From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
For Sampson Adu Boakye, acquiring a vehicle for commercial purposes had been a cherished dream for some time. Therefore, when he received the compensation for an accident on behalf of his ailing daughter, he reneged on his parental responsibility of seeking medical attention for his child and rather used the money to buy a mini bus.
And, for more than five months, Boakye, 42, failed to seek urgent surgical operation for the 14-year-old girl following serious injuries she sustained during the accident.
The timely intervention by the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Police Service in Kumasi, however, saved her life as Boakye was compelled to send his daughter to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where she was operated upon and has been on admission for the past two weeks.
The Ashanti Regional Commander of the DOVVSU, ASP George Appiah-Sakyi, who briefed The Mirror on the incident, said the girl, who was involved in an accident at the Asafo Market in Kumasi in August 2002, suffered multiple fractures in the legs and also sustained serious injuries on other parts of the body, causing her to pass stool through her private parts, instead of the anus.
He said the SIC was supposed to pay GH¢30,000 as insurance to cover the medical expenses of the victim. However, in August last year, Boakye was given a cheque for GH¢10,000.
ASP Appiah-Sakyi said as soon as the suspect received the cheque, he cashed it and went to purchase a Hyundai Grace mini bus with the sole aim of running a transport business.
He said when the police got wind of his action on January 30, 2009, they quickly invited him to help in their investigations.
Mr Appiah-Sakyi said in the course of the investigations, the suspect admitted the offence and promised to mobilise some money to seek medical attention for the daughter, who was then in serious pains.
The DOVVSU Commander said the suspect later contacted some medical officers at KATH, who performed the surgical operation for his daughter, adding that the girl was responding to treatment .
He said Boakye, a trader from Jamasi in the Ashanti Region, was helping the police in their investigations
Friday, February 27, 2009
PRIVATE VARSITIES MUST BENEFIT FROM STATE FUNDS (PAGE 11)
THE government has been called upon to initiate action for legislative reforms in the administration of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to ensure that private tertiary institutions benefit from state financial assistance.
This would enable private tertiary institutions to spread across the country, have access to the requisite educational infrastructure and logistics to facilitate the provision of quality education for the youth who could not enter the few and overstretched public tertiary institutions.
The Council Chairman of the Christian Service University College (CSUC), Prof. Sam Afranie, made the call at the 32nd congregation of the university in Kumasi on the theme, “Quality Manpower Development; the Role of Private Universities".
He pointed out that it was when the government met the obligation of adequately resourcing private tertiary institutions, just as it was doing for public ones, that the youth would be able to study in a conducive atmosphere, devoid of congestion.
The council chairman said this would also enable them to develop their potential more appropriately to support sustainable national development.
In all, 287 students from the departments of Business Studies and Theology received honours in their degree programmes.
The figures indicated about 179.16 per cent increase over last year’s figure of 104 graduates from the same programmes.
Twenty–five of the graduates, seven of whom were females, obtained First Class honours, with 113 of them securing Second Class Upper, while 139 of the graduates secured Second Class honours (Lower Division).
Prof. Afranie said the CSUC, affiliated to the University of Ghana, was fully committed to the provision of quality education to enable it to contribute meaningfully to accelerated national development.
Congratulating the graduates on their sense of discipline and hard work, Prof. Afranie said the university had already acquired 11acres at Sabin Akrofrom to be developed as a second campus of the institution.
He gave the assurance that the land would be fully developed to reduce the problem of accommodation among students.
The President of the CSUC, Professor Emmanuel Frempong, for his part, said in line with providing programmes relevant to the needs of society and national aspirations, the university would introduce a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing next year.
The university authorities, he noted, were initiating the requisite accreditation procedures.
Already, he said, the CSUC had introduced a programme in Communication and that 43 students had been admitted.
The Managing Director of ECOBANK, Mr Samuel Adjei, pointed out that manpower development had now been identified as one of the key pillars of social development and economic growth throughout the world.
He said it had also become a critical and important component of the agenda to enhance growth, wealth creation and poverty reduction.
Mr Adjei said with the emergence of global knowledge and technology, tertiary education had assumed strategic importance because it determined how a country fared when measuring the standard of living of a particular state.
He said while public tertiary institutions were contributing to the development of the human resource base, financial constraints had impeded their growth, making it difficult for those who qualified to gain access to develop their full potential.
He pointed out that while most public universities did not make any room for workers who would want to study alongside working, private universities provide this level of flexibility, making it possible for a large number of workers to access university education to improve their status.
It is therefore important for policy makers to review their policies and provide adequate financial support to private universities to enable them to contribute effectively to national human resource capacity building, he stated.
This would enable private tertiary institutions to spread across the country, have access to the requisite educational infrastructure and logistics to facilitate the provision of quality education for the youth who could not enter the few and overstretched public tertiary institutions.
The Council Chairman of the Christian Service University College (CSUC), Prof. Sam Afranie, made the call at the 32nd congregation of the university in Kumasi on the theme, “Quality Manpower Development; the Role of Private Universities".
He pointed out that it was when the government met the obligation of adequately resourcing private tertiary institutions, just as it was doing for public ones, that the youth would be able to study in a conducive atmosphere, devoid of congestion.
The council chairman said this would also enable them to develop their potential more appropriately to support sustainable national development.
In all, 287 students from the departments of Business Studies and Theology received honours in their degree programmes.
The figures indicated about 179.16 per cent increase over last year’s figure of 104 graduates from the same programmes.
Twenty–five of the graduates, seven of whom were females, obtained First Class honours, with 113 of them securing Second Class Upper, while 139 of the graduates secured Second Class honours (Lower Division).
Prof. Afranie said the CSUC, affiliated to the University of Ghana, was fully committed to the provision of quality education to enable it to contribute meaningfully to accelerated national development.
Congratulating the graduates on their sense of discipline and hard work, Prof. Afranie said the university had already acquired 11acres at Sabin Akrofrom to be developed as a second campus of the institution.
He gave the assurance that the land would be fully developed to reduce the problem of accommodation among students.
The President of the CSUC, Professor Emmanuel Frempong, for his part, said in line with providing programmes relevant to the needs of society and national aspirations, the university would introduce a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing next year.
The university authorities, he noted, were initiating the requisite accreditation procedures.
Already, he said, the CSUC had introduced a programme in Communication and that 43 students had been admitted.
The Managing Director of ECOBANK, Mr Samuel Adjei, pointed out that manpower development had now been identified as one of the key pillars of social development and economic growth throughout the world.
He said it had also become a critical and important component of the agenda to enhance growth, wealth creation and poverty reduction.
Mr Adjei said with the emergence of global knowledge and technology, tertiary education had assumed strategic importance because it determined how a country fared when measuring the standard of living of a particular state.
He said while public tertiary institutions were contributing to the development of the human resource base, financial constraints had impeded their growth, making it difficult for those who qualified to gain access to develop their full potential.
He pointed out that while most public universities did not make any room for workers who would want to study alongside working, private universities provide this level of flexibility, making it possible for a large number of workers to access university education to improve their status.
It is therefore important for policy makers to review their policies and provide adequate financial support to private universities to enable them to contribute effectively to national human resource capacity building, he stated.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
TOURISM CARNIVAL IN KUMASI (GRAPHIC SHOWBIZ PAGE 3)
By George Ernest Asare
The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) has organised a carnival in the principal streets of the Kumasi metropolis as part of its efforts to make people aware of the region’s tourism offerings.
With "Unity in Diversity" as its main theme the GTB succeeded in focusing the attention of the business community at the Central Business District of Adum and other parts of Kumasi from commerce to tourism.
With brass band music, highlife, gospel and traditional music as the vehicle and joined by dancers, the business community were naturally attracted to the activity that was going on around them.
By 10 am, the Post Office square where the carnival started was brimming with people, and as representatives of costumed cultural troupes, masqueraders , horse riders and other entertainers from other regions started arriving to be part of the carnival, the interest of onlookers had intensified.
The carnival went through the Post Office Square to the Barclays Bank roundabout to the Paul Sagoe Lane and then branched to the Focusline around the Agyekum Building through Dimlite, Pampaso to the Zoo Traffic Light, before moving through the Komfo Anokye Roundabout and ended at the Cultural Centre where they entertained a number of people who had already gathered there.
Commenting on the significance of the carnival, which is the second to be organised by the GTB in Kumasi, the Regional Manager, Mr Ben Anane- Nsiah said that apart from the various tourists sites in the region, certain events , such as the carnival, needs to be promoted and sustained to enable it become very much attractive to the public".
He said that in the Ashanti region, the Akwasidae festival is one attraction which promotes traditional values , enticing many dignitaries to participate fully "but it does not hurt to develop a different identity in the tourist industry such as the carnival, and Kumasi being cosmopolitan, it would soon become one of the attractions in the tourist industry if we sustain it.
"The idea of bringing the carnival to Kumasi is to highlight different regional presence because apart from the indigenes , there are a lot of other people in Kumasi who would be eager to participate in the event".
He said that the brass band, masqueraders and cultural troupes who took part were from the Northern, Greater Accra , Volta, Central and Ashanti Regions.
The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) has organised a carnival in the principal streets of the Kumasi metropolis as part of its efforts to make people aware of the region’s tourism offerings.
With "Unity in Diversity" as its main theme the GTB succeeded in focusing the attention of the business community at the Central Business District of Adum and other parts of Kumasi from commerce to tourism.
With brass band music, highlife, gospel and traditional music as the vehicle and joined by dancers, the business community were naturally attracted to the activity that was going on around them.
By 10 am, the Post Office square where the carnival started was brimming with people, and as representatives of costumed cultural troupes, masqueraders , horse riders and other entertainers from other regions started arriving to be part of the carnival, the interest of onlookers had intensified.
The carnival went through the Post Office Square to the Barclays Bank roundabout to the Paul Sagoe Lane and then branched to the Focusline around the Agyekum Building through Dimlite, Pampaso to the Zoo Traffic Light, before moving through the Komfo Anokye Roundabout and ended at the Cultural Centre where they entertained a number of people who had already gathered there.
Commenting on the significance of the carnival, which is the second to be organised by the GTB in Kumasi, the Regional Manager, Mr Ben Anane- Nsiah said that apart from the various tourists sites in the region, certain events , such as the carnival, needs to be promoted and sustained to enable it become very much attractive to the public".
He said that in the Ashanti region, the Akwasidae festival is one attraction which promotes traditional values , enticing many dignitaries to participate fully "but it does not hurt to develop a different identity in the tourist industry such as the carnival, and Kumasi being cosmopolitan, it would soon become one of the attractions in the tourist industry if we sustain it.
"The idea of bringing the carnival to Kumasi is to highlight different regional presence because apart from the indigenes , there are a lot of other people in Kumasi who would be eager to participate in the event".
He said that the brass band, masqueraders and cultural troupes who took part were from the Northern, Greater Accra , Volta, Central and Ashanti Regions.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
MASSIVE CLEAN-UP IN KUMASI (PAGE 29)
Residents in the Kumasi metropolis responded positively to President John Evans Atta Mills' quest for clean environment by temporary suspending their commercial activities between 6a.m. and 12 noon last Saturday, to actively support the clean-up exercise intended to rid the Kumasi metropolis of filth.
The exercise which was organised by members of the Ashanti Regional Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) in collaboration with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly(KMA) and other organised groups in the metropolis, saw residents converging very early at the various streets, public places, car parks and market places to fully participate in the clean up exercise.
The exercise was also meant to promote environmental cleanliness in the metropolis as well as sensitise residents on the need to change their attitude towards the environment.
Indiscriminate littering of the environment with all forms of solid waste materials, promote the spread of diseases and the exercise also sought to educate residents on the need to do away with such habits.
Prior to the exercise, which was the first of its kind to be organised by the new government in Kumasi, Messrs J. Stanley Owusu, a Waste Management Company, provided a 24-hour service on Friday to work on the Dompoase Land fill site to create more space for refuse that would be dumped there on Saturday.
This was to reduce any form of congestion at the site by waste trucks that would transport garbage from the various suburbs to the landfill.
Waste Group, Anthoco Waste, Sakem, Zoomlion, Kumasi Waste Management, Measkworld, Osborn and ABC Waste also participated actively in the exercise.
The metropolis was divided into zones with each of the waste management companies and their members, concentrating on a particular zone assigned to it, thereby enhancing efficiency.
From Asuoyeboah through Kwadaso to Bantama and the central business district of Adum and Kajetia, as well as the Central Market, safe market and other suburbs, residents, most of whom were traders and voluntary groups, desilted choked gutters, swept the streets, and set fire to heaps of dried leaves and materials collected.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic later, a trader at the Morocco shoe house, Mr Osei Kwabena, commended the organisers of the exercise for their prompt intervention and urged them to regularise it.
This, he said, would keep Kumasi clean as the rains set in.
He pointed out that communicable diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid fever among others, that thrive on filth, had always been on the spread, especially during the rainy season.
He pointed out that on such occasions, people spent a lot of money and time to treat diseases, and this undermined productivity and revenue generation.
Mr Osei Kwabena said it was equally important for the authorities to initiate educational programmes that would create awareness for the pubic to change their negative attitude of dumping liquid and solid waste into drains, public places and recreational grounds,
Earlier, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of ESPA, Nana Adu Asabre had told newsmen that as the umbrella body of solid and liquid waste management, the ESPA would be committed to the provision of clean environment to promote good health among residents.
“Ours is a call to duty, that is why representatives of the national executive came down to participate in the planning of this exercise after a similar exercise at Sekondi- Takoradi", he assured.
Stressing, Nana Asabre said, " This is just the beginning of a permanent collaboration to sustain the state of cleanliness in the city".
The exercise which was organised by members of the Ashanti Regional Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) in collaboration with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly(KMA) and other organised groups in the metropolis, saw residents converging very early at the various streets, public places, car parks and market places to fully participate in the clean up exercise.
The exercise was also meant to promote environmental cleanliness in the metropolis as well as sensitise residents on the need to change their attitude towards the environment.
Indiscriminate littering of the environment with all forms of solid waste materials, promote the spread of diseases and the exercise also sought to educate residents on the need to do away with such habits.
Prior to the exercise, which was the first of its kind to be organised by the new government in Kumasi, Messrs J. Stanley Owusu, a Waste Management Company, provided a 24-hour service on Friday to work on the Dompoase Land fill site to create more space for refuse that would be dumped there on Saturday.
This was to reduce any form of congestion at the site by waste trucks that would transport garbage from the various suburbs to the landfill.
Waste Group, Anthoco Waste, Sakem, Zoomlion, Kumasi Waste Management, Measkworld, Osborn and ABC Waste also participated actively in the exercise.
The metropolis was divided into zones with each of the waste management companies and their members, concentrating on a particular zone assigned to it, thereby enhancing efficiency.
From Asuoyeboah through Kwadaso to Bantama and the central business district of Adum and Kajetia, as well as the Central Market, safe market and other suburbs, residents, most of whom were traders and voluntary groups, desilted choked gutters, swept the streets, and set fire to heaps of dried leaves and materials collected.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic later, a trader at the Morocco shoe house, Mr Osei Kwabena, commended the organisers of the exercise for their prompt intervention and urged them to regularise it.
This, he said, would keep Kumasi clean as the rains set in.
He pointed out that communicable diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid fever among others, that thrive on filth, had always been on the spread, especially during the rainy season.
He pointed out that on such occasions, people spent a lot of money and time to treat diseases, and this undermined productivity and revenue generation.
Mr Osei Kwabena said it was equally important for the authorities to initiate educational programmes that would create awareness for the pubic to change their negative attitude of dumping liquid and solid waste into drains, public places and recreational grounds,
Earlier, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of ESPA, Nana Adu Asabre had told newsmen that as the umbrella body of solid and liquid waste management, the ESPA would be committed to the provision of clean environment to promote good health among residents.
“Ours is a call to duty, that is why representatives of the national executive came down to participate in the planning of this exercise after a similar exercise at Sekondi- Takoradi", he assured.
Stressing, Nana Asabre said, " This is just the beginning of a permanent collaboration to sustain the state of cleanliness in the city".
Sunday, February 22, 2009
KATH UNDERTAKES FIRST ADULT HEART SURGERY (MIRROR, PAGE 32)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
Cardio specialists from Cardiostart International in the United States of America (USA), in collaboration with their counterparts from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have successfully performed free open-heart surgery for eight people who were suffering from acute heart problems in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs.
