The coalition organized a press conference yesterday at the Ghana International Press Centre, seeking to discredit Ghana Post’s recently launched Global Positioning System (GPS) – a $2.5 digital property addressing system for Ghana.

[contextly_sidebar id=”tWBhwN4W59zuKkSEzalU8h1nCrtiloAj”]A member of the coalition who claimed to be a GPS expert, Kingsley Mortey, had made a presentation to journalists on the Ghana Post GPS, saying emphatically that the GPS is not unique to Ghana as Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia had indicated.

According to Mr. Mortey, the GPS belonged to the US military and that it’s precision was not accurate and that it was subject to manipulation by the US.

The coalition had echoed ex-President Mahama’s claim that the GPS is a “419,” to wit: a scam, saying that the whole deal smacks of a grand collusion between the company and some government appointees to “create, loot, and share.”

It accused the company contracted to build the App – Vokacom – an indigenous Ghanaian Information Technology (IT) firm, of allegedly not honouring its tax obligations to the state to the tune of $3 million, indicating that it was needless to invest $2.5 million in creating the digital addressing system because for the members of the coalition, it is already available for free on Google and the Asaase App. Interestingly, Asaase App was developed by Vokacom.

But when members of the coalition finished the talking and invited the media and other individuals present to make comments or ask questions, the deputy minister, who was at the event to listen to what the pro-NDC activists had to say, mounted the podium to clarify some issues the coalition had raised as far as the GPS was concerned.

Initially, Mr. Andah was given the opportunity to speak to the issues, but as he seemingly started exposing ‘flaws’ in the arguments put forward by the coalition, the whole confusion started.

Mr. Andah had pointed out that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has solutions for Ghana’s national digital addressing system and that the Ghana Post GPS was developed to enable the country to be able to give every property a digital address.

Some members of the coalition, including its chief convener, Ebenezer Kofi Hayford, a failed 2016 NDC parliamentary aspirant for Ayawaso West Wuagon who lost to Delali Emmanuel Kwasi Brempong, had angrily attempted to rush on him (Andah) to get him off the podium in a bid to stop him from further clarifying the issues that had been raised, even though the coalition had earlier challenged the government to speak to the issues.

Samuel Gyamfi, Public Relations Officer of Exton Cubic – a mining company owned by Ibrahim Mahama, younger brother of former President John Mahama – who is a member and also spokesperson of the coalition, became seriously mad with the deputy minister and attempted moving to physically get him off the podium, when NDC Communications Officer, Solomon Nkansah, stopped him from doing so.

Even though Mr. Gyamfi failed in pushing the deputy minister off the podium, he succeeded in screaming on top of his voice, telling Mr Andah, “You have only five minutes to end!”

What seemed more embarrassing for the coalition members was when the media followed the deputy minister and his team – made up of Managing Director of Ghana Post Company Limited – out of the Press Center for an interview.

At that moment, Mr. Mortey was left alone talking about GPS in the conference hall while the media were seeking further explanation from the deputy minister, forcing other members of the coalition to come out shouting at the journalists. “It is our platform. We paid for it not him,” he shouted.

But the journalists were unperturbed and continued with their interview and immediately after that, the event came to an abrupt end as the organizers became furious with the journalists for ‘abandoning’ them in favour of Mr George Andah.

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By: Daily Guide/Ghana

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This is the belief of the management of Ghana Post, who are partnering a Ghanaian company, Vokacom, and the Ministry of Communications to roll out the system, known as Ghana Post GPS.

[contextly_sidebar id=”NIymfApPVvOR7DxGSCKH6kg6soEbUkuW”]The new Digital Address System, which generates unique postcodes to identify various locations in the country, gives the “business [Ghana Post] the opportunity to easily reach all Ghanaians and connect with all government agencies and other corporate networks.”

Ghana Post in a statement copied to citifmonline.com, said the development will “transform and formalize the economy.”

“The National Identification Project is the second most important process of formalizing the economy. The digital addresses is a key requirement during registration of citizens and residents…Digital Addressing will now be the single most important tool for all citizens to locate government departments, business partners, friends, and relatives accurately and quickly. This new addressing system will change the way we do things forever, and will therefore lead to a formalized economy as well as change the entire business landscape,” Ghana Post said.

President Akufo-Addo at the launch said, the government is committed to ensuring that the system is sustained and serves its purpose in enhancing business operations, and facilitating the delivery of essential health and security services across the country.

