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Tag: Accra Zoo

  • 2023 Budget: Parliament approves GH¢114.78m for Information Ministry

    Parliament has approved GH¢114.78 million for the implementation of programmes and activities of the Ministry of Information and its agencies for the 2023 financial year.

    The items of the allocation include employment compensation – GH¢111.16 million, goods and services – GH¢2.78 million, and capital expenditure – GH¢840,000.00

    For fiscal year 2022, the sum of GH¢151.89 million was appropriated by the House to the Ministry of Information and its agencies, which was later revised to GH¢ 143.30 million.

    Out of the revised budget, the Ministry and its agencies expended a total of GHC90.38 million as of the end of November 2022.

    The policy objectives in line with the Ministry’s National Medium-Term Development Plan (2022-2025) include deepening democratic governance, strengthening transparency and public accountability, and promoting the fight against corruption and economic crimes.

    Agencies under the Ministry of Information include the Ministry’s headquarters, the Ghana News Agency, the Information Services Department (ISD), and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

    Vincent Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, who moved the motion for the approval of the Ministry’s budgetary allocation, said in his comment on GBC’s debt issues before the court that public resources could not be used to settle that and, therefore, the Corporation had to generate resources to settle that.

    “…And, therefore, working with the Board and Management of GBC, we have been exploring ways by which an arrangement can be made to settle a part of the outstanding (debts), and then moving forward, there will be a new arrangement that will be in consonance with the law put in place,” he said.

    “So, Mr. Speaker, we expect that between these two extremes, we would be able to bring an end to the annual debt issues of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.”

    Mr. Sylvester Matthew Tetteh, the Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communication, and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ngleshie-Amanfro, said the Committee noted the achievement of the Ministry of Information regarding the government flagship programmes (GOVCOM) being implemented by the Ministry.

    He said the programmes being implemented comprised the Minister’s Press Briefing, Mass Media Campaigns, Reach on Social Media, Nation Building Updates, and Amplified.

    He said it was, however, noted that out of the Ministry’s request of six million Ghana cedis submitted to the Ministry of Finance for the implementation of the GOVCOM activities in 2023, only a paltry sum of GH¢600,000.00 (representing 10 per cent) had been allocated; stating that the Committee considered these programmes very critical to consolidate the nation’s democracy and good governance and should be continued.

    “In this regard, the Committee implores the Ministry of Finance to source additional funding to sustain the implementation of the programmes.”

    He said the committee noted the precarious financial circumstances of the Ministry of Information and its agencies, especially the GBC, and accordingly, strongly requested the Ministry of Finance to arrange additional funding to support their operations in 2023.

    Contributing to the debate on the Motion, Mr Alhassan Bashir Alhassan Fuseini, the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communication, and National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Sagnarigu, said the Information Ministry had the onerous responsibility of having to sensitise the people of the country about Government Policies and programmes, as well as serving as the feedback.

    He said the government could have the best of intentions; however, it still had to get the mechanisms for conveying that information to the people.

    He said many of the agencies under the Ministry were dealing with obsolete equipment and that there was a need for the government to do more to retool them.

    Mr. Iddrisu Haruna, the Minority Leader in Parliament and NDC MP for Tamale South, noted in his contribution that the Minister of Information needed support in order to communicate the government and its policies well.

    He said he was disappointed at what he was seeing in terms of budgetary allocation and budgetary resources for the Ministry of Information.

    He called for the repositioning of the GBC, like the BBC and CNN, to make sure that the GBC itself functioned more effectively on a digital platform.

    The minority leader said GBC was very capable of making it if given the needed support by the government.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Forestry Commission to establish three new zoos

    The Forestry Commission has begun work towards establishing three additional zoos in the country in Tamale, Koforidua and Takoradi as part of efforts to promote tourism while generating revenue for the state.

    John Allotey, Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, who announced this said, “The Koforidua site has been identified and it has been fenced whilst we are waiting for approval from the Environmental Protection Agency.”

    He added that “The Tamale site has been identified and the designs are being prepared and once they are ready, we will do the necessary consultations and start the practical work and the infrastructure.”

    He announced this during the Commission’s Chief Executive’s End-of-Year briefing and staff recognition awards held in Tamale.

    During the awards, 18 staff members of the Forestry Commission were given meritorious awards for their commitment and dedication to the organisation over the years, where they received citations, television sets, refrigerators, and unspecified amount of money.

