Story: George Ernest Asare
THE Assembly Member for Atwima Koforidua Electoral Area in the Ashanti Region, Mr Stephen Amankwa, has commended the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atwima, Mr Thomas Ofori Donkoh, for his prompt response to the sanitation problems that confronted Atwima Koforidua in recent times.
He said an appeal to the DCE to evacuate refuse that had piled up over the years in the central part of Atwima Koforidua yielded positive response as the DCE mobilised the requisite equipment and funds to evacuate the mountain of refuse without any cost to the community.
He said the gesture by Mr Ofori Donkoh went a long way to create a hygienic atmosphere in the community and reduce the spread of communicable diseases that threatened the residents.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic to express his profound appreciation to the DCE, Mr Amankwa pointed out that the refuse started piling up in the Atwima Koforidua community years back before he was elected as Assembly member a few years ago.
He explained that the dump, which was located close to residential areas, created health hazards for the residents because contaminated liquid materials from the dump flowed to nearby houses.
He said because of its neglect for a long time, multitudes of houseflies that settled on the contaminated materials at the dump easily flew to houses in the community and settled on food items, creating health problems for the residents.
Mr Amankwa said as a result of residents setting fire to the dump in the dry season, smoke also puffed out of the refuse to houses far and near, creating intense irritation to the eyes of residents and making breathing very difficult all day long, especially in the night.
According to the Assembly member, the stench from the dump also polluted the otherwise healthy atmosphere, creating serious health problems for residents and eventually undermining productivity.
He said it was the health hazards the refuse dump was creating that made him to approach the Atwima District Assembly to evacuate it, thereby controlling the spread of communicable diseases to enhance productivity.
He said with the sanitation problem now addressed through the support of the District Assembly, the community was focusing on educational development to build the capacity of the youth to enhance their market value.
He said their focus was on Information Communication Technology (ICT) and would therefore build a computer centre at the Atwima Koforidua Junior High School to enhance the training of the students in that area.
Mr Amankwa said already, a patriotic citizen from Atwima Koforidua, one Mr Asante, had donated three computers and accessories to the school and efforts were being made to solicit support from well endowed residents to donate more computers and accessories to enable them to begin the programme.
He therefore called on all residents of Atwima Koforidua at home and abroad to support the initiative and make the ICT programme a reality.
Mr Amankwa also expressed concern about the lack of accommodation for teachers at the Junior High School and said that undermined effective teaching and learning. He said efforts would therefore be made to construct bungalows for teachers to ease their accommodation problems to enable them to offer their best for the students to raise the standard of education in the community.
This, he said, would enable the students to develop their potential to the fullest to enable them to contribute more meaningfully to the socio-economic development of the country in the near future.
He therefore appealed to institutions, organisations, individuals and residents of the community to contribute generously to the project as soon it began.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
37 NEW YEAR BABES BORN AT KATH...... (Page 290
Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
A total of 37 babies were delivered at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in the Kumasi metropolis during the new year.
Fifteen of them were males and 22 females. They were all born on the New Year day.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr Kwame Frimpong, all the babies were very healthy at the time of delivery.
He said the first baby was a boy and was delivered at exactly 12:10a.m. by one Ms Linda Debra, who resided at Atonsu S- Line, a suburb of Kumasi.
Mr Frimpong told the Daily Graphic that while 25 of the babies were born through spontaneous vagina deliveries (SVDs), 12 were through Caesarian sections and that the babies and their mothers were very healthy.
He said on Christmas day, December 25, 2007, a total of 42 deliveries were also recorded at the hospital.
Mr Frimpong said two of the deliveries on Christmas day were a set of twins. The first set of twins, who were a baby boy and girl, were delivered by one Ms Nages Ibrahim, who was 28 years old, and lived at Asokore Mampong in Kumasi.
He said another set of twins who were all males were delivered later in the day by Ms Ajala Adama, 22, who resided at Bomso, also in Kumasi.
He said 25 years old Hagar Owusu was delivered of the first baby on December 25, 2007 at exactly 12;05a.m.
A total of 37 babies were delivered at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in the Kumasi metropolis during the new year.
Fifteen of them were males and 22 females. They were all born on the New Year day.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr Kwame Frimpong, all the babies were very healthy at the time of delivery.
