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- Strange disease hits Volta Region  (31.01.2009)

- Police hunt for 4 CEPS officials  (30.01.2009)

- NPP heads to court over alleged election violence (23.01.2009)

- First List Of Ministers Out  (22.01.2009)

- New Ministers for Ghana  ( and related to Ho ) / 22.01.2009

- Domestic violence cases decline in Volta Region (20.01.2009)

- Accidents decrease in Volta Region  (15.01.2009)

- SHS should run for three years - MP for Ho Central  (12.01.2009)

- Presbyterian Moderator bemoans encroachment on school lands ( 11.01.2009 )

- Re-appraise taxes on detergents - Distributor  ( 09.01.2009 )

- United Front of Cadres congratulates President Mills  ( 08.01.2009 )

- Workers appeal for implementation single spine salary  ( 07.01.2009 )
- Churches in Ho offer thanks to God  ( 05.01.2009 )

Strange disease hits Volta Region

The Volta Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service has begun investigations into a strange disease that hit Anfoeta-Gborgame recently resulting in the death of a gong-gong beater and the incapacitation of 12 others.

The Regional Disease Surveillance Officer, Mr. Matthew Draffor, in an interview told DAILY GUIDE that the symptoms of the disease do not give easy clue for one to determine which sort of disease it is.

Mr. Draffor mentioned that the Regional Disease Surveillance Unit had taken samples from victims to Accra to find the cause of the disease and immediate remedies. He however appealed to the victims to report to the regional hospital for medical check-up.

A strange disease which causes the sufferers to suddenly become dizzy and subsequently blackout recently broke out at Anfoeta-Gbogame in the Ho Municipality.

The victims remain in coma for about one and a half hours, and sometimes experience spasms before regaining consciousness, but with a lingering general feeling of malaise for days. The Regional Surveillance Officer said medical investigations on victims, however, did not show any trace of epilepsy.

DAILY GUIDE gathered from rumours, upon a visit to the town, that on the January 19 this year a woman who came to the town for a funeral showed symptoms of the strange disease and when her friend went to her rescue she was also attacked and both of them fell into coma, which is a major symptom most victims suffer.

The incident, many residents say, was the beginning of their woes as more people have been attacked ever since, increasing the number to about 13, of which one died as at press time yesterday.

Mention was also made of an instance when two people who came to the rescue of a victim, after he had gone down twitching, also felt dizzy and collapsed.

The entire community is gripped with fear as no medical reason has been given yet for the sickness, more so when the condition had not been reported in any of the nearby communities.

Others are however attributing it to a possible wrath of the gods, even though they cannot tell why the gods might be angry with them.


Source: Daily Guide  /  31. January 2009

Police hunt for 4 CEPS officials

The Ho Municipal Police have mounted a search for four officials of the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) at the Nyivie border post for allegedly shooting and wounding a 32-year-old carpenter.

The four have, since January 16 when the incident occurred, vacated their post.

The police have identified two of the four officials as John Diemo and Emmanuel Ofori.

The victim, Tepelolonyo Dzamposu, who was shot twice on the buttocks and once on the hip, is said to be in a stable condition at the Volta Regional Hospital. Doctors have managed to remove two of the pellets but are having difficulty removing a third one lodged in the hip bone, according to hospital authorities.

Narrating the incident to the Times from his hospital bed, Mr Dzamposu said he boarded a motorbike that took him across the border to Togo where he was to visit his father and attend a funeral.

He said on his return from Togo at about 6.30 p.m., the following day, he was accosted by the CEPS officials who claimed that he had earlier that day cross the border without being allowed to do so.

They therefore seized the motorbike which he was riding.

He pleaded for the release of the bike but this apparently infuriated the officials who threatened to shoot him for showing gross insubordination towards them.

As he tried to break away from them, Diemo is said to have pulled out his pistol and shot him three times, twice on the buttocks and once on the hip.

He fell down and began shouting for help but the officials left him to his fate. He was saved by some people from the town who rushed him to hospital.


Source: Ghanaian Times / 30. January 2009

Accra, Jan. 23, GNA - The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) said on Friday that it had decided to go to court to seek redress over alleged "widespread violence and brutalities" perpetrated against its supporters in some parts of the country, especially the Volta Region.

