Accra, Nov. 2, GNA - Sametro Company Limited has filed an injunction against  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Director General, Mr Daniel Amlalo from issuing environmental permits to Keegan Resources Ghana Limited or any person in respect of Esaase concession.   Esaase Concession is located in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.   The plaintiff, Mr Samuel Gordon Etroo a businessman contended that the said Deed of Assignment on which Keegan founds its interests in the Esaase Concession was not a validly obtained document.   He has therefore issued the substantive writ at the Commercial Court to set it aside on grounds of fraud, and filed for interim injunction.   Mr Etroo who is also the Managing Director of Sametro Company Limited noted that the foundation of the said agreement was without any legal effect as a judgment of the High Court, Accra on March 20, 2007, which was cited as the foundation for the agreement was procured by fraud. Plaintiff noted that the EPA and its Director General published in the Daily Graphic newspaper dated October 17, 2012, a Scoping Report Notification as a prelude to issuing Keegan with relevant licences or permits.   According to the plaintiff the issue of the said permit or license by the Defendants will grant Keegan final authority to commence mining activities on the Esaase concession of the Plaintiff.   He contended that EPA and its Director General’s actions would also undermine his pending suit in the Commercial Division of the High Court and render it worthless.   Mr Etroo explained that Keegan was not entitled to any licence or permit from the Defendant as they procured the Esaase concession fraudulently and also in view of the pendency of the suit and application for interlocutory injunction.   Plaintiff held that the request for the said permit implies that Keegan has completed prospecting and exploration activities and is ready to commence mining activity on the Esaase concession.   He noted that the Defendants would grant permits or licences to Keegan unless halted by the injunctive powers of the court adding, that would cause irreparably damage to his interests in the Esaase concession.   In affidavit in support of the case, Mr Etroo held that he is the Managing Director who holds a 50 per cent shareholder in Sametro Company.   Plaintiff said his company acquired a gold mining concession at Esaase Bontefufuo in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region as per a Deed of Agreement dated July 4, 2005 with the Official Liquidator of Bonte Mines Ltd.   Mr Etroo averred that the said acquisition was approved by the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines and duly registered with the Minerals Commission after the payment of all relevant fees.   “In April 2006, Keegan Resources Ghana Ltd expressed interest in the said Esaase mining concession and after initial discussions with the Managing Director of the Applicant company, it granted Keegan permission to undertake a due diligence on the Esaase mining concession pending final negotiations,” Plaintiff contended.   He said he noticed later that Keegan was still on its site after the agreed time frame for due diligence and upon further enquiries was informed that it had completed an agreement with him for the acquisition of its Esaase gold concession.   Mr Etroo averred that his company had not entered into any agreement for the transfer or assignment of its interests in the Esaase Gold Mining Concession to the Keegan.   Plaintiff said he was later informed that one of its directors had entered into an Option Agreement with Keegan but he had not instructed any director or other official to enter into any binding agreement with Keegan in respect of its Esaase concession to assign its interests.   “That at all material times, Keegan knew that there was a Managing Director of the Applicant but did not at any stage communicate any of the purported agreements being entered into in the Applicant’s name to the Managing Director,” Plaintiff said.   Mr Etroo said a Deed of Assignment dated 26 May 2007 purportedly executed between the Keegan and him for the assignment of its interests in the Esaase Concession was “a grand scheme of fraud perpetrated on the company”.     GNA...

