80-megawatt barge arrives to support Akosombo
Tema, 29.03.2007, GNA -
An emergency 80-megawatt barge procured by a consortium of mining companies has arrived at the Tema Port as part of efforts to beef up energy requirements due to depleting water levels in the Akosombo Dam.
It would be providing power in three months during which Newmont engineers would install and test the facility to meet expected capacities.
The consortium led by Newmont Ghana Gold Limited includes Gold Fields Ghana, AngloGold Ashanti and Gold Star Resources. The barge would be located at the New Tema VRA Sub-Station near the Tema Oil Refinery.
Briefing journalists at the Tema Port, Mr Joshua Mutoti, Newmont's Energy Manager, said the 45 million-dollar barge is the consortium's contribution to stabilizing the power rationing programme. The Volta River Authority (VRA) embarked on a power-rationing programme last August following depleting water resources of the Akosombo Dam, which is currently at 237.60 feet, far below the minimum operating level of 240 feet.
The Akosombo Dam started commercial production of electricity in 1965.
Mr Mutoti said the programme to bring in the barge was in consultation with the VRA and the Electricity Company of Ghana. He said, 93electricity was not in our line of business, but we are concerned about the energy situation in the country and putting in our widow's mite".
Ms Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, said it was important to recognise that in a period of such difficulty, Ghanaians could come together to put their minds together on how to change the situation and offer support that could reverse the situation.
Ghana News Agency investigations revealed that the 80-megawatt barge consumes 700,000 litres of diesel a day translating into 6.3 million dollars a day.
Mr Chris Anderson, Communications Manager, Africa Region for Newmont, said the barge was one-and-a-half times the capacity for Tema and would be available to all Ghanaians, but would have the four companies as priority.
He explained that in the event where the four companies could not have access to the power so generated, "we would have no option but to fall into the load-shedding programme as all others".
Dr Tony Aubynn, Communications Manager of Gold Fields Ghana, said he was happy that they were in the position to contribute to a national emergency and expressed the hope that work would go on as scheduled to bring the barge on stream in the next three months.
President John Agyekum Kufuor last February in his State of The Nation Address outlined a number of emergency actions to arrest the deteriorating energy situation that had contributed to the shut down of major industries including the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), a host of other manufacturing concerns and an acute load-shedding exercise.
Source:
GNA
Highway robbers attack passengers
A group of six highway robbers suspected to be Fulanis on Wednesday dawn attacked a number of passengers traveling on the Kintampo Tamale Highway and made away with unspecified amount of money and a number of mobile phones.
About 15 vehicles, including a bus belonging to O.A Transport Services and another operated by Great Imperial Transport Company, Cargo vehicles as well as Benz buses were stopped during the attack which lasted for about 45 minutes.
One of the passengers who was traveling and a victim of the incident said that the robbery occurred between Kintampo and Bawa Akora on Wednesday dawn between 12:55 and 1:45.
The victim who pleaded on anonymity said all the vehicles moving in both direction of the road were stopped by the robbers who used logs to barricade the road.
He said the robbers who were wielding locally manufactured guns and were wearing face masks fired at the driver’s side of the vehicle on which he was traveling damaging the windscreen, thus compelling the driver to open the doors for the robbers to invade the bus.
According to the victim, passengers on board the O.A bus which was the first to be attacked were assaulted after being robbed of unspecified amount of money and a number of mobile phones as well as other valuables. P He said the robbers fired several warning shots but none of the passengers sustained and gunshot wounds even though a few of them were beaten and slapped.
He stated that attempts by some passengers to make mobile phone calls for assistance failed as there was no reception in the area.
He said the robbers later released the vehicles to continue their journey and that the passengers reported the incident to the nearest police check point at Buipe, where the personnel on duty said they had suspected some thing had gone amiss, since no vehicles passed by.
Source:
Daily Graphic
Rawlings for court in UK?
London, UK, Accra Daily Mail ---
Georgette Dede Djaba, a UK-based lawyer, has filed documents in the UK justice system to bring NDC founder, ex-Flt. Lt. Rawlings to book. Ms Djaba says her action was the outcome of instructions she received from an aggrieved party about two years ago.
The case against the NDC founder is for alleged wrongful death of three Ghanaian judges and other human right abuses which occurred during the eras of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
An original story filed by Ghanadot said Ms Djaba is joined as claimant by others, namely her father, Henry Djaba (Sr), Hans Djaba, Henry Djaba (Jr), and Kwabena Agyepong, currently running as a presidential candidate in Ghana.
The “Instructions to Counsel” were put before Lord Justice Ford last Friday, who thought them serious enough to ask Ms. Djaba to first report to the police. Miss Djaba who first went to Scotland Yard, later presented the case to the Holborn Police Station.
