Tema Manhean Polyclinic operates under leaking roof (Daily Graphic. Thursday, September 28, 2023. Page 34)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Tema Manhean Polyclinic, located in the Tema Metropolis of the Greater Accra Region, has called on the government and philanthropists to help replace the leaking roofing of the facility. 

Sections of the facility, including the Out Patients’ Department (OPD) and the offices experience leaks whenever there is rainfall.

The health centre was originally constructed as a health post during Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia’s administration in the 1970s.

With the ever-growing population of the metropolis, due to increased industrial and commercial activities and settlements, the facility has come under immense pressure.

In November 2022, the facility was upgraded from a health centre into a polyclinic to provide a range of services to clients.

However, this upgrade did not come with a corresponding improvement of the facility.

Apart from the leakages, the Daily Graphic observed broken louvre blades, faulty doors, exposed electrical cables and visible cracks in the walls throughout the facility.

Staff on duty had to employ buckets to continuously collect rainwater from the leaking roof, to prevent the offices and other units from flooding, a situation which severely disrupted healthcare services.

Appeal

Patients in the OPD who spoke to the Daily Graphic also expressed similar distress about the hospital’s deplorable condition and urged the authorities to address the problem immediately.

The Administrator of the polyclinic, Stephen K. Agbenyo, in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of a presentation of hospital consumables by the 2022/2023 National Service Personnel in Tema, appealed to the government to give the only health facility in the area a facelift to ease the pressure on it.

He emphasised the urgent need for re-roofing, acknowledging the financial challenge faced by the polyclinic in undertaking such a project.

Members of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) in the Tema Metropolis as part of their service week celebration donated some hospital consumables, including gloves and disinfectants, among others, worth GH¢21,000 to the management of the polyclinic.

The President of the Tema Metro NASPA, Hamidu Apandago Mahamadu, said the gesture was their contribution as service personnel to create better health care and improve the overall living standards of the people of Tema Manhean.

He mentioned tree planting and clean-up exercises, blood donation, a series of webinars on personal branding and entrepreneurship, as well as a football gala, as some activities that were undertaken to mark the service week.

Mr Mahamadu added his voice to the call on stakeholders to come to the aid of the people of Tema Manhean, especially the Tema Manhean Polyclinic, to improve the living conditions of the people.

Stalled project

Meanwhile, the people of Tema Manhean have lamented the stalling of the new 100-bed health project for Tema Manhean.

In March 2020, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), in collaboration with the then MP for Tema East, Daniel Titus Glover, cut sod for the construction of a 100-bed ultramodern community clinic located adjacent to the existing facility.

The $2.5 million GNPC-funded 100-bed capacity hospital was to serve the people of Tema Manhean and its neighbouring communities.

A visit by the Daily Graphic to the site to assess the progress of work revealed that work had stalled.

When contacted Mr Titus Glover said work on the project had stalled because of lack of funds.

"GNPC has no funds to support it for now," he said.

The hospital administrator appealed to the industries in Tema and GNPC to make financial commitments to help complete the project.

 via : https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/tema-manhean-polyclinic-operates-under-leaking-roof.html

Ada: Search for 2 missing fishermen suspended, one more body found at Anloga (GraphicOnline, Sep - 17 - 2023)

The search for two missing fishermen in last Thursday's canoe disaster at Ada has been suspended.

Out of the 19 fishermen who were involved in the accident, 17 have been found, 15 alive and two dead. 

Two of them are still missing.

The Ghana Navy and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) on Saturday evening ended the search for  the two missing fishermen.

They fishermen went missing on Thursday after strong waves capsized two fishing canoes around the estuary at Azizanya in Ada. 

The search and rescue mission on Saturday evening announced the end of the search efforts, three days after the canoes capsized. 

Another body found 

One more body was recovered Saturday morning. The body was found at Anloga in the Volta Region and has been handed over to the family in Ada for immediate burial due to its decomposing state. 

Of the 19 fishermen who were involved in the accident, 17 have been found, 15 alive and two dead. 

The Public Relations Officer of the Ada East NADMO office, Ebenezer Dan-Doe speaking to journalists on Saturday, [Sept 16, 2023] said the team had decided to call off the search after three straight days of search. 

He, however appealed to communities along the coast to be on the look out and alert the security agencies should they sight anything.

Mr Dan-Doe also advised fishermen and residents particularly those living close to water bodies to prioritise the use of life jackets to help reduce disasters on the water bodies in the area.

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ada-search-for-missing-fisherman-suspended.html

Ada canoe disaster: 4 fishers found, 3 alive (Daily Graphic, Saturday, September 10, 2023 Front Page)

 

Four of the initial seven fishermen, who went missing following the canoe disaster at Ada last Thursday, have been found at the various communities along the coast of Ada and the neighbouring Volta Region. Three of them are alive. 

The four were found yesterday morning and the search and rescue teams are racing against time to locate the remaining three fishermen, who are still missing as of press time yesterday, following the fishing expedition disaster.

