Proponents of this levy, including the government itself, argue that it serves the dual purpose of curbing the nation’s emissions and bolstering governmental revenue.

The levy was recently greenlit by Ghana’s parliament, encompassing fees ranging from 75 Ghanaian cedis for motorized tricycles and motorcycles to 300 cedis for vehicles boasting a capacity of 3,000cc or higher.

While on the global scale, fuel emissions levies are intended to foster the adoption of eco-friendly technology and green energy, the rationale behind this specific tax begs scrutiny.

Firstly, it is imperative to question whether this levy stands any credible chance of significantly curbing emissions.

The resounding answer is ‘no’!

This levy, as it stands, isn’t a progressive solution to carbon emission in Ghana as the absence of credible alternatives will effectively take away the levy’s deterrent effect necessary to dissuade individuals from operating carbon-emitting vehicles.

The fact is, if this levy is meant to incentivise the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), then it is too far-fetched as vehicle buyers in Ghana have no such alternatives.

In the Ghanaian context, where such alternatives remain scarce, this tax merely imposes an additional burden on citizens without offering a tangible pathway toward sustainable transportation.

It’s baffling that the government proceeds with the implementation of this levy despite acknowledging the populace’s lack of choice in the matter.

The move appears particularly egregious in light of the government’s purported commitment to shifting the nation’s focus from taxation to production, a promise now seemingly contradicted by the imposition of multiple taxes, including this emissions levy.

In essence, Ghana’s venture into carbon emissions taxation raises pertinent questions regarding its efficacy, feasibility, and alignment with broader economic objectives.

As it stands, citizens will have to grapple with yet another tax burden but what can the people do but obey?

A steel bridge located at Saikope in the Mepe area, crucial for connecting the North Tongu town, of Juapong, to the Central Tongu capital town, Adidome, has collapsed.

According to reports, the collapse occurred when a fully loaded trailer carrying salt attempted to cross the bridge.

Fortunately, there have been no reported fatalities resulting from the incident.

In response, the District Chief Executive, Osborn Devine Fenu, has issued a public advisory via his personal Facebook Page.

He urges motorists to take an alternate route through another Mepe town, Dadome, to access Adidome and Juapong safely.

Even though investigations are yet to commence into the actual cause of the collapse, the DCE has alleged overloading of the truck, saying The report have it that a fully loaded trailer carrying salt, likely surpassing the recommended maximum load of 25 tonnes, traversed the bridge, resulting in its collapse. Fortunately, the driver and the mate are reported to be safe.

While the DCE’s claim is a possibility, the point needs to be made that long before the collapse of the bridge, authorities had stationed a warning sign, signaling road users of a “weak bridge ahead” of them.

There is also a sign that says the maximum load limit of the bridge is 25 tons.

Until investigations conclude, it will be difficult to say which of the two phenomena has collapsed the bridge – weak bridge or excess tonnage.

Below is the DCD’s update and advisory as shared on his personal Facebook wall:

Urgent Notice

We woke up to the distressing news of another sudden accident— the collapse of the steel bridge at Saikope-Mepe along the Adidome to Juapong Road.

The report have it that a fully loaded trailer carrying salt, likely surpassing the recommended maximum load of 25 tonnes, traversed the bridge, resulting in its collapse. Fortunately, the driver and the mate are reported to be safe.

We have promptly informed all relevant stakeholders to ensure swift action is taken. The urgent need for a new bridge at the location is abundantly clear.

In the interim, we advise all motorists to utilize the diversion via Dadome to Adidome and Juapong.

In times like this, it’s crucial to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone involved. This is a challenging situation, but we trust in our collective ability to address it effectively.

This too shall pass!

Years later, they discovered each other by chance thanks to a TV talent show and a TikTok video.

As they delved into their past, they realised they were among thousands of babies in Georgia stolen from hospitals and sold, some as recently as 2005. Now they want answers. 

Amy is pacing up and down in a hotel room in Leipzig. “I’m scared, really scared,” she says, fidgeting nervously. “I haven’t slept all week. This is my chance to finally get some answers about what happened to us.”

Her twin sister, Ano, sits in an armchair, watching TikTok videos on her phone. “This is the woman that could have sold us,” she says, rolling her eyes. 

