By Bernice Bessey

The Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has received a donation of GH¢30,000 from the Maxam Company, an international producer of mining explosive.

The amount, according to the Director of the centre, Dr. Lawrence Sereboe, would support at least two patients to undergo heart surgery. He said heart surgery and treatment is quiet expensive around the world, and what was being charged in Ghana, between $60,000 to 80,000, was reasonable, if compared to other places on the globe, but many patients cannot afford it.

He said the centre was often flooded with new cases, as it does not only serve Ghana, but other West Africa countries. Dr. Sereboe indicated that most cases reported to the centre are that of children below age five, since one out 100 births has hole in heart, indicating that one could enjoy normal life if he or she receives heart surgery.

He pleaded for more support and commitment from all and sundry for the centre to be able to cater for more patients. He thanked Maxam for the kind gesture by simply saying: “We are very much thrilled, but my other name is Oliver Twist, so I will always ask for more support.”

The Chairman and Chief Executive of Maxam International, Mr. Jose Fernando Sanchez-Junco Mans, while presenting a cheque to the centre in Accra recently, hoped the donation goes a long way to help patients. Mr. Sanchez-Junco Mans said the donation was a gesture of giving back to society as stipulated in the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

He said Maxam, over the past 23 years, has demonstrated its interest to support the Ghanaian community in many diverse ways, of which the Cardio Centre was one. “Today, we are happy to have to make this donation to the Ghana National Cardiothoracic Centre, which serves very important healthcare delivery to Ghanaians.

As we present this token of GH¢30,000, it is the hope that our donation would go a long way to support the Ghana National Cardiothoracic Centre to execute its mandate to Ghanaians,” he said.

In a related development, the Kasapreko Group of Companies has signed an agreement to allocate a percentage on a bottle of its mineral water, Awake, to support heart care at the Cardiothoracic Centre of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

In a monthly allocation, an amount of GH¢20,000 and 120,000 yearly is expected to be awarded to the Cardio Center. Kasapreko Group Chairman Dr. Kwabena Adgei also promised from his personal account GH¢10,000 every month for six months to the centre.

This empathy reaction by Dr. Kwabena Adgei to give more was when the Director of the Cardio Centre, Dr. Lawrence Sereboe, revealed that one child out of 100 live births has hole in heart, and that treatment was between $60,000.00 and $80,000.00, which many families could not afford.

On the occasion of presenting the first cheque of GH¢20,000 to the centre in Accra recently, the Group CEO explained that certain portion of the mineral water’s price was being dedicated to the centre to save lives because the heart is the most important organ of the body.

He commended Dr. Sereboe and his team for their hard work, and called on the youth not to procrastinate, and that they should avoid retarding themselves with imaginary mental walls that wouldn’t help them to succeed.

He added that the name “Awake” was symbolically chosen to challenge youth of Africa to be up and doing, urging: “If you set out to do something, make efforts to do it. If something is for you and you don’t go for it, somebody else will go for it. Therefore, we should all be awake.”

Dr. Sereboe said the amount would help fund the surgery of more patients who can’t afford treatment, saying: “We are ever in need of funds to support patients, especially children.”

He appealed for maximum support from the citizenry and other donors for the centre, as, since its establishment in 1989, there are ever-increasing new cases of patients, especially children with hole in heart.

Though treatment was estimated between $60,000 and $80,000, however, the cost could be more, depending on the complexity of the case. Dr. Sereboe thanked Kasapreko Group of Compies and the Chairman for allocating a proportion of their profits to saving lives, adding that patients, after receiving surgery, would enjoy normal quality life.

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By Bernice Bessey

Broad daylight robbery is what one can describe the fraud cases happening at the Accra Railway Station near the Kantamanto and Agbogloshie markets.
Though the area is busy with the influx of people from all walks of life to sell, buy and do other businesses there, it is like no one can help whenever a victim encounters these fraudsters. Concerned persons can only observe with worry, but nothing he or she could really do to help the unsuspecting victims, because of the fear of getting stabbed with a knife or dangerous weapon.

The thieves often defraud their victims by posing as pastors or a stranger who has missed his or her way to a particular destination. Others also pose as Mallams ready to offer spiritual help to interested parties. Persons who are not preview to these tricks get robbed, and some even collapse in the process.

A trader, who said her name was Mansah, told the file that a few days ago, a young woman was deprived of GH¢4,000 given to her by her madam to buy items for the shop, adding that the young woman actually collapsed and water had to be poured on her.

She said though a police station is nearby, nothing really has been done to curtail the menace, which is a threat to even traders in the area. “It is no news that someone had been duped on the rails. Those tricksters have masters they make daily sales to. It is a matter of being careful and vigilant anytime you come around this area,” Mansah advised.

This reporter tried to find out for herself how these tricksters operate, surprisingly, a few metres away from Mansah, heading towards Accra Brewery, here were able ladies being prayed for by the fraudsters.

One can only watch what the fraudsters are doing in the open without uttering a word or signalling a warning sign to the victims.  According to another trader the Accra File interviewed, the issue had severally been reported to the Railway Police Station, but the tricksters are still there conducting their criminal activities.

He said sometimes if the tricksters fail to lure a shopper or alike, but realised there is money or valuable items on the person, they would attack him or her. The Accra File, therefore, calls on the police administration to intensify security in the area to bring about sanity.

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From Inusa Musah

Hundreds of residents, whose buildings were demolished by the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) at Adjei Kojo in the Tema West Constituency two years ago, said they are tired of perching.

Clad in red and black and chanting war songs, the ‘homeless’ and angry residents said they want their land back. Francis Dzirenu, Chairman of Sraha East Residents Association, told a section of the press that the residents are marking two years of their eviction when the TDC rendered them homeless.

He wondered why their lands, which the TDC had taken away from them, have been left to be overgrown by weeds and wild reptiles. He said: “We are tired of perching with family and friends. We want our lands back.”

He said they were on the land to perform a few rites and to remind the TDC to return their hard-earned investments.

In January 2014, the TDC supervised demolitions in parts of Adjei Kojo, rendering several hundreds of residents homeless. The TDC defended its action, accusing the residents of encroaching on land meant for other development projects.

