Day: July 29, 2023

The Food and Drugs Authority has warned persons involved in the manufacturing, selling, and advertising of unregistered body enhancement products.

The FDA said such acts are illegal and can have adverse health implications for consumers.

“The FDA as part of its routine market surveillance and monitoring activities has noted with utmost concern how some companies are producing, selling, and advertising body enhancements products with no authorization from the Authority and in contravention of the Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851),” a statement from the FDA on July 29 said.

The Authority also said sections 111 and 114 of the Public Health Act 851 of 2012 mandate anyone in manufacturing and advertising regulated products seek the approval of the FDA before offering them for sale to the general public.

Companies that perpetuate such acts are by this press statement warned to cease the production, manufacture, selling, and advertisements of such products with immediate effect. Pursuant to this provision and in line with our mandate to protect public health and safety, the FDA will not hesitate to prosecute companies that are found to be flouting the law.

“The Authority will not relent on its mandate to protect the well-being of the consuming public. Therefore, the public is urged not to patronize such products as their quality and safety cannot be guaranteed,” FDA added.

Source: Ghana Web

Stand-up comedian, Otaghware Otas Onodjayeke, has ‘schooled’ women who surgically enhance their butts without also ‘improving their senses’.

He explained it is understandable for ladies who go under the knife simply to boost their self-confidence but condemned those that do the same solely for hookup.

He said the reason why ladies who save up millions to undergo butt surgery yet decide to reside in the hinterlands is the same reason why he recommends they also save enough money to upgrade their senses.

The comedian wondered how they intended to recoup their ‘surgery money’ by staying in remote areas, away from ‘civilization’ and wealthy clients.

He argued, if a lady would improve her looks surgically just for business purposes, then she ought to be sensible enough and strategic in choosing her residential location which has to be an area swarmed by affluent personalities.

Speaking in Pidgin English on the ‘Honest Bunch Podcast’ with Nedu and co, the humour merchant said:

“If you have three million to go do yansh, you suppose save 1.2 to take do sense. Because some girls dey do the yansh to beautify themselves, to give themselves that confidence; which is not bad. Do you understand? Why some dey do am to take increase their money for hookup.

“How you go do yansh, you no do sense? Naim make some girls go do yansh, dem go go dey stay for Epe. How you wan take make your yansh money back for Epe? Wey be say na only nkwobi joint. You go come do three million yansh dey use go chop nkwobi, suya, pepper soup. Wey be say you go do yansh, save small thing come stay Ikoyi or Lekki Phase 1. So that you go fit dey browse in Intercontinental, Wheat Baker, Eko Hotel.”

Source: Ghana Web

Ghanaian journalists have been advised not to be in a hurry to report or publish stories without subjecting such issues to intensive examination and fact-checking.

Robert Ajene, the Chairman of the Upper East Regional National Media Commission Advisory Committee who gave the advice said journalists had the duty to uphold the peace and stability of the country with factual and balanced reportage.

“When you are reporting on something that you have personal interest in, do not publish it because you are bound to support one side,” Ajene said, adding, “when you also want to make a reportage when you have not examined the materials to be good enough, do not put it in the news”.

Ajene explained that information not examined was not worth sharing as it would not be relevant but had the potential to cause conflicts or reignite existing conflicts.

Ajene who is also a Retired Educationist gave the admonition at Bolgatanga during the launch of the second edition of awards of the Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).

The awards which would come off October 6, 2023, is on the theme, “Safeguarding the Peace and Security of The Upper East Region: The Role of The Media.”

He acknowledged the difficulty journalists faced in their line of duty in the country and encouraged them not to be influenced to shield facts but instead uphold professionalism that would inure to the development of the ordinary people.

“You have taken by the bull by the horns, so speaking the truth, you will succeed in bringing out what people will embrace and praise, so stand firm and we the observers will clap hands for you,” he added.

William Nlanjerbor Jalulah, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the GJA noted that journalists had the potential of breeding conflicts when they publish information with verification and urged media practitioners in the region to be circumspect when on reporting on conflict related issues in the region.

“If we must report on any conflict, let us cross check our information very well. If after crosschecking and we are still in doubt, leave out. It is better not to report on matters you are not sure about the accuracy of your information than to report and mislead the public because the consequences of such could be dire,” he added.