Abokobi, Nov. 2, GNA- Accra-based farmer Lemuel K. Martey of Mannah Farms Limited was on Friday adjudged National Best Farmer for 2012 at a ceremony organised at Abokobi in the Ga East District of Accra.   He is expected to receive a three-bedroom house and a pick-up vehicle.   The First Runner up went to 51-year-old Enoch Elder Tei from the Greater Accra Region, while Ellen Tia, a 28 year-old from the Upper East region was adjudged the Second Runner up.   Kwamina Oboh from the Central Region was the National Best Fisherman.     President John Dramani Mahama commended the farmers for their contributions towards national development.   He pledged that if his Government is re-elected, the administration would hinge Ghana’s economic transformation on agricultural modernisation.   In all, 74 farmers and fishers were honoured for their outstanding contribution to the economy.   The theme for the 28th Edition of the Farmer’s Day Farmer’s Day celebration was: “Grow more food: strengthening farmer based organisations for market place bargaining power”     GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 2, GNA - The Civil Service Council (CSC) on Friday appealed to the Civil and Local Government Staff Association–Ghana (CLOGSAG) to call off its nationwide strike and return to the negotiating table.   In a statement issued to the Ghana News Agency in Accra signed by Dr Robert Dodoo CSC Chairman said the council is offering to play a leading role in the endeavour.   The Council called on all Civil and Local Government Staff to remain calm, loyal and continue to offer dedicated services to the nation.   The statement explained that the appeal was made during an emergency Council meeting with the leadership of CLOGSAG during which the purported strike was discussed.   According to the statement, the purported strike declared by CLOGSAG came to the CRS as a surprise because on Monday, October 29 the Council met representatives of the leadership of CLOGSAG and heard their concerns.   “There and then, the Council agreed to formally convey the concerns of CLOGSAG to government and had since Tuesday, October 30 done so.   According to the Council, the CLOGSAG leadership agreed to convene a National Executive Committee on Tuesday November 6 to convey the Council’s position to its membership.   CLOGSAG declared an indefinite industrial action last Wednesday, October 31 to pressure government to pay premium to its members, saying, “The strike…is in response to failure on the part of government and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to address outstanding issues with regard to the payment of premium to its members”.   Meanwhile the Greater Accra Regional Secretary of CLOGSAG, Mr Samuel Nii Clottey, said the strike shall remain in force until government gives in to the demand of members.   He acknowledged that though there were “few bad nuts” amongst them who are not observing the directive, the strike is in progress and is expected to pressure government to yield to their demand.   In an interview with the Ghana News Agency Mr Clottey refuted assertion that the association failed to follow due process before embarking on the strike.   He said: “The association has not breached any process pertaining to the labour law on grievances and negotiations before embarking on the industrial action. We followed due processes”.     GNA...

Tarkwa Banso, (W/R) Nov. 2, GNA - The Tarkwa Nsueam Municipality has awarded Mr William Awuku, a 55-year-old farmer as the best farmer for the area.   In all 17 farmers including three females as against 14 males were awarded.      Mr Awuku, a large scale farmer received a table top refrigerator, packet of roofing sheet, full wax print, mix bellower, sewing machine, four plastic chairs and machetes and two wellington boots as his award.      Madam Ohema Boadu from Essamang was awarded the best maize farmer, Madam Agatha Cobbinah, best woman farmer and Ms Florence Buckman, best fish farmer.        Speaking at the function at Tarkwa Banso in the Western Region on the theme: “Grow more food: strengthening farmer based organisations for market place bargaining power,” Mr Daniel Bentum Essel, Municipal Director of Food and Agriculture, said his outfit had instituted a special award for the best physically challenged farmer.       Mr Osmanu Frank Amissah, a 49 year-old physically challenged farmer received the award for the category to encourage the physically challenged to go into farming.      Mr Essel said although farmers in the municipality are facing lots of problems especially with the selling of their farm products his officers will ensure that they get the best market price for their produce.      Mrs Christina Kobinah, Municipal Chief Executive said lack of shortage facilities and other constraints compel farmers to dispose their farm products at give-away prices which prevent them from gaining optimal profits.      To address the problem, government has over the years, tried to encourage and educate farmers to adopt modern technologies and improve techniques of production.      Mrs Kobinah said this is the only way to increase quality and output to enable them earn more for their product.         She noted that under the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme, the municipal assembly has taken delivery of 1,316 pieces of overall attire and gloves, 45,000 liters of premix fuel, 100 pieces of spraying machine and 4,450 cocoa spraying chemicals to assist cocoa farmers to enable them earn more revenue.     The municipal best farmer, Mr. Awuku on behalf of his colleagues thanked the government for setting aside the day to reward gallant farmers across the nation.       GNA...

Ho, Nov. 02, GNA - Mr Wisdom Aglago, 44, from Juapong in the North-Tongu District was on Friday named the best all-round farmer in the Volta Region.   Mr Aglago, who owned maize, cowpea, cassava and oil palm farms, as well as cattle, local fowls and sheep, had a certificate, polo shirt, a pair of boots, radio, agro-chemicals and a corn mill.   Winners in the 24 other categories had a certificate, bicycle, polo-shirt, pair of boots, radio and agro-chemicals.   Colonel Cyril Necku, (Rtd), immediate past Deputy Volta Regional Minister, was adjudged the best in fish-farming.   Other winners include Wisdom Tenge from Abutia-Adegbleve in the Ho Municipal Area, won for the maize category, Richard Agbenyega, Akrofu, Ho Municipal, rice, Solomon Anyabor, Kparekpare, Krachi-West, cassava, Binya Boateng, Alokpatsa, Nkwanta-South, yam, and George Agbesime, Aglakope, Biakoye District, best fisherman.   Mr John Tsrakasu, Volta Regional Director of Agriculture, said the industrial action by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOSAG) had affected the organization of the programme.   He said the prizes were tokens but the recognition should urge the winners on to achieve further laurels.   Lovelace Jane Duhoe, the only female among the winners, was the best in ruminants.   Mr Henry Ford Kamel, Volta Regional Minister, said government was continuing to support agriculture directly and indirectly to secure it as a crucial contributor to the national Gross Domestic Product.     GNA...

