Police arrest two suspects. For tampering with CCTV recording at Baba Yara

TWO persons suspected to have colluded and tampered with video information captured by CCTV security cameras at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi during last Sunday’s match between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak have been arrested by the police.
A Presidential Inquiry have been initiated into the deaths at the Baba Yara Stadium last Sunday and the National Sports Council had indicated that it was going to rely on information captured by the CCTV cameras as part of the efforts to find out how the stadium was allowed to be filled over capacity as well as verify counter allegations between Kotoko officials and the police on the collection of illegal gate fees.
The CCTV cameras, which had been installed at all corners of the stadium to provide security back-up would have been very vital in finding out persons responsible for the acts, that resulted in the stadium being filled over capacity.
But before security operatives could make a move, the information on all 57 cameras located at the stadium have been deleted.
Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Yusif Mohammed Tanko who confirmed this to the Daily Graphic gave the names of those arrested as Michael Mensah Tabiri and Mohammed Oteng.
He said whiles Michael was a worker at the CCTV room at Essipong Stadium at Takoradi, Oteng was an engineer at the Baba Yara stadium in Kumasi who held the keys to the CCTV room.
Inspector Tanko said the two have since been handed over to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) for investigations but initial information gathered indicated that some persons saw Tabiri leaving the CCTV room at the stadium.
He said Tabiri had alleged that he had been sent by some officials to come and check on what the cameras captured last Sunday.
The Police Officer said the investigations would try to establish how the suspect was able to gain access to the CCTV room.
He said the police received information that the information on the CCTV cameras had been deleted and when they went to the stadium to verify, it was confirmed.
He said workers at the stadium had informed the police that as of Thursday it was only the information on camera seven which was available but by Friday morning that had also been deleted.
As part of the interesting developments emerging with regards to last Sunday’s incident at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Sylvester Asare Owusu, on Thursday said he received a total cash of GH¢820 from some fans who scaled the walls into the Stadium to watch the match between Kotoko and Hearts of Oak.
He, however, explained that some supporters of the club, on his advice, did the actual collection of money and that the money was eventually handed over to him.
The police had accused the management of Asante Kotoko of contributing to the overcrowding at the stadium, which left four people dead and others hospitalised.
Police said, for instance, that the management blatantly refused their advice to close the gates when it was realised that the stadium was full.
Again, the police said they saw Mr. Asare-Owusu holding a Zoomlion dustbin collecting money from a large number of fans as they scaled the wall into the stadium at the area behind the scoreboard.
Inspector Tanko said the police also arrested one B. K. Asamoah, a supporter of the club, who was collecting money from fans jumping the wall into the stadium.
He said when the police questioned Asamoah, he said he was working on the instructions of Mr. Asare-Owusu.
He said Asamoah consequently led the police to Mr Asare-Owusu, who was also seen with a similar litter bin collecting monies at unauthorised points.
But, reacting to the police allegation, Mr. Asare-Owusu told Kumasi-based Angel FM on Thursday that, whilst in the stadium last Sunday, someone informed him that a number of fans were scaling the walls into the stadium behind the scoreboard.
He said he quickly rushed to the area with four soldiers and realised that the information was true and that what was even more disturbing was that the police personnel at the area looked on unconcerned.
He said he also had information that some of the policemen were engaged in illegal collection of gate proceeds from fans who were using unauthorised points to enter the stadium.
The Kotoko CEO pointed out that under the circumstances the best option was for some dedicated supporters to use the litterbins to collect the monies for the club because the fans would have entered the stadium free of charge.
In his reaction however, Inspector Tanko said Mr. Asare-Owusu himself was a player in the whole drama of overcrowding.

Samuel Adu Boakye quits Kessben FM

One of the most listened to gospel presenters in the Kumasi metropolis, Samuel Adu Boakye has resigned from Kessben FM following some disagreements over what he described as administrative lapses.
Boakye, the presenter of Church Bells and Streams of Life on Kessben FM who enjoys a lot of listenership in Kumasi has been off air for the past one month but no official reasons have been given.
This had culminated in rumours some of which said he had been poached to another station whilst others said he was on a long leave.
Before he joined Kessben FM four years ago, Adu Boakye worked with Kapital Radio.
He became famous at Kessben where he hosted Church Bells, a religious exhortation programme on Sundays from 7am to 10am and Streams of Life, also another gospel devotional programme intended to prepare listeners for the start of day which aired between 4am and 6am every day.
His programmes also enjoined a lot listenership on the internet from Ghanaians abroad who also phoned in to his programmes many of the times.
It was gathered that Adu Boakye resigned over some disagreements with his employers over administrative lapses.
A staff at the radio station, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “it is true that Sammy has resigned”.
The source said Sammy had been complaining for some time now about some administrative lapses at the radio station which to him management was doing nothing to resolve.
The source said Sammy had been complaining about the unavailability of a producer to handle his programme at the station and that he lost his temper recently and decided to quit when he walked out of the studio to find out that a front desk executive who was to divert phone calls to the studio during his programme had abandoned post and went out of the office.
“Sammy had opened the phone lines and was expecting calls to come in but when he waited for a while and realised that there were no calls coming in, he decided to walk to the front desk only to discover that the front desk assistant had abandoned post and the phone was continuously ringing. So he decided to call it quits” ”, the source said.
When approached for comment on his resignation, Adu Boakye only confirmed his action and refused to give further details.
When asked whether he had received a juicy offer from other radio stations which culminated in his action, he said no.
Mr Andrew Danso Aninkora, General Manager of Kessben FM told Showbiz on telephone that he was not aware of the resignation and that he knew Sammy was in discussions with Mr Kwabena Kesse, Chief Executive of Kessben Group of Companies for a re-alignment into another section of the company.
Kessben FM is well noted for listenership when it comes to sports programmes in Kumasi but after sports Samuel Adu Boakye’s gospel programmes were the most listened to.
He is noted to have interviewed many of the big gangs in the Christian fraternity on his programme, Streams of Life.
Most Reverend Peter Akwasi Sarpong, the Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi who recently went on retirement offered to give his farewell message on the Streams of Life programme.
Sammy’s unique style of presentation on Sunday morning for the past four years made him the most preferred radio personality in the gospel seen. His music selection was well appreciated.
He is a graduate of University of Education Winneba, Kumasi campus, Kumasi Polytechnic and Adisadel College in Cape Coast.