Georgette Djaba is a prominent civic figure in the Ghanaian community in the UK . In addition to being a lawyer, she is also the chairperson for a voluntary group, Family Resolution, an organization that helps to promote proper parenting skills so as to stop anti-social behaviour among youngsters in Islington.
In the instructions ex-Flt. Lt. Rawlings was accused of criminal offences and torture “including abuse of human rights of a significant nature.”
The instructions noted that the military coup that brought Rawlings and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) to power in 1979 also led to the killing of three former military heads of state and five other senior members of the Ghana Armed Forces. These officials were executed by firing squad without fair trial or rights of appeal in contravention of all international standards for fair trial.
The instructions further claim that “J. J. Rawlings ordered the brutal murders of three Ghanaian high court judges, namely Justice Koranteng-Addo, Justice Agyepong and Justice Sarkodie among others.
Justice is being pursued in the following manner: that ex-Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings be stripped of his immunity from prosecution and that “he be prosecuted for human rights abuses, mass murders, causing death, suffering, deprivation, causing death by firing squad in 1979 of 3 former heads of state of Ghana, including General Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa, General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, General F. W. K Akuffo and an order for Rawlings to be arrested and be prosecuted whilst present in the UK.”
The instructions cite precedence in the Pinochet rulings and his consequent loss of immunity as grounds for prosecuting of the case in the UK .
Source:
Accra Daily Mail
Blackout Causing Havoc
The use of candle during blackouts occasioned by the current load shedding exercise by the Electricity Company of Ghana has caused fire outbreaks in five suburbs of Nkawkaw West district of the Eastern Region, and another one at Breku in the Asante akyem South district of the Ashanti region.
Six buildings, including one storey has been completely burnt, claiming three lives with properties running into several millions of cedis lost to the fire.
The incidents happened between November last year and this month, with the latest at Breku, happening last Thursday.
Another building was also burnt at Nkawkaw Asuogya; this time, through explosion of a gas cylinder, claiming the life of a 26 year old woman. The first incident occurred somewhere last November when a one-story building at Nkawkaw’s Ata Ne Ata suburb got burnt completely.
Ironically, the owner of the building had died and was about to be laid in state the following day in the house when it got burnt.
A few days after, another house at Nkawkaw Nsuta belonging to a retired educationist also got completely burnt. The Nsuta incident was followed by the gas cylinder explosion at Asuogya, a few days after the young lady’s incident. Then followed another disaster at a house at Nkawkaw brotherhood area.The Oframase chief’s palace, near Nkawkaw, followed suit with fire engulfing the entire building.
Just about two weeks ago, a self-contained house belonging to a teacher by name Samuel Kwasi Tenkorang at Nkawkaw Ata Ne Ata, was completely burnt down together with all properties belonging to the occupants in the house. A two-year old grandson of Tenkorang, Isaac Aninakwa, who was asleep in one of the room, got burnt to ashes.
This was followed by another fire disaster last Thursday at Breku in Asante Akyem South whereby a 33-year-old woman, Ashetu Meemuna, and her one-and-a-half-year old son got burnt to death when their house was engulfed in fire.The Ghana National Fire Service personnel, who were called upon to assist in putting out the fire in all instances, could not do much. The reason was that their vehicle was either out of order or could not get enough water to fight the blazing fires.
Mr. Addae Baffour of Nkawkaw fire station told the Heritage newspaper that there was not a single fire hydrant in the whole Nkawkaw Township, which makes it difficult to get water to fight fire when there is an outbreak. He therefore appealed to the district assemblies in the area to assist the GWCL to provide fire hydrants at vantage points at Nkawkaw and other surrounding towns as soon as possible to enable GFS play its role meaningfully during fire outbreaks. Meanwhile, GNFS and police investigations have revealed that most of the outbreaks were due to candles which were lighted by the victims.
The GNFS has therefore advised the public to be very careful when using candles.
Source:
The Heritage
AMA embosses 8,080 taxi cabs
Accra, 29.03.2007, GNA -
Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has registered 10,785 taxi cabs out of which 8,080 cabs have been embossed with security numbers since the exercise began about two months ago. The exercise was scheduled to be completed at the end of February 2007 as part of efforts to boost security during the Ghana@50 celebrations.
Mr John Appiah, Public Relations Officer of AMA speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Thursday said the exercise was still ongoing until all the taxis that were registered were numbered. He said logistical constraints facing Sikkens Company, the company contracted to do the embossment, was the cause of the delay. He said because of the delay no action had so far been taken against taxi drivers, who did not have the embossment on their vehicles.
Mr Appiah said after Sikkens had finished with the remaining taxis, any taxi driver, who would be caught for not having the security identification or for not wearing the blue shirt as prescribed would face the full rigours of the law.
He cautioned taxi drivers against the use of other paints since any other colours used besides that of Sikkens would fade in no time. Mr Appiah said the embossed numbers were easily identifiable.Source:
GNA