WORK on the construction of a 33kv primary station to improve electricity supply in the New Juaben Municipality and its environs is progressing steadily.
The 2.3-million-euro project forms part of efforts by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to also enhance the stability of electricity supply to Koforidua, Jumapo, Oyoko, Akwadum, Okorase, Suhyen and Mangoase.
The project, which is 85 per cent complete, will complement the only 20mva capacity primary station at Old Estate, a suburb of Koforidua.
The project, which started in September, 2009, and is expected to be completed in November, 2010, is being funded by the Norwegian government and executed by the Jacobsen Electro of Norway.
The Eastern Regional Director of the ECG, Mr Kobina Arthur Forson, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in Koforidua.
He said the project would enhance the capacity of his outfit to effectively cater for the increasing energy demand by the New Juaben Municipality and the surrounding communities.
Mr Forson made the disclosure when the Business Operational Performance monitoring team, which comprises of officials from the ECG and the State Enterprise Commission, paid familiarisation tours to some of the facilities of the ECG in Koforidua and Old Tafo in the East Akyem Municipality.
The two-day tour, which afforded the officials first-hand insight into the challenges facing the ECG and its personnel, took the team to the Bulk Supply Plant at Old Tafo and the Mile 50 primary station in Koforidua.
The team also inspected the upgrading of the 11kv lines to 33kv from Old Tafo to Suhum and from Old Tafo to Anyinam, Begoro and Kwabeng; a project which is expected to ensure customer satisfaction and reduce losses to the ECG, upon completion.
The regional director said the only primary station at Old Estate, which is being fed by the rural lines, served the New Juaben Municipality and its environs, a situation that often led to occasional power outages whenever there was a technical fault.
He said to avoid such a problem, the ECG was building new lines from the Old Tafo Bulk Supply Plant (BSP) to the existing primary station at Old Estate and the new primary station at Mile 50 to avoid further disruption of power supply to the people.
“As the New Juaben Municipality expands, we need to build our capacity to enable us to cater effectively for the growing energy demands of the municipality and its surrounding areas,” Mr Forson stated.
For his part, the Executive Director of the STE, Mr David Djanie, expressed satisfaction at the efforts being made by the ECG to meet the increasing energy demands of residents in the New Juaben Municipality and the nearby communities.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
COLLABORATE WITH GOVT TO EMPOWER WOMEN — AZUMAH-MENSAH (PAGE 11, NOV 27, 2010)
THE Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, has urged organisations and institutions concerned with gender equality,to continue to collaborate with the government to initiate more measures that would empower women socially, economically and politically in society.
The Minister said the challenges to the development of women in the country was embodied in social, cultural, economic and political discrimination coupled with violation of their rights, intimidation and violence.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah made the call at the launch of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence at Suhum last Thursday.
The event was on the theme “Women Speak, End Gender-Based Violence Now!”, formed part of international campaign set aside to highlight the various human right abuses perpetrated against women globally. It was also to pay respect to human rights defenders as well as raise awareness about the elimination of all forms of violence against women.
In her view, women also lacked the capacity to engage in viable economic activities to generate enough money for themselves, a situation that had made them to remain in the vicious poverty cycle, preventing them from having access to proper healthcare, education, shelter and food, among others.
The minister said there was the need to encourage women to control their lives and effectively contribute to national development, as well as gain freedom from all forms of socio-cultural, economic and political discriminations.
“Until we sustain our commitment to empower women, forces that militate against the development of women in general will be so overwhelming that it will be difficult to reap the fruits of our efforts, thus making the future of women in Ghana bleak”, Mrs Azumah-Mensah stated.
“Many women are unable to afford even the cost of transportation to reach health facilities, while others face barriers because they are illiterate and unable to express themselves in English, considered as the official language”, Mrs Azumah-Mensah stated.
