Make PWDs key beneficiaries Of COVID-19 Trust Fund – Otiko to Gov’t

May 16, 2020 by with 0 comment

The Henry Djaba Foundation is calling on Government to make special allocation in the National COVID-19 Trust Fund to support Persons with Disability (PWDs) who have lost their income as a result of the pandemic.

The Foundation is also requesting the Government to consider the PWDs in the disbursement of the Six Hundred Million (GH¢600 million) stimulus package to enable them start up or expand their Small and Medium Enterprises.

The call follows efforts entire world is making to observe the 2020 International Day of Families amid the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

The Executive Director of the Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation, Dr. Otiko Afisah Djaba, in a statement issued in Accra, on Friday, May 15, 2020, said the COVID-19 pandemic had sharply revealed the need for Ghana to invest heavily in social policies to protect the most vulnerable groups and families.

The Former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection hinted of the devastating effects of COVID-19 on most PWDs- majority of whom are jobless, parents with children and are without any sources of income.

She urged the Government to pay special attention to, and support parents of children with disabilities who experience a whole set of added challenges in ensuring their children’s welfare.

She said most of the PWDs who are parents could not help but to bear the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis by feeding, sheltering and caring for their children/families, yet there is no clear-cut sustainable support from the Government to those vulnerable groups.

Dr. Otiko Djaba specially acknowledged one Baba Imoro, a PWD at Santa Maria, who in spite of his disability, had assumed the responsibility of caring for his four (4) children after his wife abandoned the marriage.

The Executive Director of the Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation also raised serious concern about how most families had neglected the responsibility of caring and supporting their own members who have physical disabilities.

She observed that families are supposed to be the main backbone or support system for people not excluding the PWDs.

She consequently charged all families with persons with disability to show love, care and support at all times.

Dr. Djaba also paid special tribute to all families that give protection, love and care to persons with disability despite the stigmatisation.

This year’s International Day of Families is under the theme: “Families in Development: Copenhagen & Beijing+25”.

The Day was set aside by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994, to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social and economic issues that affect families worldwide.

Dr. Djaba said, “Families in Ghana and across the world are the foundation of society. Most of the formative years of our lives are spent growing up with our families. Family is not always blood relations alone. It is also about people who have impacted your life, or the ones who accept you for who you are. Family is about the one you love and the one who loves you no matter what. Family indeed is considered as bedrock of all social life and when it comes to old age, sickness and any form of disability, family serves as social security both financially and emotionally”.

Smart Review: Better Voice Recognition with SoapBox Labs

May 16, 2020 by with 0 comment

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Patricia Scanlon, CEO, and Founder of SoapBox Labs, a Dublin based company that develops speech recognition technology for kids. Scanlon has a Ph.D. in speech recognition technology and more than twenty years of experience in this area. She was named as one of the top 50 Global Women in Technology by Forbes in 2018.

In 2013, Scanlon’s three-year-old daughter was using an app to learn to read and practice phonics. Scanlon noticed that something was missing when she would ask questions and her daughter didn’t know the answers. Scanlon began researching the voice technology solutions available for children. Unlike the common voice assistant apps such as Alexa and Siri which are built using predominantly adult voice data, she found that there were not any products available that worked well for children.

To find a solution, Scanlon began her work by focusing on adult speech patterns and then studied the voice differences of children between the ages of 3 and 12. The team at SoapBox spent several years collecting speech samples from children to learn more and build the most efficient and effective product.

Why Siri Doesn’t Work for Kids
I have been quite interested in learning more about digital tools for early learners, in particular with voice assistants and speech recognition software. As a classroom teacher and someone who is interested in artificial intelligence, I am often asked about the use of voice assistants in the classroom and the benefits of speech recognition software in education.

When I asked Scanlon about the effectiveness of using Siri or Alexa with younger children, she said that while they may work in narrow use cases, they have not been built for kids’ voices specifically, so they cannot be relied upon for accuracy. As children are still developing their vocal cords, they cannot always enunciate their words properly, tend to pause, or can become distracted while speaking. Therefore the performance of traditional voice systems that are not built specifically for kids is poor.

While a child may not have made an error in their reading or pronunciation, a voice technology system may mark it as wrong because the technology is not designed to listen to and accurately understand a child’s speech pattern. Because speech recognition for younger children is challenging and complex, Scanlon decided to invest herself in finding a way to provide this technology for children.

Why does SoapBox work for kids?
SoapBox is different from other speech recognition technologies because it focuses specifically on the unique voice, speech patterns, and even the behaviors of children. It can accommodate for acoustic and behavioral differences that might be part of a child’s developmental speech, or their speech while reading a particular passage, such as speaking quietly or loudly when excited. The technology also works well in noisy environments that children may be working in such as playgrounds, kitchens, and classrooms.

With many schools faced with remote learning, in the absence of being in the classroom and hearing students read and providing feedback that is critical for their growth, this type of technology can be quite valuable. Using speech recognition technology, teachers receive feedback on the literacy and language development of their students through the teacher dashboard and are able to provide critical feedback and support to students and their families.

Children receive immediate feedback on their reading and pronunciation, can re-do the activities, practice, and begin to understand areas that they need to work on, therefore becoming more self-aware. Because of this real-time feedback, we will see an increase in learning potential and higher learner engagement. Using this type of technology to build literacy skills, the students can continue to engage in learning independently.

Uses of SoapBox Labs
SoapBox technology can be integrated into existing digital and physical platforms, including gaming, smart toys, English language learning tools, robotics, interactive, and even augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) experiences. The SoapBox Labs technology is licensed to third party companies developing kids’ products, who then integrate their entertainment and education platforms.

The technology has been beneficial for early literacy, and in specialist areas like dyslexia, and promotes more access for children with challenges such as English language learners. WIDA is also interested in how SoapBox Labs technology can help students with these language learning needs.

Most recently, SoapBox Labs created SoapBox Fluency, a first of its kind technology that offers voice-enabled assessments for literacy. SoapBox Fluency provides teachers with a way to assess K-5 literacy when the SoapBox technology is integrated into the edtech platforms being used for the formative and summative assessments. Using this technology enables teachers to supplement their observational assessments of student literacy development and provide more independent practice opportunities for students. Students are assessed as they work on phonics, short sentences, and along the way as they develop their fluency skills. Students are scored based on accuracy and are prompted to redo a word or sentence and can continue practicing.

Safe and secure for students
An important consideration when using different apps, especially with children, is data privacy. Scanlon said that data privacy is critical and protecting kids’ voice data privacy is fundamental to who SoapBox Labs is as a company. Being a parent also guided her work when it came to data privacy. SoapBox Labs is COPPA and GDPR compliant.

When it comes to data privacy, Scanlon is often quoted as saying,

“It wasn’t cheaper and it wasn’t faster to build-in data privacy, but from the start of the company we wanted to set ourselves up for long term success and that meant building our technology and processes in a way that respected every child’s fundamental right to data privacy”.

The future of speech recognition
Scanlon believes that speech recognition technology will become more intelligent and increasingly more accurate. Voice is a natural interface for children because as young children cannot yet read, they are learning critical skills like reading through interactions such as with voice technologies. SoapBox Labs will be adding additional languages including Mandarin, Spanish, and Portuguese, French and Italian.

To learn more about Scanlon’s passion for the work that she does, I recommend watching her TED Talk on “How Technology Transforms a Child’s Reading Journey” delivered at the University of Limerick in July of 2019. To learn more about SoapBox Labs, explore some of the use cases and latest updates.

Credit: www.gettingsmart.com

Google could face antitrust suits by summer as DOJ, states move toward decisions

May 16, 2020 by with 0 comment

The Justice Department and a coalition of state attorneys general are taking steps toward bringing antitrust suits against Google as soon as this summer, three people familiar with the cases said Friday, describing the litigation as likely.

The suits would make the search and advertising giant the first huge tech company to face concrete action from more than a year of probes, which have also swept up Facebook, Amazon and Apple as possible targets.

The people cautioned that neither the department nor the state AGs have made any decisions about filing such a case, which would be the first major U.S. antitrust action against a dominant technology company since the Clinton administration’s pursuit of Microsoft in the 1990s. But the DOJ’s antitrust inquiries into Google, Facebook and other Silicon Valley powers has become a priority for Attorney General William Barr, who has asserted greater control of the probes and has said he wants to make a decision on Google by the summer.

