Cape Coast, Jan. 9, GNA -  A  Cape Coast Circuit on Thursday remanded two farmers, Philip Sarfo Manu, 42, and Kwame Ackom, 19, into Police Custody for allegedly possessing dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.Their plea was not taken and will be re-arraigned on Thursday January 23.Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Anku told the court presided over by Mrs Florence Otu, that on Friday February 1, last year, the police at Assin Awisem, had a tip off that the accused persons both residents of Assin Awisem were dealing in Narcotic drugs in their residence.He said the police upon receiving the information went to the house of Philip  and conducted  a search in his room where a quantity of dried leaves, suspected to be Indian hemp concealed in an ‘ecolac’ bag were found..Inspector Anku said the  police then  proceeded to the house of Kwame, and also retrieved 32 wrappers and a quantity of dried leaves concealed in a polythene bag also suspected to be Indian hemp and a cash of GH¢137.00 after their search.He said both claimed ownership of the items but refused to disclose their source and  were  sent to the Twifo Praso Police station.He said the accused were earlier arraigned before the Twifo Praso District Magistrate Court and were remanded into police custody and the  items forwarded to the Police Forensic Laboratory in Accra, which tested positive for Cannabis and they  were therefore  charged with the offence.GNA

Juaso (Ash), Jan. 9, GNA – Construction work on an accident and emergency centre for the Juaso District Hospital in the Asante-Akim South is steadily progressing with total job done about 65 per cent complete.         The project is being funded by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Comet Properties, Odeneho Kwaku Kyeremateng.         It would have a trauma centre, theatre, emergency ward, male and female wards and other auxiliary facilities.         Mr De-graft Fokuo, the District Chief Executive (DCE), during an inspection visit to the site, said he was impressed with the pace and quality of work.         He expressed optimism that the March deadline for completion of the project would not be missed.         The hospital, given its strategic location on the Kumasi-Accra Highway, has been seeing a lot of emergencies, many of these road crash victims and it is against this background that the decision was made to build the centre.             He praised Odeneho Kyeremateng, who is a native of Juaso, for his generosity and invited other well-to-do people in the area to take a cue.          .          Mr Danso Yeboah, the District Director of Health Services, said the centre would tremendously enhance the quality of services at the hospital.          The present situation where the facility is forced to refer most emergency cases to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) would end.GNA

Kumasi, Jan. 9, GNA – Young Educators Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), is encouraging the formation of Spelling “B” clubs in basic schools across the country as part of a deliberate effort to promote correct usage of the English language.          Mrs Eugenia Tachie-Menson, the Country Director, said it had within the last five years collaborated with authorities to establish more than 30 of such clubs.          This was a response to the fallen standards and poor grasp of the language particularly among students.         She said she was confident that the project would bring some appreciable level of improvement in the usage of the language.        Mrs Tachie-Menson was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a spelling “B” competition organized by the Foundation at the Opoku Ware Senior High School (SHS) in Kumasi for selected basic schools in Ashanti.                    The event was meant to select the best six candidates to represent their respective schools at the grand finale to be held in Accra, next month.          It was sponsored by Indofood, producers of Indomie instant noodles.          The competition is the local version of the internationally-acclaimed “Scripps Spelling Bee” contest of the United States.          Mrs Tachie-Menson urged students and pupils to take keen interest in reading to improve their vocabulary.          Contestants who qualified for the grand finale were Richmond Owusu, Precious Akua Antwi and Lilly Addae-Nkrumah, all of Christian M/A Junior High School, Michael Ofosu-Opoku of the State Experimental Basic School II, Asare Boakye of Holy Spirit Preparatory School and Jacqueline Amponsah of the Glory Kinder-care Learning Complex.GNA

Kumasi, Jan. 9, GNA – Young Educators Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), is encouraging the formation of Spelling “B” clubs in basic schools across the country as part of a deliberate effort to promote correct usage of the English language.          Mrs Eugenia Tachie-Menson, the Country Director, said it had within the last five years collaborated with authorities to establish more than 30 of such clubs.          This was a response to the fallen standards and poor grasp of the language particularly among students.         She said she was confident that the project would bring some appreciable level of improvement in the usage of the language.        Mrs Tachie-Menson was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a spelling “B” competition organized by the Foundation at the Opoku Ware Senior High School (SHS) in Kumasi for selected basic schools in Ashanti.                    The event was meant to select the best six candidates to represent their respective schools at the grand finale to be held in Accra, next month.          It was sponsored by Indofood, producers of Indomie instant noodles.          The competition is the local version of the internationally-acclaimed “Scripps Spelling Bee” contest of the United States.          Mrs Tachie-Menson urged students and pupils to take keen interest in reading to improve their vocabulary.          Contestants who qualified for the grand finale were Richmond Owusu, Precious Akua Antwi and Lilly Addae-Nkrumah, all of Christian M/A Junior High School, Michael Ofosu-Opoku of the State Experimental Basic School II, Asare Boakye of Holy Spirit Preparatory School and Jacqueline Amponsah of the Glory Kinder-care Learning Complex. GNA

Takoradi, Jan. 9, GNA —The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has warned that it would not allow commercial business at unauthorized places in the metropolis.Speaking to the GNA in Takroadi, Mr. John Laste, the Public Relations Officer of STMA, said all open spaces had been earmarked for projects and cautioned recalcitrant people against encroachment.He said the Assembly would demolish all unauthorized structures in the Metropolis this year to bring sanity in the twin-city.Mr Laste said STMA had moved traders, especially dealing in electrical gadgets at the frontage of the Public Works Department (PWD) in Takoradi, to a new site at Apremdo in Takoradi.He said the park had been earmarked for a car parking lot and traders there were squatters.Some of the traders objected to vacating the place, complaining that the new site lacked certain facilities.They said they paid market tolls to the Assembly and demanded that the city authorities provide them with facilities and security befitting a trading centre.GNA

Accra, Jan. 9, GNA - Airtel Ghana, one of the country’s telecommunications giants has presented GH¢100,000 cash and GH¢20,000 in services as the Lead Sponsor of the 65th edition of the Annual New Year School and Conference being held at the University of the Ghana, Legon in Accra.

Ho, Jan. 9, GNA -The Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) Thursday out-doored a 15-Seater Toyota Hiace bus for the use of the media in the region.       The bus, estimated at GH¢92,629.95 was purchased by the Municipal and District Assemblies to facilitate the monitoring of development projects and promotional activities of the VRCC and the Assemblies.    The bus would be managed by the VRCC.      Mr Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, Volta Regional Minister, in a symbolic presentation of the bus to the media said it would facilitate a much closer interaction between the media and the Assemblies, describing it as a“wise investment.”     “This has come at the right time and the Assemblies must submit requests for its use to project their areas,” he said.     Mr Michael Kobla Adzaho, Dean of Municipal and District Chief Executives said the press bus would foster closer relationships between pressmen and the Assemblies.     Mr Victor Kwawukume, Volta Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) commended Mr Afotey Agbo and Mr Emmanuel Bedzra, Member of Parliament for Ho-West for their continual support to the GJA.        He called on the Municipal District Chief Executives to operate open-door policies and be opened for constructive criticism.       Mr Kwawukume was hopeful the press bus would help strengthen the symbiotic relationship between the Assemblies and pressmen based on “mutual trust.”       The VRCC also acquired a Toyota Coaster welfare bus for its staff.

Takoradi, Jan. 9, GNA –The Western Regional Fire Service recorded 379 fire incidents in 2013 with an estimated damage cost of GH¢676, 514. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Obeng Dankwa Dwamena, who gave the data to the Ghana News Agency said domestic fire incidents accounted for 134, vehicular 71, industrial 27 and commercial 26.

Accra, Jan. 9, GNA – The Ghana Armed Forces is to deploy Ghanaian troops to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) next week, a military statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday stated.

Kumasi, Jan 9, GNA – The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has vowed robust tackling of maternal and neonatal mortality, which has been unacceptably high at the facility.     This would be done through a number of programmes including skills improvement in 27 peripheral health institutions within its catchment area in the Ashanti, Brong- Ahafo, Western and Central regions, identified to account for the bulk of referrals in obstetrics and neonatal cases.      It would also, through lobbying and advocacy, source for funds for the completion of the stalled 95-bed capacity maternity block project started almost 40 years ago to ease congestion and create space for the optimal management of such cases to bring it at par with the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of 187 per every 10,000 births.     Professor Ohene Adjei, the Chief Executive, said the referral facility had been taking care of cases in seven regions in the country as well as some neighbouring countries and that reducing maternal mortality, which now stood at over 800 per 10,000 live births, had become a huge challenge.      It would, however, not spare any effort to win the battle this year, he declared, when he interacted with senior editors of the media in Kumasi on Wednesday.       He said the current rate which was way up the national average of 360 per every 10,000 live births, was attributable to a myriad of factors - delays in referrals from peripheral health institutions already grappling with inadequate facilities and skills for the management of such cases.        There were also the added difficulty with adequate space and skilled delivery services and management of newborns, absence of intensive care unit (ICU) at the maternity area and lack of some critical equipment.       Prof Ohene Adjei said two ConsultantSpecialists had already been attached to the 27 medical facilities and that communication had also been improved with the procurement of desktop phones to aid free telephone discussions on the management of emergency cases.       To solve the problem of traffic congestion on the hospital’s roads, he said, KATH is piloting a sticker and colour coding system to allow for free ambulance and vehicular movement.