The minister also lamented the denial of women to own property such as land, cash crops among many ethnic groups, while others remained subjected to traditional male dominance that denied them statutory entitlements to inheritance and property owning, legally registered marriage and the maintenance and custody of their children.
“Even today, many widows are thrown out of their late husband’s houses by relatives who consider it a taboo for women to own houses, a situation that has made single women poor and unable to properly ensure their children’s well-being and development”, the minister stressed.
On employment, she said discrimination at the workplace had become common causing some women to engage in menial jobs like head potters and house helps, exposing them to social, commercial and sexual exploitation.
With regard to education, she said though education was a right in itself and a pathway to the enjoyment of other rights, the lack of education for women had a lifetime cost such as the opportunities for financial independence and increasing the likelihood of early marriage with its high incidence of emotional and physical ill-health.
“In spite of the fact that Ghana has passed laws that prohibits early marriage, many girls are married off without their consent due to poverty. This denies them access to education, which in the long run significantly increases their risks of contracting HIV and AIDS and increase maternal mortality”, she added.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Ms Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, also reiterated the call on stakeholders to put in more efforts at ending violence against women and ensuring their involvement in conflict resolution and peace building processes.
The National Co-ordinating Director of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Elizabeth Dassah, said despite various interventions by her outfit and other stakeholders, domestic violence was still rife in the country.
“Over the past 12 years of its establishment, DOVVSU has recorded about 120,000 cases of violence, with spousal violence accounting for over 26,000, defilement 9,417, rape 2,458, with more than 50,000 presenting cases of non-maintenance”, she said.
ACP Dassah added that some of the gender-based crimes which were often not reported included forced marriage, abduction, trafficking in women and children into portage, domestic servitude and prostitution, children in worst forms of labour, sexual harassment in the workplace and violence against the girl child in school, stressing that these cases were also on the increase.
For his part, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, called on both men and women, especially married couples, to show mutual respect to one another to curb the increasing rate of violence committed against one another.
The Minister said the challenges to the development of women in the country was embodied in social, cultural, economic and political discrimination coupled with violation of their rights, intimidation and violence.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah made the call at the launch of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence at Suhum last Thursday.
The event was on the theme “Women Speak, End Gender-Based Violence Now!”, formed part of international campaign set aside to highlight the various human right abuses perpetrated against women globally. It was also to pay respect to human rights defenders as well as raise awareness about the elimination of all forms of violence against women.
In her view, women also lacked the capacity to engage in viable economic activities to generate enough money for themselves, a situation that had made them to remain in the vicious poverty cycle, preventing them from having access to proper healthcare, education, shelter and food, among others.
The minister said there was the need to encourage women to control their lives and effectively contribute to national development, as well as gain freedom from all forms of socio-cultural, economic and political discriminations.
“Until we sustain our commitment to empower women, forces that militate against the development of women in general will be so overwhelming that it will be difficult to reap the fruits of our efforts, thus making the future of women in Ghana bleak”, Mrs Azumah-Mensah stated.
“Many women are unable to afford even the cost of transportation to reach health facilities, while others face barriers because they are illiterate and unable to express themselves in English, considered as the official language”, Mrs Azumah-Mensah stated.
The minister also lamented the denial of women to own property such as land, cash crops among many ethnic groups, while others remained subjected to traditional male dominance that denied them statutory entitlements to inheritance and property owning, legally registered marriage and the maintenance and custody of their children.
“Even today, many widows are thrown out of their late husband’s houses by relatives who consider it a taboo for women to own houses, a situation that has made single women poor and unable to properly ensure their children’s well-being and development”, the minister stressed.
On employment, she said discrimination at the workplace had become common causing some women to engage in menial jobs like head potters and house helps, exposing them to social, commercial and sexual exploitation.
With regard to education, she said though education was a right in itself and a pathway to the enjoyment of other rights, the lack of education for women had a lifetime cost such as the opportunities for financial independence and increasing the likelihood of early marriage with its high incidence of emotional and physical ill-health.
