WAR ON PAIR TRAWLING (FRONT PAGE LEAD)

Some of the speedboats to be used by the Navy in the anti-pair trawling exercise.
The Western Naval Command and the Ghana Air Force have embarked on an operation to protect the fish stock in Ghana's territorial waters.

The move is to ensure that the country’s fishermen derive optimum benefit from her marine resources and halt the depletion of Ghana's fish stock by those engaged in pair trawling.

The exercise, code-named “Operation Stock Control” under the Anti-Pair Trawling Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, will ensure policing activities that will deter and stop pair trawling activities in the country once and for all.

The programme is also intended to provide the much-needed relief for Ghanaian fishermen who have been subjected to severe harassment and considerable loss of income as a result of pair trawling.

Under “Operation stock control”, the Ghana Navy has been equipped with three speedboats to patrol the country’s territorial waters.
The Navy will be assisted by the Ghana Air Force, which will fly its aircraft to prompt the Navy to the activities of pair trawlers.

Defence Minister, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, who announced this at the launch of the Anti-Pair Trawling Operations in Sekondi, said the ministry was aware of the effect of pair trawling on fish stock.

“I must express regret here that it has taken this long to put in facilities to effectively check and stop pair trawling,” he said.

“Fortunately, as you can see, displayed today are three patrol boats and these boats will provide us with the capacity to check the pair trawling menace in the country’s territorial waters. From today “Operation Stock Control” will ensure that the trend is reversed,” he said.

He said pair trawling had a very negative effect on the country’s maritime domain and called on the stakeholders in the fishing industry to give their utmost support to ensure the success of the operation.

“The government is aware of the harm that pair trawling has caused to your legal fishing activities. I am also aware that you have lost considerable amounts of money because of the poor catches resulting from pair trawling,” he said.

Mr Kan-Dapaah added that the Defence Ministry would provide all the necessary logistics to motivate the task force to deliver satisfactorily.

He thanked the US government for providing the country with speedboats for the purpose.

For her part, Fisheries Minister, Mrs Gladys Asmah, said presently, the ministry needed the concerted efforts of all stakeholders to save the situation.

Officials of the two ministries, the fisheries sector and other dignitaries were later taken on a tour aboard the patrol boats.

Story by Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu

War On Pair Trawling • Navy, Air Force To Collaborate (Front Page Lead Story)

Story by Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu

The Western Naval Command and the Ghana Air Force have embarked on an operation to protect the fish stock in Ghana's territorial waters.

The move is to ensure that the country’s fishermen derive optimum benefit from her marine resources and halt the depletion of Ghana's fish stock by those engaged in pair trawling.

The exercise, code-named “Operation Stock Control” under the Anti-Pair Trawling Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, will ensure policing activities that will deter and stop pair trawling activities in the country once and for all.

The programme is also intended to provide the much-needed relief for Ghanaian fishermen who have been subjected to severe harassment and considerable loss of income as a result of pair trawling.

Under “Operation stock control”, the Ghana Navy has been equipped with three speedboats to patrol the country’s territorial waters.
The Navy will be assisted by the Ghana Air Force, which will fly its aircraft to prompt the Navy to the activities of pair trawlers.

Defence Minister, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, who announced this at the launch of the Anti-Pair Trawling Operations in Sekondi, said the ministry was aware of the effect of pair trawling on fish stock.

“I must express regret here that it has taken this long to put in facilities to effectively check and stop pair trawling,” he said.

“Fortunately, as you can see, displayed today are three patrol boats and these boats will provide us with the capacity to check the pair trawling menace in the country’s territorial waters. From today “Operation Stock Control” will ensure that the trend is reversed,” he said.

He said pair trawling had a very negative effect on the country’s maritime domain and called on the stakeholders in the fishing industry to give their utmost support to ensure the success of the operation.

“The government is aware of the harm that pair trawling has caused to your legal fishing activities. I am also aware that you have lost considerable amounts of money because of the poor catches resulting from pair trawling,” he said.

Mr Kan-Dapaah added that the Defence Ministry would provide all the necessary logistics to motivate the task force to deliver satisfactorily.

He thanked the US government for providing the country with speedboats for the purpose.

For her part, Fisheries Minister, Mrs Gladys Asmah, said presently, the ministry needed the concerted efforts of all stakeholders to save the situation.

Officials of the two ministries, the fisheries sector and other dignitaries were later taken on a tour aboard the patrol boats.

Tragedy In Takoradi (Front Page Lead story)

Story by Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu
A six-month-old baby boy was burnt to death by a fire in a house at Effiakuma, a suburb of Takoradi, over the weekend while his mother was away attending to the call of nature.

The fire also destroyed property worth thousands of Ghana cedis.

Not even the cries of the five-year-old brother of the six-month-old baby was enough to save the situation.

Indeed, when the boy rushed out of the room crying, the co-tenants thought it was the result of punishment meted out to him by his mother.

When they realised that he was calling for help, it was too late to save the baby from the ragging fire.
Neighbours said they did not know the baby was in the room until his mother came back asking: “What about my baby? I left both of them in the room.”

Although officials of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) arrived early enough to fight the fire, they could not have access to the fire point as a result of the crowded nature of the community.

When the Daily Graphic got to the scene about 6.30 a.m., the firemen had managed to remove the roofing of the building to avoid an explosion, while other members of the community helped with buckets of water to put out the fire.
The only property left for the victim, Madam Limatu Sayid, were the blouse and the cover cloth she had on her when she left the house.

According to the grief-stricken Madam Limatu, she woke up about 5.45 a.m. to visit the community toilet and the baby started crying.

“I had wanted to send him to a neighbour, but after breastfeeding him, he slept again, with the elder brother lying beside him,” she said.

Madam Limatu said what was more painful was that on her way from the KVIP she saw the cloud of smoke, but little did she know that it was coming from her room and that the lives of her children were in danger.

“I have lost everything, including my baby,” she said, with tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

The remains of the baby will soon be released to the family for burial after the police have completed their investigations.

Other members of the community, co-tenants and elderly Muslim women took Madam Limatu to their home to console her.

According to officials of the GNFS, the cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Investigations are still ongoing.

SANITATION WORSENS IN SEKONDI/TAKORADI METROPOLIS (PAGE 69)

The inability of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) to pay waste management contractors for the waste they collect to the dumping sites is seriously affecting the clearance and disposal of garbage from the designated points.
The delay has currently resulted in unsightly heaps of garbage and overflowing containers at the markets throughout the metropolis.
Vehicles belonging to waste management contractors are said to have broken down and they need money to maintain them.
At the Takoradi Central Market, all the three huge containers placed in front of the Ghana Commercial Bank, U-84 and opposite the Takoradi offices of Ghana Textile Printing company are overflowing with garbage.
One of the interesting things is that despite the stench emanating from the heap of rubbish, hawkers display their wares and go about their business.
At the moment, the waste management contractors claim the delay in paying them for their services is having a negative effect on their business, since they have to maintain their trucks.
Although they would not disclose how much money the assembly owes them, they said the payment was too slow to support any result-oriented venture such as waste management.
Apart from the central market, there are other areas in the metropolis where the containers have been waiting for days to be lifted.
When the Daily Graphic contacted the assembly, the Public Relations Officer, Mr John Laste, acknowledged the problem and said there were processes the payment had to go through for the contractors to be paid.
The contractors first had to submit their claims to the assembly, which would also ensure that proper procedures had been followed before effecting payment and asked the waste contractors to bear with the assembly.
“I can say for a fact that waste management is one of our top priorities, and we would not compromise the health of the people for anything, but we also have serious social problems that hamper the dreams of the assembly,” he said.
“Take the Market Circle, Takoradi; houses around the market are supposed to use the door-to-door service, but before the market women commence business, the residents might have filled the containers with their household waste,” he lamented.
“I can assure you that if the people respected the laid-down regulations, things would be different; waste produced at the market would not fill the containers in a day”, he added.
That aside, Mr Laste said the amount residents were paying for their waste was pittance, which could not support the assembly. “It is too abysmal and even that they will not pay. Therefore, we find ourselves in a very difficult situation”.
He further explained that the assembly had to find a way out to ensure that the city was not engulfed in filth. “What the public forgets is that when we talk about waste management, they have a very important and prime role to play. The moment they assume that it is the duty of the assembly, then we are in trouble. But immediately residents recognise the problem and become part of the solution, there lies our redemption,” he said.
“That notwithstanding, we are doing everything possible to ensure that the city is the neatest in the country,” he said.
Mr Laste used the opportunity to warn residents around the Market Circle to desist from using the refuse containers meant for traders and appealed to the contractors not to neglect their duty, since they would be paid.

