The Logistics Manager Port of Tema, Ing. Stephen Owiah, during the handover of the new equipment
As part of efforts to retool the Port of Tema, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority has taken delivery of a set of 27 tele trucks and two cranes which will be put to use immediately.
In addition, the Authority also expects delivery of ten laden reach stackers in phases between October this year and February 2024.
The Logistics Manager at the Port of Tema, Ing. Stephen Owiah, said the investment in this fleet of equipment which cost over 6 million dollars is geared towards improving service delivery at the port.
“With addition of these equipment, it is going to help us increase our service to clients and make them appreciate our efforts to make sure we give quick service delivery in their receipt of cargo,” he added.
GPHA officials, consultants, and Keta Authorities at the Port project site
Processes leading to the construction of the Port of Keta are progressing steadily with the commencement of the environmental and social impact assessment.
The Director in charge of the Keta Port Project, Dr. Alexander Adusei has led a team from the Coastal and Reclamation Engineering Services Ghana limited, who are the consultants for the environmental and social impact assessment to the project site ahead of their work.
The consultants will be engaging stakeholders in the Volta region for the next six months on both the positive and negative impacts of the project.
Earlier, the Director in charge of the Keta Port Project led a senior management team from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority together with the consultants to pay a courtesy call on the Dufia of Kedzi, Togbi Joachim Acolatse I, where the later were introduced to him.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Keta, Emmanuel Gemegah pledged his support and that of the municipality to the consultants to ensure a successful environmental and social impact assessment.
‘’For the assessment, we will have people coming into the community to ask them questions about their livelihood, about what they think about the project. I am going to encourage my people to freely divulge information, to freely cooperate with them and then even accept them into their homes,” he said.
The Technical Manager of Coastal and Reclamation Engineering Services Ghana limited, Mathew Baker explained the scope of work they will be carrying out.
He said ‘’a really important phase is the stakeholder engagement. Stakeholder engagement is a critical phase going into the community to find out what everyone’s views on the project, what their concerns may be, what their expectations are, so that we can build those concerns, expectations into the impact assessment.”
The Director in Charge of the Keta Port Project, Dr. Alexander Adusei was optimistic of the project coming to fruition and the important role of the environmental and social impact assessment.
Dr. Adusei said ‘’this is a very important step for us. Without a completed report, which includes environmental impact assessment and the feasibility study, you cannot get a credible investor. Every investor needs these two reports to go but to ensure that we don’t waste too much time, what we’ve done is, while we are running this, we are running the investor pool in parallel, that one too we have about 24 companies that have expressed interest. We have parried it down to about six companies but we’ve kept the window open for those who are still interested in applying to go ahead and apply. We will still use the same vigorous template of review to do anyone who comes in.”
Members of the Asokwa Municipal Assembly have expressed worry over the takeover of the collection of property rates by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), effective 2023 at the expense of the Assembly.
Mr. Elliot Fosu Bannor, Assembly’s Presiding Member at a press conference explained that the situation has crippled the work of the Assembly as the assembly is not getting its rightful share as expected.
He said the Asokwa Assembly is unable to perform its duties as expected and lamented that should their concerns remain unaddressed, the Assembly would be compelled to collect the property rates.
The assembly members have, therefore, resolved that from October 2023, the Assembly will institute a Taskforce to collect property rates because the law still allows them to collect the taxes themselves to prosecute its developmental agenda.
Mr. Fosu Bannor, disclosed that members of the Assembly are going through hard times in their respective electoral areas because sometimes it takes three or four years before they receive their share of the Common fund which comes in tranches.
He mentioned that, this year, almost two or three quarters are still in arrears and for that matter, the Assembly has no access to the Common fund for their developmental projects and is only relying on the Internally Generated Fund (IGF).
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II breaking the ground for the commencement of the facility whilst others looks on with cheers.
Wish4Life Foundation, a global humanitarian organization has performed a sod cutting ceremony to commence the construction of an ultra-modern cancer facility at Asikam, a farming community near Kyebi, the capital of East Akim Municipality of the Eastern region.
The Hospital, which is designed by Jeffrey Berman Architect, a United State of America (USA) based firm will meet high international standards for delivery of quality cancer care that will translate to enhanced capacity to cure patients.
The entrance of the state of the art hospital when completed
The International Children’s Cancer Research Centre, which is valued at $250 million, will include an innovatively designed and constructed 100-bed hospital and outpatient cancer clinic that will deliver state-of the art cancer care.
The model integrates the African culture of the region in its design, enhances the power grid of the locale by utilising sustainable energy resources (solar powered or a hybrid to reduce operating costs for electricity over time) and creates a soothing, open and restful environment for treatment that promotes healing and recovery for children with cancer and their families.
Key areas of excellence will include state-of-the-art suites in radiology (including CT, MRI, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine capability), radiation oncology, pharmacy (meeting international standard for sterility), operating suites (3-4 suites), pathology and intensive care.
