Friday, 4 March 2022
Nightlife rebounds; low observance of safety protocols
Date Published Aug - 08 - 2020 , 15:01
BY: The Mirror
Weekend nightlife in Accra has suddenly rebounded with low observance of the COVID-19 safety protocols at various pubs and drinking bars.
Since March 22, 2020, all public and social gatherings remained banned as part of the government’s intervention to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of the ban on the socio-economic lives of the citizenry has been dire.
During the President’s 14th address to the nation on measures taken to ease the spread of the coronavirus last Sunday, July 26, he said open-air drinking bars could reopen but gave a red line that they had to enforce all the safety protocols.
No safety measures
Over the weekend and the public holiday last Tuesday, many bars, particularly in Osu, were bubbling with activities while the various protocols such as physical distancing and compulsory wearing of nose masks were all disregarded, reports Joshua Bediako Koomson.
Many bars, be it the very small ones by the corners of streets which serve local communities, or the bigger and more popular ones and pubs had all attracted patrons.
Several people were seen drinking, singing and dancing together while having close conversations and engaging in other activities which could possibly cause the spread of the virus.
Although some police patrol teams were seen patrolling the various streets, they looked on while such unlawful acts continued to ensue.
Efforts by bar operators
A bar operator who only gave his name as Okocha said he had tried everything possible to ensure the observance of the safety protocols “but you know it’s not easy to control someone who is drunk.”
For instance, he said he had put up notices with the safety protocols inscribed on them while he also made sure the DJ periodically reminded them of the physical distancing directive.
It was party time for the patrons
“Aside that we also make sure the spacing is wide enough to avoid any spread. Few hours ago, I had to personally walk some guys out because they wanted to change the sitting arrangement by getting some of the chairs closer,” he said.
“Although we want to make money particularly in these times that the COVID-19 had adversely affected our business, we have to make sure our staff and customers are safe,” he stated.
Staff protection
Aside the disregard for the safety protocols, some pubs and drinking bars also failed to ensure protection among their staff.
A staff at one of the pubs in Osu said: “I came to work today expecting that my management was going to provide us with some safety gears but to my surprise, we had to buy them ourselves.”
“We are being told to use the sanitiser anytime we serve and we have to change our nose masks every day. This means I have to use part of my salary for these items aside the burden of transport fare. All my colleagues are complaining, but our boss will not take it likely if we should approach him with this issue,” she said.
A visit to some drinking spots and pubs in the Tema Metropolis revealed that while some customers were adopting a wait-and-see approach, operators have indicated that they are ready to receive clients and have made provision for social distancing for patrons, reports Benjamin Xornam Glover.
Some of the popular hangouts visited in the metropolis were George's Pub in Community Two, Location Pub and Grill, Monte Carlo in Community 10, Ritz Pub as well as Starbites both located in Community Eight.
Some pub operators who spoke to The Mirror said apart from making provision for physical distancing seating arrangements, clients who call in are expected to wash their hands and use sanitisers.
However, this reporter who spent a few hours at some of the bars observed that while operators made provision of handwashing equipment, including soap, water, tissue and waste bins at the entrances, patrons were not using them and there was no one to prompt them.
Patrons walked in and mingled freely without covering their mouths with the masks while some had their masks hanging loosely on their chin.
Others also came in without their masks and clustered while talking loudly, seemingly forgetting about their risk of picking droplets from each other.
A patron at one of the bars at Community Nine, who gave his name as Mr Ashittey, said it would be extremely difficult to observe the COVID-19 safety protocols in such an environment.
“As you can see, under such environment, how will patrons exhibit minimum contact?” he queried.
Others told this reporter that they had recalled some of their waiters and waitresses who were sent home in the wake of the pandemic in Ghana.
Maame Esi, a waitress at one of the pubs, told this reporter that she was happy to be back to work after staying home for two months.
“I know some patrons are hesitant about mixing in larger groups but with time, the business will pick up,” she stated.
No physical distancing
There were mixed scenarios at the Purple Pub bar, Africa Power Cocktail Special, Container Spot at Osu and Vienna City at Circle, all in Accra, reports Lydia Ezit.
At the Purple Pub and Africa Power Cocktail Special pubs, The Mirror noticed that there was no spacing in the seating arrangement.
Although management had positioned Veronica buckets at the entrances, patrons ignored the buckets as they entered the pub.
The patrons were spotted dancing, some crowded around tables and food joints without adherence to the physical distancing protocol, while others gathered around obscure corners in the pubs amidst puffing of shisha.
A bar attendant at Purple Pub who gave her name only as Naa explained that it was difficult getting customers to adhere to protocols as some were quick to snob them.