The investigation by states and U.S. territories, which involves more than 50 attorneys general, is slightly behind the Justice Department’s probe, but the group is on track to decide on a suit by this fall, the people said.

Both sets of investigations have been slowed but not halted by the coronavirus pandemic, which has created hurdles for typical pre-litigation steps such as bringing witnesses in for formal questioning. The department and the states would also need to decide whether to offer a settlement to Google and what remedies they would seek — such as whether to seek to split apart portions of the company’s digital advertising empire or its control of the Android mobile operating system.

The people knowledgeable about the probes spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case publicly. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report Friday that the lawsuits are likely.

The Federal Trade Commission is pursuing its own separate probe of potential antitrust abuses in the tech industry, including past mergers by Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft. And the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel still aims to release initial findings from its own probe of the tech industry, though it had to delay plans to release initial findings in March.

Both the Justice Department and the state AGs are focused on Google’s dominance in the advertising technology market, though they are also looking into the tech giant’s power over search rankings and Android. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking the lead on the ad tech market, while Iowa’s attorney general is looking into some of the other aspects.

In public comments Thursday, Paxton accused Google of delaying the investigation by filing “ludicrous filings just to slow us down.” A dispute over experts hired by the states led to a several-month delay in Google’s production of documents, and even now the company is still moving slowly in turning over evidence.

Google said it is cooperating with the probes.

“We continue to engage with the ongoing investigations led by the Department of Justice and Attorney General Paxton, and we don’t have any updates or comments on speculation,” said Google spokesperson Julie Tarallo McAlister. “Our focus is firmly on providing services that help consumers, support thousands of businesses, and enable increased choice and competition.”

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

Trouble for some of the tech giants has deepened in recent months, despite the crucial role their online services are playing in helping society function amid virus-inspired lockdowns. They include Amazon, which issued a non-committal response Friday to House Judiciary’s demands that CEO Jeff Bezos testify about whether the company misled Congress about efforts to undermine its third-party sellers.

Facebook, meanwhile, announced Friday that it is buying another popular online company — Giphy, a provider of animated images called GIFs — in the kind of corporate acquisition that some congressional Democrats have pushed to halt during the pandemic. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said in a statement late Friday that the DOJ and FTC “must investigate this proposed deal.”

“Many companies, including some of Facebook’s rivals, rely on Giphy’s library of sharable content and other services, so I am very concerned about this proposed acquisition,” she added.

Credit: www.politico.com

COVID-19: Cases in Ghana hit 5,638 as death toll rises to 28

May 16, 2020 by with 0 comment

Ghana’s recorded cases of affected persons with the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has risen to 5,638 from a previous 5,530, a data released by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has revealed.

This was after 108 persons were reported to have tested positive for the virus.

According to the data, four more persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in Ghana have died bringing the number of related deaths to 28.

The total number of recoveries have also shot up to 1,460 after some 786 new recoveries, the data released by the GHS on its webpage Friday further revealed.

The update on the Ghana Health Service website indicates that 44 of the 108 new cases were recorded in Accra, 26 in the Western Region, 16 in the Central Region and 12 from the Northern Region.

The remaining 10 were recorded in the Ashanti Region; with 5 from the Kumasi sub-metro and the other 5 in Obuasi where some are suggesting there should be a localized lockdown.

The Bono East, Ahafo and the Savannah Regions have still not registered a case.

Regional Breakdown:

Greater Accra Region – 4,248

Ashanti Region – 798

Central Region – 210

Eastern Region – 99

Western Region – 87

Western North Region – 57

Volta Region – 34

Northern Region – 31

Oti Region – 26

Upper East Region – 26

Upper West Region – 21

North East Region – 2

Bono Region – 1

Savannah Region – 0

Ahafo Region – 0

Bono East Region – 0

Akufo-Addo reactivates abandoned 44-year-old KATH block

May 16, 2020 by with 0 comment

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, May 15, 2020, cut the sod for the reactivation of work for the construction of the forty-four year old Maternity and Children’s Block of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

The project, which is being funded by German Bank, Deutsche Bank, will cost €155 million, and is expected to be completed within 36 months.

The project is being undertaken by Contracta.

