Monday, 4th April, 2022

Page 2

Climate change: Scientists

UN scientists have

worked through the

weekend to complete

a key report on how

to restrict the greenhouse

gases that are warming the

planet.

Members of the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change

are likely to advise a rapid shift

from fossil fuels over the next 8

years.

They will also suggest the

widespread use of carbon removal

technology to limit dangerous

warming.

But disputes over the exact

wording of the document have

delayed agreement.

The IPCC is set to publish

their findings on what we can

do to stem climate change on

Monday.

Most of the world's leading

researchers on climate change

are involved in the production of

IPCC reports - their summaries

of the latest science, produced

every six or seven years, are used

by governments in their negotiations

on climate change, such

as those that took place at COP26

last November.

These IPCC reports are seen

It may not be the first time

that a household fridge has

made a prominent appearance

in an election campaign.

But when Serbia's president

emerged in a couple's kitchen in a

promotional video, it raised hackles

as well as eyebrows.

With barely a shiver, Aleksandar

Vucic proceeded to reel off

a list of his Progressive Party's

achievements during their decade

in power.

The ad was supposed to poke

fun at the president's critics.

They complain that Mr Vucic

is ubiquitous and they did not see

the funny side.

As far as Serbia's opposition

parties are concerned, the president's

frequent - and usually positively

framed media appearances

- are evidence of an unhealthy

relationship between the Progressive

Party and the country's most

popular newspapers and broadcasters.

'Absolute media control'

They say that makes it hard to

challenge a party that has won the

as the best, if slightly conservative

studies on the state of

climate science.

For the past two weeks, IPCC

scientists and government officials

from all over the world have

been locked in a virtual approval

session, going through this latest

report on how to stop climate

change line by line.

This new study will be the

third of three important documents

from the IPCC issued over

the past eight months.

The previous two have

looked at the causes and impacts

of climate change, but this one

will focus on mitigation - or

what we can do to stop it.

This essentially means that

researchers will look at how we

can reduce the amount of warming

gases that are emitted from

human activities.

One key part of the summary

report will detail what the world

can do between now and 2030 to

limit heating.

IPCC scientists have previously

warned that to keep

the rise in global temperatures

under 1.5C this century, emissions

from warming gases would

have to halve by the end of this

Aleksandar Vucic's Progressive SNS party came to power in 2012

DAILY ANALYST Monday, 4th April, 2022

decade.

In this new study, the researchers

will likely be encouraging

a rapid reduction in fossil

fuel use, especially over the next

eight years.

But this is sensitive territory -

many large developing countries

say that they should have the

right to continue to use coal, oil

and gas for longer, to help grow

their economies.

Some major fossil fuel

producers are also reluctant to

embrace the urgency of cutting

these fuels that scientists say is

absolutely necessary.

Other countries have also taken

issue with questions around

the use of nuclear energy.

These divisions have seen the

approval session continue way

past its official closing time on

Friday.

According to one person with

knowledge of the proceedings,

it is not a surprise that the talks

are running late as everyone

recognises the implications this

report will have on decisions that

will have to be taken in next few

years.

Another key part of the report

will be the focus on approaches

tween his presidential duties and

campaign activities. They cite as

an example the opening in March

of the first section of a new, highspeed

rail line between Belgrade

and Budapest.

As the pristine Swiss-built

train sped towards Serbia's second

city, Novi Sad, camera crews jostled

around the first-class leather

seats where Mr Vucic was hosting

Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor

Orban.

On arrival, a crowd of thousands

was waiting to hear an address

from the two leaders in front

of the freshly renovated station.

During the return journey, Mr

Vucic told the BBC that he had no

sympathy with opposition allegations

of unfair dominance.

"Do you want me to be helpful

to my political opponents in beating

me, or what?" he asked.

"I didn't mention a single

name of my political opponents in

this campaign. There is no campaign

against them - and there is a

24/7 campaign against me. I know

one thing: I'm more diligent and

more dedicated than them. That's

what people here appreciate - and

I'm proud of that."

Indeed, political analysts agree

that the appeal of Mr Vucic and the

Progressives cannot be explained

by media ubiquity alone.

"Vucic is remarkably good at

delivering on things that ordinary

Serbs want to see," says James

Ker-Lindsay, a Balkans specialist at

the London School of Economics.

"From the outside, we see

Global News

to remove CO2 from the air.

The kind of carbon removal

approaches the report will

consider will likely include tree

planting and agriculture, as well

as the more advanced technological

approaches that use large

machines to remove the carbon

from the air.

They will also look at combined

approaches, where land

is used to grow crops which can

be burned for energy while the

carbon is captured and buried.

The use of these types of

technology is controversial.

Campaigners express doubts

that they can be made to work

last four parliamentary elections,

and is looking for a hat-trick of

presidential victories in Sunday's

elections.

"The regime is in absolute

control of the media," complains

Borko Stefanovic, deputy leader of

the centre-left Party of Freedom

and Justice.

Election monitor CRTA reports

that representatives of the government

have gained two-thirds

of national TV coverage during

the election campaign - and

three-quarters of the airtime on

news programmes. The Serbian

office of anti-corruption organisation

Transparency International

refers to "the media dominance of

Aleksandar Vucic and his [candidate]

list".

The monitors complain that

Mr Vucic has blurred the lines beeconomically

and there are also

concerns that technology could

be seen as an excuse not to make

the major changes in energy production

that are needed.

Scientists though say that the

situation is now so serious that

carbon dioxide removal will be

needed in addition to massive

cuts in emissions.

The discussions to approve

the report's Summary for Policymakers,

due on Monday, have

been one of the longest in IPCC

history.

Delegates worked through

Saturday night and well into Sunday

to finish the document.

Serbia's President Vucic performs

balancing act as he seeks re-election

someone who is very authoritarian

and there's a lot of concerns

about the possibility of illiberal

turns. But on the ground, ordinary

Serbs talk about the fact that he's

delivering economic development

and big infrastructure projects.

These are the things that many

ordinary Serbs think should have

been done before under previous

administrations, but weren't.

Awkward balancing act

It has been rather trickier for

Mr Vucic to give voters what they

want when it comes to relations

with Russia. He is all too aware

that many of his party's voters favour

traditional ties with Moscow

over the European Union membership

negotiations that started

in 2014.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine

has turned a long-running balancing

act into more of a tightrope

walk, without a safety net. Serbia

has declined to join EU sanctions

against Moscow - but did

vote in favour of UN resolutions

condemning the invasion. There

have been demonstrations against

Russia's war as well as in favour.

Mr Vucic has made "peace and

stability" something of a catchphrase

during the campaign -

though if he is re-elected, Brussels

is likely to increase the pressure

on Belgrade to choose where its

loyalties lie: East or West.

Natasa Kandic, founder of Belgrade's

Humanitarian Law Centre,

agrees that the president is a

"pragmatic politician" who has

won popularity through attracting

foreign investment which has

brought "jobs and salaries". But

an atomised opposition has also

helped his cause.

"The main problem is that

there is no democratic opposition,"

says Ms Kandic. "How can

you win without a strong leader?"

That problem has persisted

since the Democratic Party lost

power in 2012 and splintered into

multiple, competing factions.

Most of those parties boycotted

the last elections in 2020, claiming

the conditions for a free and fair

vote didn't exist. That just allowed

the Progressives to consolidate

their hold on power.

This time around, there's no

opposition boycott. Parties from

across the political spectrum have

signed up to a coalition called

United Serbia in a joint campaign

against the Progressives.

Their candidate for president

is a former general, Zdravko

Ponos. He is a conservative figure

- which illustrates the awkward

nature of the opposition alliance.

In essence, all they have in

common is a desire to dethrone

Mr Vucic - and analysts doubt that

will be enough to appeal to the

electorate.

After 10 years and six elections,

Serbia's people already

know plenty about the Progressive

Party. Sunday's vote will show

whether they buy the president's

vision of progress - or accept the

opposition's line that it is a manipulated

media mirage.

DAILY ANALYST

Monday, 4th April, 2022 Page 3

Winneba

gunman arrested

A

man, believed to be

a police officer has

been arrested for

brandishing a gun

and attacking a motorist

at Winneba in the Central

Region.

The man was arrested after a

video of him attacking a motorist

and brandishing a gun

in public went viral on social

media.

In the video, the said man

was seen slapping the motorist

while brandishing his gun.

According to reports, the vic-

tim was assaulted after cautioning

the alleged police officer who

was driving carelessly.

In a Facebook post, the Ghana

Police Service confirmed the

arrest.

The Police also revealed that

the gun has also been retrieved.

“Perceived gunman arrested.

Reference the above, the person

involved in attacking the motorist

has been arrested and the

weapon retrieved. Full details

will follow soon,” The Ghana

Police Service posted.

Man kills

grandparents

The Eastern Regional

Police Command has

arrested a 21-year-old

man, Appiah Moses for

killing his grandparents

with a hammer and a pestle

at Akim Hemang in the Fanteakwa

South District of the Eastern

Region.

