Pioneer Food Cannery shuts down

Source: GNA

Canned fish manufacturer, Pioneer Food Cannery has shut down its operations indefinitely.

This is as a result of lack of water supply which has persisted for the last week.

About 1,800 workers of the company located at the Tema industrial area have been sent home.

Nana Yaw Amaka Okyere, Acting Head of Human Resources at Pioneer Food Cannery in an interview with XYZ News said without water the company cannot function.

“It has to do with one major resource that we need for our operations, that is water. Our operations are such that we need a very high volume of water to deliver what we do”.

Mr. Amaka Okyere is however hopeful things will normalize soon.

“To cut all the risk we had to shut down and we hoping that things will normalize and the moment things normalize we will go back to work”.

*****

Rawlings' Goodwill Message To Farmers

Source: Office of Former President Rawlings

It is a special honour once again to salute all farmers on the occasion of the National Farmers Day - a day set aside in recognition of the pivotal role farmers play towards national development.

Ghana celebrates farmers, for feeding the ever-growing population, for providing raw material to factories and also, for contributing substantial revenue, especially foreign exchange to the national coffers.

Your Toil, Sweat, Dedication, And Hard Work to Sustain Ghana’s Economy, Is Worthy of Celebration.

Any country that is incapable of feeding itself cannot also talk of economic development. It is for this reason, that merely saying Ayekoo, does not adequately express our appreciation of your good works; our dear farmers; Nonetheless, I am proud to wish all farmers the best of celebrations during the 2012 edition of Farmers’ Day, a day I am always proud to have helped to initiate.


Agricultural governance has made a paradigm shift to include the entire commodity value chain. This entails the provision of appropriate regulations to protect farmers from those who may take undue advantage of the climate of free market economy, to trade in inferior agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and plant protection chemicals in the industry.

It is my believe that, the only way we can guarantee that the majority of Ghanaians will have improved living standards is to ensure that there is significant productivity improvement in agriculture, food security, and economic prosperity for Farmers.

Food must be available. Food must be cheap, and once our food requirements are met, all else will fall in place.

Successive governments should also take a significant look at the transport of foodstuff from the growingareas to the various markets across the country. Lack of adequate road and rail infrastructure means food is transported expensively, leading to extreme price hikes and in some cases abuse of farmers by unscrupulous middle men. Farming will become more attractive if the cost of growing and distributing produce is reduced significantly by a concerted national investment in agricultural development infrastructure.

I wish to salute our gallant Farmers once more on this special day, and encourage you all to remain steadfast inyour noble profession.


Ayekoo!!!

*****

74 farmers to be rewarded at National Farmers Day

Source: Daily Graphic

Seventy-four farmers are to be honoured at this year’s National Farmers Day scheduled to take place at Abokobi in Accra today November 2, 2012.

The awardees include 50 mono-crop farmers, 10 extension officers, three best national farmers and their extension attaches, three best fisher categories and their extension attaches, one overall best extension officer and winners of the ‘What do you know’ quiz on agriculture.

This year’s National Farmers Day awards will be held on the theme: “Grow More Food: Strengthening farmer-based organizations for marketplace bargaining power”.

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, who held a press conference in Accra on Wednesday to throw light on preparations for the event, gave an assurance that the ministry would make every effort to ensure the successful organisation of the awards day.

According to him, the total budget for the event was GH?3,826,446, including both materials and cash.

The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) is sponsoring the first prize of a three-bedroom, fully furnished house on a litigation-free land for the eventual National Best Farmer at a place of his/her choice.

The Export Development and Agricultural Investment Fund (EDAIF) has provided the second prize of a tractor and its matching implements, while the third prize of a double cabin pick-up being sponsored by the the Stanbic Bank Ghana Ltd will go to the third best farmer.

For the best fisherman and best livestock farmer, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is providing a double cabin truck each, while the best cocoa farmer also takes away a double cabin pick-up from COCOBOD.

The National Farmers Day was instituted in 1985 to honour farmers and fishermen for their hard work and subsequent high output in 1984 after the 1982 and 1983 bad agricultural years.

The first edition was held at Osino in the Eastern Region in December 1986, with the first best farmer receiving two machetes, a pair of Wellington boots and a preset radio.

