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Roman-hill, Alabar road turns death trap, commuters threaten demonstration

By
Adwoa Afranewaa
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Road users near Aboabo Station and Alabar are warning of a potential protest against the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) due to the worsening condition of a major road in the city center.

Travelers on the Roman-hill road to Alabar are facing dangerous conditions, as a portion of the road has collapsed, leading to significant traffic disruptions.

The commuters have accused the KMA of ignoring multiple reports they’ve filed about the road’s poor condition.

Despite being aware of the problem, the KMA has failed to address the issue, leaving the road in a dangerous state for nearly a month.

Some frustrated commuters spoke to Orange News, expressing their concerns.

One noted “they shouldn’t wait until there’s a fatal accident before taking action. The authorities know about the situation but have chosen to ignore it. This is the second time we’ve experienced something like this. Since we pay taxes, they should fix the road before any tragedy occurs.”

“It’s been three weeks since we reported the condition of the road to our leaders, but nothing has been done. The road remains in terrible shape,” another road user lamented.

“The road is really bad, and there have been several accidents. Even though our leaders use the same road, they continue to neglect its maintenance,” A frustrated trader stated.

By Obikyere Abigail Seyram, Student of Communication and Media Studies, KNUST

Ghana’s Inflation Eases in August—Prof Annim

By
Ivy Hollys
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inflation rate in ghana

Ghana’s inflation rate has continued its downward trend in August 2024, dropping to 20.4% from 20.9% in July. This marks the sixth consecutive month of decline since it peaked at 25.8% in March.

At a news conference today in Accra, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim attributed this reduction to a fall in food inflation. Food inflation decreased to 19.1% in August, while non-food inflation rose slightly to 21.5%.

He attributed the slowdown to falling prices in key food categories such as milk, oils, fats, and fruits and nuts. 

Explaining further, he said, “From a regional perspective, the Upper East region recorded the highest overall rate of inflation of 27.8%. The Northeast region recorded the lowest rate of inflation of 10.1%.”

A significant highlight of the report was the month-on-month food inflation, which dropped to -0.7% in August, signaling a decrease in general price levels between July and August 2024.

“On a month-on-month basis, we have recorded a much more significant drop in month-on-month food inflation, dropping to negative 0.7% for the month of August 2024. This means that between July and August 2024, the general price levels of goods and services went down by 0.7%, he reiterated.”

 Despite this, Prof. Annim noted that prices continue to rise year on year, urging efforts to maintain the downward trend. Although this is a positive trend, inflation remains higher than the central bank’s medium-term target of eight percent, with an allowable margin of two percentage points on either side.

Prof. Annim further highlighted the disparity between inflation on locally produced and imported goods, noting a 6.1 percentage point difference. While inflation for locally produced goods decreased from 23.3% to 22.2%, imported goods slightly increased from 15.6% to 16.1%.

According to Prof. Annim, this is a positive sign for the economy, suggesting a slowdown in price increases. However, he cautioned that prices are still rising, and efforts should be made to sustain the downward trend.

LPG appoints Kwame Wilder as campaign spokesperson on sports and creative arts

By
Adwoa Afranewaa
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The Liberal Party Ghana (LPG) has appointed David Opare Donkor, popularly known as Kwame Wilder, as its campaign spokesperson on sports and creative arts.

This appointment was made by the party’s flagbearer, Kofi Akpaloo Percival, ahead of the upcoming elections.

In his new role, Kwame Wilder will also serve as a media aide to the flagbearer, providing insight into the party’s manifesto on sports and creative arts.

The LPG has promised to construct roads leading to tourist sites to boost tourism and contribute to economic growth.

Kwame Wilder’s appointment is seen as a strategic move to leverage his expertise in sports and creative arts to promote the party’s vision.

He is expected to engage with the media and the public to shed more light on the party’s manifesto and its plans for the creative arts and sports sectors.

With his appointment, Kwame Wilder has already begun his work, set to embark on a series of media meetings and engagements to discuss the LPG’s creative arts and sports manifesto.