The victims, Yaa Yeboah 75,

and 80-year-old Appiah Korang

were rushed to the Hawa Me-

morial Hospital in Osiem after

the attack but were pronounced

dead on arrival.

Residents of the area mustered

courage and arrested the

suspect, and handed him over to

the police.

According to the Eastern Regional

Police PRO, DSP Ebenezer

Tetteh, the suspect will soon be

put before court today per Citi

News Report.

While the opposition

National

Democratic

Congress

(NDC) is contemplating

whether to retain

former President John Dramani

Mahama as Presidential Candidate

or look for fresh blood,

some party bigwigs within the

Volta and Oti Regions believe

it is their time to rescue the

party by fielding a presidential

candidate.

Based on this, some power

brokers of the party from the

two regions have, on many

occasions, met with the Chief

Executive Officer (CEO) of Marrer

Ghana Limited and Susagtad

Boat Building, Mr. Novihoho

Afaglo, to consider the decision

of contesting the former President

Mahama for the presidential

slot of the party.

According to deep-throat

sources, the power brokers have

gone ahead to offer to pay for

his filing fee and other expenses

during the process all in a

bid to ensure that Mr. Afaglo

accepts the offer from the two

‘World Banks’ of the NDC.

This development, the

sources say, was gradually gaining

currency and support from

grassroots all the way to the top

hierarchy of the party in the

two regions.

The sources further stated

that one of their recent meetings

organized in the Volta regional

capital, Ho, was attended

by over 500 party executives

from the two powerhouses of

the party.

"It is our time to rescue

Frontpage Stories

New contender emerges

Akufo-Addo in London for

bilateral discussions

The President of the

Republic, Nana Addo

Dankwa Akufo-Addo,

is currently in London

to launch one of his

government’s flagship tourism

drive projects, dubbed “Destination

Ghana”.

He is also scheduled to hold

bilateral discussions with the

British Prime Minister, Boris

Johnson.

The President was accompanied

by the Minister for Foreign

Affairs, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor

Botchwey, MP, and by officials

of the Presidency and Foreign

Ministry.

President Akufo-Addo will

return to Ghana on Wednesday,

6th April, and, in his absence,

the Vice President, Alhaji Dr.

Mahamudu Bawumia, shall, in

accordance with Article 60(8)

of the Constitution, act in his

stead.

The President earlier visited

Charlotte, North Carolina, in the

United States of America at the

invitation of Bishop T.D. Jakes

to deliver the keynote address at

this year’s International Leadership

Summit, on Friday, 1st April

the party because the NDC was

born from the two regions and

we will not sit down for some

people who claim they love the

party to mismanage it. We are

doing this in memory of our late

former President and founder of

the NDC, Jerry John Rawlings,”

they stated at the said meeting.

In a telephone interview

with Mr. Afaglo, who is far away

in the United Kingdom, he confirmed

that some power brokers

of the NDC have contacted

2022. Since 2011, the International

Leadership Summit (ILS), formerly

the International Pastors

and Leadership Conference, has

Novihoho Afaglo

him to consider the decision of

leading the party in the 2024

election.

He told DAILY Analyst that

the party faithful has even gone

ahead to print posters of him

without his knowledge, a development

he said confirms their

earlier proposal.

Mr. Afaglo is an ardent

supporter and a card bearing

member of the great umbrella

party. He is an entrepreneur, a

philanthropist, and a lawyer.

cultivated aspiring and tenured

entrepreneurs, leaders, and

influential change agents with

invaluable leadership insights.

Page 4


elected NUGS

Dennis Appiah Larbi-Ampofo

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has

elected a new president Dennis Appiah Larbi-Ampofo,

with the Methodist University.

He garnered 824 votes, beating his main contender

Kwasi Atuahene who secured 201 of the

total votes cast. A third candidate, Charles Oppong had 33

votes.

Dennis takes over from the current president Emmanuel

Yiadom Boakye as the country’s biggest students body

holds its 56th Annual Delegates’ Congress at the GNAT

Village at Ejisu-Abankro in the Ashanti Region.

Alleged irregularities

The Union’s national executive elections were reportedly

marred by malpractices.

The General Secretary of the National Union of Ghana

Students (NUGS), Julius Kwame Anthony, said that based

on the infractions that have characterised the process, the

outcome cannot be deemed credible.

The assertion by the NUGS General Secretary, was in

reaction to earlier reports on social media which alleged

the electoral irregularities and political schemes.

Mr. Anthony affirmed the reports on social media told

JoyNews on Saturday that he was scandalised by the turn

of the events.

In his submissions, he explained that based on the

NUGS Constitution, it is his responsibility to collate the

Voters Register for elections at the Union’s Annual Congress.

But according him, some of his colleague executive

members took up that role and generated a register without

his knowledge.

This, Mr. Anthony said, was part of a deliberate plot to

favour one of the presidential aspirants in the elections,

Mr. Dennis Appiah Larbi-Ampofo.

Denial

But responding to these concerns, the President of the

Union, Emmanuel Boakye Yiadom, dismissed the claims

by the Union’s General Secretary, Julius Kwame Anthony.

Speaking to MyJoyOnline.com, he stated that the Congress

has been smooth and devoid of any electoral malfeasances,

as alleged by Mr. Anthony.

Contrary to the suggestions by the NUGS Secretary, the

President, Mr. Yiadom said the Union is not divided; adding

that he is surprised about the posture and comments

of Julius Kwame Anthony.

A

Crop Physiologist at

the Department of

Horticulture, University

for Development

Studies. Dr. Dawuda

Mohammed Mujitaba has

encouraged tomatoes farmers

in the Upper East Region to collaborate

with other stakeholders

in the tomato value chain

and to form groups in order to

cultivate the tomato crop at the

same time. This, he observed will

boost efforts of researchers and

Agriculturists in a bid to produce

more to meet the demands of

Tomato Traders and the Transporters

Association of Ghana

who need the product in large

quantities for Southern markets.

From January this year, the

Directorate of Agriculture and

Irrigation Company of Upper Region

(ICOUR) with the support of

a Researcher have made strides

in an effort to develop environmentally

safe strategies to deal

with the root- knot nematodes

problem that has compelled

most farmers to abandoned tomato

production in the region.

He spoke to Prosper Adankai

in Bolgatanga at the back

of efforts to revamp tomato

The Inspector-General

of Police, DCOP George

Akuffo Dampare, has

assured police officers

at Essiama Divisional

District Police Headquarters that

the youth who vandalized their

office on Friday, April 1, 2022, will

not be spared.

He, however, commended the

officers for their level of professionalism

displayed when they

came under attack by the youth.

“We have come barely 12

hours after the incident, just

because of the difficulties of

getting here earlier. Either than

that, we would have come at

the time that the incident was

happening and walked with you

to deal with it. But you did your

best to de-escalate the situation,

and we are seeing a minimum

disruption and fatality because

of what you did. So we are here to

commend and appreciate you,”

Mr. Dampare told the Officers

when he visited the area.

He continued “It is also to let

you know that we will use every

means within the law, slow but

sure to pick every person who

has been involved in this and

deal with the person in accordance

with the law in a manner

that the person would regret for

being part of such an act for it

to send the strongest message

to the rest of the people in the

community.”

Background

One person was killed and

four others injured during scuffle

between the youth and some

production to meet the market

demands.

Meanwhile the final stage

of demonstrations on the effect

of bio-nematicide in tomato

fields established at five demonstration

sites in the Upper East

Region have been completed.

A peptide -based nematicide

(Nemanol) was tested along a

synthetic chemical at demonsupposed

armed men at Nkroful

Magistrate court in Teleku Bokazo,

a mining community in the

Ellembelle District.

The deceased Andrew Donkor

was among a number of young

men who besieged the Nkroful

Magistrate court earlier on

Friday April 1, 2022 after about

40 young men were arrested in

a mining pit known to belong to

Adamus Mines.

Narrating the incident to

Empire News, an eyewitness

Francis, recounts that at dawn

on Friday, April 1, 2022, the youth

had gone to the pit to mine but

they were apprehended by some

armed men believed to have

been hired by Adamus mines.

stration sites in the Bolgatanga

and Kassena Nankana Municipal,

Tono Irrigation scheme site,

Talensi and Bongo Districts. Dr.

Mujitaba noted that preliminary

observation of galling on

the roots of the bio-nematicide

treated plants showed a significant

milestone in the fight

against the devastating effect of

root knot nematodes.

station rioters - Dampare

The young men arrested were

arraigned before the Nkroful

Magistrate Court.

The youth in the area then

massed up at the court sparking

a scuffle between the youth and

the security that resulted in one

being shot in the chest.

He was immediately rushed

to the Eikwe Government hospital

but was pronounced dead on

arrival.

Some of the youth were injured

during the scuffle.

However, reports had it that

some of the youth out of anger

besieged the Essiama Divisional

Police Station and vandalized

the place.

