The police have arrested five individuals suspected of being landguards for allegedly encroaching on land belonging to the Ghana Standards Authority and Regimanuel Estate.
These arrests followed a site visit by members of the Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC), who responded to complaints regarding ongoing landguard activities and land encroachments.
During a press conference in Accra on Friday, REGSEC Chairman Daniel Titus-Glover addressed the situation, asserting the council’s determination to restore order in the capital and take decisive action against illegal practices.
“We are in a country of law, not in a jungle. So REGSEC decided to come here to see things for ourselves. Fortunately for us, some of the suspects are here. We’ve picked them, we are taking them to the police and ask them a few questions, then the law will continue.
“…REGSEC, we are here to sanitise the region. We don’t want any ‘landguardism,’ any sort of miscreants that will try to disturb the peace and by so doing, our prayer is that everybody is at peace,” he stated.
The government has reaffirmed its dedication to partnering with stakeholders in the mining sector to address the environmental and economic challenges posed by illegal mining activities.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s creation of an inter-ministerial committee is aimed at promoting sustainable practices within the industry.
At the West Africa Mining Security Conference, hosted by the Australian High Commission in Ghana, Dr. Victoria Sam, the Director of Intelligence Analysis at the Ministry of National Security, assured attendees of the government’s commitment to protecting the future of the mining industry.
“One of Ghana’s critical challenges is illegal mining, or galamsey and it poses a severe threat to the sustainability of our natural resources and the livelihood of our citizens. In response, the National Security Minister is chairing a five-member committee which is diligently working with local communities, traditional authorities, and industry experts to mitigate the havoc caused on our environment.”
The demand for a complete ban on all mining activities has received significant media attention recently, with Organised Labour and various organizations warning of potential action if the government does not declare a state of emergency to address the issue.
Later today, on October 1, Organised Labour will convene to determine their next steps following the government’s failure to meet the ultimatum set for the end of September.
A nominee for the Supreme Court, Prof. Richard Frimpong Oppong, has strongly denied supporting LGBTQI+ rights in Ghana.
During his appearance before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, Prof. Oppong addressed concerns raised by Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
Dr. Forson referenced a confidential National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) report that suggested Prof. Oppong, known for his libertarian views, might advocate for LGBTQI+ issues if appointed to the bench.
In response, Prof. Oppong firmly rejected the suggestion, stating that he does not support LGBTQI+ activities. He emphasized that the report’s assertions were inaccurate and did not represent his personal beliefs.
“Absolutely wrong and I reject in the strongest possible terms wherever those views are coming from because as I said as an academic I have written about the subject from the perspective of my specialty. From the perspective of conflict of laws.
“I said I have my wife here, I have my three daughters here, actually, they will be very surprised that anybody thinks that I am going to inflict LGBTQ on the country.”
When Prof. Oppong was asked a similar question by Mahama Ayariga, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, he provided clarification, “I am a lawyer, I am not an anthropologist, I am not a sociologist…from a personal perspective I am married, my wife is here and I know whatever she is giving me is the best [power] for me.”
This year’s International Day of Older Persons was on Saturday held in Accra.
The event organised by the Centre for Ageing Studies of the University of Ghana was on the theme “Resilience of Older Persons in a Changing World.”
The over 1000 older persons from all walks of life were offered free medical screening, free food and sensitised on lifestyles that would keep them fit and strong.
They were screened for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) infections, Memory stability, cataract, diets and nutrition as well as physical structure and stability.
Dr Frank Dzifa Kpesenu of the Healthy Ageing Programme of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) told the Ghanaian Times that the time had come for the country to have an Ageing Bill to consolidate activities of the aged in the country.
According to him, ageing was not the doing of the individual, but a passage of time that formed part of life, hence the need for a document to serve as a guide for their handling by the state, family, and society.
“The rights of the aged must be consolidated, everything including their social welfare, health, rights and responsibilities, the role of government and the citizenry for the care of the aged must be documented to serve as a guide for future generations,” he added.
The bill, Dr Kpesenu said had been hanging since 2018 and further delays could hamper planned activities of the GHS to address most health care needs of the aged to prolong their lives, through comprehensive health care policies.
The bill, he stated would also serve as a guide for stakeholders and advocates of the aged in order to regulate and streamline their activities to avoid abuses and excesses that could affect the people they were helping, adding that“the bill would make the government take responsibility for certain aspects of care for the aged.”
Rev Prof Akye Essuman of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, urged the aged not to travel long distances to seek medical care in Accra as almost all regional and district hospitals were offering the same services at places closer to them.
He urged them to constantly renew their National Health Insurance Cards in order to benefit from the free medical care offered by the service.
The Executive Director of Samuel AmoTobbin Foundation, Mrs. Harriet Nortinson Asante, said Tobinco Group partnered with the event by offering free medical care for the aged while referrals were also directed to special hospitals free of charge.
She urged the aged to have quality time for themselves, live healthy lifestyles, undertake regular exercises and have enough rest as well as attend checkups every month.
Mrs. Ansah charged the youth to push the country’s law makers to hasten the passage of the Ageing Bill because they would one day become the sole beneficiaries.
Director, Centre of Ageing, Prof Mavis Dako-Gyeke, commended all whose efforts ensured a successful event and urged the aged to take good care of themselves as their health and wellbeing were paramount to the centre and the society.
Some houses in five communities in the Techiman South Municipality of Bono East Region have been submerged, resulting in the displacement of some residents and inaccessible roads.
The Tano River, which is not far away from the communities, annually overflowed its banks, leaving residents stranded and unable to undertake their daily socio-economic activities.
“The waters drained into our rooms to destroy our properties whenever the river become flooded during the rainy season. We need urgent attention from stakeholders, including the Member of Parliament and the Assembly to desilt the river as sand and other solid objects have choked and silted the river”, the residents said.
Some inner roads linking the communities are occasionally flooded during rains, posing danger to residents, especially workers and traders, who use the roads daily.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Anyinabrem, Mr. Kasim Abdul Karim, the Assemblyman for the electoral area, expressed worry about the devastating situation and described it as a “threat to life and a nightmare whenever the rains set in”.
Mr. Karim said before the flooding, two schoolchildren who tried to pass through a flooded road leading to their homes nearly lost their lives and had to be rescued.
In an interview with the GNA, Mr. Kwame Mohammed, the Techiman Municipal Human Resource Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), said the organisation had taken steps to address the flooding problems and related challenges but needed the cooperation of the people to effectively address the situation.
Mr. Mohammed said as part of efforts to address flooding in the Municipality, the organisation in collaboration with the Municipal Assembly, had earmarked about five flood-prone areas, comprising Anyinabrem, New Onyinasi, Twimia-Kuase, Twimia-Nkwanta, and Nana Abena Market to improve the drainage systems to avert the reoccurring of floods.
He added that NADMO had demolished some weak structures, including houses that were built on waterways whilst some landlords had been arraigned before the law court to explain why they had built on waterways.
Mr. Mohammed said the Municipal office of the organisation had formed disaster prevention volunteer groups to monitor and report to the office individuals and groups engaging in activities likely to cause disasters while zonal officers were also on the ground providing education to the people on the need to stay away from disaster-prone areas.
Pledges totalling $2.4billion were announced as part of activities to mark the Global Citizen Festival in New York City and Accra on Saturday, September 24, 2022.
Key commitments were announced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival’s impact and advocacy, through the hard work of many partner organizations.
A statement issued by Global Citizen said the 2022 Festival saw “more than US$800 million announced to end extreme poverty NOW and US$1.6 billion announced by the European Commission and Canada as part of the seventh replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria on Sept. 21, in addition to the announcement of five companies signing on to the UN-led Race to Zero initiative to reach net-zero emissions by 2050”.
Of this funding, more than US$440 million was earmarked exclusively to initiatives to end extreme poverty on the African continent, with the remainder intended to reach people around the world, including across Africa.
The Global Citizen Festival campaign announced commitments by world leaders and governments in support of ending poverty now, including Canada, Belgium, Denmark, the European Commission, Germany, Ghana, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, United Nations, and the United States.
From around the world, messages of support for Global Citizen’s End Extreme Poverty NOW campaign were received by President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez, COP27 Youth Envoy Dr. Omnia el Omrani, Taoiseach of Ireland Micheál Martin, Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros, COP26 President Alok Sharma, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, US Rep. Jamie Raskin, US Rep. Ann Wagner, and US Rep. John Curtis.
Financial and policy announcements were also made by many corporate, philanthropic, and NGO partners including Accenture, Cisco, Citi, Delta, the Dutch Postcode Lottery, Ford Foundation, Gavi and Girl Effect, the Global Menstrual Equity Hygiene Accelerator, Lego Foundation, Procter & Gamble, Rotary International, Verizon, WWT, YouTube and Google.org.
“Amidst all the doomsday messages we hear today, hope lies in the fact that millions of citizens are rising up to take action, more than any other point in history. 10 years ago, Global Citizen was just an idea – and 10 years from now we’ll see a generation of Global Citizens running for office, starting companies, and transforming communities,” said Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO, Global Citizen.
In support of the Global Citizen campaign to defend the planet and take climate action NOW, five businesses officially signed on to the Race to Zero campaign to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 as a part of Global Citizen Festival, including American Eagle Outfitters, Betterfly, Harith General Partners, Juan Valdez Café, and WWT.
Global Citizens have taken more than 2 million actions with Global Citizen in 2022 to help achieve Global Citizen’s mission to End Extreme Poverty NOW, more than doubling the record previously set by the international advocacy organization.
“With 43 days to go to COP, we need countries to move from pledges to implementation — as youth we have a critical role to play in making sure our nations do not backtrack on their promises,” said Dr. Omnia el Omrani, COP27 youth envoy, in a video message to Global Citizens at Global Citizen Festival.
With stages in Accra and New York, the event captured the Global Citizen ethos, channeling an eclectic array of musical talent in support of our efforts to End Extreme Poverty NOW and build momentum ahead of the G20 summit and UN Climate Conference, COP27, both in November.
