An MP has said it “has to be possible for politics and parenting to mix” after being told she cannot sit in the Commons with her three-month-old son.
Labour’s Stella Creasy was informed it was against the rules to bring a child to a debate at Westminster Hall after doing so on Tuesday.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has asked a committee of MPs to review the rules.
Ms Creasy said she was “pleased to hear this” – as rules meant she could not be in the chamber for his statement.
Sir Lindsay said it was “extremely important” for parents to be able to participate fully in the work of the House, which is why it had a nursery. He asked the procedure committee to “look into this matter”.
After appearing with her son at the adjoining Westminster Hall on Tuesday, she received an email from the private secretary to the chairman of the ways and means committee, Dame Eleanor Laing, which said this was not in line with recently published rules on “behaviour and courtesies”.
Russia has staged military drills in the Black Sea, south of Ukraine, and said it needed to sharpen the combat-readiness of its conventional and nuclear forces because of heightened NATO activity near its borders.
Ukraine, which with its ally the United States has said it believes Russia may be preparing an invasion, staged exercises of its own near the border with Belarus.
The increase of military activity on both sides follows weeks of rising tension that have raised the risk of war between the two neighbours, even though Russia denies aggressive intent and Western intelligence sources have told the Reuters news agency they do not see any invasion as imminent.
The US and NATO have signalled their backing for Ukraine in ways that Moscow considers provocative, including through warship manoeuvres this month in the Black Sea and a delivery of US patrol boats to the Ukrainian navy.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told Reuters on Wednesday it would be “a grave mistake from Russia” to attack Ukraine.
As part of the countdown to Africa’s biggest sporting event, Caf today announced the launch of the official match ball for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
The new official match ball, named “Toghu” after the traditional outfit that is very popular in Cameroon, will be used by the 24 teams during the 52 matches to be played at the competition between 09 January 2022 and 06 February 2022.
‘Toghu’ is a multi-coloured and finely embroidered outfit.
A ‘Toghu’ was initially designed for Royalty in the North West region of Cameroon but has since been adopted by Cameroonians as an outfit for special occasions.
About ‘Toghu’ – the new match ball
Designed to meet the highest standards in the game, the ball features simple technological features including a smart panel configuration and it’s Fifa-approved to be used at the highest levels of the game.
Asante Kotoko SC are without their two key midfielders Richmond Lamptey and Mudasiru Salifu ahead of their epic week five tie against Karela United.
The Porcupine Warriors will be looking to maintain their perfect start and also chase their fifth straight victory of the season when they play as guest to the ‘Pride and Passion’ outfit at the new Crossby Awuah Memorial Park this Sunday.
However, the ‘Kum Apem’ outfit will have to do this without the service of their midfielder duo Richmond Lamptey who hasn’t still recovered from the injury he sustained against Eleven Wonders in their last game whiles Mudasiru Salifu who will also miss out due to accumulation of cards.
The pair have been outstanding and integral members of this Kotoko squad having both contributed three goals so far in the season with all of them finding their names on the scoresheet when they humbled Dreams FC by 3-1 in their season opener.
They are currently the only club in the Ghana Premier League to have not drop even a single point yet and are sitting comfortably at the summit of the league with 12 points after four matches.
The Ghana Football Association on Wednesday announced that referee Eso Doh Morrison has been suspended for eight games over a wrong penalty decision in a Premier League match.
According to Match Review Panel, Morrison erred in his decision to award Aduana Stars a penalty in the clash with Hearts of Oak on matchday 3.
Morrison sent off Mohammed Alhassan and gave Aduana a penalty in the 78th minute after adjudging the Hearts of Oak defender to have committed a foul on Bright Adjei.
Replays showed it was a soft call but Adjei wouldn’t mind as he scored to cancel out Kofi Kordzi’s early strike as the game ended in a stalemate.
The Phobians complained about the decision that cost them three points and the referee will not officiate for eight matchdays.