On fighting violent extremism, Jalulah urged the journalists to work with the security agencies to ensure reportage did not inform suspects to strategies and succeed in their attack but rather would help the security agencies to clamp down in such suspects.

The categories to be awarded include Journalist of the Year, Agriculture Reporting, Child Protection, Human Rights, Water and Sanitation, Conflict Reporting, Environment, Health, Gender, Disability, Sports, Best Radio Station, Tourism and Culture, Best Radio Programme, and a number of honoury awards.

Entries have been opened from July 28, 2023, to August 29, 2023, at 1700 hours.

Professor David Millar, President of Millar Institute of Transdisciplinary and Development Studies, Jaladeen Abdulai, Upper East Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, and Samuel Adadi Akapule, a Communication Lecturer at the Bolgatanga Technical University were inaugurated as the Awards Vetting Committee.

Source: Ghana Web

The Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah Yeboah, has supported the recent directive issued by presiding judge Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh in the trial of James Gyakye Quayson, the Member of Parliament for Assin North.

This was contained in a citinewsroom.com report.

During the trial of the MP, Justice Yanzuh issued a cautionary statement, stating that if Quayson’s legal team is unavailable to cross-examine the prosecution’s first witness by Monday, July 31, the MP may be required to undertake the cross-examination himself.

The cross-examination of the prosecution’s first witness was initially expected to conclude on Friday, July 28. However, Quayson’s lawyers were notably absent from the courtroom on that day.

In a letter addressed to the court, Justin Teriwajah, the lawyer on record, informed the judge about a three-day medical excuse provided by his doctor.

The letter also requested an adjournment to a date after the legal break beginning after July 31. However, the presiding judge declined the adjournment request.

However, the presiding judge declined the adjournment request.

The Deputy Attorney General, Tuah Yeboah, emphasised that the cross-examination had been unduly delayed since July 2022 and stressed the importance of expediting the process.

“PW1 [Prosecution’s Witness 1] has been in the witness box since July 12, 2022, and so for over one year, a simple cross-examination that the counsel for the accused person said was going to use two hours to do has taken us such a period.

“Today when we went to court, counsel for the accused had sent a letter to the effect that he was indisposed and was given a three-day excuse duty and we know that the court will be going on vacation by July 31 so I made a point that we cannot have a witness in the box for three legal years and so the judge in her wisdom said she will need the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness completed and so for that matter if the counsel of the accused does not show up, she may need the accused to do the cross-examination himself,” the deputy attorney general said.

Source: Ghana Web

Joyce Bawah Mogtari, the Special Aide to HE John Dramani Mahama, has presented a five-month supply of sanitary pads to 622 first-year students of the Tamale Girls Senior High School on behalf of the Rosa Foundation-Africa.

The foundation’s sanitary pads initiative aims to improve menstrual hygiene and reduce the risk of infection among young schoolgirls. Research has shown that some girls abandon school due to their inability to access menstrual products. Mrs Mogtari and her family foundation have pledged to support the 622 students until they complete their three-year programme.

Mrs Mogtari emphasised the importance of menstrual products for young girls’ education and how such donations will reduce the financial burden on families. She urged the students to be disciplined, studious, and well-prepared for Ghana and Africa’s future.

The Rosa Foundation-Africa was founded to empower and promote the girl child, striving to do for others what they cannot do for themselves. Over the years, the foundation has provided furniture for schools in the Upper West Region, Eastern and Savanna Regions and is donating sanitary supplies to girls in senior high schools.

Supported by Movie Producer and Actress Kafui Danku, officials of the Rosa Foundation- Africa and school management, Mrs Mogtari said the sanitary pads initiative is expected to positively impact the health, education, and well-being of countless girls and women in Ghana.

Source: Ghana Web

In Ghana, it is now considered a crime to label or accuse anyone of being a witch.

This comes after Parliament, on July 28, 2023, passed the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which explicitly prohibits the practice of accusing others of witchcraft and criminalizes related actions such as declaring, naming, or labelling someone as a witch.

This was contained in a report by Graphic.com.gh.

According to the report, the main objective of the bill is to amend the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), with the specific aim of preventing individuals from acting as witch doctors or witch-finders. This legislative step is part of a broader policy initiative to address attacks and human rights violations stemming from witchcraft accusations.

During the parliamentary debate preceding the bill’s third reading, all members of Parliament who participated in the discussion unanimously supported the criminalization of all witchcraft-related activities and the accusation of individuals as witches.