The popular Container Spot opposite the Papaye Restaurant in Osu was very quiet and virtually empty with only two patrons drinking.
The usual bustle which accompanies brisk soliciting business by prostitutes at the Vienna City, near Kwame Nkrumah Circle, was missing when The Mirror visited the place.
There were no customers, mainly prostitutes, although the place had been operating since the restrictions were lifted.
Security men at the Vienna City told The Mirror that the spot had lost customers since the government announced measures to curb the novel COVID-19 pandemic.
Though they had been operating, they explained that only few people walked in to patronise their service.
Previously, they said the car park was full but these days there was little work to do.
At Achimota Mile 7 in Accra, Sarah G. Dah reports that drinking spots and pork joints were full to capacity on the night of the Founders Day.
However, the safety protocols were thrown to the wind, as most of the patrons came in without observing them.
There were also no Veronica buckets at the entrance for handwashing.
The Mile 7 Park Drinking Spot which used to be busy for party-goers before the outbreak of the virus seems to be picking up, at least during the holiday.
Patrons enjoyed themselves as they mingled and partied all night long, as they seemed to be telling one another that ‘to hell with the virus.’
They gathered in groups of fives, sevens and 10s around different tables with different kinds of alcoholic beverages, accompanied by khebab.
At some point, people put on their dancing shoes to enjoy tunes from highlife legends.
A waitress told The Mirror that “it was because of COVID-19, but now that it is gone, we are back to business. You can see that everyone is seated.”
Meanwhile, Justtouch, a popular joint at Kwabanya, Accra, which used to be crowded, is still not back to its normal operations, as TheMirror observed that only a handful of people were hanging around.
Although the Veggies Restaurant at Ashongman Estate, was not functioning as it used to be, some people were spotted waiting for their orders, with each table far from the other
https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/nightlife-rebounds-low-observance-of-safety-protocols.html
Mother allegedly poisons 2 two children for not being able to cater for them
BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover
Date: Jul - 31 - 2020
A mother said to be finding difficulties in raising her two children has allegedly poisoned them at Tema New Town in the Greater Accra Region.
The incident which happened on Thursday has resulted in the death of the two children, reports Graphic Online's Benjamin Xornam Glover.
The suspect, Abigail Agbubla Tetteh, 28, was arrested by the Tema Police Command to assist in investigation after she allegedly administered a yet to be determined drug to the children and fled.
The bodies were retrieved in the home of the suspect by the Police on Thursday, July 30, 2020.
The deceased children, a boy and a girl aged two and eight months respectively, were found dead on a bed and locked up in their rooms, after residents became suspicious of their whereabouts.
Crowd
The incident attracted a crowd to the scene where the children laid motionless on their bed wearing only diapers with foam on their lips and nostrils.
The suspect initially fled the scene but was arrested by some residents who handed her to the police.
Naawoo Amerley, a traditional priestess in the area said the suspect who had run to her house in the early hours of Thursday, after committing the heinous crime, tried bolting after her deed was uncovered.
Meanwhile the suspect has since been arrested by the police.
The acting Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Tema Regional Police Command, Chief Inspector Stella Dede Dzakpasu, said that at about 5:30 pm on Thursday, the Tema Regional Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had information that, a mother had allegedly killed her two children at Tema New Town.
She said a team of investigators and the the Crime Scene team visited the scene at Tema Manhean and saw the motionless bodies of two children in a wooden structure.
No assault marks
Chief Inspector Dzakpasu said the team conducted an inspection on the bodies and found no marks of assault however their mouths and nostrils were foamy.
She said that it was suspected that the children might have been poisoned adding that some liquid substances in bottles were retrieved by the police.
The mother of the children was arrested and detained while the bodies were conveyed to the police hospital and were confirmed dead by a medical officer.
Writer's email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/mother-allegedly-poisons-2-two-children-for-not-being-able-to-cater-for-them.html
Monday, 12 April 2021
Monday, 2 December 2019
Dawa Dam develops cracks; farmers appeal to govt to help fix it to avert collapse
Date: Nov 25 , 2019 BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover
 |
| Mr Samuel Ayeh (left) a farmer, briefing the team from ACEP and OXFAM on some of the challenges facing the farmers with the current state of the dam |
Farmers benefitting from the Dawa Irrigation Dam in the
Ningo Prampram District in the Greater Accra Region have appealed to the
government to, as a matter of urgency, reinforce the retaining walls of the
facility to save it from breaking.
The farmers who spoke to the Daily Graphic last Friday, said
the dam which was rehabilitated and handed over some three to four years ago
was not strong enough following the gradual erosion of the embankments.
They said the dam’s walls had become narrow and had
developed some huge cracks, which if not remedied could culminate in the
flooding of nearby farms and cause disruption of socio-economic activities in
the area.
