West African countries have been advised to develop full maritime data and share information about vessel movements to check increasing rate of piracy and other illegal activities in the Gulf of Guinea.
Maritime analysts and West Africa navies in an interaction with the media aboard African Partnership Station (APS) vessel USS Gunston Hall, said coastal countries had to strengthen their surveillance in order to be a step ahead of pirates and other illegalities.
They pointed out that with the current increase in drilling and petroleum exploration activities on the coasts of West Africa, there was the need for vessel monitoring system (VMS) and Automatic Identification System (AIS), which captured data of vessels operating within their economic zones.
The experts and navies were of the view that countries with those systems in place were not attractive to pirates, kidnappers, drug traffickers, illegal fishing, among others in maritime domain.
Ghana and 12 other countries which had those facilities were told to adopt information sharing system to combat any possible threat.
Ghana was also encouraged to ensure that all vessels licensed to fish in its waters were equipped with the system.
The experts further advised Ghana to increase the number of monitoring stations near the coast to help track any vessel that entered its exclusive economic zones to combat any illegalities.
The discussants said countries that had succeeded in combating maritime crime should co-operate greatly through the focus on a common goal of eliminating crime through sharing of information.
Kidnappers and pirates, according to the experts, were making incursion to the Gulf of Guinea due to lack of a strong surveillance system, as well as sharing of information, and gave example of the capture of Chinese fishermen on the coast of Cameroun for a ransom of about $20,000.
That, they said, was how close the threat was to the Gulf of Guinea and gave an example of an incident in which pirates attacked an oil tanker off the coast of Benin in November last year, killing a Ukrainian sailor and stealing the contents of the ship's safe.
Ten oil sector workers, including seven French nationals, were also kidnapped in 2008 by a group calling itself the Bakassi Freedom Fighters in the region.
Under the African Partnership Station (APS), navies from West African countries which include Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroun and Benin were taken through the importance of search directories and search engines and how they work to enhance sharing of information and other domain awareness programmes.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
EXERCISE BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS IN ELLEMBELL (PAGE 11, MARCH 22, 2011)
THE government has begun the distribution of free exercise books to 45 junior high schools (JHS) and 77 primary schools in the Ellembelle District.
The first consignment of 81,905 exercise books and 714 graph books went to Nyaneba Model Primary and JHS.
Primary 3 pupils would have three books each, while Primary 4, 5 and 6 will receive five books each. Students in JHS 1 and 2 would receive seven books each, while JHS 3 students will receive two exercise books and a graph book each. This would continue till all public schools in the district are supplied with their first set of books.
The Member of Parliament for Ellembelle and Deputy Minister for Energy, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, said the distribution of the books was in fulfilment of the promises of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its manifesto of investing in people and education.
He explained that the government’s focus on education and commitment to the provision of basic logistics was to ensure that students had everything at their disposal to enable them to learn and pass well in their examinations.
He promised to organise training in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the students.
The Ellembele District Chief Executive, Mr Daniel K. Eshun, urged the students to take their studies seriously to justify the money the government was investing in their education.
The School Prefect of Nyaneba Model JHS, Ms Joycelia Nyame, on behalf of the beneficiary students, expressed appreciation to President J.E.A. Mills for his great interest in education and also for the efforts being put in to support them to pass their examinations and promised to learn hard to perform well in their Basic Education Certificate Examination.
The first consignment of 81,905 exercise books and 714 graph books went to Nyaneba Model Primary and JHS.
Primary 3 pupils would have three books each, while Primary 4, 5 and 6 will receive five books each. Students in JHS 1 and 2 would receive seven books each, while JHS 3 students will receive two exercise books and a graph book each. This would continue till all public schools in the district are supplied with their first set of books.
The Member of Parliament for Ellembelle and Deputy Minister for Energy, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, said the distribution of the books was in fulfilment of the promises of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its manifesto of investing in people and education.
He explained that the government’s focus on education and commitment to the provision of basic logistics was to ensure that students had everything at their disposal to enable them to learn and pass well in their examinations.
He promised to organise training in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the students.
The Ellembele District Chief Executive, Mr Daniel K. Eshun, urged the students to take their studies seriously to justify the money the government was investing in their education.
The School Prefect of Nyaneba Model JHS, Ms Joycelia Nyame, on behalf of the beneficiary students, expressed appreciation to President J.E.A. Mills for his great interest in education and also for the efforts being put in to support them to pass their examinations and promised to learn hard to perform well in their Basic Education Certificate Examination.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
OIL PLATFROM PROTECTION TRAINING FOR GHANA NAVY (PAGE 28, MARCH 18, 2010)
A US Naval Ship, USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), has docked in the home port of the Western Naval Command in Sekondi under an African Partnership Station (APS) on training and community relations project.
The mission will also train Ghana Navy personnel on oil platform protection, search and rescue operations, small boat maintenance, intelligence, maritime law, medical emergency first response, meteorology, fisheries management and anti-terrorism construction and training.
The personnel aboard the vessel, which is under the command of Captain Cindy Thebaud will work in collaboration with coastal countries in West and Central Africa to achieve maritime security.
According to Captain Thebaud, the mission was purely based on the needs of the country they visited and that APS partners were ready to share and learn from each other.
She explained that one significant thing about APS was that the sovereign states chose the training programmes that were best for their objectives.
APS, she said, was not limited to ship deployment to Africa but also involved training to ensure that together, coastal countries remained stable and safe in Western and Central Africa.
While in the home port of the Western Naval Command, the crew will also make donations also partake in both classroom and hands-on training which started last Friday on topics such as fisheries management, small boat maintenance and oil platform security.
These community relations project will afford the sailors the opportunity to visit some schools and orphanages to present gifts to the inmates and, as well, carry out rehabilitation work in various schools and health facilities including the Twin-City Special School, Sekondi School for the Deaf and the Ogyam Orphanage.
"The officers on board the vessel said what they intend to achieve was to help create a conducive learning environment,” Logistics Specialist, Brian Welch said.
The mission will also train Ghana Navy personnel on oil platform protection, search and rescue operations, small boat maintenance, intelligence, maritime law, medical emergency first response, meteorology, fisheries management and anti-terrorism construction and training.
The personnel aboard the vessel, which is under the command of Captain Cindy Thebaud will work in collaboration with coastal countries in West and Central Africa to achieve maritime security.
According to Captain Thebaud, the mission was purely based on the needs of the country they visited and that APS partners were ready to share and learn from each other.
She explained that one significant thing about APS was that the sovereign states chose the training programmes that were best for their objectives.
APS, she said, was not limited to ship deployment to Africa but also involved training to ensure that together, coastal countries remained stable and safe in Western and Central Africa.
While in the home port of the Western Naval Command, the crew will also make donations also partake in both classroom and hands-on training which started last Friday on topics such as fisheries management, small boat maintenance and oil platform security.
These community relations project will afford the sailors the opportunity to visit some schools and orphanages to present gifts to the inmates and, as well, carry out rehabilitation work in various schools and health facilities including the Twin-City Special School, Sekondi School for the Deaf and the Ogyam Orphanage.
