Available statistics indicate that between 2014 and 2017, Ghana has witnessed eight major gas explosions – the Kwame Nkrumah Circle (3^rd June 2015), Nungua-Zongo gas explosion (18^th July 2014), Trade Fair Explosion (23^rd December 2016) to mention but a few. There is therefore the urgent need for a long-lasting solution to this seemingly insurmountable problem that poses serious threat to human life, property and natural environment.

Whilst there already exist, in our view, a sufficient regulatory framework (The Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994, Environmental Assessment (Amendment) Regulations 2002, National Petroleum Act, 2005, Spatial and Land Use Act 2016 amongst others), the lack of proper coordination and enforcement of laws by the relevant sector agencies has contributed to the recurrence of the problem.

As a point of departure, we take due-cognisance of the fact that there is some willingness on the part of government to arrest this growing menace (evidenced by the remedial strategies put forward by the government in the wake of the most recent gas explosion at Atomic Junction).

Further to that, we first and foremost highlight the urgent need for an in-depth environmental impact assessment (EIA) of pre-existing and new developments (including proposed ones) to ensure that they are in conformity with the stipulated laws.

Operationalising this recommendation requires a cross-sectoral approach in which sense the lead government agency, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should work in liaison with other relevant bodies like the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Energy Ministry, Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), National Development Planning Commission, Town and Country Planning Department (i.e. the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority) and the District Assemblies to ensure that environmental impact assessments undertaken adequately leverage on the full technical expertise (in terms of rigorous locational audits, mitigation and remedial strategies necessary for the safe operation of petrol and gas filling stations) of officials of these respective bodies.

Within this purview, the strict compliance and enforcement of the statutory regulatory mechanisms (including the revocation of the licenses of operators for non-compliance with statutory legislation and those facilities which fail to meet the stipulated environmental safety standards) remain vital in ensuring proper due-diligence in the siting of petrol and gas filling stations.

Both the EPA and the NPA could also draw on their discretionary powers to create additional by-laws, if necessary, to enable them to effectively deliver on their statutory mandate. Added to this is also the need for a review of punitive measures (including an upward adjustment of the penalty fine) for non-compliance as outlined in Sections 13 (1-4) of the Environmental Protection Act 1994, Act 490 to ensure that they are deterrent enough in complying fully with stipulated environmental safety regulations.

It is also common knowledge that the relevant sector agencies – the Environmental Protection Agency, Town and Country Planning Department etc. – are overwhelmed with several challenges (including personnel and logistical constraints) that hamper the effective execution of their duties, particularly in relation to undertaking regular environmental monitoring and auditing.

It, therefore, remains paramount to strengthen the capacity of the respective sector agencies at the district levels (in terms of increased staffing and supply of requisite logistics) to enable them to deliver on their legal mandate. In the case of the Environmental Protection Agency, the establishment of the National Environment Fund (as specified under Section 16 of Act 490) offers a good financing option that the EPA should tap into in procuring some necessary logistics needed for their operations as stated previously.

Moreover, periodic environmental monitoring and auditing of all petrol and gas filling stations by the EPA in conjunction with other relevant remain paramount to ensure that on-site safety measures and devices are functional and fit for purpose.

Recognising the staffing requirements for these technical operations vis-à-vis the existing institutional constraints (some of which have been mentioned already), investment in requisite technological options such as the on-site installation of state of the art tracking and remote data transmission devices could be beneficial in ensuring effective monitoring and collation of real-time data on operations of various petrol and gas filling stations to ensure they are in compliance with stipulated operational guidelines.

Additionally, the EPA could leverage on the technological packages like 3D Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Environmental Monitoring software to quickly detect and/ or predict potential leakages and explosive events occasioned by faulty pipelines and delivery systems via geo-reference data for prompt and appropriate action.

In the case of the operators of these petrol and gas filling stations, the establishment and scheduled maintenance of early detection/ warning systems (including as gas leakage detection, fire alarm systems, automatic overfill protection systems for gasoline storage tanks) and the inspection of pipelines and delivery systems to ensure that they are always functional.

