The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, has cautioned assemblies in the region against corrupt practices as those caught will not be shielded.

“We will not shield those assemblies anymore. We will hand them over to the police, and there will be no excuses,” Dr Letsa said, adding that the inaction on the part of oversight bodies caused corrupt practices to spread across the assemblies

He, therefore, called for a strong will to maintain ethical and professional standards.

Performance contract

Dr Letsa gave the caution at the opening of a performance contract signing durbar for the region.

He said the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) would pursue what he called “criminal gangs and cartels” who were the scams of local assembly corruption.

“Whatever you are doing, you must remember that the day of reckoning will surely come. We don’t show interest in things that don’t bring money to our pockets.

They are only interested in the common fund so they can cook up contracts and award them to themselves. Money meant to build facilities are ending up in people’s pockets," he stated

Dr Letsa called on heads of the assemblies to show strong leadership aWe need strong leaders who are not compromised and polluted by the technocrats in the assembly. You must have the willpower to check corruption. Do what you have been given to do. If you are compromised for the first time, the whole four years is compromised,” he said.

Rot

Dr Letsa revealed some rot uncovered by the Regional Coordinating Council and detailed how an individual who was paid GH¢550,000 as a consultant by one of the assemblies turned out to be an illiterate barber.

“These things should not be happening. Once we do things like these, we are not serving our people. We are diverting money meant for the people into our own pockets. Why can’t we add some dignity and self-respect to our lives?” he asked.

 endeavor to resist the forces of corruption lurking within the local government structure.

We need strong leaders who are not compromised and polluted by the technocrats in the assembly. You must have the willpower to check corruption. Do what you have been given to do. If you are compromised for the first time, the whole four years is compromised,” he said.

Rot

Dr Letsa revealed some rot uncovered by the Regional Coordinating Council and detailed how an individual who was paid GH¢550,000 as a consultant by one of the assemblies turned out to be an illiterate barber.

“These things should not be happening. Once we do things like these, we are not serving our people. We are diverting money meant for the people into our own pockets. Why can’t we add some dignity and self-respect to our lives?” he asked.

He commended all departments working with the VRCC for their dedication to service, with exceptional commendation to the records department.

The Head of the Department of Human Resources of the VRCC, Mr Cyril Dzinyanu Xatse, commended the Office of the Head of the Local Government Service for instituting the Performance Management System regime.

He said it provided an “objective and unbiased” approach to performance measurement in the Service and further expressed gratitude to municipal and district assemblies in the region for making the conference a reality.

For his part, the acting Coordinating Director of the VRCC, Mr Prosper Afenyo, said punctuality remained a major impediment to local governance delivery. — GNA

The Accident Investigations Bureau (AIB) has commenced investigations into an aircraft incident that occurred at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on Friday, September 03, 2021.

A press statement by the Management of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) said at 2235 hours on Friday, KLM Royal Dutch

Airlines Flight (KL590) bound for Amsterdam, aborted take-off via Runway 21 at the Airport.

It said that was after the pilot reported a bird strike close to the windshield of the aircraft.

The statement said the "Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (RFFS) of GACL was at the scene immediately to provide emergency fire cover."

It said the aircraft was subsequently towed to the parking bay where passengers disembarked and were transported to various hotels around the Airport.

The statement said meanwhile, the airline had commenced processes to get passengers back to their final destinations as soon as possible and that investigations into the cause of the incident had commenced.

It assured the public that the Ghana Airports Company Limited had a "robust Wildlife Management System in place" and remained committed to the highest safety standards at the airport.

Bird strike, also known as, bird ingestion, birds hit, or bird aircraft strike hazard - is a collision between an airborne animal and a moving vehicle, usually an aircraft.

It ranks among the most potent threat for aviation around the world and has caused a number of accidents with human casualties.

A survey by International Civil Aviation Organisation, including data from 91 countries found out that airlines face an average of 34 bird strikes in a day.

The damage, if translated to money amounts to more than $1 billion annually.

A bird strike may cause broken windshield /canopy, engine failure (single or multiple engines), hydraulic problems, precautionary approach, handling difficulties, electrical problems, landing gear problems and crew incapacitation among others.

Source: GNA

Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has launched and handed over 350,000 laptops under the ‘One Teacher One Laptop’ programme in fulfillment of government’s pledge to equip Ghana’s teachers with the requisite ICT skills to prepare the next generation for the Fourth Industrial revolution.

At a brief but colourful ceremony at the campus of the St Mary’s Senior High School, Accra on Friday 3rd September 2021 Dr Bawumia, assisted by the Minister for Education, Hon Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum; the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa; and the leadership of Teacher Unions, handed over the first of these laptops, known as the TM1 (Teachers Mate 1) to the 71 teachers of the school.

“Effective teaching and learning is critical to developing the human capacity for work, innovation and creativity; necessary ingredients for capacity building. Teachers are the indispensable pillars of this necessary capacity building. This initiative, in collaboration with the Teacher Unions, is to support the vision of the Ghana Education Service of creating an enabling environment to facilitate effective teaching and learning” Dr Bawumia stated.

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, has described those who are not enthused about government’s Agenda 111 as witches.

For him, the country lacks good healthcare infrastructure and if government has now decided to construct more hospitals, he cannot understand why people should be pessimistic about the initiative.

Agenda 111 is a government initiative which aims at making Ghana the centre of excellence in health care by 2030.

The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 cut the sod for the commencement of the construction of the Trede District Hospital in the Atwima Kwanwoma district of the Ashanti Region.

The ceremony formed part of the Agenda 111 to construct 101 district hospitals in districts without district hospitals, two psychiatric hospitals for the middle and the southern belts, seven regional hospitals and the rehabilitation of the Accra psychiatric hospital.

Each of the hospitals would be built at the cost of $12.8 million and another $4.8 million would be spent to equip them bringing the total cost of each of the hospitals to $17.60 million and it is expected to be completed within 18 months.

According to the president, about $6 billion is spent annually by Africans to seek medical care abroad and was hopeful that when completed, the sector could generate about $2 million to the country’s GDP annually.

Rt. Rev. Prof. Mante, who was speaking at a programme in the Central Region, expressed worry over how some Ghanaians have allowed politics to clout their thoughts on good initiatives.