Gabriel Jesus has started to settle well into life at Arsenal after experiencing his first training session under Mikel Arteta.
The Brazilian, who completed his £45m move from champions Manchester City on Monday, was pictured alongside compatriots Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes and Marquinhos at London Colney.
Arsenal lured Jesus to the Emirates to fill a void at centre forward, having permitted striker Alexandre Lacazette to return to Lyon on a free transfer earlier this summer. The 25-year-old was pictured completing a range of fitness and on-ball drills in training, as he looks to build fitness ahead of a top four surge at Arsenal next campaign.
Jesus is expected to lead the line in Arteta’s starting line-up in front of a three-man attacking midfield.
The Spanish boss utilised Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith-Rowe and Martinelli behind the striker last campaign and now has even more options after the arrival of Fabio Vieira from Porto. Jesus scored eight and assisted nine as Manchester City clinched a fourth Premier League title in five years last season.
However the Brazilian only started 21 of 38 league matches under Pep Guardiola, ultimately failing to hold down a regular spot in attack following the exit of club legend Sergio Aguero last summer.
Jesus joins Arsenal with a rich portfolio of silverware, having won four league titles, four league cups and an FA Cup during his five-year spell in Manchester.
And the 37-year-old won’t be present on Tuesday for ‘family reasons’ too. It is unclear when the 37-year-old will start pre-season training with the Red Devils – a factor which could prove tricky considering the squad are due to fly out to Thailand and Australia for their pre-season tour on Friday. With Ronaldo’s future increasingly in doubt several clubs are looking at bringing the Portuguese superstar to their club. United have no wish to sell Ronaldo and have yet to receive an enquiry. They have underlined that the striker remains under contract and hope that he sees that out.
Ten Hag has been talking to all United players as he welcomes them back to training and will be keen to sit down with Ronaldo to understand his frustration, particularly as they are due to leave for their pre-season tour of Asia and Australia on Friday.
The Dutch coach had planned for the Portuguese superstar, last season’s top scorer with 24 goals, to be part of his strikeforce for the new campaign and United’s transfer strategy has reflected that.
Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Kwabena Adjei Agyapong, has cautioned Ghanaian youths to delete the word coup from their books.
According to the man who was not only a witness to the coups, but also lost his father, a High Court judge, people will not wish for coups if they knew the dire consequences it has.
“Nobody should make mention of coup. If you have lived through it, you will know that it is not something to joke with.
“I will appeal to the youth not to talk about coup. If you have lived through it, if you have ever lived through a coup,” Mr Agyapong cautioned, while recounting the murder of the three Justices of the High Court, including his father and a retired Army officer in an interview with Peace FM.
On Wednesday June 30, 1982 the father of Mr Agyapong, Mr Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong, Justices Frederick Opoku Sarkodie, Cecelia Koranteng-Addo and Major Sam Acquah (rtd) were abducted from their respective homes in Accra and murdered at the Bundase Military Range in the Accra Plains.
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and the Judicial Service has since declared that day as ‘Martyrs Day’ and organises a series of events every year in memory of the judges.
This year, a solemn church service was organised at the Christ the King Catholic Church in Accra to mark the day.
In attendance were President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a member of the GBA; Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; the Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah; the Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame and the President of the GBA, Yaw Acheampong Boafo.
Also in attendance were judges of the Superior Courts and the lower courts, lawyers, staff of the Judicial Service, family members and loved ones of the three judges, including the late Justice Agyepong’s widow and Mr Kwabena Agyepong himself.
Consequences of Coup
Granting an interview on Peace FM’s Kokroko Morning show on July 1, in Twi, the once former Press Secretary to former President John Agyekum Kufuor recollected the emotional trauma, as well as the economic hardships that he and other Ghanaians went through as a result of coups.
He recalled how families of his colleague students in Mfantsipim Senior High School were murdered by soldiers who were taking instructions from a military leader.
He also spoke about how people who had parked their cars outside the Baba Yara Sports Stadium came out to find their cars burnt into ashes by soldiers who were searching for a clergyman who, according to them, had committed an offense.
He again recalled how people were made to drink cement mixed with water, while others were tied to cement blocks and hanged to a helicopter and dropped in the sea.
“People fled abroad and died in penury and misery. Those of us who lived through that coup should be able to advise the youth.”
He also spoke about how Ghana had a thriving night economy but got collapsed because of the impositions of curfews.
“You are made to sleep at 6pm, 7pm and 9pm. Ghana’s night economy collapsed. Companies that used to work at night collapsed and have not been able to resurrect since then,” he noted sadly.
Cherishing democracy and restoring confidence in the Ghanaian
Against the backdrop of the dire consequences of coups, Mr Agyapong advocated Ghanaians must hold democratic rule in high esteem despite its shortcomings. He said democracy with all its difficulties is ten times better than any system of governance and one must cherish it.
“We can never return. Never again! This system is ten times better despite all the shortcomings that we have. “Democracy with all its faults is ten times better than dictatorship where nobody has the right to do anything”.
He said he believed the reason people, especially the youth, do not appreciate the current system of governance is because they did not witness the coups and counter coups that rocked the nation. He fortified this claim by a statistics he claimed pointed to the fact that 61 percent of Ghanaians now are below the age of 30.
“People do not cherish this democratic dispensation because many of them were not born when such atrocities happened… So when I hear the youth of today talking about coups, I try to advise them that we have to protect the democracy that we have,” he said.
Call on the aged, politicians and media to educate the youth
Based on the statistics that many of the youth who are talking about coup today did not witness the coups that rocked the nation, it is the duty of those who lived through it, politicians and the media, to bring back some of those memories and educate people on it. He believed doing so will change the mindset of people and enable them embrace democracy.
“You the media, as the Fourth Estate of the realm, should be able educate the youth on some of the happenings in the past so that they can learn a lesson from it, in order to guide us in future.”
Need for constructive criticism and healthy politics
On Friday, Mr Agyapong also noted that the call on Ghanaians to cherish democracy does not mean they cannot criticise the government. He said they can do so, but in a civilised and a lawful manner.
“Democracy is a majoritarian rule. So if there is something you don’t like and do you want to form a political party, do so and make sure you get a message that will make the people vote for you that’s all”, he noted.
He expressed views he has on some practices and demonstrated how such views can be expressed without violence.
“I have a very radical view on certain changes that I want to see with regards to governance after 30 years. For instance when the constitution put a cap on the number of cabinet Ministers, I believe it is telling us to beware of the number of people we appoint as Ministers.
“I believe Ghana can be ruled with only twenty Ministers. There are a lot of Ministries that should be brought under other ministries. I also believe every Minister should have one deputy and not multiple, since it makes the cost of running a government too expensive”, he said.
He bemoaned how some politicians, media personnel, citizens and even some clergymen sit on radio and television stations to rain insults on others.
“When I see the way some political party executives sit on radio or TV and insult their opponents, I shrink. We should serve as an example for the youth.
“What is happening in the country is not good. Now people think sitting on radio and insulting people is what makes you a politician and they do so because others did same and rose to fame. This is not our culture. This practice must be checked. You can disagree with someone but it should not end up in violence.
“When there is breakdown of law and order, it does not matter whether you were part of government or not, someone who doesn’t like you will just get some soldiers to do whatever they want to do to you and go.”
He appealed to the National Media Commission to regulate the media space especially the television space to maintain some sanity, peace and order.
Notwithstanding, Mr Agyapong said the government should also not take the people of Ghana for granted, but should work to ensure that the difficulties and hardships they complain about is solved.
On July 25, 2022, the Economic and Financial Division of the Accra High Court will determine whether 10 persons, including a medical doctor, senior police and military officers who have been accused of plotting a coup have a case to answer.