Ano admits she is nervous too, but only because she doesn’t know how she will react and if she will be able to control her anger.

It’s the end of a long journey. They have travelled from Georgia to Germany, in the hope of finding the missing piece of the puzzle. They are finally meeting their birth mother. 

For the past two years, they have been building a picture of what happened. As they unravelled the truth, they realised there were tens of thousands of other people in Georgia who had also been taken from hospitals as babies and sold over the decades.

Despite official attempts to investigate what happened, nobody has been held to account yet.  

The story of how Amy and Ano discovered each other starts when they were 12.

Amy Khvitia was at her godmother’s house near the Black Sea watching her favourite TV programme, Georgia’s Got Talent.

There was a girl dancing the jive who looked exactly like her. Not just like her, in fact, identical.

“Everyone was calling my mum and asking: ‘Why is Amy dancing under another name?'” she says.

Amy mentioned it to her family but they brushed it off. “Everyone has a doppelganger,” her mother said.  

Seven years later, in November 2021, Amy posted a video of herself with blue hair getting her eyebrow pierced on TikTok.  

Two hundred miles (320km) away in Tbilisi, another 19-year-old, Ano Sartania, was sent the video by a friend. She thought it was “cool that she looks like me”. 

Ano tried to trace the girl with the pierced eyebrow online but couldn’t find her, so she shared the video on a university WhatsApp group to see if anyone could help. Someone who knew Amy saw the message and connected them on Facebook. 

Amy instantly knew Ano was the girl she had seen all those years ago on Georgia’s Got Talent.

“I have been looking for you for so long!” she messaged. “Me too,” replied Ano. 

Over the next few days, they discovered they had a lot in common, but not all of it made sense. 

They were both born in Kirtskhi maternity hospital – which no longer exists –  in western Georgia but, according to their birth certificates, their birthdays were a couple of weeks apart. 

They couldn’t be sisters, much less twins. But there were too many similarities.

They liked the same music, they both loved dancing and even had the same hairstyle. They discovered they had the same genetic disease, a bone disorder called dysplasia.

It felt like they were unravelling a mystery together. “Every time I learned something new about Ano, things got stranger,” says Amy.

They arranged to meet and a week later, as Amy approached the top of the escalator at Rustaveli metro station in Tbilisi, she and Ano saw each other in the flesh for the very first time.

“It was like looking in a mirror, the exact same face, exact same voice. I am her and she is me,” says Amy. She knew then that they were twins.

“I don’t like hugs, but I hugged her,” says Ano. 

They decided to confront their families and for the first time they learned the truth. They had been adopted, separately, a few weeks apart in 2002. 

Amy was upset and felt her whole life had been a lie. Dressed head to toe in black she looks tough, but she fiddles with her studded choker nervously and wipes a mascara-stained tear away from her cheek. “It’s a crazy story,” she says. “But it’s true.” 

Ano was “angry and upset with my family, but I just wanted the difficult conversations to be over so that we could all move on”. 

Digging deeper, the twins found the details on their official birth certificates, including the date they were born, were wrong. 

Unable to have children, Amy’s mother says a friend told her there was an unwanted baby at the local hospital. She would need to pay the doctors but she could take her home and raise her as her own.

Ano’s mother was told the same story. 

Neither of the adoptive families knew the girls were twins and despite paying a lot of money to adopt their daughters, they say they hadn’t realised it was illegal. Georgia was going through a period of turmoil and as hospital staff were involved they thought it was legitimate.

Neither family would reveal how much money was exchanged.

The twins couldn’t help wondering if their biological parents had sold them for profit.

Amy wanted to search for their birth mother to find out, but Ano wasn’t sure. “Why do you want to meet the person that could have betrayed us?” she asked.  

Amy found a Facebook group dedicated to reuniting Georgian families with children suspected to have been illegally adopted at birth and she shared their story.

A young woman in Germany replied, saying her mother had given birth to twin girls in Kirtskhi Maternity Hospital in 2002 and that despite being told they had died, she now had some doubts.   

DNA tests revealed that the girl from the Facebook group was their sister, and was living with their birth mother, Aza, in Germany.  

Amy was desperate to meet Aza, but Ano was more sceptical. “This is the person who could have sold you, she’s not going to tell you the truth,” she warned. Even so she agreed to go to Germany with Amy to support her. 