    The country already has two zoos located in Accra and Kumasi, and the Accra Zoo had recently undergone refurbishment while the Kumasi zoo is currently undergoing refurbishment.

    Mr Allotey encouraged members of the public home and abroad to visit the zoos to achieve the intended purpose.

    He touched on this year’s Green Ghana project and said 26.5 million seedlings were distributed, and three months after the exercise, staff of the Commission “At the district and regional levels have been able to confirm and verify that 24.5 million seedlings have been planted.”

    He said “The Forest Services Division under the Plantation Development and Management Strategy was tasked to plant 25,000 hectares of plantation annually. Through the dedication of our staff, 18,887 hectares, representing 76 per cent, have been developed as of October, this year.”

    He spoke about timber extraction and indicated “The total amount or volume of timber that has been extracted so far from the natural forest is 1.5 million cubic metres. This is made up of 1.3 million on reserve and 200,000 off reserve. As well, 142,000 cubic meters have been extracted from our plantation resources.”

    Mr Allotey spoke about plans to strengthen reporting on the Commission’s activities from the regional levels, saying the Commission planned to have at least one public relations officer per region.

    “To be able to report on activities that are happening in the various regions. We realised most of the activities happening in the regions are not reported on time and we will designate staff as public relations personnel and will be trained to be able to report on activities in the regions.”

    Mr Benito Owusu Bio, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, expressed need for efforts to ensure that trees planted under the Green Ghana project grew well.

    “As we approach the dry season, we need to put in extra efforts to fight wildfires from destroying the trees, especially in the fragile savannah ecological area.”

    Professor Seidu Al-hassan, Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS) whose speech was read on his behalf, expressed need for more collaboration between government and other stakeholders to guarantee success of the Green Ghana project.

    He said the UDS had facilitated the planting of 3,547 seedlings as part of the Green Ghana project, announcing that the UDS would soon launch its West Africa Centre for Shea Innovation Research to help promote sustainable innovations in the shea sector through evidence-based research and policy advocacy to improve the livelihoods of the people.

    Ya-Na Abukari (II), Overlord of Dagbon, whose speech was read on his behalf, pledged to support the Forestry Commission to ensure that trees planted were nurtured to maturity.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Accra Zoo now open to the general public

    The Accra Zoo, which is located in the Achimota Forest, has been reopened to the general public

    The zoo was forced to close down after an unidentified intruder was discovered dead in the lions’ cage on August 28 of this year.

    The closure of the zoo was to pave the way for police investigations and also allow for the improvement in security, among other things.

    Four months after the horrific incident, management provided enhanced security measures in order to protect tourists who visit the recreational centre.

    Management of the zoo has provided electricity and the installation of closed-circuit television cameras.

    Others are the mounting of security checkpoints close to the enclosures for lions for constant monitoring, enhancement of the enclosures with the addition of a third outer perimeter security fence of five metres high to be robust and the provision of directional signages to allow visitors to know their bearings.

    The rest are the construction of new receptive facilities and improvement in existing washroom facilities for visitors, the renovation of old and dilapidated animal cages, as well as a tagging system for all visitors.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

     

  • Meet the adorable white cubs at the Accra Zoo birthed in November 2021

    On Sunday, August 28, 2022, the story of a man mauled by lions at the Accra Zoo sparked wild conversation across various platforms.

    Aside from the bizarre nature of the incident, there were concerns about what could have warranted the actions of the middle-aged man.

    Amidst this, a lot of speculations about why the man leaped a fence that was 20 feet high and entered the den of one of the savagest animals on earth.

    One of these was a suggestion that the man wanted to steal one of two cubs of the male and female lions at the zoo.

    While investigations are still underway to determine the details of the incident, GhanaWeb takes you back with a little throwback of when the Accra Zoo welcomed its beautiful pair of white cubs.

    The Accra Zoo welcomed fresh set of cubs in November 2021, according to a statement that surfaced the internet indicated that the cubs arrived on November 6, 2021.

    A few days after their birth, the two were seen in lovely photographs holding hands together. According to information by the Forestry Commission, both the male and female cubs showed distinctive traits.

    They were both born with spotless white coats, quite different from the usual yellowish-brown coat cubs of lions are usually born with.

    The commission however indicated that the white colour was not out of place and could change as they grow based on the dominant genes of their parents.