The only woman to have won the national best farmer award is Madam Afua Frimpongmaa from the Central Region in 2004.

*****

Parliament Suspends Part Of $1.50m Funds For Bui Hydro Electric

Source: GBC

A substantial amount of the over one hundred and fifty million dollars additional funding for the Bui Hydro Electric Power project has been frozen by Parliament.

This has become necessary as at the time of approving the additional funding, the legislature was not clear of the breakdown of expenditure for 56 million dollars of the loan.

The ranking member on the Finance Committee, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, raised the issue as the House considered the report of the Joint Committees of Finance and Mines and Energy on the facility.

The Deputy Minister of Energy Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, said the frozen amount does not form part of the core expenses of the power project.

First Deputy Speaker, Doe Adjaho, said Parliament's embargo on the money is subject to receiving details of how the money will be disbursed.

*****

I will reconcile Dagbon - Akufo-Addo

Source: Frank Amponsah-The New Crusading Guide

The Presidential Candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo – Addo has called for a seized fire among Abudus and Andanis to enable the great Dagbon state receive its facelift in the country.

According to him, quarrels of the past if not checked, would dominate the future of the country by holding up developmental projects.

“We don’t want quarrels of the past to happen in Ghana. We want to find a way to bring this quarrels to an end to have a secured future in our country” Nana Akufo – Addo urged lmam’s and leaders of Coalition of Islamic Education Units at an encounter in Tamale.

The Presidential candidate stressed that this running sore is not good for the country adding that leaders should use their status to find a way to promote peace and reconciliation among the two factions.

“What ever I can do for the two factions to merge I would do. I want to see Dagbon reunited, is one of the great states in the country as compared to Ashanti state” the Presidential candidate underscored.

He noted that one of the things that have made Ghana stand out in the world is religious freedom and asked the people of Dagbon to see each other as one.

Nana Addo asked them to look into the future and abandon the past.

Sheikh Issah Alhassan, leader of the Islamic Council, on his part, told the Presidential candidate that one of the sad things that the Muslim communities at large are facing under their educational unit is the lack of instructors.

This, he said has been a blockade because Ghana Education Service (GES) has stopped the recruitment of instructors.

“This situation has left some of the Arabic institutions with a few number of instructors, sometimes two or three who are expected to manage and control up to nine classrooms” he underscored.

Sheikh Alhassan, who doubles as an Islamic scholar expressed worry over the use of the Arabic language emphasizing that although Arabic is a foreign language with equal standing like other foreign languages Ghana has done very little to improve and make it attractive for studies.

“Why hasn’t GES made any attempt towards ensuring that Arabic language becomes examinable such as French” he quizzed.

Touching on infrastructural development and expansion, Sheikh Alhassan submitted that Arabic schools have been left behind; he appealing to the Presidential candidate to come to the aid of the school if elected into office come December 7.
#####
Our - Ghanaweb-News.com comment:
Nana Addo has been "praying" at the JEWISH wall in Jerusalem, like JEWS... and Sheikh Alhassan is asking Nana Addo to come to "aid" for Arabic schools in Ghana.. What a JOKE!

*****

Kwasi Pratt defends Woyome’s GH51m fraudulent payment

Source: Daily Gide

Kwesi Pratt Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper says it is “sheer irresponsibility” and an “insult” to Ghanaians for any politician to claim that if his party assumes power, they will not honour the payment of judgment debt but will use such monies to fund the cost of education.

In an apparent support for the fleecing of nation’s resources by people who had no contract with the state, Kwesi Pratt said it was not a big deal for people like Woyome to defraud the state even if they had no contract.

Alfred Agbesi Woyome, an NDC bankroller fraudulently pocketed GH¢51.2million with support of government officials when they had no contract.

However, Pratt said it was immoral for political parties to use the fraudulent payments as campaign tools to win votes.

Accusing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of deliberately keeping the issue of judgment debt alive for purposes of political expediency, Pratt stated that some members of the NPP’s Communication Team have been constantly trumpeting that under Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration, judgment debts would not be paid and that those monies would be used to fund the free Senior High School policy.