Suame Magazine makes breakthrough

A major landmark achievement and a significant climax to the successful self-determined efforts of artisans at Suame Magazine for their self advancement was chalked last week when a formal technical training centre project for the artisanal engineering sector of the country was launched.
The institute project as has been explained is to help build the technical capacity of auto artisans especially at Suame and other areas of the country so as to enable them meet modern challenges in the automobile industry.
This is because the artisans have been finding it difficult to cope with new auto model vehicles with brain box, chips and diagnostics for repairs due to lack of capacity in modern technology.
The successful launch of the institute which is the first of its kind in the informal artisanal sector has therefore come as a big relief for the artisanal population in the country.
The project is said to be the product of a dream to enhance the professional career of artisans in ways and on such terms as obtains in the formal sector.
It must be stated that the integration of the fitting industry into the formal professional engineering career would mark a significant threshold in the long-awaited industrial revolution in Ghana.
This is because the Suame Magazine in Kumasi seems to be the only untapped option in the attempts at national industrialisation.
Suame magazine is the largest informal sector village in the country accommodating several hundreds of small scale engineering industries, repair works, scrap yards, workshops all with a working population of about 200,000.
The area is a major centre for vehicle repair attracting vehicles from not only Ghana but from neighbouring countries in the West African sub region.
However, the sector faces an eminent collapse if efforts are not made to build capacity of auto artisans to meet modern challenges in the automobile industry.
The area is the economic heart of Kumasi and together with the wood and timber industry completely dominated the economic life of the metropolis in the 1970s and 1980s.
With the virtual collapse of the timber and wood industry and the visible consequences of mass unemployment unleashed on the economy in Kumasi, Suame magazine became the lone surviving industrial estate in Kumasi.
According to experts in the case of the timber and wood industry, even though the signals were clear right from the onset, there was no bold alternative planning intervention initiated to save thousands of families whose livelihood were under threat.
Again the dwindling prospects of the wood industry affected all the sectors of the economy to which the industry shared economic linkages.
The economic soul was virtually lost leaving the economic heart of Suame Magazine to sustain Kumasi’s industrial economy.
According to the experts Suame Magazine is also on the same path dwindling prospects due to the technological advances in the current global automobile industry of which the industrial estate is an integral part.
They claim the very survival of Suame Magazine, the fitting industry in Ghana and even in West African sub region was under serious threat given the pivotal role of Suame Magazine.
This, they claim was due to the inability of the artisans to cope with the sophisticated modern technology that requires the use of ICT Auto diagnostic tools in vehicular repairs for new models of vehicles which are fast replacing the old models.
Given its current status as the only surviving industrial estate and propelling sector of Kumasi, the imminent collapse of the industrial estate as has been projected sends signals of mass unemployment in the metropolis.
Indeed Kumasi could be reduced to a ghost economy without Suame Magazine.
Statistics from the office of the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organisation (SMIDO) indicates that the area currently has about 12,000 enterprises with over 200,000 working population.
It is thus said to be supporting the livelihood of over 600,000 on the lower variant of three per dependency ratio.
The area could be said to be more of a national and West African sub regional economic constituency whose opportunities are accessed beyond the boundaries of Ghana and also boast of the largest cluster of small and medium enterprises in the sub region.
As the largest informal sector village in Ghana, the area has surprisingly always escaped the policy spectacles of governments since independence in many of the youth employment programmes.
It is for these reasons that the idea of the Suame Magazine Automatics Institute (SMATI) project was moved by the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organisation (SMIDO), as an attempt to establish a formal training centre for the artisanal engineering sector of the country.
SMIDO, the development unit and umbrella organisation of various artisans at the Suame Magazine has been spearheading the development of the country’s artisanal engineering sector, especially at the Suame Magazine under the auspices of the DANIDA-USAID-DFID sponsored Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund in the last three years.
Vice President John Dramani Mahama launched the technical institure project last week.
A five-member committee, constituted and chaired by institutional representatives of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and other relevant individual stakeholders have been tasked with the responsibility of implementing the project.
This is to give the metropolitan and the regional authorities an important stake in the project as policy making bodies in the Ashanti region.
Last year, SMIDO launched a similar project to develop a modern industrial village for Suame Magazine under the leadership of Dr Kwabena Duffuor, former Governor of the Bank of Ghana and Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng former Chief Executive of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
According to Mr Nyaaba-Aweeba Azongo, a consultant to SMIDO the institute project of the organisation’s policy to have an institutional training centre unique to the artisanal engineering setting was to enable artisans cope with the changing technology in the global autuomatics engineering industry.
He said a framework has been designed with three different phases: the basic, secondary and tertiary artisanal engineering levels and a consultancy component to support the endangered sector in Ghana and West Africa.
Mr Azongo said they have with the support of international institutional partners and experts in Ghana designed a curriculum for the Basic artisanal engineering level which has been successfully operationalised over the past six months.
Adding, he said the second and third stages have been well-advanced to facilitate the project to bring all stakeholders on board to properly nurse this dream into reality.
The President of SMIDO, Mr George Asamoah Amankwa threw a challenge to the government to give the artisans the opportunity for them to turn the whole nation around.
Vice President John Mahama in his address at the launching commended SMIDO’s policy to have an institutional training centre unique to the artisanal engineering setting to enable artisans cope with the changing technology in the global automatics engineering industry.
He said seeking to focus attention on harnessing resources to establish an institute to save Suame Magazine from total collapse, precipitated by modern technological innovation and sophistication in the automobile industry, was quite appropriate.
Mr Mahama also mentioned that the vehicular repair cluster at Suame for instance was the most influential cluster around which all other clusters revolved and so if care were not taken and that sector was lost, it would affect all other clusters that depended on it.
“We recognise that if no major interventions are taken now to address the situation, the eminent collapse of this important industrial estate would lead to mass unemployment, poverty and increased crime in Ghana”, he said.
The Vice President said the establishment of the institute was consistent with government’s objectives of creating a better Ghana in so far as it sought to pursue policies for accelerating Ghana’s economic growth.
He also said the establishment of the institute was a typical case of cooperation between industry and academia saying all over the world industries had developed through such collaborations.
He urged SMATI to cooperate with other tertiary institutions, the auto industry and relevant agencies as well as development partners to foster closer collaborations.
He said because there had not been any requisite training for artisans to prepare them to keep pace with the ever-changing global auto technology, they seemed to lack some modern ways of doing things.
There was therefore the urgent need for retraining and retooling of this pool of talents to make them productive so as to make them productive enough to meet national goals.
He said it was only through such a move that the country could move forward in the right direction.
He said efforts were underway to improve the capacity of small and medium scale enterprises to be able to keep simple books of accounts and be able to do business plans.

Work on KATH-Abuakwa road at slow pace

Steel workers of China Geo Engineering Corporation working on the Agric junction underpass

Work on the 10.3 Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital- Abuakwa asphaltic concrete surface dual carriageway in Kumasi was progressing at a slow pace.
Former President J. A. Kufuor cut the sod on April 21, 2007 for work to commence on the US$80 million project, which is one of the principal trunk roads in Kumasi.
The project, involves widening of the existing two-lane single carriageway into a dual carriageway with walkways and Bus Rapid Transit facilities, construction of two interchanges, five underpass bridges and landscaping.
However, almost 21 months down the line, the Chinese Contractors, Messrs China Geo Engineering Corporation was yet to achieve any meaningful visible feat on the project.
The contractors are currently working on the first underpass at the Agric Junction out of the entire five underpasses they are to construct in addition to the two interchanges, one at Sofoline and the other at the present Komfo Anokye roundabout.
Landscaping for the sofoline interchange had been done but that of Komfo Anokye was yet to be touched.
In addition landscaping from Bekwai roundabout through Sofoline, Asuoyeboah and Tanoso had also been done.
The project, which is being financed wholly by the Government of Ghana is scheduled for completion within three years.
Many residents of Kumasi expressed delight when work commenced on the project and expressed the hope that the traffic congestion in one of the busiest roundabouts in the metropolis – Sofoline – would soon be a thing of the past.
As a result they are eager to see the completion of the project on schedule without any hindrances.
At the sofoline interchange, traffic from the Abrepo junction and Patasi roads are to be directed to the Sunyani road through an underpass bridge. This is anticipated to ensure the free flow of traffic at the location, which is currently one of the traffic bottlenecks in the city.
A second two level interchange to control vehicular movement will also be constructed at the KATH roundabout, while five underpass bridges would be developed at the University of Education Winneba (UEW) Kumasi campus, Institute of Planning and Technology (IPT), Agric, Apatrapa and South Suntreso junctions to facilitate the smooth flow of vehicular traffic at that

PBC provides borehole for people of Gyankobaah

Nana Asiamah Poku, Toasehene tasting water from the borehole in a calabash. With him is Mr Anthony Osei Boakye, Managing Director of the Produce Buying Company (PBC).


