Dean of School of Performing Arts And African Studies, Professor Kofi Agyekum ( Opanyin Agyekum ) has blamed the current discrepancy in the accreditation of some universities in the country for lack of qualified personnel to handle a piled up programs at the Accreditation Board waiting for approval. Speaking to this reporter on telephone, he explained that the blame is a shared one by the affected universities and the Board. Opanyin Agyekum indicated that if one goes to the Board now the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, one is likely to see a pile of programs waiting to be approved but left unattended to for years. The professor said it can sometimes take more than three years for a program to be approved because experts from the various universities to go through the rigorous process of auditing and approving the courses are just not there . This involes scrutinising course content, environment, infrastructures, libraries, teaching staff, and many other things that is time consuming. He contended that most professors because of their workload in terms of lecturing,research, supervision, administrative work and many other things cannot be easily poached to do the accreditation work on time. Besides GTEC itself does not have a standing team who can do the job on time. Worse still, the reward for that tedious work is woefully unenthusiastic. He said inspite of the current situation no past students would be affected because it wasn't the fault of them to go through such academic hitch. Again affiliated universities would also not suffer any setback or withdrawal of programs already offered. Asked whether foreign professors cannot be brought in to solve the problem he said they can but they also face the same challenges like the Ghanaian counterparts. What's even worrisome is the fact that the lecturers of the universities seeking that service cannot and must not accredit their own courses at their own universities but different lecturers from other universities. He further stated that the affected universities must take pains to rectify the anomaly to set the path for smooth academic calendar. He argued that if the universities were to wait , they couldn't have introduced new programs , but in the current fast moving world ,the universities cannot continue to be static and lean on old programs without new ones. What needs to be done he suggested must be the quick resolve of the discrepancies ; staffing the GTEC to do that work , incentivise the processors who do this tedious work very well , offering interim accreditation whiles the applications are being considered, among many measures. Opanyin Agyekum told this reporter that he had on countless occasions prompted the Accreditation Board to quicken the space of their service because time and tide wait for no man. He disclosed that he had been doing some work for them but he is so taken up with other academic work and thus he is restrained to avail call his time to do that job even though he would have loved to to help them. Story by: Nana Poku

The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources has partnered the Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly (AEMA) to observe this year's International Clean-up Exercise day at Nima, a community in the Greater Accra Region. According to the Ministry, the move forms part of the agenda to make Accra, the cleanest city. Addressing Journalists, the Chief Director of the Ministry Sanitation and Water Resources, Noah Tumfo said "We are here to support the Municipal Assembly observe the International Clean-up day." "So as part of the exercise, we wrote to all the MMDAs to commemorate the day by going out and identifying areas where they can do clean-up exercises to mark the day" "As a Ministry, we decided to partner with the Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly (AEMA) as the focal point where we are celebrating the day" The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, however, mentioned that it is disappointed with the turnouts of tye residents. He said "The Ministry charged the Assembly to organise the residents in the community to engage in the clean up exercise. You can see that the community is not really out here rather, it is people who do businesses here that are partaking in the exercise. We have just a hand-full of the residents joining but the idea was to whip the community's preparedness to clean their own environment" "Throughout the country, we wrote to all MMDCEs to commemorate the day with  the clean-up exercise. We are just hopeful that all the Assemblies are doing same. Announcements were made throughout the Municipality ahead of this exercise so I am surprised at the turnout" Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Director-General, National Patrols Department, Ghana Police Service, COP Paul Manly Awini has revealed that terrorism has become a global threat. According to him, the worrying phenomenon has affected almost all the neighbouring countries surrounding Ghana. Speaking at the passing out parade of the second batch of 2022 recruits at the National Police Training School in Accra on Friday, Review Officer COP Paul Manly Awini said "It is an undeniable fact that terrorism has become a global threat. So far, almost all our neighbouring countries have experienced some form of terrorist attack" He added that the various Security Agencies will not fold its arms and wait for the worst to happen. He stressed that it has become imperative to prepare the security personnel to adequately respond to any such threat or attack. "In view of this, all recruits on parade as part of their basic training were sent to the High-Risk Operation Training School, formerly the Counter-Terrorism Enactment and Concentration Centres at Akanteng in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region, where they were taken through various activities, such as rappelling, mountaineering, jumping from vehicles, firing from moving vehicles to suppress target or take cover, and a host of tactical training to position them to respond appropriately to any attack on the country and to deal with any eventuality" COP Awini reminded the graduands that the Police Administration recognises the important role that communities play to help deal with all forms of crimes. "It is said that 'to every crime that is committed, there is one public eye that sees it" He charged the public to be prepared to volunteer information on criminals to the Police. "As Police Officers, the public is our client which includes victims of crime, perpetrators, witnesses and the general members of the public at large. Therefore in dealing with the public, we expect you to exhibit a high sense of professionalism, civility and respect for the general public" COP Awini noted that such move will undoubtedly will win the confidence and trust of tge public adding that it will push the public to release requisite information and support in order to discharge its mandate effectively. "This reciprocity can be sustained be eschewing Police corruption and master-servant relationship" COP Awini revealed that the Police Administration is taking pragmatic steps to weed our miscreants and criminals masquerading in Police uniforms from the service to restore its reputation. In all, 230 personnel passed out successfully. Some deserving graduands were rewarded for their excelling performance(s). Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye says Ghana is free from the Marburg virus disease. This follows the successful discharge from the hospital, of the only survivor among those who contracted the virus. The announcement was made by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye at a press briefing on Friday, September 16. “On this day, the 16th day of September 2022, I Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service on behalf of the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu together with our partners do hereby declare the initial outbreak of Marburg virus is over.” He also said the only survivor has been reunited with his family. “The only survivor of the three has since recovered from the disease following two negative tests carried out 48 hours apart on the 3rd and 6th of August 2022 respectively, by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR). Ghana, therefore, has no case of MVD,” he added. Ghana recorded its first case of the disease on Monday, July 4. Three cases were subsequently reported, with the last being on 21st July 2022. Two of the three persons diagnosed with the disease unfortunately died. In all, 198 contacts were identified in four districts (Adansi North and South, Prestea Huni Valley, and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba) of which 118 of them have completed the 21 days of mandatory follow-up and have since been discharged. In line with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, the outbreak will be declared over 42 days after the last negative test if there are no new cases. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

