Madagascar Newswire

Some passengers have appealed to transport operators to officially announce new fares to avert petty quarrels between them and drivers.

The GNA observed that some commercial drivers have increased fares by about 20 per cent since last Saturday, with drivers charging GH9 .00 instead of GH7.50 from Madina to Accra Central Business District.

Also, some passengers are paying GHC7.00 instead of GHC5.50 for a taxi trip from Old Ashongman to Madina.

This is causing misunderstanding between drivers and passengers, some leading to assaults.

Some passengers whom the GNA talked to, said they had not officially heard from the Ghana Private Road Transport Union on any new increment hence unwilling to pay new fares.

Comfort Okyere told the GNA that she was surprised at the increment, saying the Ghana Private Road Transport Union had earlier told the drivers to hold on with the collection of any new fares.

The GNA gathered that some drivers started collecting new fares on Saturday April 20, 2024.

The GNA also observe
d that some commercial drivers (trotro drivers) have printed and pasted new fares in their vehicles.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Gender Unit of the Minerals Commission has sensitised women in Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in the Eastern Region to take advantage of the opportunities within the small-scale mining sector.

The day’s workshop was on the theme: ‘Capacity Building of ASM Women for Future Wealth’.

The participants were taken through topics including Financial Management, Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability and procedures for the acquisition of licence and mining concessions.

Madam Monalyn Anokye-Bempah, Principal Officer at the Gender Unit, Minerals Commission, encouraged the women in Artisanal Small-Scale Mining, popularly known in the local parlance as ‘Korlikorli’ to form co-operatives to make it easier to secure mining concession and financial support from banks to assist their businesses.

Mr Patrick Pinamang, the District Officer at Akim Oda, Minerals Commission, took the women through the procedures for the acquisition of licences and concessions and encouraged them to observe the provisions in t
he Mineral and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).

On requirements for applying for a concession, Mr Pinamang said one was supposed to provide a Ghana Card, tax identification number and register the business as a sole proprietor or limited liability at the Registrar General’s Department.

The Government, through the Minerals Commission, had earmarked blocked-out areas for small-scale mining, and that an individual could be given up to 25 acres of mining concession after fulfilling the necessary legal and administrative requirements, Mr Pinamang stated.

Madam Grace Anim- Yeboah, Director of Banking at ABSA Bank, engaged the participants on record keeping and efficient financial management tips.

She urged them to be focused and resilient with their finances in order not to incur unnecessary losses in their businesses.

She believed that if women in ASM organised themselves into co-operatives, it would enhance their bargaining power to secure affordable loans from the Bank.

On her part, Madam Victoria Adobea Guerri
eri, the National Women’s Coordinator, Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, encouraged the women in mining to be bold and work collaboratively in order to access funding for their businesses.

She believed that if women were empowered financially, they would become huge asset for the nation and their families.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A delegation from the China Media Group (CMG) Africa accompanied by some officials of the Chinese Embassy in Ghana Tuesday called on the management of Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra to explore partnership and collaboration opportunities with the wire service.

The engagement focused on how the two Organisations can explore opportunities to upscale their news production and reach.

The CMG Africa delegation was led by Mr. Li Peichun, Deputy Director-General of CMG Africa.

The members were; Mr. Kwame Ren, Media Manager of Chinese Embassy, Madam Li Ye, Senior Editor and Corespondent at CMG Africa, and Mr. Shan Feng, a Photographer.

Mr Albert Kofi Owusu, the General Manger of Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the Agency was working towards the production of digital content to serve its radio and television subscribers locally as well as the international market.

‘…We have always felt the need to explore the leading digital market that has emerged. Last year, we did a pilot project and produced audio-visual conte
nts for our tv and radio subscribers and they liked it. So this year, we are going big in that area,’ he said.

Mr Owusu said the partnership would offer opportunity for trainings and capacity building for editorial staff in audio-visual and digital content creation and distribution.

He also talked of a possible collaboration in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive optimum content creation, productivity and speed.

‘We are open to these partnerships and hope to learn from each other in projecting our respective brands and reach. We are ready in this regard to better tell the Ghanaian and African story,’ he added.

Mr Li Peichun said the leadership of the CMG in China would sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the GNA at the Forum on China Africa Cooperation Summit this year in Beijing to give life to the partnership.

He said the partnership would be a ‘win-win’ engagement between the two Organisations, explaining that it would be generic so that the two parties could decide on areas of inter
est.

The China Media Group is a national broadcaster of China, comprising China Global Television Network, China Central Television, China National Radio and China Radio International.

The Group has eight oversea bureaus and operates in 20 countries, with the African outlet headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.

Source: Ghana News Agency

It was a cocktail of traditions at the Manyhia Palace, where the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, hosted various tribal chiefs and their people living in the Ashanti Region on Wednesday.

The gathering was one of the rare occasions at the seat of the Asante Kingdom, where traditions of the Asantes gave way to a mixture of cultural displays of other tribes.