The surgeries were performed at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the newly constructed Accident and Emergency Centre of the KATH.
The US team has also donated two containers full of medical supplies and equipment to the KATH to support the establishment of a cardiothoracic centre.
The use of the ICU for the open heart surgery was to effectively test the effectiveness or otherwise of the Accident Emergency Centre which was commissioned in November, last year, before it becomes fully operational in the course of the year.
Among the beneficiaries of the free open-heart surgery were Master Ohenenana Kofi Sarpong, a 13-year-old boy who attends Odumasi M.A. Basic School near Konongo and a 19-year-old girl, Christiana Kyeremah.
The others were Georgina Palm, 63, Afia Sarpong 71, Juliana Ampomah 41, Afia Adowa, 31, Rebecca Asirifi, 31, and Regina Boakye 57.
Two years ago, cardio specialists from the Boston Children Hospital in the USA in collaboration with their KATH counterparts, performed the first free open heart surgery for eight children at the KATH, and last year, 11 children also benefited from the gesture of Boston Children Hospital
All the 19 children, some of whom attend school in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs, are doing very well.
When newsmen visited some of the patients at the ICU last Wednesday, three of them, including Master Kofi Sarpong, who were still on admission, were responding effectively to treatment.
Speaking to newsmen later, the head of the 29-member medical team, Dr Marath Aubyn, said they were a charity organisation collaborating with the KATH to kick-start an adult cardiothoracic centre at the hospital to enable them correct heart defects for patients from the northern sector of the country.
He said they arrived in Kumasi almost two weeks ago and screened about 30 patients suffering from heart diseases, but performed surgery for eight people whose lives were in danger.
He said they selected Kumasi for the surgical operation because there was only one cardiothoracic centre located in Accra.
Dr Aubyn explained that establishing an adult surgical centre would go a long way to reduce the pressure at the cardiothoracic centre in Accra.
Commending the KATH authorities for their positive attitude towards Cardiostart “ when we expressed our intention to support cardio patients in Kumasi”, Dr Aubyn said they would be committed to the setting up of an adult cardio centre in Kumasi to ensure that the pressure at Korle Bu was drastically reduced”.
“Our objective is to do this for free, to enable the beneficiaries lead normal lives and contribute more meaningfully towards sustainable socio-economic development in the country, “ he explained.
Stressing, he said, “we are very happy to be part of the general intentions of the authorities of the KATH and their objectives to serve the poor of the community who suffer from heart problems”.
He pointed out that the eight patients who benefited from their expertise “had complex problems as you can see from the evidence of the three patients yet to be discharged, as well as the five who had already been discharged”.
He also commended the medical team from the KATH for their professionalism and commitment and gave the assurance that they would always make themselves available as soon as they were invited to the country.
That, he said, would ensure that the objective of establishing a cardiothoracic centre at the KATH would be fully realised to support the lives of patients from the northern sector of the country as well as those from the neighbouring countries.
The Chief Executive of KATH, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, said the authorities of the hospital were committed to establishing the adult cardio centre within two years.
He said they had, therefore, set up a foundation to raise funds that would facilitate the establishment of the cardio centre.
He explained that KATH started a paediatric fund to cater for patients with heart problems and said efforts would be made to reinvigorate public contributions to the fund.
He explained that the fund-raising would be organised both in Ghana and abroad “ so that Ghanaians in the Diaspora would also contribute meaningfully and from this, I think we can sustain the project to enable the needy benefit from free, open heart surgery”.
He said already KATH had two open heart machines which were donated by the medical team from Boston Children Hospital and Cardiostart for use by the local medical team
Stressing , Dr Nsiah Asare said setting up the cardio centre was a priority because it would not only support the needy, but also attract patients from the neighbouring countries as a way of raising additional revenue to develop the KATH.
Cardio specialists from Cardiostart International in the United States of America (USA), in collaboration with their counterparts from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have successfully performed free open-heart surgery for eight people who were suffering from acute heart problems in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs.
The surgeries were performed at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the newly constructed Accident and Emergency Centre of the KATH.
The US team has also donated two containers full of medical supplies and equipment to the KATH to support the establishment of a cardiothoracic centre.
The use of the ICU for the open heart surgery was to effectively test the effectiveness or otherwise of the Accident Emergency Centre which was commissioned in November, last year, before it becomes fully operational in the course of the year.
Among the beneficiaries of the free open-heart surgery were Master Ohenenana Kofi Sarpong, a 13-year-old boy who attends Odumasi M.A. Basic School near Konongo and a 19-year-old girl, Christiana Kyeremah.
The others were Georgina Palm, 63, Afia Sarpong 71, Juliana Ampomah 41, Afia Adowa, 31, Rebecca Asirifi, 31, and Regina Boakye 57.
Two years ago, cardio specialists from the Boston Children Hospital in the USA in collaboration with their KATH counterparts, performed the first free open heart surgery for eight children at the KATH, and last year, 11 children also benefited from the gesture of Boston Children Hospital
All the 19 children, some of whom attend school in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs, are doing very well.
When newsmen visited some of the patients at the ICU last Wednesday, three of them, including Master Kofi Sarpong, who were still on admission, were responding effectively to treatment.
Speaking to newsmen later, the head of the 29-member medical team, Dr Marath Aubyn, said they were a charity organisation collaborating with the KATH to kick-start an adult cardiothoracic centre at the hospital to enable them correct heart defects for patients from the northern sector of the country.
He said they arrived in Kumasi almost two weeks ago and screened about 30 patients suffering from heart diseases, but performed surgery for eight people whose lives were in danger.
He said they selected Kumasi for the surgical operation because there was only one cardiothoracic centre located in Accra.
Dr Aubyn explained that establishing an adult surgical centre would go a long way to reduce the pressure at the cardiothoracic centre in Accra.
Commending the KATH authorities for their positive attitude towards Cardiostart “ when we expressed our intention to support cardio patients in Kumasi”, Dr Aubyn said they would be committed to the setting up of an adult cardio centre in Kumasi to ensure that the pressure at Korle Bu was drastically reduced”.
“Our objective is to do this for free, to enable the beneficiaries lead normal lives and contribute more meaningfully towards sustainable socio-economic development in the country, “ he explained.
Stressing, he said, “we are very happy to be part of the general intentions of the authorities of the KATH and their objectives to serve the poor of the community who suffer from heart problems”.
He pointed out that the eight patients who benefited from their expertise “had complex problems as you can see from the evidence of the three patients yet to be discharged, as well as the five who had already been discharged”.
He also commended the medical team from the KATH for their professionalism and commitment and gave the assurance that they would always make themselves available as soon as they were invited to the country.
That, he said, would ensure that the objective of establishing a cardiothoracic centre at the KATH would be fully realised to support the lives of patients from the northern sector of the country as well as those from the neighbouring countries.
The Chief Executive of KATH, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, said the authorities of the hospital were committed to establishing the adult cardio centre within two years.
He said they had, therefore, set up a foundation to raise funds that would facilitate the establishment of the cardio centre.
He explained that KATH started a paediatric fund to cater for patients with heart problems and said efforts would be made to reinvigorate public contributions to the fund.
He explained that the fund-raising would be organised both in Ghana and abroad “ so that Ghanaians in the Diaspora would also contribute meaningfully and from this, I think we can sustain the project to enable the needy benefit from free, open heart surgery”.
He said already KATH had two open heart machines which were donated by the medical team from Boston Children Hospital and Cardiostart for use by the local medical team
Stressing , Dr Nsiah Asare said setting up the cardio centre was a priority because it would not only support the needy, but also attract patients from the neighbouring countries as a way of raising additional revenue to develop the KATH.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
BOSOMTWE RURAL BANK, BEST IN ASHANI (PAGE 21)
THE Bosomtwe Rural Bank in the Ashanti Region was adjudged the best and strongest rural bank in the region in 2008.
Out of the 125 rural banks in the country, the Bosomtwe Rural Bank was also adjudged the fourth best in terms of revenue generation, deposits, access to loans to enable customers to initiate and expand their small-scale businesses, investment ventures, assets of the bank, among other criteria.
Two years ago, the bank was adjudged not only strong and third best among the 125 rural banks in Ghana but also the best in the Ashanti Region.In 2006 it retained its position as the best rural bank in the Ashanti Region and third best in the country.
As part of measures to ignite healthy competition, best practice and business consciousness among rural banks in the country, the parent bank of the Association of Rural Banks in Ghana — ARB Apex Bank — decided to rank all rural banks to determine which of them stood tall among the lot.
Commenting on the performance of the Bosomtwe Rural Bank over the years, the Supervising Manager, Mr Felix Owusu-Achiaw, said it was the initiatives of the board of governors, the management and staff of the bank, as well as the maximum support and co-operation from shareholders that had attracted the attention of the ARB Apex Bank, making the parent bank recognise it as one of the best financial institutions in the country.
Mr Owusu-Achiaw noted that in 2006, for example, the net profit of the bank stood at GH¢251,758.15, rising to GH¢332,608.46 in 2007.
He said the unaudited profit of the bank for 2008 was GH¢478,340.18, indicating that prudent measures initiated by the management of the bank were yielding fruitful results.
On loans investment by the bank over the past three years, he said in 2006 over GH¢2.3 million was granted as loans to small-and medium-scale businessmen and women to enable them to expand their businesses or start new ones to enhance the accelerated development of communities in the bank’s catchment area.
He said total loans granted to small-and medium-scale operators increased in 2007 to GH¢4,095, 0.10, 98, adding that last year as much as GH¢5,345,400 was given out as loans.
Mr Owusu-Achiaw pointed out that in 2006, the bank was able to generate as much as GH¢4,867,045 revenue from deposits alone, increasing to GH¢6,499,717 in 2007, noting that as of December last year GH¢7,612,049 had been realised as deposits.
On investments to enhance accelerated income generation by the bank, the supervising manager said in 2006 the bank was able to invest GH¢2,444,000 in productive ventures and that increased to GH¢2,707,000 in 2007, and that as of December last year, over GH¢2.9 million had been invested in various areas.
On the bank’s reserve liquidity, Mr Owusu-Achiaw said three years ago, it was able to reserve GH¢892,776.91, which was increased to GH¢1,136,255.68 in 2007 before increasing further to GH¢1,642,300 as of December 31, 2008.
He said good customer services by the management and staff of the bank was also enticing many people to do productive business with the bank in all its branches at Trede, Atonsu, Atwima Amanfrom, Jachie, Kokofu and Ahenema Kokoben and at the parent bank located at Kuntanase.
He said the bank’s mobilisation points at Atonsu-Bokro and Asafo-Dadiesoaba in Kumasi were also receiving much attention and explained that the customer base of 48,000 in 2006 increased to 55,000 in 2007 and that as of the end of last year 75,000 people were doing brisk business with the Bosomtwe Rural Bank.
Out of the 125 rural banks in the country, the Bosomtwe Rural Bank was also adjudged the fourth best in terms of revenue generation, deposits, access to loans to enable customers to initiate and expand their small-scale businesses, investment ventures, assets of the bank, among other criteria.
Two years ago, the bank was adjudged not only strong and third best among the 125 rural banks in Ghana but also the best in the Ashanti Region.In 2006 it retained its position as the best rural bank in the Ashanti Region and third best in the country.
As part of measures to ignite healthy competition, best practice and business consciousness among rural banks in the country, the parent bank of the Association of Rural Banks in Ghana — ARB Apex Bank — decided to rank all rural banks to determine which of them stood tall among the lot.
Commenting on the performance of the Bosomtwe Rural Bank over the years, the Supervising Manager, Mr Felix Owusu-Achiaw, said it was the initiatives of the board of governors, the management and staff of the bank, as well as the maximum support and co-operation from shareholders that had attracted the attention of the ARB Apex Bank, making the parent bank recognise it as one of the best financial institutions in the country.
Mr Owusu-Achiaw noted that in 2006, for example, the net profit of the bank stood at GH¢251,758.15, rising to GH¢332,608.46 in 2007.
He said the unaudited profit of the bank for 2008 was GH¢478,340.18, indicating that prudent measures initiated by the management of the bank were yielding fruitful results.
On loans investment by the bank over the past three years, he said in 2006 over GH¢2.3 million was granted as loans to small-and medium-scale businessmen and women to enable them to expand their businesses or start new ones to enhance the accelerated development of communities in the bank’s catchment area.
He said total loans granted to small-and medium-scale operators increased in 2007 to GH¢4,095, 0.10, 98, adding that last year as much as GH¢5,345,400 was given out as loans.
Mr Owusu-Achiaw pointed out that in 2006, the bank was able to generate as much as GH¢4,867,045 revenue from deposits alone, increasing to GH¢6,499,717 in 2007, noting that as of December last year GH¢7,612,049 had been realised as deposits.
On investments to enhance accelerated income generation by the bank, the supervising manager said in 2006 the bank was able to invest GH¢2,444,000 in productive ventures and that increased to GH¢2,707,000 in 2007, and that as of December last year, over GH¢2.9 million had been invested in various areas.
On the bank’s reserve liquidity, Mr Owusu-Achiaw said three years ago, it was able to reserve GH¢892,776.91, which was increased to GH¢1,136,255.68 in 2007 before increasing further to GH¢1,642,300 as of December 31, 2008.
He said good customer services by the management and staff of the bank was also enticing many people to do productive business with the bank in all its branches at Trede, Atonsu, Atwima Amanfrom, Jachie, Kokofu and Ahenema Kokoben and at the parent bank located at Kuntanase.
He said the bank’s mobilisation points at Atonsu-Bokro and Asafo-Dadiesoaba in Kumasi were also receiving much attention and explained that the customer base of 48,000 in 2006 increased to 55,000 in 2007 and that as of the end of last year 75,000 people were doing brisk business with the Bosomtwe Rural Bank.
FORMER SUBIN MP TO CONTEST COUNCIL OF STATE MEMBERSHIP (PAGE 17)
A former Member of Parliament (MP) for Subin in Kumasi, Mr Joseph Alexander Tuffour Sarkodie, has declared his intention to contest for the Ashanti Regional Council of State membership to enable him to use his experience to support President John Evans Atta Mills’s government to deliver to the satisfaction of Ghanaians.
Mr Sarkodie, 77, and a former Deputy Ashanti Regional Manager of the defunct State Publishing Corporation, was the MP for Subin between 1992 and 1996.
Declaring his intention to contest the Ashanti Regional seat of the Council of State when he visited the Daily Graphic offices in Kumasi on Tuesday, Mr Sarkodie said if he was elected to represent the region, he would use his rich experience to reduce the politicisation of national issues and also encourage the media to balance political issues as a way of entrenching democracy in the country.
"Politicisation of national issues is bringing divisiveness among Ghanaians, which, in turn, is tearing the nation apart and undermining effective socio-economic development, and I think it is time for us to intervene to create national unity and cohesion in our developmental agenda," he stated.
He said, "At the moment, I have the requisite experience as an elderly in society, and [am] prepared to collaborate with other members of the Council of State to offer the needed advice to the President on how to unify Ghanaians and initiate policies and programmes that would accelerate the development of the country."
He also expressed concern about media reportage on national issues, saying "the media do not take time to investigate national issues before putting them into public domain, and this do not only create unnecessary tension, but also undermine the credibility of the media".
Mr Sarkodie said his election would offer him the opportunity to fruitfully interact with the leadership of media houses in the country and encourage them to properly investigate issues before publishing them.
This, he said, would make stories more credible and balanced to win the confidence of readers and listeners.
"Journalists are making adequate contributions to entrench democracy in the country, and they need to be encourage to do the right thing," he stressed.
Mr Sarkodie said if he was elected he would also encourage the leadership of the various churches to remain neutral on national issues to enable them to be fully committed to the development agenda of the state.
Mr Sarkodie, 77, and a former Deputy Ashanti Regional Manager of the defunct State Publishing Corporation, was the MP for Subin between 1992 and 1996.
Declaring his intention to contest the Ashanti Regional seat of the Council of State when he visited the Daily Graphic offices in Kumasi on Tuesday, Mr Sarkodie said if he was elected to represent the region, he would use his rich experience to reduce the politicisation of national issues and also encourage the media to balance political issues as a way of entrenching democracy in the country.