"The officers on board the vessel said what they intend to achieve was to help create a conducive learning environment,” Logistics Specialist, Brian Welch said.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Picture: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu
A young Ghanaian girl from the Egyam Catholic School is happy after receiving several
books during a special Project Handclasp delivery by Sailors from the
Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock-landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44).
The US Naval Ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) has docked in the home port of the Western Naval Command under African Partnership Station (APS) project.
The mission would also train Ghanaian Navy on oil platform protection, search and rescue, small boat maintenance, intelligence, maritime law, medical emergency first responder, meteorology, fisheries management and anti-terrorism construction and training.
The visit of the vessel which is under the under the command of Captain Cindy Thebaud would work in collaboration with coastal countries in West and Central Africa to achieve maritime security.
Monday, March 15, 2010
US ASSISTS GHANA NAVY WITH SPEED BOATS (SPREAD, MARCH 15, 2010)
THE United States Government has handed over four speed boats and their spare parts to the Ghana Navy in Sekondi.
The boats are to be used by the navy to monitor, detect, deter and prevent criminal activities in the country’s territorial waters.
They form part of seven boats promised by the US Government to Ghana under its Africa Partnership Station (APS), at a total cost of $2.7million the first three having been presented to the Ghana Navy in 2008.
The boats have been named after Commodore Quaye, Rear Admiral Tom Annan, Vice Admiral Owusu Ansah and Rear Admiral Ben Ohene-Kwapong, all retired senior officers of the Ghana Navy.
The first three donated in 2008 were used by the Western Naval Command recently to arrest some industrial vessels fishing in restricted areas.
In an address, the Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. J.H. Smith, said the government considered equipping the navy extremely important, adding that the soul of the navy was ships and boats, which were very essential in patrolling the seas and preventing illegalities off the coast of the country.
He said the government was in the process of acquiring modern platforms and refurbishing the existing ones to ensure that the navy was not found wanting in these times that illegality in the maritime domain had assumed unacceptable proportions.
Lt Gen Smith said what was more was that “we are taking steps to complete the slipway and the test bench project at the Naval Dockyard, which will greatly enhance fleet maintenance and ensure availability of ships to perform assigned roles”.
The country, he said, would not wait unconcerned to allow people to deplete the country’s fish stock and added that the Ghana Navy also had the role to protect the country’s interest in the wake of the recent oil find and would deliver in that endeavour.
He acknowledged that strong US-Ghana ties had resulted in the increase in social and security assistance and gave examples such as the international military education and training and African contingency training programmes being offered to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The minister expressed the hope that the additional defender-class boats would go a long way to help create safety along the coast of the country.
For her part, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy, Ms Julie Furuta-Toy, said the partnership between the US and Ghana was to ensure peace and security for the citizenry of both countries.
“We partner in the effort to enforce maritime laws; to protect fishing rights and the environment, to prevent illegal narcotics trafficking, as well as provide joint training and exercise for our militaries.”
She said the boats were multipurpose and could thus be deployed on variety of operational missions, since they were designed for transition directly from ocean riverine missions without modification.
The boats, Ms Furuta-Toy said, could be moved quickly across the country on trailers for deployment where and when necessary.
She said it was important to note that US-Ghana co-operation extended beyond the donation of boats to include regular ship visits under APS which began in 2007 with Ghana.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Matthew Quashie, thanked the US government for the attention and said the country’s economy largely depended on revenue through foreign trade and exploitation of the country’s natural resources.
He said the Ghana Navy was bracing up to meet the challenges that would emanate from the commercial production of oil, which begins in the last quarter of the year.
“We share a common goal to ensure safety and security so as to maximise economic benefits in our maritime domain,” he said.
The Chief of Naval staff said the only way the much needed safety and security could be achieved was with seaworthy platforms and facilities, adding, “That is why we are grateful to the US government for the support.”
Sunday, March 14, 2010
OIL VESSEL READY SOON (SPREAD, MARCH 13, 2010)
ALL is set for the pouring of the country’s first oil in the last quarter of this year to enable Ghana to join oil producing nations across the globe.
The huge floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will be positioned at the Jubilee Fields in the Western Region, is more than 96 per cent complete.
The FPSO is an eight-storey production platform used by the offshore oil industry in Ghana for the processing and storage of oil and gas, as well as offloading them to tankers for onward shipment to the international oil market.
This came to light when a group of media personnel from Ghana, led by the Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and some officials from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), toured the construction site in a huge shipyard in Singapore, where the contractors, MODEC, are putting finishing touches to the facility.
Vessel name
MODEC announced in August 2008 that they had reached an agreement with the Jubilee Field partners and Tullow Ghana to provide and operate the first FPSO, which would be installed on the Jubilee Field offshore in the Western Region.
The agreement was entered into by Tullow Ghana, on behalf of the Jubilee Field partners: Tullow Ghana, Kosmos Energy Ghana, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, EO Group, Sabre Oil and Gas, and the GNPC.
FPSO’s part of the phase one development plan, would be installed in approximately 1,100 metres water depth on the Jubilee Field, which is one of the largest oil fields discovered offshore West Africa in the past 10 years.
The FPSO is capable of processing more than 120,000 barrels of oil per day and injecting more than 230,000 barrels of water per day, with 160 million standard cubic metres of gas.
The vessel, which is yet to be named and unveiled, was built in 19991 by Mitsui Engineering Shipbuilding in Chiba, and is 330 metres long, 59 metres wide, with a depth of 29.7 metres, and a draft design of 19.7 metres.
Indications are that the FPSO would be named after a prominent Ghanaian, town or symbol, which is yet to be decided on.
The owner at the moment is yet to be decided, but currently, the vessel would sail to Ghana on a leasehold agreement.
It is expected that the operations and maintenance of the FPSO would be contracted to MODEC, which is said to have more economic benefits to the partners operating at the Jubilee Fields.
GNPC has an agreement with the contractors, and some young Ghanaians have been attached to the contractors in a bid to ensure that local manpower is trained to manage the emerging oil and gas industry.
The chief engineer and the manager of the vessel on board are Ghanaians — one of them a former employee of the Black Star Line, who is currently working permanently for MODEC.
He is said to be one of the Ghanaian engineers who would be returning home to ensure that together, they trained other engineers to take over the operations at the appropriate time.
Offshore Jubilee Fields and FPSO capacity
In readiness for the FPSO, work is said to be far advanced as jumpers and some subsea structures have been laid.
The FPSO vessel is expected to be delivered within a world-record time of 18-months, setting sail to Ghana in May this year and arriving between June and July.
The vessel has a capacity to store more than 1.6 million barrels of crude at a time and has the ability to generate power to support its operations; it is also able to convert sea water for use by workers on the facility.
Facilities and units
The facility has gas turbine, chemical and water injection system which supports the country’s resort not to flare the huge deposit of gas.
There would be accommodation facilities for about 120 workers, with everything that would make them feel at home. It has deck cranes and crude separation system, water treatment plant with five cartridge filters, gas compressor and processing facility.
The FPSO also has inlet separation system, which consists of horizontal separator, electrostatic treater, low pressure degasser, crude transfer pump, among others, to enhance production and storage.