Takoradi, Jan. 9, GNA - The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has advised the public to utilise treated water wisely in view of the dwindling water levels of the Inchaban and the Daboase water treatment plants.

Kumasi, Jan  9, GNA – Some leading figures in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region are pushing for further expansion of the party’s electoral college  to enable more members to participate in its decision making process.          They want every card-bearing member in good standing to be allowed to vote in the election of officials at all levels of the party.          Professor Agyei Barwuah, former Ghana Ambassador to Japan, Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, ex-Chief Executive of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and Mr George Ayisi-Boateng, Founder Member of the NPP, are among those agitating for the expansion.          They insist it would bring about transparency and reduce the influence of money.          Prof  Barwuah said this was the path to travel to pick the right people, who are dedicated, hardworking and committed at the polling station, branch and constituency, regional and national levels.          “The party is at the crossroads and it needs hardworking and committed leaders to bring all members to work together to win elections for the party.          The challenge now is to change the mindset of our members and help them to appreciate that it is only hard work, commitment and dedication that will win us power”, he said.          He denounced the situation where some of them were doing everything to put certain people in leadership positions just because they have money but not necessarily about their proven record of service, leadership qualities and commitment, warning that this could be a sure recipe for disaster in 2016.          Prof Barwuah, who contested for the flag-bearer position of the party in 2007, said revelations at the election petition hearing should be enough motivation to re-orient and reposition the party firmly at the polling station levels.          “It is sad that the party is ripping itself apart at a time that Ghanaians need it the most to re-organize effectively to wrest political power and change the economic situation of the people,” he said.          He said given the enormous resources and opportunities in the country, Ghanaians should not be suffering - they deserved better than what they were getting.          Dr Asare criticized what he said had been the imposition of people on party due to “money influence”, something that needed to change.          He said things must be done in such a way that “the real loyal and hard working party members” are encouraged to take up more frontline role. This is the way to win political power.          Mr. George Ayisi Boateng said it was important to uphold best practices and values that had kept the NPP going.          

Bompata (Ash), Jan 9, GNA – Mr. De-graft Fokuo, the District Chief Executive for Asante-Akim South, has urged drivers to show responsibility to make the roads safe.          He said poor driving and careless disregard for road traffic regulations needed to stop to reduce road crashes.          Mr Fukuo, who was speaking at the official inauguration of the Bompata Drivers Union at Bompata, expressed discomfort with the situation where some of them use mobile phones whilst driving as well as playing of music at full volume.            Mr. Gascony Kwasi Takyi, Secretary of the Union, said their goal was to ensure discipline among their members to promote road safety in the area.

Tema, Jan. 9, GNA - Twenty pastors are pooling resources to empower People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to contribute effectively to national development.

Takoradi, Jan. 09, GNA – Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Western Region have come out with recommendations for rapid socio-economic growth of the region.

Juaso (Ash), Jan. 9, GNA – Human Rights Lawyer and Criminologist, Professor Kenneth Attafuah, is urging the police to continue to maintain its visibility to prevent crime.

Koforidua, Jan. 8, GNA-A member of the Council of State and Oyokohene of New Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Kodua Kesse, has appealed to the youth of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to be guided by the humility of President John Dramani Mahama in all their activities.       He said national elections were won to a large extent by the votes of the floating voters whose decisions were often influenced by the behaviour and utterances of members of political parties.       Nana Kodua Kesse was speaking at a rally organized by the Youth for Mahama  (YFM) , a political group affiliated to the NDC at Koforidua on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of President John Dramani Mahama in office.     The rally was organized under the theme: “Promoting Youth Participation in Nation Building” and was attended by large numbers of supporters and sympathizers of the NDC, some members of parliament from the region and some District and Municipal Chief Executives.           He urged members of YFM to work in close collaboration with the youth wing of the NDC and continue to render services to communities for the people of Ghana to appreciate their efforts.      Dr Asonaba Kofi Addison, a Senior lecturer at the College of Education, Winneba, and a member of the NDC, advised the youth of the party to use the conflict resolution channels of the party to resolve all problems.     The Chairperson of YFM, Ms Shirley Naana Osei Ampem, said  to commemorate the anniversary her  group organised  a clean-up exercise  and a health walk in the Koforidua Municipality, organize blood donation to the Blood Bank of the Koforidua Regional Hospital and also donated pieces of cloth to women who delivered at the maternity ward of the Koforidua Regional Hospital on the January 6 and 7.     The Eastern Regional Organizer of NDC, Mr Bismark Tawiah Boateng, called on the Members of Parliament of the party from the region and the District and Municipal Chiefs Executives to put in place programmes in their constituencies and districts to interact with the electorates to explain what Parliament and government had done for them over the past year.      He said from this year to Election 2016, the government would undertake many development projects in the region and this would enable the party to increase its votes in the region from the 43 per cent at the last elections to 50 per cent.

