Ms Lidi Remmelzwaal, the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana on Friday said her country would support Ghana to solve her environmental problem to ensure the livelihood of Ghanaians.
She said initiatives like marine and coastal ecosystems needed to be improved to ensure sustainability and good health. Ms Remmelzwaal was interacting with Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, when she called at his office to formerly introduce herself as the new Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana and to discuss ways to improve cooperation.
She said other initiatives her Government would undertake in Ghana include assistance to develop the private sector, as well as improve on education and enhance growth.
She said local governance through the decentralization process was important to enhancing Ghana's democracy and to enable the people at the grassroots to participate and manage resources at their disposal.
Ms Remmelzwaal said she considered herself lucky to be posted to Ghana, which was doing considerably well in the Sub-region, and that she would build upon the work of her predecessor, who had since been posted to Abuja, Nigeria, to deepen cooperation.
Mr Asamoah Boateng said it had been his objective to ensure that the livelihood of the people were protected by ensuring that river bodies and the sea were not polluted through the deposit of toxic wastes.
He said the cardinal principle of the Ministry was to put the welfare of Ghanaians at the centre of service delivery, adding he was looking forward to giving a good performance account of his Ministry at the end of his tenure.
He said there was need for the people to handle local administration for their own benefit and also to indirectly participate in the decision making process.
Mr Asamoah Boateng expressed appreciation for the Netherlands assistance to Ghana’s decentralization process and said the government would continue to learn from that country’s developmental agenda.
He also lauded the Netherlands for its contribution to the Ghana's school feeding programme, adding that some reviews had been done in the pilot stage and would be implemented on a larger scale to achieve the objectives of the programme.
GNA
News from Ghana,the African Sub-Region and More!
3.11.06
NIDs entres second day, shortage of ITNs recorded in Greater Accra
The Integrated Child Health Campaign aimed at reducing under-five mortality rate by two-thirds by the year 2015 entered its second day on Thursday with some parts of Greater Accra experiencing shortage of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs).
The five-day campaign, combining measles and polio immunisation, administering of vitamin A and distribution of 2.1 million free ITNs to children less than two years is expected to boost the survival rate of millions of children.
A visit to the some parts of the Tema sub-districts revealed that many mothers have been attracted to the exercise because of the distribution of free ITNs.
At the Ashalley Botwe Newtown post, mothers started queuing as early as 0430 hours to be served early.
Ms Emefa Voudianyi, a volunteer, said the first day registered over 300 children and 300 ITNs were issued out. However, they could not immunize all
the children in the queue because their number.
She said the post had only three volunteers without a nurse and they had
to hire a nurse from a private midwifery centre nearby to give out the measles injections.
She explained that the nurse assigned to the post did not turn up and “going to look for another nurse delayed the start of the exercise and that created a little confusion”. Ms Voudianyi said the post received only 100 ITNs for Thursday’s exercise and said this had forced them to issue to ITNs to only children from zero to
16 months.
“We know this will create another problem because mothers with eligible children who will not be given the ITNs will not be happy with our decision,” she added.
Mrs Eunice Bekoe, a mother, said she was dissatisfied with how the
exercise was going, especially the delay in attending to them.
“I am a working mother and I came to join the queue as early as 0500
hours with the hope that I will be attended to in time so that I could go to work but it is past 0900 hours and I am still in the queue.” At the Adjirigano post, near East Legon, over 200 children had been immunized as at 1110 hours when the GNA visited the post.
Mrs Rose Agble, Tema Rural Coordinator, told the GNA that the nine immunization points under her had all run out of ITNs but they had enough vaccines. She explained that she was given only 30 sacks of ITNs instead of 1,000 sacks since she had about 15,000 children in her district.
“The ITNs have attracted a lot of mothers and that has increased the
number we estimated. Yesterday was bad and it called for the involvement of
the East Legon Police to control the crowd that had come to immunize their children,” she said.
The situation was different at the Adenta Housing Down, Adenta Clinic
and Ogbojo when the GNA visited. Dr Kwadwo Antwi Agyei, Programme Manager for the Expanded Immunisation Programme of the Ghana Health Service, told the GNA that the shortage of ITNs in Greater Accra was due to the fact the region received its allocation of the ITNs this week and distribution was still underway.
“We have enough ITNs for the whole country and the problem of shortage should not occur,” he said.Dr Antwi Agyei noted that various immunisation posts had been issued with coupons to be given to eligible children who would not readily get the ITNs for them to be served immediately the various points had been restocked.
The exercise nationally is expected to target about 5.959 million children from 0 to 59 months for polio and about 5.065 million children from nine months to 59 months for measles. The exercise with cost about 162 billion cedis. There are 9,050 immunisation points, 9,505 vaccinators and 28,514 volunteers to ensure that all the children are covered.
The five-day campaign, combining measles and polio immunisation, administering of vitamin A and distribution of 2.1 million free ITNs to children less than two years is expected to boost the survival rate of millions of children.
A visit to the some parts of the Tema sub-districts revealed that many mothers have been attracted to the exercise because of the distribution of free ITNs.
At the Ashalley Botwe Newtown post, mothers started queuing as early as 0430 hours to be served early.
Ms Emefa Voudianyi, a volunteer, said the first day registered over 300 children and 300 ITNs were issued out. However, they could not immunize all
the children in the queue because their number.
She said the post had only three volunteers without a nurse and they had
to hire a nurse from a private midwifery centre nearby to give out the measles injections.
She explained that the nurse assigned to the post did not turn up and “going to look for another nurse delayed the start of the exercise and that created a little confusion”. Ms Voudianyi said the post received only 100 ITNs for Thursday’s exercise and said this had forced them to issue to ITNs to only children from zero to
16 months.
“We know this will create another problem because mothers with eligible children who will not be given the ITNs will not be happy with our decision,” she added.
Mrs Eunice Bekoe, a mother, said she was dissatisfied with how the
exercise was going, especially the delay in attending to them.
“I am a working mother and I came to join the queue as early as 0500
hours with the hope that I will be attended to in time so that I could go to work but it is past 0900 hours and I am still in the queue.” At the Adjirigano post, near East Legon, over 200 children had been immunized as at 1110 hours when the GNA visited the post.
Mrs Rose Agble, Tema Rural Coordinator, told the GNA that the nine immunization points under her had all run out of ITNs but they had enough vaccines. She explained that she was given only 30 sacks of ITNs instead of 1,000 sacks since she had about 15,000 children in her district.
“The ITNs have attracted a lot of mothers and that has increased the
number we estimated. Yesterday was bad and it called for the involvement of
the East Legon Police to control the crowd that had come to immunize their children,” she said.
The situation was different at the Adenta Housing Down, Adenta Clinic
and Ogbojo when the GNA visited. Dr Kwadwo Antwi Agyei, Programme Manager for the Expanded Immunisation Programme of the Ghana Health Service, told the GNA that the shortage of ITNs in Greater Accra was due to the fact the region received its allocation of the ITNs this week and distribution was still underway.
“We have enough ITNs for the whole country and the problem of shortage should not occur,” he said.Dr Antwi Agyei noted that various immunisation posts had been issued with coupons to be given to eligible children who would not readily get the ITNs for them to be served immediately the various points had been restocked.
The exercise nationally is expected to target about 5.959 million children from 0 to 59 months for polio and about 5.065 million children from nine months to 59 months for measles. The exercise with cost about 162 billion cedis. There are 9,050 immunisation points, 9,505 vaccinators and 28,514 volunteers to ensure that all the children are covered.
Online News Widely Accepted as Credible
By Howard I. Finberg
Credibility. It is hard to define, hard to earn, and even harder to regain once it is lost.For decades, news organizations -- especially newspapers -- have struggled to understand why readers find the media less and less credible.
Or why some news organizations, such as cable news networks, have a higher credibility rating than older and more established (and local) news outlets. It is a vexing problem.
The task grew even more complicated eight years ago when the Internet offered the public a whole new, interactive way to obtain news and information. A question that may plague us for the next several decades is, "How do the issues of credibility and reliability play out in the online news environment?"
Media consultant Martha Stone and I have been studying digital journalism credibility for the past year on behalf of the Online News Association. Our report, which was released Jan. 31, is based on more than 50 interviews with industry executives, dozens of case studies, several industry roundtables, and two research surveys.
The ONA study, which was funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also outlines strategies that several sites have undertaken to be more open and more transparent with their readership.
We found that the public has largely accepted digital news as an important source of credible news. Thirteen percent of the online public saying that Internet news is their most trusted source of news.
However, the ONA survey also shows that most of the online public surveyed remains neutral on credibility issues surrounding online news.
This lack of strong opinion is where the online news media may have its greatest opportunity. It is a chance to move those neutral views to positive ground. Or, conversely, there is the real danger that the public will be come critical of some practices and become as critical of online news as it is of newspapers.
The acceptance of online news is good news for digital journalists. Although the older, traditional media has been losing the public's trust, online news seems to be enjoying a credibility honeymoon, according to a national survey of 1,000 online consumers and 1,500 media workers conducted for ONA.
Rather than vilifying digital news, the online public has largely accepted it as an important source of credible news. Journalists surveyed expected the public to be much more negative about the credibility of digital news. They also expressed more concerns about professional quality than the online public.
The survey also indicates there appears to be a division of opinion about the credibility of digital news between those who work for traditional media organizations -- newspapers, broadcasting -- and those who work for Web sites. And there is a difference of opinion about credibility between the media workers who took the survey and the online public. Some examples from the report:
* Media workers were more likely to have made up their minds about credibility and were more likely to be critical than the online public was. Among the rankings produced by the survey's media respondents, there were five sources (local TV news, local radio stations, other news Web sites, local TV Web sites and local radio Web sites) about which more than 25 percent - and as many as 40 percent - say the source is not credible. By comparison, no more than 12 percent of the public says any particular news source is not credible.
* When asked to agree or disagree with the statement: "Online news sites are my/consumers' most trusted sources for news," 13 percent of the online public agreed, 44 percent had no opinion, and 43 percent disagreed. Media respondents predicted that 79 percent of online readers would disagree with the statement.
The report's executive summary puts the gap in perception between media and public this way: ". (the) survey's findings should prompt journalists and the public alike to confront a critical issue: Is there something the media perceives or knows about the ethics and practices of online news organizations or operations that the public does not know? Or are traditional media just being resistant to online news?"
The report also examined the reasons consumers use news Web sites and the most important factors affecting story credibility. Some highlights include:
* When it comes to credibility, online readers are more concerned about accuracy than timeliness. In a list of 11 story characteristics affecting credibility, online readers rank "story is up to date" fifth, after accuracy, completeness, fairness and trusted source.
* Asked directly if the separation between advertising and editorial content matters to a news source's credibility, the public overwhelmingly (95.9 percent) says "Yes, it matters." But when ONA asked online readers to rank advertising-editorial independence as a variable affecting news credibility, it barely made the list (ninth of 11 attributes, ahead of audio/visual quality and entertainment value).
* About 40 percent of the online public are confident they can discriminate between advertising and editorial content, with another 30 percent expressing neutrality or a lack of opinion on the issue. That confidence is positively correlated with a reader's general trust of online news, which increases in time spent online and with the number of times a reader has visited a particular online news site. Familiarity breeds confidence.
The issue of advertising and editorial separation has been a hot discussion topic among online and traditional journalists. The findings about the separation of advertising and editorial content should be reassuring to those site managers who are trying to find new ways of attracting revenue. However, it might be too early to relax about this finding, as poorly labeled content could have a negative affect in the long run.
In addition to the results of its two surveys, the ONA's Digital Journalism Credibility Study presents a broader discussion of the professional experiences and insights. Among the topics covered are:
* Who is a journalist? This includes a discussion on journalistic training and experience.
* What kinds of challenges to credibility have downsizing, reorganization and retrenchment posed?
* What kinds of training or professional perspectives should media workers in online newsrooms be expected to have - practically and ideally? Technical issues have typically taken precedence over ethical concerns when it comes to newsroom training, but that may be changing in online newsrooms.
* How are online newsrooms working through the challenges presented by the pressures to produce revenue? The report sites specific ways in which various news organizations are dealing with sponsored content and presents an in-depth discussion of advertising policies and processes.
* How are online newsrooms handling the Web's two hallmark characteristics: immediacy and interactivity? While the push to get the story first remains very much a part of the online news industry culture, there's a clear recognition that getting it first is not as important as getting it right. Brand credibility is at stake.
The issue of digital journalism credibility is broad and deep. The ONA study is a first look at many of the issues journalists -- print, broadcast, online -- will need to address if we are to take advantage of this new medium that allows almost instant publishing, unparalleled depth of content, and unique interactivity with readers.
Just as developing online news medium continues to be an exciting challenge, so should the opportunity to secure and increase the medium's credibility with its readers.
Credibility. It is hard to define, hard to earn, and even harder to regain once it is lost.For decades, news organizations -- especially newspapers -- have struggled to understand why readers find the media less and less credible.
Or why some news organizations, such as cable news networks, have a higher credibility rating than older and more established (and local) news outlets. It is a vexing problem.
The task grew even more complicated eight years ago when the Internet offered the public a whole new, interactive way to obtain news and information. A question that may plague us for the next several decades is, "How do the issues of credibility and reliability play out in the online news environment?"
