The University of Cape Coast (UCC) in collaboration with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) and Guttmacher Institute of New York in the United States of America (USA) has completed a research on “Protecting the Next Generation in Ghana: New Evidence on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs’’
The research, which started in 2002, primarily sought to obtain information about young people for policy makers, planning and programming in the country, and also shed light on the many sexual and reproductive health care needs among adolescents.
Professor Kofi Awusabo-Asare, a lecturer at the Geography and Tourism Department of the UCC, presented a report on the research at a workshop at the Sunyani Polytechnic in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He said the government was making efforts to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents, and that included the 2000 Adolescent Reproductive Health Policy and the 2001 National HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections.
The workshop was attended by 40 participants, made up of teachers from junior and senior high schools, lecturers from the Sunyani Polytechnic as well as officers from the Sunyani Municipal Education Office.
According to the report, since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, many countries and organisations had attempted to improve the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents as part of a strategy to improve the quality of overall health and to facilitate socio-economic development.
It pointed out that addressing the sexual and reproductive healthcare needs of adolescents could empower young people to make informed decisions about their sexual behaviour and in turn help them to become healthy adults.
The report indicated that survey and demographic findings revealed some of the challenges that Ghana faced in addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of its young people, adding that adolescents between 10 and 19 years accounted for more than one fifth of Ghana’s population.
According to the report, slightly more than half of adolescents also aged between 12 and 19 lived in the rural areas and had attended secondary school.
The report, among other interventions, recommended that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education programmes should include up-to-date information about puberty, abstinence, pregnancy, contraception and the range of sexually transmitted infections, adding that abstinence and the delay of sexual debut could reduce the likelihood of sexual risk-taking that might lead to poor reproductive health outcomes.
However, it said, adolescents needed to be prepared for when they began having sex, and ensure that they had access to comprehensive and accurate information about sexual and reproductive health issues, and how they could increase their knowledge and counter misconceptions, thus equipping them to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
The report further indicated that because the prevalence of sexual activity increased dramatically after 14 years, especially for females, it was important that young adolescents be included in sexual and reproductive health programmes.
It explained that school-based family life education offered a prime opportunity to target the majority of young adolescents because so many attended school, and again recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) should ensure that family life education was available to all students at the upper primary level and above.
Additionally, it recommended that, the GES, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community leaders and other stakeholders involved in developing and implementing community-based programmes should incorporate skills training into their efforts.
The report still urged the GES to review and update the curricula in colleges that train family life education teachers and also train more teachers to handle family life education classes at the basic level as well as intensify its in-service training for teachers already in the field.
It further recommended that the GES should expand its collaboration with the Ghana Health Service so as to increase the effectiveness of the school health education programme.
Monday, June 30, 2008
EARLY WARNING SYSTEM NECESSARY TO AVOID CONFLICT — PREZ (PAGE 55)
THE President, Mr J.A. Kufuor, has urged metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) to be vigilant and look out for early warnings on trouble spots in their respective areas, particularly as the December national elections approaches.
He also advised them to be cautious in the application of resources, dissemination of information, management of infrastructure development, promotion of service delivery and also ensure peace and security in their localities.
‘‘While chief executives must keep themselves informed and maintain an open mind, timely action is essential and, therefore, I expect you to take warning signals seriously. This will require you to exercise good judgement in order to identify what are real and what are false alarms,’’ President Kufuor said.
The President gave the advice in an address read on his behalf by the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment at the mid-year review meeting of MMDCEs of the northern sector in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region at the weekend.
The two-day meeting, which was also attended by other stakeholders in local governance, was on the theme, ‘‘Accelerating Local Development through Performance Assessment, Partnerships and Productivity’’.
The President noted that besides conflicts, one other problem the chief executives needed to work on seriously was waste collection in their localities, especially in the cities, adding that they should carefully consider instructions from the sector minister.
President Kufuor also charged the chief executives to maintain a good relationship with all key players in their respective jurisdictions, including Members of Parliament, and always show courtesy, decorum, effective communication and a willingness to work with them for the good of the area.
‘‘I believe that a demonstration of goodwill indicates one’s good intentions and a first step in ensuring collaboration,’’ he added.
He said it was also important that the assemblies recognised that they could not achieve development on their own and that in the interest of optimal use of financial, human, information and other resources, they should recognise and engage potential partners from the private, public and non-governmental sectors.
President Kufuor noted that over the past eight years the government had provided an enabling environment in which the citizens, as stakeholders, the media and other civil society organisations were increasingly taking their rightful role in governance, stressing that the assemblies, therefore, had a more discerning audience which demanded that they should be more informed and exacting.
“The challenge is to ensure that they live up to expectation by delivering their functions and meeting their targets in a timely, equitable and adequate manner. Therefore, efficiency, as well as effectiveness, should be the hallmark of the assemblies,” he emphasised.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government, Alhaji Awudu Yeremiah, who read the sector minister’s speech, said as leaders of the local government system, the chief executives were the focus for development initiatives in their respective areas.