The Produce Buying Company Limited has provided the people of Gyankobaah, a town in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ashanti with a borehole valued at GH¢8,030.
This is to enable the town folk have access to clean drinking water since they relied on a stream as their source of water following the breakdown of the borehole in the town.
The Managing Director of PBC, Mr Anthony Osei Boakye explained at the commissioning ceremony that his outfit decided to assist with the borehole as part of its corporate social responsibility.
He said the PBC have decided to provide three (3) boreholes every year at various cocoa producing areas in the country.
He said the PBC instituted a cocoa farmers award day about seven years ago, where hardworking farmers were awarded by the company every year.
Mr Boakye said the company have decided to change focus and rather provide boreholes, which it felt would go to the benefit of many people in the communities instead of the awards which went to individuals.
He said another borehole had been constructed for the people of Boudi in the Western region and would soon be commissioned.
Mr Thomas Ofori Donkoh, District Chief Executive for Atwima Nwabiagya and the chief of Toase, Nana Asiamah Poku expressed appreciation to PBC for the kind gesture.
There was delight on the faces of the community members of Gyankobaah, especially the women folk who sang and danced and expressed appreciation to PBC for the kind gesture.
The DCE Mr Thomas Ofori Donkoh said the provision of clean drinking water with the construction of boreholes was prime on the agenda of the District Assembly.
He said a total of 73 boreholes were provided for various communities in 2008 and that the assembly have planned to install 200 this year in collaboration with the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).
He called for the expansion of the cocoa spraying gangs in the area so as to enable a lot more farmers benefit from the spraying exercise.
Mr Kwaku Gaisie, Ashanti Regional Manager of PBC called on the community members to take very good care of the borehole so as to ensure a longer lifespan.

Radio Xtacy focuses on urban entertainment

A new radio station, intended to focus mainly on urban entertainment is set to be launched in Kumasi.
Radio Xtacy, is how the owners have christened the new station which was currently playing test transmission on the 94.5mhz, which used to be known as Kesewaa Radio.
Kesewaa Radio has undergone a revamp with the name changed to Radio Xtacy as the whole station has been dissolved with the entire management team changed.
Ownership however is still in the name of Mr Ofosu Agyarko of Iron Birds.
This comes to three, the number of times that the 94.5mhz radio station has changed names. It started as Kess Radio before becoming Kesesewaa and now Xtacy.
As expected the radio scene is already witnessing the poaching of “highly rated” presenters from already existing radio stations to beef up the human resource base of Radio Xtacy.
Sources within the new station would not confirm this but names like, Billy Ocean of Peace FM, who is regarded as a “highly-respected” disc jockey and a radio presenter with many years experience as well as Magic Sam of Fox FM, also a renowned night club DJ at The Fox Trap Night Club are the names doing the rounds as possible names on the pay roll of the new Radio Xtacy.
Others are Lexis Bill of Kapital Radio, one of the finest urban DJs in Kumasi as well as Andy Kirn, a renowned DJ and radio consultant who have had stints with Kapital Radio and Luv FM during their early days.
The name of DJ Andy Dosty of Angel FM who will try to overturn things in favour of the new station has also cropped up.
Information gathered by the Graphic Showbiz indicated that negotiations were still underway to get these top DJs to work for the new station.
If the deal with Billy Ocean also known as Afrafrahene goes through, then the mix master of either visual audio or audio would be back to the Garden City, where he started it all to do his Afrafra thing.
Billy is really a Don, when it comes to selection, mixes, playing of music and knows what to play at a particular time.
Lexis Bill and Magic Sam are equally good disc jockeys whose inclusion at Radio Xtacy would bring on board more listeners since they are fine DJs who know when to play what and their dexterity is second to none in the Garden city.
With the test transmission of the new station currently running, Kumasi was set to enjoy the best of urban radio and entertainment as the competition to survive intensifies.
Andy Kirn, who was playing a very instrumental role in the setting up of the new station, told the Graphic Showbiz that the new station would be officially launched on January 30, 2009.
This, he said would be culminated with a float through the principal streets of Kumasi and a pool party.
He said the test transmission which started on January 1 was expected to end on January 31 for full programming to start February 1, 2009.
“Our station is going to be all about entertainment. We would be organising a number of events so as to give listeners an opportunity to have fun, apart from the normal night clubbing and funerals”.
“We would be having the normal thing like the morning shows and the others but would ensure that entertainment would dominate. If even it had to do with politics, we would be looking at the entertainment angle”, he said.
Andy Kirn explained that the radio station had to be revamped because, Kesewaa was not doing well on expectations and that it even got to a point where the owners wanted to dispose it off completely.
“Now some of us have come on board and we are changing the style for a mass urban entertainment radio for discerning listeners”, he said.
“When it comes to entertainment radio, we don’t see any competitors in Kumasi as of now and we want to fill that vacuum”, he said.
Whatever the case is, listeners are waiting to see if there would be any significant change in the airwaves with respect to programming since some stations made serious impacts during their various test transmissions but less is being heard of them of late.

Programme for new Kumasi Mayor

Picture shows a busy scene in front of the Kumasi Central Martket

Apart from the issue of decongesting the central business district of Kumasi to rid the streets of hawkers, whoever is appointed the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive would also have to make redevelopment of the Central Market, into a modern status a priority.
The new city boss to take over from Miss Patricia Appiagyei would also have to make waste management a priority issue to deal with.
Kumasi is the capital city of the Ashanti region, a very important and historical centre for Ghana. Tradition is held very high in Kumasi and blends very well with modernity.
There is a wide range of attractions in Kumasi and topmost among them is the Kumasi Central Market, which is a major attraction that attracts a countless of traders from various areas of the country into the city on daily basis to do business.
The market is said to be the biggest in the West African sub region.
The access roads in the market is full of trading activities and people who enter the market have had terrible times meandering through the human traffic.
One may argue that has always been the trend at the market but if that situation was improved upon, many more people would be attracted to go to the market.
As the situation prevails now, it makes it unattractive for many residents to enter the market to buy foodstuff and other commodities because of the human traffic and congestion in there.
Customers to the market are welcomed by filth. Ironically many traders and hawkers sit and transact business in the midst of the filth as if good health doesn’t mean anything to them.
The main entrance road to the market has been converted into a trading area as a result of congestion. Traders openly sell foodstuffs and their wares in the middle of the road and on the pedestrian walkways in the market amidst filth which they themselves generate.
Some display their goods including tomatoes, yams, garden eggs, apples, lettuce and cabbage on the ground over a mat while others put theirs on the bare ground just next to drains filled with stagnant and stinky water.
Again, getting access to the market in times of fire outbreaks has been a major topic of concern and the KMA had been persistently urged to take up the matter.
The old main storey building block has outlived its usefulness as it can no longer accommodate the increasing number of traders in the market. The main storey building could be redeveloped to accommodate more traders in tandem with the expansion of trading activities at the market.
Redeveloping the Central market to befit the status of Kumasi would go a long way to enhance the status of the city as well as improve upon revenue generation for the KMA.
The redevelopment of the market into modern one has been on the drawing board for too long and action must be taken by the current government to make things much better.
It will demand a pragmatic leader to get the assembly to act on this, and whoever will be appointed for that hot position should act swiftly.
Kumasi is indeed going through terrible times and unless the problem is tackled, the image of the city would continue to dwindle.
At least if the market was modernised and expanded, some of the traders who have taken over the streets and pavements could be relocated in the central market to help in the move to decongest the city.
It is currently not clear who was going to be the next Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive but various names have come up for consideration for the position since the NDC was declared winner of the December 2008 elections.
Amongst the names are Mr Joseph Yammin, Mr. Tei Larbi, Mr Dominic Adoma, Mr. Afrifa Yamoah Ponkoh and Mr. Amidu Gariba.
It would therefore be very prudent for the person who becomes the next Metro Chief Executive to also prioritise the issue of sanitation.