The  body of the dead was retrieved yesterday at Akplertorkor, a community in the Volta Region, according to the acting Chief Fisherman for Ada Foah, Nene Sappor.

The canoes the fishermen were travelling in capsised at the Ada estuary.  

Personnel of the Ghana Navy are conducting operations along the coast between Ada and the Volta Region to find clues about the missing three after the four surfaced in communities along the area.

Officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) were also in the affected communities, including Azizanya, to assist in the rescue efforts. 

Search efforts

The Ada East District NADMO Coordinator, Ebenezer Teye Kisseh  Nartey, who gave the latest update in an interview yesterday, said the search efforts were underway in the sea and along the coast for the remaining victims.

Mr Nartey said alert messages had been dispatched to coastal communities, especially those at Ada and the Volta Region, to be on the lookout for debris, and to alert the police to assist in the search efforts for the missing fishermen.

Fisherfolk at Ada in the Ada East District in the Greater Accra Region woke up last Thursday morning to the news of an accident involving two fishing canoes which had capsised after their canoes were hit by strong waves near the estuary at Azizanya, with seven crew members missing. 

Collaboration

Mr Nartey told the Daily Graphic that a distress call came in on Thursday around 7 a.m., and, in collaboration with the Ghana Navy team, NADMO started the search and rescue operation.

He said the NADMO, the Ghana Navy and other stakeholders would continue to monitor the situation and ensure that those missing were found.

He commended the Ghana Navy for their timely response and assistance to rescue the fishermen.

Survivors

Some of the fishermen who survived, said they set off for the fishing expedition last Wednesday, and on their return to base they encountered strong waves.

"The sea was so rough that we couldn’t come to the shore. We were observing the waves to enable us to manoeuvre our canoe, but unfortunately, the waves overpowered us and the canoe capsized," one of the fishermen, who gave his name only as Godwin, said.

He said he was on the sea with his other fishermen for a long period before landing on an island community called Ohuemi.

Gabriel Kwame, leader of one of the crew members, said while returning to shore, water entered their outboard motor, causing it to cease.

He said he then managed to assist some of his colleague fishermen to swim ashore after their canoe capsized.

The fishermen were trying to cross the estuary to Ada Foah to land their canoe after the fishing expedition when they were hit by strong waves, which led to the disaster.

 

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ada-canoe-disaster-4-fishers-found-3-alive.html

Boat accident: 7 fishers missing at Ada (Daily Graphic, Friday, September 15, 2023 Page 20)

 

NPP endorses parliamentary candidates in Upper East, Tema East (Daily Graphic, Friday, September 15, 2023 Page 19)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), last Sunday, held separate constituency delegates conferences in the Upper East Region and Tema East in the Greater Accra Region to endorse the sole parliamentary candidates for those constituencies. 

The candidates for the Upper East Region are the Chief Executive of the Ghana National Food Buffer Stock Company, Alhaji Hanan Abdul-Wahab, for the Pusiga constituency; Mathew Silas Amoah for Bolgatanga East and the Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Thomas Kofi Alonsi, for Builsa North.

Meanwhile, that of Tema East is the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) for Tema, Yohanne Amarh Ashitey.

Officials of the Electoral Commission at the separate extraordinary delegates conference to acclaim the aspirants introduced them as the duly elected parliamentary candidates for those constituencies.

 

Upper East

From the Upper East Region, Gilbert Mawuli Agbey reports that the three candidates, Messrs Amoah, Abdul-Wahab and Alonsi, in separate speeches, thanked the delegates for endorsing them and pledged to work assiduously to win their respective seats for the party in the 2024 general election.

The Upper East Regional NPP Chairman, Anthony Namoo, in his addresses at the separate delegates conferences commended the party members for arriving at a consensus to allow the three to go unopposed.

Yohane Amarh Ashitey acknowledging cheers from the delegates after the acclamation

He urged the party members in all constituencies to remain united and work harder after the primaries to enable the party to snatch some seats held by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the region.

Tema East

From Tema in the Greater Accra Region, Benjamin Xornam Glover reports that the Mr Amarh Ashitey was acclaimed as the NPP Parliamentary candidate for Tema East.

A former Member of Parliament of the Tema East Constituency, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, who addressed the party’s delegates at the conference, urged them to vote massively for the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to become the party's flag bearer.

Mr Titus-Glover, who is also the Managing Director of the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO), also pledged his support for Mr Ashitey, describing him as a true son of the soil who is most qualified to lead the NPP in the constituency to recapture the seat from the National Democratic Congress.

 Confidence

Mr Ashitey, for his part, commended the delegates for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to work with the party to win the seat.

 

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/politics/npp-endorses-parliamentary-candidates-in-upper-east-tema-east.html

Trucks on shoulders of Tema roads unacceptable- Roads Minister (Daily Graphic, Friday, August 26, 2023 Back Page)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has bemoaned the constant presence of articulated trucks parked indiscriminately at sections of the Tema Harbour to Akosombo Highway. 