    The question though is whether it was one of these two cubs that the said unidentified man may have wanted to have.

    Meanwhile, the Forestry Commission and Lands and Natural Resources Ministry have allayed fears that the Accra Zoo may not be safe.

    Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Relations at the Forestry Commission, Joyce Ofori Kwafo, and Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Benito Owusu-Bio have assured the public that the incident was not resultant of any security breaches.

    They also assured that the place is safe and will be open to the public once investigations into the incident are completed.

  • Accra Zoo intrusion: Forestry Commission laments limited logistics, inadequate staff

    The Forestry Commission has expressed concern about the insufficient human resources running the entire Accra Zoo complex.

    The Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Relations at the Forestry Commission, Joyce Ofori Kwafo said the 19 hectares of the zoo is run by few men hands.

    She attributed the death of a middle-aged man who is allegedly attacked and killed by a lion to the lack of human capacity to man the facility.

    The deceased is said to have sneaked into the zoo.

    Madam Ofori Kwafo said if the commission had the adequate human capacity to guard the facility against intruders, the unfortunate incident could have been prevented.

    “We are just making use of the few staff members that we have to do all the work. Look at how big the Achimota Forest is. The zoo alone is about 19 hectares, and we have just a handful of men who go round doing the normal patrols. We are also trying to make good use of the little resources that we have. We need more staff, not only security guards, to do the work. In as much as we try to use technology, it is still not enough because the numbers are just inadequate.”

    Meanwhile, the Accra Zoo has been closed down.

    The move by the Forestry Commission authorities is to allow for investigations into the death of the middle-aged man.

    Joyce Ofori Kwafo told Citi News “a staff of the Accra Zoo was going round [the facility] and noticed a lifeless body in the lion cage. He quickly drew closer to assess the situation. They quickly called in the Achimota police after which the body was conveyed to the mortuary.”

    She said the Commission is certain that the deceased broke into the cage.

    “After a closer look, we realised that the deceased intruded. He did not use the right means to enter the zoo. The zoo is situated in the Achimota Forest. Whenever we get tourists, we assign tour guides to them. The cages of the lions are a bit far away from where the rest of the animals are. The idea is to give the lions something close to their natural habitat.”

    “The place has been properly secured. It has an outer and inner lock. The inner wall is 20 ft high. It is evident that the man tampered with the cage. We all suspect that he went in through there.”

    The Forestry Commission further cleared the authorities of the zoo of any blame.

    “There was no security lapse. This incident beats our understanding. It has never happened before and we are all baffled,” she added.

  • Who is accountable for the death of the man mauled by lions at Accra Zoo?

    It’s a question that begs for answers. In the news on Sunday evening, the sad, disturbing news broke.

    A man was reported to have been mauled by lions at the Accra Zoo, located inside the Achimota Forest Reserve.

    The man who has been described as an intruder is said to have jumped the security fences at a section of the facility housing a lion, a lioness and their 2 cubs and entered.

    He was found later by officials at the Zoo with his throat in the mouth of one of the lions with other parts of his body all intact and untouched.

    Although the Forestry Ministry says the intent for his actions is yet to be determined, many have suggested he was seeking to steal the cubs.

    The Forestry Ministry has also been speaking to the media and clarifying issues surrounding the rather bizarre incident but the question of what caused this remains.

    While the police have launched a formal investigation into the cause of the incident, it appears the deceased has already been pronounced guilty in the court of public opinion.

    Perhaps, it may have been an action spurred by the victim for unknown reasons but what if there could have been external factors and measures which could have stopped such an incident from occurring or reduced the consequences which in this case was death?

    In this piece, GhanaWeb looks at what could possibly have contributed to the occurrence of the incident directly or indirectly.

    Recklessness on the part of the intruder:

    Whatever his reasons were – one thing is clear; it definitely was a terrible decision on his part.

    Lions are obviously caged for a reason – they are dangerous, and unless it is a Daniel situation like where God made the lions kowtow, death is what will await anyone who dares near them.

    This yet-to-be-identified man is the first and biggest cause of his own woes. While investigators are yet to determine the true reasons for his actions, many theories have emerged.

    The first is a suggestion that he wanted to steal a cub.

    The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, who was at the scene of the incident, mentioned this as a possible reason the man came there.

    This is ridiculous if that was the case because even without an attempt to steal its cherished baby, a lion will defend itself. How much more when an intruder has dared to touch the pride of the lion from a secured area with an inner wall – 20 ft high?

