I want every child to attend school- Prez Nana Akufo Addo

President of the republic, Nana Akufo Addo said he wants every Ghanaian child to attend school beacuse education is the equalizer of opportunity. 

According to him, education has made him who he is today, president of the country, hence the need to prioritise education and urge children to go to school. 

"Education is the equalizer of opportunity, I am in this position as the President of the republic because of education and I want every child to attend school not just because of what they learn but the life experiences they will gain" he said. 

He was speaking at the 10th anniversary of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Volta capital, Ho on Friday, July 15 2022, where he also commissioned an ultra-modern hostel facility for the University, as well as inspected construction of phase two of UHAS

The president encouraged children to have confidence "i want each of them to look into the mirror in the morning, every morning and tell themselves they can achieve anything they dream of", he added "I want you to be confident".

He however advised parents to take care of their children because they are the future of the country. 

Nana Akufo Addo also mentioned that, his government will not be relent on it's efforts to provide quality and affordable education and equal opportunity for Ghanaians. 

He made emphasis that, the Free Senior High School initiative will not be scrapped. 

COVID-19: Ketu South records more coronavirus cases in Volta region

Streets of Aflao looks very empty amid border closure 

The Ketu South Municipality in the Volta region is topping confirmed cases of the coronavirus outbreak in the Volta region with a total number of twenty one cases.

On April 12, 2020, some twenty seven travelers from the neighbouring country Nigeria, who unlawfully entered Ghana through Aflao were intercepted by the security officials and quarantined accordingly and out of which six of the them were  tested positive of Covid -19, after which seventy six persons where discovered in contact tracing.

On April 30, 2020, five new positive covid-19 cases were recorded from the seventy six contact persons, this brings to the  total number of eleven cases within the Municipality only.

On May 1, 2020, additional seventy two  test result was released with ten being  new positive covid-19 cases recorded in the area, this brings the total to twenty one cases of Covid-19 recorded in the Ketu South, this making the Municipality becoming a hotspot of the coronavirus pandemic in the Volta region.

However, out of this number, twelve are foreign nationals who are in quarantine and nine are Ghanaians who are contacts to the original six positive cases.

According to the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Municipality, Hon. Elliott Agbenorwu, the affected persons are "all the people are in stable condition", he urged residents in the Municipality to be vigilant and obey the various protocols saying "I continue to urge all of us to remain calm and let’s continue to observe the protocols and follow the other measures instituted by the President and the Ketu South Municipal Assembly" he noted in a press release dated Friday 1 May, 2020.

What is the Municipal Authority and individuals doing to contain the virus?

The Municipal Health Directorate led by the MCE, Elliott Agbenorwu has since the outbreak of the virus in the Municipality donated thousands of nose masks to residents, intensified education in remote and urban areas, benefited from both nationwide and regional fumigation exercise, partial lockdown of markets and encouraging residents to adhere to protective measures.

On Thursday, April 30, the Assembly led my the MCE distributed some  5,000 pieces of nose masks and 3,000 bottles of hand sanitizers to market centres, commercial motorbike riders, lorry stations, public and private institutions within the municipality in order to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The MCE has appealed to hotel managers and owners within  the Municipality to co-operate with the Assembly and allow their facilities to be used as quarantine centres, which is yet to yield a result.

The Municipal Security Taskforce and the Ghana Immigration Service in the Municipality have successfully intercepted over seventy foreign nationals who have tried to illegally enter the country.

Some residents in the area, especially in Aflao and Denu are swiftly adhering to the various protective measures, many commuters and market women now uses at least a nose mask or hand sanitizer, whilst fear and uncertainty has forced more people to stay at home, streets of Aflao which looks very crowded with all sort of human activities now looks dead.

The governing  New Patriotic Party (NPP)'s   Parliamentary Candidate for the Ketu South constituency, David Tiano has on Wednesday 22 April 2020  donated food and some assorted items worth Gh¢40,000 to the aged in the constituency.

