The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ghana

  • Cricket: Five NCF officials to participate in ICC advanced programme

    Cricket: Five NCF officials to participate in ICC advanced programme

    Cricket: Five NCF officials to participate in ICC advanced programme Igwilo said that the programmes when completed would keep the participants abreast with current trends in the sport.

    ‘’We have good coaches and umpires in the country, but there is the need to further expose them in order to be in tune with what is happening at the international level.

    ‘’The closest place within our reach is South Africa and they will also learn from cricket South Africa.

    ‘’The programme will be in two batches, a coach and umpire selected by the NCF will go for the first batch of training, while two coaches and umpire from Edo State will attend the second batch.

    ‘’We urge more states to emulate Edo State and also send their coaches to such programmes for the growth of the sport in the country.”

    Read Also: ICC WT20 West Africa Qualifier: NCF calls up 36 to first phase camping2018

    On Nigeria’s preparation for the T-20 ICC Sub- Regional qualifiers holding from April 16-22 in Lagos, the Manager said that preparation was in top gear.

    ‘’The federation has put all the necessary logistics in place to ensure a hitch free event for participants.

    ‘’The Local Organising Committee, led by our amiable Vice-President, Uyi Akpata are working round the clock to ensure that we host the region,’’ he said.

    Our reporters, reports that an ICC representative in Africa, Kuben Pillay carried out an inspection of the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket pitch in Lagos on March 2, ahead of the qualifiers.

    Ghana, Sierra Leona, the Gambia and host Nigeria will participate in the qualifiers.

    NAN

  • Buhari for Ghana’s 61st independence anniversary

    President Muhammadu Buhari will attend Ghana’s 61st Independence Anniversary celebrations tomorrow, the Presidency said yesterday.

    Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President  Femi Adesina, said Buhari is the only foreign leader invited to the historic event as the Special Guest of Honour.

    He also noted that Buhari is scheduled to address the august gathering.

    “President Buhari will use the unique opportunity to reaffirm the long-standing warm relations between the peoples and governments of both brotherly nations.

    “He will also underscore Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening the bilateral ties in furtherance of democracy, good governance and overall development not only in the West African sub-region, but also the African continent.” he said

    The President and his delegation which includes, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, will return to Abuja after the celebrations on Tuesday.

  • Ghana records first death from Lassa fever in 2018

    Ghana records first death from Lassa fever in 2018

    The death was recorded at the General Hospital in the port city of Tema, 38 km east of the national capital, a senior official of the Ghana Health Service ( GHS ) confirmed on Thursday.

    Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Director-General of the GHS, said all the frontline staff at the hospital that handled the patient before he died are being screened.

    Also, further investigations to trace the background and all contacts of the deceased are being pursued to prevent the spread of the virus.

    He said his outfit has put in place interventions to control the spread of the disease and has maintained high surveillance and issued alerts to all health institutions across the country.

    In February, the GHS cautioned citizens not to create an enabling environment for rats to invade their homes amid a looming threat of an outbreak, ordering all health facilities to be on high alert following the outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria.

    Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever known to be endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria.

    Ghana recorded its first confirmed case of Lassa fever in 2011, with two districts reporting outbreaks.

    Xinhua/NAN

  • Ozubulu Massacre: Witness alleges threat to life from Ghana

    Ozubulu Massacre: Witness alleges threat to life from Ghana

     

    One of the witnesses in the Ozubulu church massacre case, Chief Osita Okosieme,  has alleged that he is receiving death threats from Ghana

    The Man who is the third prosecuting witness in the case, told the Nnewi High Court on Friday, that his life was under threat by unknown persons.

    He raised   the alarm while being led in evidence by the Prosecuting Counsel,  Jay Jay Ezeuko (SAN) .

    It would be recalled that on August 6th, 2017, unknown gunmen invaded St Philip’s Catholic Church in Amakwa Ozubulu, where they killed 13 persons, while injuring 29 others.

    Okosieme said he received calls from unknown persons from Ghana three days to his appearance to the court warning him not to come to court to bear witness.

