They comprise nine permanent staff and five national service personnel.

The action demonstrate that workers should be disciplined in the discharge of their duties.

The Minister did not take any further action against the workers and therefore, the affected workers reported to work yesterday very early.

“It was a wake up call and I will monitor their response which I believe will be positive”, he stated.

Speaking to The Finder, the minister declined to reveal his next steps to instill discipline in staff of his ministry.

” I have to put on record that the staff have worked very hard last year but I am just asking them to work harder”, he added.

According to Joe Ghartey, one of the affected staff said she reside at Dodowa which is far from Accra and this is complicated by the bad traffic situation on her route.

The Minister said he suggested to worker to consider transfer to Tema which is a bit closer Dodowa.

The Railways Development Minister explained that he was waiting for the response of that staff

Accra based private radio station Hot 93.9fm has focused its lenses on lateness and other poor working culture in the public sector.

some analyst have said the poor attitude of workers is the cause of low productivity in the country.

It said that most Ghanaians pretended to work for eight hours while they only worked for three hours at their work places.

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Source: The Finder Newspaper

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Fishermen in Ghana’s coastal areas have complained of the irregular supply of premix fuel throughout the year, a situation that is affecting their livelihood.

Citi News this week laid hands on a scandal where Oil Marketing Companies (OMC’s) diverted 249 consignments of premix fuel meant for fisher-folk across the country, to be sold to industries, mostly within the Tema metropolis.

[contextly_sidebar id=”XYSl2hVWNHOOdP00KzcebxU5idsq36aN”]Some have blamed the appointment of Joseph Botchwey as interim administrator of the Committee as a likely cause.

But speaking to Richard Dela Sky on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye laughed off the matter, saying “will you not appoint a competent brother of yours to hold a position in your office? Would you not? Because you hate your relations, even when they are competent enough to hold positions, you will not give it to them?”

Still directing her comment at Richard Dela Sky, Ms Quaye said: “I have not put myself in any conflict of interest. Maybe you have to go back yourself, and find out who is the substantive administrator of the premix committee. His or her government has ended and a new era is in place. He or she is not at the premix secretariat, please!”

According to the Minister, that acting interim administrator has since left the position, and a substantive person has been put there.

Even though the Ministry by a legislative instrument is mandated to police the sector, the Minister told Citi News that she expected the NPA to effect the arrest of the perpetrators.

“We have not had a tracking system so when they find people culpable, why are they not arrested? They should be arrested because we do not have a tracking system and the NPA is also a statutory institution – a state institution that works together with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, their duty is to do the monitoring and find out who are perpetrating what crime so they find these people out. All I expect is that these people will be prosecuted…As the Fisheries Minister, all I do is to ensure that the premix fuel gets to the Fishermen. If the NCA tells me that they have found some OMCs perpetrating this crime, I expect the NCA to take an action.”

 I don’t have tracking system; NPA must arrest 

The Minister clearly appeared indifferent about her role in addressing the problem of pre-mix fuel diversion as alleged by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

According to her, the ministry does not have a tracking system to identify culprits hence the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), which has a system to track such happenings “must take action.”

The NPA in series of letters dated between January and October 2017, informed the National Pre-mix fuel Committee and the Fisheries Ministry to take action against some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) that are involved in the diversion of the product meant for fisher-folk in the country’s coastal communities.

The OMCs, according to the letter, took supply of the pre-mix fuel at the Tema Oil Refinery supposedly to be supplied to fishing communities outside Accra, however, they ended up supplying them within Accra often to industries.

The development, which has persisted for several months, appear to be a major factor for the collapsing fishing industry, with a decline in local fish production and increase in fish imports.

But in a rather combative interview, Madam Afoley Quaye said she was informed that the supposed diverted pre-mix fuels were duly received.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The three were workers of Atpage Limited and Ottis Equipment, companies that rent out bulldozers.

The suspects have since been handed to the East Legon Police.

The Minister was on a tour of the area ahead of the construction of tunnel to link Spintex to East Legon.

The Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Anthony Karbo said the companies in the area have been given a 2-week ultimatum to relocate.

He added that the ministry is impressed with the rate at which work is progressing on site and he is certain the contractor will complete the project on time.

“The contractor is being on time. I think that we are on course and the initial traffic congestion that we had here which brought about a lot of chaos here is gradually easing up.”

