A Ghanaian entrepreneur has invented a condom vending machine which dispenses condoms when a text message is sent to a short code.
The new technology, according to the inventor, will save people from the embarrassing situation they go through when purchasing condoms at sales points.
The vending machine, which can be mounted at various washrooms in night-clubs, drinking spots and institutions, is to afford people the opportunity to feel at ease when making purchases to complement the Ghana AIDS Commission’s efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
The inventor, Mr Prince Nkrumah, a lecturer in Communication Engineering at the Regional Maritime University (RMU), said the machine, which is the first of its kind in the world, had several advantages over existing systems in other countries.
He said he was inspired to develop the technology because of the uncomfortable situations people went through when they wanted to purchase condoms.
The device, according to him, came with a cashless system that would discourage vandalism among its users.
The machine is also designed to automatically adjust prices in the event of increases in the prices of goods and services and currency change. It can also automatically send inventory status to managers for an efficient and effective stocking system.
“A monitoring system that prevents unauthorised persons from tampering with the technology is also in place to avert vandalism,” he remarked.
He indicated his commitment to collaborate with mobile telecommunication companies operating in the country as part of efforts to control the spread of HIV/AIDS and its related diseases.
Mr Nkrumah said Scancom Ghana Limited, operators of MTN, had agreed to support the idea to control the spread of the disease in the country.
The system can also be installed for canned drinks of all sizes.
He called for support from stakeholders in the manufacturing sector to adopt the technology in order to create jobs to complement government’s efforts at reducing youth unemployment in the country.
He said he had plans to export the technology to other countries across the West African sub-region.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
TOGOLESE PAEDOPHILE JAILED 20 YEARS (DAILY GRAPHIC, PAGE 3, NOV 13)
THE Tema Circuit Court yesterday sentenced a 45-year-old Togolese to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for defiling two children at Kpone-Kokompe, near Tema.
The accused, Mawuli Amegadzie, is also to be deported back to the Togo after he has finished serving his sentence.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of unnatural carnal knowledge and defilement under the Domestic Violence Law, Act 723, and was sentenced on each count as such. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Matilda Tetteh told the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Lorinda Owusu, that the convict and the complainant in the case, Mr Eric Kofi Amankwah, reside in the same vicinity at Kpone-Kokompe.
She said the complainant, who also doubles as the father of the children, aged eight and 11, received reports from a trader who also resides in the neighbourhood of his children’s constant visits to the convict’s residence.
Following earlier information of an alleged defilement case, for which the convict was remanded in police custody last year for a month but was released for lack of evidence, the complainant confronted the children over their association with him, which they denied.
Further interrogation by their father as to their acquisition of new children’s dolls, quantities of candies and other playing materials in their possession led to the younger of the two confessing to receiving them as gifts from the convict after he had sucked their genitals on each occasion.
Chief Inspector Tetteh noted that Mr Amankwah, equipped with the information, lodged a complaint at the Tema regional office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), from where a team, with the help of the Kpone Police, managed to arrest the convict after two hours of resistance, during which he bolted into a nearby bush on seeing the police approaching.
Amegadzie, who looked distressed throughout proceedings, pleaded guilty to the offence, while still holding on to his earlier explanation of his attraction to young boys any time he saw them, following his persistent failure to get an erection around women as a result of a spell cast on him by his stepmother.
The accused, Mawuli Amegadzie, is also to be deported back to the Togo after he has finished serving his sentence.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of unnatural carnal knowledge and defilement under the Domestic Violence Law, Act 723, and was sentenced on each count as such. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Matilda Tetteh told the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Lorinda Owusu, that the convict and the complainant in the case, Mr Eric Kofi Amankwah, reside in the same vicinity at Kpone-Kokompe.
She said the complainant, who also doubles as the father of the children, aged eight and 11, received reports from a trader who also resides in the neighbourhood of his children’s constant visits to the convict’s residence.
Following earlier information of an alleged defilement case, for which the convict was remanded in police custody last year for a month but was released for lack of evidence, the complainant confronted the children over their association with him, which they denied.
