Day: April 2, 2024

he Millennium Excellence Foundation (MEF) has bestowed a prestigious award on the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mrs Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, in recognition of her historic achievement as the first female Mayor of the City of Accra. 

The award ceremony was instituted in collaboration with the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) with support from the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

It was on the theme: ‘Recognising, transparency, accountability and evidence-based decision of the National District Level.’

The ceremony was held at the Accra City Hall to showcase the Foundation’s commitment to celebrating outstanding leadership and excellence in governance.

Mrs Sackey assumed office in January 2021 and has been instrumental in implementing transformative policies and initiatives aimed at improving the lives of residents in the capital city of Accra.

Her visionary leadership, dedication to public service, and innovative approach to governance have garnered widespread acclamations both
locally and internationally.

A citation presented by the Executive Board, MEF, highlighted the mayor’s achievement as the ‘first female Metropolitan Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly after 123 years.’ 

Mrs Sackey expressed gratitude to the MEF for the honour and emphasized the importance of collective action in achieving sustainable development goals and reaffirmed her commitment to serving the people of Accra with integrity and passion.

Professor George Gyan-Baffuor, the Chairman of the NDPC, pointed out that the award ceremony was important and remained critical to encouraging stakeholders to pushing for efficient resource allocation for development, especially in the area of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). 

He reiterated the mandate of the Commission to monitor and evaluate development outcomes at the national and sub-levels as a requirement to annually assess districts for Ghana’s development. 

Prof Gyan-Baffuor said the District League Table (DLT), since its inception, had ser
ved as one of the important assessment tools in promoting transparency, accountability and evidence-based decision-making at the sub-national level. 

‘Permit me to state that the District League Table is not a ranking of the performance of the district assemblies concerning the level of service delivery to the citizenry… It is not a verdict on the performance of the MMDCEs,’ he said.

‘Rather, it tracks development at the sub-national level to identify those districts that are handicapped in terms of the wellbeing of their populations and allows effective decision-making and resource allocation.’   

The 2022 DLT indicated that there had been an overall improvement in the delivery of basic services such as sanitation, water and electricity in some districts across the country.

The event, which saw award presentation to metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies for their contribution to the WASH sector, was attended by government officials and civil society representatives among other dignitaries. 

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Krofrom market, a multi-million dollar commercial edifice in one of the prominent suburbs of Kumasi, is now a den of rodents and criminals.

The site has grown into a forest, where young boys set traps for rats.

It has also become a den for all sorts of criminal activities during the day and night.

The project, which was started in 2007 by former President Kuffuor, was to be completed in six months but was abandoned in 2008, mainly due to lack of funds.

The market was supposed to accommodate over 500 stores and shelves and to enhance business activities in the metropolis.

The completion of the Krofrom Market Project was crucial, especially when the people in the metropolis saw it as an important project to reduce congestion in the central business district, when the redevelopment of the Kejetia and the Kumasi central market projects were started.

This did not happen and the market continue to rot, while people and vehicles are unable to move freely in the central business districts of Kumasi due to t
he presence of hawkers and traders on the streets.

Several appeals and agitations by traders and residents for the completion of the abandoned market have failed to yield any positive results.

When Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the site of the project on April 1, 2024, to access the current situation of the market, reporters met a group of young men trapping rats, a situation which looks worrisome.

The deterioration and bushy situation of the market is not only an eyesore, but a danger to residents and those who hawk around the market, and needs urgent attention from the government.

Some traders and residents near the abandoned project expressed frustration over the prolonged period of abandonment, which was impacting negatively on commercial activities in the area.

Madam Charity Ayamba, who weaves Kente in one of the floors, said though it had provided a place for her Kente weaving business, the continued abandonment of the project by the government was a worrying situation to everybody in the communi
ty.

Mr Kofi Douglas, a resident, also explained that passing around the market was a nightmare since one could easily lose his or her properties to criminals who had taken over the project.

According to him, the market had also become a refuse dump and toilet facility for some people in the area.

Weed smokers and junkies have also taken over the abandoned market as shelter for their nefarious activities.

Mr Isaac Owusu, assemblyman for the Krofrom electoral area, told GNA that the situation of the abandoned market had become problematic after many calls to authorities to complete it had failed.

He said, economic activities in the area had stagnated, while some youth of the area were engaging in criminal activities in the building.

Mr Owusu said recently, he erected some street lights to illuminate the area in the night as part of efforts to ward-off criminals.

He said he planned to get the area weeded in the coming days.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Education Service (GES) says Form Three students enrolled in the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme are exempt from paying registration fees for West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

It said the GHS465 registration fee had been absorbed by the Government in the Free SHS programme.

Dr Eric Nkansah, Director General of GES, said this during a press conference in Accra on the WASSCE registration process for SHS Final Year students.

He urged parents not to pay any money in the name of WASSCE registration for their wards participating in the programme.