Work on Oforikrom-Asokwa carriageway progress at slow pace

Constructional work on the €37million dual carriageway from Oforikrom to Asokwa in Kumasi was progressing little by little.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor cut the sod for work to commence on the project on Saturday June 21, 2008 but almost seven months down the line, the contractor M/S Shinsung Engineering and Construction Limited from South Korea, was yet to achieve any meaningful feat, with regards to earthworks.
Some residents of Kumasi, who are anxious to see the completion of the project, have expressed concerns about the slow pace of the project, which was expected to be undertaken within two years. Completion date has been slated for June 2010.
Last Friday, when the Daily Graphic visited the project site, the contractor was working on the first culvert for the creation of an access road.
It was observed that earthworks done on the access road was yet to reach one kilometre.
Some officers of the contractor, M/S Shinsung Engineering and Construction Limited from South Korea told the Daily Graphic that they were currently working on diversions and relocations and that they were still in the process of installing their plants.
The officers said they have finished demolishing all the structures in the right of way of the project and that the access road under construction was to help fill some of the swamps in the area as well as construct a bridge over the Aboabo river.
They mentioned that actual construction works which comprised of about 90percent concrete works and 10percent earthworks was yet to start.
The €37million dual carriageway from Oforikrom to Asokwa is being jointly funded by the Government of Ghana and France as part of government's move to handle the traffic situation in the city of Kumasi for easy vehicular movement.
The entire project includes the construction of an interchange at the Timber Gardens at Asokwa and improvement of the Lake road.
The construction of the Oforikrom-Asokwa Bypass followed the completion of the Sokoban Wood Village project, which is a key component of the project where wood workers at Anloga (who were carrying out their activities in the right of way for the road works) are to be relocated to give way for the construction of the road.
There would be a construction of another interchange at the Anloga traffic lights.
There are plans to develop the Kumasi arterial road network and that roads earmarked for expansion in Kumasi are the Sunyani road from the Komfo Anokye roundabout to Abuakwa, which works had already started and scheduled for completion in 2010.
The Mampong road from the Suame roundabout to Ahwia and the Western Bypass from Sofoline to Santasi roundabout. The rest are the southern Bypass from Santasi roundabout through Ahodwo roundabout to Timber Gardens and the Eastern bypass from Timber Gardens to Oforikrom junction.
The outer ring road is a 70 kilometre road around the city which would divert non Kumasi bound traffic away from the city.

Turkey market develops at Santasi roundabout

A new trend of vending livestock, especially turkey, guinea fowl and chicken on the streets at prime areas of the Kumasi metropolis was emerging.
Hitherto, it was newspaper vendors who were noted for standing in those areas in the middle of the road to sell newspapers.
However, the medians are gradually being taken over by livestock vendors.
This, if not checked, could develop into a menace in the likes of other street trading activities, which had become a problem for city authorities to control.
It has been observed that some traders were gradually turning one of the medians at the Santasi roundabout, a prime area in Kumasi, into an area for vending turkey.
The animals are brought unto the median in the middle of the road just in front of the Lavikus Hotel every morning and tied unto stones, ostensibly to invite probable buyers.
Apart from the fact that the animals defecate and soil up the entire area during the course of the day as pedestrians, motorists and tourists move about their daily activities, the lives of the traders, are at risk in case of an accident.
Apart from that, other traders have also mounted chicken cages on the pedestrian walkway a few metres away from the roundabout, also doing brisk business in that area.
It would be appropriate for city authorities to act now than to wait for the practice to degenerate into a situation, which would make it difficult to control.
This is because many of the street vending activities, which had become a nuisance and contributed immensely to the creation of congestion especially in the central business district (CBD) of the Kumasi metropolis, started on a gradual process as what was currently being witnessed at the Santasi roundabout.
Currently, almost every available space in prime areas of the Kumasi metropolis was gradually being turned into a spot for trading activities.
Unfortunately, city authorities have failed to act firmly to control the menace on a sustainable base.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) embarked on an exercise in 2007 and 2008 to get rid of trading activities on pavements and streets but that exercise was disbanded after the traders threatened to refuse to give the New Patriotic Party (NPP) their mandate in the general elections.
The issue of the enforcement of the by-laws of the KMA with regards to street trading have always turned into political debates and for fears of losing electoral votes, successive governments have failed to act firmly on the issue.
For how long would city authorities and politicians continue to play politics with issues of illegality with regards to trading activities on streets, on pavements and on pedestrian walkways instead of looking at the issue holistically?
Come to think of it, if nothing was done to stop the traders who have displayed the turkeys on the median in the Santasi roundabout, others would join in and the entire area would be turned into a turkey market.

Ghanaians usher in New Year

Members of the Aldersgate Singing Group at the Wesley Methodist Cathedral, Adum in Kumasi ushering in the New Year with songs.

In Kumasi, there were various celebrations to mark the end of 2008 and usher in the New Year.
Christians in particular congregated in various church services to usher in the New Year with prayers whilst revellers greeted 2009 with parties at various drinking bars and night clubs.
At the Wesley Methodist Cathedral in Adum, Right Rev. Professor Emmanuel Asante led the congregation in a special prayer to usher in the New Year at midnight.
He called on the congregation to examine their commitment to God, be confident and determined and avoid indiscipline in the New Year.
He said there was the need for Christians to live wise lives and take God seriously instead of living their lives as “mockers” who do not take God’s word serious, blaspheme and joke around.
“Do not live like fools since the fool live a Godless life and is corrupt. Do not also live a life without planning for the future, make a change and move forward”, he said.
On his part Rev Brew Riverson said it was time Ghanaians recognise the need for leadership to triumph in the country and realise the Godly factor in the country as well as know that power belongs to God.
“We should all be prepared to work together with whichever President God chooses for us a country”, he said.
Evangelist Mrs Victoria Brew Riverson in a handshake with Dr Kwakye Marfo (seated)
Rt. Rev Professor Emmanuel Asante. He led the congregation at the Wesley Methodist Cathedral in Adum Kumasi to greet the New Year.

