He noted that the system, which will be one of the most advanced in the world when rolled out, currently has 16.1 billion unique addresses.

The addressing system, he said, is part of the institutional reforms by the government aimed at easing business registration and other accountability and management purposes.

“It is more advanced than the United States or the United Kingdom or Germany because they are stuck to old technology, and we are leapfrogging. We are going to a new technology; we are going to GPS-based technology”, Dr. Bawumia said.

[contextly_sidebar id=”SCA8xSUzvs0MRJvqnF1EX6ZMbgeAlqZM”]The Vice President made the statement in a lecture dubbed ‘Developing Stronger Economies for the African Continent: the Missing Link’ at the 3^rd Advancement Lecture Series 2017, organised by the Institutional Advancement Office of the University of Cape Coast on Wednesday.

He explained that, the new digital addressing system, has unique postcodes for every location in Ghana, saying, “We have been able to put together 16.1 billion addresses: every five by five metres square apart in Ghana has a unique address.”

“What is even more exciting about this new addressing system is that, it was actually designed by Ghanaians in Dansoman. Our men and women are amazing, and they beat the international competition because we were wondering if our people can deliver it”, he added.

The digital addressing system is among a range of technological reforms by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, aimed at ensuring efficiency on the delivery of services.

Other similar projects include the roll-out of the National ID card as well as the paperless system adopted at the country’s ports.

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By: Joseph Ackon-Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He appealed to party supporters and sympathizers to allow the MDCEs to work without interference to bring about the much-needed development in the area.

The Minister made these known at a programme to swear in 24 MDCEs who have been confirmed by their respective assemblies out of 27 nominees made by the President.

Berekum Municipal, Sene East and Sunyani West assemblies still have their confirmation pending after the nominees failed to obtain the required two-thirds majority votes.

He entreated the appointees to work towards achieving policies that boost the local economy.

“As administrators and representative of the President in your jurisdiction, I charged you to live above reproach and not lord over your constituents but serve them with sincerity and humility,” he said.

Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh asked the appointees to liaise with the Coordinating Directors at the assembly to effectively administer their areas to address the problems of unemployment, revenue leakage, sanitation and corruption confronting the assemblies.

He asked them to operate an open door administration and cooperate with traditional leaders and stakeholders to bring development to their people.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Asunafo North, Yaw Osei Boahen on behalf of his colleagues assured of their commitment and dedication to helping the President achieve his vision for the country in their respective Districts.

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By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The military needed to “fortify” the city, which had a population of more than two million, to prevent an assault “from all directions”, they said.

The Boko Haram militants had “annexed” areas that were about 50km (30 miles) from Maiduguri, they said.

Boko Haram declared a caliphate in areas it controls last month.

The government has not yet commented on the statement issued by the Borno Elders Forum (BEF).

‘Annihilation’

It represents influential people in the state, including former government ministers and civil servants.

“We are convinced that the Federal Government of Nigeria has not shown sufficient political will to fight Boko Haram and rescue us from the clutches of the insurgents which may ultimately lead to the total annihilation of the inhabitants of Borno,” BEF said.

“The insurgents have rendered impassable almost all the roads leading to Maiduguri,” it added.

BEF said the military needed to “urgently fortify” the city.

“The insurgents have surrounded Maiduguri and are nursing the ambition of attacking the city from all directions,” BEF said.

“There is credible local intelligence information to that effect. We must be pro-active. Maiduguri is heavily pregnant with people who have trooped into it hoping for safety,” the elders added.

Boko Haram’s five-year insurgency is seen as the biggest threat to Nigeria’s territorial integrity since the 1967-70 civil war, analysts say.

The group has changed tactics in recent months, holding on to towns in the north-east, where most people are Muslims, rather than carrying out hit-and-run attacks.

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Source: BBC

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Eyewitnesses told the BBC that half of Damboa had been burnt down, including the town’s main market.

At least 18 bodies so far have been recovered from the attack, which lasted for several hours. The death toll is expected to rise, residents say.

Boko Haram’s violent campaign to establish an Islamic state has killed thousands of people in recent years.

In April, it sparked international outrage by abducting more than 200 girls from their boarding school in Chibok, in Borno state, like Damboa.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden”, has often targeted schools since it launched its insurgency in 2009.

Borno state governor Kashim Shettima on Thursday said that 176 teachers had been killed and 900 schools destroyed since 2011.