Once completed, President Akufo-Addo, stated that the Maternity and Children’s Block will be a state-of-the-art, modern health edifice, with paediatrics, gynaecology and obstetrics units.

“It will serve as a referral centre for twelve (12) of the sixteen (16) regions of our country. It will be a seven hundred and fifty (750)-bed building, with outpatient areas for adults and children, and it will have ten (10) operating theatres and diagnostic rooms, fully equipped with X-Ray, ultrasound, and mammography facilities,” he said.

The President continued, “It will house an intensive care unit, a high dependency unit, isolation rooms and student lecture halls, with the capacity to provide catering services for staff, patients and students”.

Recounting the sequence of events leading up to the reactivation of construction work of the Block, President Akufo-Addo noted that, in 2017, his first year as President of the Republic, he paid a 3-day working visit to the Ashanti Region, where his itinerary took him to the abandoned Maternity and Children’s Block.

He was made to understand, at the time, that this project had begun in 1976, as part of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Expansion Project, but came to a standstill in 1979. It was reactivated in 1999, under the administration of the 1st President of the 4th Republic, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings, but again stalled shortly afterwards.

In 2004, the administration of the 2nd President of the 4th Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, took it up, but, soon after his departure from office in January 2009, work on this project was discontinued, until the assumption of office of another NPP administration, the Akufo-Addo government, in 2017.

“In my remarks, after the visit to this project site, I pledged that Government would undertake a comprehensive assessment of the situation, and would ensure that the necessary funds would be secured for the completion of this important piece of health infrastructure,” he said.

This led to the approval by Parliament, in 2019, of a €155 million loan to finish and equip the Maternity and Children’s Block of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, with the President reiterating his delight at being able to “cut the sod for work to begin finally to complete this ultramodern Maternity and Children Block – a project which is to be carried out within thirty-six (36) months, and whose funding has been fully secured.”

As co-Chair of the Group of Eminent Advocates for the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, he stated that finalisation of the project is very dear to his heart, as it will have a positive impact the country’s drive towards achieving the SDG targets under maternal and child health.

The President reinforced the commitment of Government to providing access to healthcare to every Ghanaian, no matter where they are.

“That is the reason for embarking, this year, on the development of eighty-eight (88) district hospitals, ‘Agenda 88’, to ensure every district has a district hospital, and seven (7) regional hospitals for the seven regions that do not have one, all of which are to be done within a year,” he added.

COVID-19 Fight

Touching on the COVID-19 fight, the President stressed that the rapid execution of policies, such as the ban on public gatherings, the closure of our schools and borders, has resulted in the country’s low COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation and death rates, some of the lowest in Africa and the world.

He, thus, encouraged all in Asanteman and the rest of Ghana to observe the social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols.

“Do not forget to wash your hands regularly with soap under running water, use alcohol-based sanitizers, refrain from shaking hands, cover your mouths and noses when you cough or sneeze, wear your masks at all times in public, eat well from nutritious Ghanaian foods, and follow a good diet to boost your immune system,” he said.

Axim Must Rise Once Again And Move Forward…

May 15, 2020 by with 0 comment

My fellow Aximians, brothers, and sisters I am apolitical and therefore I have no political affiliation or attachment to any political party in Ghana.

I am just for the betterment of Axim and Ghana as a whole; thus, I support anyone or any party whose ideology is in synchrony with mine.

Gone are those days of frequent bickering among the Lower and Upper Axim citizens.

And long gone are those days when wearing a different political color made you the enemy.

The old trick of divide and conquer must disappear from our lexicon and banished to the famed Bole Eleka behind Beboayisi island.

We, as Aximians, should and must present a unified front and support any individual irrespective of political affiliation or location in the section of town as long as their ambitions and goals are in line with the advancement and prosperity of Axim and its citizens and Ghana as a whole. I don’t think this is too much to ask!

The world-renowned architect, David Adjaye, recently mentioned Axim as one of the favorite towns in Ghana he likes to visit.

Obviously, he was impressed by the beautiful landscape and colonial neoclassical architecture which were built mostly by timber merchants and white administrators during the colonial era. Axim is blessed with a very rich history.

An impressive history spanning from trade with Portuguese settlers, who built Fort Saint Anthony, to hosting leaders and great personalities such as Anton Amo, Paa Grant, Kwame Nkrumah, and William Baidoe-Ansah, to mention a few.