The post We Are Tired Of Perching -Homeless Adjei Kojo Residents appeared first on Ghanaian Chronicle.

From Inusa Musah

In a bid to provide empowerment for Moslem women through formal education in Arabic and English, Alhaji Sheikh Mustapha Harun, Chief Imam of the Ashaiman Metropolis, has inaugurated the Mahad Niswatul Islaamiiya Institute for Moslem women at Kanewu at Adjei Kojo in Tema.

The school was founded by a young female Moslem graduate, Safiatu Alhassan. During the inauguration, Sheikh Musatapha was full of praise for the founder for seeing the need in opening such an institution, where the Moslem woman, who did not have any formal education, would be privileged to receive tuition to empower herself.

Sheikh Mustapha observed that many a Moslem woman is unable to assist her children with homework and other academic assignments, either from Arabic or English schools, thus, the move by Ms. Safiatu, he said, should be supported by the affluent in society.

He said it is always sad and painful when a mother, who has no formal education, is unable to read or understand anything her children bring home from either an Islamic or English school.

Re-echoing Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey’s words that a whole nation is educated if a woman is educated, the Ashaiman Chief Imam challenged Moslem women to take advantage of the opportunity to educate themselves in both Arabic and English.

The motto of the Institute is ‘Empowerment of Women and Piety’, and Ms. Safiatu Alhassan, founder of Mahad Niswatul Islaamiiya, told The Chronicle that she was motivated to volunteer for the Moslem women, because most of them feel reserved when in the midst of other women who have had some formal education in either Arabic or English.

She explained that that gap between the learned and illiterate Moslem women can be narrowed through the commitment illiterate Moslem woman will show in taking advantage of the lessons the volunteers of the school will be offering at the institute.

Another important element of life the Moslem women will be taught at Mahad Niswatul Islaamiiya is trading.

Ms. Safiatu is of the view that though most Moslem women are hard working, some of them need to learn to be frugal “and that is another thing we will be teaching our sisters and mothers who will take advantage of this opportunity to attend the Institute.” She said a similar opportunity will be given to Moslem women living in other communities.

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By Richard Kofi Attenkah

The Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, last Wednesday, organised a one-day training workshop for traditional leaders, including chiefs, queenmothers, asafoatsemei, mankralos, and chief fishermen among others in the Tema Traditional Area.
The one-day training workshop, which took the traditional leaders through the processes of enstoolment and destoolment of chiefs in Ghana, was also used to educate them on the ins and outs of the chieftaincy institution.

Similar workshop would be organised for all the 12 traditional areas within the region in the next one month, to enable the traditional leaders understand the workings of the chieftaincy institution in the country.

The traditional areas, which are expected to host the Regional House of Chiefs include Kpone, Ada, Nungua, La Ga, Teshie, Tema, and Shai-Osudoku among others.

Speaking at the opening ceremony at the Palace of the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II, Mr. Harry Anthony Attipoe, Registrar of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, said that most stakeholders in the region do not understand the installation and de-stoolment processes of chiefs, hence the rampant disputes.

He explained that the House had 13 unsettled chieftaincy cases as at the close of 2015. The cases, as at 2013, he noted, were 15, but the House was able to clear only two, thus leaving the backlog of 13 unsettled chieftaincy cases.

Mr. Attipoe bemoaned the legions of difficulties and challenges such chieftaincy disputes and litigation are causing to development in the region. For example, he said, some of the charges leveled against some of the chiefs for their de-stoolments are unfounded, however, as a chieftaincy institution the weak charges cannot be refused hearing.

The GAR House of Chiefs Registrar observed that cases are delayed for trial because, often, a member on the panel fails to show up for various reasons “otherwise, for me, cases could be heard and trialed within a month or two.  “That way, all the backlog of cases could be settled among parties.”

Mr. Attipoe reminded chieftaincy litigants that chieftaincy disputes are not settled in the law courts, saying the most appropriate place for hearing and settling of such disputes is the chieftaincy institution.

He described it as illegal for any wealthy or a highly educated person to impose himself as the chief of an area, even if that person is a royal.

He, consequently, hoped that all stakeholders would be better informed on the legal processes of nominating and installation or de-stoolment of chiefs.  That way, chieftaincy disputes will drastically take a nosedive in the region to fast-track development. The workshop is intended to end in mid February, this year.

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 From Inusa Musah

Residents of Osuwem and Larnor in the Shai-Osudoku District have expressed gratefulness to the District Assembly for providing them with streetlights.

The streetlights, 70 in all, cost the Assembly GH¢678,000, which included purchasing and galvanizing of the poles for the lightening project. Funding for the project was from the Assembly’s Internally Generated Fund (IGF). James Osabutey, a resident of Osuwem, shared his joy that the facility has improved night marketing and security.

Hitherto, traders who plied their businesses in the night depended on kerosene lamps, candles and torches, he said. The area often recorded snake bites in the night because of poor visibility on the 2.5 kilometres dusty stretch of road between Larnor and Osuwem.

The shoulders of the stretch are bushy, with wild snakes hiding in it. The serpents usually attacked residents who trekked on the stretch in the dark, another resident, Esther Naakie said. She explained that the erection of the streetlights to illuminate their road and the two communities is a laudable project, and was thankful to the Assembly.

The Shai-Osudoku Assembly has plans of illuminating other areas before the close of 2016, and speaking with Mr. Emmanuel Anyemi Odoi Lartey, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Shai-Osudoku, he explained that the Assembly needed to provide the streetlights to the community, because the recipients have been paying a levy for streetlights.

He added that residents who could not go out in the night because of the darkness in the area could now do so. Again, he said, night marketing could improve to boost the economy of Osuwem and Larnor.

Touching on some deplorable stretches in the area, Mr. Emmanuel Anyemi Odoi Lartey said plans were far advanced to get a contractor mobilise to site to rehabilitate the bad parts of the Asutsuare stretch of road and Osuwem.

Meanwhile, the Assembly has started minor rehabbing of the stretch between Larnor Junction and Osuwem, as the chiefs and people of the Osudoku Traditional Area prepare to hold the burial and funeral rites of their first Paramount Chief and President of the Traditional Council, Nene Animle Klagbordzor V. The late Paramount Chief goes home on Saturday February 6.

The post Osuwem, Larnor Go Gay Over Streetlights appeared first on Ghanaian Chronicle.

 From Inusa Musah

Dr. Nelson Ahlijah, Vice President of Ghana Christian University (CU) College at Amrahia in the Adentan Municipality, has appealed to the University of Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, to consider organising some of its Distance Education courses on the Ghana CU.

That, Dr. Ahlijah said, will benefit the Ghana CU financially, adding that the college will be able to pay part of its affiliation and other fees to the UDS. Dr. Nelson Ahlijah made the appeal in a report he read on behalf of the President of the Ghana CU, Dr. Manuel Adjei, on the occasion of the 9th Congregation of the 49th Graduation of the university college.

In addition, he said, the University College had submitted six more proposed degree programmes to the UDS, its mentoring university, for approval. He told the 134 graduating students and their families that the school had entered into a number of partnership agreements with some institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for development, hence, he pleaded with the UDS to expedite the accreditation of the new six programmes it had sent for evaluation and clearance.

Dr. Nelson Ahlijah mentioned that the school had obtained accreditation for a BSc. Degree in Nursing, with seven pioneering students already indexed with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana.

Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye, Vice-Chancellor, University of Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, who was the Guest of Honour at the graduation, in his response to the appeal by the Ghana CU, agreed, and said that the school will soon open its Accra Campus in the Ghana Christian University (CU) College at Amrahia.

The Ghana CU is affiliated to the UDS for its Bachelor of Arts (BA) Development Management programmes. The UDS Vice-Chancellor praised the education system at the Ghana CU, adding that its serene learning environment makes it one of the best in Ghana.

Observing those qualities as the attraction to students all over the country and West Africa, Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye said those qualities give the UDS the urge to open its Accra Campus at the Ghana CU, where some of its long distance and sandwich programmes could be offered.

Not only does the effective management of the universities lie in the hands of the mentoring university, but in everybody, including the lecturers, university staff, students and parents.

He, therefore, said that the UDS is preparing to open its Accra Campus in Ghana CU, and urged the lecturers to come out with effective materials that can be helpful in boosting the curriculum of the university to produce graduates with creative minds to employ themselves, rather than seek public or other people’s employment.

Turning to the graduating students, Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye charged them to reflect the core values the college taught them. Ghana and West Africa, he added, are looking up to the graduates for their contributions towards their transformational agenda. The 49th Graduation was held on the theme ‘Celebrating excellence in Transformational Service’.

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By Pascal Kafu Abotsi (pascalkafu@yahoo.com)

The Executive Chairman of waste management company Zoomlion and Jospong Group of Companies, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, as part of his outfit’s corporate social responsibility, has pledged to provide all logistical needs for the National Sanitation Day, particularly, for communities in need of sanitation services.

Speaking at a brief ceremony in Accra last Friday to present 5,000 motorised tricycles and 400 refuse trucks to the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and members of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) within the Greater Accra Region, Dr. Agyepong hinted that they would be supporting the national exercise with the collaborative effort of celebrities in the country.

The Jospong Executive Chairman maintained that his company was committed “to ensuring that the NSD programme continues and becomes part of the heritage that we leave for posterity,” adding that “we hope that one day it should be said, in recognition of our good sanitation practices as a people, that the national day had a transformative effect on Ghanaians.”

The equipment, secured through an arrangement with the manufacturers, cost Zoomlion and the Jospong Group of Companies, US$50 million, which in that public-private-partnership, according to Dr. Siaw Agyepong, was of no cost to the government.

He indicated that with the locally-assembled tricycles, over 10,000 jobs would be created immediately, in addition to the more than 250,000 his company had already provided within its 10 years of existence. “This project could also create about 200,000 ‘self-sustaining jobs’,” he added.

President John Dramani Mahama, who was the Guest Speaker at the ceremony, was full for praise for Zoomlion and the Jospong Group for their support to the government in the area of waste management and sanitation, which his predecessors were solely responsible for.

“…I want to commend Zoomlion and Jospong Group of Companies for the work they are doing in the area of waste management and sanitation,” he said, as he unveiled one of the visions of his government, which was to promote the utilisation of Ghanaian entrepreneurship.

The post Zoomlion To Provide Logistics For National Sanitation Day appeared first on Ghanaian Chronicle.

By Richard Kofi Attenkah

Mr. Harry Anthony Attipoe, Registrar of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, has disclosed that the days when people catch up with chiefs, remove their sandals, and slaughter sheep on their feet to signify their destoolment are over.
According to him, the Chieftaincy Act has made provision for enstoolment and destoolment of chiefs, which, he said, requires that for someone to destool a chief, he ought to go through laid down procedures to achieve that.

The process, Mr. Attipoe indicated, starts from filing a petition to the respective traditional council, if the chief is not a Paramount Chief, or the respective regional house of chiefs, if he is a Paramount Chief.

For example, if the person is a Paramount Chief, after his case has been dealt with and he is not satisfied, he can appeal at the National House of Chiefs, and if he is still not satisfied, he can go to the Supreme Court, where whatever decision that emerges becomes final.

The Registrar of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs made the disclosure at a one-day workshop to train traditional leaders in the Prampram Traditional area at Prampram on Wednesday.  Mr. Attipoe explained that there are about 13 unsettled chieftaincy cases before his office as at the close of 2015.

The cases, as at 2013, were 15, but the House was able to clear only two, thus leaving the backlog of 13 as at the close of 2015. Mr. Attipoe, who bemoaned the legions of difficulties and challenges such chieftaincy disputes and litigation are causing to developments in the region, said the House thought it prudent to therefore embark on a one month’s sensitisation education and exercise in the 12 traditional councils, where almost all of them are faced with such disputes.

He explained that most stakeholders in the region do not understand the installation and de-stoolment processes of chiefs, hence the rampant disputes. For example, he said, some of the charges leveled against some of the chiefs for their de-stoolment in the region are unfounded, however, as a chieftaincy institution, the weak charges cannot be refused hearing.

The House of Chiefs Registrar observed that cases are delayed for trial, because, often, a member on the panel fails to show up for various reasons, “otherwise, for me, cases could be heard and tried within a month or two. That way, all the backlog of cases could be settled among the parties.”

