Category: General

Agwe Joel was a member of Separatist group fighting to restore the independence of the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.

But he resigned from the revolution to join the DDR centre in the North West region.

Joel who is now jailed with wounded leg, revealed that they did ‘dirty jobs’ for the military to trap civilians whom they suspected were supporting the struggle for independence.

They also targeted Separatists in the bushes who refused to stop their weapons.

In a video circulating on social media, Agwe Joel appeared dressed ins blue top, looking frail and worn out. He expressed regrets why he joined the centre, adding that it has brought him pains.

Agwe Joel revealed he was shot by government and locked up in jail,but he did not reveal what happened .

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Participants at a day’s stakeholders’ workshop on phase two of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ 2.0) programme, have called on the government to suspend its implementation for this year to prevent poor results.

They said the government should use the year for thorough preparation towards smooth implementation of the programme next year instead.

The workshop, held in Tamale, was organised by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) with support from OXFAM and had participants including selected members of PFAG and Heads of District Department of Agriculture drawn from

Tamale, Saboba, Yendi, Gushegu, and Chereponi in the Northern and North East Regions.

It was part of PFAG’s efforts to update members and stakeholders on the commencement of the PFJ 2.0, reveal the identified bottlenecks and seek redress for them.

It was also to relook at the implementation design of the PFJ 2.0 and propose reforms that would respond to the needs of farmers.

During the workshop, it was revealed that there were cha
llenges confronting the ongoing registration of farmers for the PFJ 2.0 as most of the Agricultural Extension Agents did not receive the tablets to facilitate the exercise coupled with network challenges making it difficult to take coordinates of farms on time.

It was also revealed that so far, less than 10 per cent of farmers in the various districts had been registered, and input providers were also yet to import their products despite the farming season being just about to start.

The participants also suggested that politicians should minimise their influence in the implementation of the PFJ 2.0 and allow technical staff of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and Department of Agriculture at the decentralised levels to handle the programme.

They argued that in this way, no new Minister or government would be in a rush to review the programme because the frequent reviews of the programme and other agricultural policies were affecting smooth implementation.

The PFJ 2.0 was launched in August last
year to allow farmers to take farm inputs from sellers on credit and pay after harvest.

Madam Hawa Musah, the Director, Northern Regional Department of Agriculture, urged the District Departmental Heads to visit farmers, especially the chiefs to explain the PFJ 2.0 and the processes of getting registered onto the programme to them to enable them to join the programme.

She further expressed the need for them to be quick in resolving the registration challenges to ensure that more farmers were registered on time.

Mr Bismark Owusu Nortey, the Acting Executive Director, PFAG said the discussions at the workshop showed that there was a consensus that the PFJ 2.0 should rather be piloted this year instead of full implementation.

He said PFAG would hold similar workshops in other parts of the country and added that input collated would be put into a policy brief document to engage MoFA.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Leadership of the Akatsi Presbytery of the Global Evangelical Church (GEC) has announced that all is set for this year’s Presbytery Representative Conference on Thursday.

On the theme: ‘Be Holy in All You Do,’ the three-day event, to be held at the Shalom Chapel of the Church at Akatsi in the Volta Region, will be climaxed on Saturday, April 27.

It would register more than 120 delegates, the Reverend Forestone F. Tsagli, the Akatsi Presbytery Chairman, disclosed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Thursday.

He expressed optimism about the success of the conference, which would also see the election of a chairman and treasurer of the Akatsi Presbytery as required by the constitution.

Reverend Tsagli said dignitaries, including Rt Reverend Prosper Samuel Dzormeku, the Moderator of the Church, Reverend Seth Agbeyome, Akatsi Presbytery Clerk, among others would grace the event.

The conference will also highlight some Presbytery activities including achievements, challenges, work-in-progress, financial issues,
human resource development, strategic plan, and spiritual growth.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A petrol trader, Fosso Martin, was confirmed dead, following an armed bandit attack at his resident in Kang Barombi, in Kumba 3 Subdivision.

He was shot dead at closed range on April 25, 2024, CNA learned.

The motive for his killing hasn’t been ascertained.

An eye witness account holds that Fosso Martin pleaded and offered to pay the assailants to spare his life, but they refused, raising a suspicion of targeted killing.

He was one-time, quarter head of Ntoko Street, Fiango Kumba.

Investigation was launched to track down the assailants.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Dr Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Foods and Agriculture (MOFA), says the Golden Exotics Limited (GEL), has carved a remarkable niche in the agricultural landscape.

He said from its humble beginnings two decades ago, the company had burgeoned into a powerhouse, employing 4,000 permanent workers.

Dr Acheampong said this during the climax of the 20th anniversary celebration of the Golden Exotics Limited, Ghana’s largest banana exporter in Asutsuare.

‘With over 2000 hectares of banana plantation, annual exports amounting to 100,000 tons of bananas, and a distinguished position as one of the largest suppliers of Fairtrade Bananas to Europe,’ the Minister added.

