Day: May 9, 2024

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Weija-Gbawe Constituency, Tina Naa Ayele Mensah, has mourned the passing of a political ally, the former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area, Patrick Kwesi Brako Kumor.

The MP in an interview with Accra-based Onua TV, linked the passing of Kumor to his removal as MCE in February 2024.

She intimated further that Kumor’s dismissal was linked to her re-election bid flop as New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the 2024 polls.

In an interview laced with high emotions and tears at a point, the MP is heard saying: “He was a very strong guy, but he is gone. He thought he was working hard and dedicated himself to performing, he did not know that Tina Naa Ayele Mensah would lose an election and he would be dismissed.

“He did not know he’d be dismissed after I lost an election,” she stressed before lamenting why he was dismissed at all when he had been adjudged one of the best administrators at the national and regional levels.

“Patrick was voted national
best MCE, regional best MCE, so why was he dismissed? I was among the few Greater Accra MPs who appreciated the party’s votes but I was dismissed as was Patrick. He could not stand it and died with sorrow. He is gone, he is gone,” she said shedding tears.

She was speaking during a recent condolence visit to the Kumor family according to GhanaWeb checks.

Tina Mensah was relieved from her position as deputy health minister after losing the NPP primaries last year.

Mensah believes, in the case of Kumor, the removal was unjust and motivated by political factors adding that it contributed to his deteriorating health, culminating in his high blood pressure.

Kumor was one of 25 MCEs whose appointment was revoked by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

He was succeeded in the role by Mr. Michael Danquah.

Source: Ghana Web

The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in the Oshikoto Region have opened a case of murder against a 23-year-old man for allegedly killing a 32-year-old woman and stealing several items from the house where he was employed as a gardener.

According to NamPol crime investigations coordinator for Oshikoto, Deputy Commissioner Titus Ekandjo on Thursday, the incident happened on Wednesday around 11h00 in Tsumeb.

‘It is alleged that the victim was found dead laying in a pool of blood in a storeroom with a kitchen knife stuck on her right side under the shoulder,’ reported Ekandjo.

He said it is alleged that the woman was at home doing laundry in the storeroom, while the gardener was also busy in the house yard when a tenant of the house left for town.

‘When the tenant returned, she found the woman dead in the storeroom, and her one-month-old baby was alone in the house crying,’ Ekandjo said.

Several items including cellphones and the house keys were reported as missing from the house, and the gardener was nowhere
to be found.

‘The landlord was at work and the children from the house were also at school during the time of incident,’ Ekandjo said, adding that the deceased is a relative of the landlord.

The body of the deceased was transported to the Tsumeb State Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem.

The suspect was arrested on Thursday morning at Tsintsabis settlement and he will appear before the Tsumeb Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

In a separate incident, a 29-year-old man reportedly committed suicide by hanging. NamPol reported that the incident happened on Thursday around 08h00 at Elombe village.

The deceased was identified as Paulus Soondaha Asino and no suicide note was left behind.

His body was transported to the Onandjokwe State Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem to be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

The next of kin are informed and investigations continue in both cases.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has accused the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, of lacking originality and passing off others’ ideas as his own.

He cited two distinct NDC policies which he claims Dr. Bawumia has “stolen.”

The NDC National Chairman was speaking in an interview on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ on Tuesday, May 7th.

“We haven’t even launched our manifesto, but the Vice President has already started stealing ideas like the free tertiary education for Persons With Disabilities and the ICT training programs we had captured in our 2020 manifesto. What happens is that they have our 2020 manifesto from which they copied the things we want to do. Little do they know that we have reviewed the manifesto to suit the current economic hardship being experienced in the country,” Asiedu Nketiah stated.

“Bawumia is not original. He has nothing to offer. All he does is copy and paste from the NDC’s manifesto and portray it as th
ough it is coming from him,” Asiedu Nketiah stated.

Touching on when the party will roll out its manifesto, the NDC National Chairman told the host, Kwame Nkrumah Tikese, that the party is putting the final touches on it.

Referring to recent polls conducted by some research groups which put the opposition party as frontrunners in the December elections, Mr. Asiedu Nketiah pointed out that what needs to be done by the party is not to count their chickens before they hatch but to be extra vigilant.

“We are aware of the opinion polls that predict a win for our flagbearer, President John Dramani Mahama, after some eligible voters were interviewed. We know the victory awaits us, and it is good news for us, but we ought to be extra vigilant to do what we are supposed to do before we can start jubilating,” he stated.

Source: Ghana Web

Police at Noordoewer have arrested a third suspect in the N.dollars 5.5 million drug case, a 34-year-old Congolese national.

Namibian Police Force crime investigations coordinator for the ||Kharas Region, Deputy Commissioner Nikodemus Mbango in a crime report issued to Nampa on Thursday said the woman was arrested on Wednesday morning.

‘The woman and her disabled child were with the two suspects that were arrested on Tuesday night, however upon our investigations, we also arrested her,’ said Mbango.

