Ashanti Today

Members of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology branch of the Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union, TEWU, this morning, Monday October 29, went on a peaceful procession within the campus of the university to press home their demand for the dissolution of the Interim Management Committee constituted by the Government to run affairs of the university for the next three months.  They wielded placards bearing various messages. The inscriptions included, “No VC, No Work”, “Leave Nhyriaba Obiri Danso alone”, “Stop The Political Tricks” and “TEWU Does Not Recognize The IMC”.  Speaking to Ashanti Today, the Chairman of the local Chapter of TEWU, Charles Arthur insisted that the Union rejects outright, the Interim Management Committee and demand an immediate restoration of the University Council in accordance with the statutes and regulations of the institution. Therefore, TEWU rejects also invitation by the government to the Union for a representative on the Int

Traditional leaders in the Ashanti region are urging government to, as a matter of urgency, speed up the construction of a warehouse in each district as promised so as to avert a possible major post-harvest losses in food stuffs next year.  At separate interactions with the Minister for Food and Agric, Dr. Owusu Afriyie, the chiefs and their elders said, though they are happy that there are signs of food glut, the lack of storage facilities for the farmers to keep the excess ahead of the lean season is becoming.  The Minister for Food and Agric, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, accompanied by some of the Directors at the Agric Ministry, was undertaking an official visit to the Ashanti region for the first time since assuming duty nearly two years ago. He started off at the PEE Farms near Ejura owned by a former MP for the area, Mr. Mohammed Pangabu. The 500 acrea Abontem and Obaatampa maize farm is the being cultivated mainly for certified seed maize for farmers under the Planting fo

The KNUST branch of the Ghana Association of University Administrators, GAUA, has withdrawn its services with immediate effect following government’s dissolution the governing council of the KNUST as part of measures to address the impasse in the University.  A statement signed by the branch Vice President, Anthony Gollo, noted that the University’s Act and Statutes provide adequate mechanism to deal with the impasse. Therefore, GAUA does not recognize the interim government management inaugurated by the government and has rejected it outright. GAUA further insists on the restoration of the properly constituted Governing Council of the University. Already, the local branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana, UTAG, has, with immediate effect, withdrawn its services to the university describing the replacement of the governing Council with an Interim Management as a subtle 'extension of government' in the institution. Speaking to journalists after an emergen

   The Students Representatives Council, SRC, of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST,  says it has never been part of its concerns that the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso, be sacked by government. In a statement, the official and legitimate mouthpiece of students of Ghana's premier science and technology university emphasized 'we also want to reiterate that the cause of this impasse remains students brutality and not Hall conversion as the media and some others want to make it. And it is not the official position of the SRC and students that the Vice Chancellor be removed. All we want was the issues raised to be addressed and they have been duly addressed and as such, all we seek is for things to be restored to normalcy for academic work to resume' the SRC President Kelvin Sah stressed in a two-paged statement to the media hours before government dissolved governing Council of the KNUST on Thursday, October 25, 2018 afternoon.

The Ashanti Regional Security Council, REGSEC, has said, that it has picked intelligence that some persons were planning to hold news conference at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, a place declared as a security zone.  A statement signed by the Chairman of the REGSEC, Simon Osei Mensah, who is also the Regional Minister, cautioned that no public event, gathering or any such event will be allowed to be held within the campus.  The statement warned that the REGSEC is closely monitoring events there and asked members of the public to remain calm as the Council works to ensure that the place is safe.

Management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, has closed down the institution indefinitely, starting today. The decision was taken at an emergency this afternoon, Monday October 22, following riots by the students. The University’s Relation Officer, Kwame Yeboah, who confirmed this Ashanti Today , confirmed also that a dusk to dawn curfew has also been imposed on the campus.  He said by the latest decision, every student should leave the university’s premises by tomorrow, Tuesday, October 23. Meanwhile, there remains heavy presence of police and military personnel to ensure sustenance of peace, security and safety on the campus.  There is a relative calm at the university now as the staff and management begin to count their losses after the rampaging students damaged anything they came across during the heat of the skirmishes.  Some of the staff at the Administration say they could need sometime to fully recover from the trauma they suffered

What was supposed to be a peaceful protest March by students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, in Kumasi today, rather turned out to be very violent. Apart from an extensive damage caused to university property, at least 16 vehicles belonging to some staff at the University's administration were also severely damaged by the rampaging students.  The SRC of  the KNUST last Saturday issued a statement asking all students of the university to  boycott lectures on Monday, October 22 in an apparent reaction to a confrontation  that allegedly ensued between some student residents of the University Hall  commonly known as Katanga Hall and the internal security officials of the University last Friday night.  The security officials are reported to have subjected the  students to physical abuse for allegedly converging on the campus for a vigil  contrary to a ban on such activities. In the process, at least, one male student who  w