"Politicisation of national issues is bringing divisiveness among Ghanaians, which, in turn, is tearing the nation apart and undermining effective socio-economic development, and I think it is time for us to intervene to create national unity and cohesion in our developmental agenda," he stated.
He said, "At the moment, I have the requisite experience as an elderly in society, and [am] prepared to collaborate with other members of the Council of State to offer the needed advice to the President on how to unify Ghanaians and initiate policies and programmes that would accelerate the development of the country."
He also expressed concern about media reportage on national issues, saying "the media do not take time to investigate national issues before putting them into public domain, and this do not only create unnecessary tension, but also undermine the credibility of the media".
Mr Sarkodie said his election would offer him the opportunity to fruitfully interact with the leadership of media houses in the country and encourage them to properly investigate issues before publishing them.
This, he said, would make stories more credible and balanced to win the confidence of readers and listeners.
"Journalists are making adequate contributions to entrench democracy in the country, and they need to be encourage to do the right thing," he stressed.
Mr Sarkodie said if he was elected he would also encourage the leadership of the various churches to remain neutral on national issues to enable them to be fully committed to the development agenda of the state.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
ZOOMLION COMMENDS PEOPLE OF UPPER EAST (PAGE 21)
THE acting Upper West Regional Operations Supervisor of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Emmanuel Volsuuri, has commended communities in the region for their tremendous participation in the recently held national clean-up exercise.
He observed that the zeal, determination and interest shown in the exercise was worth emulating by other areas in the country.
“I hope their massive participation would rekindle the communal spirit of various communities to go beyond the clean up exercise,” he added.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Volsuuri also commended the Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Council and the district assemblies for mobilising the people for the exercise.
On other activities lined-up for the future, he gave the assurance that Zoomlion Ghana Limited would strive hard to ensure that filth was completely reduced to the barest minimum.
“We are ever ready to support the assemblies and other stakeholders to fight filth in order to prevent the outbreak of any epidemic,” he added.
He appealed to the media to partner the company to educate Ghanaians on the benefits of a clean environment.
He observed that the zeal, determination and interest shown in the exercise was worth emulating by other areas in the country.
“I hope their massive participation would rekindle the communal spirit of various communities to go beyond the clean up exercise,” he added.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Volsuuri also commended the Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Council and the district assemblies for mobilising the people for the exercise.
On other activities lined-up for the future, he gave the assurance that Zoomlion Ghana Limited would strive hard to ensure that filth was completely reduced to the barest minimum.
“We are ever ready to support the assemblies and other stakeholders to fight filth in order to prevent the outbreak of any epidemic,” he added.
He appealed to the media to partner the company to educate Ghanaians on the benefits of a clean environment.
ADUM — A FAST DEVELOPING COMMUNITY (PAGE 29)
Adum, which is regarded as the Central Business District (CBD) of the Kumasi metropolis, and directly located in the heart of the metropolis, is now developing into an attractive tourist area, due to the numerous commercial activities and edifices that are springing up.
Almost all the dwarf and antiquated structures bequeathed to the business community by the colonialists are now giving way to mighty high-rise structures in all parts of Adum.
From the electricity company main headquarters building at the Prempeh II Street, down to the Unicorn House area, through the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Street along the Railway Company road to the Asafo Interchange area, structures are springing up by the day.
Another attraction to Adum is the magnificent Court of Appeal structure that sprang up from the former old circuit courts popularly called ‘nnuam courts’ which was inaugurated about four months ago.
All the structures, which are adding to the beauty of Adum, are either three-storey buildings or higher.
Almost every parcel of land previously used by commercial transport owners for passengers to board and disembark have now been swallowed up and are being used for the construction of either a supermarket or something else.
These include the Ghana Railway stretch of land opposite the Unicorn House, which was laden with containers and kiosks that created massive human traffic from dawn to dusk on each working day.
Their architectural designs, paintings and furnishing alone, act as a magnet to attract residents who live at the outskirts of the Kumasi metropolis and its environs into Adum throughout the week.
Even on Saturdays when social activities such as funerals and weddings ought to engage many residents and divert their attention from brisk business, Adum still has a fair share of the patronage and therefore, comes alive with commercial activities.
At the moment, Adum has become the one-stop shopping centre in Kumasi, as customers who throng Adum in their numbers are sure to get any product of their choice to buy at moderate prices.
The strategic location of Adum is also gradually attracting radio stations.
Mention can be made of Kessben FM, which was among the first radio stations to operate in Adum a few years ago, just at the time that Hello FM also got attracted to the business opportunities of the CBD .
At present Solid and BOSS FM stations have also established their bases and operate from Adum, and with their vibrancy and attractiveness to the public, indications are that other radio stations will consider pitching camp at Adum to take advantage of the brisk commercial activities there in order to maximise their profits and if possible expand their operations.
With commercial activities in the area now on the upsurge, financial institutions are also fast extending their operations to Adum.
It is, therefore, not for nothing that the Ghana Commercial Bank, Ecobank Ghana, Unibank, Stanchart, UBA, Intercontinental, Prudential, NIB, and Stanbic banks, among others, have all started operations or opened more than one branch at Adum.
It is for the same reason that supermarkets of all sizes, which deal in a variety of products also operate and do business at the CBD of the metropolis.
Residents are, therefore, attracted to Adum not because of the products they can obtain at moderate prices but also to do window-shopping and sometimes for adventure as well.
This is because Adum is not the only main centre of attraction for business operators but also enjoys massive attention by both the private and public sectors so far as business and other social activities are concerned.
Apart from the presence of the overbearing police institution which provides adequate protection and security to the business community at Adum, the courts are also directly located at Adum and are ready to enforce the laws and take drastic action against deviants when necessary.
The Kumasi Central Prisons is also located directly adjacent to the Kumasi Central Police Station, and, as if by accident or design, has also opened its jaws very wide, ready to snap and swallow anyone convicted by the courts for one offence or the another.
With the business community in the Kumasi metropolis feeling adequately secure in terms of business transactions and profit margins, as well as feeling reasonably protected by the law enforcement agencies, it is natural for them to mass up at Adum in their numbers on a daily basis to compete for space to ply their trade.
It is, therefore, a matter of fact that Adum will continue to be the home of businesses of all categories and any efforts by the metropolitan assembly to reduce the influx will hit the rocks.
The only antidote to reduce the congestion at Adum is for the metropolitan assembly to create conducive business attractions at the various satellite markets similar to Adum.
Almost all the dwarf and antiquated structures bequeathed to the business community by the colonialists are now giving way to mighty high-rise structures in all parts of Adum.
From the electricity company main headquarters building at the Prempeh II Street, down to the Unicorn House area, through the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Street along the Railway Company road to the Asafo Interchange area, structures are springing up by the day.
Another attraction to Adum is the magnificent Court of Appeal structure that sprang up from the former old circuit courts popularly called ‘nnuam courts’ which was inaugurated about four months ago.
All the structures, which are adding to the beauty of Adum, are either three-storey buildings or higher.
Almost every parcel of land previously used by commercial transport owners for passengers to board and disembark have now been swallowed up and are being used for the construction of either a supermarket or something else.
These include the Ghana Railway stretch of land opposite the Unicorn House, which was laden with containers and kiosks that created massive human traffic from dawn to dusk on each working day.
Their architectural designs, paintings and furnishing alone, act as a magnet to attract residents who live at the outskirts of the Kumasi metropolis and its environs into Adum throughout the week.
Even on Saturdays when social activities such as funerals and weddings ought to engage many residents and divert their attention from brisk business, Adum still has a fair share of the patronage and therefore, comes alive with commercial activities.
At the moment, Adum has become the one-stop shopping centre in Kumasi, as customers who throng Adum in their numbers are sure to get any product of their choice to buy at moderate prices.
The strategic location of Adum is also gradually attracting radio stations.
Mention can be made of Kessben FM, which was among the first radio stations to operate in Adum a few years ago, just at the time that Hello FM also got attracted to the business opportunities of the CBD .
At present Solid and BOSS FM stations have also established their bases and operate from Adum, and with their vibrancy and attractiveness to the public, indications are that other radio stations will consider pitching camp at Adum to take advantage of the brisk commercial activities there in order to maximise their profits and if possible expand their operations.
With commercial activities in the area now on the upsurge, financial institutions are also fast extending their operations to Adum.
It is, therefore, not for nothing that the Ghana Commercial Bank, Ecobank Ghana, Unibank, Stanchart, UBA, Intercontinental, Prudential, NIB, and Stanbic banks, among others, have all started operations or opened more than one branch at Adum.
It is for the same reason that supermarkets of all sizes, which deal in a variety of products also operate and do business at the CBD of the metropolis.
Residents are, therefore, attracted to Adum not because of the products they can obtain at moderate prices but also to do window-shopping and sometimes for adventure as well.
This is because Adum is not the only main centre of attraction for business operators but also enjoys massive attention by both the private and public sectors so far as business and other social activities are concerned.
Apart from the presence of the overbearing police institution which provides adequate protection and security to the business community at Adum, the courts are also directly located at Adum and are ready to enforce the laws and take drastic action against deviants when necessary.
The Kumasi Central Prisons is also located directly adjacent to the Kumasi Central Police Station, and, as if by accident or design, has also opened its jaws very wide, ready to snap and swallow anyone convicted by the courts for one offence or the another.
With the business community in the Kumasi metropolis feeling adequately secure in terms of business transactions and profit margins, as well as feeling reasonably protected by the law enforcement agencies, it is natural for them to mass up at Adum in their numbers on a daily basis to compete for space to ply their trade.
It is, therefore, a matter of fact that Adum will continue to be the home of businesses of all categories and any efforts by the metropolitan assembly to reduce the influx will hit the rocks.
The only antidote to reduce the congestion at Adum is for the metropolitan assembly to create conducive business attractions at the various satellite markets similar to Adum.
MASSIVE CLEAN-UP EXERCISE IN KUMASI (PAGE 29)
Members of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA), in collaboration with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), are organising a massive clean-up exercise in all parts of the Kumasi metropolis on Saturday.
The exercise, which forms part of President Atta Mills’s vision of keeping Ghana clean and healthy, is meant to ensure healthy living among residents.
It is also meant to create awareness among Ghanaians of the negative attitude of littering the environment with plastic and other materials and their effect on the environment.
About 2,000 organised group members from the ESPA, the KMA, the military, the police, the Fire Service and students in the Kumasi metropolis will fully participate in the exercise, which will begin from 6 a.m. to 12 noon.
Residents of the metropolis are expected to clean their immediate environments and clear choked gutters.
To make the exercise very effective, all markets in the metropolis will be closed and commercial vehicles will not be allowed to operate during the period of the exercise.
About GH¢4,300 is being spent on the exercise and refuse that will be collected is expected to be evacuated to the Dompoase landfill site to prevent it from being washed into the drains again.
Briefing the mayor of Kumasi on the exercise, the Secretary of ESPA, Mrs Vera M. Yankah, said the KMA was determined to collaborate with all stakeholders to sensitise Ghanaians to the need to keep their environment clean all the time to enable President Mills to achieve his vision of keeping Ghana clean and sustaining it.
She said a similar exercise had taken place in Sekondi-Takoradi and expressed the hope that Saturday’s exercise in Kumasi would be the turning point in creating a healthy environment in the metropolis.
She suggested to the KMA and other stakeholders to monitor the activities of private tipper truck drivers who would be contracted to evacuate the refuse to ensure that they committed themselves to the exercise.
It was also suggested that the tipper trucks used by the various environmental services should be made to evacuate the refuse collected at the refuse points.
For her part, Madam Patricia Appiagyei tasked the stakeholders to map out a strategy that would ensure that members of identifiable groups would be motivated to continue the exercise on Sunday and Monday.
That, she said, would enable all the refuse collected on Saturday to be evacuated to the landfill to keep Kumasi clean.
Mr J.Y. Donkor of the Environmental Department of the KMA said the assembly was more determined than ever to collaborate with the print and electronic media to make the exercise a success.
He said apart from banners that had been printed to educate the public on the nature of the exercise, the KMA was also encouraging radio presenters to encourage their listeners to participate fully in the exercise.
Mr Donkor said the assembly was also linking up with members of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and other transport owners associations to educate the travelling public to refrain from littering the streets with plastic containers and other materials after the exercise.
He appealed to residents of Kumasi to participate fully in the exercise to enhance the beauty of the metropolis.
In a related developmeNt the Metropolitan Co-ordinator in charge of Waste management, Mr Anthony Mensah, has stated that the exercise was targeted at making the Garden City clean towards the 10th anniversary celebrations of the enthronement of the Asantehene, reports Serwah Nkyira Opoku, Kumasi.
Speaking at a meeting with the traditional authorities at the Manhyia Palace on the exercise, he appealed to Nananom to inform their people to get involved in the exercise to make it successful.
Mr Mensah explained the house-to-house collection of refuse and the communal waste sites designated for the dumping of refuse and said a new system, the levy on throwing of refuse, had been introduced in most of the areas in the city.
He, however, stated that the system was not working as expected and appealed to Nananom to get themselves involved by advising the people to pay the levy in their respective areas to generate more funds to support the waste collection system, which he described as very expensive.
Some of the chiefs raised concerns over the waste and traffic situation in the metropolis and the Appiaduhene, Odeefoo Owusu Amoaya, said sanitation posed a serious health hazard to the people.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, noted that sanitation in the Kumasi metropolis was getting worse and stressed the need for all to contribute to keep the city clean.
He noted that the filthy situation in the metropolis was not a matter for the central government alone to resolve but that it was up to Nananom and everyone else to get involved to find a lasting solution to the problem.
The Asantehene also touched on the traffic situation, especially around Kejetia, and the activities of street hawkers and urged the assembly to renovate the various satellite markets in some suburbs such as Bantama, Krofrom and others for the relocation of hawkers.
The Asantehene called on the traditional authorities to help find lasting solutions to issues affecting the lives of the people and also offer relevant suggestions to the government.
The exercise, which forms part of President Atta Mills’s vision of keeping Ghana clean and healthy, is meant to ensure healthy living among residents.
It is also meant to create awareness among Ghanaians of the negative attitude of littering the environment with plastic and other materials and their effect on the environment.
About 2,000 organised group members from the ESPA, the KMA, the military, the police, the Fire Service and students in the Kumasi metropolis will fully participate in the exercise, which will begin from 6 a.m. to 12 noon.
Residents of the metropolis are expected to clean their immediate environments and clear choked gutters.
To make the exercise very effective, all markets in the metropolis will be closed and commercial vehicles will not be allowed to operate during the period of the exercise.
About GH¢4,300 is being spent on the exercise and refuse that will be collected is expected to be evacuated to the Dompoase landfill site to prevent it from being washed into the drains again.
Briefing the mayor of Kumasi on the exercise, the Secretary of ESPA, Mrs Vera M. Yankah, said the KMA was determined to collaborate with all stakeholders to sensitise Ghanaians to the need to keep their environment clean all the time to enable President Mills to achieve his vision of keeping Ghana clean and sustaining it.
She said a similar exercise had taken place in Sekondi-Takoradi and expressed the hope that Saturday’s exercise in Kumasi would be the turning point in creating a healthy environment in the metropolis.
She suggested to the KMA and other stakeholders to monitor the activities of private tipper truck drivers who would be contracted to evacuate the refuse to ensure that they committed themselves to the exercise.
It was also suggested that the tipper trucks used by the various environmental services should be made to evacuate the refuse collected at the refuse points.
For her part, Madam Patricia Appiagyei tasked the stakeholders to map out a strategy that would ensure that members of identifiable groups would be motivated to continue the exercise on Sunday and Monday.
That, she said, would enable all the refuse collected on Saturday to be evacuated to the landfill to keep Kumasi clean.
Mr J.Y. Donkor of the Environmental Department of the KMA said the assembly was more determined than ever to collaborate with the print and electronic media to make the exercise a success.
He said apart from banners that had been printed to educate the public on the nature of the exercise, the KMA was also encouraging radio presenters to encourage their listeners to participate fully in the exercise.
Mr Donkor said the assembly was also linking up with members of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and other transport owners associations to educate the travelling public to refrain from littering the streets with plastic containers and other materials after the exercise.
He appealed to residents of Kumasi to participate fully in the exercise to enhance the beauty of the metropolis.
In a related developmeNt the Metropolitan Co-ordinator in charge of Waste management, Mr Anthony Mensah, has stated that the exercise was targeted at making the Garden City clean towards the 10th anniversary celebrations of the enthronement of the Asantehene, reports Serwah Nkyira Opoku, Kumasi.
Speaking at a meeting with the traditional authorities at the Manhyia Palace on the exercise, he appealed to Nananom to inform their people to get involved in the exercise to make it successful.
Mr Mensah explained the house-to-house collection of refuse and the communal waste sites designated for the dumping of refuse and said a new system, the levy on throwing of refuse, had been introduced in most of the areas in the city.
He, however, stated that the system was not working as expected and appealed to Nananom to get themselves involved by advising the people to pay the levy in their respective areas to generate more funds to support the waste collection system, which he described as very expensive.
Some of the chiefs raised concerns over the waste and traffic situation in the metropolis and the Appiaduhene, Odeefoo Owusu Amoaya, said sanitation posed a serious health hazard to the people.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, noted that sanitation in the Kumasi metropolis was getting worse and stressed the need for all to contribute to keep the city clean.
He noted that the filthy situation in the metropolis was not a matter for the central government alone to resolve but that it was up to Nananom and everyone else to get involved to find a lasting solution to the problem.
The Asantehene also touched on the traffic situation, especially around Kejetia, and the activities of street hawkers and urged the assembly to renovate the various satellite markets in some suburbs such as Bantama, Krofrom and others for the relocation of hawkers.
The Asantehene called on the traditional authorities to help find lasting solutions to issues affecting the lives of the people and also offer relevant suggestions to the government.
MTTU TO GET STRICT WITH DEVIANT DRIVERS (PAGE 30)
The Kumasi Metropolitan Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service will embark on a special exercise to arrest and prosecute deviant drivers who flout road traffic regulations create panic among passengers and pedestrians in the Kumasi metropolis.
The exercise, which is meant to bring sanity on the road of the metropolis, will take place in the first and last week of every month.
The Ashanti Regional Commander of the MTTU, Deputy Superintendent of Police Oduro Abrokwa, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the exercise, said police had taken note of the problems being created by both commercial and private drivers in the Kumasi metropolis, and would thus not hesitate to arrest and prosecute those who committed road traffic offences.
He said while some drivers jumped the red light, others stopped at unauthorised places to pick up passengers, and thereby created massive traffic jam.
He said some of the drivers were also fond of parking their vehicles at unauthorised places, which sometimes resulted in accidents.
“ Many of them also have defective brakes systems and lights, while others use worn-out tyres, among others.
We want the drivers to be aware of our intentions, so that they would maintain their vehicles very well and also respect all road traffic regulations to avoid any arrest and prosecution during the exercise,” he noted.
Mr Abrokwa stressed: “We want to prompt them to do the right thing and refrain from the comments that police harass them anytime they commit road traffic offences”.
He expressed concern about indiscipline among a section of drivers in the metropolis: “They should always respect road safety regulations and not be prompted by the police before doing the right thing,” DSP Oduro said.
On drivers who jump the red light, he said it led to accidents, “because many pedestrians have lost their lives, with others sustaining serious degrees of injuries, they would not be spared when they are arrested”.
Mr Abrokwah explained that the police would mount cameras at vantage points to take shots of drivers who jumped the red lights, “so as to use them as evidence to prosecute them in court”.
“We hope to use the exercise to reform drivers. That is why the exercise will take place in the first and last weeks of every month. We expect that after the first week ,they will conform to the road safety regulations to bring sanity on the roads in Kumasi, but if they continue, then we will repeat the exercise in the last weeks of the month as well, ” he explained.
Mr Abrokwa warned that every driver who would be arrested during the exercise would be prosecuted, and stressed “those who intervene to plead for the release of those drivers would not be entertained either”.
“ Whilst we are on the roads conducting the exercise, others would be in the office, processing offenders for prosecution, so we will not give any room for anyone to intervene as had been the culture in Kumasi and other parts of the country in the past, ” he stressed.
The exercise, which is meant to bring sanity on the road of the metropolis, will take place in the first and last week of every month.
The Ashanti Regional Commander of the MTTU, Deputy Superintendent of Police Oduro Abrokwa, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the exercise, said police had taken note of the problems being created by both commercial and private drivers in the Kumasi metropolis, and would thus not hesitate to arrest and prosecute those who committed road traffic offences.
He said while some drivers jumped the red light, others stopped at unauthorised places to pick up passengers, and thereby created massive traffic jam.
He said some of the drivers were also fond of parking their vehicles at unauthorised places, which sometimes resulted in accidents.
“ Many of them also have defective brakes systems and lights, while others use worn-out tyres, among others.
We want the drivers to be aware of our intentions, so that they would maintain their vehicles very well and also respect all road traffic regulations to avoid any arrest and prosecution during the exercise,” he noted.
Mr Abrokwa stressed: “We want to prompt them to do the right thing and refrain from the comments that police harass them anytime they commit road traffic offences”.
He expressed concern about indiscipline among a section of drivers in the metropolis: “They should always respect road safety regulations and not be prompted by the police before doing the right thing,” DSP Oduro said.
On drivers who jump the red light, he said it led to accidents, “because many pedestrians have lost their lives, with others sustaining serious degrees of injuries, they would not be spared when they are arrested”.
Mr Abrokwah explained that the police would mount cameras at vantage points to take shots of drivers who jumped the red lights, “so as to use them as evidence to prosecute them in court”.
“We hope to use the exercise to reform drivers. That is why the exercise will take place in the first and last weeks of every month. We expect that after the first week ,they will conform to the road safety regulations to bring sanity on the roads in Kumasi, but if they continue, then we will repeat the exercise in the last weeks of the month as well, ” he explained.
Mr Abrokwa warned that every driver who would be arrested during the exercise would be prosecuted, and stressed “those who intervene to plead for the release of those drivers would not be entertained either”.
“ Whilst we are on the roads conducting the exercise, others would be in the office, processing offenders for prosecution, so we will not give any room for anyone to intervene as had been the culture in Kumasi and other parts of the country in the past, ” he stressed.
Monday, February 16, 2009
BOSOMTWE RURAL BANK ASSISTS SCHOOL (PAGE 3)
THE management and the board of directors of the Bosomtwe Rural Bank have donated a cheque for GH¢1,000 to the authorities of the Jachie-Pramso Senior High School (SHS) to facilitate the rehabilitation of the female dormitory of the school.
The donation, which forms part of the corporate responsibility of the bank, is to ensure speedy work on the project to stop leakage and destruction of books and other logistics anytime it rains.
It is in response to an appeal made by the headmistress of the school to the bank a few weeks ago.
The Supervising Manager of the bank, Mr Felix Owusu-Achiaw, presented the cheque on behalf of the bank to the Headmistress of the school, Ms Asuande Eshun Famiyeh, at a short ceremony at the school.
Mr Owusu-Achiaw gave the assurance that the bank would be committed to its social responsibility to communities and institutions within its catchment area to enhance sustainable socio-economic development.
He mentioned infrastructural development of educational institutions at both the basic and SHS levels, health and sanitation facilities and small and medium-scale industries as areas the bank had been supporting financially and materially over the years.
He said in 1999 the bank furnished the library of the Jachie-Pramso SHS, adding that when the school was rehabilitating its administration block the bank presented quantities of cement and ceiling fans to support the project.
"We have also been sponsoring quiz in the school to motivate the students to focus on their academic programmes and this, to me, is raising academic standards at the Jachie-Pramso SHS," he noted.
He expressed the hope that the donation would be used to speed up rehabilitation work on the female dormitory to "enable the students to have a conducive place to sleep and concentrate on their academic programmes".
Receiving the cheque, Ms Famiyeh commended the bank for its continuous support to the school over the years and assured it that she would use the money for the intended purpose.
She said the rehabilitation of the female dormitory was estimated at GH¢150,000 and noted that the donation would reduce the cost.
She appealed to corporate bodies, firms, institutions and the old students of the school to actively support the rehabilitation work to enhance smooth academic work.
The donation, which forms part of the corporate responsibility of the bank, is to ensure speedy work on the project to stop leakage and destruction of books and other logistics anytime it rains.
It is in response to an appeal made by the headmistress of the school to the bank a few weeks ago.
The Supervising Manager of the bank, Mr Felix Owusu-Achiaw, presented the cheque on behalf of the bank to the Headmistress of the school, Ms Asuande Eshun Famiyeh, at a short ceremony at the school.
Mr Owusu-Achiaw gave the assurance that the bank would be committed to its social responsibility to communities and institutions within its catchment area to enhance sustainable socio-economic development.
He mentioned infrastructural development of educational institutions at both the basic and SHS levels, health and sanitation facilities and small and medium-scale industries as areas the bank had been supporting financially and materially over the years.
He said in 1999 the bank furnished the library of the Jachie-Pramso SHS, adding that when the school was rehabilitating its administration block the bank presented quantities of cement and ceiling fans to support the project.
"We have also been sponsoring quiz in the school to motivate the students to focus on their academic programmes and this, to me, is raising academic standards at the Jachie-Pramso SHS," he noted.
He expressed the hope that the donation would be used to speed up rehabilitation work on the female dormitory to "enable the students to have a conducive place to sleep and concentrate on their academic programmes".
Receiving the cheque, Ms Famiyeh commended the bank for its continuous support to the school over the years and assured it that she would use the money for the intended purpose.
She said the rehabilitation of the female dormitory was estimated at GH¢150,000 and noted that the donation would reduce the cost.
She appealed to corporate bodies, firms, institutions and the old students of the school to actively support the rehabilitation work to enhance smooth academic work.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
PROPHET PREDICTS BUMPER HARVEST (PAGE 11, GRAPHIC NSEMPA)
By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
After prophesing victory for Professor John Evans Atta Mils in the last presidential elections, an Obuasi-based prophet, Stephen Adom of the Adom Prayer and Healing Camp, has also prophesied a bumper harvest in Ghana for the next three years.
According to the prophet, “ There will be sufficient rainfall in all parts of the country this year, which will result in abundant food and cash crop production by farmers”.
He said the government should, therefore, institute measures not only to encourage farmers to take advantage of the rainfall, but also put up sufficient storage facilities to store the excess food for local use and export.
That, he said, would not only enhance adequate revenue generation among farmers and raise their standard of living but also expand Ghana’s revenue base.
Speaking to Graphic Nsempa in an exclusive interview on the prospects of Ghana after his prophesy on Professor Mills being elected as President of Ghana came to pass, Prophet Adom, whose prayer and healing camp is located at New Bidiem at Obuasi said, “ with his victory, God’s hands will continue to be on Ghana and this will be manifested in a bumper harvest in the country”.
“ That Professor Millis would succeed former President John Agyekum Kufuor was manifested to me three years ago”, he said.
Prophet Adom noted that prophesies were very important because they were meant to reveal the power of the Almighty God.
Elaborating on his convictions, he said the nation was blessed but it was up to the leader of the country to allow the blessings to manifest through the efficient and effective use of the natural resources the nation was endowed with.
After prophesing victory for Professor John Evans Atta Mils in the last presidential elections, an Obuasi-based prophet, Stephen Adom of the Adom Prayer and Healing Camp, has also prophesied a bumper harvest in Ghana for the next three years.
According to the prophet, “ There will be sufficient rainfall in all parts of the country this year, which will result in abundant food and cash crop production by farmers”.
He said the government should, therefore, institute measures not only to encourage farmers to take advantage of the rainfall, but also put up sufficient storage facilities to store the excess food for local use and export.
That, he said, would not only enhance adequate revenue generation among farmers and raise their standard of living but also expand Ghana’s revenue base.
Speaking to Graphic Nsempa in an exclusive interview on the prospects of Ghana after his prophesy on Professor Mills being elected as President of Ghana came to pass, Prophet Adom, whose prayer and healing camp is located at New Bidiem at Obuasi said, “ with his victory, God’s hands will continue to be on Ghana and this will be manifested in a bumper harvest in the country”.
“ That Professor Millis would succeed former President John Agyekum Kufuor was manifested to me three years ago”, he said.
Prophet Adom noted that prophesies were very important because they were meant to reveal the power of the Almighty God.
Elaborating on his convictions, he said the nation was blessed but it was up to the leader of the country to allow the blessings to manifest through the efficient and effective use of the natural resources the nation was endowed with.
Friday, February 13, 2009
KUMASI FIRE OUTBREAKS LEAD TO LOSS OF PROPERTY (PAGE 18)
Property estimated at GH¢3,635,684.48 was destroyed as a result of fire outbreaks that occurred through domestic, industrial, as well as institutional and commercial fires in the Kumasi Metropolis last year.
Records available at the Ashanti Regional Fire Service Office in Kumasi indicate that in 2007, property estimated at GH¢4,135,598.7, was destroyed in the metropolis.
While the total number of fire outbreaks recorded in the Kumasi Metropolis in 2007 stood at 465, in 2008 it was 419, a slight reduction over that of 2007.
The Ashanti Regional Fire Officer, Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO), Mr Obeng Dankwa Dwamena, who briefed the Daily Graphic on fire outbreaks, said domestic fires were predominant among fire outbreaks in the metropolis.
He pointed out that in 2007, for example, 253 domestic fire outbreaks were recorded out of 465 in the metropolis, adding that last year, 179 domestic fire outbreaks were also recorded out of a total of 419 fire outbreaks in the metropolis.
He pointed out that most fire outbreaks in the metropolis occurred between January and March each year.
He said while a total of 81 fire outbreaks were recorded in January 2007 and property estimated at GH¢406,415.00 was destroyed during the period, 73 fire outbreaks were recorded with property estimated at GH¢2,599,934.48 destroyed in the area in January last year.
He said in February 2007, a total of 38 fire outbreaks, which destroyed property worth GH¢160,710, were also recorded in Kumasi and at the same time last year, a total of 51 cases of fire outbreaks were recorded in the metropolis with property estimated at GH¢122,560.00 being destroyed.
DCFO Dankwa Dwamena said in March 2007, property estimated at GH¢1,415,525.00 was destroyed through fire outbreaks, and that in the same period last year, 37 cases of fire outbreaks were recorded in the metropolis, destroying property estimated at GH¢55,620.00.
He said commercial fire outbreaks, where property at markets and supermarkets among other places were totally or partially destroyed, had also taken centre stage in the Kumasi Metropolis, and explained that over the years, many businessmen and women had lost their capital and other valuables through such incidents.
Giving the statistics on the number of commercial fire outbreaks during the period under review, DCFO Dankwa Dwamena said in 2007, commercial fire outbreaks recorded in the Kumasi Metropolis were 53, but that increased to 75 cases last year.
He said industrial, vehicular, and bush fires had also undermined effective socio-economic development in the metropolis, explaining that in 2007, while 39 industrial fire outbreaks were recorded, a total of 38 vehicles were burnt to ashes that year with as many at 34 outbreaks of bush fires also being recorded.
He said last year, as many as 59 vehicles were burnt, while 39 industrial fire outbreaks were also recorded with bush fires recording 26 cases.
Expressing concern about the number of fire outbreaks in the metropolis and their effects on the economy, DCFO Dankwa Dwamena said they had intensified their campaigns on the effect of fire outbreaks as a way of creating awareness among the public to enable them to take preventive measures.
He pointed out that the psychological effect on victims who lost their property through fire was enormous and, therefore, urged the public to be proactive in instituting measures that would reduce fire outbreaks to the barest minimum.
He said his officers had been educating market women at the Kumasi Central Market and other satellite markets in the metropolis through the use of a public address system, to put off all electrical appliances any time they closed from the market.
He said they had also been interacting with pupils from basic schools in the metropolis on the safe use of electrical gadgets such as gas cookers, cylinders, irons and heaters and called on the public to report fire outbreaks on time to prevent the destruction of lives and property.
He said it was equally important for the public to actively support firemen whenever there were fire outbreaks and pointed out that in some cases, the public rather attacked some of their men, accusing them of arriving late at fire scenes.
DCFO Dankwa Dwamena explained that reports of fire outbreaks always received prompt attention, but on their way to put off the fire, officials of the GNFS sometimes encountered some obstacles.
