Pressure group #FixTheCountry Movement wants Ghana’s laws to bite hard especially in times of serious infractions like the military did in Ashaiman last Tuesday. Convenor Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor is calling for the resignation of the Military High Command en masse “because they have misconducted themselves and showed themselves incompetent to lead the military in a time of democracy”. He made the demand on TV3‘s Ghana Tonight on Wednesday, March 8. The private legal practitioner was speaking in the wake of an intelligence-led operation sanctioned by the Command and conducted in Ashaiman in an effort to fish out killers of a young soldier. Mr Barker-Vormawor said the action of the soldiers smacks of revenge and he is readying a suit at the courts against the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). "It is important that in times of grave brutalities like this, we make our laws speak loud and clear that the national soul of this country is restored,” he indicated. “We are demanding the resignation of the entire Military High Command.” He also called on the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to lead in charging the Command for the violations of the human rights of civilians by the soldiers. He also said if the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was competent enough as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, he will demand the resignation Military High Command over last Tuesday’s actions. One hundred and eighty-four persons were arrested after the swoop though 150 have since been released. Credit: 3news.com

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has sacked his foreign minister, less than a week after dismissing the defence and interior ministers. No explanation was given for the dismissal of Mayiik Ayii Deng, which was announced in a decree on the state television. The sacked minister is an ally of Mr Kiir, and previously served as the minister in the president’s office. Last week’s sackings have threatened to derail a peace deal with opposition leader First Vice-President Riek Machar. The opposition called for the reinstatement of Angelina Teny, who Mr Kiir dismissed as defence minister and handed the position to his party. Mrs Teny is also Mr Machar’s wife.The UN called for the parties to “exercise restraint and engage in a collegial spirit in order to resolve such sensitive national issues”. Credit: BBC

A dying passenger was reportedly thrown out of a commercial vehicle at Akyem Apedwa junction stretch of the Accra to Kumasi Highway in Eastern region. The passenger identified as Henry Owusu Agyemang Ankobea in his 40’s believed to be traveling from Asante Bekwai to Accra was allegedly removed from the vehicle he was aboard after his health condition worsened and was gasping for breathe. The visibly dying gentleman was aided by eyewitness to cross the road in desperate search for a good Samaritan to help him get emergency medical intervention but suddenly fainted. Unfortunately, the passersby and hawkers along the road were afraid to get closer to him for fear of incrimination. No.42810 Detective Sargeant Bright Armah, a Police officer Stationed at Apedwa police station but on study leave came across the situation and rescued the dying passenger from the roadside to Apedwa Health Center. His blood sugar level was about 26 mmol/L.He was immediately referred to Kibi government hospital at about 8:30pm. “About 4:30pm, I came across a sick passenger whom according to eyewitnesses was abandoned by a commercial vehicle he was aboard at Apedwa Junction.They assisted him to cross the road to the other side of the road but fell on the ground dying but the people around were afraid and helpless .So when I got there I hired a taxi and rushed him to Apedwa Health Center but was referred to Kibi government hospital in the evening around 8:00pm. He had some Ghc300 in his pocket so I used part of it for the medical expenses” Detective Sargeant Armah told Starr News Eastern Regional correspondent Kojo Ansah. The police officer took the unlocked Samsung Galaxy 9 mobile phone of the critically ill patient to search and call his relatives to inform them about the situation “So I called the family members, I called one man who gave his identity as Military officer and said the man was his cousin. Unfortunately, the man died at dawn before the arrival of the family members the next morning and the body deposited at Kibi mortuary” the Police officer said. The deceased family members arrived at the hospital in a Landcruiser Vehicle for the necessary arrangement to transport the body to Asante Bekwai. Management of the Kibi government hospital confirmed the incident and efforts made the passenger which were unsuccessful. Source: Starrfm.com

Convener of Fix the Country Movement Oliver Barker Vormawor has condemned the military invasion in Ashaiman. According to him, he will sue Ghana Armed Forces and give legal representation to all the brutalized victims. He said just as he represented the victims of the Ajura brutalities where the victims received compensation, same way he is going to do for the Ashaiman victims. Speaking on an Accra-based television, he said "What the military did was shameful and smacks of undermining the democracy of the country." “ For the military to sanction ground forces and aerial support in Ashaiman means our democracy is being undermined”. Vormawor fumed. The Fix Country Convenor who expressed disappointment in the loud silence of the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, President Akufo Addo in his state of the nation address, he also called for the resignation of the top hierarchy of the military stressing that “ they lack the competence and discipline to lead the Armed Forces”. He, therefore, called on all victims of the brutalities to reach out to him whilst he and his colleague Lawyere brace themselves up for the legal onslaught. Source:www.senaradioonline.com