He said the first baby was a boy and was delivered at exactly 12:10a.m. by one Ms Linda Debra, who resided at Atonsu S- Line, a suburb of Kumasi.
Mr Frimpong told the Daily Graphic that while 25 of the babies were born through spontaneous vagina deliveries (SVDs), 12 were through Caesarian sections and that the babies and their mothers were very healthy.
He said on Christmas day, December 25, 2007, a total of 42 deliveries were also recorded at the hospital.
Mr Frimpong said two of the deliveries on Christmas day were a set of twins. The first set of twins, who were a baby boy and girl, were delivered by one Ms Nages Ibrahim, who was 28 years old, and lived at Asokore Mampong in Kumasi.
He said another set of twins who were all males were delivered later in the day by Ms Ajala Adama, 22, who resided at Bomso, also in Kumasi.
He said 25 years old Hagar Owusu was delivered of the first baby on December 25, 2007 at exactly 12;05a.m.
KATH TO BE MEDICAL TOURISM CENTRE ...(Page 29)
Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
Authorities of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have set 2013 as the period to achieve KATH’s set target of becoming a medical tourist centre which offers quality and affordable health care to patients in the country, the sub-region and other parts of the world.
According to the Chief Executive of the KATH, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, the medical tourist centre, when established, would be a conducive place for patients from every corner of the world to converge and access excellent health care delivery services.
That, he said, would enable the country to generate sufficient foreign exchange for sustainable socio-economic development to raise the living standards of Ghanaians.
Speaking to journalists in Kumasi on Monday as part of his end-of-year annual encounter with the media, Dr Nsiah Asare said the KATH was on course in its efforts to achieve a centre of excellence of international repute.
The annual media interaction has been instituted by the authorities of KATH to offer a platform for journalists in Kumasi for them to have fruitful discussions on the challenges facing the hospital and the way forward.
Dr Nsiah Asare said the initiative to position KATH as a centre of excellence of international repute was mooted about four years ago and it was 95 per cent complete.
He said projects such as the Accident Emergency Unit and the modern mortuary would be inaugurated by the end of April.
He said while the Accident Emergency Unit would offer quality service to accident victims in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs, the mortuary would be able to preserve bodies very well.
Dr Asare said already the Oncology Department, which was designed to offer quality health care service to cancer patients and the Physiotherapy Department, which rehabilitates patients, are already providing excellent services.
The chief executive said the KATH authorities were poised to address all the challenges facing the tertiary hospital to enable it become attractive and unique to patients in terms of quality health care delivery.
He also said the maternity and children’s blocks, which were currently under construction, were the other projects which would enhance the operations of the hospital when they were completed, to reduce the congestion at those two sections.
He commended the government for the financial support it had provided the hospital over the years which he said had made it possible for the hospital to be in the present condition.
Dr Asare also commended the media for their collaboration and urged them to sustain the relationship to enable the hospital realise its dreams.
The Regional Editor of the Ghana News Agency, Mrs Elizabeth Kankam Boadu, commended the authorities for the achievements chalked up by the hospital so far, but urged them to supervise some of their medical staff very well to enhance quality health care delivery.
She said while some of the medical officers and nurses treated patients with compassion, and helped them to recover speedily, the attitude of others left much to be desired.
Such negative attitude, Mrs Boadu said, sometimes compounded the problems of patients and sent them to their graves prematurely.
She said it would be worthwhile if KATH authorities organised regular workshops for the nurses, especially on how to cater adequately for patients in order to improve the relationship between patients and the medical staff.
Authorities of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have set 2013 as the period to achieve KATH’s set target of becoming a medical tourist centre which offers quality and affordable health care to patients in the country, the sub-region and other parts of the world.
According to the Chief Executive of the KATH, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, the medical tourist centre, when established, would be a conducive place for patients from every corner of the world to converge and access excellent health care delivery services.
That, he said, would enable the country to generate sufficient foreign exchange for sustainable socio-economic development to raise the living standards of Ghanaians.
Speaking to journalists in Kumasi on Monday as part of his end-of-year annual encounter with the media, Dr Nsiah Asare said the KATH was on course in its efforts to achieve a centre of excellence of international repute.