On Tuesday around 23h00 police arrested two men, a Namibian and a Congolese national aged 33 and 35 respectively, after they were allegedly found in possession of drugs valued at N.dollars 5 554 500.

The Congolese man and Congolese woman are registered as asylum seekers at Osire Refugee Settlement, Mbango noted.

According to the police, the suspects were found with 94 parcels of cannabis, weighing a total of 111.9kg.

‘Information was received about drug trafficking via the Orange River from South Africa into
Namibia, destined for Rundu via Noordoewer. The police officers swiftly attended to the information and the suspects were intercepted after they crossed the border via the river at an illegal point of entry. Consequently, the drugs were seized, and [the first two] suspects were apprehended,’ said the police report.

The suspects are scheduled to appear at the Noordoewer periodic court on Friday.

Police investigations continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse, a senior research scientist at the Soil Science Division of the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), continues to captivate the Accra High Court in the trial of ex-COCOBOD boss Dr Stephen Opuni and businessman Alhaji Seidu Agongo.

His recent testimony shed light on the lithovit foliar fertilizer, challenging claims made by the prosecution’s first witness, Dr Franklin Manu Amoah.

Mr Dogbatse’s testimony focused on testing procedures and sample handling protocols at CRIG, specifically regarding the lithovit fertilizer tested in 2013.

He stressed that Mr A.A. Afrifa, the Head of the Soil Science Division at the time of testing, was better positioned to understand the nature of the fertilizer than Dr.Amoah, the former head of CRIG.

Mr Dogbatse, explained that companies seeking product testing at CRIG usually provide samples directly to the Soil Science Division, where the division head oversees the testing process. He clarified that Dr Amoah, as CRIG head, would not necessarily be
involved in the receipt and testing of samples.

In highlighting the chain of custody for samples, Mr Dogbatse affirmed that the head of the Soil Science Division would oversee the delivery and testing of samples, indicating that Dr Amoah’s direct involvement in sample handling would be unlikely.

Furthermore, Mr Dogbatse referenced Mr Afrifa’s testimony before the Adu-Ampomah Committee, affirming that the lithovit samples received for testing were in liquid form, contrary to the prosecution’s claims.

During cross-examination, Mr Dogbatse reiterated that Dr Alfred Arthur, another key witness, had not raised any objections regarding the nature of the lithovit fertilizer during the testing process.

He emphasized that all testing procedures, including re-evaluation in 2016, were conducted meticulously and the findings indicated the effectiveness of lithovit.

The defence’s strategy appears to challenge the prosecution’s narrative regarding the nature of the lithovit fertilizer tested by CRIG and its subsequent
use by COCOBOD.

Mr Dogbatse’s testimony emphasizes the intricacies of the case and raises questions about the reliability of previous assertions made by prosecution witnesses.

As the trial progresses, the court continues to gather evidence and testimonies, providing a clearer picture of the events surrounding the alleged fraudulent activities at COCOBOD.

The former COCOBOD boss, Dr Stephen Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo, have been accused of defrauding by false pretenses, willfully causing financial loss to the state, corruption by public officers and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.

How companies apply for fertilizer testing

Mr Dogbatse said after a company applies through COCOBOD for a fertilizer to be tested, the application would end on the desk of the head of the Soil Science Division at CRIG.

The head of the division, would then write directly to the company to inform them of the quantities of fertilizer needed for the test and also of the cost involved in testing the product.

Mr
Dogbatse, with over 10 years of working experience at CRIG, confirmed that when the additional samples are brought, they are delivered straight to the Soil Science Division, who will take delivery to conduct their test.

‘And when it is delivered, it is the head of the Soil Science Division who will either take delivery of what had to be tested or authorize who should take delivery. That is the position. Is that not it?’ Counsel for Dr. Opuni asked the witness, to which he affirmed, ‘That is correct.’

Mr A.A. Afrifa, in 2018, when he appeared before the Adu-Ampomah Committee, unequivocally told the committee that the lithovit he received from Agricult Ghana Limited for testing was liquid.

‘No, chief, that one, I am 100% sure that what was brought to us was liquid in plastic containers, and I remember that it was liquid,’ he insisted.

Therefore, Mr Dogbatse was asked, ‘The Executive Director of CRIG, at this point, cannot know the fertilizer that is to be tested because he will not be part of the chain of d
elivery of the fertilizer brought for testing.’

Mr Dogbatse answered, ‘Yes, at that point, that is correct.’

The witness also told the court he had no reason to doubt Mr. A. A. Afrifa, who took delivery of lithovit samples as the head of the Soil Science Division, and said that the lithovit he received for testing was a liquid fertilizer.

‘Between the person who receives the sample to be tested directly from the applicant company and the head of CRIG, the Executive Director [Dr. Amoah], the person who receives it is in a better position with respect to the identity of the sample received and tested,’ the witness was told.

Mr Dogbatse, who has personally received samples of fertilizers for testing at CRIG directly from the applicant companies, on the instructions of the head of the Soil Science Division, told the court, ‘Yes. That is correct.’