Regular professional/ technical training of the staff at petrol and gas filling station should be mandatory to ensure that they are fully abreast of the health and safety procedures and on-site emergency features to improve on-site safety practice.  Further to that, the creation of rapid district response outlets remains pivotal in ensuring the dissemination of information in real time to the relevant authorities for appropriate action in the event of gas leakage and/ or fire outbreak.

Finally, environmental education and sensitization of the general public remain critical in raising the public consciousness with respect to reactionary strategies and health and safety procedures in the event of fire outbreak or gas leakage.  The various media platform could also champion this cause by the creation of environmental awareness segment (synonymous to the wide media broadcast on the environmental implications of the galamsey menace) for the dissemination of relevant information on the subject matter.

Whilst the foregoing is by no means exhaustive, we believe that the proactive implementation of these policy prescriptions as part of holistic and coordinated approach (that brings together all the relevant institutional and non-stakeholders) would be far-reaching in effectively addressing the recurring gas explosions in Ghana.

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By: Dr Festus Asaaga/Environmental Policy Specialist – Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University, UK

Green-Leaf Consultants, UK, Ghana

The post Solutions to recurring gas explosions; beyond the blame game [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This exercise saw the retention of some ministries, the creation of new ones, and the scraping of others, as well as the merging of some into single ministries.

Those pitching camp with the president did not see anything untoward about the 110 ministries. They consider the President’s action as necessary for the attainment of the New Patriotic Party’s campaign pledges. Thus, to that section of the political divide, it was a prudent decision on the part of His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

However, those opposed to the political persuasion of the president cried foul. They claimed that this number of ministers is the most bloated and unprecedented in the history of the country’s democracy.

Civil Society Organisations were not left unperturbed either. They too were drawn into the debate on the number of ministers, relevance or otherwise of certain ministries and how to safeguard the State’s kitty.

While some of them supported the president’s move, others were sceptical, whereas certain sections avoided the controversy and took the middle course.

However, the President, in his inaugural speech assured Ghanaians that he “shall protect the public purse by insisting on value-for-money in all public transactions. Public service is just that – service and not an avenue for making money.  Money is to be made in the private sector, not the public. Measures will be put in place to ensure this.”

Over a certain period of time – after the President’s appointment and Parliament’s vetting and subsequent approval of the ministers – the media, most especially radio, was awash with the topic.

Some see a government of 110 ministers as commendable while others are raising the issue of the relevance of some new portfolios. However, the interest of the Zongo dweller in all this is how his or her situation would be improved. This is the pledge made by President Nana Addo.

Since the announcement of the newly created Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development, in addition to the promise of setting up of a Zongo Development Fund, the average Zongo dweller has been enthused and excited.  His predicaments have, at least, attracted the president’s attention.

However, the dust is not settled as the minister is yet to have an office and the personnel and logistics that are necessary for running a ministry. Nevertheless, the Zongo is inundated with discussions on expectations of the interventions of the ministry and the fund to their wellbeing. The Minister has been touring Zongo communities across the country to assess the development needs of Zongo dwellers. Reports indicate that, with the exception of the Greater Accra Region, nine regions have so far had their share of the consultative meetings.

Interestingly, another twist to the issue is that the “Inner City” is truncated in most of this intercourse making only the Zongo look like the sole beneficiary of the ministry.

The inhabitants of Zongos are mostly sons and daughters of migrants from the sub-region, notably Nigeria. These migrants served in the Gold Coast Constabulary, Gold Coast Police Force and were also part of the West African Frontier Force during the First and Second World Wars. Some of them served as farm hands in cocoa plantations and labourers in the gold mines and the public sector as well.

It is important to note that before the establishment of the Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development, the “position” of the Zongo and its “indigenes” in the country’s development is blurred and hazy.  Depending on which angle one is battling the issue, matters concerning the Zongo attract negligible, sometimes negative, publicity.

However, over a period of time, the Zongo dweller has become politically conscious and therefore wants his/her share of development.

With coming into being of the ministry, Zongo dwellers would certainly not pretend to be unselfish. They recognize the benefit of the ministry in the development of their cherished “constituency,” the Zongo.  Some refer to it as the 11^th Region.