Mr. Attipoe reminded chieftaincy litigants that chieftaincy disputes are not settled in the law courts, saying the most appropriate place for the hearing and settling of such disputes is the chieftaincy institution. He described it as illegal for any wealthy or a highly educated person to impose himself as the chief of an area, even if that person is a royal.

He, consequently, hoped that all stakeholders would be better informed on the legal processes of the nomination and installation or de-stoolment of chiefs.  That way, chieftaincy disputes will drastically take a nosedive in the region to fast-track development. The workshop is intended to end in mid February.

The post Slaughtering Sheep On Chiefs To Signify Their Destoolment Outlawed appeared first on Ghanaian Chronicle.

By Richard Kofi Attenkah

The management of Tex Style Ghana Limited (SGL), also known as Ghana Textile Print (GTP), has disclosed that faking and smuggling of its products and brands has become the company’s biggest challenge.

The company pointed out that despite efforts being put in place to bring the situation under control, dealing with the issue has become a very difficult task. This was disclosed by Kofi Boateng, Managing Director (MD) of Ghana Textile Print (GTP), during its 50 years anniversary celebration at Tema on Tuesday.

“The macro economic challenges we face is the frightening menace of counterfeiting and smuggling of our products and brands,” he stated, adding, “GTP is essentially in the business of selling designs and colours, not just fabrics.”

“So, when these well thought through and crafted designs, colour combinations and sometimes brand logos or labels are copied, counterfeited and smuggled into the country at ridiculously low prices, it becomes a real challenge to deal with,” he lamented.

This, according to him, had greatly curtailed the contributions that GTP could make to the economy, in terms of increased employment, foreign currency earnings and taxation. He was, however, optimistic that with the support of the government, especially, in the area of fighting counterfeits and smuggling, GTP can get to a higher level.

Mr. Boateng said his outfit has played a significant role and will continue to contribute immensely to the economy and culture of Ghana and other West African states in so many ways.

Touching on employment and human capital development, he said GTP currently employed close to 1,000 Ghanaians directly, and again, offers training and skills development opportunities to several Ghanaian workers, students on internship, and National Service personnel.

On corporate social responsibility activities, he revealed that GTP has donated over 2,000 bedsheets with pillow cases to over 15 public hospitals, between 2013 and 2015.
He hinted that, the company also offered training opportunities to 13 talented but under-privileged Ghanaian ladies to train at Joyce Ababio’s College of Creative Arts in 2014, and another batch of 15 tailors to polish their trade in 2015.

Relating to taxation, he said one of the large tax payers paid over GH¢33 million in 2015. Meanwhile the company invested well over GH¢30 million in plant and equipment between 2012 and 2015. Mr. Boateng again said GTP exports to most West African markets, putting Ghana’s name on the international map, which amounted to $8 million in 2015.

On culture, he noted that “Integral to the cultural development of Ghana and other West & Central African cultures, GTP is virtually part of the average Ghanaian’s life – birth, naming ceremonies, marriage, working life, death (from cradle to grave).

“That we have such design names like Obaapa, Okunupa, Ahenepa Nkasa, Woko Aware a Bisa and lately Aware Nni Time, show how integrated we are in the social and cultural life of Ghana.”

State Interventions
He said the board and management of the company extends its commendation to the government of Ghana for some policy interventions, which have helped GTP and other local manufacturers in the industry.

He noted: “Wear Made in Ghana (Friday Wear) Campaign: This campaign, initiated by the Hon Alan Kyeremanteng during his era as the Minister of Trade & Industry, is highly commendable.

“We also observe with appreciation the recent efforts by the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Mahama, and the current sector Minister, Dr. Ekow Spio-Garbrah, to push through with the Consume Made in Ghana agenda.

”Anti-Piracy Task Force: The establishment of this Task Force during the era of Hon Hannah Tetteh, which is currently receiving the full backing of  the Ministry of Trade and Industry, is also commendable.  ”Waiver of Duties: The waiver of import duties on raw material and other machine parts is also highly appreciated by the industry.”

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From Inusa Musah

Crystal Ladies’ Association, Tema, has said that it will pool resources to assist in the provision of furniture and accommodation for the underprivileged children of the New Life Orphanage at Otinnor, Nungua.
The orphanage has one of its rooms for the children gutted, and following the dire need of accommodation and furniture to facilitate learning, the President of Crystal Ladies’ Association, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mrs Joyce Adu-Amaning, told The Chronicle that the NGO will be visiting the Home often to know their needs as it pools financial resources to help in the provision of their major needs.

Crystal Ladies’ Association was the guest of New Life Orphanage on Valentine’s Day, where the former donated assorted food items, toiletries and clothing valued at GH¢10,000 to the home. The ladies further shared meals and candies to the children, numbering about 79. The Crystal Ladies’ Association was formed in 2013 out of friendship, and their benevolence to the Nungua orphanage was its maiden gesture.

On a visit to the home, Mrs Adu-Amaning explained that the ladies realised that the children would need support in their education also, therefore, her outfit, whose main source of funding is from monthly dues and voluntary contributions and sponsorship from members, will cost the needs so that, as soon as possible, some interventions could commence.

In addition to promoting social, economical and spiritual cordial relations among its members, the association also has the fostering of friendship and the contribution of quota to support the underprivileged, and the creation of a better future, especially, for children, as its objectives. The ladies are of diverse careers, and considering their backgrounds, Mrs Joyce Adu-Amaning said her members will do their best to help the Nungua orphanage become a better home for the children.

She encouraged the children to be good behaviour and conduct, and take their studies more seriously as well. She said her outfit will pay another official visit to the orphanage in September this year, “because we want to support a good cause”.

Acknowledging the benevolence of his guests, Reverend Cephas Mensah Afotey, Proprietor of New Life Orphanage, explained that he founded the home in August 2000, after he had returned from Holland and realised that there were legions of underprivileged children in the community. He takes receipt of some of the children from the Department of Social Welfare though, he said, his home is a private orphanage.

Reverend Afotey, who is also the Chief of Otinnor, with the stool name Nii Afotey Botwe II, said he has a school from the basic to junior high for the underprivileged children. The school is open to other needy children in the community, he added. He was glad to say that nine of the students from his school, Jasper Educational School International, are presently in the second-cycle institution, while another nine are preparing to enter the tertiary institution.