From the period of colonial British rule and throughout the good old days of Nkrumah’s regime, Axim enjoyed impressive development.

Till today, the older generation reminisce about the once beautiful kerosene lampposts that dotted our beautiful streets; the plush Upper Town bungalows; merchant steam ships that docked behind Beboayisi Light House and adjacent islands; and other attractions.

All these developments attracted all tribes from Gas, Ewes, Fantis, Ashantis, Dagombas, etc. to settle in Axim.

Sadly, like having a dagger shoved in the back, all these developments were unfortunately truncated first by the overthrow of Nkrumah’s government and secondly by the diversion of the main highway from Elubo to Takoradi, which previously passed through Axim.

The collapse of the fishing industry and destruction of the sea wall by the ocean further made matters worse.

In the ensuing years, Axim was practically deprived of much needed assistance from previous governments.

Fortunately, God working in mysterious ways, has finally listened to our prayers and the people of Axim are now witnessing one of the most stunning infrastructure developments since the overthrow of Nkrumah.

A state-of-the-art sea defense wall with in-built dry-docks for local canoes has been built.

To ice the cake, a coastal route or road has been added alongside the sea wall.

This coastal road which runs parallel to the main road from Anhiliso to Lower Town impressively runs behind the castle on reclaimed land which was once covered by the ocean.

Furthermore, the once elusive fishing harbor (from failed promises of past governments) is now under construction.

Undoubtedly, the fishing harbor will be an economic game-changer when completed! Hopefully, unemployed youth and women will now find jobs at the harbor.

By the way, lest we forget, a sports complex, DVLA, and paving and face-lifting of Victoria Park have been all added to the cake.

Additionally, the construction of asphalt and bitumen overlay of the Axim town roads is in progress and our beloved hospital road via Tarkwa house will be resurfaced with asphalt and bitumen again after 49 years of neglect.

Under President Akufo-Addo’s ambitious policy of one district one factory, a gas bottling plant for domestic and commercial use by Ghana Gas is in the pipeline to be established in the Brawire-Akyinim enclave.

We hope, cross our fingers, and pray that no one will place one of those frivolous injunctions or lawsuits to delay construction of this factory which will augment employment opportunities in not only in Axim but throughout the Evalue-Gwira constituency and help make a dent in the unemployment situation in Ghana as a whole.

Paradoxically, instead of uniting to support this development there are few elements who are determined to impede this progress by filling frivolous lawsuits and fostering controversies.

For example, the DVLA which was supposed to be located close to Axim had to be moved away to Ayisiakro as a result of land dispute between a certain Chief and one family. This dispute was preceded by a sod-cutting brouhaha instigated by the chief.

The same Chief also filed a law suit to halt construction of the harbor because according to him that area belonged to his people.

Although zoned for road construction by the Axim Town and Country Planning Department, another group filed a lawsuit last week to halt road construction in Beamish because a piece of land belonged to them.

I firmly believe that if the plaintiffs engaged in dialogue with our MP and local authorities there would sufficient common ground for compromise. In my humble opinion filing a lawsuit as a way to harass and impede progress is not the way to go.

In as much as the appropriate compensation must be doled out to reach an amicable settlement, land owners must also recognize that eminent domain law also states that the government has power to take a private land for public use without the owner’s consent.

If we delve deeper and set aside our personal biases, especially our party affiliations, we will undeniably agree that all the progress we are witnessing in our constituency could not have been achieved without the lobbying skills, tenacity, dedication, brilliance, and vision of our current MP Catherine Afeku. It is therefore not a coincidence that the Evalue-Gwira constituency has captivated the attention of the President and gaining all these breathtaking developments.

Folks, we are very fortunate to have the right person who at this crucial time is pulling the right strings and cowry shells and causing the tarot cards to turn in our favor especially in this COVID-19 era when most economies are on the verge of collapse.

In this world timing is everything and therefore if our number has been called and all seem to be in synchrony, why not enjoy and rejoice!

Again, I am not a member to any political party; just a dedicated citizen to my motherland and “mother-town” (Axim).