My position on Zongo development, the ministry and fund is that of ambivalence and that I do not see the benefit as entirely tangible.

One of the major benefits, to me, is a clear recognition and admission that there is a “carved” constituency whose constituents ordinarily could not put claim to historical ownership of mass of land as theirs.

For long the people of Zongo descent could not come out boldly to say that Darkuman, Nima, Shukura, Asawasi, Ashaiman, Nyakrom etc. are their hometowns just because they do not belong to an ethnic group that is classified as indigenous. Neither of their lingua franca is identified as one of the languages recognised as Ghanaian. In most situations, such as filling forms for passport, national identity card, etc., they churn out inappropriate biodata. They thus feel marginalised.

Some politicians, as a result, shrewdly take advantage of this situation and position themselves and their partisan persuasions as “lovers” and “protectors” of the Zongo dweller. They adopt this ploy by giving it historical and political colouration.

Meanwhile, it is believed that the Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development would bid farewell to the marginalisation and a fable of deporting people of Zongo origin.

The ancestors of the inhabitants of the Zongo migrated to the Gold Coast more than two centuries before the founding of the country called Ghana. The creation of the ministry has hence further thrown the relevance of the Zongo into sharp relief.

Conversely, as a nationalist, I perceive the creation of the new ministry as superfluous. It is only a shrewd way of dissipating and misdirecting scarce national resources. The memories of how abysmal the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) performed still linger in our minds.

A well-intended intervention to bridge the development deficit between the North and the South was brought down crumbling to its knees by sons and daughters of those expected to benefit from such lofty and noble project. Therefore, when the president introduced the minister, Abubakar Saddique Boniface, as the darling boy of the Zongo I become edgy.

I visualize how former president John Dramani Mahama tried to repackage and rebrand SADA but to no avail. SADA’s image, like a perishable commodity, had already gone sour and it was one minute too late to salvage.

Would it be then out of place to say that the intended purpose for which the ministry is created could well be tackled by some existing institutions? The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, which is seen as the epitome of decentralisation, comprises the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

The main function of these assemblies is to bring governance, vis-à-vis development, to the people. The Ministry of Local Government has part of its mission statement as follows: “The Ministry exists to ensure good governance and balanced development of Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies.”

The Zongo, ostensibly, is not one area situated within a specific geographical location but dispersed within the assemblies. And to enhance the socio-economic as well as the human development of these localities, the central government must adequately strengthen the assemblies.

The Zongo Development Fund could, for that matter, be channelled through the assemblies for the specific development of the Zongos under an Affirmative Action with a legislative backing. This approach, to me, would go a long way to “protect the public purse by insisting on value-for-money in all public transactions”.

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By Abubakar Garba Osuman

The post Of Zongo development, the Ministry and the Fund [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

What did we expect when we only care about the grades they are making in school while we leave their emotional health to chance. Our education system urgently needs an effective counselling program.

In a space of two weeks, we have had to wake up to reports of three young ladies tragically taking their own lives.

Two ironically died on the day that was supposed to be set aside to celebrate women all over the world for what they contribute to society. These young ladies, unfortunately, did not live to reach their fullest potential, to be successful in their chosen areas of endeavours so that hopefully someday we can celebrate them on the international day of women.

With all the cases, one thing that runs through is that there were signs of some psychological issues. Having witnessed a suicide, I find it vital to say that we are all to blame for the death of the young ladies.  It is a pain to see young ladies with so much potential end their lives like this while family, friends, church and especially the schools could have prevented it.

Mental health is serious and should be treated as such; unfortunately, we do not attach as much seriousness as is needed to better handle the issues associated with it. As such we are left with no choice than to deal with the devastating effects, which often considering the gravity of it does very little to salvage the situation. I  hold on to the strong truth that young people go through a lot of stressful issues daily that leaves them with scars often difficult to heal. Our society, unfortunately, makes it seem as if young people cannot or most probably are not allowed to have problems of any kind. Basically, because they are unmarried; taking care of kids or paying bills so they are expected to be free from any kind of worries.  We make the prime mistake of assuming that, once we provide all that we can for our children, they should be over the moon without any worries.

