Day: August 6, 2021

Ghanaian Division Two League club, Royal Jet FC have involved in a terrible accident on Thursday evening.

The Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality based team was returning from a friendly match against Tarkwa Real United where the unfortunate incident happened on the Tarkwa-Huni Valley road.

According to reports, the team bus with 27 players on board somersaulted after colliding with a taxi on the road.

All the players and officials sustained various degrees of severe injuries and have been rushed to the Huni Valley Hospital and the Tarkwa Government Hospital respectively.

It is also reported that two of their players collapsed during the friendly match but are currently doing well after medical attention.

Source: Modern Ghana

Bolgatanga,– The government has been called upon to establish an Electoral Area Development Fund to allow elected Assembly Members to finance minor development projects in their communities.

The Upper East Regional Chapter of the Ghana Association of Assembly Members (GAAM), who made the call, proposed the fund should be financed from five per cent of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF).

This, the Association, said would not only give true meaning to the decentralization process where elected Assembly Members support the implementation of projects but would enable them to fix emergency and minor development concerns in their respective areas.

At a press conference held in Bolgatanga, Mr David Adoliba, the Regional President of GAAM, said due to the incessant complaints of inadequate resources to implement projects in every electoral area, some communities had been neglected for far too long, widening the poverty gap of the people in those areas.

He said the Electoral Area Development Fund would empower the elected Assembly Members to access resources to assist their communities to fix minor development initiatives.

The Regional President advocated for a percentage of the Common Fund of the Member of Parliament to be redirected to finance the proposed Electoral Area Development Fund and added that it would ensure even distribution of resources across the constituencies.

Mr Sampson Assana, the Research Officer of GAAM, explained that although the various Assemblies usually develop Medium-Term Development Plans, which are usually broken into annual action plans, there was always discrimination in the implementation process due to complaints of inadequate funds and political interest.

“If an Assembly develops a plan that is supposed to see the implementation of certain projects in 20 communities but the Assembly has money for only five projects, they will decide where they want to situate such projects and that is where the discrimination comes in,” he added.

The Research Officer explained that due to political interest, many electoral areas continued to suffer neglect and asserted that with the Electoral Area Development Fund in place, all areas would always receive some level of development at all times.

Ms Joyce Akwoyire, the Women Organizer of GAAM, said one of the reasons people were not putting themselves up for election as Assembly Members was because of the lack of resources to carry out the mandated activities.

She said if the fund was established, it would encourage many people, especially women, to aspire for positions in the community, which was a mechanism for deepening democratic practice at the local level.

“If you are an Assembly Member and you do not have funds to rent canopies to organize a community meeting with your electorates before attending assembly meetings, you cannot help patch a pothole or help fix a culvert, then what is your use as an Assembly Member and that is why we are calling for the establishment of this fund to help the Assembly Members work effectively,” she stressed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Gbefi (V/R),- Pencils of Promise (PoP), an education-focused non-profit organisation and the Gbefi Community, have commissioned a new 4-unit classroom block for the Gbefi United R.

C Primary School in the Kpando Municipality.

The edifice, wired with fans, has an office, a store, 6-unit KVIP and 4-unit urinal and will be occupied by the Kindergarten (KG) pupils of the School.

Mr Freeman Gobah, Country Director of Pencils of Promise, said the organisation had been operating for nine years in the Eastern, Oti and Volta regions of Ghana.

He said the commissioned building was the 183rd structure built with 13 other projects still ongoing.

Mr Gobah said 35 dual desks, 47 KG chairs and 16 KG tables, four teachers tables and chairs, an office table and chair were provided to the school, adding that the organisation would add a poly tank for rain harvesting.

He urged the community to take good care of the facility.

Togbega Akom VII, Paramount Chief of Gbefi Traditional Area, commended PoP for the support after the community fulfilled its part by providing trips of stones and sands.

He expressed gratitude to individuals and groups from the Area for their contributions to the completion of the project.

Togbega Akom said the community would connect electrical power to the classroom block.

He appealed to PoP to help the community complete an ongoing library and computer lab project which was started by a community member but stalled due to Covid-19.

Madam Asiwome Anku, Headmistress of the School, said with dedicated, hardworking and dutiful teachers, the school trained learners to be useful citizens in the community and society.

She noted that if a community was to improve its economic and social well being, it needed people with the right experience and education.

She said the new classroom block would play a vital role in improving school attendance and boost enrolment.

She appealed to the organisation to renovate the School’s Primary school block, supply story books and tablets for learners to also catch up with the technological world.

Madam Anku also appealed to the MCE and the MP to address furniture issues and provide security lights in the school.

Mr Alfred Addo, a Representative of the Kpando Municipal Education Director, noted that the edifice should be able to improve the academic performances of students.