“In spite of the fact that Ghana has passed laws that prohibits early marriage, many girls are married off without their consent due to poverty. This denies them access to education, which in the long run significantly increases their risks of contracting HIV and AIDS and increase maternal mortality”, she added.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Ms Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, also reiterated the call on stakeholders to put in more efforts at ending violence against women and ensuring their involvement in conflict resolution and peace building processes.
The National Co-ordinating Director of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Elizabeth Dassah, said despite various interventions by her outfit and other stakeholders, domestic violence was still rife in the country.
“Over the past 12 years of its establishment, DOVVSU has recorded about 120,000 cases of violence, with spousal violence accounting for over 26,000, defilement 9,417, rape 2,458, with more than 50,000 presenting cases of non-maintenance”, she said.
ACP Dassah added that some of the gender-based crimes which were often not reported included forced marriage, abduction, trafficking in women and children into portage, domestic servitude and prostitution, children in worst forms of labour, sexual harassment in the workplace and violence against the girl child in school, stressing that these cases were also on the increase.
For his part, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, called on both men and women, especially married couples, to show mutual respect to one another to curb the increasing rate of violence committed against one another.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
MAN SHOT DEAD BY FARMER (BACK PAGE, NOV 25, 2010)
A 34-year-old farmer is in the custody of the Eastern Regional Police Command for allegedly killing a young man he suspected of sexually harassing his (farmer’s) niece.
The incident occurred when the farmer, Samuel Obeng Ofori, on his way to his farm in the morning, saw three brothers allegedly making frantic attempts to rape his niece.
Enraged by what she considered an attempted rape of the girl, who was on her way to school at the time, Ofori was said to have fired at the three, killing Frank Fordji Ajololo, one of the three men, on the spot.
The other two brothers were said to have taken to their heels.
According to the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ransford Ninson, in the early morning of Tuesday, November 23, 2010, the relatives of Oforiwaa gave a crate of minerals to her to send to somebody in her school.
On her way to the school, the three brothers approached her and seized the crate of minerals after which they attempted to rape her.
In a bid to free herself from the grips of her captors, the girl screamed, which attracted some of the residents of the area to her rescue.
Incidentally, her uncle, Ofori, who was also on his way to his farm, arrived at the scene and saw the ensuing struggle between her niece and the three young men. He allegedly fired at them, killing Frank Ajololo in the process.
He was said to have later gone to the police station to report himself and is currently in police custody assisting in investigation.
The body of the deceased, Frank Ajololo, has been deposited at the morgue of the Suhum Government Hospital for autopsy.
The incident occurred when the farmer, Samuel Obeng Ofori, on his way to his farm in the morning, saw three brothers allegedly making frantic attempts to rape his niece.
Enraged by what she considered an attempted rape of the girl, who was on her way to school at the time, Ofori was said to have fired at the three, killing Frank Fordji Ajololo, one of the three men, on the spot.
The other two brothers were said to have taken to their heels.
According to the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ransford Ninson, in the early morning of Tuesday, November 23, 2010, the relatives of Oforiwaa gave a crate of minerals to her to send to somebody in her school.
On her way to the school, the three brothers approached her and seized the crate of minerals after which they attempted to rape her.
In a bid to free herself from the grips of her captors, the girl screamed, which attracted some of the residents of the area to her rescue.
Incidentally, her uncle, Ofori, who was also on his way to his farm, arrived at the scene and saw the ensuing struggle between her niece and the three young men. He allegedly fired at them, killing Frank Ajololo in the process.
He was said to have later gone to the police station to report himself and is currently in police custody assisting in investigation.
The body of the deceased, Frank Ajololo, has been deposited at the morgue of the Suhum Government Hospital for autopsy.
GUARD AGAINST SHODDY WORK (BACK PAGE, NOV 24, 2010)
YOUTH recruited under the Youth in Road Maintenance (YiRM) module of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) have been advised not to allow themselves to be influenced by unscrupulous contractors to execute projects in shoddy ways.