He, therefore, was full of praise to Crystal Ladies’ Association for promising to help his outfit with furniture, accommodation and educational materials. Similarly, the Lord’s Pentecostal Church International (TLPCI), Spintex, organised a Valentine feast for its congregation. The feast was themed “Love, the Greatest”, and, according to Reverend John Nipah, Head Pastor of TLPCI, the theme was crafted from 1st Corinthians 13:13, where he said Christians have been charged by God to show true love to humankind.

He wondered why some Christians would attach promiscuity to the celebration of Valentine’s Day, instead of showing love, by sharing and spending time with loved ones and the needy in the community. The church, he said, is sponsoring the education of 200 needy and poor children from among the congregation and non-congregation in a temporary structure. He acknowledged Compassion International Ghana, an NGO, for supporting the TLPCI in the educational sponsorship it is giving needy and poor children in society.

The post Tema Ladies’ Association To Adopt Nungua Orphanage appeared first on Ghanaian Chronicle.

From Inusa Musah

Nobel Ing. Bismark Amponsah, Executive Director, National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI), has promised to get a hostel for the Tema Industrial Mission (TIM) Vocational Training Institute (VTI). This, he said, follows the large enrolment of the school, where most students from outside Tema attend.

Established in 1981, the TIM VTI has lacked classrooms and other infrastructure and tools and equipment that will facilitate the teaching and learning of vocational skills. With its present enrolment standing at 287, and several of the students coming from outside Tema, Nobel Ing. Amponsah said it is about time the school had a hostel for the students.

His assuring words were in response to the annual report Mr. Joseph Nii Tackie Adams, TIM VTI Center Manager, read at the graduation ceremony of 150 students of the school. Reading his report, Mr. Tackie Adams lamented how the severe lack of infrastructure, tools and equipment had adversely affected teaching and learning.

He said their limited tools and equipment have continued to wear and tear, despite the regular maintenance they carried on them. The reason for the wear and tear, he pointed out, was because the equipment and tools were old. Touching on classrooms and other infrastructure for students and teachers, Mr. Tackie Adams said the school will need huge capital to provide decent accommodation for the students and teachers.

He, consequently, appealed to the NVTI Executive Director to use his office to assist TIM VTI. Receiving loud applause from the students, graduands and parents for his assuring words, Nobel Bismark, who was the Guest of Honour at the ceremony, added that the TIM VTI would benefit from the government’s move to retool and upgrade a number of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) schools.

The Guest of Honour encouraged parents to enroll their wards in TVET schools “because technical and vocational students have the solutions to our economic challenges. They are making the economies of the developed countries boom.”

Mrs. Linda Adjei, Director at the Vocational Training for Females (VTI) and also the Guest Speaker at the ceremony, added that a nation’s valuable human assets are persons in the technical and vocational institutes. She, thus, diffused the notions of parents and students who have, over the years, considered TVET for students with bad grades or academic performances.

She challenged the graduands to work hard to succeed through genuine means, while they avoided intimidations and discouraging words from their peers. Mrs. Adjei tasked the graduands to go into entrepreneurship in order to reduce the annual unemployment burden on governments.

The 150 graduands from TIM VTI included 71 graduating students of 2014, and 79 graduating students of 2015. They graduated with certificates in various employable trades and skills such as radio and television, catering, fashion, carpentry and joinery, and building and construction.

The post Tema Industrial Mission To Get Hostel appeared first on Ghanaian Chronicle.

From Inusa Musah

ServAid, a Tema-based consultancy and business services institution, has taken the pupils and students of the Tema State School for the Deaf through proper oral dental hygiene, in order to help them take good care of their dentition.
The consultancy firm engaged the expertise of Dr. Nana Kwame Amponsah, Dental Surgeon at the Tema General Hospital (TGH), and through a sign language translator, the students were given reasons why they ought to brush their teeth two times daily—from bed and before bed.

Proper brushing of the teeth, the students were told, prevents bad breadth and keeps the teeth and gums strong and healthy. Dr. Agyemang explained that brushing the teeth in the night should be the last thing one has to do before going to bed, so that the micro-organisms that are active in the mouth while one is asleep do not become active to feed on the gums and eventually destroy the teeth.

He further demonstrated how the toothbrush should be applied for proper teeth brushing, advising that vigorously moving the toothbrush from the left to the right is an improper brushing movement. The TGH Dental Surgeon said that the toothbrush should move up and down the outer part of the teeth and gum, “but on the molars and premolars, you can vigorously move the toothbrush left and right.”

He encouraged the students to gargle the mouth thoroughly to remove food particles that the toothbrush could not remove during brushing. Continuing, he encouraged the use of toothbrushes with soft bristles, adding that toothbrushes should be changed after every quarter of the year. Brushing the teeth and gums at the regular times, he advised, prevents gum bleeding, inflammation, tumors or cancer when the gums swell up, and dental caries (kaka).

After the 45-minute health talk and demonstrations, ServAid distributed toothpaste and toothbrushes to all the pupils and students, who, in turn, could not hide their appreciation and immense gratitude for the benevolence of the consultancy firm. Madam Barbara Ennin, Headmistress of the school, expressed her gratitude to ServAid for always being at their beck and call.

She mentioned how ServAid, with its partners, had assisted the school with plastic chairs, homecare products, toiletries, sanitisers and mini water reservoirs for hand washing. “You have continued to keep your promises to us, and for that, we are most grateful as a school. Let’s keep seeing more of ServAid, because, in you, our pupils and students have confidence that you will not fail them,” the Headmistress appealed.

Interacting with Dr. Nana Kwame Amponsah after the programme, he told The Chronicle that dental health is costly, thus the need for the government to improve upon the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to capture part of the cost patients will have to pay at the hospitals for dental health. He, however, encouraged that the teeth be kept strong and healthy by avoiding very hot or cold foods in addition to regular brushing.

Commending Unilever Ghana for the toothbrushes and toothpastes that were distributed to the pupils and students of the Tema State School for the Deaf, Mr. Sam Dontoh, General Manager of ServAid, told The Chronicle that plans were advanced to renovate the defunct lavatory of the school.
The lavatory, for both sexes of pupils and students, has been braced with wood for fear that it may cave in due to how weak the building had become.