This follows the prosecution indicating to the court yesterday that it had closed its case perpetually, after the last prosecution witness, Detective Chief Inspector Michael Nkrumah, an investigator in the case, had finished giving his evidence and crossed examined by the defence counsel.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yvonne Attakora-Obuobisa, gave out the information to the court, presided over by three justices – Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwi, Hafisata Amalebob and Stephen Oppong. President of the penal, Mrs. Asare-Botwi then ordered the defence counsel and the prosecution to file their submissions by July 12, and that the court was not prepared to entertain any delays from both sides.
At the yesterday’s sitting, counsel for the 4th accused (A4), Johannes Zikpi, Mr. Anthony Lartey, told the court that the interrogation team told his client that they would release him on bail if he (Zikpi) signed a statement written by DC/Insp Nkrumah. He further stated that the interrogation team promised to release him (Zikpi) on bail if he signed a statement dictated by DC/Insp Nkrumah.
The defence counsel further told the court that the information purportedly retrieved from Zikpi was not from his phone. Mr. Lartey further contended that the prosecution witness (DW13) didn’t have any documents to back his claim that Zikpi was employed by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Signal Regiment, because he was a communication expert.
However DW13 denied the allegations that Ziplki was compelled to sign statements he did not author and also did not do background checks with the GAF to know Zipki’s qualifications because his investigation did not cover that.
Excerpts of the cross-examination:
Q. I put it to you that A4 was not free to walk about freely during the interrogation?
A. That is true. Investigation is done in a confined room with the suspect and the investigators.
Q. I suggest to you that A4 was truly under arrest from the moment he arrived at the NIB premises on 21 October, 2019.
A. He was informed about his arrest before he was interrogated.
Q. I suggest to you that A4 was truly under arrest during the interrogation.
A. That is true, because if a suspect is not under arrest he cannot be interrogated.
Q. Is it true that you were in and out in the interrogation room at the time of the interrogation of the accused?
A. That is true, but in the case of A4, I was there throughout.
Q. Have you put any written record of A4’s interrogation before this court?
A. Yes, his statement.
Q. By the written statement that he made, you meant Exhibit AQ series. Is that not so?
A. That is so.
Q. Take a look at Exhibit AQ1 and AQ2, and tell this court the first question the interrogation team asked A4.
A. “A case of conspiracy to commit crime, to wit felony, is under investigation.”
Q. Tell this court the first question the interrogation team asked A4?
A. “You are also reminded to consult a counsel of your choice.”
Q. Show this court the last question the interrogation team asked A4.
A. “You are also reminded of your right to consult a counsel.”
Q. I suggest to you that you have not put any written record of A4’s interrogation before this court.
A. That is his statement because that was what transpired in the interrogation room.
Q. It is true that the interrogation team promises A4 that they will have him released on bail if he signs a statement which you will write for him.
A. That is not true.
Q. It is true that the investigation team promised A4 that you will have him released on bail if he will sign a statement that you will dictate to him.
A. That is not true.
Q. It is true that the statement attributed to A4 from a purported telephone extraction of A1’s phone were not found on A1’s phone.
A. That is true. The extractions were found on A1’s phone.
Q. According to you, A4 was employed at the Signal Regiment because of his expertise in communication. True or false?
A. That is true.
Q. When was A4 employed at the Signal Regiment?
A. I don’t know.
Q. What position was A4 employed at the Signal Regiment?
A. He said he is a technician at the signal regiment.
Q. What is the designation or the position to which A4 was employed at the Signal Regiment?
A. I don’t know, because the investigation did not have anything to do with his designation.
Q. Have you checked the employment record of A4 to verify your claim that A4 was employed because his expertise in communication?
A. No.
Q. I suggest to you that A4 was not employed because of his alleged expertise.
A. That is not true, because A4 himself told me that he was employed because of his expertise.
Counsel: My lords, that will be all for the witness.
Zikpi is standing trial with Dr. Mac Palm, Donya Kafui, Debrah, Colonel Samuel Gameli, Warrant Officer Class Two Esther Saan, Corporal Abubakar, Solomon, Corporal Akanpewon and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Benjamin Agordzo.
A New Patriotic Party (NPP) pressure group, The Royal Patriots, has urged President Akufo-Addo to cause a reshuffle in his government and go a step further to relieve some appointees of their portfolios.
The group revealed that it was a common observation that some appointees of government were sleeping on the job and it had become the concern of most political watchers, and even the ordinary man on the street. According to the Royal Patriots, “Most of these appointees, by their actions and inactions, believe that they are untouchable.”
The NPP pressure group lamented in a statement signed by its Secretary, Maxwell Agyei-Nyanor, that, “the President has not caused any major reshuffle since NPP assumed the reins of government in Ghana from January 2017, in his first term through to date, his second year of the last four year mandate of his second term.”
The group continued that the public utterances against the government are so bad and hurting that they find it strange as to why the President is still defiantly maintaining some of his appointees. The group reinstated that there are internal and external factors responsible for the economic difficulties Ghanaians find themselves in, which necessitated the country seeking to subscribe to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout.
COVID-19, they stated, is a major economic erosion which affected every country, especially emerging economies like Ghana. The Royal Patriots emphasised that these major external factors are causing a lot of economic destabilisation.
In as much as the government of the day is working around the clock to find solutions using both home grown policies and with other international agencies such as the IMF to mitigate the effects of the economic impact, the group noted that there are other internal factors which are self inflicted and are causing a lot more injuries to the national economy.
“These factors include but not limited to non linkages of government programmes, unstable currency, domination of our productive sectors by foreigners, our people’s penchant desire for foreign made goods, which are not being regulated or tackled by the government and most importantly, non-performance of some government appointees.” The group said.
The group has in this regard questioned government that if as a party, “We claim that we have the men, which we the Patriots believe we do, what is then preventing the President from changing some of them and bringing other fresh blood in?”
To them, if President Akufo-Addo is able to reshuffle his Ministers and other appointees who are sleeping on the job, it will reinforce the fact that the reserve bench is truly occupied with qualified players ready to step on the field to perform.
The Ho Municipal Assembly will be holding a fair in the Municipality dubbed ‘’Ho EXPO 2022’’ with the aim of marketing the economic and tourism potentials in the area to help attract both local and international investors.
The expo, which was launched in Ho recently under the theme, ’Positioning the Oxygen City, Ho for Infrastructure Development and Tourism’’ will start from August 29to September 11, 2022 and will focus on growth, development and employment creation for the youth.
Speaking at the launch, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Divine R.K. Bosson, noted that the reliance on agriculture as the lifeblood of the people must be expanded and delved into other economic activities to enhance income generation among the people, as well as to help reduce poverty in the municipality.
Mr Bosson said it was clear that agriculture alone could no longer provide the economic needs of the people and that the Assembly had taken up the challenge to lift the majority of the people from stagnations, hence the initiative to organise the Ho EXPO 22 .
He observed that the Ho Municipality had many tourism potentials that should be developed and packaged to attract tourists. The unique location of the municipality, friendly weather, flora and fauna resources also presented the people with great potentials for tourism.
The Ho MCE said there were various real estate companies which have developed service plots for developers who wanted to own properties in the area, a development, which he stressed, had created various employment opportunities for artisans.
He advised them to develop a new mind set in order to leverage on the available opportunities. According to him, the artisans must change their attitude towards work, such as delays and poor finishing – which had characterised their activities in the past.
He also called on captains of industry, businesses, commercial farmers, hoteliers among others in and outside Ho to take advantage of HO EXPO 2022 to invest in the municipality because the time had come to develop Ho to a level that would be appreciated by all.