His role will be crucial in communicating the party’s vision to the electorate and garnering support for the LPG in the upcoming elections.

Asamoah Gyan Steps Back from Politics to Focus on Youth Development

By
Ivy Hollys
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Asamoah gyan

Following a brief, intense involvement in Ghana’s political landscape, former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan has officially announced his departure from partisan politics.

In February 2024, Asamoah Gyan was appointed chairman of the Youth and Sports sub-committee for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s manifesto team. Later in April, Gyan expressed his willingness to serve as Bawumia’s running mate if the opportunity arose.

These desires seem to be a thing of the past, as Asamoah Gyan today, September 11, 2024, released a public statement. In it, he detailed his decision to step away from political affiliations, underscoring his commitment to youth development through sports and philanthropy.

Gyan further expressed regret for not fully serving the youth of Ghana, stating, “I haven’t been fair to the youth and the people of Ghana. Henceforth, I am not affiliated with any political party. I will continue my humanitarian work and help the youth of Ghana in my own small way. Nothing political. I wish all the political parties a peaceful election on December 7, 2024. God bless our homeland, Ghana. Thank you.”

His withdrawal from politics comes after several months of active participation in Dr. Bawumia’s campaign efforts. Gyan’s involvement in shaping the NPP’s manifesto was seen as a major step into the political arena. However, the football icon has reiterated that his passion lies in community service, specifically through sports and education.

In his statement, Gyan outlined the work of the Asamoah Gyan Foundation, which focuses on creating opportunities for Ghanaian youth through sports academies, training centers, and mentorship programs. He emphasized that his efforts are completely independent of political influence, and reassured that his mission is solely to uplift young people and communities across Ghana.

“This is not about politics; I am fully independent from political influence. This is about our children, our communities, and our continent,” Gyan said. He further highlighted plans for the foundation to collaborate with international organizations, royal families, and philanthropic partners to make a lasting impact.

The announcement has sparked mixed reactions from the public, with Gyan’s name currently trending on social media. 

While many praised his dedication to humanitarian causes, others expressed surprise at his sudden political exit, given his significant role in the NPP’s manifesto committee.

4 Astronauts Leave Earth for First Privately-funded Spacewalk

By
Ivy Hollys
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spacewalk-astronauts

A crew of four private astronauts on Tuesday launched into space for a risky SpaceX mission to attempt the first-ever private spacewalk using the company’s new spacesuits and a redesigned spacecraft.

  • The mission is being bankrolled by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who is mission commander
  • He is joined by Scott Poteet, a retired US Air Force pilot, and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon
  • Previously, only government-funded astronauts have carried out spacewalks
  • There was a four-hour launch window in the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday morning
  • SpaceX pushed the Falcon 9 launch to 9:23 GMT after bad weather delayed an earlier attempt

A billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot and two SpaceX employees launched at 9:23 GMT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, the spacecraft’s fifth – and riskiest – private space mission so far.

An attempt to launch last month was postponed hours before liftoff over a small helium leak in ground equipment on SpaceX’s launchpad. SpaceX fixed the leak, but the company’s Falcon 9 was then grounded by U.S. regulators over a booster recovery failure during an unrelated mission, further delaying the Polaris launch.

Permitted to resume Falcon 9 flights, the Polaris mission launched Tuesday.

“Crew safety is absolutely paramount and this mission carries more risk than usual, as it will be the furthest humans have traveled from Earth since Apollo and the first commercial spacewalk!,” Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, wrote about the mission last month on his social media site X.

Only highly trained, well-funded government astronauts have done spacewalks in the past.

There have been roughly 270 on the International Space Station (ISS) since its creation in 2000, and 16 by Chinese astronauts on Beijing’s Tiangong space station.

The SpaceX mission, called Polaris Dawn, will last about five days in an oval-shaped orbit that passes as close to Earth as 190 km (118 miles) and as far as 1,400 km (870 miles), the farthest any humans will have traveled since the end of the United States’ Apollo moon programme in 1972.