SERIOUS ENCROACHMENT ON AIR FORCE STATION LANDS (PAGE 29)

Land has become one of the hottest commodities in the twin-city of Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis. People disregard the plans for land use or what public lands have been earmarked for and have been encroaching seriously on them.
Some of the areas which have been seriously encroached upon are the military lands, especially the land which has been reserved around the Takoradi Airport, which serves as a buffer zone between communities close to the airport and the runway.
The land was acquired by the government for the Ministry of Defence in the 1960s and properly demarcated with signposts with the inscription “Ministry of Defence - Ghana Armed Forces (MOD- GAF)” indicating the intended purpose for the land.
Encroachers are fast developing the restricted area which is very close to the runway, ignoring the security risks they are exposing themselves and their families or tenants to. Others are also farming on the land.
Maize planted on the farms has also attracted many small birds which usually fly in flocks after feeding on the crop. Experts have warned the encroachers against such practices because they are exposing themselves to great danger especially in the event of a disaster.
Bird-hazard, according to some pilots, is mostly caused by these small flocks of birds that fly in the path the aircraft and which can damage an aircraft engine worth millions of dollars.
The settlers on these restricted lands also rear animals which also stray onto the runway.
Others also use the runway as thoroughfare because they see it as the shortest route to the central business district.
When the military attempt to enforce discipline in accordance with their regulations at the base, members of the public accuse them of molesting their civilian brothers.
The Takoradi Airport is the only place in the country which has been well planned and designated for the training of pilots for the Ghana Air Force. Therefore, a large parcel of land was reserved for training purposes in the 1960s.
Flight experts say the reserved land was purposely meant for pilots to crush land in the event of a mishap after their planes take off.
Also, when the unexpected happens during training and the plane crush lands within the reserved or the restricted area, it is expected that no harm will be caused to members of the communities around the airport.
The Daily Graphic found during a visit to the restricted area around the airport that encroachers have put up houses in the demarcated area reserved for military use only.
Although high-rise buildings are not allowed around airports, some developers have built storey buildings while others are also winning sand in the area and have constructed roads across the restricted area.
A military base is a facility, settlement, reservation, or installation that shelters military equipment and personnel. It may also contain large concentrations of military supplies and other logistics.
The bases are restricted to the military alone and only authorised personnel are allowed entry.
Interestingly the encroachers claim that the lands belong to them and that when purchasing the lands they did not know the danger they were exposing themselves to.
The Ministry of Information and National Orientation and National Commission on Civic Education have a lot of work to do to educate the populace on why they should keep off military zones.
The Ministry of Defence, aware of the dangers involved, therefore, created a buffer zone to guide against public intrusion on their training grounds and to ensure uninterrupted training exercises. The military bases usually have housing units, mess, churches, gymnasium, sports courts, schools, parks, etc. to ensure that they have the peace of mind to defend the nation when the need arises.
Following the oil find in the Western Region, however, the demand for land is great and people have started encroaching on the restricted military zone and claiming ownership of the lands. Many of the encroachers are said to have petitioned people in high places to press upon the military to allow them to continue their development in the restricted areas.
It is about time the public realised the importance of training pilots for the Ghana Air Force and avoided any interruptions.
One interesting thing is that the encroachers have titles to the land they are developing.
When the Daily Graphic contacted the Western Regional office of the Lands Commission to find out if the office was aware of the encroachment in the restricted area, the acting Regional Lands Officer, Mr S. Hans Jorie, responded in the affirmative.
He said a portion of it was initially government land but that had not been appropriated and urged the Ghana Air Force to move in quickly to acquire it.
Mr Jorie said they had had discussions with the military and advised them accordingly, adding that on October 20, 2008, the commission wrote to the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly requesting it to suspend the granting of building permits to developers in the area.
The acting land officer said after careful deliberation the commission recommended that steps should be taken to have that portion of the land which is not part of the government land acquired for the Air Force.
Therefore, “until acquisition is completed, granting of building permits for the development of that portion should cease”, the commission advised the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly.
He said the letter was the outcome of the meeting and based on the realisation that a portion at the Airport Ridge was considered a threat to the airfield since it was too close to it.
“We will move into action when the military puts in application for the acquisition of that portion of the land which is not part of government land, to give the military total control over the area,” he said.
Asked if that would not constitute an injustice to people who had legally acquired part of that land, he said, “If it is in the interest of the people, the larger public, the state has no option than to acquire it.”
He said the issue had been dragging for long and that in 1996 the then Takoradi Station Commander called for their assistance for the place to be properly demarcated.
The commission has thrown the ball onto the court of the Ministry of Defence and the government as well as the Military High Command for urgent action to halt the encroachment and that must be done fast.
To properly secure the area before the commencement of work on the new airport planned for Takoradi and the completion of the wall around it, it would be important for the ministries of Defence and Aviation to move in to save the situation.
That aside, the public should be aware that the suspension of further development projects at Airport Ridge is in the larger interest of public and flight safety.

DRIVERS RESUME RECKLESS PARKING ON PAVEMENTS (PAGE 29)

DRIVERS have resumed reckless parking on both sides of the streets and unauthorised places in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis, because the assembly has suspended the operation of the 24-hour towing service.
The suspension came about because the company, which was operating the service, failed to meet the expectations of the assembly.
At the moment, the assembly has not found a replacement and, therefore, there is complete lawlessness on the streets.
The Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly had hitherto designated parking lots on the streets in the metropolis where people could park their vehicles.
The Public Relations Officer of the assembly, Mr John Laste, said the assembly had put the services of the company on hold for some time, since they had not met the expectation of the assembly.
He said at the moment, city guards had been deployed on the streets to ensure sanity on the roads.
However, a tour around the metropolis by the Daily Graphic indicated that the guards were not up to the task.
Although the former towing company was under-resourced; it provided some checks that helped to reduce and control the recklessness on the roads, since they often clamped vehicles and the offenders were made to pay instant fines of GH¢40.
The current situation in the metropolis, especially the central business district indicates that most commercial drivers have a stronger edge over the city guards.
Some taxi drivers have moved to the street corners and park in front of supermarkets and jostle one another for passengers coming out from the shops, a situation which was previously unknown.
The reality is, apart from the State Transport Company yard and two other bus terminals opposite the Mankesim Whitehouse near the Market Circle, there are no bus terminals in the metropolis and drivers do whatever they deem fit.
Besides, business activities around the Market Circle have resumed with zeal, causing a lot of inconvenience to motorists. Most hawkers display their wares on “trucks” and take over one side of the roads, especially those around the Market Circle.
When the Daily Graphic enquired from the drivers if they were aware of the inconvenience they were causing to other road users as a result of their business activities, they laughed it off and said it was election time, so they were at liberty to do whatever pleased them.

YOUTH URGED TO REVIVE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTARISM (PAGE 29)

The Chief of Takoradi, Nana Busumakora III, has called on the youth to be part of nation building and not to ignore the spirit of voluntarism.
He said the hope and prospects of a nation became stronger when its youth took great interest in things that would advance the development agenda of the nation.
He made the call when two officers from the regional headquarters of the Sekondi station of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) embarked on a peace walk and arrived in Takoradi as part of their peace message for the country.
The two officers, Fireman John Dominic Dadzie and Station Officer Joseph Cornelius Ampiah, were met on their arrival at the Apremdo Barrier by their fellow officers.
Nana Busumakora said it gladdened his heart when the youth took it upon themselves to volunteer their support for the national campaign for peace and stability to promote accelerated national development.
He said the eyes of the world would be on Ghana during the upcoming elections, to exhibit the strong democratic strides the country had made among its peers in Africa.
“It is heart-warming for personnel of the GNFS to embark on a walk across the country with the message of peace and stability,” he said.
He prayed and asked for God’s protection for the two officers as they continued their journey through the Central, Greater Accra and the Volta regions before making it back to Takoradi.
“I must be honest that my people and the whole of the Western Region are proud of you,” the chief said. He called on Ghanaians to be tolerant now, during and after the elections.
The Regional Fire Officer, Nana Ekwow Abban, said it was very important that every Ghanaian took a personal interest in jealously protecting the enviable peace and stability that the country was enjoying.
“We at the fire station have taken it upon ourselves to carry our message of peace to the people”, he added.
The regional fire officer urged members of the general public to embrace the spirit of brotherliness and ensure that the interest and peace of the country were protected.
Nana Abban said the objective of his men was to use the message of peace to create awareness of the need to maintain peace throughout the country.
He said there were similarities in Ghanaian cultural beliefs, irrespective of the region one hailed from and that it was very important for all Ghanaians to live in peace.
The two peace walkers were initially met on arrival in the metropolis by the Commanding Officer of the Second Battalion of Infantry, Lt. Col. Francis Vib-Sanziri at the Myohanung Barracks at Apremdo in Takoradi.
They were then met at the Takoradi Central Market Fire Post by the Western Regional Police Commander, Commissioner Mohammed Arhmed Alhassan.

ECOBANK GHANA SUPPORTS POLICE (PAGE 29)

The Takoradi branch of Ecobank Ghana has presented office equipment worth thousands of Ghana cedis to the Regional CID Unit of the Ghana Police Service in Sekondi.
The items, a photocopier and its accessories, were received by the Western Regional Police Commander, Commissioner of Police Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, at the regional headquarters in Sekondi.
In a statement before the presentation, Mr Frank Osei-Nkrumah of the Legal Department of the bank, said the donation formed part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility to enhance the operations of the Police Service.
He said since the Police Service is an institution charged with the responsibility for ensuring the safety of all, the bank decided to support the unit to further discharge its duties.
Mr Osei-Nkrumah said that the police, the business community and members of society had a lot in common to share, and that it was, therefore, right that all stakeholders paused to see where they could help make the work of the police a little easier.
“It is the hope of the management and staff of Ecobank that the copier would go a long way to help them in their work”, he added.
For his part, the regional commander Alhassan, thanked the bank for the support and added that it was the aim of the government to address the logistic needs of its institutions to function well, but that it could not do this alone.
The regional commander said with the support of corporate bodies, things tend to be a little better and expressed the unit’s appreciation to the bank.
“One institution or individual will not be able to address the needs of the Police Service, but as you come individually or in groups we will get there”, the regional commander said.
He said further that the donation came at an opportune time when they really needed it and gave the assurance that the bank would put the items to good use to enhance its operations.