He mentioned wrong addresses, late reporting of fire outbreaks by victims, especially when the fire outbreak was already out of hand; refusal of motorists to give way to fire engines when there were emergencies, and poor road network as some of the problems that always confronted his outfit.
He, however, gave the assurance that they would continue to educate the public on safety measures to adopt during fire outbreak.
Records available at the Ashanti Regional Fire Service Office in Kumasi indicate that in 2007, property estimated at GH¢4,135,598.7, was destroyed in the metropolis.
While the total number of fire outbreaks recorded in the Kumasi Metropolis in 2007 stood at 465, in 2008 it was 419, a slight reduction over that of 2007.
The Ashanti Regional Fire Officer, Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO), Mr Obeng Dankwa Dwamena, who briefed the Daily Graphic on fire outbreaks, said domestic fires were predominant among fire outbreaks in the metropolis.
He pointed out that in 2007, for example, 253 domestic fire outbreaks were recorded out of 465 in the metropolis, adding that last year, 179 domestic fire outbreaks were also recorded out of a total of 419 fire outbreaks in the metropolis.
He pointed out that most fire outbreaks in the metropolis occurred between January and March each year.
He said while a total of 81 fire outbreaks were recorded in January 2007 and property estimated at GH¢406,415.00 was destroyed during the period, 73 fire outbreaks were recorded with property estimated at GH¢2,599,934.48 destroyed in the area in January last year.
He said in February 2007, a total of 38 fire outbreaks, which destroyed property worth GH¢160,710, were also recorded in Kumasi and at the same time last year, a total of 51 cases of fire outbreaks were recorded in the metropolis with property estimated at GH¢122,560.00 being destroyed.
DCFO Dankwa Dwamena said in March 2007, property estimated at GH¢1,415,525.00 was destroyed through fire outbreaks, and that in the same period last year, 37 cases of fire outbreaks were recorded in the metropolis, destroying property estimated at GH¢55,620.00.
He said commercial fire outbreaks, where property at markets and supermarkets among other places were totally or partially destroyed, had also taken centre stage in the Kumasi Metropolis, and explained that over the years, many businessmen and women had lost their capital and other valuables through such incidents.
Giving the statistics on the number of commercial fire outbreaks during the period under review, DCFO Dankwa Dwamena said in 2007, commercial fire outbreaks recorded in the Kumasi Metropolis were 53, but that increased to 75 cases last year.
He said industrial, vehicular, and bush fires had also undermined effective socio-economic development in the metropolis, explaining that in 2007, while 39 industrial fire outbreaks were recorded, a total of 38 vehicles were burnt to ashes that year with as many at 34 outbreaks of bush fires also being recorded.
He said last year, as many as 59 vehicles were burnt, while 39 industrial fire outbreaks were also recorded with bush fires recording 26 cases.
Expressing concern about the number of fire outbreaks in the metropolis and their effects on the economy, DCFO Dankwa Dwamena said they had intensified their campaigns on the effect of fire outbreaks as a way of creating awareness among the public to enable them to take preventive measures.
He pointed out that the psychological effect on victims who lost their property through fire was enormous and, therefore, urged the public to be proactive in instituting measures that would reduce fire outbreaks to the barest minimum.
He said his officers had been educating market women at the Kumasi Central Market and other satellite markets in the metropolis through the use of a public address system, to put off all electrical appliances any time they closed from the market.
He said they had also been interacting with pupils from basic schools in the metropolis on the safe use of electrical gadgets such as gas cookers, cylinders, irons and heaters and called on the public to report fire outbreaks on time to prevent the destruction of lives and property.
He said it was equally important for the public to actively support firemen whenever there were fire outbreaks and pointed out that in some cases, the public rather attacked some of their men, accusing them of arriving late at fire scenes.
DCFO Dankwa Dwamena explained that reports of fire outbreaks always received prompt attention, but on their way to put off the fire, officials of the GNFS sometimes encountered some obstacles.
He mentioned wrong addresses, late reporting of fire outbreaks by victims, especially when the fire outbreak was already out of hand; refusal of motorists to give way to fire engines when there were emergencies, and poor road network as some of the problems that always confronted his outfit.
He, however, gave the assurance that they would continue to educate the public on safety measures to adopt during fire outbreak.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
PRESIDENT MILLS CAN'T REVIEW EX GRATIA AWARD — MP FOR FOMENA (PAGE 13)
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Fomena, Nana Abu Bonsra, has said President Atta Mills has no mandate under the Constitution to review the ex gratia award to ex-Presidents and Members of Parliament (MPs) as being demanded by some people.
“No amount of street protests can have any impact on the end-of-service benefits because it has been mandated by the Constitution and President John Evans Atta Mills does not have the mandate to review it downward as is being demanded by the few individuals who think their action can cause pubic uproar,” he said.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the MP described the demonstration by the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) against the end-of-service benefits as “populist and a danger to the democratic dispensation of the country”.
He pointed out that the action of the CJA “would never stop the implementation of the end-of -service benefits because it was a contract guaranteed by Article 71 of the national constitution”.
“A few people in the country are trying to promote a populist regime by playing to the gallery of streetism, which is very dangerous to our democratic dispensation”, he noted, adding: “If you think democracy is expensive, then try dictatorship.”
Nana Abu Bonsra explained that the end-of-service benefits were not only approved by the ex-President, but also approved by the last Parliament as a constitutional mandate, and therefore wondered why a few individuals should cry foul against it.
“It was not a benefit that was enjoyed by the beneficiaries at the beginning of their service to the nation, but at the end of their active service to the nation, so it is very unfortunate that some people are being made scapegoats for something that had been mandated by the supreme law of the state”, he added.
Explaining further, Nana Abu Bonsra said President Mills had the capacity to establish a new committee for the end-of-service benefits for the present MPs and himself, “but, clearly, Article 71 of the Constitution says that the new President cannot, and does not, have the mandate to review the present end-of-service benefits downwards because it would be a recipe for promoting populist view and streetism.”
He also pointed out that it was time the citizenry adhered to the Constitution on issues that affect the development of the nation, instead of being emotional and pouring out insults on people who had committed themselves to serve the nation with dedication.
“Having agreed in 1992 to be ruled by the rule of law, it is important to be guided by the national Constitution and commit ourselves to its dictates because anything short of that would undermine constitutional demands,” he declared.
As to whether the national economy could support the current end-of-service benefits as mandated by the Constitution, Nana Abu Bonsra said the Foundation to be established for the ex-President would be of benefit to the present and future generations compared to what the ex-President stands to benefit for serving the state for eight solid years.
“The Constitution did not spell out that the houses should be built within two or three months’ time, so it could be spread, depending on the state on the national economy,” he explained.
He said the UNDP would also support the Foundation to be established by the ex-President with GH¢10 million.
“His local and international experience would make it possible for the nation to benefit tremendously from the Foundation so we should support its establishment instead of the hullabaloo going on,Ï€” he stressed.
“No amount of street protests can have any impact on the end-of-service benefits because it has been mandated by the Constitution and President John Evans Atta Mills does not have the mandate to review it downward as is being demanded by the few individuals who think their action can cause pubic uproar,” he said.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the MP described the demonstration by the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) against the end-of-service benefits as “populist and a danger to the democratic dispensation of the country”.
He pointed out that the action of the CJA “would never stop the implementation of the end-of -service benefits because it was a contract guaranteed by Article 71 of the national constitution”.
“A few people in the country are trying to promote a populist regime by playing to the gallery of streetism, which is very dangerous to our democratic dispensation”, he noted, adding: “If you think democracy is expensive, then try dictatorship.”
Nana Abu Bonsra explained that the end-of-service benefits were not only approved by the ex-President, but also approved by the last Parliament as a constitutional mandate, and therefore wondered why a few individuals should cry foul against it.
“It was not a benefit that was enjoyed by the beneficiaries at the beginning of their service to the nation, but at the end of their active service to the nation, so it is very unfortunate that some people are being made scapegoats for something that had been mandated by the supreme law of the state”, he added.
Explaining further, Nana Abu Bonsra said President Mills had the capacity to establish a new committee for the end-of-service benefits for the present MPs and himself, “but, clearly, Article 71 of the Constitution says that the new President cannot, and does not, have the mandate to review the present end-of-service benefits downwards because it would be a recipe for promoting populist view and streetism.”
He also pointed out that it was time the citizenry adhered to the Constitution on issues that affect the development of the nation, instead of being emotional and pouring out insults on people who had committed themselves to serve the nation with dedication.
“Having agreed in 1992 to be ruled by the rule of law, it is important to be guided by the national Constitution and commit ourselves to its dictates because anything short of that would undermine constitutional demands,” he declared.
As to whether the national economy could support the current end-of-service benefits as mandated by the Constitution, Nana Abu Bonsra said the Foundation to be established for the ex-President would be of benefit to the present and future generations compared to what the ex-President stands to benefit for serving the state for eight solid years.
“The Constitution did not spell out that the houses should be built within two or three months’ time, so it could be spread, depending on the state on the national economy,” he explained.
He said the UNDP would also support the Foundation to be established by the ex-President with GH¢10 million.
“His local and international experience would make it possible for the nation to benefit tremendously from the Foundation so we should support its establishment instead of the hullabaloo going on,Ï€” he stressed.
NANA ADUSAH MAKES A LIVING BY SELLING ROASTED PLANTAIN (PAGE 11)
NANA Amma Adusah is an old woman at Bantama in the Kumasi metropolis who serves her numerous customers roasted plantain. She is popular for one thing; she services them with a broad smile.
She has been in that business since her prime, and continues to do so as her only source of livelihood.
Although she could not give her actual age, family sources told the Daily Graphic that Nana Adusah was about 97 years old.
Occasionally, she also sells fruits such as oranges, pineapples mangoes and bananas, depending on the season.
Nana Adusah, whose interview with this reporter in Akan was translated to English, said " I started roasting plantain a long time ago, even before I gave birth to my two children, who incidentally are both dead, and in spite of my age, I have to continue doing it.
“This is because I have no one to fall on for financial support, and since I do not want to starve to death, I have to come here every day, to serve my customers and to generate a little income for my livelihood," she said.
Nana Amma Adusah‘s business is located infront of her family house, indicating that she just have to walk a few metres from the house to the place where she operates her business.
She said having been in active business for the past 70 years had also strengthened her physically, and the urge for survival keeps her going, as she had no problem with her sight.
"I did not have any money at that time to start any lucrative business, and since roasting plantain did not require any huge capital, I started it," She explained.
A 53-year-old fish monger and a family member, Madam Akua Safowaa, told the Daily Graphic that Nana Adusah took care of her (Akua Safowaa) deceased mother, Maame Yaa Dufie.
" My mother told me that Nana Adusah was the one who nursed her when her mother was away, and since my mother was 83 years before she died three years ago, it means that Nana Adusah could not be less than 97 years of age," She explained.
"I am saying this because Nana Adusah would have been more than 10 years old at the time she was actively taking care of my deceased mother who died three years ago at the age of 83," she explained.
On why she was still doing brisk business after serving her customers for more than 70 years, Nana Adusah, who comes from Apemanim in the Ashanti Region, explained that one of her grandchildren who was the bread winner died mysteriously in Abidjan "and this added to my woes because at the moment, all my children who should have taken care of me are dead and with the death of my grandchild, Sam, eleven years ago, I solely depend on God for strength to enable me to continue with this business, or I will starve to death".
"This is not an easy job, especially at this age, and I am hoping that help will come from somewhere and from any philanthropist willing to support me financially to survive, but in the absence of any help from any body, I will continue roasting plantain, and sell fruits until I join my ancestors," Nana Adusah stressed.
She has been in that business since her prime, and continues to do so as her only source of livelihood.
Although she could not give her actual age, family sources told the Daily Graphic that Nana Adusah was about 97 years old.
Occasionally, she also sells fruits such as oranges, pineapples mangoes and bananas, depending on the season.
Nana Adusah, whose interview with this reporter in Akan was translated to English, said " I started roasting plantain a long time ago, even before I gave birth to my two children, who incidentally are both dead, and in spite of my age, I have to continue doing it.
“This is because I have no one to fall on for financial support, and since I do not want to starve to death, I have to come here every day, to serve my customers and to generate a little income for my livelihood," she said.
Nana Amma Adusah‘s business is located infront of her family house, indicating that she just have to walk a few metres from the house to the place where she operates her business.
She said having been in active business for the past 70 years had also strengthened her physically, and the urge for survival keeps her going, as she had no problem with her sight.
"I did not have any money at that time to start any lucrative business, and since roasting plantain did not require any huge capital, I started it," She explained.
A 53-year-old fish monger and a family member, Madam Akua Safowaa, told the Daily Graphic that Nana Adusah took care of her (Akua Safowaa) deceased mother, Maame Yaa Dufie.
" My mother told me that Nana Adusah was the one who nursed her when her mother was away, and since my mother was 83 years before she died three years ago, it means that Nana Adusah could not be less than 97 years of age," She explained.
"I am saying this because Nana Adusah would have been more than 10 years old at the time she was actively taking care of my deceased mother who died three years ago at the age of 83," she explained.
On why she was still doing brisk business after serving her customers for more than 70 years, Nana Adusah, who comes from Apemanim in the Ashanti Region, explained that one of her grandchildren who was the bread winner died mysteriously in Abidjan "and this added to my woes because at the moment, all my children who should have taken care of me are dead and with the death of my grandchild, Sam, eleven years ago, I solely depend on God for strength to enable me to continue with this business, or I will starve to death".
"This is not an easy job, especially at this age, and I am hoping that help will come from somewhere and from any philanthropist willing to support me financially to survive, but in the absence of any help from any body, I will continue roasting plantain, and sell fruits until I join my ancestors," Nana Adusah stressed.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
3,000 WOMEN REGISTER WITH MATERNAL, CHILD HEALTH HOSPITAL (PAGE 18)
The Maternal and Child Health Hospital near Kajetia in Kumasi registered 30,000 pregnant women for antenatal care between June and December last year.
This was to enable them to source for regular medical care at the hospital to ensure safe delivery.
The increase in the number regularly attending hospital by expectant mothers in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs started shortly after the previous government announced the introduction of free medical care for pregnant women in the country.
The Medical Administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Mr Kwame Nsiah, who announced this during an interview with the Daily Graphic, stated that the desire of expectant mothers attending hospital regularly had reduced the incidence of complications encountered by pregnant women.
He said the quality delivery of health care services by medical officers at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Kumasi also played a key role by averting any maternal mortality last year.
"Last year, maternal mortality at this hospital was zero, and this could be attributed to the regular hospital attendance by expectant mothers, while the introduction of free medical care announced by the previous government also encouraged pregnant women to source medical care,” he explained.
Mr Nsiah, however, expressed concern about accumulated bills the hospital was incurring as a result of the free medical services being provided to pregnant women.
He pointed out that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) owed the hospital to the tune of GH¢240,000.00 being services provided to pregnant women since June last year.
"At the moment, our suppliers are refusing to credit us with consumables, such as detergents, liquid soaps and hand gloves because we cannot pay them regularly as we used to do," he said.
He said "the hospital is also finding it difficult to honour our bills on drugs supplied by pharmacy shops and this is affecting our operations".
He mentioned analgesics and anti-malarial, anti-diarrhoeal, and antibiotic drugs among others as those supplied to expectant mothers when they attend hospital, and therefore appealed to the National Health Insurance Authority to honour bills regularly to sustain quality health care delivery at the hospital.
This was to enable them to source for regular medical care at the hospital to ensure safe delivery.
The increase in the number regularly attending hospital by expectant mothers in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs started shortly after the previous government announced the introduction of free medical care for pregnant women in the country.
The Medical Administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Mr Kwame Nsiah, who announced this during an interview with the Daily Graphic, stated that the desire of expectant mothers attending hospital regularly had reduced the incidence of complications encountered by pregnant women.
He said the quality delivery of health care services by medical officers at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Kumasi also played a key role by averting any maternal mortality last year.
"Last year, maternal mortality at this hospital was zero, and this could be attributed to the regular hospital attendance by expectant mothers, while the introduction of free medical care announced by the previous government also encouraged pregnant women to source medical care,” he explained.
Mr Nsiah, however, expressed concern about accumulated bills the hospital was incurring as a result of the free medical services being provided to pregnant women.
He pointed out that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) owed the hospital to the tune of GH¢240,000.00 being services provided to pregnant women since June last year.
"At the moment, our suppliers are refusing to credit us with consumables, such as detergents, liquid soaps and hand gloves because we cannot pay them regularly as we used to do," he said.
He said "the hospital is also finding it difficult to honour our bills on drugs supplied by pharmacy shops and this is affecting our operations".
He mentioned analgesics and anti-malarial, anti-diarrhoeal, and antibiotic drugs among others as those supplied to expectant mothers when they attend hospital, and therefore appealed to the National Health Insurance Authority to honour bills regularly to sustain quality health care delivery at the hospital.
Monday, February 9, 2009
THREE GOVERNMENTS TO SUPPORT RESEARCH IN HERBAL MEDICINE (SPREAD)
The governments of the United States of America, Japan and Switzerland have together released $400,000 to support research work on the conservation and utilisation of medicinal plants in three major ecological zones in Ghana.
The project, which aims at documenting endangered species of medicinal plants and the common ones among them, also seeks to train forest fringe communities on biodiversity conservation and propagation and management techniques on the sustainable harvest and utilisation of medicinal plant species in the country.
Some researchers from the Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) are undertaking the project, which is expected to be completed in three years’ time.
The selected ecological zones, made up of the evergreen forest, moist and dry forest areas, are located in five administrative regions, namely, the Western, Eastern, Central, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions.
Three districts will be selected from each of the administrative areas and five communities will also be selected from each of the three districts, meaning that in all 75 communities in the forest zones will be selected for the project.
The selection of the communities will be based on their closeness to a forest protected area, a sacred grove, a national forest reserve, registered traditional medical practitioners, as well as the presence of herbalists, fetish priests, among others.
The Project Co-ordinator, Dr E. Owusu-Sekyere, who announced this at a workshop organised to sensitise stakeholders at Fumeasua last Friday, noted that the project was key to the sustainable socio-economic development of Ghana, stressing, "The loss of medicinal plants means the immediate loss of livelihood and the rapid erosion of the knowledge and efficacy of their use."
He explained that just as "in orthodox medicine where pharmacies or chemical shops are close to hospitals, medicinal plants such as those located at sacred groves, gardens and forest zones rich with medicinal plants should also be close to the practitioners of herbal medicines".
He noted that as part of the project concept, "endangered medicinal plant species will be protected, propagated and multiplied to ensure that their collection, harvesting and utilisation become sustainable".
"Herbarium samples of very rare species will be stored, while planting materials of highly ranked or preferred medicinal plant species will be made available for planting," he said.
The project, which aims at documenting endangered species of medicinal plants and the common ones among them, also seeks to train forest fringe communities on biodiversity conservation and propagation and management techniques on the sustainable harvest and utilisation of medicinal plant species in the country.
Some researchers from the Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) are undertaking the project, which is expected to be completed in three years’ time.
The selected ecological zones, made up of the evergreen forest, moist and dry forest areas, are located in five administrative regions, namely, the Western, Eastern, Central, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions.
Three districts will be selected from each of the administrative areas and five communities will also be selected from each of the three districts, meaning that in all 75 communities in the forest zones will be selected for the project.
The selection of the communities will be based on their closeness to a forest protected area, a sacred grove, a national forest reserve, registered traditional medical practitioners, as well as the presence of herbalists, fetish priests, among others.
The Project Co-ordinator, Dr E. Owusu-Sekyere, who announced this at a workshop organised to sensitise stakeholders at Fumeasua last Friday, noted that the project was key to the sustainable socio-economic development of Ghana, stressing, "The loss of medicinal plants means the immediate loss of livelihood and the rapid erosion of the knowledge and efficacy of their use."
He explained that just as "in orthodox medicine where pharmacies or chemical shops are close to hospitals, medicinal plants such as those located at sacred groves, gardens and forest zones rich with medicinal plants should also be close to the practitioners of herbal medicines".
He noted that as part of the project concept, "endangered medicinal plant species will be protected, propagated and multiplied to ensure that their collection, harvesting and utilisation become sustainable".
"Herbarium samples of very rare species will be stored, while planting materials of highly ranked or preferred medicinal plant species will be made available for planting," he said.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
SHOULD SHS PROGRAMME BE ALTERED? (MIRROR FORUM)
Ms Yaa Konadu
Adiyiah, Nutritionist, Komfo Anokye
Teaching
Hospital (KATH)
Considering our present circumstances, I think the four-year duration of senior high school should be maintained. I am saying this because it gives ample time for students to adjust to their new environment and focus on their academic work to achieve fruitful results in the long run.
We are here talking about the future leaders of the nation, so any decision that is taken on their behalf should be in their best interest, but not based on scoring political points.
If there is the need to spend money to build infrastructure and logistics that should go to improve the present system, let us do so immediately since in the long run, we would be building the capacity of our students in a way that would be beneficial to the state.
Another important thing to do is to equip the various science resource centres throughout the country to enable science students to undertake effective practical work.
Many of the schools merely exist in name, while, in fact, they have no logistics and facilities to enhance effective and efficient teaching and learning and I think this is what our politicians should focus their attention on.
If the present government goes ahead and changes the duration of the course of study in secondary schools, students presently in the system would be directly affected. This is because the syllabus will have to be crammed to suit the new system, and teaching and learning programmes will also have to be changed, creating a rush in academic work.
It will mean also that teachers will have to organise extra classes for their students to enable them to catch up with the new programme and this could translate into additional cost to parents and guardians, who under the present harsh economic conditions, are already finding it hard to cope.
It will therefore be of great national advantage if the government sticks to the present educational system to spare teachers and students alike the ordeal of a change of programme to suit the politicians.
Dr Kwabena
Opoku-Adusei,
Vice-President, Ghana Medical
Association (GMA)
Reforming education implies that measures are being put in place to improve the quality of education.
Teachers and educationists in parts of the country whom I have interacted with on the subject of the duration of senior high school education, have noted that it does not really matter if the duration is three or four years. What really matters, they say, is how relevant the content of their education is, especially the syllabi of the various core subjects and then we can later come to think of the duration.
Let us ask ourselves what it was that informed the PNDC and the NDC governments to reform education and go for the three-year duration and the immediate past administration to also go to four years.
What is it now that is informing the current government to revert to the three-year period?
Is it a case of my enemy's enemy is my friend? Is every new government going to change what the previous government has done just for the sheer sake of changing?
If one looks at the advanced countries, we can see that they have a blueprint on their educational structure. If we decide to travel from Accra to Kumasi, how to get there and by what means is not a problem, but if on the way one decides to turn back after reaching Ejisu, or at the Bunsu junction one decides to branch to Koforidua, then a problem can arise because in that case we may never reach Kumasi as intended.
The politicians seem to be gambling with the lives of our children, and it is time they are stopped before the situation gets out of hand.
As a nation, it is time to sit down, take a critical look at the course content and draw a blueprint that will determine the duration of SHS education to enable us to produce quality materials for responsible leaders in the future.
Some teachers I spoke to were of the view that four years should be adequate for SHS education. However, they were also of the view that some structures needed to be put in place, syllabi properly developed, buildings constructed to accommodate students and teachers, as well as provide satisfactory logistics to enhance the smooth implementation of the four-year programme.
The politicians are likely to raise a public debate on this issue. However, as I see it, they may have made up their minds already so any public debate will not have any effect on their decision to do away with the four-year programme. Public debate will only give them a democratic face on what they have already intended to do.
Mr I.K. Gyasi,
Former
Headmaster,
T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School, Kumasi
I think that the period of four years is okay. The period is important because even if we have five years and the requirements to make for effective learning and teaching are not provided, then no matter how long the programme lasts, we will still have problems.
The unfortunate thing about the present system is that, as a nation, we have not even had the privilege of assessing the performance of the first batch of students who began the four-year programme. They are presently in the second year and we cannot right now determine whether the system has had a positive or negative impact on the educational system.
I think it is after the first three batches of students come out that we would be in a position to properly assess them based on their performance.
As I said earlier, while the duration is important, the availability of teaching and learning materials as well as the readiness of students to learn, the readiness of teachers to teach effectively and efficiently, and the readiness of the heads of the various schools to sustain their supervisory roles, which will make teaching and learning practicable and possible, is even more crucial.
Inadequate infrastructure in schools has always been with us right from the basic to the tertiary level. This is therefore not the first time that an issue of this nature has come into the public domain.
The nation has had shortages of logistics in the educational sector for a very long time. Indeed, shortage of teaching personnel is still ongoing. I am informed that basic schools alone need about 17,000 teachers. We have had problems of unavailability of textbooks and other learning materials, and even availability of common chalk sometime ago posed great challenges to effective academic work.
Fortunately, Mr Alexander Tettey- Enyo is not a novice in the educational system because he was a teacher, a headmaster in a secondary school, a president of CHASS, a director (secondary education), and acting director-general of the GES, and therefore knows what he is talking about.
However, I hope that the educationist in him will predominate over the politician in him now, and that he will give the best advice and also have advisors from schools still running the present programmes to enable him to appreciate what the problems are, instead of assuming the problems himself.
Nana Yaw Owusu Akwanuasa
Otumfuo
Mpaboahene
The government has not yet opened any public debate on this subject, so I regard the subject as only a hint dropped by the minister designate for education on what the NDC government intends to do in the educational sector. This may mean abolishing the four-year senior high school system and revert to the earlier three-year programme which obtained when the party was in office.
It is premature now to engage in serious public debate on the subject. This is because the government has not really come out with a policy to change the present programme.
My concern is that before the present programme was adopted, there was a series of consultations, public debate, presentation of papers and opinions of people as well as expert in the field of education.
And then, based on the information gathered, the pros and cons were considered after which decision was arrived at to implement a four-year programme.
It looks like a section of people who found themselves on the other side of the process and who did not find favour at the time, would want to change the system now that they are in power.
As a nation, if we intend to reinvent the wheel in this way anytime it suits us, there will not be an end to the resolution of crucial national issues.
Some of the reasons for rejecting the four-year system, including the lack of infrastructure and of human resource as well as logistics, are matters that can be resolved for the process to advance smoothly. In a situation like ours, the idea must first be accepted and then it becomes important to make sure that the ground rules are followed accordingly.
Education is the bedrock of any nation and building the capacity of future leaders rests solely on the provision of quality education, especially for the youth, at all levels and nothing should be done to toy with the programme through any form of political machination to suit any particular group.
I believe a lot of factors were taken into consideration before the four-year programme was accepted. Personally, I wish we retain it.
Mr Felix Owusu-Achiaw, Supervising
Manager, Bosomtwe Rural Bank
I was a bit surprised to hear that the present government wants to abolish the four-year period in senior high school and revert to the three-year duration.
My surprise stems from my interactions with some key employers in the country who have been recruiting fresh graduates into their companies and the performance of such graduates during interviews.
According to the employers, products from the traditional sixth form type of education who gain admission into the universities perform more creditably during interviews as well as on the job than products from the senior secondary schools.
My interactions with my nephew who is a product of the educational reform and who also attended one of the best second cycle schools in the country, indicate that the commitment of their teachers and the desire of the students to focus on their academic work notwithstanding, they are not able to cover most of their syllabi during normal class periods. This, according to him, is because their syllabus is loaded.
I think that the four-year programme is okay. This is because it would afford both teachers and students enough time to concentrate on their work and be able to produce the best during examinations.
Lack of infrastructure and teachers has been cited as a major problem in the implementation of the four-year programme. I wonder if the economy can address these problems immediately.
I suggest, therefore, that we go by the four-year course until such time that the economy can address the human resource and infrastructure requirements.
Adiyiah, Nutritionist, Komfo Anokye
Teaching
Hospital (KATH)
Considering our present circumstances, I think the four-year duration of senior high school should be maintained. I am saying this because it gives ample time for students to adjust to their new environment and focus on their academic work to achieve fruitful results in the long run.
We are here talking about the future leaders of the nation, so any decision that is taken on their behalf should be in their best interest, but not based on scoring political points.
If there is the need to spend money to build infrastructure and logistics that should go to improve the present system, let us do so immediately since in the long run, we would be building the capacity of our students in a way that would be beneficial to the state.
Another important thing to do is to equip the various science resource centres throughout the country to enable science students to undertake effective practical work.
Many of the schools merely exist in name, while, in fact, they have no logistics and facilities to enhance effective and efficient teaching and learning and I think this is what our politicians should focus their attention on.
If the present government goes ahead and changes the duration of the course of study in secondary schools, students presently in the system would be directly affected. This is because the syllabus will have to be crammed to suit the new system, and teaching and learning programmes will also have to be changed, creating a rush in academic work.
It will mean also that teachers will have to organise extra classes for their students to enable them to catch up with the new programme and this could translate into additional cost to parents and guardians, who under the present harsh economic conditions, are already finding it hard to cope.
It will therefore be of great national advantage if the government sticks to the present educational system to spare teachers and students alike the ordeal of a change of programme to suit the politicians.
Dr Kwabena
Opoku-Adusei,
Vice-President, Ghana Medical
Association (GMA)
Reforming education implies that measures are being put in place to improve the quality of education.
Teachers and educationists in parts of the country whom I have interacted with on the subject of the duration of senior high school education, have noted that it does not really matter if the duration is three or four years. What really matters, they say, is how relevant the content of their education is, especially the syllabi of the various core subjects and then we can later come to think of the duration.
Let us ask ourselves what it was that informed the PNDC and the NDC governments to reform education and go for the three-year duration and the immediate past administration to also go to four years.
What is it now that is informing the current government to revert to the three-year period?
Is it a case of my enemy's enemy is my friend? Is every new government going to change what the previous government has done just for the sheer sake of changing?
If one looks at the advanced countries, we can see that they have a blueprint on their educational structure. If we decide to travel from Accra to Kumasi, how to get there and by what means is not a problem, but if on the way one decides to turn back after reaching Ejisu, or at the Bunsu junction one decides to branch to Koforidua, then a problem can arise because in that case we may never reach Kumasi as intended.
The politicians seem to be gambling with the lives of our children, and it is time they are stopped before the situation gets out of hand.
As a nation, it is time to sit down, take a critical look at the course content and draw a blueprint that will determine the duration of SHS education to enable us to produce quality materials for responsible leaders in the future.
Some teachers I spoke to were of the view that four years should be adequate for SHS education. However, they were also of the view that some structures needed to be put in place, syllabi properly developed, buildings constructed to accommodate students and teachers, as well as provide satisfactory logistics to enhance the smooth implementation of the four-year programme.
The politicians are likely to raise a public debate on this issue. However, as I see it, they may have made up their minds already so any public debate will not have any effect on their decision to do away with the four-year programme. Public debate will only give them a democratic face on what they have already intended to do.
Mr I.K. Gyasi,
Former
Headmaster,
T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School, Kumasi
I think that the period of four years is okay. The period is important because even if we have five years and the requirements to make for effective learning and teaching are not provided, then no matter how long the programme lasts, we will still have problems.
The unfortunate thing about the present system is that, as a nation, we have not even had the privilege of assessing the performance of the first batch of students who began the four-year programme. They are presently in the second year and we cannot right now determine whether the system has had a positive or negative impact on the educational system.
I think it is after the first three batches of students come out that we would be in a position to properly assess them based on their performance.
As I said earlier, while the duration is important, the availability of teaching and learning materials as well as the readiness of students to learn, the readiness of teachers to teach effectively and efficiently, and the readiness of the heads of the various schools to sustain their supervisory roles, which will make teaching and learning practicable and possible, is even more crucial.
Inadequate infrastructure in schools has always been with us right from the basic to the tertiary level. This is therefore not the first time that an issue of this nature has come into the public domain.
The nation has had shortages of logistics in the educational sector for a very long time. Indeed, shortage of teaching personnel is still ongoing. I am informed that basic schools alone need about 17,000 teachers. We have had problems of unavailability of textbooks and other learning materials, and even availability of common chalk sometime ago posed great challenges to effective academic work.
Fortunately, Mr Alexander Tettey- Enyo is not a novice in the educational system because he was a teacher, a headmaster in a secondary school, a president of CHASS, a director (secondary education), and acting director-general of the GES, and therefore knows what he is talking about.
