The Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly has ordered National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, John Dumelo to stop dredging gutters in the municipality.
According to Mr. Dumelo, the Assembly communicated to him over the weekend to halt the move for failing to seek permission from the outfit before the commencement of the activity.
“They told me to stop the work that I’m doing and report to their office so that I formally seek permission to dredge the gutter in West Legon,” he told GhanaWeb.
Dumelo smells something fishy as he stated in the interview that “I suspect it’s an attempt to frustrate my efforts. The people have complained over the years for the gutter to be desilted because when it rains it floods, and when it floods, properties and lives are lost. I can’t sit there unconcerned. I must listen to my people and take action.”
On June 10, Dumelo began facilitating the dredging of a big gutter at West Legon. The decision to start work on dredging the gutter, he said, was informed by a promise he made to the community when he paid a visit to assess the discomfort residents face whenever it rains.
The politician admitted the dredging will not solve the issue completely. The long-term plan, he indicated, is to raise the Christian Village bridge. According to him, “the bridge is low and so when it rains, all the debris and everything collects and that’s how come the water levels here rise up.
“This is Ayawaso West and it’s not fair. I’m an action person; once I said I’ll do it; I’ll do it to be able to help the people. To be honest, what we are doing today is not going to help the people 100% but it’s going to help them at least 30 or 40%,” he said at the scene, Wednesday.
Some members of the community excited about the development expressed gratitude to the politician for the effort to ease their plights.
On the back of the directive by the Assembly, Dumelo told GhanaWeb he is ready to do the needful because he has the interest of the residents at heart.
He said: “If per the assembly laws I have to seek permission to dredge I will, but if I don’t need any permission, I will continue to dredge and save lives.”
Attempts to get a response from the Assembly have proven futile.
The sudden death of a popular fetish Priest in Akyem Kukurantumi has sparked Coronavirus scare at his shrine.
The deceased fetish Priest -Togbe Shito died Monday at Akyem Tafo government hospital after a short illness. He was seen walking in Koforidua a few hours before he died creating fear that he may have died of coronavirus.
Other occupants of the shrine are therefore gripped with fear.
The deceased fetish priest was involved in many controversies and crimes at his shrine.
He was recently before a Circuit Court in Koforidua for molesting some contestants of the 2019 Miss Commonwealth Beauty Pageant.
He allegedly made his victims go naked at the shrine and lashed with a machete after Princess Duncan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Miss Commonwealth Pageant, organizer of the event, had allegedly dragged the beauty contestants to the shrine over a missing GH¢500.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) is cautioning registered persons who are yet to receive their cards to refrain from re-registering.
It said such an act amounts to fraud and is punishable by law.
The Authority said over 30,000 cases of double registration have been brought to its attention since the beginning of the Ghana Card registration in the country.
Executive Secretary for the NIA, Prof Ken Attafuah who addressed a press conference Wednesday said suspected persons will not receive their card.
“32,756 cases of double registration have been recorded. This is a situation where an applicant attempts to register twice at a particular registration center or a different center.
“When this happens the applicant’s card will not be printed because the system holds on to it for reasons of suspected fraud.
“Having said that all applicants whose cards are not yet ready should not attempt to register again during the mop-up exercise otherwise, the system will consider it as fraud,” he explained.
He also stated that the mop-up exercise will begin tomorrow, June 18, and ends mid-September this year.
According to the Executive Director, this will see a resumption of card registration in the Eastern Region which was halted three months ago as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Ghana FA’s Executive Council has unanimously voted to cancel the 2019-20 season, sources within the 12-member body have told Ghana’s leading football website, GHANAsoccernet.com exclusively.
The decision was taken at a meeting via a video conference on Tuesday following a marathon deliberation on the future of the current campaign.
The Executive Council by a majority decision decided to abandon its season due to the coronavirus outbreak which has wreaked havoc to the game in the West African nation.
The Ghana FA has set June 30 to make public its final decision on the 2019-20 season but GHANAsoccernet.com understands the season is completely over barring any last minute change.
The Executive Council is clothed with powers to decide on all matters that hinge on “unforeseen contingencies and force majeure”.