According to him, the worrying aspect of the “NPP propaganda”, was that it “does not respect facts and indeed it does not respect the people of Ghana.”

He was of the conviction that such a stance clearly undermined the authority of the courts, pointing out that there was no way the NPP could say that they would not pay judgment debt, if they “claim to believe in the rule of law”.

Moreover, he said, most of these cases of judgment debts were lawful and could not be avoided.

“As far as the NPP is concerned, judgment debt is one of the issues they want to ride on to power. They are deliberately keeping the issue of judgment debt alive. What is worrying about the NPP propaganda is that it does not respect facts and indeed it does not respect the people of Ghana…There are many people in the NPP who have gone out and made the claim that the NPP government will not pay judgment debt and that it will be used to offset the cost of education so that education can be free.

As far as I am concerned, these statements are highly irresponsible and they are not statements expected from people who claim to believe in the rule of law…it is sheer irresponsibility and an insult to the people of Ghana for any politician to mount a podium and claim that if it comes to power, judgment debt will be used for education and will not be paid.

It is irresponsible and it ought to be pointed out clearly,” Kwesi said contributing to panel discussions on Radio Gold’s news analysis programme, ‘Alhaji and Alhaji’.

*****

Time to have your own as President – Mahama tells Northerners

Source: Joy Online

President John Mahama is appealing to Northerners not to let this golden opportunity of having one of their own as President of Ghana, slip through their hands.

The president said it was time for Northerners to also be at the forefront in running the affairs of the country.

Addressing the chiefs and people of Nankpanduri as part of his campaign tour of the Northern Region, President John Mahama called on all Northerners to give their backing to him so he can ascend the seat and make them proud.

According to him, they have been Vice Presidents for a long time adding that, they also have the people and what it takes to be President.

President John Mahama promised not to disappoint if he gets their backing.

He appealed to them to make his administration less burdened by embracing peace in all their doings.

*****

Ghanaians blast Mahama over jumbo pay

Source: Daily Guide

The quantum of the pay rise has attracted an intense outcry from a broad section of the Ghanaian populace.

Some visibly agitated commentators argued that public office holders were obliged to serve the people, and not the other way round, hence they did not merit the increase under such acute economic conditions.

Even some legislators disapproved of the recent pay hikes. Samia Nkrumah, MP for the Jomoro, was recently peeved with the increase in the pay of MPs, saying she would reject it.

Secretary of the anti-corruption advocacy group, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Vitus Azeem, complained that the country’s economy could not absorb the raise.

“What is the general salary level of public servants in the country, you need to look at that as compared to what has been approved by the executive,” he told an Accra-based radio station.

Meanwhile, anti graft campaigner and a Member of Parliament for Asikuma Odoben Brakwa, Paul Collins Appiah-Ofori, said the increases were unjustified. “These officers enjoy certain benefits which also have money value, these officers use state vehicles, and the state is responsible for fuel, maintenance and their drivers’ salaries…they live in houses being paid for by the state.”

*****

Anas abortion doctor bonked 92 girls...Still at post

Source: News One /Witwatersrand-South Africa

Joshua Drah, the quack medical doctor of Madina-based Mission Clinic who was recently caught on a secretly recorded video forcing his female patients to have unprotected sex with him right in his theater, actually bonked 92 of pregnant women and girls who went to him for abortion.

This was revealed by mysterious investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

Anas, speaking at the ongoing African Investigative Journalism Conference at the Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa, said the ‘doctor’ had confessed to police that 92 of the pregnant patients became victims of his unruly libido.

Interestingly, he is still working at the facility that has shockingly not been closed down. The video was secretly recorded by Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who went working undercover at the private clinic and captured the doctor bonking several ladies of all ages before performing illegal abortions on them.

The must-watch video had mind-boggling scenes with brutal sex acts.

For the three months that Anas worked undercover at the private clinic, Dr. Drah was captured on video having sex with several of his pregnant patients. Interestingly, the doctor had unprotected sex with the ladies he barely knew.

He would normally make the ladies strip naked and then start to insert his finger into their genitals as if that was an important part of the abortion procedure. Dr. Drah would then explain that the ladies’ sex organ was too ‘closed up’ and that the only solution to make the abortion successful was for him to use his penis to ‘wet’ and ‘loosen up’ the sex organs a bit.