The turret system, which serves as one of the facilitators of the oil flow from the sub-sea, is in excellent shape and performs functions such as maintaining the vessel on station through single mooring.
The turret also allows weather vaning and fluid transfer from riser to the process plant to provide transfer of electrical, hydraulic and other control signals to the equipment on the seabed.
The FPSO and other facilities on the vessel were said to be manufactured to meet world standard and each unit on the vessel has a lifespan of more than 25 years.
Production deadline
Contrary to media reports that the oil might not come in the last quarter of this year as envisaged, the Jubilee partners said that could not be true.
The partners made it clear that all the anticipated difficulties that could hinder the delivery on the slated date had been taken care of. Therefore, they did not see any issue that could push them to go beyond 2010.
They explained that when the FPSO started, they might not produce up to the 120,000 barrels per day immediately as various processes had to be followed to ensure that from the sub-trees or structures through the jumpers to the FPSO, things were not forced to produce the 120,000 barrels immediately.
It said the country would be able to attain the 120,000 barrels per day after three months, when the facility and associated components were fully functional.
Mr Thomas Manu, the Operations Manager of GNPC, explained that the full time set for the facility to be completed was seven years.
But most of the things had been fast-tracked to enable the country to drill its first oil from the Jubilee fields in the last quarter of 2010.
The Deputy Minster of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, commended the contracted company for completing the work on schedule.
He said the government was committed to the project and would ensure that the right things were done in a transparent manner.
The media
Members of the media team who were at the shipyard in Singapore, were amazed at the size of the vessel, whose full length most of them tried unsuccessfully to capture on lense. More so, were they with the amount of work that had been done on the vessel.
The press men were then taken through half-an-hour orientation, after which, in the company of the Deputy Minister for Information, they went on a tour of the facility and other units that would house offshore operations.
The visit to Singapore was an eye opener and without doubt, Ghana is surely set on a path to joining the prestigious club of oil producing countries in the last quarter of the year.
INDEPENDENT REGULATORY BODY NEEDED FOR OIL INDUSTRY (PAGE 29, MARCH 13, 2010)
THE lack of an independent regulatory body is seriously hampering discussions between key players in the oil industry and the government.
At a discussion with media personnel touring the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel currently under construction in Singapore, the key players called for an independent regulatory body.
The industry players were of the view that even though the Ministry of Energy currently acts as the regulatory body and was doing a great job, that was not enough.
According to them, whenever there was a change of government or ministerial reshuffle the new government or minister would have to start learning from the scratch. But where there is an independent regulatory body, any change of government or reshuffle will not affect any discussions and negotiations in that sector.
When asked if it would best to appoint the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) as the regulatory body, the industry players said that would not serve their interest since GNPC was a partner in the industry.
In his remarks, Mr Dai Jones, President of Tullow Oil Ghana, told the Daily Graphic that an independent regulatory body was very important.
He said there were many examples that Ghana had to look at to ensure that the best teams were put in place to ensure continuous business.
He said even though the ministry was a good start, there was the need for the independent body and added that GNPC could not play that role due to its marriage with Tullow Oil and partners.
Mr Thomas Manu of GNPC said the issue of an independent regulatory body was very important and it was about time they started training or building the human resource to be able to handle that effectively.
He indicated that experts that would be appointed to man the regulatory institution had to be strong technocrats who would be one step ahead of the industry players.
“Therefore, we cannot just appoint anybody to that office or assume the role of regulator. If that happens, the industry players would rather be ahead and that would not be in the best interest of the country,” he said.
There is the need for it, he said, but first the capacity of the people must be built to ensure that able and capable people were appointed.
Asked if the experts from the GNPC and the Energy Ministry could be used as a starter, he said the best thing to do was to build the required human resource to handle it.
At a discussion with media personnel touring the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel currently under construction in Singapore, the key players called for an independent regulatory body.
The industry players were of the view that even though the Ministry of Energy currently acts as the regulatory body and was doing a great job, that was not enough.
According to them, whenever there was a change of government or ministerial reshuffle the new government or minister would have to start learning from the scratch. But where there is an independent regulatory body, any change of government or reshuffle will not affect any discussions and negotiations in that sector.
When asked if it would best to appoint the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) as the regulatory body, the industry players said that would not serve their interest since GNPC was a partner in the industry.
In his remarks, Mr Dai Jones, President of Tullow Oil Ghana, told the Daily Graphic that an independent regulatory body was very important.
He said there were many examples that Ghana had to look at to ensure that the best teams were put in place to ensure continuous business.
He said even though the ministry was a good start, there was the need for the independent body and added that GNPC could not play that role due to its marriage with Tullow Oil and partners.
Mr Thomas Manu of GNPC said the issue of an independent regulatory body was very important and it was about time they started training or building the human resource to be able to handle that effectively.
He indicated that experts that would be appointed to man the regulatory institution had to be strong technocrats who would be one step ahead of the industry players.
“Therefore, we cannot just appoint anybody to that office or assume the role of regulator. If that happens, the industry players would rather be ahead and that would not be in the best interest of the country,” he said.
There is the need for it, he said, but first the capacity of the people must be built to ensure that able and capable people were appointed.
Asked if the experts from the GNPC and the Energy Ministry could be used as a starter, he said the best thing to do was to build the required human resource to handle it.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
GNPC WILL BE READY FOR GAS BEFORE FIRST OIL (PAGE 33, MARCH 11, 2010)
THE Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has assured Ghanaians that the much anticipated gas plant in the Western Region will be ready when the first oil comes in the last quarter of the year.
It said as part of the long-term development plan of GNPC, the natural gas to be produced from the discovered fields would be channelled to serve the best interest of the people.
In a presentation in Singapore during the media tour of the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel currently under construction, Mr Albert Longdon-Nyewan said a lot of work had been done on the quite and more were still ongoing.
He said the preparations included the construction of 600 million standard cubic metres per day processing plant, which would be used for thermal power generation, domestic purposes and for export.
Mr Longdon-Nyewan said work was currently ongoing with the installation of a riser platform offshore to serve as an aggregator, which would be connected to the gas from the FPSO and other fields.
“After the riser platform, there will be the construction of two 16 inch diameter pipeline to transport the conditioned gas from the riser platform to onshore to the processing plant. This will be followed with the construction of 20 inch and 10 inch diameter pipelines from the processing plant to Aboadze and Effasu respectively to supply dry gas for power generation,” he said.
He said in addition to domestic use, any excess dry gas would be supplied to industry and other petrochemical industries.
Mr Longdon-Nyewan said GNPC would continue with its aggressive promotion of Ghana’s hydrocarbon potentials to win more investors into the country.
GNPC, he said, hoped to become a world-class company capable of making Ghana the fastest-growing destination for investments in the industry in West Africa.
“We will also ensure the forceful development of human resource to meet the challenges in the oil/gas industry,” he added, saying that the GNPC had adopted the policy of zero flaring of gas to ensure the possibilities of turning the high deposit of gas to the advantage of Ghanaians.
It said since the announcement of Ghana’s intention not to flair the gas, there has been tremendous response from companies interested in the establishment of related industries including power generation.
He assured the public that GNPC in collaboration with her partners would ensure that the best industry practices were arrived at to enable both the partners and the country to derive the maximum output from the oil and gas fields.