They also called for the abolition of witchcraft camps across the country.

The purpose of these measures is to deter false accusations of witchcraft and the associated human rights abuses.

The bill was introduced to Parliament on March 31, 2023, by Francis-Xavier Sosu, MP for Madina, along with other co-sponsors, including MPs Hajia Laadi Ayii Ayamba (Pusiga), Dr. Godfred Seidu Jasaw (Wa East), Helen Adjoa Ntoso (Krachi), and Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah (Afram Plains North).

The bill’s background report mentioned that witchcraft was historically practised in England during the 16th and 17th centuries, leading to the Witchcraft Act of 1735 in the United Kingdom (UK) to criminalize such accusations.

The reference to this old UK legislation underscores the need for contemporary societies to enact appropriate laws to protect vulnerable individuals.

The lack of knowledge and education has resulted in the intimidation, beating, and coercion of vulnerable persons, particularly elderly women, some of whom may suffer from dementia. These individuals are often forced to admit to being witches and subsequently face banishment or even lynching.

A specific incident that contributed to the introduction of the bill was the lynching of a 90-year-old woman named Akua Denteh in Kafaba, East Gonja Municipality, Savannah Region, on July 23, 2020, after being accused of witchcraft.

In response to this event, The Sanneh Institute officially petitioned Parliament on August 4, 2020, urging the passage of legislation to criminalize witchcraft accusations.

The bill aims to deter individuals from making false accusations or causing harm to others by branding them as witches. It also addresses the issue of “witch camps” in Ghana, noting that Ghana is the only country known to have established such camps. These camps often house vulnerable individuals, mainly older women, single mothers, widows, and unmarried women, and the living conditions are described as uninhabitable.

The report emphasized that the Universal Declaration on Human Rights upholds the principles of freedom, equality, dignity, and rights for all individuals. These tenets are further reinforced by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, which prohibits dehumanizing practices and ensures respect for human dignity. Witchcraft accusations are seen as setbacks to Ghana’s efforts to uphold international human rights treaties.

Indeed, witchcraft accusations have been noted as contributing to human rights violations in Ghana, as recorded in the 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. These violations include physical assaults, stigmatization, and banishment from families and communities. By criminalizing witchcraft accusations, Ghana aims to protect its citizens from such violations and uphold human rights standards.

Source: Ghana Web

New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong has hit back at Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia over his claims that he had to step up to testify in the 2012 election petition after leading figures in the party abstained.

According to Kwabena Agyepong, the claim by Dr Bawumia, who is also a candidate in the flagbearer race, is nothing short of palpable lies deliberately being churned out by the vice president to boost his campaign.

“You see, I said something that we should let truth be our mantle; politically we should be truthful. I heard what he said and I was shocked because it is not true; he knows it is not true but he said it. That we run away?

“It is wrong, he knows it is not true,” he told Kofi Adomah Nwanwani in an interview on Kofi TV.

Dr Bawumia as part of his campaign has sought to tout himself above his contenders in terms of contribution to the party.

At one of his constituency campaign events in the Ashanti Region, Dr Bawumia said that most party leaders were “running away” when they were needed to testify at the 2012 election petition.

He said that he was the only one brave enough to be the key witness for the party in the Supreme Court but the people who were “running away” are now saying it is their turn to lead the NPP.

According to Kwabena Agyepong, Dr Bawumia in his claim has deliberately avoided some baseline facts just to suit his narrative.

“Does he know the genesis of the case in court in 2012? Those of us who were at the Electoral Commission at the time, do you know what happened that caused the election results to be curtailed for 48 hours? Was he there by then?

“He only came in after the party National Council took a decision that we will go to court.

“If we are to go to court, candidate Akufo-Addo and he as being part of the ticket and then the chairman and then the general secretary of the party, those are the ones who went to go; those are the plaintiffs.

“So when you go and make your case you have to defend it. So he shouldn’t have said that for anyone to hear it. It is not true and it is wrong; I was very disappointed when I heard that we run away. It is not true,” he said.

The New Patriotic Party then in opposition challenged the 2012 presidential election results after the Electoral Commission declared John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress as winner.

Dr Bawumia who was then running mate to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the ticket of the NPP testified in court as the key witness for the plaintiffs.

Source: Ghana Web