Over 13,000 teachers cleared to receive salary arrears

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Over 13,000 teachers cleared to receive salary arrears
file photoA total of 13,268 teachers across the country have been cleared to receive their outstanding salaries that have delayed for the last two years.
Leadership of the various teacher unions are consequently expected to meet with government on Wednesday to decide on the payment process for the teachers who have been cleared by the team validating the authenticity of particulars of teachers across the country. General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, David Ofori Acheampong, who revelaed this Monday told 3FM that out of the 29,000 documents so far validated by the team, over 16,000 of the documents have queries. “13,268 of the documents have been passed for payment and we deem it not appropriate to wait till all the validation process is completed before clearing them for payment. Leadership will meet on Wednesday to decide on how soon their payment process will be done,” he said Following reports that a number of the teachers in the country employed by the Ghana Education Service presented fake certificates, the teachers were asked by the government to submit their particulars for validation before their salary arrears are paid. The validation exercise, which is being undertaking by Audit Department and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, has currently been suspended. “We needed to at least show some evidence to our people that we are working so we will facilitate the payment of the over 13,000 [teachers] passed,’’ Mr Acheampong told 3FM 92.7 He revealed that due to funding constraint, the team has resolved to use the Teshie Nungua branch of the teachers’ hall for the remaining validation exercise when they reconvene on Sunday. “You know that we were first at Apam but after the break when we convene this Sunday, the committee will be working from the GNAT hall at Teshie –Nungua” he said By Sarah Parku|3FM 92.7|tv3network.com

62 firms apply to manage ECG

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62 firms apply to manage ECG
file photoSixty-two entities have expressed interest in taking over the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as the country opens the doors of the company to private sector participation (PSP).  
The entities have, consequently, received request for qualification documents from the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA). The companies are expected to submit their interests by May 3, 2016 to pave the way for the selection of a company or a consortium to manage, operate and invest in the ECG for the next 25 years. The duration is, however, subject to compliance with the terms of the concession agreement by the selected entity. The entities which have expressed interest in the company are from Ghana, South Africa, the United States of America, Israel, Turkey, India, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. As part of the terms, the transaction will not involve the sale of assets, as the ECG will continue to be the owner of those assets and will be restructured as an asset-holding company. Transform sector Speaking at a road show on the concession for the management, operation and investment in electricity distribution in Accra yesterday, the CEO of MiDA, Owura K. Sarfo, said the PSP was “part of the process to positively transform Ghana’s power sector”. Currently, the ECG requires not less than $200 million annually for investment in its network. While it has more than three million registered customers, the company sells 6,000 gigawatts per hour of electricity to 18 million people in six regions. The road show, which brought together prospective investors and stakeholders in the power sector in Ghana, was to provide additional information on the transaction. It gave the potential investors an opportunity to meet one another, form alliances and facilitate the promotion of local content which is a requirement of the PSP transaction. Conditions The transaction is expected to satisfy conditions, including the ability of the selected entity to leverage private sector capital to address operational and commercial competencies necessary for specific challenges facing ECG’s operation. It must encourage local participation at both the ownership and operational levels, ensure equitable treatment of ECG staff and be sensitive to local customs and conditions. The Compact Two of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) between the Government of Ghana and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the United States of America demands that the ECG PSP provider should have relevant technical experience and a proven track record of helping electricity distribution companies of similar size and scope for the ECG to become profitable. Additionally, it must have adequate financial capacity to satisfy the minimum equity threshold to meet the requirements of the transaction. No compromises The Deputy Minister of Power, Mr John Jinapor, who launched the road show, said the government expected the selected entity to go beyond managing and operating the assets of the ECG. “We expect the selected concessionaire to manage, operate and invest in the company. We do not want you to take over the ECG just to run the assets over the period. What we want you to do is invest in that company and improve its performance, so that Ghanaians will see wisdom in our decision to opt for the concession,” he said. History to guide This is not the first time Ghana is involving the private sector in the management of a utility company. In 2006, the government signed a five-year management contract with Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL) on a World Bank advice to improve service delivery in the water sector. But the contract was not renewed in May 2011 after pressure was put on the government not to renew the contract because the AVRL failed to deliver. Probably with that in mind, Mr Jinapor said the government had history to guide it, for which reason it would hold the selected entity on its key performance indicators. Mr Jinapor also insisted that the government would not compromise on the need for local content participation as the PSP transaction demanded. The Managing Director of the ECG, Mr Robert Dwamena, for his part, gave an assurance that the company would work with the selected entity to transform the power sector and ensure value for money. “We will monitor, evaluate and ensure that the investment made in the company helps improve electricity distribution,” he added. MCA Compact Two Under the Compact Two arrangement, the government has decided to give the ECG to a private entity on concession. Under the move, the government will enter into a contract with the private sector partner which will have exclusive rights to operate, maintain and invest in the ECG for a stated number of years, beginning January 2017. Compact Two of the MCA between the government and the MCC is a Power Compact aimed at transforming the ECG in terms of technology and efficiency in power distribution to become a stronger company able to meet the current and future needs of Ghanaian families and businesses. The problems Ghana’s power sector had been in crisis mode until late last year. With the crisis stretching back to 2011, the need for investment in the energy sector became crucial. Before then, there had been energy crisis in the 1980s, 1998 and 2007. According to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) figures, by 2020 the country would need 6,000MW of electricity to meet the demands of industry and for domestic use. But with the ECG struggling, stakeholders believe that PSP is the way out to attract the much needed investment. Over the years, the needs of the power sector, that is struggling to meet increasing demands, include the need to stabilise, expand and build a robust transmission network that will assure reliability of supply to customers. The system also has to deal with obsolete equipment, some as old as 48 years. Source: Daily Graphic