The spacewalk is planned for the mission’s third day at 700 km in altitude and will last around 20 minutes. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon craft will slowly depressurise its entire cabin – it has no airlock like the ISS – and all four astronauts will rely on their slimmed-down, SpaceX-built spacesuits for oxygen.

History of American Spacewalk

The first U.S. spacewalk was in 1965, aboard a Gemini capsule, and used a similar procedure to the one planned for Polaris Dawn: the capsule was depressurised, the hatch opened, and a spacesuited astronaut ventured outside on a tether.

Jared Isaacman, 41, a pilot and the billionaire founder of electronic payment company Shift4, is bankrolling the Polaris mission, as he did for his Inspiration4 flight with SpaceX in 2021. He has declined to say how much he is paying for the missions, but they are likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Joining him is mission pilot Scott Poteet, 50, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel; and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis, 30, and Anna Menon, 38, both senior engineers at the company.

For the spacewalk, Isaacman and Gillis will exit the spacecraft tethered by an oxygen line while Poteet and Menon stay in the cabin.

The mission is the first in Isaacman’s private Polaris program that includes a follow-on Crew Dragon mission in the future, followed by a flight on SpaceX’s Starship, a giant rocket the company has spent billions of dollars developing as a flagship moon and Mars vehicle.

The four-person crew are effectively test subjects for an array of scientific experiments that will aim to shed light on how cosmic radiation and the vacuum of space affect the human body, adding to decades of studies on astronauts living aboard the ISS.

Since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, NASA has relied heavily on the company and its Crew Dragon, which has flown nine astronaut missions to and from the ISS for the agency as the only U.S. crew-grade vehicle in operation.

The company has previously flown four private missions: Isaacman’s Inspiration4, and three private astronaut flights arranged by Houston-based mission broker Axiom Space.

Boeing is struggling to develop a similar spacecraft, Starliner, that could rival Crew Dragon. But Starliner’s latest NASA test mission that began in June – its first time flying a crew – left its astronauts on the ISS last week because of issues with its propulsion system.

Source: Reuters

Security Intensified at Walewale NPP Parliamentary Rerun

By
Ivy Hollys
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parliamentary rerun

Security measures have been heightened in Walewale after a disruption occurred during the vote-counting process in the parliamentary rerun of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Primary for the Walewale Constituency on 10th September, 2024.

The incident led to the arrest of Kamara Bawah, who was apprehended for causing damage to several ballot papers. The suspect is currently in police custody, assisting with the ongoing investigation.

Military personnel have also been reported to have assaulted some individuals at the voting centre where the parliamentary rerun was to take place.

Concerns were earlier raised by an aspirant Dr Mahama Tia Kabiru and his team about the venue, citing a lack of official communication on the arrangements.

While many anticipated the sorting and counting to occur openly, it instead took place behind closed doors inside a church room.

According to the chairman of the election committee, an unidentified person disrupted the process. This individual was later arrested.

Dr Kabiru expressed his disappointment with the handling of the election, questioning the democratic process within the NPP.

His supporter, constituency chairman Mohammed Muniru Janda, added that Kabiru seemed to be leading during the sorting process before the disruption.

Janda also raised concerns about the security of the ballots, casting doubt on the fairness of the rerun.

Credit: Citinewsroom

Judge urges agencies to turn on street lights for public safety

By
Adwoa Afranewaa
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A Circuit Court Judge has called upon relevant agencies to ensure that all highways are properly illuminated to prevent accidents and save lives.

During a court case where a pedestrian was fatally struck due to inadequate street lighting, Judge Sedinam Awo Kwadam expressed her concern over the increasing number of accidents caused by poor visibility on roads.

Sedinam said pedestrians are not being easily seen by drivers, especially at night when they may not be wearing bright clothing.

She stated the urgent need for all streetlights on highways to be turned on and for any malfunctioning lights to be promptly repaired.

“We are charged for streetlights through our electricity bills, yet many highways remain dark and unsafe. It is crucial to illuminate these areas to prevent further loss of lives,” she stated.