Government has suspended indefinitely construction works on all GETFund financed school projects initiated by the previous administration. Resumption of the projects execution depends on the completion of ongoing forensic audit of the cost of those projects to ensure value for money. 'You heard the PIAC  making a damning revelation about oil funded projects', Mr. Osei Mensah explained the reason for government's decision.  The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, made this known at Tetrefu in the Bosomtwe district of the Ashanti region. He was addressing a durbar of stakeholders at the inauguration of a three-classroom block for the local Junior High School.  The classroom block, with an office and a staff Common Room, cost 150 thousand Ghana Cedis. The project is a self-help initiative of the chiefs and people of Sawua and Tetrefu with material support by the Bosomtwe District Assembly and some individuals lasting approximately five months to provide con

Residents of Tetrefu in the Bosomtwe district of Ashanti have decried the havoc being caused to the community and their houses in particular by erosion. A visit by Ashanti Today showed that many of the houses risk collapsing due to the damage caused by soil erosion as a result of the lack of proper settlement planning.  Years of inaction by the people and their leaders has led to the collapse of some of the houses with many others almost hanging since their foundations have been washed away by rain water runoff.  The streets and the main road of the community are also fast deteriorating as deep gulleys have developed along the shoulders and in some cases, deep ditches created creating death traps for especially children and the aged.  Workers were seen either pulling down some of the weakened sandcrite houses or rebuilding to avoid same from collapsing on people with others re-building destroyed properties.  One of the lands whose house is virtually hanging after its foundati

The Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo has inaugurated a Pre-fabricated High Court at the Kumasi Central Prisons. The fully furnished court was sponsored by the Danish Government through the Danish International Development Agency, DANIDA.  Justice Sophia Akuffo explained that the project is to increase the Prisoners’ access to justice by reducing cost and time of frequenting the traditional courts. It is also to help cases of remand prisoners to be disposed of expeditiously towards decongesting the prisons while improving the Justice for all Programme.   Justice Sophia Akuffo appealed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to also help provide similar adjudication facilities inside prisons in their respective Municipalities and District to improve justice delivery. The Chief Justice also reminded the Judicial Service Staff of their duty to uphold human rights.  The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Tove Degnbol noted that the Justice for All Programme has provide

One hundred Ghanaian artisans using bamboo and rattan for commercial production of various wood products including furniture have begun a month-long skills enhancing training course at Akyawkrom in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti region in innovation and processing of bamboo and rattan into marketable and exportable products.  They were selected from Ashanti, Eastern, Central and Eastern regions to be trained by experts in the industry from China to build the trainees capacity to become Master Artisans in the bamboo and rattan industry in Ghana.  A Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu Bioh, noted that bamboo and rattan, which are in abundance in Ghana, constitute the two largest non-timber forest products have been identified to be the suitable complement to timber usage in the building and construction. According to the Deputy Minister, bamboo is a unique material with a range of socio-economic and environmental benefits.  Mr. Bio said gove

It has come to the attention of Ashanti Today that, there are still expired food products on the market in the Ashanti region despite intensified efforts by the Food and Drugs Authority, FDA to clear unwholesome manufactured edible products from the system.  The FDA has since the beginning of the year undertaken series of market surveys during which unwholesome products still on the shelves of wholesale and retail outlets were impounded with the hope that the market would be rid of such dangerous items.  However, during refreshment after a public event held in one of the rural communities in the Bosomtwe district of the Ashanti region recently, some of the canned drinks served the patrons had expired two months earlier. Unfortunately, when the anomaly was detected by Ashanti Today's Reporter that covered the event, most of the beneficiaries of the goodies had either finished consuming the expired drinks or left for their respective destinations.  To ascertain the pre

The Head Pastor of the Christ Cosmopolitan Incorporated Church, Reverend Dr. Obed Obeng Addai, popularly known as Pastor Obed, and two others have been granted a police inquiry bail by the Asokwa Police Division in the Ashanti region following a complaint lodged by a Cameraman of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, GBC, Victor Vanderpuye of physical assault on him by the suspects during GBC’s coverage of a fire outbreak at the premises of the church yesterday.  The two other suspects in the case are Pastor Daniel Boateng, Associate Pastor of the church and one Sheriff Lawal. Speaking to our Correspondent, the Asokwa Divisional Commander, ACP Michael Awuley, said the suspects were granted bail after writing their Caution Statement to the Police following their arrest yesterday. They were asked to produce their witnesses just as the GBC Cameraman was also requested to do this morning to allow for investigations to unravel circumstances of the suspected assault towards prosecution.