NPP supporters protest in Kumasi. NDC Chairman attacked

Supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Kumasi today (Wednesday) held a peaceful demonstration, calling on the Electoral Commission to suspend the Tain constituency elections, until it had examined the evidence from the NPP with regards to alleged irregularities in the Volta region in Sunday’s presidential runoff elections.
Wearing red bands and holding placards, the demonstrators besieged the premises of the Regional Administration in Kumasi and demanded to have audience with the Regional Minister, Mr E. A. Owusu Ansah.
They insisted that the Electoral Commission should not go ahead to conduct the Tain elections without examining the grievances of the NPP with regards to alleged irregularities in the Volta region.
Tain, a constituency in the Brong Ahafo region with about 53,000 registered voters is now the battleground where the close presidential race between Professor J. E. Atta Mills and Nana Akufo-Addo will finally be decided on Friday since voting in the runoff in that constituency could not be held as a result of a pending protest.
Announcing the new development in the presidential race in Accra on Tuesday, the EC Chairman, Dr Afari-Djan indicated that the commission was going to conduct investigations into allegations of electoral irregularities in Kumasi in particular and some parts of the Ashanti region as well as the Volta region.
Dr Afari-Djan said that both the NPP and NDC had made allegations against each other and that the NDC for its part had produced evidence on the alleged irregularities but the EC was yet to receive any evidence from the NPP.
The EC Chairman said because of the closeness of the elections, it was necessary to conduct the election in Tain, since results from there could make a difference and gave Friday January 2 as when that election would be held.
However, the NPP demonstrators in Kumasi claimed that once the Electoral Commission listened to the complaints of the NDC with regards to the allegations of irregularities in the Ashanti region, it should give the NPP the opportunity to provide its evidence before the Tain elections was allowed to come off.
The demonstrators held placards some of which read, “Kufuor you are too calm, wake up”, “Volta: Ketu, Hohoe, Avenor, the results are not accepted by NPP”, “Why do you listen to NDC without listening to us”.
Personnel from the Police Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) were called in to control the demonstrators at the premises of the Regional Administration.
A spokesman, Mr P. M. P. Drake Opoku explained that they did not understand why Dr Afari-Djan even went ahead to add disputed results from the Volta region and announced them to the nation before taking evidence from the NPP.
The leadership of the demonstrators later met with the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr E. A. Owusu Ansah who assured them that their concerns would be carried to the leaders of the NPP in Accra.
IN ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT, the police and military are providing twenty-four hour security for the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Daniel Ohene-Agyekum, after hordes of supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Kumasi allegedly attacked his Ridge residence n Kumasi this afternoon.
Two people at the residence were injured and were rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for medical attention.
As at 4pm today security personnel had barricaded the roads leading to the residence of the NDC regional chairman to prevent further attacks.
The reasons for the attack were not immediately known but it was believed to be linked to the declaration of the presidential run-off by the Electoral Commissioner, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Djan on Tuesday.
The Daily Graphic reporters could cot get access to the residence of the regional chairman and all attempts to speak to him on phone proved futile.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Kwasi Mensah Duku, told the Daily Graphic that the regional police headquarters got information in the afternoon of today that some NPP supporters had attacked the residence of Mr Ohene-Agyekum.
He said earlier on, the regional police commander, DCOP Kwaku Ayesu Opare-Addo, had been informed about a demonstration by NPP supporters at the regional coordinating council (RCC) offices in Kumasi over the decision by the EC to declare the results of the elections when the NPP had raised doubts over the alleged irregularities in the run-off in the Volta Region.
ACP Duku said the regional commander had to rush to the RCC offices to inform the demonstrators that it was illegal to organise the demonstration without informing the police.
It was after dispersing the demonstrators that they marched to Mr Ohene-Agyekum’s residence.
According to deputy regional commander, when the police got information about the attack, they quickly organised and together with the military rushed in to save the situation.
He stated that leaders of the demonstrators were invited to the police headquarters for questioning.
ACP Duku did not give their names but said the suspects were cautioned and later released on bail.
He gave the assurance that the police would not allow anyone to take the law into their hands to misbehave in the aftermath of the elections.
Mr Duku said the security agencies were up to the task and would ensure that law and order prevailed.
He touched on another incident at Asawase on Tuesday night when enthusiastic supporters of the NDC barricaded the road after the electoral commissioner had announced the results, which gave Prof Mills a lead.
He urged the political parties to exercise maximum restraint in their reactions to issues about the elections.

Kumasi business district deserted, ahead of the official declaration of the election results

Brisk business at the central business district of Adum in the Kumasi metropolis on Tuesday came to an abrupt end in the afternoon ahead of the official declaration of results of the presidential run off by the Electoral Commission.
Traders and shoppers started deserting the business district at midday and by 4pm; almost all shops in the area had been closed.
This followed tensions which had characterised the declaration of the election results following projections on some radio stations that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had won the elections, which was later disputed by the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Some traders told the Daily Graphic that they had information that shop owners in Accra had closed their shops so they decided to do likewise.
Others said they feared for their lives since they were not sure of the outcome of the results and its subsequent reactions by supporters of the political parties, hence they decided to close their shops and go home.By 4pm when the Daily Graphic toured the business district, there were only snippets of traders hanging around.
Many people were spotted rushing to the various lorry stations to board vehicles to their homes.
Workers of the central business district traffic management project responsible for the issuance of tickets for the paid parking system had all closed from work and were going home.
Some of them who spoke to the Daily Graphic said that since everybody was deserting the business district, they also decided to close work and go home, fearing for their lives.
Hitherto, business in the area boosted even on Christmas Day, December 25, Boxing Day December 26 as well as on Election Day on December 28.

Ashanti Results

SUBIN
NPP 51,216
NDC 17,731
valid 68,947
rejected 227
total 69,174

KWABRE EAST
NPP 50,502
NDC 11,796
valid 62,298
rejected 435
total 62,733

KWABRE WEST
NPP 31,171
NDC 5,996
valid 37,167
rejected 183
total 37,350

AHAFO ANO SOUTH
NPP 25,214
NDC 15,391
valid 40,605
rejected 457
total 41,062

AFIGYA SEKYERE WEST
NPP 15,794
NDC 5,019
valid 20,813
rejected 215
total 21,028

AFIGYA SEKYERE EAST
NPP 40,788
NDC 9,641
valid 50,429
rejected 423
total 50,852

MAMPONG
NPP 32,618
NDC 8,854
valid 41,472
rejected 218
total 41,690

ODOTOBRI
NPP 26,896
NDC 3,613
valid 30,509
rejected 330
total 30,839

AMANSIE WEST
NPP 46,757
NDC 7,783
valid 54,540
rejected 539
total 55,079

ASANTE AKIM NORTH
NPP 44,586
NDC 14,824
valid 59,410
rejected 385
total 59,795

BOSOME FREHO
NPP 17,810
NDC 4,044
valid 21,854
rejected 178
total 22,032

BEKWAI
NPP 43,539
NDC 5,862
valid 49,401
rejected 233
total 49,634

NSUTA KWAMANG
NPP 21,424
NDC 7,551
valid 28,975
rejected 410
total 29,385

OBUASI
NPP 52,019
NDC 26,243
valid 78,262
rejected 359
total 78,621

AHAFO ANO NORTH
NPP 17,460
NDC 14,836
valid 32,296
rejected 259
total 32,555

AKROFROM -ADANSI SOUTH
NPP 9,635
NDC 5,354
valid 14,987
rejected 156
total 15,145