Media consultant Martha Stone and I have been studying digital journalism credibility for the past year on behalf of the Online News Association. Our report, which was released Jan. 31, is based on more than 50 interviews with industry executives, dozens of case studies, several industry roundtables, and two research surveys.
The ONA study, which was funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also outlines strategies that several sites have undertaken to be more open and more transparent with their readership.
We found that the public has largely accepted digital news as an important source of credible news. Thirteen percent of the online public saying that Internet news is their most trusted source of news.
However, the ONA survey also shows that most of the online public surveyed remains neutral on credibility issues surrounding online news.
This lack of strong opinion is where the online news media may have its greatest opportunity. It is a chance to move those neutral views to positive ground. Or, conversely, there is the real danger that the public will be come critical of some practices and become as critical of online news as it is of newspapers.
The acceptance of online news is good news for digital journalists. Although the older, traditional media has been losing the public's trust, online news seems to be enjoying a credibility honeymoon, according to a national survey of 1,000 online consumers and 1,500 media workers conducted for ONA.
Rather than vilifying digital news, the online public has largely accepted it as an important source of credible news. Journalists surveyed expected the public to be much more negative about the credibility of digital news. They also expressed more concerns about professional quality than the online public.
The survey also indicates there appears to be a division of opinion about the credibility of digital news between those who work for traditional media organizations -- newspapers, broadcasting -- and those who work for Web sites. And there is a difference of opinion about credibility between the media workers who took the survey and the online public. Some examples from the report:
* Media workers were more likely to have made up their minds about credibility and were more likely to be critical than the online public was. Among the rankings produced by the survey's media respondents, there were five sources (local TV news, local radio stations, other news Web sites, local TV Web sites and local radio Web sites) about which more than 25 percent - and as many as 40 percent - say the source is not credible. By comparison, no more than 12 percent of the public says any particular news source is not credible.
* When asked to agree or disagree with the statement: "Online news sites are my/consumers' most trusted sources for news," 13 percent of the online public agreed, 44 percent had no opinion, and 43 percent disagreed. Media respondents predicted that 79 percent of online readers would disagree with the statement.
The report's executive summary puts the gap in perception between media and public this way: ". (the) survey's findings should prompt journalists and the public alike to confront a critical issue: Is there something the media perceives or knows about the ethics and practices of online news organizations or operations that the public does not know? Or are traditional media just being resistant to online news?"
The report also examined the reasons consumers use news Web sites and the most important factors affecting story credibility. Some highlights include:
* When it comes to credibility, online readers are more concerned about accuracy than timeliness. In a list of 11 story characteristics affecting credibility, online readers rank "story is up to date" fifth, after accuracy, completeness, fairness and trusted source.
* Asked directly if the separation between advertising and editorial content matters to a news source's credibility, the public overwhelmingly (95.9 percent) says "Yes, it matters." But when ONA asked online readers to rank advertising-editorial independence as a variable affecting news credibility, it barely made the list (ninth of 11 attributes, ahead of audio/visual quality and entertainment value).
* About 40 percent of the online public are confident they can discriminate between advertising and editorial content, with another 30 percent expressing neutrality or a lack of opinion on the issue. That confidence is positively correlated with a reader's general trust of online news, which increases in time spent online and with the number of times a reader has visited a particular online news site. Familiarity breeds confidence.
The issue of advertising and editorial separation has been a hot discussion topic among online and traditional journalists. The findings about the separation of advertising and editorial content should be reassuring to those site managers who are trying to find new ways of attracting revenue. However, it might be too early to relax about this finding, as poorly labeled content could have a negative affect in the long run.
In addition to the results of its two surveys, the ONA's Digital Journalism Credibility Study presents a broader discussion of the professional experiences and insights. Among the topics covered are:
* Who is a journalist? This includes a discussion on journalistic training and experience.
* What kinds of challenges to credibility have downsizing, reorganization and retrenchment posed?
* What kinds of training or professional perspectives should media workers in online newsrooms be expected to have - practically and ideally? Technical issues have typically taken precedence over ethical concerns when it comes to newsroom training, but that may be changing in online newsrooms.
* How are online newsrooms working through the challenges presented by the pressures to produce revenue? The report sites specific ways in which various news organizations are dealing with sponsored content and presents an in-depth discussion of advertising policies and processes.
* How are online newsrooms handling the Web's two hallmark characteristics: immediacy and interactivity? While the push to get the story first remains very much a part of the online news industry culture, there's a clear recognition that getting it first is not as important as getting it right. Brand credibility is at stake.
The issue of digital journalism credibility is broad and deep. The ONA study is a first look at many of the issues journalists -- print, broadcast, online -- will need to address if we are to take advantage of this new medium that allows almost instant publishing, unparalleled depth of content, and unique interactivity with readers.
Just as developing online news medium continues to be an exciting challenge, so should the opportunity to secure and increase the medium's credibility with its readers.
2.11.06
President Kufuor arrives in Beijing for China-Africa Summit
President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday arrived in the Chinese capital Beijing, to attend the China-Africa Heads ofState Summit, to define the investment and trade relations between Africa and China, an emerging global economic giant, in the coming years.
About 48 African Heads of State and Governments are expected to take part in the meeting, said to be the largest ever to be held in that country and which, gets underway from Friday, November 3-5.
Trade between China and Africa stood at 50 billion dollars last year.
The meeting would take a critical look back at the friendship between the continent and China and devise a blueprint for future partnerships, to bring about broader prospects of development.
President Kufuor, accompanied by Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, the Foreign Minister, Mr Joseph Adda, Minister of Energy, and other senior Government Officials were met on arrival at the Beijing International Airport, by high ranking Chinese Officials.
The President would seek, during the meeting to convince China for a development support of 1.2 billion dollars to fund the Bui Dam project, rural electrification and the improvement of Ghana’s telecommunication system.
He is scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, and Premier Wen Jiabao, as well as meet with Sino Hydro Corporation on the Bui Dam Project.
His other engagements would include meetings with Huawei Technologies Company Limited over Ghana’s Internet backbone and E-Government Project and the ZTE Corporation on the GOTA Security System Project.
Relations between China and Ghana, which dates back to 1960 has always been good but was taken to a new level following a state visit to that country by President Kufuor in 2002.
During that visit, China agreed to a 30 million dollar interest free loan for the construction of the 17.4 kilometre dual carriageway of the Ofankor-Nsawam section of the Accra-Kumasi Highway.
Additionally, it wrote off 83 million dollars of debt owed her by Ghana, while ACATEL Shanghai of China put in an investment of 150 million dollars in the Ghana Telecom.
Besides, China has also been supporting the construction of military and police barracks in Ghana, with trade between the two countries hitting an all time record of 769 million dollars last year.
GNA
About 48 African Heads of State and Governments are expected to take part in the meeting, said to be the largest ever to be held in that country and which, gets underway from Friday, November 3-5.
Trade between China and Africa stood at 50 billion dollars last year.
The meeting would take a critical look back at the friendship between the continent and China and devise a blueprint for future partnerships, to bring about broader prospects of development.
President Kufuor, accompanied by Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, the Foreign Minister, Mr Joseph Adda, Minister of Energy, and other senior Government Officials were met on arrival at the Beijing International Airport, by high ranking Chinese Officials.
The President would seek, during the meeting to convince China for a development support of 1.2 billion dollars to fund the Bui Dam project, rural electrification and the improvement of Ghana’s telecommunication system.
He is scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, and Premier Wen Jiabao, as well as meet with Sino Hydro Corporation on the Bui Dam Project.
His other engagements would include meetings with Huawei Technologies Company Limited over Ghana’s Internet backbone and E-Government Project and the ZTE Corporation on the GOTA Security System Project.
Relations between China and Ghana, which dates back to 1960 has always been good but was taken to a new level following a state visit to that country by President Kufuor in 2002.
During that visit, China agreed to a 30 million dollar interest free loan for the construction of the 17.4 kilometre dual carriageway of the Ofankor-Nsawam section of the Accra-Kumasi Highway.
Additionally, it wrote off 83 million dollars of debt owed her by Ghana, while ACATEL Shanghai of China put in an investment of 150 million dollars in the Ghana Telecom.
Besides, China has also been supporting the construction of military and police barracks in Ghana, with trade between the two countries hitting an all time record of 769 million dollars last year.
GNA
Tribunal remands three in connection with missing cocaine
An Accra Regional Tribunal chaired by Mr Justice Frank Manu on Thursday remanded into prison custody three suspects in connection with the 76 missing parcels of cocaine from MV Benjamin.
The tribunal refused to take the pleas of Joseph Kojo Dawson, a businessman, Freeman Sosi, a fisherman and canoe owner and Evans Charwetey Tsekobi, an auto mechanic.
They were charged with various counts of conspiracy to commit crime and abetment of crime contrary to Sections 556 and 10 of the Narcotic Drugs (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Law 1990, PNDC L236.
The facts of the case were not read. They will reappear on November 17.
Two other accomplices, Sheriff Asem Darkei, alias The Limping man, now at large and Alhaji Moro Mohammed, a businessman, who has been admitted to the Police Hospital under guard, were not in court.
Mrs Gertrude Aikins, Chief State Attorney, prayed the tribunal to remand the accused persons in custody because investigations were not completed.
She stated: "This morning I changed the charge sheet, because other developments came up.”
Mrs. Aikins contended that the prosecution had done a good job so far, saying: "Our country is in danger and we all have to contribute our quota to save the situation.”
Attorneys for Dawson, Sosi and Tsekobi asked the tribunal to set specific orders to determine when the facts of the case should be read. They said if the judge was gracious enough to look at the facts of the case, it would realise that the re-arraignment before the tribunal was completely bogus.
They explained that, in one breath the State proposed to charge the
accused persons with dealing in narcotic drugs, but this was cancelled and replaced with conspiracy to commit crime.
They averred that their defence in the case was being thwarted by the prosecution and pleaded with the court to give their clients bail even it
would be with stiff conditions.
The Attorneys argued that the third accused person, Sosi, was an illiterate fisherman who had three canoes called Milo - 1, 2 and 3.
In the course of his work, he was hired to transport goods for someone he would not be in a position to know, likewise the content of the goods.
They argued further that it was such an innocent person who had been charged with conspiracy and dealing in narcotic drugs, which could not be proved before the Tribunal.
The lawyers said the arrest of Tsekobi, a brother of Darkei, who is at large, was just a cover up and inefficiency of the Police. They added Tsekobi was a mechanic who returned from Togo to find that his room had been ransacked.
He went to the Police to make a report that thieves had broken into his room, only to be arrested.
GNA
The tribunal refused to take the pleas of Joseph Kojo Dawson, a businessman, Freeman Sosi, a fisherman and canoe owner and Evans Charwetey Tsekobi, an auto mechanic.
They were charged with various counts of conspiracy to commit crime and abetment of crime contrary to Sections 556 and 10 of the Narcotic Drugs (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Law 1990, PNDC L236.
The facts of the case were not read. They will reappear on November 17.
Two other accomplices, Sheriff Asem Darkei, alias The Limping man, now at large and Alhaji Moro Mohammed, a businessman, who has been admitted to the Police Hospital under guard, were not in court.
Mrs Gertrude Aikins, Chief State Attorney, prayed the tribunal to remand the accused persons in custody because investigations were not completed.
She stated: "This morning I changed the charge sheet, because other developments came up.”
Mrs. Aikins contended that the prosecution had done a good job so far, saying: "Our country is in danger and we all have to contribute our quota to save the situation.”
Attorneys for Dawson, Sosi and Tsekobi asked the tribunal to set specific orders to determine when the facts of the case should be read. They said if the judge was gracious enough to look at the facts of the case, it would realise that the re-arraignment before the tribunal was completely bogus.
They explained that, in one breath the State proposed to charge the
accused persons with dealing in narcotic drugs, but this was cancelled and replaced with conspiracy to commit crime.
They averred that their defence in the case was being thwarted by the prosecution and pleaded with the court to give their clients bail even it
would be with stiff conditions.
The Attorneys argued that the third accused person, Sosi, was an illiterate fisherman who had three canoes called Milo - 1, 2 and 3.
In the course of his work, he was hired to transport goods for someone he would not be in a position to know, likewise the content of the goods.
They argued further that it was such an innocent person who had been charged with conspiracy and dealing in narcotic drugs, which could not be proved before the Tribunal.
The lawyers said the arrest of Tsekobi, a brother of Darkei, who is at large, was just a cover up and inefficiency of the Police. They added Tsekobi was a mechanic who returned from Togo to find that his room had been ransacked.
He went to the Police to make a report that thieves had broken into his room, only to be arrested.
GNA
GT to switch to use of solar energy –Deputy CEO
In the face of current energy challenges, Ghana Telecom (GT) plans to use solar as the main source of power to drive the over 300 cell sites it operates in the country.
Currently, most of the sites are powered either by onventional power, batteries or commercial generators.
At a press briefing on alternative energy, Mr Dickson Oduro-Nyaning, GT's Deputy Chief Executive Officer, said the conversion process would save the company millions of dollars that it spent on fuel and equipment.