He noted that “to succeed, you should exhibit effectiveness and efficiency in your work through the promotion of participation, accountability, openness, transparency, inclusiveness and proper delivery of services and always remember the logo of the Local Government Service, which is Decentralisation, Democracy and Development, and try to be practical ambassadors of this logo”.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, in a welcoming address, said it was incumbent on the chief executives to explore more effective participatory methods and strategies to promote institutional links with some development partners such as churches, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and associations within civil society which continued to provide support to meet the needs of society.
He also advised them to be cautious in the application of resources, dissemination of information, management of infrastructure development, promotion of service delivery and also ensure peace and security in their localities.
‘‘While chief executives must keep themselves informed and maintain an open mind, timely action is essential and, therefore, I expect you to take warning signals seriously. This will require you to exercise good judgement in order to identify what are real and what are false alarms,’’ President Kufuor said.
The President gave the advice in an address read on his behalf by the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment at the mid-year review meeting of MMDCEs of the northern sector in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region at the weekend.
The two-day meeting, which was also attended by other stakeholders in local governance, was on the theme, ‘‘Accelerating Local Development through Performance Assessment, Partnerships and Productivity’’.
The President noted that besides conflicts, one other problem the chief executives needed to work on seriously was waste collection in their localities, especially in the cities, adding that they should carefully consider instructions from the sector minister.
President Kufuor also charged the chief executives to maintain a good relationship with all key players in their respective jurisdictions, including Members of Parliament, and always show courtesy, decorum, effective communication and a willingness to work with them for the good of the area.
‘‘I believe that a demonstration of goodwill indicates one’s good intentions and a first step in ensuring collaboration,’’ he added.
He said it was also important that the assemblies recognised that they could not achieve development on their own and that in the interest of optimal use of financial, human, information and other resources, they should recognise and engage potential partners from the private, public and non-governmental sectors.
President Kufuor noted that over the past eight years the government had provided an enabling environment in which the citizens, as stakeholders, the media and other civil society organisations were increasingly taking their rightful role in governance, stressing that the assemblies, therefore, had a more discerning audience which demanded that they should be more informed and exacting.
“The challenge is to ensure that they live up to expectation by delivering their functions and meeting their targets in a timely, equitable and adequate manner. Therefore, efficiency, as well as effectiveness, should be the hallmark of the assemblies,” he emphasised.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government, Alhaji Awudu Yeremiah, who read the sector minister’s speech, said as leaders of the local government system, the chief executives were the focus for development initiatives in their respective areas.
He noted that “to succeed, you should exhibit effectiveness and efficiency in your work through the promotion of participation, accountability, openness, transparency, inclusiveness and proper delivery of services and always remember the logo of the Local Government Service, which is Decentralisation, Democracy and Development, and try to be practical ambassadors of this logo”.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, in a welcoming address, said it was incumbent on the chief executives to explore more effective participatory methods and strategies to promote institutional links with some development partners such as churches, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and associations within civil society which continued to provide support to meet the needs of society.
5 PETITION NPP NEC (PAGE 15)
FIVE persons in the Tain Constituency, calling themselves Zonal Polling Station chairmen of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Brong Ahafo Region, have petitioned the National Executive of the party over the acclamation of the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr Joe Danquah, as the party’s candidate for the December general election.
“We totally reject the incumbent MP as our parliamentary candidate for the dubious manner he was chosen,” they stated.
In a resolution signed by Messrs Addae Boakye Kwaku, Basheru Hassan, Opoku David and R.Y. Serebour and addressed to the National Chairman of the NPP, the chairmen explained that on May 3, 2008, they had petitioned the National Executive of the party, with copies to both the regional and constituency executives to investigate and possibly settle a major controversy over the conduct of primaries to elect a parliamentary candidate for the constituency.
Unfortunately, the chairmen pointed out that they did not receive any response to their petition and that there was also no attempt to resolve the controversy they complained about.
“However, to our surprise, on June 4, 2008, a team, led by Mr Kofi Darko, the Brong Ahafo Regional Organiser of the party, was said to have organised the constituency primary, at which the incumbent MP was purported to have been acclaimed as the parliamentary candidate for the Tain Constituency,” they said.
According to them, theyhad also made a copy available to the regional and the constituency chairmen, “Indeed, as the democrats and people of principle, we cannot allow this mockery of democracy to pass unchallenged. We, therefore, state that we do not recognise the forceful display of arbitrariness which occurred on June 4, 2008”.
They stressed that they were worried about what was going on in the constituency, and cautioned that the earlier a solution was found to the issues that had surrounded the primaries, the better it would be for the fortunes of the party, adding “we strongly advise that the National Executive send a team to conduct proper and democratic elections/primaries to bring peace and unity within the party”.
“We conclude by warning that our patience and that of a lot more of our supporters and sympathisers are running out. If you fail to act as suggested a week after receipt of this petition, we shall advise ourselves accordingly and the consequences shall not be in anybody’s interest,” they warned.
