The donation of 23 vehicles to the Ghana Police Service by the Japanese government to support the institution in its work of protecting lives and properties is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Tuesday.
The Graphic reports that the Japanese government has donated 23 vehicles to the Ghana Police Service to support the institution in its work of protecting lives and properties.
The vehicles include four station wagons and 19 double-cabin pick-up trucks with digital communications systems.
The donation of the vehicles, worth about $1,869,000, formed part of Japan’s objective of promoting human security, a project under a Grant Aid for the Economic and Social Development programme of that country.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mochizuki Hisanobu, handed over the keys to the vehicles to the Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, who in turn, presented them to the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, at the forecourt of the Police Headquarters in Accra yesterday[August 1, 2022].
Mr Mochizuki said while the Japanese government recognised the key role being played by the police to ensure peace and security in the country, there was the need to form strong partnerships to build the capacity of the service and adequately resource it to continue with its good works.
He described issues of human security, which he said was the guiding principle of Japan’s development cooperation, as being significant to Ghana’s growth.
“Human security, which Japan has been advocating on the world stage, is a concept that focuses on people, especially the vulnerable, who we need to protect and empower. We believe that without peace and security, people’s livelihoods will be compromised and they cannot live happily in dignity as they should,” he added.
The newspaper says that the ban on fishing for artisanal and canoe fishers in the country has been lifted. At a ceremony at Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mavis Hawa Koomson, pointed the famous huge wooden key, which she had used to “lock up” the sea at Tema Manhean, seaward and turned it to symbolise the lifting of the one-month ban.
Before that, a linguist from the community, Okyeame Metanwoho, had offered four bottles of Schnapps, each from the four coastal regions, to seek permission from the gods to re-enter the sea and ask for a bumper harvest as the fishing season began.
A joyous applause welcomed the lifting of the ban. The ceremony was attended by fisher associations and groups, fishery agency officials and representatives from civil society organisations, academicians, traditional authorities and other players in the fishing industry.
The Ministry of Fisheries, in collaboration with the Fisheries Commission, implemented the closed fishing season for inshore and artisanal fleets from July 1 to July 31 as a crucial component of “sustainable fisheries management”.
The goal is to lessen the pressure on fish stock during the peak production period, so that the fish can lay eggs (spawn) to replenish populations that have been decimated by illegal fishing and other natural occurrences.
Fisher associations and other officials from the fisheries agency applauded the ministry for its audacious move to bring some sanity into onshore fishing activities.
The minister said the government was not oblivious of the challenges in the sector, for which reason it had adopted strategic and critical interventions aimed at recovering the fast depleting fishery stocks.
The Graphic also reports that the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Monday inaugurated the first phase of 100-kilometres of rehabilitated Kumasi inner city roads.
Dubbed, “Rehabilitation and Auxiliary Infrastructure of Kumasi Inner Ring and Adjacent Streets Project,” it is a turnkey project, in line with the vision of the Akufo-Addo led government to provide an integrated urban transport system responsive to the needs of the society.
The beneficiary areas are Asokwa, Kwadaso, New Tafo, Krofrom, Suame, Manhyia, Bantama and Subin.
Interventions undertaken included the construction of drains and culverts and road rehabilitation works.
Speaking during the inauguration at Nsenie in the Oforikrom Municipality, Dr Bawumia noted that the project would improve quality of life, improve accessibility and help reduce dust pollution.
The Vice President underscored the importance of good roads in the development of the economy and reiterated President Akufo-Addo’s commitment to the development of roads in the country.
He said the government was working around the clock to complete the Boankra Inland Port, and also work on the four main interchanges – Anloga junction, Suame, Santasi and Airport roundabouts.
The Ghanaian Times says that the Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid has embarked on a working visit to Zambian Energy Regulatory Board (ERB) in order to strengthen the petroleum downstream regulator’s relationship with its peer regulators on the African continent.
Dr Abdul-Hamid, accompanied by Ghana High Commissioner in Zambia, Ms Iddrisu Khadija, together with some NPA board and management members visited the ERB head office in Lusaka.
The tour is premised on major successes achieved by the fuel marking programme in both countries and share lessons on the implementation of the fuel marking programme with the view of improving current operations.
Briefing the media on what necessitated the visit, the NPA Boss said before the Zambian regulatory body begun its implementation of the fuel marking programme in 2017, they sent a seven-member team to understudy Ghana’s model of the petroleum product marking scheme in 2015.
He said the Zambian team was taken through the programme set-up, staffing, contractor and subcontractor payments, margins, benefits, challenges, legislation, among others.
Dr Abdul-Hamid said ERB sent another two-group delegation in 2018 comprising key fuel marking operational staff, senior management, and board to interact with NPA to gain further insights on the roll out and implementation of both the marking and monitoring activities of the Ghana fuel marking programme.
Dr Abdul-Hamid was elated to know that since the successful launch and rollout of the fuel marking in Zambia, the programme has chalked major success.
The newspaper reports that the deadline for the exercise to re-register SIM cards with the Ghana Card has been extended for the second time to September 30.
This follows the initial extension of the exercise from March 31, 2022 to July 31, 2022, after it had run from October 1, last year.
Taking her turn at the Sunday edition of the Minister’s Briefing, the Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said the extension meant Ghanaians had been given one full year for the SIM card registration and that no one could blame the government after that.
She said the exercise would be reviewed at the end of this month and any SIM that had not been fully registered by that time would be barred from voice, data and other services.
“The full range of punitive measures will be announced at another press briefing in September. Kindly do not blame your service provider when you suffer that fate due to your own inaction. To be forewarned is to be forearmed,” she said.
“The extension was granted to enable over 7.5 million Ghanaians and other residents who had not obtained Ghana cards at the time to register their SIM cards.
“As indicated in our press release of March 21, 2022, it was also to give us the opportunity to provide modalities for the registration of diplomats and complete processes for rolling out a Self-Service SIM Registration App to facilitate the registration of SIM cards for both residents and Ghanaians living outside the country,” she said.
GIK/APA