Koforidua, Jan. 8, GNA - A former District Coordinator of National Disaster Management Organizer (NADMO) for the Fanteakwa District, Mr Kwame Appiah Kodua, has declared his intention to contest the position of Eastern Regional Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).    Mr Kodua, 42, who launched his campaign on Wednesday in Koforidua, said the interest of  NPP members in the Region had gone down and assured that when elected he would rekindle and strengthen the interest of the members in the Party to recapture power in the 2016 elections.    He said the party needed to adopt the house-to-house campaign to explain what the party could do when it wins power in 2016 in order to attract more members especially in the rural areas.     He said his campaign team was working very hard to push through his bid and gave the assurance that he would work hard to attract more people in the Region to join the party when given the nod.    Mr Kodua said his vision was to contribute his quota towards building a vibrant and winning political machine in theRegion that would help secure more than 65 per cent of the popular votes in the Region for the party.    He promise to build and strengthen party structures at all levels in the region, establish an operational fund to assist party organization and create  a database of all party activists for human resource planning and identify talents towards victory in the 2016 elections.     Mr Kodua had been a Ward Organizer at Begoro Zongo, Constituency Youth Organizer for Fanteakwa from 1995 to 2002, Constituency Organizer from 2002 to date.

Takoradi, Jan. 9, GNA — The Western Regional Office of the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) registered 6,236 vehicles last year.Mr. Godson Wemegah, the Western Regional Licensing Manager, told the GNA in Takoradi that the Authority registered an average of 600 vehicles during the peak period, which is the first quarter of the year.He said DVLA registered 780 motor cycles, 1, 777 private motor vehicles, 450 commercial buses and coaches and 135 private buses and coaches.The rest were 178 cargo trucks up to 16 tons, 217 private articulator trucks above 32 tons, 1,480 commercial motor vehicles up to 2000cc and 19 tractor and equipment.However, Mr. Wemegah said, the DVLA Regional Office is yet to begin re-registration of government vehicles as directed by the Minister of Transport because the office had just received a circular from the headquarters in Accra and would soon start the exercise in the Region.He said the re-registration exercise had been divided into four phases starting from January 6 to May 31.More than 15,000 old and new government vehicles are expected to be registered in the 25 Ministries, Departments and Agencies across the country.The move is aimed at ensuring effective monitoring of the use of government vehicles.GNA

Kumasi, Jan 8, GNA – Suspected members of a criminal gang behind a string of robbery attacks on companies dealing in mining equipment in the Bekwai Municipality had been busted.          They are said to have repeatedly raided two companies, “HAS Chinese Company Limited” and “Gyanz hong Equipment Company Limited” at Anwiankwanta and made off with cash totaling about GH¢103,900.00.          The gang also seized mobile phones and pump action guns.          Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Augustine Gyenning, the Ashanti Regional Commander, gave the names of those being held as Godfred Oppong, alias “Goddey”, Nicholas Gyapong, alias “Sparkles”, Rexford Opoku Adarkwah, alias “Tupac”, Fidelis Opoku Ackom, alias “Iceman”, Osei Kwame alias “Tierro” and Atiakra Avero, alias “Vandam”.          Four others, Daniel Owusu, alias “Shaker”, the Senior Prefect of the Dompoase Senior High School (SHS), Nana Boakye, alias “Scorpion”, Koranteng, “alias “Pirato” and Bismark Owusu, however, managed to slip through and are on the run.          DCOP Gyenning said they were also keeping in their custody another suspected group of criminals - Andrew Danso, 18, Kwame Attakora, 31, and Daniel Kwabena, 20, engaged in car-snatching.          They were arrested at Kete-Krachi in the Volta Region when they attempted to run away with fuel they had bought for a “Rav 4” vehicle they had stolen from its owner at gunpoint at Atwima-Koforidua in the Atwima-Nwabiagya District.                   Their accomplice, Emmanuel Asiedu Bonnah, is now at large and the police have mounted a search for him.           They had attacked and robbed Ms Joyce Appiadu of the car in front of her house on November 22 last year at about 2000 hours.          They changed the registration number and colour and drove it to Kete-Krachi.          DCOP Gyenning said the suspects ran out of luck on December 28 when they attempted to flee after fuelling the vehicle at a filling station without paying. The attendants raised the alarm and they were intercepted at a police check-point.          The police retrieved an insurance certificate bearing the name of Ms Appiadu, and when she was contacted, she confirmed the vehicle was stolen.          The Kete-Krachi police therefore referred the suspects together with the vehicle to the Ashanti Regional Police Command which has taken over investigations. GNA