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By: Jonas Nyabor & Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Three arrested for fighting Roads Minister appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The private sector, he said, was a key component in accelerating the country’s economic development.

Dr Nduom made the call at a ceremony of chiefs and people of Elmina to commence the celebration of the 2017 Bakatue Festival at Elmina on Tuesday.

He said the private sector was gradually being pushed out of business due to an unstable power supply, high utility tariffs, poor infrastructural facilities and weak economic policies.

Dr Nduom noted that Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) played a critical role in creating jobs for the citizenry as such, government needed to put in place fiscal policies to reduce the high cost of doing business to stimulate economic growth.

“The government must set its priorities right and work to remove every barrier that impedes the development of the private sector which is regarded as the engine of growth,” he stated.

He encouraged local assemblies to establish strong ties with local businesses in their jurisdictions with the essential financial and technical support to enable them to overcome the challenges that confronted them.

Dr Nduom, a renowned entrepreneur, also called on the government to make quality education accessible and free to all children, especially those in the rural areas to ensure equal and efficient distribution of national resources.

He advised the youth to take keen interest in education and engage in productive ventures that would guarantee them a brighter future.

Mrs Elizabeth Naa Afoley Quaye, the Minister of Fisheries and Aqua Culture, assured the fisher folks of government’s continued determination to revamp the fisheries sector to occupy its rightful position in the economic development agenda.

She promised to resolve the recent premix fuel shortages in the Central Region, saying all outstanding issues had been ironed out to allow fuel to power their engines.

The Minister advised the fishermen to adhere to fishing regulations and adopt the best practices of fishing to guarantee good health and environment.

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Source: GNA

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A letter dated June 14, 2017 ordered that the two projects should be suspended until the necessary approvals have been sought.

The letter signed by sector Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, was addressed to the Chief Executive of DVLA, Kwasi Agyemang Busia, and copied to the Vice-President Alhaji, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Chief of Staff Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, and Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo.

Ministry and Cabinet approval needed

In the letter, the Minister explained that “I wish to refer you to the discussion I had with you on the subject for which drew your attention to the need to obtain approval from the Ministry and Cabinet before implementation of such major projects.”

DVLA to present Memorandum to Ministry

Asiamah asked DVLA to submit a memorandum on the projects to the Ministry to enable him to undertake some consultations and seek the necessary approval from Cabinet.
Concerned Drivers Association threaten demo

Members of the Concerned Drivers Association have threatened to stage a demonstration on July 10, against the government for the planned introduction of the new of Smart Drivers Licence and Vehicle Registration Cards.

They alleged that the Smart Drivers Licence would cost GH₵450.

The DVLA admits that the new license expected would cost more to obtain but did not provide figures since it is yet to fix the price for the new licence.

DVLA Chief Executive on cost of new licence

DVLA Chief Executive, Busia, had said the existing charges would not quite cover the cost of producing the upgraded ones.

According to him, factors, such as the speed in producing the new licences, and its improved quality and security features would hike the costs.

The new licences are expected to be delivered within four weeks of application.

He revealed that DVLA would no longer contract private firms to print the drivers’ licences or documents such as roadworthy certificates.

Busia also revealed that the Authority had procured its own machines for printing such sensitive documents.

Benefits of new license

Under the new procedure for the acquisition of driver’s licence, applicants could receive their licences within three to four weeks.

Applicants whose licences are ready would be notified through a call before the delivery date.

The new procedure for the acquisition of driver’s licence is expected to reduce the time and challenges that people who apply for driver’s licence go through.

The new procedure is also expected to help reduce the issue of fraud and exploitation of people in the acquisition of the driver’s licence.

Busia said his vision is to help improve upon the service, raise public confidence and improve upon the image of the Authority.

He said his vision is also to help build a strong human resource management department that could help staff to plan their progression and development in the service and create a transparent system for the appreciation of hard work.

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Source: The Finder

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Road networks in most parts of the region are in terrible shape, with those in cocoa growing areas being the worst affected.

[contextly_sidebar id=”oVbN81lDGYvpCTnMylNqUUUhGb9vQVXc”]The three Wassa Amenfi districts, which have outweighed the Sefwi areas  in terms of cocoa production, have no good roads, apart from the only road that connects them to other districts. That inter-linking road is even already suffering major defects with life-threatening potholes.

