The demonstrators, clad in red and black apparel, wearing red bands, chanted war songs and held placards some of which read “We Must Drive All Fake Mallams Out, “We Need Investors in Techiman”, “Techiman People Need a peaceful Life”, “Enough of the Ritual Killings, Save us Mr. President”, “Nananom and Security Save us Now”.

The Chairman of the Association, Mr. Kwadwo Adjei, in a Citi News interview said the operations of the alleged mallams, fake spiritualists and internet fraudsters, are amassing wealth from innocent people in the municipality, and they assault the same residents after failing to deliver on their promises.

“The whole Ghana mallams have invaded Techiman and they dupe the unsuspecting public and what is disturbing is that they collect monies from people and beat or assault them in the end. They bath you with their concoctions and ask you not to scratch your body for the money, knowing very well your body will itch after bathing the concoction. After the failure of the charm, if you go for the refund of your money, their macho men will beat you. These macho men are in Techiman and have close links to the palaces and chiefs in the area and when they are coming, they will shout, and then the palace guards and victims get scared and run for their lives for them to share the booty with the chiefs”, he lamented.

He said the demonstration was to bring to the notice of chiefs in the area the activities of these miscreants.

“Techiman is a cosmopolitan town that needs to attract more investors to create the necessary job opportunities for the youth for sustainable development”, he added.

Mr. Adjei said the Association was not against the practice of religious groups as guaranteed in the constitution, but the activities of these charlatans in Techiman is troubling and must be regulated and checked.

“The act of doubling money is illegal and it’s alien and an affront to the laws of the country. I wonder why state institutions and the laws of the country are not dealing with them to save the investing public”, he lamented.

He therefore called on the Techiman Traditional Council and the security agencies to up their game in protecting the investments of law-abiding citizens in the area.

The Brong Ahafo Regional Regulatory Officer of the Traditional Medicine Practitioners Council (TMPC) of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Iddrisu Awudu, in an interview debunked assertions from some of the mallams that their operations and activities had been licensed.

“We regulate and license herbal practitioners to produce medicine to heal the sick and there is no license from government to any person or group of persons to operate as money doublers. So if anyone goes round to say he has been given license to double money, then that is not right”, he emphasized.

He thus warned the public to be wary of the operations of such persons and encouraged them to report activities of such persons to the necessary agencies for action.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Committee’s hearings, which will take place from Monday, February 19 to Saturday, February 24, 2018, will consider financial infractions of the MMDAS, Technical Universities and Pre-University Institutions for 2015/2016 financial year for both the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti Regions.

Chairman of the Committee, James Klutse Avedzi, in his address, said giving false testimony and information to the Committee amounts to perjury and a liability to the strict application of the laws of the country and therefore cautioned the invited institutions and individuals to be careful and not fall foul of the law.

He stated that the Committee was not a fault-finding one, and is established under Article 103 of the Constitution with the powers of a High Court and therefore tasked managers of the country’s resources to ensure value for money in their expenses on behalf of Ghanaians.

He told Citi News there were some outstanding issues which the Committee would recommend to Parliament for government to take action to enhance good financial governance and management of public finances to ensure value for money.

“We are governed by the rule of law. So if you go against the law, we will recommend for the law to take its own course,” he emphasized.

The PAC Chairman stated that the collaboration between the Committee and the Auditor-General’s Department over the years has helped in the fight against corruption in the country.

“Yes, there has been improvement and there will be more improvement when officers are surcharged and made to pay back the money they have embezzled. In the past, the process used to be cumbersome but now the Auditor-General has power under article 187 to disallow these expenditures and you are made to pay those expenditures”, he explained.

He identified financial constraints and inadequate time to study and securitize the reports as the main challenges facing the committee and its work and commended Parliament and a German-based NGO, GIZ, for sponsoring the work of the Committee.