However, I hope that the educationist in him will predominate over the politician in him now, and that he will give the best advice and also have advisors from schools still running the present programmes to enable him to appreciate what the problems are, instead of assuming the problems himself.
Nana Yaw Owusu Akwanuasa
Otumfuo
Mpaboahene
The government has not yet opened any public debate on this subject, so I regard the subject as only a hint dropped by the minister designate for education on what the NDC government intends to do in the educational sector. This may mean abolishing the four-year senior high school system and revert to the earlier three-year programme which obtained when the party was in office.
It is premature now to engage in serious public debate on the subject. This is because the government has not really come out with a policy to change the present programme.
My concern is that before the present programme was adopted, there was a series of consultations, public debate, presentation of papers and opinions of people as well as expert in the field of education.
And then, based on the information gathered, the pros and cons were considered after which decision was arrived at to implement a four-year programme.
It looks like a section of people who found themselves on the other side of the process and who did not find favour at the time, would want to change the system now that they are in power.
As a nation, if we intend to reinvent the wheel in this way anytime it suits us, there will not be an end to the resolution of crucial national issues.
Some of the reasons for rejecting the four-year system, including the lack of infrastructure and of human resource as well as logistics, are matters that can be resolved for the process to advance smoothly. In a situation like ours, the idea must first be accepted and then it becomes important to make sure that the ground rules are followed accordingly.
Education is the bedrock of any nation and building the capacity of future leaders rests solely on the provision of quality education, especially for the youth, at all levels and nothing should be done to toy with the programme through any form of political machination to suit any particular group.
I believe a lot of factors were taken into consideration before the four-year programme was accepted. Personally, I wish we retain it.
Mr Felix Owusu-Achiaw, Supervising
Manager, Bosomtwe Rural Bank
I was a bit surprised to hear that the present government wants to abolish the four-year period in senior high school and revert to the three-year duration.
My surprise stems from my interactions with some key employers in the country who have been recruiting fresh graduates into their companies and the performance of such graduates during interviews.
According to the employers, products from the traditional sixth form type of education who gain admission into the universities perform more creditably during interviews as well as on the job than products from the senior secondary schools.
My interactions with my nephew who is a product of the educational reform and who also attended one of the best second cycle schools in the country, indicate that the commitment of their teachers and the desire of the students to focus on their academic work notwithstanding, they are not able to cover most of their syllabi during normal class periods. This, according to him, is because their syllabus is loaded.
I think that the four-year programme is okay. This is because it would afford both teachers and students enough time to concentrate on their work and be able to produce the best during examinations.
Lack of infrastructure and teachers has been cited as a major problem in the implementation of the four-year programme. I wonder if the economy can address these problems immediately.
I suggest, therefore, that we go by the four-year course until such time that the economy can address the human resource and infrastructure requirements.
Friday, February 6, 2009
MUSLIM WOMEN IN BUSINESS COMMEND PRESIDENT MILLS (15)
THE executive of Muslim Women In Business (MWIB) in the Zongo communities in Kumasi has congratulated both President John Evans Atta Mills and the Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, on their collaborative efforts to entrench democracy in the country.
She congratulated President John Evans Atta Mills on his victory and appealed to the newly elected President to initiate prudent measures that would reduce duty on imported products into the country to promote business.
She explained that duty paid on products imported into the country over the years was too high, and this caused importers to pass such bills onto the consuming public, thereby raising the prices of imported products.
She noted that high prices of products always militated against any form of expansion in the private sector "and this also affects the growth of the national economy".
Explaining further, she said reducing duty on imported products would have positive impact on the national economy, because it would not only encourage the business community to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts, but would also make it possible for them to expand their businesses and employ new hands to reduce the unemployment problems among the youth.
She also commended Nana Akufo Addo and pointed out that it was his commitment to the promotion of peace that made him to graciously accept defeat at a time that tension on the presidential results was building up, creating the impression that "there was going to be a head-on collision between the leadership of the NPP and that of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and their respective supporters".
Speaking to journalists at a press briefing in Kumasi, the Vice-President of MWIB, Hajia Ramatu of Mr and Lady Enterprise, pointed out that it was by accepting the defeat and assuring the numerous supporters of the NPP to calm down and refrain from any action that had the potential to create confusion in the country "that peace prevailed, thereby making it possible for the international community to recognise Ghana as one of the most peaceful nations in the world".
She said it was also that initiative, that sustained the democratic dispensation in Ghana, that peace-loving Ghanaians now live in harmony.
Hajia Ramatu, therefore, appealed to the supporters of the two major political parties in the country "to put the last general election behind us and collaborate in a way that will sustain the peace in the country to enable the citizenry focus on ventures that would accelerate the pace of socio-economic development".
She announced that the MWIB was initiating moves that would enable the business community in Ghana to explore the possibility of extending their businesses to the United States of America (USA).
Explaining, she said the business community in Ghana seemed to have concentrated its foreign transactions on some countries in Asia and the Far East, with a little transaction between it and itscounterparts in the USA.
Hajia Ramatu noted that plans were far advanced for the MWIB to begin active business with the USA and, therefore, appealed to the government to support them in that line, especially when it came to acquisition of visas.
For her part, the General Secretary of MWIB, Hajia Hamida Sulemana of Ham Florals Enterprise, noted that women in the Zongo communities in the Kumasi metropolis had a crucial role to play in collaboration with the government, to initiate measures that would accelerate the growth of the economy.
Hajia Hamida also appealed to the supporters of the two major political parties in the country to put the last general election behind them and collaborate in a way that would sustain the peace in the country to enable the citizenry to focus on ventures that would accelerate the pace of socio-economic development.
She, however, admonished a section of the public who indulged in pockets of violence in certain parts of the country to stop and not create the impression that NDC and NPP were at each other’s throat.
She assured the nation that MWIB would collaborate with the leadership of the Zongo communities to sensitise their youth to refrain from any action that had the potential to cause violence in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
She said they would also collaborate to sensitise the youth to appreciate the need to build employable skills in an effective and efficient way so as to make them gainfully employed.
This, she said, would help them contribute more meaningfully towards sustainable socio-economic development.
She congratulated President John Evans Atta Mills on his victory and appealed to the newly elected President to initiate prudent measures that would reduce duty on imported products into the country to promote business.
She explained that duty paid on products imported into the country over the years was too high, and this caused importers to pass such bills onto the consuming public, thereby raising the prices of imported products.
She noted that high prices of products always militated against any form of expansion in the private sector "and this also affects the growth of the national economy".
Explaining further, she said reducing duty on imported products would have positive impact on the national economy, because it would not only encourage the business community to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts, but would also make it possible for them to expand their businesses and employ new hands to reduce the unemployment problems among the youth.
She also commended Nana Akufo Addo and pointed out that it was his commitment to the promotion of peace that made him to graciously accept defeat at a time that tension on the presidential results was building up, creating the impression that "there was going to be a head-on collision between the leadership of the NPP and that of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and their respective supporters".
Speaking to journalists at a press briefing in Kumasi, the Vice-President of MWIB, Hajia Ramatu of Mr and Lady Enterprise, pointed out that it was by accepting the defeat and assuring the numerous supporters of the NPP to calm down and refrain from any action that had the potential to create confusion in the country "that peace prevailed, thereby making it possible for the international community to recognise Ghana as one of the most peaceful nations in the world".
She said it was also that initiative, that sustained the democratic dispensation in Ghana, that peace-loving Ghanaians now live in harmony.
Hajia Ramatu, therefore, appealed to the supporters of the two major political parties in the country "to put the last general election behind us and collaborate in a way that will sustain the peace in the country to enable the citizenry focus on ventures that would accelerate the pace of socio-economic development".
She announced that the MWIB was initiating moves that would enable the business community in Ghana to explore the possibility of extending their businesses to the United States of America (USA).
Explaining, she said the business community in Ghana seemed to have concentrated its foreign transactions on some countries in Asia and the Far East, with a little transaction between it and itscounterparts in the USA.
Hajia Ramatu noted that plans were far advanced for the MWIB to begin active business with the USA and, therefore, appealed to the government to support them in that line, especially when it came to acquisition of visas.
For her part, the General Secretary of MWIB, Hajia Hamida Sulemana of Ham Florals Enterprise, noted that women in the Zongo communities in the Kumasi metropolis had a crucial role to play in collaboration with the government, to initiate measures that would accelerate the growth of the economy.
Hajia Hamida also appealed to the supporters of the two major political parties in the country to put the last general election behind them and collaborate in a way that would sustain the peace in the country to enable the citizenry to focus on ventures that would accelerate the pace of socio-economic development.
She, however, admonished a section of the public who indulged in pockets of violence in certain parts of the country to stop and not create the impression that NDC and NPP were at each other’s throat.
She assured the nation that MWIB would collaborate with the leadership of the Zongo communities to sensitise their youth to refrain from any action that had the potential to cause violence in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
She said they would also collaborate to sensitise the youth to appreciate the need to build employable skills in an effective and efficient way so as to make them gainfully employed.
This, she said, would help them contribute more meaningfully towards sustainable socio-economic development.
FIREMAN ACTED SWIFTLY IN DENCHEMUOSO FIRE ACCIDENT (PAGE 19)
THE Deputy Ashanti Regional Chief Fire Officer, Mr Obeng Dankwa-Dwamena, has denied that fire engines arrived very late at Denchemuoso on Thursday, January 29, 2009 when a family house caught fire.
Reacting to a Daily Graphic report of Wednesday, February 4, 2009, which quoted the Odikro of Denchemuoso, Nana Ofori Sarkodie, as saying that fire engines arrived four hours after the community had drawn their attention to a fire outbreak in a family house in the community, Mr Dwamena said his officers arrived at the scene at exactly 1. 21p.m.
“ We had the call at 1.15p.m. By 1.16p.m, my men had left the office heading towards Denchemuoso. They reached the community at exactly 1. 21p.m, ready to quench the fire, but a section of the youth started pelting them with stones,” he told the Daily Graphic in reaction to the assertion by the Odikro that the fire engines arrived late.
Mr Dankwa-Dwamena pointed out that the action of the youth compelled the firemen on the fire engines to call the Police Buffalo Unit for support “and the quick response by the police made it possible for the fire engines to put out the fire at exactly 2.50p.m. and by 3.40p.m, they had returned to the office to start writing their report on the fire outbreak”.
Explaining further, he said, “ I started monitoring the situation as soon as my attention was drawn to the fire outbreak at Denchemuoso, and followed it up when the firemen on the fire engines were confronted by a section of the youth in the community, who also pelted them with stones for reasons very difficult to explain and the assistance of the Buffalo Unit provided until my men arrived at their base at 3.40p.m.”
“It is therefore not true that we went there rather at 5p.m. as the chief wants the public to believe, because if we arrived in the community at 5p.m, my men could not have finished their job and returned at 3.40p.m. to write their report on how they quenched the fire in the community and the difficulty they encountered”.
He expressed concern about the action of the youth, saying it was time the public appreciated the value of firemen and their fire engines and supported them any time there was fire outbreak instead of creating problems for them.
He commended the Police Buffalo Unit for their quick response, which made it possible for them to put out the fire at Denchemuoso.
Reacting to a Daily Graphic report of Wednesday, February 4, 2009, which quoted the Odikro of Denchemuoso, Nana Ofori Sarkodie, as saying that fire engines arrived four hours after the community had drawn their attention to a fire outbreak in a family house in the community, Mr Dwamena said his officers arrived at the scene at exactly 1. 21p.m.
“ We had the call at 1.15p.m. By 1.16p.m, my men had left the office heading towards Denchemuoso. They reached the community at exactly 1. 21p.m, ready to quench the fire, but a section of the youth started pelting them with stones,” he told the Daily Graphic in reaction to the assertion by the Odikro that the fire engines arrived late.
Mr Dankwa-Dwamena pointed out that the action of the youth compelled the firemen on the fire engines to call the Police Buffalo Unit for support “and the quick response by the police made it possible for the fire engines to put out the fire at exactly 2.50p.m. and by 3.40p.m, they had returned to the office to start writing their report on the fire outbreak”.
Explaining further, he said, “ I started monitoring the situation as soon as my attention was drawn to the fire outbreak at Denchemuoso, and followed it up when the firemen on the fire engines were confronted by a section of the youth in the community, who also pelted them with stones for reasons very difficult to explain and the assistance of the Buffalo Unit provided until my men arrived at their base at 3.40p.m.”
“It is therefore not true that we went there rather at 5p.m. as the chief wants the public to believe, because if we arrived in the community at 5p.m, my men could not have finished their job and returned at 3.40p.m. to write their report on how they quenched the fire in the community and the difficulty they encountered”.
He expressed concern about the action of the youth, saying it was time the public appreciated the value of firemen and their fire engines and supported them any time there was fire outbreak instead of creating problems for them.
He commended the Police Buffalo Unit for their quick response, which made it possible for them to put out the fire at Denchemuoso.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
FIRE ENGULFS FAMILY RESIDENCE IN KUMASI (PAGE 20)
The property of A 55-year-old security officer and his wife was destroyed in a fire outbreak that occurred at their family residence at Denchemuoso, near Kwadaso in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
Mr Owusu Afriyie, who works as security man in Kumasi, was rendered homeless, after the fire outbreak, which destroyed property worth over GH¢70,000 belonging to the couple and other tenants of the house.
According to family sources, the house caught fire around 1 pm last Thursday under mysterious circumstances.
"I cannot assign any reason as to why the family house could catch fire at broad daylight because I personally witnessed the scene when the house was engulfed in the flame, burning every property into ashes, including those of my nephew and wife who are due for retirement," Nana Ofori Sarkodie, the Odikro of Denchemuoso, who resides in the house, told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
Explaining, he said the fire outbreak could not be attributed to any electrical fault "because the tenants had not enjoyed any power for sometime and no one was at home at the time the house caught fire".
"I am the only one in the house who sometimes uses gas cooker but it had not been used for some time now. I was standing in front of the house with my nephew, Akwasi Addo, discussing an issue when a young girl drew my attention to a smoke from one of the bedrooms," he explained further.
According to Nana Sarkodie, they called the National Fire Service as soon as they detected the fire outbreak, but when the firemen arrived at Denchemuoso around 5 pm, the house was completely burnt, and not a single item was retrieved.
He said the quick response by the youth in the community prevented the fire from spreading to the surrounding houses.
Nana Sarkodie said "at the moment, we are living under the benevolence of residents here. This is because all our furniture, clothing, food items and cash were completely burnt. So I am appealing to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to come to our aid," he pleaded.
He said financial and other support in the form of building materials by the NADMO and other philanthropists would enable them to rebuild the house.
Mr Owusu Afriyie, who works as security man in Kumasi, was rendered homeless, after the fire outbreak, which destroyed property worth over GH¢70,000 belonging to the couple and other tenants of the house.
According to family sources, the house caught fire around 1 pm last Thursday under mysterious circumstances.
"I cannot assign any reason as to why the family house could catch fire at broad daylight because I personally witnessed the scene when the house was engulfed in the flame, burning every property into ashes, including those of my nephew and wife who are due for retirement," Nana Ofori Sarkodie, the Odikro of Denchemuoso, who resides in the house, told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
Explaining, he said the fire outbreak could not be attributed to any electrical fault "because the tenants had not enjoyed any power for sometime and no one was at home at the time the house caught fire".
"I am the only one in the house who sometimes uses gas cooker but it had not been used for some time now. I was standing in front of the house with my nephew, Akwasi Addo, discussing an issue when a young girl drew my attention to a smoke from one of the bedrooms," he explained further.
According to Nana Sarkodie, they called the National Fire Service as soon as they detected the fire outbreak, but when the firemen arrived at Denchemuoso around 5 pm, the house was completely burnt, and not a single item was retrieved.
He said the quick response by the youth in the community prevented the fire from spreading to the surrounding houses.
Nana Sarkodie said "at the moment, we are living under the benevolence of residents here. This is because all our furniture, clothing, food items and cash were completely burnt. So I am appealing to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to come to our aid," he pleaded.
He said financial and other support in the form of building materials by the NADMO and other philanthropists would enable them to rebuild the house.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
THREE GRANTED GH¢96,000 BAIL (PAGE 3)
A Kumasi High Court, presided over by Justice R. C. Azumah, has granted bail in the sum of GH¢96,000 with three sureties each to three businessmen in a case of stealing and unlawful entry.
