You can’t change your posting – NSS warns personnel

The National Service Scheme has warned personnel posted for the 2015/2016 calendar year that there will be no room for them to change their allotted institutions.

In a statement Friday to announce the release of the first batch of postings who are to start September 2015, the scheme said “management will not encourage change of postings.”

It further urged “all prospective national service personnel to be prepared to accept their placements as part of their contributions towards building a prosperous nation.”

The first batch of placements for 53,604 national service personnel for the 2015/2016 service year was released Friday morning as part of what it says are “reforms of its general operations.”

Acting Executive Director, Dr. Michael Kpessa-Whyte said “the service personnel have been deployed into various service modules including Educational Support, Agribusiness, Urban Traffic Management, Urban Sanitation Management, Community Health, Rural Development, Private Sector Support, and General Administration in the various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, and other User Agencies across the country.”

He adds that the “modules have been developed in line with the Scheme’s objectives to meet the developmental and manpower needs of the country.”

Officials of the Scheme had announced early release of placements to afford the personnel enough time to prepare and take up their placements in September 2015.

Prospective personnel can log onto www.nss.gov.gh to check their placements


source: ghanawb.com

We have confidence in new EC chair - Political parties

Some political parties in Ghana have expressed confidence in the abilities of the newly elected chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).They have however charged her to work within the remits of the constitution and must also undertake her duties without fear or favour.On Thursday night, the Chief of Staff in a press release announced President John Mahama’s appointment of Charlotte Osei to replace Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, who recently retired after serving as EC boss since 1993.Prior to her appointment, there were calls from various quarters on the President to appoint a person with no political leanings but one with integrity to serve in that position, considering the sensitive nature of the position.

According to the governing National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) Deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidoho, he does not know her, the important thing is that “she is a Ghanaian and she qualifies to hold that position and the President has appointed her.”On behalf of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho wished her well, adding that “Ghanaians are expecting her to take over from where Afari Gyan has left off and help us as far as our electoral processes are concerned.”“I’m sure the whole Ghana expects that she will work according to the dictates of the constitution and not allow herself to be pushed around by anybody or any political party.”The People’s National Convention (PNC) expressed confidence in Mrs Osei’s appointment, adding that her stint as boss of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) will come in handy.The General Secretary of the PNC, Bernard Mornah explained to Citi News that, “Madam Osei has been in charge of a similar but maybe, less sensitive position at the National Commission on Civic Education that is supposed to be responsible for political and civic education of our nation.”He was of the view that her work as NCCE boss enabled her to work in close collaboration with the EC and certainly “understands the ins and outs of what needs to be done and what is not to be done.”
The Convention People’s Party (CPP) was hopeful that the new EC chair will bring her experiences to bear in making the EC a more transparent institution.The General Secretary of the party, Ivor Greenstreet in an interview with Citi News said Mrs Osei “certainly has the professional experience and capacity in the other areas that she has demonstrated so we hope these qualities will enable her to succeed in taking charge of this institution.”
According to Greenstreet, it is a collective agreement that the EC needs some substantive administrative reforms to make it an institution which is “more attractive and transparent and one in which Ghanaians have more confidence in.”This, he said will make the nation’s elections “less about the kind of issues that we have seen in the past and more about the policies and the individual parties have that will benefit Ghanaians and allow them to choose which party offers the best way forward.”Meanwhile, the main opposition, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said the appointment of the new EC chair is worrying considering the fact that the a writ has been filed at the Supreme Court requesting an interpretation of certain provisions of the 1992 Constitution in relation to the appointment of an EC chair.Deputy General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahen told Citi News, “my source of worry is the fact that I am painfully aware that there is a matter pending before the Supreme Court in respect of the issue of consultation…so for me, the appointment may look quite prejudicial in the sense that with this appointment, it has preempted the outcome of that civil suit pending before the Supreme Court.”He however challenged Mrs Osei to live up to expectations as she has been given the nod.But Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho has stated that the writ filed before the Supreme Court cannot stop the President from appointing a new chair for the Electoral Commission.He argued that the constitution has been adhered to in the appointment of Charlotte Osei.“He has just followed the constitution and appointed another Electoral Commissioner. Besides, there are six other Commissioners…the work must go on. Richard Sky cannot keep this country in one place because of some writ he says he has sent to the Supreme Court.”He added that he is certain that in good time, the Supreme Court Justices “will look at whatever it is he has sent there and give their ruling but there is no law that says that because somebody has filed a case in court, the constitution must be set aside until that case is done with.”“We need to educate ourselves in this country so Richard Sky’s whatever that is at the Supreme Court does not and I repeat, does not stop the President from working especially within the remit of the constitution of the Republic of Ghana.”