“Our challenge as a Committee is funding and time but nevertheless we are prepared to work for Mother Ghana and so we are doing the work. Our second challenge is time because the kind of work we do as a Committee involves a lot of hardwork and sometimes we don’t have adequate time to peruse the reports very well because we are going to use one week to look at all the MMDAs, Technical Universities and Pre-University Institutions in the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti Regions using two days to do that. So we are stressing to do the work”, he lamented.

The Deputy Ranking Member of the PAC and MP for Nantong, Mohammed Hardi Tuferu appealed to Ghanaians and stakeholders to help fight corruption and malfeasance in the country for sustainable growth and development.

He tasked heads of institutions to strive to abide by the oath they swore before the Committee and be guided by its consequences.

Kumasi and Sunyani Technical Universities are expected to face the committee to answer queries on some infractions detected in their accounts books, followed by Municipals and Districts Assemblies and Pre-University Institutions in the two regions.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com

The post We won’t condone false testimonies – PAC warns institutions appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He called on the Commission of Enquiry overseeing the creation of new regions to heed to the calls of the people to ensure the Ahafo Region becomes a reality.

The Deputy Minister made this appeal when the Commission, chaired by Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey commenced public hearings into the proposed creation of Ahafo Region from the existing territory.

Mr. Bobie outlined the benefits of the proposed new Ahafo Region when created, stating that more jobs will be created and infrastructure for the new regional administration and a befitting regional hospital will be constructed.

He also argued that the regional split will greatly reduce the distance residents would have to travel from their communities to the Regional capital, bringing governance closer to the people.

In a brief presentation, the Ahafo Youth Development  Association President,  Yaw Owusu-Brempong, said the petition for the Ahafo region was first brought up 39 years ago and has since been presented eight times to successive governments.

He thanked President Akufo-Addo for initiating the constitutional procedures for the creation of the region.

He noted that new Ahafo Region would propel development  for the people.

Justice Brobbey, in his address, cautioned the people who came to give their views not to use the opportunity to settle scores.

He warned that their language must be as civil as possible and directed that no mention should be made of a possible location for the regional capital.

The public hearings afforded the Commission the opportunity to seek the views of the Traditional leaders, residents and workers alike.

The Commission will continue with public hearings in Goaso, Sankore, Hwidiem and Bechem in subsequent days.

The Chairman assured the chiefs and people of the proposed Ahafo Region that their views on the creation of the new region would be presented to the President when the Commission made its recommendations.

Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, said in his welcome address that the creation of the Ahafo region will propel development for the people and create jobs for the youth.

He called on the people and the chiefs to intensify their public campaign ahead of the referendum.

The Omanhene of Goase Traditional Area,  Nana Kwesi Bosomprah I in his address said Ahafo was lagging behind much of the country in terms of development.

He cited the bad road network, the absence of any tertiary institutions in the area, the long distance residents have to travel to Sunyani and the lack of jobs for teaming youth as issues the proposed Ahafo Region can address.

He added that the split would bring governance closer to the people and called on everyone in the area to support the Ahafo region vote ‘YES’ at the referendum.

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Source: Imoro T.  Ayibani/ISD

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The commission concluded its hearing for proponents of the proposed Bono East on Monday and has started soliciting the views of residents on the proposed creation of the Ahafo Region.

The hearings are expected to end on Saturday, February 17, 2018, with consultations expected to take place in Goaso, Sankore, Hwidiem and Bechem.

The Commission, on Tuesday, held the first phase of the public hearing for proponents of the Ahafo Region in Sunyani with hundreds of residents, students, members of the general public, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs), chiefs and opinion leaders from Ahafo areas in attendance.

Some persons could be seen observing the process through by the windows and standing in the corridors of the venue to show support and catch a glimpse of the proceedings.

Presenting a strong case for the creation of the region, the Omanhene of Yamfo and President of the Ahafo Council of Chiefs, Nana Ansah Adu Baah II, said the split will lead to efficiency in administration and enhance the socio-economic development of the area.

He argued that the Ahafo area was endowed with natural resources and was capable of managing its resources for development.

He added that as a people, the creation of the Ahafo region will create job opportunities and open up the areas for development for the generations yet unborn.