The annual media interaction has been instituted by the authorities of KATH to offer a platform for journalists in Kumasi for them to have fruitful discussions on the challenges facing the hospital and the way forward.
Dr Nsiah Asare said the initiative to position KATH as a centre of excellence of international repute was mooted about four years ago and it was 95 per cent complete.
He said projects such as the Accident Emergency Unit and the modern mortuary would be inaugurated by the end of April.
He said while the Accident Emergency Unit would offer quality service to accident victims in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs, the mortuary would be able to preserve bodies very well.
Dr Asare said already the Oncology Department, which was designed to offer quality health care service to cancer patients and the Physiotherapy Department, which rehabilitates patients, are already providing excellent services.
The chief executive said the KATH authorities were poised to address all the challenges facing the tertiary hospital to enable it become attractive and unique to patients in terms of quality health care delivery.
He also said the maternity and children’s blocks, which were currently under construction, were the other projects which would enhance the operations of the hospital when they were completed, to reduce the congestion at those two sections.
He commended the government for the financial support it had provided the hospital over the years which he said had made it possible for the hospital to be in the present condition.
Dr Asare also commended the media for their collaboration and urged them to sustain the relationship to enable the hospital realise its dreams.
The Regional Editor of the Ghana News Agency, Mrs Elizabeth Kankam Boadu, commended the authorities for the achievements chalked up by the hospital so far, but urged them to supervise some of their medical staff very well to enhance quality health care delivery.
She said while some of the medical officers and nurses treated patients with compassion, and helped them to recover speedily, the attitude of others left much to be desired.
Such negative attitude, Mrs Boadu said, sometimes compounded the problems of patients and sent them to their graves prematurely.
She said it would be worthwhile if KATH authorities organised regular workshops for the nurses, especially on how to cater adequately for patients in order to improve the relationship between patients and the medical staff.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
ACTIVITIES OF GALAMSEY OPERATORS TO AFFECT MINE ...(Page 22)
Story: George Ernest Asare, Obuasi
THE Manager for Planning and Development of AngloGold Ashanti, Mr Bashiru Ahmed, has cautioned that the activities of illegal miners in the concessions of the company may lead to the collapse of the mine.
He said the rate at which the illegal miners had intensified their operations, especially the blasting of the strategic rocks underground as well as the stealing of cables and other facilities would greatly affect the company and also undermine the sustainable growth of the national economy.
Mr Ahmed was speaking to the Daily Graphic to outline the recent blasting of the Adansi Shaft of the mines by a section of illegal miners and its effect on their operations and future expansions.
He said “the year 2007 would go down in history as the period where illegal gold miners nearly succeeded in wresting the concession of AngloGold Ashanti from the hands of management to enable them assume full control of the mines without any obligations to the state and the communities in our catchment area”.
“ It is very unfortunate that the galamseyers have now taken their operations in deep mines, and at areas that are very strategic to us”, he bemoaned adding, “ the blasting of the Adansi Shaft a few months ago is very dangerous because the rocks which could be described as the soul of the mines form pillars that hold the underground mining together, and any attempt to blast it would cause the mines to collapse” .
He said the need to protect the Adansi Shaft was very important and key to sustainable operations of underground mining.
He said efforts to control the illegal miners at the Adansi Shaft and other strategic areas had proved futile because unlike their workers who are not armed, the galamseyers are always fully armed.
He said apart from the Adansi Shaft, the galamseyers had also taken their operations to the Kodo area of the upper mines reserved for future operations and Sanso where they are blasting concrete walls protecting any form of flooding to the mines and communities in their catchment area.
He said the continuous operations of the galamseyers in those areas could break the concrete walls and “ in case of any heavy rainfall it could lead to heavy flooding to destroy lives and property”.
Barely two months ago, six illegal gold miners, trapped in the deep at the Obuasi mine of AngloGold Ashanti, made a dramatic escape after launching an attack on security personnel who had gone down to effect their arrest.
The six galamsey operators, trapped 2300 feet underground at the Adansi Shaft and armed with explosives, knives, machetes and other dangerous weapons, attacked the security men on guard in the underground mines and succeeded in escaping through some of the channels.