Dubbed ‘Ahohoo Dubar’, the event was reserved for Chiefs of various tribes domiciled in the Ashanti Region to pay homage to the Occupant of the Golden Stool as part of activities marking the 25th anniversary of his enstoolment.

Kumasi being a cosmopolitan city is home to virtually all tribes in the country as well other neighbouring countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Nigeria, Benin and Ivory Coast.

Notable among the tribes that were present were Frafras, Kusases, Gonjas, Kasenas, Dagombas, Walas, Kwahus, Nzemas, Ewes, Fantis, Kantoses, Gas, Moshies and Gurmas.

Others from neighbouring countries including Igbos, Yurobas, as well as Songh
ai were also represented.

Dressed in their colourful traditional costumes, the various chiefs entered the premises of the Palace led by their subjects who displayed their unique traditional dance to announce their presence.

Their arrivals were the centre of attractions to many of the people present at the gathering most of whom were seeing such beautiful cultural diversity for the first time.

The Chiefs who took turns to pay homage to the Asantehene, applauded him for being a generous and accommodating host to them over the years.

They prayed for God to continue to bless the King with infinite wisdom and long life and pledged to live in harmony and contribute to the development of Asanteman.

Other dignitaries who attended the historic occasion were the President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi and the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng.

Source: Ghana News Agency

An Accra High Court ordered Daniel Asiedu, aka Sexy dondon, the man being held over the murder of the late legislature, J.B. Dankwah Adu, to appear before it and open his defence.

Additionally, the court ordered ailing Asiedu to produce evidence of his ailment by furnishing it with medical records signed by an accredited medical officer.

The court said it would ‘close the case’should the accused person fail to appear before the court and open his defence.

The court was informed by Ms Sophia Armstrong who held brief that the accused person was unwell and as such he could not make it to court.

‘My Lady, I am reliably informed that the accused person is sick,’ defence counsel said.

Ms Armstrong further prayed for abridgement of time so that a motion be heard in respect of a subpoena.

According to her, Asiedu would like to subpoena some persons before he opend his defence.

The prosecution led by Sefakor Batse, a Principal State Attorney (PSA) said one did not need a motion to subpoena a witness, adding the
proper way of subpoenaing a witness could be done administratively by seeing the Registrar of the court to make those arrangements.

The court presided over by Justice Mrs Lydia Osei Marfo held that to subpoena on behalf of a party was administrative work done by the Registrar of the court and that there was no need to file a motion for same.

According to the court the request made by defence counsel had come in a very ‘bad faith’, adding the decision to subpoena witnesses before opening one’s defence could have been done timeously.

‘Interestingly, the so-called motion was filed today, April 22, 2024 at exactly 10:10 am. Justice could not have been done this way. This case has already been before me for the past four years.

‘This court would not be part of any conspiracy theory to delay the trial any further. If the lawyers knew that they did not want him to testify, they should have said so. They cannot come at 11th hour to spring this surprise on the court,’ the court said.

The court, therefore, ordered
the accused person to appear before it tomorrow.

Aseidu is being held on the charges of robbery and murder of the Legislator in 2016 at his residence at Shiashie Accra.

He pleaded not guilty before a seven-member jury and the court has remanded him into lawful custody.

An accomplice, Vincent Bossu, has been acquitted after a submission of no case was filed on his behalf.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr George Yaw Ankama, the Bono Regional director of the Department of children has entreated parents to sacrifice for the wellbeing of their children to enable them to become responsible adults in future.

He stated that the well-being of children who were the country’s future have been neglected by the state and that it was time for parents to take it upon themselves to ensure a brighter future for them.

He was Speaking at a child protection durbar jointly organised by the compassion International Ghana and Bishop Brown AME Zion Child and Youth Development Center at Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality.

It was under the theme ‘Safe childhood, bright future to empower the community’

Mr Ankamah therefore called on mothers to take it upon themselves to train the children in the love of God and give them the best education to make them useful to family, society, and the nation in general.

He urged parents to always study and know the true character of their children so that they may know the kind of train
ing necessary for the child to fulfil their God given abilities on earth to benefit others in the society.

The Bono Regional director observed that no child was hopeless in life since they were perfect gift from God to mankind and therefore called on parents who insult their children to put a stop to that to prevent them from becoming timid which could affect children psychologically.

He advised parents to control their children on the use of mobile phones and watching cartoons adding that most of the children addicted to cartoons have now become violent in their communities because they try to exhibit the behavior of their favourite characters.

Mr Ankaamah advised the children to stop going to the game centers but cultivate the habit of reading so that they could excel academically.

He urged parents not to make demands from their children, particularly the girls, knowing very well that they were not working but to be concerned about the source of their wealth to protect them from future challenges.

Rev.
Alfred Kumi Fobil, the pastor incharge of the centre said the development centre was focused on protecting children in the Municipality as most of the children in the country were subjected to all forms of abuses and violence.

He stated that such abuses manifest in neglect, child labor, corporal punishment, sexual abuse which put the children at risk in life.

