BBC Africa Eye has revealed that two lecturers at the University of Ghana, Prof. Ransford Gyampo and Dr Paul Butakor, were the main focus of the sex for grades docummentary. The BBC said it had numerous received reports that the two lecturers were allegedly harassing students on campus. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Ghanaweb, BBC Africa Eye explained that the team only resorted to using secret filming of the targets after substantive evidence was gathered. Publicist for BBC World Service Group Communications. Marina Forsythe revealed that the BBC had been served with first-hand testimonies of harassment, text message screenshots, or recordings from students serving as enough evidence for the research to be conducted. She added that contrary to reports that there were other lecturers captured in the sex for grades eposé, the focus of the documentary was to provide evidence for the earlier reports from students. According to her, although secret filming was the last resort in providing evidence for the documentary – because of strict editorial guidelines – it became necessary to adopt it. Prof. Ransford Gyampo and Dr Paul Butakor are among three lecturers who were captured in the BBC documentary “Sex for Grades” intended to expose lecturers who allegedly sexually harass students in exchange for better grades. They have been interdicted and are waiting to appear before the University of Ghana’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee where further investigations will be conducted into the matter. <iframe width=”650″ height=”450″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/we-F0Gi0Lqs” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe> Source: https://www.myjoyonline.com
Stop filing ‘disheartening’ stories about Ghana – Botchwey to journalists
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has challenged the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to sensitise media practitioners across the country to be accurate in their reportage Ms Botchwey said this when the leadership of the GJA, as part of activities leading to its 70th-anniversary celebration, paid a courtesy call on her on Wednesday, 16 October 2019. “The media have a role to play to ensure that we are all made aware of what we have. Sometimes, as I said, you read some reports and it’s disheartening, especially when you have, in some cases, taken pains to walk people through a certain process to where you are and then the reports come and it’s totally different. A small part [of all you said] is taken and that’s what is highlighted and sometimes it’s not the best,” she stated. The minister also congratulated the GJA for their 70th-anniversary adding that there is no justification for to be attacked in their line of duty. For his part, GJA President Roland Affail Monney commended the minister for her role in uplifting Ghana’s image and expressed the need to give more education to journalists to have the national interest at heart when reporting for international media. “Our elders teach us that it is wrong, culturally, it is even demeaning to point to your family house with your left hand, and some journalists, either out of mischief or whatever, will do stories which denigrate our image as a country. I know some of these stories are rooted in ignorance and others in mischief. But in all these, we need education on the implications of the stories we do but before the education or training programmes come, we have a duty, as professionals, indeed, every journalist worth his or her salt ought to weigh the implications, think through the consequences of whatever story we do relative to the national interest,” he noted. Source: https://www.ghanaweb.com/
Aggrieved Gold Coast Customers trying to destabilise operations of Groupe Nduom – Managment
Management of BlackShield Fund Management, formerly, Gold Coast Fund Management has accused members of the Aggrieved Gold Coast Customers of trying to disrupt the operations of affiliate companies of Groupe Nduom. The management in a statement said members of the group had convinced other customers not to answer phone calls from the company. “We are currently calling our customers with balances under 2,000 to confirm their mobile money or bank details and make arrangements to pay them. We are aware that members of the group have encouraged those receiving calls not to answer the phone and not to come for their money, arguing that these payments are a tactic to reduce their strength as a unified group. We wish to assure our customers that our phone calls are genuine and urge them to come for their money when contacted.” “Members of this group have made it their agenda to try and destabilize the operations of Groupe Nduom member companies such as the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel.” It added. Management of BlackShield further noted that all attempts to meet with the leadership of the group have proved futile. Read the full statement below <iframe src=”https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DmXQ4S-ZQtR68If5nzVbn05r2tTiPi4T/preview” width=”640″ height=”480″></iframe> Source: https://www.ghanaweb.com
PPD Warns John Mahama Over Unsubstantiated Comments
