_Government raises the standards of basic schools teachers_.

As part of broader educational reforms, government has rolled out an educational transformational mechanism by raising the entry requirements for basic schools teachers so that they are equivalent to those in other professions.

"From October this year, all new entrants to the teaching profession will require to study Bachelors of Education degree offered by Colleges of Education, initially in affiliation to *UCC* and with other public universities after one year of implementation"

"It is important to note that these changes in teacher education reforms are just one element in the government education reforms strategy. Alongside the new Bachelor's of Education degree, there will be a new Basic Education Curriculum in Ghana's Schools.
The curriculum offered in these Colleges of Education will represent a significant departure from previous practice."
 _Mr Robbin Todd, Team Leader of Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL) programme disclosed at the T TEL Challenge Fund End of Project Learning event at Koforidua, Eastern Regional Capital._

The five public universities to be affiliated to the programme are University of Ghana ( *LEG, Accra*), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology ( *KNUST, Kumasi*), University of Cape Coast *(UCC)*, University of Education ( *UEW, Winneba*),and University for Development Studies *(UDS, Tamale*).

He, Mr Todd, said the Universities have designed the new Bachelors of Education degree aligned with the National Teachers' Standards ( *NTS*) and the National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework ( *NTECF*) and have submitted these to the National Accreditation Board ( *NAB*) for certification.

He insinuated that aligning the new curriculum with Standards will ensure that we train the teachers which Ghana needs to deliver world class education system.
That notwithstanding, the curriculum will be very practically focused with thirty percent ( *30%*) of the total assessment marks being practical assessment of teaching ability and will focus on ensuring that teachers are confident in the use of learner centred approaches to encourage critical thinking and problem solving.

Also, teaching practice in schools will play a central part in the learning process with student teachers spending time in partner schools in years one, two, three and four, not just in year three as in the case with the current *DBE*.

"Once student teachers have completed their Four (4) Year Bachelor of Education degree in Basic Education, they will then spend one year teaching in basic schools, employed by Ghana Education Service before they will receive their licence to practice and achieve qualified teacher status"
This licence is important because it provides an independent validation that each teacher has the practical skills and capabilities to meet the National Teachers' Standards. An assessment across the three domains of effective teaching which are *Professional Values and Attitudes,* *Knowledge, and Practice,"* he stated.
Licensing will be practically focused. It will involve observation of the teacher in the classroom and an assessment of their *professional portfolio, lesson plans, and other necessary documents.*
Licensing is not something that should be feared by any aspiring young teacher. It should be embraced with confidence as it provides the validation that one has met the standards of a professional teacher.
He said T-TEL and the government have been working with National Council for Tertiary Education ( *NCTE*) to support all the forty-six (46) *COE* to transform teacher education and learning.

T-TEL shall provide support to all colleges to enable them upgrade the qualifications of their tutors to meet the minimum requirements of the NCTE, support shall continue to be given to colleges to achieve their organisational objectives and developmental plans through a Payment By Results ( *PBR* ) approach, providing funding for colleges to use as they see fit to improve their infrastructure and learning environment.

Strengthened partnership is being sought between Schools and Colleges guided by a new School Partnership Policy to ensure that experienced teachers are effectively monitoring student teachers in line with the *NTS*

T-TEL has also pledged to support the Colleges and Universities over the coming years to ensure the provision of continuous Professional development to lecturers of the new curriculum and deliver it effectively.

Meanwhile, he paid tribute to the magnanimous roles being played by *UCC* in building capacity and capability in *COE*.

 *Finally, if Ghana achieves these reforms, it will stand as a beacon of hope to all Africa that genuine change in teacher education is possible.*

Long live Teacher Trainees.

Long live people in the the Education Sector.

Long live Mother Ghana.

I'm proud to be a teacher trainee.

Aftermath of the earth tremor shows cracks on the ground

Some parts of Weija, Gbawe in the Ga South Municipality of the
Greater Accra Region on Sunday morning experienced a 'minor'
earth tremor which scared residents.
The tremor which occurred at about 7:50 a.m. shook buildings,
creating panic among the residents.
One resident, Kojo Addae told Graphic Online that he felt it and it
was so scary.
"I could feel the ground rumbling under my feet. Indeed it was
scary," he said.
Maame Serwaa, another resident said she heard an unusual sound
from afar and by the time realised her building was shaking.

