GWJN member arrested by security personnel at Accra international conference

By Justice Adoboe, Ghana Watsan Journalists Network

Malik Minneax Ereira, a Ghanaian journalist and member of the Ghana Journalists Network (GWJN) who visited the Accra International Conference Centre, venue for the 6^th Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) Tuesday, July 16, 2013, was arrested and detained overnight at the Ministries Police Station.

Malik Ereira of TGIB Productions, a multimedia organization, was arrested on suspicion of stealing mobile phones and laptop computers from delegates at the conference, and so was handed over to the security officials by personnel from FARA.

The journalist who had reported at the conference centre around mid-day had to wait at the registration desk for the media liaison for the programme, whose name was only given as Ivy, to be sought by this reporter, who incidentally also knew him, to alert her that Mr Ereira wanted to register to cover the conference.

When this reporter went back to the conference centre on Wednesday morning he was informed by the said media liaison (Ivy) that Malik Ereira had been arrested the previous day on suspicion of having stolen the items.

The head of the National security operatives (name withheld) who made the arrest then confirmed that Mr Ereira had been handed over to the Ministries Police for investigation.

“There was a case of theft between 10 am and 11 am, and when Ereira was searched a pair of pliers and a cutter were found in his bag so he was suspected of being the thief who had stolen the items” the Security chief informed this reporter.

It should be noted that when this reporter arrived at the conference centre around 10. 00 am, he was informed by a Metro TV video cameraman about the theft, with the picture of a gentleman who was the main suspect.

This reporter was even asked to alert the authorities if he saw the said gentleman in the picture shown to him, and so it is baffling how someone who arrives at the conference centre, hours later could be arrested for the crime committed when he was nowhere near the place.

The said FARA Media liaison, (Ivy) alleged that the guy was arrested because of his looks, and this was corroborated by the police at the Ministries Police Station. “He looked different.”

Meanwhile the operator of the scanner at the entrance of the conference centre had argued that he scanned the journalist before he entered the conference hall.

If this was so, then it raises the argument as to why the scanner did not detect the two working tools which the security operatives want to refer to as weapons.

This is not the first time delegates to conferences at the Accra International Conference Centre were suffering from such alleged cases of theft.

During a recent Mining forum, a lady working at an exhibition stand got her tablet stolen by two tricksters who visited her stand.

“I suspect there is someone who knows a lot about the Close Circuit Tele Vision (CCTV) involved, because anytime such a thing happens and the CCTV is checked the camera is only able to show the back of the fellow walking away from the crime scene,” a source at the conference centre told this reporter.

At the time of filing this report, Peter Serinye, National Coordinator of the Ghana Watsan Journalists Network (GWJN) was assisting relatives of the victim to secure bail for him.

“This is a gentleman I have known for several years now, and he is a well-known figure in the (WASH) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector. He is not a thief,” Mr. Serinye emphasized, adding that the basis upon which the guy was arrested was so absurd, wondering whether anybody needs a pair of pliers and a cuter to steal mobile phones and laptop computers.

WSA, Ivorian Government partner for High-Level Forum on Water and Sanitation

By Edmund Smith-Asante

A borehole fitted with pump

The government of Cote d’Ivoire is collaborating with Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA), to organise this year’s High-Level Forum on Water and Sanitation for All

Scheduled for November 21 to November 23, 2013, the third of such forums to be held in the past three years will be on the theme: “To promote vibrant and effective South-South cooperation to accelerate access to hygiene, sanitation, and drinking water for all in Africa”.

Originally set up by the Pan-African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA), the objective of the forum is to provide a platform for various decision-makers and stakeholders involved in this sector in Africa to exchange information and exert their influence, thus encouraging decisions and concrete action in support of WASH in Africa.

According to the organisers, about 800 participants are expected in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan for this year’s forum which has three main objectives.

These are to find the best way to take advantage of South-South partnerships for the development of business opportunities in terms of financial cooperation for the implementation of priority projects beyond the reach of national budgets in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector (WASH); develop strategic alliances and partnerships to strengthen the technical and institutional capacities of southern countries in the WASH sector and stimulate the sharing of experiences and know-how between southern countries in the WASH sector.

Touching on the significance of the forum to Africa, WSA says it is of interest to all stakeholders and senior officials in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene sector in Africa including African heads of state, ministers responsible for water and sanitation issues in Africa, African finance ministers, as well as technical and financial partners from the North and South, mainly consisting of export-import banks, researchers, investors, NGOs, and integration and development organisations.

Formally known as CREPA, Water and Sanitation for Africa has 32 member countries and has been working in Africa for 25 years to develop solutions to address the problems of water and sanitation on the continent.

Its mission is based on the establishment of integrated systems combining the optimisation of technical and scientific approaches with innovative funding mechanisms.

The first two forums were held in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Dakar in Senegal.