Referee Eso Doh Morrison, however, tried to defend every action and decision he took during the match even when all the actions were replayed to him in the video clips.
The Chronicle’s independent investigation has established that no weapon has gone missing from the armoury of the Northern Regional Police Command in Tamale.
This is contrary to the Auditor General’s Report for 2020 that five AK47 Assault Rifles have gone missing from the police regional armoury.
The paper’s investigation revealed that the assault rifles reported missing by the AG, were rather stolen from police personnel when on duty between February 2019 and July 2020, at snap checkpoints in the Tamale municipality.
In one of the incidents on the Kumbugu road on Tuesday July 30, 2019 at which two AK 47 Assault Rifles were stolen, one Policewoman, Cpl Agatha Nana Nabin, was shot dead by the attackers who took charge of her signed weapon.
Another Policewoman, L/Cpl Josephine Awo Atoproke, on witnessing the horrific scene, attempted to escape, but was trapped to the ground by a chair on which she sat.
The masked armed men, dressed in military camouflage over desert boots, rushed on her and seized the assault rifle she signed for at the armoury, to perform the Operation Calm Life duty.
The male in the team managed to scale a wall and took position, from where he fired a few shots to ward off the attackers.
Prior to that, on February 4, 2019 policemen on snap check point duty at Kakpayilli, a suburb of Tamale, were also attacked by a number of armed gangsters who pounced on them with guns and other offensive weapons, beat the policemen and succeeded in stealing two AK 47 Assault rifles. Then on July 20, 2020 ten days to a year, when Cpl Agatha Nabin was murdered in cold blood, another policeman was attacked at a check point at Nyankpala by hooded armed men.
He was severely assaulted and the loaded assault rifle taken away. He was rushed to the Tamale Teaching Hospital where he spent quite some time before recovering.
These bring to five, the assault rifles, which were stolen from police personnel on duties at the checkpoints and all happened in the night.
A highly placed source at the Police Headquarters in Accra, who confirmed the paper’s finding, intimated that the police is doing everything possible to retrieve the stolen weapons.
According to the source, police intelligence is on the heels of the criminals, so as to render them toothless as Christmas festivities near.
An Environmental Health Analyst, Mr Eric Cudjoe, says government must consider implementing a policy that would make it compulsory for inmates of the various prisons to be engaged as street cleaners.
This, he noted, would go a long way to assist the Environmental Health Department of the many Assemblies to effectively discharge their duties.
In an interaction with The Chronicle, Mr Cudjoe, who is the Asante Bekwai Municipal Environmental Health Analyst, disclosed that lack of labour was hindering their work. He said “Almost all the sanitary labourers at the various MMDAs have become ineffective as a result of old age, and this is a major challenge to us.”
He noted that the situation of their labourers being ineffective constituted a foremost burden which required urgent attention. “This is why I am calling for a policy that will ensure that prisoners, who are to serve in hard labour, can join us regularly in the field to help keep Ghana clean,” he added.
The role of the prisoner
Mr Cudjoe explained that they would basically assist in the de-silting of choked drains and gutters, and clear weeds in open spaces in public places.
“This will definitely help keep our environment clean, promote good hygiene, and improve the general well-being of the citizenry,” Mr Cudjoe clarified.
“Stagnant water mainly breeds mosquitoes, which gives us malaria, and we also spend a lot of money to fight the disease, so why don’t we put in measures to prevent it?” he quizzed.
Constant clearing of weeds and de-silting choked gutters, he said, would lead to a drastic reduction in mosquitoes, which thrived in unhealthy environments.
Mr Cudjoe appealed to the citizenry to view proper sanitation as a shared responsibility, with every individual having a role to play.
Newmont Ghana Gold has assured that its Ahafo mines will be working to explore viable economic opportunities in the coming years to generate more employment for the community members.
“Over the next couple of years, we will be working with consultants and other social investors to explore viable economic opportunities that will generate more employment for community members”, Vice President, Sustainability and External Relations of Newmont Ghana Gold, Ms. Adiki O. Ayitivie said this at the signing of the reviewed Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum Agreements at Ntotroso in the Ahafo region.