"The party has reviewed the gamut of infractions and breaches against our party and its accredited agents and officers in the conduct of the elections and even after the elections," it said in a statement signed by Nana Ohene-Ntow, General Secretary.

"Accordingly, the party has decided to proceed to court to seek redress," it said.

The NPP appealed to its members, supporters and sympathisers "to remain calm and steadfast whilst holding fast to our principles".

Source: GNA / 23.01.2009

 22.01.2009

President John Evans Atta Mills on Thursday named five MPs as he released his first set of 10 nominees for ministries. A sixth nominee, Collins Dauda, is the parliamentary candidate for Asutifi South, whose result is yet to be released because of a court case.

A statement signed by Mr James K. Bebaako-Mensah, Secretary to the President, said nominations for other ministries and Regions would be made in due course.

The MPs are

• Ministry of Transport: Mike Hammah (MP for Effutu)

• Ministry of Education: Mr Alex Tetteh-Enyo (MP for Ada and former Director General of the Ghana Education Service)

• Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs: Ms Akua Sena Dansua (MP for North Dayi)

• Ministry of Tourism: Mrs Juliana Azumah Mensah (MP for Ho East)

• Ministry of Communications: Mr Harruna Iddrisu (MP for Tamale South).

• Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources: Collins Dauda (NDC parliamentary candidate for Asutifi South)

• Ministry of Trade and Industry: Ms Hannah Tetteh ( a lawyer and spokesperson of the Government Transition team)

• Ministry of Energy: Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei (former Director of Power, Ministry of Mines and Energy)
• Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General: Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu (Director of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, and former Chief State Attorney and Copyright Administrator)

• Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology: Ms. Shirley Ayittey (an aide to the former first Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and Managing Director for Caridem Dvelopment Company Limited) .

The full list of nominated Regional Ministers

• Ms Ama Benyiwa-Doe (Central Region)
• Nii Armah Ashitey, MP for Klottey Korle, (Greater Accra Region)
• Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, NDC National Organiser, (Eastern Region)
• Mr Mahmood Khalid (Upper West Region)
• Mr Nyamekye Marfo (Brong Ahafo Region)

Domestic violence cases decline in Volta Region

Ho, Jan. 20, GNA - The number of child defilement cases recorded in the Volta

region dropped from 122 in 2007 to 93 in 2008.

Reported rape cases also declined from 44 in 2007 to 26 in 2008, Ms Rita Narh, Volta Regional Co-ordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police told the Ghana News agency in an interview on Tuesday.

She said two cases of child-trafficking and five cases of child stealing were recorded by the Unit last year. There were no reported cases of child labour and child kidnapping.

Ms Narh said generally, cases of domestic violence in the region had declined to single digits attributing the improvement to the efforts of stakeholders especially the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE).

She however said a lot more needed to be done in addressing the problem of child maintenance which had continued to be high.

"It is about 60 to 70 per cent of all reported cases and we all need to help address that," Ms Narh said.

She said more teenage girls in the region were getting pregnant and were unable to identify the men responsible for pregnancy posing difficult challenges in child maintenance.

Ms Narh blamed the situation on irresponsible parenting and poverty and called on the NCCE and the Department of Social Welfare to work harder to help resolve the situation.

Accidents decrease in Volta Region

Ho, Jan. 15, GNA-Road accidents in the Volta Region have dropped from 577 in 2007 to 355 in 2008.

The 355 accidents involved 440 vehicles claiming 64 deaths, 127 serious injuries and 133 minor injuries.

Police Chief Inspector, John Kpano Station Officer of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service Ho, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the reduction in road accidents in the region was achieved through road safety education by the Regional Road Safety Commission.

Mr. Kpano however, said another road safety problem that needed tackling was the construction of "trenches" in the middle of highways by communities to reduce the incidence of pedestrians getting killed by speeding vehicles.

The Ghana News Agency counted about 15 unauthorized "trenches" between Asikuma to Juapong in addition to speed rumps constructed by the Ghana Highways Authority.

