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Galamsey: Ban small-scale mining now – GMA, other unions to Akufo-Addo
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and several other health unions and associations have urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to immediately ban all small-scale mining operations, whether legal or illegal.
This call comes in response to the increasing destruction of the country’s forest reserves and water bodies, along with the serious public health and environmental threats posed by individuals and organizations involved in illegal mining, also known as galamsey.
The unions and associations making this appeal include the GMA, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA), and the Health Services Workers Union of Ghana (TUC).
Other signatories to the statement are the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union (MELPWU), the Mortuary Workers’ Association of Ghana (MOWAG), the Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anesthetists (GACRA), the Health Accounting Staff Association (HASAG), and the Ghana Physician Assistants Association (GPAA).
In a statement issued on Friday, the groups warned that Ghana is on the brink of an environmental catastrophe that, if not addressed immediately, will severely endanger the health, well-being, and future of its citizens.
According to them, “Therefore, we as Associations and Trade Unions in the health sector holding collective bargaining certificates on behalf of health sector employees make the following demands: The President of the Republic of Ghana should direct a total ban on small-scale mining operations with immediate effect, whether legal or illegal.”
“The government of Ghana should strengthen regulatory enforcement by resourcing the relevant security agencies to clamp down on all persons who flout this directive and prosecute them expeditiously,” the statement added.
“All political parties should make a public declaration and publish a duly signed document on their commitment to fight illegal and unethical mining activities in Ghana,” they stated
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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Bishop Salifu Amoako and wife arrested over their son’s accident
The Founder and General Overseer of Alive Chapel International, Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako and her wife, Mouha Amoako have been arrested over the accident of their son which claimed two lives.
In a statement today, they revealed that “The Ghana Police Service has today 15th October 2024, arrested suspects, Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako and Mouha Amoako, parents of the suspect driver involved in the fatal accident that claimed two lives at East Legon on Saturday, 12th October 2024.”
According to them, “Investigations have so far established that on 12th October 2024, suspect driver, Elrad Salifu Amoako, aged 16, driving a Jaguar SUV vehicle with registration number GN 7801- 20 with one other occupant, rammed into a 4×4 Acura vehicle also with registration number GR 2542 – 23, driven by Joseph Ackah with four other occupants, at Mensah Wood Street at East Legon. Both cars caught fire and burned beyond recognition.”
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Read full statement below
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All discrepancies identified have been fixed- EC
According to the Electoral Commission (EC) they have fixed all discrepancies in the Voters Register identified during the Exhibition period.
The EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa made this revelation when addressing the issue during a live broadcast at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.
She emphasized the Commission’s commitment to ensuring public confidence in the electoral process and delivering credible elections.
Jean Mensa assured voters that the necessary corrections have been made to guarantee an accurate voter register for the upcoming 2024 general elections.
According to her, “Over the last two weeks, we have spent our energies to clean the voter register and to ensure that the information presented is accurate. Simply put, we have worked to ensure that every applicant who registered in 2023/2024 is on the voter register.”
“We are confident that the revised Provisional Voter Register that we present starting today is a marked departure from the register we presented during the exhibition exercise,” she added.
“Largely, all discrepancies identified to date have been fixed, as we promised, during our last meeting starting today, October 15, to October 19, all registered voters will have a second opportunity to review their details online and report anything they find in our district offices,” Jean Mensa revealed.
Additionally, she promised to hand over hard drive copies of the voter register to the various political parties including a template to register any discrepancies.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