EJURA SEKYEDUMASI
NPP 18,224
NDC 21,692
valid 39,916
rejected 344
total 40,260

BOSOMTWE
NPP 31,105
NDC 7,181
valid 38,286
rejected 245
total 38,531

ATWIMA KWANWOMA
NPP 39,147
NDC 6,564
valid 45,711
rejected 261
total 45,972

NEW EDUBIASE
NPP 10,644
NDC 16,775
valid 27,419
rejected 355
total 27,774

ASANTE AKIM SOUTH
NPP 28,455
NDC 13,911
valid 42,366
rejected 346
total 42,712

ATWIMA NWABIAGYA
NPP 63,272
NDC 16,514
valid 79,786
rejected 411
total 80,197

ASOKWA
NPP 47,662
NDC 13,971
valid 61,633
rejected 264
total 61,897

OFORIKROM
NPP 45,866
NDC 25,212
valid 71,078
rejected 348
total 71,426

ASAWASI
NPP 28,441
NDC 38,357
valid 66,798
rejected 334
total 67,132

KWADASO
NPP 62,110
NDC 8,876
valid 70,986
rejected 344
total 71,330

OFFINSO SOUTH
NPP 29,538
NDC 12,266
valid 41,804
rejected 385
total 42,189

OFFINSO NORTH
NPP 17,431
NDC 11,805
valid
rejected 548
total 29784

EJISU JUABEN
NPP 65187
NDC 13535
valid 78722
rejected 417
total 79139

KUMAWU
NPP 23,400
NDC 7540
valid 30,904
rejected 278
total 31,192

EFFIDUASE ASOKORE
NPP 20,377
NDC 5115
valid 25,492
rejected 206
total 25,698

NHYIAESO
NPP 54,545
NDC 11,861
valid 66,406
rejected 161
total 66,567

BANTAMA
NPP 56,227
NDC 8,532
valid 64,759
rejected 169
total 64,928

ADANSI ASOKWA
NPP 14,670
NDC 10,634
valid 25,304
rejected 356
total 25,660

FOMENA
NPP 13,583
NDC 3,996
valid 17,579
rejected 185
total 17,764

ATWIMA MPONUA
NPP 30,960
NDC 17,086
valid 48,046
rejected 468
total 48,514

MANHYIA
NPP 95,281
NDC 20,210
valid 115,491
rejected 319
total 115,882

OLD TAFO
NPP 47,476
NDC 13,416
valid 60,892
rejected 198
total 61,090

SUAME
NPP 67,790
NDC 10,368
valid 78,158
rejected 238
total 78,396

The Presidential Run off

Voting in the Ashanti region got off to a peaceful start on Sunday with long winding queues seen at many polling stations for the second round of presidential elections when the polls opened in the morning.
However by midday, the police had arrested a total of 15 people for various electoral offences including malpractice, impersonation, violence, creation of confusion and preventing some eligible voters from casting their ballot.
A 72-year old man whose name was only given as Asare was arrested for allegedly placing a material on a stamp pad at one of the polling stations at Atimatim in the Kwabre West constituency.
The act was detected by one voter who saw that a material had been placed on the stamp pad which caused thumb prints on the ballot paper to appear faint.
As soon as the act was detected, many voters came to complain that they realised that their thumbprints were faint on the ballot papers even though they pressed hard on the ink pad.
The 72-year old man, who was hanging around the polling station, was later identified as the person who caused the act and was arrested by the crowd who attempted to lynch him but for the timely intervention of the security personnel.
There was a resultant confusion at the polling station which caused voting to be halted for a while until calm prevailed at the place following a security re-enforcement.
When the 72-year-old man was arrested, it was detected that he had an observer’s card, which he told the police that it was given to him by regional officials of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The Electoral officials however detected that the observer’s card he was holding was a fake one.
Inspector Yusif Mohammed Tanko, Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer confirmed to the Daily Graphic that the man had been taken into custody for further investigations but declined to give his name.
In another incident, an electoral official at the Kodie Methodist Primary Polling Station also in the Kwabre West constituency was arrested for malpractice.
The official was said to have stamped a ballot paper on the position of the NDC candidate before giving it to a voter to cast the ballot.
When the voter saw the anomaly, he alerted other officials and the security personnel and the said official was arrested.
In other instances, persons who were said to be creating confusion and preventing some eligible voters to cast their vote were also arrested at various areas.
Among those arrested for creating confusion at polling stations included political party agents.
Inspector Tanko told the Daily Graphic that after such agents were arrested, they told the police that they were being vigilant in their supervisory roles and by doing so, some people caused the police to arrest them, alleging that they were creating confusion.
The Public Relations Officer said the police were investigating all those cases to find out how authentic the complaints were.
There had been reports of some arrests at Kofiase in the Mampong area, where persons who were said to have attempted to snatch ballot boxes were also arrested by the police by the time of filing this report.
Again there was a report of the arrest of another EC official at Kumawu for stamping ballot papers before giving it out to voters to cast their vote but the Police Public Relations officer was unable to confirm it as of the time of filing this report.
At Ashanti New Town, near the Abbey’s park a youngman was beaten up by the crowd. It was alleged that he was hanging around the area with intentions of wanting to snatch a ballot box. He was also handed over to the police.
Inspector Tanko said the Police were closely monitoring the situation.
Earlier in the morning queues started forming at various polling stations at dawn long before election officials arrived with the electoral materials.
In areas such as Santasi, Fankyenebra , Atasemanso, Adiembra, Patasi, South Suntreso and Kwadaso all in the Nhyiaeso constituency where the Daily Graphic visited around 4am the scene was no different as there were long queues at the polling stations.
The voters explained that they anticipated a higher turnout and that they wanted to be among the first people to cast their ballot so as to be able to go out and do other businesses for the day.
Jones Bosomtwe, a resident of Anyinam said he had to travel outside Kumasi hence he decided to wake up early to cast his ballot.
Like Jones many voters also said they were up early in other to avoid waiting in queue for longer hours before casting their ballot during the day.
In all the areas visited voters joined queues in calm atmosphere and waited for their turn when the polls opened at 7am.
Officials of the Electoral Commission arrived at the polling stations on time and all electoral materials were readily available for a smooth process.
Madam Georgina Nyantakyiwaa of Fankyenebra prayed for a free and fair exercise so as to enable the candidates accept the outcome of the verdict.
Mrs Ama Amofa of Santasi said that “God chooses a leader” and therefore called on the two candidates to accept the outcome of the verdict.
“We should be able to accept the outcome of the verdict provided it is free and fair”, she said.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Asantehemaa, Nana Afua Serwaa Kobi Ampem cast their ballot at the Manhyia Palace polling station at 11:45am.
Kumasi was generally calm as the voting got underway.
At the K.O. Osei Assibey Polling station, a total of 600 out of 691 persons on the electoral roll had cast their ballot by 1pm.
At Asokore Mampong, Asawase and Aboabo all in the Asawase constituency voters patiently waited in queue to cast their ballot peacefully as well as Ashanti New Town in the Manhyia constituency.
By 9am, the queue at the KTI polling station had diminished. 150 voters out of a total registered voter population of 722 had cast their ballot by then.

Ohene Djan: radio man in wig

Among the fresh lawyers who were recently called to the bar, after graduating from the Ghana Law School was Ohene Djan, host of the “Democracy” programme on Kessben FM in Kumasi.
Djan’s foray into the heady world of radio started as far back as 1999 at Radio Universe in Legon where he hosted the talk show, “View Point”.
He has since been very instrumental in talk shows and current affairs programmes. He is currently a staunch panel member on Kessben FM’s morning show, “Maakye” and a host of Saturday evening’s programme, “Democracy”.
To add more laurels to his radio achievements, he decided to pursue a course in law and gracefully graduated this year from the law school amongst the likes of ACP Nathan Kofi Boakye, who was adjudged the best all round student.
Ohene Djan in a chat with Graphic Showbiz indicated that it had been his long standing vision to become a lawyer and though he ended up becoming a radio presenter after his first degree at the University of Ghana, Legon, he never relented on his oars and pursued his vision of becoming a lawyer.
So is Djan going to abandon radio for the courtroom? “No I hope to combine my radio work with my law practice”, he said.
He explained that he intends to introduce a programme on Kessben FM where matters relating to legal education and other national interest would be discussed to provide listeners with an insight in the law profession.
“I hope to do this in a manner that would not conflict with my legal practice”, he said.
Djan said he was hoping to start his pupillage for at least six months with a reputable law firm in Kumasi before going into independent practice.
Ohene Djan started as a radio talk show host at Radio Universe in Accra whilst pursuing a first degree in Political Science at the University of Ghana. He started as a producer of the programme, “View Point” before becoming the host in his final year in 2000.
From there he moved to Fox FM in Kumasi where he hosted the political talk shows “Hard Ball” and “Hit Back”. He was also a panel member on the morning show.
The Hard Ball programme won an award in 2002 as the Best Interactive talk show programme at the Radio and Television Awards (RTV).
He moved to Kessben FM in 2004 when the station was set up and had been working there since.
Djan hails from Brekum in the Brong Ahafo region where he attended the Brekum Secondary School for his ‘O’ level certificate in 1989. He continued at Technology Secondary in Kumasi for his ‘A’ level and the University of Ghana, Legon for a degree in Political Science.
After that he did his national service at St Louis Secondary in Kumasi before enrolling at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology for a second degree, Bachelor of Law (LLB). From there he enrolled at the Ghana Law School.
Djan, the first radio presenter in Ashanti to have moved into the law profession said he wants to serve as a motivation for his work colleagues to pursue further education and expressed appreciation to his mother, Madam Adwoa Serwaa of Brekum.
Asked when he was going to get married, he said “God’s time is the best”.Ohene Djan (right) receiving his certificate from the Chief Justice Mrs Georgina T. Wood

ICT revolution at Suame Magazine

Picture shows Ms Natalie Schell, an intern from Columbia University in New York assisting the artisans in their training.