This came barely a week after the illegal miners battled security men at Obuasi and escaped from the deep mines where they were trapped for some days.
Prior to their escape, the galamseyers had pelted security men, officials of AngloGold and media men who had gone underground to investigate with stones.
Apart from the numerous cable theft carried out by the galamseyers at the concession areas that undermined the operations of the company, the galamseyers also carried their operation deep down into the underground area to below 2300 feet, and succeeded in blasting some of the pillars at the Adansi Shaft regarded as the soul of the mines .
According to the miners, the pillars blasted by the galamseyers at the Adansi Shaft is very rich in gold ore, but had been left untouched because any attempt to blast it would lead to the collapse of the underground mines.
Less than two weeks after the blast of the Adansi Shaft, other galamseyers armed with explosives and assorted weapons were more ferocious and deadly when they again attacked the stock-pad area of AngloGold Ashanti.
Armed with locally manufactured pistols, machetes, clubs and assorted hammers, about 100 of them who had laid ambush at the site, struck with precision at the stock-pad area where rocks rich in gold ore are dumped and subjected 12 Ghanatta Private Security men guarding the ore to severe beatings before carrying tonnes of the ore away in sacks.
They left in their trail six of the private security men severely injured with two of them in very critical condition.
Apart from attacking the security men and carrying away their booty on Friday, November 23, 2007, some of the galamseyers also damaged one of the transmitters that supplied power to the southern section of AngloGold Obuasi when they attempted to cut away cables that supplied power to the area which affected power supply at sections of the mines thus undermining productivity.
These and many other criminal activities are some of the havoc being meted out to the management and staff of AngloGold Obuasi in the name of galamsey while the major stakeholders look on unconcerned.
While some of the galamseyers die from rocks that fall on them in the course of their operations, others are maimed for life but in the end it is their sponsors who get the lions share of their booty and squander them without any form of taxes to the state to sustain the socio-economic development.
Mr Bashiru said apart from the numerous projects AngloGold had splashed out to the communities such as the provision of schools, hospitals, roads and bridges, potable water and power supply, it had also implemented a malaria control programme and solid waste management to prevent the spread of malaria and create hygienic environment that enhances the health status of residents of the Obuasi Municipality and its environs.
He said last year alone the company spent as much as $1,501,966 on projects to improve education, sanitation, community development projects as well as malaria control and art culture and heritage.
Mr Bashiru said it was time the government machinery intervened to remove illegal miners from the mine to prevent them from the deliberate destruction of company property.
The Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti, Mr John Miller, also expressed concern about the rampant destruction of the company’s facilities by the galamseyers over the years and said apart from the huge cost of repairing the facilities, it also made it difficult for the company to sustain the development projects in the communities.
“ It takes us a lot of money to put back the facilities to enable us resume operation, and this should raise concern among all stakeholders,” he noted.
THE Manager for Planning and Development of AngloGold Ashanti, Mr Bashiru Ahmed, has cautioned that the activities of illegal miners in the concessions of the company may lead to the collapse of the mine.
He said the rate at which the illegal miners had intensified their operations, especially the blasting of the strategic rocks underground as well as the stealing of cables and other facilities would greatly affect the company and also undermine the sustainable growth of the national economy.
Mr Ahmed was speaking to the Daily Graphic to outline the recent blasting of the Adansi Shaft of the mines by a section of illegal miners and its effect on their operations and future expansions.
He said “the year 2007 would go down in history as the period where illegal gold miners nearly succeeded in wresting the concession of AngloGold Ashanti from the hands of management to enable them assume full control of the mines without any obligations to the state and the communities in our catchment area”.
“ It is very unfortunate that the galamseyers have now taken their operations in deep mines, and at areas that are very strategic to us”, he bemoaned adding, “ the blasting of the Adansi Shaft a few months ago is very dangerous because the rocks which could be described as the soul of the mines form pillars that hold the underground mining together, and any attempt to blast it would cause the mines to collapse” .
He said the need to protect the Adansi Shaft was very important and key to sustainable operations of underground mining.
He said efforts to control the illegal miners at the Adansi Shaft and other strategic areas had proved futile because unlike their workers who are not armed, the galamseyers are always fully armed.