Ms. Ayitivie said Newmont is working towards improving its previous commitment of 35% local-local employment to 53% by next Agreement revision.
“Through our Employment Agreement, we are working towards improving our previous commitment of 35% local-local employment by Newmont and its contractors to 40% and progressively improving to 53% by the next Agreement revision”, she said.
According to Ms Ayitivie, while this is a significant step to increase the number of local-local employees in the mines, there is still the need to look at alternative employment opportunities as direct opportunities at Newmont are finite and cannot meet all demands.
Chiefs from host communities at the signing ceremony
She added that after 13 years of implementation and achievement of significant outcomes, “It is time to build a new Ahafo that reflects the twentieth century and provides more hope for young people within our host communities”.
This, Ms Ayitivie said, requires urgency in acting differently to tackle rising unemployment challenges and enhance infrastructure in host communities.
“There is an urgent need to do things differently to address the increasing unemployment challenges and stakeholder desire for modern infrastructure in our towns and villages”, she said.
Ms Ayitivie therefore urged members of the Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum to join hands so that together, they can make the Ahafo aspirations a reality.
The General Manager, Newmont Ghana, Okyere Ntrama, said under the Employment Agreement, the Ahafo mine currently employs about 42% of its total workforce and that of its contractors from the local communities in Ahafo.
Additionally, he said, about 167 locals have benefited from Newmont’s apprenticeship training programme which trains locals in Ahafo to acquire employable skills so that they can take advantage of employment opportunities in mine maintenance, electrical and instrumentation either at Newmont or any other place where there may be employment opportunities.
NADeF
Mr Ntrama said Newmont’s Social Responsibility Foundation, NADeF, which was born out of the Foundation Agreement, has been the main driver of its social responsibility obligations to the Ahafo communities.“With a contribution of US$1per each ounce of gold sold and 1percent of its net profit, the Ahafo mine has provided funding to the tune of US$34.1 (GHc106.6m) out of which we have completed and handed over about 127 infrastructural projects to the communities”, he said.
Youth leaders from host communities
Mr Ntrama noted that within the last thirteen years of its existence, NADeF has established itself as a model community development foundation in Ghana. He added that the joint decision to arrive at Agreements has proven most beneficial to the development of the people and communities in Ahafo.Mr Ntrama stressed that stakeholders have achieved so much through the Agreements and there was no doubt that the future can be brighter.
“We have achieved so much through these Agreements and I have no doubt that the future can only be brighter. I believe that the hard work and commitment with which our forum members have reviewed these agreements is testament of our dedication as stakeholders to cooperate with our collective quest to improve the living conditions of our people”, he said.
Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum
The Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum Agreement was first signed in 2008 through the work of the Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum.
It covers three thematic areas–Employment, which spells out guidelines for employing locals within the host communities, Foundation, which sets out the terms and conditions under which Newmont Ghana (Ahafo Mine) shall fund the operations of Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADEF) and Relationship, which sets out the understanding reached between the company and the community to advance the sustainable and economic development of the communities.
The National Chairman of the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) of the Ghana Highway Authority Retired Staff Association (GHARSA), Nana Nanabanyin Queesy Ninsin-Imbeah II, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack Mr Kwasi Amoako-Atta, the Minister for Roads and Highways.
The former Principal Regional Surveyor of the GHA position is premised on his conviction that the Roads Minister has wilfully caused financial loss to the state.Nana Ninsin-Imbeah II said the Minister who is also Member of Parliament for Atiwa West had disregarded the Ghana Highway Authority Act 540 section 16 (1) which talks about the collection of tolls by the Authority on any trunk road and related facilities.
The GHARSA chairman also referred to Section 16 (2) of the said Act of. Parliament, which provides that “Notwithstanding sub-section (1) of Section 16, the Authority (GHA) may, subject to Cabinet approval, contract with any commercial body for the management of Toll Roads, bridges and ferries owned by it or under its control upon such terms and conditions as shall be agreed upon between the Authority and the body concerned.”
