Day: January 25, 2024

Donewell Insurance Limited has introduced a WhatsApp Chatbot to its digital channels of insurance delivery.

Named: ESI DONEWELL, the WhatsApp Chatbot is a new, fast and easy to use digital insurance distribution channel aimed at providing instant insurance purchase and renewal services directly through WhatsApp irrespective of time, day and location.

A statement issued in Accra by the Company said ESI DONEWELL was a user friendly interface that would enable agents and individuals to conveniently purchase motor insurance policies directly through the WhatsApp number 0501687806.

‘ESI DONEWELL is able to provide instant information on insurance plans to clients, provide instant quotes and complete the insurance purchase process entirely without being limited by time or location,’ it added.

It said whether weekend, holiday, and midnight or abroad, insurance could be purchased without limitations.

Mr Seth Aklasi, CEO of Donewell Insurance speaking to stakeholders expressed his enthusiasm about the transforma
tive potential of the new digital channel.

‘Our yearn to providing a customer-focused experience led us to explore innovative solutions that simplify the insurance purchasing journey,’ he said

The CEO said this was something that people would become comfortable with because it was convenient; they could lie in bed and buy their insurance.

He gave an assurance of his company’s resolve to continuously improve and develop solutions that would offer channels for financial inclusion.

Madam Cecilia Bruce, Head of Marketing and Business Development at Donewell Insurance Limited said the company was poised to add an additional features to ESI DONEWELL after its roll out.

Among the upgrades include a voice and speech recognition feature, claims filing and documentation upload feature as well as a personal accident policy aimed at enhancing value for consumers.

Madam Sandra A. Amewolah, Head of Digital Marketing at Donewell Insurance assured consumers of absolute customer support and indicated that the interface
was connected to the Motor Insurance Database, therefore, every insurance bought via the channel automatically spools the sticker from the Database validating its authenticity.

‘The interface is seamless, user friendly and is also able to provide that support you need just in case you face challenges,’ she said.

Madam Amewolah said it was connected to their customer service unit and contact center, therefore, they have a team ready to address queries or concerns that may arise.

She said the Company’s decision to integrate a WhatsApp bot into its digital channels of distribution aimed to provide customers with a convenient and efficient means of acquiring motor insurance policies.

She said by introducing ESI DONEWELL, the insurance company aimed to bridge the gap between traditional insurance practices and the expectations of tech-savvy consumers.

The company encouraged existing and potential customers to explore this new digital distribution channel and embrace the future of insurance. Further enquiries,

Source: Ghana News Agency

Michael Sumnaya Adedina, an accountant with Medeena Consult Limited accused of forging Ghana Revenue Authority receipts to evade tax of GHC2,495,778 has been granted bail.

Adedina was granted GHC2 million cedis bail with three sureties to be justified by an Accra Circuit Court when he made his third appearance.

‘I have read through the motion for bail and affidavit in opposition filed by the state. I am inclined to admit the accused person to bail,’ the trial judge said.

The court presided over by Mrs Afua Owusua Appiah ordered Adedina to report fortnightly to the case investigator.

Additionally, the court ordered the accused person to deposit his passport at the court registry.

It directed the prosecution to file their disclosures and adjourned the matter to February 21, 2024.

At the court, Mr Adu Gyamfi, an Assistant State Attorney represented the state while Mr Nsiah Opoku and two other lawyers represented the accused person.

Adedina has been charged with unauthorised attempts to collect tax, forge
ry of official document documents, stealing, fraudulent breach of trust and making false or misleading statements contrary to Section 74 of the Revenue Administration Act 2016 (Act 915).

He has pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Evans Kesse told the court earlier that the complainant in the case is the Country Manager of BMG Infrastructure Company Limited located at Tarkwa in the Western Region.

The prosecutor said the company was a foreign-owned mining waste processing company established in Tarkwa and registered with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC).