Boko Haram is opposed to Western education

Damboa, 85km (53 miles) from the state capital Maiduguri, is now said to be deserted as many people have fled to neighbouring towns.

“Those who could not flee surrendered and were killed by the insurgents,” a local official, who did not want to be named, told the AFP news agency.

Boko Haram attacked the barracks in the town two weeks ago, killing several soldiers.

Nigeria’s defence ministry said the military had repelled that attack and killed at least 50 insurgents.

But residents say that since then the town has only been defended by vigilante groups.

“We were defenceless because all the security personnel, including soldiers and policemen, have withdrawn,” resident Ahmed Buba told AFP.

On Tuesday, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan asked the National Assembly for an extra $1bn to help the military fight Boko Haram.

But the parliamentarians have now gone on a two-month recess without debating the request.

Nigeria’s soldiers have frequently complained that the insurgents have superior firepower.

Nigeria has a military budget of about $6bn a year but large sums are lost to corruption, critics say.

The US, UK, China, France and Israel have all sent military assistance to help rescue the schoolgirls.

Who are Boko Haram?

• Founded in 2002
• Initially focused on opposing Western education – Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
• Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria – also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
• Some three million people affected
• Declared terrorist group by US in 2013

Source: BBC

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Detectives arrested Mohammed Zakari, 30, as he fled from what police and the military describe as an intensive counterinsurgency sweep in the area.

Zakari is accused in connection with the deaths of seven people, including women and children, according to Nigerian police.

He is also accused of taking part in an April attack against Nigerian customs officers in Kari, police say.

Boko Haram is a fundamentalist Islamic militant group based in northern Nigeria whose name translates as “Western education is forbidden.” Its members are accused in dozens of brutal attacks against Nigerian government offices, churches and schools since 2009.

Human Rights Watch said Tuesday the group is responsible for at least 2,053 civilian deaths in 2014. The group based its account on media reports and field investigations.

“Boko Haram is effectively waging war on the people of northeastern Nigeria at a staggering human cost,” said Human Rights Watch West Africa Director Corinne Dufka.

In May, the group abducted more than 200 girls from a boarding school in the town of Chibok, setting off worldwide condemnation of the group and prompting Western nations to send troops and aid to the region to help with the search for the missing girls.

Last month, Boko Haram militants held residents in the village of Kummabza hostage for four days, abducting more than 60 females and killing 30 men.

The women later escaped when militants left them alone in a camp while they battled Nigerian soldiers.

Nigerian troops have been conducting intensive efforts against the group in northeastern Nigeria for days, according to government statements and Nigerian media reports.

The military said it has routed terrorists from the Balmo Forest region and uncovered weapons caches as well as uniforms worn by Nigerian security services, according to Nigeria’s Ministry of Defence.

Some of the suspected terrorists captured during the raid are “volunteering information linking the activities in the forest with other terrorist activities in the country,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Source: CNN

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He said Nigeria’s army would receive extra training, especially in counter-insurgency, and a million more children would be given schooling.

This is the latest promise of Western help since Boko Haram abducted some 200 schoolgirls in April.

Since then, the Islamist group has stepped up its attacks.

Boko Haram has waged an increasingly bloody insurgency since 2009 in an attempt to create an Islamic state in Nigeria. Thousands of people have died in their attacks and the subsequent security crackdown.

Mr Hague stressed that human rights must be respected in the operation against the militant group.

Human rights groups have accused Nigeria’s army of killing hundreds of civilians in crackdowns following Boko Haram attacks.

The British foreign secretary also insisted that the extra aid must be spent effectively. There have been reports of corruption in the military.

Mr Hague said the extra assistance would be provided in conjunction with France and the US.

He also said that Nigeria, Chad, Benin, Niger, Cameroon had confirmed they will put into operation a regional intelligence fusion unit – to “tighten the net around Boko Haram.”

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the London summit on ending sexual violence in conflict, co-hosted by Mr Hague and UN special envoy and actress Angelina Jolie.

It follows last month’s summit in Paris where regional powers pledged to co-ordinate action against the group.

Earlier, Niger’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Bazoum defended the slow progress in the fight against Boko Haram.

He told the BBC Focus on Africa radio programme that measures such as sharing intelligence and setting up a new regional headquarters for aircraft involved in surveillance and possibly “operations in the field” took time. This is to be set up in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, he said.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in May 2013 in the three northern states where Boko Haram is most active – Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

The militants retaliated by stepping up their bombing campaign in cities and raiding small towns and villages.

