Day: December 26, 2023

Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has encouraged the citizenry to give fair treatment to all and reduce cases in the courts.

In a Christmas message monitored via Facebook, the Chief Justice said: ‘This is to wish our beautiful people of Ghana starting from the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the last baby born in the last few hours, a happy Christmas and a restful holiday.’

Chief Justice Torkornoo said Christmas marked the most critical event in the history of mankind and that the birth of Jesus Christ marked the birth of God as a human being.

She said the Book of John 1:14, stated that ‘ the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we be held his glory’.

She said: ‘As we wind down 2023 and gear up for the year 2024, I wish that in our reflection as a nation, we remember the words of the angels that announced the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; Peace on earth and goodwill to all men.’
Source:Ghana News Agency

A young girl who reached out to Cameroon News Agency said she was lured into a fake job in Ghana but got scammed and abandoned.

She left Bamenda in the North West region, after being lured by her friend to come for a well-paid job in Ghana.

When she arrived, it turned out to be the biggest scam in her life. Now she is stranded and needs help to get back home.

‘I’m writing from Ghana precisely Kassoa, I’ve been stranded here for over a week. I was called upon by a friend for a Job opportunity but when I reached here it wasn’t what I was called for. I have more than 32 Cameroonian girls here who are stranded and many of them have turned to prostitution, which is the last thing I will ever do. We eat one time a day and is ‘garri and okru soup’ , the situation is unbelievable. I plead with you to place this on your platform for help,l just need transport to go back to Cameroon. Let’s Cameroonians of Goodwill help a sister please, I’m stranded. My family borrowed money from all angles to send me here, but there
‘s nothing to show up.’

The young girl who is afraid to disclose her name said people of goodwill should reach out to CNA if they want to help her because if they find out that she has been talking, they may harm her.

‘The girl who presented me the opportunity is no way to be found, my money is gone FCFA 650k. I don’t even know who collects the money. All l know is that when I was still in a hotel, the girl who presented me with the opportunity gave me a number that is the company’s number that I should transfer my money Inside, which I did. Immediately as I was presented with the business, she started behaving typically toward me, not showing me love again, until about 5 days she escaped till now I can’t found her. I’m just totally confused and stranded.’

CNA has in the past reported similar cases of job scams in Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and other West African countries. Despite the huge sensitization, many are still falling for such cheap scams
Source: Cameroon News Agency

The Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital at Dormaa-Ahenkro, Dormaa Central Municipality of Bono Region recorded three births on the eve of Christmas.

The babies delivered under normal delivery condition and in healthy state with their mothers comprised two males and a female.

Madam Patience Koma, a midwife at the labour ward of the Hospital who spoke on behalf of Madam Grace Nyarko Yeboah, a midwife in-charge of the ward told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the number of births recorded represented an average comparable to what happened during a shift on a busy day at the Hospital.

Touching on pregnant women compliance with ante-natal care services, she said some of them duly followed advice and education given to them whilst others did not but preferred traditional methods of delivery.

‘Sometimes too, if they did not get preferred results from the advice, those in rural settings particularly shifted to traditional practices.

‘Other times, means of transport and lack of nearby clinics to provide serv
ices at their doorstep is a factor impeding accessibility to ante-natal care services’, she said.

Madam Koma stated the Hospital would intensify education on the need for pregnant women to regularly attend ante-natal care services’ clinics, saying that was more important for people living in remote areas because ‘there are periods when certain complications can’t be managed at home.’

She said some pregnant teenagers refused to attend ante-natal because of the feeling they might be insulted and discriminated against but, ‘when they are in labour they are rushed to the ward.’
Source:Ghana News Agency

Though an endangered species, it has been a long-time tradition of the people of Oku, a village in Bui Division, North West region of Cameroon. The tradition honors those who succeed in killing such a wild animal.

Early Christmas Day, the entire population of Manchok, came out in numbers chanting heroic songs to, Bonjioh Amos Njakoi, the person who killed a Leopard. The animal was tied to a long stick before being taken to the Palace.

CNA learned that the title ‘Nforme Nkonyam’ was automatically conferred on him.

‘Yes, it is a long-aged tradition that existed before the laws we have now. So tradition had to be respected.’ The traditional ruler of Oku, His Royal Majesty, Fon Ngum IV, told CNA.

‘Though the man didn’t kill the Leopard directly, it fell into the trap that he placed and was there for days so when he saw it, he immediately went to the NFU house and they took it to the village chief of the said village before bringing it to the Palace,’ Fon Ngum IV told CNA.
Source: Cameroon News Agency

The Intercity Transport Coaches have urged the government to support them with buses to transport passengers to their destination as they are losing customers to their competitors due to the limited number of buses.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office, Mr. Kodwo Barnes, the STC manager for Tema Zone, mentioned that STC had recorded low patronage this festive season due to inadequate buses.