"It was serious my brother," she added

The teacher allegedly shoot both legs of the victim (File Photo)

A 19-year-old student of the Salaga Senior High School identified
by police as Mohammed Abdul Rauf has been crippled after he
was shot multiple times by a teacher of the school for attending
entertainment sessions on campus while on suspension.
The incident occurred on Saturday, Dec. 1, at about 9.30pm, after
the victim and his colleagues, who had been suspended last month
for allegedly smoking marijuana, came to the school to attend a
party organized for students, Starr News gathered.
The victim and his friends left the campus briefly after their
presence triggered a mild confusion. The teacher, now identified as
Amadu Sulley and teaches Social Studies, was informed about the
commotion and the presence of the suspended students.
Sulley reached out for his gun and traced the suspended students
to an area called Ngua Mallam in the township, where a quarrel
broke out between them.

The teacher allegedly slapped one of the boys before shooting at
both legs of the victim.
The police confirming the incident, say they are investigating and
that a manhunt was already underway for the teacher who has
reportedly fled after the attack.
Northern Regional Police spokesman, DSP Mohammed Yussif
Tanko said, the victim had been treated at the Salaga Government
Hospital and was in stable condition.
But, Starr News has gathered that doctors at the facility were
unsuccessful in efforts to remove the pellets from his legs and
preparations were being made to transfer him to the Tamale
Teaching Hospital.

The baddest songstress in Ghana now is Wendy Shay, which is as
a result of releasing sex-positive songs, as well as exposing some
body part.
Her sex-positive songs include Uber Driver, Bedroom Commando
and and her latest banger Masakra.
Ghanaians can now conclude that any songstress that joins
RuffTown records will definitely produce sex-positive songs, and
expose body part as well.
CEO of RuffTown Records, Bullet has disclosed that the sex-
positive songs from his records will come to a stop by next year.
.
He emphasized that his signee Wendy Shay will be releasing
inspirational songs and any other aspect of music other than sex-
positive songs.
Wendy Shay has changed – Wasakra.
He made this known in an interview with Nana Kwesi Coomson,
the host of award winning entertainment show, OC Showbiz
Review On Skyy Power Fm 93.5 in Takoradi.
Officially Wendy Shay is the only artiste under the RuffTown
Records, it has two other musicians under the records but will be
announced officially, very soon.

Cassiel Ato Forson says Ghana will not get value for money if the
current agreement is approved

Parliament has pulled the breaks on Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s
drones from flying to distribute blood products in very remote
areas of the country where quality healthcare delivery is hard to
reach.
This follows the discovery of some legal and regulatory issues in
the contractual agreement between the Government of the
Republic of Ghana, represented by the Ministry of Health and Fly
Zipline Ghana Limited.
Figures quoted in the agreement as service fee are also in dispute
with the minority caucus calling for the immediate withdrawal of
the agreement to enable the parties to reconcile the amount.
First Deputy Speaker, Hon. Joseph Osei Owusu, who presided over
the consideration of the US$12,527,000.00 service agreement
between the Government of the Republic of Ghana, represented by
the Ministry of Health and Fly Zipline Ghana Limited for the
delivery of emergency health and blood products to public health
facilities in Ghana, after listening to concerns raised by the
Minority Caucus directed the agreement to be deferred for a review
to enable the parties address all the issues raised by some
Members.
The Chairman of the Health Committee, Hon. Dr. Kwabena Twum-
Nuama, had earlier told the House to adopt the Committee’s report
since the country stands to benefit a lot from the agreement.
“Mr. Speaker, a lot has already been said about how the country
stands to benefit from the Service Agreement with Fly Zipline, from
lives that will be saved to the creation of jobs and reduction of
wastage. It is however worth-emphasizing that we need to
leverage on technology to improve the outcomes of our health
service delivery system in order to help us achieve Universal
Health Coverage among the other benefits mentioned-afore. Using
drones to improve our health service delivery will be a great
achievement and the Committee is very much convinced that it will
be successful. If implemented countrywide, Ghana will become the
first country in West Africa, the second in Africa after Rwanda and
also the largest in the world, to use such a delivery system to
deliver blood and other needed supplies to remote areas”, he
noted.

