Digital Education in Ghana

 

Digital literacy as a fourth literacy has become necessary to talk about in education and eLearning. Although reading, writing, and mathematics are respected as the basis of being literate, literacy in this day is not complete if a person is not capable of accessing and creating digital information.

Education as an important vehicle drives the economic development and human welfare of a nation. It is important to note that the changing educational environment, the diverse educational needs of students, the high expectations from the public, the work environment, and periodic policy reports demand educational change not only at the education system level but also at the school-based level in local and international contexts.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and digital literacy have the potential to transform our economies and systems of education. Therefore, our ICT policy and educational practice must evolve to help bridge the digital divide, and our teacher educators must be positioned to use ICT in their professional practice to help address challenges faced in developing digital literacy.

Digital Literacy and E-learning

Digital Literacy is the ability to use ICT to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both intellectual and technical skills. Whereas e-learning refers to the utilization of ICT tools, services, and digital content in education. E-learning presents enormous opportunities to significantly facilitate the effectiveness of delivering the learning contents and gaining access to a vast pool of educational information if appropriately utilized, and it has also gained global recognition as a method to improve the teaching and learning processes aimed at creating an economy powered by technology and propelled by information and knowledge. E-learning in schools is used both by students and staff in the process of exchanging information and gaining knowledge, as well as for communication and easy access to educational information at a cheaper cost.

A digitally literate person possesses a variety of skills (technical and cognitive) required to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information in a wide variety of formats. This person is able to use diverse technologies appropriately and effectively to retrieve information, interpret results, and judge the quality of that information; Understands the relationship between technology, life-long learning, personal privacy, and management of information; Uses these skills and the appropriate technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, colleagues, family, and on occasion, the general public. Such a person uses these skills to actively participate in society and contribute to a vibrant, informed, and engaged community.

The lesson of the last two-three decades, for education just like all other sectors, is that nobody can drive to the future on cruise control. Many schools and educational institutions, businesses, and corporations that fell asleep at the wheel are struggling. For many, the struggle came unexpectedly from competitors, who had appeared to be trivial from afar but raced past the late moments of the 20th century to become the new industry leaders. Others were overtaken by smaller, more entrepreneurial, and innovative players who took advantage of the intersections or entry points that rapidly advancing technology began to create. The educational setups and institutions that positioned themselves properly are championing and still mastering the digital terrain.

For the transformative potential of ICT to be fully realized in Ghana, effort must be made to understand and integrate local knowledge and local literacy practices into intervention programs. Many communities, both rural and urban, lack the needed educational content. It is proper then that we develop local language and content curriculum in digital formats. Interventions should not only focus on equipping people with digital skills to access information from around the world, but participants’ generative and productive capabilities should also be developed to contribute local knowledge to the global discourse. Programs must be culturally and ideologically sensitive to local contexts.

The nation will make significant progress if it considers structuring the integration of ICT in education, developing national digital literacy skills, and reducing the digital divide. For instance, public-accessible e-learning, and educational resource sharing systems, such as digital education resource banks (an online repository of learning objects) relevant to the Ghanaian educational system produced or identified by Ghanaian educators/teachers, students and supported by corporate organizations. The learning objects on such education resource bank may include but not limited to lesson plans, multiple-choice questions, simulations, animations, learning activities, website links, photographs, study guides, audio, and video clips, etc.

However, this is met by Internet accessibility and connectivity challenges. To facilitate digital education/learning these challenges cannot be ruled out, and to include the unserved and underserved across the country. Ultimately, this will go a long way to support the government and private initiatives to bring development and promoting digital inclusion in Ghana and in the process, bridging the digital divide.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, some schools including universities and businesses in Ghana made it possible to develop e-learning/online platforms for students to access. Schools, libraries, and learning centers of lower and higher levels must be supported to build educational resource platforms where content developed by the teachers and students can be uploaded to be freely shared or accessed by learners and educators in the country and the rest of the global community.

Thus, schools and learning centers can partner with relevant bodies to enrich and roll out e-learning programs to the rest of the country based on the following objectives:

• To ensure that quality educational resources reach remote schools and disadvantaged communities.
• To train teachers and students in e-learning and the integration of ICT in the teaching and learning process.
• To improve or enhance the quality of education in schools.
• To promote the spirit of teamwork/partnership between schools within the country.
• To enhance 21st Century skills, innovative teaching/learning practices in schools and ensure education transformation.
• To narrow or bridge the gap between urban and rural schools.