“GNPC and its partner are working towards more discoveries as Ghana stands to benefit from these discoveries for its socio-economic development”.
It said as part of the long-term development plan of GNPC, the natural gas to be produced from the discovered fields would be channelled to serve the best interest of the people.
In a presentation in Singapore during the media tour of the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel currently under construction, Mr Albert Longdon-Nyewan said a lot of work had been done on the quite and more were still ongoing.
He said the preparations included the construction of 600 million standard cubic metres per day processing plant, which would be used for thermal power generation, domestic purposes and for export.
Mr Longdon-Nyewan said work was currently ongoing with the installation of a riser platform offshore to serve as an aggregator, which would be connected to the gas from the FPSO and other fields.
“After the riser platform, there will be the construction of two 16 inch diameter pipeline to transport the conditioned gas from the riser platform to onshore to the processing plant. This will be followed with the construction of 20 inch and 10 inch diameter pipelines from the processing plant to Aboadze and Effasu respectively to supply dry gas for power generation,” he said.
He said in addition to domestic use, any excess dry gas would be supplied to industry and other petrochemical industries.
Mr Longdon-Nyewan said GNPC would continue with its aggressive promotion of Ghana’s hydrocarbon potentials to win more investors into the country.
GNPC, he said, hoped to become a world-class company capable of making Ghana the fastest-growing destination for investments in the industry in West Africa.
“We will also ensure the forceful development of human resource to meet the challenges in the oil/gas industry,” he added, saying that the GNPC had adopted the policy of zero flaring of gas to ensure the possibilities of turning the high deposit of gas to the advantage of Ghanaians.
It said since the announcement of Ghana’s intention not to flair the gas, there has been tremendous response from companies interested in the establishment of related industries including power generation.
He assured the public that GNPC in collaboration with her partners would ensure that the best industry practices were arrived at to enable both the partners and the country to derive the maximum output from the oil and gas fields.
“GNPC and its partner are working towards more discoveries as Ghana stands to benefit from these discoveries for its socio-economic development”.
Monday, March 8, 2010
DEFENDER-CLASS BOATS FOR GHANA NAVY (PAGE 5, MARCH 8, 2010)
The Ghana Navy is to receive more defender-class-patrol boats from the United States under the African Partnership Station (APS) wing of United States Africa Command (Africom).
The first of such support was given to the Ghana Navy by the US government in 2008 when three of such boats were handed over to the Western Naval Command in Sekondi.
General William Ward, who made this known in an interview with journalist in Stuttgart, Germany, said Africom would offer assistance to the government of Ghana to enable her defend her territory waters.
He said the Defender class boats to Ghana was part of the vision of Africom to ensure that Ghana could take control of its own security and stability,
“We want to be a partner in that endeavor because if Ghana is able to protect its territorial waters, to safeguard its borders, that in itself contributes to a more stable region, a more stable continent, a more stable world,” he said.
He expressed the hope that the Defender-class patrol boats would help Ghana to deal with illegal fishing, illegal trafficking and other illegalities that could disrupt a society.
Controlling illegal trafficking, drugs, weapons, he said was what Africom wants to address by partnering other countries.
He added that “the central part ofour mission is our ability or desire to work with nations of Africa as partners and provide a level of sustained security engagement at an acceptable pace.”
Gen Ward said the mission in Africa was not about Africa’s resources or to compete with China but rather seeks to foster a common goal of a stable Africa that would drive development.
A visit to the Western Naval Command indicated that the first defender class boats given to Ghana had contributed immensely to the work of the Ghana Navy.
The boats were used in arrest of some vessels fishing within restricted areas and for other services to ensure that illegalities were contained.
The first of such support was given to the Ghana Navy by the US government in 2008 when three of such boats were handed over to the Western Naval Command in Sekondi.
General William Ward, who made this known in an interview with journalist in Stuttgart, Germany, said Africom would offer assistance to the government of Ghana to enable her defend her territory waters.
He said the Defender class boats to Ghana was part of the vision of Africom to ensure that Ghana could take control of its own security and stability,
“We want to be a partner in that endeavor because if Ghana is able to protect its territorial waters, to safeguard its borders, that in itself contributes to a more stable region, a more stable continent, a more stable world,” he said.
He expressed the hope that the Defender-class patrol boats would help Ghana to deal with illegal fishing, illegal trafficking and other illegalities that could disrupt a society.
Controlling illegal trafficking, drugs, weapons, he said was what Africom wants to address by partnering other countries.
He added that “the central part ofour mission is our ability or desire to work with nations of Africa as partners and provide a level of sustained security engagement at an acceptable pace.”
Gen Ward said the mission in Africa was not about Africa’s resources or to compete with China but rather seeks to foster a common goal of a stable Africa that would drive development.
A visit to the Western Naval Command indicated that the first defender class boats given to Ghana had contributed immensely to the work of the Ghana Navy.
The boats were used in arrest of some vessels fishing within restricted areas and for other services to ensure that illegalities were contained.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
DON'T SEE PAYMENT OF TAX AS PUNISHMENT (PAGE 22, MARCH 6, 2010)
SMALL-scale businesses in the communities have been urged not to see payment of tax as punishment, but as the only means of financing social infrastructure across the country.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Mr Daniel K. Eshun, who made the call, said revenue generation was central to the execution of more development projects in deprived communities.
He made the call at Tandan, a small community in the district, at a meeting with the people to explain the essence of revenue mobilisation to them and solve a misunderstanding resulting from revenue collection in the area.
Mr Eshun said by law, every income-generating activity in the country attracted some form of tax to help the government to implement its development programme.
He noted that the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) alone was insufficient for the assembly to provide the numerous needs of the communities.
The DCE, therefore, appealed to the people not to dodge the payment of revenue.
Mr Eshun stated that apart from the tax issues, major problems confronting the development of the district included chieftaincy disputes.
The DCE also met with Ankobrah, Asanda and Aiyinase communities, where payment of revenue was also a problem.
He impressed upon them to pay their taxes regularly, stressing that they would, among other things, help the district assembly to provide the various communities with development projects.
During open forums, the Odikro of the community, Ezah Kwame IV, who presented the community’s petition to the DCE, said the assembly should find a new way of educating people on taxes.
He said most of the people who were employed to collect revenue for the assembly were reportedly extorting money from people and noted that such practice would make some taxpayers unviling tax.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Mr Daniel K. Eshun, who made the call, said revenue generation was central to the execution of more development projects in deprived communities.
He made the call at Tandan, a small community in the district, at a meeting with the people to explain the essence of revenue mobilisation to them and solve a misunderstanding resulting from revenue collection in the area.
Mr Eshun said by law, every income-generating activity in the country attracted some form of tax to help the government to implement its development programme.
He noted that the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) alone was insufficient for the assembly to provide the numerous needs of the communities.
The DCE, therefore, appealed to the people not to dodge the payment of revenue.
Mr Eshun stated that apart from the tax issues, major problems confronting the development of the district included chieftaincy disputes.
The DCE also met with Ankobrah, Asanda and Aiyinase communities, where payment of revenue was also a problem.