Per the terms of the Service Agreement, according to the
Committee’s report, the Ministry of Health bears no risk for
installation, operation and maintenance. The Ministry pays only
when Zipline succeeds in setting up distribution centers and meets
the performance specifications agreed to, in the Service
Agreement.
The contract is expected to run for four years from the start of
service at first distribution center. Zipline is also charging US
$88,000.00 per distribution center per month when fully deployed.
However, the Ranking Member of the Finance of the Committee,
Cassiel Ato Forson, commenting on the deal said Ghana will not
get value for money if the agreement in its current form is
approved.

According to him, per his calculation having gone through the
entire agreement, the amount charged as service fee is less than
what will actually be paid to Zipline Ghana Limited.
To him, Ghana will be paying US$145,000 per month as service
fee, stressing that the amount was too much and will not inure to
the benefit of the country.

Furthermore, the State stands to pay a total of US$7million while
the operational expenses of the entire agreement will cost Zipline
Ghana Limited US$1million. He, therefore, called for the immediate
withdrawal of the agreement.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu also commenting on the deal,
said Ghanaian women do not need drones to distribute them blood
products and other medical supplies. What they need is to be
supported to undertake laboratory tests and neonatal care, he
noted.

According to him, the amount being used to procure facility could
be used to build so many CHPS compounds, especially, in remote
areas where access to healthcare delivery is difficult to come by.

Background

The Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, said at the 2018
Annual Health Summit in Accra that Ghana would by September
2018 use drones to distribute blood and other essential medicines
to remote parts of the country as part of efforts to ensure quality
healthcare delivery.
He reiterated government’s commitment while addressing
participants at the UK-Ghana Investment Summit in Accra in
October when his first deadline had passed.

The teachers threatened to take legal action to compel authorities to
shut down the schools
The ministry of education has ordered all principals of colleges of
education not to validate salaries of tutors over their decision to
declare an indefinite strike.
The tutors have been on strike for almost three weeks demanding
market premium.
They are also demanding book and research allowance on the
same scale with their colleagues in other comparable institutions.
The teachers threatened to take legal action to compel managers
of the various colleges of education to shut down the schools if
their strike reaches the 21-day mark.

Speaking to Starr News, Spokesperson of the Education ministry
Ekow Vincent Asefuah said the teachers will not be paid as a long
as they stay away from the classrooms.
“The strike action is illegal because there has been an engagement
process with them. So it is almost unconscionable for us the
education ministry, labour ministry and themselves to see them
declare strike.

“We heard them going on strike when all these negotiations were
going on. We have agreed on the percent of increment that is
worth them and yet they went on the strike. If the strike follows,
their salaries will not be validated this month or the next month and
as long as the strike persists. …it is illegal in this country to declare
an illegal strike and still expect to be paid”.
Meanwhile, the teachers say they will not be deterred by the
planned punishment.

The Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) wishes to acknowledge that
there has been a delay in the disbursement of loans for the
2018/2019 academic year. We apologize to beneficiaries of the
loan for the inconvenience caused by the delay.
We would like to place the following on record:

1. We recognize that tens of thousands of students rely on the
loans for various uses, including the payment of fees,
accommodation, and the purchase of books as well as general
living expenses. We are working assiduously to restore the
situation to normalcy.

2. At the beginning of the 2017/2018 academic year, the loan
amount was increased by 50% which resulted in a surge in
applications, putting a strain on the Fund.

3. We have engaged with the relevant stakeholders including the
Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and the GETFUND to
make financing available to pay students by the end of November.

4. We have been communicating with student leadership and take
this opportunity to appeal to the wider student body to bear with us
while we resolve the issue.

5. The SLTF takes its mandate of providing timely financial
assistance to students who need it seriously and would like to
assure the general public that this situation is a temporary one
which is being addressed with the long term view in mind.

Jihadists wants schools in northern Burkina Faso to abandon secular
education
Schools in Burkina Faso near the borders with Mali and Niger are
coming under increasing threat from jihadist groups demanding
the schools abandon secular education.
On Monday, four armed men on motorbikes pulled up to a school
in the small northern community of Toulfé.
Burkina Faso's Minister of Education Stanislas Ouaro told BBC
Afrique the gunmen forced everyone on to the floor before
whipping four of the teachers and the school director in front of the
students.
The director got six lashes and each teacher got two, he said.