 Conclusion

ICT, therefore, provides an array of powerful tools that may help in transforming the present isolated, teacher-centered, and text-bound classrooms into rich, student-focused, interactive knowledge environments. Consequently, digital learning is increasingly being suggested as an alternative to or a way to enhance, traditional educational approaches since it can overcome many of the challenges involved in reaching underserved students.

Author: Richard Kafui Amanfu – (Director of Operations, Institute of ICT Professionals, Ghana)

For comments, contact author richard.amanfu@iipgh.org or Mobile: +233244357006

Why Cyber Security Important?

Today’s digital business landscape is a tough one to navigate, especially for those who aren’t quite technologically sophisticated. The progressive nature of the internet has created various opportunities for cybercriminals, who seek to exploit vulnerabilities in networks, servers and IT systems in general.

Cybercrime is without question one of the most worrying threats for modern businesses, which is why companies should do everything in their power to safeguard against it. Cyber security initiatives have recently accelerated in response, as a means for businesses to stay one step ahead of potential threats.

But before you ramp up your security protocols and digital frontiers, you should first appreciate why cyber security is so important.

Hackers Are More Sophisticated Than Ever Before

The internet has transcended the business world, a digital world where companies prioritize the online solutions they offer consumers. In today’s realm everything caters to internet-based solutions, where every business has a website optimized for mobile.

Though owning a website is the best way to reach the modern consumer, it will expose you to criminals who receive entry points into internal networks. Data breaches are a goldmine for hackers, who have a lot to gain from illegal access to sensitive information.

Well-funded, coordinated cyber-attacks can cost large organizations millions while impacting smaller companies too. Take Deloitte for example, which only last year was shaken up by a staggering cyber attack that prompted a complete overhaul of cyber security initiatives.

It’s better to be safe than sorry, to implement preventative security measures rather than reacting when it’s too late. By assuming you’ll be breached at some stage, you can introduce controls to detect and respond to malicious activity before it rears its ugly head and potentially destroys your business.

The Cost Associated with Breaches

Cyberattacks are becoming more and more costly to recover from, one of the biggest incentives for companies to safeguard against them. Cybercrime is an expensive experience to ensure, regarding financial and reputational damage.

Many underestimate the potency of these attacks, but they’re far more damaging than the financial implications suggest. The cost of remediation and financial damage is certainly a cause for concern, but where money can be recovered a reputation can’t.

In the event of a hack, customers can lose all faith in the business they’d previously trusted, and in which case decide to take their custom elsewhere. Put yourself in their shoes, would you put your faith in a company liable to security breaches?

A reputation for poor security can also lead to a failure to generate new contracts, something which can grind business growth to a halt. This exemplifies the importance of great cyber security.

The Availability of Hacking Tools

Programs, tools and software are growing to be significantly more advanced than ever seemed possible. This has opened doors for less qualified hackers to intrude, creating wider ranging threats.

It is no longer just highly skilled well-funded hackers you need to look out for, meaning you must be even more vigilant to protect information. Threats have opened among less-skilled individuals, where the commercialization of cyber crime has made it easy for anyone to tap into resources and launch damaging attacks like cryptomining and ransomware.

Tighter Regulations

Government regulations have tightened cyber security requirements, where it’s mandatory to meet certain standards or face a fine. These requirements have been implemented to ensure companies do everything within their power to put customer data first, especially when the theft of said data could jeopardize so much.

Organizations are legally required to take considerable care with sensitive data, alongside instigating additional measures to regularly review controls, protect personal data, and detect, report, and investigate breaches.

Internet of Things (IoT) Devices

The increasing proportion of smart devices, those which run off of internet connections, presents a cyber security risk. Though these modern contraptions can simplify and speed up tasks, they can cause problems too.

Organizations must manage IoT devices properly, or risk creating an avenue for criminals to attack. IoT devices introduce a range of security weaknesses which should be tackled to avoid vulnerabilities, so the risks presented by these assets must be addressed.

Source: https://www.leapit.co.uk/why-is-cyber-security-important/

Understanding 5G – The backbone of the industrial Internet

A data-driven "fourth industrial revolution" has long been predicted. Now, the backbone for that platform is finally becoming a reality. The long-promised benefits of cyber-physical industrial systems are within sight.