He impressed upon them to pay their taxes regularly, stressing that they would, among other things, help the district assembly to provide the various communities with development projects.
During open forums, the Odikro of the community, Ezah Kwame IV, who presented the community’s petition to the DCE, said the assembly should find a new way of educating people on taxes.
He said most of the people who were employed to collect revenue for the assembly were reportedly extorting money from people and noted that such practice would make some taxpayers unviling tax.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
WISE WILL AVOID RELEGATION — SCHMIDT (GRAPHIC SPORTS,
The head coach of Sekondi Eleven Wise, Hans-Dieter Schmidt, has said with the talents available to the team there should be no excuses for non-performance.
Schmidt told the Graphic Sports at the club’s base in Takoradi that his focus at the moment will be to ensure that the club avoids relegation which could easily jeopadize the dreams of the players.
To this end, the German revealed that he would concentrate on building good rapport with the players.
“The players need to deliver but they also need the guidance of the coach”, he asserted.
“We must establish a mutual respect between the technical team and the players and since every player wants to win and exhibit his skills these is the need for respect without which it will be difficult to get the intended result”, he said
He said considering the talents available Wise should not be struggling at the moment and assured the fans that he would work on the talents to build a winsome side.
“I wouldn’t want to say there is a problem in the team and if there is a problem, it needd to be fixed and I will use my experience to create a winning team with the support of the players of course,” he said.
The coach said he would capitalize on the respect, commitment and the desire to win which has been demonstrated by the players to ensure that they were not taking by events.
“I took over the job a few days before the resumption of the team from the break, we did not have time to do anything serious but they followed all that I told them and I am glad that we won our first game,” he said.
“If there is understanding between the coach and the player, there is no way players will say they would not get the goals”, he added.
Schmidt told the Graphic Sports at the club’s base in Takoradi that his focus at the moment will be to ensure that the club avoids relegation which could easily jeopadize the dreams of the players.
To this end, the German revealed that he would concentrate on building good rapport with the players.
“The players need to deliver but they also need the guidance of the coach”, he asserted.
“We must establish a mutual respect between the technical team and the players and since every player wants to win and exhibit his skills these is the need for respect without which it will be difficult to get the intended result”, he said
He said considering the talents available Wise should not be struggling at the moment and assured the fans that he would work on the talents to build a winsome side.
“I wouldn’t want to say there is a problem in the team and if there is a problem, it needd to be fixed and I will use my experience to create a winning team with the support of the players of course,” he said.
The coach said he would capitalize on the respect, commitment and the desire to win which has been demonstrated by the players to ensure that they were not taking by events.
“I took over the job a few days before the resumption of the team from the break, we did not have time to do anything serious but they followed all that I told them and I am glad that we won our first game,” he said.
“If there is understanding between the coach and the player, there is no way players will say they would not get the goals”, he added.
WISE WILL EMERGE AMONG TOP FOUR (PAGE 11, GRAPHIC SPORTS, JAN 8, 2010)
The Chief Executive of Sekondi Eleven Wise, Jamil Maraby, is unfazed by recent setbacks suffered by his side, saying they will overcome them to post a place among the Top Four brasket at the end of the season.
He said the current team has the potential to go places if the fans remained patient and support the club to perform.
In a post-match interview with the Graphic Sports after his side had handed a humiliating 4-1 defeat to city rivals Sekondi Hasaacas, Maraby assured the fans that management would ensure that the players were paid promptly and motivated.
“Our position on the table should not be used to judge the performance of the team and arrive at some hasty conclusions, adding that the team will improve because its performance was comparable to other known clubs competing in the league.
”This was clear when we played against Hearts of Oak and Hasaacas”, he stated.
Asked if the current performance was motivated by some incentives to the players and the technical team, Maraby said “the players are naturally motivated and they will do what it takes to make sure that the right results were delivered to the funs.”
He said the club would continue to adopt the most innovative and scientific approach to management to ensure that they achieved their dreams.
Mr Maraby said he did not want to play down agitations by the few fans who have been calling for changes in the face of the setbacks, saying it was important to deliver the needed goal to keep them happy.
“I have so much hope in my team and the technical men, judging from the last five matches one could tell that the players did their best. And we will continue from there,” he said,
Some of the fans who spoke to the Graphic Sports said the coaches should focus on clinical finishing of the crosses that could otherwise be easily converted into goals.
They congratulated the team and urged management to ensure that they won most of the remaining matches to ensure that they achieved their dreams at the end of the season.
A die hard supporter,Mr Joseph Prah, said the last time the team was relegated, it took them a decade to return to the premiership.
“The performance of the two Western Region teams, (Wise and Hasaacas) has been unsatisfactory this season, but Wise have the potential to be among the top four at the end of the season,” he said.
He said the current team has the potential to go places if the fans remained patient and support the club to perform.
In a post-match interview with the Graphic Sports after his side had handed a humiliating 4-1 defeat to city rivals Sekondi Hasaacas, Maraby assured the fans that management would ensure that the players were paid promptly and motivated.
“Our position on the table should not be used to judge the performance of the team and arrive at some hasty conclusions, adding that the team will improve because its performance was comparable to other known clubs competing in the league.
”This was clear when we played against Hearts of Oak and Hasaacas”, he stated.
Asked if the current performance was motivated by some incentives to the players and the technical team, Maraby said “the players are naturally motivated and they will do what it takes to make sure that the right results were delivered to the funs.”
He said the club would continue to adopt the most innovative and scientific approach to management to ensure that they achieved their dreams.
Mr Maraby said he did not want to play down agitations by the few fans who have been calling for changes in the face of the setbacks, saying it was important to deliver the needed goal to keep them happy.
“I have so much hope in my team and the technical men, judging from the last five matches one could tell that the players did their best. And we will continue from there,” he said,
Some of the fans who spoke to the Graphic Sports said the coaches should focus on clinical finishing of the crosses that could otherwise be easily converted into goals.
They congratulated the team and urged management to ensure that they won most of the remaining matches to ensure that they achieved their dreams at the end of the season.
A die hard supporter,Mr Joseph Prah, said the last time the team was relegated, it took them a decade to return to the premiership.
“The performance of the two Western Region teams, (Wise and Hasaacas) has been unsatisfactory this season, but Wise have the potential to be among the top four at the end of the season,” he said.
FDB SEIZES SMUGGLED UNWHOLESOME FLOUR (PAGE 31, MARCH 4, 2010)
THE Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has seized a large quantity of unwholesome flour smuggled into the country and being sold in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis and other parts of the Western Region.
The cheap pro80ducts, according to the FDB, were not fortified with iron, Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, Folic Acid and Zinc, thereby making them dangerous to consumers.
Markets in the twin-city, the board said, had been flooded with the smuggled flour from neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt.
About 400 bags of the unfortified product from Egypt have been impounded by the FDB, which claims that its zonal office was waiting for a directive to destroy the flour.
The impounding of the substandard flour followed a petition sent to the FDB by local flour manufacturers who had tested and realised that the smuggled product was not fortified and could be dangerous to consumers.
According to the Zonal Officer of the FDB in charge of the Western and Central regions, Agampim Solomon, the office had retrieved many bags of the unwholesome product smuggled from Cote d’Ivoire.