The Member of Parliament for Ho Central, Mr Benjamin Kpodo, noted that there were opportunities for medical, education and culture tourism, which could be developed to the benefit of the people noting that the municipality was doing well in terms of sanitation.
Mr Kpodo, however, pointed out that one major development challenge confronting the Ho Municipality was that the citizens had failed to invest in the area.
They are rather doing so in other parts of the country, thereby depriving the municipality, where they come from the needed development and called for attitudinal change that would enable them to invest at home.
The Volta Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr Alexander Nketia commended the Ho Municipal Assembly for the initiative to promote development of tourism in the area, and said his outfit had already identified untapped tourism potentials in the area, which should be developed to the benefit of the people.
Dignitaries in a group picture with the GIS officers
The Ghana Immigration service as part of its second phase of strengthening migration management in Ghana (SMMIG) program is commencing an intensive training session on fundamentals of intelligence analysis for selected officers of the service in collaboration with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).
The five-day training workshop, sponsored by the Danish government, seeks to equip the officers with the necessary skills in intelligence analysis to be able to do proper forecasting in their work.
Deputy Comptroller-General OF Immigration, Legal, Research and Monitoring (DCGI) Baaba Asare delivering the keynote address to open the 6-weeks GIS Prosecutors Course
The immigration service is confident that the intelligence analysis course will increase awareness, produce evidence-based knowledge and build skills that will assist in the service’s strategy to combat crime, carry out investigations and exchange information.
Speaking at the opening ceremony attended by the members of the GIS, the deputy Comptroller-General of Immigration, Dr Isaac Owusu Mensah, who officially opened the workshop pointed out that the intelligence analysis is a crucial support function for successful law enforcement projects, investigations and operations against serious crime and terrorism.
According to Dr Mensah, the law enforcement officers of the GIS undertaking the workshop training are a total of 50 officers with 20 from the headquarters. He further pointed out that the training was to influence the officers to go to their regions and train others who didn’t have the privilege, adding that the training was both theoretical and practical followed by a five-year fully resourced project in the communities.
Director of Operations, CID Headquarters , Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Isaac Asante addressing the participants
The selected officers to take part in the training are law enforcement officers in the service who will be equipped with knowledge to make data-driven decisions to contribute to national security.
He stresses that they have had intelligence training for some of the law enforcement officers at the borders, but this training is an advanced course of the earlier one which is to enhance their knowledge on terrorism attack.
Under revenue mobilization, the deputy Comptroller-General who is also in charge of finance and administration indicated that while the Togo border has been opened, Ivory Coast is yet to be opened but they are waiting on it.
“We are picking up gradually, but I’m sure when all the West African countries open their borders, then we can have full effect of the cooperation within the ECOWAS”, he said.
Group photograph of participants for the prosecutors’ course
Addressing the issue of the Immigration officer in the Upper West Region, Michael Otu, who was shot and killed by unknown assailants three months ago, Dr. Mensah assured the media that they had collaboration with all the security agencies and progress is being made with the investigation.
On her part, Amala Obiokoye-Nwalor, Acting Head of the office of International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) stated that at the end of the session, the trained officers should be able to process information, and combat immigration related crimes and advise the government on steps to take to secure the border.
According to her, the objective of the training is to help officers identify patterns of crime in geographical context and apply different analytical techniques in order to draw financial analysis. She indicated that her outfit is organising and funding the training by providing the necessary resources needed for a successful completion.
Training of prosecuting officers
In a related development, thirty (30) Immigration Officers selected from across all Regions of Ghana and some major Sector Commands have converged at the Ghana Police Service Detective Training Academy to begin a six-week detective training course at the Police Training School in Tesano, Accra.
The selected Officers and Men are to be reassigned and officially be recognized as prosecuting Officers for the Legal Department of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), after the training course.