The Facebook group the twins had used, Vedzeb, means “I’m searching” in Georgian. It has countless posts from mothers who say hospital staff told them their babies had died, but later discovered the deaths weren’t recorded and their children could still be alive. 

Other posts are from children like Amy and Ano, looking for their birth parents. 

The group has more than 230,000 members and, along with access to DNA websites, has blown wide open a dark chapter in Georgia’s history. 

It was set up by journalist Tamuna Museridze in 2021 after she discovered she was adopted. She found her birth certificate with incorrect details when she was clearing out her late mother’s house. 

She started the group to search for her own family, but the group has ended up exposing a baby trafficking scandal affecting tens of thousands of people, and spanning decades.

She has helped to reunite hundreds of families but has not yet tracked down her own. 

Tamuna discovered a black market in adoption that stretched across Georgia and went on from the early 1950s to 2005. 

She believes it was run by organised criminals and involved people from all sections of society, from taxi drivers to people high up in the government. Corrupt officials would fake the documents needed for the illegal adoptions.

“The scale is unimaginable, up to 100,000 babies were stolen. It was systemic,” she says. 

Tamuna explains that she calculated this figure by counting the number of people who have contacted her and combining that with the time frame and the nationwide spread of cases. 

With a lack of access to documents – some have been lost and others aren’t being released – it is impossible to verify the exact figure. 

Tamuna says many parents told her that when they asked to see the bodies of their dead babies they were told they had already been buried in the hospital grounds. She has since learned that cemeteries at Georgian hospitals never existed. In other cases parents would be shown dead babies who had been frozen in the mortuary. 

Tamuna says it was expensive to buy a child, about the equivalent of a year’s salary. She discovered that some children ended up with foreign families in the US, Canada, Cyprus, Russia and Ukraine.

In 2005 Georgia changed its adoption legislation and in 2006 it strengthened anti-trafficking laws, making illegal adoptions more difficult.

Another person looking for answers is Irina Otarashvili. She gave birth to twin boys in a maternity hospital in Kvareli, in the foothills of Georgia’s Caucasus mountains in 1978.  

The doctors told her both boys were healthy but, for reasons that were never explained, they were kept away from her.

Three days after they were born, she was told they had both suddenly died. A doctor said they had respiratory problems. 

Irina and her husband couldn’t make sense of it, but especially in Soviet times “you didn’t question authority” she says. She believed everything they said.

They were asked to bring a suitcase to take the infants’ remains away and to bury it in a cemetery or their back garden, as was common for babies at the time. The doctor told them never to open the case as it would be too upsetting to see the bodies. 

Irina did as she was told, but 44 years later her daughter Nino found Tamuna’s Facebook group and grew suspicious. 

“What if our brothers didn’t really die?” she wondered. Nino and her sister Nana decided to dig up the suitcase.

“My heart was racing,” she says. “When we opened it there were no bones, just sticks. We didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

She says local police confirmed the contents were branches from a grapevine and there was no trace of human remains.

She now believes her long-lost brothers could still be alive.  

In the hotel in Leipzig, Amy and Ano prepare to meet their birth mother. Ano says she’s changed her mind and wants to back out. But it’s a momentary wobble and, taking a deep breath, she decides to go ahead.  

Their biological mother, Aza, waits nervously in another room.

Amy opens the door hesitantly and Ano follows, almost pushing her sister into the room.

Aza lunges forward and embraces them tightly, one twin on each side. Minutes pass and locked in embrace, no-one speaks. 

Tears stream down Amy’s face but Ano remains stoic and unwavering. She even looks a little irritated.

The three of them sit down to talk in private.

Later, the twins say that their mother explained she had been ill after giving birth and fell into a coma. When she awoke, hospital staff told her that shortly after the babies were born, they had died. 

She said that meeting Amy and Ano has given her life new meaning. Although they are not close, they are still in touch.

In 2022, the Georgian government launched an investigation into historic child trafficking. It told the BBC it has spoken to more than 40 people but the cases were “very old and historic data has been lost”. Journalist Tamuna Museridze says she has shared information but the government hasn’t said when it will release its report. 

