Seth J. Bokpe's Ghana Newsreel

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Barclays Africa, Mr Vinit Chandra, says the bank is to commit US$50 million to micro-financing in Africa. He stated that financial inclusion remained very important to the bank as a corporate entity. Therefore, it would do everything possible to provide the needed support to small scale business to help them climb the financial ladder. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Barclays Africa made this known when he paid a working visit to Boi, near Abokobi in the Ga East Municipality, to observe the activities of the Boi Women’s Group, one of the community projects the bank is sponsoring. Mr Chandra, who was accompanied by the Managing Director (MD) of Barclays Bank in Charge of East/West Africa, Mr Adan Mohammed, the MD of Barclays Ghana, Mr Benjamin Debrah, and other top officials of the Barclays Bank Ghana, said Barclays was committed to improving the lot of small scale enterprises across the continent, hence its sustained interest to continue

Work on the Ada Sea Defence Project aimed at protecting the inhabitants of Ada and Atorkor in the Greater Accra and Volta regions against the destructive tidal waves has begun. The 67 million-Euro project, which is being undertaken by Dredging International, is expected to be completed in two years. The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin, announced this at the 73rd grand durbar of the chiefs and people of Ada as part of activities marking the Asafotufiami Festival. The Asafotufiami festival, which means “firing of  musketry”, is celebrated annually in the first week of August to commemorate the struggles and victories of the people of Ada in wars they fought against invaders who tried to take over the Ada lands, the Songhor Lagoon and its fertile salt fields. The festival started as a remembrance for those who lost their lives in the battles and also as a communal gathering to galvanise the spirit of the people to re-build their towns and villa

Three people sustained serious injuries when a Man-Diesel articulated truck carrying a cargo had a brake failure and drove into an office at Adabraka in central Accra at 5:30 p.m last Thursday. The vehicle also caused an extensive damage to a Nissan Astra taxi with registration number GW 3704 T. An eyewitness, Mr John Amoah, said the  driver of the truck with registration number GR 4806 M, lost control of the vehicle from the Holy Spirit Cathedral traffic light end of  the road while the driver's mate attempted to stop it with a wooden object. "But the vehicle veered off the road and rammed into the walls of the building," he stated. Mr Edward Acheampong, an owner of one of the offices that escaped the catastrophe, told the Daily Graphic that he was in his office when he heard shouts from onlookers. He said "when we rushed out, we saw the vehicle coming at top speed with the mate struggling unsuccessfully to stop it.  A few seconds later, the vehicle hit our

MICHAEL Otu Osabutey trudges through the sandy beach at Azizanya, a coastal village near Ada Foah in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region, and points to a crumbled and dilapidated concrete walls of a house. “That used to be my family house, the sea was becoming destructive, so we had no choice but to move to Big Ada” he said,  as he sat  on  the edge of a caved-in grave of one Captain Cooper whose mortal remains according to the grave inscription was buried there some 60 years ago.  “Those lines of uprooted coconut trees used to border our playground and vegetable gardens,'' he added solemnly against the loud crash of the  ocean waves pounding the seashore. Laying in the ruins of this small coastal town once described as a vibrant fishing post were several houses reduced now to a tale of broken walls and shattered dreams. Some of the houses standing some 200 metres from the coast were also not spared as they showed decaying, algae-infested concrete surf

The Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) maintained its dominance of the annual awards of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) when the 2009 winners were released yesterday. The Daily Graphic picked six out of the 33 awards meant to honour the country’s outstanding journalists. Awardees from the GCGL stable are Doreen Allotey, Lucy Adoma-Yeboah, Maurice Quansah and Gabriel Ahiabor and a freelancer, Mrs Vicky Wireko, who writes for the Daily Graphic, who will pick individual awards while the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) picks an institutional award. Last year, the GCGL grabbed 9 awards including the prestigious Journalist of the Year, which was won by Mr Kofi Akordor. Other awardees include  GBC’s Isabella Owusu-Oppong,  Edward Nyarko, Issah Shaibu and Kingsley Obeng Kyere. Others are Francis Tuffour and Kingsley Hope of the Ghanaian Times; Samuel Dowuona, Samuel Akapule and Dzifa Azumah of the GNA; and from Metro TV come Peter Dela Tengey and  Samuel