Hearts boss slams ‘childish’ Kenichi

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Hearts boss slams ‘childish’ Kenichi
file photoAccra Hearts of Oak chief executive Vincent Odotei has urged Kenichi Yatsuhashi to stop acting ‘childish’ as the feud between the Japanese and the Phobians escalates.
A planned meeting between Yatsuhashi and the club’s management was called off today after the Japanese said he needed to focus on their Ghana Premier League game on Wednesday. The Phobians have looked vulnerable in the last few weeks and are winless in three games including Saturday’s defeat in the MTN FA Cup against Samartex. The dip in form has coincided in a public war of words which has been fought on facebook and radio. Odotei says Yatsuhashi ‘has to be honest with himself and stop the childish behaviour’ after the coach took to Facebook to lay out his problems with the club. The Japanese claimed on Facebook that he had not been paid for two months and says he rejected the payment when it was made because the club still owes the players and technical staff. The comments have infuriated the Hearts management with Odotei leading the fightback. “He must be honest with himself and stop this childish behaviour. The things that Kenichi has taken this club management and board through you have no idea. He has refused to attend technical meeting with the board and refffered to him as useles in an email,” he said.
“He has walked out, banged the door and banged the table. He walked out on me in a management meeting. This is somebody who came from the USA and wanted to be paid $1600. This has been going on for months but we have kept quiet. The winning bonuses we have given them is unimaginable.”
Odotei has also disputed the claims that the Japanese has rejected his salary in solidarity with the players and technical staff and called that a blatant lie and is adamant the club has treated the present players with great dignity. Yatsuhashie’s facebook post over the weekend was explosive and sought to pitch the club’s management against fans by danming the club the club is managed while praising the fans.
“My heart is with Accra Hearts of Oak. My motivation is our Hearts supporters; as long as the supporters of Hearts support me and trust me to guide our club to success, I will do and have always done my best. “The road is a long winding road; there are hills and rivers we must climb and we must swim, but I believe, together with our supporters, we can over come any set backs and difficulties we may face. “I thank our supporters. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today.”
By TV3 Sports|Ghana