It will be a crime for Aisha Huang to release video footages of her sexual encounters with Ghanaian officials. That’s the reaction of former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue on the return of the Chinese businesswoman who is currently facing criminal charges of mining in Ghana without a license. There are doubts that government would proceed with the prosecution of the case due to reports that the Chinese woman controls a powerful cartel that is blackmailing Ghanaian ministers of state and high ranking state officials. Meanwhile, Editor of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has disclosed that Aisha Huang, nicknamed ‘galamsey queen’ has a series of recorded sex videos involving persons serving in the incumbent and previous administrations. Reacting to fears that Aisha Huang may resort to releasing the videos as a trump card to evade prosecution, Charles Bissue argued that it will go against her if she does that. “Whatever sex video she has with people, were they with underage children? No, he answered while adding that it might be “consensual” and that “she in the first place videoing that is a crime… whatever sex that happened the person was not raped,” he explained. Mr. Charles Bissue further recounted how there were attempts to blackmail him during his tenure as Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee to shelve some investigative reports at his outfit, a proposal he declined. Credit: Myinfogh

The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) believes its members are in favour of the government reducing fuel prices, not an increment in transport fares. Explaining why it is hesitant to increase transport fares, the General Secretary of the GPRTU, Godfred Abulbire, noted that “we don’t benefit a lot from the fare increments.” This comes on the back of an announcement by some driver unions that transport fares would be increased by 30 percent effective September 21. The GPRTU subsequently described the announcement as inappropriate. Mr. Abulbire said his union’s assessment showed that an increment was not justified. “From May, we increased fares and the fuel margin was around 11.29. It moved to 13 and fuel moved to about 14.49. We never heard of any member of a union agitating for fare increments.” “It moved from the 14.49 back to 13.20, and now it has moved back to 14.50. It hasn’t made any change yet,” he explained. Mr. Abulbire, however, said his union, which has the largest membership of drivers, will do due diligence on the matter. “So we are to do a survey with the other components I just mentioned and if fuel lubricants have increased if spare parts have increased… then we have reason to submit a report and ask for a fare increase.” “As it stands, if you go round with this your cameras to ask our drivers, they will prefer that we embark on a particular move to ask the government to reduce [fuel] prices than simply going to ask for fare increments,” he said. The government is set to engage the various driver unions in the country on Monday, September 19, 2022, over the proposed increase in transport fares. Credit: myinfogh

The Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has stated that the death of Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was an event that beat his expectations. Speaking at a thanksgiving service held in honour of the late Queen by the British High Commission at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Accra on Friday, Dr Bawumia recounted his immediate reaction to the news that the Queen’s doctors had expressed concern about her health. According to him, the Queen, despite the shock her death evokes, ought to be celebrated due to the immense benefits derived from her reign. “When my attention was drawn to the Royal Family’s statement on the afternoon of September the 8th this year, expressing doctors’ concern about the health of the Queen, I least expected that her passing was that eminent as she was seen in public two days earlier appointing Prime Minister Liz Truss. Though her passing came as a shock to us, her 96-year-old long life and 70 years of reign as Queen of the United Kingdom and the realms and as head of the Commonwealth are worth celebrating,” he said. The vice president further highlighted the relationship between Ghana and the late Queen, with emphasis on the impact of her leadership on the world. “The passing of Her Majesty the Queen has been received here in Ghana with a heavy heart, prompting His Excellency the President to direct that all flags in Ghana fly at half-mast for seven days. The high points of Ghana’s relationship with her majesty were in the years 1961 and 1999 with her official visits. Indeed, in her 1961 visit, a special highlife tune was composed in her honour called ‘Welcome Your Majesty.’ Her famous dance with Ghana’s first president and influential pan-Africanist, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, at the farewell ball in Accra in 1961 was described by scholars as both symbolic and significant to the Commonwealth. Her Majesty the Queen showed remarkable leadership in an era marked by strong anti-colonial and independence waves in the African continent. It is therefore not surprising that under her reign, the Commonwealth saw such a huge transformation,” he said. Some government functionaries who attended the service included Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Others include traditional leaders such as the Gbese Mantse, His Majesty Nii Ayi-Bonte II and other members of the Ga Traditional Council. The late Queen Elizabeth died on Thursday, September 8, 2022, at the age of 96, having ascended the British throne some 70 years ago. Her funeral is scheduled for Monday, September 19, 2022. Credit: Myinfogh

From members of the diplomatic corps to high-ranking government of Ghana officials and traditional leaders, the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Accra on Friday, September 16, 2022, was filled with important personalities as the British High Commission held a thanksgiving memorial service in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. The service conducted by the leadership of the Anglican Church witnessed the attendance of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, in her speech, described the late Queen as a constant rock whose impact remains felt in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world, including Ghana. “The Queen was a constant, a rock not just for the United Kingdom but for so many around the world. Her Majesty championed the development of the Commonwealth, and we are proud of the longstanding and strong role that Ghana plays in that family. This week I have seen so profoundly, I have heard, I have felt the legacy her majesty leaves behind here in Ghana and the warmth people feel towards her has been a comfort to me and my team through these difficult days,” the High Commissioner said. On his part, Vice President Bawumia highlighted the relationship between the late queen and Ghana while describing the queen as a remarkable leader. “The passing of Her Majesty the Queen has been received here in Ghana with a heavy heart prompting His Excellency the President to direct that all flags in Ghana fly at half-mast for seven days. The high points of Ghana’s relationship with her majesty were in the years 1961 and 1999 with her official visits. Indeed, in her 1961 visit, a special highlife tune was composed in her honour called ‘Welcome Your Majesty.’ Her famous dance with Ghana’s first president and influential pan-Africanist, Dr Kwame Nkrumah at the farewell ball in Accra in 1961 was described by scholars as both symbolic and significant to the Commonwealth. “Her Majesty the Queen showed remarkable leadership in an era marked by strong anti-colonial and independence waves in the African continent. It is therefore not surprising that under her reign the Commonwealth saw such a huge transformation,” Dr Bawumia said. Other dignitaries who graced the occasion included the Gbese Mantse, His Majesty Nii Ayi-Bonte II and other members of the Ga Traditional Council. The late Queen Elizabeth died on Thursday, September 8, 2022, at the age of 96, having ascended the British throne some 70 years ago. Her funeral is scheduled for Monday, September 19, 2022. Credit: Myinfogh

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has reported 23 suspected cases of impersonation in the ongoing West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to the Police. Describing the development as worrying, the Council noted that such cases have been on the increase in this year’s examination because school authorities fail to identify those ‘unwanted’ individuals in the exam halls. As of Friday, September 16, a total of six schools were reported to have recorded cases of impersonation. Prince Boateng SHS in Nsawam recorded 15 cases, Vicar Trust SHS, Kasoa – three and St. John SHS, Asante Bekwai, two cases. Winners SHS, Nkawkaw; Sunyani Business College and Mococo SHS, Nkawkaw all recorded a case each. Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, the Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, urged school authorities to “fish out any impersonators even before they are allowed into the examination room.” She added that there is a number of syndicate cheating cases in schools where teachers extort money from candidates and provide answers to them in the examination halls. “This practice involves…the execution of pre-arranged plans by these same persons to assist candidates to cheat by solving questions and distributing photocopies or printed solutions to the candidates. “A number of cases from the following schools have come to our attention: Asawinso SHS, Action SHS, Madina; Juaben SHS, Aduman SHS, Sunyani Business College, Oxford Business SHS, Sunyani and Miracle SHS, SHS.” Credit: Myjoyonline.com

