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Otiko cautions Social Welfare workers over “dodgy” adoption process 

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The Social Welfare Department of the Gender, Children and Social Protection over the years is tasked to coordinate, facilitate and provide Statutory Social Welfare Services in the country.

And in pursuance of its effective performance, an eleven-man Technical Advisory Committee was inaugurated to help steer the affairs of the department.
 

It also responsible for overseeing interventions for social welfare workforce capacity development and alternative care.  

The Sector Minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba, delivering her inaugural speech, cautioned that it is only the Gender Minister who must approve all adoption processes of children in the country. And that no social welfare officer is eligible to do that.

According to the Minister, her predecessor, Nana Oye Lithur, placed a moratorium on adoptions of children where all adoptions must come through the local to the regional level for the Gender Ministry to approve.

She also mentioned that, the ministry will sooner than later put in place a National Board to also peruse all adoptions in collaboration with the Minister.

The Committee Members who were drawn from various fields of endeavor mainly in connection with social and gender based issues are: the Ag. Director, Department of Social Welfare, Miss Afua; Prof. Mavis Dako-Gyeke, Head of Department of Social Work – UG; Clara Napaga Tia Sulemana, Office of the President; Dr. Prince Abrah, Principal, School of Social Work.

Others are Mr. Stephen Adongo, Country Director of KAEME Foundation; Lawyer Sheila Minkah-Premo, Apex Law Consult; Dr. Charles Teye Amoatey, GIMPA Business School; Mr. John Clay, Ghana Association of Social workers; Chief Sup. L.W. Akorli, Coordinating Director – DOVVSU.

The rest are Dr. Badu, Head, Child Abuse Center – Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Rebecca Quaicoe of Graphic Communication Group.

Their terms of reference are to review Department of Social Work plans, targets, strategies and outcomes against international, regional and national development plans as well as hold biannual performance review meeting.

They are also to support in the resource mobilization and enhance the department’s public image through advocacy.
Committee Member, Lawyer Sheila Minkah-Premo pledged to work and help the department particularly by ensuring that the laws and regulations are enforced.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com 
  

I played in the UAE and China to guarantee my future – Asamoah Gyan

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Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan says he does not regret moving to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Pro-League at age 26 and later to the Chinese Super League with Shanghai SIPG in 2015 because he did so to guarantee his future financially.

Gyan has been criticised by pundits for abandoning top-flight European football for money after his sensational loan switch to UAE Pro-League club Al Ain in 2011 from English Premier League club Sunderland when he was arguably at the height of his powers.

However, the 32-year-old says he does not agree with his critics describing them as "Professors of every job".

According to Gyan who has gone on to become the Black Stars record scorer with 51 goals in 105 appearances, he decided to move to Al Ain at the age of 26 and later Shanghai SIPG because he wanted to guarantee his life and future.

Gyan who was on a reported salary of £227,000 per week at Shanghai SIPG explain

"Obviously, I do not agree with these criticisms, everyone thinks of themselves as Professors of every job, but nobody knows what you are going to do, of course, the team that I will go to is important, but we are human beings … doesn't everyone work for money? There were so many differences between the offered wages and my family, I guaranteed my life and my future.

"If you leave football you have a few sentences about you but nobody knows what you are going to do. It is my life, I chose this. I have done very good work in the places I went to. China, I played in France, England and Italy before Dubai and I do not regret the decisions I have made in my life."

He also gave his approval to the decision of Congolese striker Cedric Bakambu, who at age 26 is making a similarly lucrative transfer by joining the Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan which will incidentally make him the most expensive African player in history when he pens a bumper £16m-a-year contract in China's capital city.

Bakambu has already undergone his medical with the £65m deal set to be finalised. Beijing Guoan have not only agreed to pay the £35m release clause for the Congolese striker but also all the imposed tax on the star – which will total around £30m.

"Bakambu did very well in Spain and was 26 years old, and was offered a figure of 18 million euros a year and now he is gone. Are you going to raise your career or to guarantee that you will be financially secure?".

He also revealed that over 20 clubs wanted to sign him before he joined Turkish SuperLig club Kayserispor last July.

Gyan who was then a free agent following the expiration of his contract at Shanghai SIPG told the Anadolu News Agency that he received offers from numerous European clubs including Bursaspor before signing a two year deal with the Anatolian Stars as Kayserispor is known.