Though the lavatory—eight-seater for both sexes—has been out of use for several terms, the school has a six-seater lavatory that is presently being shared by both the school children and staff—teaching and non-teaching. Mr. Dontoh said the Nyaho Medical Center and Red Sea Maritime Services are partnering ServAid to renovate the defunct toilet.

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By Bernice Bessey & Pics Eric Owiredu

Yara Ghana, a fertiliser distribution company, has recycled used fertilizer sacks into school bags to support education and environmental cleanliness in the country.
The initiative, which is part of Yara’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to encourage education, recycling and sustainable farming in rural areas of the country, handed over 800 school bags to Pantang Presbyterian Primary School children in the Greater Accra Region, on Tuesday.

According to Yara, it has produced 10,000 school bags which would be distributed to 40 schools in farming communities in the country. The fertiliser distribution company explained that all 10,000 school bags are produced from a total of 7,500 used Yara fertiliser sacks, and will be handed over to schools in three regions – North, Central and Ashanti.

This exercise is expected to be carried out throughout this year and the first quarter of 2017. In order to win the children’s hearts on the importance of education, each bag was packed with a a notepad and a pencil.

The Managing Director of Yara Ghana, Mr. Sergio Godoy, addressing a gathering of students, teachers, parents, chiefs and government officials, said the main objective of this project is to emphasise the importance of education and agriculture in the rural farming communities, while promoting recycling and re-using waste.

He added that the company appreciates the need to support schools in rural communities through education to help increase local knowledge and ultimately promote economic transformation through agriculture.

“Yara is committed to ensuring that farming remains a profitable and sustainable activity for the future generations of Ghana, and education is key to achieving this aim. This is why we are dedicated to investing in rural education through this initiative. Through the 10,000 school bags project we hope to emphasise the value of education, especially, to farming communities, while promoting sustainability and waste management,” he indicated.

Also at the event was the Deputy Minister for Environment, Science Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Bernice Heloo, who said: “I am so happy that these bags are made in Ghana. Through this kind gesture, a child will remain in school and might become a great person in future. Last, but not least, by using recycled fertiliser bags, we are protecting our environment.”

The Minister of Education also lauded the initiative, saying: “Education is one of the most powerful investments in a country, because it is critical to a nation’s development – Ghana is no different. As Minister of Education, I am pleased that Yara is focusing, not only on education, but has chosen to invest in our little ones – our next generation of leaders. It is my hope that more corporations will follow Yara’s example by helping to advance rural education in Ghana.”

The pupils expressed great joy and gratitude to Yara for its generous donation. A Prefect at the Presbyterian Primary School thanked Yara on behalf of his colleagues, saying, “We are extremely grateful to Yara for making this donation. We promise to put these bags to good use by taking our studies seriously and excelling.”

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By Bernice Bessey & Pics Eric Owiredu

The Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of tertiary, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed government measures to recruit 3,000 science and mathematics teachers to reverse falling standards in those subjects.
According to him, this decision was taken because out of the 268,812 candidates who took the May/June 2015 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), 99,917 failed in Core Mathematics and Integrated Science.

He said the move it is hoped would close the gap between teacher to student deficiency, as well as enhance quality teaching and learning in the country. Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa made this known at the 9th Graduation of the Accra Institute of Technology (AIT) recently in Accra.

To tackle the proliferation of private university in the country, the Deputy Minister indicated that the ministry will longer grant permits to individuals and organisations to establish new tertiary institutions, unless they are science oriented.

He was of the view that though private universities were supporting education in diverse ways, however, the majority of these institutions are too much centered on training students in the humanities than the sciences, which provides the requisite tools for the country’s human resource base.

He explained that the ministry was putting in place this stringent measure in order to ensure that Ghana attained the level of producing 60% students studying science and 40% studying humanities, adding: “if you look everywhere around the world, you will notice that every country is focused on training more students to be scientists.”

Acknowledging some difficulties the private universities encounter, he promised that the government will provide certain incentives to support their development. Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa commended AIT for providing the platform for students to acquire knowledge and skills in technology, and also congratulated the graduands for completing their courses successfully.

At the graduation ceremony, four students graduated with PhDs, nine also as PhD candidates, and 239 with Bachelor’s degrees. Out of 2,939 graduands, 28 obtained first class honors, 82 got second class upper division, 127 obtained second class lower division, and two third class.

Prof. Clement K. Dzidonu, President of AIT, reiterated the need for West African countries to take advantage of the demographic dividend to train human capital for advance economies, which, by the year 2035, will be facing an acute working age population decline.

He, however, noted that: “the real challenge, or may be the ‘bad news’, is that to harness and maximise this demographic dividend, South Sahara African countries, including Ghana, will have to create high-productivity jobs at an average of about 18 million per year until 2035 -an extremely rapid and possibly unprecedented rate- to absorb the new entrants in the labour force.

“There is no doubt in my mind that reaping the fruits of the demographic dividend will require the needed workforce to fuel Ghana’s, and other Africa countries, development.  “Creating high-production non-agricultural jobs on a sufficient scale is likely to be the biggest challenge for these countries during the demographic transition.

And the economies of these countries, including ours, will need to improve substantially to enhance their job creation and absorption capacity across board.” To the graduands, Prof. Dzidonu urged them to continue to seek higher knowledge in education to enrich their academic life and experience.

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By Bernice Bessey

Patients with eye issues must seek treatment elsewhere, as Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), the nation’s premier hospital, shut down its Eye Clinic yesterday.
“Management of the Korle Bu Teaching wishes to inform the general public and patients that the Eye Department will be closed down for additional construction works, from Wednesday, March 9, 2016,” the hospital announced.

The closure of the facility follows the closing down of three clinics at the hospital, namely; General Surgery, Neurosurgery and Urology on Monday, February 8, 2016. Though the hospital indicated that the eye clinic will be reopened to the public after three weeks, it, however, could not state when it will complete the rehabilitation and re-equipment of the General Surgery, Neurosurgery and Urology units.

A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of KBTH, Mustapha Salifu, indicated that the closure was to enable swift completion of the ongoing renovation works at the centre, which is aimed at upgrading the ventilation and cooling systems at the eye clinic. According to the statement, the civil works were also necessitated by the fact that the physical structure of the eye clinic poses a threat to both workers and patients.

The statement added: “The additional works are upgrading ventilation and cooling system, as well as other civil works in the department. These are to improve the working environment and safety of both workers and patients.”

The hospital has currently made arrangements for patients who have undergone surgery /operations to receive post-operation care at the Korle Bu Polyclinic.  Such patients are, however, advised to contact the following numbers 0507901291/0268532170, between 8am and 12pm, on working weekdays. “All other patients who require eye care services are respectfully requested to make use of the 37 Military, Ridge and Police hospitals.”

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By Bernice Bessey

The Accra Institute of Technology (AIT), a technology-focused private university, graduated its first batch of PhD students during the institution’s 9th Graduation Congregation held recently in Accra.
According to Professor Clement Dzidonu, President of AIT, graduating students with PhDs is a major achievement of the institution since it is barely seven years.

Professor Clement Dzidonu, speaking during the AIT 9th Graduation Congregation, which witnessed the graduation of 240 Bachelor’s degree holders, indicated that AIT is the first private university in Ghana to successfully offer, run and graduate students on an internationally benchmarked Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree programme.

According to him, this is no small achievement if put within the context of the fact that the PhD per capita of Ghana is just 2.72 per million population.

He noted the fact that over 250 PhD students are now enrolled at the school, which is known as one of the leading post-graduate research institutions on the continent, adding: “AIT will be graduating more PhDs in Business Administration, Engineering, and Information Technology before the close of the year.”

The Deputy Minister for Education, responsible in charge of Tertiary, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, who was the Special Guest of Honour, congratulated the university for mounting mainly science, technology and engineering programmes, which, in his view, was in line with the government’s determination to implement and enforce the 60:40 policy guidelines, aimed at giving priority to science, mathematics and engineering programmes in our tertiary institutions.

He announced that in line with this, the Ministry of Education, through the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), had drawn-up new guidelines that will ensure that the accreditation of new universities and academic programmes meets these guidelines.

The Deputy Minister noted that in the future, for a new university to be approved for accreditation, it must, more or less, show that it is going to be another Accra Institute of Technology. Mr. Osei-Boakye, Executive Manager for Admissions and Operations at AIT, reassured the Deputy Minister that though AIT offers courses in the humanities, its main focus is training students in technology.

Professor Francis K. Allotey, Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees, announced that the institute will elect individuals such as Professor Goolam Mohamedbhai, who is the Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Mauritius; former Secretary General of the Association of African Universities (AAU); former President of the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the former Chairman of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

The other is Professor Anuwar Ali, former Vice Chancellor of the National University of Malaysia; former President and Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Malaysia and member of the Higher Education Council of Malaysia to serve on the board.

“With these new members, the AIT  Board of Trustees now boasts of five former Vice Chancellors of world-class universities; there is no doubt that AIT has the most high-powered and academically distinguished University Board on the African continent,” he stated proudly.

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From Inusa Musah, Tema

Kofi Brako, Tema Central Member of Parliament (MP), has re-commissioned the gravelled Tema Community Four Prisco Park, after engaging the services of Green Grass Technology to give the field fresh life.
The MP, popularly known as KB, spent about GH¢200,000 in, not only greening the hitherto bare park, but also fencing it, connecting underground pipes to the field for watering, and mounting reserve water tanks for all-year watering of the field.

The Tema Prisco Park stands a few metres from Our Lady of Mercy Senior High School, and that means the renovated state of the park will benefit the school in its sporting activities. As part of the Independence Day celebration, the MP hosted a gala tourney for the communities in the constituency to play for laurels, and to also officially commission the field.

Brako said it has always been his dream to see the park given a fresh breath of life, where the footballers in Tema could gather to keep fit for national development. The rehabilitation of the park, he believed, would again benefit the Colts teams that want to use the field, “because football is better enjoyed on grass. Our young players have to get used to playing on grass because that is the best.”

Tema used to produce quality footballers who later saw themselves donning the national jersey, but following fast encroachment on its football fields, Tema has lost its football potentials, however, the Tema Central MP believed that that lost football glory the Harbour City used to have would be rekindled after the opening of the park.

Assuring the constituency that he would ensure that injurious football parks in the area are grassed and fenced, KB called on the electorate to vote Nana Addo for president and retain him -KB- as MP for Tema Central for accelerated national development and economic relief. The MP, has, again handed keys to a new toilet facility to the Community ‘8’ Number ‘3’ Junior High School (JHS).

The lives of both teachers and students had been at the mercy of a death-trap toilet facility constructed many decades ago. Seeing the messy and life-threatening state of the toilet, KB, in November last year, began the construction of a modern toilet facility for the school.

The first phase of the facility – four water-closet (WC) seaters for the female students, three WCs for the male students, and three urinal pots for the male students – cost the MP GH¢600,000. The source of funding, the MP indicated, was from his share of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and personal savings.

Before the ribbon would be cut to officially open the lavatory, the Headteacher of the school, Mr. Daniel Tetteh, commended the MP for being their ‘saviour’. However, he mentioned a primary school, encroachment on school properties, sand winning, walling of school land, library and haphazard defecation on the school compound as some of the challenges the school is faced with.

Mr. Tetteh believed that if the school is walled, outsiders could not be able to access the school to destroy their properties or access the new toilet facility. On her part, the Tema Director of Education, Mrs. Veronica Pamela Adzatontem, requested that Mr. Brako engage the services of a night watchman who will prevent the community members from accessing the facility.

That way, she believed that the facility would last longer for the beneficiaries. She charged the school authorities to ensure that they kept the facility clean at all times, and also maintain it very well. The MP, on his part, assured the school of the second phase of the construction, which shall see the school having a reserved water tank to help improve on hygiene whenever the students visit the loo and the taps are not running.

He appealed to the Tema MCE to invest in walling all the public schools in the metropolis to provide security for the teachers, students and pupils. Another investment Mr. Kofi Brako has made in the Community ‘8’ Number ‘3’ JHS is connecting the school to a broadband internet. The cost of maintaining and keeping the internet running will be fully borne by him, he assured the school.