DAILY ANALYST


Perspective

Dr Solomon Owusu writes:

scale mining assailants

I

write to draw the attention

of the Ghana

government and some

heads of the law enforcement

institutions,

including the Attorney-General,

the Chief Justice, the National

Security Minister, and

the Interior Minister to ensure

that justice is served in the

recent riot in the Tarkwa area

among two small-scale mining

groups that led to the death

of one person and recorded

degrees of injuries.

The unfortunate deadly

incident happened when some

assailants and murderers

bushwhacked a businessmancum-licenced

small-scale

miner, Mr. Emmanuel Kutubebi,

and his security team on

the Bonsaso-Tarkwa road in

the Western Region.

In my view, considering

the seriousness of the matter,

it should be expeditiously

probed and all the perpetrators

subsequently prosecuted with

a long term of imprisonment

to calm down nerves as well

as avoid any potential civil

disorder.

This despicable crime gives

cause for concern, especially

as it relates to the safety and

security of the citizens. As

a mining consultant and a

researcher, I am well-informed

that injustices in dealing

with natural resources-minor

conflicts have triggered devastating

civil wars in some

countries.

Studies have shown that

such heightened unrest

have been difficult to resolve

within a short time, as they

sometimes take years. Notable

among the countries where

natural resources linked to

their civil wars include DR

Congo, 1996 (gold, diamond,

copper, coltan); Angola, 1975

(diamond, oil); Liberia, 1989

(gold, diamond, iron); Sierra

Leone, 1991 (diamond); Sudan,

1953 (oil); Cambodia, 1978

(gems); Morocco, 1975 (oil,

phosphate); Colombia, 1984

(gold, oil); Indonesia, 1969

(gold, copper); Papua New

Guinea, 1988 (gold, copper); Afghanistan,

1978 (gems, opium)

and Burma, 1949 (gems, tin,

opium).

I developed an interest

in following up on this case,

after listening to the Tarkwa

Police Commander’s briefing

on Adom FM. According to Superintendent

George Andrew

Kumah, guys from one mining

group crossed the other on the

Tarkwa-Bonsaso highway to

cause the attack and the riot

began in the process.

During the radio interview,

the police officer said

dangerous weapons that were

retrieved from the assailants

included 2 foreign pistols, 10

machetes, 2 jackknives, and a

pump-action gun. The gunmen

were led by Mr. Mohammed

Awal, popularly known

as Apakaloo, who was severely

injured during the riot and

currently receiving treatment

at Korle-bu Teaching Hospital

in Accra under police guard. It

should be noted that a natural

resource is a blessing to a

nation, but it can equally be a

curse if not properly managed.

Narrating his ordeal on the

matter during a press conference

held in Takoradi on

Monday, March 28, 2022, Mr.

Emmanuel Kutubebi emphasised

that the gunmen numbering

about five (5) and led by

Apakaloo attacked his team on

the highway.

In the attempt by his men

to defend themselves, the

security head of his group

called Alhassan Ali died in the

struggle and the rest sustained

various degrees of injuries. According

to him, Apakaloo who

was mentioned by the police

officer is a known security

team leader for a galamsey

kingpin in Western Region

called Nana Amponsah, popularly

known as Okobeng.

Emmanuel said the assailants

who targeted him and his

team were driving a white Toyota

Corolla saloon car with registration

number GM 8700-13.

They used their car to cross his

Toyota Landcruiser first, but

he managed to swerve them,

escaped their trap, and drove

off to save his life, although

they tried to chase him.

Unfortunately, as the assailants

missed Emmanuel

who was their target, they

turned to attack his private security

men who were driving

behind him in a white pick-up

truck. He further stated that

he was surprised that people

are trying to link the barbaric

act with the Deputy Lands and

Natural Resources Minister in

Charge of Mining, Hon. George

Mireku Duker, who doubles

as the Member of Parliament

(MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuem

Constituency in the Western

Region. According to him, his

small-scale mining business

had no connectivity with the

work of the Minister. Emmanuel

added that he formed

a security team for protection

after Okobeng himself and

some assailants earlier threatened

to kill him with evidence

of their purported voices presently

at the police custody in

Tarkwa.

Ghanaians can recall that

in December 2021, the police in

Tarkwa and Takoradi arrested

alleged assassination plotters

who attempted to kill Mr. Emmanuel

Kutubebi and another

person called Mr. Adjei Ben.

During the police interrogations,

the attempted murderers

mentioned that Okobeng

truly contracted them to cause

the planned murder. In the investigative

process, the police

intercepted the phone conversation

between Okobeng and

the gunmen.

During their conversations,

Okobeng categorically stated

that he had given them the

killing assignment to execute,

and he promised to provide the

assailants with an additional

pump action gun to help speed

up the killing job. Furthermore,

Okobeng instructed the

gunmen to monitor Emmanuel’s

locations and kill him.

In the tape, Okobeng mentioned

that upon killing either

Emmanuel Kutubebi or Adjei

Ben, he believed nobody could

compete with him concerning

a mining concession that they

were battling for. He could

envisage that the rest of the

small-scale miners would be

terrified to enter the site. The

police upon receiving the purported

voice arraigned Okobeng

and the assailants before

the Takoradi Circuit Court

“A” on Tuesday, January 11,

2022, and charged them with

conspiracy to commit murder.

Surprisingly, the Judge

granted all of them bail, which

came as a shock to lots of

Tarkwa residents. Some people

in the Tarkwa areas had earlier

predicted that the court

might discharge them because

of Okobeng’s wealth and his

strong political connections in

the NPP government.

After listening to the tape

on the attempted assassination,

Emmanuel petitioned the

Tarkwa police for protection,

but his request was denied,

as the police responded that

they could not assign a police

officer to him because of the

unavailability of adequate

personnel. Based on the police

response, Emmanuel organized

private men to protect

him and his family. Now the

big questions are as follows:

1. On what basis did the

court grant bail to persons

involved in an attempted

murder case, after the voice

captured on a tape showed

that there was truly a planned

assassination attempt?

2. Why did the Judge

grant them bail in the first

place, knowing that the assailants

and their sponsor,

Okobeng were dangerous

individuals who could cause

murder?

3. Is Okobeng above the

law, such that he could be allowed

to kill people because of

his political affiliation?

4. If Okobeng and his

allied assailants were not

granted bail, would this unfortunate

riot that led to death,

injuries, and damages happen?

These two separate cases

have proved that Okobeng

and his group members have

been putting lives around the

Tarkwa area in danger, hence

the laws must deal stringently

with them. The inability to

strictly apply the rules will

completely infringe upon the

rights of the deceased family

and the other people who

received various degrees of

injury.

Also, Mr. Emmanuel Kutubebi’s

life as well as his family

will continuously be put in

danger, if these assailants are

left off the hook. On a more

serious note, any unreasonable

outcome from this murder

case may push other citizens

to take the law into their own

hands and repeat similar barbaric

and despicable acts.

This can lead to serious,

uncontrollable open lawlessness

in the Tarkwa area and

the nation as a whole.

Finally, murderers pose national

security threats to every

nation, and the law enforcement

agencies, including the

Police, the National Investigative

Bureau, and the Judiciary

should take a keen interest in

this particular case to ensure

that justice is served in this

matter.

Failure to enforce the laws

to demonstrate that these

institutions are constitutionally

sanctioned to fight crimes,

protect the citizens and ensure

effective security in the

country, can set a dangerous

precedence for the current and

future generations.

In my humble opinion, the

entire galamsey problems in

Ghana should be properly addressed

as soon as possible to

prevent any potential public

disturbances as they happened

to other countries. Concerned

Ghanaians across the world

are all anxiously monitoring

this case from afar. God bless

our homeland Ghana.

Page 6


The Member of

Parliament for

Ellembelle, Emmanuel

Armarh Kofi- Buah, has

called on the President,

the Police and the Commission

of Human Rights and

Administrative Justice, CHRAJ,

to investigate Adamus Resources

Limited Mine’s incessant use of

security personnel to brutalize

the people of Teleku-Bokazo and

Ahwia.

Armarh Kofi- Buah, while

condemning the invading of

the Essiama District Divisional

Police Command following the

shooting to death of a resident

by a security officer at Nkroful on

April 1st, said they people have

no problem with the Police but

Adamus.

“I apologize on behalf of

the people of Teleku-Bokazo

especially the young people

who went to the Police station

to vandalize the station and

The Minister for Local

Government, Rural

Development and

Decentralization

(MLGRD), Dan Kwaku

Botwe has directed various

assemblies to enforce sanitation

by-laws to help rid the country

of filth.

His comments come on the

back of a tour he embarked on

to the various landfill sites in

Accra.

He said the country can be

cleaned if the Metropolitan,

Municipal and District

Assemblies (MMDAs) without

fear or favour apply the laws to

the letter.

“The assemblies have by-law,

and they can also make their

own laws as well to make sure

the cities are clean. We continue

to urge them to put in place

sanctions because when there is

filth in the communities, it has a

great effect on our health.”

“The MMDAs need to

take charge of cleanliness in

communities and cities; and it is

our duty to make sure they take

sanitation as their top priority.

Any assembly that doesn’t see

sanitation as a priority will be

sanctioned.”

With regard to the provisions

of transfer stations in Accra to

caused damage. However, we have

serious problems in this area but

we don’t have a fight with the

police.”

“In fact, this is about the

fourth death of a young person

in connection with Adamus

Resources mining operations

and the persons who shot

these young people on those

two occasions are not police

officers but the military attached

to the Adamus Mines. So the

thought that young people will

go and attack police stations is

regrettable”, he said.

The MP, speaking to Citi News

after visiting the deceased’s

family and the Chief of Teleku-

Bokazo, as well as interacting

with the youth, said the bigger

problem in the area is the misuse

of security personnel by Adamus

Resources Mines which has so far

resulted in about four deaths.

He said these incidents must

be investigated by the CHRAJ and

the Police.

“Let me be very clear, the

people of Teleku-Bokazo and

Ahwia and its environs have

lived here for over 300 years as

farmers on their lands in peace.

Since all of a sudden Adamus

Resources came saying it has

been given all those lands, we

have not had any peace. Even

when Adamus is done by mining

in parts of the concession after

10 years, it refuses to allow even

the community to engage in legal

mining activity for their daily

survival after destroying their

farms. Is this fair?”

“And then we will have

State soldiers to protect

Mining companies who end

up shooting citizens. That is

the anger. I’m therefore calling

on President Akufo-Addo, the

Commission on Human Rights

and Administrative Justice,

CHRAJ and the Police Service to

investigate the real issue with

the treatment of the people

over here by Adamus Resources

Limited Mines. We have to have

a just and fair investigations into

their activities”, he added.

Meanwhile, the traumatized

wife and brother of 33 year

old Andrew Donkor who was

allegedly shot dead on Friday

by security personnel at

the forecourt of the Nkroful

Magistrate Court during the

prosecution of some illegal

miners arrested by Adamus

Resources Mines, are demanding

Apply by-laws without fear or favour to

keep Ghana clean – Dan Botwe to MMDAs

reduce the turnaround time for

the trucks that will take the filth

to landfill sites, the minister

assured that these stations will

be ready in due time.

“Even if you will sanction

someone for doing the wrong

thing, you have to first make

it easy for them to do the right

thing, then when they flout,

you can sanction them. Hence,

the transfer sites will be ready

so that the tricycles can easily

access them.”

The Greater Accra Regional

Minister, Henry Quartey has

begun a motion; Operation

Clean Your Frontage, in the quest

to make Accra Work, making it

the cleanest city in Ghana.

The Minister banned

tricycles from using the

highways for reasons that their

pace is too slow, and that they

liter the street with filth.

This decision of his was

battled against as the rubbish

collectors argued that the

highways, particularly the

motorway, is the only route they

can use to reach the dumping

site at Kpone which is the only

one that can house a lot of

refuse.

The Ministry hence assured

that more dumping sites will be

made available and very much

operational to help see this

course succeed.

justice from the Police.

“What I demand now is

justice because there is clear

evidence according to witnesses

that my brother was not even at

where the crowd was but sitting

somewhere making a phone call.

So I’m beginning to think this

was out of malice or deliberate.

Why should there should be

shooting when the crowd were

not rioting but were just there to

support their people. If you want

to give a warning shot, you don’t

rather shoot an innocent person.

Even his friends took out two

bullets from him before sending

him to hospital.”

“Four more bullets have

been retrieved from his body by

doctors at the hospital which

means it was deliberate, so we

demand justice. We want o know

the military person that fired the

shot and explain why he fired at

somebody who was not armed”,

the victim’s brother, Thomas

Donkor said.

“He is the only person who

provides for me and my children.

I want to soldier to be dealt with

and dismissed from the service.

The National Disaster

Management

Organisation, NADMO,

is calling for the

demolition of the old

Foreign Affairs Ministry building

located near the Tema Station in

Accra.

The 10-storey structure has

been left unattended to for the

last twelve years after fire swept

through it on October 21, 2009.

According to the NADMO, the

structural integrity of the edifice

has been compromised.

Speaking to Citi News,

Director of Communication of

NADMO, George Ayisi, said it

would be best to pull down the

building to forestall any disaster.

My husband only told me he was

going to the district assembly

and I later heard he has been

shot dead. I commit the person

who shot my husband into the

hands of God. I plead with the

government to punish the soldier

for me“, said the victim’s Wife,

Doris Donkor.

The Chief of Teleku-Bokazu,

Nana Afful kwaw II, speaking

to Citi News after the MP’s visit

said the killing of residents in

relation to operations of Adamus

Resources Limited is becoming

one two many.

The MP for Ellembelle,

Emmanuel Armarh Kofi-Buah,

has called for calm among the

youth of Teleku-Bokazu as he

dialogues with all stakeholders in

resolving the matter.

Even though officials of

Adamus Resources Limited in

the December 2021 burning

of one Budu on its concession

admitted it was done by its

security personnel, they are yet

to speak on this recent arrest

and prosecution of illegal miners

from its concession resulting in

this fatality.

NADMO warns of

looming danger; demands

demolition of old Foreign

Affairs structure

“NADMO is concerned

about the looming danger the

building poses, especially with

human activities going on in

that perimeter. God forbid, but if

anything untoward happens, it

is going to be disastrous.”

“We know that the integrity

of the building has been

compromised and no engineer

will advise that we keep it.”

The structure, which shares

a compound with the Accra

Regional Passport Office, near

Tema Station, caught fire on

October 21, 2009, and has since

been a safe haven for animals

while plants have grown in

them.

DAILY ANALYST


The Minerals Income

Investment Fund

(MIIF) says Ghana

loses over GH¢50

million annually in

royalties from quarry due to the

country’s over-concentration on

gold resources.

The Chief Executive Officer

of MIIF, Edward Nana Yaw

Koranteng who said this at

the opening of the 2022 Ghana

Mining Week and Gold Expo in

Takoradi said quarry should be

giving Ghana around GH¢100

million royalties annually, but

Ghana only realised just GH¢

3.8milllion in 2020.

“92% of our royalties are

coming from gold, so there is a

leaning towards gold because

that is where we have our most

royalties. So, that is the problem.

Repeal prison terms with

Assembly bye-laws -CCF

Metropolitan,

Municipal

and District

Assemblies,

MMDAs, have

been urged to review and also

repeal some of the prison terms

associated with their bye-laws.

They should as well begin to

publicly educate the people

in their jurisdiction on their

bye-laws to enable them to

appreciate and comply with

them. Addressing the media in

Accra to outdoor its findings

on a sensitization drive dubbed

“Decriminalizing Vagrancy

Laws and Advocacy Project”,

in 12 MMDAs in three regions,

the Executive Director of Crime

Check Foundation, an NGO,

Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, said

“Our observation is that MMDAs

do not deliberately mobilize and

sensitize citizens on the byelaws”.

He continued that “when

CCF organised sensitization

workshops on bye-laws for

citizens between June and

August 2021 in collaboration

with the beneficiary MMDAs, it

was the first-time education was

conducted on the bye-laws at the

scale recorded”.

“Our plea is that increasing

citizens knowledge on

MMDAs bye-laws will improve

compliance with the laws and

reduce harassments, arrests,

fines, and imprisonment of poor

persons”, Mr. Oppong Kwarteng

said

Ṫhe Ambassador

Extraordinaire of Prisons

If you look at the quarry sector, it

is in line with our economic and

infrastructure development. So

as far as you have infrastructure

and economic development

growing, there should be a

corresponding increase in its

royalties. We are supposed to

have about, GH¢100million in

royalties annually. In a worstcase

scenario, we should have

at least GH¢35 million to GH¢ 56

million but in 2020 we had only

GH¢3.6 million which means

there is a big problem with the

quarries“, he said.

Explaining the cause of

the problem to Citi News on

the sidelines of the Ghana

Mining Week, Edward Nana

Yaw Koranteng also highlighted

plans to cure the problem.

“We have identified four

said the challenge with the

MMDAs bye-laws is that they

disproportionately affect poor

and voiceless persons.

“We believe that through

a broad consultation, equally

effective punitive measures

can be adopted to deter bad

behaviour”.

Mr. Oppong Kwarteng

therefore called on Parliament

to pass into law as a matter

of urgency the Non-Custodial

Sentencing Bill to help reduce

congestion in the prisons.

The Public Relations Officer

of the National Association of

Local Authorities of Ghana,

NALAG, Nii Adjetey Annang,

congratulated the Crime Check

Foundation, CCF, on the good

work done. He said NALAG

and CCF are discussing the

possibility of establishing

a partnership to scale up

education of Ghanaians on the

bye-laws of the Assemblies.

Supported by the Open

Society Initiative for West Africa,

OSIWA, an NGO, Crime Check

Foundation from May last year

embarked on sensitization

of Market Women, Assembly

Members, Head Porters,

Hawkers, and Driver Unions

among others in 12 MMDAs

in Greater Accra, Ashanti and

Central regions on the bye-laws

of the Assemblies. Mr. Oppong

Kwarteng explained that the

aim of the advocacy project

is to reduce the harassment,

arrests, fines and imprisonment

these categories of people are

subjected to on daily basis by

– MIIF

main problems with the quarries

including invasion by foreigners,

underpricing, lack of capital and

encroachment by settlers within

the catchment of quarries. If

we have to expand the royalties

net and add value to the

quarries sector, then we need

to properly strategize. So for me

to get GH¢100 million royalties

annually from the quarries,

there are a few things we are

doing now. Thus, we are trying

to support the quarry sector by

introducing what we call derisking

mechanisms, which is

essential to provide guarantees

to banks that desire to support

the quarry sector“, he added.

Expanding the scope of

mineral resources that can

bring more royalties to the state,

the CEO of MIIF said if Ghana

doesn’t take care, it will even

start importing stones anytime

soon.

“Our research shows that

there is a huge potential in the

other mineral sector. Quarry is

one and salt is another. There are

only two countries, Ghana and

Senegal that have the potential

to provide industrial salt, but

Nigeria keeps bypassing us to

Brazil to bring salt to support

operatives of the Assemblies.

It also seeks to increase the

knowledge of the people on the

bye-laws of the Assemblies.

In line with the objectives

of “Decriminalizing Vagrancy

Laws and Advocacy Project”,

CCF successfully organised

sensitization workshops on

MMDAs bye-laws for more than

1,200 citizens in the project

district, trained a core group of

journalists who are supporting

advocacy actions under the

project, engaged Justice Sector

institutions and other relevant

institutions on effects of

vagrancy laws on the poor and

voiceless citizens and trained

and provided smart phones

to more than 30 Community

Monitoring Teams who are

supporting in monitoring

activities in the project

communities.

their petroleum industry. The

potential of salt considering

the fact that gold is more finite

makes salt much bigger in terms

of long-term sustainable value

than gold,“ he noted.

Touching on the relevance

of the Ghana Mining Week

towards achieving Mining

for Sustainable Development,

Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng

said the Ghana Mining Week

is as good as the South African

Mining fair which is good

in addressing most of the

challenges in the Ghanaian

mining sector and commended

the Western Regional Minister

and his team for growing the

Ghana Mining Week and Gold

Expo.

The Western Regional

Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko

Mensah opening this year’s

Ghana Gold Expo and Mining

Week which also showcased key

mining trends and technology

as well as site tours, said the

Gold Expo and mining week

is gradually positioning

the Western Region as the

headquarters of responsible

mining which is good for Ghana.

Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah

who has been the face of the

Ghana Mining Week, however,

highlighted some achievements

of the mining week.

“If there is any other impact

that the Ghana Gold Expo has

been able to make apart from

its basic objective of ensuring

a safer mining environment

through responsible mining, it

Bagbin plans to establish

a dialysis center in Wa

The Speaker of

Parliament, Alban

Bagbin, has hinted

of advanced ongoing

plans to establish and

run a functional dialysis unit

at the Upper West Regional

Hospital in Wa.

Speaker Bagbin made this

disclosure at his residence in Wa

on Saturday, April 2 when he met

a cross section of journalists and

football enthusiasts.

It was during the occasion of

his personal donation of sports

equipment to Real Crusaders

Ladies Football Club, a Division

One ladies football club based

in Wa.

Touching on his

commitment to use his

privileged position as Speaker

of Parliament to better the lot

of the Upper West Region, the

Rt Hon Bagbin intimated that

he has been able to secure some

support from an undisclosed

source for the establishment of

the dialysis unit.

He bemoaned the stress and

difficulties that people of the

Region endure whenever they

have to seek medical attention,

which requires resort to dialysis

and hence the reason for which

is the project’s ability to draw

in those in academia to proffer

practical solutions to longaged

challenges bedevilling the

mining sector through capacity

building and technology… I

am happy to report that, as an

outcome of the Ghana Mining

Week and Gold Expo, Gold Fields

Ghana Limited is currently

advancing discussions with

the University of Mines and

Technology, UMaT, for both

entities to train community

mining companies in the

Western Region,” he said.

The Western Regional

Minister also described the

coming on board of the Minerals

Income Investment Fund’s

Small-Scale Mining Incubation

Programme, as a complementary

step to what stakeholders have

been advocating for over the

period.

Meanwhile, Forbes Monaco,

an official partner of Ghana

Gold Expo and Arum Global

partners on Conservation Mine

and Reclamation 2022 Awards at

the event adjudged the Minerals

Income Investment Fund,

MIIF, as the BEST FINANCIAL

INSTITUTION.

The citation presented read

in part: “Your ability to support

and provide alternative financial

mechanisms into the smallscale

mining sector will ensure

responsible gold supply chain

and efficient funding platform

for small-scale and community

miners“.

of Parliament

he is pushing relentlessly to

bring the project to fruition.

Page 8

The Christian Health

Association of Ghana

(CHAG) has received

a 17-million-dollar

grant from the Global

Fund to strengthen HIV and TB

community systems across the

country.

The HIV/TB community is

composed of people who are

living with HIV/TB and individuals

whose lives are directly

affected by the disease.

The HIV/TB Community System

Strengthening (CSS) initiative

which will be implemented

Health

from now till the end of 2023, is

expected to help reduce stigma

and discrimination against persons

living with HIV and TB.

Mr Benjamin Cheabu, Senior

Programs Manager, CHAG said at

a media engagement in Accra on

Friday, that the initiative would

be implemented by leaders of

the HIV/TB community.

It would provide HIV /TB

counselling and care information

to pregnant and lactating

women and children below age

18 and offer support to adolescents

and the public.


Mr Cheabu said the CSS sort

to reduce TB incidence by 25 per

cent to 111 per 100,000 population

by 2025.

It would also achieve HIV

epidermic control by fast-tracking

the 95-95-95 targets and

reduce new HIV infects by 42 per

cent by 2030.

He said the initiative was

also expected to contribute to

a responsive and accountable

health facility and community

HIV/TB service through community

led monitoring and advocacy.

Mr Cheabu said the CSS

would address issues of stigma

and discrimination at health

care facilities against persons

living with HIV by some healthcare

workers, leading to the

outright denial of care.

It would also address issues

Book on medicinal plants

of Ghana launched

A

book that seeks to

educate the public on

the health benefits

of plants has been

launched in Accra.

The book, titled: “Common

Medicinal Plants of Ghana,”

contains 73 distinct species

of plants and their medicinal

value, as well as over 100 various

diseases the plants could cure.

The 116-page book, coauthored

by three plant

researchers namely, Mr Tonny

Asafo Agyei, Dr Kofi Bobi Barimah

and Mr Okyere Bonna explores

various plant species in Ghana

and seeks to demystify the

public’s perception about plant

medicines to encourage their use.

Mr Asafo Agyei, Head of Plant

Development Department, Center

for Plant Medicine Research

(CPMR), Mampong-Akwapim,

in the Eastern Region, giving an

overview of the book said plant

medicine remained the oldest

form of disease treatment by

many in the country and sub-

Saharan Africa.

He said over the past two

decades, there had been an

increase and acceptance use of

plant medicine in Ghana.

The impact, he said, could

be attributed to the recognition

of the role of plant medicine

in healthcare delivery by the

government, Ministry of Health,

and international organisations

such as the World Health

Organisation (WHO), as well as

the application of science and

technology in the production of

plant medicines.

“The World Health

Organisation reports that, about

21 million, that is, about 70 per

cent of Ghanaians depend on

plant medicine for managing

or treating several disease

conditions,” he said.

Despite this, Mr Agyei said,

attempts to integrate plant

medicine into the national

healthcare delivery system had

been slow.

Target action to ensure

utilisation of medicinal plants

has not received the needed

prioritisation, he added.

This, he said, was largely

because of a lack of clear

understanding and knowledge

about plant medicine by many

Ghanaians.

The book, Mr Agyei said,

was therefore to disseminate

knowledge about some common

plants in Ghana and their health

benefits to encourage its use by

modern medical practitioners.

He noted that, as part

of efforts to speed up the

mainstreaming of the use

of plant medicine into the

healthcare delivery, over 40

herbal units had been set up in

some public hospitals across

the country to give patients the

option to choose their preferred

type of treatment.

Mr Agyei said: “conscious

effort has been undertaken to

draw attention to the potency

and acceptance of plant medicine

into the formal health sector.”

Mr Agyei bemoaned the

impact activities such as illegal

mining, deforestation, and

climate change, were having on

the country’s rich plant diversity

and urged authorities to do more

to save the forests from further

destruction.

Ms Horma Anna Miezah,

Deputy Director General of the

National Lottery Authority, who

launched the book on behalf of

Mr Samuel Awuku, the Director

General of NLA, said the efficacy

of plant medicines had been

tested over the years, most

recently during the outbreak of

the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said the book would

add to existing knowledge and

practice of plant medicine in the

country and preserve medicinal

plants in Ghana and beyond.