    He said the unknown callers said they would kill him if he ventured to appear in the court.

    According to him,   “My Lord, I got text messages and I got calls from Ghana,  they said they will kill me if I attend to court today to give evidence”

    “They sent the threats through text messages and I also got calls from Ghana”

    “I urge the court to give me protection today and henceforth.”

    In his reaction, the Defence Counsel, Mr.  Festus Keyamo, asked Okosieme to be free to disclose the identity of those that threatened him and he would take it up from there.

    He said, “What you are doing is in line with the law, you are trying to help the court to unravel those involved in the heinous killing, if they are from our side (defence) we shall personally take it up. ”

    But the Prosecuting Counsel, urged the court to ensure that all the witnesses were protected because, according to him, “this is having a chilling effect on our witnesses.”

    The presiding judge, Justice F. I. Aniukwu, said every effort was to bring the truth in  the  matter, hence there was no need to threaten anybody, stressing that the court would not take such threats lightly.

    In his evidence in-chief, Okosieme said one Opanga saw him in a hotel in Awka and said it had been long he had been looking for him and would want to tell him something about the Ozubulu killing.

    Okosieme said, “When I asked him what he wanted to tell me, he said Bishop added his name in the list of people who carried out the shooting at Ozubulu”

    “That he would want me to link him with Bishop so that he would tell him that he was not among the people that carried out the shooting”

    Read Also: Sahara Group renovates Ghana school’s workshop

    “That he would want to tell me the truth that somebody told him about the job but he declined to join”

    “When I asked him who was the person that told him about the job he said Nwa Atani who was previously in South Africa but came back to Nigeria because of problem”

    He said he and Nwa Atani was previously arrested before he, Opanka was granted bail”

    “Opanka was so desperate to see Bishop but I told him that Bishop travelled but after four days Bishop returned and went to the Police cell and saw Nwa Atani and confirmed that he knew him as Dog.”

    In his own evidence the fourth prosecution witness, Mr.  Leonard Ndulue said he was in the church on the fateful day.

    He said he sustained injury on his right hand from one of the gunmen who he pointed to the court among the four accused.

    “The event happened during the consecration of the Holy Communion, I had a gunshot, and when I looked up I had an eye contact with the gunman and shortly after I got a gun wound and fell down as if I was dead. From the floor, I was observing the gun man”

    “The gun man tried to change his magazine and it fell and while picking the magazine, his face cap fell”

    “I managed to crawl out and on the floor I heard a voice saying Dog, Dog, let’s go and the gun man came out and followed the one calling Dog and they left.”

    After the cross examination, Justice Aniukwu adjourned the matter to March 2 and March 16 for continuation of hearing.

    Meanwhile, some youths from Egbema Ozubulu mobilized to the court asking for the release of one of the suspects, claiming he was innocent of the matter.

     

  • GE, Marinus Energy to build waste gas-to-power plant in Ghana

    GE Power and Marinus Energy has unveiled a pilot project to capture Isopentane gas to generate electricity.

    The Atuabo Waste-to-Power Independent Power Project will be the first in sub-Saharan Africa to use Isopentane gas, which will run on GE’s latest TM2500 gas turbines. The Isopentane gas would have been flared.

    Strategic Advisor of Marinus Energy, Mr. Fred Asamany, said: “Not only is the Atuabo waste-to-power plant enabling our company to lead in innovative energy solutions in Ghana, but by using a fuel source which would otherwise have been flared as waste, we are further reducing emissions and costs. This is good for our business, the climate and eliminates the potential environmental hazards facing the local community. GE is offering an innovative solution which gives us the confidence to move from pilot to commercial operations.”

    In the first phase, Atuabo will convert the Isopentane fuel into to about 25 megawatts (Mw), generating enough electricity to supply power to more than 100,000 Ghanaian households. As additional gas is brought onshore, the plant is expected to add about 100Mw. Additional Isopentane fuel will eventually be stripped off an offshore gas supply and processed at Atuabo by the Ghana National Gas Company. The gas turbine will start on lean gas and transfer to the Isopentane mix over time, and the power plant is intended to operate at base load throughout its life.