He said it was important to note that fortification was very important to the health of the consuming public, explaining that some bakers had actually bought the cheap and unfortified product and mixed it with wholesome flour from local manufacturers.
“It is important for those smuggling to note that the most affected when wheat flour is not fortified are children between two and five. Latest figures indicate that 72 per cent of children suffered from vitamin A deficiency due to the consumption of unfortified products,” he said.
The officer used the opportunity to appeal to bakers and other people who used flour to consider the health implications of using unfortified products in their work.
The cheap pro80ducts, according to the FDB, were not fortified with iron, Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, Folic Acid and Zinc, thereby making them dangerous to consumers.
Markets in the twin-city, the board said, had been flooded with the smuggled flour from neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt.
About 400 bags of the unfortified product from Egypt have been impounded by the FDB, which claims that its zonal office was waiting for a directive to destroy the flour.
The impounding of the substandard flour followed a petition sent to the FDB by local flour manufacturers who had tested and realised that the smuggled product was not fortified and could be dangerous to consumers.
According to the Zonal Officer of the FDB in charge of the Western and Central regions, Agampim Solomon, the office had retrieved many bags of the unwholesome product smuggled from Cote d’Ivoire.
He said it was important to note that fortification was very important to the health of the consuming public, explaining that some bakers had actually bought the cheap and unfortified product and mixed it with wholesome flour from local manufacturers.
“It is important for those smuggling to note that the most affected when wheat flour is not fortified are children between two and five. Latest figures indicate that 72 per cent of children suffered from vitamin A deficiency due to the consumption of unfortified products,” he said.
The officer used the opportunity to appeal to bakers and other people who used flour to consider the health implications of using unfortified products in their work.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
WEST AFRICA LOSING BILLIONS...Through illegal activities (PAGE 5, MARCH 3, 2010)
Countries along the West coast of Africa are losing billions of dollars through illegal activities within their maritime domain.
The activities include, illegal fishing, human and drug trafficking as well as oil bunkering.
These unchecked activities featured prominently during a roundtable discussion by experts with members of the Ghanaian media currently visiting Germany.
During the briefing at the Headquarters of AFRICOM in Stuttgart, Germany, it was realised that about 80 per cent of cocaine which ended up in various parts of Europe passed through West Africa.
Such activity was attributed to the weak patrols of territorial waters by the navies of countries along the coast of West Africa.
The experts were of the view that the neglect of the territorial waters of West Africa could be attributed to the fact that many governments had not considered the huge wealth existing in that sector.
The experts said if illegal fishing activities went unchecked, the local fishermen of Ghana and other West African countries would in the future suffer, since the fish stock was being depleted at a faster rate.
The discussants said it was important to protect the interest of local fishermen and tackle other illegalities in the maritime domain.
They were of the view that navies across the sub-region did not necessarily need sophisticated equipment to check the abuses but should co-operate to ensure that the West Coast was made unattractive to the people who were using it for their selfish interests.
To help arrest the situation, the AFRICOM promised to partner nations which have demonstrated democracy and rule of law.
The Team Leader of African Partnership Station (APS), Commander Chris Castro, said the Ghana Navy and African Partnership relation was growing stronger and had shown signs of impacting the country in a positive manner.
The Chief of Public Affairs Information of AFRICOM, Mr Vince Crawley said, the focus of Africa Partnership Station, was to help navies across the west coast combat the illegalities under the AFRICOM.
Ghana was said to be doing very well by demonstrating the will power to control its domain through the Africa Partnership Station (APS) under US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
FISHERMEN SLAM GNPC (PAGE 34, MIRROR, JAN 23, 2010)
By Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
Fishermen, fishmongers and canoe owners in the Western Region have slammed the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), for its inability to spearhead the public sensitisation programmes to educate them on oil explorations offshore.
According to the group, the GNPC came to them only twice with GH¢10 and a bottle of Schnapps to the chief fisherman to contract a ‘gongon’ beater to warn the fishermen not to go near the rigs.
This criticisms followed the inability of the representative of the GNPC to express himself on some questions put to him last Tuesday at the community sensitisation forum between Tullow oil and the fishing community in Takoradi.
The fishermen said, “As the government representative in the Tullow Group, we thought GNPC represents our interest and we expect that they play the lead role in educating us on the importance of the operations offshore, but nothing has been done”.
The fishermen said they also heard there would be a gas project in the Jomoro District, adding “it is the foreign investors who made us understand the operations offshore”.
One fisherman from Abuesi in the Shama District, Mr J.K. Ansah, who made the allegation, and cheered on by his colleagues, said but for Tullow and its partners, they would not have understood the offshore operations of the company.
He said the inability of the GNPC to communicate and interact with the people in the fishing communities compounded the problem of intrusion at the rig, which resulted in loss of fishing inputs, lives and the damage to some of their canoes.
“We are always happy to hear that GNPC is coming to our communities, but they come to say or do nothing. We thought they are our people, with our interest at heart, but interestingly, when they came around with a bottle of liquor and GH¢10, their unfriendly posture alone makes us shy away from them,” he said.
The fishermen thanked Tullow Group for its interactions and pledged to be good partners for the good of the country.
Mr Okyeame Ampadu-Agyei, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Manager of Tullow, Ghana, said the company was looking forward to establishing a healthy relations with the fishing communities and the country as a whole.
Okyeame Agyei said one of the things Tullow cherishes so much was the enabling environment for it to triumph and that they were mindful of the fact that socio-industrial harmony was very important to the development of any country.
Mr Kofi Esson, the Government and External Affairs Officer of Tullow, Ghana, responding to some of the concerns of the fishermen, said oil exploration and drilling did not mean the end of fishing.
He said what the company was trying to do was to educate the fishermen on the dangers associated with the activities offshore and the proactive measures that they had in place to handle any eventuality.
Fishermen, fishmongers and canoe owners in the Western Region have slammed the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), for its inability to spearhead the public sensitisation programmes to educate them on oil explorations offshore.
According to the group, the GNPC came to them only twice with GH¢10 and a bottle of Schnapps to the chief fisherman to contract a ‘gongon’ beater to warn the fishermen not to go near the rigs.
This criticisms followed the inability of the representative of the GNPC to express himself on some questions put to him last Tuesday at the community sensitisation forum between Tullow oil and the fishing community in Takoradi.
The fishermen said, “As the government representative in the Tullow Group, we thought GNPC represents our interest and we expect that they play the lead role in educating us on the importance of the operations offshore, but nothing has been done”.
The fishermen said they also heard there would be a gas project in the Jomoro District, adding “it is the foreign investors who made us understand the operations offshore”.
One fisherman from Abuesi in the Shama District, Mr J.K. Ansah, who made the allegation, and cheered on by his colleagues, said but for Tullow and its partners, they would not have understood the offshore operations of the company.
He said the inability of the GNPC to communicate and interact with the people in the fishing communities compounded the problem of intrusion at the rig, which resulted in loss of fishing inputs, lives and the damage to some of their canoes.
“We are always happy to hear that GNPC is coming to our communities, but they come to say or do nothing. We thought they are our people, with our interest at heart, but interestingly, when they came around with a bottle of liquor and GH¢10, their unfriendly posture alone makes us shy away from them,” he said.