It has made at least four attempts to get to the bottom of what happened. These include an investigation in 2003 into international child trafficking which led to a number of  arrests but little information has been made public.

In 2015, after another investigation, Georgian media reported that the general director of the Rustavi maternity hospital, Aleksandre Baravkovi, was arrested but cleared and returned to work.

The BBC approached the Georgian Interior Ministry for further information on individual cases but we were told that specific details would not be released due to data protection.

Tamuna has now joined forces with human rights lawyer Lia Mukhashavria to take the cases of a group of victims to the Georgian courts.

They want the right to access their birth documents – something not currently possible under Georgian law.

They hope that this will help lay ghosts to rest. “I always felt like there was something or someone missing in my life,” says Ano. “I used to dream about a little girl in black who would follow me around and ask me about my day.” That feeling disappeared when she found Amy.

Empress, while addressing her fans in one of her usual Tiktok live videos, was sent an audio by an anonymous person, who alleged that her husband will die shortly after a meeting with an unnamed politician.

The informant added that, Hopeson now a member of Movement for Change will feel dizzy and become unresponsive, which will lead to his death.

The informant warned Empress Gifty to take her information seriously, even if she does not believe it, lest she becomes a widow just five years in her marriage.

The news crashed Empress Gifty, who made an appeal to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffu Dampare to help locate the informant for immediate action.

Empress has vowed to make an example of the informant for predicting doom for her marriage.

Should any predicament befall her husband, she asked the police to hold the informant responsible.

In an interview, he said the sector is not thriving because movie producers are not encouraged and motivated to release more movies.

Amenyah pointed out that, audience attendance at cinemas is crucial for the growth of the industry, yet most Ghanaians do not show up.

Comparing the Ghanaian film industry to Nigerian, Amenyah acknowledged Nigeria’s stability and strength in the film sector.

This, he explained is because people invest in the Nigerian movie industry and the people also show up during premiers at the cinemas.

The actor suggested that, Ghana can learn from Nigeria’s success by adopting similar strategies to boost the local film sector.

“Ghanaians do not support us. People will ask us why they don’t see us on the screens, it’s because they are not watching and they don’t even look out for it. Nigerians are ahead of us because they get the support. We are learning from them, we will get there. They learn from us in terms of production and filming, but we have to learn from them in terms of support and promotion because they do better than us,” he stated candidly.

In spite of the challenges, Amenyah expressed optimism about the future of the Ghanaian film industry if local productions receive the necessary support.

He urged Ghanaians to support the movie industry by attending premiers and watching local content.

Pope Francis has said that wine “is a gift from God” and “a true source of joy” for its consumers – words that have been immediately embraced by Italian wine producers who have fought against European health warnings.

Francis made the comments during a private audience at the Vatican with winemakers from across Italy.

Welcoming his audience, he joked: “This seems like a drunk pope,” before going on to say: “Wine, land, agricultural skills and entrepreneurialism are gifts from God – the creator has entrusted them to us because, with our sensitivity and honesty, we make them a true source of joy.”

However, the pontiff also called on the winemakers to reflect on the “moral and ethical responsibilities” their work entails, such as treating their workers and the environment with respect while encouraging healthy drinking habits.

The event was organised by Domenico Pompili, the bishop of Verona, before the Vinitaly wine trade fair that takes place in the northern Italian city each April. The key to drinking wine is moderation, Pompili said. “Saint Paul said it – a glass is good to cheer you up, but in moderation.”

Italy has pushed back against proposals to make health warnings on alcoholic drinks mandatory across the EU after Ireland was given approval by the European Commission to adopt the measure. The move in Ireland, which was met with protest by Italy, Spain and six other EU states, will lead to health warning labels being placed on bottles of wine, beer and spirits from 2026.

Although the daily consumption of wine in Italy has declined steadily over the last 15 years, there has been a rise in more moderate consumption, according to figures from Istat, the national statistics agency. Italian wine associations often refer to this to argue that Italians have a healthier relationship with wine compared with their boozier counterparts in northern Europe.

Federico Bricolo, the president of Veronafiere, which organises Vinitaly, said the pope’s tribute to wine was a reminder that the drink is a “symbol of tradition and of a socially and environmentally sustainable economic system”.

“And all in the name of a conviviality that unites,” he added.