The management of Ghana Post said every location in the country had been addressed digitally with unique codes.

“The Addressing system is nationally integrated, and it will house a comprehensive database of all properties in the country.”

“The new Post Code Range is based on the regional telephone codes used by the erstwhile Post & Telecommunications, where 02 was for Greater Accra, 05 for Ashanti and 09 for Volta, etc. Ghana Post by this has set the stage for commercial focus for the country.”

“The location system comes with all the necessary security protections including but not limited to a privacy policy protected by the Data Protection Act 843, fortified architecture, various access level controls, and an inter-ministerial data privacy committee that will monitor and ensure the security of the entire system,” it said.

The management of Ghana Post further urged the public to patronize its services as it works to bring “efficient product and services to the doorstep of Ghanaians through the digital addressing system.”

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to her, Ghana Post, which has in the last several years struggled with numerous challenges despite its prospects, will now play a key role in the roll-out of the addressing system.

[contextly_sidebar id=”UElgxseIpyIdpBfAnsZV2M03a8WxXEf2″]“The inability to keep up with technological advances in the past, bedeviled Ghana Post and almost killed it. Ironically, the technological advances of today have become the salvation and rejuvenation of Ghana Post, and this is what we are about to witness today [Wednesday],” she said at the launch of the system in Accra on Wednesday.

The launch of the digital addressing system is part of government’s grand plan of promoting effective governance through the adoption of modern technology.

Ursula Owusu remarked that, the digital addressing system will unlock a new window into the area of modern technology for the country.

She added that, the launch of the system will also help the country in the identification and registration of lands in the country, while banks will find it easier to locate their clients and borrowers.

Ursula, who had indicated at her ministerial vetting that her outfit will make the Ghana Post a profitable business, expressed her delight that the system, known as the Ghana Post GPS, is a partnership between a Ghanaian firm Vokacom, and the Ghana Post.

Ghana Post is a national communication and financial agency with nationwide coverage that has served its purpose for more than 5 decades.

In spite of its previous successes and dominance in the communication sector in the past, the company is currently struggling for relevance due to competition from private telecom companies, courier agencies and internet service providers.

Digital Property Addressing System will be sustained – Nana Addo

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has said his government will commit all the necessary resources to ensure that the country’s digital property addressing system is sustained.

He said this after the launch of the project today [Wednesday].

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline/Ghana

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He said his outfit was undertaking a massive exercise to revamp the national courier services “to match the banks boot to boot starting from 2018.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”fQMFr4GNtSOWz7djBdctNi2ARdhltVxD”]The Member of Parliament Fanteakwa South, Kofi Okyere Agyekum had called for the shutdown of the company, arguing that it had lost its relevance and was failing economically.

But Mr.Coffie is hopeful of a turnaround in the fortunes of the company soon as he admitted that “we didn’t do a good job of managing the clients and coming up with technologies so we are in the process of trying to resolve some of those things. We should start seeing growth next year in all the revenue areas that were in decline.”

He said growth at Ghana Post could be expected in 2018 “in all the revenue areas that were in decline.”

“What we have attempted to do is to fix the fundamentals so we have done a deep self-assessment on what is wrong with us… with customers service, we are putting in place a call centre and we are training the right people to manage it.”

Ghana Post has been criticized for its poor service and in May 2017, it was compelled to publicly apologize to customers for rendering poor services after complaints against it featured in the news cycle.

“In terms of service delivery, we all know is not the best, we are revamping our fleet. We are using technology to track all our deliveries and we are also trying to deliver according to timelines,” Mr. Coffie stated.

The company has already outlined plans to overhaul its systems and operations to improve service delivery throughout the country and also create a single customer service department for all product lines and undertake customer service training.

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By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Company says the overhead operational costs of these offices cannot be sustained with their internally generated funds.

[contextly_sidebar id=”GUarLJTZwiu6H069nd7dVEnLOFoJFvpQ”]The Ranking Member of the Public Accounts Committee, Kofi Okyere Agyekum felt a shutdown of Ghana Post was in order and argued that the country would not lose anything by shutting down Ghana Post.

“Sometimes we get very sentimental and attached to a product because it is a national brand but if you look at all the indicators, probably we should let it go.”

“You see, these days, people are getting letters on their phones, they are getting money on their phones and the parcels are being carried by the transport companies and I ask myself: if Ghana post didn’t exist, what would Ghanaians have lost?”