Rev. Fobil mentioned that the centre had been supporting children in several ways by organising special classes for them, providing them with uniforms, learning material, school fees and other personal needs.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Shippers Authority has intensified its collaborative work towards achieving a ‘zero demurrage’ payment by government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) at the ports.

The Authority, on Tuesday, April 22, held an inter-governmental forum with various stakeholders in the ports system to embolden, particularly, MDAs involved in port activities to ensure the elimination of demurrage payment.

This development comes on the back of recent lock up of some 182 containers of medical shipments from the Global Fund for Ghana at the Tema ports, of which 14 have since been cleared.

Demurrage is a charge imposed by shipping lines for delay in clearing a cargo, ranging between US$22 to US$48 per a 20-foot container each day, and US$44 to US$96 per a 40-foot container, after a mandatory seven-day period.

In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Kwesi Baffour Sarpong, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Shippers Authority, charged officers in various MDAs to urgently take actions to stop incurring penalties for del
ays in clearing of goods.

He noted that though there had been a reduction in demurrage payment between 2017 and 2022, it was observed that MDAs paid most of thoses penalties, despite not often being the cause of the delays.

‘The goal of the Authority is thus to champion a demurrage free port in the interest of shippers and the national economy in the shortest possible time,’ said Mr Sarpong.

He stated that a study conducted by the Research Department of the Authority showed a reduction in demurrage by importers in Ghana from US$76 million to US$24 million.

He attributed the downward trend to government interventions like the paperless port project, and pre-arrival declaration in the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS.

Mr Sarpong also included improvement in some infrastructure at the ports, as well as demurrage sensitisation campaigns championed by the Authority since 2018 as part of the measures that had led to the demurrage reduction.

‘The Authority reiterates its appeal to Chief Directors, C
EOs, Managing Directors and other relevant officers of MDAs/State-Owned Enterprises, to take urgent action to ensure that their consignments are expeditiously cleared from the ports to mitigate the use of State resources for such avoidable costs,’ he said.

He said the Authority would soon sign a service level agreement with shipping service providers to engender accountability in line with the implementation of sector regulations.

Mrs Monica Josiah, Head, Shippers Services and Trade Facilitation Department, Ghana Shippers Authority, during a presentation, called for a holistic approach, involving MDAs, shippers, haulers, and policymakers, to tackle the challenges.

‘Government cargoes are often cited for staying at the port over 100-days, and there are huge financial cost involved,’ she said, and encouraged officers in various MDAs to double up efforts in reducing demurrage payments.

Mr Paul Kobina Mensah, Logistics and Transportation Sector Head, Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, GNCCI, in
an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said it was important for sensitisation to be done periodically among shippers in MDAs.

‘Before they import, they have to find all the regulatory measures and documentation around the transaction they want to enter into, and engage a qualified freight forwarder to work on all the processes before the goods arrive.

‘If that’s done, by the time the goods arrive, every document that are needed will be in place, then you can get the goods out of the port as early as possible,’ Mr Mensah said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Governments in Africa have been urged to combat women abuses and bullying in the cyber space proactively, as they advance in digital technology.

That, they can achieve if the Heads of States in the continent understand the dynamics and intricacies, accept the magnitude of cybercrime and thereby review and make existing laws punitive enough.

Participants, attending the 11th Digital Rights and Inclusive Forum 2024 (DRIF24), gave the advice during group sessions, and insisted on the need for governments on the continent to prioritise and help combat online violence against women.

Hundreds of delegates, civil society actors and organisations as well as NGOs and academia, drawn from 61 countries across the world are attending the three-day forum on the theme’ fostering rights and inclusion in the digital age’.

Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a Pan African organisation and its partners in Ghana, including E-Governance and Internet Governance Foundation for Africa (EGIGFA), University of Media, Arts and Communication
are organising the forum.

The other partners are the Media Foundation for West Africa, Inclusive Tech Group, Internet Society (ISOC) Ghana Chapter, and Human Security Research Centre (HSRC).

Wikimedia, African Digital Rights Network, Ford Foundation, Luminate, Google, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mott Foundation, Open Technology Fund (OTF), Internews and Small Media are the event sponsors.

Ndeye Fatuo Diouf, Digital Content Manager, Senegal-based Afric Tivistes, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) regretted that though cybercrimes, especially women abuse, and bullying remained serious offences, some governments in Africa had not shown any political will to arrest the situation.

Women victims of digital abuses and bullying go through serious emotional and psychological trauma and that remain inimical to their growth and development, she said.

According to Ebere Ifendu, the President and Founder, Nigerian-based Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), urged young women in politics to also remain active on social medi
a.

That would enable them to identify and help enact realistic laws and policy frameworks that would guide or govern the use and thereby bring sanity to the internet space.

Ifendu noted that general effects of online violence on remained enormous and urged governments in Africa to prioritise sanctions and help bring the situation under the barest minimum.

However, Rokhaya Tine, Responsible for Communications, Patef Senegal, another CSO said women could do more for themselves in fighting the crime if platforms were provided for them to share their stories and learn lessons.

Source: Ghana News Agency