‘It is therefore right to say that Dr Amoah, who was the then head of CRIG when the sample [of lithovit] was submitted for testing, did not see and or receive the a
ctual samples which were tested because that is not part of his schedule,’ Mr Codjoe told the witness.

Mr Dogbatse replied, ‘Yes. That is correct.’

Mr Dogbatse informed the court that he was present together with the second prosecution witness, Dr. Alfred Arthur, at the Adu-Ampomah Committee when Mr Afrifa repeatedly told the committee that he was ‘100 per cent certain’ that lithovit he received for testing was liquid.

Mr Dogbatse has further told the court that after a re-evaluation of lithovit fertilizer was conducted in 2016, in which he actively participated, the final report submitted to CRIG’s Committee for Testing Chemicals and Machines (CTCM) stated clearly that lithovit is a liquid fertilizer.

Interestingly, he informed the court that Dr Alfred Arthur was a member of the CTCM that reviewed the re-evaluation report in 2016 and passed it for certification without raising any reservations concerning the nature of lithovit being described as a liquid.

The prosecution argues that the Lithovit Foliar
Fertilizer that CRIG tested and approved for use was powdery, but COCOBOD bought a liquid product from Agricult Ghana Limited between 2014 and 2016, which they claimed had never been tested by CRIG.

Dr Arthur testified in court in 2018 that the lithovit he tested with other soil scientists was powdery.

‘We were expecting to find lithovit foliar fertilizer in a powdery form; however, what we picked from the field was a liquid substance. The Soil Science Division has never tested a product by the name Agricult Liquid Lithovit Foliar Fertiliser,” the state-owned Daily Graphic quoted Dr. Alfred Arthur on its website as telling the court in November 2018.

‘Dr Alfred Arthur, to your knowledge, as of 2016, was a member of the CTCM,’ Samuel Codjoe asked Mr Dogbatse under cross-examination. The witness replied, ‘Yes, my lord.’

‘And when you, Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse, sent your re-evaluation report, you stated clearly that lithovit is a liquid fertilizer to the CTCM in your report,’ the witness was asked.

‘Yes. In
the report of the evaluation team and not Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse’s report,’ he responded.

He was further asked, ‘In fact, Dr. Alfred Arthur never complained to you in 2016 that the lithovit which you evaluated as part of the team whose report was sent by the evaluation team to the CTCM was not liquid?’

The witness reiterated in his response, ‘Yes, he never complained.’

Mr Dogbatse, who is pursuing his Ph.D. in soil science, also told the court that Dr Arthur ‘never complained’ to him or anyone at CRIG that lithovit, which he, together with other scientists, tested, was not liquid.

‘I am putting it to you that as scientists, when it comes to fertilizer if what Dr Alfred Arthur together with others tested when lithovit was sent to CRIG for testing was not liquid, he would have immediately complained to the CTCM with respect to what was re-evaluated,’ counsel stated.

‘Yes that is obvious, he will do that,’ the witness answered.

The witness also confirmed that all the processes for the re-evaluation for the
renewal certificates for fertilizers were followed during the re-evaluation of lithovit in 2016.

According to Mr Dogbatse, the re-evaluation of lithovit in 2016 also found the product to be effective with respect to the nutrients.

Source: Ghana Web

Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa have been advised to invest in digital forensics and tools to assist them to track, trace and distract corruption networks.

They were also urged to acquire Customised Security Operations Centres to enable them to combat the corruption value chain and electronic fraud due to the sophistication of cybercrime operators globally.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia gave the advice at the 14th Regional Conference and Annual General Meeting of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa, in Accra on Thursday.

The week-long conference is on the theme: ‘Strengthening Institutions and Promoting Transparency: A Means of Fighting Corruption in Commonwealth Africa’.

It attracted 20 Commonwealth African countries to deliberate on ways to make corruption unattractive in Africa and promote wealth creation.

Dr Bawumia was of the firm belief that Ghana could fight corruption more efficiently if the Bank of Ghana (BoG) introduced the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), othe
rwise known as the eCedi.

‘The Central Bank Digital Currency will be our ultimate weapon in our fight against corruption because the eCedi will make it easy to track the movements of money and identify suspicious activities.’

It would also enable the Central Bank to ensure high-level transparency, reduce the risk of fraud, tax avoidance and money laundering.

He highlighted some of the digital initiatives the Government had implemented since 2017, which were yielding immense benefits to the nation.

Dr Bawumia said, for instance, the ghana.gov portal, which was a one-stop platform for paying public services electronically enabled the government to collect GHc201 billion since 2020.

With the digitalisation of passport application at the Passport Office, applications jumped from 347,000 to 752,000 while revenues increased from GHc12 million to GHc94 million between 2018 and 2023.

The integration of the public sector databases through the use of GhanaCard, for instance, enabled the Controller and Accountant
General’s Department to expunge 29,000 ‘ghost’ pensioners from the public sector payroll, which is saving the nation GHC480 million annually.

The use of unique identity card (GhanaCard) enabled the Government to detect 44,707 ghost names on the National Service Scheme payroll and saved the nation GHc356 million, he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency