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Birthday on a ship!

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• Kutsoati (middle) being assisted by other military officers onboard to cut the birthday cake.

Kutsoati (middle) being assisted by other military

officers onboard to cut the birthday cake.

Birthday celebrations have undoubtedly been idolised as special days by many people and celebrated to mark their days of entry into this world.

It is usually characterised by dif­ferent forms of celebrations, partying, gifting and well wishes from loved ones including colleagues, family members and friends.

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As special as it may be to the cel­ebrant, some are usually planned and even preceded by pre-birthday pho­to-shoot and a symbolic celebration to mark the day.

But different situations may alter that popularly adopted way of birth­day celebrations for some people and one of such was the birthday of a Gha­na Navy Officer, Lieutenant Command­er Frederick Kutsoati.

Lt. Cdr Kutsoati had to celebrate his birthday on a Navy Ship for the second time since he joined the Ghana Navy 16 years ago not because he chose to, but was rather unable to decouple the two birthdays from duty calls.

His birthday fell on March 20 during a four-day national assignment on­board a Ghana Navy Ship (GNS) Volta to the Equator on March 19-24 which obviously captured his day of birth.

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The four-day national assignment by the Navy of the Ghana Armed Forc­es dubbed ‘Exercise Sea Lion 2024’ was to test the endurance and com­bat readiness of selected navy ships; GNS Volta and Ankobra in the company of a United States (US) Navy Ship.

Speaking to The Spec­tator newspaper onboard GNS Volta, after celebrat­ing his birthday almost at the Equator, Lt. Cdr Kutso­ati said he was privileged to have celebrated his birthday onboard a war­ship for the second time with the first one in 2010 onboard an American Navy Ship on a rescue course also to the Equator.

According to him, it was fascinating and intriguing to combine a national assignment with such an equally important day in his life though away from home and his close family.

For the reason of not just a cel­ebration onboard a ship but during a 340 nautical miles voyage to the center of the world, Lt. Cdr. Kutsoati described it as rare privilege as such open birthday celebration during a voyage to the center of the earth was pertinent to only the Naval arm of the Ghana Armed Forces.

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As a logistics officer, Lt. Cdr kutso­ati acknowledged the Captain of GNS Volta Ship, Lt Cdr Samuel Sabbah Sar­bah for the opportunity to celebrate his birthday onboard the ship clarify­ing that, such privileges were usually the preserve of officers of the organic unit to the Ship.

He used the opportunity to encour­age all stakeholders including the citi­zenry to support the work of the Navy to safeguard the country’s territorial waters while also securing the nation’s maritime domain.

 From Ken Afedzi, Tema

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Abena Osei Asare expresses concern over GETFund Administrator’s absence from PAC sitting

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The Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Abena Osei Asare has expressed concerns about the failure of the Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Mr. Paul Adjei to honour invitation of the Committee to assist in dealing with abandoned projects cited in the 2024 Auditor-General’s report.

She emphasised that some of the projects have been abandoned for more than 20 years and it kept reoccurring in the Auditor-General’s report yearly, stressing that the GETFund Administrator could assist by prioritising these projects.

However, he has failed to personally appear before the Committee since the commencement of the Committee’s public hearing in the 9th Parliament.

According to the 2024 Auditor-General’s report on Pre-University Educational Institutions, nine (9) Institutions with 16 projects awarded by the GET Fund Secretariat had been abandoned/delayed for a period ranging between three (3) and 28 years.

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Some of the affected schools include Adanwomoase Senior High School (Boys and Girls dormitory abandoned for 12 years), Atoa Senior High School (Home Economics Block abandoned for 27 years), Beposo Senior High School (Dinning Hall and Kitchen Complex abandoned for 10 years and lastly KNUST Senior High School (Three storey classroom block abandoned for 20 years).

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Parliament Committee on Energy visits NPA

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The Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy continued its oversight responsibilities with a working visit to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) yesterday.

Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said the visit formed part of efforts to familiarize members with the Authority’s operations and to explore ways Parliament could provide the necessary support.

He explained that the NPA’s work is focused on regulating Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector, a critical area for national energy security.

Mr. Bedzrah noted that the Committee is particularly interested in assessing whether the country has adequate petroleum stock to meet demand.

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He noted that rising geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing US–Iran conflict, could have adverse effect on Ghana’s energy supply and pricing.

He further disclosed that the Committee intends to engage closely with the Authority on a proposed new petroleum bill.

According to him, a draft of the legislation will be reviewed and possibly presented to Parliament under a certificate of urgency.

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