BRONG AHAFO NPP MINORITY CAUCUS TO SUMMON FINANCE MINISTER

From: Michael Sarpong Mfum, Sunyani

The Brong Ahafo Regional NPP Minority caucus in parliament have revealed their intention to summon the Minister of Finance to Parliament to explain the negligence conduct of the Bank of Ghana and whether the Government is actually planning to pay back monies belonging to depositors in the region who had their monies locked up with microfinance institutions.

They have   tasked government to find a lasting solution to numerous microfinance related issues where people who had deposited their monies with various microfinance institutions cannot access their monies or they would take the Bank of Ghana and Government to court.

Addressing a press conference in Sunyani, the NPP Minority caucus blame the government, National Security, the Police BNI, the Financial Intelligence Centre and the Bank of Ghana of not doing enough to halt the operations of some of the microfinance institutions including DKM Microfinance Limited, Jester Motors, God is Love Fun Club, Perfect Edge Fun Club among others in the region.

The rest include Prime Innovation, God Is Able, Delong Fun Club and Endless Fun Club.

                                   BA NPP Minority caucus addressing the press conference

Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu, MP for Dormaa Central speaking on behalf of the Brong Ahafo NPP Minority Caucus, “Our constituents’ inability to access their deposits with the microfinance companies has brought hardship unto them leading to the death of 45 of them.”

He said apart from this business has been affected negatively leading to the closure of Small Scale Enterprises creating unemployment in the region.

They therefore called on government to act as a matter of urgency to find a solution to the problem.

They also called on the Chief of Staff Julius Debrah and the Nkoransa South MP, Hon. Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum who is also Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development to honour their pledges they made to the people of Nkoransa that their monies locked up would be paid because the deadline they gave have expired. 

The MPs called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the directors, promoters, agents and accomplices of these companies and Fun Clubs for misapplying depositors’ investments for their own personal use.

                                                                                                      

GOASO POLICE ARRESTS TWO ROBBERS

From: Michael Sarpong Mfum,Goaso

The Goaso Police in the Brong Ahafo Region has arrested a notorious armed robber 28-year-old, Nathan Kwaku Baidoo aka King King during a police swoop at Goaso in the Asunafo North Municipality.

Nathan Kwaku Baidoo has been on the police wanted list in the Eastern and Greater Accra Regions for numerous crimes committed. He was arrested in the company of Ishmael Ahenkora 18,aka Nana. 

                                 

                  Ismael Ahenkora(left)and Nathan Kwaku Baidoo

Chief Superintendent Moses Ali the Divisional Police Commander for Goaso briefing the media said the arrest was as a result of collaboration between the police in Brong Ahafo and the Greater Accra Region.

Chief Sup. Moses Ali revealed that the two had come to the community with stolen Urvan bus with registration number GT 8086-10 which they had scratched to hide the identity of the bus.

Chief Sup. Ali noted that they are result oriented police force so upon getting the tipped off, they did not relax but mapped out strategies to arrest the two.

He added that Nathan had admitted of committing crimes in the Eastern and Greater Accra Regions.

The two had been transferred to Sunyani for the police Greater Accra to take over.

GALAMSEY AT ADONGO POLLUTES TANO RIVER

From: Michael Sarpong MFUM, Adongo

The activities of illegal miners popularly called galamsey at Adongo in the Tano North district of the Brong Ahafo Regio is polluting the Tano River the only source where the Ghana Water Treatment Plant at Abesim takes raw water from. The Ghana Water Company Limited in Sunyani has threatened to shut down its treatment Plant at Abesim if the activities of illegal miners at Adongo are not stopped.

Representatives from the Water Resources Commission, Ghana Water Company Limited and the Environmental Protection Agency have paid a familiarization visited the Adongo community to find out the impact of the illegal mining in the community. Fully armed police were also on trip to provide adequate security for the personnel.

Residents of the Adongo community are predominantly farmers but for some time now the community has turned the hub of galamsey in the Tano North District.

The illegal miners sensing the presence of the police and the team bolted into the nearby bushes for fear of being arrested. They had dug trenches which makes it very difficult for people to get close to where they engage in their illegal business. One could fall into any of the trenches dug by these galamseyers if care is not taken.

The activities of these galamseyers have polluted the Tano River putting pressure on the Ghana Water Company Limited Plant at Abesim.

Mr Hanson Akutteh Mensah the Brong Ahafo Regional Water Quality Assurance Manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) said they would force to shut down the plant if nothing urgently to stop illegal mining negatively affecting their operations.

According to Mr. Mensah, Ghana Water Company Limited is spending more in treating water it takes from the Tano River which is not sustainable and therefore would be forced to shut down its operations if nothing is done stop illegal mining at Adongo. The colour of the river has turned brownish.

 Mr. Solomon Danso-Ankamah Tano Basin Officer expressed his worry about the situation at Adongo and therefore called on the authorities to act swiftly to save the situation. He called on the Regional Security Council to act swiftly to flush the illegal miners from the area.

