Day: July 21, 2023

Professor Amin Alhassan, the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament that there is no freeze on staff promotion at the State Broadcaster.

He said in line with the Public Services Commission’s guidelines, promotion at GBC was based on the availability of vacancies.

Prof Alhassan stated this at the public hearing of PAC in Accra, when Dr James Klutse Avedzi, the Chairman of PAC, asked him why they had frozen staff promotion process at the Corporation.

The Director-General was at PAC to respond to issues concerning GBC that were raised in the 2021 Report of the Auditor-General.

Prof Alhassan explained that it was a Board issue that Management took up; saying ‘now we haven’t put a freeze on promotion’.

‘Promotion is based on vacancies, before you promote someone there must be an existing vacancy.’

He noted that for them to promote staff there must be existing vacancies.

He said with the approval of the new organogram and the work on the new Scheme of Service ongoing, the Board decided that this year, they would not do the promotion because the existing vacancies had not been confirmed.

‘So, there is no freeze, it is only one year, and if for example, the Scheme of Service is completed in the next two or three months, we should be able to argue for the promotion process to keep in, but there is no freeze on promotion.’ He said.

Dr Avedzi: ‘At least there is a freeze for one year.’

Prof Alhassan: ‘We still think that it is possible, Mr Chairman, that we might have the promotions, if the process of Scheme of Service is done and we do the necessary establishment and it is approved by the Public Services Commission, we will go ahead and do that.’

The Director-General reiterated that in line with the guidelines of the Public Services Commission, one could not be promoted unless there was a vacancy; declaring that ‘and if there is no vacancy, you stay there’.

The Director-General was accompanied by Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A 60,000 litre Community water project has been commissioned at Anyako-Konu in the Keta Municipality of the Volta region.

The move would among other things, alleviate the perennial water challenges in the area which have caused residents to yearn for potable drinking water for decades.

Torgbi Tenge Dzokoto Gligui VII, Paramount Chief of Amugo-Wego Traditional and the ‘Dufia’ of Anyako-Konu who championed the project in an address during a colourful commissioning ceremony said the water project was to give life back to residents in the area.

Torgbi Dzokoto Gligui VII, who is also the Head of the Bate Clan, revealed that the area had faced water challenges for the past 20 years, and that ‘the commissioning of this new water project and handing over to the Ghana Water Company would help solve this canker in the area.’

He added that the project, estimated to have cost a total of over GH?320,000.00, was funded by the Chiefs and people of the Anyako community through levies.

This, he said, should remind the people of the area to keep the systems in good condition for their own benefit.

Torgbi Dzokoto Gligui commended Dr Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana and Mr Emmanuel Gemegah, the Keta Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), for the key roles they played in making sure Anyako was provided with potable water.

‘Water they say, is life and anyone that helps you get one deserves to be praised,’ he stated.

He also urged the Ghana Water Company Limited to provide meters for its users as required by law.

Torgbi Dokoto Gligui further appealed to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to, as a matter of urgency, send a technical team to assess how best they could construct the roads along the lagoon to join the existing ones.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister who witnessed the event, said the government was poised to develop Anyako and other communities in dire need in the Region, especially good drinking water to mitigate the effects of water-borne diseases.

He said the government would also support the water distribution process to the end users.

Dr Letsa also commended the Chiefs and people of Anyako for their significant efforts towards finding a lasting solution to their pressing need.

Mr Emmanuel Gemegah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Keta, on his part, extended appreciation to Torgbui Tenge Dzokoto Gligui and his Chiefs for their sacrifice.

‘This water infrastructure project you are seeing here is a collaborative work of Togbiwo, the Municipal Assembly and the government at large.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Nissi Care Group in collaboration with Theosalt Ministries International and the Assemblies of God, Ghana has commissioned a mechanised borehole for the chiefs and people of Sokode-Ando in the Ho Municipality of the Volta region.

The construction of the facility was facilitated by the Theosalt Ministries International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and the Assemblies of God, Ghana, and was funded by Nissi Care Group, a non-profit organisation (NGO) of Houston, Texas in the United States of America.

The facility was executed at a total cost of GhS46,000.00 and would serve the people of Sokode-Ando and its environs and help solve the water challenges that has bedeviled the community.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, who joined in the commissioning of the facility, thanked Nissi Care Group, Theosalt Ministries International and the Assemblies of God, Ghana for the effort to address the water need of the people.