She encouraged Ghanaians

to accept plant medicine as part

of disease treatment “There

is nothing evil about plant

medicine as sometimes are made

to believe,” she said.

Dr Barimah, the Executive

Director of CPMR and one of the

authors said the publication of

the book would make it easy for

practitioners of herbal medicine

and for individuals to be able to

identify and recognize various

herbal medicine plants.

He urged manufacturers

of herbal medicine to adopt

the book and use it as a guide

to boost the efficacy of plant

medicines.

Source: GNA

of the provision of substandard

care, physical and verbal abuse

of HIV/TB patients by health

workers.

He said drivers of stigma

against persons living with HIV

or TB such as negative attitudes,

fear, beliefs, and the lack of

awareness about their condition

had contributed to bad healthcare

HIV (human immunodeficiency

virus) is a virus that attacks

the body’s immune system.

It can lead to AIDS (acquired

immunodeficiency syndrome) if

not treated.

Tuberculosis (TB) is also an

infectious disease that mainly affects

the lungs. The bacteria that

A

Senior Community

Health Nurse, Mr

Samuel Amofa

stationed at

the Amponsaso

Community-Based Health

Planning and Services (CHPS)

Compound in the Wassa East

District of the Western Region

has been adjudged the Best

Community Health Nurse by

the Western Regional Health

Directorate.

Presenting the award at a

durbar to promote health services

and to climax the World TB Day

celebration at Amponsaso, Wassa

East District Chief Executive

(DCE) Mr Emmanuel Boakye

applauded Mr Amofa for his

selfless and dedicated service for

health delivery in the district.

He observed that often, health

practitioners in the country

turned down postings to remote

communities to work and gave

the assurance that the Assembly

would also award and honour

Mr Amofa for his commitment

and dedication for others to be

motivated to put up their best.

The DCE admonished the

people in the district to seek

healthcare within, since there

cause tuberculosis spread from

person to person through tiny

droplets released into the air via

coughs and sneezes.

Ms Elsie Ayeh, President of

the Network of Association of

Persons Living with HIV (NAP+),

said persons living with HIV are

strong, reliable persons and are

not to be pitied.

“There is no shame in

being HIV positive but there is

strengthen in overcoming the

stigma and discriminations associated

with it,” she said.

Mrs Ayeh called on the public

to support persons living with

HIV or TB by ending all forms of

discrimination against them.

Nurse Adjudged

Best Community

Health Nurse

were equally good and qualified

health personnel in the district,

adding that they could only go

outside the district for health

care when they were referred.

Touching on the World TB Day

celebration, he said the Day was

celebrated to create awareness

about the disease and sensitize

the public about the availability

of treatment drugs.

For his part, Wassa East

District Director of Health (DDH),

Mr Emmanuel Affelkum said

the role of the Directorate was

to deliver health services to the

public.

He mentioned that under

his leadership at the Health

Directorate, he would ensure

that all health personnel in the

District were developed to ensure

that health delivery improved in

the District .

The durbar was marked with

a colorful display of cultural

performances, and drama to

dramatize how one could receive

treatment for TB among others.

There were free screening for

TB, HIV, Body Mass Index (BMI),

blood pressure (BP) and sugar as

well as COVID-19 vaccination.

DAILY ANALYST


A

few weeks ago, I was

going to a meeting

early in the morning at

Ofankor, near Pokuase

in Accra. I boarded a

trotro (public transport) from my

house at Lashibi and alighted at

T-Junction, near Trade Fair. When

I am going to Labone or Cantonments

areas, that is what I usually

do, and from there I picked an

Uber to my final destination.

On this particular day, I reasoned

that there would be traffic

on the way to Achimota Mall,

where I was to meet my business

partner and my regular book designer

who was to meet me there

with a dummy of a new book we

are working on, titled Highlife

Time 3. With traffic, I envisaged

that the surge at that time of the

day would take my final Uber cost

up through the roof.

So, I did something different. I

opened my Uber app, indicated my

pickup location and destination,

got the estimated fare, and hailed

a regular taxi, negotiating like

a boss. I got about ¢5 savings on

the estimated Uber fare, and also,

with the regular taxi, without any

associated surge increases.

There are many people who

like to argue that what they learn

in school is not relevant to the

real world out there. Such people

say that because they don’t know

the power of application. We go to

school to learn how to learn. And

learning is a lifelong process.

At about the age of ten, my

Dad gave his first prophecy about

my future career: his son will be

an Electrical Engineer. He gave

the prediction after observing me

move a light fly with a piece of

wire! When I was ready to enter

secondary school, he changed his

mind with the aid of my teacher:

a medical doctor I will be.

My headmistress insisted I

studied biology in sixth form due

to excellent grades in biology. I

read mathematics. I wanted to

study computer science at the

University; my mathematics tutor

changed that! Finally, I decided

on a course that could give me the

opportunity to satisfy all these

myriad desires, prophecies, and

talents, which could challenge

me, and open doors to a thousand

careers. So I studied chemical engineering

– at both bachelor’s and

master’s levels.

I love chemical engineering.

One of my favourite courses was

Thermodynamics, taught by the

funky Dr. George Afrane. Thermodynamics

is full of chemistry and

calculations. One of the tools of

problem-solving I learnt during

this cause is iteration, as part of

optimisation.

Iteration is defined as “repetition

of a mathematical or computational

procedure applied to the

result of a previous application,

typically as a means of obtaining

successively closer approximations

to the solution of a problem.”

Iteration involves starting

with what one has and then you

improve the solution, by looping,

by repetition, by trial and error,

step by step to the enhancement

of the solution.

What I had done with the

Uber experience on my way to the

Achimota Mall was pure iteration.

A week later, I took it further

when I downloaded the Taxify app

and used it to compare the Uber

rates. With these two sources of

David was an applications person.

He did the horizontal application.

When he was to face Goliath,

King Saul asked him if he had

fought such a battle before. Do

you remember what he said? He

referred to his time fighting the

wild animals who came after his

sheep when he was a shepherd. I

Samuel 17:33-37 has the story:

Saul replied, “You are not able

to go out against this Philistine

and fight him; you are only a

young man, and he has been a

warrior from his youth.”

But David said to Saul, “Your

servant has been keeping his father’s

sheep. When a lion or a bear

came and carried off a sheep from

the flock, I went after it, struck

it and rescued the sheep from its

mouth. When it turned on me, I

seized it by its hair, struck it and

killed it. Your servant has killed

both the lion and the bear; this

uncircumcised Philistine will be

like one of them because he has

defied the armies of the living

God. The Lord who rescued me

from the paw of the lion and the

paw of the bear will rescue me

from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the

Lord be with you.”

On my way to Cape Coast yesterday,

on the bus, I was reading

an ebook titled ‘One Click: Jeff

Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.

com’, written by Richard L. Brandt.

You see, I am now a bookseller,

among other things, having taken

a break from over 16 years of working

in factories, to build a few

businesses based on my passion;

so I am learning a lot from the life

of Jeff Bezos.

In the summer after high

school, Jeff Bezos, the founder of

Amazon and his friend decided to

create a summer school to teach

fifth graders for two weeks. They

taught them ‘about fossil fuels

and fission, interstellar travel and

the prospect of space colonies,

black holes and electric currents’

etc. The author of the book quotes

the two young teachers as saying

that ‘we don’t just teach them

something; we ask them to apply

it’.

Be like David, be like the kids

that Jeff and his friend Uschi

taught. Be people who apply what

you are taught, not in a vertical

way but horizontally. Not in the

silos of the fields you were taught

in, but lateral or horizontal applicators,

across fields.

Be lifelong learners. Geoff

Anno, a former Music & Productions

Director of Joyful Way

Incorporated, Ghana, said that

‘If six months from now, you do

Opinion

not know twice what you know

now, you will be left behind.’ And

I agree with him. The world and

information is moving so fast

that if you don’t keep abreast and

updated, you will become ‘colo’.

A waterbody that is not refreshed

with fresh supply of water

smells. There are a great many

people today who stopped learning

the moment they finished

‘school’: University, Polytechnic,

secondary School, vocational

school, et cetera. They just stopped

learning. Don’t be like them. Continuous

learning will make you a

better and well-informed person

each day. Continuous learning will

improve your marketability each

day, and make you more productive

for your employer. Continuous

learning will guarantee that

six months from now, you will not

be an ignoramus.

Learning is acquiring knowledge

or developing the ability

to perform new behaviours. It

is common to think of learning

as something that takes place

in school, but much of human

learning occurs outside the

classroom, and people continue to

learn throughout their lives. The

best and longest lasting school is

the school of life, the Self-Tuition

school. Four common methods

of learning continuously are: by

experience, by observation, by

listening and by reading.