Article 78 of the 2019 GFA Statutes amended at Congress on December 19 clearly stipulate that “The Executive Council shall have the power to decide on all cases of force majeure and on all matters not provided for in these Statutes, such decisions to be made according to right and justice, taking into account the relevant regulations of FIFA and CAF.”
With no end in sight to when restrictions will be eased for football to return coupled with its financial implication on clubs amid the Covid-19 precautions, the Executive Council has decided to prematurely end the season, sources have told GHANAsoccernet.com.
The season has been thrown into turmoil since football was suspended back in March this year amid uncertain signals from government – which is reportedly unwilling to risk players and officials back onto the pitch.
Ghana lifted a partial lock-down in April but has been reluctant to allow football to return despite easing restrictions for non-contacts sport.
Some Premier and Division One League teams were hoping for a return of the game shortly after the easing of restrictions, targeting a mid-August resumption of their seasons.
But that may remain a pipe dream with the Executive Council under enormous pressure to finally CANCEL the season.
A majority of clubs in the bottom half of the Premier and Division One Leagues want the season scrapped amid the coronavirus shutdown while a chunk of administrators are pushing for the current campaign to be axed.
While TV right holders StarTimesand FA Cup sponsors MTN are threatening to withdraw their sponsorship if the season is annulled, clubs will simply not budge.
The Ghana FA has been adamant to heed to several calls from many principal stakeholders, insisting the resumption will “take place if the government give a seal of approval and in full compliance with the rules for protection of health and safety of stakeholders.”
But it appears they have backtracked after unanimously voting to abrogate the season, GHANAsoccernet.com has been told.
The next two weeks will be crucial for Ghanaian football with the Executive Council expected to announce the direction of the season.
Board Chairman of Accra Hearts of Oak, Togbe Afede XIV has made an interesting revelation how he got to support the club.
The revered traditional leader of the Asogli state who is also a very successful businessman has been the helmsman at the club in a little over a decade.
His tenure as the Club’s Majority Shareholder has brought mixed results.
With fans desperate to see the club return to the old glory days, allegations have been labeled against him that perhaps he is not a true Phobian (Fan of the club).
However in an interview with GTV Sports+, Togbe Afede has disclosed that he actually started supporting the 2000 African champions as a boy.
“I developed the love for Hearts of Oak (as a kid), I was born a twin, incidentally my twin brother was a Kotoko fan, and I was a Hearts of Oak fan,” he told GTV Sports+.
“So even as kids, we always argued when Kotoko and Hearts played at home and in our locality. And that interest has persisted all these years,” Togbe Afede concluded.
Togbe Afede is currently the president of the National House of Chiefs. He has revealed before the businessman and the chief we see today became a reality, he used to dazzle on the football pitch as a kid.
“Football is my passion, as a kid I played football, I was a utility player, so I played whenever and wherever there was the need,” he remarked.
“But it’s unfortunate I couldn’t participate actively in playing beyond the early years of secondary school,” he concluded.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, has revealed that at least about 20 doctors have been infected with Coronavirus.
He also noted that though the number of infected nurses hasn’t been fully collated, he can project that for every doctor that is infected, five nurses will contract the virus.
This brings the presumed number of infected nurses to about 100.
The Ashanti Region has a total of 2,275 Covid-19 cases according to the latest update on the Ghana Health Service website.
Dr Badioo, however, noted that thirty-eight lives have been lost, adding that the national figure of 14 is not the fair reflection.
Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr, he said: “the more your health workers are contracting it, the more likely that after some time there wouldn’t be anybody with the requisite skill to take care of whoever who is coming in because they themselves are in quarantine.”
“We are compiling the list of doctors nationwide and we will make it public. But those from Komfo Anokye, and my last count, they were almost twenty. If twenty doctors are getting it, you can extrapolate the number of other health workers.
“I can’t give you the figures therein because I am not responsible for gathering their data, but it stands to reason that for each doctor who will get it, there will be about five nurses or healthcare workers who will also get it,” he explained.
Ghana could be forced into an early redemption of its 7 and 15-years bonds issued in March 2017, as Franklin Templeton, the company that bought about 95 percent of the assets faces financial troubles in India.