"I got offers from Turkey before Kayserispor. Over 20 managers called me. It was Kayserispor who convince me. The first half of the season was unlucky for me but I'm working very hard for the second half.

"Our team did a very good job in the first half. We have a very good technical director, a good understanding of tactics, a very important place thanks to him, we have a great president, they have supported me since the day I arrived, I have a saying, I can be a very easy hero but what is important to me is not how you started, but how it ends. "Some things are too early to talk, see how I finish, not how I begin."

Graphic Sports

Akufo-Addo receives credentials from Japanese and Nigerien Ambassadors

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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Thursday, 18th January, 2017, received letters of credence from two envoys accredited to Ghana, from the Republics of Niger and Japan.

Presenting his credentials, the Ambassador-designate from Japan, Tsutomu Himenu, touted the existing, cordial relationship between Ghana and Japan, and praised the country’s role and status as a beacon peace, democracy and stability in the region.

Mr. Himenu, amongst others, referred to President Akufo-Addo’s speech at the recent United Nations General Assembly on UN reforms, and pledged Japan’s support for the cause, stressing that “it is time Africa holds her rightful place on the world stage.”

He also appealed for increased collaboration between the two countries, and reiterated Japan’s economic support for President Akufo-Addo’s vision of a “Ghana Beyond Aid”.

On his part, President Akufo-Addo expressed the gratitude of the Ghanaian people to Japan for the support given to Ghana over the years, through agencies like TICAD and JICA, and hoped that the new ambassador will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor.

Conveying regards from the President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, the Ambassador-designate, Alhousseni Ousmane, said Niger intends to foster closer collaboration and ties with Ghana, which will guarantee the progress and prosperity of the peoples.

Exxon Mobil signs deal for deepwater oil exploration off Ghana

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Exxon Mobil Corp signed a deal with Ghana on Thursday to explore for oil in the Deepwater Cape Three Point offshore (DWCTP) oilfield.

The signing followed direct negotiations between Ghana and Exxon Mobil without an open competitive tender due to the nature of the field, where the depth ranges from 2,000 to 4,000 meters, Ghanaian officials said.

Ghana, which exports cocoa and gold, began commercial production of oil from its flagship Jubilee reserves in late 2010. Other firms drilling in the West African country include UK’s Tullow oil and Kosmos Energy.

The Exxon Mobil deal is the first to be signed after the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea last September drew an ocean boundary favoring Ghana in a dispute with its neighbor Ivory Coast.

Exxon Mobil, lead operator, holds an 80-percent interest in the DWCTP, while state-run Ghana National Petroleum Corporation holds 15 percent. Exxon is yet to select a local partner to own the remaining 5 percent as Ghana’s laws required, Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko told Reuters.

The agreement is subject to approval by parliament and Exxon is expected to start exploration this year, Agyarko said.

Reuters

10 signs your relationship is loveless

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Out of all the emotions we experience, love is arguably the most complex. Feelings can range from pure ecstasy to maddening torture; one moment we feel hugely content, and the next we feel desperately unsure of everything.

For sure, love is exciting. But it’s also frustrating, and can cause as much pain and anguish, as it does fulfilment and happiness. And if your relationship has gone from a goblet overflowing with love and joy to an empty cup, you will probably know about it.

However, because a relationship is so important to all of us, you need to be sure about this. You need to be sure that what you’re going through right now is not just a temporarily interlude, but is actually a permanent fracture that might be impossible to heal. If you know something has changed for the worse, but are uncertain of what is happening between you and your partner, here are 10 signs your relationship is loveless.

The “I Love You’s” Have Changed

It might sound silly to get wound up about the way he or even you says “I love you”, but this isn’t as trivial as it might first appear. When we first fall in love with someone, there is real meaning behind our “I love you’s”. They are spoken with a passion and a honesty, and we know they and ourselves are truly in love with one another. But when a relationship starts to disintegrate, the “I love you’s” change. The tone we use for them alters, and we begin to use them less spontaneously and more predictably. Perhaps you’ll say yours every morning after you wake up, and again before bed. It’s become a habit, and you say “I love you” simply because you’re used to it. But there’s no feel anymore, no sincerity. It’s become routine.