The items  included bags of corn, 1500 packs of mosquito coil, 750 boxes of matches among the rest were distributed to 30 persons in each of the 39 electoral areas in the Ketu South constituency.

What are challenges in the Municipality?

Despite the interventions to discourage the spread of the virus in the area, residents, especially the less privileged people and petty traders have since  been battling with their lives.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has ordered the closure of the country's entry points, which affected Aflao the main entry point to Togo and other West Africa countries within the Municipality.

Residents, hawkers and petty traders have no business to do, few traders who goes out to toil amidst the border closure are commonly returning home with low sales. Transport services have increased lorry fares while one can barely find a transit for domestic travels.

Aflao to Accra is initially Ghc27 but the transport unions now charge between Ghc40 and Ghc45 but the State Transport Company (STC) has not change its lorry fare.

Albert Kuzor

Adaklu: 2 communities gets portable water

Some two remote communities within the Adaklu District in the Volta region, Agblefe and Dzakpo have each benefited from a hand pump boreholes.

The initial plan which was two hand pump boreholes would  be develop to a mechanized boreholes and was championed by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) with the cost of Ghc54,000.00 .

Speaking to ClassFm during an inspection tour, the Assembly  member for the two communities, Lord Nat Koffie, indicated that, the two communities have been battling with portable water for decades and through the many efforts the community and it's leaders made, the GNPC has come to their aid.

He revealed that, these communities used to walk for several kilometres to get potable water from a nearby community, Awanyaviafe, which comes with difficulties among other challenges so that has compelled them to contact GNPC after many other promises failed to come.

He expressed his gratitude on the behalf of the residents and said the people will take a good care of it.

The Contructor,  Bethel Exim Ghana Limited,  have started the first phase of the project and expected to complete construction in one month time, the Director of the company, Mr. Innocent Supremo Tetteh has said.

Adaklu is one if the largest districts in the Volta region with a vast lowland areas sweetable for agriculture and industrialisation purposes. The district is best known for its mountains, "Adaklu To" one of the highest mountains which has all kinds of creatures and attracts a lot of tourists.

Community Leaders in Aflao called on Gov't to close down illegal dumping site

Some opinion leaders and Assembly members in Aflao within the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta region are calling on the Ministry of Health and the Ketu South Municipal Authority to evacuate an illegal dumping site in Dekeme, a residential area within Aflao.

According to Mr. Amuzu Mohammed, the Assemblyman for Aflagatigome electoral area, where the site is situated, residents in Aflao illegally started dumping refuse on the land in early 1976 when the landlord was then a resident of Accra, and that has left the land a dormant asset. 

He indicated, many residents including local waste management companies from more than six electoral areas are currently dumping garbage on the land which has become a worrying situation in the area.

Although the land is well fenced, some residents still finds their ways to dumping waste items there including many children around who have turned the yard for an open definition. 

On a visit the site on Monday 27, April 2020, children were seen openly defecating, light smokes from burnt waste materials with unpleasant stench coming from the yard, exposing millions of residents around the yard to several health problems. 

Speaking to the Media,  Agbeko Kumaza, a son to the late landlord,  said, "they started dumping  this (refuse) here long ago, by then we were all in Accra and anytime my father visit home, he used to stop them but whenever he returned to Accra, the people continue dumping here...this continued and my father could not finally stop them before his death, so when we the children in Accra relocated to this place (Aflao) we continue from where our father has left it" 

The 67 year old Agbeko passionately said,  his family have met successive governments over the situation but all efforts have turned down, " …oh we used to tell them (the Ketu South Municipal Assembly) but it's not working out but through you we are hoping to see this thing removed from here for the land to be free" .

A government appointee in the area, Sancho Acussah, narrating the ordeal noted that, many efforts have been put in place to evacuate the site but it's time the central government come to their aid because they have been exposed to health hazards for long,

" just look at this, it's almost about three or four storey buildings up, very very bad and just imagine the house that are just closed to the dumping site it posses a health hazard…..you can even imagine the stench the flies and everything,  very hazardous but with you  being here carry us on your wings, show it to our leaders and everybody in this country so that they can come to our aid" he said.