The US-based mutual firm which bought Ghana’s bonds at a rate of 19.75percent and at total coupon value of US$2.25 billion but in local currency, is winding up six debt funds that managed over US$3billion in the Asian country after struggling to meet clients’ withdrawal requests. This, according to market watchers, could force Templeton to demand an earlier repayment from Ghana, in order to raise funds for its investors.
Should this happen, it will be an ill omen for Ghana which is already battling a decline in gross national savings, weak current account position, and an unfavorable back-end ratio, as well as, considerable slowdown in economic activity due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
“As the panic continues and anxiety heightens among the investor community, Franklin Templeton could be forced to make an early demand for Ghana to redeem its bonds held by the company in other to raise funds for its investors. “If Ghana is pushed to redeem the bond together with the 19.75 percent yield on demand by Franklin Templeton, it could trigger an early financial crisis in the country,” says Dr. Jerry Monfant, an economist and global strategist.
At the time the bond was offered, Ghana’s rating was B stable by Fitch, a rating agency, which was still far below widely accepted AA margin. However, in 2020, the country’s rating has deteriorated to B3 negative according to the Moody rating agency, which means that it will be difficult for Ghana to borrow to defray the Templeton debt should the company come asking.
“As Ghana is already debt distress and the economy becoming hopeless, it is my passionate desire that the country’s economic managers give these happenings a closer look,” he added.
Instructively, he believes that the country requires a plan B in the waiting to avoid possible default on early demand of bond redemption initiated by Templeton and also avoid a needless legal tussle.
“Ghana should be on the lookout because I hold a conviction that the issue is not simple and also not limited to the default in payment by infra-project limited, one of the defaulting companies. Templeton risk exposure is very high and they have high non-quality assets than quality ones in their portfolio.
“While others may attribute the situation to redemption pressures in the financial system due to the outbreak of COVID-19, I disagree with such a position.
And my reason is that investing in low rated bonds for the sake of high-interest payment just as in Ghana’s situation can just simply be dangerous,” adds Dr. Monfant, who is also President of MBIC Group.
Questionable terms
Dr. Monfant is questioning why a single firm could secure 95 percent of a sovereign bond. “In a situation of this nature, Ghana is boxed to pay a double rate or call it a double high cost.
One is the exchange rate and the other is the high interest rate. A fragile economy such as ours can easily be crippled by some of these economic decisions and render the country vulnerable to any economic shock.
“In the world of international finance, bonds issued at such a high yield is termed as a junk bond, because, the foundation of the yield is based on how weak an economy is rated. It also confirms our long-held conviction about how our economy is struggling.”
He, however, explained that the high coupon rate could have been the result of economic factors such as, poor growth outlook, high debt burden, a weak currency, little ability to collect taxes, and unfavorable demographics which affects a borrower’s ability to pay back its debts and to negotiate lower-cost credit.
Franklin Templeton India
The Mutual Fund Company jolted investors in India with the decision to wind up six yields oriented managed credit funds from Friday 22nd May, 2020. The six schemes are: Franklin India Low Duration Fund; Dynamic Accrual Fund; Credit Risk Fund; Short Term Income Plan; Ultra Short Bond Fund; and Income Opportunities Fund.
Together, these constitute about 25 percent of assets under management of Templeton.
With the current troubles confronting the firm, it essentially means that it will first have to liquidate the assets in the schemes and then refund the money to the investors who placed their funds in any of the mentioned schemes.
However, with the market being so sluggish and tough, investors may not get their money as early as expected, because it will be difficult to get a buyer for low-rated assets in the portfolio, so investors may have to wait longer.
Investors will also have to pay a hefty price for inappropriate investments of their funds by Franklin Templeton.
According to Dr. Monfant, the mutual fund firm has an appetite for investing in credit risk funds. Just like its investments in Ghana which is classified as a low-rated bond.
“Credit Risk funds are debt funds that play on the principles of high-risk –high-reward. By definition, credit funds invest 65percent of the portfolio in bonds that are AA rated or below. In Ghana, our rating was B stable by Fitch, a rating agency, which was still far below AA,” he said.