Further interrogation by their father as to their acquisition of new children’s dolls, quantities of candies and other playing materials in their possession led to the younger of the two confessing to receiving them as gifts from the convict after he had sucked their genitals on each occasion.
Chief Inspector Tetteh noted that Mr Amankwah, equipped with the information, lodged a complaint at the Tema regional office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), from where a team, with the help of the Kpone Police, managed to arrest the convict after two hours of resistance, during which he bolted into a nearby bush on seeing the police approaching.
Amegadzie, who looked distressed throughout proceedings, pleaded guilty to the offence, while still holding on to his earlier explanation of his attraction to young boys any time he saw them, following his persistent failure to get an erection around women as a result of a spell cast on him by his stepmother.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
ANOTHER PAEDOPHILE CASE ROCKS KPONE (IB, NOV 11)
Story & pix: Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
A 45-year-old Togolese has been grabbed by the Tema Regional Office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) in another reported case of paedophilia in the country.
The suspect, Mawuli Amegadzie, a mason by profession, is alleged to have defiled two children, aged eight and 11, at Kpone-Kokompe, near Tema.
According to the Tema Regional Co-ordinator of DOVVSU, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rebecca Nyamah, the suspect, on a number of occasions, allegedly lured the victims to his residence under the pretext of providing them with candies and children’s dolls and engaged them sexually by sucking their genitals after stripping them naked.
She said the complainant in the case, Mr Eric Kofi Amankwah, is the father of the children and resident of the community.
ASP Nyamah said Mr Amankwah received a report on his children’s constant visits to the suspect’s residence from a trader who also resides in the vicinity. Following earlier information of an alleged defilement case, for which the suspect was remanded in police custody last year but was released for lack of evidence, the complainant confronted the children over their association with the suspect.
Further interrogation by their father as to their new acquisition of children’s dolls and other playing materials led to the younger of the two confessing to receiving them as gifts from the suspect after he had sucked their genitals on each occasion.
A report was immediately lodged at DOVVSU, from where a team was dispatched which, with the help of the Kpone Police, managed to arrest the suspect after two hours of resistance, during which he bolted into a nearby bush on seeing the police approaching.
According to the police, Amegadzie admitted the offence in his caution statement and explained that he was attracted to young boys any time he saw them, following his persistent failure to get an erection around women as a result of a spell cast on him by his stepmother.
The suspect, according to ASP Nyamah, would be put before court immediately investigations were over.
She appealed to the general public to report the suspicious activities of people in their communities as part of moves to rid society of miscreants.
A 45-year-old Togolese has been grabbed by the Tema Regional Office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) in another reported case of paedophilia in the country.
The suspect, Mawuli Amegadzie, a mason by profession, is alleged to have defiled two children, aged eight and 11, at Kpone-Kokompe, near Tema.
According to the Tema Regional Co-ordinator of DOVVSU, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rebecca Nyamah, the suspect, on a number of occasions, allegedly lured the victims to his residence under the pretext of providing them with candies and children’s dolls and engaged them sexually by sucking their genitals after stripping them naked.
She said the complainant in the case, Mr Eric Kofi Amankwah, is the father of the children and resident of the community.
ASP Nyamah said Mr Amankwah received a report on his children’s constant visits to the suspect’s residence from a trader who also resides in the vicinity. Following earlier information of an alleged defilement case, for which the suspect was remanded in police custody last year but was released for lack of evidence, the complainant confronted the children over their association with the suspect.
Further interrogation by their father as to their new acquisition of children’s dolls and other playing materials led to the younger of the two confessing to receiving them as gifts from the suspect after he had sucked their genitals on each occasion.
A report was immediately lodged at DOVVSU, from where a team was dispatched which, with the help of the Kpone Police, managed to arrest the suspect after two hours of resistance, during which he bolted into a nearby bush on seeing the police approaching.
According to the police, Amegadzie admitted the offence in his caution statement and explained that he was attracted to young boys any time he saw them, following his persistent failure to get an erection around women as a result of a spell cast on him by his stepmother.
The suspect, according to ASP Nyamah, would be put before court immediately investigations were over.
She appealed to the general public to report the suspicious activities of people in their communities as part of moves to rid society of miscreants.