There is a sudden upsurge of interest among the otherwise low literate artisans of Suame Magazine for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) education.
What inspired this new spirit of ICT enterprise among the artisans appears a complete mystery to those familiar with the Suame Magazine environment where computer is largely considered the preserve of the formal sector.
The interesting point about these massive developments in the ICT at Suame Magazine is the exclusive private initiative of the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organisation (SMIDO).
The Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organisation (SMIDO), the development unit and umbrella organisation of Suame Magazine has unleashed a revolution unprecedented in the informal sector industry of the country in Suame Magazine.
According to SMIDO, this new development is emerging as a response to findings from a survey in 2007 that indicated that less than one percent of the over 200,000 artisans at the suame magazine have email addresses and uses the Internet.
This was said to be at odds with the global orientation of their industrial operations requiring transactions with stakeholders across the world.
It was an exciting sight when the Daily Graphic visited the training centre last week to witness at first hand, how the artisans were acquiring computer knowledge.
The artisans in their usual fitting costumes were spotted busily going through lessons in ICT in a typical school-styled fashion.
I was confronted with a reality I never thought would happen at Suame Magazine’s largely independent artisanal population.
Artisans who have never sat behind the computer in their lifetime are now manipulating the computer for various designs that would leave the average visitor to the resource center pondering over whether he or she was really at Suame Magazine.
The center has four instructors with two expatriates from the Columbia University in New York.
Records at the resource center indicated that high profiled personalities like Dr Kwabena Duffour, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, the KMA Chief Executive, Ms Patricia Appiagyei, Ms Dorothy Gordon of the Ghana Indian Centre of Excellence in ICT, Professor Vasco of the Institute of Advanced ICT Studies and a host of other dignitaries have visited the resource center to acquaint themselves with this new revelation at Suame Magazine being spearheaded by SMIDO.
The President of SMIDO described this as not necessarily an ICT revolution but a mindset to embrace the modern world of technology, which is threatening the survival of Suame Magazine and the artisanal engineering industry in Ghana.
In an interview, Mr Nyaaba-Aweeba Azongo, consultant to SMIDO revealed that plans were underway to establish an Internet café to introduce the artisans to the use of the Internet given the advances they have made at the basic stages of computing
According to Mr Azongo, the Ghana-Indian Kofi Annan ICT Center is rolling out a programme with SMIDO to introduce an artisanal engineering model of International Computer Driving License (ICDL) to offer international certification to artisans upon graduation at the resource centre.
He contended that the ICT breakthrough is an important milestone towards graduating the artisans of Suame Magazine towards the modern industrial village to be established by SMIDO on a 1000acre land at Asenemaso in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ashanti.
According to him, the full potential of ICT to economic development is seen as the creative sectors of the economy and said that these are the sectors that have been left behind in the nation’s planning process.
He said the formal sector was not a force to reckon with in the creative industry where ICT could introduce the magic wand for economic development.
In his elaboration, the main determinant of the creative economy is the proportion of the employment and entrepreneurial seeking ratios of the labour population.
He contended that the formal sector has a preponderance of employment seeking attitudes as against the entrepreneurial seeking behaviours of the average workforce in the artisanal or the informal Sector.
In this direction the entrepreneurial creative industrial sectors incorporation of ICT is a key instrument towards wealth creation and sustainable development.
For his part, the President of SMIDO, Mr George Asamoah Amankwa expressed the hope that the government would extend a vehicular support to SMIDO project, which was a major undertaking worthy of national commitment and support.
In another development, a team of experts from IBM, the global computer giants would be arriving in Ghana by the end of September 2008 for a one month assignment with SMIDO to support the review and curricula development of the Suame Tech Automatics Engineering Institute for ICT in vehicular diagnosis and repairs.
This is to set the basis for a formal training center for artisans in Suame Magazine and the rest of the country.
Picture shows Mr Nyaaba-Aweeba Azongo, consultant to SMIDO admiring the learning skills of the artisans

50-year Jail term for 'Kumasi Ataa Ayi'

Eric Alfred Zieme, described by the police as Kumasi’s most notorious armed robber, was yesterday sentenced to 50 years’ imprisonment with hard labour by the High Court in Kumasi.

“You are the devil incarnate,” Justice Kwame Ansu-Gyeabour, the presiding judge, told Zieme before handing him the sentence.

Zieme, 26, also known as Kumasi Ataa Ayi, was found guilty of raiding the B5 Plus Company at Buoho, a Kumasi suburb, at gunpoint on October 11, 2007 and robbing Gocrest Limited of GH¢40,504 which it had collected from the B5 Plus to be deposited at the bank.

The convict, who has nine other armed robbery and murder cases yet to be tried, had no lawyer and so he represented himself in court throughout the trial.

He was always in clutches when he appeared in court because of gunshot wounds he sustained when the police fired at his legs when he attempted to escape arrest.

The court held that the convict stood out as a person who was prepared to reap where he had not sown and build his life through foul means.

The judge said the court took into consideration the prevalence of armed robbery in the country, the evidence adduced against the convict by the prosecution, the character and antecedents of the convict, among other things, before imposing the sentence.

He said although the convict told the court that he was in Wa to attend an uncle’s funeral on the day the incident happened, he was, however, unable to prove his claim when offered the opportunity to do so.

Besides, Justice Ansu-Gyeabour said the convict’s mother, Bridget Zumbele, who was in court and had promised to furnish the court with witnesses for the convict, failed to do so and even declined to testify herself as the sister of the convict’s uncle whose funeral he claimed to have attended at Wa.

He stated that the convict admitted the offence in his caution statement to the police but denied on oath that he had given that statement to the police and also failed to prove an alibi.

He said it was abundantly clear that the evidence on oath had been a deliberate ploy and an after- thought.

The judge said the convict was unable to prove how he earned the money used to acquire his property, including the restaurant building project he had embarked on at the race course area in Kumasi.

Justice Ansu-Gyeabour also held that three witnesses, namely, Benedict Kofi Adombre, a driver whom the convict shot in the thigh, Alice Akpo and Victoria Asare, both cashiers of Gocrest Limited, from whom the convict stole the money, all came out to identify the convict during an identification parade.

The court ordered that the two cars seized from the convict on his arrest — an unregistered Toyota Corolla saloon car and an old Tico taxi — be handed over to the Ghana Police Service to assist the service in its patrol duties.

It further ordered that the remaining items seized from the convict, including a Honda motorbike, five travelling bags containing clothing, a Samsung DVD player, a Sony TV set, home theatre with speakers, two deep freezers, two satellite dishes, 35 bags of cement, 17 pieces of plywood, five packets of floor tiles and two ceiling fans, be auctioned and the proceeds paid to offset the amount stolen from B5 Plus, with the remaining paid to government chest.

The court also ordered that the restaurant project started by the convict, should be handed over to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) for it to remodel and construct for public use.

The prosecution was led by Mr Emmanuel Otoo-Boison, a State Attorney.

Zieme has a month to appeal against the sentence.

The facts of the case were that on October 11, 2007, Benedict Kofi Adombre, a driver, Alice Akpo and Victoria Asare, both cashiers of Gocrest Limited at Adum, went round to collect money from the company’s customers.

After the three had collected money from the B5 Plus Company around 1.30 p.m., the convict, with an AK 47 assault rifle, attacked them in front of the company’s premises and shot the right thigh of the driver and robbed them of cash totalling GH¢40,504.

A report was made to the police and a medical form was issued to the driver to attend hospital.