Form Three SHS students will begin registration after they return from break on April 17, 2024.

Dr Nkansah commended the three pre-tertiary Teacher Unions – Ghana National Association of Teachers, National Association of Graduate Teachers, and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana –  for calling off their two-week old strike.

He said that the Service would continue to engage them in their demands to ensu
re they get well-deserved working conditions and incentives and benefits to enhance their work.

However, the teacher unions decided to call off their strike after the National Labour Commission (NLC) got an interim injunction to prevent their industrial action.

They would continue to engage the government on their demands while they return to the classroom to teach.

The West African Examinations Council opened its registration portals for the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), West African Senior Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE), and Genera/ Advanced Business Certificate Examination candidates.

The WASSCE examinations will begin on Monday, August 5, 2024, and end on September 27, 2024.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Africa Tourism Research Network (ATRN) has appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to reconsider the ‘inimical action’ of a 400 per cent increment in passport fees.

In a release issued to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday in Accra, it said increasing passport application fees (32 paged) from GHc 100 to GHc 500 (an increase of 400 per cent) was ‘just too much to say the least’.

It said it was impossible for ordinary citizens to pay ‘this astronomical fee increases’.

The Network said the increment could have been gradual over a period.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice says all persons involved in the marriage between the young teenage girl and the Gborbu Wulomo must face prosecutions if the allegations against them are proven.

He, therefore, petitioned Dr George Akuffo Dampare, Inspector General of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Police Faustina A.K. Andoh-Kwofie, Director-General, Criminal Investigations Department, to conduct the necessary investigation of the alleged child marriage to enable his Office to do the needful.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Office, on Tuesday, April 2.

A marriage ceremony between Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, the 63-year-old Gborbu Wulomo, and a young teenage girl, has received widespread disapproval and backlash after videos and pictures of the ceremony went viral.

Some accounts put the girl’s age at 12, while others say she is 16.

Some human rights bodies and individuals have also called for the arrest and prosecution of the Wulomo and his alle
ged accomplices.

The traditional ceremony occurred on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at Nungua, in Accra.

Meanwhile, the Traditional Authorities in Nungua have, at a press briefing Tuesday, defended the act, explaining that the Gborbu Wulomo temple required a virgin girl to undertake some sacred rites, hence the choice of the minor, who was chosen at birth and groomed for six years for the role.

However, the Police have placed the girl and her mother under protection and are working with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection and the Department of Social Welfare to provide her with the necessary support, while the matter is investigated.

The Attorney-General’s statement quoted sections 14 and 15 of the Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560) which read:

’14. Right to refuse betrothal and marriage (1) A person shall not force a child; (a) to be betrothed, (b) to be the subject of a dowry transaction, or (c) to be married.

‘(2) The minimum age of marriage of whatever kind is eighteen years.

15. Penalty
for contravention. A person who contravenes a provision of sections 2 to 14 commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty penalty units or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding one year or to both the fine and the imprisonment.’

The statement urged the Police not to hesitate to contact the AG’s office should they require further information.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Human Rights Reporters Ghana, a social advocacy Non-governmental organisation has stated that child marriage is a violation of human rights, and no tradition can justify such exploitation and harm inflicted upon a young girl.

‘Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) is outraged by the recent incident involving Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, a 63-year-old traditional priest, marrying a 12-year-old girl in Ghana’.

A statement signed by Mr Joseph Kobla Wemakor, Executive Director of HRRG and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said ‘This deplorable act, conducted under the guise of tradition, is a flagrant violation of human rights and must be met with swift and decisive action.

‘In the face of criticism and calls for dissolution of the marriage, community leaders have attempted to defend this abhorrent union by citing customs and traditions’.

The statement said the legal minimum age for marriage in Ghana was 18, and while the prevalence of child marriage had decreased, it continued to persist in so
me communities.

‘According to Girls Not Brides, 19% of girls in Ghana are married before the age of 18, with 5% married before their 15th birthday.

‘HRRG is appalled by the reports of the ceremonial event, where the young girl was advised on wifely duties and encouraged to enhance her sexual appeal to her husband. Such statements not only perpetuate harmful gender norms but also normalize and condone the exploitation of a child under the guise of tradition’.

The statement said as a leading non-profit organization dedicated to promoting human rights and social justice in Ghana, HRRG called on Ghanaian authorities to Annul the marriage between Numb Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII and the 12-year-old girl, Conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the marriage and hold those responsible for the violation of the girl’s rights accountable

It said the defense of this marriage as a mere tradition is unacceptable.

‘ Ghanaian law recognizes customary marriages but does not condone child marr
iages under the pretext of culture or tradition. It is incumbent upon the authorities to uphold the rights and dignity of all individuals, particularly vulnerable children who are at risk of exploitation and harm’.

Source: Ghana News Agency