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Health has assured that it would ensure the strengthening of the larval source management programme targeted at immature mosquitoes to support the elimination of malaria in the country. ​ According to the committee, despite some challenges they witnessed, the programme was a critical component of any effective integrated vector management (IVM) targeted at killing immature mosquitoes before developing in stagnant water to cause malaria. The chair of the Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, gave the assurance while addressing the media after an inspection tour of mosquito breeding sites in various districts in the Ashanti Region, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Touching on the problems, he indicated that some of the breeding sites they visited in Tafo, for instance, had dried out due to the dry season. “We were struggling to find the breeding sites, which originally would have to be mapped out, and easily assessed. But then also it was difficult for us to assess these sites. He also observed that some of the sprayers trained to undertake the spraying exercise were also a challenge. “For some reasons, some of them [the workers] have left the job so you have a huge population, wide coverage area, but few people - about 8 or 9 - doing the spraying. It tells you that they are struggling. And so, therefore, work is being done but it won’t be effective,” he added. These challenges notwithstanding, Dr. Ayew Afriyie asserted that larviciding was an effective tool that can be used to manage insecticide resistance in malaria control in the country. “So, as I said, it is a strengthening exercise. We are trying to get it better because the technocrats keep saying it is a very good intervention. So as part of our oversight responsibilities, we would strengthen the course of this project,” he firmly assured. He was, however, happy to learn that there has been a reduction in the number of reported cases of malaria and also under-5 mortality from 0.04 in 2018 to 0.00 in 2022 in the Sekyere East District. “Per available figures, we are being told that malaria cases at the OPD have been on the decline from 2018 where it was 413.1 per a population of 1,000 to 270.4 per 1,000 population,” he said. On the issue of increasing budgetary allocation for the project, Dr. Ayew Afriyie, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effiduase Asokore Constituency, averred that his committee would weigh both sides of the argument and take a decision on it. More importantly, he said the committee would push Zoomlion to sit up to ensure value for money. “So what happens is that each place we go we need to have the structure. The structure, he explained, therefore, means that we need to know the operational team on the ground. So we are going to be so much on them, and sometimes we are going to do surprise visits which we will not tell them we are going to this area,” he noted. This, he stressed, would make Zoomlion sit up and ensure that Ghanaians get value for money in the larval source management programme. The Ranking Member on the Committee and MP for Juaboso, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said they have engaged the management of Zoomlion and charged them to address the challenges confronting the project, particularly those that emanate from the company. “We have held discussions with the management of the company and they have agreed to increase the salary and also clear all the backlog of salaries,” he indicated. However, he underpinned that the goal of the committee was the success of the project and its impact. For his part, the Deputy Ranking Member of the committee, and an MP for Nabdam, Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, expressed: “my observation is that there seems to be a disconnect between the fight for environmental cleanliness’ and the fight against malaria." He explained that this was evident in the appalling conditions of the many breeding sites that they had visited. “I believe that it is like a vicious cycle where you come and try to kill the mosquitoes. You leave the environment in that order; the water is not moving; the drains need desilting; we don’t do it, and; they [the mosquitoes] will definitely reoccur. This is because we don’t kill the mosquitoes to zero: we kill some of them and some of them remain,” he said. Earlier at a briefing at the Sekyere East District Assembly, the Medical Superintendent of Effiduase Government Hospital, Dr. David Antwi-Agyei, revealed that malaria OPD cases have been on the decline from 2018 where it was 413.1 per 1000 population to 270.4 per 1,000 population in 2022. He further disclosed that severe malaria cases have plateaued over the same period, adding that "case fatality of malaria declined from 0.04 in 2018 to 0.00 in 2022,”. The Coordinator of the Larval Source Management Programme (Mosquito Control Programme) for Zoomlion, Reverend Dr. Ebenezer Kwame Addae, admonished Ghanaians to have a positive attitude towards the environment "so as to help the country's efforts in curbing malaria." The committee visited some breeding sites in Tafo and Effiduase, which afforded the members the opportunity to observe the operations of Zoomlion, and also interact with the community members. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has disclosed that Government will in the year 2023, commission some three Community Mining Schemes as part of efforts towards the fight against illegal small-scale mining populaly known as galamsey. The President who was addressing the Nation on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday 8th March, 2023, gave the assurance that his government will continue the fight against galamsey with the support of the security agencies, in the short-term. He added that "However, we are determined to promote responsible small-scale mining through Community Mining Schemes. So far, sixteen (16) of these Schemes have been commissioned, with three (3) more to be commissioned by the end of this year. All these Schemes are supported with Gold Katchas, pieces of equipment designed to help small-scale miners to extract gold from the ore without the use of mercury" His Excellency the President also noted that in 2021, he launched the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme which has so far employed several youth in the production of seedlings and reclamation of degraded mined lands. Currently, he continued that reclamation is ongoing with over one thousand hectares (1,000ha) of degraded lands in Ashanti, Eastern and Western North Regions reclaimed. Touching on Goverment Dept Operations, he said Goverment is seeking and implementing some original and innovative ideas to try and solve the country’s dept problems, mentioning the Gold Purchase Programme by the Bank of Ghana and Gold for Oil Policy as examples of creative uses of the country’s resources which he opined are already bearing fruit. He explained further that these policies are aimed at achieving two results that are critical to the health of our economy. "Firstly, they will help us preserve foreign exchange, especially the US dollar, and secondly, they will enable us to stabilise the price of oil products such as petrol and diesel on the domestic market. We have already seen some success on both fronts with the price of US dollars and petroleum products falling since we announced the Gold for Oil policy and began to implement it." Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his concluding statements urged Ghanaians to believe in themselves, and in their capacity to overcome the problems that are before the country. He encouraged "This is a phase, and, with every fibre of my being, I am certain that this too shall pass. We have done it before, and we will do it again". Meanwhile, speaking in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the State Of the Nation's Address, (SONA) the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor applauded the President for inspiring a lot of hope in his address. He expressed his joy on the fact that the President did not pretend to the needs and difficulties of Ghanaians but faced the realities of the times. Adding however that "By and large we have a government that is on top of issues and not so long in the future, government will fix the situation and take the country back to the days of economic growth and development." The SONA is in accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 constitution which states that the President shall deliver a message on the State of the Nation to Parliament at the Start of each session and before the dissolution of Parliament. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ghana Premier League (GPL) is the highest level of football in Ghana, and it has been a significant part of Ghanaian culture for over six decades. It has provided a platform for young Ghanaian footballers to showcase their talent, and it has produced some of the most talented footballers in Africa, including Abedi Pele, Asamoah Gyan, and Michael Essien. However, in recent years, the GPL has faced several challenges, leading to a decline in its popularity. Back in the day, the GPL was a source of pride and joy for Ghanaian football fans. The league was competitive, and the quality of play was exceptional. It was an opportunity for young footballers to showcase their talent and earn a living from the game. Fans were passionate and filled the stadiums to cheer their teams. Unfortunately, the GPL has lost its appeal to fans, and the league is struggling to attract fans to the stadium. One significant factor contributing to the low patronage of the GPL is the poor state of football pitches across the country. The poor quality of pitches has made it difficult for fans to enjoy the game and has discouraged them from attending matches. Another factor is the lack of commitment from players. Players are not as committed to their teams as they used to be. This lack of commitment is due to the poor salaries and working conditions of players in the GPL. It has led to a decline in the quality of play in the league. Poor pitches have also contributed to the decline in player commitment. Players find it difficult to play on poorly maintained pitches, leading to injuries and a decline in performance. This issue has discouraged young players from pursuing football as a career, leading to a decline in the pool of talented players in the country. To revive the GPL and bring back its glory days, there must be a concerted effort to improve the quality of football pitches across the country. The government and private investors must invest in the development of football pitches to improve the quality of play and attract more fans to matches. Additionally, there needs to be a significant improvement in the salaries and working conditions of players in the GPL. This will encourage players to be more committed to their teams and deliver quality performances on the pitch. When players are well remunerated, they will be more motivated to play their best and make the league more competitive. In conclusion, the GPL is an integral part of Ghanaian football, and it must be given the attention it deserves. To make the league more attractive to fans and players, there must be a concerted effort to improve the quality of football pitches across the country, improve the salaries and working conditions of players, and make the league more competitive. By taking these steps, the GPL can regain its position as the pride and joy of Ghanaian football and produce some of the most talented footballers in Africa. Credit: Edmund Jacob Hoffman, Immediate Past President, AYPA, St. Andrews Anglican Church, Abossey Okai. DISCLAIMER: The views, comments, opinions, contributions and statements made by the author on this platform do not represent the views or policy of Think News Online.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to deliver the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on March 8, 2023. This is in accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution which stipulates that the President shall at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before the dissolution of Parliament deliver a message on the State of the Nation to Parliament. The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, mentioned this when he presented the Business Statement for the week ending March 3, 2023. The State of the Nation Address is expected to amongst others highlight government’s key policy objectives and deliverables for the year ahead as well as the achievements of the government and challenges faced. The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin announcing the rescheduled date of the presentation in Parliament said, “The day of the SONA, initially the Business Committee announced 28th February 2023, after that I, in particular, saw that the 28th February was not a suitable day”. “So I personally got in touch through the Majority Leader, Ose Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu with H.E the President, and after an extensive discussion, it was shifted to the date to 8th March. It was for a good reason that his Excellency, the President finally agreed to the 8th March. We both had to agree to sacrifice some other assignments to do the SONA on the 8th of March,” he said. Credit: Citinewsroom

Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu has admitted that there are some childhood vaccine shortages in the country. According to him, the shortages have been there since the last quarter of 2022. Addressing Journalists in Accra on Tuesday, the Health Minister said "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is true we have had some vaccine shortages in the country since the last quarter of  2022. The vaccines in short supply are  BCG, Measles-Rubella (MR), and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). This shortage is nationwide" The Health Minister also noted that the recent shortage in vaccines for measles, as regrettable as it is, is symptomatic of the steady global decline in measles vaccination since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. He told Journalists that his Ministry is making efforts to ensure the country secures adequate stocks of vaccines despite this global challenge. "We have made all necessary efforts to ensure that despite these challenges we secure adequate stocks within the next few weeks" DEATHS FROM MEASLES Clarifying the erroneous impression, the Minister debunked claims that there have been deaths from Measles in Ghana. "For the avoidance of doubt, there have been no deaths from the recently recorded spike in Measles cases" The Minister stated emphatically that there has been no deaths since 2003 though Ghana have recorded cases annually. "Finally, despite this challenge, Ghana’s immunization performance coverage remains among the best in the world. In 2021 we recorded 95% coverage" "Working with UNICEF, we are fast-tracking the processes and it is expected that the vaccines would be supplied in the next few weeks All things being equal" The Ministry of Health has been seriously concerned about the shortage of some childhood vaccines and their effect on the Vaccination Programme in the country. He described the phenomenon as a major source of worry for the Ministry, partners, caregivers, and population. "We are aware of the implications of the shortages including disease outbreaks, and effects on child survival" "The Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has been a flagship disease control program in the country and arguably one of the best programmes if not the best in the sub-region with high coverage levels of over 95%" "We have an established system for forecasting, procurement, supply and distribution of routine vaccines, and monitoring their use" Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