He said the government had put in measures to ensure that teachers deliver quality teaching for students.

He admonished students, especially BECE candidates, to take their studies seriously, adding that most of them become absentees after registering for their final exams.

He called on parents to make sure their children attended schools regularly and daily.

Mama Vidzexornu III, Queen Mother of Gbefi Hoeme, whose efforts led to the project, said she had education at her heart and was the reason why she wanted a new classroom block for the school.

The Gbefi United R.C Primary School was established in 1930, absorbed by the GES in 1994 and currently has a student population of 332.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Asante Kotoko skipper Felix Annan has officially written to the club he wants his contract terminated.

Annan has been with the Porcupine Warriors for the past ten years.

However, the former West African Football Academy [WAFA] goalkeeper has struggled to keep his position in the team for the two seasons and has virtually lost his position as the first-choice goalkeeper for the club.

The 26-year-old was relegated to the bench under Maxwell Konadu. When Johnson Smith took over the club on an interim basis after the sacking of Konadu, Annan failed to reclaim his position.

Annan lost his position of Razak Abalora who join the club prior to the start of the 2020/21 football season and Kwame Baah.

According to multiple reports, Annan has communicated to the management of the club to abrogate his contract expected to expire in January 2022 by mutual consent.

The highly-rated shot-stopper has been strongly linked to Ghana Premier League champions, Hearts of Oak and Medeama SC.

Hearts of Oak are beefing up their squad for their participation in the 2021/22 Caf Champions League and have identified Annan as a priority.

With Frank Boateng having left the club and Eric Ofori-Antwi expected to leave the club, Annan has also been linked to the Yellow and Mauve.

Annan who was once Asante Kotoko’s no.1 choice shockingly made only three appearances for the club in the just ended Ghana Premier League season.

Felix Annan was part of the Black Stars quad who played in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations [Afcon] in Egypt.

Source: Modern Ghana

Tokyo, – China thrashed Germany 3-0 on Friday to seal men’s table tennis gold for the fourth straight Olympics.

After the women crushed Japan for gold on Thursday, China’s men continued the trend with individual champion Ma Long again instrumental.

He joined Xu Xin to defeat Patrick Franziska and Timo Boll 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 before returning in the decisive singles to edge Boll 11-5, 11-9, 11-13 11-7.

In between Fan Zhendong had fought back twice to beat Dimitrij Ovtcharov 3-2.

Olympic hosts Japan took bronze with a 3-1 win over South Korea.

Jun Mizutani and Koki Niwa won the opening doubles for Japan and Tomokazu Harimoto put them in a commanding position with victory in the opening singles.

Jeoung Young Sik kept South Korea alive by beating Niwa but Mizutani then triumphed in the next singles, edging three tight sets 14-12, 11-9, 11-8 against Jang Woo Jin.

The win secured Japan’s second table tennis bronze medal of the Games, along with a gold and a silver.

China meanwhile end the table tennis at Tokyo with four golds and four silvers after another immensely dominant showing.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, Aug 06, GNA – Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has reiterated Ghana’s readiness to support the activities of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

That, she said, would enable strategic business partnerships between the private sectors of the two countries to be successfully forged.

Madam Botchwey said this during a meeting with Mr Hiroaki Sekine, the Director-General of the JETRO Office in Accra.

She said the establishment of the JETRO Office in Accra in December, 2020, as well as the Japan-Ghana Business Council in December, 2019, was evident of the joint commitment of the two countries to prioritise cooperation in trade and investment.

The Minister said Ghana and Japan enjoyed longstanding, cordial and strong bonds of friendship and cooperation based on shared values and priorities and gave the assurance that Ghana remained committed to deepening the cooperation for their mutual benefit.

Ghana was home to the largest number of Japanese businesses in West Africa, she said, and that the establishment of the JETRO Office would lead to further promotion of Japanese businesses in Ghana.

Madam Botchwey welcomed the commissioning of the Toyota and Suzuki Assembly Plant in Ghana by the President and the fact that other Japanese corporations such as Nissan, Sumitomo, Mitsui, Ajinomoto, Itochu, Marubeni, Fuji Oil, and Lotte had also extended their operations to Ghana.

She expressed the hope that the business partnerships would translate into profits for the investors and also result in technological transfer for sustainable and accelerated development for Ghana.

Madam Botchwey said the commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) should encourage Japanese investors to step up their investment engagement in Ghana, particularly in agriculture and agro-processing.

She said the investors could also tap into other areas including education, tourism, health, energy, petrochemical industry, infrastructural development, manufacturing and trade and ultimately use Ghana as a springboard to access the continental market size of 1.2 billion people.