source: ghanaweb.com

IMF can’t solve Ghana’s problems – Oppong-Nkrumah

The newly elected NPP parliamentary candidate for the Ofoase-Ayirebi constituency Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah has stated that he does not believe Ghana’s economic and social challenges can be addressed by foreign institutions.In his view, it will take the collective will of Ghanaians to resolve their problems.

“I believe that Ghana’s problems, Africa’s problems will not be solved by the IMF or the World Bank or some Whiteman who came to town. It’s going to be solved by Africans who have a clear vision of where we want to go, who have designated each other to play various roles, who are honest and committed to each other and to the cause,” the former Joy FM presenter told Bola Ray on Starr Chat Wednesday.The Ghanaian government is currently in a financial bailout agreement with the IMF.The first tranche of $114 million (SDR 83.025 million) was paid into the Bank of Ghana’s account on April 14, 2015 and the last tranche for this year is expected to be released in November.Total disbursements for the first year is supposed to be SDR 249.075 million and an equivalent of SDR 415.125 million within the second year.


Source:ghanaweb.com;starrfmonline.com

Asamoah Gyan's sex case closed – Police

The Odorkor police have expressed surprise at reports that Sarah Kwabla has filed a report of sodomy against Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan.
The police said no one has filed any report of rape or sodomy against the footballer.There were reports that the Odokor police was investigating a complaint filed by the 22-year-old student who is accusing the Black Stars captain of sodomy.Sarah Kwabla had claimed that the player forcibly had sex with her through her anus while she bled profusely but has refused to take responsibility for his actions. She also claimed to be pregnant as a result of the sexual intercourse.
Miss Kwabla is also alleged to have asked Asamoah Gyan to get her a furnished apartment, a housemaid and a monthly stipend of $1,000 for postnatal care.But the Black Stars captain refused to accept the conditions describing the girl's actions as blackmail.In a rather shocking new twist, the Odokor police told Joy News’ Fred Smith no case of sodomy had been filed against the Ghana captain by the 22-year-old Sarah Kwabla.
On the contrary, he said the police rather received a report of blackmail filed on behalf of Asamoah Gyan, by his lawyer Kissi Agyabeng.According to Adjabeng, the 22-year-old had threatened to make public a sex tape involving the Black Stars captain, hence the report.But upon further interrogation, the woman at the centre of the controversy denied having in her possession the alleged sex tape.This prompted the police to advise both parties to resolve the issue amicably.Fred Smith reported the police as saying the case involving Asamoah Gyan was closed after both parties agreed to resolve the issue privately and a payment of GHc2,000 was made to Sarah.Maurice Ampaw, lawyer for Sarah Kwabla had told Joy News that “Asamoah Gyan met this lady not too long and then they entered into a short relationship…they had sex.”He claimed that Asamoah Gyan and his management “started doubting whether they are responsible [for the pregnancy]…” but “unfortunately for Asamoah Gyan, I think the girl had CCTV cameras in the place so their act was recorded.”Sarah Kwabla, he noted, is pursuing a case of sodomy against the Black Stars player because he failed to fully fulfil the gentleman’s agreement they had.“The girl thinks that she has been disgraced, she has been disrespected and she wants the matter to be investigated,” Maurice Ampaw added.

source: ghanaweb.com;myjoyonline.com

Another recruitment scam hits Ghana Police Service

 

Another recruitment scam involving a number of young men and women has hit the Ghana Police Service.

The prospective recruits carrying their trunks, mattresses and ‘chop’ boxes and holding their appointment letters converged on a house at Amamoley, near Sowutuom in Accra ready to be conveyed to the various police depots in the country for training.

Earlier reports made available to the Daily Graphic said about 500 young men and women were given the recruitment letters and asked to report at the training depots last Friday. According to the report, those who showed up were arrested by the police.

Later, communication from the police to the Daily Graphic said three persons who were alleged to have masterminded the latest recruitment scam had been arrested and were assisting the police in their investigations.