    “The TM2500 unit will provide unrivalled speed to deployment and flexibility to support the immediate needs of our customer – Marinus Energy, and then seamlessly transition to deliver capacity over the long term as they expand their operations,” said Leslie Nelson, Chief Executive Officer of GE’s Gas Power Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Atuabo project will add yet another TM2500 gas turbine to the existing fleet of ten units in the country earlier deployed in 2016,” Nelso added.

    With over 200 units deployed and over five million operating hours, GE’s TM2500 has proven flexibility can help bridge the power gap for short-and long-term energy planning, stabilise the grid, or reach and power remote locations.

    The TM2500 mobile power plant – a trailer-mounted gas turbine generator and containerised balance of plant – can be relocated to other power plants, and maintenance outages, or to remote areas.

    It can also achieve full power within 10 minutes, making it ideal for providing a base-load bridge to power installations or generating backup power for factories and industries.

    Last year, GE released several announcements reinforcing its commitments to strengthening the power sector in Ghana. The 400Mw Bridge power project will be the first LPG fired power plant in Africa and the largest LPG fired power plant in the world, while the 200Mw Amandi power plant will be one of the most efficient power plants in the country and will generate the power needed to supply more than one million Ghanaian homes.

    In addition, GE will set up an M&D (Monitoring and Diagnostics) centre in Ivory Coast which will provide the digital data and analytics service to improve the performance of GE equipment in the region.

  • Sahara Group renovates Ghana school’s workshop

    Leading African energy conglomerate, Sahara Group has  refurbished the Metal Works Technical workshop of Manhean Senior High Technical School in Tema, Ghana.

    Founded in 1991, the school  trains students in science, technology and innovation.

    The company constructed a shed for the carpentry and welding  workshop. It also bought machines and accessories.

    These include hand powered angle grinder/cutting tool, welding machines, Sun-Flex grinding disc, lathe machines, mounted drilling/milling/grinding machines, welding accessories as well as several electrical and safety gadgets.

    The students who take courses technical drawing, wood work, building/construction and welding now have ample space and modern tools to aid their training.

    Sahara Group, Ghana Country Manager, Tosin Etomi, said: “Our objective was simple. We saw the need for technical education and training to produce graduates that can perform competently in their chosen vocations without a need for pre-employment training. We responded to that need. These bright boys and girls will, ultimately, form part of the talent pool that will drive ongoing transformation in Ghana towards ensuring sustained economic growth and development.”

    According to the Head Teacher of the 27-year-old institution, Mr. Emmanuel Kobina Beddu,: “This intervention led by Sahara Group has exceeded our expectations. Not only do we have a bigger, better space for learning, we now have the equipment we need to teach our students and arm them with adequate technical and transferable skills. We cannot hide our excitement and satisfaction with what the Sahara Group has done for our school.”

  • Essien gets ‘Worst Statue of the year’ in Ghana

    Essien gets ‘Worst Statue of the year’ in Ghana

     

    With dust yet to settle in some quarters over what has been dubbed out of shape statue for great footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona, a sculptor has unveiled a statue of Michael Essien which has been described as the worst of them all

    A statue of the former Chelsea midfielder has been erected in his homeland Ghana and it is fair to say it is pretty appalling.

    Essien made 256 appearances at Stamford Bridge between 2005 and 2014, helping the Blues to win nine trophies, including two Premier League titles.

    Shown in Chelsea’s iconic blue home strip, Essien’s body looks severely out of proportion, while his face is far too jagged and lumps of his head appear to be missing.

    He is also kicking the ball with similar technique to a toddler, his knees are strikingly thin compared to the rest of his legs and his shoulders appear to be armed with NFL-style padding.

    Cristiano Ronaldo has also been on the receiving end of a poor statue after a disastrous sculpture was placed at the airport re-named after him.