He added that even though STC was doing their best to transport travelers safely, they were still losing passengers to private transport owners due to inadequate buses.

He noted that due to this limitation on buses, STC was not able to provide services for travelers who were going to Hohoe, and they all had to move to other transport stations.

Mr. Barnes mentioned that there had been a high turn-in of travellers this holiday season as compared to other years, which was supposed to be their advantage, but due to inadequate buses, they were still losing passengers.

He lamented that when the s
ituation persisted, some travellers informed their fellow travellers that STC was lacking buses, and they in turn opted for other options.

He therefore urged the government to support them with buses to enable the smooth running of their business.

He added that the high turn-in of travellers was not only during the festive season but also at the beginning of a new academic year where students must move to their various schools, and STC still faced the same issue, which is sometimes challenging.

Mr. Barnes stated that, as STC had always promised, they still stood by their promise to deliver the safest, most comfortable, and most reliable road transportation.

He mentioned that STC undertook driver training periodically to ensure that drivers worked professionally and obeyed all road safety signs.

He said all buses underwent routine checks before their departure, and metal detectors were also used to check luggage to ensure that there was no harmful tool that can be used as a weapon.

He added that STC was
doing all that it took to maintain a good image and be on top in the minds of their travellers, but their little drawback was the limitation of buses.

He therefore pleaded with the government to help them acquire more buses to help achieve their aim.

Madam Leticia Foli, a passenger travelling to Temale, mentions that STC provided good transportation services and drivers maintained good relationships with their passengers, but the only issue mentioned was the lack of vehicles, which affected their departure time.

‘Yes, they’re very good. The drivers too drive well, but our small issue is that the buses are not many, so one bus must go two times to the same location, and it affects us because we sometimes plan the time they give us,’ she said.
Source:Ghana News Agency

The MTN Foundation on Tuesday presented 100 hampers to babies born on Christmas and Boxing Days at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

The items in the hamper include towels, blankets, diapers, baby creams, lotions, oils, wipes, and toys.

Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer (CCSSO), MTN, said the Foundation chose Korle-Bu because it was one of the hospitals with many deliveries.

‘Today is Boxing Day, a day of giving and at MTN we believe in putting a smile on the faces of the people that we come in contact with,’ she said.

She said MTN was always happy to see the impacts that the little act of kindness made and would repeat the gesture next year.

A total of 500 gifts are expected to be distributed to babies born on Christmas and Boxing Days in public hospitals in all 16 regions.

A senior nurse on duty at the maternity ward, thanked MTN for the generosity.

Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, on the second day of Christmas.
Source:Ghana News Agency

Goshen Global Vision (GGV), a Non-Governmental Organisation under the United States Forest Service Agricultural project, has trained selected cocoa farmers in bee-keeping as an alternative source of livelihood during the lean cocoa season.

The farmers, drawn from Cooperative Cocoa Farmers Union from Sekyere-Krobo, Akrofi and Amankese Ase in the Wassa East District of the Western Region, were taken through a comprehensive process on how to properly trap bees and keep them for honey production.

The training sought to equip the farmers with the requisite knowledge and skills to venture into alternative businesses to enhance their socio-economic wellbeing during lean cocoa season.

It formed part of measures to revive bee-keeping activities in the natural habitats which is gradually becoming extinct in recent times due to depletion of the forest belt by human activities like galamsey, desertification, bush fires and urbanization among others.

Mr James Opoakpajor, An Agro-Ecology Trainer, who facilitated the w
orkshop said the bee-keeping business was lucrative and could provide beneficiaries with adequate income during the lean seasons.

He taught them how to carve wooden boxes as beehives and where to strategically position them under a favourable temperature to attract the bees.

Aside from the financial benefits, he said honey produced by bees was also beneficial to human health, especially in children.

He, however, advised the citizenry to be cautious of the kind of honey they consumed since some were not prepared under hygienic conditions.

Madam Mary Perpetual Kwakuyi, Executive Director of GGV, said the training formed part of a broader project being implemented by the NGO dubbed: ‘You Are What You Eat: Eat Well’.

She outlined some of the major economic and livelihood intervention programmes rolled out by the GGV in collaboration with other partners, including the Village Savings and Loans, climate-smart vegetable farming, biochar training, tree and fruit nurseries establishment, and training of women and
youth in fruit grafting in schools and homes among others.

She noted that her outfit would provide the farmers with the necessary tools as start-up kits for their beekeeping projects.

Mr Thomas Danna Napari, a Cocoa Extension Agent of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division of COCOBOD, lauded GGV for its efforts in helping cocoa farmers to get additional income through the bee-keeping initiative.
Source:Ghana News Agency