He said apart from the Adansi Shaft, the galamseyers had also taken their operations to the Kodo area of the upper mines reserved for future operations and Sanso where they are blasting concrete walls protecting any form of flooding to the mines and communities in their catchment area.
He said the continuous operations of the galamseyers in those areas could break the concrete walls and “ in case of any heavy rainfall it could lead to heavy flooding to destroy lives and property”.
Barely two months ago, six illegal gold miners, trapped in the deep at the Obuasi mine of AngloGold Ashanti, made a dramatic escape after launching an attack on security personnel who had gone down to effect their arrest.
The six galamsey operators, trapped 2300 feet underground at the Adansi Shaft and armed with explosives, knives, machetes and other dangerous weapons, attacked the security men on guard in the underground mines and succeeded in escaping through some of the channels.
This came barely a week after the illegal miners battled security men at Obuasi and escaped from the deep mines where they were trapped for some days.
Prior to their escape, the galamseyers had pelted security men, officials of AngloGold and media men who had gone underground to investigate with stones.
Apart from the numerous cable theft carried out by the galamseyers at the concession areas that undermined the operations of the company, the galamseyers also carried their operation deep down into the underground area to below 2300 feet, and succeeded in blasting some of the pillars at the Adansi Shaft regarded as the soul of the mines .
According to the miners, the pillars blasted by the galamseyers at the Adansi Shaft is very rich in gold ore, but had been left untouched because any attempt to blast it would lead to the collapse of the underground mines.
Less than two weeks after the blast of the Adansi Shaft, other galamseyers armed with explosives and assorted weapons were more ferocious and deadly when they again attacked the stock-pad area of AngloGold Ashanti.
Armed with locally manufactured pistols, machetes, clubs and assorted hammers, about 100 of them who had laid ambush at the site, struck with precision at the stock-pad area where rocks rich in gold ore are dumped and subjected 12 Ghanatta Private Security men guarding the ore to severe beatings before carrying tonnes of the ore away in sacks.
They left in their trail six of the private security men severely injured with two of them in very critical condition.
Apart from attacking the security men and carrying away their booty on Friday, November 23, 2007, some of the galamseyers also damaged one of the transmitters that supplied power to the southern section of AngloGold Obuasi when they attempted to cut away cables that supplied power to the area which affected power supply at sections of the mines thus undermining productivity.
These and many other criminal activities are some of the havoc being meted out to the management and staff of AngloGold Obuasi in the name of galamsey while the major stakeholders look on unconcerned.
While some of the galamseyers die from rocks that fall on them in the course of their operations, others are maimed for life but in the end it is their sponsors who get the lions share of their booty and squander them without any form of taxes to the state to sustain the socio-economic development.
Mr Bashiru said apart from the numerous projects AngloGold had splashed out to the communities such as the provision of schools, hospitals, roads and bridges, potable water and power supply, it had also implemented a malaria control programme and solid waste management to prevent the spread of malaria and create hygienic environment that enhances the health status of residents of the Obuasi Municipality and its environs.
He said last year alone the company spent as much as $1,501,966 on projects to improve education, sanitation, community development projects as well as malaria control and art culture and heritage.
Mr Bashiru said it was time the government machinery intervened to remove illegal miners from the mine to prevent them from the deliberate destruction of company property.
The Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti, Mr John Miller, also expressed concern about the rampant destruction of the company’s facilities by the galamseyers over the years and said apart from the huge cost of repairing the facilities, it also made it difficult for the company to sustain the development projects in the communities.
“ It takes us a lot of money to put back the facilities to enable us resume operation, and this should raise concern among all stakeholders,” he noted.
Friday, January 4, 2008
KATH TO CORRECT CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS (Page 28)
Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
A surgical team from the International Volunteers in Urology (IVU) of the United States of America (USA) will arrive in Kumasi on January 11, 2008 to join their counterparts from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to provide free surgery for children suffering from abnormal genital organs and other congenital malformations in their genitourinary tracts.
During the one-week programme, surgical operations would be performed to correct abnormalities in children who are born with both sex organs (hermaphrodites) and others with genital malformations, including penile hypospadia, hypertropy of the clitoris, bladder extrophy and epispadia.