The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, who made the call, stated that if they connived with unscrupulous contractors to do shoddy work, they would fail to justify the purpose for which they were employed under the scheme.
He was speaking at the end of a weekend training programme for 10 regional supervisors for the YiRM module of the NYEP at Koforidua.
The participants had undergone an intensive training in road maintenance at the Ghana Highway Authority Training Centre in Koforidua and were to supervise the youth engaged under the module to keep the roads across the country in good condition.
The deputy regional minister said the introduction of the YiRM module of the NYEP was aimed at not only creating employment for the youth but also to enable them to check poor execution of road construction projects by contractors across the country.
He indicated that the survival of every government depended on the success of youth employment programmes such as the NYEP.
He, therefore, urged the beneficiaries of the various modules to appreciate their recruitment into responsible positions to ensure the success of the programme.
Mr Jamal reminded the beneficiaries to guard against any other conduct that could cast a slur on the government, saying that “your failure to live up to expectation will give credence to the notion that you were appointed not on merit but on political lines”.
The Deputy National Co-ordinator of the NYEP, Alhaji Tapsoba Alhassan, said the recruitment of the youth under the module was not based on their political affiliation but on their merit and competence.
He appealed to the media to refrain from carrying out negative and unsubstantiated publications about the NYEP and the personnel working for the programme, saying that, “you should ensure fair reportage by cross-checking and obtaining authentic information before making them public”.
The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, who made the call, stated that if they connived with unscrupulous contractors to do shoddy work, they would fail to justify the purpose for which they were employed under the scheme.
He was speaking at the end of a weekend training programme for 10 regional supervisors for the YiRM module of the NYEP at Koforidua.
The participants had undergone an intensive training in road maintenance at the Ghana Highway Authority Training Centre in Koforidua and were to supervise the youth engaged under the module to keep the roads across the country in good condition.
The deputy regional minister said the introduction of the YiRM module of the NYEP was aimed at not only creating employment for the youth but also to enable them to check poor execution of road construction projects by contractors across the country.
He indicated that the survival of every government depended on the success of youth employment programmes such as the NYEP.
He, therefore, urged the beneficiaries of the various modules to appreciate their recruitment into responsible positions to ensure the success of the programme.
Mr Jamal reminded the beneficiaries to guard against any other conduct that could cast a slur on the government, saying that “your failure to live up to expectation will give credence to the notion that you were appointed not on merit but on political lines”.
The Deputy National Co-ordinator of the NYEP, Alhaji Tapsoba Alhassan, said the recruitment of the youth under the module was not based on their political affiliation but on their merit and competence.
He appealed to the media to refrain from carrying out negative and unsubstantiated publications about the NYEP and the personnel working for the programme, saying that, “you should ensure fair reportage by cross-checking and obtaining authentic information before making them public”.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OIL AND GAS — CJ urges students (PAGE 3, NOV 22, 2010)
THE Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina T. Wood, has called on universities and other tertiary institutions to design courses that will equip students with knowledge and employable skills in the oil and gas industry.
That, she said, would enable Ghanaian students to take advantage of the numerous employment opportunities offered by the exploitation of oil and gas in the country.
“It is time tertiary education considered positioning itself to take opportunities that are uncovered on a daily basis so that Ghanaians can take their destiny into their own hands, especially in the field of oil,” she stated.
The Chief Justice made the call in a speech read on her behalf by Mr Justice Paul Baffoe Bonnie, a Justice of the Supreme Court, at the sixth convocation of the All Nations University College (ANUC) in Koforidua on Saturday.
The event, at which 281 students who pursued various programmes at the university graduated, coincided with the matriculation of 850 students into the institution.
“History shows that countries can only thrive better when they invest in their people and infrastructure, when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled workforce and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs,” Mrs Wood said.
The Chief Justice said the country was currently battling with challenges of development, in spite of the fact that various governments and organisations had, over the years, put in place different policies and projects to improve the quality of education, reduce poverty and speed up the rate of development.
“However, despite these wonderful policies and projects, the country is only creeping out of high rate of unemployment, high rate of school drop-outs, increasing population, high rural-urban drift, among other numerous socio-economic challenges,” Mrs Wood stated.
She expressed delight that in spite of those challenges, the country had, over the years, witnessed an increase in the number of private universities which supported the few overcrowded and overstretched public universities in the country.
“It is invigorating that the religious bodies that pioneered education in Ghana have vigorously joined that crusade of university education and equally taken the challenge to assist the educational sector in bringing up graduates who are instilled with decent moral behaviour.
“The expectations are that these fresh graduates will come up with fresh and innovative ideas to strengthen the inefficient, ill-equipped, grossly underpaid, demoralised, unmotivated and unresponsive civil and public service that has bedevilled all African countries, including Ghana,” the Chief Justice stated.
In an address read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, commended the role being played by private universities to develop tertiary education in the country.
“While the government welcomes private participation in tertiary education as a solution to improving access, if we are to derive benefits from education, we must ensure that curriculum is relevant and quality is high,” he said.
He commended private institutions providing tertiary education but cautioned that “we must be able to increase access without overcrowding classrooms and improve quality with better learning resources without making education unaffordable”.
The Provost of the College of Science of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor R. K. Nkum, advised the graduates to be prepared to learn from the experiences of others they would meet on the job market to enable them to excel in their chosen careers.
Earlier in his welcoming address, the President of the ANUC, Dr Samuel H. Donkor, had said the university would partner major research institutions and universities, both local and international, for research collaboration to make the ANUC a centre of excellence in research and innovation.
That, she said, would enable Ghanaian students to take advantage of the numerous employment opportunities offered by the exploitation of oil and gas in the country.
“It is time tertiary education considered positioning itself to take opportunities that are uncovered on a daily basis so that Ghanaians can take their destiny into their own hands, especially in the field of oil,” she stated.
The Chief Justice made the call in a speech read on her behalf by Mr Justice Paul Baffoe Bonnie, a Justice of the Supreme Court, at the sixth convocation of the All Nations University College (ANUC) in Koforidua on Saturday.
The event, at which 281 students who pursued various programmes at the university graduated, coincided with the matriculation of 850 students into the institution.
“History shows that countries can only thrive better when they invest in their people and infrastructure, when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled workforce and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs,” Mrs Wood said.
The Chief Justice said the country was currently battling with challenges of development, in spite of the fact that various governments and organisations had, over the years, put in place different policies and projects to improve the quality of education, reduce poverty and speed up the rate of development.
“However, despite these wonderful policies and projects, the country is only creeping out of high rate of unemployment, high rate of school drop-outs, increasing population, high rural-urban drift, among other numerous socio-economic challenges,” Mrs Wood stated.
She expressed delight that in spite of those challenges, the country had, over the years, witnessed an increase in the number of private universities which supported the few overcrowded and overstretched public universities in the country.
“It is invigorating that the religious bodies that pioneered education in Ghana have vigorously joined that crusade of university education and equally taken the challenge to assist the educational sector in bringing up graduates who are instilled with decent moral behaviour.
“The expectations are that these fresh graduates will come up with fresh and innovative ideas to strengthen the inefficient, ill-equipped, grossly underpaid, demoralised, unmotivated and unresponsive civil and public service that has bedevilled all African countries, including Ghana,” the Chief Justice stated.
In an address read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, commended the role being played by private universities to develop tertiary education in the country.
“While the government welcomes private participation in tertiary education as a solution to improving access, if we are to derive benefits from education, we must ensure that curriculum is relevant and quality is high,” he said.
He commended private institutions providing tertiary education but cautioned that “we must be able to increase access without overcrowding classrooms and improve quality with better learning resources without making education unaffordable”.
The Provost of the College of Science of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor R. K. Nkum, advised the graduates to be prepared to learn from the experiences of others they would meet on the job market to enable them to excel in their chosen careers.
Earlier in his welcoming address, the President of the ANUC, Dr Samuel H. Donkor, had said the university would partner major research institutions and universities, both local and international, for research collaboration to make the ANUC a centre of excellence in research and innovation.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
PRESBY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ADMITS 500 (BACK PAGE, NOV 17, 2010)
THE Presbyterian University College (PUC) last Saturday admitted 500 students at its eighth matriculation at Abetifi in the Eastern Region to pursue various programmes at the institution’s four campuses.
The students will be pursuing their studies at the Okwahu (Abetifi), Asante-Akyem (Agogo), Akropong-Akuapem and Tema campuses of the university.
Addressing the ceremony, the Principal of the institution, Professor K. Sraku-Lartey, said as part of measures to ensure quality academic programmes that would produce the best students, PUC had revised its strategic plan to reposition the institution.
“We are now striving to obtain a charter in five years’ time and make PUC self-sustaining financially within 10 years, as well as realign existing programmes and introduce new demand-driven ones whose outputs will meet local and international requirements,” he stated.
Professor Sraku-Lartey also indicated that the university intended to increase its student population to at least 3,000 in five years and establish a School of Agriculture, which will be backed by viable commercial agriculture.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev Yaw Frimpong-Manso, called on the government to support the infrastructural development of the university to enhance teaching and learning.
The students will be pursuing their studies at the Okwahu (Abetifi), Asante-Akyem (Agogo), Akropong-Akuapem and Tema campuses of the university.
Addressing the ceremony, the Principal of the institution, Professor K. Sraku-Lartey, said as part of measures to ensure quality academic programmes that would produce the best students, PUC had revised its strategic plan to reposition the institution.
“We are now striving to obtain a charter in five years’ time and make PUC self-sustaining financially within 10 years, as well as realign existing programmes and introduce new demand-driven ones whose outputs will meet local and international requirements,” he stated.
Professor Sraku-Lartey also indicated that the university intended to increase its student population to at least 3,000 in five years and establish a School of Agriculture, which will be backed by viable commercial agriculture.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev Yaw Frimpong-Manso, called on the government to support the infrastructural development of the university to enhance teaching and learning.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
RIOTS AT KYEBI...As galamsey youth battle police, soldiers (LEAD STORY, NOV 10, 2010)
Story: Nana Konadu Agyeman, Kyebi
STONE-THROWING illegal miners on Monday engaged armed policemen and soldiers in a confrontation at Kyebi after the security men had seized equipment belonging to the galamsey operators, including excavators and pumping machines.
Numbering about 200, the youth hurled stones and sticks at the six security men after blocking some of the roads in the town.
The military and police personnel responded with warning shots to disperse the mob and managed to exit through an alternate route to the Kyebi Police Station to request for reinforcement.
In the absence of the security men, the rioters were reported to have taken their mining equipment to the forecourt of the Okyenhene’s palace, poured petrol on it and were in the process of setting them ablaze when the military/police reinforcement arrived amidst the firing of warning shots to finally disperse the mob. No arrest was made.
The personalities who came the scene included the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ransford Ninson, the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Infantry, Lt Col Barimah Owusu, and some members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC).
They held a meeting with some of the chiefs at the Okyenhene’s palace at Kyebi, including the Okyenhemaa, Nana Twumawaa Dokua, during which the regional minister urged the traditional leaders in the Akyem Abuakwa area to cause the arrest of any person who undertook mining in the area and called on the security agencies to go all out in dealing with illegal miners at Kyebi and its environs.
He condemned the violent behaviour exhibited by the galamsey operators towards the security personnel who were discharging their legitimate duty.
“If the law is not allowed to prevail, we all stand a big risk of being the subject of frequent violent attacks by the illegal miners, who now possess sophisticated weapons to defend themselves and their illegal activities,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo stated.
