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5 more bodies retrieved from recent floods in Accra
Five more bodies have been retrieved by the police after Tuesday dawn downpour, which resulted in flooding in some parts of Accra.
The dead include, three males, a pregnant woman, and a two-year-old boy, bringing the number of fatalities recorded so far as a result of the floods, to six.
The Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, who gave the update to the Ghanaian Times, in Accra, yesterday, said the bodies had since been taken to the Police Hospital and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital mortuaries.
She said on June 9, at about 8:30am, a man was found lying dead in a supine position at a hotel in the Neoplan area.
DSP Tenge said the police also received information that a male body had been found at the Metro Mass Bus terminal, adding that personnel proceeded to the scene and retrieved the body of Dominic Abikwoa, 31.
She said the police also received information that an unknown pregnant woman, aged 25, was lying dead at the Art Centre beach
“The body was inspected and a deep cut was found on the right eyebrow,” DSP Tenge added.
She said the police retrieved the body of one Lousie Sobou Tchanda, 28, who got drown when the fence wall to a house collapsed.
The Police PRO said the body of a two-year-old boy was also retrieved at the Achimota Charcoal Station, near a big gutter.
It would be recalled that The Ghanaian Times in its Wednesday, June 10, 2020 issue reported that parts of Accra were submerged, following a downpour, which lasted about four hours.
Characteristic of flooding in Accra, properties running into several millions of cedis were destroyed, while one person was reported dead at Adabraka in Accra.
In addition, several people were trapped in their homes as they could not step out due to the volume of water and the magnitude of the current.
The situation culminated into heavy traffic jams in most areas.
Some of the affected areas included Alajo in the Ayawaso East municipality, Kwame Nkrumah Interchange area in the Okaikoi South municipality, Adabraka Sahara in the Korle-Klottey municipality, and the Kaneshie First Light area, Sakaman, North Kaneshie, Awoshie, Achimota and Odorkor.
The floods resulted in heavy traffic on the roads and passengers were also spotted stranded at various bus stops waiting for vehicles to be transported to their various destinations.
Rubbish from choked gutters was washed unto the roads as a result of the floods.
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana has signed a debt restructuring agreement with the Kingdom of Belgium as part of efforts to restore the country’s economic stability after the financial crisis that hit the nation in 2022 and 2023.
The Minister of Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, today disclosed that he signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
He explained that Ghana experienced a very difficult period during the crisis, which forced the government at the time to declare a debt default.
However, he indicated that the country is now recovering and witnessing a significant economic turnaround.
According to him, stronger systems are also being put in place to ensure that Ghana does not return to such a situation again.
Dr Forson noted that the agreement with Belgium is the eighth deal Ghana has concluded with countries under the Official Creditor Committee as part of its external debt restructuring programme.
He expressed appreciation to the Government of Belgium for its support and partnership with Ghana during the process.
The Finance Minister thanked Carole van Eyll, Ambassador of Belgium to Ghana, for her role in strengthening relations between the two countries.
The agreement forms part of Ghana’s broader effort to restructure its external debts and stabilise the economy following the crisis.
By: Jacob Aggrey