About 40 children with such abnormalities would benefit from the programme and pay a token fee for the test that would be conducted. Those who have registered under the National Health Insurance will not pay anything.
A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the KATH, Mr Kwame Frimpong and made available to the Daily Graphic indicated that Dr Ken Aboah, who is in charge of the Urology Unit of the Surgery Directorate of the KATH would be in charge of the KATH team that would partner their USA counterparts for the free surgical operations.
The statement said that a screening exercise to select beneficiaries for the surgery would be held at the Radium Centre of the hospital’s Oncology Directorate from Monday, January 7, 2008 to Saturday January 12, 2008 at 8:30 am each day.
According to the statement, it was important for parents whose children had malformed sex organs “to take advantage of the free reconstructive surgeries to bring them to the KATH for screening”.
Hospitals and midwifery homes that had also come across such babies should refer them for the screening”.
“The KATH’s collaboration with the IVU is to make the otherwise expensive inter-sex and genital abnormality reconstructive surgeries accessible to needy children in the country,” the statement added.
It stressed that “normally, one genitourinary tract reconstructive surgery could cost over GH¢1,000 in the country, an amount most parents cannot afford but with our collaboration with such partners as the IVU, such surgeries could be provided for just a token fee”.
A surgical team from the International Volunteers in Urology (IVU) of the United States of America (USA) will arrive in Kumasi on January 11, 2008 to join their counterparts from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to provide free surgery for children suffering from abnormal genital organs and other congenital malformations in their genitourinary tracts.
During the one-week programme, surgical operations would be performed to correct abnormalities in children who are born with both sex organs (hermaphrodites) and others with genital malformations, including penile hypospadia, hypertropy of the clitoris, bladder extrophy and epispadia.
About 40 children with such abnormalities would benefit from the programme and pay a token fee for the test that would be conducted. Those who have registered under the National Health Insurance will not pay anything.
A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the KATH, Mr Kwame Frimpong and made available to the Daily Graphic indicated that Dr Ken Aboah, who is in charge of the Urology Unit of the Surgery Directorate of the KATH would be in charge of the KATH team that would partner their USA counterparts for the free surgical operations.
The statement said that a screening exercise to select beneficiaries for the surgery would be held at the Radium Centre of the hospital’s Oncology Directorate from Monday, January 7, 2008 to Saturday January 12, 2008 at 8:30 am each day.
According to the statement, it was important for parents whose children had malformed sex organs “to take advantage of the free reconstructive surgeries to bring them to the KATH for screening”.
Hospitals and midwifery homes that had also come across such babies should refer them for the screening”.
“The KATH’s collaboration with the IVU is to make the otherwise expensive inter-sex and genital abnormality reconstructive surgeries accessible to needy children in the country,” the statement added.
It stressed that “normally, one genitourinary tract reconstructive surgery could cost over GH¢1,000 in the country, an amount most parents cannot afford but with our collaboration with such partners as the IVU, such surgeries could be provided for just a token fee”.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
ARSENAL SHOCK KESSBEN (Back Page)
Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
Berekum Arsenals descended on the Abrankese Sports Stadium to ditch home team Kessben FC by a lone goal in their premier league encounter yesterday.
The lone goal, scored by Prince Atakora Gyima in the 19th minute, was from a counter attack seconds after Kessben had failed to open the scores in one of their numerous attacks.
Berekum Arsenals descended on the Abrankese Sports Stadium to ditch home team Kessben FC by a lone goal in their premier league encounter yesterday.
The lone goal, scored by Prince Atakora Gyima in the 19th minute, was from a counter attack seconds after Kessben had failed to open the scores in one of their numerous attacks.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
RURAL BANK'S SPONSORED PROJECT INAUGURATED AT AHODWO ROUNDABOUT (Page 29)
Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
The Atwima Kwanwoma Rural Bank (AKRB) in collaboration with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has inaugurated the Ahodwo Roundabout project as their contribution to the beautification of the Kumasi metropolis.
The roundabout which has a huge horse in its middle signifies war, journey, defence, swiftness and pace setting.
It was sponsored by the bank at a cost of GH¢31,700 (¢317 million) as part of its social responsibility.
