Mr. Asare Ansah had earlier said the Ave Maria Resort in Tema would be pulled down by the end of January 2018 as part of the $1.5 billion Tema Port Expansion Project.

[contextly_sidebar id=”T1Q07YAKHDeReXwt19up7g2TKCdND7wo”]According to him, the GHPA had reached an agreement with the managers of the Resort to pull down the 10 million-dollar facility.

However, Mrs. Ntim refuted the GPHA boss’ assertions, indicating that no conclusive decision had been taken on the matter, which has persisted for over two years.

“It is true they [GPHA] have written that we should leave by January 26. We have replied them to give us three months to wind up and also to make sure they give us compensation and relocation,” she told Citi News.

“I heard he [Mr. Asare Ansah] was saying they have given me several offers. It is not true. Nobody has given me any offers. We were just given a copy of the compensation by the valuers and we are still working on the anomalies in the compensation… So nothing is certain.”

The GPHA boss had also said they had taken the decision to demolish the facility only after they had explored other unsuccessful options to ensure that the establishment remained intact.

But Mrs. Ntim also dismissed these comments, stating that the Meridian Port Services (MPS), the company executing the expansion had indicated that the Resort could be retained and fused into the expansion plans.

“The MPS Managing Director, he told me that Ave Maria can either be included or excluded. In fact, all they need to do was put up a wall, but it was up to the GPHA. The fact that he is saying the people say it cannot be done is not true,” she stated.

“All the things that he [Mr. Asare Ansah] was saying, they were half-truths. I don’t know why he is doing that. He is a liar. I am sorry to use that word,” Mrs. Ntim said.

Alleged intimidation

In October 2017, staff of the Resort were reportedly surrounded by some security personnel of the GPHA. There was some earth movement by a bulldozer which blocked the front gate of the Resort, trapping staff and guests.

A Board Member of the Resort, accused the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), of intimidating the Resort for over two years.

In a Citi News interview, the Board Member said the police offered little protection to the Resort and its staff during a recent attack by security personnel of GPHA.

Managers of the facility lamented that the tension between the Resort and the GPHA was indicative of a country that doesn’t value heritage.

The Resort is said to have been recommended to be preserved by the Center of the World Committee, as it is viewed as having great value for Ghana’s tourism sector.

It has a long heritage for hosting the likes of Ghana’s First President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a regular patron, and Queen Elizabeth when she visited Ghana.

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By: Elvis Washington/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Reports indicate that, staff of the Resort were accosted by some security personnel of the GPHA on Saturday evening.

There were reportedly two GPHA pickups, two private vehicles, and a bulldozer brought by the GPHA security personnel.

Staff who reached out to Citi News noted that, there was some earth movement by a bulldozer which blocked the front gate of the resort, trapping staff and guests.

Pictures from the scene show the aftermath of the bulldozer activities, as the ground was dug with pieces of demolished concrete structures.

The Resort’s managers alleged that the GPHA has consistently employed intimidation tactics to forcefully remove the Ave Maria Resort for the past two years.

Officials of the Port are not immediately available for comment on the matter.

About Ave Maria Resort

The Ave Maria Resort is said to have been recommended to be preserved by the Center of the World Committee, as it is viewed as great value for Ghana’s tourism sector.

The Resort has a long heritage for hosting the likes of Ghana’s First President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a regular patron, and Queen Elizabeth anytime she visited Ghana.

The port expansion project

The Meridian Port Services (MPS), is executing the port expansion project, and the GPHA, according to a GNA report, has said that Ave Maria Resort has to be relocated to make way for the project.

A former official of the GPHA, however, said they are yet to agree on compensation for the relocation of the Resort.

Nonetheless, he gave the assurance that the two entities were in talks to finalize it.

The Tema Port Expansion Project, when completed in 2019, is envisioned to allow the Tema Port to handle thrice its current traffic of about one million 20-foot Equivalent Units (TEUS).

The project would also see the expansion of the Tema-Accra motorway into a six-lane road, with service lanes to ease traffic flow from the port.

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

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The main objective of the exercise was to contribute to the sustainability of the environment and beautify the environment. Hundreds of staff members joined the exercise on Saturday 8^th April 2017.

[contextly_sidebar id=”L9l9B0TIFOJuGEOMouIlyiMK2PyPPChd”]The CEO of MPS, Mohamed Samara, announced that this initiative is to plant one tree by each employee, and the aim is to hold it for several years to come.

“At MPS, we believe in the sustainability of life. This is the best way to sustain life for the generations to come.  Apart from sustaining life, we are looking at the beautification of the marine area to boost our tourist potential as a nation.” Mr. Samara said.

The HSSE Manager, Solomon Forson, also stated that, the company will soon phase out the use of fluorescent and incandescent lights for LED lights which are accepted globally as eco- friendly.

MPS has instituted various policies to contribute to the global effort of alleviating the harsh effects of climate change and global warming, and contribute to the campaign for a greener, cleaner earth.

MPS currently operates a waste segregation policy, and has significant activities to combat air pollution and conserve energy.

In all, a total of 400 coconut seedlings tree species were planted. The coconut species are known for their ability to withstand dry weather conditions and strong winds, and the trees will also help balance the ecosystem in the new Terminal.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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US researchers have found that they produce an antibody that attacks the malaria-causing parasite.

Injecting a form of this antibody into mice protected the animals from the disease.

The team, which published its results in the journal Science, said trials in primates and humans were now needed to fully assess the vaccine’s promise.

Prof Jake Kurtis, director of the Center for International Health Research at Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University School of Medicine, said: “I think there’s fairly compelling evidence that this is a bona fide vaccine candidate.

“However, it’s an incredibly difficult parasite to attack. It’s had millions of years of evolution to co-opt and adapt to our immune responses – it really is a formidable enemy.”

Trapped inside

The study began with a group of 1,000 children in Tanzania, who had regular blood samples taken in the first years of their lives.

A small number of these children – 6% – developed a naturally acquired immunity to malaria, despite living in an area where the disease was rife.

“There are some individuals who become resistant and there are some individuals who do not become resistant,” explained Prof Kurtis.

“We asked what were the specific antibodies expressed by resistant children that were not expressed by susceptible children.”

The team found that an antibody produced by the immune children hits the malaria parasite at a key stage in its life-cycle.

It traps the tiny organism in red blood cells, preventing it from bursting out and spreading throughout the body.

Tests, carried out in small groups of mice, suggest this antibody could act as a potential vaccine.

Prof Kurtis said: “The survival rate was over two-fold longer if the mice were vaccinated compared with unvaccinated – and the parasitemia (the number of parasites in the blood) were up to four-fold lower in the vaccinated mice.”

The team said it was encouraged by the results, but stressed more research was required.

Prof Kurtis said: “I am cautious. I’ve seen nothing so far in our data that would cause us to lose enthusiasm. However, it still needs to get through a monkey study and the next phase of human trials.”

This latest study is one of many avenues being explored in the race to find a malaria vaccine.

The most advanced is the RTS,S vaccine, developed by GlaxoSmithKline. The drug company is seeking regulatory approval after Phase III clinical trials showed that the drug almost halved the number of malaria cases in young children and reduced by about 25% the number of malaria cases in infants.

Commenting on the research, Dr Ashley Birkett, director of the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, said: “The identification of new targets on malaria parasites to support malaria vaccine development is a necessary and important endeavour.

“While these initial results are promising with respect to prevention of severe malaria, a lot more data would be needed before this could be considered a leading vaccine approach – either alone or in combination with other antigens.”

The most recent figures from the World Health Organization suggest the disease killed more than 600,000 people in 2012, with 90% of these deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: BBC

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