Accident claims four lives at Akatsi Yaluvi-Junction on Aflao Highway

 By Agbaxode Emmanuel, GNA

Akatsi (V/R), May 26, GNA - Four people on Friday lost their lives in an accident at Akatsi Yaluvi Junction stretch of the Accra-Aflao Highway. 

The deceased, Rita Foli and Dzodzi Agbemenya, both residents of Torve within Akatsi South, and two other unidentified males, were crushed by a Lexus 4x4 vehicle with registration number UW 200-22.

Chief Superintendent Isaac Baah, the Akatsi South Municipal Police Commander, who confirmed the fatal accident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said Rita Foli, onboard a tricycle with registration number M-19- GW 467 died on the spot.

The remaining two unidentified males; one on board the tricycle and the other riding the motorbike, and Dodzi, who was riding the tricycle, were pronounced dead upon arrival at the St Paul’s Hospital at Akatsi.

Mr Baah said the tragedy, which happened at about 0800 hours, involved a Lexus 4x4 vehicle, an unregistered Boxer-type motorbike, a tricycle, and one stationary tipper truck.

He said investigations were ongoing to establish the cause of the accident.

However, Assistant Divisional Officer Grade II, Mr Clemence Kponyo, the Akatsi South Municipal Operations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, during their rescue operation, disclosed to the GNA at the scene of the accident that the Lexus vehicle was moving from Accra towards Aflao.

The five passengers onboard escaped unhurt when the accident occurred.

He said the driver in charge of the Lexus, in an attempt to swerve an object, hit the motor rider before running into the tricycle, and finally hitting the tipper truck in the process.

The tipper truck driver, who sustained some injuries, is currently receiving treatment, whilst the bodies of the deceased had been deposited at the St Paul’s Hospital Morgue awaiting autopsy, Mr Kponyo said.

GNA

AU Day: Ghana's ‘Jollof’, ‘Waakye’ receive high patronage in Morocco

 By Edward Acquah, GNA

Rabat (Morocco), May 26, GNA- It was an interesting sight to behold at the King Mohammed V Theatre in Rabat, Morocco, as many queued to taste Ghana's local dishes and beverages served as part of the commemoration of the "Africa Day" in Rabat, Morocco.

Ghana's ‘Waakye’ and ‘Jollo’, served with indigenous pepper sauce and spicy beverage known as ‘Sobolo’ attracted many participants at the exhibition coordinated by Ghana's Embassy in Morocco.

The swift manner in, which some patrons completed their first course and opted for another turn was indicative that their tongues had had a memorable encounter with a good meal.

"This is very good. I'll taste it again. We also prepare jollof in our country but this is more spicy," Philip, a participant from Cameroon, said.

Fasouma, a Nigerien student in Morocco, told the Ghana News Agency that: "I have heard about Ghana's jollof so I wanted to have a taste of it. This is really good and I wish your people can teach me how to prepare it."

Nasiru, a Nigerian journalist, revived the Ghana-Nigeria jollof debate, but admitted in the end that "Ghana's jollof is almost as good as that of Nigeria”. 

Earlier, some Ghanaian students in Morocco performed Ghanaian cultural dances at a ceremony that preceded the food exhibition.

The Kingdom of Morocco on Thursday held series of events to mark the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU) in 1963.

In an interview with the GNA, Mr Samuel Jojo Effah-Broni, Ghana's Ambassador to Morocco, said the country's rich local meals demonstrated its unique culture and identity.

He said many Moroccans and other foreign nationals were in love with Ghana's local dishes and beverages.

"Everybody enjoys the taste of Ghanaian food. Ours is unique . Other countries prepare waakye and jollof, but they are not smooth like ours," Mr Effah-Broni said.

He said the country must package and market its local dishes well to drive cultural export and to reap benefits for the country in the area of tourism.

GNA

ActionAid supports agriculture in two Districts in Upper East

 By Godfred A. Polkuu

Zebilla (U/E), May 25, GNA-ActionAid Ghana (AAG), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), has presented 60 bicycles to female Agriculture Extension Volunteers in two Districts in the Upper East Region to boost agricultural activities.

The two districts, Bawku West and Nabdam Districts, each received 30 bicycles for the women, as part of the Northern Ghana Integrated Development Project (NGIDP) implemented by AAG together with Urbanet and Tree Aid with funding support from the European Commission.

The NGIDP directly empowered 13,500 women smallholder farmers, some young people and persons with disabilities, strengthened 300 women farmer groups, 15 farmer networks and trained 1,050 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and group leaders.