He said the presence of the loaded articulated trucks with cargo beyond the acceptable weight levels along the shoulders of the highway between Tema Harbour Roundabout and the newly constructed Tema Motorway Interchange destroyed the road.

 

 

Some of the articulated trucks parked on the shoulders of the road as captured during a tour of the road project . Picture: BENJAMIN XORNAM GLOVER

 

 

 

Speaking to journalists last Wednesday during an inspection tour of the ongoing VALCO roundabout to Kpone road reconstruction project, the Roads Minister hinted that drastic steps would be taken to tackle the problem.

The shoulders of the highway right from the Tema Harbour Roundabout through the Mankoadze Roundabout, the VALCO roundabout to the newly constructed Tema Motorway Interchange have been taken over by articulated trucks, a situation which poses a threat to other road users.

The haphazard manner in which articulated trucks have been parked along some major streets in the Tema Metropolis has become a source of concern for road users.

These haulage trucks used to park near the Tema Toll Plaza of the Motorway but prior to  this year's independence day celebration in March, the Greater Accra Regional Minister in a special Operation Keep your Frontage campaign,  ejected the truck operators.

The drivers have since resorted to parking their loaded vehicles along the shoulders of the highway.

The Daily Graphic gathered that these haulage truck drivers parked along the shoulders of the road because they went  through documentation processes at the port before proceeding to their destinations which included the Sahelian countries.

In addition, some of the drivers and their mates have turned sections of the shoulders of the road into their abode, creating sanitation challenges because they bath and defecate in the open spaces due to the absence of sanitary facilities.

Dead weight

Mr Amoako-Atta said while the government continued to spend billions of cedis to fix the road, transporters from other countries who had come to convey cargo from the port were not adhering to the axle load regime.

He noted that apart from the dead weight of the parked trucks which caused the quick road degeneration, some of the vehicles were usually repaired on the road, thereby spilling petroleum products on the highway.

He said such petroleum products caused materials used to construct the highway to disintegrate fast, thereby damaging the highway.

"Interestingly, I am told these truck drivers cannot do same in their home countries, but find it convenient to abuse the roads here in Ghana,” the roads minister said, and cautioned the truck drivers to stop the road abuse.

Mr Amoako-Atta also accused some of the staff manning the various axle load checkpoints along the major roads and some security agencies at the various checkpoints of condoning overloading that endangered  the safety of highways and road users.

He said the ministry would have a meeting with the Ministry of Transport, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Ghana Police Service to address the challenge. 

Parking spaces

Meanwhile, some of the haulage drivers have appealed to authorities to assist them by creating parks where they can park vehicles while awaiting documentation processes after loading cargo from the port.

They said the absence of a designated parking area had contributed to the current situation.

Iddrisu Outara, a driver, in an interview said they were prepared to pay a fee for such parking spaces when constructed, stressing it was not their intention to flout traffic regulations. 

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/trucks-on-shoulders-of-tema-roads-unacceptable-roads-minister.html

POSTCARD. Shajotso, Tree shrine symbolising the heart and soul of Tema.(Daily Graphic, Friday, August 26, 2023 Page 30)

 

NPP will reclaim Tema East seat- Aspirant. (Daily Graphic. Thurs. August 24, 2023. Page 18)

JHS students in Ashaiman mentored ( Junior Graphic, Wednesday, August 23, 2023. Page 4)

Selected students from public schools in the Ashaiman Municipality in the Greater Accra Region have benefited from a mentoring programme which was aimed at giving practical advice, encouragement and support to them.

The programme formed part of a series of activities to educate students on the consequences of certain behaviours and decisions.
The session was held simultaneously at the St Augustine’s and the Blessed Clementina Catholic Church Halls by some judges and lawyers who operated in Tema and Ashaiman.
The justices from the high court, circuit court and district courts, as well as lawyers advised the youth not to engage in premarital sex and focus on their education and skill training.
They also encouraged the learners to take their academic work seriously to become better persons in the future.
Various speakers told the students that education and skill training were the surest way the youth could become economically empowered so they would not look for support or depend on anybody.
They also cautioned the youth, particularly girls, not to allow their peers and societal pressure to push them to embrace social vices.
One of the organisers, Emmanuel Kumadey in an interview said that a careful observation of the current social trends indicated an increase in the crime rate among the youth which was gradually taking centre stage in the everyday social life. 
He explained that it was for that reason that some judges, along with the lawyers partnered with the Education Directorates in Tema and Ashaiman to reach out to students in the public basic schools to inspire them and also urge them to remain in school and build a solid future for themselves.
He expressed the hope that such engagement would contribute to nurturing responsible and law-abiding citizens in the society, especially the young ones.
The Ashaiman Municipal Education Director, Clifford Heneku Budu, said Ashaiman, for a long time, suffered from negative stereotyping and expressed the hope that such outreach programmes, together with other initiatives embarked on in the various basic schools in the municipality, would go a long way to change the narrative about Ashaiman.
Also in attendance were senior police officers, medical doctors and educationists.