Marketing Directors show love to Teshie Orphanage

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file photoEaster is a season of the remembrance of Christ’s love he showed to mankind on the cross and the power in his resurrection. One way Christians can reciprocate this gesture is to show love and compassion to mankind.  
It is in this light that a non-governmental organization, Marketing Directors, donated food items worth thousands of Ghana Cedis and unspecified amount to the Teshie Orphanage during the Easter Festivity. The items included rice, beans, gari, oil, tin tomatoes and drinks as well as toiletries. IMG 20160326 WA0068 Addressing the media, the president of the Marketing Directors, Henry Nii Dottey said it was their way of giving back to society and to make the lives of the students at the orphanage meaningful. “We value education and thus we support less privileged children in society so that they can become useful adults,” he stated. The project coordinator, Mr. Ernest Koranteng, noted that donation was one of the ways the group keeps together, and to also make an impact on society. He stated, ‘‘we wanted a place close to legon and we have been in existence for the past two years and we wanted to keep that telepathy among us.” He added that ‘‘we considered about four or five orphanages but we came here about two weeks ago and saw some low points and decided to come and assist. we are calling on all to come and support the orphanage as it can be a relative being housed in future’’. A spokesperson for the Founder of the Orphanage, Moses Lamptey, expressed their gratitude for the kind gesture. He said, ‘‘we wanted every child to go to school. There are individuals and corporate bodies that have been assisting us. The school fees and feeding are our major challenge. We are happy you came to assist us this Easter season’’. IMG 20160326 WA0038 Moses Lamptey, himself a product of the orphanage and currently a national service personnel with the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, was excited about the exercise and called on other well meaning Ghanaians to support them. He stated that “through the benevolence of others, I have now completed the University and thus want others to come and support the younger ones here”. The children at the orphanage were beaming with smiles and excitement at the gesture and danced to music while expressing appreciation to the Marketing Directors. IMG 20160326 WA0071 3FM interacted with a 13-year-old orphan at the place. ‘‘I feel great and very excited. I really want this to happen every day, especially on weekends so that we won’t feel bored’’. The Teshie Orphanage has existed for the past 20 years. It has 40 orphans; two currently undertaking national service, two at the University, 3 at the Senior High School level and the rest at the basic level.   Story by Sarah Parku, 3FM – 92.7

Zanetor challenged to produce Voter’s ID card in court

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Dr. Zanetor Agyeman RawlingsThe ongoing court battle between Dr. Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings and Nii Armah Ashietey has taken a dramatic turn as the Plaintiff (Nii Armah Ashietey) has requested the 2nd Defendant (Zanetor Rawlings) to provide further and better particulars, by affidavit, regarding her voter identification number, date of registration, registration centre name and code.
This current twist to the ongoing court case was contained in a letter signed by Gary Maafo, lawyer of Nii Armah Ashietey, and addressed to Zanetor Rawlings to provide this information within 4 days which elapsed Monday March 28, 2016. The Plaintiff has subsequently filed a Motion on Notice – Application for Leave to Issue Interrogatories under Order 22 r 1 of CI.47, and will move that motion on notice on 4th April for Zanetor Rawlings to provide the said particulars. The new development became necessary after lawyers of Nii Armah Ashietey probed the Statement of Defence by Zanetor Rawlings in which she denied the Plaintiffs averment that the she is not a registered voter. This means that notwithstanding confirmation from the Electoral Commission (EC), the 2nd Defendant’s filed court processes indicate that she is holding herself out as a registered voter, a situation that raises issues of fraud and perjury. The current motion was filed by Nii Armah Ashietey under Order 11 Rule 12 (6) of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules CI 47.   Source: Kasapa FM

Uganda’s Supreme Court dismisses challenge to Museveni’s re-election

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Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Museveni
Uganda’s Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking nullification of President Yoweri Museveni’s disputed re-election last month, clearing the way for the 71-year-old veteran leader to extend his three-decade rule.
The ruling had been widely expected by political observers and the opposition in a country where the judiciary is frequently accused of bias toward the incumbent. Museveni won another five-year term in the Feb. 18 presidential election with 60 percent of the vote, but all his main opponents rejected the results, alleging widespread rigging and intimidation by security forces. Veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who came second in the election with 35 percent, has been kept under virtual house arrest since polling day. On March 1 Amama Mbabazi, who came a distant third with less than 2 percent of the vote, appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn the result of the poll. He cited delays in delivering ballot materials, improper supervision of voting, bribery and interference by security forces which he said had tainted the outcome. In a judgement by nine justices, the head of the Supreme Court, Bart Katureebe, said they had found valid evidence of several malpractices including security interference with Mbabazi’s campaigns and late delivery of polling materials, but declined to nullify the result. “We find that there was non-compliance with the principles of free and fair elections,” he said. “But we are not satisfied that non-compliance affected the result in a substantial manner… This petition is dismissed.” CRITICISM Under Uganda’s electoral law someone who alleges malpractices and seeks nullification of the result of a presidential election must prove that the irregularities affected the result in a “substantial manner”. Two similar petitions by Besigye in 2001 and 2006 seeking cancellation of Museveni’s re-election were dismissed on the same grounds, sparking heavy criticism. Some Western governments which have lauded Museveni in the past for helping in the fight against Islamist militants in Somalia have lately criticised him for clamping down on critics and harassing the opposition. Ugandan political analyst Nicholas Ssengoba told Reuters Museveni’s court victory reflected the difficulties the opposition had in gathering evidence. Soon after the petition was filed, thieves broke into two offices of Mbabazi’s lawyers and stole some of the evidence. Mbabazi said the theft was probably orchestrated by the police, an allegation the government denied. “There were so many handicaps placed on Mbabazi, they couldn’t do much,” Ssengoba said. Source: Reuters

SA court rules Zuma breached constitution

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The Nkandla residence has become a political headache for Mr Zuma
The Nkandla residence has become a political headache for Mr Zuma
South Africa’s highest court has ruled that President Jacob Zuma violated the constitution when he failed to repay some of the government money used to upgrade his private home.
The treasury had 60 days to determine how much he should repay, it added. The ruling is a victory for the opposition, which said it would push for Mr Zuma’s impeachment. It accused him of using “ill-gotten wealth” to upgrade his home with a swimming pool and amphitheatre. Mr Zuma denied any wrongdoing. He has not yet commented on the ruling. An anti-corruption body, known as the public protector, ruled in 2014 that $23m (£15m) had been spent on his rural home in Nkandla in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. Mr Zuma had “unduly benefited”, and should repay a portion of the money, the public protector said. In a unanimous judgement, the Constitutional Court said Mr Zuma’s failure to heed the directive was “inconsistent” with the constitution. “The president failed to uphold, defend and respect the constitution of the Republic,” it added. The case was brought by two opposition parties, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA). Mr Zuma’s conduct constituted “grounds for impeachment”, the DA said in its reaction to the judgement. Source BBC