The gunmen reportedly introduced themselves as Ansarul Islam
members, an extremist group launched in 2016 by Malam Dicko
and considered active in the northern part of the country.
Meanwhile, a public school closed this week in the eastern town of
Gayeri, after teachers reported seeing a threatening message
written in French on an announcements board of the school.
"We will come back on 14 November to empty the school of its
students. If we find a teacher, he is dead," the threat read,
according to the education minister who spoke to the teachers.
The minister told the BBC more than 560 schools had not been
operational in border areas since October as teachers had fled or
not shown up to work because of security concerns.

source:bbc.com

Newly Trained Teacher who completed
College of Education during the 2017/18
Academic year and awaiting their postings
shall be permanently recruited into the
Ghana Education Service after completion
of their mandatory National Service on the
basis of financial clearance from the
Ministry of Finance (MoF). The purpose of
the decision being taken by the Ghana
Education Service is to ensure that all
teachers recruited shall be paid.
The Ghana Education Service made this
revelation among others in a statement
issued on November 9,2018 to address
issues relating to a demonstration being
held by the Newly Trained Teachers with
respect to them taking part in a compulsory
National Service.

Newly Trained Teachers’ Agitations
The statement also stated that the GES met
with the Leadership of the Newly Trained
Teachers on November 6,2018 and their
position was that they were not against
undertaking the National Service but
wanted to be posted to their National
Service Stations by the Ghana Education
Service.
The GES further explained,that according to
the leadership of the Newly Trained
Teachers ,if they are being posted by the
GES ,they could then be assured of a
permanent employment after their National
Service.

GES Responses

The Ghana Education Service in the
statement,clearly indicated to the  Newly
Trained Teachers that ,posting of students
for National Service was the sole
responsibility of the National Service
Secretariat who were mandated by law to
do so and not the GES.

Criteria for Permanent Recruitment
According to the GES,the employment of
the Newly Trained Teachers into the Ghana
Education Service shall be based on the
following;

1. Good Conduct during the Period of
National Service

2. Must have a National Service Certificate

3. Must have a Professional Teachers’
License

4. Declaration of Intent and their availability
for full employment
The management of the GES further
emphasized that the GES shall be recruiting
on the basis of Financial Clearance  from
the Ministry of Finance to assure itself that
those recruited shall be paid.

Source: EducationGhana.net

Central University is alleged to be on the
verge of collapse. According to a report by
Success Africa Media,some Students of the
University have lamented about the current
happenings in the School.According to
reports,Lectures in the University have not
been paid their monthly salaries for about
three (3) months.
Reports also suggested that other staff of
the University have not been paid their
salaries.Earlier, the university laid off some
staff and other workers, while the registrar
confirmed that the university was running
on life-support.
The students also revealed their inability to
have access to utilities on campus. They
say they sometimes have no water and no
light for hours, thereby making life difficult
for them.

Sources say the only way the university
could remedy the situation is by increasing
fees for the student. However, they fear
that would backfire because Central
University has one of the highest school
fees in the country currently.
This is coming at a time when Pastor Otabil
has been in the news for the collapse of
Capital Bank in August 2017. The
renowned pastor served as a Chairman of
the bank’s board before the collapse.
About Central University
The Central University was founded by the
International Central Gospel Church (ICGC)
in Accra, Ghana. [1] It started off as a
pastoral training institute in 1988. It was
then known as the Central Bible College by
June 1991. It later became the Central
Christian College in 1993 and eventually
became the Central University College in
1997. It was founded in 1998 [2] as a
pastoral school in Dansoman. Among the
stated aims of the university is to provide
an “integrated and biblically-based tertiary
education with particular reference to the
needs of the African continent”. [3] It is
currently the biggest private university in
Ghana.
Source: EducationGhana.net