Explaining why the bank selected a horse as the symbol at the Ahodwo Roundabout during the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of the AKRB, Mr Godfried Odame Asare, said their choice was based on the fact that the horse as an animal had unique characteristics which were all very helpful to the development of mankind.
He said like the horse, the AKRB had been waging war against diseases since its establishment in 1983, and that explained why over the years, it had made various contributions in the form of cash donations, hospital equipment, furniture, electronic appliances and building materials, among others, to hospitals and communities. Some of them are the Dominase SDA Hospital, the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital , the Old Tafo Electoral Area and the Santasi Electoral Area.
He said the gesture was to ensure effective and efficient health care delivery at the hospitals and also improve sanitation in the communities to reduce the spread of communicable diseases.
Mr Odame Asare said just like the horse, the AKRB was also waging war against ignorance by not only sponsoring the education of brilliant needy students in its catchment area, but was in the process of building a model senior high school as a way of building the capacity of the youth to enable them to contribute more meaningfully towards sustainable and socio-economic development in future.
He said apart from spending as much as GH¢150,000 (¢1.5 billion) on the first phase of the project, the bank had also provided furniture, books and building materials to various schools in the catchment area to enhance teaching and learning .
He said the AKRB which had five branches at Santasi, Old Tafo, New Tafo, Ayigya and Atonsu was also helping to reduce poverty by providing soft loans to people who engaged in small scale businesses.
He said so far, as much as GH¢1,603 (¢16.03 billion) had been advanced as loans to 1,111 clients.
He said the AKRB continued to set the pace in terms of growth, and was now considered to be the leading rural bank in the country, stressing that “ out of the 100 best companies in Ghana, our bank placed 10th in the Ghana Club 100 rankings and in the banking category we also placed first, putting behind all the major banks”.
He said in the Rural Banking category, the AKRB again placed first among the 124 rural banks in the country, which indicated that the bank was setting the pace for others to follow.
The Atwima Kwanwoma Rural Bank (AKRB) in collaboration with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has inaugurated the Ahodwo Roundabout project as their contribution to the beautification of the Kumasi metropolis.
The roundabout which has a huge horse in its middle signifies war, journey, defence, swiftness and pace setting.
It was sponsored by the bank at a cost of GH¢31,700 (¢317 million) as part of its social responsibility.
Explaining why the bank selected a horse as the symbol at the Ahodwo Roundabout during the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of the AKRB, Mr Godfried Odame Asare, said their choice was based on the fact that the horse as an animal had unique characteristics which were all very helpful to the development of mankind.
He said like the horse, the AKRB had been waging war against diseases since its establishment in 1983, and that explained why over the years, it had made various contributions in the form of cash donations, hospital equipment, furniture, electronic appliances and building materials, among others, to hospitals and communities. Some of them are the Dominase SDA Hospital, the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital , the Old Tafo Electoral Area and the Santasi Electoral Area.
He said the gesture was to ensure effective and efficient health care delivery at the hospitals and also improve sanitation in the communities to reduce the spread of communicable diseases.
Mr Odame Asare said just like the horse, the AKRB was also waging war against ignorance by not only sponsoring the education of brilliant needy students in its catchment area, but was in the process of building a model senior high school as a way of building the capacity of the youth to enable them to contribute more meaningfully towards sustainable and socio-economic development in future.
He said apart from spending as much as GH¢150,000 (¢1.5 billion) on the first phase of the project, the bank had also provided furniture, books and building materials to various schools in the catchment area to enhance teaching and learning .
He said the AKRB which had five branches at Santasi, Old Tafo, New Tafo, Ayigya and Atonsu was also helping to reduce poverty by providing soft loans to people who engaged in small scale businesses.
He said so far, as much as GH¢1,603 (¢16.03 billion) had been advanced as loans to 1,111 clients.
He said the AKRB continued to set the pace in terms of growth, and was now considered to be the leading rural bank in the country, stressing that “ out of the 100 best companies in Ghana, our bank placed 10th in the Ghana Club 100 rankings and in the banking category we also placed first, putting behind all the major banks”.
He said in the Rural Banking category, the AKRB again placed first among the 124 rural banks in the country, which indicated that the bank was setting the pace for others to follow.
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