You’ve Started To Imagine A Life Without Him

When you’re in love with your partner, you try very hard not to imagine life without him. Why? Because it would be a very bleak existence. Just the thought of him not being with you is upsetting. However, when the love is fading, we start to fantasise about what life would be like without him – and it actually seems pretty awesome. We’ve got our freedom back, there are no more petty arguments, and we’ve got more money again. If you’ve started to imagine a life without your partner, you may need to question why.

You Don’t Want To Discuss The Future

When couples are madly in love with each other, talking about the future is one of their favourite things to do. “Let’s get a big house together!” “Why don’t we take a 4 week vacation next year?” Such talk is thrilling. However, when love has removed her roses from a relationship, it seems that no one wants to talk about the future anymore. There is no more talk of getting a new house, no more vacation plans, and no more dreams. And there is definitely no discussions about kids.

Your Life Directions Are Now Different

When you guys first got together, it was partly because you agreed on the direction in life you both wanted to head. You had the same dreams and ambitions. Now, though, it seems that you are both increasingly heading down different paths. You might feel as though you’re still heading to a blissful sunset, while he’s trudging forlornly down a path crowded with thickets. In other words, while you still harbour the same dreams and ambitions, he seems to have lost his zest and is prepared to laze around until something falls in his lap. Or is it the other way around?

You Just Don’t Feel Loved

Are there many bigger signs than this that a relationship is without love? Probably not. If you no longer feel loved, it’s a warning sign that things have changed for the worse.

The Cuddles Are Fewer

Cuddling is a sign of affection and love. You cuddle your partner because you love him, appreciate him, and want to be feel his love and protection. Although loveless couples might still cuddle, they don’t do it as often. Instead of wanting to cuddle your partner each time you see him in the morning because he is just so darn cute, you’ve got other things to be getting on with. Instead of cuddling him bed at night, you just want some space so that you can get a good night’s sleep.

Those Deep, Meaningful Conversations Have Gone Away

Couples who stay together for years don’t stay together on the strength of their “how was your day?” conversations? Sure, they make small talk just like the rest of us. But they also know the value of proper conversation, and they make sure to engage in meaningful conversations. Although guys hate it when you make them pause their zombie video games to have a chat about something that’s on your mind, anyone who loves you will lend you their ear. They’ll be ready to chat meaningfully to you. If, however, all your topics are pretty much vapid and hollow these days, it could be a sign that the flame of love has been extinguished.

You Both Play The Blame Game

If you’re pinning the blame for everything that’s wrong in this relationship while he’s pinning it all on you, it’s a really bad sign. Instead of talking things through and making compromises, you’re instead prepared to just point fingers because you’ve lost the heart to have proper, open conversations.

There Is A Lot Of Nagging And Nitpicking

Sustained nitpicking can really eat away at a relationship. It’s the same when a woodpecker chisels away at timbre. It doesn’t slam away with a hammer so that the timbre falls apart with one one blow; instead it picks and picks until eventually the timbre has been worn away. There is a reason we nitpick, and it’s because our partner is getting on our nerves. All of a sudden, every little thing they do is no longer magic. Instead, it really annoy us. If you’re nitpicking a lot right now and finding fault with everything your partner does, it’s important that you find out why.

The Effort Has Gone

Lastly, perhaps the biggest sign that your relationship is loveless is a lack of effort on either side. No longer are you prepared to put in the emotional work. Instead, you both seem content to let the relationship reach its end without even attempting to work things out. It’s been on a steady decline for months and no one has tried to stop it.

Stay happy!


Beauty and tips

President’s dicey responses to some questions shocking – Kwesi Pratt

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Outspoken Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has said  although  President  Akufo-Addo intelligently responded  to some of the  questions posed to him at Wednesday  media encounter, his lack of knowledge  on  other questions was shocking.

Speaking at a media encounter at the Flagstaff House in Accra, President Akufo Addo revealed that the white paper produced from the evidence gathered by the Dzamefe Commission to serve as a roadmap for the administration of football in the country was not his radar.

The 2014 White Paper was generated following a commission of enquiry which was set up by former President John Mahama to investigate Ghana’s disastrous Brazil 2014 World Cup Campaign.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also stated that he is not privy to the job statistics his government created onto the job market following his one year in office.

Speaking to Ekourba Gyasi on Atinka AM Drive Thursday,   Mr Pratt said the President's response to  the 2014 World Cup question was not the best. He, however, commended the president  for showing a mark of honesty.