The relevance of Ghana Post came up for discussion at the Public Accounts Committee hearing on Thursday, with some Members questioning its value in the light of what they said were more effective private courier services.

Managing Director of Ghana Post, James Coffie said the Company had been poorly run prior to his assumption of office.

“The truth of the matter is that, because in the past, we didn’t run Ghana Post well, some of the branches became commercially unviable… over 100 post offices do not make enough post offices do not make enough money to cover the cost of operations at those post offices.”

“You have some post offices that the cost of running the place is GHc1,200 but they generate GHc500 in revenue a month,” he revealed to the Committee.

Commitments to improving service

In May 2017, Ghana Post said it was in the process of overhauling its systems and operations to improve service delivery throughout the country in response to several complaints of poor service of the company by some Ghanaians.

Its management said it intended to create a single customer service department for all product lines and undertake customer service training.

Among other things, it said, it would also introduce performance targets for its staff to ensure that they deliver effectively on customer expectations.

The Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, when she was being vetted, said she was committed to making Ghana Post an efficient and profitable state agency as the potential to expand and play a vital role in improving modern communication in the country, especially in rural areas.

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By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The new Managing Director has pledged to collaborate with the management of the organisation to turn the fortunes of Ghana post around positively.

[contextly_sidebar id=”c4BjAiCnaviuAAF1bNsPk7If1PVOKBJn”]Last month some workers of Ghana Post demanded the immediate removal of their former Managing Director, Eric Yao and two others who they accused of financial malfeasance.

The aggrieved workers alleged that, the former MD connived with the company’s Head of ICT, Godfred Aboagye, to embezzle funds.

The Public Relation Officer of Ghana Post, Ekow Painstil who confirmed the new appointment to Citi News said, the MD has called for full cooperation from the company’s management and staff and has assured them of his commitment to enhancing the company’s growth.

“As we speak, the handing over is done and so the old MD is not in position. We are all aware there is a new government in power and the new government comes with the responsibility of making sure government agencies are management by their people so it may be coincidental or perhaps the government had its programs already. We cannot say it is due to the pressure the workers gave that gave birth to the appointment of the new managing director.”

‘Ghana post will be profitable again’

The Minister Communications, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, has said she will work to Ghana Post an efficient and profitable state agency. According to her, the company has the potential to expand and play a vital role in improving modern communication in the

According to her, the company has the potential to expand and play a vital role in improving modern communication in the country especially in rural areas but is unable to do same presently.

She noted that she had started conversations with the management of the company on how to revamp its operations.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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According to her, the company has the potential to expand and play a vital role in improving modern communication in the country especially in rural areas.

[contextly_sidebar id=”lk9VhOnzhnImSOuMIF3mjzN347xpiPWY”]Speaking before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Wednesday [February 1, 2017], the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West said she had started conversations with management of Ghana Post on revamping its operations.

Ghana Post is a national communication and financial agency with nationwide coverage that has served its purpose for more than 5 decades.

In spite of its previous successes and dominance in the communication sector in the past, the company is currently struggling for relevance due to competition from private telecom companies, courier agencies and internet service providers.

But according to the minister-nominee, Ghana Post could still play a relevant role in Ghana’s communications sector given the right investments, tools and leadership, which she says her government is ready to provide.

“I’ve already started engaging with the management of Ghana Post. They have a lot of potential. It hasn’t been realized so far; but I think with the right leadership and investment in human and capital resources, it can be a very profitable company, and I am committed to helping them realize their full potential,” she said.

“If it works, it will benefit a whole lot more of our people who otherwise do not have access to postal services, telephony services or to the many other services such as e-commerce and courier services that they could be used to facilitate. They have the beginnings of something that can make them a profitable company, and I will do everything that is within my power to make them realize their potential.”

‘Internet service in Parliament’

Ghana’s parliament has in the last 5 months been without internet access, making the work of legislators difficult, but according to Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, she will work to restore internet connectivity to the house.

Reacting to a question posed by the Member of Parliament for Asawase constituency, Muntaka Mubarak on the situaiton, the minister-nominee said she was aware parliament had paid money to the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) to restore internet service to the chamber of the House and Job 600, but cannot explain why the House lacked the service.