He argued that for the Minister to have disregarded the law and brought such a
huge embarrassment upon himself and the government, the president should not hesitate to sanction him for the unpardonable mess.
Kasoa Toll Booth
According to him the provisions of Act 540 are explicitly clear that the action by the Minister to have directed the stoppage of road tolls by the stroke of the pen is unthinkable and wondered from where the Minister derived his powers.The former GHA official said the GHA ACT 540 cannot be overturned by a Minister and questioned why the Minister rushed to issue a letter stopping the collection of the tolls (Road & Bridge) shortly after the 2022 Budget statement was presented, without passing through the appropriate procedure to overturn same.
The GHARSA chairman said the Roads Minister, who had earlier closed down the Kubease Toll Booth in Ashanti Region for substantial cause, has further proceeded to treat the Ghana Highway Authority Act with contempt by directing the cessation of the collection of Road and Bridge Tolls countrywide thereby making the revenue to be collected to go waste without any tangible and justified reasons.
“His (Minister) action is unlawful, and unwarranted especially when the 2022
Budget thus presented had not been debated and approved or otherwise by the Parliament of Ghana.As a result, the Minister should not be encouraged to operate as if there are no laws regulating the operations of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, the concerned GHA retiree stated.
He said the circumstances leading to cessation of the collection of levies at the toll booths as announced by the Minister of Finance in his presentation of the 2022 Budget and the subsequent directive by the Roads Minister to effect it less than 12 hours was suspicious.
According to him, for the Alliance of Drivers, Ghana, a drivers’ union, to have consistently called for the replacement of toll booths and lately a week before the Finance Minister presented the 2022 Budget also smacks off a premeditated plan to cancel the toll booths, which he described as a sad development.
The National Ambulance Service (NAS) has recruited a total of 435 drivers to complement efforts of the service in ensuring effective pre-hospital emergency healthcare delivery.
The drivers, including three females, constitute the 10th batch of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who passed out at the Paramedics and Emergency Care Training School at Nkenkaasu yesterday, after a year’s training.
They have since been sworn in under oath, after intensive training in bleeding control, positive pressure ventilation with bag valve mask, insertion of oropharyngeal and nasopharryngeal airways, supplemental oxygen administration and splinting including full spinal immobilisation besides their driving skills.
They are expected to augment the total staff strength of 2,547 that form the NAS Emergency Medical Service team.
Their services would be needed at the 296 ambulance stations across the country and help NAS effectively adopt the shift system for ambulance drivers and also meet World Health Organisation’s standard of at least three drivers per an ambulance.
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, who reviewed the passing out parade, said the training and eventual passing out of the recruits is in line with the government’s aim of administering, maintaining and operating a nationwide comprehensive emergency medical services system throughout the country, aimed at reducing medical emergency deaths, injuries and permanent long-term disabilities.
He appealed to transport organisations, including the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA), among other transport associations, to cooperate with the National Ambulance Service and other emergency services to gain easy access to the roads, in the course of their duties, in order to save lives.
A representative of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, lauded the government for the provision of ambulances for all 296 stations.
He said Ashanti region received 49 ambulances for the 47 constituencies, with the extra two going to Baba Yara Sports Stadium and Kumasi Airport terminal.
The Minister pledged the Ashanti RCC’s continued support to the NAS, having already coordinated the establishment of ambulance bays by the 43 MMDAs in the region.
The acting President of the Offinso Traditional Council, Nana Kwaku Duah, commended the government for the acquisition of the 307 new ambulances for the various constituencies in the country.
The NAS Regimental Band was outdoored during the passing out parade.
Meanwhile, Ivan Nyorkey was adjudged the Overall Best Recruit. He also excelled as the Best in Academics. The best in Practicals award went to Justice Addai while Victoria Lartey Ohene grabbed the CEOs award with the Best in Foot drills award going to Osmana Iddrisu Seinu.