The forum was also used to draw public attention to an Inter-Faith Based ICT International conference scheduled for Accra between November 7 and 9 this year.
Mr. Oduro-Nyaning said already GT was using solar energy as the main source of power on the company's northern transmission repeater stations and cellular payphones.
Other areas where solar is used are the e-care centre, a collaboration between UN Foundation (UNF), UN Environmental Project (UNED), Telenor Management Partners, Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment and GT to provide information technology to people in the rural areas.
It is in this direction that GT welcomes the establishment of Ghana Telecom University College Centre for the Study of Alternative Energy (CSAE) to offer both certificate and degree programmes in Alternative Energy.
The primary goal of the CSAE being done in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara, is to educate and prepare the technical and scientific workforces for the emerging alternative energy technology.
"Considering the current energy challenges in Ghana, it becomes natural and vital that alternative energy sources be developed and utilised, especially in areas where there is no national grid," Mr Oduro-Nyaning said.
He said the proposed programme would contribute to the development of much needed human resource for the country's alternative energy training.
Professor Walter Kohn, Winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, would help set up the centre.
Dr Osei Darkwa, Principal of GTUC, said the Inter-Faith Based ICT Conference is to provide the opportunity to religious organisations to act as catalysts in bridging the digital divide.
"Using the new information technologies they can connect their congregants and communities to the information they need for health and learning…. The religious institution can become a community telecentre, a node in a worldwide network of knowledge and information," he said.
GNA
Currently, most of the sites are powered either by onventional power, batteries or commercial generators.
At a press briefing on alternative energy, Mr Dickson Oduro-Nyaning, GT's Deputy Chief Executive Officer, said the conversion process would save the company millions of dollars that it spent on fuel and equipment.
The forum was also used to draw public attention to an Inter-Faith Based ICT International conference scheduled for Accra between November 7 and 9 this year.
Mr. Oduro-Nyaning said already GT was using solar energy as the main source of power on the company's northern transmission repeater stations and cellular payphones.
Other areas where solar is used are the e-care centre, a collaboration between UN Foundation (UNF), UN Environmental Project (UNED), Telenor Management Partners, Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment and GT to provide information technology to people in the rural areas.
It is in this direction that GT welcomes the establishment of Ghana Telecom University College Centre for the Study of Alternative Energy (CSAE) to offer both certificate and degree programmes in Alternative Energy.
The primary goal of the CSAE being done in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara, is to educate and prepare the technical and scientific workforces for the emerging alternative energy technology.
"Considering the current energy challenges in Ghana, it becomes natural and vital that alternative energy sources be developed and utilised, especially in areas where there is no national grid," Mr Oduro-Nyaning said.
He said the proposed programme would contribute to the development of much needed human resource for the country's alternative energy training.
Professor Walter Kohn, Winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, would help set up the centre.
Dr Osei Darkwa, Principal of GTUC, said the Inter-Faith Based ICT Conference is to provide the opportunity to religious organisations to act as catalysts in bridging the digital divide.
"Using the new information technologies they can connect their congregants and communities to the information they need for health and learning…. The religious institution can become a community telecentre, a node in a worldwide network of knowledge and information," he said.
GNA
Cocaine's African Layover Further Destabilizes an Unstable Continent
A recent report reveals that the African continent has become a major transhipment hub for drugs travelling to Europe.
In 2003, African authorities seized 1.1 tons of cocaine. One year later, that number had jumped to 3.6 tons. While greater amounts of cocaine were seized in other parts of the world, the more than 300% increase by which cocaine seizures grew in Africa is alarmingly larger than the 18% worldwide increase during the same period, according to official United Nations figures.
A document distributed by United Nations authorities during a recent law-enforcement conference held in Nairobi, in which 34 African nations participated, clearly states: “(Africa) is becoming a transit region to the worldwide cocaine market.”
The report cites the fact that European and U.S. anti-narcotic officials are less likely to perform close inspections on flights and shipments coming from countries that do not produce drugs as a major reason why drug traffickers have selected African countries as transit hubs.
However, the unfortunate and widespread corruption that many African nations face also makes it relatively easy for drug traffickers to move illicit drugs without fearing the intervention of security or customs authorities.
For example, the Western African nation of Ghana, which, with a 4.000% increases in cocaine seizures between 2003 and 2004, is the African country who has seen the largest increase in its cocaine traffic. Not surprisingly, the nation has also been consumed by numerous high-profile scandals related to cocaine trafficking that have destabilized an already shaky government.