A cross section of participating officers during orientation program
At a short opening ceremony and orientation for the commencement of the training course, the deputy Comptroller-General of Immigration in charge of Legal, Research and Monitoring, Madam Baaba Asare, on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Immigration, expressed optimism that the trainees are going to be of immense assistance to the legal system and the GIS Transformational Agenda.
She anticipated that the subjects that have been outlined for trainees to be taken through which include criminal laws, evidence gathering, advocacy and Immigration laws would shape their critical thinking capabilities, introduce them professionally into the legal world and equip them to be able to live up to expectations.
Madam Baaba Asare admonished participants to take the course seriously and find their selection as an opportunity to upgrade themselves for their individual development. She added that with a wide range of immigration offences across the length and breadth of the country, ranging from smuggling, identity theft, possession and use of fraudulent documents, fraudulent acquisition of Ghana passports, cross border crimes amongst others, it is the responsibility of the Prosecuting Officer to diligently investigate matters and be sure of its substance before hauling the matter to court.
She stressed that along their operations as prosecutors, participants should be circumspect in their dealings and ensure community trust and public confidence is prioritized hereby preserving the name and image of the Ghana Immigration Service.
The deputy Comptroller-General also used the platform to express sincere appreciation to the Denmark Government who through the International Center for Migration and Policy Development (ICMPD) is sponsoring this course under the Phase (II) of the Strengthening Border and Migration Management in Ghana (SMMIG) Project which was launched earlier this year at the National Headquarters of the GIS.
She was also grateful to the Ghana Police Service for the collaborative and partnership support for the successful take-off of the training course.
IGP’s speech
Speaking on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Operations at the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) – Headquarters, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Isaac Asante stated that for prosecutors to prosecute successfully in the law courts comes with challenges hence a prosecutor needs to have deep knowledge in the law, procedural requirements, building of dockets and court room confidence to be able to deliver.
He stated that, ‘it is worth observing that many cases are lost in the law courts not necessarily because they are bad cases, but cases are lost as a result of poor prosecutors hence participants should take the training course very serious’.
The Director of Operations/CID also gave assurances of the commitment of the Police Service to the GIS in ensuring that the GIS rides on the experiences and expertise of the Ghana Police over the years in the field of prosecution to enable trainees become more confident and improve upon their performances on the field.
He assured the GIS that the Commandant and Personnel of the Detective Academy will see to successful actualization of all that is needed for participants during the training period.
The Acting Head, ICMPD Ghana Office and Project Manager for SMMIG, Ms. Amala Obiokoye-Nwalor, assured the GIS of ICMPD’s commitment to the capacity building of Officers and the strict implementation of all programs and projects scheduled.
Present at the ceremony was the Head of Training for the Ghana Immigration Service, Belinda Adwoa Sika Ogunlana, the Head of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department, Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Thomas Ewuntomah and the Head of Immigration Professional Standards and Ethics Unit, Chief Superintendent Philip Andoh.
The Bono East Regional Environmental Health Officer, Mr. Gyan Lamptey, disclosed that 1,132 communities within the Bono East Region practiced open defecation. According to him, this translates into 87% of the regional population being guilty for practicing open defecation.
This reveals that only 13% of the communities that have access to decent toilet facilities in the region. Mr. Lamptey said only 215 out of the about 1,347 communities in the Bono East Region were open defecation-free.
Mr. Lamptey admitted and regretted that their position on the league table was not the best, and called on the Coalition against Open Defecation (M-CODe) to intensify advocacy for people to stop the practice to help improve on good environmental sanitation in the country and prevent the outbreak of diseases.
Mr. Lamptey, who described the situation as “worrying”, said there was the need for the collaboration of all stakeholders, as well as the right attitudinal change, to reduce the menace to the barest minimum.
Mr. Lamptey noted that open defecation was dangerous, and could cause destruction to human activities with its rampant sicknesses, including diarrhea, cholera and a host of other diseases.
He said that the menace was not only draining the economy, but also hindering the country’s growth and development, especially tourism, and encouraged the media to own the cause of championing the fight against open defecation.