The year 2019 will be remembered as the year that true cellular connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT) finally got going. Nowadays not a week goes by without a new announcement of a new 4G NB-IoT / LTE-M network rollout. Yet the future for industry is already racing towards the fifth generation (5G) of wireless communication technology.

5G promises lightning-fast speed, barely noticeable latency (or communication response time) and vastly increased capacity. All four major U.S. carriers have green-lighted test networks and partial implementations in some cities.

The benefits of marrying the physical world with digital technologies have been discussed for what seems like a generation. Many industries could use the intelligence gleaned from connected systems to gain critical insights about their operations and how to make improvements that will make a genuine difference to their bottom line. While 4G is already creating dramatic improvements for industries around the world, it’s 5G that’s creating the greater buzz.

Data alone is not enough

Jani Vilenius, Director of Research and Technology at Sandvik, says that data is already driving industry around the world: “Everyone is already collecting, and to a certain extent using data. But improved connectivity is needed to truly utilize the data and add business value. When we add more Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and voice/image recognition into everyday systems, the bandwidth requirements mean 5G is inevitable to leverage the new capabilities.”

Industry 4.0 was supposed to bring about these benefits, but up until now there’s been a crucial element missing. Turning the idea of a collaborative, adaptive, real-time industrial digital system into a reality needs a truly agile communications infrastructure.

Beyond incremental improvement

You can be forgiven for thinking the move from 4G to 5G is merely about incremental speed improvements, with little need for all the hype. After all, the 4G/LTE (Long Term Evolution) communications architecture of today has hooked up approximately 3 billion mobile devices.

But in truth, the difference between 4G and 5G is not like comparing one iPhone model with the next, it’s more like comparing a horse and buggy to an electric race car.

Yes, 3G and 4G technology is most often equated with smartphones. That’s because the systems were designed for voice and mobile data respectively. And while it’s true that 5G’s dramatic speed increases will mean so much more than just higher-quality streaming and lightning quick downloads, the fact that it’s been designed from the ground up for data connectivity will be the game changer.

Faster connectivity and low-to-no latency will unlock operational benefits in every industry on the planet. Up until now there has been only talk, but with test systems now in place, those operational benefits are becoming clear.

Taking the connected factory to the next level

In a market reliant on data-intensive machine applications, the higher speeds and low latency of 5G is required for the effective use of autonomous robotics technology, wearables and virtual reality.

Unlike previous jumps in levels of technology in industry, 5G won’t fundamentally redesign the production line. But what it will do is offer manufacturers an opportunity to build smart factories that can adapt to changing market conditions.

The increasing capabilities of smart devices and the factories that make them won’t just impact competition within a set industry. As competition shifts from product-based to system-based, formerly clear industry boundaries will be blurred. Traditional manufacturing companies may soon find they are competing as part of a much broader automation industry, for example.

Healthcare: Enabling remote surgery

The low latency of 5G is set to revolutionize the healthcare industry, most notably in the operating theater. Experienced surgeons can advise more junior colleagues via a video connection or could even operate the surgical device remotely. You could be forgiven for thinking this sounds unlikely, yet it’s already happened.

In early 2019, the world’s first live surgery via remote assistance took place successfully in China. An experienced surgeon inserted a stimulation device in the brain of a Parkinson's patient. The almost instantaneous latency of 2 milliseconds allowed the surgeon to accurately conduct the procedure as if they were right next to the patient, whereas in fact they were 3,000 kilometers away. The latency resembles surgery using a traditional cabled monitor solution.

Autonomous technology on the road and underground

The improvements to network latency will give applications and devices the ability to communicate in close-to real-time. This should ease the safety concerns of autonomous vehicles, providing them the ability to constantly communicate with the ever-changing environment around them.

This of course will have significant impact on mining operations, something Sandvik is aware of. Already, Sandvik has signed an agreement with Nokia to further develop solutions based on private LTE and 5G technology, much of which will take place at the Sandvik test mine in Tampere, Finland.

“Our focus to date has been on private LTE technology, which offers speed, latency, reliability and privacy benefits over Wi-Fi. It’s one of the technologies our customers are asking for now,” explains Vilenius. The benefit to Sandvik in focusing on LTE is simple. (LTE stands for Long-term Evolution and isn’t as much a technology as it is the path followed to achieve 4G speeds). 

Customer demand is there, and the hardware can easily be upgraded to 5G when the time comes.

"Improved connectivity is needed to truly utilize the data and add business value"

That’s because 5G will be used to augment and enhance existing LTE networks rather than replace them. Even so, telecommunications companies are facing a substantial investment. But rather than holding back the rollout, that very fact could speed things up.

Management consulting firm McKinsey & Company believes that the trend of network sharing will accelerate, decreasing what would otherwise be a daunting cost of 5G implementation. Network sharing enables operators to reduce the total cost of ownership while improving network quality by sharing both active and passive equipment. “Simulations from one case showed that by sharing 5G small-cell deployment and building a common, nationwide 5G IoT macro layer, operators could reduce 5G-related investments by more than 40 percent,” said a spokesperson.

Researching the business models of the future

In addition to the Sandvik test mine, Finland is also the home for significant research. Aalto University’s Industrial Internet Campus is a cross-disciplinary platform that provides a testbed for future solutions for industrial partners including Sandvik’s partner Nokia.

Project areas include intelligent construction sites, energy usage optimization in smart buildings, and the factory of the future. The 5G meets Industrial Internet (5G@II) project looks at how to provide a cost-effective, globally secure and secure foundation for a future 5G-driven industrial internet. Specifically, the team aims to create a blueprint of a 5G service management system by trialing it on real industrial use cases.

The Journey to 5G

• 2G: Enabled wireless telephone calls
• 3G: Enabled the mobile web
• 4G: Enabled video streaming and apps that require sustained connectivity
• 5G: The post-smartphone era of mobile connectivity

The backbone of the 5G standard is comprised of low-, mid- and high-band spectrum. There are two frequencies that 5G networks can operate on: sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave (20-60 GHz).

Carriers were already using sub-6 spectrum for existing LTE networks, and now they need more of it to build out 5G. Millimeter-wave frequency was previously unused, and the advent of 5G has given carriers access to the spectrum that will enable the faster speeds we expect with the new standard.

Source: https://www.home.sandvik/en/stories/articles/2019/10/understanding-5g-the-backbone-of-the-industrial-internet/

Keyboard Idol contestant Chris Afelete Tamakloe laid to rest

Sorrow gripped the hundreds of mourners who gathered at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church at Ho-Bankoe in the Volta Region on Saturday, October 17, 2020, to pay their last respects to late Citi TV, Keyboard Idol contestant, Chris Afelete Tamakloe.

The burial and memorial mass was honoured by family members, school mates, church members, loved ones, fans, friends and sympathizers.

In attendance to mourn with the bereaved family were management and staff of Citi FM and Citi TV.

 The solemn church service was followed by the interment at the Ho public cemetery.

Deputy Head of programs at Citi FM and Citi TV, Ranstina Opare-Saforo, who read a tribute on behalf of the media organisation, described Chris as a God-fearing, wise and gifted young boy.

Chris, 13 died on Saturday, September 19, 2020, after a vehicle in which he and his father were travelling was involved in a road accident, at Asutsuare Junction.

This was after they were returning to Ho after an episode of the talent competition on that fateful day

One passenger in the minibus died on the spot, while Chris – and other passengers – were initially rushed to the Dodowa District Hospital and later transferred to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, where Chris, unfortunately, passed away.

Chris is survived by his parents and two younger sisters.

As one of the star performers of the show, management of Citi TV, as well as judges and contestants of the show last Saturday paid tribute to Chris with a special edition of the show, which was themed ‘Celebration of life’.

This was followed by a series of tributes and performances by the 8 remaining Keyboard Idol contestants in memory of their departed friend.

Source: citinewsroom.com

Social Engineering; The Greatest Catalyst for Successful Cyber Attacks

Social Engineering (SE) is the process of deceiving an individual or a group of people to take a certain action(s) or disclose sensitive information in favour of the perpetrator. According to Atkins and Huang (2013), SE is the exploitation of human psychological weaknesses by scammers to attack innocent individuals.

SE can either occur in-person (face-to-face), via phone calls (vishing), emails (phishing), text messages (smishing), or social media platforms. According to Abass (2018), Social Engineers utilize diverse mechanisms in sharing malicious software in obtaining information, defraud, or gain unauthorized access to information systems.