It said Adedina approached the complainant and introduced himself as a professional accountant, who could prepare all their accounting bookings and represent their interest professionally.

Consequently, the company outsourced all matters relating to accounting including statutory payments and the preparation of various tax types with the GRA and Social Security and National Insurance Trust for its employe
es to Adedina.

The prosecution said since his appointment in 2021, Adedina prepared and collected funds from the company at the end of every month to pay for the various tax handles.

Following each payment, Adedina provided the complainant with legitimate GRA receipts as confirmation payment.

The prosecution stated that on May 31, 2023, the GRA performed a tax audit into the activities of BMG Infrastructure Limited and discovered a tax debt of GHC2,495,778.00 against the firm, raising suspicion.

The prosecutor stated that as a result, the company initiated investigations to determine the cause of the huge liability.

The investigations revealed that Adedina had over the period failed to pay all the monies he collected from BMG as taxes to GRA.

Based on that, the prosecution said a report was submitted to the GRA via GIPC with the relevant receipts for verification and it turned out that Adedina had falsified GRA’s official receipts.

According to the prosecutor, following the worrying development, an off
icial complaint was made on December 29, 2023, to the investigative wing of GRA and Adedina was arrested for investigations.

In his caution statement to the Police, the accused person admitted the crime and stated he downloaded the GRA payment receipts, modified them to include tax value and submitted the fake copies to the complainant as if actual taxes had been paid.

The prosecution said Adedina disclosed that he used part of the money to buy concessions for mining purposes, which went bad.

According to the prosecution, Adedina used a portion of the money to purchase a Toyota Hilux Pickup truck for GHC650,000 and a Lexus SUV for GHC55,000.

The prosecution told the court that Adedina used some of the revenue to build a four-bedroom home in Tarkwa Aboso.

‘Further investigation is underway to identify those assets,’ the prosecution added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Takeshi Akahori, Director-General for Global Issues of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, has led some officials for a field visit to the Kotoka International Airport Laboratory (KIA).

The visit forms part of activities to inspect completed and ongoing projects funded by the Japanese government in Ghana.

Ambassador Mr. Takashi Akahori, in an interview with Ghana News Agency, said the project was an evidence of the bilateral cooperation between Ghana, Japan, and multinational organisations, particularly the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

He said the cooperation between countries and multinational organisations was key to better preparedness against any global health pandemics, including COVID-19.

‘We have to keep working together; the whole international community is working towards better preparedness when a next pandemic hits. We cannot be complacent, and we cannot certainly say we are ready. We have to keep on trying to be effectively prepared,” he said.

Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboa
gye, Director General (DG), Ghana Health Service, said Kotoka International Airport’s (KIA) laboratory would strengthen Ghana’s pandemic response to emergencies and facilitate early detection and timely linkage to care.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the field visit by the government official from Japan at the KIA, the DG said the labs would strengthen Ghana’s port health infrastructure and support the management of public health emergencies.

‘The labs are also part of Ghana’s public health reference lab infrastructure and will go a long way in strengthening our pandemic preparedness and response. For now, these labs will support clinical services as well as public health investigations, including the screening of epidemic-prone conditions like cholera, foodborne illness, and meningitis,” he said.

The KIA laboratory strengthens the capacity of Ghana’s health system to support early detection and swift management of COVID-19 and other public health risks.

The KIA labo
ratory, which was funded by the Japanese government, is one of the four other labs that have been built at major entry points in Ghana, notably the Aflao, Elubo, and Paga borders.

All the mobile labs have been handed over to the Ghana Health Service.

Mr. Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov, Deputy Resident for the United Nations Development Programme, said in an interview with the media on the sidelines

of the event that the laboratory network had seen an expansion with the provision of four P3 labs and four labs situated at key points of entry.

He said the project activities had contributed to a more robust and resilient health system equipped to support the continuity of essential health services and enhanced the capacities of vulnerable communities to take up available essential health services.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) will hold a mass burial for all unknown and unclaimed bodies in its mortuary within the next two weeks.

