Ashanti Today

 The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly has undertaken a demolition exercise at Anhwiam, a day after the worst flooding in recent times hit the metropolis.  Even though the Regional NADMO office has put the number of fatality at one, other sources including eye witnesses say the death toll in the floods is more than one. Anhwiam and the Anloga Junction was one of the hardest hit suburbs by the floods.    A timely intervention by a combined team of KMA, Fire Service, Police and NADMO officials was enough to save Ghana what could likely have been another major twin disaster of floods and fire on Thursday, as the Total fuel service station and an adjoining Next Bon Gas refilling station were heavily flooded.  According to the Chief Executive of the KMA, Osei Assibey Antwi, there was a leakage from the gas station while the Fire Service had to spray their carbonated water to subdue any oil spillage from the fuel service station before the two flammable mat...

     The Methodist Church in Ghana is scheduled to go for a Conference in August this year to elect a new Presiding Bishop.  The Presiding Bishop is the head of the Church in the country and serves a six-year one term.  However, the reigning Presiding Bishop, Most Reverend Titus Awotwe-Pratt will be retiring from active service upon the attainment of the mandatory 70 years.  He served for three of the six years after his election at the Kumasi Conference in 2014.  He however had to stay on till the August 2018 National Conference. Most Rev. Awotwe-Pratt took over from Most Rev. Professor Emmanuel Asante who served his full six-year term.  Ministers of the Methodist Church, Ghana, will constitute the electoral College to vote on candidates who will be nominated by members within the college.  In an interview with Garden City Radio at Ayigya in the Oforikrom Municipality of Ashanti, the current Presiding Bishop, Most Rev. Aw...

  Today is being commemorated globally as World Drugs Day. The Day, which is being held on the theme: “Listen First”, is set aside by the United Nations for all member countries to highlight and create public awareness about dangers in the abuse of drugs and to stimulate national action to curb the problem. Speaking to Garden City Radio in Kumasi, the Officer in charge of Education at the Ashanti Regional Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Alhaji Osman Babaginda, explained that the regional commemoration of the Day will focus on religious groups, the media and schools in creating awareness on the need for society to come together to fight the canker of drug abuse. He said unlike in years gone by, certain factors like inadequate funds have limited the Regional Office of NACAOB from engaging in the commemoration of the day. Notwithstanding this, Alhaji Babaginda stressed that fighting any form of drugs abuse remains a priority of the government to safeguard the development of...

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly has so far distributed items to 94 out of 153 registered Persons With Disability in the Metropolis.  Items distributed include Chest Freezers, fridge guards, Desktop and laptop Computers, Embroidery, Industrial Sewing and Knitting machines, photocopy machines, shoemaking machines and cheques totaling two hundred thousand, 130 Ghana cedis.  Addressing the beneficiaries, the KMA Chief Executive, Osei Assibey Antwi, noted that the aim of the government is to empower the PWDs to improve upon their lives.  It is for this reason that some changes have been made to the two percent allocation of the District assemblies common Fund to the PWDs.  The changes he noted include, equipping at least 50 registered PWDs in economic ventures, reserve ten percent for medicals and assistive devices and ten percent for school fees and training.  He noted that the Assembly set up a committee which included representatives of PWDs to asse...

The Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie has disclosed that government has given approval for the Rapid Response Unit of the Forestry Commission to carry weapons to protect the forest cover.  He said, for far too long, the forest guards have come under attack and in certain instances, some seriously hurt.  Addressing the seventh Forestry Week at Sakra Wonoo in the Kwabre East district in the Ashanti region, Mr. Owusu Afriyie said the commission will not allow the selfish interest of some individuals to make the county suffer.  The Forestry week celebration was carved of the United Nation International day of Forests to create awareness and also protect the forest cover. Ghana has chosen the month of June for the country’s celebration.  Mr. Owusu Afriyie said government’s approval for the Rapid Response Unit to carry weapons is as a result of numerous attacks the staff have come under.  He said 54 thousand illegal ...

