Seth J. Bokpe's Ghana Newsreel

Rev. Prof. Emeritus John S. Pobee giving a lecture at a ceremony in Accra. Picture: BENEDICT OBUOBI The government has been advised to get to work to realise the aspirations of Ghanaians who are full of expectation. Instead of harping on its Danquah-Busia heritage, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) must work hard and leave a lasting legacy just as J.B Danquah had done. The advice from Rev. Prof. Emeritus John S. Pobee, an Anglican Theologian, also included the need for politicians from all sides of the political divide to continue to work in the collective interest of the nation and its citizens. He said there were politicians who used the Danquah-Busia name but could not point to things that the duo, particularly Dr Danquah had done to champion the cause of the country. The former Executive Director o...

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr John-Peter Amewu, has asked the Geological Survey Authority (GSA) to conduct site or foundation investigations and issue certified reports before major construction works are undertaken. “You should expand and maintain a modern National Seismic Network (NSN) to monitor earthquakes, tsunamis and mine blasts that have the potential to impact negatively on lives and property,” he said. The NSN is a permanent digital network of modern seismological and geophysical sensors that serve as a multipurpose scientific facility for monitoring, researching, and education. Mr Amewu made the call when he visited the GSA and the Forestry Commission as part of a familiarisation tour of institutions under his ministry. The minister said the action was necessary because of the increase in infrastructural development which required site investigations and seismic monitoring. “Your role in site investigations and finding dam axis will be needed when ...

At least 18 Ghanaians living in South Africa have been rescued from xenophobic attacks and relocated, the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria has said. A source at the commission told the Daily Graphic that it had to relocate the affected people as the attacks on foreigners, especially Africans, spiked up. The source said the Ghana High Commission was in touch with the Ghanaian community and had provided hotlines to assist those who had become victims of a march against immigrants that had turned violent. South African media report that at least 148 people have been arrested in connection with the latest attacks that have sent many foreigners fleeing their homes or losing their businesses. Masked attackers The organiser of the Ghanaian community in Pretoria, Mr Kofi Asare Agyei, confirmed to the Daily Graphic that the Ghana High Commission had, indeed, given out a hotline but stated that the leadership of the association tended to receive more calls for help than...

A legal expert, Dr Raymond Atuguba, has pulled stitches out of the government’s proposed Office of Independent/Special Prosecutor, describing it as an illegality that will not pass the test in the Supreme Court if Parliament goes ahead to pass the Bill into law. In a fiery delivery of his opposition to the Bill, the law lecturer said the office was null and void in the absence of a constitutional amendment. “Under our current constitutional dispensation, no prosecutor in Ghana can be legally independent. Again, under our current constitutional dispensation, no prosecutor can be legally special. “Any attempt to pass a law that establishes the Office of the Prosecutor that purports to be special or independent does not only do violent to Article 88 of the Constitution but will not pass constitutional master in the Supreme Court,” he said at a public forum on parliamentary oversight and good governance in Accra last Wednesday. Forum The forum was organised by t...

A glow of orange sunlight baths the sky, tangling with grey clouds. On a green canopy of trees, birds chirp as a tribe of monkeys stroll on a paved road. A giant emerges from the wood with its ears flapping; shrubs bow to kiss the feet of this king of the forest. A police dispatch rider stops abruptly. Standstill At stone’s throw away on the road, there is a standstill. Armed park rangers stand nearby. Tourists watch in awe as the elephant takes its gentle stride. Roll back. Before the standstill, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Catherine A. Afeku, probably thrilled by a personal encounter with the symbol of her party, was out of her vehicle. With other members of the entourage, she watched the tower of a beast graze and took out her phone to snap a few memories from the country’s largest wildlife refuge, the Mole National Park. The elephant, attracted by the wave of phone flashes, takes a few steps forward but it is to be the beginning of a melee. ...

HYUNDAI Motors and Investments (GH) Limited launched the all new Hyundai Eon, a hatchback, with promising prospects in Ghana, given the increasing concern about fuel prices. The Eon is a simple but practical fuel efficient automobile that is targeted at entry level professionals and those without deep-pockets, as well as taxi services, including Uber. Although its makers kept the economy car simple, it did not compromise good performance, style and comfort as it marries a modest interior, high safety standard equipped with safety and useful technology. Coming from the stables of Korean automakers, Hyundai, the little car’s derives its strength from a three-cylinder Epsilon Multipoint injection (MPi) 0.8-litre engine that is backed by a five-speed manual gearbox and pushes 56 horse power that  produces a revolution per minute (rpm) of 5500. For the Director of Finance and Marketing of Hyundai Motors and Investments (GH) Limited, Mr Ganesh Phadale, the Eon’s strongest point was its ...

Ghana's Parliament needs to redirect its use of the power of contempt to seek accountability from institutions and public officeholders, a law lecturer, Mrs Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee, has said. “I think that such power of contempt should be redirected to ensuring the achievement of the requirement of Article 103. That article allows Parliament to request information from the executive and public institution with respect to account, information or documents that they may need. “I think that is where the power of contempt should be redirected. So that if Parliament makes a request and it is not complied with, the power of contempt should be exercised to ensure accountability rather than punish citizens for speaking or misspeaking” Mrs Kassa-Tee said. Privileges committees In recent times, personalities including musician Blak Rasta and the Chairman of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Pharmacovigilance, Professor Alex Dodoo, had to apologise bef...