“If a President, after one year, lacks knowledge on such important issues then it is a cause to worry. We can commend his honesty and at the same time raise issues about his lack of Knowledge,” he added.

Ghana | Atinkaoline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa

Bagbin dragged to NDC Council of Elders over “inappropriate actions”

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Two members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have dragged Alban Bagbin, to the party’s Council of Elders for allegedly misconducting himself as a party member.

Bagbin, who is one of the longest serving MPs and has expressed interest in the flagbearership race of the NDC, has accused former President Mahama of being solely responsible for  the party’s humiliating  defeat in the last  election.

However, the two petitioners argue that Mr. Bagbin’s recent statements amount to disrespecting the party structures contrary to orders and directives of the Council of Elders.

Below is the full statement:

Below is the press statement by the group

My brother, Andrews Amadi Krow, and I on Wednesday January 17, 2017, wrote to the Council of Elders of our Party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to complain about the inappropriate actions of the MP for Nadowli-Kaleo, Hon. Alban Bagbin, which actions are at variance with the August 22, 2017, Press Release of the Council of Elders of the NDC.

The Council of Elders’ statement called on all members of the NDC “to respect the party structures and procedures in resolving internal grievances and conflicts”. The Council also asked all members to stop the practice of “ventilating their grievances in public through the electronic, print and social media” bringing “the good name of the Party into disrepute”.

Obviously, Mr. Bagbin has violated all of these positions and it is our hope that the Council will consider our complaint and take the necessary steps. This will prevent others from taking a cue and returning to the media and public space to defend and explain themselves.

The NDC must remain united for 2020. The NDC must follow disciplinary rules laid down by the Party. Our seniors must be seen to be leading the way.

Dzifa Gunu
Accra.

 

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com

One District One Factory has the potential to turn Ghana’s fortunes around -Jospong CEO

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EXECUTIVE Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has said that the One District One Factory initiative of the current administration has the potential of turning Ghana’s fortunes around by creating wealth and sustainable jobs.

He called for more support from Government for indigenous private businesses to collaborate with local authorities for the selection and efficient execution of the initiative to the benefit of the communities and growth of the private sector.

Dr. Siaw Agyepong made this observation on the second day of the 69th annual New Year School and Conference at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon on Tuesday. 

This year’s New Year School’s theme is: “Job Creation for Accelerated National Development: The Role of the Private Sector,” and it was organised by the School of Continuing and Distance Education of the University of Ghana, Legon.  

He said efforts aimed at creating jobs should not be focused on the formal sector only, “the informal sector has the potential to generate a good number of jobs. The essential need is to exert some of direction and control in this sector”, he added.

Dr. Agyepong bemoaned the politicization of businesses, which usually occur after a change of government, and said the practice of especially colouring private business political was unhealthy.

To this end, he stressed the need for successive governments to ensure continuity of businesses to promote growth of local entrepreneurs.

Using the Zoomlion example, Dr. Siaw Agyepong enumerated its various achievement since its establishment in 2006 to manage waste in the country and create jobs for thousands of Ghanaians, and called for the protection of local industries.

Speaking on the topic: “The Private Sector Participation in Local Governance for Job Creation,” the Zoomlion boss called for more collaboration to enable local private companies to undertake government projects.

He commended successive governments for their efforts at reducing unemployment but urged that more efforts must be put into the talk to make it a reality.

He said Jospong Group of Companies has collaborated with the public sector in areas including waste management, sanitation, environmental hygiene, agro-based industrialisation among others to create jobs.

Against this backdrop, Dr. Siaw Agyapong affirmed his Group’s commitment to continue to collaborate with local government authorities to create jobs for the teeming youth in the country. In the estimation of the Zoomlion boss, there was equally the need for government to promote sustainable partnership arrangements to engage and empower the private sector

“Leveraging our investments in the local government sector to sustain continuous and inclusive development at the grassroots level is key”, He noted.

These partnership models that would be created, he suggested, should subsist “our political and governance cycles and Ghanaian entrepreneurs on their part should exhibit high level of professionalism so that they are not unduly branded.

“Emphasis on local content is key, empowering indigenous Ghanaian companies is key, local collaboration to undertake government projects should be encouraged and stimulus packages to local private sector should be implemented.

…I believe we are on the right track and as a Group of Company; we would do our best to support government to create sustainable jobs. Indeed, we have the skills set to continue in that path.