He said the government was doing its best to improve the lives of the people, however, government alone could not shoulder all the challenges in the various sectors, so the need for collaborators to supplement government’s effort.

The Minister said the project was dear to his heart because, ‘water is life’ and that anybody who supported people with water, was protecting and supporting their lives.

Reverend Godson K. Bodzah, Head Pastor, Evangelical Central Chapel of the Assemblies of God, Ghana in Ho-Ahoe, also commended Nissi Care Group for their love and care which, he said resulted in the construction of the facility.

He said the idea to provide the community with good drinking water was birthed by the management of Theosalt Ministries International after the commencement of a new church within the community.

‘Beloved ones in the Lord, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Nissi Care Group who single handedly took the cost of the construction of this project,’ he said.

Reverend Bodzah who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Theosalt Ministries International thanked the chiefs and people of Sokode-Ando for providing the land and his congregants for their remarkable contribution and support to making the project a success.

He asked the chiefs and elders to form a committee to manage the facility for sustainability and to open a bank account for savings of proceeds that would be generated for future maintenance of the facility.

Madam Sandra Buchanan of Nissi Care Group, said they were grateful to God for blessing them to bless others, and that social intervention was one of their ways of reaching out to people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Reverend Albert Akuamoah, the Regional Treasurer of Assemblies of God, Ghana, commended the Theosalt Ministries International and the Nissi Care Group for the initiative, and noted that the church believed in holistic development of humankind.

Mr Innocent Bedzrah, a member of the community, thanked Nissi Care Group, Theosalt Ministries International and the Assemblies of God, Ghana for the support and appealed to them to help repair the old one that had broken down for years.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The police at Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Upper Denkyira East District of the Central Region on Friday, arrested a man for allegedly beheading his wife at Atachem, a suburb of Dunkwa-on-Offin.

The man whose name is not yet known, allegedly murdered his wife, known as Gifty following a short misunderstanding that ensued between them.

Some residents in the area told the Ghana News Agency, the man believed to be in his early thirties and the deceased in her late 20s, are from Wassa-Saa in the Western Region where they had been staying together.

The deceased is said to have left home some days back for Dunkwa-on-Offin in search of a job in a mining company, but the man followed up on Friday to persuade her to return home.

With reasons yet to be known, the man was said to have lured the deceased to Dunkwa-Atachem near the Subin River, and allegedly murdered her there and attempted to get away from the scene.

However, he met some scrap dealers who noticed stains of blood on him and questioned him, but the suspect claimed he was stabbed by someone who nearly robbed him.

Not convinced, the scrap dealers arrested and handed him over to the police, whose investigations revealed the act.

The decapitated body of the woman had been deposited at the Dunkwa Government Hospital.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) Thursday commenced payment of arrears owed the National Food Suppliers Association for suppliers to the National Food Buffer Stock (NAFCo).

The Ministry is paying GHS 100 million out of the GHS 273 million owed the Association.

The next tranche of arrears will be paid on August 17, 2023.

Mr Tanko Bagbara, Public Relations Officer of MoFA, told the Ghana News Agency Thursday morning.

Mr Kwaku Amedume, Public Relations Officer of the National Food Suppliers Association confirmed the payment.

Dr Bryan Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture, earlier in Parliament stated that 50 per cent of the outstanding payments owed the food suppliers would be disbursed by the end of Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

He said since 2017, NAFCo had done great business with the suppliers to the tune of GHS 2.7 billion.

‘In 2017, it was GHS 81.1 million, in 2018, GHS 296 million, in 2019, GHS 431 million, in 2020 GHS 467 million, 2021 GHS 692 million, and in 2022 S726 million.’

‘Buffer stock has made payments since it started in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 in full. Mr Speaker in 2022, of the GHS 726, 617,881, GHS 500 million have been paid to the suppliers. So, we owe the suppliers a little more of GHS 203 million,’ he said.

Mr Kwaku Amedume said they were hoping that the next tranche of payment would be honoured next month.

‘We hope that going forward, our arrears will be paid on time and promptly to enhance our operations and supplies to NAFCo,’ he added.

Members of the National Food Suppliers Association commenced daily picketing of the premises of NAFCO on July 04, 2023, to demand arrears for supplies to NAFCO.

Source: Ghana News Agency