There is a lot you can learn

each day by observing those who

are better in various fields than

you are. Observe your boss as she

conducts her day-to-day work, and

learn. Observe your subordinates

or juniors as they work and ask

questions when you don’t understand

anything. Anyone who is

afraid or shy to ask questions never

learns, never grows. There is a

lot to learn from our experiences;

every experience is an instruction,

a chapter in our life, and you

should continuously summarise

key lessons from it. By listening,

one can learn a lot. Listen to what

people say, take notes of insights

that come your way.

And when you have learnt,

apply. Don’t be a sponge that only

absorbs. Note that a sponge worthy

of its name works. It scrubs.

A soaked sponge should be put to

work. So apply what you learn for

it is by practice that one perfects.

Remember my Uber example.

Apply your knowledge to Ghana’s

problems; it is in solving those

problems that your education

can be useful to the society. I

read once that knowledge is not

power; it is the right application

of knowledge that is power. Othdata,

I was able to better negotiate

with a regular taxi just last week

when I went to Tema Community

7 from my home. I got three variables

to choose from, to maximise

my choices and to get the best use

of my resources.

I had applied my learning

from over 20 years ago.

The real world beckons, my

dear brothers and sisters. You are

a sum total of all the experiences

you have had up to this day. How

will you apply what you have

learnt here? And will you be one

seen as just schooled or one who

has been educated? And will your

education end once you leave

school or you will be a continuously-learning

person so you can

move from being called educated

to being referred to as learned?

One of my pastimes is watching

old movies set in Ghana and

these days you can get some of

them on YouTube. Films like I Told

You So, Heritage Africa. No one

can miss movies by Kwaw Ansah

in such an exercise. So a few years

ago, I watched Love Brewed in

an African Pot, Heritage Africa

and Kukurantumi: Road to Accra

again.

In Heritage Africa, the main

character, who wanted to appear

and act more British than the

Queen, had changed his name

Kwesi Atta Bosomefi to Quincy

Arthur Bosomfield and had risen

to become the District Commissioner

of Accra in His Majesty’s

Gold Coast. One aspect of the

film stayed with me. His mother,

played by the legendary Alexandria

Duah, gave him a family

heirloom which had been passed

on from generation to generation,

amongst the male heads of the

family.

It was believed to carry “the

soul and pride” of the Abusua; his

late uncle had been the previous

custodian and now it was Kwesi

Atta’s turn to hold it in safe custody,

to be his source of strength

and pride, to be held in trust and

passed on to the next generation.

As soon as his mum left, Kwesi

took this family treasure to his

office and showed it to his British

boss, who expressed his admiration

of the artifact. Kwesi asked

his boss to keep it as a gift from

him.

A few days later, Kwesi visited

his mum in the village and the

old lady’s first question to him

was whether he was keeping

the heirloom safe. When Kwesi

told her he had given it out to

his boss, the mum wailed loudly

and exclaimed: “Ebei Kwesi Atta

Bosomefi! Sukoo pii yi a e

sua nyansa kakra enfiri mu a?”

meaning “after all your long years

of schooling, did you not learn

or gather any wisdom?” The film

editor translated the question as

“What happened to all the classroom

education?”

In my holy village of Wasa

Akropong, we say that there is a

difference between home sense

and school sense. Indeed, my Wofa

Kapokyikyi would say that adwen

nko, na nyansa nko, which literally

means that not all who have

brains have wisdom. It also means

that knowledge must be applied

with wisdom. For instance, a wise

man knows when to open his

mouth and when to close it, when

to talk and when to hold back;

wisdom is the right application of

knowledge.

erwise, there wouldn’t be so many

powerless knowledgeable people

in this world.

And then learn again. And

apply. And learn some more. To

apply. Always focus on planning,

doing, checking or reviewing,

and then acting to finetune. And

then starting the loop again. It is

a powerful tool for continuous improvement

introduced by a man

called William Edwards Deming,

whose support and expertise

helped Japan become what it is

today in world class manufacturing,

after the second World War. It

is PDCA, the Deming Cycle. Plan-

Do-Check-Act. Did you realise I

just applied a principle I learnt as

a quality assurance professional

laterally to life in general?

Today, what I do is far from

what I learnt in school or even

learnt in industry, working in corporate

life. My activities now as a

book publisher, bookseller, writer

and author are quite different

from my mainstream training as

an engineer. Or are they? In some

ways there are different, but that

is only if you think in the silo

mode. Because I see myself as an

applied engineer, utilising my

skills across these varied fields.

In 2005, Steve Jobs, the founder

of Apple, gave a commencement

speech at Stanford University. I

wish to end with the concluding

part of that speech, quoting

verbatim:

“When I was young, there was

an amazing publication called The

Whole Earth Catalog, which was

one of the bibles of my generation.

It was created by a fellow named

Stewart Brand not far from here

in Menlo Park, and he brought

it to life with his poetic touch.

This was in the late 1960s, before

personal computers and desktop

publishing, so it was all made

with typewriters, scissors and Polaroid

cameras. It was sort of like

Google in paperback form, 35 years

before Google came along: It was

idealistic, and overflowing with

neat tools and great notions.

“Stewart and his team put out

several issues of The Whole Earth

Catalog, and then when it had run

its course, they put out a final issue.

It was the mid-1970s…On the

back cover of their final issue was

a photograph of an early morning

country road, the kind you might

find yourself hitchhiking on if you

were so adventurous. Beneath it

were the words: ‘Stay Hungry. Stay

Foolish.’”

I wish to say same to you: Stay

Hungry. Stay Foolish. That is the

only way you can be on the path of

continuous learning and application,

iterating, optimising, creating

solutions, making mistakes,

learning, questioning, implementing,

solving and making a mark

on your society.

Then, we can say, in the end,

that you are not just schooled or

educated, but as a learned person,

or more aptly a learning person,

you are affecting lives.

God bless you.

*****

Nana Awere Damoah is the

author of three non-fiction books:

I Speak of Ghana (2013), Through

the Gates of Thought (2010), and

Excursions in my Mind (2008) and

one fiction book (a collection of

short stories), Tales from Different

Tails (2011).

Page 10

Mrs. Ramat Ebella

Ellis, Banking

Executive has

called on the

African financial

systems to incorporate the

large informal sector players in

the development of financial

investment portfolios as means

Mrs Cynthia

Kwarteng

Tufuor, the

Tema Regional

Manager of the

SIC Insurance Company PLC

has urged women to upgrade

their technical and theoretical

knowledge to break the

professional biases.

She emphasized that a

well-educated woman with the

necessary skills, knowledge, and

self-assurance will necessarily

be a better mother, worker, and

citizen.

“Women who are empowered

with knowledge and skills will

be more productive and wellhonoured

at whatever working

field they found themselves. If

women can uphold their skills,

they could rise to the occasion

when they are called upon,” Mrs

Tufuor stated.

Mrs Tufuor stated this at the

eleventh monthly stakeholder

engagement seminar organized

by the Ghana News Agency Tema

Regional Office, a platform rolled

out for state and non-state actors

to address national issues.

It was also used to climax

the GNA Tema Regional Office’s

month-long activities to mark

the 2022 International Women’s

Day celebration and mark

the first anniversary of the

stakeholder engagement.

Speaking on the topic:

“Prospects of women in the

insurance industry: Women’s

contribution to the SIC Mission,”

Mrs Tufuor explained that

women occupied about 60 per

cent of the work population at

SIC, but unfortunately were in

the minority when in terms of

leadership.

She said women only hold

35 per cent of SIC leadership

Business


of liberating the people from

poverty.

Mrs. Ellis who is an

Investment Advisor to the

Centre for Greater Impact Africa

(CGIA) stated at the Ghana

News Agency Tema Industrial

News Hub Boardroom Dialogue

platform.

Speaking on the topic,

“Investment and sustainable

development,” Mrs Ellis

also called on players in the

financial sector to explain

certain financial and

economic terminologies to the

understanding of non-financial

people.

“We should not assume

that all people understand

stocks, bonds, treasury bills,

fixed deposits, cocoa bills, trust

accounts, shares, and mutual

funds among others. As financial

players, we must help people

with a marginal understanding

of the financial language to

appreciate these terminologies,

translate them into the informal

economy.”

Mrs. Ellis who is also a

Financial Planner noted that

understanding some basic

information about financial

investments could be a first

step in learning how to invest,

knowing paths to retirement, or

maximizing the rate of return

SIC Schools Women To Upgrade Their

Skills, Break Professional Biases

positions, “minority ruling the

majority, this error is being

corrected as in recent times

women have started to build

their managerial skills and

abilities for the top”.

Mrs. Tufuor said, “women’s

participation in leadership roles

help advance gender equality

and affect both the range of

policy issues that get considered

and the type of solution that is

proposed.”

She elaborated that woman

have a natural trait: good

ability skills to understand

and interact with people hence

when given opportunities they

will emphasize the quality of

life and reflect on the priorities

of families, women, ethnic, and

racial minorities.