“All that we in the Private Sector have to do is to continually re-examine our business creating models for the mutual benefit of both the public and the private sectors.

“When this is done we will be placed on the right track of creating jobs and entrepreneurial skills to help harness the powerful potential of creativity in our teeming youth,” Dr. Agyepong pointed out.

The Session was chaired by Dr Nana Ato Arthur, Head of the Local Government Service.

 

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com

 

 

People who urinate in public should be fined or jailed – Zanetor Rawlings 

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Member of Parliament for Klottey Korley in the Greater Accra Region, Zanetor Rawlings, has advocated for the prosecution of people who shamelessly urinate in public.

“It seems to have become the norm for motorists and pedestrians to just stop wherever they feel like it, in order to pee. It doesn’t matter whether they are in a residential estate, on the highway or in front of a school, government ministry or an embassy,” she posted on her Facebook page Thursday.

According to her, in other countries, the fine for such behaviour is a spot fine of the GHS 5,000 ($1,000) or up to 6 months in jail adding, “we must not address open defecation without tackling this problem of public urination!

Below is the full statement:

You know there is a major problem in society when people shamelessly urinate in full view of the public. It seems to have become the norm for motorists and pedestrians to just stop wherever they feel like it, in order to pee. It doesn’t matter whether they are in a residential estate, on the highway or in front of a school, government ministry or an embassy. The trend in public urination has no respect for who, what, when, where! What on Earth has happened to us? Have so many people suddenly developed urinary incontinence? Once upon a time, not too long ago, people felt embarrassed to behave like this. In some countries the fine for such behaviour is a spot fine of the GHS 5,000 ($1,000) or up to 6 months in jail. We must not address open defecation without tackling this problem of public urination! Just like problem of garbage disposal, the triad of ATTITUDES, FACILITIES and ENFORCEMENT must be operationalised. 2018, six decades post-independence and we are still dealing with this?!

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com 
 

Mahama era is over; NDC needs new flagbearer for 2020 victory – Sylvester Mensah

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National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer hopeful, Sylvester Mensah, has given a thumb down for a possible return of former President John Mahama as the party’s candidate in the 2020 polls.

Mr Mensah says although his former boss was a good President when he took over the reins of government from 2010 – after the demise of John Evans Atta Mills – to 2016, the outcome of the last election sends a strong message about his favourability as a leader.

Former President Mahama polled a paltry a little above 44% of total votes cast in the last election, the lowest for an incumbent President, and losing the Presidency to the New Patriotic Party's Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“At the time [Mahama] burst onto the political scene he was the best for our party and for this country and he played his role. But we have gotten to a completely new era that requires a completely new set of [leaders],” he said on current affairs programme, The Hard Truth, on Joy News Wednesday evening.

The comments by the former Chief Executive of the National Insurance Health Authority (NHIA) and former MP for La-Dadekotopon add to the growing disapproval of key party members for a Mahama-2020 bid.

Legislator for Nadowli Kaleo, Alban Bagbin, also recently cast doubts over John Mahama’s chances of winning the NDC primaries to lead the party in the 2020 general elections.

In an exclusive interview with Joy News’ Gifty Andoh Appiah, Mr Bagbin said the chances of the former President – who is yet to declare his intention to run –  are slim


“We are now going to go out there with our messages and we will give the good people of our party as to which personality and which message they prefer and I believe that by the end of the day, I don’t see His Excellency the former President [Mahama] winning. I don’t see it,” he had said.

Speaking on The Hard Truth, Sylvester Mensah also told the host of the nightly show, Nana Akosua Konadu, that the results of the 2016 elections show that there was a high level of disaffection and withdrawal from political participation within the rank and file of the party in the run-up to the polls.

“You could also tell that there was anger, there was frustration, there was disaffection and I guess that these are very loud statements emanating from the numbers. It tells clearly that we have gotten to a crucial junction in the life of our party that we need to re-strategise. We need to put in place a new set of vision that can accommodate the emerging trends and expectations of our party,” he said.

He was emphatic that he represents this “new set of vision” and charged the party’s delegate to confirm him as the flagbearer during primaries later this year.

“The delegate of our party has a responsibility to determine what is useful for our party. I have always trusted their views, I have always respected their views and I think they have never been wrong and they won’t be wrong this time and I guess that God willing, I will be rhyming with their choice and I will emerge as the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress,” he said.

Myjoyonline.com

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