J.E.K. Arku of Kaysons Supermarket, who is a Ghanaian, Raajesh Nair of Menkish Supermarket and Rajesh Jethani of Bon Arrive, both Indians, deal in carpets.
The bail application followed an appeal by their counsel, Mr Stephen Oppong, who told the court that his clients would not jump bail because they were not only men of substance but had also fully co-operated with the police since August last year when the case was reported to them.
Earlier, all the three suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them in court. The case was adjourned to February 6, 2009.
In applying for bail, Mr Oppong also told the court that his clients had not been notified by the police that they would appear before the court.
Again, they were not formally charged for committing any offence prior to the issue of a bench warrant.
"I will prove to the court in subsequent hearings that my clients did not commit any offence to warrant their arrest," he told the court.
Mr Oppong also told the court that his clients, who represented three different companies, never forced their way into the shop of the complainant to carry the products away but that it was one of them, Arku, who negotiated with the wife of the complainant and came to an agreement that the products should be carried away to defray some debt her husband owed his company.
He said this came to light because the suspects had heard that the complainant, who owed them a substantial amount of money following a quantity of carpets supplied him, had bolted from the country and could not be traced.
Mr Oppong said when one of his clients went to the complainant’s wife to verify the whereabouts of her husband, the wife confirmed that she could not trace him and that confirmed their fears that the complainant did not want to honour his debt obligation.
He said it was based on that confirmation by the complainant’s wife that Arku decided to carry away some of the products to defray part of the debt.
Explaining further, Mr Oppong said before the goods were carried away, all the parties, including the wife of the complainant and her mother, as well as a shop owner who witnessed the incident, took inventory of all the products and signed, indicating that it was a mutual agreement before the goods were carried away.
He said the two Indian businessmen were not present when the goods were carried away and, therefore, they did not commit any offence,
Moments after the court had heard the offences of the suspects and the submission by the State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Otu Boison, it granted bail to the suspects and adjourned the case.
Prior to that, Mr Boison had told the court that the complainant, Mr Kwame Boamah, who dealt in carpets, had transacted business with the suspects on credit basis for some time.
He said in June, 2008, while the complainant had travelled to the United States of America and left the care of his business to his wife, Diana Yaa Boamah, the suspects went into the shop and ransacked the place, carrying away the products in the store valued at about GH¢96000.00
He said following the ransacking of the shop, the wife of the complainant informed her husband about the events at home and that forced the complainant to return to Ghana and later went to Arku to demand why they entered his shop to ransack it while he was away.
Mr Boison said Arku told him that he (complainant) might not pay the money owed Kaysons if they returned the carpets, so the complainant should sign an undertaking to prove his indebtedness to the company, which he did.
According to the State Attorney, the companies refused to return the products as agreed with the complainant after he had signed the undertaking, so he reported the case to the police to enable him to retrieve the carpets from the suspects.
J.E.K. Arku of Kaysons Supermarket, who is a Ghanaian, Raajesh Nair of Menkish Supermarket and Rajesh Jethani of Bon Arrive, both Indians, deal in carpets.
The bail application followed an appeal by their counsel, Mr Stephen Oppong, who told the court that his clients would not jump bail because they were not only men of substance but had also fully co-operated with the police since August last year when the case was reported to them.
Earlier, all the three suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them in court. The case was adjourned to February 6, 2009.
In applying for bail, Mr Oppong also told the court that his clients had not been notified by the police that they would appear before the court.
Again, they were not formally charged for committing any offence prior to the issue of a bench warrant.
"I will prove to the court in subsequent hearings that my clients did not commit any offence to warrant their arrest," he told the court.
Mr Oppong also told the court that his clients, who represented three different companies, never forced their way into the shop of the complainant to carry the products away but that it was one of them, Arku, who negotiated with the wife of the complainant and came to an agreement that the products should be carried away to defray some debt her husband owed his company.
He said this came to light because the suspects had heard that the complainant, who owed them a substantial amount of money following a quantity of carpets supplied him, had bolted from the country and could not be traced.
Mr Oppong said when one of his clients went to the complainant’s wife to verify the whereabouts of her husband, the wife confirmed that she could not trace him and that confirmed their fears that the complainant did not want to honour his debt obligation.
He said it was based on that confirmation by the complainant’s wife that Arku decided to carry away some of the products to defray part of the debt.
Explaining further, Mr Oppong said before the goods were carried away, all the parties, including the wife of the complainant and her mother, as well as a shop owner who witnessed the incident, took inventory of all the products and signed, indicating that it was a mutual agreement before the goods were carried away.
He said the two Indian businessmen were not present when the goods were carried away and, therefore, they did not commit any offence,
Moments after the court had heard the offences of the suspects and the submission by the State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Otu Boison, it granted bail to the suspects and adjourned the case.
Prior to that, Mr Boison had told the court that the complainant, Mr Kwame Boamah, who dealt in carpets, had transacted business with the suspects on credit basis for some time.
He said in June, 2008, while the complainant had travelled to the United States of America and left the care of his business to his wife, Diana Yaa Boamah, the suspects went into the shop and ransacked the place, carrying away the products in the store valued at about GH¢96000.00
He said following the ransacking of the shop, the wife of the complainant informed her husband about the events at home and that forced the complainant to return to Ghana and later went to Arku to demand why they entered his shop to ransack it while he was away.
Mr Boison said Arku told him that he (complainant) might not pay the money owed Kaysons if they returned the carpets, so the complainant should sign an undertaking to prove his indebtedness to the company, which he did.
According to the State Attorney, the companies refused to return the products as agreed with the complainant after he had signed the undertaking, so he reported the case to the police to enable him to retrieve the carpets from the suspects.
Monday, February 2, 2009
SUPPORT WILL PROPEL NPP TO VICTORY IN 2012 (PAGE 32, JAN 29)
THE Member of Parliament for Fomena, Nana Abu Bonsra, has commended the electorate of his constituency for their massive support and commitment to the cause of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), even in the face of defeat.
He pointed out that such commitment would not only encourage the top hierarchy of the party to work hard in opposition, but would also motivate and propel the NPP into victory in 2012, to enable it to continue with its policies and programmes.
" It is such support that will be the driving force to propel all Members of Parliament and other leaders of the NPP to keep on fighting till victory is won in 2012," he assured.
Nana Abu Bonsra made the remarks when he interacted with the electorate in his constituency to thank them for their support, which made it possible for the party to retain the Fomena seat.
“The leadership of the NPP and the MP for Fomena feel very much encouraged by the open demonstration of total commitment, and we appreciate all your support and commitment to the party since we lost power to our opponents after the December 28, 2008 run-off.”
He pointed out that the massive votes for him and the Presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the 2008 elections, proved that the electorate at Fomena had the NPP at heart and were poised to support the party even in opposition.
" You should not be shaken by the threats, insults, intimidations and violent posture of your opponents, but should rather continue to show your unflinching support and commitment to the ideals and forward movement of the party even in the face of losing power narrowly. This will give us the tonic to continue the battle that would return the party to power in the next general election in 2012," he advised.
Nana Abu Bonsra also advised the electorate to accept the defeat of the NPP in good faith, and also praise God for it because there was another opportunity to change the current government in the next elections due in four years time.
He also urged them to continue offering massive spiritual and moral support as was demonstrated before, during and after the last election to prove to their opponents that the NPP would survive in opposition and assume the reins of government once agian.
"We conceded defeat in the supreme interest of sustainable peace for the nation, and by this gesture, Ghana has been the ultimate winner, so the need for you to continue offering us the requisite encouragement and support will go a long way to usher us into governance sooner than expected," he noted.
He pointed out that such commitment would not only encourage the top hierarchy of the party to work hard in opposition, but would also motivate and propel the NPP into victory in 2012, to enable it to continue with its policies and programmes.
" It is such support that will be the driving force to propel all Members of Parliament and other leaders of the NPP to keep on fighting till victory is won in 2012," he assured.
Nana Abu Bonsra made the remarks when he interacted with the electorate in his constituency to thank them for their support, which made it possible for the party to retain the Fomena seat.
“The leadership of the NPP and the MP for Fomena feel very much encouraged by the open demonstration of total commitment, and we appreciate all your support and commitment to the party since we lost power to our opponents after the December 28, 2008 run-off.”
He pointed out that the massive votes for him and the Presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the 2008 elections, proved that the electorate at Fomena had the NPP at heart and were poised to support the party even in opposition.
" You should not be shaken by the threats, insults, intimidations and violent posture of your opponents, but should rather continue to show your unflinching support and commitment to the ideals and forward movement of the party even in the face of losing power narrowly. This will give us the tonic to continue the battle that would return the party to power in the next general election in 2012," he advised.
Nana Abu Bonsra also advised the electorate to accept the defeat of the NPP in good faith, and also praise God for it because there was another opportunity to change the current government in the next elections due in four years time.
He also urged them to continue offering massive spiritual and moral support as was demonstrated before, during and after the last election to prove to their opponents that the NPP would survive in opposition and assume the reins of government once agian.
"We conceded defeat in the supreme interest of sustainable peace for the nation, and by this gesture, Ghana has been the ultimate winner, so the need for you to continue offering us the requisite encouragement and support will go a long way to usher us into governance sooner than expected," he noted.
OTUMFUO MEETS BUSINESSMEN FROM SWITZERLAND, MOROCCO (PAGE 14, JAN 27)
A former skipper of the Black Stars, Abedi Ayew Pele, last Sunday introduced some business partners from Switzerland and Morocco to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, with the assurance that the businessmen were in the country to invest in some viable ventures in the Ashanti Region and other parts of the country.
The former skipper did not elaborate on the investments he and his partners were to engage in, but he was hopeful that they would create employment for the youth to enable them to contribute more meaningfully to socio-economic development.
His visit to the Manhyia Palace coincided with the celebration of the first Akwasidae festival in 2009.
Moments after he had introduced the business partners, including a lady, to the Asantehene, Abedi told Otumfuo Osei Tutu of his “desire to collaborate with the business partners who were from Switzerland and Morocco to invest in viable ventures that would create more jobs for the youth".
He explained that it was only by investing in ventures that would create and expand job opportunities for the youth, as well as build their capacities, that the country's dream of attaining a middle-income status would be fulfilled.
He commended Otumfuo Osei Tutu, the divisional and paramount chiefs of the region for sustaining their rich culture and traditional values, stressing that the customs and traditional values preserved for the present and future generations were not only impacting positively on the lives of the youth but also contributing immensely towards the effective development of the tourism industry.
Abedi advised the business partners to learn more about the rich culture of the country to enable them to appreciate the lifestyles of the citizenry and help to market the culture of Ghana in their respective countries.
Also, in the palace to pay homage to Otumfuo Osei Tutu during the celebration of the maiden Akwasidae festival was the Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu,
After the traditional exchange of pleasantries, Mr Osei-Owusu said he was now in a sensitive position to serve the nation and, therefore, needed the prayers and support of Asanteman to enable him to be successful in his venture.
Among the chiefs who celebrated the festival with Otumfuo Osei Tutu were the Asokore Mamponghene, Nana Boakye Ansah Debrah; the Bantamahene, Nana Asare Owusu Amankwatia V; the Adontenhene, Nana Adu Gyamfi; the Tafohene, Nana Agyen Frimpong; the Boayemhene, Nana Okomafo Dwamena Akenten, and the Mawerehene, Baffour Osei Hyiaman.
Also, at the Manhyia Palace to celebrate the festival were the various chiefs from the Zongo community in the Kumasi metropolis.
The former skipper did not elaborate on the investments he and his partners were to engage in, but he was hopeful that they would create employment for the youth to enable them to contribute more meaningfully to socio-economic development.
His visit to the Manhyia Palace coincided with the celebration of the first Akwasidae festival in 2009.
Moments after he had introduced the business partners, including a lady, to the Asantehene, Abedi told Otumfuo Osei Tutu of his “desire to collaborate with the business partners who were from Switzerland and Morocco to invest in viable ventures that would create more jobs for the youth".
He explained that it was only by investing in ventures that would create and expand job opportunities for the youth, as well as build their capacities, that the country's dream of attaining a middle-income status would be fulfilled.
He commended Otumfuo Osei Tutu, the divisional and paramount chiefs of the region for sustaining their rich culture and traditional values, stressing that the customs and traditional values preserved for the present and future generations were not only impacting positively on the lives of the youth but also contributing immensely towards the effective development of the tourism industry.
Abedi advised the business partners to learn more about the rich culture of the country to enable them to appreciate the lifestyles of the citizenry and help to market the culture of Ghana in their respective countries.
Also, in the palace to pay homage to Otumfuo Osei Tutu during the celebration of the maiden Akwasidae festival was the Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu,
After the traditional exchange of pleasantries, Mr Osei-Owusu said he was now in a sensitive position to serve the nation and, therefore, needed the prayers and support of Asanteman to enable him to be successful in his venture.
Among the chiefs who celebrated the festival with Otumfuo Osei Tutu were the Asokore Mamponghene, Nana Boakye Ansah Debrah; the Bantamahene, Nana Asare Owusu Amankwatia V; the Adontenhene, Nana Adu Gyamfi; the Tafohene, Nana Agyen Frimpong; the Boayemhene, Nana Okomafo Dwamena Akenten, and the Mawerehene, Baffour Osei Hyiaman.
Also, at the Manhyia Palace to celebrate the festival were the various chiefs from the Zongo community in the Kumasi metropolis.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
SCIENCE CENTRES TO BE RE-EQUIPPED (BACK PAGE, JAN 21)
A contract to revamp all Science Resource Centres in second cycle institutions in the country has been awarded to Douglas Arthur Limited, the local representative of Philip Harris International.
Under the deal, the laboratories of all public second cycle institutions are to be re-equipped with modern computers and accessories to make them more operational and effective in the teaching and learning of science.
Under the contract, new Science Resource Centres are to be established at the University of Winneba and University of Cape Coast to train teachers in medern techniques in the teaching of science before they enter the teaching field.
This, according to the GES, is to motivate students interested in science to concentrate on the study of the subject to build their capacity in a more efficient and effective way towards sustainable socio-economic development of the country in future.
In 2001, Douglas Arthur Limited was mandated to undertake maintenance work on the resource centres, but stopped midway after covering only 12 centres due to inadequate funding.
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, made the announcement in an address read on his behalf by Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyina, the Ashanti Regional Director of the GES, during the opening ceremony of a three-week workshop for Science Teachers in the Northern Sector.
He pointed out that revamping the centres in second cycle institutions was important because it would have positive impact on both the teaching and learning of science.
Explaining, he said obsolete science equipment "and defective teaching and learning of science in senior high schools across the country "was a challenge to the GES, which needed urgent attention.
He said enough funding had now been secured since September last year to undertake the maintenance, refurbishment and the replacement of computers and accessories, as well as science equipment
About 250 science teachers from the Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions are taking part in the workshop, which is intended to make them more efficient in the teaching of science in their various institutions.
Under the deal, the laboratories of all public second cycle institutions are to be re-equipped with modern computers and accessories to make them more operational and effective in the teaching and learning of science.
Under the contract, new Science Resource Centres are to be established at the University of Winneba and University of Cape Coast to train teachers in medern techniques in the teaching of science before they enter the teaching field.
This, according to the GES, is to motivate students interested in science to concentrate on the study of the subject to build their capacity in a more efficient and effective way towards sustainable socio-economic development of the country in future.
In 2001, Douglas Arthur Limited was mandated to undertake maintenance work on the resource centres, but stopped midway after covering only 12 centres due to inadequate funding.
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, made the announcement in an address read on his behalf by Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyina, the Ashanti Regional Director of the GES, during the opening ceremony of a three-week workshop for Science Teachers in the Northern Sector.
He pointed out that revamping the centres in second cycle institutions was important because it would have positive impact on both the teaching and learning of science.
Explaining, he said obsolete science equipment "and defective teaching and learning of science in senior high schools across the country "was a challenge to the GES, which needed urgent attention.
He said enough funding had now been secured since September last year to undertake the maintenance, refurbishment and the replacement of computers and accessories, as well as science equipment
About 250 science teachers from the Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions are taking part in the workshop, which is intended to make them more efficient in the teaching of science in their various institutions.
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