The main motivation of Social Engineers is to obtain sensitive information, install malware, financially defraud victims, or have specific actions taken in their favour.

According to EY (2018), 550 million emails were sent out by a single phishing campaign during the 1st quarter of 2018. SE has become the number one top cyber threat to organizations.

Over 90 percent of successful hacks and data breaches are as a result of phishing (Cybersecurity Ventures, 2019). SE generally involves less investment and low technology to be successful, hence perpetrators are enthused to use this medium to achieve their malicious goals.

In the study of Atkins & Huang (2013), the top 3 triggers used in phishing emails to raise the attention of the recipients “were: alert, warning, attention; verification of account; and invalid login attempts”. They further stated that the top 3 persuasion techniques used in phishing emails were authority, politeness, and urgency. Also, the top three triggers used in advance fee e-mails to raise the attention of recipients were: Nigeria 419 funds, business proposal & winning of lottery. The use of authoritative and emotional persuasions by Social Engineers is able to convince victims to lose concentration on SE attacks. The attitude of believing what people say continues to expose users to SE attacks.

According to Flores (2016), the following factors significantly influence employees’ resilience to SE: trust, risky behaviors, general information security awareness, security and computer knowledge, intention, and target-related information. He mentions that national culture has a substantial effect on the information security behavior of employees and determines their SE security behaviors.

In the study of Sheng et al (2010), 90% of persons who click on phishing links will proceed to share information with the perpetrator(s). 57% of people who had previously received anti-phishing training fell for 40% of phishing during the role play, whilst people who had not received previous anti-phishing training fell for 60% of phishing. They conclude that men are less vulnerable to phishing attacks than women because men have more technical knowledge and training than women. Individuals from the ages of 18 to 25 are also more vulnerable to phishing attacks because, they are less educated and trained, have fewer years in Internet usage, and are not risk-averse. Also, participants who received training fell for 28% of phishing messages after the training. This suggests, education is essential to combat phishing, but it is not the ultimate solution.

There are several ways to protect ourselves against all forms of SE attacks. The following non-technical and cost-effective measures; can help prevent and reduce SE attacks.

• Continuous awareness is the cheapest and the most effective way of combating SE attacks. Irrespective of the expensive technical tools and controls implemented by organizations, lack of continuous staff awareness can totally ruin all the colossal investments made in securing information.
• Extreme caution should be taken before opening e-mails or messages from senders you do not know.
• Extreme caution should be taken when clicking on links in e-mail, social media, or text messages unless you are convinced about it.
• Do not respond to suspected messages either through e-mail, social media, SMS, or phone calls.
• Beware of whom you share information with, either face to face or electronically.
• Organizations need to formulate, implement, and strictly enforce information security policies with emphasis on SE.
• At the national level, enacting and enforcing stringent laws or regulations against SE can also help fight the menace.

To ensure the fight against SE is successfully won, it is extremely important to understand SE and map up strategies to secure information in various spheres: personal, organizational, national, and international levels. The literature reviewed in this article, and the non-technical and cost-effective recommendations provided can help achieve this to a very large extent.

Author:

Sherrif Issah – IT GRC Consultant | PCI-QSA | Trainer @ Digital Jewels Ltd | Member, Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana.

For comments, contact author mysherrif@gmail.com | Mobile: +233243835912

EC extends voter exhibition exercise by two days

The Electoral Commission has extended the voter exhibition exercise from Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27, 2020.

“The Commission is of the view that this extension will allow even more stakeholders to check and verify their voter registration details,” the Commission said in a statement.

It believes the extension will be “instrumental for the achievement of a clean and credible voters register.”

The Commission further urged the public “to take advantage of the extension by making time to verify their registration details.”

Voters may verify their registration details by visiting their exhibition centres or by sending their Voter ID Numbers to the shortcode 1422.

The EC is also expected to hold a crucial Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting later on Thursday morning over the controversies marring the exhibition exercise.

Political parties, accredited civil society groups, donor partners and officials of the Electoral Commission are expected to participate in this meeting.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has claimed that the EC is deliberately removing the names of NDC supporters in some areas from the register.

The Commission has denied these claims.

In a statement, the EC insisted that “at every point, we have provided factual, accurate and evidence-based information to our stakeholders on voter statistics per region, district, gender, age among others.”

Find below the full statement

Source: Citinewsroom.com

V/R: Ho Municipal Assembly to fine persons not wearing face masks GH¢20

Persons in the Ho Municipality of the Volta Region who fail to wear nose masks in public places will be made to pay a spot fine of GH¢20.

This comes after the Ho Municipal Assembly passed a by-law to that effect.

The Volta Regional Minister Dr Archibald Letsa in a Citi News interview said the Regional Security Council has instituted a task force at the various assemblies to oversee the implementation of the directive.

“The Ho Municipality passed a by-law to institute a fine of a minimum of GH¢20 for those who will not comply with the directive of wearing a face mask. We are in the regional capital and we know what is going on. There is a lot of enforcement in the Ho township.”

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 11th address made the wearing of face masks mandatory.

He pointed out the Police and law enforcement agencies will enforce this directive through an Executive Instrument.

“With the doctors and scientists telling us that the virus is transmitted from human contact, through talking, singing, coughing and sneezing, which results in sending droplets of the virus from one person to another, residents of these four regions, and, indeed, all Ghanaians, must remember that the wearing of masks is now mandatory.”

“Leaving our homes without a face mask or face covering on is an offence. The Police have been instructed to enforce this directive, which is the subject of an Executive Instrument,” the President said in his address to the nation on Sunday.”

Source: citinewsroom.com

Compilation of new register will prevent manipulation in 2020 polls – EC Chairperson

The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensah has justified the Commission’s decision to compile a new voter’s register.

Addressing a forum in Accra organized by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Ghana, the EC Chairperson indicated that the compilation of a new voters’ register is motivated by the Commission’s desire to ensure a credible general election.

“A bloat in our register could have dire consequences for any election and as a people, we should go to an election with a mindset that it has to be credible. We should leave no room for manipulation and I believe that that is the essence of a biometric register.”

“It is our desire that we leave no room for manipulation at the polling stations because, under the current situation, any manipulation could have dire consequences for our election in the sense that it could change the outcome of an election and these are some of the reasons that informed our decision to compile a new register.”

Various civil society organisations and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have criticised the EC over the intended compilation.

The EC is however bent on carrying on with the move regardless of the agitations.

EC faces opposition 

The NDC is currently challenging the EC in court on the exclusion of the old voters’ ID.

The EC presented the Public Election (Amendment) Regulation, 2020 (C.I. 126) to Parliament to amend C.I. 91 in order to change the current identification requirements.

On June 9, Parliament subsequently voted to allow the EC to use the Ghana Card and Passports as the only forms of identification for persons registering to vote after relevant Constitutional Instrument had matured.

The party fears this amendment will lead to many Ghanaians being disenfranchised.

The opposition party’s case will be settled on June 23 ahead of the compilation of the register on June 30.

EC’s justification

The EC submitted its legal justification for the amendment and described the old voter ID as “fruit from a poisoned tree” and a breach of Article 42 of the constitution, which defines who is qualified to register to vote.

The EC cited the court’s judgement in the Abu Ramadan case, where it indicated that the use of the National Health Insurance Card to register a voter is inconsistent with Article 42 of the constitution and therefore void.

In line with the judgement in the Abu Ramadan case, over 56,000 names registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards were deleted.

Source: citinewsroom.com

Ghana’s Minister for Health tests positive for Coronavirus

The Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu is recovering in hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.

Information available to Citi News indicates that the Minister has been receiving treatment at the University of Ghana Medical Centre in Accra over the past week.

Multiple sources in the medical team at the hospital who confirmed the information to Citi News say the Dormaa Central MP was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday and is “in a stable condition”.

Citi News checks at the Health Ministry has corroborated the story as information there suggests Mr. Agyeman Manu has taken “a few days off from work” and has not reported to work all week.

The UGMC currently has 4 patients on admission at the ICU with several others in the main wards of the hospital’s COVID-19 wing.

The Health Minister who announced Ghana’s first COVID-19 case in a night broadcast in March this year would be the first high profile government official to have confirmed positive for the novel Coronavirus.

He is known for urging the public to be cautious of the virus during his regular appearances at the bi-weekly press briefings on COVID-19 by the Information Ministry which has been conspicuously put on hold for a while.

The information is coming at a time the leader of government business in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah has lamented how MPs, Parliamentary Service staff and journalists who tested positive for the virus have refused to self-isolate.