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The Mayor of Accra, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije has said the 2015 cholera statistics is evidence of the success of the National Sanitation Day Exercise. He explained that only 34 cholera cases were recorded last year representing a significant improvement against 2014 which he attributed to the intensification of the National Sanitation Day Exercise.
Speaking to pressmen after the observation of the NSD in Accra, Mr. Vanderpuije mentioned that measures have also been instituted to avoid loss of lives through flooding, as the rains prepare to set in. The Greater Accra Region recorded over 20,500 cases of cholera between June 2014 and February 2015. Out of the figure, 121 deaths were recorded. This, according to medical doctors was the single largest outbreak in the history of Ghana.

Government in November 2014, therefore, initiated the National Sanitation Day Exercise to instill and encourage good personal hygiene as well as improve environmental sanitation in the country.  On the eve of Ghana’s 59th Independence Day, the Country observed the 17th edition of the NSD and the Mayor of Accra attributed the reduction in cholera cases to the success of the National Sanitation Day Exercise.

“In 2014, we had over 24,000 cases of cholera nationwide and lost over 600 lives, the story is different this time with Accra recording only 34 cases, this means the exercise has paid off”, the Mayor intimated. He stressed that the local government authorities remain committed to creating a sanitary environment and reducing disease cases in the country.

Mr. Vanderpuije indicated that the launch of the tricycle concept president Mahama in collaboration with waste management experts, Zoomlion will go a long way to improve sanitation in Ghana. The AMA boss added that measures including the dredging of the Odaw and the Korle Lagoon among others will help prevent the loss of lives through flooding as was witnessed on June 3rd last year.

He called for increased community participation saying that sanitation is a shared responsibility and everyone must play their roles to improve sanitation and prevent avoidable diseases. The Accra Zonal Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Ltd, Gershon Sogbey said the rapid population growth and changes in people’s lifestyles had led to an escalation in the production of solid waste in the country and, therefore, the company had improved upon its manual tricycle waste collection to a motorized version.

He reiterated Zoomlion’s Commitment to the NSD explaining that the company will continue to provide, logistics and equipment’s as well as human resource to boost the capacity of MMDAs to collect waste. In a related development, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Alexander Ackon is advocating increased environmental sanitation to promote economic development.

He explained that ensuring proper sanitation will reduce the economic burden in terms of cost on health care provision and improve available human resource to boost the socio-economic development of Ghana. Speaking to the media after the 17th National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise in Kumasi,  He called for increased community involvement in the programme in order to promote hygiene and avoid preventable diseases.

The NSD started on November 1, 2014, and has since been observed on every first Saturday of the month as a national exercise aimed at inculcating in the citizens the observance of good sanitation habits. The 17th edition which happened  to be the 3rd this year witnessed the participation of officers from various security agencies as well as celebrated music artistes under the leadership of Broadway Entertainment.

The celebrities, including Rex Omar, Reggie Rockstone of VVIP and Guru expressed gross concern about how filth was posing a great danger to the lives of many Ghanaians. They urged Ghanaians to make it a daily habit to improve upon their hygienic conditions by cleaning their communities daily.
Rex Omar charged Ghanaians to de-politicize the exercise and see it as a national call to duty.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Alexander Ackon bemoaned the level of apathy with which some residents took the exercise. According to him, it is wrong for members of communities who are guilty of creating the filth to just look on as authorities and waste management companies cleared the filth.”It is important to deepen the involvement of communities in the National Sanitation Day Exercise in order to ensure its sustainability,“ he stressed.

Mr. Ackon also called for attitudinal change intimating that the economic costs of clearing filth and its attendant diseases can be reduced if the attitude of the people towards sanitation is changed. The Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Kojo Bonsu, expressed gratitude to waste management experts, Zoomlion, for their support.

  Zoomlion Ghana Limited has been supporting the exercise since its inception with logistics and equipment. Personnel from Zoomlion were deployed to desilt drains and clear rubbish with the introduction of the tricycle concept to properly dispose of accumulated rubbish.

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From Inusa Musah

Chief Superintendent Oduro Amaning, Commander of the Tema Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), on Tuesday morning, escaped near death on the Tema-Aflao highway, where he and his personnel had embarked on their routine spot check of vehicles.
Chief Superintendent Amaning signaled the driver of a speeding KIA truck to stop for another vehicle, after the driver had failed to do so when a junior ranked police personnel ordered him to stop. The driver, Michael Bawa, 40, accelerated when the Tema MTTD Commander stretched his hand to signal him to stop, but with the driver, driving straight at him, the Commander had to jump off the road to escape being knocked down by the truck with registration GM 3960-13.

There were five other persons on board the truck, and later, when he was arrested, Michael Bawa explained that he panicked when he was stopped by the first police personnel. “I was terrified when the policeman stopped me,” Bawa said shivering. Later, when his truck was checked, the police realised that his brake was malfunctioning. Furthermore, he was driving without a licence.

Last Tuesday’s road spot check exercise formed part of the Tema MTTD’s routine exercises to check the safety of travelling passengers. In the police’s bid to ensure that the safety of passengers was guaranteed and not jeopardised by some unscrupulous drivers, some passengers on board a 207 Benz bus rather expressed unhappiness when their vehicle was stopped by Chief Superintendent Amaning.

According to the passengers, they were in a hurry to get to their destination, however, parrying aside their protestations, the Commander carried out his inspection of the vehicle, and to the amazement of the passengers, the vehicle they were travelling on had its rear brakes disconnected. Again, the driver of the vehicle had no valid licence.

While some of the passengers, in confrontation with the driver’s mate, demanded change for the fare they had paid, others verbally lashed out at the driver for his ‘wickedness’. In all, 20 vehicles were impounded for various road traffic offences, including underweight driving and driving without licence.

Some tipper trucks loaded with chippings and sand were impounded for transporting the materials uncovered. According to Chief Superintendent Amaning, such practices by tipper truck drivers risk the lives of other vehicles behind them.

He seized the opportunity to entreat station masters at the various loading points to help the police in checking the road worthiness of vehicles and the validity of drivers’ licences before they are permitted to hit the roads. The Commander indicated that all the drivers would be processed and arraigned before court later.

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