She expressed her firm determination to work closely with Mr Sekine to further advance the bonds of friendship between the two countries based on mutual respect, solidarity and development.

Madam Botchwey commended Japan for the excellent manner it had hosted the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed the hope that the athletes representing Ghana would bring gold medals.

Mr Sekine said the JETRO Office would boost Japan-Ghana trade and investment and called for support from the Ministry.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, Aug. 06, GNA – A book authored by Dr Wilfred K. Anim-Odame, a former Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, titled: “The Real Estate Market in Ghana – An Emerging Market in Sub-Saharan Africa,” has been launched in Accra.

The 128-page book, which was published by Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, was launched by Odeneho Kwafo-Akoto III, the Akwamuhene, and dedicated to God by Reverend Joseph Afrifa-Agyekum, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua.

It seeks to fill the information gap on a key emerging real estate market and to demystify the perception that the market in Ghana was opaque.

Drawing on decades of experience in the real estate market, Dr Anim-Odame presents a detailed examination of the market in Ghana and its existing regulatory framework.

In so doing, he provides a justification for its relevance in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The book focuses on seven thematic areas: Land Administration, Legal Perspectives, Market Dynamics, Investment Potentials, Market Competitiveness, Valuation and Compensation.

Dr Anim-Odame has over 30 years of experience in the real estate industry and he is a technical advisor at the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

He served as the Director of the Land Valuation Division, an analogous role of the Valuer-General from September 2010 to May 2012.

Thereafter, he was appointed the Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission from 2012 and 2018.

During his tenure of office, he strategically transformed the Land Valuation Division and the Lands Commission, and championed the digitisation and automation of land services delivery.

Dr Anim-Odame said the book would be a useful resource for students, academia, practitioners, real estate developers, investors and professional advisors such as valuers, surveyors, lawyers, accountants, bankers, architects, planners and engineers.

He said an important feature was the way in which chapters were self-contained, and yet follow logically one from another.

He noted that with that approach, readers could choose a reading path appropriate to their own specific needs without a loss of continuity.

Dr Anim-Odame expressed gratitude to his wife, Mrs Evelyn Anim-Odame, for her great support in getting the book published.

He said he was sincerely indebted to Professor George Ofosu Armah, a former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, for his encouragement and support towards the publication of the book.

Other individuals he expressed gratitude to are: Mr Felix Owusu-Agyapong, a former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, and Madam Elizabeth Ohene, a former Minister of State for Tertiary Education.

Dr Maxwell Opoku-Afari, the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, who reviewed the book, in a speech read on his behalf, lauded Dr Anim-Odame for producing a manual that would help shape the real estate industry not only in Ghana but across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The launch was graced by members of the Pope John’s Senior High School and Seminary Old Boys’ Association (Pojoba) in solidarity with one of their own, Dr Anim-Odame.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Counselor and Managing Director of LM Total Wears, Mrs. Linda Mante, has advised couples to be more open with each other about issues concerning their finances.

She observed that a lot of times, men like to keep their finances to themselves and they go as far as not communicating to their wives about anything because they fear that when the woman is aware of their good financial status, she tends to make lots of monetary requests even when they are having a regular conversation.

In an interview with host, Eunice Tornyi on eTV Ghana’s African Women’s Voices show, she employed the psychologist, Bowen’s family system theory which says that the behavior of individual in a family has an influence on everyone in the family because families are interconnected, to explain why it is important for a husband and wife to communicate, especially about the family’s finances.

She instanced, “If a father goes to work today and he is sacked from work, see what happens. You don’t need to be told that he has been sacked especially if he is the sole breadwinner and he has no investments anywhere.

It’s just a matter of time before you see that the children will also be sacked from school for failure to pay school fees. It has a ripple effect and nothing goes on at home”.

According to Mrs. Mante, this should tell that there is an actual need for a couple to sit down together and plan their finances together instead of leaving money matters to the husband only to handle because, in the long run, a financial breakdown on the part of the sole provider will affect everyone in the family.

The counselor also warned that a financial breakdown on the part of the sole provider will not only affect the finances at home but many other things as well. “Something like sex is one of the keys and very important things in every marriage and financial stress or traffic at home causes a lot of trouble.

I usually say that sex is an environment so if the financial climate at home is not conducive, you’ll realize that it’s going to affect the children, it’s going to affect the marriage and it’s going to affect the sex life”.

Again, she mentioned that when the finances and sex life of a couple is affected, then there is a high possibility of the family beginning to tear apart.

Therefore, families that communicate about their finances and hold each other up during such financial crises, will have a higher chance at staying together than one in which there is no communication and financial provision is the responsibility of only one partner.

Source: Ghana Web