These "trenches" do not have any road signs to warn drivers and riders who have to brake all of sudden on approaching them causing passengers to jerk forward crashing into each other apart from increasing the risk of accidents. Such trenches are also causing damage to newly constructed roads in parts of the region.

The trenches, including GHA speed rumps have increased travel time from Ho to Accra for business travellers apart from making such journeys uncomfortable and tiring.

Source: GNA / 15.01.2009

This page was last modified on Friday, May 29, 2009 11:00:04 AM

Sokode-Etoe (V/R), Jan. 12, GNA- The Senior High School (SHS) programme should be made to run for three years instead of the four-year period being implemented by the previous government. This is because the four-year programme is not feasible, for lack of supporting syllabuses and textbooks.

Captain George Nfodjo (rtd), Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho Central gave the hint at a durbar at Sokode-Etoe in honour of a delegation of students and staffs of the Elon University, North Carolina USA on Monday.

The University has been helping to promote formal education at all levels in the Sokode traditional under a partnership initiated by Captain Nfodjo eight years ago. It has also been helping to promote productive activities in the agriculture sector.

Captain Nfodjo said the extra financial burden entailed in the additional one year SHS would make it difficult for many parents to see their wards through Secondary school education, which would then become the preserve to a few privileged people. He said products of the three years SHS have been performing to acceptable standards.

Meanwhile the visiting delegation of students and staff from the Elon University led by Professor Brian Digre, Co-ordinator of International Studies Major, on Monday presented cash, educational materials and a lap-top computers in support of education in the Sokode traditional area. A cheque for 100 United States dollars was presented towards the development of kindergarten education, 1,000 Ghana cedis cash for Junior High School education and 500 Ghana cedis in support of students at the Ho Polytechnic from the Sokode traditional area. The University, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of North Carolina also presented components for eight groundnut shelling machines to the traditional area, where groundnut farming is one of the main agricultural activities.

The Engineering Department of Ho Polytechnic which assembled and demonstrated the workings of a prototype of the machine would design a winnowing component to it. Professor Digre said the groundnut shelling machine, developed under the "Full belly" project was to demonstrate "good neighbourliness in a global world".

Source: GNA / 12.01.2009

Ho, Jan 11, GNA - Right Reverend Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana on Sunday bemoaned the encroachment on the church's school lands in Ho saying it was an affront to both the church and the government. "Such acts were not only affronts to the Church but to government, which owned the school," he said and called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to intervene.

Rt. Rev. Dr Frimpong-Manso was addressing a special church service at the RISS Presbyterian Church in Ho to induct Rev James Agborli-Adjokatse into office as the new Ho-Sub District Pastor. He said a playground was an important school infrastructure and could not be taken away by land owners except they were bent on having the school closed down.

Three mounds of sand were on the school park, only some 50 meters from the school and church blocks, ostensibly for constructional work to begin, for a private developer.

Rt. Rev. Dr Frimpong-Manso urged Rev Agborli-Adjokatse, who was transferred from Sameraboi, to work hard to increase the church's membership to enable the sub-district to attain the status of a district soon. Mr Kofi La-Opare, Senior Presbyter of the Church said the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) passed the land on to the Church but was reverted to the land owners, sparking unending litigation between the church and the land owners.

Rev Agborli-Adjokatse pledged to work hard to grow and expand the 20-year old church currently under the Anum District. Rev Yaw Danso, Volta Presbytery Chairman of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, in a sermon said the raging debate among Christians on the rightness of baptism by immersing or sprinkling was not necessary. He said baptism was a Christian ritual and that the important thing was for Christians to live by the tenets of Christianity and not how one was baptized.

Source: GNA / 11.01.2009

Public and civil servants in Ho have appealed to the new government to move quickly to implement the single spine salary scheme developed by the former New Patriotic Party government.

A security man, Capt Henry Quarshie (RTD) appealed to the government to ensure greater state intervention in the productive sectors of the economy in order to create jobs and improve productivity.

He said the government should “de-politicize” existing state sponsored credit facilities so as to make funds available to small and medium scale entrepreneurs at low interest rates.

Source: GNA  / 2009-01-07

Churches in Ho offer thanks to God

Source: GNA    /  2009-01-05