    The bust, designed by sculptor Emanuel Santos, almost broke the internet – with many pointing out that it looked more like Niall Quinn than the great man himself.

    Perhaps the most bizarre football statue of all though was the one of Michael Jackson displayed outside of Fulham’s Craven Cottage.

    It was placed there by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed, who was close to the singer before he passed away, but now resides in the National Football Museum in Manchester.

    Essien started his football career with Ghana Premier League side Liberty Professionals before moving to Europe, where he played for Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan winning lots of club individual awards

    He was part of the Black Stars squad that qualified Ghana to its first ever World Cup in 2006 and helped the team reach the finals of the 2010 AFCON. The midfield maestro currently plies his trade with Indonesian topflight side Persib Bandung

  • WAPCo to increase gas supply to Ghana, others

    WAPCo to increase gas supply to Ghana, others

    The West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) will  improve  supply of natural gas to thermal plants and industries in the sub-region, its General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Harriet Wereko-Drobby, has said.

    She said the firm is ready to increase gas transportation to turbines and industrial entities, if there is no further attacks on oil and gas installations and its attendant declaration of force majeure on those facilities.

    According to her, WAPCo gets   gas from N-Gas2 owned by the Federal Government, Shell and Chevron, among others.

    Wereko-Brobby said: “It has become imperative for WAPCo to increase gas supply to its customers in the sub-region, following the completion of its 678- kilometre pipeline, which is the basic infrastructural facility for moving gas. The firm built the pipeline at $1billion and the term has come to leverage it to increase gas supply to West Africa.

    “In view of the fact that gas plays a major role in electricity generation, WAPCo supplies 85 per cent of its gas to power firms, while industries get 15 per cent.”

    She said the firm is transporting gas to its customers through its pipeline network, which runs from Itoki in Ogun State to Badagry in Lagos State to Cotonou in Benin Republic to Lome in Togo and terminated at Tema in Ghana.

    The firm, Bereko-Brobby said, has entered a commercial stage, in which it has to make commercial value out of gas transportaton.

    In an interview with The Nation, at the quiz competition for secondary pupils organised by the firm in Badagry, Bereko-Brobby said making commercial value out of gas transport was key to the survival of the company.

    She said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) owns 25 per cent stake in WAPCo, making it the second largest shareholder after Chevron West African Pipeline Limited with 36.7 per cent stake.

    Others, she said are Royal Dutch Shell 18 per cent stake;  Volta River Authority of Ghana 16.3 per cent and Societe Togolaise de Gas(So ToGas- 2 per cent. She said the shareholders were motivated by the desire to make gas available for users in the sub-region and to also get returns on their investments.

    WAPCo is transporting 70million standard cubit feet of gas per day (scfd) to its customers in sub-region.

    The firm’s Chief Executive Officer, Walter Perez, attributed the feat to the drop in pipeline vandalism.

    Perez said there has been stability in product supply, as pipeline vandalism dropped significantly.

    He said the company is on the verge of meeting the demands of its customers, as it now transports 70million standard cubit feet per day of gas (scfd).

     

  • FG pledges support for FCWC

    FG pledges support for FCWC

    The Federal Government has pledged to support the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea ( FCWC ) to achieve its goals for the benefit of the member states.

    Dr Bukar Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, conveyed the assurance at the 10th Annual Ministerial Conference on FCWC in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Ibrahim, who was represented by Mr Azeez Muyiwa, a Director in the ministry, said that the Federal Government would support the efforts of the committee to ensure that the fishery resources of the sub-region were sustainably exploited and managed.

    “Today’s annual conference is unique because the organisation is celebrating its 10th anniversary of existence.

    “The organisation’s excellent performance in fisheries management, promotion of fish trade, fight against Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported ( IUU ) fishing and regional cooperation among the member countries cannot be overemphasised.

    “The conference could not have come at a more auspicious time than now that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has redirected the focus of the Nigerian economy towards agriculture.

    “Efforts at harnessing the huge potential of fisheries and aquaculture will no doubt give an added impetus to the realisation of our shared objectives in wealth creation, food and nutritional sector in the Gulf of Guinea,’’ he said.