“We have gold in Yamfo, Ntotroso and Kenyasi and have therefore resolved to use our royalties from the gold to support the creation of the region since it is demand-driven and we are determined to liberate ourselves,” he stated.

He lamented the poor road network in the area which he claimed was robbing farmers of their investments and therefore impoverishing them.

“In Ahafo here, food is abundant but our roads are not good. We cannot transport the foodstuffs to the bigger towns and market centres. It’s the same with health services. We do not have standard hospitals and in some areas no clinic at all. In fact, it’s sad to see pregnant women being transported on bicycles and motorbikes to the health facilities. We have been sidelined for long and it’s time we take our destiny into our hands”, he charged.

Nana Yaw Ansah Adu-Baah II, appealed to the Commission to recommend the creation of Ahafo Region to the President in their report and assured it of the residents’ resolve to unanimously endorse the creation of the region at the referendum.

Goaso

The Omanhene of the Goaso Traditional Area, Nana Kwasi Bosomprah I, commended the President for initiating processes of creating the region and bringing development to the doorsteps of the people of the area in line with his promises.

He assured the Commission of the full support of the traditional council to the process, saying, the creation of the Ahafo region out of the existing Brong Ahafo Region would speed up development in all areas.

“I want to assure you that we ready for the region and do make a case for us to the President to consider us for the creation of the region. As I welcome you, I know you will visit other communities and see how we are marginalized. So the Ahafo region is a must,” he appealed.

Commission gives assurances.

The Chairman of the Commission, Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, assured residents and the chiefs that their views would be taken into consideration when making their recommendations because the whole process is demand-driven and has been triggered by the petitioners from the four regions.

He said all constitutional process for the creation of regions will be applied, and cautioned the petitioners and residents to avoid the use of insults and insinuations in their campaign.

The Commission engaged residents of Goaso today and is expected to engage residents of Hwidiem in the Asutifi South District before rounding up their activities on Saturday at Bechem in the Tano South District.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Commission on new regions ends Bono East hearings appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The region presented two petitions to the commission for the creation of the Bono East Region and Ahafo Region, out of the current Brong Ahafo Region.

The Ahafo Council of Chiefs is championing the creation of the Ahafo Region, whilst their counterparts, the Coalition of Bono East Chiefs, are rooting for the Bono East Region.

The engagement, according to the Commission, is to equip media practitioners in the region with the requisite knowledge and information as educators and actors of information sharing and dissemination to the masses, to enable the Commission to successfully execute and implement their mandate.

The programme brought together media Practitioners from print and electronic, Municipal/District Directors of the Information Services Department (MDIOs), Commentators of ISD and staff of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) across the region.

Addressing the programme, Minister for Regional Re-organization and Development, Daniel Kweku Botwe, assured of government’s resolve to be guided by the provisions of the 1992 constitution, and will therefore not interfere with the process and the work of the Commission.

“They applied for it, and they have to spend their own money to educate their people and galvanize support for the referendum. All they need is 50% turnout to vote, and 80% YES from the voters. Government is not going to spend one pesewa in printing a poster or anything”, he emphasized.

He however explained that, government was fully prepared to provide the necessary logistics and assistance to the Electoral Commission  to advertise the issues and voter education purposes, and warned government officials to desist from actively participating and campaigning to community members.

The Minister tasked staff of ISD and NCCE to put their vast knowledge and skills in community sensitization at the disposal of the Commission for a successful implementation of their mandate.

The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh in his welcome address, tasked petitioners of the proposed two regions to demonstrate their commitment and willingness to have their regions by turning out massively to vote in favour when the date of the referendum is set.

He observed that the bottom line was progress and development of the area, and therefore appealed to the media practitioners to preach the positives that the creation of additional regions will bring to the communities.

Participants at an open forum asked varied questions ranging from cost, commitment of government, legal processes governing the creation of the regions, and challenges confronting the exercise among others.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com

The post Commission on creation of new regions engages B/A media appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Reports indicate that the assailants are suspected to be supporters of the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh.