Same can be said of the Akontombra, Bia East and West, Aowin and the Suaman districts which are known for producing large quantities of cocoa and other food crops. Many parts in these areas are yet to see asphalted roads.

Some school children in the region still study under makeshift structures, whilst all major rivers and other water bodies have been polluted by illegal mining activities.

Dr. Afriyie, who was speaking at a two-day consultative process ahead of the creation of the proposed Western North Region at the Western Regional House of Chiefs in Sekondi, noted that “we shall always have cause to complain about the region’s level of development. This is in view of the fact that, although the region is blessed with vast natural resources, this does not however reflect in its development”.

The Western Region contributes more than 50 percent of Ghana’s GDP annually from revenues generated from oil, Cocoa, Gold, Bauxite, Manganese, Rubber, Coconut and Oil Palm the resources. Other resources produced in the region include Kaolin, Timber, and Wildlife etc.

The region also has the longest Coast Line (293 km) supporting a flourishing fishing industry. It is the wettest region with an annual average rainfall of 1600mm. it has 75 percent of the tropical rain forest in Ghana, and 40 percent of total forest reserve. The region has a total population of 2,376,021 (2010 census).

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Our resources don’t reflect our development – W/Regional Minister appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the Bawku West Constituency legislator, the region has lagged behind in terms of development resulting from arbitrary and discriminatory systems of governance at the local level, hence there would be a paradigm shift to salvage the region from all forms of vulnerabilities.

Mr. Frank Adongo was addressing party members and residents upon his arrival in the region to assume official duties.

“We are not going to discriminate, we are going to bring everybody on board because we know how our region is lacking behind in certain areas. We are not going to operate a government of discrimination, we are going to run an open administration to allow everybody irrespective of their political affiliation to contribute in bringing the needed resources to the Upper East Region to deliver our people from vulnerability, sickness and poverty”

Mr. Adongo pledged his unflinching support to the regional minister, Rockson Bukari Ayine, to work assiduously to achieve the transformational agenda of the NPP government.

He also appealed to the youth in the region, to eschew all forms of violent acts that will bring the name of the region into disrepute, and thwart development efforts in the region.

For his part, the Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, pledged to work with his deputy minister Frank Adongo, to transform the region through  effective implementation of sound pro-poor policies of the NPP.

He appealed to party supporters to dispel all negative acts by being law abiding and work as a team and “show to the people of Ghana that, they have made a good choice for voting for the NPP and President Nana Addo.”

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The GIHOC Zuarungu Meat Product company Limited in Dulugu, with its raw materials coming from neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali and other countries, started large production in 1965 with over one thousand canned beef produced each day, but was closed down in 1995 due to mismanagement.

But Speaking to Citi News in Bolgatanga, Mr. Rockson Ayine said, the defunct factory, when turned into an abattoir, will create about 400 direct and indirect jobs for the youth in the region.

He explained that, the abattoir will be responsible for all animal slaughtering activities, while the current Bolgatanga slaughter house will be used as an outlet for selling meat.

“We want to turn the meat factory into an Abattoir where the Bolga slaughter house will turn into an outlet for selling meat, but everything will be done at the Abattoir so that we can create about 400 jobs and the Wulugu livestock will also come back because we will be needing cattle to feed the factory.”

He said the current Bolgatanga slaughter house did not have enough space to accommodate many animals, and the rising number of butchers in the business.

Mr. Rockson intimated that, even though some machines at the factory are obsolete and need to be replaced, others are in good state and can facilitate the works of an abattoir, while waiting for the factory to be fully rehabilitated under the One-District-One-Factory policy.

Some butchers at the Bolgatanga slaughter house told Citi News, the move is a good one and will inure to their benefit.

‘Current state of the factory’

Not only are some of the factory’s machines obsolete, some miscreants have begun removing the wire mesh used as fence.

Louvre blades of most windows of the factory are also damaged. A portion of the factory is now being used by some donkey skin sellers as their business center.

A man who only gave his name as Martin, said the skin of a donkey is sold to the Chinese for between GHC300.00 to GHC400.00, whilst the real meat is smoked and sent down South for sale as bush meat.

He added that, due to the high demand for the skin of donkeys by the Chinese, they slaughter averagely between 20 to 50 donkeys a day.