The National Convener of M-CODe, Mr. Francis Ameyibor, said the coalition was formed in 2018, with the objective of building the capacity of the media to contribute to the campaign against open defecation in the country.
He noted the idea was inspired by the alarming situation of open defecation in Ghana and facilitated by World Vision International.
Statistics shows that some 5.5million Ghanaians defecate outside indiscriminately without using any toilet facility on a daily basis in Ghana. Mr. Ameyibor believes the practice has serious health implications and also undermines the dignity of the people.
“As a country, it affects tourism and creates all sort of illnesses; so we felt there was the need to bring the media together, there was already a corps of passionate Journalists or reporters who were always talking about open defecation in the country but they were doing so on individual basis, so we thought why not bring these people together so that we can develop a common voice to pursue a common agenda which will now get the needed attention than individuals trying to do their own stories on open defecation”, he said.
Mr. Ameyibor said the work of the coalition is to get the authorities to act to ensure there is a toilet where it is supposed to be for people to use and stop open defecation.
“So essentially our work as a coalition is to get the authorities on their toes, not only the political authority but everybody who is an authority, all leaders -it includes institutional heads, family heads, landlords, they are all leaders who have to act to ensure there is toilet where it is supposed to be for people to use and stop open defecation and to also contribute to dialogue in developing essential mechanisms or systems and institutions in place and to prevail on the authorities to get these things to end the menace”, he added
The Bono Regional Minister, Madam Justina Owusu Banahene, lauded the formation of the coalition, and stressed the regional coordinating council’s readiness to support their activities in the region.
The regional minister said the work of the coalition should help to transform lives. She further commended the journalists for showing interest and determination to partner with the civil society organizations to fight the canker in Ghana.
Madam Owusu Banahene reiterated that the government will continue to prioritize and earmark enough funding to the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, adding that sanitation must be a pivot around which all development must evolve.
She said ending open defecation in the country requires strong will and commitment, and asked the media to endeavour and bring issues of open defecation to the spotlight.
Madam Owusu Banahene charged Municipal and District Assemblies and traditional authorities to enforce bye-laws on sanitation to ensure that every citizen lives in a healthy environment.
Yaw Attah Arhin, WASH Technical Specialist, World Vision Ghana
A Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Technical Specialist at World Vision Ghana, Mr. Yaw Attah Arhin, has said open defecation is one of the greatest threats to life and child wellbeing in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa.
This, he said, was because a United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) study had revealed that one gram of human faeces may contain 10 million viruses, 1 million bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts, and 100 parasite eggs, which had negative consequences for health, productivity and socio-economic development.
Mr. Arhin noted that World Vision was, therefore, concerned that 5.5 million people in Ghana still practiced open defecation. This translates into approximately 17.7% of Ghana’s population, according to the Population and Housing Census 2021 (PHC 2021).
Mr. Arhin said this at the launch of the Bono Regional branch of the Media Coalition against Open Defecation (M-CODE) in Sunyani.
Mr. Arhin brought to light a disturbing and causative factor of open defecation that was inadequate decent and affordable toilet facilities on the various highways that compel passengers to defecate in the bushes during the course of their journeys.
According to Mr. Arhin, it was also sad to observe that 3,600 children died every year from diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid fever when these were easily preventable with affordable and proven interventions such as the use of improved latrines and hand washing with soap under running water.
Mr. Arhin indicated that the above motivated World Vision Ghana to facilitate the formation of the M-CODe, in partnership with Kings Hall Media.
Mr. Arhin charged the coalition to surge forward and strongly link the regional branches to field level programming of World Vision Ghana, and work closely with the Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) to identify and implement innovative interventions to end open defecation in the region within a reasonable timeframe.
The National Lottery Authority (NLA) has launched the seventh game of their popular 5/90 game. This is the first time in the 60 years of the Authority’s existence that a game is being introduced for Sunday.