Disunity is the enemy of progress! Undeniably, the great majority of people in Axim are pro-development, except a few elements who are trying to tarnish our image, hence the call for us to rise and send a strong united message out to the world that: WE ARE FOR DEVELOPMENT THEREFORE LET AXIM CITIZENS BOTH HOME AND ABROAD RISE!

We must condemn those whose goal is to hinder development in Axim.

God bless you, and may God bless Axim and Ghana as a whole.

Thank you.

Mr. Stennis Anaman
San Francisco,
California, USA.

We don’t need EC to rig elections in our favour – NPP

May 15, 2020 by with 0 comment

The National Campaign Manager of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peter Mac Manu, has dismissed claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), that the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has put in place a grand scheme to rig the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections in favour of the ruling party.

The NDC led by its National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, on Wednesday, May 14, 2020, accused the NPP that it set out to rig the 2020 polls immediately it took office on January 7, 2017.

In doing so, the elephant family has conspired with the election managing body and the National Identification Authority (NIA) to rig the elections in the favour.

For instance, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo said the EC and the NIA have been mandated to suppress votes in the strongholds of the NDC.

He added that the decision of the EC to push for Ghana Card, Birth Certificate, and Passport as the primary documents required to register during the Voters Registration exercise is part of a grand scheme to rig the 2020 elections in favour of the governing NPP. Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo wondered why the EC would like to ignore the voter ID which he says is the most credible document of identity in the country and rather go for birth certificate which are easily obtainable.

He further alleged that the NIA increased the number of registration centers in the Ashanti Region during the registration of the Ghana Card in that region but kept few in the strongholds of the NDC as part of the voter suppression agenda.

However, Mr. Manu, said those accusations are frivolous, noting that the NPP is and cannot be part of any conspiracy whatsoever to rig the 2020 elections.

Addressing a press conference in Accra to counter the accusations levelled against the NPP, the Campaign Manager of the NPP said the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition is not afraid to face the electorate and will not in any way conspire with any organization or body or whatsoever to rig the upcoming elections in their favour.

“We do not need the EC to rig an election in our favour. A government that has put some 1.3 million children to school, (who if NDC was in power would be on the streets) does not need an election to be rigged in its favour. A government that has restored industry and is creating jobs for the people does not need an election to be rigged in its favour. A government that has put 100,000 unemployed graduates to work does not need an election to be rigged in its favour. A government that puts the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian first, whether it is in protecting the money of millions of depositors, or absolving the cost of electricity and water of 30 million Ghanaians, to ease the sufferings of the people when there is a crisis, such a government does not need an election to be rigged in its favour. The President continues to show leadership and commitment to the welfare of ordinary Ghanaians and it is this which gives us confidence that the Ghanaian people will recognize his leadership and performance and allow the party that knows how to deliver to continue”, he noted.

He added “We intend to fight and win in December based on our performance”.

To Mr. Mac Manu, the focus of President Akufo-Addo and his government upon assuming office was to fix the broken economy that President John Mahama and his NDC “rigged in their 8 years in office”, stressing that it remains their focus to manage the crisis caused by COVID-19 in a way that the Ghanaian economy and society will come out of the crisis stronger and more united.

“The plan of the NDC is nothing more than to fabricate grounds for chaos, disunity and fear. They are doing this because they do not have a good candidate and a good story to tell voters in December”, he noted.

According to him, it beats the imagination of the well-meaning Ghanaians why the NDC is rejecting the compilation of a new voters register, urging Ghanaians to demand answers from the opposition party.

“We want the people of Ghana to ask the NDC this simple but important question: so what is it about the 2012 voters register that the NDC is so determined to protect it from being replaced? What is in that 2012 register that the NDC is threatening civil war if it is changed for a better one? Why is the NDC placing its entire electoral fortunes on that controversial register which was compiled under their term in office? Please, remember that this is the first time ever that any opposition party in Ghana has complained and complained so loudly against the compilation of a new voters’ register”, he narrated.

EC conniving with NIA to suppress votes in NDC strongholds – Ofosu Ampofo

May 14, 2020 by with 0 comment

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has alleged that the Electoral Commission and National Identification Authority are conspiring to suppress votes in the strongholds of the party.