The Patrons for Peace and Democracy, (PPD), is warning former President, John Dramani Mahama to desist from making comments which are untrue and likely to trigger mayhem in the country. “What we are saying is that we need peace and for that matter the ex President John Mahama should stop spreading falsehood into the minds of the populace. We have weighed his utterances carefully for some time and we would like to say that his mudus operandi is to put fear in Ghanaians,” the statement said. Former President John Mahama had alleged that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is training thugs in batches at Asutuare to cause mayhem during the 2020 polls. “We remember what happened in Ayawaso West Wuogon. I pray that, God forbid, nothing like that ever happens again. But you know the issue of vigilantes, especially one party is training vigilantes,” former President Mahama said. In a statement issued by PPD, in Accra and signed by the group leader Dr Richard Danso, the PPD urged the Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), ex President Jerry John Rawlings to counsel his party and also advise former President John Mahama on the implications of his utterances which go against the credibility of his party. The PPD, in July 2016 predicted that the NDC party would get 44percent of the total vote cast during the general elections, and it turned out to be so. “Our concern is, what should be a concern to every Ghanaian is that, even with the 44 percent that the NDC and John Mahama had in the 2016 general elections, it has to take the intervention of His Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the king of the Ashanti Region to advise John Mahama and his party to relinquish power”. “Our major fear for next year election is that would John Mahama accept defeat, especially when we are predicting 41 percent of the total votes for the 2020 general elections for him and the NDC party. What John Mahama is doing now is to prepare the minds of Ghanaians for mayhem, in case the 2020 election results don’t favour him.” According to PPD, “what we would like to hear from John Mahama is, what are his alternative policies and programs for the country, of which he is seeking a comeback. It is not about criticizing, it is not about making unsubstantiated allegations, it is about what you want to offer for the country”. The focus of PPD is to promote a knowledgeable society which promotes democracy and productivity. Source:https://www.peacefmonline.com
Re-register your SIM numbers or lose them by end of June next year-Communications Minister
All mobile phone users are required to re-register their Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) numbers effective January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020, failure of which subscribers would lose their numbers completely. The move is to aid the National Communications Authority (NCA) to crackdown the use of mobile phones for various criminal activities in the country. Besides, some unscrupulous persons sell pre-registered SIM cards to subscribers, which enabled subscribers to use the numbers to commit various crimes without tracing their identities. The re-registration exercise would therefore help the law enforcement agencies to identify the SIM card owners, track criminals who use phones for illegal activities, curb phone theft, and hate text messages, mobile fraud activities, inciting violence, and combat crime like SIM Box fraud. Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, the Minister of Communications, announced this when she took her turn of the Meet-the-Press series in Accra on Monday, to update the public on the activities, achievements and challenges of the Ministry over the past two years and solicit feedback to improve government’s policies and programmes. Ghana enacted the Subscriber Identity Module Registration Regulations, 2011, L.I (2006) primarily to reduce mobile phone related crimes such as prank calls, cybercrime, mobile money fraud and its related issues and general security of the nation. The current SIM card registration regime, she said was deficient and fraught with many challenges, thereby defeating the purpose of the SIM Registration Regulations. The Minister noted that some Network Operators hired illiterate or semi illiterate agents to do the SIM registration on commission basis, therefore the agents cut corners and even pre-registered several SIMs with different IDs for sale to unsuspecting clients, which compromised the sanctity of the registration process. She said the NCA would establish a platform to verify all the valid national identity cards that would be presented for registration by prospective applicants. The Minister said all applicants were required to present valid ID cards, including the National Identification Card (Ghana Card), Voter ID, Driver’s Licence and Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Card. Mrs Owusu Ekuful noted that it would enable subscribers to be identified and be used for mobile banking, mobile money, and electronic payment services. She charged the Mobile Network Operators (MNO) to ensure that SIM cards were registered before activation on their networks to prevent inconsistencies and fake subscriber identity. The Minister entreated all Ghanaians to comply with the directive to ensure its success. Source: http://www.ghana.gov.gh