The game Dubbed, Aseda meaning “Thanksgiving” according to the Authority, is a game to say Thank you to its loyal customers. Deputy Attorney General, Diana Asonaba Dapaah who launched the Game, congratulated the NLA for the newest addition to their games and indicated that it will provide an exciting opportunity for players, and also help NLA generate revenue to support the government’s developmental agenda.
“I recognise the efforts being made through your Good Causes Foundation to give back to society and commend you to keep it up. I am optimistic the Sunday Aseda Draw is a game-changer and will be a great addition to your existing games,” she said. Director-General of NLA, Samuel Awuku averred that NLA has made history with the introduction of the Aseda Draw.
Speaking at the launch on Sunday 3rd July 2022, Mr Samuel Awuku said “Our overall aim is to create moments of happiness for our customers, they have stood with the Authority for all these years. Aseda is to say a big thank you to our loyal customers and to raise more revenue for the authority. Throughout the 60 years of lottery in Ghana, this is the first time a major Game has been introduced on Sunday and we believe this innovation will make the NLA competitive in the lottery and gaming industry.”
“Already the African Lottery Association has readmitted Ghana into the Association and has granted us the bid to host the Association’s annual conference in December, which will cap our celebrations. There are better days ahead,” he said.
According to him, Section 21 of the National Lotto Act, 2006 (ACT 72) and Regulation 21 of the Lottery Regulations, 2008 (L.I.1948) give the NLA Director-General the mandate to determine the dates and times for a draw of any national lottery, yet it took 17 years and 15 years after passing the ACT and Regulations respectively, to include Sundays in the days for holding Lotto Draws.
He said the community benefit derived from the draw is enormous hence Section 2(3) of ACT 722 enjoins NLA to conduct a lottery to provide for the care and protection of the physically or mentally afflicted, the needy, aged, orphans, and destitute children. “It is in pursuance of this object that NLA developed the CARITAS Lottery platform as a channel for Corporate Ghana to run trade promotions which were Lottery in form and substance.”
Sammi Awuku noted that proceeds from lotteries held on the CARITAS platform go to support the NLA Good Causes Foundation, which Foundation was also set up to give meaning to Section 2(3) of the ACT. He said: “Since its establishment, the achievements of the Good Causes Foundation are evident for all to see. Being able to hold draws on Sundays means that those Corporate institutions which have till now been prevented from holding draws on Sundays can now have their wish.”
Meanwhile, from the information received the holding of draws on Sundays is a welcome relief for NLA’s cherished patrons who have always advocated for that.
The name given to the Sunday draw, ASEDA, he explained, is also very apt, as Sundays are when Christians go to worship and thank the Almighty, and so, “it is just right and fitting that if NLA institutes a draw on this day, NLA will take the opportunity to give the draw a name that renders thanks and praises to God for making this possible.”
He averred that the future of NLA depends on the integrity of its draws and so, the inclusion of Sundays certainly helps in closing the gap that has existed for the past 60 years.
He commended the Management and staff of NLA for this feat.
“Let me say a big thank you to our supervising ministry, the Ministry of Finance for their support for the vision of transforming the NLA into a world-class lottery body. To my board, management, and Staff I say I am grateful for the support,” he said.
On his part, the Director of Operations, Dr. George Gyamfi-Osew said the Sunday Aseda Draw, which climaxes all their daily games, is their way of saying “Thank You” to their cherished patrons for playing their games throughout the week. “It also provides another opportunity for our patrons to play and win big. We greatly appreciate your loyalty to the brand and trust you find the Aseda draw enjoyable,” he said.
In attendance were some members of the NLA Board including Director-General, Mr. Samuel Awuku, Deputy Attorney-General Diana Asonaba Dapaah, Deputy Director-General Madam Anna Horma Miezah, Mr. Yoofi Grant, CEO of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, and his Deputy, Mr. Yaw Afriyie, and other officials.