They are Yusif Fuseini, 37, leader of the group; Baba Yakubu, 27, who acted as a middleman for the prospective recruits and Yusif and Yaw Charles, 43, whose house was used as the venue for the recruits to converge.

According to Superintendent Cephas Arthur of the Police Public Affairs Directorate, intelligence picked up by the police indicated that Yusif had passed round a message that the police had started a new recruitment exercise and that he had connections to assist them.

He said Yusif managed to collect monies ranging from GH¢1,500 to GH¢2,500 from a number of people, mostly from Sunyani and its surrounding villages.

Supt Arthur said the people started arriving last Friday with offer letters purported to have been signed by DCOP Apraku directing the new recruits to converge on Accra to be conveyed to the Kumasi depot on July 3, 2015 to begin training.

He said the police managed to lure Yakubu, the middleman, to the Ofankor Barrier where he was arrested. He later led the police to arrest Yusif Fuseini and Yaw Michael at their hideout at Amamoley in Accra.

When the house was searched following their arrest, the police retrieved a number of mattresses, pillows, trunks and chop boxes belonging to the prospective recruits.

The victims together with their belongings were conveyed to the CID headquarters to assist the police in investigations. An offer letter found on one of the victims was signed by DCOP Kwaku Apraku, with the designation as the Director General in charge of Human Resource.

Supt Arthur said the offer letters were fake as nobody in the Police Service bore that name. The “recruits” were informed that the Police Administration had made many announcements in the media to the effect that the police were not embarking on any recruitment.

According to police sources, initially when the police had the hint, they thought it was an overflow from the first scam, but investigations had revealed that the scam was a new one.

In March, this year, hundreds of young men and women turned up at five police training depots in the country for enlistment into the Ghana Police Service but were disappointed.

They found that their recruitment letters were fake and that the purported enlistment was a scam. It took the police a hectic time driving away the victims, most of them university graduates, who had gone to the Kumasi, Koforidua, Pwalugu, Accra and Ho Police depots with their luggage to begin the training.

The first scam was so well organised that all the victims were given appointment letters purported to have been written and signed by the Director-General in charge of Human Resource, COP Mr Patrick Timbilla, who was later interdicted. The victims were said to have paid money ranging from GH¢2,000 to GH¢3,500 to the fraudsters.

Despite announcements on a number of radio stations and newspaper advertisements to the effect that the Police Administration has not embarked on any recruitment exercise, people still fall for fraudulent characters and are always ready to part with huge sums of money in order to be enlisted.

The Police Administration has, therefore, called the public to be wary of fraudsters, adding that the police did not contract people to recruit on their behalf.

“Anytime the police are ready to recruit, a publication will be made in the media to enable interested persons to apply,” Mr Arthur said.

source:ghanaweb.com;graphiconline.com

Energy crisis will end soon – Cretz

The US Ambassador to Ghana, Gene Cretz has expressed optimism that the ongoing energy crisis in the country will end soon.

According to Mr Cretz, the US was currently involved in several projects with the government that would produce more megawatts to address the energy crisis in future.

US envoy made this known at a roundtable with journalists in Accra to announce his departure from Ghana after three years of service.
“I think that the pieces are in place now and there are several projects that the US has been involved in. In addition, once the Millennium Challenge Compact really kicks in, you will see a revamp of ECG and its ability to generate electrical power, transmit it and get revenue to the point where it makes that particular enterprise efficient. I think it is all there in a mix; it is just taking a little bit of time.
“One has to be positive but I don’t know if we can put definite end dates to when the power situation is going to end, but I think Ghana is on the way towards really revamping its power sector for future needs,” Mr Cretz said.
The US government is expected to release over $500 million through the Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) Fund to help improve power distribution in the country under the second compact of the MCC programme.
Under the MCC, which will last for five years, Ghana has agreed to offer the management of ECG to a private company to boost efficiency.

Mr Cretz said Ghana government has made a decision with regards to the kind of concession under which ECG would be managed for a few years.“The board had been constituted on the Ghanaian side and papers had been drawn up to specify the requirement of the concession here that would guide the activities of the project for the next several years,” he said.The US Ambassador disclosed that Ghana was not out of the woods yet but was hopeful the economic situation would improve in the next couple of months.“I see a confluence of events in developments that would be taking place over the next couple of weeks and months that I think would lead the government and the country out of its current economic troubles. I’m very optimistic that over the next several months you would see a turnaround,” he added.

SOURCE:Ghanaweb.com