Francis has endorsed wine in the past. During a papal audience in 2016, he said wine was an integral part of a wedding celebration. “A wedding party where no wine makes the newlyweds ashamed, imagine you finish the wedding party drinking tea,” he said.

Wine is also a crucial element of the Catholic mass. In 2014, research found that the Vatican City consumed more wine per capita than any other country.

The visit to Ebenezer Miracle Worship Centre at Ahenema Kokoben is part of his three-day Building Ghana tour of the Ashanti Region.

Mr. Mahama sought divine blessings and prayers from Prophet 1 ahead of the December 7 general elections.

He also urged the evangelist to continue praying for the success of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming elections.

Mr. Mahama also appealed to Prophet 1 to pray against blood shed before, during and after the exercise.

The former President promised to be a servant of the people of Ghana and an indefatigable leader should he win the elections.

Mr. Mahama called for peaceful elections and appealed to Prophet 1 to intercede for the nation to ensure a peaceful electoral process.

The suspect, Bright Larvie, was arrested for allegedly beheading his own child for money rituals.

Investigations led to the arrest of his lover, Linda Asare and their 17-year-old acquaintance, Kingsley Yeboah.

The Awutu Bereku District Police Command arranged the suspects before court presided over by Justice Naomi Kuntor.

The court, considering the gravity of the charges and the ongoing investigation, decided to remand the suspects into police custody.

The 17-year-old was sent to a special facility due to his age.

They are set to reappear before the court on February 5, 2024.

Residents in Fetteh Kakraba are still grappling with the shock and horror of such a tragic event.

The discussion veered into a national dialogue, catching even host Chief Jerry Forson and his production team off-guard.

Kpebu, known for his anti-corruption advocacy, delved into the flaws of Ghana’s democratic system, drawing parallels with Socrates’ critique of democracy in “The Republic.”

He highlighted how financial influence often leads to unfit individuals assuming leadership roles in democracies.

During this discourse, Kpebu notably commended Ghana’s third president in the Fourth Republic, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, suggesting that leaders of his caliber are rare and invaluable.

He proceeded to rank all five presidents of the Fourth Republic, positioning Atta-Mills at the top, followed by Jerry Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor, and John Mahama, respectively.

Surprisingly, he placed current president Akufo-Addo at the bottom of his ranking, describing his performance vis a vis the fight against corruption as poor.

Kpebu’s analysis, shared on Adom FM‘s morning show, is expected to spark a deep discussion on Ghana’s political landscape and the perceived susceptibility to corruption among its past and present leaders.

Below are his views as shared on Adom FM:

According to reports, the fire fighters from the Legon Fire Station were dousing a fierce fire which had gutted the building when it collapsed on them.

This unfortunate incident occurred on Wednesday January 24, 2024.

The firemen were rushed to the Medifem hospital for treatment.

However, two of the personnel said to be in critical condition were rushed to the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC).

The two other officers who sustained minor injuries have been treated and discharged.

A statement from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) copied to Adomonline.com confirmed the incident.

It said management has initiated investigations into the incident.

Below is the full statement

The veteran actress shared these insights during a recent conversation with fellow actress Mercy Johnson on Johnson’s weekly cook show, “Mercy’s Menu.”

According to her, she had the desire to marry, but her grown children played a significant role in influencing her ultimate decision.

She revealed her children, who had reached maturity, earnestly pleaded with her not marry.

They expressed concerns about potential societal reactions, especially from their peers.

In her own words, Ms. Ozokwo said “I wanted to remarry, but my kids had already come of age, and they pleaded with me not to marry another man, and they promised they would be my husband.”

Acknowledging the sacrifice, she continued, “They asked me to stay single for them so their friends will not laugh at them that at their age their mum remarried, and I understood them. Though it was selfish of them, I paid the huge sacrifice for them. No sacrifice is too huge for family.”

This decision is driven by the urgent need to decongest the hospital’s mortuary, which has exceeded its capacity.

The hospital revealed the bodies scheduled for the mass burial in two weeks have been accumulated over varying periods ranging from one to three years.

Some are yet to be claimed by their respective families despite efforts to reach out.

In a press release, the hospital authorities appealed to families who may have relatives’ bodies in the mortuary to come forward and claim them before the scheduled mass burial.

It added that the move comes as a necessary step to address the challenges posed by the overcrowded mortuary.

Below is the full statement

The couple allegedly told potential investors that the Lord had told them people would become wealthy if they invested, according to a recent press release issued by the state’s division of securities.

However, prosecutors stated that INDXcoin was “practically worthless” in actuality. Investors lost millions of dollars while the Regalados lived lavishly, The Guardian reports.

In a video statement posted on INDXcoin website, Eli admitted that the pair squandered $1.3 million raised through cryptocurrency.

“The charges are that me and Kaitlyn pocketed $1.3m. I just wanted to come out and say those charges are true.

A few hundred thousand dollars went to a home remodel the Lord told us to do. We took God at his word and sold a cryptocurrency with no clear exit,” he said.

Regalado added that the couple still believes that God will “work a miracle in the financial sector”.

INDXcoin raised around $3.2 million from more than 300 people between June 2022 and April 2023. The Regalados spent at least $1.3 million, or more than half, on personal luxury goods such as jewellery, an au pair, and a costly house improvement project.

The Regalados also collected at least $290,000 for their online-only church, Victorious Grace Church, despite the fact that it has no physical location.

The Regalados also have no expertise with cryptocurrency. A third-party auditor also reported serious technical issues with the INDXcoin code, but the Regalados continued to promote the cryptocurrency as a low-risk, high-reward solution.

They obtained between aggregates 16 and 31 in the examination, guaranteeing them passage to the next level of the academic ladder.

They comprise 26 juveniles from the Senior Correctional Centre in Accra, nine inmates from the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, eight inmates from the Kumasi Central Prison, four from the Ankaful Maximum Security and four more from the Sunyani Central Prisons.

Thirteen of them, all juveniles, have since been discharged upon completing their terms, leaving 38 of the inmate SHS freshers still serving their terms.

It further leaves 13 of the juveniles still in prison custody.

Juvenile inmates are incarcerated for a maximum three years and a minimum three months.

In a statement signed by the Head of Media Relations of the Ghana Prisons Service, Deputy Superintendent of Prisons (DSP) Irene Pokuah Wiredu, the service said: “The inmate students have, over the years, justified the investments made in their education”.

The schools

The Daily Graphic checks further established that the juvenile inmates, including those now discharged, have since been placed at Mfantsipim Senior High School (SHS) in Cape Coast; Labone SHS, St Thomas Aquinas SHS, Accra Technical Training Centre, the Forces SHS, all in Accra; Tema Technical Institute, and the Agona Swedru Technical Institute, among other pre-tertiary institutions.

Serving juvenile inmates placed in the regular SHSs are escorted by prisons officers to and from school on a daily basis.

Adult inmates who wrote the BECE papers are, however, pursuing General Arts or Business at SHSs on the premises of the Prisons Service under the supervision of the Ghana Education Service.

The students enjoy the full package of the Free SHS initiative, receiving free tuition and feeding in addition to educational materials from the GES.

The statement said the Ghana Prisons Service, in its quest to deliver on its reformation and rehabilitation mandate in line with modern universal best practices, introduced inmates to formal education, where they offered subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.

“Formal education gained its popularity in the prisons in 2007, with the support of the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling and the Ghana Education Trust Fund,” it added. 

Director-General’s remarks

The statement quoted the Director-General of Prisons, Isaac Kofi Egyir, as saying that “prisoner education is one of the surest and safest ways the service had prioritised over the years to reform inmates and provide them with better living upon their release.’’

“It is worthy to note that there is a drastic reduction in the rate of recidivism (the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend) for the prisoners who participated in prison education programmes, thereby reducing the recidivism rate in the prisons to the barest minimum,” Mr Egyir stated.

“For those who are serving lengthy sentences, prison education has had a profound and often life-changing benefit on them such as a substantial reduction in violence and disciplinary infractions, breaking down religious and ethnic barriers that sometimes created tension in prisons, significantly improving relations between officers and the inmates, and enhancing the inmates’ self-esteem,” the statement further quoted the Director-General of Prisons.

Other educational projects

Beyond basic school and SHS, the Prisons Service, in partnership with the University of Cape Coast and the Plan Volta Foundation, has introduced the University of Cape Coast Distance Learning Programme which provides tertiary education for prison inmates of the Nsawam Medium Security and Nsawam Female prisons who have excelled in their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) over the years.

The educational programmes run by the service include University of Cape Coast Distance Programme, National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI)/ICT and Proficiency for Tradesmen, Energy Commission Training and CTVET Electrical Certification Programme.

These, the statement said, would soon be extended to the other prisons across the country.

Currently, it said, 162 prisoners had been enrolled in the College of Distance Education (University of Cape Coast) to study for a Bachelor of Education degree with specialisation in English Language and Social Studies or Mathematics and Science, and a Bachelor of Commerce with specialisation in Accounting and Management.

About eight juveniles, who successfully completed SHS while in detention at the Senior Correctional Centre between 2020 and 2022, are pursuing various programmes at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Sunyani, the University of Professional Studies, Accra, and the Technical universities of Accra, Ho and Koforidua, among others.

Despite no longer being together, she remarked that they maintain an amicable co-parenting arrangement for the sake of their triplets.

When asked about the involvement of their children’s father, she responded, “We are cool.”

Vanessa did not bow to pressure and chose not to delve into Funny Face’s private life when pressed by the interviewer.

Rather, she said her focus is on providing for her children and building a stable future, and that can only be with the help of Funny Face.

“When two parents are cool, then the children are cool,” she noted, as she spoke on the significance of maintaining a harmonious relationship for the well-being of their kids.

Regarding their triplets, she shared that they are doing well and will soon celebrate their fifth birthday in May.

This comes at the back of an outburst when Funny Face revealed he has not seen his triplets in the last four years and he has yet to meet his last child, Kimberly, since she was born.

The reason, he revealed, is that he is facing financial challenges that have limited him from performing his role as a doting father.

The artiste, known for her distinctive style and powerful performances, addressed questions from fans during an interactive session.

Following an announcement that she will be holding her next show at the Alliance Française, a fan inquired why she opts for such venues instead of larger spaces like stadiums and event centres.

In response, Wiyaala said her approach to shows is different.

She emphasized that her craft, as well as her targeted audience, sets her apart from other artistes who may choose more conventional venues.

Another inquisitive fan pointed out that, Ghana is not her target hence the reason she is not so interested in the conservative type of performances other artistes will opt for.

Responding to the fan, Wiyaala refuted the notion, stating that she indeed has Ghana at heart.

She referenced her numerous performances for Ghanaian audiences and affirmed her connection to the country.

The question and answer session took a lighthearted turn when a fan inquired about Wiyaala’s age.

In a playful approach, she sarcastically said she is 83.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, made this known on Tuesday, Jan. 22.

Hundeyin said that the State Criminal Investigation Department got information on January 16, regarding a Toyota Hilux vehicle suspected to have been stolen.

Police detectives began investigating and they traced the car to Ilukogun village, a boundary between Lagos State and Ogun.

The PPRO said that the vehicle was recovered from one Arthur Benjamin in the said Village.

The suspect was arrested and he confessed to stealing the vehicle from his workplace, with the intention to sell it and relocate to Ghana with his family.

Hundeyin added that the investigation is still ongoing.

Lauren Marie Talbot caused the explosion outside her ex-partner’s home at around 8:pm on June 18, 2023. CCTV footage from inside the flat building showed the 39-year-old, with her hood up, planting the gas canister outside the front door after failing to put it through the letterbox.

The blast blew two doors open, cracking the walls causing structural damage, and burning the carpet.

When fire crews arrived to put it out, they found writing on the wall which read “This flat can burn in hell”, according to Northants Police.

During the time of the explosion, her ex-partner was not in, though evidence suggested she thought he would be, and no one was injured.

Talbot was arrested in connection with the fire and subsequently charged with arson with intent to endanger life, pleading guilty to both offences in September last year at Northampton Crown Court. She was sentenced to six years in prison at the same court on January 16.

Detective Constable Roisin Harrison said: “Lauren Talbot’s offending was exceptionally dangerous. She could have killed someone as a result of both offences and it’s through sheer luck that no one was injured. As you can see in the footage, the carnage she created when she set that can of butane on fire is extensive.