Addressing a news conference Thursday afternoon, National Chairman of the party Samuel Ofosu Ampofo alleged that the decision of the Electoral Commission to push for the Ghana Card, birth certificate and Passport as the primary documents required to register during the voters’ registration exercise is part of a grand scheme to rig the 2020 elections in favour of the governing NPP.

According to Mr Ampofo, the decision by the NIA to increase the number of registration centres in the Ashanti region but keep few in the strongholds of the NDC is part of the voter suppression agenda.

“The President seeing defeat staring glaringly at him, he is in conjunction with the Jean Mensa led EC and the Ken Attafuah led NIA desperately scheming to rig the 2020 elections and hold on to power at all cost.

“Not even the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in which requires that we pull together for our collective survival as a nation are enough to deter the actors of this plot from their ungodly act.”

Mr Ampofo also wondered why the EC would like to ignore the voter ID which he said is the most credible document of identity in the county and rather go for birth certificates which are easily obtainable.

Source: Kasapafmonline.com

Newly constructed Tema Motorway interchange opens on Saturday

May 13, 2020 by with 0 comment

The Ministry of Roads and Highways, acting through the Ghana Highway Authority has served notice of opening the newly constructed Tema Motorway Grade Separated interchange to traffic on Saturday, May 16, 2020.

A statement releases by the Ghana Highway on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, said “Directional Animations which have been developed will be broadcasted
on all TV channels across the nation”, urging the travelling public to drive cautiously, adhere to Road Safety
Regulations and respect directional signage.

Where did you get money to buy PPEs? – Haruna Iddrisu quizzes EC

May 13, 2020 by with 0 comment

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has sent a note to the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, calling upon it to tell Ghanaians their source of funds in procuring PPEs for use in their upcoming Voters Registration exercise if it wasn’t the government that supplied the items to them.

The election management body had in a statement released on Monday, May 11, 2020, denied accusations made by the Minority Leader that it had received Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from Government.

However, Mr. Iddrisu in his response to the EC contained in a statement released in Accra on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, said his claim was in reference to a statement by Dr. Serebuor Quaicoo, Director of Electoral Services of the Electoral Commission.

The E.C. in its Statement alleged that I sought to attack the integrity and mandate of the Commission as well as create an erroneous impression in the minds of the general public on the Commission’s attitude towards the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Serebuor Quaicoo, according to the Minority Leader, had indicated on Joy FM’s current affairs programme, Newsfile, on Saturday, April 18, 2020, that the EC had received enough PPEs from Government.

“The E.C. in its Statement alleged that they did not receive any PPEs from Government. The question that the EC must answer is how it came by the PPEs it claimed were enough for the intended compilation of a new Voters Register, which has been wildly condemned by Civil Society, and well-meaning Ghanaians”, he quizzed.

He added “The E.C. needed to be reminded that the Commission did not make any provision for the procurement of PPEs in its 2020 budget as approved by Parliament in December 2020 since no one anticipated the pandemic at the time of the approval of the budget. The Commission should tell the Ghanaian public the source of the funds used for the procurement of its PPEs since they claim these were not provided by Government and these were also not provided for in their budget for 2020”.

 

Below is the full statement by Haruna Iddrisu:

I have read and listened with utter shock and disappointment, a Press Statement issued by the Electoral Commission and signed by its Acting Director of Public Affairs in response to a Press Conference by the Minority Caucus in Parliament and addressed by the Minority Leader.

The E.C. in its Statement alleged that I sought to attack the integrity and mandate of the Commission as well as create an erroneous impression in the minds of the general public on the Commission’s attitude towards the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Commission further stated that it had not stated anywhere that it had received Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from Government as stated by the Minority Leader in the said Press Conference.

For the record, I did indicate at the said Press Conference that I was making reference to a statement made by Dr. Serebuor Quaicoo, Director of Electoral Services of the Electoral Commission.

Dr. Serebuor Quaicoo had indicated on Joy FM’s current affairs programme, Newsfile on Saturday, 18th April 2020 that the EC had received enough PPEs from Government. Unfortunately, Dr. Serebuor had not come out to deny the assertion.

The E.C. in its Statement alleged that they did not receive any PPEs from Government. The question that the EC must answer is how it came by the PPEs it claimed were enough for the intended compilation of a new Voters Register, which has been wildly condemned by Civil Society, and well meaning Ghanaians.