As part of a conscious effort for international standard the hospital will provide nourishing food on the Hospital campus for patients and their families and housing for children, their families and Hospital staff.
A full view of how the hospital will look like after the construction
There will be training in food safety and preparation which will take place in training kitchens and cafeterias embedded in the Hospital facilities, as well as outreach to local community leaders and farmers to ensure an ongoing supply of food to support children with cancer and their families.
Speaking to the media shortly after the impressive and timely ceremony, the Founder of Wish4Life Foundation, Dr Tanya Trippett, explained that the state of the art medical facility would serve as a bridge to eradicate prevalent cancer diseases among children in Ghana and other African countries.
She disclosed that the project, which will start in April 2024 and complete in June 2026, enable Africans to have quality access to cancer treatment and reduce mortality, especially with Ghanaian children.
Given the circumstance that led to the birth of the Foundation, the President hinted that her outfit was birthed through the inspiration of a 13-year-old boy who was fighting cancer.
According to her, the young boy, who was her patient, realised that where you are and where you are being treated really determines your outcome, a position she totally agreed to and hence that simple idea has blossomed into one with worldwide reach.
The Founder of Wish4Life Foundation Dr. Tanya Trippett addressing the media shortly after the sod-cutting ceremony
Dr. Trippett, who completed her medical and specialty training in Pediatrics at Duke University School Medical Center continued that Wish4Life Foundation decided to, therefore, embark upon a long-term strategy to create five pediatric cancer research and treatment centers on five continents.
The first of these Centers is the one to be built at Kyebi, Ghana, on 50 acres land donated by tribal leaders and it would serve as a regional referral Center of Excellence for the treatment of children with cancer in Africa.
Dr. Trippett, who is the Director and Co-Founder of POETIC (Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigator Consortium), a collaboration between multiple academic Centers in North America specialising in cancer care whose mission is the development of biologically targeted treatment approaches for children with cancer, that has recurred after standard therapy said 90,000 are succumbing to cancer, especially children in limited resourced nations each year.
She stated that the facility would be founded as a teaching facility for training and knowledge transfer for medical and allied professionals and as a technology hub for Ghana and the countries of West Africa, one of the fastest growing regions in the world.
To her, many hospitals in developing countries lack certain benefits that are common in developed countries, such as clean water and healthy food, which are key ingredients, especially in the treatment of youths with cancer, as patients undergoing chemotherapy have limited diets.
On his part, the overlord of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II commended the foundation for its vision to ensure the health and well-being of children suffering cancer disease.
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin said that the project would help relieve the burden of Ghanaians who are having problems with cancer treatment and urged the foundation to provide the facility with good health expertise to deliver quality health care to Ghanaians.
Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin conceived that the facility would go a long way to address the healthcare needs of rural folks, adding that HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis have been contained in other countries, but are still here in Africa.
To him, no child should die of malaria anywhere and was glad with the effort of the Foundation.
He was, however, quick to mention that “this facility is nothing that we have ever seen before, but we have to understand that buildings, state-of-the-art equipment, computers and large equipment do not fix human lives, people do.”
He, therefore, encouraged management of the Foundation to ensure that people who are committed to the well-being of humanity are employed to work at the facility.
The founder of the Foundation completed her Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and served in the US Air Force as Head of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology.
She is a Board Certified Pediatric Hematologist Oncologist practicing at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with areas of subspecialty expertise include the care of children with lymphoma as well as children with cancers that have returned despite prior treatment.
She is also a clinical researcher and specialises in the design and assessment of investigational therapies – particularly antibodies and new targeted agents that take aim at the molecular signaling pathways that drive cancer growth – for children with all types of cancer disclosed that each year 160, 000 children are diagnosed with cancer.
AngloGold and Assembly Staff and other dignitaries pose with Participants and samples of products
AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine has successfully completed the first phase in the series of comprehensive training programmes in baking and soap making for the Dokyiwa Peace Women’s Co-operative in the Obuasi Municipality.
It is part of the company’s Livelihood Enhancement Programme for women under the Obuasi mines 10-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP).
Mr. Emmanuel Baidoo, Senior Manager Sustainability AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine made this known in a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Daniel Arthur-Bentum Economic Development Superintendent of the company at the closing of the two-week programme.
Daniel Arthur-Bentum speaking at the ceremony
Mr. Baidoo pointed out that experienced facilitators guided the participants through various practical aspects of baking and soap making, covering topics like recipe development, quality control and entrepreneurial skills, as well as co-operative principles, good governance and group dynamics.
“By providing the members of Dokyiwa Peace Women’s Cooperative with the necessary skills and tools, we are enabling them to take charge of their own future. Therefore, I am very proud to see what the women have achieved in terms of tasty baking treats and the soap they have made after a few days of the training workshop”, Mr. Baidoo added.