Mr Francis Ameyibor, Ghana

News Agency Tema Regional

Manager in his remarks

commended the GPHA for

opening the workspace for

women’s penetration into the

male-dominated field.

He said technology virtually

balanced the workspace,

and “works that in the past

demanded physical manpower

have changed as machines are

now being used to manage these,

this makes it flexible for the

female to also operate it.”

Mrs Sika Ramatu Lawson, a

Project Electrical Engineer at

the Department of Electrical

Engineer at Tema Oil Refinery

(TOR) who spoke on “Prospects

of women in the oil refinery

sector: Women’s contribution

to the success story of the Tema

Oil Refinery,” said the refinery

which was a purely engineeringoriented

field of work, was maledominated

as fewer women

study and work in that area.

Mrs Florence Essel, Assistant

General Manager in Charge

of Administration, Ghana

Ports and Harbour Authority

(GPHA) speaking on the topic:

“Prospects of women in the

blue economy: Women’s

Contribution to the GPHA’s 60

years of Operation,” said societal

classification of jobs in the

past made it difficult for the

female to venture into the maledominated

fields.

She noted that some of the

machines and other operational

mechanisms made it impossible

for a female to enter those fields

in the past but now the situation

is changing.

on money.

“A financial investment is an

asset that you put money into

with the hope that it will grow

or appreciate into a larger sum

of money, the idea is that you

can later sell it at a higher price

or earn money on it while you

own it.

“You may be looking to grow

something over the next year,

such as saving up for a car, or

over the next 30 years, such as

saving for retirement,” she said.

Mrs. Ellis who is also a

Financial Analyst stressed that

it is important to note that there

was an economic definition of

financial investments that deal

with how businesses invest in

products, equipment, factories,

employees, and inventories.

Mrs. Ellis who is also the

Founder of Girls with Purpose

Foundation (GWP) explained

that before making any

investing decision, “sit down

and take an honest look at

your entire financial situation

— especially if you have never

made a financial plan before.

“The first step to successful

investing is figuring out your

goals and risk tolerance – either

on your own or with the help of

Chief Executive of

Ghana Dot Com,

Professor Nii Narku

Quaynor is calling of

the Bank of Ghana

(BoG) to quickly come up with

innovative regulations for the

adoption of cryptocurrency

instead of cautioning the public

against.

He was speaking on the

importance of blockchain and

it’s related technologies at

the maiden Africa Technovate

Awards in Accra.

His call comes at a time

when BoG has issued a caution

an emerging Ghanaian

cryptocurrency platform,

Freedom Coin and against all

cryptocurrencies. Meanwhile,

one of the world’s biggest crypto

platforms, Binance is advertising

in Ghana via some paid TV.

Prof. Quaynor cautioned

that “we must not treat

cryptocurrency like we did to

the internet – as waited for the

rest of the world to go far ahead

a financial professional”.

She explained, “if you get

the facts about saving and

investing and follow through

with an intelligent plan, you

should be able to gain financial

security over the years and enjoy

the benefits of managing your

money”.

Mrs. Ellis stressed that all

investments involve some

degree of risk; “if you intend

to purchase securities – such

as stocks, bonds, or mutual

funds – it’s important that you

understand before you invest

that you could lose some or all of

your money”.

However, she noted that

the reward for taking on risk

is the potential for a greater

investment return, “if you have

a financial goal with a long

time horizon, you are likely to

make more money by carefully

investing in asset categories

with greater risk, like stocks or

bonds, rather than restricting

your investments to assets with

less risk, like cash equivalents”.

On the other hand, Mrs.

Ellis noted that investing solely

in cash investments may be

appropriate for short-term

financial goals, the principal

concern for individuals

investing in cash equivalents is

inflation risk, which is the risk

that inflation will outpace and

erode returns over time”.

BoG urged to come up with

Innovative Regulations for

Cryptocurrency

before we start playing catch

up.”

He recalled that for many

years he asked for local

regulations for Ghana Dot Com

but was simply told there were

no regulations, adding that “as

a result, it was only in 2021 that

GDC was admitted into the BoG

sandbox to be regulated.”

According to him, some

countries have legalized

cryptocurrencies, saying

that in Tonga, for instance,

cryptocurrency helped to

revive their economy after be

hard hit by volcanos, while

in both Ukraine and Russia

cryptocurrencies are helping to

sustain the economies.

Prof. Quaynor lauded the

BoG for steps towards rolling

out its Central Bank Digital

Currency (CBDC), the eCedi, and

called on them to go beyond that

and guide the public through

innovative regulations to accept

cryptocurrencies.

DAILY ANALYST


Sports

Ghana captain Andre

Dede Ayew will be

leading the Black

Stars on the field in

Qatar but he has set

himself a high target of ensuring

the team enjoys a once-ina-lifetime

opportunity later

this year on the desert.

The iconic Ghana captain is

based in Qatar where he plays

his club football for Al Sadd,

and was their leading goal

scorer in the just-ended season

with 12 league goals.

He will be welcoming the

world to the Arabian gulf later

this year, but his main focus

is ensuring the Ghana Football

Association have all the

information they need about

the country to help their decision-making

that will aid the

team’s preparations before and

during the World Cup.

Ayew has sent congratulatory

messages to his national

teammates after they

defied odds and qualified for

the World Cup in his absence

which was caused by suspension

over a questionable red

card he received during the

AFCON.

GHANAsoccernet.com

sources close to the Ghana

skipper say he is an allhands-on-deck

captain who

is in touch with his younger

teammates who look up to

him as their mentor and is

determined to ensure that

they make history together

like they did in South Africa in

2010.

Ayew has grown leaner,

making a massive decision to

look after his body by changing

his diet and hiring a private

trainer to ensure he’s in the

best of shapes as shown by his

impressive goal-scoring first

season with Al Sadd, where he

laughed all the way to help his

team win the Qatari League.

"We are going to try and do

everything positive to make

our country proud and make

sure that we leave everything

on the pitch," the Ghana

captain told GHANAsoccernet.

com, Ghana's best football

news portal.

The Black Stars will come

up against familiar faces when

they take on Portugal in their

first group game.

Ghana put up a gallant

display but eventually lost 2-1

to Cristiano Ronaldo’s team

before coming up against

South Korea who is led by

Tottenham’s goal machine Son

Heung-min.

The final group game is one

that most Ghanaians will be

quite familiar with after Suarez

turned into a goalkeeper

to keep out a goalbound Dominic

Adiyiah header that would

have taken the stars to the last

four of the World cup in 2010.

That game will have a lot of

emotions written all over it.

Group H

Portugal

Ghana

Uruguay

South Korea

a good draw – Saanie Daara

Former Ghana

Football Association

Communications,

Director Sannie Daara

believes the Black Stars

can progress from their group in

the 2022 World Cup tournament

with the right preparation.

On Friday, April 1, 2022, the

world football governing body

held the draw for the 2022 World

Cup tournament to be staged in

Qatar later this year where the

Black Stars were paired against

Portugal, Uruguay, and Korea

Republic.

According to Saanie Daara,

who is a CAF Senior Media

Officer believes Ghana had a

good draw and is confident about

the Black Stars' chances at the

Mundial.

"Portugal was in pot 1 and,

therefore, we obviously expect

them to be one of the best teams

in the world, but they are no

longer the giants they were a

few years ago. Most players are

aged", he began by saying in

statements to the "Top Story"

portal.

"Players like Cristiano

- Sam Johnson

Former Ghana international,

Sam Johnson,

says the Black Stars

technical team led by

Otto Addo should be

maintained for the World Cup.

The technical team were

appointed in February by the

Ghana Football Association to

handle the 2022 World Cup playoff

against Nigeria.

The new technical team

led by Otto Addo, Mas Ud Didi

Dramani, and Chris Hughton as

technical advisor was formed

after Coach Milovan Rajevac

was sacked following Ghana’s

abysmal performance at the 2021

Africa Cup.

According to Sam Johnson,

the current Black Stars technical

team did a good job by selecting

the right players for the crucial

doubleheader and must be

allowed to continue.

“We choose the right players

and the technical team for the

job. I pray they can convince

the technical team to stay and

go for the World Cup”, he told

Ohene-Bampoe Brenya on Happy

Sports on Happy FM.

President Nana Akufo-Addo

has directed the Ghana Football

Association to maintain the

Black Stars technical team led

by Otto Addo for the 2022 World

Cup

Ṫhe President made mention

of this during his address to the

team at the Jubilee House in Accra

on Wednesday afternoon.

Ronaldo, Pepe, and company have

already passed the best phase

of their careers. So, when they

face young players, it's very, very

difficult for them", he continued,

before saying that Ghana "had a

good draw".

"We've played with all three

According to him, the Ghana

Football Association should keep

the technical team at least until

teams before. When we played

with them, we took a good look

at ourselves and I think that

with the right preparation, with

the right analysis and praying

that we don't get injured, we can

qualify for stage a eliminate", he

concluded.

the World Cup before appointing

a new coach for the long term.

Monday, 4th April, 2022

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