Rehabilitation
The Dawa Dam is a project funded from Ghana ’s oil
revenue. The farmers spoke of the precarious nature of the dam during a field
trip conducted by Oxfam as part of its Extractive Industry Governance
programme.
Being implemented in partnership with the Africa Centre for Energy
Policy (ACEP), the trip was to track the impact of projects funded with petroleum
revenues and to ascertain how maintenance was factored in the project
implementation process as well as how the project had been of benefit to the
community.
Mr Samuel Ayeh, a farmer, said the dam was very useful to
the community because it was the main source of water for their farming
activities, but now the dam wall was very weak and they feared it might break
if not reinforced.
Mr Ayeh, the immediate past assembly member for the Dawa
Electoral Area, said the dam wall had become too narrow and weak with erosion
setting in very fast, and that they feared that if maintenance works were not
carried out to reinforce the structure, it might collapse.
He said in 2012 the dam malfunctioned when parts of its wall
collapsed but after several appeals by the community, the government awarded it
to a contractor for the reconstruction of the dam’s walls.
He, however, noted that after three to four years, erosion
had set in and exposed the dam to danger, adding that if the damage was not
repaired, a number of farmers would be rendered jobless.
Quality delivery
The Executive Director of ACEP, Mr Benjamin Boakye, said it
was expected that the rehabilitated dam would last for 50 years, however, it
was unfortunate that three to four years down the lane, some damages had been
witnessed on the structure.
He explained that the situation could be as a result of poor
supervision, and stressed the need for officials to demand quality delivery of
projects.
“We need dams like this to serve the purpose for which they
were constructed over a longer period of time but it doesn’t look like we are
getting that value for money with dams of this nature because of the quality of
the delivery.
"The media and civil society organisations have the
duty to monitor the efficiency of projects such as this to ensure that
contractors deliver the quality expected of them for projects that can meet the
purpose for which they were constructed,” he said.
According to him, although systems existed to ensure that
projects were delivered to specification, engineers and contractors were not
being efficient at monitoring to ensure that the quality met approved standards
to sustain the projects.
He proposed that perhaps CSOs and individuals must begin to
sue engineers and contractors to send a signal to them that they could not
continue to deliver poor quality jobs and get paid.
Transparency
The Vice-President of Oxfam America, Ms Fatema Z. Sumer,
said it was important that farmers’ voices were heard by the government to make
sure the money from oil revenue was being spent well.
She said the role that ACEP was playing was important to
ensure that the government was accountable and transparent.
2nd Devtraco-Graphic-Vokacom promo winner presented with house
Date: Nov 09, 2019. BY: Benjamin Xornam Glover
 |
| Mr Maxwell Nortey, Winner of the Devtraco/Graphic Dream Home Promotion, entering his house after presentation ceremony |
The second winner of a two-bedroom house in the
Devtraco-Graphic-Vokacom Dream House Read and Win promo, has received keys to
his house, located at Devtraco Courts in Tema Community 25, off the Tema-Aflao
highway in the Greater Accra Region.
Mr Maxwell Nortey, 34, a carpenter, based at Obuasi in the
Ashanti Region, was handed the keys and sub-lease agreement to his apartment by
officials of Devtraco-Graphic-Vokacom at the Devtraco Courts yesterday.
Congratulatory message
The General Manager of Vokacom, Mr Eric Gyamfi Aboagye,
congratulated the winner and said Mr Nortey’s background and location indicated
how far the promo had travelled and was accepted by the reading public.
He said Devtraco Group’s partnership with the GCGL in the
promo exercise had yielded positive results for which reason Mr Aboagye said,
Vodafone, which is also a partner of Vokacom, will leverage the success of the
promotion by giving away one more house and other exciting prizes in January
2020.
Rationale
The Customer Services Manager of Devtraco, Mrs Jeannita
Irene Yorke, said the company decided to partner the GCGL not only to promote
the habit of reading, but to also reward the public.
She said the caliber of persons who emerged winners in the
promo meant that the programme was not only creditable, but also open to the
general public, adding “this means that, Devtraco-Graphic-Vokacom are
transparent in whatever we do”.
Commendation
Mr Nortey, after receiving the keys and documentations to
his new apartment, commended the management and staff of the organisers for
fulfilling their promise.
Like the first winner, Mr Nortey also said he would rent out
his apartment
Winners
The two-bedroom houses have all been won now. The first
person to win was Mr Alhassan Fatau,40, a chainsaw operator in Asamankese, in
the Eastern Region.
He received his prize in January 2019, with Mr Maxwell
Nortey winning the other prize in August 2019.