Left without a choice, the ladies would just lay on the operation table as they watched him enter them while standing. He used a type of sex position popularly known as ‘jinahogye’.

Anas was speaking at the three-day conference under the theme ‘The Art of Undercover Journalism.’ The award-winning investigative journalist said he was not bothered by name-calling and criticisms and said he was glad to have taken the first step to address societal challenges. “Some people think what I do is not journalism, standing in law courts to testify against people I investigate.

I want to see real change in society… Undercover journalism gives you hard core evidence,” he said, but “all the rules are observed, back up team, security protocol all put in place”.

Wearing a human-face like mask to cover his identity, Anas revealed how difficult and dangerous it had always been for him and team members, especially on security, in search of “hard core evidence”.

On the issue of why Anas did not end investigations with the first victim in the Wild Ghana story, he said he needed more incriminating evidence against the ‘Abortion Lord’. “I had to prove first a prima facie case against the man under investigation and I am sorry I did not stop at one until I captured the fourth woman,” he explained.

Anas Aremeyaw recently won the Young Achievers Award in Ghana but the award was collected on his behalf whilst he was away on Aljazeera’s Africa Investigates Project.

*****

The president is suffering from "Mahanesia" - Akufo-Addo

Source: Radio XYZ Online

Main opposition presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo has reacted directly to President Mahama’s description as an insult, his free housing promise for homeless girl porters or Kayayei as they are known locally.

The two presidential candidates are both touring different parts of the Northern region. They have been sparring lately over housing for vulnerable Kayayei who migrate down south from the Northern regions to scrounge a living.

President Mahama recently said his opponent’s promise was an insult to all Northerners.

But Nana Akufo-Addo told party supporters in the region on Thursday that the ruling party’s claim that it had a similar programme in its 2004 manifesto betrays the hypocrisy in the criticism.

“It appears the president has forgotten what his own party in its manifesto in the year 2004. This is what I’m talking about – Mahanesia,” Nana Akufo-Addo said.

Nana Akufo Addo said President Mahama and the NDC either implemented or had plans to implement a lot of the things they are now criticizing and wonders why the party is making a lot of u-turns in its 2012 campaign.

*****

Kofi Wayo lambasts IEA

Source: The Enquirer

Chuck Kofi Wayo, Founder and Leader of the United Renaissance Party, (URP) has joined in the ongoing tirade of criticisms that has been gauged at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) for precluding some Presidential candidates from this year's maiden Presidential debate in Tamale.

Mr. Wayo, who is also a plain-talking social commentator, thinks that the preclusion of the other Presidential candidates by the IEA constitutes an insult to both commonsense and the United States, from where the Presidential debate concept has been copied.

“If you want to copy America you should copy America well...how can you call that thing a Presidential debate when some people who have presented themselves for the Presidency are disallowed that common platform to sell themselves to the electorate?” Mr. Wayo posited.

All the Presidential candidates who were left out of the debate belonged to new and underdogs political organizations, those which under normal circumstances, should enjoy sympathy and encouragement from the national democratic establishment.

Among the parties discriminated against, the Progressive People's Party (PPP) has been loudest in its protest.

But the Institute of Economic Affairs selected only parties which have representation in parliament to participate in the debate.

It is very noteworthy that, even though the IEA had organized the debate on the back of claims that it was attempting to deepen the country's democratic practice, the criteria for eligibility to participate only ended up offering the platform for the four parties, in the country's democratic culture which belong to the oldest traditions-traditions that have all been in power before.

“You know, that debate offended our electoral laws and our constitution?” Kofi Wayo asked in an exclusive interview.

Explaining, he reminded that, it was spelt out in black and white by the electoral laws of the country that all citizens groups wishing to become leaders of the country be given equal platform to sell their vision to the electorate.

State broadcaster, Ghana Television, telecast the debate live. GBC, however, is under constitutional obligation to give equal coverage to all candidates who are in the contest for both Presidential and Parliamentary leadership of the country.

In the IEA debate which came off in Tamale, only the National Democratic Congress (NDC) , the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention People's Party (CPP) and the People's National Convention (PNC) were represented.