Question: "Do Christians sin?"
Answer: Before exploring whether or not Christians sin,
let’s define a couple of terms. Regardless of how
tattered the word Christian has become throughout
history, the biblical definition of a “ Christian ” is one who
is a Christ-follower, a disciple of Jesus (Acts 11:26). A
Christian is NOT someone who has ascribed to a
particular set of religious beliefs or practices, joined a
church, prayed a prayer, or participated in certain
sacraments or rituals. A Christian is a person who has
responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John
6:44) by putting his or her whole faith in the finished
work of Christ for salvation (Ephesians 2:8–9; John
3:15–18). Christians are those who have repented of
their sin and have made Jesus Lord of their lives
(Romans 10:9–10; Acts 2:38). They are born again by
the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:6–7).
“ Sin ” is any thought, word, or action that is contrary to
the character or law of God. We all sin (Romans 3:23),
and even what we consider good deeds are often
tainted by selfish motives or pride (Isaiah 64:6). Left to
ourselves, it is impossible to please God or to be
completely free from sin (Romans 3:10; Ecclesiastes
7:10).
When we come to Christ by faith and trust Him to
forgive and cleanse us of all our sin, we are in that
moment born again (John 3:3). That new birth of the
spirit results in a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). God
gives the repentant sinner a new heart that is now
turned toward obeying and pleasing Him rather than
self (2 Corinthians 5:9; Romans 8:5–6). Whereas we
were formerly slaves to sin, we are now “slaves to
righteousness” (Romans 6:16). Sin’s control has been
broken by the power of Jesus (Romans 6:6; Titus 2:14).
However, we still live in the flesh, and the flesh is prone
to want what it wants. In Romans 7:21–23, Paul
admits the battle between flesh and spirit in his own
life: “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do
good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I
delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in
me, waging war against the law of my mind and making
me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.” Each
battle with temptation is won or lost based upon how
fully we are surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit
(Galatians 5:16–17).
The book of 1 John was written to Christians. The
apostle says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8–9).
It is clear from this passage that even those who have
been born again and redeemed by the blood of Jesus
will still sin. Through thought, attitude, or action, we will
“grieve” (Ephesians 4:30) and “quench” (1
Thessalonians 5:19) the Holy Spirit at times. But this
passage also reassures us that God offers continual,
ongoing grace whenever we agree with Him about our
sin and ask for His cleansing.
However, other passages clarify the boundaries of this
ocean of grace. First John 3:6 says, “No one who lives
in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin
has either seen him or known him.” Verse 9 says that
those who have been “born of God” will not continue to
live sinfully. The implication is that this is not a matter
of trying harder. Rather, it is the equivalent of saying,
“A fish cannot remain on land for long because its
nature is to seek water.” A fish could flop onto the
shore and survive for a short time. But it was not made
for land and cannot continue there. When we are born
again, our natures change, and we cannot continue in
sin. Christ not only erases our past sin; He also
transforms our hearts so that we no longer desire it
(Colossians 2:13–14).
Paul asked, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on
sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We
are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it
any longer?” (Romans 6:1–2). Although Christians will
still sin after being saved, the heart change that the
Holy Spirit brings will result in a new attitude toward
sin. Sin cannot continue being a lifestyle choice if we
have surrendered our lives to Jesus. That’s what it
means to say that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9;
Colossians 2:6). We have a new boss. We cannot be
followers of Christ and followers of sin at the same
time. They are going in opposite directions (Luke 9:23;
14:33). Romans 12:2 instructs, “Be transformed by the
renewing of your mind .” Renewal can take some time,
but it is a process that produces a change of behavior.
When a true child of God goes astray, our Father
administers discipline to bring him back into obedience.
Hebrews 12:7–8 says, “It is for discipline that you have
to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is
there whom his father does not discipline? If you are
left without discipline, in which all have participated,
then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” If a
professing Christian can choose a lifestyle of sin
without experiencing enough discipline to bring him to
repentance, then according to this Scripture, it is highly
unlikely that that person is a child of God.
Do Christians sin? Yes. Do they willfully continue in sin?
No. Scripture indicates that, while we will always “fall
short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), we have the
hope that the power of God is at work in us to “make us
more and more like him as we are changed into his
glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT).

CREDIT: CHRISPINE OSEI KUFFOUR

Elder Amos Kevin-Annan said its better to part ways than stay as
friends with one's ex
The conscious effort to update yourself on the daily happenings of
your past lover has the tendency to affect your health, Life Coach
and Youth Counsellor, Elder Amos Kevin-Annan has said.
Speaking on Joy Prime’s Facebook Live show, The Office, Mr
Kevin-Annan said stalking your partner yields nothing but pain,
hatred and suffering hence the need to avoid it.
According to him, partners who have parted ways should accept
the reality and give each other space than try to stay as friends.
“Stop stalking; it’s very important you don’t stalk your partner. You
must respect and hold yourself together otherwise you will drag
yourself in the mud,” he advised.