The Obuasi Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Stephen Tecku, who was extremely happy with what the women had produced after a few days training, commended them for that singular effort.
He stated that AngloGold and the Municipal Assembly have come together to ensure that women groups in Obuasi find something to do hence the training workshop.
‘’We are very proud of you and wish to say that if each of you will train two more people from what you have learnt, we will get seventy in addition to the 35 five here. I encourage you to put into practice what you have learnt to benefit yourselves and your families,” he added.
The assemblyman for Dokyiwa electoral area, Mr. Daniel Osei assured the women that he would do everything in his power to ensure that AngloGold and the assembly collaborate effectively to provide them with a permanent place for them to ply their trade.
The president of Dokyiwa Peace Women Cooperative, Madam Veronica Kuma said her members can now boast of having learnt a trade that will go a long way to help them earn a decent living and thanked AngloGold and the assembly for the support.
Multiple award-winning singer, Rihanna and Rapper A$AP Rocky have finally revealed the name of their second son.
The couple has given the name of their second son as Riot Rose Mayers.
Rihanna gave birth to a baby boy in early August, according to US entertainment website TMZ.
According to the birth certificate, Riot was born on August 1, 2023, at 7:41 am at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
In keeping with a naming tradition that favours the letter ‘R,’ the couple’s newest addition follows his older brother, RZA Athelston Mayers, born in May 2022.
The couple already have a son together, RZA Athelston Mayers, who was born in May 2022.
While the inspiration for the name isn’t clear, speculations are strong that it could be a homage to A$AP Rocky’s recent song Riot, which featured Pharrell Williams.
Rihanna has said previously that becoming a mother has made her feel she can “take on the world”.
Celebrated Gospel Artiste, Mrs Amy Newman has revealed that, for a period of four years, she went through intense depression and oppression.
This according to the ‘Okamafo Jesus’ crooner, this resulted in her abandoning a lot of things including music. “I felt like the Biblical missing sheep that Jesus was looking for. I was lost for 4 years. If you check my photos during that time, I wasn’t applying makeup, I was looking shabby and I appeared like I’ve lost it up here” Mrs. Amy Newman said in an interview on Skyy Power FM’s OC Showbiz Review.
Mrs. Newman who is currently promoting her second single of the year, ‘Makoma Ahye Ma’ mentioned that, “I wrote this song (Makoma Ahye Ma) in 2009 but after the depression, I decided to release it as a form of my appreciation to God.”
She revealed that she wrote ‘Makoma Ahye ma’ in 2009 but didn’t release it until she came out of the depression and oppression and the Holy Spirit told her to release after coming out of it.
The new song of Mrs. Amy Newman ‘Makoma Ahye ma’ has been uploaded on all her social media handles with the handle name ‘Amy Newman.’
Veteran Artiste, Adane Best has said that he sees Black Sherif to have similar style as his.
In an interview on Showbiz 360, the Ga Highlife singer pointed out that having been in the music industry for over three decades, there are some artistes he has noticed and showered amazing accolades on them.
According to him, “Let me talk about my boy; Black Sherif. His style is very different, just like mine and he pitches it just the way I pitch my music. With the way he sings, I can proudly say that he has a great future; this is only the beginning of his career. People are yet to see what he has to offer. I haven’t seen anyone in Ghana that sings like him.”
He continued; “I also like Akwaboah and I think Epixode is good. Many are called but few are chosen. Akwaboah, Black Sherif and Epixode are a part of the chosen few.”
Moving on to talk about what has kept him in shape over the years, Adane Best indicated that, “It’s all by the grace of God. I drink lemon water and moringa every morning. I perform almost every single day as I am a full- time musician,” adding that “ I’m always going for events so I barely rest but I think that it is the mark of a good musician and I give thanks to God for that.”
When asked to share what he has been up to in recent times, the artiste known for his hits in the Ga dialect noted that he had wanted to celebrate his 31-year anniversary in the space but due to a thing or two, he has postponed it to next year.
“This year, I made up my mind that I’ll be celebrating my 31st anniversary but I had a problem with the venue I wanted to use, so it will come on next year. It will be big. I’ve finished with my latest; a whole album made up of 11 songs and I’ll start promoting it in either December or January,” he shared.
Wrapping up with the interview, the old-time boxer explained why he quit boxing, saying that, “I love boxing. I used to fight when I was a child. I realized I am a musician hence, I have to be concentrating on my musical career. That’s my reason.”
Chief of Ziope, Torgbui Gborli III addressing the press
The Chief of Ziope, Torgbui Gborli III, has, on behalf of the Felix Azibodzi family, petitioned President Akufo-Addo and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to constitute an independent committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the death of Felix Azibodzi in custody at the Volta Regional Police Headquarters in Ho.