Today is being commemorated globally as World Drugs Day. The Day, which is being held on the theme: “Listen First”, is set aside by the United Nations for all member countries to highlight and create public awareness about dangers in the abuse of drugs and to stimulate national action to curb the problem. Speaking to Ashanti Today in Kumasi, the Officer in charge of Education at the Ashanti Regional Office of the Narcotics Control Board, NACOB, Alhaji Osman Babaginda, explained that the regional commemoration of the Day would focus on, parents, religious groups, the media and schools in creating awareness on the need for society to come together to fight the canker of drug abuse.  He said unlike in years gone by, certain factors like inadequate funds have limited the Regional Office of NACAOB from engaging in the commemoration of the day.  Notwithstanding this, Alhaji Babaginda stressed that fighting any form of drugs abuse remains a priority of the government to sa...

The Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has disclosed that that from the next academic year beginning this September, all the Colleges of Education in the country will be upgraded to the status of University Colleges.  The Colleges will therefore begin a four year Bachelor of Education programs. He said in the near future,  the minimum requirement for teaching, will be first degree at any level in any  Educational system so as to upgrade the capacity of teachers to respond to the current and changing educational needs.  The Minister made this known in Kumasi in an address read on his behalf at the 14 th graduation ceremony of the St. Louis College of Education.   The event, which was on the theme: “The Excellent Teacher-An Indispensable Resource for Sustainable National Development”, saw the passing out of 316 students from both the regular  Diploma in Basic Education and 350 others from the Sandwich course in Early Childhood Edu...

The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Most Reverend Titus Awotwe Pratt, says the use of only Birth Certificate and Passport as admissible identification document for registration for the Ghana Card is too restrictive.  Government must therefore accept to include other legal document easily accessible by genuine citizens such as Driver’s License and the Voter’s ID Cards to enable as many Ghanaians register for the Ghana Card.  Most Rev. Awotwe-Pratt gave the advice at Ayigya in the Oforikrom Municipality of Ashanti at a Commissioning Service for new Lay Evangelists into the Methodist Church.  The 24 new Lay Evangelists, who come from various parts of Ghana, had successfully completed a two-year training programme at the Freeman Development Centre in Kumasi.  During the training period, they took courses such as Counselling, Evangelism and Theology before undertaking a practical evangelism at Abuontem in the Bosomtwe district of Ashanti w...

 Owners of Premier women football Clubs in the country are to petition the Parliamentary Women Caucus, the three former Presidents, the Chief of Staff at the Presidency among other influential individuals to impress upon the government to rescind its plans to dissolve the Ghana Football Association. The Women football club owners are concerned that ramifications of the eventual dissolution of the GFA would be more disastrous for the socio-economic progress of the country than anticipated. This sentiment was expressed at a media interaction in Kumasi. Women Football and Expose Even though Ghana is now running amateur women football league at the premier level, the relevance of women football to the Ghanaians society cannot be downplayed.  The sector is keeping many young females active and winning laurels for the nation. Currently, the U-20 team is preparing for another FIFA World Cup in Uruguay later this year while the Black Queens are also to host their counter...

A group of agitated Zongo youth in Kumasi have given the Ashanti regional Police Command up to Monday, the 18 th of June, to release for burial in line with the tenets of Islam, the body of a 25-year old man who was killed by the Police at Suame nearly a month ago.  The angry youth have threatened to advise themselves should the Police Command fail to meet the ultimatum and also fail to give any tangible reason/s for the murder of the young man.  The highly incensed Zongo youth invaded the Asawase Central Mosque in the Asokore Mampong Municipality with placards bearing inscriptions of various messages including ‘Zongos are not Animals’.  They took advantage of the Eid ul Fitr congregational prayers to officially mark the end of the month-long Ramadan fast to proclaim their anger.  The demonstration was to draw attention of the leadership of the Zongo and Muslim communities to what they claim to be a deliberate targeting of Zongo youth by the Ashant...

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, and the Okyehene, Amoatia Ofori Panin, today, Saturday June 16, jointly undertook a ceremonial Tee Off of the 2 nd annual Head of State Invitational Golf Tourname at the Royal Golf Course in Kumasi.  The appearance of the two prominent traditional leaders is rare and is also considered a good sign of peace-building among the chiefs and peoples of Asanteman and Akyem Abuakwa.  This follows recent allegations of heightened rivalry among the two as a result of alleged manipulations by some politicians for unknown reasons. The situation caused a combined National and Ashanti regional leadership of the governing New Patriotic Party to visit the Asantehene to calm down nerves.  The uncommon official visit of Amoatia Ofori Panin to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi and in particular, his public appearance with Otumfuo Osei Tutu today is seen by many as a positive sign of leadership to their respective peoples.  The two revere...