He called on small scale miners to respect the laws of the land, which require them to register with the Minerals Commission, adhere to proper mining regulations and pay taxes to the Commission.
He said small scale mining had triggered the violation of minerals and environmental laws in the country, a situation which, he said, had emboldened the galamsey operators to frequently mine with poisonous chemicals and divert water bodies without any regard to the health implications their actions posed to the public.
“Today, River Birim is at the brink of extinction simply because the mining laws are not being adhered to by these galamsey operators,” he said, pledging that this would not happen under his watch as a regional minister.
He further expressed dismay at the growing acquisition of sophisticated weapons by the galamsey operators to defend their businesses and themselves, citing a case in which angry, armed galamsey operators demonstrated and marched to the palace of the paramount chief of Akyem Bosome, Okotwereaso Oware Agyekum, who is also the vice president of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, and made attempts to remove his sandals of authority and slaughter a sheep to signify his destoolment.
He said the chief, who sustained injury at the hands of the mob, was, however, rescued by the timely intervention of the security forces.
Nana Dokua, who represented the Okyenhene, pledged the support of the traditional leaders to the security forces in their effort to get rid of galamsey operations in the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area.
STONE-THROWING illegal miners on Monday engaged armed policemen and soldiers in a confrontation at Kyebi after the security men had seized equipment belonging to the galamsey operators, including excavators and pumping machines.
Numbering about 200, the youth hurled stones and sticks at the six security men after blocking some of the roads in the town.
The military and police personnel responded with warning shots to disperse the mob and managed to exit through an alternate route to the Kyebi Police Station to request for reinforcement.
In the absence of the security men, the rioters were reported to have taken their mining equipment to the forecourt of the Okyenhene’s palace, poured petrol on it and were in the process of setting them ablaze when the military/police reinforcement arrived amidst the firing of warning shots to finally disperse the mob. No arrest was made.
The personalities who came the scene included the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ransford Ninson, the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Infantry, Lt Col Barimah Owusu, and some members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC).
They held a meeting with some of the chiefs at the Okyenhene’s palace at Kyebi, including the Okyenhemaa, Nana Twumawaa Dokua, during which the regional minister urged the traditional leaders in the Akyem Abuakwa area to cause the arrest of any person who undertook mining in the area and called on the security agencies to go all out in dealing with illegal miners at Kyebi and its environs.
He condemned the violent behaviour exhibited by the galamsey operators towards the security personnel who were discharging their legitimate duty.
“If the law is not allowed to prevail, we all stand a big risk of being the subject of frequent violent attacks by the illegal miners, who now possess sophisticated weapons to defend themselves and their illegal activities,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo stated.
He called on small scale miners to respect the laws of the land, which require them to register with the Minerals Commission, adhere to proper mining regulations and pay taxes to the Commission.
He said small scale mining had triggered the violation of minerals and environmental laws in the country, a situation which, he said, had emboldened the galamsey operators to frequently mine with poisonous chemicals and divert water bodies without any regard to the health implications their actions posed to the public.
“Today, River Birim is at the brink of extinction simply because the mining laws are not being adhered to by these galamsey operators,” he said, pledging that this would not happen under his watch as a regional minister.
He further expressed dismay at the growing acquisition of sophisticated weapons by the galamsey operators to defend their businesses and themselves, citing a case in which angry, armed galamsey operators demonstrated and marched to the palace of the paramount chief of Akyem Bosome, Okotwereaso Oware Agyekum, who is also the vice president of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, and made attempts to remove his sandals of authority and slaughter a sheep to signify his destoolment.
He said the chief, who sustained injury at the hands of the mob, was, however, rescued by the timely intervention of the security forces.
Nana Dokua, who represented the Okyenhene, pledged the support of the traditional leaders to the security forces in their effort to get rid of galamsey operations in the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area.
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