“It could very easily have ended with a large fire throughout the block of flats, causing untold damage, and I hope this is something she reflects on during her time in prison. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the man in this case who has supported our investigation from the beginning.

“Luckily he was not in his flat that day, but the incident has understandably had a very real effect on him. I hope this result provides him with some semblance of closure. I am pleased to see Talbot handed this sentence and I hope it shows how seriously Northamptonshire Police take these kind of incidents”.

With a music video devoted to the baby, the couple announced the arrival of their child in an Instagram post on October 27.

In an Instagram post alongside images of Mercy and their child, Mercy’s husband gave her a Mercedes SUV as a push present.

A video of Mercy’s joyful test drive was published on the platform, showing her elation and excitement.

This is the second car Pastor Blessed has presented her with, the first being a brand-new salon car shortly after they tied the knot.

The Nigerian Idol winner also rushed to Instagram to share photos of the new car, thanking her husband for the gift.

She wrote: “I got the best gift ever. Y’all please help me thank my husband tell him I sent you. Thank you sweet.”

Mercy and Blessed Uzochikwa tied the knot traditionally in Port Harcourt on Friday, August 12, 2022.

See video below:

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In an interview, he said he wants to be remembered as the lyrical maestro, a Pan-Africanist and a philanthropist.

“For me, whatever I do, the main thing that would be used to remember me is music, but I’m a little bit more than music,” Reggie Rockstone said.

He said aside music, his legacy also includes Pan-African endeavors that have left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.

Reggie Rockstone popularise the use of Twi in Ghanaian hiplife and hip hop music.

Reflecting on his journey, the expressed satisfaction with his achievements and continued dedication to advancing the cause of Africa.

“I have made prolific Pan-African moves so I’m very proud of my contributions to Africa and Ghana,” he stated.

“It’s very impressive and inspirational and now selling waakye has become very popular so I would like to be remembered as a Pan-African and a philanthropist. I’m someone who has vision and believed in the upliftment of Africa in my lifetime which I’ve done and continue to do till I die,” he added.

The circumstances surrounding his death is pointing to a possible case of suicide.

Assembly member for the Amudriese Electoral area, Alex Addea Boateng confirmed the unfortunate incident to Adom News.

He said the deceased who is unemployed had lost GH¢1500 meant for safekeeping and that might have contributed to the decision to take his own life.

The Assemblyman said they found the body hanging in the farm and they informed the police who came for the body.

Meanwhile, the body has been deposited at the New Edubiase government hospital morgue for preservation.

The professor has challenged Gabby’s assertion that family members of the president have an edge when it comes to political appointments because their grandfather gave them a good education.

According to Prof Mensah, the NPP man only made such comments because he had become “soaked in power” as his position is averse to the principles of good governance.

The principle of conflict of interest doesn’t make sense anymore to those who feel they are more educated than all Ghanaians because their grandparents took that seriously than the grannies of all of us.

Gabby, in a recent interview on Star FM, made the point that Akufo-Addo’s grandfather fathered a lot of children who got head starts in life because he took their education seriously.

“… Because they got education early at a time that just a minority of Ghanaians were getting education, it gave them, if you like, to a point a head start.

“I’m just making the point that I don’t know how many of you in this room have a grandfather who had over 100 children?… I did.

“So, he’s appointed and his appointment is just because he’s family member; just forget the fact that he helped to raise money, he put resources in there (his own resources), he was a critical member of the campaign and he was a successful businessman, a private sector person, who has something to contribute,” he said of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

Prior to the game, the prophet predicted Black Stars will not qualify for the round of 16 in the AFCON tournament, as the game will end in a draw.

However, his prediction was met with backlash, especially as his previous prediction failed to materialise.

Fire Ogya was taken to the cleaners after his claim that Jordan Ayew would outshine Kudus Mohammed in the game. But at the end of the match, Kudus was named Man of the Match.

The criticisms did not deter the prophet as he went on to predict the outcome of the Ghana – Mozambique match.

This time, luck smiled on him and his prediction came to pass.

Feeling vindicated, Prophet Fire Ogya took to social media to share Mama Esther’s lyrics, “Me Judge Akasa,” to wit my ‘judge has spoken’ as a playful response to those who doubted his prophetic abilities.

He said the outcome of the match is an attestation that, he is a true man of God.

Watch video below