Less than a year ago, Eric Amoateng, a member of Ghana’s parliament, was caught with a $6 million load of heroine in the United States. He is currently in jail.
Last June, 78 packages containing a total of 2.3 tons of cocaine were found aboard a ship called the MV Benjamin. 77 of the 78 packages soon disappeared and have yet to be found. In the tedious investigation that followed, the media obtained a taped conversation between Kofi Boakye, the second highest ranking police official in Ghana, and presumed drug dealers.
To date, 5 individuals are behind bars, the assets of 15 others have been frozen and numerous investigations are underway.
Kenya’s regional United Nations office published a statement that sums up the effects of Africa’s situation as a growing transshipment hub in the following bleak terms:
“Illicit drug trafficking has brought to the sub-region a wide range of serious and organised criminal activity including murder, kidnapping and extortion… Drug trafficking is also seen as a lucrative investment for the proceeds derived from other high-value crimes including theft, robbery and fraud.
Violent crime and the spread and use of firearms have risen to alarming proportions. Gangs of criminals often under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol act with total disregard for life or property and car-jacking, robbery and domestic burglary are commonplace. Resistance by the victim(s) is foolhardy and dangerous.
Women in particular are also vulnerable to accompanying acts of wanton sexual assault and rape, with a high degree of risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or other sexually-transmitted diseases.
All of these acts are traumatic for the victims, but also have a serious and negative impact on a region dependent on tourism.”
In 2003, African authorities seized 1.1 tons of cocaine. One year later, that number had jumped to 3.6 tons. While greater amounts of cocaine were seized in other parts of the world, the more than 300% increase by which cocaine seizures grew in Africa is alarmingly larger than the 18% worldwide increase during the same period, according to official United Nations figures.
A document distributed by United Nations authorities during a recent law-enforcement conference held in Nairobi, in which 34 African nations participated, clearly states: “(Africa) is becoming a transit region to the worldwide cocaine market.”
The report cites the fact that European and U.S. anti-narcotic officials are less likely to perform close inspections on flights and shipments coming from countries that do not produce drugs as a major reason why drug traffickers have selected African countries as transit hubs.
However, the unfortunate and widespread corruption that many African nations face also makes it relatively easy for drug traffickers to move illicit drugs without fearing the intervention of security or customs authorities.
For example, the Western African nation of Ghana, which, with a 4.000% increases in cocaine seizures between 2003 and 2004, is the African country who has seen the largest increase in its cocaine traffic. Not surprisingly, the nation has also been consumed by numerous high-profile scandals related to cocaine trafficking that have destabilized an already shaky government.
Less than a year ago, Eric Amoateng, a member of Ghana’s parliament, was caught with a $6 million load of heroine in the United States. He is currently in jail.
Last June, 78 packages containing a total of 2.3 tons of cocaine were found aboard a ship called the MV Benjamin. 77 of the 78 packages soon disappeared and have yet to be found. In the tedious investigation that followed, the media obtained a taped conversation between Kofi Boakye, the second highest ranking police official in Ghana, and presumed drug dealers.
To date, 5 individuals are behind bars, the assets of 15 others have been frozen and numerous investigations are underway.
Kenya’s regional United Nations office published a statement that sums up the effects of Africa’s situation as a growing transshipment hub in the following bleak terms:
“Illicit drug trafficking has brought to the sub-region a wide range of serious and organised criminal activity including murder, kidnapping and extortion… Drug trafficking is also seen as a lucrative investment for the proceeds derived from other high-value crimes including theft, robbery and fraud.
Violent crime and the spread and use of firearms have risen to alarming proportions. Gangs of criminals often under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol act with total disregard for life or property and car-jacking, robbery and domestic burglary are commonplace. Resistance by the victim(s) is foolhardy and dangerous.
Women in particular are also vulnerable to accompanying acts of wanton sexual assault and rape, with a high degree of risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or other sexually-transmitted diseases.
All of these acts are traumatic for the victims, but also have a serious and negative impact on a region dependent on tourism.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Ghana is back on track with investment opportunities - Veep woos foreign investors
Accra, June 6, GNA-Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia says Ghana's economic opportunities for private sector investors are back on track as...
-
President John Agyekum Kufuor has relieved the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (NCE), Mr M.A Banda of his position with immediate effect. Thi... -
A group of Ghanaian doctors and ethno-botanists and their collaborators in the US have moved closer to global fame with their discovery of ... -
HIV/AIDS victims can heave a huge sigh of relief since there is now a potent herbal medicine which is reported to be capable of totally curi...