Ghana will not recognise Kosovo as an independent state until the United Nations resolves the problem with Serbia. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni explained that as a member of the UN, Ghana respected the due process being followed by the UN and therefore does not recognise the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo. Alhaji Mumuni made the remark when the Special Envoy of Serbian President, Ambassador Danilo Vucetic, paid a courtesy call on the Minister to solicit Ghana’s support at the UN on the matter. Ghana-Serbia (former Yugoslavia)  diplomatic relations dates back to 1 960. The province of Kosovo declared independence from  the country in 2008 amidst a divided global support. The United States and most European Union members supported the move, despite failing to win UN Security Council approval blocked by Russia in 2007. Kosovo was the sixth state carved from the former Serbian-dominated Yugoslav federation sin

SHAREHOLDERS of Enterprise Insurance Company have passed resolutions allowing for the restructuring of the company at an extraordinary general meeting held in Accra. Under the agreed proposals, the  EIC, the oldest insurance firm in Ghana, will become a subsidiary of a newly created holding company, to be named Enterprise Group Limited (EGL). EIC's subsidiaries, Enterprise Life Assurance Company Ltd (ELAC) and Consortium House Ltd (CHL) will also become independent subsidiaries of the group. Shares held in EIC will be transferred to shares in EGL upon the launch of the new company.  One share in EIC will become five shares of EGL, which will have a fifth of the value. The proposed re-organisation of the company is to be effcted by a scheme of arrangement with court approval under section 231 of the Companies Code 1963 (Act 179). The reasons given for the change in structure were that it would enable the group to position itself more effectively for emerging market opportuni

A LEADING member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described as an important milestone in the evolution of Ghana’s democracy the method used by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to elect its 2012 flag bearer.  In an interview with the Daily Graphic , Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah noted that the decision by the NPP to elect its party leader through constituency-based voting in 228 out of the 230 constituencies was commendable. “That the NPP has gone beyond that decision to successfully organise these elections and announce a winner within a few hours of the ending of the voting is worthy of appreciation by all other political parties in Ghana and, indeed, in many developing countries,” he said. According to Dr Spio-Garbrah, who is also a Vice-Chairman of the NDC, it was now up to the other political parties — the PNC, CPP, NDC, GCPP, etc, — to determine, based on their own constitutions and political philosophies and traditions, how best to respond to that initiative by the NPP.

THE Sovereign Order of St John (OSJ) of Jerusalem Knights of Malta, a humanitarian organisation, has put smiles on the faces of inmates of Providence Home, an orphanage at Aflao in the Ketu South District of the Volta Region, when it donated items towards their upkeep. The items included cartons of tomato paste, boxes of pasta, biscuits, clothing, detergents, schoolbags and toys. Providence Home was founded by Milky Way Onlus, a non-profit making organisation and currently shelters 40 children. Milky Way is also currently sponsoring more than 150 children selected from Accra, Kumasi and Tamale, some of whom are in tertiary institutions and senior high educational schools. Presenting the items, the Ambassador of the Knights of Malta in Ghana, Kt Grand-Cross Lorenzo Dore, said he was touched by the plight of the children, hence the decision to personally interact with them and also contribute to their upkeep. He said the donation was in response to a request made by Milky Way O

`CHIEFS in Ga communities  have been advised to unite and stop the sale of Ga lands in order not to deprive generations yet to be born  their right to existence. “What we need now is unity with purpose to ensure that our people benefit from our God-given resources and not strife and acrimony.” The District Chief Executive of the Ga West Municipal Assembly, Mr Ebenezer Nii Armah Tackie, gave the advice when he addressed a grand durbar of the chiefs and people of Sarpeiman near Amasaman to climax the Homowo festival celebration in the area. Homowo which means “hooting at hunger” recounts the migration of the Gas and expresses their agricultural successes in their new settlement. According to Ga oral tradition, a severe famine broke out among the people during their migration to present day Accra. They were motivated by the famine to embark on massive food production exercises, which eventually yielded a bumper harvest. Mr Tackie cautioned the people against excessive sand winning