Howeever, whenever cholera and malaria cases go high in the area, the Assembly through the efforts of the land owners and Assemblyman fumigate the yard to contain the outbreak.

On the part of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area,  Elliott Agbenorwu, the Assembly is swiftly responding to the challenges. He noted that, his office has recently met the Municipal Zoomlion Management to evacuate  the waste and use the land for agricultural purposes. 

" ….the Assembly has tried to do a few things to do the evacuation but we have some challenge, one the place is not accessible but I've had conversation with the Zoomlion Manager to come and access the place to see the possibility of converting this in to a fertilizer factory or anything,  so he has really expressed interest but he is yet actually to send his men to come and look at it..... as they said it's been there for long and it's not a good thing to justify that it's been there for long and so we shouldn't do something,  we tried doing something and we will still continue to pursue it and see the possibility of converting the refuse in to a factory or in to something productive so we can make very good use of the place" He said.

The convenors, including Mr. Agbeko Kumaza indicated that, the family is ready to lay off the land for any development especially market or lorry terminal, " they should remove it and use the land for whatever they want to use it for,  all we are asking is it's removal because it is dangerous to our health, they can use it for market or lorry station " Mr. Agbeko Kumaza said. 

                            Is the road accessible? 

According to the Assembly men, there was no access to the site due to upsring of houses around the site, but they have managed to create some space to have access to the place.

" they have been saying that, they wished to clear up the place but if only the route that is where the excavators will pass but now the communities have managed to make a place as you can see" the Aflao Zonal Council Chairman,  Seth Kwasi Abehia noted. 

The site which is a just a few mile away from Lome of the Republic of Togo, has residents from bit 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7 for their disposals for the past 46 years. 

Adaklu MP, Kwame Agbodza hands over 2 CHPS compounds in Adaklu

The office of  Member of Parliament (MP) for Adaklu constituency in the Volta region, Kwame Agbodza has handed over some two newly built Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds for two farming communities within the constituency.

As part of the MP's quest to improve the health system in the area, he championed the two facilities with two unit nurses' quarters attached to Adaklu Have centre, other neighbouring communities, Adaklu Dzakpo and Adaklu Vodze are also to benefit from the facility to ease the long journey to Ho to access health services.

The second compound at Adaklu Amuuzudeve is also to serve nearby residents in Adaklu Blidokofe, Adaklu Gavorkope and Adaklu Segbale and it comes with no nurse's residency.

A team led by National Democratic Congress (NDC), Adaklu constituency Chairman, Samuel Atomty Dorfe handed over the facilities to the District Health Directorate on Wednesday 29, April 2020.

In the brief handing over ceremony, and observing the various protocols and the president's directives, the District health director, Mr Charles Azagba, the health workers, chiefs and elders , and the people of the communities thanked the Member of Parliament for his tremendous efforts in the health sector.

The team entreated the beneficiaries to observe and maintain the culture of maintenance. Mr. Samuel Atomy indicted that, similar project is ongoing and at about 95% completion at Adaklu Wumenu.

COVID-19: Ho MP, Benjamin Kpodo donates items and cash to combat coronavirus

As part of measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic,the Member of Parliament(MP) for Ho Central  constituency, Benjamin Komla  Kpodo has donated items and cash to fight against the COVID-19 in the Ho Municipality of the Volta region. 

The MP told ClassFm that, the items worth Ghc150,000.00 and Ghc5,000.00 cash to the Municipal Health Directorate for a purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline health workers in both private and public health institutions.

The items included 25 veronica buckets, 1,160 pieces of hand sanitizer and 1,100 pieces of liquid soap.

At a short handing over ceremony held at the MPs residence in Ho, he asked the Ho Municipal and Volta Regional Health Directors to quickly share the items to the various hospitals and clinics in the area.

He said, " I also have concerns for the people who are at the frontlines of  health delivery services in the constituency, the nurses the doctors and the lab people so I have also allocated Ghc5,000.00 to the Municipal Directorate, you take the money quickly go and buy Personal Protective Equipment  and distribute across all health centres, whether it is public or private health Centre" He said.

