Day: May 16, 2023

Mr. Ebenezer Agyin, Ashanti Regional Manager, Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of the COCOBOD, has underscored the need for cocoa farmers to regularly weed their farms, especially when the rains set in, to achieve the objectives of the Productivity Enhancement Projects (PEPs).

The PEPs, a project introduced by the COCOBOD, seeks to roll out a set of measures that will improve productivity per hectare, and increase cocoa production levels above one million tonnes per year.

After a field visit in the Nyinahin Cocoa District, Mr. Agyin observed that most farms were engulfed by weeds, and with onset of the rains, if the farms there were not cleared speedily, they may completely take over cash crops, a situation which would not enhance productivity.

He said, ‘This will mar the objectives of the PEPs which includes pruning, cocoa rehabilitation, and pollination among others.’

The COCOBOD as part of the project has been providing farmers with hybrid plantain suckers and economic shade trees to intercrop on the cocoa farms.

According to Mr Agyin, the Ashanti Region had earmarked to distribute over seven million hybrid cocoa seedlings in 2023 for various categories of farms such as the rehabilitated farms, farms established two years ago (2021/2022) that had to be refilled due to dead seedlings as well as farmers who had unfortunately encountered wild bush fires, to revamp and reestablish their farms again.

Again, farmers undertaking new cultivation were receiving hybrid seeds for establishment.

Mr Agyin as part of the visit inspected some reestablished cocoa farms and also farmers undertaking new cocoa establishments, where he observed that most of the farmers were planting under the supervision of the Rehabilitation Assistants.

He also visited a nursery site at Antwi-Agyei Nkwanta where about 84,000 hybrid cocoa seedlings were being nursed for distribution to farmers.

Mr. Bernard Amanor, District Cocoa Officer at Nyinahin, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the district intended to rehabilitate 205 hectares under the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme in 2023, adding that, 115 hectares had already been done.

The Nyinahin Cocoa District had also distributed 333,570 hybrid cocoa seedlings and 30,000 plantain seedlings to farmers.

Mr Amanor said the only challenge had been inadequate labour on the farms and pledged that the district would strategise to increase the labour force to speed up the planting processes.

Mr Kwasi Agyei, a cocoa farmer who owns 0.4 hectares of farm at Nsuontem, told the GNA that COCOBOD’s intercropping programme had benefited him immensely.

He said proceeds from the sale of plantains on his farm was giving him extra income as an alternative livelihood until the cocoa pods were matured enough for harvesting.

Mr Agyei said his farm was in good shape because of regular weeding of the farm and other farm maintenance practices and praised officials of COCOBOD for their support through their extension services.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Stakeholders in education have a role to play in the successful implementation of the Free Senior High School Policy, Mr. Ernest Wiafe, Headmaster of Obuasi Secondary Technical Senior High School, has said.

He said the introduction of the policy was a bold initiative which could change the face of education in Ghana and stressed the need for other stakeholders to complement efforts of the government to achieve the desired results.

Mr. Wiafe made the call after receiving 17 computers from the 1986-year group of the school at a brief ceremony in Obuasi.

The donation sought to increase the stock in the school’s computer laboratory to enhance Information Communication Technology (ICT) education in the school.

The headmaster said the huge investment being made by the government through the Free SHS Policy still required such support to achieve the quality that all Ghanaians were expecting at the second cycle level.

He, therefore, called on parents, old students, Non-Governmental Organisations and Corporate Ghana to mobilise resources to support schools they had stake in.

With a population of over 4,000 students, only 40 students could be accommodated at a time in the school’s computer lab with virtually all students offering ICT as a core subject, he said.

He described the situation as worrying and called for support to promote teaching and learning of ICT in the school.

Mr. Wiafe commended the group for their continuous support and urged other old students to emulate the good example of the 1986-year group.

Dr. Maurice Jonas Woode, a member of the group who presented the computers, said they received a request from the school for additional computers to augment the computer lab.

‘So, we liaised with LABDOO, a German based organisation through Ghanaian students in Dusseldorf, Germany who supported us with these computers,’ he said.

He said the group paid for other expenses including the cost of freight and packaging, adding that, the donations come on the heels of other contributions made by the 1986-year group towards the development of the school.

Dr. Woode who is the Chief Executive for the Akrofuom District, charged other stakeholders to also contribute towards the development of education in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Accra Circuit Court One has sentenced a Nigerian to eight years imprisonment in hard labour for defrauding a police officer, Commissioner of Police (COP) Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah.

Bright Daniels, who at the time of committing the crime, was a convicted prisoner at the Nsawam Prisons, denied the offence.

He was taken through a full trial and found culpable.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, giving the facts in the Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah, said the Complainant was COP Mrs Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, a former boss of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service who is now stationed at National Police Headquarters, Accra.

Daniels, an ex-convict is a Nigerian, who served a seven-year jail term at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons. His accomplice, Livinus Amadianaeze Ugwu, also an ex-convict and a Nigerian, is on the run, the Court heard.

DSP Nyamekye said in April 2021, COP Addo-Danquah’s attention was drawn to a fake Facebook Messenger account created in her name and bearing her picture that was being used to solicit money from police personnel under the pretext of getting them slots to United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) Missions in Somalia and Sudan.

He said the user of the said fake Facebook account contacted the victims and directed them to pay money via Airtel/Tigo cash to phone number 0271701436.

Detective Chief Inspector Baffoe paid GHC10,000.00 through Airtel/Tigo cash to the number and the amount was subsequently withdrawn by Daniels.

The prosecution said investigations revealed that the phone number was traced to the environs of the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons in the Easter Region.

Further investigations revealed that Daniels was the user of the number. After a search conducted by the police, a Samsung Galaxy A02 phone which Daniels used to chat with Ugwu and a Tecno feature phone that was used to receive the money from Detective Chief Inspector Baffoe was retrieved.

DSP Nyamekye said Forensic Examination conducted on the devices revealed that Daniels and Ugwu conspired to use the name and photograph of the COP Addo-Danquah to collect money from Police personnel under the pretext of getting them a slot to travel to the United Nations and African Union Mission in Somalia.

Daniels then acquired the SIM card with 0271701436 that was used to receive money from their victims.

He admitted the offence and after investigations, he was charged and put before this court.

Source: Ghana News Agency