Leave when your time is up – Kofi Annan to African leaders

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Leave when your time is up – Kofi Annan to African leaders
file photoFormer UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has urged African leaders to leave when their mandated time is up and to avoid excluding opposing voices if elections are to cease contributing to conflicts on the continent.
The renowned international diplomat said that while unconstitutional changes to government on the continent had reduced, exclusionary politics threatened to reverse the gains made. “I think Africa has done well, by and large the coups have more or less ended, generals are remaining in their barracks, but we are creating situations which may bring them back,” the Nobel laureate said in an interview at the 5th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa. “If a leader doesn’t want to leave office, if a leader stays on for too long, and elections are seen as being gamed to suit a leader and he stays term after term after term, the tendency may be the only way to get him out is through a coup or people taking to the streets. “Neither approach can be seen as an alternative to democracy, to elections or to parliamentary rule. Constitutions and the rules of the game have to be respected.” Annan, the keynote speaker at the forum this year, said winner-take-all approaches to elections on the continent had the effect of leaving out citizens for holding an opposing view, raising tensions around elections. Annan, who chairs the Africa Progress Panel and the Nelson Mandela-founded The Elders grouping, said he had been the first to tell the African Union not to accept coup leaders among their midst [during an OAU heads of state summit in Lusaka in 2001]. Annan also said that solutions to the problems the continent has must come from within. However, the continent must build up its ability to do so, including in financing its institutions. “We cannot always pass a hat around and insist we want to be sovereign, we want to be independent. We should lead and get others to support us—that support will be much more forthcoming when they see how serious and committed we are.” The African Union has struggled to get members to pay their dues to allow it run its operations and programmes efficiently, a recurrent theme addressed by leaders at the forum in the Ethiopian city of Bahir Dar. Annan said such budgetary concerns were constraining the work of the continent in strengthening stability and required creative ways of resourcing. “I was happy to hear them [African leaders] say ‘we must be prepared to pay for what we want; we must be prepared to put out our own money on the table and fund issues that are of great importance to us.’” The forum, now in its fifth year, is an inspiration of the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and is organised by the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University. An invitation-only event, it is chaired by former Nigeria president Olusegun Obasanjo and seeks to provide a platform for current and former leaders to interact with key stakeholders in an informal setting to tackle contemporary issues facing the continent. It does not make decisions but is becoming an African ‘brand’ of note where local solutions are innovatively explored as the region seeks to carve out its place in a global security architecture dominated by western and emerging powers. Leaders and experts at the Tana Forum also noted that the continent was not isolated. “As Africa faces increasing security challenges, so does the rest of the world. The continent is well placed to provide innovative solutions to these security challenges,” Obasanjo said. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Togo’s Faure Gnassingbe, Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and Sudan’s Omar al Bashir were among the heads of state and government present. Former leaders Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Festus Mogae of Botswana, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, Pierre Buyoya of Burundi and Joyce Banda of Malawi were also in attendance. “I think it is a very good idea that ex-leaders come together with current leaders to share experience and try to talk very frankly about the challenges facing the continent and also about our relations with the international community,” Annan, who was attending the annual forum for the first time, said. Source: African Press Organisation

November 7 voting day yet to be approved – EC

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November 7 voting day yet to be approved – EC
Georgina Opoku Amankwaa is the Deputy Commissioner of the Electoral Commission in charge of Finance and Administration Photo: Kweku Antwi-OtooThe decision to accept 7th November of every four years as voting day in Ghana is currently before Cabinet, a Deputy Chairperson of Electoral Commission (EC), Georgina Amankwaa has told Onua 95.1 FM’s Yen Sempa.
The Deputy Chairperson said the proposed Bill will then leave the domain of Cabinet to the Council of State and then finally to Parliament for deliberation. It is after Parliament has enacted the bill into law that the EC can conclude that the elections will be held on 7th November, she explained. However, Madam Amankwaa, who is legal practitioner by profession and trade unionist, speaking to Kwame Karikari on Tuesday, explained that the EC is ready for the election in November 2016. “Parliament has not approved of the 7th November but we are sure it will be approved at their next sitting,” she prayed. All the six elections under Ghana’s Fourth Republic were held on December 7. Two of these elections – presidential – went for a runoff on December 28. Persons elected in both presidential and parliamentary polls are sworn in the following year on January 7. However, many have raised concern about the time between when a president is elected, in the case of re-run, and when he takes office. It usually becomes problematic in transitional situation so the need to move the date forward was mooted by stakeholders. November 7 was proposed which is currently being considered at various stages.   Story by Kweku Antwi-Otoo/Onua FM/tv3network.com

10 things you should NOT do from age 24

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10 things you should NOT do from age 24
file photoCongratulations on making it to 24! You’re still young, but you’re starting to move into fully-mature adulthood. So how exactly should you change your life for the better?
Start by following this guide that outlines 10 things you should stop doing right now! 1. Stop buying cheap clothes. As a teenager and young adult, it’s fine to buy clothes and only wear them a few times, changing them as fashion dictates. However, now you’re older and probably settling into your first serious job, it’s time to start taking style more seriously. Invest in a few key pieces rather than buying a new wardrobe every few weeks. 2. Stop dating unsuitable ones. It can be hard to find someone worthy of your time and attention, but by the time you reach your mid-twenties, you should have a better idea about what you need in a partner. Don’t waste your time on experimenting with people who you know, deep down, are not right for you. Strike a balance between being realistic and being too willing to give people a chance. 3. Stop caring what other people think. It’s human nature to worry about what other people think of us, and no-one likes to feel as though they are being judged or criticized. However, being overly concerned with others’ opinions can cause you to lose sleep and even sacrifice your cherished dreams and ambitions in favour of living someone else’s idea of a great life. Trust your own judgement first and foremost. 4. Stop blaming your parents. Sure, no-one’s parents are perfect and yours probably made their fair share of mistakes. However, it’s too easy to fall into the trap of blaming your parents or your upbringing for any current issues you may have. This isn’t productive, and will sour familial relationships. 5. Stop holding onto old hopes and dreams. Are you guilty of holding onto aspirations that you really would be best off releasing? It may be time to trade in your old goals and ambitions for newer, more realistic aims. This doesn’t mean you have to give up on your vision of an ideal life, just that you need to keep your aspirations realistic. 6. Stop living in denial about your finances. Those years when you could get away with being oblivious to the intricacies of your financial situation are over. It’s time to get responsible and set up a decent savings account, together with a pension plan if you haven’t got one already. 7. Stop being too nice. This is an extension of Point 3, above, but deserves its own point. Stop people-pleasing. By your age, you should have a good idea of what you are capable of, and where your limits are. Learning how to say ‘no’ is an important step on the road to maturity. 8. Stop wasting so much time on the internet. This is a tough one. These days, it seems as though everyone is addicted to the internet. We use it to find information, keep in touch with friends…and most of the time just browse social media unconsciously…wasting plenty of time. Learn to set time limits for yourself. You could even try one completely internet-free day per week. 9. Stop taking your health and fitness for granted. Most of us can subject our bodies to late nights, too much alcohol and excessive junk food in college without feeling the after-effects. Unfortunately, as you move into your mid-twenties and then into your thirties, your body isn’t quite up to the task any more. Time to start eating more healthily and limiting those wild late nights! 10. Stop being messy. How many hours have you lost looking for your wallet, cell or keys? Make this the year you finally start getting your possessions in order. Nothing makes you feel more mature than knowing exactly where your stuff is. Source Lifehack

Three soldiers injured by gunpowder explosion in Yendi

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Three soldiers injured by gunpowder explosion in Yendi
file photoTwo soldiers from the Yendi Military Unit in the Northern Region are in critical  condition after a seized gunpowder exploded in transit to their military base, injuring three of them.
The three soldiers are currently on admission at the Tamale Teaching Hospital receiving treatment, the Yendi Municipal Chief Executive, Issah Zakaria, has confirmed to TV3 The gunpowder and an unspecified number of guns were seized from a group of Dagbon youth in Yendi. It followed a  military raid Saturday which was triggered by gunshots at the funeral of the mother of one Issah  Bukari of the Dagbon family. The three were said to be in the same vehicle which was transporting the seized guns and gunpowder when the explosion occurred. TV3 sources say the gunshots by the Dagbon group was creating tension in the town which has for years been rocked with chieftaincy conflict between the two royal gates – the Abudus and the Andanis – causing a team of military personnel to step in. The group are said to have flouted an order by Municipal Security Committee (MUSEC) that requires “every individual who wish to engage in the use of guns during any occasion to officially write to MUSEC for approval considering the volatility of the area”. According to the MCE, both the Andanis and the Abudus have been duly informed of the order in a letter to them, adding announcements have also gone on on local radio stations and through the Information Services Department. Sources say gunshots at functions is a traditional requirements in Dagbon where royals have the traditional obligation to fire guns to either announce the birth or death of a family member. Again, during festivals and funerals of royals, guns are fired to mark the celebration. However, Mr  Zakaria says “gunshots in Yendi have become an order of almost every occasion with no regard to the fact that the act is meant only for the royal,” and blamed the wanton disregrad for the order to indiscipline in the area. By Zubaida Ismail|tv3network.com|Ghana

Bukom Banku rides on Bisa Kdei’s ‘Brother Brother’ for Mahama’s campaign

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Bukom Banku rides on Bisa Kdei’s ‘Brother Brother’ for Mahama’s campaign
file photoGhanaian boxer, Braimah Kamoko, popularly known as Bukom Banku, has released a remix of Bisa Kdei’s hit song ‘brother brother’ and is urging President John Mahama to adopt it as his campaign song.
Using the brother brother rythm, Bukum Bankom sings about what he considers to be President Mahama’s achievements in the past three years, with particular emphasis on good roads and how he has solved the electricity crisis in the country. The boxer-turned-actor in an exclusive interview with TV3 said that he wants President Mahama and his ruling National Democratic Congress to make the song their 2016 campaign theme song. “This music is a hit. This is a campaign number  I want to give to John Dramani Mahama because he is my father and I want to tell him to use this music for the election,” Bukom Banku told TV3’s Owusu Worae. When asked whether he sought permission from Bisa Kdei to use brother brother rhythm,  Bukom Banku answered in the negative, but said said he believes the Mansa hitmaker would not have a problem with it. “Bisa Kdei is my best friend so if he hears that I used his beat to do something he wouldn’t worry. We are all popular men as Bisa is popular and I am a big popular and everybody knows so he wouldn’t worry about me using his beat,” he said. By Nana Afrane Asante|tv3network.com|Ghana