When asked whether he knows what the donkey skin is used for by the Chinese, he said he had no idea, but noted that the demand for the skin has created jobs for them.

“We make profit from the business because we buy a donkey in the open market for between GHC500.00 to GHC 600.00, and sell the skin for between GHC300.00 to GHC400.00, and the meat also gives us good money particularly when sent to down South for sale”

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Her name was among a list of four new ministers of state at the presidency/ministry that was presented to Parliament for vetting and approval.

The other three ministers of state appointed include, Minister of State at the Office of the President, Brian Acheampong, Minister of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nurah Gyeile and Minister of State at the Ministry of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Kwesi Yankah.

This brings to 14, the number of persons appointed by President Nana Akufo-Addo as Ministers of State at the presidency, with 26 others serving as substantive ministers, bringing the number to 40.

The President also on Wednesday, named 50 persons as Deputy Ministers. In all, the President’s ministerial appointments come to 110, the highest since the fourth Republic.

What will be Adwoa Sarfo’s role?

It is unclear what the role of Adwoa Sarfo would be at the Presidency in charge of Public Procurement, considering that the Public Procurement Authority already exists.

The NPP while in opposition argued that, sole sourcing allowed corruption, and benefited a privileged few in the NDC government.

Adwoa Safo, a professional lawyer with specialization in Procurement Law, is thus perhaps expected to push for major changes in public procurement.

She once worked as the first legal officer of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) for two (2) years, and was very instrumental in the formulation of the proposals that formed the basis for the creation of the Appeals and Complaint Panel of PPA, and the change of the name Public Procurement Board to Public Procurement Authority.

Adwoa Safo calls for more power for procurement authority

At a recent news conference in February, she advocated for the amendment of the public procurement act to give the Procurement Authority, the powers to conduct value for money auditing on sole-sourced projects.

She described as sad, revelations by the Auditor General’s annual reports that 80 percent of the procurement malpractices are centred on sole sourcing.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The latest to be approved are Senior Minister Nominee; Osafo Maafo , Energy Minister Nominee; Boakye Agyarko, Education Minister Nominee; Matthew Opoku Prempeh,Minister Nominee for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu and Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister Nominee for Agriculture.

Why Minority resisted Agyarko, Osafo Maafo’s approval

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, had earlier explained that, they needed some “additional information” on statements Osafo Maafo and Boakye Agyarko both made before the Committee during the vetting.

He said Mr. Agyarko provided some “inaccurate” information relating to the “debt associated with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Volta River Authority (VRA).”

But Citi News’ Duke Mensah Opoku reported that Agyarko subsequently withdrew some of his comments, prompting the committee to approve him by consensus.

He added that Mr. Osafo Maafo however stood by his comments but provided additional information to support his claim and was therefore recommended for approval by consensus.

Ayariga accuses Agyarko of bribery

Their approval came hours after a member of the Minority in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, accused Boakye Agyarko of attempting to bribe them, ostensibly to have his nomination approved.

Speaking on Accra based Radio Gold, a member of the Appointment’s Committee, Mahama Ayariga, who made the allegation, said Mr. Agyarko attempted bribing them with 3,000 cedis .

The Bawku Central Legislator believes the money was specifically intended to influence the minority to approve Agyarko’s nomination.

“This [Friday] morning, we had a meeting and during the meeting, we raised the issue with our Chief Whip and asked him what was the source of the money and he said he was going to check from the Chairman because he had also assumed that it was the sitting allowance that he had given him to give to us. So he raised the issue this morning again and he said he had met with the Chairman, and the Chairman had said it was from Boakye Agyarko, who is a nominee. So we as Minority said we were not interested in the money. He should take the money and then return it to the Chairman to give it back to Agyarko. So we gave the money back to our Chief Whip and asked him to send it back to give it to Mr. Agyarko.”

Asked what for what purpose he believes the money was given, Mr. Ayariga said that, “The only logical conclusion one could arrive at is that, this is money intended to influence especially when we had withheld his approval based on certain grounds; so we took a decision that we are not taking anything from anybody. We will take our normal sitting allowances as a committee, and so our leader should be mindful anytime the Chairman brings any money.”

But the Chairman of the Committee, Joe Osei-Wusu, has denied playing any role in the alleged bribery, and has vowed to take up the matter at the appropriate quarters.
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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