Although no names have been mentioned, Mr. Mensah Bonsu’s lamentations suggest more than one person in the House of Legislature has tested positive and this could include MPs.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly in the Western Region, Anthony K.K. Sam, has passed away due to an illness close associates have disclosed as COVID-19.

A source at the UGMC in Accra where the MCE died told Citi News his Coronavirus case was compounded by a failure of the lung.

Source: citinewsroom.com

Majority Leader justifies need for new voters’ register for 2020 polls

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensa Bonsu has justified the decision of the Electoral Commission to compile a new voters’ register for the 2020 polls.

His comments follow the approval and maturity of the Public Elections Amendment Regulations (C.I 126).

“The Electoral Commission is the custodian of their own document and they are telling us that the Charlotte Osei-led Commission who were charged with that responsibility could not do that and they have inherited a more or less contaminated system,” he said on Eyewitness News.

Mr. Mensa Bonsu also attributed the seeming division in the House over new requirements for the compilation of a new voters’ register to partisanship.

Parliament had to vote on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, to allow the Electoral Commission (EC) to use the Ghana Card and Passports as the only forms of identification for persons registering to vote.

The vote occurred after the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, granted a request from the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu for a division.

The legislators voted in a 102 to 96 decision in favour of the amendment of the Constitutional Instrument.

The Majority Leader felt the House was unable to reach a consensus on the new requirements because some members of Parliament had politicized issues surrounding the amendment of the Constitutional Instrument (C.I) empowering the EC to organise elections in the country.

“One expects that especially at the level of committee business, there will be less partisanship. Unfortunately, in this particular matter that was referred to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, partisan politics have already been taken. The Subsidiary Legislation Committee has been polarised and indeed there was a line drawn on party lines. We have had to contend with it and deal with the substance.”

The Subsidiary Legislation Committee, which considered the amendment, could not arrive at a consensus as to whether the exclusion of a driver’s license and the existing voter ID from the amendment was constitutional.

But according to its report, it recommended by majority decision the passing of the amendment.

Per the Constitutional Instrument that was first put before Parliament, “a person who applies for registration as a voter shall provide as evidence of identification one of the following: a passport, a national identification card, or one voter registration identification guarantee form as set out in Form one of the schedule that has been completed and signed by two registered voters.”

The Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga, had attempted getting the House to reject the amendment through a motion that was rejected by the Speaker of Parliament.

The National Identification Authority will also begin issuing the remaining printed Ghana Cards on June 10.

This has led to concerns from observers and political stakeholders who claim that a significant number of Ghanaians will be disenfranchised because the National Identification Authority is yet to complete its registration exercise.

Minority MPs and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have also accused the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of conniving with the EC and the NIA to rig the 2020 elections.

Source: citinewsroom.com

Cocoa farmer allegedly butchers wife to death at Tarkwa

A 28-year-old cocoa farmer at Mile 5 in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality has allegedly butchered his wife to death.

The deceased, Regina Efe Incoom, 25, whose arms and hands were chopped off passed on at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital.

The body has since been deposited at the same hospital’s morgue for preservation and autopsy.

Superintendent of Police Jonas Agbevam, Nsuaem District Police Commander, confirmed the incident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the suspect, Eric Arhin was married to the victim for eight years with two children.

He said the couple were natives of Gomoa Tarkwa in the Central Region and had lived in Mile 5 for five years.

According to the District Commander, the victim who was a cocoa farmer had been working tirelessly for years to take care of the home while the suspect looked unconcerned.

He said the victim became fed up with the husband’s behaviour and decided to seek for divorce so they could go their separate ways.

On Wednesday, June 3, 2020, at about 0900 hours, the victim packed her personal belongings and the suspect became provoked and went for his machete while they were in their cocoa farm and inflicted multiple cuts on her after which he fled from the scene.

Superintendent Agbevam said upon receiving the information, he gathered some officers and men but while proceeding to the crime scene they met a helpful witness transporting the victim in a tricycle to the hospital for treatment.

The police then rushed her to the Dixcove hospital for treatment but the medical officers on duty referred her to the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, adding that, “We later sent the arms and hands that were cut off from the body to the hospital”.

He has, therefore, appealed to the general public to assist the police to apprehend the suspect.

Source: www.gna.org.gh