Editor’s note: Views expressed in this article do not represent that of The Chronicle
Ms. Phyllis Boateng, PC Owusu-Achaw, teachers with some students
The Parliamentary Candidate for Juaben Constituency New Patriotic Party, Francis Owusu-Akyaw has toured a number of Junior High Schools within the constituency to monitor their final mock examination, ahead of the upcoming BECE, due to start on July 8, 2024.
PC addressing students at Presbyterian JHS
Francis Owusu-Akyaw paid for the final mock fees for all the 1,355 candidates from 43 schools (both public and private) within the Juaben Municipal Education Directorate.
The PC visited Juaben Presbyterian JHS (26 candidates), Juaben Benevolent Islamic JHS (34 candidates), Mother Smith International School-Juaben Branch (24 candidates), Juaben Anglican JHS (85 candidates) and Juaben SDA JHS (54 candidates).
Addressing the students, Francis Owusu-Akyaw urged them to learn hard and make the constituency proud in the upcoming BECE, assuring them of his continued support if they excel in the final mock exams.
He also thanked the teachers for their patience and commitment in teaching the students and assured them of facilitating their job.
According to him, the initiative to pay for the fees to help students go further in life through education came from his conviction that BECE education is the key to free SHS introduced by the
Students writing final mock at Anglican JHS
He noted that the mock exams which are based on the new curriculum will help in assessing the performance of students prior to the upcoming examination.
Ms. Phyllis Boateng, the Juaben Municipal Education Director, thanked the PC for his support and hoped this year’s performance will improve and entreated all stakeholders to support the students.
Francis Owusu-Akyaw was accompanied by Mr. Omane Aboagye, Municipal Chief Executive and constituency party executives.
Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission
In Ghana, an estimated 50 people are infected with HIV every day, the Ghana AIDS Commission has said. According to graphic online report, majority of the new infections have been identified as persons between 15 and 49 years old, the economically active population.
The data announced during the release of the 2023 national and sub-national HIV and AIDS estimates and projections also showed that a total of 334,095 people were living with HIV/AIDS in the country, with 17,550 of the number being children below 15 years.
The data also indicated that the country recorded 17,774 new HIV infections, with 1,698 being children below 15 years and 16,076 representing adults above 15 years. The data showed that new infections, AIDS deaths and HIV prevalence were declining, but not sufficient to achieve the set goals and targets.
However, announcing the statistics at a media engagement to disseminate the results and discuss the implications and enhance understanding of the HIV estimation process to promote ownership of the results among stakeholders, the Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, said although significant strides had been made in the implementation of HIV interventions, more needed to be done to achieve the expected target.
Between 1986 when the virus was first detected in Ghana and 2000, HIV/AIDS was considered as one of the dreadful diseases in the world. In those days, the carriers were seen as people who had already signed their death warrants. But following intensive public education, not only were we, as a country, able to control the rapid spread of the disease, but managed to whittle down the excessive stigmatisation of those who were suffering from the disease.
However, when the anti-retroviral drugs, which suppresses the destruction of the affected person’s immune system, but cannot cure the disease emerged on our side of the world, the intensive campaign strategy we had adopted to control the spread was somehow discarded.
As we put this editorial together, people in Ghana no longer fear the HIV/AIDS virus because of the assurance that infected people will not die, so long as they keep on taking the anti-retroviral drug.
This negative perception is what in our opinion, is fuelling the upsurge in new cases that are being recorded. The above narration clearly tells a story that the Ghana Aids Commission has great deal of work to do. The release of the frightening statistics will not deal with the problem at hand, especially when the negative perception among the population had already sunk deep into their minds that, HIV/AIDS is no more a killer disease.
Though the anti-retroviral drugs help to prolong the life span of people who have been infected by the disease, it comes with a huge financial cost to the nation, as access and treatment are sponsored by the government.
What Ghana Aids Commission must do is to introduce a comprehensive campaign strategy that will awaken Ghanaians from their slumber, by running away from unprotected sex, which is the major source of spreading the virus.
Until this is done to raise awareness about the dangers of the disease, the latter will keep on rising, with the concomitant effect on the economic well-being of the people. We have to change the strategy instead of complaining about the spread, which is no more news to Ghanaians.
GBC Vice President receiving the documents from the Chief Linguist of Ejurahene
Barima Osei Hwedie II and Nananom of the Ejura Divisional Council have released a 100-acre piece of land to the Ghana Baptist Convention (GBC) for the construction of an Agricultural College, for the training of Ghanaian youth to promote agricultural value chain.
The Ejurahene stated at the handing over of the documents of the land to the Baptist Convention that the gesture is geared towards complementing government efforts to improve food security in the country.
The draft document on the land covers the site plan and agreement between the two parties and the use of the land, and would be signed after both parties agree to the terms.
Barima Osei Hwedie II, Ejurahene
Barimah Osei Hwedie appealed to the Ghana Baptist Convention (GBC) to develop the land as soon as possible because the construction of a tertiary institution, dedicated for agriculture related studies, will not only help Ejura and the municipality but Ghana as a whole.
The Ghana Baptist Convention was represented at the official handing over of documents by Rev. Charles Oppong Poku, the Executive Vice-President, Rev. Dr. Charles Owusu Ampofo, the President for Ministers Conference and Rev. Anthony Owusu Ampofo, Head of Mid- Ghana Sector of the Ghana Baptist Convention.
Rev. Oppong Poku on behalf of the church expressed its profound gratitude to Barimah Osei Hwedie for the kind gesture for releasing the land for the proposed Ghana Baptist University.
The Minister assured the chiefs that GBC has set up a team to develop the land, and says the church would not only build a modern school to train the youth but will as well engage in large scale farming to boost food security in the country.
The Ashanti regional Health Directorate has embarked on a mop up immunization exercise in slum areas in the Ashanti region, in an attempt to capture unimmunised children in the ongoing immunisation exercise.
Christened Weekend Vaccination, the exercise aims to vaccinate children of head potters, also known as Kayayei, who are busy during the weekdays, against the six childhood killer diseases.
In an exclusive interview with the Ashanti regional Disease Control Officer, at the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate, Mr.Solomon Boakye noted that the weekend exercise aims to vaccinate children of Kayayei, who are largely busy working during the weekday.
Asked about the numerical target of the exercise, Mr Boakye indicated that quotas for the general exercise have been distributed among Metropolitans, Municipals and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region.
Touching on Covid-19 vaccination, the Ashanti Regional Disease Control Officer, disclosed that a total of 4,975,796 people have been inoculated in the region, representing 72.4%.
Asked about the challenge associated with vaccination in the Ashanti region, he mentioned apathy from the elderly as the challenge, adding that if the masses embrace vaccination, the region will attain herd immunity.
Additionally, Solomon Boakye told this reporter that if one gets vaccinated, it does not mean the person cannot be diagnosed of Covid-19, however vaccination could curb the impact of the virus on humans.
He indicated that as of now, the available vaccine is Pfizer, adding that they are accessible at any public health facility hence those unvaccinated can go these facilities and get vaccinated.