He also advised people to refrain from centering their happiness
on one partner since it has the tendency to cause serious damage
should there be a break-up.
“It’s wrong to say without your partner you don’t have a life. Find a
life before you get into a relationship otherwise, you would
sacrifice your life for the relationship and when it ends your life
goes down. That’s why people commit suicide. Much as anyone
contributes to your life, they cannot be your world,” he advised.
The Office is a Facebook Live show which discusses everyday
happenings in office environments.
The show, which is hosted by Yayira Coffie, comes off every
Wednesday at 3pm.

‘        Johnson Asiedu Nketia, NDC General Secretary

Incumbent General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic
Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has blamed the party’s
defeat in 2016 on the crop of new executives that led the party into
the elections.
According to Asiedu Nketia, the party has been winning elections
since he was elected in 2005, but they dropped from grace after a
particular group of executives were brought on board in 2014.
The NDC scribe, who is parrying blame for the party’s 2016 defeat
argued that the NDC lost the general election only after party
delegates decided to vote out the executives who were in office in
2014.
Asiedu Nketia is seeking re-election after occupying the general
secretary position since December 2005.
The NDC has set November 17, 2018, to select new administrative
leaders to lead the party for the next four years.

Speaking to party members on his campaign trail, Asiedu Nketia
said he should not be blamed for the party’s 2016 defeat.
“In 2005, when we went to vote, during that time the party was
divided, yet I was still given the nod. We were in office, and three
years after some executives were removed. For some of us the
main ones, we were retained…because we were able to reason
together we contested in 2012 and we won. We were dragged to
court (by the NPP) and after eight months we were victorious. In
2014, some of the people that reason together with me were
removed and new ones were brought on board, and we went to the
elections and were defeated. So who is at fault, myself or the new
ones that were brought on board?” he asked.
Asiedu Nketia is a dictator
Asiedu Nketia’s comments come on the back accusations that he
is a dictator.
The National Treasurer of the NDC, Alhaji Abdullah Ahmed, wants
Asiedu Nketia to be rejected at the party’s upcoming national
primaries.

According to him, Asiedu Nketia is a dictator and some of his
actions are destroying the party.
Alhaji Abdullah Ahmed, popularly known as Alhaji PMC, says
Asiedu Nketia does not heed to advice, adding that the party’s
National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, is even unable to control him
and his cohorts.
“There has never been an issue raised by Chairman Portuphy or
myself at our meetings that Asiedu Nketia has approved before.
When I make suggestions they throw it away saying it is illegal.
Chairman Portuphy is unable to control him.
Asiedu Nketia is a dictator. He has a bad attitude. He does not
listen to advice. He likes insulting people. When you say
something and it goes against them, they push the young guys to
insult you,” he said in an interview on Ekosii sen on Accra based
Asempa FM.

source:citinewsroom

The Chief Imam was shot in the stomach with his intestines gushing
out
A least one person has been killed with several houses in the
Nakpachie community in the Yendi Municipality of the Northern
Region burnt after a clash erupted between two groups.
Information gathered by TV3 shows that the clash began after a
pig was shot and killed by a farmer after it strayed into his farm
and destroyed produce on the farm.
Yendi Divisional Police Crime Officer Happy Michael Addai
confirmed to TV3 Midday News, Thursday, that one person has
died from the clash.
The police identified the deceased as Adam Alhassan who is a 50-
year old Chief Imam in one of the villages within the Yendi
Municipality.
“We saw a dead body when we did preliminary investigations, and
we saw that, the person killed was shot in the stomach with the
intestines all coming out,” Mr. Addai to TV3 News.
Narrating what led to the incident, the Yendi Divisional Crime
Officer said a farmer who was angered by a pig destroying his
yields shot the pig dead and this did not go down well with the
owner of the pig.