The team later interacted with the residents of the Adongo community and advised them not to engage in illegal mining as it affects the Tano River.

KAMANPA CHIEF BARS POLITICIANS FROM COMMUNITY

From: Michael Sarpong MFUM, Kamanpa

The Chief of Kamanpa Traditional Area in the Pru District of the Brong Ahafo Region Nana Kwame Wande II has barred politicians from doing campaign in his community especially in 2016 which is an election year.

According to Nana Kwame Wande II they are not seeing the better Ghana that President John Mahama and his government are taunting as transforming the lives of Ghanaians.

                              Nana Kwame Wande II, Chief of Kamanpa

Nana Wande II noted that the community lacks basic amenities including roads and school infrastructure. Pupils have to lie on the floor in school to write this he said is affecting teaching and learning in the community.

Nana Wande revealed that through the community’s own effort they have built a CHPS Compound and have asked the Pru District Assembly to build a bungalow to facilitate the sending of a midwife to the community but to no avail.

Apart from this the road to the community is in a deplorable state, foodstuff from the community always rotting on their farms.

He declared that no politician should step foot in the community to campaign for votes because they have been neglected.

“We have now seen that we are not part of Ghana so we are saying that no politician should step foot here to do campaign especially next year being an election year because we have being neglected we are not going to vote,” Nana Wande II stated.

Efforts to get the District Chief Executive for Pru, Emmanuel Kwame Opoku to get his opinion on the issue were not successful as his phone was off.

SUNYANI CENTRAL PRISONS INAUGURATES BLOCK FACTORY

From Michael Sarpong MFUM, Sunyani

The Prisons Service has inaugurated a block moulding factory in the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, Sunyani, to give training to inmates on how to mould blocks, as part of its objective of reforming convicts serving prison terms in the facility.

ASP Ziniel B. Vincent, the Brong Ahafo Regional Prisons Service PRO, who made this known to The Finder, said the establishment of the block factory is to offer employable skills to the prison inmates to make them relevant to their societies when they go back after serving their jail term.

According to him, the factory will produce blocks in commercial quantities to be sold to individuals and organisations who may need them.

Revenue from the factory will be used for the running of the prison facility to complement government efforts and also expand the capacity of the factory to be able to produce more.

ASP Ziniel also disclosed that the Prisons Service is in the process of establishing a fund, called 'Earning Scheme,' for the inmates who will be working at the block moulding factory.

He explained that, under the scheme, the Prisons Service will create an account for each of the inmates working at the factory, and a percentage of the amount realised from the sale of the blocks will be allocated to the account of each inmate as his commission.

According to him, the purpose of the scheme is to raise money for the prisoners so that upon their release they can get money for transportation and use the rest as seed capital to establish themselves. This, he says, will address the financial nightmare the inmates face when they are released from jail.

The PRO also revealed that some of the inmates are into shoe-making, and they are making efforts to get some of the schools and the security agencies to patronise the shoes made by the prisoners, to enable them raise funds to sustain their business and boost their employable skills.

He, therefore, appealed to individuals and organisations to come to the aid of the Prisons Service by donating generously to it to enable the service address the numerous challenges it is confronted with, in order to make the facility conducive for the inmates.

BRONG AHAFO POLICE ARRESTS SEVEN SUSPECTS

 

 From Michael Sarpong MFUM, Sunyani

Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with a crime they committed at Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, and are on police enquiry bail.

They are Mohammed Awuni Alhassan, Awudu Alima, Carmel Shuari, Mohammed Munkarim, Ali Adams, Alhaji Awani and Alhassan Sherrif Zakaria, all residents at Techiman Zongo.

The Brong Ahafo Regional Police Command has begun investigations into circumstances that led to the burning of a Mitsubishi Pajero in Techiman belonging to Kwadwo Adjei. A businessman who was brutalised by some Zongo youth and had his car burnt is seeking justice against his attackers.

 According to police investigations, the suspects, who live at Techiman Zongo, attacked and subjected the owner of the car, Mr Kwadwo Adjei, a businessman, and two others to severe beatings. The other victims are Sueba Sulemana, a trader, and her 15-year-old son, Musihu Awal.

 The Brong Ahafo Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Alhaji Maama Arhin, who confirmed the story to The Finder, said the suspects allegedly stole three mobile phones, an iPad and an undisclosed sum of money from Mr Adjei.

 Superintendent Arhin explained that Mr Adjei was accompanying the two victims to their house at Techiman Zongo when Alima, one of the suspects, approached them, indicating that while Adjei was talking with him, a mob attacked them.

He said during the attack, the mob also caused extensive damage to the Pajero vehicle, but a police patrol in the vicinity saved them.

Superintendent Arhin said the police impounded the vehicle and parked it at the premises of the police station, but the suspects allegedly went to the station at night and set it ablaze.