Source: BBC

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The attack place in the town of Mubi in Adamawa state, close to the border with Cameroon.

Adamawa is one of three states that have been placed under emergency rule because of an insurgency waged by Islamist Boko Haram militants.

However, no-one has yet said they carried out the latest attack.

“So far we have 14 dead while 12 are injured, some of them critically,” said the police spokesman for Adamawa state, Usman Abubakar.

Some reports put the death toll higher.

According to the BBC’s Nigeria correspondent, Will Ross, it is hard to get eyewitness accounts because of an overnight curfew in the area.

Abducted girls

Bombings by Boko Haram in central and northern Nigeria have killed at least 200 people over the past month.

The Islamist group has come under the international spotlight after it recently abducted more than 200 girls from a school in northern Nigeria.

Efforts to locate the girls have so far drawn a blank.

President Goodluck Jonathan said last Thursday that he had ordered a “full-scale operation” against Boko Haram.

However, all efforts to locate the missing girls have so far drawn a blank.

According to Reuters news agency, Boko Haram has killed at least 500 civilians since the girls were abducted in April.

Source: BBC

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Islamist militant group, Boko Haram in April seized almost 276 girls in northern Nigeria.

This incident has drawn massive global outrage with several power forces such as Israel, the United States of America(USA) and the United Kingdom(UK) all offering to assist the oil rich nation (Nigeria).

Speaking on Citi FM’s the Big Issue, Mr. Nortey Addo maintained that the use of dialogue by the Nigerian government will enable it achieve a favourable outcome and also reduce the risk of losing any civilian

“The government must try to find a way of engaging these groups to see if there is a way of resolving differences. Using the military intervention alone cannot help because then you will have to have some civilian casualties,” he explained.

According to him, the Nigerian government is doing its possible best to secure the release of the girls but it must initiate moves to dialogue with the militant group.

Meanwhile, on Friday West African leaders met in Accra for an emergency meeting to brainstorm ways to curtail the exploits of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups on the African continent.

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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On Citi FM’s the Big Issue on Saturday, Mr. Cudjoe said: “I think President Mahama obviously is doing quite well…I think he is living up to his responsibilities.”

His commendation follows the summoning of ECOWAS heads of state for an emergency meeting in Accra on Friday to discuss Boko Haram threat in Nigeria, the security situation in Mali and other pressing matters affecting West African countries.

Eight West African heads of state attended the meeting at the behest of ECOWAS Chairman, President Mahama.

The IMANI boss described the meeting as “spot on”, adding that, reports from Nigeria suggests that Nigerians have faith in the leadership of President Mahama as the ECOWAS chair to find a lasting solution to terrorist activities in their country.

“I hear he is being hailed in Nigeria…The Nigerian first lady seems to be saying that he [Mahama] is the only person actually helping Goodluck Jonathan [Nigeria President],” he said.

He was however quick to add that if the sub-region was experiencing greater integration, “I don’t think we would be having discussions on terror cells or trying to use satellites to locate these people…we are just late.”

A financial analyst, Sydney Casely-Hayford also on Citi FM’s the Big Issue described the emergency ECOWAS meeting as “successful.”

He opined that African leaders have however allowed the terrorist activities to fester and grow out of proportion.

According to Casely-Hayford, although much attention is being paid to the fact that Boko Haram is a terrorist group, security chiefs should also focus on Boko Haram as an Islamist Militant group who are imposing their religious views on their victims.

He questioned why religious leaders do not rise up to slam such religious impositions when terrorist groups use religion as a basis to enhance or sanitize their religion.

The financial analyst urged mainstream religious organizations to condemn such religious extremists “so they can control the offshoots and the extreme terrorists…who create more havoc than anything else we can find.”

By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @osamidan

 

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Some West African heads of state were summoned to Accra by President John Dramani Mahama to discuss important issues affecting the sub-region including the Boko Haram threat in Nigeria.

The ongoing conference has led to the Ghana Police cording off some principal routes as part of security measures put in place to protect the various head of states gathered at the Movenpick-Ambassador hotel.

Motorists plying the route coming from the Asylum Down and the University of Ghana, Accra City Campus have been advised to turn towards the total petroleum head office to avoid staying in traffic for hours.

Also, motorists have been advised to take the ridge round about or take the International Conference Centre route linking to the road in front of the Accra Sports Stadium to avoid staying in traffic.

Below is a table showing information on the traffic situation in the Central Business District.

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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