The concern I expressed in the Press Conference was a simple advise to the E.C. not to be primarily concerned about the health and safety of only staff of the Commission but the general wellbeing of the Ghanaian populace.

The E.C. needed to be reminded that the Commission did not make any provision for the procurement of PPEs in its 2020 budget as approved by Parliament in December 2020 since no one anticipated the pandemic at the time of the approval of the budget.

The Commission should tell the Ghanaian public the source of the funds used for the procurement of its PPEs since they claim these were not provided by Government and these were also not provided for in their budget for 2020.

Questions on the integrity of the EC and its Leadership are issues of public knowledge and cannot be attributable to the Press Statement by the Minority Caucus in Parliament. For instance the integrity of the E.C. and its Leadership was battered when it was forced to withdraw, on two separate occasions, the Constitutional Instrument for the conduct of the 2020 elections, due to elementary errors discovered by the Minority in the Instrument. (It is only the current Leadership of the Commission that would seek to use Regulations to amend an Act).

This exhibition of incompetence and lack of diligence and consequently the integrity of the E.C. in the eyes of the public is not and cannot be attributable to the press conference of the Minority.

My counsel to the E.C. is to devote their effort to repair their battered image as an independent Institution (not even subject to the control and direction of the Government) and to win public trust and confidence rather than the usual indecent haste in waiving empty words regarding its integrity.

The E.C. should note that I have over the years been very circumspect in my political commentary, having occupied respectable portfolios at the Political Party level, the Executive and the Legislative and therefore do not just comment on any matter. As I said I referenced the Director of Electoral Services, Dr. Serebuor Quaicoo and the said Director has not denied those assertions.

SGN: HON. HARUNA IDDRISU

Breaking: Supreme Court dismisses case against Martin Amidu over age to hold SP Office

May 13, 2020 by with 0 comment

The Supreme Court has by a majority decision dismissed the case against Martin Amidu’s age while holding office as Special Prosecutor (SP).

The suit against Mr. Amidu was initiated by Dominic Ayine, MP for Bolgatanga East and a former deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

Mr. Ayine had filed the suit at the Supreme Court on claims that Amidu, 66, is beyond the statutory age of employment into Public Service.

He was therefore, seeking an order of the court to have his nomination annulled.

However, on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court presided over by the Chief Justice (CJ), Justice Anin Yeboah, by a 5-2 decision dismissed the case.

Background

Dominic Ayine, MP and a former Deputy Attorney General under the Mahama administration filed the action at the Supreme Court challenging that Mr Amidu’s age did not qualify him to be appointed as Ghana’s first Special Prosecutor.

In his application to the apex court, he sought reliefs including “a declaration that by a true and proper interpretation of Articles 190 (1) (d), 199 (1) (4) and 295 of the 1992 Constitution, the requirement age of all holders of public offices created pursuant to Article 190 (1) (d), is 60 years, anyhow not beyond 65 years.”

But the Attorney General’s Office responded and urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the suit, saying it was being “borne out of narrow, inadequate and literal construction of the scope of the application of Article 199 of the Constitution.”

The deputy AG then pushed that Mr Amidu is not “a proper party to the suit” as the action is seeking to challenge the Attorney General’s decision to nominate Mr Amidu as the Special Prosecutor, as well as his presentation by the President to Parliament for approval.

Mr. Dame also stated that the decision to appoint Mr. Amidu was taken in the course of the official duties of the President and the AG and Mr. Amidu can therefore not be a party to the suit.

It was horrific – Ghana’s High Commissioner to UK tells it all after recovering from COVID-19

May 13, 2020 by with 0 comment

Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Papa Owusu Ankomah is reported to have fully recovered from the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

He was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April 2020 and subsequently hospitalised for weeks at a facility in London.

In a statement to confirm his recovery, the diplomat said he is now free from the virus.

“I am reaching out to you today as the world fights a significant battle against the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). As most of you are aware, I tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to the Royal Free Hospital, London, in April 2020. I count myself blessed to be counted among the living today based on my recovery from the horrific effects of the virus.”

“I am grateful to all for the prayers and well wishes to me, my family, and staff of the High Commission during the difficult moment of recovery. Words cannot express the depth of our gratitude and I am fortunate to know that I have the concern of each and every one of you.”