The Volta Regional Health Director, Dr. Dzokoto Sena  who received the items was grateful and thanked the MP.

COVID-19: I'll sack you if you act unprofessional- Volta GIS Boss

The Volta Regional Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Deputy Commissioner, Esq Peter Nantuo has warned the service personnel on the various entry points within the Volta region to adhere to directives or face dismissal.

" if i get any officer at this time, trying to compromise and the unprofessional then that officer will be summary dismissal, if there is evidence, we should set examples by ensuring that the communities in which we are, we are role models for them to cooperate so that by our practice they too will step forward and let us collaborate " he noted.

He made this known during  a brief parade held at the Regional Headquarters in Ho on Tuesday 24, March where he addressed the Media, Sector Commanders and the Volta Regional Minister on the Service's measures taken so far to combat the virus.

The Commander has therefore formed a six member Regional Taskforce, with aims to work day to day between the Service and stakeholders but not to interfere other security agencies.

" as part of our initiative, we have gone ahead to form a regional taskforce, the mandate is not to supersede or challenge any of our sister institutions, is supplementary and complementary taskforce we are going to work hand in hand with the (Municipal and District Security Council)… for the essence of the taskforce like I said is to enable us monitor thongs on a daily basis" he said.

He added that, leaders of  non- Ghanaians community living in Ho Municipality will be sensitize on the way forward saying "tommorow (Wednesday 25, March) we have invited all non-Ghanaians foreign communities in Ho Municipality, their elders, they will be here tommorow and the essence of the meeting is for them to know that, they have partners, those people who will sneak through unapproved routes or otherwise enter the country at this dangerous period, we are not going to compromise or accept that…..so they will come tomorrow morning and I'll let them know this is the issue if they go above some level, I'll take them on"

On the side of the Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, he applauded the Service and pledged the government's support. He added that, the boarders are been closed so no Immigration personnel has the authority to open it for anyone to enter or engage in any unlawful act on the various entries.

" the boarders has been closed so the Immigration officer has no right to collect money from anybody to let him in, you must also know that you are also at risk so the money you collect, the money doesn't protect you from getting coronavirus, so at this time let's all sacrifice the selfish interest and fight for the collective interest " he added.

Meanwhile, hundreds of travellers from neighbouring countries, Togo and Benin are stranded at the Aflao border where security agencies are heavily  mounting the border to prevent entry.

Sources revealed that, travelers who are using rural entry points are also facing similar situations.

Churches in Ho obeyed President's directive

Shia Roman Catholic Church was locked as at 8am

Following President Nana Akufo-Addo's recent directives, a temporal ban on church services among other public gatherings as measures to prevent the spread of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19), many churches in the Volta region has observed the idea.

A tour in the Volta Regional capital Ho on Sunday, March, 22 2020 saw most churches in the city been locked, with not even a sexton in or around the church premises, while leaders of some the churches who could not stay at home were seen loitering around the church yard, others praying while taking a walk at the church yard.

R/C Church, Ho Asisi Parish was equally empty 

A visit to some of the big churches, the Church of Pentecost Fiave Central,  Fiave Global  Evangelical Church, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Bankoe, some Roman Catholic Churches including Asisi Parish at Police Depot and Evangelical Presbyterian Church, RTC branch, their premises were very quiet.

Church gate was heavily locked

The usual musical sounds and loud prayers in tongue were not experienced anymore, not even a heavy human traffic around the Ho Central market as it used to be on Sundays when people are commonly seen awaiting taxi or walking to their various churches.

A voyage before midday to some communities, Shia, Tanyigbe, Tokokoe and Nyive within the Ho Municipality, churches were not organized, some residents were seen on the streets not in church outfits.

Church of Pentecost, Fiave Central as at 9am 

Some street preachers in the Municipality have also mounted mobile speakers at vantage points, preaching the gospel and urging believers to be prayerful amidst the situation.