He said within some months, a 1,750-hectare land was acquired from the MOFA through the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority on the extension of the Kpong Irrigation Project.

Dr Acheampong said the land was the long-abandoned sugarcane fields of the erstwhile Ghana Sugar Estates which could not be developed for rice cultivation because water had to b
e pumped at high cost from the lower canals to the area which was higher.

He said the Company generated over 60 million Euros annually in foreign exchange and contributed more than 20 million Euros to the local economy through salaries, purchases, electricity, and rent, the company exemplifies the transformative potential of agricultural investments.

‘Indeed, if Ghana had 20 similar projects, the ramifications for employment and economic growth would be profound,’ he added.

The Minister said with 80 per cent of products exported to Europe and the remaining 20 per cent to countries including Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Benin, Golden Exotics was poised to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the roll-out of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

‘Furthermore, I acknowledge Golden Exotics’ significant contribution to road maintenance, spending close to GH?2 million annually on maintaining and repairing roads to and around the plantation,’ he said.

Nana Ama Asiama-Adjei, the De
puty Minister of Trade and Industry, in a speech read on her behalf by Mr Benjamin Asiam, Head, Export Trade Development of the Ministry, said currently, banana was the most exported horticultural crop in terms of volume and value in Ghana.

She said as a non-traditional export crop and an emerging industry, Ghana’s banana export had significantly increased in the last 15 years, from 32, 240 tons in 2007 to 108, 379 tons in 2021, largely due to the success of GEL.

Nana Asiama-Adjei said since 2005, the Company had dominated Ghana’s horticultural exports, accounting for 82 per cent share of sea shipment and about 70 per cent by both air and sea.

Presently, the Company has over 2,000 hectares of banana plantation consisting of 12,000 conventional banana farms at Kasunya, 600 hectares of organic banana plantation also at Kasunya, and one of the single largest organic banana in one location in the world.

‘A new banana plantation in the Volta Region was started at Torgorme in Kpong, for which 200 hectares have
now been planted,’ she added.

The Deputy Trade Minister said the government was committed to making Ghana a leading West Africa export hub.

Mr Benedict Rich, Managing Director, GEL, said farming was the best way in which a country could transform people’s lives, and that farming done well could improve the economy and even the environment.

‘But it is rare in Ghana for a farm to have such a transformative effect, and that is because of their philosophy, which we will talk more about later,’ he added.

The Managing Director said in 2006, they had 150 hectares and exported 7000 tonnes, adding that a year later, they expanded to 400 hectares and exported nearly 20,000 tonnes.

He said in the last 20 years, they had renovated all their Corporate Social Responsibility projects in the surrounding areas.

Mr Rich said for the two decades, the banana plantation had been a beacon of hope and opportunity for the communities they served.

The Managing Director said low productivity was still a major challenge, with po
or roads and inadequate infrastructure presenting formidable obstacles to their operations, threatening to hinder their ability to deliver on their commitments.

He said GEL had adopted the use of drones, working with the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority for precision agriculture, where leveraging on drone technology made it possible to monitor crops more efficiently.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Site Manager for the reconstruction of the 66-kilometre Agona-Nkwanta to Tarkwa road in the Western Region, Mr Peter Quarshie, said the project is 80 per cent done and expected to be fully completed by the end of August.

Mr Quarshie, was briefing Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minster for Roads and Highways, on the state of the road as of April when he toured major ongoing road project sites in the Western Region.

He was accompanied by Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, officials from the Ghana Highway Authority and Department of Urban Roads, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, among others.

The project, which started in 2021 at an estimated cost of 95 million Euros, is being undertaken by M/S Gabriel Couto-Rango Consortium, with funding from the Deutche Bank AG, Frankfurt, Germany.

Mr Quarshie explained that the scope of the reconstruction of the stretch included concrete works which entailed building drains, and pipe and box culverts.

Others were th
e application of bituminous prime coat, bituminous tack coat, asphaltic concrete binder course and asphaltic concrete wearing course.

The rest were the provision of walkways, medians, streetlights, traffic signs and markings including road line markings, information, warning and mandatory signs, and kilometre posts.

He assured the Roads and Highways Minister that the contractor would work assiduously to meet the project deadline of August 30.

Mr Asenso-Boakye expressed satisfaction at the progress on site and commended the contractor for the quality of work done so far.

He said the project, upon its completion, would facilitate socio-economic activities to enhance the living standards of the people along that corridor.

Mr Asenso-Boakye said the government would do everything in its capacity to provide good road infrastructure in other areas of the country for sustainable growth.

He went round other areas to assess progress of ongoing projects like the Sekondi to Takoradi road dualisation, and sectional
repair works on Nkroful Junction-Ketan to Kojokrom Junction- Kojokrom Market Road on the main Takoradi to Cape Coast highway, which were at various stages of completion.

The rest were the proposed road construction at Mpohor, dualisation of Takoradi to Agona-Nkwanta, and Shama Junction-Shama roads.

Source: Ghana News Agency