The incident took place on Saturday in Atebubu, the Capital of the Atebubu-Amantin District at the residence of the District Chief Executive (DCE) while he was interacting with party executives to canvass for support in the upcoming regional level elections.

Midway through the meeting, the thugs stormed the venue and demanded answers for his reported verbal attacks on the Minister, Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh.

According to reports, his assailants attacked him with heavy metal bars leaving him with a fracture on his left arm and serious bodily injuries which resulted in him being rushed to the St Luke Hospital in Kasei for treatment.

Confirming the incident to Citi News, the acting regional Secretary of NPP, Kofi Ofosu Boateng, who visited him this morning at an undisclosed health facility, said he was responding to treatment.

“Yes, he was attacked. I visited him this morning with my team. He is in a critical condition but gradually responding to treatment,” he observed.

He appealed to supporters and sympathizers of the party to remain calm and allow the party structures and securities agencies conduct an investigation into the matter and bring the culprits to book.

‘Sack Regional Minister’

The Youth Organiser also called on the President to sack the Regional Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh and accused him of engaging corrupt activities in the region which was against the core values and principles of the party.

In a petition addressed to President Akufo-Addo, Mr. Baffoe accused the Regional Minister of engaging in various corrupt activities which make him unfit to occupy public office.

He alleged that the minister has been collecting and extorting huge sums of money from members of the Dormaa and Techiman Timber Market Associations in the region in return for being allowed to proceed with their illegal lumbering business.

No arrest has so far been made whilst the Police and Regional Minister are also not available for comment at the time of filing the report.

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By: Mashould Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post B/A NPP executive responding to treatment after attack appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He said the region recorded 338 fire outbreaks this year whilst 572 outbreaks were recorded in 2016, adding that five people also perished in last year’s fire disasters.

[contextly_sidebar id=”VYRvK2JpNXA1pAMAtyNPddpXRU9rqp7E”]ACFO Owusu-Adjei made this known when he addressed traders and the general public at the Nana Bosomah market, also known as the “Wednesday market” in Sunyani.

Held under the theme: “Fire Safety a Shared Responsibility”, the event was to sensitize them on fire safety measures as part of a fire prevention campaign before the onset of the dry season.

The Regional Fire Commander urged the public to warn their children against playing with matches or going near fires in the dry season.

ACFO Owusu-Adjei said fire prevention is a shared responsibility and if the public would obey fire regulations, the region could record zero fire incidents in the coming years.

He advised farmers to create farm belts around their farms to prevent fires from destroying their investments and also entreated them to engage fire volunteers to advise them on the best strategies to employ when preparing their lands for sowing in the dry season.

ACFO Owusu-Adjei said the PNDC law 229 mandates the GNFS and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to sanction people who intentionally set fire to cause destruction of lives and properties and warned that anybody caught in the act would not be spared.

He said his outfit has trained many fire volunteers to assist in firefighting in the region, especially in the dry season and would also intensify their campaign on the airwaves and at public places to educate the people.

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GNA

The post B/A records 20% reduction in fire cases in 2017 appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Commission has, so far, received two different petitions from the region requesting the demarcation.

[contextly_sidebar id=”dnfFeVTqmD95cl4nR1o7NzBuFcKmr50c”]The Chairman of the Commission hearing the cases of petitioners seeking the creation of new regions, Justice Steven Alan Brobbey, said the commission after today’s [Thursday], sitting, will hear the case of another group that is seeking further division of the Brong Ahafo Region on Tuesday.

“We will seek to understand the background to your petition, the issue you raise and any other information you may consider helpful to our work. After today’s hearing, we will continue on Tuesday 28^th November by hearing the petition from petitioners demanding the creation of Brong East Region out of the existing Brong Ahafo Region. That means the Brong Ahafo now may have 3 regions; the current Brong Ahafo Region, Brong East Region and the Ahafo Region if cases are made for their creation,” he said.

He added that “the purpose of the meeting is to afford the Commission the opportunity to hear first-hand from persons who have submitted petitions for the creation of new regions.”