The parties left out were the PPP, the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and two independent candidates.

Mr. Wayo slammed the development and said the IEA had even done badly to Ghana's democracy.

He opined that the IEA was even the wrong body to organize the debate and that the responsibility it gave itself conflicts with the powers and responsibilities of the Electoral Commission.

*****

Fire outbreak renders twenty-three people homeless at East Tanokrom

Source: GNA

Twenty-three people were rendered homeless when fire gutted their building at East Tanokrom in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of the Western Region on Thursday.

The Western Regional Manager for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Japheth Baidoo confirmed the tragic incident to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Takoradi.

He said the cause of the fire is not known saying the blazing fire started from a wooden structure near a storey building containing 13 rooms and 23 occupants around 1200 hours early Thursday morning

Mr. Baidoo said by the time the fire was brought under control, all the property in the rooms were destroyed but no casualty was recorded..

He said the regional office of NADMO had found a temporary accommodation for the victims in a mosque in the vicinity and provided them with relief items.

The regional NADMO Boss said the victims were provided with polymers, blankets, mattresses, bags of rice and cooking oil.

He added that the regional secretariat had petitioned the national headquarters of NADMO to support them with more relief items to support the victims.

Mr. Baidoo appealed to the general public to be careful with how we handle fire since we are in a dry season and fire could quickly spread.

*****

Prison officers arrested for robbery

Source: Daily Guide

The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested two prison officers and two civilian accomplices believed to be members of a robbery syndicate operating in the region.

Lance Corporal Prince Quaye, 27, and 2nd Class Officer Adu Mensah, 26, both serving warders at Amanfrom Camp Prison in the region , were caught red-handed.

The security men, in the company of civilian accomplices, Thomas Wiafe, 28, and Farouk Abubakar, 24, one whom was in a military uniform, had gone to a galamsey mining site at Manso Abodom in the Amansie West District to commit the illicit act when they were grabbed.

The latest arrest brings to 10 the number of serving security officers arrested for robbery at various mining sites in the Ashanti region in the last three months.

In August this year, five soldiers, two police officers and an immigration officer, also believed to be members of robbery syndicate operating in some parts of the country, were arrested by the Ashanti Regional Police Command.

They were identified as Lance Corporal Farouk, Lance Corporal Ride-Wan, Private Nasser Gideon and Lance Bombardier Frimpong.

Their counterparts from the police were named as Constable Murtala Musah of the Buffalo Unit and G/Constable Bismark Ntow of Zongo Police Station, in Kumasi, while the immigration officer was identified as Felix Ntaah, a 44-year-old married man with six children stationed at Baglu in the Volta Region.

In the case of the soldiers, while Lance Corporals Farouk and Tommy were with the 4BN in Kumasi, Privates Ahmed Ride-Wan and Nasser Gideon were with the Tamale Air Borne Force, and Lance Corporal Bombardier Frimpong with the 66 Artillery Regiment in Ho.

Briefing the media yesterday in Kumasi, DCOP Augustine Gyening, the Regional Police Commander, said the case of the two prison officers stationed at Amanfrom Camp Prison was not different.

He said the suspects and their two civilian accomplices, on Monday, October 29, went to a Chinese mining site at Manso Abodom with the view to robbing the miners.

Following a tipoff, police officers rushed to the site where they arrested the suspects and their cohort, who were half-way into their operation.

The police commander said some members of the community had apprehended the four-gang men when the law enforcement officers got to the scene.

DCOP Gyening stated that a search conducted on the four suspected robbers revealed two fake military identification cards, five military bayonets and many other security weapons as well as an unspecified sum of money.

The two fake military IDs bore the names of Thomas Wiafe and Umar Sadick and the pictures of Farouk Abubakar and Thomas Wiafe, identifying them as serving officers of the Ghana Armed Forces.

DCOP Gyening disclosed that all the suspects were in police custody assisting with investigations.

*****

Journalists fight Konadu boys

Source: Daily Guide

Drama unfolded at the Ghana International Press Center (GIPC) headquarters of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) on Wednesday when a group of young men supposedly from the Volta region was held hostage by some journalists.