There have been reports of alleged brutality by some soldiers who are said to have stormed Ashaiman, a suburb of Accra since midnight. This comes days after their colleague was allegedly stabbed to death by unknown assailants in the area. In some videos on social media, a young man is heard getting flogged while a neighbour quietly films from a window nearby. In other visuals, some residents were forced to roll on the ground in the muddy puddles of the early morning rains. Military men allegedly brutalizing Residents in Ashaiman. This comes after one of their men was assassinated few days ago. Credit: Myjoyonline.com

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced that Tuesday, March 7 is a holiday for school children. The GES said in a statement that the day is to enable the children to rest from the preparation for the Independence Day anniversary parade which took place on Monday, March 6. "It is announced for the information of all schools and the general public that Tuesday 7th March has been declared a Holiday for all school children in Ghana.“ "This is to enable them have some rest after preparing vigorously for the Independence Day Anniversary Parade.“ Schools resume fully on Wednesday, March 8. All parents and guardians are therefore to take note,” the GES statement signed by Head Public Relations Unit Cassandra Twum Ampofo said. Below is a copy of the release: Credit: 3news.com

British-Sierra Leonean journalist, Isha Sesay has announced the birth of her daughter named Naimah Yasmine Kadi Sesay. The 47-year-old former CNN news anchor made the announcement in an Instagram post on Saturday. Sesay, who described her pathway to motherhood as “a long and at times difficult journey,” said the baby was born in New York on 17 February." Her arrival was preceded by the sudden onset of preeclampsia which unleashed skyrocketing blood pressure and in the hours that followed hemorrhaging, toxemia and fluid overload. "In the darkest moments all I could think about was my daughter and she provided the strength that I needed,” she wrote. The journalist then thanked the medical team that helped deliver the baby. “Those difficult days are behind us and Naimah and I are thankfully back home. In the blink of an eye, my child has removed all traces of who I once was and what I considered to be important. In keeping with the meaning of her first name, “Naimah,” she is indeed my peace. She is my blessing.“Thank you to all of you who have followed my pregnancy journey, checked on us, prayed for us, and sent constant well wishes. We love you! And I can’t wait to share the triumphs and travails of motherhood in the days ahead,” she concluded her post. Isha went public about her pregnancy after her third IVF attempt in an essay published by TODAY in October last year. Her 2013 marriage to Leif Coorlim, an award-winning journalist and executive editor of the CNN Freedom Project, had long ended in divorce. "A brief marriage to a kind man didn’t result in children, and then the year I turned 40, my mum had a catastrophic stroke, leaving me no emotional space to contemplate anything other than caring for her. Six years went by and a few months ago I found myself in a subpar relationship with a man who took about 12 hours to reply to all my texts, among other red flags. It was then, in the aftermath of our inevitable breakup, that it hit me: Not having a child would be the greatest regret of my life. And with my biological clock ticking down, if I was waiting for the right man to come along before I did it, well, I might just find myself out of time,” she wrote in the essay. Credit: Asaase Radio