“A man called Alhassan Jibril, a farmer, harvested his corn and left
some on his field to be collected later, then somebody’s pig went
to destroy the harvested corn and he met the pig on the field and
shot it dead,” the Crime Officer recounted.
He added that the pig owner approached the man to find out why
he killed his pig, and this resulted in a confrontation, and the man’s
gun went off and hit the farmer in the thigh, which angered his
people leading to reprisals.
He also confirmed that some houses in three settlements and a
motorbike were burnt down in the clash.
So far, one person is in police custody pending further
investigations, but the one responsible for killing the deceased
Chief Imam is still on the run.
“We have arrested the one who shot the man in the thigh for
having killed his pig, and that man has since been sent before the
Circuit court and has been remanded in prison custody.”

source:3news.com

Boost for farmers - President launches
commodity platform
Akufo-Addo unveiling the plaque to launch the Ghana Commodity
Exchange in Accra
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday rang the bell
to launch the Ghana Commodity Exchange (GCE), a platform for
buying and selling agricultural commodities in the country.
The platform, which is the first in West Africa and the third in
Africa, will link food crop producers to buyers to secure
competitive prices for their produce, provide a guaranteed market
and storage of quality graded grains and cereals.
The exchange works on the warehouse receipt system, where
farmers with a minimum of 20 bags of, say, maize, can deposit
their produce at any of the exchange’s warehouses, where they will
be tested at a laboratory, graded and deposited at the warehouse.
The farmer receives a certificate of title (receipt), after which the
grains are re-bagged into 50 kilogrammes.
With the certificate in hand, the farmer may decide to exchange it
for cash or keep it for sale during the lean season, thereby
avoiding exploitation by middlemen during bumper harvests.
The farmer can also use the commodity title as collateral for loans
from an array of banks that the state-owned exchange is working
with.
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Support for farmers
Launching the exchange, President Akufo-Addo said the
commodity exchange would be one of the key drivers to realise the
country’s vision of becoming the agricultural hub of West Africa.
He expressed worry that Ghanaian farmers had, over the years,
broken their backs in feeding the nation, yet they had no
guaranteed incomes to show for their labour.
He said commodity price volatility had been a challenge for many
farmers, while others had no knowledge of the true value of their
produce, coupled with the fact that most transactions in the
agricultural sector were conducted by word of mouth or handshake
agreements.
President Akufo-Addo said agro-industry players also had major
concerns, with varied qualities of the same commodity often mixed
together and sold, with clear disregard for accuracy in weight.
He said the players were also concerned about the non-existence
of a national system for the weighing and standardising of the
quality and quantity of commodities.
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Those challenges, he stated, had compelled people to resort to
expensive solutions and alternatives which included engaging
outgrower schemes to tie producers to delivering outputs or
extending considerable amounts of input financing.
Initial
President Akufo-Addo said the exchange would address such
challenges, saying the exchange would start with trading in food
crops such as maize, millet, sorghum, groundnut, dry beans and
soya bean, with additional commodities set to be traded on the
exchange in future.
He indicated that the government would make sure that the GCE
delivered on its mandate, promoted high productivity, price
stability, increased exports and reduced imports of commodities
and, in the light of the emerging regional and continental free trade
area, positioned Ghana as the premier West African global trading
hub.
To that end, he said, he had charged the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), regulators of the securities market, to carefully
study the workings of the commodity exchange and understand
them clearly in order to remove every regulatory impediment on its
way.
Farmers
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With an estimated one million farmers set to be rolled onto the
warehouse receipt system and the exchange within the next 18
months, the President said Ghanaian farmers would gain access to
secure storage for their harvest and good warehousing
management practices.
That, he explained, would substantially reduce post-harvest losses,
improve farmers’ take-home sales, provide them with affordable
short-term loans, using their commodities as collateral, as well as
managing borrowers’ credit and default risks.
Farmers would also have access to daily real-time market and
price information directly via text messaging.
The President encouraged traditional rulers and others to help with
the sensitisation for more farmers to participate in the new trading
exchange system in order to improve the lives of their people.

Finance Minister

The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Attah, said the platform
would contribute to the transformation of the economy, especially
by offering farmers respectable prices for their toil and, at the
same time, creating jobs through the value chain.

He said the exchange, together with the warehouses, was expected
to provide about 200,000 skilled and non-skilled jobs.
He gave an assurance that the Agricultural Development Bank
(ADB) would be strengthened and made to shift focus from
commercial banking and concentrate on providing support for
agricultural development in the country.