This was when leadership of the group, which identified itself as Network of Patriotic Volta Youth (NPVY), called a press conference to articulate its concerns about ongoing developments in the Volta region which it said was affecting development of the area.

The group, among others, made allegations of a deliberate attempt by some political parties, particularly the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), to continue to use and dump the Volta Region in each political season.

Leadership of the NPVY also talked of a ploy by the NDC to use money to win votes and an attempt to run down former President Jerry John Rawlings by spreading vicious propaganda about him and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.

But moments after the convener and spokesman for the group, Michael Mawunyo Tettey-Milligan, finished delivering his written speech and opened the floor for questions, he was held hostage by two journalists, Pete Dela Tengey, formerly of Metro TV, who is now with The Finder newspaper and his colleague, Frank Warlonyo of Metro TV.

Dela and Frank seemed to have been provoked by the allegations and thus subjected the leadership of the group to a barrage of questions.

The two appeared emotional to an extent that they could not hide their biases, with each of them first introducing themselves as people from the Volta Region before mentioning the media houses they were representing.

They subsequently subjected them to a barrage of questions, raising doubts about the credibility of the group with an allegation that the group was sponsored by the National Democratic Party (NDP) to organize the press conference.

The suspicion could be partly been informed by the fact that prior to the start of the programme, two or so NDP branded vehicles dropped people off at the event venue and left.

Tempers flared to an extent that a veteran journalist who was observing proceedings had to intervene to restore calm, upon realizing that the two journalists had taken the issue too personal.

At a point, an obviously enraged Dela Tengey rose to his feet, mentioned his full name and walked out of the press conference.

Not long after that, his colleague Warlonyo also followed suit, asking his cameraman to round up for them to leave.

He proceeded to confront an Administrative Secretary at the Press Center, Fiifi Nettey, who sent out the invitation created the impression that the flag bearer of the NDP and former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings was the one going to address the media.

This brought proceedings to an abrupt end, preventing a number of journalists from asking questions.

*****

Second IEA debate should be between NDC/NPP - Kofi Adams

Source: Joy Online

Kofi Adams, spokesperson of former President Jerry Rawlings is proposing that the second Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) presidential debate, scheduled to be held November 20, be between candidates of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

According to him, since the two political parties are the front runners for the December 7 general elections, it will be expedient to field only candidates from the NDC and NPP to enable voters make an informed choice.

The IEA has been heavily criticized for the time allotted to the four presidential candidates who took part in the presidential debate held in Tamale Tuesday.

But speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Thursday, Kofi Adams said the second debate should be a face-off between President Mahama and Nana Akufo-Addo for an effective debate.

He described as a waste of time the fielding of four presidential candidates at the debate since none of them had ample time to elaborate on their policies to the electorate.

The former presidential aide added that it will be a miracle for another party to outwit NDC/NPP in December polls.

He was convinced President Mahama will be more than ready to take an advantage of the platform and make his polices and programmes known to Ghanaians.

Notwithstanding, Kofi Adams said the presidential debate has enhanced Ghana growing democracy.

*****

Absence of medical doctor led to his death - Uncle of deceased in WAPCO accident

Source: GNA

The Chief fisherman for Aboadze, Nana Adam Eduafo and uncle to one of the victims of last Monday's accident at the West African Gas Pipeline Company(WAPCO), has accused the management of Aboadze VRA Hospital of negligence.

The accident claimed the lives of two engineers of the company who were working on the pipeline in readiness for fresh gas from Nigeria.

Nana Adam Eduafo told the Ghana News Agency that the death of his nephew, Dawood Ben Awortwe, 35, an engineer with the company, could have been avoided if there was a medical doctor at the facility at the time he arrived.

He said when the deceased was rushed to the health facility around 2130 hours last Monday, they waited for several hours without any medical doctor to attend to him hence his untimely death.

The chief fisherman said the deceased was the only native from Aboadze community who had been employed by WAPCO, adding that the family was devastated by the incident since he was the breadwinner of the family.

He said the deceased got married just last year and that his wife, Ajah, is pregnant with his baby.

Nana Eduafo said since the deceased was a Muslim, he was buried on Wednesday as the Islamic tradition demands.

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of the other victim of the accident, Opare Addo Nketsia, 45, has been released to the family in Tema.