But far from it, growing up as a process alone presents its own set of challenges that seem herculean to overcome and so the minds of young people are constantly thinking of how best they can go through it without feeling the pressures. For young children before adolescence, their minds are often preoccupied with how to be the perfect child for the parents to making the best grades in school. For those above these ages, the real world often stares them in the face with nowhere to turn to. Fear sets in, thoughts race wild, what if they fail? , the mind and heart is not at ease and they find themselves engrossed in negative thoughts. One little activity gone wrong sets the tone for depression to set in, when left untreated or not dealt with properly, it degenerates into something else. You and I cannot deny that adolescence is one of the most trying stages of life.

This is why I find it unforgivable that we have not realised the need for a comprehensive counselling plan for our schools. 60 years after independence, we still do not have trained counsellors in most of our basic and junior high schools. Some children go through all kinds of abuse at home and come to school to also receive a second doze of abuse because they are cannot catch up with the lessons in class. Instead of encouraging them, verbal abuse is heaped on them.

I can recount a situation when  I went to collect data for my final year dissertation which on the topic of counselling  in one of the basic schools in Tema, while interacting with one class teacher with the students filling the questionnaire, I heard a burst of laughter, I turned round to see a number of the pupils gathered around one of their mates, I was later to find out that, the young boy was a poor performer in class and so having finished their questionnaire, his mates decided to gather around him to see how he would answer the questionnaire which of course he was having difficulties with.

Now expecting the teacher to find something encouraging to say, she just left the situation with a comment that went some like this: “that particular boy is like that”. As if to say that he was intentionally inhibiting himself from understanding class lessons. It is obvious that the boy would be faced with a lot of low self-esteem which could later lead much more complex issues as he grows older without proper help.

Here is the thing, get the foundation of a building right, and it will stand strong throughout its lifespan. So it is with human life, we need to get it right from childhood, prepare our children for life and the challenges that come along with it, it’s not just about reading and writing and memorising things which will not matter twenty years later.

Education must be holistic so that once the children come out of one stage of it; they are equipped for the next. If they don’t take their lives in school, they end up doing it later in life. It is not surprising that we find “accomplished” people taking their lives, there is definitely much more to it than success.

We cannot sit down and claim that we are interested in the future of our children when we cannot help them overcome the challenges it presents.  I can only hope and pray that my children and the next generation after them will come to find out that whatever challenges they may go through during their academic life, they will have a good support system to see them through. Losing three precious lives should push us to do more for our basic education.

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By: Amakuor Akpey/ A communicator/ [email protected]

The post It’s time to invest in basic school counselling [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

From taxi and trotro drivers, market women, shoe shine boys, one cannot help but notice the genuine goodwill and the belief that the much talked about economy will pick up to ease the cost of living of the ordinary person. As humans, there is always the tendency to bounce back whenever there is a setback prompting the popular phrase “fresh start requires

As humans, there is always the tendency to bounce back whenever there is a setback prompting the popular phrase “fresh start requires new ways of doing things, new ideas and attitudes”. As we count the days leading to the ushering in of the new administration, I have put down these thoughts hoping the bodies concerned will heed to them and carry us along as we follow them to chart a new four-year course.

GOVERNMENT – To our incoming government, you have won a sweet victory which none can begrudge you after coming short in the previous two. As you prepare to roll your sleeves and get to work on delivering a first class government as promised by the incoming president during the campaign, can we get these from you:

• More of issues and policy directions instead of the usual menu of pure propaganda, blame game and the name calling all aimed at making the opposition look bad and unfit to be voted for in the next elections.
• Appointees who are measured and responsible in their utterances, speak to issues whiles making room for opposing views and taking into consideration the fact that they are working for the good people of Ghana and as such will not come after us wielding sledge hammers after every criticism.
• Less of the naked display of opulence and pomposity associated with politicians especially as a result of sudden proximity with the public purse and therefore feel the best way to showcase their new found wealth and power is to shove it into our faces with no shame nor the fear of God.
• As a party who rode heavily on the back of the incorruptibility of its presidential candidate into power, can we get a government committed to upholding the highest form of transparency and accountability from the highest person in government to the least of them?
• A government that is less defensive but more forthright with facts and figures. A government that will not take us to be a bunch of meatheads.
• A government that won’t paint every person from the average Joe on the street to labour unions who criticize it as belonging to the opposition and seeking its downfall.
• Can we cut out the hypocrisy and dishonesty that is gradually taking hold of our body politics?