The national digital Property Address System, which is expected to make it easier to find locations in the country and boost emergency service delivery, will be launched on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. It is also to aid government policies, planning and offer accurate data for service delivery.  Vokacom, a Ghanaian information technology firm, designed the system and it is partnering the Ghana Post Company Limited to roll it out, with the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), expected to host the data. The system The system is location-based and it is expected to provide an effective means of addressing every location and place in the country, including undeveloped parcels of land, using an information technology application (app). The app will generate a unique code for every property or location in Ghana, using the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. A national address registry will be imbedded into the system to enable individuals to v...

Exert pressure on Parliament to pass RTI into law — Justice Akoto Bamfo Seth J. Bokpe & Makafui Adzo Aklorbortu 18 October 2017 Justice Vida Akoto Bamfo A Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Vida Akoto Bamfo, has urged the National Media Commission (NMC) to exert pressure on Parliament to pass the Right to Information (RIT) Bill into a law. She stressed the importance the right to information had on the democratic governance, and the need for it to be passed into  law,  alongside the Broadcasting Bill. “The right to information is so important and fundamental to democratic governance.How can citizens in whose name and on whose behalf government exercises the authority of the state hold government accountable if they do not have the criti...

The much- anticipated National Digital Property Address System, which is expected to make it easier for locations to be found across the country and boost emergency service delivery, has been launched in Accra. Vokacom, a Ghanaian information technology firm, designed the system and is partnering the Ghana Post Company Limited to roll it out, with the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) expected to host the data. he system Dubbed the GhanaPostGPS, it is a global addressing system which divides Ghana into grids of 5m x 5m squares and assigns each one a unique address, known as a digital address. With this system, every land and property gets a permanent address. The system is location-based and it is expected to provide an effective means of providing an address to every location and place in the country, including undeveloped parcels of land, using an information technology application (app). The app will generate a unique code for every property or loc...

Rehabilitation and modernisation works on the Kpong Left Bank irrigation scheme(dam) will start in December, this year as the Ghana Commercial Agriculture projecty is finalising work on selecting a contractor.  More at

By Seth Bokpe A sublime blend of traditional Nzema architecture into alluring scenery provided by the Atlantic Ocean and the vast ecological landscape of lush-green grass and swaying coconut trees.  A manicured stretch of breezy clean beach lined with rows of comfortable sunbeds and swinging loungers.  Canoes filled with flowers of medley of colours. Well lit-paths, cobbled with wooden panels and pavement blocks leading to exquisite restaurants spa, gym, pools and bars. Picturesque These picturesque images are the deep, charming and indulging descriptions of Maaha Beach Resort tucked in the heart of (Anokyi, near Atuabo, in the Ellembele District) the Western Region.  Sitting on a stunning 20-acre land, Maaha serenades calm and tranquility—a perfect place to relax and soak in the fresh breeze while burying stress and watching the sun goes down the horizon. The jaw-dropping and breath-taking resort is named after what is locally known among the Nzemas as the Maaha tree, ...

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) will, from November 7 this year, introduce a new driving licence and a new vehicle registration smart card. The new licence takes the form of a smart card that contains a contactless chip loaded with the owner’s bio-data and the driver’s personal information.  he authority is optimistic that the two would weed out fake licences and vehicles with fake roadworthy certificates from the system, as well as cut out middlemen, popularly known as ‘goro boys’, from the licensing regime. Cost A breakdown of the cost of the new licence shows that the authority had added GH¢91 to the existing charges. Therefore, a new driving licence will now cost GH¢257; replacement of an expired licence, GH¢155; licence upgrade, GH¢345; replacement of lost driving licence, GH¢205 and conversion of a foreign driving licence will cost GH¢445. Technology Accord...

EIGHTY per cent of the weapons seized by the police and other security services at crime scenes in Ghana are locally manufactured, the National Small Arms Commission, has said “Presently, there is a thriving weapon manufacturing industry in various communities in Ghana which is against the law. However, these guns are fuelling all manner of land, tribal and chieftaincy disputes across the length and breadth of the country”the Chairman of the commission, Rev Dr Paul Frimpong-Manso, explained.

Toyota Ghana has initiated a move to recall about 15,000 of its vehicles with faulty Takata airbags for them to be replaced with the improved life-saving gadgets. The vehicles include some Toyota models made from 2002 to 2014 and may have airbags that are prone to exploding when deployed, hurling fiery metal fragments into drivers and passengers which could cause injury or even death. Globally, at least 16 deaths are now linked to the defect, including five in Malaysia, that prompted the recall of nearly 100 million airbag inflators worldwide by more than a dozen automakers. An airbag is an inflatable cushion designed to protect automobile occupants from serious injury in the case of a collision. A feature in luxurious vehicles, it is gradually becoming a standard feature in most vehicles. The models On the list in Ghana are IMV Hilux (2003 to 2014); IMV Fortuner (2003 to 2014); Avensis (2003 to 2008); Yaris (2006 to 2008); Corrola (2002 to 2014) and RAV4 (20...

An aerial view of the vehicles parked at Kaneshie which always build up traffic at the place More than three years after the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) directed its various units to clear bus stops within the Accra metropolis of vehicles that park and pick passengers, the situation continues with some developing into mini-lorry parks with station masters. There are at least 18 of such bus stops within the Accra metropolis with those at the Achimota Old Station and PTC Bus Stop near the GCB Bank Limited at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, converted into mini-lorry parks with ‘station masters’, carrying canes and deciding who picks passengers and who does not. The MTTD had in February 2014 issued an ultimatum stipulating an April deadline to drivers parking at such bus stops t...