Zoomlion donates Bins to Tema Manhean (DAILY GRAPHIC, FRI NOV 6, 09) PAGE 29
Story: Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
ZOOMLION Ghana limited, a waste management company has donated a quantity of plastic dust bins valued at GHC 1,400 to residents of Tema Manhean towards promoting safe environmental practices among residents.
Presenting the items, the Tema zonal coordinator of Zoomlion, Ms Augustina Asare indicated the donation forms parts of the company’s social responsibility programme for communities in which they operates.
She called on residents to complement Zoomlion’s efforts by keeping their surroundings clean.
She regretted that people often turned plastic bins belonging to the company into water storage facilities and cautioned residents against such practices.
She challenged members of the Tema Youth Association (TYA) who requested for the bins on behalf of the community to put monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure the dust bins are used for the intended purpose.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Krakue II who received the items on behalf of the community commended members of the TYA for their initiative in acquiring the bins for the community.
He urged them to live in unity as they strove to bring development to Manhean and its surrounding communities whose residents live in abject poverty.
Nii Krakue advised the youth to desist from interfering in chieftaincy matters particularly chieftaincy disputes, a practice he said retards development. ‘Do not allow yourselves to be used to fan disputes by aggrieved persons whose interest lies in retarding development of our community’, Nii emphasised.
He noted the socio-economic legacies left by the nation’s first President; Dr Kwame Nkrumah has been left to deteriorate over the years while successive governments begged develop countries for aid to embark on developmental projects.
In a related development, Zoomlion has presented plastic bins worth GHC560 to the Afienya Divisional Police Command at a brief ceremony at Afienya in the Dangme West District of the Greater Accra region.
Station Officer, Inspector Daniel Kofi Tetteh who received the items on behalf of the division express profound appreciation to the company for the gesture.
Inspector Tetteh used the opportunity to appeal to the police high command and corporate institutions to come to the aid of the division which he described as lacking the needed logistics for effective policing within the area.
ZOOMLION Ghana limited, a waste management company has donated a quantity of plastic dust bins valued at GHC 1,400 to residents of Tema Manhean towards promoting safe environmental practices among residents.
Presenting the items, the Tema zonal coordinator of Zoomlion, Ms Augustina Asare indicated the donation forms parts of the company’s social responsibility programme for communities in which they operates.
She called on residents to complement Zoomlion’s efforts by keeping their surroundings clean.
She regretted that people often turned plastic bins belonging to the company into water storage facilities and cautioned residents against such practices.
She challenged members of the Tema Youth Association (TYA) who requested for the bins on behalf of the community to put monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure the dust bins are used for the intended purpose.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Krakue II who received the items on behalf of the community commended members of the TYA for their initiative in acquiring the bins for the community.
He urged them to live in unity as they strove to bring development to Manhean and its surrounding communities whose residents live in abject poverty.
Nii Krakue advised the youth to desist from interfering in chieftaincy matters particularly chieftaincy disputes, a practice he said retards development. ‘Do not allow yourselves to be used to fan disputes by aggrieved persons whose interest lies in retarding development of our community’, Nii emphasised.
He noted the socio-economic legacies left by the nation’s first President; Dr Kwame Nkrumah has been left to deteriorate over the years while successive governments begged develop countries for aid to embark on developmental projects.
In a related development, Zoomlion has presented plastic bins worth GHC560 to the Afienya Divisional Police Command at a brief ceremony at Afienya in the Dangme West District of the Greater Accra region.
Station Officer, Inspector Daniel Kofi Tetteh who received the items on behalf of the division express profound appreciation to the company for the gesture.
Inspector Tetteh used the opportunity to appeal to the police high command and corporate institutions to come to the aid of the division which he described as lacking the needed logistics for effective policing within the area.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
PORT AUTHORITIES CREATE SPACE FOR OIL EQUIPMENT (BACK PAGE, NOV 10)
GHANA Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), has reserved 100 metres of the Tema port berthing area for companies preparing for commercial oil production to facilitate the clearing of their equipment.
The GPHA has also allocated certain places at the Takoradi port for the storage of machinery and materials of those oil companies to enhance their operations.