The accused, Colbert Ni Ayitey Tagoe, faced charges of careless and negligent behavior resulting in harm to others after his vehicle, a Mercedes Benz with registration number GN 3060-11, struck and fatally injured Cynthia Dede Tettey.

By: Osei-Tutu Esther Kumah, Student, Kumasi Technical University (KsTU)

Orange FM’s listeners appeal to gov’t to solve Illegal mining

By
Adwoa Afranewaa
-

Some listeners of Orange FM have urged the government to urgently address the issue of illegal mining activities, also known as galamsey.

They criticize the current efforts to combat this menace as inadequate, with thousands of farmlands and hectares of forests being destroyed, leading to the pollution of water bodies.

Speaking to Alfa Ali on the Orange Sunrise, some of them called for immediate action to tackle the illegal activity.

A listener who called into the show said “with the galamsey issue we are discussing now, if the chiefs don’t put their feet down with the support of the government to sack these people from the land, it will not work. The chiefs must be involved in order to win the fight.”

“You see, all the candidates that will file for the 2024 elections must be carried in one bus to the various galamsey sites to go and campaign against galamsey. Let us hear their messages at the venues where galamsey is going on,” another caller stated.

Ruben Ameh, Secretary of the Combined Kejetia Traders Association, also expressed concern about the devastating impact of galamsey on water bodies.

He stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to address this pressing issue.

In an interview with Alfa Ali on the Orange Sunrise, he said “Let’s all begin to say no to this menace, we have tolerated a whole lot of menace in this country.”

“It has not been to this level of destruction. There have been chainsaw operators that we have been talking about for years now, but not to this level. As for galamsey, you are applying certain chemicals and destroying water bodies,” he added.

By Nelly Takyiwa Boateng, Student, Kumasi Technical University (KsTU)

Christian council calls for a ban on galamsey

By
Adwoa Afranewaa
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The Christian Council of Ghana has urged on government to take steps towards bringing a finality to illegal mining activities, commonly known as “galamsey.”

This call from the Christian Council comes as a result of the devastating effects of illegal mining on the environment, local communities, and the nation’s future.

These effects have reached critical levels, which is prompting various stakeholders to seek immediate and extensive actions to be taken against these actions.

Reverend Cyril Fayose, General Secretary of the Christian Council showed concern over the menace that illegal mining activities place on Ghana’s natural resources, especially its water bodies, farmlands and its ecosystem.

Reverend Fayose called for urgent attention to address the crisis, stating that the canker must be addressed immediately.

He called for more than just the usual criticism and reactive approach, highlighting that only a calculated and extensive strategy would satisfy demands in protecting Ghana’s future.

“I think there should be a total ban, at least if not a total ban, a moratorium for some time [on Galamsey] so that we sit back and think about how to proceed. There are two ways to proceed.

“One is a total ban on small-scale mining so that no one is allowed to do small-scale mining, just as we don’t allow anyone to mine in water bodies. But the other thing is if we cannot ban small-scale mining, at least the small-scale mining companies must be community-owned.”

Source: Obikyere Abigail Seyram, Communication and Media Studies Student, KNUST

GNAT calls for stakeholders involvement to tackle indiscipline in schools

By
Adwoa Afranewaa
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The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has urged for an urgent stakeholder involvement to create ways to tackle indiscipline in schools.

The association said, it’s imperative for parents, teachers, educational executives, civil society organizations, and school leaders to collaborate in addressing the issue of indiscipline for the betterment of the nation.

The recent behavior exhibited by students necessitates urgent action.

“We must convene a stakeholders meeting to address this issue promptly. Failure to do so may result in our future leaders catching us off guard,” emphasized Thomas Tanko Musah, the General Secretary of GNAT.

These remarks come in the wake of a tragic incident at O’Reilly Senior High School in Accra, where a final-year General Arts student lost his life after being stabbed during an altercation with a classmate.

The argument, which ensued after completing an examination paper, escalated into physical violence, leading to the fatal stabbing of Edward Borketey Sackey.

BY:Osei -Tutu Esther Kumah, Student, Kumasi Technical University (KsTU)

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