Writer’s email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
Tema Metropolitan Assembly makes progress
Date: Oct 29 , 2019 BY: Benjamin Glover & Della Russel Ocloo
The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) in the Greater Accra Region
has outlined its achievement over the past two and a half years, with the most
remarkable being the introduction of an integrated system that it claims has
led to an increase in its internally generated funds (IGF).
The new system,
according officials, allowed all key management staff to undertake real-time
monitoring of important information such as monitoring of revenue officers on
the field, actual collections from rate payers, number of bills that had been
distributed, among others.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, Mr
Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, who disclosed this at a “Meet-The-Press,” event in
Tema, said the introduction of the revenue management system had minimised
revenue leakages and improved collection significantly.
He said the new
innovation had yielded positive signs and the assembly was hoping to improve on
its performance by leveraging on information technology (IT) tools to maximise
revenue collection in the metropolis.
Revenue Mobilisation
Mr Anang-La said in 2017, the assembly collected GHC28,142,150.64 as IGF as
compared to GHC23,887,435.88 accrued in 2016.
He said the 2018 figure
declined marginally to GHC19,061,258.29, a situation which resulted from the
creation of the Tema West Municipal Assembly (TWMA).
Nii Anang-La said in a
bid to improve revenue generation to support development in the metropolis, the
assembly had revalued all properties and deployed national service personnel
and employees under the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) for the collection of
business operating permit data.
Scholarships
The MCE said the TMA had
offered a scholarship package worth GHC 289,443.00 to over 500 beneficiaries
within the metropolis to enable them to complete their academic programmes.
Responding to a question
on why a greater part of the metropolis remained in darkness in spite of the
provision of streetlights by the assembly, the MCE suggested that some
miscreants in the metropolis had stolen the streetlight bulbs and other wires
connected to the streetlights.
The assembly, he said, had so far installed and repaired 1,000 streetlighting
system at various locations and an additional 3,000 pieces had been procured to
be installed at various locations.
Education
The MCE said the TMA's
initiative to allow corporate and religious organisations to adopt a school in
the metropolis was yielding encouraging results.
Presently, he said a
number of corporate institutions and churches had bought into the initiative
which was in line with the assembly’s Restoration Agenda with many of the
institutions adopting and refurbishing a number of public schools.
NPP vows to win more seats in Greater Accra
Date: Date: Oct 21 , 2019
BY Benjamin Glover
 |
| Mr Divine Otoo Agorhom, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NPP |
The Greater Accra Regional branch of the New Patriotic Party
(NPP) has vowed to improve on its performance and secure more seats for the
party in the 2020 general election.
The party currently holds 21 out of the 34 parliamentary
seats in the region. Going into next year's elections, leaders of the NPP in
Greater Accra have indicated their commitment to putting in place measures to
keep the party's dominance in both the presidential and parliamentary elections
in the region.
Speaking to journalists at Tutu in the Akuapim North
District in the Eastern Region on Saturday, October 19, 2019 after a two-day
retreat for constituency chairmen in Greater Accra, the spokesperson for the
chairmen, Mr Charles Boateng, said the party had mapped out several strategies
to help the party retain power in 2020.
The retreat which was on the theme; "safeguarding our
electoral fortunes for elections 2020, the role of constituency chairmen"
brought together all constituency chairpersons in the region, NPP Members of
Parliament, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives as well as
Greater Accra Regional Executives of the party.
Mr Boateng who is also the Tema Central Constituency
Chairman of the NPP, explained that the meeting was to review the performance
of the party in the past general election and to formulate strategies to ensure
that the NPP remained the dominant political party in the Greater Accra Region.
"We have a mission to maximise our votes in the Greater
Accra Region and this will demand hard work to ensure that if for nothing at
all, we maintain the 21 seats currently occupied by the NPP,” he said.
Unity
The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Divine
Otoo Agorhom, commended the constituency chairpersons for reviewing the party’s
past performance and formulating plans to ensure victory in future polls.
He stressed the need for unity in the party and called on
the constituency chairpersons to build on the structures they have inherited to
ensure a strong party capable of winning elections beyond the two term cycle.
On the pending referendum on whether or not metropolitan,
municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) should be elected on partisan
basis, Mr Agorhom urged the rank and file of the party to campaign for a 'Yes'
vote to allow for political participation in local level elections.
Such a move, he said, would lead to inclusive governance at
the local level.
Also, he said a massive turnout for a “Yes “ vote would be
an endorsement of one of the party's key manifesto promises.
Writer's email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
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Sand, stone winners seek govt help over alleged security intimidation (Daily Graphic Tuesday, November 3, 2026)
https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/sand-stones-winners-allege-intimidation-by-security-personnel-seek-government-intervention.html...