The late Felix Azibodzi was arrested by the police on August 9, 2023, with an allegation that a picture of a stolen car was seen on his phone status page, and put in custody at the Volta Region Police Headquarters.
Torgbui Gborli accused the police of subjecting Felix Azibidzi to life threatening physical abuse in the bid to force him to admit a crime he knew nothing about which killed him the same day.
Addressing a press conference at Avemadorlakui in the Ziope Traditional Area of the Agortime-Ziope District, the Chief said the police continued maltreating Azibodzi until he died in their hands.
Torgbui Gborli disclosed that the police informed the Azibodzi Family on August 9 that they arrested Felix Azibodzi and he was in police custody, but became sick and allegedly took him to the Ho Teaching Hospital, but he did not survive.
He continued that in view of the circumstances, the police led the Azibodzi Family to the hospital on August 16, 2023, only to be informed that the body of the late Azibodzi was deposited at the mortuary, and asked the family to identify their dead relative.
According to Torgbui Gborli, the family identified the body as their son, but initial observations of the body showed several clear marks of torture rather than mere sickness, saying when the suspect fell sick, according to the police, they failed to inform the family and when he died too, the police did not informed the family and decided to deposit the body in the mortuary without the family’s consent.
Torgbui Gborli said having observed the tortured body, which corroborated with medical reports which indicated that the deceased had a perforated right eyeball with a deep hole, twisted neck, broken front teeth, lacerations and broken bones on both legs, blood clots, wounds on the lips, nose, and head.
He said having observed the medical report, the family was overwhelmed with shock and grief over what they described as a well-rehearsed murder of their son, saying he was not surprised about the police antics, because it had been a stock-in-trade of personnel of the Ghana Police Service to subject suspects in custody to life threatening physical abuse in a bid to force them into admitting crimes they knew nothing about.
The Chief, on behalf of the Azibodzi family, gave a three-day ultimatum to the IGP to respond to the family request to know who ordered the arrest of Felix Azibodzi, who supervised his murder, and on what authority did the police got to deposit the dead body in the mortuary without the family’s permission.
Torgbui Gborli noted that it was an undeniably fact that Felix Azibodzi was one of those countless innocent victims of police brutalities who could not withstand such torture, which led to the gruesome murder of Azibodzi in the circumstances was an affront to the rule of law, noncompliance with due process of law and total disregard for Felix Azibodzi’s founder mental human rights.
The widow, Ophilia Adjei, said the husband was the bread winner of the family, and as he had left her and the two years old son, life would be difficult them, and called for justice for her late husband who she said was always strong and went about his duties.
Togbega Gabusu, paramount chief of Gbi Traditional area addressing the media
The Paramount Chief of Gbi Traditional Area and President of the Gbi Traditional Council, Togbega Gabusu VII, has appealed to President Akufo-Addo, as a matter of urgency, to constitute an independent committee to conduct inquiries into police brutality that led to the deaths of innocent citizens over the years.
Togbega Gabusu said the outcome of the committee’s report should be made available to the Gbi Traditional Council within 90 days as a way of sympathising with the traditional area and the families of the victims.
The Paramount Chief made the appeal at a press conference held at Hohoe on unprofessional police conducts in the area, which resulted in the use of excessive force that led to the deaths of innocent citizens.
He said the security agency had the mandate to protect lives and property, but it was sad to note that the police in recent times had compromised that position and resorted to brutalising the very people they were to protect at Gbi-Wegbe, Kledzo, Atabu and Godenu.
Togbega Gabusu stressed that police attacks on residents had become more frequent, and had assumed high proportions leading to assault, intimidation, mayhem, and outright murder.
According to the Paramount Chief, the police acted with impunity, because cases that made them to apply excessive force were not investigated for the culprits to be prosecuted, but rather decided to take the law they were supposed to enforce into their hands.
Togbega Gabusu made reference to November 2022, where the police shot and killed a taxi driver who was citizen of Gbi-Wegbe and a press conference was held by the chiefs and appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to constitute an independent committee to investigate the issue, but failed to do so and the police involved were left to go without being punished.
He said on August 20th 2023, Mr. Agbeko Afeti and Mr. David Agbemenu were brutalised by the police leading to their death, with one person in critical condition and admitted at the Ho Teaching Hospital where he was receiving medical attention.
He continued that some of the youth at Godenu suffered gunshot wounds and were treated at the Wegbe Clinic, while 12 innocent persons were arrested in their homes.
Togbega Gabusu continued that the recent mayhem started when a police pick-up with 5 personnel chased a motorbike rider, knocked him into the gutter, and picked him to the Hohoe Hospital as the victim was unconscious, while reinforcement was called only to see that the police vehicle was burning.
Togbega Gabusu said angered by this development, the police also went ahead and burnt 41 motorbikes at Godenu, burnt one tractor, and destroyed shops in the town.