The fishermen thanked Tullow Group for its interactions and pledged to be good partners for the good of the country.
Mr Okyeame Ampadu-Agyei, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Manager of Tullow, Ghana, said the company was looking forward to establishing a healthy relations with the fishing communities and the country as a whole.
Okyeame Agyei said one of the things Tullow cherishes so much was the enabling environment for it to triumph and that they were mindful of the fact that socio-industrial harmony was very important to the development of any country.
Mr Kofi Esson, the Government and External Affairs Officer of Tullow, Ghana, responding to some of the concerns of the fishermen, said oil exploration and drilling did not mean the end of fishing.
He said what the company was trying to do was to educate the fishermen on the dangers associated with the activities offshore and the proactive measures that they had in place to handle any eventuality.
MAN, 65, SWINDLES POLICE (PAGE 23, MIRROR, JAN 9, 2010)
From Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
A 65-year-old man, Isaac Gyamfi, has been jailed five years by the Takoradi Circuit Court for swindling and giving false information to the police.
The convict pleaded guilty to the charges and the court, presided over by Mr Charles Nimako Bamfo, convicted him on his own plea.
According to the prosecution, the convict went about informing the police in Apam in the Central Region and Beposo, Kwesimintsim and Agona Nkwanta in the Western Region that he had been robbed of huge sums of money and vehicles.
After giving his statement to the police, he then asked for assistance to travel to his base and return the next day to assist in investigations.
That was the last time the convict would be seen at the station, after receiving the assistance from the police.
After the convict managed to collect some money from the unsuspecting police officers, he then moved to another police station to lodge a similar complaint.
Gyamfi was arrested when he was submitting his statement at the Kwesimintsim Police Station. The Station Officer for Agona, one of the stations he had swindled, walked into the CID Unit of the Kwesimintsim Police Station and was surprised to run into Gyamfi.
The convict called at the Kwesimintsim Police Station and reported that he travelled to Half Assini to transact business.
He claimed that on his way back to Takoradi, upon reaching Apowa, he asked the driver of his vehicle, an Opel Astra with registration number ER 272-09, to stop for him to respond to the call of nature.
Gyamfi told the police that on his return, the driver had left in the car together cash amounting to GH¢8,350 lodged in a briefcase.
The prosecutor said prior to that, Gyamfi had reported to the Agona police that his driver had bolted with his vehicle, an Opel Vectra with registration number ER 6578 Z and cash amounting to GH¢7,800.
Gyamfi attracted the sympathy of the police officers on duty after he told them he had no pesewa on him and succeeded in collecting GH¢70 from the contributions of officers on duty to enable him to travel to his home town to return to help in investigations.
The prosecutor said the Agona police did everything to contact the convict to help in the investigation, but all proved futile until he was identified at Kwesimintsim.
Before Gyamfi could be processed for court, signals from other offices indicated that he had visited such crime on other stations in the Central and Western regions.
A 65-year-old man, Isaac Gyamfi, has been jailed five years by the Takoradi Circuit Court for swindling and giving false information to the police.
The convict pleaded guilty to the charges and the court, presided over by Mr Charles Nimako Bamfo, convicted him on his own plea.
According to the prosecution, the convict went about informing the police in Apam in the Central Region and Beposo, Kwesimintsim and Agona Nkwanta in the Western Region that he had been robbed of huge sums of money and vehicles.
After giving his statement to the police, he then asked for assistance to travel to his base and return the next day to assist in investigations.
That was the last time the convict would be seen at the station, after receiving the assistance from the police.
After the convict managed to collect some money from the unsuspecting police officers, he then moved to another police station to lodge a similar complaint.
Gyamfi was arrested when he was submitting his statement at the Kwesimintsim Police Station. The Station Officer for Agona, one of the stations he had swindled, walked into the CID Unit of the Kwesimintsim Police Station and was surprised to run into Gyamfi.
The convict called at the Kwesimintsim Police Station and reported that he travelled to Half Assini to transact business.
He claimed that on his way back to Takoradi, upon reaching Apowa, he asked the driver of his vehicle, an Opel Astra with registration number ER 272-09, to stop for him to respond to the call of nature.
Gyamfi told the police that on his return, the driver had left in the car together cash amounting to GH¢8,350 lodged in a briefcase.
The prosecutor said prior to that, Gyamfi had reported to the Agona police that his driver had bolted with his vehicle, an Opel Vectra with registration number ER 6578 Z and cash amounting to GH¢7,800.
Gyamfi attracted the sympathy of the police officers on duty after he told them he had no pesewa on him and succeeded in collecting GH¢70 from the contributions of officers on duty to enable him to travel to his home town to return to help in investigations.
The prosecutor said the Agona police did everything to contact the convict to help in the investigation, but all proved futile until he was identified at Kwesimintsim.
Before Gyamfi could be processed for court, signals from other offices indicated that he had visited such crime on other stations in the Central and Western regions.
WOMAN NABBED FOR FRAUD (PAGE 23, MIRROR, JAN 9, 2010)
From Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Axim
A self-styled businesswoman who allegedly defrauded 12 unsuspecting traders in the sum of GH¢295,000 has been arrested.
According to the police, Maame Adwoa Sabaah managed to collect hundreds of bags of sugar, rice and flour from unsuspecting dealers on the pretext of supplying them to her customers and paying for them in a day or two.
The police said after gaining their confidence and collecting the stuff from the shops, the suspect never returned to pay for the goods.
Asked what she used the consignment for, Sabaah told the police that she reduced the prices and offloaded the items and moved on to other traders in different locations for more supplies.
Her luck ran out at Kasoa in the Central Region, when one of her victims she duped at Axim identified her on the verge of loading another consignment from the shop of an unsuspecting customer and raised alarm.
She was then arrested and handed over to the police.
She was later transferred to the Axim District Police Command, where it was established that many people had lodged complaints about her activities.
A self-styled businesswoman who allegedly defrauded 12 unsuspecting traders in the sum of GH¢295,000 has been arrested.
According to the police, Maame Adwoa Sabaah managed to collect hundreds of bags of sugar, rice and flour from unsuspecting dealers on the pretext of supplying them to her customers and paying for them in a day or two.
The police said after gaining their confidence and collecting the stuff from the shops, the suspect never returned to pay for the goods.
Asked what she used the consignment for, Sabaah told the police that she reduced the prices and offloaded the items and moved on to other traders in different locations for more supplies.
Her luck ran out at Kasoa in the Central Region, when one of her victims she duped at Axim identified her on the verge of loading another consignment from the shop of an unsuspecting customer and raised alarm.
She was then arrested and handed over to the police.
She was later transferred to the Axim District Police Command, where it was established that many people had lodged complaints about her activities.
GHANA TO HOST AFRICA ENDEAVOUR EXERCISE (PAGE 5, MARCH 2, 2010)
Ghana has won the bid to host this year’s Africa Endeavour exercise for military establishments across the continent.
The event, which would be attended by more than 30 other African nations, is a military communication exercise which focuses on the interoperability and information sharing among nations working in partnership with United States Africa Command (Africom).