    Ibrahim, however, urged the participants to come up with a workable document that could be used to implement fishery development programmes that would be beneficial to the sub-region.

    Read also: ‘Mechanised Farming, key to Nigeria’s food security’

    Mr Seraphin Dedi, the Secretary General of FCWC, said that if the public and private sectors and all partners in the fishery sector invested appreciable resources in fishery development projects, the sector would record significant improvement.

    “If we are able to invest enough resources in the fishery sector, we may improve the contribution of fisheries to the food security, nutrition and the development of the sub-region.

    “The fishery sector is one sector that is helping a lot in terms redistributing the value addition of the sector to the population. So, if we invest in fisheries, you are sure that it will affect the people of the region.

    “If we look at the value chain of the fishery sector, we will discover that different people are involved in the system; by investing in the sector, you can touch all these people and facilitate the development of the region,’’ he said.

    Dedi said that FCWC was the regional fisheries body that managed the fishery resources of the region which comprised six countries — Nigeria, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic.

    “We are having this meeting in Nigeria, which is the conference of ministers.

    “We use to meet once a year and move from one country to the other. Part of the focus of the current meeting is the celebration of the 10th anniversary of our existence.

    “It means for the past 10 years, we have been working together as a body, sharing our experiences and implementing measures to combat illegal fishery in the region and manage our fishery resources.

    “So after 10 years, we need to sit down and reflect on what we have done so far and how far we can go again.

    “We have noted in our past discussions that investment in fisheries is not sufficient enough.

    “So, in efforts to support our region’s development, we decided to choose `Investment for Growth and Sustainability in Fisheries in West Africa’ as the theme of this year’s conference,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • 127 Ghanaian illegal migrants evacuated from Libya – UN agency

    127 Ghanaian illegal migrants evacuated from Libya – UN agency

    The International Organisation for Migration ( IOM ), a related organization of the United Nations ( UN ) on Thursday said it evacuated 127 Ghanaian illegal migrants from the volatile situation in Libya.

    Kojo Wilmot, a national officer of IOM said the aircraft carrying these migrants arrived Ghana around 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday local time.

    Wilmot said that there was one female and two minors among the rescued migrants.

    “We promote orderly migration, but these people were caught up in a volatile situation and were being held under various forms of inhumane treatment.

    “We, therefore, intervened to protect their human rights and return them home in a dignified and safe manner,” Wilmot explained.

    Majority of the returnees, the official said, were not from Accra, Ghana’s capital, but from Takoradi, 218 km west of the capital and Kumasi, 280 km north of the capital.

    Others are from Sunyani, 400 km north of the capital and other areas across the country.

    The IOM, therefore, provided them with a means of transportation back to their final destinations and would be supporting their re-integration into their communities.

    “Due to the inhumane conditions they were being kept, most of them would need psychosocial counselling.

    “We would also work together with government of Ghana and the EU mission in Ghana to support them with basic livelihood to help enhance their integration process,” he added.

    Wilmot explained that since these immigrants were mostly undocumented, who used illegal means to enter Libya and they were forced to do menial jobs, mostly “Malaga” (plastering buildings) but were usually handed over to the police when they pursue those, who hired them for payment.

    “One Ghanaian, who had painted a complete house went to the owner to receive payment, but instead the owner called the police, who came to arrest him.

    “While trying to escape from the police, the Ghanaian was knocked down by a vehicle,” the official said.

    He added that there was also sexual violence against the female migrants being held in Libyan detention camps, where they were captured and being kept.

    IOM has identified three more detention camps across Libya with at least 266 Ghanaians among the detainees.

    “We will work with all stakeholders to ensure safe and humane return of these Ghanaians and other sub-Saharan African migrants in these conditions.

    “Considering the conditions in Libya, most of them come to us voluntarily seeking help to return home.

    “The situation is dire and we invite all stakeholders to get their hands on deck to help in bringing back these migrants to their final destinations,” he indicated.

    Xinhua/NAN