THE importation of cheap Chinese aluminium products into Ghana is killing the aluminium manufacturing industry in the country, the Board Chairman of Aluworks Limited, Mr William E. Inkumsah, has stated. He said the situation had led to companies in the industry adopting drastic cost-cutting measures, including laying off some of their staff in order to stay in business. Mr Inkumsah was speaking at the 23rd annual general meeting of the company. “We are not against China or Chinese goods per se. Competition is good, when it is fair, it helps to improve quality and standards,” he stated. He observed that while it was sad talking about the damage the Chinese products had done to the sector in Ghana, it was regrettable that Ghanaians were involved in “these acts against the nation and denying our hardworking workers their daily bread”. “The phenomenon we are facing is grossly unfair. The Chinese prices are far too low. By all standards that is blatant dumping. And by the World Tr

THE Office of the President has donated a bag of maize, crates of assorted drinks, gallons of palm oil and cash totalling GH¢ 5,000 to the Lante Dzan We, one of the Royal Houses in Ga-Mashie, towards the celebration of the Howomo festival. The Lante Dzan We family usually begins the festival ahead of the grand Homowo festival either late July or early August every year as demanded by the Ga tradition.  According to the Ga custom, the Lante Dzan We is the custodian of the Homowo calendar. Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, A Special Aide to the President who presented the items on behalf of  President John Evans Atta Mills, said the President recognised the importance of the Lante Dzan We celebrating the festival ahead of the other areas, hence the donation. He said the Homowo was a period to celebrate life, adding that similar donations would be made to the other  royal houses in Ga-Mashie. Agbafoiaste Lankai who received the items on behalf of the Dantu Wulomo expressed appreciation to

THE Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC) is to add petroleum derivatives to its portfolio of products for export. Petroleum derivatives are by-products of petroleum  which include bitumen, thylene, polypropylene, benzene, methanol and butane. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GEPC, Mr Kwadwo Owusu who made this known at the  re-launch  and re-branding of the GEPC last Friday  said the move was necessary to ensure that Ghanaians were the ultimate beneficiaries of the proceeds from the oil and gas sector. The re-branding and re-launch which was on the theme: “Providing World Class Export Development and Promotion solutions “was to make the council more attractive and to ultimately ensure that it achieved the US $5 billion target for  non-traditional Exports (NTEs) by 2015. The occassion was also used to launch the 20th Exporters Award which sought to honour exporters in the country. Horticultural products, fruits and  vegetables, spices, nuts, handicrafts are all  categ

The lack of demarcation on lands belonging to the Irrigation Development Authority (IDA) at Roman Down and Jericho, near Ashaiman has become a bone of contention between the Ashaiman Traditional Council (ATC), the custodians of the land and the IDA.       While the ATC which released the land to the IDA in  1952 claimed that it relseased some portions of the land not being used by the IDA  to developers after writing to the IDA, a source at the IDA said,  portions of the land which served as a buffer zone for residue from  run off water to settle had been encroached upon.        The source said even though the encroachment has not affected the vegetable farms, the encroachers had turned portions of the farms into refuse dump sites coupled with other sanitation problems.        The source also stated that landguards in the area were also making work at the site difficult, "there have been occassions that the staff of the IDA have been attacked by these landguards."   

AN operation by the Police Anti-Human Trafficking Unit and the Tema Regional Command yesterday led to the rescue of 284 children from an alleged child trafficking syndicate and the detention of 60 adults who claimed to be the children’s caretakers. The children, aged between three and 15, were mainly from Ada, Kisseh, Battor and their environs and were being taken to Yeji in the Brong Ahafo Region to engage in fishing. They were crammed into three DAF buses, with registration numbers WR 2175 C, GR 3096 C and GT 6121-10, without food or water. But the police intervention brought a swift reaction from the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sege, Mr Alfred Abayateye, who rushed to the Police Headquarters to defend the move as normal practice and that it did not constitute child labour. He explained that during the long vacations, it was the norm for parents to allow their children to go and work in fishing communities in the country and save some money to support their parents’ effort

The Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church,Rt Rev Francis Amenu, has called on religious organisations to lead the crusade against climate change in the country. He said “as religious bodies, we are obliged to do something very drastic and durable to save the situation of environmental degradation that has been going on for the past decades and in no small way assist to restore nature to its pristine state and value for generations to come. According to him, the core work of religious bodies was not only to assist the poor and marginalised in society but more importantly to take care of the creator’s handiwork and keep it.” Rev Amenu was speaking at the launch of the Religious Bodies Network on Climate Change ( RELBOBET) in Accra yesterday. The RELBONET is a coalition of faith-based organisations focused on partnering the government and other social partners to help mitigate the negative effects of climate change in the country and also to adapt, where necessary,