On November 2, 2007, the police, upon a tip-off, arrested the convict from his hideout at the race course and the witnesses involved identified him as the one who had committed the offence.

The police later retrieved three guns, comprising two AK 47 assault rifles and a pump action gun, which he had hidden at various areas in the bush on the Barekese road, the Buoho area and at Brofoyedru.

The police also seized various items from him and charged him with the offence.

Ministry concludes tilapia pond feeding trials

The Ministry of Fisheries has successfully concluded a 10month pond feeding trials with all male tilapia at the Aquaculture Adaptive Trials Centre at Nkawie in the Ashanti region, and has subsequently identified pelletized feed as most suitable for commercial aquaculture production.
The objective of the trial was to demonstrate tilapia growth and economic performance from fingerling to market stages.
The all male tilapia exhibited excellent growth from five grammes to an average of 500 grammes over the 10month period when they were fed on Raanan pelletized fish feed imported from Israel by Dizengoff Ghana Limited.
The feed maintained good water quality, and no pond water flushing was required. Additionally the fish growth with the feed yielded a high economic return in the trial.
A total of 4400 fingerlings were stocked in the pond which was equipped with stand-by aeration at the latter stages of the trials.
At a field demonstration on the production of the all male tilapia using the pelletized feed at Nkawie last week, Mr Emmanuel Nii Aryee, Ashanti Regional Director of the Ministry of Fisheries said the move was a major success in the Ministry’s quest in promoting aquaculture.
This is because, hitherto, most fish farmers were not feeding their stock very well with the right feed thus the produce did not gain the weight they were supposed to before harvest.
Additionally, many of them mixed the males and females together which was also not good for commercial fish production, he said.
The male tilapia is noted for growing faster than the female and that it could attain the weight of about 750 grammes within seven months, for harvesting when fed well. Hence it is profitable to use male fingerlings instead of female fingerlings in fish farming.
The Ministry of Fisheries thus entered into an agreement with Luye Fisheries in China for assistance in the production of male tilapia fingerlings for distribution to fish farmers in Ghana.
The move was to help make high yielding fingerlings always available to fish farmers so as to serve as a boost to aquaculture in the country.
Consequently, the Ministry allocated the Aquaculture Adaptive Trials Centre at Nkawie in the Atwima District of Ashanti to be used as a pilot station for the development of what they termed, the Super Male Tilapia in the country.
Speaking at the field demonstration, the Regional Director of Fisheries said the Ministry sees pond fishing as being very good economically and thus has been promoting aquaculture on a more serious note in the last three years.
He said after the Ministry adopted the all male production method, there was also the need to identify a suitable feed so as to be able to achieve the needed results.
Mr Aryee said the Ministry decided to go for the Raanan feed because that one could float on the surface of the water making it easy to monitor how the stock was consuming the feed.
He said he was aware that GAFCO as well as Agricare have also started producing pelletized feeds and that GAFCO for instance was still in the process of trying to come out with brands that could float on the surface of water.
He said the brands of the other pelletized feeds that does not stay at the surface but sinks to the under of the water was equally good but said the floating ones were more preferable since it allows the farmer to monitor the feeding rate of the stock.
He said his outfit has assigned the Tano Odumase fish pond to produce high yielding all male fingerlings for supply to fish farmers in the Ashanti region so as to serve as a boost to aquaculture.
He said Ashanti was the leading region in pond fish farming.
Adding, he said as part of efforts to boost aquaculture, the ministry has introduced an input credit scheme where fingerlings are supplied to selected farmers as well as assisted in the construction of ponds.
Touching on the results of the trials, Mr Aryee said the exercise had thought the Ministry a lot of lessons which it could impart to fish farmers.
For instance, he said the ministry stocked a total of 4400 fingerlings in the pond which was too small for the stock and also did not mount the stand-by aeration on time.
Again he said the fingerlings were stocked in November and so when the harmattan started in January, the fishes did not eat much during that period so that also affected their growth.
Mr Aryee said lessons learnt from the trials would go a long way to assist fish farmer adding that the average weight could go beyond 500grammes if conditions are favourable.

Filth engulfs Kumasi Central Market

Customers at the Kumasi Central Market, which is said to be the biggest in the West African sub region, are welcome by filth.
Ironically many traders and hawkers sit and transact business in the midst of the filth as if good health doesn’t mean anything to them.
The openly sell foodstuffs and their wares in the middle of the road and on the pavements amidst filth which they themselves generate.
Some display their goods including tomatoes, yams, garden eggs, apples, lettuce and cabbage on the ground over a mat while others put theirs on the bare ground just next to drains filled with stagnant and stinky water.
Others especially those who trade on the streets simply carry their commodities on their hands, heads and shoulders and move around.
This is not the first time an issue of this sort had been raised. It has been raised on a couple of platforms but the situation keeps worsening with no solution to it.
What even makes the situation a bother for me is how foodstuffs especially vegetables and fruits, some of whom are eaten in their raw state is sold on the bare ground in the midst of filth.
One always wonders why there is so much indiscipline at the city centre of the Kumasi metropolis, especially at the precincts of the central market and wondered whose responsibility it was to ensure sanity at the place as the city authorities, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) look on unconcerned.
One is not likely to see the degree of filth during daytime as the place is crowded but at night after the day’s activities.
Last Monday, as I walked on the road in front of the Central Market I was fascinated with the mounting heap of garbage and people including pedestrians and traders who throw garbage anywhere and everywhere.
I wondered how city dwellers had lost their sense of sanitation and civility questioned how people, who initially lived a clean life, create and live in such filth. Such gross disregard to health defies Ghanaian culture.
This appalling sanitation problem makes the government’s much-hyped tourism programme look like a child’s play.
The least talk about the resultant congestion on the road in front of the central market as it is neither not comforting driving through that area nor footing.
Trading activities along the streets and pavements was now as brisk as before the introduction of the exercise, which has come to nothing after spending several millions of Ghana cedis on it.
The last time the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Miss Patricia Appiagyei reacted to concerns on the aborted decongestive exercise, which it claimed it was embarking on a sustainable base to evict traders who have taken over walkways in the Central Business District of Kumasi, she accused the media of not supporting the Assembly resulting in the failure of the exercise. The KMA gave every assurance that it would sustain the decongestive exercise and evict traders who had taken over the walkways in the central business district of Kumasi.
The City Mayor alleged that some sections of the media criticised the KMA and that explained why the exercise had been stalled.
“Some media men criticised us as well as politicised it that is why we have relented on the exercise. We thought we were in partnership with you but we were wrong. You find people back on the pavements because the media did not support us”, Miss Appiagyei said.
Last year, the KMA embarked on the exercise to decongest the CBD of traders who had indiscriminately taken over the streets and the pavements and millions of cedis were spent on the exercise, yet the hawkers are still on the streets doing brisk business with its attendant socio-economic problems.
Assurances were given by the KMA that the exercise was not going to be a nine days’ wonder but would be sustained to enable residents to appreciate the need to comply with the directives of the KMA.
It is not clear what might have compelled the KMA, which in 2006 “blew” some GH¢100,000 on a similar abortive ejection exercise, to go back on its word in 2007, but the lack of political will, as the case has always been, cannot be ruled out.
The activities of the hawkers, who have taken over pavements in the city centre, have compelled pedestrians to walk on the roads, putting them at great risk.
A huge number of petty traders have virtually hijacked the business district of the city which is seriously impeding the free flow of vehicles and pedestrians.
These lawless individuals have completely taken over all the pavements in the city centre and are busily going about their ‘normal’ duties as if there were no laws to bring them to order.
For how long can residents continue to grapple with this problem?
Personally I feel there ought to be a conscious attempt to improve sanitation in that part of the city to give the city the beauty and the Garden City status it deserves.