The Director General of the GPHA, Mr Nestor Percy Galley, who made this known at a durbar of staff of the GPHA in Tema, said the measures were part of the policy initiatives being implemented by the authority to ease cargo and vehice congestion at the Tema Port.
He said the GPHA would undertake a series of development projects in 2010 to enhance the operations of the ports.
The projects include the construction of a six-lane road from the Tema Motorway Roundabout to the port, a two-lane dual carriageway from the Nungua barrier to the port and a Transit Truck Village at Kpone, near Tema.
Mr Galley said the GPHA, in its quest to complement government’s goal of providing adequate and appropriate facilities to support Ghana’s emerging oil industry, was collaborating with Tullow Oil Company to work on the installation of oil service facilities at the Takoradi Port.
He, therefore, called for support from stakeholders in the maritime industry to come on board and support the GPHA and Government to achieve its vision of making the Ghana’s ports the preferred destination in the sub-region.
He encouraged workers to eschew indiscipline and misconduct, saying the management would institute a reward scheme to motivate them to work hard.
The Director of the Tema Port, Mr Richard Anamoo, charged the workers to work hard to achieve increased productivity.
He said the authority, in its quest for ensuring that employees played functional roles in turning its fortunes around, would soon begin training in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for all the staff and, therefore, encouraged employees to take advantage of the training.
The Secretary of the local union, Mr Emile Asiedu, appealed to the management to have another look at the concession agreement among GPHA and Meridian Ports Services (MPS) and Safebond Company Ltd (SCL), since the agreements were not bringing in the desired royalty, considering the heavy capital investment made by the GPHA in developing that part of the port.
The GPHA has also allocated certain places at the Takoradi port for the storage of machinery and materials of those oil companies to enhance their operations.
The Director General of the GPHA, Mr Nestor Percy Galley, who made this known at a durbar of staff of the GPHA in Tema, said the measures were part of the policy initiatives being implemented by the authority to ease cargo and vehice congestion at the Tema Port.
He said the GPHA would undertake a series of development projects in 2010 to enhance the operations of the ports.
The projects include the construction of a six-lane road from the Tema Motorway Roundabout to the port, a two-lane dual carriageway from the Nungua barrier to the port and a Transit Truck Village at Kpone, near Tema.
Mr Galley said the GPHA, in its quest to complement government’s goal of providing adequate and appropriate facilities to support Ghana’s emerging oil industry, was collaborating with Tullow Oil Company to work on the installation of oil service facilities at the Takoradi Port.
He, therefore, called for support from stakeholders in the maritime industry to come on board and support the GPHA and Government to achieve its vision of making the Ghana’s ports the preferred destination in the sub-region.
He encouraged workers to eschew indiscipline and misconduct, saying the management would institute a reward scheme to motivate them to work hard.
The Director of the Tema Port, Mr Richard Anamoo, charged the workers to work hard to achieve increased productivity.
He said the authority, in its quest for ensuring that employees played functional roles in turning its fortunes around, would soon begin training in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for all the staff and, therefore, encouraged employees to take advantage of the training.
The Secretary of the local union, Mr Emile Asiedu, appealed to the management to have another look at the concession agreement among GPHA and Meridian Ports Services (MPS) and Safebond Company Ltd (SCL), since the agreements were not bringing in the desired royalty, considering the heavy capital investment made by the GPHA in developing that part of the port.
NINE INJURED IN MOTORWAY ACCIDENT (BACK PAGE, NOV 10)
NINE people sustained various degrees of injury when a Mercedes Benz 207 bus on which they were travelling, ran into a ditch when attempting to avoid a KIA truck which had veered into the lane of the bus on the Accra-Tema Motorway.
The accident resulted in a heavy vehicle traffic along the motorway.
The Ashaiman Divisional Station Officer of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Chief Inspector Paul Kyeremeh, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the accident, said the Benz bus with 19 passengers on board, was travelling from Kaneshie in Accra to Tema when the accident occurred.
He said the driver of the bus, on reaching the former cattle bridge near the Accra Abattoir, saw the KIA truck driven by Prince Darko, 30, from Community 20 heading towards Tema.