LACK OF FACILITIES HAMPERS WORK AT OIC (PAGE 29)

lack of adequate support for the Opportunity Industrialisation Centre (OIC) is seriously threatening continued existence of the centre.
After the withdrawal of the mother organisation, based in the City of Philadelphia in the United States of America , the only support the school received from the government was the payment of salaries of tutors.
The school had to generate funds internally to take care of its depreciating structures and purchases of training materials.
At the moment, its biggest challenge is how to pay utility bills and procure training materials such as timber, tools for the workshop, computers, typewriters and other materials for the straightening and welding departments.
In Sekondi, the school has a population of more than 200 students who do not pay fees, as they are only charged what is termed “user fees” as their contribution towards their training.
The school authorities are, therefore, appealing to the corporate bodies in the metropolis and the region as a whole to support it to realise its dream of providing useful skills training for the youth.
The centre is appealing to all to help provide skills training for the youth who have demonstrated the zeal to study to enable them to be trained to prevent them from becoming a nuisance to society.
The Training Supervisor of the centre, Mr John Kingsley Dadzie, told the Daily Graphic that the focus of the OIC was skills development and employment generation through adoption of programmes that would ensure a comprehensive human resource development in the country.
He said the programme modules of the centre aimed at ensuring that the vocational skills training and employment opportunities provided by the OIC projects were always relevant to the country’s needs.
Mr Dadzie said over the years many students passed through the school and some of them had comfortably settled and were self-employed and providing jobs for people, while others were pursuing further studies.
The training supervisor said the centre provided balanced non-formal education, with training consisting of 70 per cent practical sessions and 30 per cent theory, after which the students were sent to reputable institutions for internship.
Mr Dadzie said the students were trained for two years, after which they sat for NVTI Grade II examinations and Grade I after obtaining the OIC certificates.
He said those who wished to continue their studies could proceed to the polytechnics through the country.
Another problem facing the school was the absence of a drainage system near the school and pleaded with the metropolitan assembly to construct a drain for it.
“This year, we did not experience heavy rains to warrant flooding, but I can say that when it rains, the whole school gets flooded and obstructs academic work”, he said.
“We have very unique structures to ensure that the children are given the best form of training,” the supervisor said, adding that they had a counselling centre to ensure that students were counselled on various aspects of the programmes they chose to pursue.
“The counsellors also take their time, listen to the students and they both arrive at an acceptable decision that is acceptable to the students and their tutors”, he said.
He expressed his gratitude to West Africa Mills Company (WAMCO), Ghana Telecom, the Parent-Teacher Association of the school and other stakeholders for helping the centre to keep its head above water.
The training supervisor also appealed to the government to support the school.

AIRMEN CAUTIONED (PAGE 34)

THE Chief Staff Officer at the Air Force Headquarters, Air Commodore Is Kadri, has cautioned airmen not to indulge in activities that are outside their purview.
He said indulging in debt collection, land guard duties, arbitration in chieftaincy disputes, unauthorised arrest of drug peddlers and unsolicited police duties was not what they were trained to do.
Addressing a parade of newly qualified airmen and women in Takoradi last Friday, Air Commodore Kadri warned them not to let their personal desires prevail over issues which were clearly out of their domain in order not to drag the name of the Air Force into disrepute.
In all, a total of 145 men and women passed out in Course 1/2008 after 25 weeks of intensive training, which took them through sense of team spirit, co-operation, mental robustness, fortitude, confidence and stamina.
Air Commodore Kadri warned that “the Air Force will not countenance any act of commission or omission on your part, as you will individually be answerable to the Command for acts of indiscipline”.
“You are joining a service which has won the trust and confidence of the citizenry through a healthy civil-military relationship. Our duties and responsibilities as airmen/women are clearly spelt out in the Armed Forces Regulations,” he said.
Commodore Kadri reminded them to ensure that the integrity of the Air Force was protected.
The government, he said, was addressing the operational challenges of the Air Force.
“Indeed, the Armed Forces, just like other state institutions, compete for the nation’s scare resources to enhance their outlook and effectiveness,” he said.
Commodore Kadri said the Air Force was looking forward to improvements in its needs, especially in the area of accommodation and acquisition of aircraft.
He, therefore, urged them to dedicate themselves to the profession and the defence of Ghana at all times.
The chief staff officer reminded them that although they had passed out, “training in the armed forces is a continuous and uninterrupted activity. What you went through is just the foundation; training will recommence the very first day you report at various base/stations.”
The Takoradi Air Force Station Commander, Air Commodore Michael Samson-Oje, administered the oath (Which oath?) to the newly trained airmen/women.

HASMAL, ALL STARS DRAW (BACK PAGE)

A depleted Sekondi Hasaacas team yesterday paid the price of trading their top stars during the off season as they only managed a goalless draw in their maiden outing against visiting Wa All Stars.
It was a match that saw the homesters playing without their usual bite at home and even found themselves on the verge of losing the game on the 80th minute, but for timely clearance by defender Prince Ohene.
That was after Wa All Stars striker Issa Saliu, who was adjudged the best player of the day, had beaten goalkeeper Michael Addo.

TDI PORT STILL VIBRANT (PAGE 29)

THE Director of Takoradi Port, Mr Nestor Percy Galley, has refuted claims that the port is dying, saying, “We are thriving and will be up to any task and challenges to be posed by the recent discovery of oil”.
He said the port had been progressing steadily over the years though not as fast as the Tema Port but its activities should not be described as slow.
The director, who was speaking at a durbar in Takoradi to give awards to its workers for the year 2006-2007, said: “We are perceived as an export port probably due to the fact that we handle about 70 per cent of the country’s exports, but the truth is that the Takoradi Port handles both imports and exports.
“I can assure you that, increasingly, the Sahelian countries of Niger , Mali and Burkina Faso have now recognised that the Takoradi Port is an alternative to their traditional ports of Abidjan, Lome, Benin and Dakar ,” he said.
Mr Galley said in the face of the challenges, the Takoradi Port still remained one of the strongest export and import destination points in the country and other countries up north have found favour with it.
The director reminded workers that the discovery of oil was another challenge to the management of the port, saying: “If we work hard, we would turn the fortunes of the port around. If we don’t, the opportunity will pass us by and we cannot afford to fail corporate Ghana and the expectations of the clients.”
He urged the workers to exhibit professionalism in their work by adopting new and progressive work attitudes towards their clients.
“Let me tell you that the discovery of oil has put the port and Takoradi township on the world map and any negative acts will go a long way to destroy our image internationally, ” he stressed.
He congratulated the award winners and reminded them that one’s selection as an award winner placed more responsibility on him/her.
“I, therefore, urge you not to relent in your efforts to ensure that the Takoradi Port goes beyond the expectation of the people and our employers,” he said.

HOPE FOR NAVAL RATINGS (PAGE 29)

Military personnel play a vital role by securing the territorial integrity of the state as well as defending the people against external aggression.
It is, therefore, the responsibility of the state to provide them with the basic necessities of life, especially shelter.
The situation at the Western Naval Command is sad as far as the ratings are concerned.
To make the mobilisation of the military easy to defend the country, the state provides the personnel with bases where they are accommodated. The bases may also be used as a command centre, training ground, or test ground.
However, many ratings of the Ghana Navy in the twin-city are not accommodated. They have to look for their own private accommodation in town.
This is unfair as in most cases landlords eject them when they obtain better offers in rent advance.
That aside, some cannot afford the high rent advances landlords in the twin-city currently demand from prospective tenants.
Some of the ratings have their accommodation miles away from the Sekondi Naval Base, in areas which could best be described as slums.
These ratings use public toilets just like their civilian counterparts and because of the state of the areas in which they live, most of them do not allow their relatives to visit them.
The end of the plight of the enthusiastic young men and women who have chosen to defend the country at the expense of their lives appears to be in sight as the Chief of Naval Station has given them the assurance of better times ahead.
Speaking at the command’s administrative parade at the Western Command, he said measures had been put in place for the young sailors to draw “Family Allowance” in their attempt to alleviate their plight.
He said the construction of more accommodation was also underway to ensure that future recruitment drives of the Navy proceeded unhindered.
He said early next year, the Navy would retrain recruits, whose recruitment process started last year but was stalled as a result of acute accommodation problems.
“It is long overdue for the Ghana Navy to boast a base where it could have all personnel and their families provided with shelter to guarantee them peace of mind to enable them to perform their defensive roles more effectively and efficiently.
It is a fact of life that when one faces problems such as the lack of life’s basic needs one loses concentration.
The Ghana Navy was formed in 1958 and was temporarily accommodated in a facility belonging to the then Ghana Railways and Ports Authority in Takoradi, which now houses the present Ghana Naval Stores Depot.
Ships and the technical department of the navy also use the same facilities at the Takoradi Harbour.
The dream of having a stronger and better Navy comparable to any was made stronger when the government of Ghana in 1960 decided to provide a first class permanent Naval base for the Ghana Navy in Sekondi.
After the government had signed an agreement with Messrs Pomgrad of Yugoslavia for the construction of the base at the Sekondi Port in 1962 preparations were progressing steadily under the watchful eyes of the then President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
However, the dream of the Navy to have a place to call their own, or their base was thwarted by the 1966 coup d’etat.
Since then, successive governments did little to acknowledge the importance of the sister unit of the Ghana Army.
Now that oil has been discovered in the Western Region, the country has seen the importance of the Navy. Thank God, the government of the day is making efforts to add to the fleet of the old ladies GNS Yogaga, Sibo, Anzoni and Achimota.
The security that the country needs at the moment before the commencement of drilling in 2010 is now more urgent than ever.
The NLC government reviewed the original project and made some modifications. Interesting among those changes were the substitutions of the slipway for the dry-dock. Work on the Sekondi project was completed in early 1967.
That was the end of everything, the issue of accommodation for personnel, especially the ratings was not seriously addressed and catered for and as a result the naval ratings have to be scattered everywhere within the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis.
Looking at the importance of the Navy today, there is the need to ensure that accommodation is provided for the personnel to ensure that they are all housed in a military base for easy mobilisation.
The area of responsibility of the command stretches from Winneba in the Central Region to the Western Border at New Town in the Jomoro District of the Western Region, a distance of about 200 nautical miles seaward.

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PLANNED FOR T'DI (PAGE 29)

The government is currently considering plans to build an airport of international standard to take bigger aircraft in the twin-city of Sekondi/Takoradi, the Ministry of Aviation has hinted.
This would accommodate the anticipated traffic to the metropolis as a result of the oil find. Plans are also underway to expand the Takoradi seaport in readiness for the oil business.
The Minister of Aviation, Mr Joe Baidoo-Ansah, who announced this during an inspection of the Takoradi Airport, said the government was leaving no stone unturned in its quest to take advantage of ancillary businesses incidental to the oil find.
He said work had commenced on the permanent “approach and runway lights” for the Takoradi Airport to position it well as plans to construct a bigger airport were being considered.
The minister said the lights when completed would enhance visibility for landing not only at night but also during bad weather.
The minister said the overwhelming interest shown in the development of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis and the region as a whole due to the oil find had brought to the fore the need to be proactive.
At the moment, he said, the ministry was considering the creation of a civil passenger terminal at the Takoradi Airport to separate the military and civilian facilities.
Mr Baidoo-Ansah said work on the grooving of the runway was almost complete and that the ministry was also working on the security issues to avert human and animal intrusion at the airport.
He expressed concern that people walk across the airfield and promised that the ministry would do everything possible to ensure that fencing around the airport was completed.
The minister implored the residents around the airport to desist from acts that pose security threats at the airport.
He gave the assurance that the fencing that was started would be completed to ensure maximum security.

CALL FOR PROPER RECORD KEEPING (PAGE 29)

THE Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa, Professor Kwame Karikari, has called for efficient record keeping and accurate reportage to ensure that generations unborn are not deprived of facts of events of today, which would be tomorrow’s history.
He said findings had shown that about 95 per cent of records about events in Africa could only be found outside the continent of Africa.
He was speaking at a workshop organised by the coalition on the advocacy to the Right to Information Bill, which is currently before Parliament.
“The stories of Baba Yara and Ohene Gyan and other great sportsmen after whom various sports facilities across the country were named and their photographs are nowhere to be found,” he said, adding that “such development tells how bad we are when it comes to record keeping”.
He gave an example of the United States of America where the first posters printed by political parties for their campaign could be found “but from the ‘50s it would be difficult to have such records in Ghana.”
Prof. Karikari reminded the media that in their quest to disseminate information they should be guided by accurate and balanced information to ensure that, in the future, what the generations unborn would be reading would reflect exactly what transpired today.
He said it was very important for the citizenry to give their support to the passage of the bill before the house. The bill, he said, would pave the way for other agencies to be empowered for the benefit of the people especially the less privileged.
Nana Oye Lithur of the Commonwealth Initiative said international Human Rights Treaties on civil and political rights, Article 19 (2) (and with similar wording: Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) stated as follow:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
She said the proactive duty of citizens today was to request information held by public officers and that principle was recognised under the current bill which states that “one does not need to provide reasons for an application’’ in the Section 1 (4) of the Bill).
Nana Lithur said it was the state’s corresponding duty to provide information on its activities, and be proactive in public education and dissemination of information on a regular basis.
She said although freedom of expression and thought depended on the availability of adequate information, the right to personal safety required that people were informed about security threats to enable them to be active partners.
The bill, she said, would reduce conflict and promote national cohesion, as greater openness brought with it more public trust in the representatives and made resistance and conflict over government policies less likely, where people would hold their government accountable, with feelings of powerlessness and alienation reduced.
The vice-president of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Affail Monney, said information is the lifeblood, raw material and stock in trade without which the media could not be in business.
He said even though Ghana’s level of press freedom struck chords of appreciation nationally and internationally, “however, what is missing is the right to information bill.”
Mr Monney said it was about time the media used their influence in the policy landscape to educate and fast track the passage of the bill. “The Right To Information Bill has been in the fridge for far too long,” he said.

STUDENTS CONTRIBUTE TO INDISCIPLINE ON ROADS (PAGE 28)

students of the Government Secretariat near the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital are causing commercial drivers plying the Sekondi/Takoradi main road to clamour for passengers and make the road unsafe.
The premises and facilities of the school are used by other private institutions as classrooms and hostel.
As a result, the population on campus has increased and the students comprising student nurses and other private individuals who are using the place refuse to make use of the bus-stop at the Fijai-Effia-Nkwanta junction.
The students, from their hostels, refuse to move to the Kweikuma bus stop or the Effia-Nkwanta bus stop, which is about two minutes walk from the school to the major road and rather stop along the road to pick taxis or ‘trotros’ resulting in inconveniences to other road users on that portion of the road.
As a result, the behaviour of these students, drivers find it difficult to make use of the designated bus stops.
In some instances, more than three mini-buses and taxi park in the middle of the road for students to board.
It is the hope of this reporter that officials of the National Road Safety Commission and personnel of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), of their Ghana Police Service in the metropolis,will move in to save the situation by educating the students on the effects of their action.
There is also total disregard for road safety regulations at the Number 9 traffic light at Effiekuma which leads to Anaji. Here, a bus stop has been turned into a taxi rank.
The road is totally blocked sometimes making it impossible for traffic to flow freely.

NAVY TO RECEIVE NEW VESSELS (PAGE 3)

THE Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral A.R.S. Nuno, has announced that the Ghana Navy is to receive new vessels from Korea and China to enhance its operations and effectively protect the newly discovered oil fields off the shores of Cape Three Points in the Ahanta West District.
Rear Admiral Nuno, who did not disclose the number of vessels to be received, said the government was in contact with the Korean and Chinese governments for the supply.
He observed that the need to ensure the territorial integrity of the country through the safety of its waters had never been as urgent as now.
He said this was so because of the discovery of oil off the shores of the country and the need for the country to efficiently manage its natural resources.
Furthermore, he said, insecurity at sea could derail the relative peace and stability in the country.
Speaking at this year’s administrative parade for the Western Naval Command at Sekondi, Rear Admiral Nuno said the situation called for an efficient and well-equipped navy to discharge its mandate.
He said despite the numerous constraints facing the Ghana Navy, it had been able to make some strides through the judicious use of its limited resources.
In the area of training, he said the navy would leave no stone unturned to train its personnel for the challenges ahead through exchange programmes with foreign partners, adding that collective and individual training for personnel would continue to be a priority for the command.
He commended the contingents for the splendid turnout and enthusiastic performance, which reflected the Ghana Navy’s determination to rise to its duties.
The ceremony was attended by other service commanders from the Ghana Air Force (GAF), the Army, the Police, the Immigration and the Prisons services.

JUDGES URGED TO BE ICT COMPLIANT (PAGE 38)

JUDGES have been urged to be Information and Communications Technology (ICT) compliant to prepare themselves adequately for the Judicial Service’s e-governance project which involves the computerisation and automation of the court system.
That, according to the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, would avert the problem of missing dockets, eliminate paper work and improve record keeping and retrieval just by the click of a button.
“Therefore, every judge should be able to know how to send and retrieve e-mail and files to ensure that cost and other forms of delay are eliminated through the e-governance project,” she said.
She said the service spent huge amounts of money on A4 sheets for printing, adding that that would be eliminated under the e-governance programme.
She said computerisation and the implementation of e-governance were perfect initiatives, and that the service would continue to strategise on an e-governance process of courts to achieve its application in all areas of the service.
“Our current ICT policy includes an extensive programme to automate and computerise all courts in the country, as well as provide training for the staff who will man the automated courts,” she said.
The Chief Justice said although some superior courts had benefited from the automation, it was envisaged that the court automation programme would be expanded to all courts in due course.
Mrs Justice Wood said e-governance would lead to a better and more effective delivery of justice in the country by rendering the court processes speedier and more transparent.
She said other initiatives included the institution of an annual report, a programmatic career magistrates training, building a database of cases decided, going electronic with the Supreme Court library, among others.
“It is expected that these reform projects will enhance the level of quality and justice delivery in Ghana,” she said.
Using the annual report as an example, Mrs Justice Wood said it was designed to reinforce the level of accountability within the judicial system, as well as keep the public informed of the activities of the judiciary.

TWO DIE IN FIGHT ...Over mutton soup (MIRROR, LEAD STORY)

From Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Bepoase

A fight that ensued over mutton soup prepared has left two people dead at Bepoase, a farming community near Sefwi-Asawinso in the Wiawso District of the Western Region.
One died after receiving a blow that caused him to miss his steps and fall on an exposed rock, while the other collapsed and died on his way to hospital.
The dead are Henry Kpodo, 38, a native of Big Ada in the Greater Accra Region and Steven Abugri, 28, from the Upper West Region.
A suspect in the case, Kweku Kussase, 37, also from the Upper West Region is currently in police custody.
Eyewitnesses told The Mirror that Kpodo visited Kussase and Abugri, who were then preparing the soup and mistakenly kicked the firewood under the cooking pot resulting in the tumbling of the pot .
Kussase was said not to have taken kindly to Kpodo’s behaviour and therefore confronted him, but Kpodo rather became offended and gave Kussase a heavy slap.
According to the witnesses, Kussase then called Abugri, who became furious after realising that Kpodo had shown no remorse for the act.
Abugri was said to have given Kpodo a heavy blow and as he fell with his head hitting a rock, he became unconscious.
Kussase and Abugri then carried Kpodo to the hospital but upon realising that he was dead left the body by the roadside and fled to the bush.
The villagers who were aware of the fight then pursued and apprehended them and later handed them over to the Wiawso Police where the two admitted the offence.
While in police cells, Abugri was said to have complained of dizziness but died while being conveyed to the hospital.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Asafo Family Hospital Mortuary.

HASCO SCIENCE BLOCK REFURBISHED (MIRROR, PAGE 25)

From Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Half-Assini
The Science Block of the Half-Assini Secondary School (HASCO) in the Jomoro District of the Western Region, which was refurbished by Tullow oil has been handed over to the school authorities.
Tullow Oil, one of the oil and gas production companies working at the Jubilee Oil-Fields in the Western Region, provided $80,000 for the refurbishment and equipment of the laboratory and also replaced the malfunctioning water reservoir with jumbo tanks powered by mechanised boreholes for the school.
The company has also initiated a programme of social empowerment for communities in the Nzema West areas, where 12 mechanised and hand-pump wells have been completed to provide potable water to about 13,000 inhabitants.
The company will by the end of this year complete 30 more wells in the area.
Speaking at the ceremony to hand over the laboratory to the school, the Country Manager of Tullow Oil, Mr Kofi Esson, said when the company selected the school, its focus was to solve the water problem.
“In our rounds, we saw the structure which the head teacher said was not an abandoned building but rather their science laboratory”, he said.
Mr Esson said, “We were touched by that, knowing well the contributions of science to our existence, therefore we had it discussed and approved to ensure that the next batch of science students did not suffer.”
The country manager said Tullow was a responsible company that has adopted pragmatic policies as its social responsibilities with much respect for the countries they operate.
“We also ensure a firm commitment to maintaining a healthy balance between environment and business risks to ensure that the local communities, the country and the company benefited,” he said.
The Headmaster of the school, Mr Kojo Egya, thanked the company for the support, adding “I can assure you that in the next exams we will no longer perform abysmally but ensure that we justify our call with the improved facilities at the school.”
He said the block would not only be used by the students of HASCO but by schools nearby who use the school lab as a resource centre.

CJ URGES JUDGES TO JOIN BENCH (SPREAD)

THE Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, has called on members of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) who have been in practice for 25 years or more to consider joining the bench at the level of the superior courts.
She said it was necessary that those with the requisite experience at the bar would help shape the course of justice delivery in the country by joining the Bench to help address the shortage of judges in the system.
Addressing lawyers at the Chief Justice’s Forum in Takoradi, Mrs Justice Wood told them, “After 25 years in private service you have gained enough experience; it is about time you came into public service to serve your country.”
She commended the GBA for responding positively to the call by the Judicial Service for the release of some members of the Bar to the Judicial Service.
The Chief Justice announced that the GBA had released 10 of its members to the Judicial Service, out of which eight would be posted to the High Court and two to the Court of Appeal.
She said the Judicial Service had been working feverishly to attract high calibre judges and supporting staff as a means of ensuring qualitative justice delivery.
She said the need for transparency and accountability required the enhancement of conditions of service within the judiciary and better incentives for its staff.
In that regard, Mrs Justice Wood added, the past 10 years had witnessed a fairly large number of middle-level personnel attending short courses in administration and management at institutions in the United Kingdom.

CHINESE FISHERMEN STRANDED IN TAKORADI (PAGE 29)

Some unemployed, frustrated and stranded Chinese fishermen who were contracted by their Ghanaian counterparts in Sekondi became hostile towards their hosts after they had allegedly taken locally brewed alcohol, “Akpeteshi”, and other hard liquors.
Community and immigration officials said the jobless Chinese fishermen were impatient and violent, as they claimed their entitlements had not been paid to them by their Ghanaian employers for more than a year.
The situation is getting out of hand as they claim their Ghanaian employers, who relieved them of their fishing jobs, also refused to pay them their entitlements to enable them to return to China.
Out of frustration some of them have taken to alcohol, especially at night, and disturb their hosts and fight with anybody who tries to stop them.
Some of the Chinese told the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) personnel that they were employed and brought into the country by C G Elmina, Loma and Legon Fisheries which have their head offices in Tema but their employers failed to pay them their entitlement after they were laid off ,and eventually sold the trawlers .
Some of the Chinese fishermen the Ghana Immigration Service in Sekondi questioned after the police had arrested them gave their names as Ye Zhiquan, Wu Zhan Am, Shin Xin Xing, Luo Qao, Momo Zhaoyi Wan Zhaoyi and Wan Rargang.
They said they wanted to go back to China. “As we speak, we are not doing anything here, we are poor, we help other fishermen to carry things for food and that is not good enough, we want to go back to our country, the companies that brought us here should pay us to go back home,” they complained
At the moment, some of them have cases of violent behaviour pending at the Bosomtwe Sam Fishing Harbour Police Station and there is the need to ensure that their conduct does not degenerate into something else.
The hosts and people living in and around European Town found the behaviour of the fishermen dangerous.
“One of the serious problems is that they cannot speak any English, therefore, even when you are trying to help them they become very aggressive , especially when they are drunk,” one fishmonger said and pleaded that whoever brought them down should pay them off.
When contacted, the Western Regional Director of the GIS, Mr Robert Quartey, said the problem at the moment was how to locate their employers.
He said, they had had reports of confrontation between them and their hosts, upon which some were handed over to the police.
The regional director said their employers had agreed to come over to the GIS offices.
However, residents are of the view that if nothing was done to address the situation it would not be good.
When the Daily Graphic contacted their employers at Tema they said as far as they were concerned they had no business with them.
Those contacted admitted contracting the Chinese fishermen but explained that when they were making losses the Chinese resorted to selling part of the catch at sea.
They said they were left with no option but to ground the operations of the vessels which were currently berthed at the Albert Bosomtwe-Sam Fishing Harbour in Takoradi.

US-BASED GHANAIAN SUPPORTS EUROPEAN HOSPITAL (PAGE 29)

A Ghanaian anesthetist/nurse based in Virginia in the United States of America has presented medical equipment worth $30,000 to the European Hospital in Takoradi.
The equipment included huge boxes of suture sets, foley cutters, surgical gowns sets, endotracheal tuber, and surgical gloves.
The benefactor, Mr Charles Okyere Peprah, said he owed it a duty to support his people back home in whatever way he could.
According to the administrator of the hospital, Mr Michael Danso, that was the first time they had received medical equipment of which every item was useful to the hospital.
“Most of the time we receive these items, thinking that everything is all right but in the end majority of them turn out to be trash,” he said.
He said the hospital was still trying to cope with space and some infrastructure problems at the delivery ward because rehabilitation work at the ward was abandoned and the new block was yet to be completed.
“One of the major problems is the bad nature of the delivery bed, but we manage to get it fixed somehow. There is the need, however, for a new bed and fixing of the washroom for patients and those working there,” he said.
The administrator said the hospital needed support and would welcome every help, but called for consultation to ensure that the item donated to the hospital were really what the hospital needed.
Mr Danso thanked the donor for demonstrating such patriotism and not abandoning his own people despite the pressures of work and social life in the United States .
“I can assure you that you have done us a lot of good. We regularly purchase these items and it will help to lessen the pressure on our budget for a moment, " Mr Danso said.
The administrator said one of their fervent needs, apart from the structural defects and other problems was an additional medical officer.

ASSEMBLY MUST MONITOR ACTIVITIES OF CONTRACTORS (PAGE 29)

Contract awarding authorities in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis need to sit up, monitor and supervise contractors to who projects have been awarded.
If they relax in their supervisory monitoring duties, contractors will always do shoddy work and the taxpayers’ money would always go waste. If a contract is awarded to a contractor, it is important that he/she executes the project according to the specifications provided for in the contract and for which they append their signatures.
Some contractors in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis need to be called to attention because of the shoddy work they are doing.
The authorities should ensure that the award of contracts do not end with the signing of the agreement. It entails monitoring and evaluation of the projects to ensure that the contractors give the clients and the people value for their money.
The late finance minister, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, once told this reporter that he could not sit in his office in Accra and be signing agreements without knowing how the tax payers’ money was being used .
Sharing some groundnuts (peanuts) with this reporter Mr Baah-Wiredu, after a tortuous tour of the region said in a more friendly manner “massa, the job is on the ground, not in my office, so lets go. I need to see things for myself”.
If those in charge of awarding contracts for the construction and maintenance of roads and other projects in the metropolis follows the example of the late finance minister, things would be different.
In Sekondi/Takoradi some projects awarded to some contractors are very poorly executed. A typical example is the Axim road roundabout, near House-Two, a popular spot in Takoradi, the Nkontopo township roads and other projects in the metropolis.
Between July and October the Axim-road roundabout had undergone maintenance more than 10 times. The contractor carries the bitumen in a wheelbarrow with the filler on the side.
The workers just dig the already bad spots, fill it with laterite and sprinkle the bitumen over it and in less than a week the road returns to its former shape or becomes worse.
At the moment, the Axim Road roundabout has developed into manholes worse than before. Motorists, especially first-time users of the roundabout, helplessly plunges into them resulting in their vehicles developing flat tyres.
In some cases, vehicles run straight into the roundabout in their attempt to avoid some of the manholes.
It is about time the engineers of the Urban Road Department of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly lived to their calling and intensified their evaluation and monitoring roles to ensure that the right thing was done to justify the investment of the taxpayers’ money.
This is because apart from the shoddy work done on the maintenance of some roads there is currently the streetlight rehabilitation project going on throughout the metropolis.
Interestingly, some of the pavement slabs have been removed and streets excavated for the laying of cables. This has been done so hurriedly.
When Telecom Malaysia was contracted to manage Ghana Telecom and the service lines were upgraded hardly did one notice that the pavements had once been excavated.
It is important to establish a strong body or a monitoring section within the assembly to monitor and evaluate the execution of projects awarded by the central government or the assembly to ensure their conformity with standards.

TIGO ORGANISES HEALTH WALK FOR CUSTOMERS (PAGE 29)

Millicom Ghana, operators of the TiGo network in the country, last week Saturday organised a health walk for its customers, residents and corporate bodies in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis.
The walk was aimed at promoting the health of the participants.
The Territory Marketing Co-ordinator of TiGo, Nana Yaw R. Appiah, said the company instituted the walk because “we cannot be dealing with people and our focus should be only on how to maximise profit. We also need to keep our customers and the nation alive and healthy, since it is through a healthy body that corporate Ghana can triumph,” he said.
The more than 18-kilometre walk, started at about 6a.m. from the Takoradi Gulf Club on the beach road through the Ecobank Roundabout, Takoradi Port area, to the Paa-Grant Roundabout, the market circle, Nkrumah roundabout and the Old Axim road and back to the starting point.
It was well patronised by the media, students, residents, banks and other corporate bodies in the metropolis.
Nana Appiah said daily economic activities left the citizenry with little time to embark on such walks.
He expressed the hope of the company and its sponsors that even though it would be an annual affair “the impact we made on the people is that at least we made the public aware of the importance of initiatives to keep fit.”
“Before we gather again for such a wonderful and healthy exercise next year, we encourage the people to spare 20 or 30 minutes to walk daily just to keep them ready for the day’s work,” he said.
For their part, the sponsors expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to inspire their customers to aspire for good health.
The Regional Manager for Healthi-Life Beverages, a local beverage company, Mr Elvis Blankson, commended the people in the twin-city for their massive turnout not only to support the event but for their own health.
“The only thing we could do for ourselves is to keep exercising regularly to ensure that we sweat out of the system excess fat to ensure our fitness,” he said.
There were also competitions and musicals at the end of the walk and some participants won prizes of Cow Bell and Healthy Life products as well as fully connected TiGo mobile phones and other products.

MAN ELETROCUTED IN TAKORADI (PAGE 29)

Exposed electricity cables of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) which hang over the Whin River in the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis, electrocuted an unidentified young man who was crossing the river on foot in the early hours of Wednesday.
The pole carrying the cables are weak, have fallen halfway and the cables are hanging loosely to the knee level and just a little above the river.
The water level in the river has reduced considerably and therefore individuals prefer to wade through the water to the other side instead of using the weak footbridge over the river.
According to some fishermen, the cables had been hanging loosely for some time now but they did not know whose responsibility it was to remedy the situation.
Officials of the ECG who went to the scene, said they were not aware that the cables had dropped that low; neither did they receive any signal in their signal room that somebody had been electrocuted.
The victim had a cut on the right eye and also sustained some burns on his head after he came into contact with the bare cables.
The police retrieved a mobile phone, a New Testament Bible, a bottle of mineral water and a book in a bag from the victim who was dressed in shorts made from African wax print, a blue T-shirt and a pair of bathroom slippers.
When the police went to the scene to retrieve the body, which was lying face down in the sand in the middle of the river under the cables, blood was oozing from his eye and the burnt part of the head.
Interestingly, the cables ended at the other side of the river without extending to Amanfokuma, the nearby community.
Some people who were crossing the river and using the weak and dangerous footbridge, said it would have been more disastrous if the water level in the river had been higher or if it had rained heavily.
“We don’t fish in this river on Wednesdays; we allow the river to rest, according to our customs and tradition, therefore, if it were to be any other day, we would have prompted him about the danger,” they said.
Asked why the victim did not use the weak footbridge, the fishermen said there were two bridges over the river and that he might have been heading towards the second bridge to cross from that end since the water level was very low.
Some residents of Beach-Road near the Whin River said they had been seeing the victim who was yet to be identified, passing through the community to an unknown destination.
“We saw him this morning passing and we even complained that he was passing while talking on the phone without acknowledging [the presence of] anybody,” the residents said.
The body has since been conveyed to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, awaiting autopsy.

FACILITIES AT TAKORADI PORT TO BE EXPANDED (PAGE 29)

the management of the Takoradi Port is to expand facilities at the port in readiness for the expected oil boom. This is to ensure the free flow of traffic, especially for vehicles carting supplies for the oil drilling companies.
The first phase of the expansion project, which is expected to be undertaken in December this year, is estimated to cost about $60 million. In line with the designated areas, oil berths will be located at the main breakwaters, which when completed could accommodate one big vessel and three other smaller supply vessels.
The break-water would be removed and the area reclaimed and elevated.
The Director of the Takoradi Port, Mr Nestor Percy Galley, told the Daily Graphic that the consultants of the project had come up with three alternatives for consideration.
The director said by the end of the first phase management would be able to create more berths.
“One major work to be done under the expansion project is dredging of the breakwaters and I can tell you on authority that this is our biggest challenge. It costs $3 per cubic metre to dredge when the place is not muddy, but at the Takoradi Port it will cost us $100 per cubic metre to dredge,” he said.
The port manager said management would try as much as possible to do minimal dredging, and undertake more filling which is less expensive.
He said the expansion work was very important because at present the port had six berths and each was about 150 metres long but the vessels berthing there were longer than the current length.
Currently, the berths can accommodate only four modern vessels instead of six, which is not good for us and after completing the expansion project we can comfortably handle those vessels,” he said.
He said by the end of the first phase of the expansion project most of the services involving double handling at the port would have been eliminated to allow for smooth operations.
Mr Galley said port development was a very expensive venture, and that in 2002 management advertised for private investors to get involved but there was no response because of the cost involved. Besides there was the perception that there were no prospects in doing port business.
“But with the oil find people have started moving in to enquire if they could do business at the port even before the designs were completed and advertised.
Therefore, it is possible we might be going into partnership with other investors, and the banks at present are likely to even support our expansion drive,” he said.
Mr Galley said prospects were that traffic to the port would increase and therefore those who would invest could recoup their investments in no time.
“In the past money was our problem, but at present we are well placed to attract funding,” Mr Galley said.
He said the development of a port took time and the project was being done in phases, “so that by the end of the first phase there will be enough room to contain the traffic while the focus is shifted to main projects.”
He said what was good was that the oil itself would not be at the Takoradi port, but the supply services such as the cargo, pipes, and other items which would be supplied to the operation site would be at the port.
Responding to assertions that if enough space was not created management would have to use facilities in neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire, he said there were initial concerns about that because most of the supplies needed for the initial drillings had to be lifted from neighbouring countries where the facilities were available.
“But at present there is a mud plant now at the Takoradi port and in less than three to four hours the mud, water and other supplies to the rigs are lifted. All these services can now be accessed here at the port, and therefore the companies might turn their attention to us,” he said.
“At the moment traffic is flowing, but when the pipes that would be used for the major work starts coming that will be a challenge but we will be up to the task,” he said.
Mr Galley said the manganese wharf had been given out to be developed into a repair facility in readiness for other services that might be needed in the area of repairs or check-ups on the vessels.
The dry dock, which is also almost finished for inauguration next month, would provide the platform for such mechanical services.
Every year the rig must be inspected and it would not be prudent economically to let go such important services. He said as the oil would not be coming to Takoradi port, management would ensure that the services that would be required by the oil business community are provided for the port to make maximum returns.
He said when the expansion project was completed the port could receive between 10 to 15 vessels in the dock at a time.
Takoradi port is strategically located between the ports of Tema and Abidjan, and also connected to its hinterland, which makes it the preferred and ideal gateway to the middle and northern parts of Ghana and the Sahelian countries such as Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
The port of Takoradi was the country’s first port built in 1928 to handle both import and export traffic.

NIGERIAN SERVICE PROVIDERS RELOCATE TO TWIN-CITY (PAGE 29)

Many service providers in the oil industry from Nigeria have started relocating to the Western regional capital, Sekondi/Takoradi, to take advantage of the expected oil boom in the country.
According to them, many of them are eager to relocate due to the peace, stability and honesty of their Ghanaian partners.
The latest to arrive in the city is the Tarkwa Marine Services, which specialises in providing professional support such as ship management and operations, port and facility management, world-wide ship deliveries, condition and valuation survey, cargo handling supervision and heavy lift handling.
The Manager of the Tarkwa Marine Services, Mr Hans Schamid, said ship management and service provision to the companies working at the oil fields was a critical combination of both technical and crew management skills which they were ready to offer.
He said the company and its sister company in Nigeria, AMS-BP, would apply their proven expertise in partnership to ensure that the needed services were provided to their clients.
He told the Daily Graphic after they had taken delivery of safety and diving equipment for one of the companies engaged in oil exploration and drilling at the Jubilee Oil Fields that there were other areas in the country they would be exploring to ensure that they expanded their services to take advantage of the country’s oil discovery and added that the country stood to gain as they would be employing local people in their business activities.
Mr Schamid said many more people would be relocating to the country due to its stability. Besides, he said, many investors were willing to do honest business in more unexplored areas.
As a guarantee that they will provide good and efficient services for companies in the oil business, the company will soon take delivery of six other supply vessels from Germany to be positioned at the Takoradi Port in readiness for the booming supply business.
The manager said they were not trying to move everything in Nigeria to Ghana but were making inroads in the country.

ANY LESSIONS FROM FIRE DISASTERS AT MARKETS? (PAGE 30)

RECENTLY, the Takoradi market has been rocked by devastating fire outbreaks.
However, it seems as if the traders have not learnt any lessons from their experience.
The spaces between the sheds at the Takoradi Central Market are so small that at some points two people walking in opposite directions cannot by-pass each other.
In the recent fire disaster what one fire engine could contain in less than between 10 to 15 minutes, according to the fire experts, lasted for hours because the fire engines could not make it to the centre of the market where the fire started.
Because of this difficulty most traders watched, helplessly as their goods were consumed by fire.
The city authorities should have taken a cue from what happened at the market to move in immediately to decongest the market irrespective of what perceptions residents might have.
Although the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah and his team tried to save the situation, the beneficiaries sadly and fiercely resisted the move by the assembly.
The assembly then promised to rebuild the Takoradi Central Market and work should have begun in January this year.
Unfortunately work is yet to start on the construction of a new market which is expected to have facilities like banks, schools, a modern shopping mall and car park.
At the moment the congestion is worse, and if there is another outbreak of fire at the Takoradi Market, the consequences would be disastrous.
The damage to property at the market in the previous outbreaks would have been reduced if the managers of the market had not allowed unauthorised structures to be erected.
This is because the original design of the Takoradi Central Market had a good layout; vehicles could enter to the market and offload goods, but gradually and without anticipating the consequences of their action many traders have constructed unauthorised structures on the roads in the market.
This makes it impossible for vehicles to enter the market and the area around the market, which was supposed to be a car park, is presently being occupied by hawkers.
The Public Relations Officer of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Mr John Laste, confirmed that the assembly promised that work on the new market would begin in January this year.
“I can assure you that the project is still dear to the heart of the assembly, but there are processes that we have to go through and also we need to select a suitable design,” he said.

ENVOY ENDS TOUR (PAGE 16)

THE British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Nicholas Westcott, has ended a tour of the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis as part of the move to foster closer business links between his country and Ghana, and to assess the political temperature in the region.
Mr Westcott said in the area of democracy, Ghana had advanced and to ensure that the December 7 general election was free, fair and transparent, there was the need to have first hand information of what was going on in other parts of the country.
He said it would enable him to see where Britain could offer more support to ensure the success of Ghana’s democratic process.
Mr Westcott said Britain, no doubt, remained the biggest bilateral donor and investor in the country’s economy.
As part of their contribution towards that, he said, Britain had given Ghana $1.2 million to ensure that the elections were open, free and fair.
He said with the discovery of oil, it was important to find out more about the economy of the region to ensure that an enabling environment was created.
“We have visited the mining areas, and to test the political temperature as we approach the elections in December, I must confess that there is increasing British interest in the region through our engagement in the oil and mining industry,” he said.
He said their determination was to create a favourable business environment where investors and their host would co-exist to ensure industrial and social harmony.
The focus at present, according to the high commissioner, was to support the development of poor areas to ensure that the people benefited and that they did not feel exploited since that would not create the needed environment for business to triumph.
Mr Westcott said British investors would not only focus on what would serve their interest, but would ensure that their social corporate responsibility were taken seriously to ensure that the people were not neglected. “Even before the commencement, the British businesses have already started providing support for some communities.”
The high commissioner also called on the Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, the regional Police Command, the Regional Coordinating Council, Metropolitan Assembly, Electoral Commission as well as the British community in the region.
At Essikado, Nana Nketsia called for support to train the needed skilled manpower from the region.
The Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, said the biggest challenge was how to transform the city to accommodate the visitor, and called for collaboration to ensure the realisation of that dream.
At the Regional Police Command, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Arhmed Alhassan, said at the regional level, the police would do everything possible to ensure that there was peace before, during and after the election.
He said they had taken proactive measures to ensure that nothing was left to chance as they were collaborating with other sister security agencies to ensure the success of the elections, “we are aware that our fellow country men and women are expecting much from us and we will not fail them.

GOVT TAKES DELIVERY OF THREE SPEED BOATS (SPREAD)

THE government has taken delivery of the first batch of naval speed boats from the United States of America (USA) to boost the capacity of the Ghana Navy in protecting the country’s territorial waters.
The three boats, provided by the US government under the African Partnership Station project, were handed over to the Western Naval Command in Sekondi by the Minister of Defence, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, on Saturday.
At the handing over ceremony, the Defence Minister assured the soldiers of the government’s determination to equip the Ghana Navy to enable it to patrol the country’s territorial waters efficiently and effectively.
He said the government would soon take delivery of the second batch, which also comprised three vessels.
He said re-equipping the Navy was top on the government’s list of priorities to ensure the country’s territorial integrity, provide security for the country’s oil fields, fight the drug trade, prevent illegal fishing in the country’s waters and reduce environmental pollution.
He drew the attention of the Naval officers to the offshore oil find, saying it had come with peculiar challenges such as the security and protection of oil rigs, checking of illegal bunkering and pollution control.
“The government is aware of these challenges and we are making frantic efforts to equip the Ghana Navy to enable it to accomplish its role. The government will not relent in its efforts until the Ghana Navy is fully equipped to perform its functions,” he said.
The boats are valued at $1.7 million and are named after Calvin Dzang, Joy Amedume and Steve Obimpeh.
“Ghana, like all coastal states, has the responsibility of protecting its maritime interests and creating a conducive and secure environment for harnessing its maritime resources for national development,” the minister said.
Mr Kan-Dapaah expressed the government’s gratitude to the US government for its continued efforts to support the capabilities of Navies in the West African sub-region, particularly Ghana’s.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral A.R.S. Nuno, commended personnel of the Ghana Navy for their efforts in keeping the Navy afloat, in the face of daunting challenges.
For his part, the United States envoy to Ghana, Mr Donald Teitelaum, said the effort was to stem the flow of illegal goods, particularly narcotics, oil and fish.
He said piracy and illegal trafficking were common threats to all, adding that it was the hope of the US government that the US Coast Guard Response boats would help advance Ghana’s maritime security and safety.

SHAIGHAI PRESENTS STADIUM PARTS TO NSC (GRAPHIC SPORTS, PAGE 17)

Chinese Construction firm, Shanghai Construction Company, has presented a variety of spare parts to the National Sports Council (NSC) to ensure an effective maintenance of the Sekondi and Tamale stadia which it built prior to Ghana 2008.
This follows the end of the company’s operations and upkeep of the stadium and subsequent handing over of the facilities to the National Sports Council which has the sole responsibility of managing the four new stadia.
According to the Project Manager of the Company, Mr Mark Shin, as a responsible and respected construction company it tried as much as possible to create the environment for the smooth running of the stadium before handing it over to the NSC officials finally.
He said as a result it had manufactured many components which could be used to replace faulty ones.
The Project Manager said they had prepared enough materials for repair works on the stadium, and expressed the hope that they would go a long way to keep the structure in good shape.
The items were mainly electronic parts for the scoreboard, as well as other fixtures and fittings for the various gadgets at the stadium.
The Chief Executive of the National Sports Council, Mr Prince Oduro-Mensah, commended the company for transferring their rich knowledge and providing spare parts to ensure that the nation did not have to run to them at any given time for the necessary materials.
He said even though the stadium and the spare parts had been handed over to the Council, it would take great effort to maintain the facilities, and therefore urged the Chinese to be on the alert since the authories would be calling on them when need be.
"We would constantly need your advice and expertise since you are the contractors, to ensure that the strong bond between us is still in place," he said.

POLICE SEARCH FOR ACCOMPLICES (PAGE 28)

The Western Regional Police Command has mounted a hunt for the accomplices of a 56-year-old man who was arrested last Friday with more than 15 jumbo size sacks stuffed with dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp (wee).
The police impounded two large “Ghana Must Go” bags and 80 large wrappers, also loaded with the substance, from a room on the first floor of a building located in New Takoradi in the twin-city Sekondi/Takoradi.
Samuel Enyan, the suspect, was arrested following a tip-off by personnel of the Narcotics Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) after two weeks of surveillance.
The suspect, Samuel Enyan, 56, and one lady whose name the police gave only as Veronica are currently in police custody.
After her arrest Veronica had to be rushed to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital for medical attention as she was sweating profusely.
Briefing the press, the Western Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mohammed Arhmed Alhassan, attributed the success of the operation to public-police co-operation.
“The sacks were packed in a room in a manner that makes it very difficult for anybody to detect but with the co-operation of the public we uncovered it,” said DCOP Alhassan.
He said if that level of public-police co-operation continued, the police would be able to reduce the crime rate in the metropolis and its environs to be minimum.
He called on members of the public not to feel intimidated by the police and refuse to volunteer information that would help protect society.
He said: “The police officer cannot be everywhere at all times. Therefore, with the help of members of the public who share the dream of a crime-free society, life will be better than this.”

NSC ADMITS LAPSES AT STARS MATCH (PAGE 31)

The National Sports Council (NSC) has admitted that there were ticketing and security lapses, which nearly marred the beauty of the 2010 World Cup/Africa Cup qualifier between the Black Stars and Lesotho in Sekondi last Saturday.
The Chief Executive of the NSC, Mr Prince Oduro-Mensah, who was addressing a press conference at Essipon said what happened should be a serious lesson for all stakeholders to ensure that such incidents did not reccur at any of the venues in the country in future.
Mr Oduro-Mensah explained that tickets were not sold in advance because tickets for the match did not have any security features which could prevent people from duplicating them.
He stressed that since the match was not a tournament, it was not economical to print tickets with security features.
"At the planning stage of the game, we all thought that there was the need to fill the stadium to capacity just to keep the crowd behind the Stars, and we even gave some tickets on gratis, hoping that we would achieve our aim. But we were overwhelmed by the crowd," he said.
He said instead of 20,000, about 50,000 fans turned up wanting to enter the stadium by any means possible, with even those with or without tickets forming queues, making, it difficult to control the crowd.
Mr Oduro-Mensah also attributed part of the problem to the failure to educate the public as to which gates at which they could get tickets and where those with tickets should pass.
He said the absence of such vital information, and the quest to fill the stadium, coupled with the overwhelming crowd, led to the agitation.
Asked why they did not open the gate early enough to avert the problems, he said "people asked why we did not open the gate at about 7 a.m. but that cannot be possible because before the gate is opened, we have to ensure that security inside the stadium is in place to take care of those who enter, those selling and checking tickets have security men to guard the stands, fire officers are in place and also that all keys to the gates and vital locations are available."
Asked why the organisers did not do anything to prevent the fans from running to the pitch after the match, he said the rules of the game required that every gate should be opened at the end of every match to ensure that people easily moved out of the stadium.
"We did not expect that people would go out of their way and run to the pitch, but it is a challenge we have identified and next time we will use crash barriers and security men to block those openings," he said.
He, however, commended the fans, as well as police commander, DCOP Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, and his team for helping to control the situation.

FIJAI-EFFIA-NWANTA ROAD MARKED AT LAST (PAGE 25)

A series of publications in the Daily Graphic on the dangers of the absence of road signs and markings on the newly constructed Fijai-Effia-Nkwanta road have caught the attention of the contractor who worked on the road and the metropolitan authorities.
The contractor has, as a reult, finished marking the road but the road signs are yet to be provided.
While the new road has been marked nicely, markings on other roads in the metropolis have faded, thus making it difficult for motorists to know the intentions of pedestrians, especially when they stand at some points near Zebra crossings.
The situation becomes worse in the night when most of the streetlights are not functioning.
The recklessness of various road users also puts the lives of pedestrians in danger.
Residents in the twin-city are therefore appealing to the Metro office of the Department of Urban Roads to tackle the issue of providing road signs and markings in totality and not limit it to the Fijai-Effia-Nkwanta road.
In a related development, the residents have urged the Metro office of the Department of Urban Roads to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of projects awarded to contractors to ensure value for money.
In recent past, a grader rammed through Sunday schoolchildren at Nkotompo in the metropolis, resulting in the amputation of the leg of a little girl and injury to many others.
The grader also caused extensive damage to a house into which it ran.
The contractor who worked on the road did a shoddy job.
Residents of Takoradi have also called for a second look at the contract awarded for potholes on the Axim Road roundabout to be sealed.
They contend that anytime this particular contractor, who carries his gravel and bitumen in wheelbarrow, finishes work at that roundabout, it last for only five days or a week.
The contractor fills the potholes with clay and covers it with bitumen and pours some cheap chippings on it.
The workers seal off the portions of the road on which the potholes have been sealed for them to dry.

POWER OUT, MIRREN THROUGH (PAGE 63)

Former Premiership campaigners, Power FC, failed in their bid to return to the elite division despite defeating Royal Knights 3-1 in a crucial Zone 3 Division One Middle League match at the Sekondi Gyandu Park yesterday.
The Electricity lads finished second behind St Mirren who will be making their debut in the Premier League after a 3-0 win over Fair Point at Cape Coast.
Two-goal hero, Yakubu Seidu, opened the scoring for Power FC in the 20th minute, and doubled the lead with a spot kick two minutes after recess.
George Appiah made it 3-0 on the hour mark before Ibrahim Jafaru pulled a goal back for Royal Knights four minutes to the end.

STARS CLEAR FIRST HURDLE (BACK PAGE)

STORY: Samuel Ebo Kwaitoo & Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu

Glittering Black Stars compensated for the prolonged discomfort of their fans at the overcrowded Sekondi Stadium last Saturday with an emphatic 3-0 thrashing of the Crocodiles of Lesotho which propelled them to the top of Group 5 in one of the dramatic finishes in the preliminaries of the joint 2010 World Cup/Africa Cup qualifiers.
However, any celebration for the massive victory had to be put on temporary hold till after FA officials had broken to the players the good news of Gabon’s 1-0 home win over Libya.
Spontaneous jubilation greeted Ghana’s dramatic finishing on top of the group as the Stars players joined hands for a lap of honour to acknowledge cheers from the excited crowd.
In their determination to live up to the expectation of Ghanaians and also give new coach Milovan Rajevac his first win in three games, the Stephen Appiah-led Stars took off to a blistering start and succeeded in killing the game before the half-hour mark, as admitted by Lesotho coach, Milosavljevic Zavisa, after the match.
Inter Milan midfielder, Sulley Muntari, grazed the upright with a header to give the fans an appetiser after just 11 minutes before setting the entire stadium roaring with a typical blinding shot just outside the box on 19 minutes.
With the floodgates opened, arrowhead Junior Agogo Manuel obliged four minutes later by placing a delicate half volley beyond goalkeeper Sam Ketsekile, following an intelligent move by overlapping Harrison Afful.
Though the Stars continued to overwhelm their opponents with their midfield dominance and sweet passing game, they kept the anxious fans sitting on the edge of their seats till after the 62nd minute when comeback kid, Matthew Amoah, capitalised on a defensive lapse by Moitheri Ntobo of Tunisian side, Monastir, to score a great goal that would be the envy of many a world class striker.
As if to atone for his 41st minute bad miss, the NAC Breda striker who leads the Eredivisie’s scorers’ chart with eight goals from five games, swerved past advancing Ketsekile with the speed of light before sliding the ball home in characteristic fashion to announce his return with a bang.
But the revelation of the afternoon was Daniel Yeboah (Argentina), who made his debut in the Black Stars. He combined effectively with tireless Anthony Annan and evergreen Stephen Appiah in midfield with his tailor-measured passes and high work rate.
On the few occasions that the Crocodiles attempted to cause harm by translating their midfield play into attack, they lacked bite upfront giving John Mensah, Eric Addo, John Paintsil and Afful an easy task of tidying up for holidaying goalkeeper Richard Kingson.
So toothless were the Crocodiles that the homesters did not concede a single corner kick throughout the game. Also, Sudanese referee, Abdel Rahman Khalid, had no cause to make any bookings, indicating how clean the entire game was.
On the flip side, the absence of a changing board at the touchline for well over 30 minutes summed up the poor organisation of this destiny-defining encounter.
Appiah, who showed glimpses of his usual self after an 11-month lay-off, received a thunderous applause from the stands when he gave way for Eric Bekoe five minutes from the end, while Prince Tagoe and Haminu Draman who replaced Agogo and Muntari in the 75th and 80th minutes respectively could hardly penetrate the defence of the Basotho.

NO DEATHS AT STARS MATCH (1b)

THE Black Stars first-ever international appearance in Sekondi last Saturday drew a record crowd, forcing the stadium officials to close the gates at 1 pm — hours before kick off.
However in their anxiety to gain access to the stadium, milling spectators forced one of the gates open, causing a stampede, during which some soccer fans were injured.
Local and foreign media reports spoke of some deaths but the Western Regional Police Command denied widespread media reports that the stampede which occurred last Saturday at the Sekondi Stadium during the Ghana-Lesotho match resulted in the death of a number of football fans.
The Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, who spoke to the Daily Graphic hours after the match, stated categorically that no deaths were recorded at the stadium.
He, however, confirmed that some fans sustained some bruises from a stampede which occurred at one of the gates at the stadium following a rush hours before the match.
During the build up to last Saturday’s game, soccer fans in and around Sekondi-Takoradi and beyond vowed to spend their last savings on tickets for the match to drum support for the Stars, who needed a win at all cost against the Crocodiles of Lesotho to advance to the next stage of the World Cup qualifying series.
DCOP Alhassan, who was reacting to some reports in both the local and foreign media in connection with the incident, said a check at both the Stadium Clinic and the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, as well as with the Red Cross Society, revealed that those fans who sustained some minor injuries had been treated and discharged.
When the Daily Graphic visited the Emergency Unit and the morgue of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, the attendants also confirmed that no deaths had been recorded. Attendants at the morgue even expressed surprise at the news, stressing that nobody had been deposited there since last Friday.
An eyewitness of the stampede, Mr Ernest Korankye, blamed Sports Council officials at the stadium for the fans’ behaviour.
“The security men kept assuring us that they would start selling the tickets soon. However, we saw some people passing with tickets and that prompted us to push the gate open and rush in,” he said.
“I did not see any dead person so I was shocked to hear that some people had died. Nothing like that happened; only that some people had bruises,” Mr Korankye noted.
When the Daily Graphic team first visited the stadium about 10.00 a.m., the various entrances had been besieged by enthusiastic fans who were seen in long queues waiting to be served with tickets to enter the stadium.
And by 1.00 p.m. every seat in the 20,000-capacity stadium was occupied, leaving fans with tickets with no choice but to look for space anywhere possible to watch the match.
Those who could not get space climbed the walls of the fourth floor of the stadium or peeped through various toilet windows and offices to be part of the historic event.
At a point the fans outside the stadium seemed to outnumber those inside, leaving the organisers with no alternative but to close the gates.