23-year-old Jamila Hajia speaking to DJ Nyaami on SVTV Africa disclosed that she spends GHc20 on weed each day.
According to her, she has been smoking weed for 9 years with influence from nobody. She said she can smoke weed from morning till 12 midnight.
The mother of two revealed that her addiction to weed prevents her from traveling, however, if it is guaranteed that she can get weed at where she will be traveling to, then, of course, she can stay.
“Because of weed, I can’t even travel. I went to Nigeria and because I couldn’t get the kind of weed I wanted, I hurriedly came back to Ghana. In Kolegono, I was able to stay because I could get my kind of weed,” she noted.
She disclosed that, weed has varieties, and that the most expensive piece, in her ghetto, goes for six cedis, while the ordinary piece is either one or two cedis.
She added that her boyfriend and the father of her two children, also smoke weed, in addition to other drugs. When asked whether she smokes anything else apart from weed she said: “I only smoke weed and Pall Mall, I know cocaine but I don’t sniff, mine is just weed and Pall Mall.”
She pointed out all the bad effects of drugs. Asked why she still smokes despite knowing the danger associated with drugs, she said: “I can’t eat until I smoke.”
Jamila also lamented how the youth in the ghettos are dying of drugs, hence called on the Ghana government and private individuals to come to their aid.
According to her, she has been arrested and admitted several times by the police and in the hospital respectively, as a result of weed, but she keeps going back due to her addiction.
However, she claimed she is ever ready to stop should she get an extra helping hand.
British scientists have found the first drug to stop people dying from Covid-19 which will be rolled out on the NHS from tomorrow.
Breakthrough research has shown a common steroid given to coronavirus patients could have saved between 4,000 and 5,000 lives in the UK.
Third fewer patients on ventilators died when given dexamethasone compared to those given standard NHS care.
Leading scientists running the RECOVERY trial say the £6 drug will now become the standard of care for all Covid-19 patients on oxygen in hospitals.
Chief investigator Peter Horby, of Oxford University, said: “This is the only drug that has so far been shown to decrease mortality, and it reduced it significantly.
“It is a major breakthrough.”
The clinical trial gave 2,100 Covid-19 a low dose of dexamethasone while further 4,300 patients were given standard NHS care.
Among patients who received usual care alone, those on ventilation saw 41% dead within 28 days.
In those who received oxygen but were not placed in ventilators – the same treatment PM Boris Johnson received – the mortality rate was 25%.
By comparison, 13% of hospitalised Covid-19 patients died in the 28 day period.
Dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in ventilated patients and by one fifth in non-ventilated patients receiving oxygen. It had no benefit in those not needing respiratory support.
It is thought to drastically reduce inflammation in the lungs that proves fatal in some patients who rapidly deteriorate after a about seven days of symptoms.
Deputy chief investigator Prof Martin Landray, of Oxford University, said: “It is fantastic that the first treatment demonstrated to reduce mortality is one that is instantly available and affordable worldwide.
“Since the advent of this disease in the last six months, the search has been on that actually reduces the risk of dying.
“There hasn’t been one until today. The results are sufficiently clear that we can announce the results today and people can be treated this evening.
“That’s a major, major step forward. This is globally applicable.”
Until drugs have only been shown to reduce symptoms but had no impact on how many patients died.
The RECOVERY trial has enrolled 11,500 Covid-19 patients at 175 NHS hospitals to trial existing drugs known to be safe.
The practice-changing results were rushed out via an online media briefing on Wednesday after investigators worked through the weekend to analyse their findings.
Investigators said it could be made available as cheap as 80p per dose in parts of the developing world such as India.
Dr Nick Cammack, COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator Lead, Wellcome Trust, said: “This is a major breakthrough: dexamethasone is the first and only drug that has made a significant difference to patient mortality for COVID-19.
“Potentially preventing 1 death in every 8 ventilated patients would be remarkable. Finding effective treatments like this will transform the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lives and economies across the world.
“While this study suggests dexamethasone only benefits severe cases, countless lives will be saved globally.”
