Category: General

The General Transport, Petroleum, and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has described President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's promise to revamp the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) as mere rhetoric. The President, on Friday, January 26, 2024, commissioned the newly built private Sentuo Oil Refinery located a few metres from TOR, where he assured Ghanaians of his government's commitment to revamping the dying state oil refinery. He said that they would stop at nothing to bring TOR on stream so that, together with Sentuo, more of Ghana's oil would be refined in the country. Mr Bernard Owusu, the National Chairman of the GTPCWU, reacting to the statement, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the promise was just another piece of rhetoric that would not yield any result. Mr Owusu questioned that if, for the past seven to eight years that the president had steered the affairs of the country, he had not stepped foot in TOR, which is a national asset, what would he do wh en his term was coming to an end? 'The President, for eight years, had not visited TOR, even though we have raised a lot of issues there. 'He has refused to even pass by and give encouragement to the workers, but he passed in front of the refinery to go and open a private refinery some few metres from it. What he said is just rhetoric, nothing serious,' he emphasised. He questioned how Sentuo, a private investment, was listed under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative when the government could have also used the same 1D1F initiative to revamp the operations of the ailing TOR. On whether the opening of Sentuo would affect the viability of TOR, he said it would rather bring some competition into the sector, indicating that it was their hope that the government would address TOR's issues to put it in a better position to compete since it has the capacity to produce. The Tema Oil Refinery, which commenced operations in September 1963 with a capacity of 45,000 barrels per stream day, is currently f aced with numerous operational challenges. Sentuo Oil Refinery, which has the capacity to produce 100,000 barrels per day when fully completed, is currently in its first phase and is expected to produce 40,000 barrels of refined products per day. Source: Ghana News Agency

RUNDU: An official in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, 40-year-old Johannes Haufiku, made his first appearance in the Rundu Magistrate's Court on Monday. Haufiku was arrested on Thursday after he was reportedly found transporting 39 private animal feed bags without an official permit. He appeared before Magistrate Sonia Samupofu, who granted him bail of N.dollars 3000. His case was postponed to 25 April 2024 to allow for a decision by the Prosecutor General's office. Haufiku chose to conduct his own defense. It is alleged that Haufiku was transporting the 39 bags from a dwelling in Sauyemwa informal settlement to his house in Tuhingireni informal settlement and intended to drop the bags off at his farm at Karukuhwisa village at a later stage before he was intercepted by an undercover police officer. The 39 bags of animal feed were also seized. Source: The Namibia Press Agency

District and Municipal Health Directorates across the Ashanti Region are stepping up awareness campaigns on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) to mark this year's World NTD Day. Health Information Officers have been visiting local radio stations and community information centres to educate the public on the causes, prevention and treatment of the diseases. Celebrated globally on January 30, the day is set aside annually to create awareness on diseases forming the NTD and solicit support and resources to combat them. The NTDs are a group of about 20 parasitic and bacteria diseases, which affect about 1.7 billion people in about 149 of the poorest countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. So far, 50 countries have eliminated at least one NTD, marking a halfway milestone towards the 100-country target set for 2030 in the World Health Organisation's roadmap for neglected tropical diseases. Most of these diseases do not kill but produce debilitating effects, including disfigurement and disability in patie nts. There are 14 of these in Ghana that are managed by respective Programmes under the Ghana Health Service. These are Buruli ulcer, Guinea worm, Human African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), Leishmaniasis, Leprosy, Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), Onchocerciasis (river blindness), Rabies, Scabies, Scabies and other ectoparasites, Schistosomiasis (bilharzia), Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (worms), Snakebite envenoming, Trachoma and Yaws. The majority of NTDs in Ghana have been mapped, with some eliminated as diseases of public health importance (guinea worm, trachoma, leprosy). Others have made huge progress and are on the verge of elimination (sleeping sickness). It is in line with sustaining such gains that the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate has instructed all 43 health directorates in the region to embark on public awareness creation on the NTDs in their respective districts. A letter signed by Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, Ashanti Regional Health Director, copied to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, entreated the District Directors of Health Services to prioritise the awareness creation. It further encouraged them to marshal all efforts and resources to reach out to the larger population during the exercise. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Government proposed to waive tuition fees for undergraduate and PhD students in state universities enrolled in state-subsidized places. For this purpose, amendments to the Higher Education Act will be initiated and uploaded for public discussion on strategy.bg later in the day, the Government press office said on Monday. The abolition of fees will facilitate access to higher education for all Bulgarian citizens, regardless of their social status and financial means. The tuition costs will be provided by the state, explained Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov later in the day. Such changes have been in the works for several years, he added. Education has always been a national priority and with the latest constitutional amendments it has been declared a national value, the press release notes. The measure is a continuation of the Government's targeted policy to ensure accessible, comprehensive and quality education. The measure also supports the Government's fight against the demographic crisis. Abolishin g tuition fees at state universities would make them more attractive to students who are hesitant whether they should continue their education and life path abroad or in Bulgaria. By abolishing PhD fees altogether, more young people would choose to pursue a career in science and build an academic career. The measure will come into force this academic year. The proposed changes also foresee that the Academic Councils of state universities will continue to set the application fees, but they will no longer have to be adopted by a decision of the Council of Ministers. The Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions in Bulgaria supports free higher education for students, said its chair Lachezar Traykov at a briefing at the Council of Ministers. 'On Wednesday we have scheduled a Governing Council, at which we will discuss in detail the proposed changes,' he added. 'We take this announcement as an invitation for a conversation that we have been initiating for a long time and we are glad that we are knoc king on an open door with regard to the Prime Minister and the Government,' Traykov noted. National Representation of Student Councils President Daniel Parushev expressed support for this policy because it is important for every Bulgarian student and it will give many young people access to education despite the difficulties and inflation. GERB MP Temenuzhka Petkova stressed that one of the most important priorities of the ruling majority is education. 'We realize how important this topic is, so this proposal was discussed within the governing majority,' she said. Source: Ghana News Agency

