Day: January 15, 2024

Mr Justice Samuel Obeng-Diawuo, an Appeal Court Judge, has urged lawyers to uphold high ethical standards to help demystify certain negative opinions about the law and lawyers.

He explained that the legal profession existed to promote public welfare and provide justice to all manner of people.

It was therefore important for lawyers to exhibit traits, which would increase the public’s confidence and trust in them.

Justice Obeng-Diawuo was speaking on the ‘Importance of Legal Ethics’ at the induction ceremony for the 2023/2024 academic year law students, at the Kumasi Campus of the Ghana School of Law.

He stated that legal ethics must be taken seriously to avoid pitfalls in the practice of the law, adding that ‘a lawyer must always exhibit diligence, competence to clients and avoid conflict of interest.

A lawyer must be honest, humble, courteous, and accountable always to the clients and avoid divulging confidential communication, unless with the consent of the clients as required by the law.’

He pointed
out that since the legal profession impacts critically on the governance system, if weakened by the corroding influence of unethical lawyers, the act that binds the profession would lose its significance.

‘Consequently, adherence to observing legal ethics is one of the pillars on which the rule of law is anchored.

‘When ethical principles are upheld by both lawyers and judges it bolsters public confidence, belief and faith,’ he stated.

Justice Obeng-Diawuo told the 140 inductees to ‘be doers of the legal ethics you will be taught and not hearers only and end up like some lawyers who have suffered disciplinary actions due to unethical behaviour.’

Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong, Director Legal Education, Ghana School of Law, advised the students to comply with the rules of ethics and take their studies seriously.

On new projects, the Director gave the assurance that the expansion of the Makola School would not lead to the closure of the Kumasi campus.

That, he said, was because the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu
II, had renewed his commitment to designate a suitable location of land to formally establish a campus in Kumasi, which would be the first regional campus.

‘So, with the expansion in Accra, do not shiver, there is no way we will put all our students in Accra, we will still maintain our campus in Kumasi,’ he assured.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) James Owusu-Agyei, Ghana National Fire Service, has educated the public on fire safety and how to prevent domestic fire outbreaks.

In an engagement with the Tema Ghana News Agency, he emphasised that fire safety at home should be encouraged, such as being circumspect with the use of fire in the kitchen.

He said urged users to check the state of their gas cylinders before to prevent any leakage and avoid putting blocks on the regulators in attempt to prevent leakage ‘this practice is very dangerous.’

He added that domestic fire outbreaks are attributed to cylinder leakages at homes in most cases and urged the public to change the valve of the cylinder whenever they go for refills.

He added faulty cylinders should be changed to prevent fire outbreaks.

‘Always check your cylinders and regulators before usage,’ he recommended.

DCFO Owusu-Agyei, also the GNFS Director in Charge of Rural Fires, cautioned against a naked fire whenever there is a smell of gas.

He said opening o
f windows was the preferable way to allow air to vent out the leaked gas from the room.

He mentioned that the usage of extension boards in homes with multiple connections for all the electrical gadgets like the television, radio, and electric iron, among others, should be prevented.

‘The 240V or 220V from the wall is just extended to where the gadgets are, so do not fill the sockets of the extension boards with all the electrical gadgets in as much as there is enough space,’ he emphasised.

He said congested sockets put undue pressure that could spark off fire.

‘Use one socket for an electrical gadget, and do not pass your extension board underneath the carpet,’ he advised.

DCFO Owusu-Agyei advised the public to get a certified electrician from ECG to check faulty metres when the need arises.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Logba-Tota Evangelical Presbyterian (E.P.) Basic School in the Afadzato South District of the Volta Region has appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to urgently assist it with 10 teachers to solve its teacher deficit.

Mr Mawuli Adanuvor, the Headteacher of the school, made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) upon a visit to the school.

The school currently has 305 pupils from Kindergarten to the Junior High School (JHS) level with nine permanent teachers and one community volunteer teacher.

Mr Adanuvor said the teacher attrition rate was affecting the school’s performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), until recently where there had been some improvement.

He said in 2022 it presented 26 candidates for the BECE and the best aggregate was 25.

The Headteacher said although there had been a slight improvement in the 2023 BECE they could have performed better if there had been enough teachers to handle the candidates.

That year the school presented
39 candidates and the best aggregate was 16 with the worst being 46, Mr Adanuvor said.

Mr Adanuvor said it did not have a problem with infrastructure as there was enough accommodation to house teachers who would be posted there.

When the GNA contacted Mr Samuel Boti, the School Improvement Support Officer for the area on the issue, he said the Afadzato South District Directorate of the GES was aware of the problem and planned to post nine more teachers to the school.

He alleged that posting teachers directly from the GES National Headquarters without the involvement of the District Directorate was part of the problem.

Mr John Kwasi Abotsi, the Assemblyman-elect for Logba-Klikpo Electoral Area, who accompanied the GNA to the School, commended the indigenes of Logba-Tota for the school’s infrastructure development, praising them for their self-help initiative.

Mr Abotsi, a former Headmaster of the school, renewed the appeal for the posting of more teachers to the school.

The Logba-Tota Community is home t
o prominent Ghanaian citizens including Professor Mawutor Avoke, former Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of

Education, Winneba, Professor Fred N. Binka, former VC of UHAS, and Mr Kosi Kedem, the former MP for the then Hohoe North Constituency.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Twins Foundation has commissioned a community library for the people of New Ningo in the Ningo-Prampram District to support the reading needs of children in the area.

The community library was commissioned in the memory of Maya Abou-Jaoude in New Ningo in the Greater Accra Region. It was constructed by Maya’s twin sister, Ms. Zeena Abou-Jaoude, to honour Maya’s impact on the community through her unwavering commitment to education.

‘Maya dedicated her life to fostering a love for learning and reading among children, and this library stands as a testament to her lasting legacy,’ Ms. Abou-Jaoude stated in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the commissioning at New Ningo.

Ms. Abou-Jaoude, who is also the author of two books titled ‘The Unbreakable Bond’ and ‘Maya: Moral Stories for Children,’ encouraged children to visit the library and read the books.

She expressed gratitude to stakeholders who supported the project, particularly Nene Teye Djangmah (IV), the Chief of New Ningo, for prov
iding the land for the library’s construction, and Mr. Fenton Curley, the Managing Director of FC Exports, for his support.

Nene Djangmah (IV) commended the Foundation for the library project, emphasising that the library would serve as a valuable resource for the community and a legacy to Maya.

Reverend Imanuel Nana Hammond, the minister-in-charge of Good Shepherd Methodist Church in New Ningo, urged the community to utilise the library to enhance their literacy skills and broaden their horizons.

The Ghana Twins Foundation is a non-government organisation aimed at providing the social and economic well-being of deprived and needy twins in Ghanaian society, as well as increasing awareness of the special needs of twins and advocating for their rights, among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency