News
Group threatens to deal with landguards at Appolonia
A group, calling itself the Appolonia Youth Development Association (AYDA), has expressed its resolve to use all legal means possible to deal with activities of landguards in Appolonia in the Kpone Katamanso municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
The group has called on the Kpone Traditional Council and other stakeholders to immediately intervene in land disputes to save lives and properties.
Speaking at a press conference, at Appolonia, Secretary to the association, Joseph Okoe Nuertey, blamed the turn of events on sale of stool lands by “unscrupulous people”.
“The area is overwhelmed by activities of landguards because some groups of people and individuals, who pose as landguards with support of some big men have enough room to operate and terrorise indigenes.”
He said they attacked people on their way to their farms, and allow people to encroach on our lands with impunity,” he said.
According to Mr Nuertey, indiscriminate winning of sand and gravel was also a challenge to the community.
He cautioned persons who have encroached on Appolonia land to “desist from the unpatriotic bwhaviour”, saying the association would use every legal means to stop them.
Mr Nuertey called on all members of AYDA, well-meaning citizens and residents of the area to help save the community before the land is taken away by “unlawful and greedy people”.
He called on the public, especially those who have bought land at Appolonia without the consent of the appropriate authorities to seek redress, saying, “Appolonia land is stool land and only the chiefs and elders of the area have the power to release and alienate land.”
Meanwhile, the District Police Commander for the Oyibi Frafraha District with oversight responsibility of the area, Superintendent Mr Kweku Bempah, said the police had intensified patrol in the area, to prevent any unlawful activities by any group or individuals.
He said the police were investigating land issues adding, “The police does not confer ownership of land on people, we only handle the criminal aspects of issues”.
Mr Bempah advised residents to cooperate with the police when such issues come up, to ensure that lawlessness was brought to its barest minimum.
From DzifaTetteh, Appolonia
News
Ghana-Colombia strengthens ties through diplomatic engagement
In an important diplomatic engagement, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Daniel Garces Carabali paid a courtesy call on the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, at his office in Accra to discuss some key areas of collaboration.
The meeting focused on pressing issues, including security, decongestion of Ghana’s prisons, prison reform programmes, training programmes, improving the welfare of prisoners and enhancing disaster management in the country.
The courtesy call underscores the growing bilateral ties between Ghana and Colombia, building on previous engagements, such as the visit of the Colombian Vice President to Ghana in 2023.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of both nations to fostering cooperation and addressing shared challenges.
News
Ghana to host African Catholic Journalists from August 10
The Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP), also known as the African Catholic Union of the Press, in collaboration with the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G), is set to host its prestigious Triennial Congress from August 10 to 17 August, 2025.
The programme would be held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Legon, Accra, Ghana.
This landmark event, the most significant gathering of Catholic journalists in Africa, will bring together media professionals, researchers, and experts in digital technology from across the continent and beyond.
The theme for the Congress is: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Congress Highlights
The UCAP Congress 2025 will feature discussions and deliberations on critical issues arising from or related to integral human development, particularly within the framework of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Some of the key sub-themes to be addressed include:Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Values, Deploying AI in Eco-friendly Business Start-ups in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges, Technology and the Reprogramming of Social Reality, Distortion of Reality in Social and Digital Media, Ecological Education and Action Against Unsustainable Exploitation of Natural Resources, and Media and the Promotion of the Recommendations of the Synod on Synodality in Africa.
Participants will include media professionals from both ecclesiastical and lay organisations, media researchers and academics, representatives from the Vatican, government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the digital technology sector.
Objectives of the Congress
The primary goal of this Congress is to strengthen the capacities of media professionals and educate the public on the necessity of preserving human values amid rapid technological progress. Specific objectives include; Training 100 media practitioners in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, with a focus on balancing innovation and human values.
This will include promoting ethics and bioethics in technical research and technological innovations through media.
Advocating for human values such as respect for life, human dignity, charity, solidarity, and human rights and assessing the impact of technological progress to better understand the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by AI will be part of the objectives.
UCAP is a continental organisation dedicated to promoting communication within the Catholic Church and its partners in Africa. With a mission to foster spiritual growth, collaboration, and responsible journalism, UCAP works to spread the Gospel, uphold human values, and support developmental initiatives across Africa and beyond.
UCAP is an independent, autonomous, non-political, and non-profit organisation comprising African Catholic journalists, communicators, academics, researchers, and institutions in various media fields.