    The 2nd suggestion given by the deputy minister was that the middle-aged man may have been trying to satisfy a death wish something that has not been substantiated in any of the reports shared so far.

    The 3rd was a suggestion that he may have been one of the persons who visit the forest to pray, attempting to re-enact the Daniel story from the Bible.

    Forestry commission for inadequate checks and personnel?

    Yes, the Forestry Commission has confidently said all security checks and measures are in place to safeguard users and visitors of the zoo.

    They have also indicated that a visitor would have used the routine way into the zoo and would have been guided by a tourist guide who will not only ensure their safety but also be in a position to deal with any eventualities if any occurred.

    For this reason, they are emphatic that it was not a case of a security lapse despite the absence of security cameras which they say will be available after renovation.

    Nevertheless, the worrying question is would this incident have been averted if there were enough guides or staff available for patrolling to be able to detect when the man intruded?

    In an interview with Citi News, the Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Relations at the Forestry Commission, Joyce Ofori Kwafo said that the facility currently lacks enough personnel to do patrolling.

    According to her, the staff in charge of patrolling the zoo are available all through the day, they are not enough to patrol the zoo at all times within a day in addition to their other patrolling duties in other parts of the Achimota forest enclave.

    “We so much rely on our patrol team because they don’t sleep.

    Achimota forest is big. Apart from the Accra Zoo, there are other issues so we are there 24/7, patrolling but because we can’t be at one place 24/7, that’s why this incident happened behind us,” she said.

    Adding that perhaps, the unfortunate incident could have been avoided if the commission had the adequate human capacity to man the facility.

    “We are just making use of the few staff members that we have to do all the work. Look at how big the Achimota Forest is. The zoo alone is about 19 hectares, and we have just a handful of men who go around doing the normal patrols. We are also trying to make good use of the little resources that we have. We need more staff, not only security guards, to do the work. In as much as we try to use technology, it is still not enough because the numbers are just inadequate,” Madam Ofori Kwafo said.

    Govt for not providing enough resources for the zoo?

    This brings us to the lapses in the system that may have played a role in the incident that occurred.

    The Forestry Commission is under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources which is a governmental institution.

    The admission to lack of resources on the part of the forestry commission raises concerns about how much the government is doing to empower the facility.

    Without the necessary resources, the commission cannot adequately operate and these resources can only be provided by the government through the ministry.

    Though Head of Corporate Affairs and Media Relations at the Forestry Commission, Joyce Ofori Kwafo indicated that there are plans to renovate the place, to make space for the provision of more security measures including CCTVs among others, it remains unknown whether or not these measures will come with the recruitment of more personnel to man the place and ensure better surveillance.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Police start looking into the death at the Accra Zoo

    The police have started looking into the death of a man that occurred at the Accra Zoo on Sunday.

    Prior to the body being transported to the mortuary, the requisite forensic investigation of the scene, according to a Police statement.

    An inquiry by the police into the circumstances surrounding the death of a man who was allegedly mauled by a lion at the zoo has begun.
    The unidentified person was discovered dead in the zoo’s lion enclosure.

    “After the necessary forensic examination of the scene, the body has been removed and deposited at the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy”.

    The statement said the Police are working with management of the Zoo and the forestry commission on the investigation.

    The forestry commission earlier announced the death of the man at the zoo after he reportedly scaled the fence and entered the lions den.

  • No lion has escaped from Accra Zoo Forestry Commission

    There is no truth to reports that a lion fled the Accra Zoo on Sunday, August 28, according to the Forestry Commission.

    The Commission revealed in a statement that a visitor entered the lions’ cage through the inner fencing after entering the site.

    The middle-aged man was killed as a result of one of the lions attacking him.

    The Accra Zoo administrators allegedly managed to lure the lions into their enclosure so that the police could transport the intruder’s body, according to the Forestry Commission.

    The lions remain secure in their enclosure, the statement said.

    “We wish to confirm that the lion, the lioness, and the two (2) cubs remain secured in their enclosure at the Accra Zoo. Forestry Commission wishes to assure the general public that no lion has escaped from the Accra Zoo,” part of the statement read.

    There were reports particularly on social media that a lion has escaped the Accra Zoo. Some social media users who shared the news warned people to be cautious while using areas around GIMPA.