The project also reached a total of 825,000.00 people, directly and indirectly in 15 selected districts in Northern Ghana including all districts in the Upper East Region.

It ensured improved delivery of extension services, increased awareness on rights to land, social protection and decent work.

At two separate ceremonies at Zebilla and Nabdam to present the bicycles, Mr Alhassan Sulemana, the Regional Manager of AAG, said 240 Female Extension Volunteers were trained by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to support their communities and catchment areas with basic extension services.

He said the Female Extension Volunteers would help improve the ratio of agriculture extension service personnel and as they were indigenes within the communities who would directly work with farmers in their respective communities, it would be most beneficial to the farmers.

He said the bicycles were to facilitate movements of the volunteers to augment the services of the few overburdened Agriculture Extension Officers within their catchment areas.

“So, the essence of these bicycles is for them to be able to move from farm to farm to offer extension services as to what to do, and how they are supposed to do it to get some better yields,” Mr Sulemana said.

He said the four-year project, expected to end in June 2023, had the overall objective “To contribute to rural poverty reduction in Ghana through economic development, adoption of environmentally sustainable agriculture policies and practice, and greater access to social protection.”

Mr Rasheed Imoro, the Nabdam District Director of MoFA, said even though the NGIDP had ended, MoFA would continue to train more women groups to serve as community extension services volunteers.

He said the Ministry’s Extension Officers could not reach all the communities, therefore, the services of the volunteers were relevant, as they would offer first-hand advice to farmers in the communities based on what they were taught.

He said even though MoFA could not supply bicycles to volunteers, it would continue to build the capacities of more volunteers, “Going forward, we need to train more of them, so that they can give first-hand help to the farmers before technical advice by Extension Officers.”

Some volunteers after receiving their bicycles, expressed gratitude to AAG for the training and the bicycles presented to them.

According to them, farmlands within their catchment areas were far apart, so the bicycles would facilitate their movement within the communities to assist farmers improve on their yields, especially as the rains had set in.

GNA

Akatsi Police retrieves suspected bones and skull of missing motor rider

 By Agbaxode Emmanuel, GNA

 

Akatsi (V/R), May 25, GNA- The Akatsi South Police Command has retrieved some human parts believed to be the remains of a 28-year-old  motor rider, Louis Agbogli, who went missing on April 21, this year.

 

Louis Agbogli, a native of Atidzive  who resides at Akatsi, all within the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region reportedly went missing after he was seen picking a female pillion rider on Friday, April 21 from Akatsi to the Kpetoe area.

 

Chief Superintendent Isaac Baah, the Akatsi South Municipal Police Commander, briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on developments relating to the incident, said on Thursday, April 27, Mr Lumor Agbogli, father of the deceased, made a complaint to the Police about the disappearance of his son.

 

Mr Baah said  the Police in their preliminary investigations, said the suspect, Regina Dagba, an 18-year-old girl from Asafotsi-Dagbakope, a village within Akatsi South on Thursday, April 20, sought the service of a motor rider ostensibly to pick her to Adetsewui, where she was to meet her boyfriend. 

 

He said the charge for transportation of the suspect could not meet her financial status at that time, “so the deceased willingly added Ghc 3.00 to help aid her departure to the village.”

 

Mr Baah said the suspect, after taking the deceased’s contact, called him the next day to offer gratitude for his assistance and asked him to pick her to Kpetoe, which he obliged, “even though his colleagues riders discouraged him from offering that service.”

 

“Upon reaching Kpetoe, the suspect appealed to the deceased to take her to a village called Nyatsive, where the deceased had since not returned, causing fear and panic among his relations and friends,” he said.

 

Mr Baah further disclosed that the suspect, together with Etse Datsomor, her 20-year-old boyfriend from Adetsewui, was lured from his hideout at Nyatsive in the Republic of Togo, and arrested around the Wute stretch of the Akatsi- Ziope road on Monday, May 15, where they both admitted to having murdered the victim after interrogation.

 

He said his outfit in connection with their Togolese counterpart after a court order was obtained, Etse led a team of both Police officers from Ghana and Togo to a gravel pit site located between Kpetoe and Nyatsive, near Togo, where bones and a skull was retrieved.

 

“Suspect pointed the scene to the police and after a careful inspection, it was found that the body had decomposed, leaving behind only the bones and skull.”

 

Police sources revealed that the suspect also led the Police team to a nearby bush to retrieve the deceased’s motorbike, which was close to where he was allegedly murdered.

 

Mr Baah said efforts were underway to forward the bones to Accra for Forensic Laboratory examination, whilst the suspects would reappear in court on Friday, June 2.

