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Optometrist worried over cases of cataract among children in Savannah Region
An Optometrist in the Upper West Region, Dr Zakarea Al-hassan Balure has expressed concern over the number of cataract cases identified among children in the Gindabo area council in the Savannah Region.
The doctor was more worried that old age disease existed among children in the area and attributed the cause to the kind of activities and jobs people in the area were engaged in.
His concern stemmed from the fact that some of the children who patronised a free eye screening exercise for some 738 at Ginda were diagnosed with the cataract condition.
The screening was undertaken by Bliss Eye Care, a Wa-based private eye clinic in the Upper West Region which is under the management of Dr Balure.
The eye screening was under a project dubbed “Blissful Sight for Kids” project and funded by Ghana Vision, a non-profit organisation based in Switzerland.
The screening also came with some basic eye care services for people who needed immediate attention as well as giving out specific drugs and glasses for specific conditions whereas those with very severe conditions were profiled for further treatment at Wa.
According to the doctor, even though many people in the community could not make it to the screening, the cataract prevalence among the participants was very alarming and would require a deliberate plan to screen more people in the area for immediate treatment.
He defined cataract as the clouding of the clear lens of the eye and which normally developed as people aged.
He was also concerned about a trachoma case which was identified and said the case was the fourth since the beginning of the project implementation in rural areas of the Upper West Region.
Dr Balure used the opportunity to appeal to the public to take good care of their eyes and endeavour to take advantage of such eye screening exercises to know the status of their sight organs.
“We can prevent needless blindness and eye complications if we are proactive in some of these things so I will mobilise with my team and see how many more people we can screen in subsequent exercises”, he added.
The assembly member for the area, Mr Abass Braimahsaid people had various eye conditions in the area due to the nature of jobs they were engaged in which included farming and the burning of charcoal.
He mentioned that even if they developed such conditions there was no eye unit at the health centre which served over 60 communities in the area council.
“The only time you see people going to the hospital for eye services is when they can no longer contain the pain of whatever they are feeling in their eyes and that is because apart from financial challenges, the nearest hospital for such services is at either Bole or Wa which are quite far from here so they prefer to suffer in silence”, he said
This challenge the assembly member noted would be solved if an eye professional was added to the staff at the Gindabo health centre to help screen residents with eye problems regularly and advise for further treatment.
He commended Bliss Eye Care for the intervention.
FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, GINDABO
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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Attorney General charges Chairman Wontumi and two others over alleged GH¢18.7 million Ghana Exim Bank fraud
The Office of the Attorney General has charged Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and two others over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of funds from the Ghana Export-Import Bank for a farming project.
The charges were brought against Chairman Wontumi, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited.
According to court documents released by the Attorney General’s office, Chairman Wontumi, identified as the first accused person, allegedly approached the Ghana Exim Bank in January 2018 for financial support to undertake a large-scale farming project.
The prosecution said he applied for a GH¢19 million facility on behalf of Wontumi Farms Limited and claimed that the company had secured a 100,000-acre parcel of land for the proposed farming venture.
The Attorney General alleged that documents submitted together with the application contained false information.
According to the prosecution, one of the documents presented as a board resolution letter was dated January 23, 2018, but referred to a board resolution supposedly passed on December 9, 2017, four days before the company was officially incorporated on December 14, 2017.
The prosecution further stated that the accused persons also submitted a project proposal claiming that 2,500 hectares of the proposed farm would employ about 6,000 families, representing nearly 38,000 individuals.
Court documents indicate that the Ghana Exim Bank later approved an GH¢18.7 million facility made up of loans and grants for the project.
The facility was reportedly intended for the purchase of agricultural machinery, working capital, staff costs and consultancy services.
According to investigators, the bank disbursed more than GH¢14.3 million to the company between January and March 2018.
However, investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office of the Attorney General allegedly found that the proposed farming activities were never carried out.
The prosecution said the accused persons neither purchased the agricultural machinery nor secured the land they claimed to own for the project.
Investigators also alleged that Chairman Wontumi later submitted a document to the bank as proof that the company had purchased agricultural machinery worth GH¢4 million.
However, investigations reportedly established that the document was originally a pro-forma invoice from KAS-SAMA Enterprise and not an actual receipt.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the inscription “Pro-forma Invoice” was allegedly altered and replaced with the word “Receipt” before it was submitted to the bank.
The prosecution further alleged that Chairman Wontumi withdrew large sums from the company’s accounts and used the funds for personal expenses and investments in other businesses.
The Attorney General stated that attempts by the bank to recover the money were unsuccessful.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office reportedly began investigations into the matter in March 2025.
Chairman Wontumi was later arrested, cautioned and officially charged on May 14, 2026.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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