PARLIAMENT- To our dear parliamentarians, our honourables as you gleefully like to be called, I say congratulations to you. As you get ready to take your respective seats in the august chamber, may I ask on behalf of all Ghanaians whether we can hope to get the following from you;

• Can you at all times try to achieve more of consensus than the usual “the minority will have their say but the majority will have their way”.
• Can you have the interest of mother Ghana first instead of the party one represents?
• Can you assure us of only the best arguments at all times that will help meet the hope and aspirations of us all?
• The era of rushing loan agreements in the house will be a thing of the past.

THE JUDICIARY – As the third arm of government, the judiciary has had its fair share of public bashing fairly or unfairly, but as we get ready to welcome a new chapter in the governance of this great nation,  can we hope to see ;

• The elimination of the perceived softness or friendliness towards known members of a political grouping anytime they are brought to trial on corruption charges.
• Can we hope to get a judiciary without the slightest hint of executive influence or any drop of judicial bias in cases involving individuals unsympathetic to the cause of the ruling party?

MEDIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATION (CSO) – The general belief is that the media and CSO’s are the fourth estate of the realm. The Ghanaian media landscape is polarised along the two major political parties. Despite this polarisation, we expect them to play their traditional role which is, to keep successive governments on their toes while constantly reminding governments of their social contracts with the citizenry. As we usher in a new government in a new year, can we hope to get the following from you:

• Help in shaping and discussing policies and issues that go to better the life of the average Ghanaian.
• stop inviting those politicians with the acidicacerbic tongue who are noted for spitting pure venom that do not have any positive on the life of the Ghanaian.
• increase your role as a watchdog for the average Ghanaian
• Remind the government of its commitment to upholding the tenets of transparency and accountability.

OPPOSITION – Yes, losing an election is bitter and painful especially to a government that really believed it was on course to be mentioned in the same breath as the great Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory. We can understand your loss but be mindful of the fact that, every party goes into election expecting two outcomes:  a win or a loss. As you take stock of the variables accounting for your electoral loss, can the nation Ghana expect the following:

• Objective and constructive criticisms directed at the ruling party or government without the usual malice, cynicism, name-calling and empty allegations all aimed at scoring cheap electoral advantage. Can we trust you to hold the incoming government accountable in a fair and objective manner devoid of the usual menu we are forced to swallow on daily basis.
• Better alternatives that leave the average Joe on the street salivating over all the choices available to him in the next election.
• Putting aside the “Thomas theory” which is essentially the ‘cannot be done’ or impossible spirit that is slowly becoming a distinctive feature of our body politics.
• Party communicators and spokespersons should help shape ideas and attitudes of the Ghanaian instead of the regular dose of venom. Can we expect them to speak more to issues and help shape policies by offering us better alternatives without going for personality attacks, tribal bigotry, name-calling, dwelling on perceived party divisions and lack of unity.
• Remember that we are one nation with a common destiny
• Cut out the hypocrisy and dishonesty that is eating deep into our national life

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By: Benjamin Ansah Acquaye ([email protected])

The post Can the new gov’t get these right [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The deceased are Egya Yaw Essoun, 14 and Egya Epowano, 15.

The Chief Fisherman of Aboadze, Nana Adam Eduafo, confirmed the tragic incident to Ghana News Agency on Monday.

The two fishermen were members of Nyame Na Onyim Number One Canoe who were pouring the pre-mix fuel from a plastic container into a gallon to power the outboard motor which would be used during a fishing expedition.

However, the fuel ignited a naked fire in the room.

The incident occurred around 1130 hours last Saturday.

Their corpse has been deposited at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital while police carry out investigations into the incident.

Source: GNA

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Nine fishermen on board two boats are feared dead in another boat disaster which occurred at dawn last Tuesday, on the Volta Lake.

Source: Graphic Online

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