 Residents of Ahinsan in the Asokwa Municipality of the Ashanti region are up in arms against the Kumasi Abattoir Company for refusing to properly dispose of by-products from the meat processing organization.  The company has for many years being discharging untreated faecal matter and blood from slaughtered animals directly into a stream that flows through the community resulting in a heavy contamination of the once reliable source of water.  Consequently, the stream which has now become dark brown has not only unfit for any purpose, but has been emitting a very strong stench leaving the residents and visitors uncomfortable to stay around the place.  Ashanti Today can confirm reports that, aside from people living along the stream, it lies in the middle of a popular mechanics workshop where a number of master mechanics and mechanic apprentices ply their trade for a living.  According to the Master mechanics due to the strong stench from the strea...

  The leadership of the Christ Apostolic Church of Ghana has taken a swipe at people who are moving heaven and earth to ensure that evil cankers like lesbianism and homosexuality are imposed on Ghanaians.  Speaking to some journalists in Kumasi, the Chairman of the Church, Apostle Abraham Amoh, described lesbianism and homosexuality as a canker affecting human minds to act negatively to God’s righteous order.  In this regard, Apostle Amoh entreated all faith-based organisations, civil society  gr oups and pressure groups in the country to rise and join the crusade against the twin acts which he referred to as “demon imposed acts”.  He noted that as a nation that has its unique culture, norm, laws and religions which are respected by all, there is the need for the people to rise and fight against the imposition of any act which are inimical to the proper development of the nation.  Apostle Amoh wondered if countries like the United Kingdom ...

Management of the Kumasi Zoo is appealing to particularly the media to help conscientize the public about the existence of the facility and its cultural, educational, research and social importance to the society.  The Zoo, built about 60 years ago as a complement of the Kumasi Centre for Culture popularly known as the Kumasi Cultural Centre for the conservation of some crucial aspects of the people’s cultural and traditional heritage as well as for historical purposes, has had its average annual visitor turn around substantially 'reduced from 100 thousand to the present 17 thousand.'  The situation is due to an erroneous impression that the facility has been closed down because of the ongoing construction work on the Kejetia Terminal complex.    In an exclusive interview with Ashanti Today  in Kumasi, Manager of the Kumasi Zoo, Dr. Meyir Ziekah, noted also that the Zoo now requires rehabilitation especially the cages for the about 129 different an...

Government has maintained the amount of money charged on Muslim pilgrims last year as the fare for their Hajj to Saudi Arabia.  Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who disclosed this, said each Muslim planning to undertake this year’s Hajj will pay 15 thousand Ghana Cedis.  Alhaji Dr. Bawumia made this known while addressing Muslims at separate venues during his tour of the Ashanti region to join Muslims in performing their Ramadan obligation. Ashanti is the 7 th region the Vice President was touring to join his Muslim brothers and sisters in their Ramadan fast.  Accompanied by some government appointees including the Minister for Inner Cities and Zongo Development, Alhaji Abubakar Boniface Saddique, Deputy Minister for Energy and the two Deputy Chief Executives of the Zongo Development Fund, the Vice President first mourned with Muslims at the Aboabo Number Two near Kumasi on the death of one of their members.  From there, he paid a c...

Government has identified an acute shortfall in the number of Agriculture Extension Agents and some critical logistics as a major issue affecting agricultural productivity in the country.  Government has therefore taking steps to address those challenges including the recruitment of additional Extension Officers to help implementation of some of its flagship programmes.  A Deputy Minister for Food  and Agric, Dr. Sagre Bambangi, made this known in Kumasi at a sensitization  workshop on the Modernizing Agric in Ghana project, for officers in the  implementation value   chain in the Ashanti region.  The Project is a five  year  Canadian budget support spanning 2017 and 2021.  The 135  million Canadian  Dollar  project aims at increasing efficiency of local farmers through the value chain   development and Extension Service delivery, supporting agric services to build  market linkag...