The Omanhene of Yamfo, Nana Ansah Adu Baah II, who is part of the petitioners for the Ahafo Region, told journalists ahead of the meeting with the Commission that the Ahafo part of the Brong Ahafo Region started petitioning the state since 1986, for the creation of the region.

He said he was resolute that partitioning the region will be the surest way to bridge the yawning development gap.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Regional Organization and Development, Dan Botwe, has given assurance that his ministry will not interfere in the work of the Commission, except to provide logistics for its smooth running.

“We only ensure logistical arrangement. We are not part of their discussions, we are not sitting in their meeting because they are going to present their report to the president [at the end of their sittings], he said.

Hearing on the petitions for the creation of a region out of the Northern Region, will be held on November 29 and December 5.

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By: Jonas Nyabor & Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Petitioners want BA divided into 3 regions appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

During a three-day working visit to the Brong Ahafo Region, he issued a stern warning to criminals in the country to reform or face the full rigors of the law.

The region has experienced some high profile crimes including  robbery on the Kintampo Buipe highway which claimed the life of one and left four others with various degrees of injuries.

The visit took Dr. Dampare to Kintampo, Babator, Tahiru Akuraa, Buipe, Atebubu, Yeji, Kwame Danso and Kojokrom.

The visit was to afford COP Dampare the opportunity to assess the trouble spots, and assess the security situation on the ground and strategies put in place by the local Police to deal with issue.

He also used the visit to facilitate community engagement to enhance the community-police rapport to build the confidence of community members play informants role to help police with information on the hideouts of the criminals.

The Director-General of Operations in an interaction with the senior police officers and district commanders in Sunyani, Kintampo, Atebubu, Yeji and Kwame Danso tasked them to be professional and discharge their duties without fear or favour.

He assured them that the Police Administration was putting in measures to address all their logistical and manpower challenges to enable them combat crime.

He said the introduction of operational strategies in the service was part of the Police transformational agenda that was yielding results in the big cities will be replicated across the country and encouraged the officers to be proactive and preventive in their strategies since the challenges of the region was highway robberies and not inner-city robberies.

He disclosed the National SWAT and National Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU) had been deployed to the area to augment their efforts in the fight against armed robbery, crimes and maintain law and order and tasked the officers to collaborate effectively to succeed.

Meeting with GPRTU

He assured the leadership of the GPRTU that the police administration was working to rid the country of criminals and appealed to them to assist and collaborate with the police by providing timely and credible information on criminals and their activities.

He expressed the commiseration of the IGP and the Police Administration to residents, family of the deceased and the GPRTU for their loss and tasked them to remain vigilant and expose criminals in the community in fighting the rising crime menace.

Kwame Danso

At Kwame Danso, district capital of the Sene West, the District Chief Executive (DCE) Hon. John Nyaba promised to provide accommodation and fuel to enable them discharges their duties effectively and requested for more personnel to be posted to the area to help beef up the security situation of the area.

He outlined the assembly’s plan to provide the police with motorbikes and construct Police posts at robbery prone areas to help curb the menace.

The Director General of Police Operations on his part commended the DCE for his kind gesture and assured the Police will do everything possible to ensure citizens are protected.

COP/Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has since left for the Ashanti Region where he is expected to hold similar engagement with the Police Command in the region.

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By: Mashoud Kombat, Brong Ahafo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Dampare tours Brong Ahafo hotspots appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Dr. Boateng, a civil engineer, has a number of innovations to his credit including an electronic turbine for generating electricity.

He is currently the only African semi-finalist in the ongoing 7 million dollar Shell Ocean Discovery XPrize which could fetch him US$ 4 million if he emerges the overall winner.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, Dr. Boateng highlighted some of his innovations including developing world’s fastest optimization algorithm, as well as a UV [ultraviolet] light technology that heal wounds.

Dr. Boateng, a civil engineer, has also developed a system to turn starch into plastics.

Click below for the full audio:

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ghanaian innovator develops e-turbine to generate electricity [Audio] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.