A statement issued by management of the Hospital and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the activity would help decongest the Hospital’s mortuary, currently full beyond its capacity.

The bodies, it said had been in the morgue for varying periods ranging from one to three years.

The Hospital urged families that had bodies of their relatives in the mortuary to come for them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Health workers at the Keta Municipal Hospital in the Volta region have urged the public to engage in regular check-ups and screening of cervical cancer for early detection and prevention.

This, according to them, would help mitigate the risk of suffering from the disease and its mode of spreading.

Madam Liticia Kamasa, a nurse in charge at the Keta Hospital, in an interaction with the Ghana News Agency, to mark this year’s ‘Cervical Cancer Awareness Month,’ stated that the public must be screened at least once a year.

‘Almost all Cervical Cancer issues are caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which is a common virus that can be passed from one person to another, especially during sex,’ she said.

She added that there were types of HPV that caused changes on the cervix and could lead to cervical cancer over time, while others could also cause genital or skin warts.

Madam Kamasa explained that cervical cancer started when healthy cells in the cervix developed changes in the DNA, which contained instruction
s that caused the cells to multiply quickly.

‘This disease affects both males and females, and early detection and vaccination can help mitigate the danger it might cause.’

She also said all must avoid smoking, limit the number of sexual partners, use contraceptives for safe sex, have family health history education, have regular screening, and get vaccinated at an early age and others could reduce the risk of getting the disease.

Madam Kamasa appealed to the public to visit the hospital regularly for tests to be conducted on cervical cancer and other infections for early detection and prevention to save lives.

She also revealed that Keta Hospital handled such cases with the worst infections being referred to Bator Hospital ‘Disease Control Center’ for further treatment.

The theme for this year’s awareness creation programme was ‘Learn, Prevent, Screen.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, has donated office equipment to the Effutu Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Immigration Service at Winneba to boost its operations.

The items include desktop computers, printers, photocopier machines, landline phones, chairs, air conditioners and office cabinets.

The MP, also the Deputy Majority Leader, made the presentation at a ceremony on the Service’s premises at Winneba in the Central Region.

Ms Esther Yaa Aidoo, the Assistant Superintendent of Immigration, lobbied for the items.

The MP said one desktop computer, a printer, and a landline phone were for the Commander’s office, nine chairs and nine desktop computers, two air conditioners, a printer and a photocopier machine were for the office of the Senior Officers, while 14 chairs, one office cabinet, one landline telephone and an air conditioner were for the main office.

Mr Afenyo-Markin assured the officers that construction works on a new office building for the Service, on
going at Effutu Gyahaadze, would be handed over before this year’s Aboakyer Festival.

‘When we say we are on a transformational journey we mean business, we are looking at health, education and the security sectors,’ he stated.

On health, he said a Children’s Hospital being constructed at Effutu was on course and would soon be commissioned.

Another hospital is under construction at Ekorofu to serve Ateitu and Osubon-Payin and the surrounding communities.

The MP said the chiefs and opinion leaders at New Winneba had also released land for the construction of a hospital for the area.

‘Looking at our population growth, we do not want people to travel or walk long distances for health care services,’ he indicated.

He hinted that a tissue paper factory that would also supply raw materials to tissue companies in the country to save some foreign exchange, the first of its kind in West Africa, was under construction at New Winneba.

On education, he said Effutuman had educational infrastructure with libraries t
o help inculcate the habits of reading and research into the children.

‘We are also building an ultra-modern Information and Communication Technology facility at Effutu Osubon-Payin, our various schools are seeing a facelift with more infrastructure so that our children can also compete with others.’

Deputy Commissioner (DCO 1) of Immigration, Mr Eric Afari, the Central Regional Commander, who received the items, stated that it had been the desire of the Service to improve its operations in the Effutu Municipality.

The equipment would transform service delivery and enhance the Command’s visibly, he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency