No space in Accra to shelter people in times of earthquake – NADMO Boss

Source: GNA

Mr. Nana Eric Agyeman Prempeh the Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organization says, Accra is depleted of open spaces, which are most needed to erect temporal tents and other structures as shelters in times of earthquake.

 

 

He said that not withstanding most playgrounds in Accra, especially for public schools have been converted to Astroturf and in some cases with buildings.

 

 

Speaking at a media briefing ahead of a 4-day Earthquake Simulation Exercise in the Volta and the Greater Accra region, to test the country’s preparedness during a damaging earthquake, Mr. Agyeman Prempeh said open spaces served as places where people run to or converge in times of emergencies and appealed to the Ministry of Education to stem the practice that makes such grounds inaccessible for public use.

 

 

“I wish to also appeal to Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies to take a critical look at protecting the few open spaces left and try to create new ones not only in Accra but all over the country.” he said and urged to the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, LUPSA to support MMDAs in that effort.

 

 

He said,  the vulnerability  of Accra, Tema and adjoining districts to damaging earthquakes could not be emphasized and called on the two bodies to impress on traditional authorities to reserve spaces for the public good when demarcating land for human settlements.

 

 

The simulation exercise is being done in collaboration with sister security agencies and the North Dakota National Guard from the United States of America, with funding from the government of the United States of America, acting through its embassy in Accra.

 

 

In 2018, emergency response agencies and other stakeholder institutions in disaster management successfully conducted full-scale simulated damaging earthquake events in Accra.

 

 

The exercise tested the national response readiness and capabilities. 
 
The outcome, the NADMO boss said revealed a good coordination system, warm cooperation among agencies and an appreciably high level of professionalism.

 

 

He, however, said gaps identified were noted and efforts were made to address them.
 
Major Jarrod Simek of the United States Embassy Office of Security Cooperation, noted that current disasters around the world was a wake-up call for all Nations and reiterated the need for all hands on deck to prepare effectively for any future emergencies.

 

 

He said the relationship between NADMO and his office dated back 15 years ago and expressed the hope for a longer bilateral friendship.

 

The North Dakota Adjutant General and Director of Emergency Service Major General Al Dohrman, said all responsive agencies needed to be ready for all emergency cases.

 

 

 The team will conduct simulation exercises at Tema Fishing Harbor, Kpando and Trade Fair Center, La.

Adentan Community School wins 2022 Adesa Village Competition

Source: GNA

The Adentan Community School in the Adentan Municipality has emerged winner of the 2022 at the Adesa Village Competition for basic schools in the Greater Accra region.

 

 

They beat 11 schools to come out as winners of the storytelling and folk songs competition organized by the Greater Accra Regional Center for National Culture at the Arts Centre.

 

 

The 31st of December Women’s Movement Basic School placed second while Jah Rock Preparatory School placed third.

 

 

The winners received a trophy, two certificates for participation to schools and staff and products from sponsors, while special prizes were awarded to the best behaved school, best folk song, best story and best storyteller.

 

 

Mrs. Alice Alima Kala, the Greater Accra Regional Director of the CNC said the competition was to revive the dying art of storytelling and folk songs, teach the children English and local languages and promote reading habits and the need for social interactions.

 

 

She said it had therefore become necessary for young ones to develop an interest in studying storytelling, understand it and have a passion for it.

 

 

Mrs. Kala said through consultation with management, the competition in the coming years would be extended to other regions beginning with the Central Region in 2023.

 

 

Madam Janet Edna Nyame the Executive Director, National Commission on Culture, said the competition brought out the rich culture in the stories and songs, which were the hallmark of the Ghanaian tradition and it exposed the young ones to their cultural heritage as a people.

 

 

She called on the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education to place more emphasis on the culture and art saying, “organizing a program like this comes with its challenges and with the GES and the Ministry involved it might reduce these challenges a bit,” she noted.

 

 

Michael Abubekr the Public Relations Officer of the Center, expressed appreciation to parents, students and the participating schools for the overwhelming support to make the program a success saying it was important for children to be abreast with their culture because it was what identified them as Ghanaians.

 

 

“Foreign cultures are good but we should not forget the fact that we are Ghanaians and therefore going by tradition, we should always embrace our culture, eat what we have, wear what we have, speak our language and do things like Ghanaians. That shows us our true identity” he added

 

 

The Adesa Village Competition is a story telling competition for primary and junior high school students that seek to revive and bring back the fading out of storytelling and tap into the rock elements of storytelling, like folksongs, riddles and proverbs.
During the competition contesting schools are expected to bring their own story lines to be performed.

‘We are no longer part of Ho-West Constituency’ – Kpedze declares

The chiefs and people of Kpedze say they have as a matter of urgency resolved to sever ties with the Ho-West District, stop their assembly members from participating in any sitting in the Ho-West district, prevent their people from paying revenue to the Ho-West District Assembly and also ensure that the NPP does not engage in any political activity in any part of Kpedze.

 

 

This is as a result of the assembly’s decision to site the District Hospital at Dzolokpuita, contrary to the collective agenda set by the people of Ho-West to distribute development projects equitably across the district.  
A statement signed by the assemblyman for Kpedze Awlime/Todze Electoral Area Kasim Osman Adamu suggests that the people of Kpedze feel insulted by government ignoring the Ho West Congress of Paramount Chiefs convention on the districts development agenda.
 
 
 
The statement reads ‘we the chiefs, elders, and most importantly the youth, consider the relocation of the district hospital to Dzolokpuita to be very unfair and an insult to us, given the negative impact of poor healthcare delivery in Kpedze communities and its environs.’

 

 

 It also states the peoples’ displeasure towards the interim president of the Paramount chiefs of the area Osie Adzatekpor.  “…we are deeply disappointed in the powers that behold the ruling New Patriotic Party and the Ho-West Congress of Paramount chiefs and Queen mothers, led by interim president Osie Adzatekpor.” It said

The chiefs and people of Kpedze held a protest against the siting of the District Hospital in Dzolokpuita in the Ho-West District a couple of weeks ago but it seems their demonstration did not yield any results in their favor. 

 

According to the Statement, the people of Kpedze have therefore resolved to as a matter of urgency to do the ff:

“ 1. Dissociate ourselves from the Ho-West District

  1. Our Assembly members shall not participate in any sitting in the Ho-West district
  2. No revenue collector from Ho-West District Assembly shall be welcomed to Kpedze henceforth.
  3. No political activity of the NPP will be tolerated in any part of Kpedze.”

ECG gives a month amnesty to customers with meter anomalies

Customers of the Electricity of Ghana have a month’s amnesty to report and subsequently fix all meter faults or face prosecution.

 

 

This comes on the back of the announcement by the utility service provider to give customers with all forms of meter anomalies between June 7 and July 10 to get them fixed.

 

 

ECG says this exercise has become necessary due to the unacceptable quantum of losses incurred by the company due to these anomalies and infractions by some of its customers.

 

 

The exercise also forms part of efforts to rid the system of any electrical illegality.

 

The anomalies include uncaptured meters, billing anomalies, faulty meters, meter bypassing and meter tampering, amongst others.

 

 

The ECG says failure to rectify all anomalies within the stipulated time will lead to prosecution.

 

Source:citinewsroom.com

NSS person arrested for issuing fake GES appointments

A National Service person at the Yendi Senior High School in the Northern region, Ziblim Abdul Latif is in the grips of the Northern Regional Police Command for allegedly issuing fake Ghana Education Service appointments and posting letters to about one hundred jobseekers who applied for postings and employment with the Ghana Education Service.
In an interview with Citi News, the Regional Education Director, Dr Peter Attafuah, said the letters issued by the suspect bear fake signatures of the Director-General and the Regional Director of Education.
According to him, two victims have been to the police station to write statements confirming the suspect’s actions.
“Sometimes we hear some people gathering at the headquarters or even here making noise that they are teachers, and we are not paying them.”

 

Source:citinewsroom.com

Parliament’s Roads & Transport C’ttee seeks clarity on KIA procurement of Christmas trees

The Ministry of Transport said there was no procurement or bidding process for the award of a contract because the decorations were rented.

“Please be informed that the Christmas decorations for 2021 was rented and not procured for by the GACL. Hence, there was no procurement nor bidding process for the award of contract,” the Ministry of Transport said.

 

This contradicted earlier claims by the board chairman of the company, Paul Adom-Otchere, that two separate suppliers were invited to submit bids.
 
The Ministry also said the 2021 Christmas decorations in question were not bought, also contrary to claims by the board chair.

 

Speaking to Citi News, Ranking Member on the Committee, Kwame Agbodza underscored the importance of clarifying the issues once and for all.
“It basically creates doubt as to whether somebody is basically trying to cover up in a very shabby way something that has been done wrong..”
“The committee is in the process of inviting the Ministry [of Transport] to come along with the airport company so that we can get the facts as to what happened,” Mr. Agbodza said.
“Until we meet the ministry and board of the Ghana Airport Company and the management, it is going to be very difficult to know who is not telling the truth,” the MP added.
Concerns about the purchase emerged after allegations that the airport company bought four Christmas trees at GH¢84,000 in December 2022.
Mr. Adom-Otchere, in a response on Facebook, however, said the company rather bought the trees at GH¢34,000 and also at a “heavy discount”.

 

Source:citinewsroom.com

Roads Ministry to complete Tema motorway repair works by Friday

A statement signed by Nasir Ahmed Yartey, the Ministry of Roads and Highways PRO says ongoing emergency repair works on a bridge on the Accra-Tema motorway will be completed by 6am on Friday, 17th June 2022 to allow for free flow of traffic on the highway.

 

It said the contractors on site are working day and night to ensure that the work is completed on time.
motorway traffic
The Ministry’s statement is in response to commuters cry over the worsening traffic congestion on the stretch as a result of the construction since the construction work started on Monday, June 13, 2022.
 “The Ghana Highway Authority has been working day and night to reconstruct the deck, applying modern technology of concrete production and use to ensure that the road is opened to traffic by Friday, 17 June 2022 at 6:00 am… Contractors working on the Beach road have been directed to ensure that the dual carriage sections are opened to traffic. The motoring public is advised to use alternative roads such as Fertilizer Road, Tsui Bleoo Road, Spintex Road 1, Teshie Link, Adogon Highway and Burma Camp Roads 1 & 2 and follow directional signs,” the statement said.
The statement clarified that the ongoing work is essential to protect lives and property because the bridge on the Lakplakpa River, has become defective.
“In 2014, one span of the 2-span bridge was replaced with a steel deck. Presently, the steel deck has failed and defects have occurred in the remaining reinforced concrete slab. The defects on the steel deck have affected the steel beams and welds. In order to save life and property, it was imperative to close that section of the road for emergency repairs,” it added.

Torgbui Afede XIV Supports Coastal MPs

The Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State and Founder Africa World Airlines, Sunon-Asogli Power Limited, Business mogul and an International consultant has issued a cheque worth Three Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (Gh¢300,000.00) to the Southern Volta Communities affected by the recent sea erosion.

 

Torgbe Afede XIV, who issued three separates’ cheques worth One Hundred Thousand (Gh¢100,000.00) each, to each MP; Abla Dzifa Gomshie, Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey and Richard Kwame Sefe MP for Ketu South, Keta and Anlo respectfully said, the cash came from the Africa World Airlines alone.

 

 

He assured that this is just an initial move to help alleviate the challenges these MPs are going through as direct representatives of the people but more cheques will come from Sunon-Asogli Power Limited and perhaps from the Asorgli State itself to complement their efforts.

 

 

According to him he’s always torch to help people in need across the country including Volta Region and “it is something that we intend to sustain, which means that we should be able to come to you again.
This is just the first time; we are concerned about disasters across the country and this is happening at the most difficult time-the long closure of the border due to COVID-19”.

 

 

He said, they understand the pains people have gone through especially in the night where the waves raise to destroy things while people are at sleep and “we have identified ourselves with this situation and that is why we have responded to the MPs’ appeal for support and I have invited you to come for our widow’s mite”

 

 

The MPs were grateful to him and the Africa World Airlines as they promised to do the needful for the victims in the affected communities within their respective constituencies to benefit from the cash donations.
Abla Dzifa Gomshie, MP for Ketu South on behalf of her colleagues lauded the Torgbui for being a shining star for the needy and destitute nationwide, “we are the next generation after you and we are the blessed ones because we have the example right in front of us. It is our duty to also be the example to the ones that are coming after us”.

 

 

She expressed gratitude for the assurance that “we are going to continue to do our best and we thank you for the assurance that, we can always come and read from the fountain of knowledge that you have”
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