On joining the motorway, the KIA driver drove into the lane of the Benz bus, forcing the driver of the bus, Alfred Kwame, to veer to the left in his attempt to avoid running into the truck.
In the process, the Benz bus ran into a ditch in the middle of the motorway, after somersaulting.
The injured, including the driver and his mate, are currently on admission at the Tema General Hospital, while the 10 other passengers who sustained minor injuries were treated and discharged at the same hospital.
The driver of the KIA truck is being held by the Ashaiman Police to assist in investigations.
The Ashaiman District Police Commander, Superintendent Peter Kobina, has, meanwhile, appealed to motorists plying the motorway to drive with extra care to reduce accidents.
He also called on the Ghana Highway Authority to, as a matter of urgency, put adequate measures in place at the adjoining routes to avoid similar occurrences.
The accident resulted in a heavy vehicle traffic along the motorway.
The Ashaiman Divisional Station Officer of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Chief Inspector Paul Kyeremeh, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the accident, said the Benz bus with 19 passengers on board, was travelling from Kaneshie in Accra to Tema when the accident occurred.
He said the driver of the bus, on reaching the former cattle bridge near the Accra Abattoir, saw the KIA truck driven by Prince Darko, 30, from Community 20 heading towards Tema.
On joining the motorway, the KIA driver drove into the lane of the Benz bus, forcing the driver of the bus, Alfred Kwame, to veer to the left in his attempt to avoid running into the truck.
In the process, the Benz bus ran into a ditch in the middle of the motorway, after somersaulting.
The injured, including the driver and his mate, are currently on admission at the Tema General Hospital, while the 10 other passengers who sustained minor injuries were treated and discharged at the same hospital.
The driver of the KIA truck is being held by the Ashaiman Police to assist in investigations.
The Ashaiman District Police Commander, Superintendent Peter Kobina, has, meanwhile, appealed to motorists plying the motorway to drive with extra care to reduce accidents.
He also called on the Ghana Highway Authority to, as a matter of urgency, put adequate measures in place at the adjoining routes to avoid similar occurrences.
Monday, November 9, 2009
MET PAYS $309,848 CLAIMS (NOV 9, PAGE 49)
THE Managing Director of Metropolitan Insurance Company (MET), Mr Kwame-Gazo Agbenyadzie, has stressed the importance of life assurance policies, and called on all employers to provide workmen’s compensation insurance for their employees.
He said that would ensure adequate compensation for all cases of workplace injuries and incapacitation.
Mr Amenyadzie made the call when he presented a cheque for US$309,848 to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as claims covering the authority’s 200-tonnes crane equipment that was involved in an accident in April this year.
He indicated the strain on the Government treasury in the event of an accident could be enormous in the absence of an appropriate insurance cover and urged employers to consider insurance covers as part of motivation package for their employees.
Mr Amenyadzie commended the GPHA for not only investing in machinery and equipment, but also indemnified them against risks, thereby reducing pressure on the Ministry of Transport’s budget, an example, the MET CEO said, was worth emulating by all state-owned enterprises.
The Director General of the GPHA, Mr Nestor Percy Galley, expressed profound appreciation to the insurance company for the importance it attached to the transaction, saying the claim would enable the authority to replace the damaged equipment with a new 220-tonne crane. — GB
He said that would ensure adequate compensation for all cases of workplace injuries and incapacitation.
Mr Amenyadzie made the call when he presented a cheque for US$309,848 to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as claims covering the authority’s 200-tonnes crane equipment that was involved in an accident in April this year.
He indicated the strain on the Government treasury in the event of an accident could be enormous in the absence of an appropriate insurance cover and urged employers to consider insurance covers as part of motivation package for their employees.
Mr Amenyadzie commended the GPHA for not only investing in machinery and equipment, but also indemnified them against risks, thereby reducing pressure on the Ministry of Transport’s budget, an example, the MET CEO said, was worth emulating by all state-owned enterprises.
The Director General of the GPHA, Mr Nestor Percy Galley, expressed profound appreciation to the insurance company for the importance it attached to the transaction, saying the claim would enable the authority to replace the damaged equipment with a new 220-tonne crane. — GB
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