Viber offers users more control over their communications

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Viber offers users more control over their communications
file photoViber, one of the world’s leading messaging apps with more than 711 million unique users worldwide, today announces complete end-to-end encryption across all devices including Android™ and iPhone®, iPad®, Android tablets, PC and Mac desktops.
This feature will be available over the coming weeks to all users who have the latest version of Viber. It includes strengthened security in every voice or video call, message, video and photo, in both group messages and one-to-one communication. As part of this update, Viber also launches ‘Hidden Chats’ allowing users to hide specific chats from the main screen so no-one but the user knows they exist. These chats can only be accessed using a four digit PIN, providing an optional additional layer of privacy to users’ personal communications. “We take our users’ security and privacy very seriously, and it’s critical to us that they feel confident and protected when using Viber,” said Michael Shmilov, COO of Viber. “Because of this, we have spent a long time working on this latest update to ensure that our users have the most sophisticated security available and maximum control over their communications. We will continue to make this an ongoing priority as digital communication evolves.” Full End-to-end encryption Rolling out globally over the coming weeks, users will automatically be protected by end-to-end encryption in all communications on their smartphone once they have upgraded to the latest version of Viber – v6.0 or higher. Users who are also using Viber on an iPad, Android tablet or desktop will be prompted to re-connect it to their phone using a QR code. All communications can benefit from an additional layer of security through account verification. Users will see a color-coded lock on the right hand side of the screen indicating the level of security: •Grey Lock: During an end-to-end encrypted conversation and call users will see a grey padlock icon. Tapping on this icon will display a tooltip letting users know that messages sent by the participants are encrypted. •Green Lock: Users also have the option of manually authenticating their contacts by selecting that they are ‘trusted’. This means that the selected contact’s authentication key will be monitored for future changes so users can be certain that they’re talking to the right person at all times. Tapping on the green padlock will display a tooltip letting users know that messages sent by the participants are encrypted and your contact is verified. •Red Lock: If there is a problem with the authentication key of a previously trusted user, the padlock will turn red. The breach may simply mean that a user has changed their primary phone; however, it can also indicate a man-in-the-middle-attack. To solve a possible breach state, the participant needs to be re-trusted. Tapping on the red icon will display a tooltip noting that Viber cannot verify this number. Hidden Chats Users will now also be able to hide specific one-on-one or group conversations from the ‘chats’ screen so that no-one knows they exist and access them using a four digit PIN. Users can hide the conversation by tapping on the info screen for a particular chat. It will then ask for a four digit PIN or, for iOS users, provide an option for a fingerprint. Users will be notified of a message in a Hidden conversation without the text of the message, or who it is from, appearing on the screen. This is not bi-directional, meaning if one user hides the conversation, nothing will be changed on the recipient’s side. This latest update, along with the ‘Delete’ feature – which allows users to delete messages on the recipient’s phone even after they’ve sent them whether the person has seen it or not – demonstrates Viber’s increased focus on putting its users in control of their privacy and personal communications. Source: Viber

Mahama must disclose his full family size – PPP

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Mahama must disclose his full family size – PPP
file photoThe National Chairman of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Nii Allotey Brew Hammond, has called on President John Mahama to disclose his family size.
Speaking on 3FM’s Sunrise morning show, Mr. Hammond argued that in advanced countries, the families of presidents have access to state security and so by knowing the family size of the president, Ghanaians will know who their monies are spent on. “Look at our advance countries like the United States where the family of Barrack Obama receives national security. So it’s important to know who our official family is so when protection is being given to them, we don’t question it. “The emphasis should be on the President because he is the one in office. So, we should be interested in knowing his family size so we are calling on him to declare that”. The PPP is on a campaign for the president to provide his full family size, he added. The party has also asked the Electoral Commission to request for audited accounts of political parties in the country. Source: Nana Afrane Asante|tv3network.com|Ghana
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