Tamale in ‘coma’ as dumsor and water shortage hit the city

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Tamale water Basic but critical utility services in Tamale are collapsing; a situation that is making life in the metropolis unbearable for residents.
Residents have in the last two weeks been experiencing unexplained intermittent power outages, which they say, sometimes last for 72 hours. This they say, is not affecting just their lives but their businesses as well. Again, water has become a scarce commodity in the regional capital due to some operational challenges at the Ghana Water Company caused by the intermittent electricity cuts and technical hitches at the Dalun treatment plant. Residents who are unable to afford water tanker services, the price of which have doubled in the last two weeks, now have to sacrifice their sleep at night in search of water. The Datoyili dam has now been the alternative for some of them. The water supply situation at Tishigu, Choggu,  Gurugu, Target, Wurishe, SSNIT Flats, Kalpohini Lowcost and the Tamale campus of the University for Development Studies is worst as they have not had water in their taps for the past two weeks. Washing bays, hotels and laundry services are the most affected businesses as they are unable to meet the demand from their clients. A trip of water which was previously sold between GHC 60 and GHC70 is now being sold at GHC120 Cedis, which is the cheapest. A water tanker driver, Hussein Dawuda, explained the hikes is due to the unavailability of water in the region, hence travelled long distance to get water. On electricity, the residents told TV3 Online, there has not been any communication as to why they keep experiencing frequent electricity cut, noting the situation is so bad that they sometimes feel “a toddler is playing with the power switches” Responding to the issue, the Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of Ghana Water Nii Abbey, said: “the city is currently undergoing water rationing. The rationing has become necessary due to the some technical hitches at the Dalun treatment plant and the incessant power outages the city is currently facing.” He said until the electricity supply improves, residents will have to brace themselves up for more challenging time as they would have to spend more to get water from alternative sources. The Northern Electricity Distribution Company which is responsible for electricity supply in the region explained the intermittent power cuts have been the cause of problems with some underground cables. Its Public Relations Manager, Alhassan Ababa, noted a rainstorm that hit the metropolis on March 22 caused a tower that supplies power to the Dalun water treatment plant to collapse, something he said has affected water supply. He said the tower was however repaired a week after the incident hence NEDCo cannot be blamed for the challenges in water supply from that time onwards. By Zubaida Ismail|tv3network.com|Ghana

Nunoo Mensah damns NPP over the South Africa ex-policemen

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Nunoo Mensah
Nunoo Mensah
Former National Security boss, Brigadier General Nunoo Mensah, has described as unnecessary, the hiring of three South African ex-policemen to train bodyguards for the New Patriotic Party.
He contended there are capable security experts in the country who could offer such training as opposed to bringing into the country expatriates. “I think we should have faith in ourselves and believe in ourselves, and I know we are capable of training our own, rather than bring in South Africans to come and train us which I find totally unnecessary,” he said on 3FM 92.7 Thursday morning. He said there is nothing that the expatriate can do which our local experts cannot do saying ““I sit down here and I don’t know what a white man can do that I can’t so why do we create the impression that we don’t believe in ourselves”. Mr. Nunoo Mensah recalled how Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, marshaled Ghanaians to help Zimbabwe and others fight their wars, adding “so if we could do these things on our own some years back, then I don’t see the need for us to bring in foreigners to assist us”. The three South African –  54-year-old Major Ahmed Shaik Hazis (Rtd.), 39-year–old WO/ Denver Dwayhe Naidu (Rtd.) and 45-year-old Captain Mlungiseleli Jokani (Rtd.), were picked up on Sunday March 20, 2016 at El Capitano Hotel in Agona Duakwa in the Central Region have since last Tuesday been deported. By Nana Afranie Asante|tv3network.com|Ghana

Mahama, NDC changing our lives indeed – Konadu

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Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings was an executive member of the incumbent National Democratic CongressFounder and Leader of the National Democratic Party (NDP) Nana Kondau Agyemang-Rawlings says the level of corruption in the country is akin to visiting violence on Ghanaians.
“It is not when somebody even attacks you or fights you that is equal to violence,” she opines. “Violence is when you have violated us. When we have given you our mandate to run a country efficiently and effectively and you are able to disrupt the lives of Ghanaians.” The former First Lady contends that the mantra of the current government – Changing Lives – holds only in the negative sense. “You can tell us you are changing our lives,” she said. “Yes, indeed you are changing our lives but not for the better.” Mrs Rawlings made these remarks during the Greater Accra Regional Congress of the NDP in Accra. Executives called for massive support for victory in the 2016 elections. Nana Konadu urged opinion leaders and intellectuals to speak up against the ills in the country before things deteriorate. Source: tv3network.com|Ghana

Ghana not likely to be central target for terrorists – EIU report

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Boko haram
Terrorist group Boko Haram has tormented north-east Nigeria for years
Ghana is not likely to be a central target for terrorists, reports the Economic Intelligence Unit, but its close ties with the West and significant expatriate population in Accra may draw the attention of extremists.
This was contained in the Unit’s report of February 2016. The report also predicts victory for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2016 polls, adducing that: “There is little time for Mr Mahama and the NDC to turn the economy around before the November 2016 presidential and legislative elections.” Read full report below: Outlook for 2016-20 Political stability Ghana will continue to enjoy an enviable level of political stability in the coming five years, backed by its robust democracy. This does not mean, however, that it will be without significant tensions at some points. Public resentment at slow economic growth by historical standards, electricity shortages, high inflation and currency depreciation is likely to result in public protests, as have happened sporadically over the past year. The president, John Mahama, and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will bear the brunt of the blame for the situation, with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) attempting to act as a focus for disenchanted Ghanaians to rally around, knowing that attacking the government’s economic record represents its best chance of taking power at the elections set for November 2016. In extreme cases public anger can snowball into a popular uprising. However, such a level of instability is unlikely in Ghana, where democracy is firmly established; the entrenchment of the democratic process is the most powerful factor in preventing popular unrest expanding to the point that it threatens the political structure as a whole. Nonetheless, although Ghana’s democracy will shield it from a breakdown in political stability, election-related tensions, particularly if close results are disputed by the losing side, are likely to result in outbreaks of unrest. The NPP goes into the election period unhappy that its demands for a new electoral roll have been rejected by the Electoral Commission in favour of a cleaning¬up of the current register— which the NPP claim is biased towards the NDC. A disputed election would be decided by the courts, as happened in 2012. At that time all sides accepted the verdict. However, in 2015 the judiciary was hit by major corruption allegations. A lack of trust in the judiciary would make it more likely that any 2016 election case verdict is not accepted, increasing the risk of instability. However, if, as seems likely at present, there is a transparent investigation into the corruption allegations that punishes those guilty of wrongdoing, then trust should be improved enough for any 2016 election challenges to be handled without triggering instability. After a fraught 2016 election period, the threat of instability will recede during 2017 19 as better economic performance helps to ease frustrations, before another spike in tensions ahead of the 2020 elections. Outside of politically driven instability another important risk is of terrorist attack. Attacks in early 2016 in neighbouring Burkina Faso by Islamist extremists brought the threat closer to home. Although the low incidence of sectarian tensions suggests that the country—even if not without disenchanted youngsters—is not an ideal breeding ground for radicalised aggressors, the porosity of its borders remains a cause for concern. Ghana is not likely to be a central target for terrorists, but its close ties with the West and significant ex-patriate population in Accra may draw the attention of extremists. Ghana 3 Country Report February 2016 www.eiu.com © Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2016 Election watch There is little time for Mr Mahama and the NDC to turn the economy around before the November 2016 presidential and legislative elections. The Economist Intelligence Unit therefore expects Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP to be victorious. The outcome is by no means a foregone conclusion, however, with the results likely to be close. The NPP will need to work hard to attract votes from outside its heartlands in central Ghana while maintaining internal unity. Meanwhile, the NDC will continue to enjoy strong support in the east and north of the country, owing to historical and tribal allegiances. Greater Accra, a historical swing state, will be a key battleground, and so tensions in this economic hub could disrupt business operations. The following national elections will then be due in 2020. Whichever party wins in 2016 is expected to preside over an improving economic situation and this will bolster their support in 2020, making re-election the most likely outcome. However, Mr Mahama would be constitutionally barred from standing again if victorious in 2016, so the NDC could face a damaging internal battle to succeed him, which may play into the hands of the NPP. If Mr AkufoAddo is victorious in 2016, he would be eligible to stand again in 2020, but would be 76 years old by then and so could face challenges from inside his party.   Source: tv3network.com|Ghana

Kaneshie Forex Bureau robbers remanded

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One of the robbers were shot
One of the robbers were shot
Two people who allegedly robbed a Kaneshie-based forex bureau of GH¢ 150,000 at gun point have been remanded into lawful custody by an Accra Circuit Court.
Yakubu Alhassan and Haruna Abdulai aka Borbor have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit crime and robbery. An accomplice, known as Issah, is said to be on the run. The Court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh turned down a bail application put in by Mr C.K Hoeyi on behalf of Alhassan. They are to reappear on April 13. Prosecuting Chief Superintendent of Police Mr Duuti Tuaruka said Mr Bismark Boateng, the Managing Director of Bext Neasant Forex Bureau, is the complainant. According to prosecution the forex bureau is located at Mpamprom, near Kansehie. Mr Tuaruka said Alhassan is a welder residing at Agbogbloshie while Abdulai is unemployed and resides at Ashiaman. On march 23, this year at about 1430hrs, Alhassan and Abdulai and two others now at large, went to the Forex Bureau under the pretext of conducting business and pulled locally manufactured pistols on complainant and two others. According to prosecution the accused persons and their accomplices took the complainant and his two workers hostage and robbed them of both local and foreign currencies totalling GH¢ 150,000. After robbing them, prosecution said one of the Forex Bureau staff raised an alarm and with the support from a Police Patrol Team from Kaneshie, Alhassan and Abdulai were apprehended while two of their accomplices escaped. Before arresting Alhassan and Abdulai prosecution said the two fired indiscriminately at the people and as a result 14 persons were injured and they were rushed to the Police Hospital for treatment Mr Tuaruka said due to the severe injuries sustained by Abdulai as a result of the mob attack he has not been able to give statement. However Alhassan has admitted the offence in his caution statement and mentioned Abdulai and one Issah, who resides at James Town and another who he did not know his name, as accomplices. Prosecution said GH¢ 58,000 have been retrieved from Alhassan and Abdulai as well as two locally manufactured pistols. Source: GNA

Common fund disbursement should be tied to property rate collection – land economist

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File photoGhana’s parliament would have to review the criteria for disbursement of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund, according to a professor with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Government is mandated to allocate a proportion of collected national revenue to the local assemblies to drive development. But land economist, Prof. Seth Opuni Asiamah, says conditions for selection and sharing of the common fund must be tied to the property rate collection potentials of each assembly. “I don’t see, for example, why AMA, KMA and STMA should be paid huge sums of money from the district assemblies common fund when there are poor assemblies who cannot afford to execute development projects because the kind of revenue that they are collecting from property rate is so low; yet we give all the money to the big assemblies,” he stated. Prof. Asiamah has observed that the Accra, Kumasi and Secondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assemblies have huge opportunities to generate revenue from property rate collection. He was speaking in an interview on the sideline of a symposium in Kumasi on the value of commercial properties and the effect on doing business in Ghana, organized by the Good Governance Africa (GGA) – West African Centre, an independent research and advocacy organization. The event was on the theme: “Towards Improved Revenue Generation in Ghana: The Role of the Development and Use of Commercial Properties in Ghana”. According to Prof. Asiama, cities and towns are not developing at a faster pace because assemblies receive cheap money from the Common Fund, hence fail to be proactive in property rate collection. He is also advocating taxation on idle lands to compel people to develop their lands “rather than leaving them idle and creaming off profits when the value has increased and just have to sell them”. Head of Land Economy Department at the KNUST, Jonathan Ayitey, says the real estate industry has huge capital potentials yet to be tapped. He identified and categorized commercial properties in Ghana and the key drivers of rents and rates for commercial properties in urban settlements in Ghana. Participants commended GGA for providing the platform to enlighten the public on the opportunities and challenges in the sector, especially in rent charges. Chief Executive of GGA-West Africa, Tina Asante-Apeatu, says outcomes of the engagement will be put into policy papers to drive national planning.   Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh | tv3network.com