The exercise would be in three phases, which would tackle issues of networking fundamentals, server administration/management and core services of the militaries of participating countries.
Speaking to journalists at Kelly Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, Commander Britt Talbert, Director of programme for Africom, said the goal of Africa Endeavour was to develop command, control and communication tactics, techniques and procedures that could be used by the African Union (AU) in support of member countries in the areas of improved humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, peacekeeping, among others.
When the exercise started four years ago, Commander Britt Talbert said it had limited number of participants.
He said favourable testimonies from various countries which met at peacekeeping and other engagements on the continents had resulted in the increase in participation.
He said the endeavour, since its inception, had harmonised communications between nations, as well as sharing of technical expertise at a minimal cost.
The programme director said in the areas of communication during natural disasters which needed immediate evacuation, countries were able to easily communicate to save the situation.
Commander Tablet said during the exercises, all the countries that had confirmed their participation would come with their communication systems where experts from various countries would help create harmonised environment, easy networking and sharing of information that would protect interests of member countries.
He said some of the goals of Africom’s Africa Endeavour were to increase capacity of African nations by encouraging interoperability and translating AU operational requirements into capacity-building opportunities.
The exercise director said the endeavour also provided critical capability for peacekeeping and stable military operations and humanitarian assistance which enhanced timely and effective delivery of relief items to areas they were needed most.
The event, which would be attended by more than 30 other African nations, is a military communication exercise which focuses on the interoperability and information sharing among nations working in partnership with United States Africa Command (Africom).
The exercise would be in three phases, which would tackle issues of networking fundamentals, server administration/management and core services of the militaries of participating countries.
Speaking to journalists at Kelly Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, Commander Britt Talbert, Director of programme for Africom, said the goal of Africa Endeavour was to develop command, control and communication tactics, techniques and procedures that could be used by the African Union (AU) in support of member countries in the areas of improved humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, peacekeeping, among others.
When the exercise started four years ago, Commander Britt Talbert said it had limited number of participants.
He said favourable testimonies from various countries which met at peacekeeping and other engagements on the continents had resulted in the increase in participation.
He said the endeavour, since its inception, had harmonised communications between nations, as well as sharing of technical expertise at a minimal cost.
The programme director said in the areas of communication during natural disasters which needed immediate evacuation, countries were able to easily communicate to save the situation.
Commander Tablet said during the exercises, all the countries that had confirmed their participation would come with their communication systems where experts from various countries would help create harmonised environment, easy networking and sharing of information that would protect interests of member countries.
He said some of the goals of Africom’s Africa Endeavour were to increase capacity of African nations by encouraging interoperability and translating AU operational requirements into capacity-building opportunities.
The exercise director said the endeavour also provided critical capability for peacekeeping and stable military operations and humanitarian assistance which enhanced timely and effective delivery of relief items to areas they were needed most.
Monday, March 1, 2010
AFRICOM COMMENDS GHANA (PAGE 5, FEB 26, 2010)
Ghana has been highly commended by the United States Africa Command (Africom) for its commitment to the fight against drug trafficking.
Africom said the commitment had been demonstrated by the arrest of prominent people and the interdiction of some police officers purported to be involved in the drug trade, which needed to be admired and emulated by other countries.
It said the ability of the police in the Central Region and immigration service staff to resist enticement from alleged traffickers and effecting their arrest in the recent past had sent a clear signal to the drug barons that they were not welcome in Ghana.
Speaking to journalists on tour of the Africom Headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, Ms Candace Ross, Counter Narcotics Officer, said the dealers of the prohibited drugs were not only interested in using countries in the West African sub-region as a transit point, but were also creating large drug user groups in them.
She said the sad aspect was that the kind of drugs that the new user groups, mostly the young people, dealt in were the cheap and addictive crack-drugs, which were much more dangerous than real cocaine.
“We at Africom are very happy that Ghana is sending the right signals to the outside world that it is committed to the fight against the practice,” she said.
She said trafficking or using a country as a transit point was just one of the problems, but the most serious part was that the users ended up visiting pain on innocent members of society.
“They create instability and social unrest,” Ms Ross said.
Ms Ross said everything possible had to be done to ensure that usage and trafficking of narcotic drugs were made less attractive to the people before life was made unbearable for society.
Africom, she said, would ensure that the local people were educated on the features of various narcotic drugs and the implications of getting involved in the act of trafficking.
“The drug dealers are backed by huge funding and it is very easy to get people to carry their trade through. Therefore, it is very important to educate the people to know the implications,” she said.
The Programme Officer for West Africa/Gulf of Guinea Region Counter Narcotics-Terrorism/Law Enforcement, Mr Garnard W. Burnside, said governmental commitment to the drug war was very important.
He said the crack-drug or the unrefined drug was more addictive and users in the West African/Gulf of Guinea region would soon start asking for the real one, which was more expensive.
Mr Burnside said Africom had done a lot with their Ghanaian counterparts and other relevant institutions, since the fight against drug was a global issue.
Asked if they provided support in the areas of training to help Ghana to be in control of the situation locally, he said they tried to help as and when the request was made and that there were collaborations.
Africom said the commitment had been demonstrated by the arrest of prominent people and the interdiction of some police officers purported to be involved in the drug trade, which needed to be admired and emulated by other countries.
It said the ability of the police in the Central Region and immigration service staff to resist enticement from alleged traffickers and effecting their arrest in the recent past had sent a clear signal to the drug barons that they were not welcome in Ghana.
Speaking to journalists on tour of the Africom Headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, Ms Candace Ross, Counter Narcotics Officer, said the dealers of the prohibited drugs were not only interested in using countries in the West African sub-region as a transit point, but were also creating large drug user groups in them.
She said the sad aspect was that the kind of drugs that the new user groups, mostly the young people, dealt in were the cheap and addictive crack-drugs, which were much more dangerous than real cocaine.
“We at Africom are very happy that Ghana is sending the right signals to the outside world that it is committed to the fight against the practice,” she said.
She said trafficking or using a country as a transit point was just one of the problems, but the most serious part was that the users ended up visiting pain on innocent members of society.
“They create instability and social unrest,” Ms Ross said.
Ms Ross said everything possible had to be done to ensure that usage and trafficking of narcotic drugs were made less attractive to the people before life was made unbearable for society.
Africom, she said, would ensure that the local people were educated on the features of various narcotic drugs and the implications of getting involved in the act of trafficking.
“The drug dealers are backed by huge funding and it is very easy to get people to carry their trade through. Therefore, it is very important to educate the people to know the implications,” she said.
The Programme Officer for West Africa/Gulf of Guinea Region Counter Narcotics-Terrorism/Law Enforcement, Mr Garnard W. Burnside, said governmental commitment to the drug war was very important.
He said the crack-drug or the unrefined drug was more addictive and users in the West African/Gulf of Guinea region would soon start asking for the real one, which was more expensive.
Mr Burnside said Africom had done a lot with their Ghanaian counterparts and other relevant institutions, since the fight against drug was a global issue.
Asked if they provided support in the areas of training to help Ghana to be in control of the situation locally, he said they tried to help as and when the request was made and that there were collaborations.
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