GNA

GRA invite more shop owners over VAT compliance

 

Officials of the Enforcement Units of the Ghana Revenue Authority has invited some shop owners for questioning as part of its efforts to ensure voluntary Value Added Tax (VAT) compliance.

 

The GRA expects that all suppliers of taxable items, goods, or services, issue VAT invoices as required by law, and in the same vein, the customer is required by law to obtain an invoice if such transactions attract VAT.

 

Mr Joseph Annan, Area Enforcement Manager of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in charge of Accra Central, said it was an infringement on the tax laws if businesses failed to issue the VAT when they were registered with the Authority.

 

Mr Annan was speaking during the ongoing tax 

 

invigilation exercise being conducted at the Authority in Accra.

 

He said the shop owners had clearly violated the regulations of VAT.

 

On Tuesday, the team visited u-Fresh Company Limited, Computer Land Ghana Limited, Vegetable and Fruits Supermarket, Sulas Enterprise, and Mahalia Kollections, among others.

 

Two of the shops were closed by the officials and some documents taken from the rest of the shops for assessment of their records.

 

He said the exercise or operations were part of an ongoing nationwide VAT Invigilation exercise by the authority to retrieve some taxes due the State.

 

The Enforcement Officer said all these shops visited failed to issue the VAT invoice when the team tested them hence the arrest and handing over to the Police for investigation and possible prosecution.

 

He told the Ghana News Agency some of these 

 

shops were selective in the issuance of the VAT invoice to their customers.

 

He said these individuals would be assessed and made to pay immediately and after that “we will commence a full audit on the companies.”

 

He said the exercise would continue until sanity prevailed or was restored in the system.

 

Mr Annan said the GRA as part of the nationwide invigilation would continue to embark on mystery shopping exercises across the country to apprehend culprits evading tax.

 

Traders in Kumawu cashing in on by-election

 Traders at Kumawu in the Ashanti Region are cashing in on the ongoing by-election as they make good sales from the huge number of visitors in the town. 

 
Most of the traders, especially food and beverage vendors, could be seen making brisk business in the area.  
 
Madam Sarah Adwapa, a bottled and sachet water seller, told the Ghana News Agency that sales had increased in the last 24 hours as she had sold close to 80 packs and boxes of water by midday Tuesday. 

“In fact, this is my best sales in a very long time, I don’t even sell two packs or a box of water in a day!" she exclaimed. 

 
"Though the death of our dear MP is a great loss to the whole Constituency, my water business has been excellent."  
 
Bismark Opoku, an ice cream seller, was  also excited about the volume of sales he made even before noon.  
 
He was optimistic of making good sales by the close of the day without trekking to other nearby communities to sell, which is his daily routine.  
 

 Abena Serwaa, fried yam seller, said she started selling earlier than usual due to high patronage, an indication that she could make more profit.  

 

“Mostly people will come and buy from me after noon, but today before I could finish frying my fish, people were waiting for me to fry the yams. 

I am hoping the demand for fried yam sustains till the day ends," she said.  

 

Other vendors of soft drinks, toffees and biscuits admitted making good sales and expressed optimism that patronage would continue to increase to make some profit. 

GNA 

AerCap signs lease agreements with ASKY for two Boeing 737 Max Aircraft

 AerCap Holdings N.V. has signed lease agreements for two Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft with ASKY, The Pan-African Airline, headquartered in Togo.  

A statement issued in Accra by the Airline said the aircraft were scheduled to be delivered in June through August 2023.   

It said in attendance at the signing ceremony were Mr Esayas W. Hailu, CEO of ASKY, Mr Aengus Kelly, the CEO of AerCap, Mr Girma Wake, the Board Chairman of Ethiopian Airlines Group and Aviation Advisor to Togo, Board members of ASKY, and other distinguished guests.    

“We are delighted to welcome ASKY as a new customer to AerCap and particularly pleased to place the first MAX in Togo,” Mr Kelly said.  

He said “AerCap is the largest lessor in Africa with 14 airline customers on the continent, and we are pleased to continue to support the growth and development of African aviation. We wish the ASKY team every success and look forward to working with them as these aircraft deliver.”  

 “I consider it an honour to introduce state-of-the-art B737-8 MAX aircraft into the ASKY fleet, which will support our wide regional network in our continuous endeavour to serve our esteemed customers,” Mr Hailu said.  

He said he was confident that the introduction of B737-8 MAX would further enhance ASKY’s brand image before the eyes of the traveling public and the airline felt great to be the region’s leading customer to AerCap, the world’s largest owners of commercial aircraft.  

GNA