GRAPHIC NSEMPA MARKS ANNIVERSARY WITH FLOAT (PAGE 31)

STORY: Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Berekum

THE Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) has launched the first anniversary of its community newspaper, Graphic
Nsempa.
The paper, which is circulated in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions, was first published in April last year.
The one-week celebration started with a float in Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region which attracted all manner of people.
The theme for the celebration is, “Facilitating National Development Agenda Through Community Newspapers”.
Leading the float was the General Manager (GM) in charge of Newspapers of the GCGL, Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, accompanied by the GM, Marketing and Public Affairs, Mr Kwasi Owusu Asare; Messrs Albert Sam, the Public Affairs Manager; Hope Adusu, the Manager in charge of Research; the Zonal Manager for the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions, Alhaji Hashim Amissah, the Brong Ahafo Regional Manager, Mr Charles Bampoe, as well as other members of staff of the company.
From Berekum, the float continued to the Sunyani municipality, travelling through the central business district of Sunyani and other principal streets, during which copies of Graphic Nsempa were distributed to the public.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh indicated that it was the intention of the company to alert the public to the existence of the paper.
The Public Affairs Manager explained that the anniversary was primarily to evaluate the performance of the newspaper as a pilot in the two regions for the past year in order to chart a new way forward.
He also pointed out that as a community-based newspaper, it was intended to attract advertisements from the district and municipal assemblies and also serve as an avenue for them to outline their development programmes.
Mr Sam further explained that the company had divided the country into zones, comprising Ashanti/Brong Ahafo, the North (Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions,) Eastern and Volta, as well as Western and Central, and that based on the performance of the paper in the pilot Ashanti and Brong Ahafo zone, it would be replicated in the other zones.
 A similar float is expected to be organised in the Kumasi metropolis and other parts of the Ashanti Region.