Nketsia was reported to have been sent from Tema to assist in preparation towards receiving fresh gas from Nigeria after the pipelines were damaged by a ship anchor in Togolese territory a few months ago.

The General Manager of Corporate Affairs of WAPCO, Mrs Harriet Wereko Brobby, said the cause of the accident is not known and that the company has instituted investigations to ascertain the cause.

When the GNA visited the regulatory and metering station at Aboadze, where the incident happened, the entire workers were in solemn mood with red arm-band hanged at the entrance of the company.

*****

Nana Addo in vote buying; Mahama in abuse of incumbency - Report

Source: Radio XYZ Online

President John Mahama and other officials of the ruling National Democratic Congress have been cited for abuse of incumbency in a report released jointly by three civil society groups - Ghana Integrity Initiative, the Centre for Democratic Development and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition.

The report indicates in part that president Mahama used the Thank You Tour of the regions after the death of President Atta Mills to campaign.

The report stated that “On 17th July, 2012, our observer in Cape Coast in the Central region reported that, H.E President John Dramani Mahama during the state sponsored “Thank You Tour” of Cape Coast following the death and burial of the late President used the platform to urge the people of Cape Coast to elect him to continue the ‘Better Ghana agenda’.”

The report also cites the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo of vote buying during one of his campaign tours to the Upper East Region where motor bike riders were allowed to draw fuel from a filling station for free.

Since May 1, 2012, GII, CDD-Ghana and GACC assisted by trained observers have been monitoring abuse of incumbency in the period leading to Ghana’s up-coming 2012 elections.

The aim of the exercise is to monitor and expose the extent of both the occurrence and variety, of abuse of incumbency and pre-election political party corruption in Ghana, as a tool for promoting clean and fair elections in the upcoming 2012 elections.

Specifically, the project tracks the abuse of institutional resources, budget resources and state media resources by the ruling party, sitting members of parliament and other government appointees; as well as monitor electoral corruption.

Meanwhile, the report said, NDC and NPP Parliamentary aspirants for the Abuakwa North Constituency seat also engaged in acts that could undermine the integrity of the upcoming elections.

According to a report by the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Eastern Regional Minister Victor Smith and the NPPs J.B Danquah both contesting the Abuakwa North seat are culpable of vote buying activities that could corrupt voters.

The report which monitors abuse of incumbency in Ghana’s 2012 Elections found Victor Smith to have donated motorbikes with his initials written on them to some people in and around the Abuakwa North constituency while JB Danquah tiled the floor and replaced Louvre blades of the old Tafo Presbyterian church.

Programme Manager at the Ghana Integrity Initiative Linda Ofori-Kwafo says such acts make the practice of democracy expensive.

*****

Upper East vegetable farmers face major challenges

Source: GNA

Vegetable farmers in the Upper East Region are facing challenges that are affecting production and this is putting some of them out of business.

The Secretary of the Upper East Regional Vegetable Farmers Association, Mr Erick Dalaba, said this at a stakeholders’ workshop organized by the Association to see how they could help address some of the challenges.

In the Upper East Region vegetables including tomato, onions, cabbage, pepper, lettuce and fruit such as water melon are commonly grown by the farmers during the dry season.

Tomato farming used to be one of the major crops which many farmers engaged in and could make much profit but the challenges are making them give it up.

The Secretary of the Association mentioned some of the challenges facing the farmers as lack of capital and credit, pests and diseases, lack of market, input cost, lack of technical know-how and low yields.

Mr. Dalaba appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to come to the aid of the farmers and said if the farmers were supported it would help them a lot since the Region had only one rainy season.

He said due to some of the challenges most of the farmers had abandoned their trade and that was seriously affecting their livelihoods.

He said since the formation of the Association in 2009 it had chalked a lot of success and that it was among the bodies that got the Northern Star Tomato Company (NSTC) established in Pwalugu.

He stated that the Association also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ghana National Tomato Traders and Transporters Association (GNTTTA) to prevent, avoid and manage dumping and glut of tomatoes both in the market and at farm gates, reduce the incidence of fraud against farmers and traders by employing interpreters and agents and together fix the prices of tomatoes as and when necessary.