He assured the Appointments Committee that she will consider it a matter of urgency to ensure Parliamentarians have access to internet service in the House, and also have modern communication gadgets installed in the chamber to function.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

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The aggrieved workers are alleging that, their MD and Human  Resources Manager, Mary Koppisah, have protected the company’s Head of ICT, Godfred Aboagye, to embezzle funds belonging to the company.

The workers were demonstrating on Thursday morning, where Citi News’ Phillip Nii Lartey spoke to a worker who alleged that the Head of ICT had been involved in some dubious deals “that have caused a lot of financial loss to the country.”

He also stated that, the main reason they were calling for the MD and Human Resources Manager to be sacked, was because they have failed to act on the workers’ concerns.

“We have consistently spoken to them about the head of ICT and his attitude, but anytime the union comes out to talk about the head of ICT, they will come out and defend him,” the worker complained.

Retirees owed benefits

The worker also lamented that, some retirees were to receive some benefits owed them since 2012.

The workers’ provident fund that management is supposed to support, has also been in arrears for the past 20 months, according to one of protesters.

“So it ends up making the worker worse off in the sense that, this problem fund should be put in investments so that when the worker is going, he can get some huge sum of money to keep himself up. But it is being held for the past 20 months… So we feel that management is not giving workers what they deserve. They are not after the welfare of workers.”

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By: Delali Adolgla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The result is that most of the fishes are brought to the shore dead and discoloured, with broken flesh and sunken eyes, indications that they are not fresh.

There are fears that the practice maybe widespread along the west coast of the country.

According to the Chief Fisherman at Lower Axim, Nana Kojo Eshun, the fishermen usually  use light to attract the fish, while DDT, carbide and dynamite are used to increase the catch.

Apart from the obvious health implications for fish consumers and processors, the practice is also deepening poverty among fishermen and fishmongers, largely women, as the quality and quantity of fish are adversely affected after smoking.

A fishmonger, Madam Hannah Donkor, is not happy about the situation.

“The fish caught using light is okay but the ones by chemicals are creating a lot of problems for us,” she stated.

She said some of the fishmongers had incurred huge debts as a result and explained that the dynamite and carbide methods of fishing caused fishes to rot soon after catch.

According to Madam Donkor, the fish caught with such chemicals also breaks into pieces when exposed to smoke and heat, thereby affecting prices and sales.

The use of chemicals such as DDT and carbide poses a serious health hazard to fish consumers.

Some of the chemicals have had dire consequences on the fingers of some fishmongers.

Health experts say eating food with large amounts (in grammes) of DDT over a short time will most likely affect the nervous system.

People who swallow large amounts of DDT become excitable and have tremors and seizures.

They also experience sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting and dizziness. The effects on the nervous system go away once the exposure to DDT is stopped.

Axim is a coastal town and capital of the Nzema East District in the Western Region.

It lies ,64 kilometres west of the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi to the west of Cape Three Points.

Lower Axim is a major fishing town, with as many as 1,500 canoes.

According to the Secretary of the Lower Axim Fishermen Association, Mr Micheal Nokoe, “any type of fish can be found at Axim”.

Mr Nokoe stated that there was a time when the fishermen were made to swear to the sea that they would not use the chemicals again, but the situation had changed “and many of us are using these chemicals today”.

“Unfortunately, we cannot stop our people because they also need to survive. But we are ready to stop if the government is able to stop all fishermen from the practice,” he said.

Nana Eshun described the illegal fishing practices as a major problem affecting the survival of the fishing industry.

Addressing the problem was not beyond the fishermen association in Lower Axim, he stated but he was quick to add that it was the responsibility  of the government  to assert its authority to hald illegal fishing practice in the country’s waters.

“As the chief fisherman here in Axim, for instance, we can tell them to stop and they will stop today, but we are in the same Ghana; while other fishermen are using those illegal methods, we cannot stop doing same and go hungry,” he stated.

“If the government puts its feet down, we will help it stop the illegal fishing practices,” he stated..

DDT is a pesticide that was once widely used to control insects on agricultural crops and insects that carry diseases such as malaria and typhus but is now used in only a few countries to control malaria.

Before 1973 when it was banned, DDT entered the air, water and soil during its production and use as an insecticide.

DDT is present at many waste sites. It does not occur naturally in the environment.

After 1972, the use of DDT was no longer permitted in the United States, for instance, except in cases of a public health emergency.

It is, however, still used in some other areas of the world, most notably for controlling malaria.

Source: Daily Graphic

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