Odumase-Krobo, Nov. 2, GNA - The one storey building classroom block for a basic school in the Lower Manya-Krobo Municipality was commissioned at Kodjonya, near Odumase-Krobo on Wednesday for the Kodjonya Millennium Presbyterian School Complex.        The 230,000 Ghana cedis project was financed by MTN Foundation and it include six classrooms, head teacher’s office, computer room, staff common room, store room and a technical drawing unit.        As part of the commissioning ceremony, the MTN Foundation launched the celebration of it’s fifth anniversary in the country.        Speaking at the ceremony, the Lower Manya Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Isaac Tettey Agbo, said, within the last four years, the government had constructed 41 school projects in the municipality.       He said it was expected that the provision of such facilities in both the first and second cycle institutions would help improve teaching and learning in the municipality and positively affect academic performance of students and pupils.       He said the municipal assembly supported the project with 17 computers, an air conditioner for the computer room and furniture, all at the cost of 20,000 Ghana Cedis.      Mr Agbo expressed the appreciation of government and the people of Lower Manya-Krobo Municipality for the numerous support that the MTN Foundation had provided the community including the construction of an access road to their mast in the municipality.      Ms Irene Ayernor, Municipal Director of Education, called on parents to support the education of their wards by providing them with their educational needs and urged the teachers and managers of the school to put in place a maintenance plan to help maintain the building.        She appealed for support for the construction of a befitting office block complex for the Lower Manya-Krobo Education Unit.        Ms Cynthia Lumor, Corporate Services Executive of MTN, who lunched the anniversary, said since it’s establishment five years ago, the foundation had invested over 1.1 million Ghana cedis in various projects in the Eastern Region.       She said as part of the celebration, the foundation would be holding a forum on the theme: “Celebrating Five Years of Sustainable Corporate Social Intervention in Ghana”.        Ms Lumor said in addition to the forum, a number of debates would be organised and some projects would be launched while others would be commissioned to mark the celebrations.        Ms Juliana Maku Baidoo, Headmistress of the Kodjonya Millennium Presbyterian School Complex, said it would be a challenge to teach a class of 40 with 17 computers and therefore appealed for more computers to make the teaching of Information and Communication Technology more interesting to the pupils of the school.     GNA...

  Accra, Nov. 2, GNA – In just nine months this year, telecom operators have spent more than GH¢ 10 million on repairs of cable cuts, a situation that caused rampant disruptions in service delivery for consumers.   This amount is beside the loss of potential revenue to the network operators, damage to their reputation and inconvenience to consumers due to avoidable network downtime.      The period saw over 600 incidents of cuts to telecoms cables. Available information shows that road construction alone accounts for two-third of the cuts in the country.   To pacify consumers for the disruptions in quality of service, some operators went beyond issuing press statements to render apology to rewarding them with free air time.    The National Communications Authority and the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications in their effort to help address the menace are organising a series of stakeholder consultation to find solution to the conflict of who should be held responsible.   At one such meeting on Thursday in Accra, stakeholders engaged in a blame game as to who actually should be held liable for cable cuts and how the cost of damage should be determined.           The workshop, mainly on the Right of Way Management in the country, also discussed the acquisition of permits (in the right of way) for telecom operators to lay their cables.   Two major observations that came up strongly were lack of collaboration and multiple issuances of permit by different bodies to telecom operators, which largely were seen as contributing to the problem of cable cuts.   Other causes of cable cuts apart from road construction are theft, vandalism, illegal mining, gutter dredging, bushfires and excavation works, but which are said to be minor causes.      GNA  ...

  Tema, Nov. 2, GNA – Supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Tema Metropolis have been asked to work hard to enable the NDC to win all the three seats in the area in Election 2012.   Mr Ade Coker, NDC Greater Accra Regional Chairman, made the call when he formally launched the campaign of Mr James Enu, the party’s parliamentary candidate for Tema Central Constituency, during which he introduced the aspirant.   Mr Coker appealed to Mr Enu, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, and NDC parliamentary candidate for Tema West, and Mr Kempes Papa Nii Ofosuware, NDC parliamentary candidate for Tema East, to educate the people about the development projects that were undertaken by the NDC government in area in the last three years.   Mr Ofosu Ampofo said that the NDC is committed to ensuring quality education and asked Ghanaians to retain the party in power.   Mr Ofosuware said he was optimistic that Ghanaians would renew the mandate of the NDC in December.   Mr Enu assured the leadership of the party that he would work hard to win the Tema Central seat.       GNA  ...