The ECOWAS Court has mandated the Republic of Senegal to reform Article 109 of its Organic Law governing the Commission for the Compensation of Persons Unreasonably Detained on Remand. The judgement orders Senegal to align a portion of the law with its international commitments, particularly that under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR). In Suit ECW/CCJ/APP/36/21, the Applicants had alleged the violation of their human rights, specifically violations of the right to fair trial, the right to be tried within a reasonable time as well as for breaches of the principle of equality before the law. Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma, a Judge Rapporteur, In the judgment delivered by the Court, declared a violation of the right to a fair trial and the right to be tried within a reasonable time under Article 7 (1) (d) of the ACHPR.  It also declared a violation of the principle of equality of citizens before the law under Article 4 of the ACHPR. Consequently, it awarded each Applicant, Mouhamed Ra ssoul Ndiaye and Alassane Lo, Fifty Million Francs (50,000,000 CFA) CFA as reparation for the violation of their right to a fair trial, right to be tried within a reasonable time as well as for breaches of the principle of equality before the law. However, it declared there was no violation of the presumption of innocence as guaranteed under Article 7 (1) (b) of the ACHPR. The Applicants asserted that they were arrested on December 12, 2023, facing criminal conspiracy and murder charges, and another unspecified crime. Despite being acquitted by the First Criminal Chamber of the High Court of Dakar in judgment on July 16, 2019, they claimed to have been detained for eight years, leading to the collapse of their business and severe hardship for their families. They initiated proceedings with the Compensation Commission after their acquittal, seeking compensation by the Organic Law of the Supreme Court. Despite meeting eligibility criteria, their compensation application was denied, unlike others in similar situations.  The Applicants alleged a violation of their fundamental rights guaranteed by the Senegal Constitution and relevant human rights conventions. Senegal's Defense challenged the notion that the detention length alone constituted a rights violation, emphasizing the case's complexity. It also denied any official role in media leaks about the investigation. Addressing the extended pre-trial detention, the Court found that Senegal did not provide a satisfactory justification neither did it present a legal basis, thus infringing upon the fair trial rights guaranteed by Article 7 (1) (d) of the ACHPR. However, it rejected the Applicants' claim of a presumption of innocence violation, citing insufficient evidence that the leak stemmed from an official source, albeit the Respondent. The Court did determine that Article 109 of the Organic Law violated the ACHPR's fair trial standards and equality under the law as outlined in Articles 7 (1) and Article 4, respectively. As such, it ordered the amendment of the law to meet Senegal's international obligations. Claims regarding the right to compensation from the Compensation Commission of the Respondent were dismissed on grounds of jurisdictional competence. The Applicants had sought Five Hundred Million Francs CFA each for alleged rights violations. Regarding reparation rights from the Compensation Commission, Senegal said there were two criteria: long detention and an abnormal and particularly serious prejudice endured while in detention. The Respondent argued that they were not compensated because they did not give evidence of the prejudice suffered.  It also added that the Compensation Commission did not require a reason to deny compensation and therefore did not violate the Applicants' rights. The Respondent State called for the dismissal of the Applicants' claims as unsubstantiated. Other judges on the panel were Justices Dupe Atoki (Presiding) and Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves. Source: Ghana News Agency