News
Kpone drivers, police clash …over bad road,3 drivers injured
Three drivers got injured when the police fired rubber bullet gunshots at them, to disperse a crowd, during a scuffle with the law enforcement personnel at Kpone, in the Eastern Region.
This followed a sit-down strike by members of the Kpone branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The action of the drivers, numbering about 100, resulted in hundreds of passengers, who travel from the Kpone township to Tema, Manhean, Kpone Barrier, Shanghai among others, stranded.
However, other drivers forced passengers to alight from vehicles of colleagues, who flouted the directive of the Kpone branch of the GPRTU.
In an interview with the Ghanaian Times, the trustee to the Interim Management Committee of the Kpone Drivers Union, Seth Nyarko, said the strike was to protest against the bad nature of roads in the area.
He said the roads from Tema Community 1 through to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) road, Aluworks, Fuel Trade, Chase Petroleum to Kpone were in a terrible state.
He said drivers or vehicle owners spent a substantial amount of money to maintain their vehicles, and efforts to get the city authorities to fix the roads proved futile.
Mr Nyarko explained that the action was not a demonstration and was confined to the Kpone lorry station, and with placards which read, ‘Fix our roads’.
He said while the drivers were positioning the placards at vantage points, other people who were not members of the union joined the action.
Mr Nyarko said this led to a misunderstanding between the drivers and the police, and the security personnel fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd, and in the process three persons sustained injuries.
He said all three persons had been treated and discharged.
Mr Nyarko said a meeting had been scheduled between the drivers and the Kpone Municipal Assembly to be facilitated by the Kpone District Police Command to find an amicable solution to the problem.
However, calm had been restored and the vehicles are back on road.
The Crime Officer for the Kpone District Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Herbert Sosu, condemned the strike by the drivers, describing it as illegal because the police were was not notified, and it infringed on the rights of other road users.
FROM DZIFA TETTEH, KPONE
News
National Service Authority goes cashless
The National Service Authority (NSA) has announced a mandatory transition to a cashless payment system.
This initiative aligns with the government’s drive to modernize revenue collection.
In a statement, NSA noted that effective immediately, all user agencies and stakeholders are directed to make all payments,
including the 20% and 10% administrative service charges, through the GHANA.GOV platform.
This shift to digital payments offers greater transparency, convenience and accessibility for those working with the NSA.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Read the full statement below
News
Greater Accra Regional Minister calls on traders to operate within designated spaces to ease congestion
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, has called on traders in the city to operate within designated spaces to ease congestion and maintain cleanliness in market centres.
Speaking with traders at the Kaneshie Market on February 4, 2025, during a tour of selected market centres to assess sanitation challenges, reinforce government commitment to address indiscriminate refuse disposal, and improve market conditions, the minister called for collaboration between traders and local authorities to address sanitation and maintain order.
She assured the new government’s commitment to addressing urban challenges and improving market conditions in Accra as part of its broader agenda for a cleaner city.
“We are here to engage you in a conversation about our mission to improve cleanliness in Greater Accra. We are taking into account the conditions of the roads, your problems, and your suggestions. Most walkways have been taken over by traders instead of serving their original purpose, which leads to traffic congestion. We want to understand your challenges so that we can find the best way to assist you,” the Minister stated.
The Minister who was accompanied by officials from the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council ( GARCC) led by the Chief Director of the GARCC, Mrs. Lilian Baeka, some staff from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly(AMA) and other sister assemblies in the Region used the opportunity to enquire about the state of waste disposal within the market and the efficiency of refuse collection by the assemblies.
“Does it take long for the refuse to be collected after it is gathered? These are some of the issues we want to address,” she added, inviting traders to share their thoughts.
The President of the Greater Accra Markets Association, Mrs. Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan who welcomed the minister, expressed gratitude for the visit and assured traders commitment to rally support behind her as a woman in leadership.
”In the market, we face numerous challenges we wish to discuss. There are various groups of traders with some selling at the top, others beneath, while some can be relocated, others should be removed. However, we must follow due process to ensure that people’s livelihoods are not affected. She cannot do it alone, and we are ready to support her efforts,” she stated.
She noted that efforts to regulate trading activities, especially on the Kaneshie overhead footbridge, had proven difficult despite continuous engagements with the police.
Madam Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan identified street trading as a major concern, explaining that it had significantly affected business inside the main markets.
“Our major problem is those selling outside. Because of them, the market is now dry. Almost everyone has moved onto the streets. They are our brothers and sisters, and we want them inside the market. There are a lot of vacant spaces they can occupy,” she said.
On sanitation, she remarked that significant progress had been made, stressing that previously, the Kaneshie market was associated with rubbish, but the story had changed for good.