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation(GBC), has secured the Exclusive Free-to-Air Broadcast Rights of Qatar 2022 FIFA World which kicks off in November, this year. These Rights include Television, Radio and Public Viewing (Exhibition) rights. The TV Broadcast Rights starting on November 21st will feature selected Live soccer matches from the Group stage knockout Rounds, Quarters, Semis and Finals which will also include all Ghana Black Stars Matches. The matches will be complemented with the World Cup African diaries series airing live daily from Doha and will focus on the campaign of the five (5) African countries in Qatar. GBC has also acquired the CHAN 2023 African Nations Championships which Ghana has qualified for, and will be added to optimize value for the Qatar 2022 World Cup Sponsorship package. Hence, GBC will make this package available to interested sponsors on an exclusive and non-exclusive basis from September. Also, all the content related to Qatar 2022 countdown series will be broadcasted exclusively on GTV Sports+, GTV and a consortium of major partner Free-to-Air TV Stations in Ghana. The Radio rights to all the 64 matches will be live on all 18 GBC Regional and District FM stations across the country, interested Radio stations can contact GBC to share in the broadcast rights. GBC has cautioned to take legal actions against any entity that may violate their acquired rights. Story by: Magdalene Abedi

Dzata Cement, an only and wholly-owned Ghanaian cement manufacturing business, has been adjudged the ‘Cement Brand of The Year’ at the 2022 Ghana-West Africa Business Excellence Awards. The 2022 Ghana Business Standard Awards seeks to celebrate organizations committed to remarkable business standards in their sectors and industry leaders breaking barriers of excellence across the Ghanaian business region and the world at large. In an interview with the Personal Assistant of the Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) of Dzata Cement, Ibrahim Mahama; Timothy Ataaya revealed that the company was not surprised by the recent awards as it focused on providing high-quality but affordable cement products to customers. “We are not surprised about the award because he, (Mr Ibrahim Mahama) had the vision that gave birth to this cement factory. For over fifty-five years, this industry has been controlled by foreign investors, Dangote only came in to tell us that, we as Ghanaians can do it. The problem the company identified which is the quality and the affordability of cement coupled with the fact that no Ghanaian is taking an active role in this industry, we focused on making sure that we'll bring to the market high-quality cement capable of distinguishing itself” He noted that the best aspect is the product quality itself ‘unlike other players in the market, it is only Dzata Cement that produces a cement quality grade called CEM I 42.5R, which is the highest cement grade in Ghana. Touted as the first and only fully Ghanaian-owned cement processing factory, Dzata Cement – is valued at over US$100 million investment which is located on a 10-acre land near the Tema port enclave. “The market entry strategy was to get the products accessible to all, so where ordinarily you might not see other products, Dzata Cement was willing to push and that is what led to the company’s investment into trucks, just to get into production other areas,” The first phase of the company was a cement bagging plant with a capacity of 1.2Mt/yr. The second phase is expected to increase the processing capacity to 2.4Mt. Its current bagging capacity is approximately 120 bags of cement per minute. Dzata cement has received several accolades for its impact on the local cement industry, as this particular investment should pave the way for investments in industries which otherwise have been dominated only by foreign companies To boost its product accessibility, the Company is conducting regular feasibility studies like nationwide depot operations to create more awareness of its unique quality cement product. The Awards recognize standard makers, excellence achievers and responsible organizations and individuals who adhere to the local business requirements while consistently improving their organization’s performance. 43 top companies and individuals in Ghana were recognized. The Ghana Business Standard Awards (GBSA) provides a platform to encourage the introduction of standard processes, services, or products and the improvement of existing methods or practices to affect positive change in businesses in Ghana. Story by: Thinknewsroom

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has commissioned road safety enhancement works on London market street in Jamestown to reduce road crashes in the city. The works which were undertaken in collaboration with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) with support from the World Resources Institute (WRI) through its Tactical Urbanism Programme, include marking road lines and pedestrian crossings to delineate travel lanes, installing 30km/hr speed limit sign and rumble strips as well as the narrowing of wider lanes to help reduce vehicular speeds. The road safety enhancement works follow an assessment carried out by AMA-BIGRS on the street which revealed a high rate of pedestrian knock-downs with its accompanying devastating fatalities and serious injuries. Speaking at a brief ceremony Chief Executive of the AMA, Hon Elizabeth Sackey, reiterated that the Assembly was working tirelessly to achieve its vision of being a smart, sustainable, and resilient modern city. She said a report on road traffic deaths for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) from 2018 to 2020 identified London Market Street in James Town as one of the road crash hotspots in the city adding that the corridor was selected to reduce pedestrian knockdowns and its related fatalities. Story by: Magdalene Abedi