When the regional office of the NPP in Sunyani was contacted, Mr Kusi, the Secretary, explained that the incumbent MP was acclaimed, because one Mr Richard Obour, who also aspired as a candidate, was disqualified when the two were vetted, based on the party’s constitution, rules and regulations governing vetting and the National Constitution.
Firstly, he said Mr Obour was disqualified because he had not, as he put it, nurtured the constituency which he wanted to lead for two or more years as required. Secondly, he did not know the terrain well, though he was a native of the area.
The secretary pointed out that after the vetting, the regional chairman invited Mr Obour to convince him to step down, because he had been disqualified, and that the regional executive did not want to write officially to him as that had been the party’s practice.
However, he said Mr Obour declined to step down and rather decided to seek redress from the High Court in Sunyani, after he had argued that the regional executive did not communicate to him in writing.
Mr Kusi further explained that the High Court later struck out the case after hearing the arguments, which meant that the party could go ahead on its process to select a candidate, adding that in such a case, Mr Danquah had been declared unopposed.
Therefore, he said, the Regional Organiser, Mr Darko was dispatched to the constituency to supervise the acclamation of Mr Danquah at a ceremony that was also supervised by the Electoral Commission in the district, where the MP was declared unopposed.
“We even had grounds to acclaim Mr Joe Danquah because as at the time and even now Mr Obour ceased to be a member of the party, since he took the party to court, which was in contravention with the party’s constitution,” he argued.
“We totally reject the incumbent MP as our parliamentary candidate for the dubious manner he was chosen,” they stated.
In a resolution signed by Messrs Addae Boakye Kwaku, Basheru Hassan, Opoku David and R.Y. Serebour and addressed to the National Chairman of the NPP, the chairmen explained that on May 3, 2008, they had petitioned the National Executive of the party, with copies to both the regional and constituency executives to investigate and possibly settle a major controversy over the conduct of primaries to elect a parliamentary candidate for the constituency.
Unfortunately, the chairmen pointed out that they did not receive any response to their petition and that there was also no attempt to resolve the controversy they complained about.
“However, to our surprise, on June 4, 2008, a team, led by Mr Kofi Darko, the Brong Ahafo Regional Organiser of the party, was said to have organised the constituency primary, at which the incumbent MP was purported to have been acclaimed as the parliamentary candidate for the Tain Constituency,” they said.
According to them, theyhad also made a copy available to the regional and the constituency chairmen, “Indeed, as the democrats and people of principle, we cannot allow this mockery of democracy to pass unchallenged. We, therefore, state that we do not recognise the forceful display of arbitrariness which occurred on June 4, 2008”.
They stressed that they were worried about what was going on in the constituency, and cautioned that the earlier a solution was found to the issues that had surrounded the primaries, the better it would be for the fortunes of the party, adding “we strongly advise that the National Executive send a team to conduct proper and democratic elections/primaries to bring peace and unity within the party”.
“We conclude by warning that our patience and that of a lot more of our supporters and sympathisers are running out. If you fail to act as suggested a week after receipt of this petition, we shall advise ourselves accordingly and the consequences shall not be in anybody’s interest,” they warned.
When the regional office of the NPP in Sunyani was contacted, Mr Kusi, the Secretary, explained that the incumbent MP was acclaimed, because one Mr Richard Obour, who also aspired as a candidate, was disqualified when the two were vetted, based on the party’s constitution, rules and regulations governing vetting and the National Constitution.
Firstly, he said Mr Obour was disqualified because he had not, as he put it, nurtured the constituency which he wanted to lead for two or more years as required. Secondly, he did not know the terrain well, though he was a native of the area.
The secretary pointed out that after the vetting, the regional chairman invited Mr Obour to convince him to step down, because he had been disqualified, and that the regional executive did not want to write officially to him as that had been the party’s practice.
However, he said Mr Obour declined to step down and rather decided to seek redress from the High Court in Sunyani, after he had argued that the regional executive did not communicate to him in writing.
Mr Kusi further explained that the High Court later struck out the case after hearing the arguments, which meant that the party could go ahead on its process to select a candidate, adding that in such a case, Mr Danquah had been declared unopposed.
Therefore, he said, the Regional Organiser, Mr Darko was dispatched to the constituency to supervise the acclamation of Mr Danquah at a ceremony that was also supervised by the Electoral Commission in the district, where the MP was declared unopposed.
“We even had grounds to acclaim Mr Joe Danquah because as at the time and even now Mr Obour ceased to be a member of the party, since he took the party to court, which was in contravention with the party’s constitution,” he argued.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
COURT DISCHARGES BANK MANAGER OF FRAUD CHARGES (MIRROR, PAGE 27)
From Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah,
Sunyani
For the failure of the prosecution to establish a case of forgery of document, altering forged document and stealing against Nana George Amoah, the former Supervising Manager of the Tano Rural Bank at Ntotroso in the Asutifi District of the Brong Ahafo Region, the Sunyani Circuit Court “A” has acquitted and discharged the accused person .
The presiding Judge Mr G.H.K Debrah in his ruling, stated that, “In line with the position of the law, I am not convinced that the accused committed any of the offences for which he was brought to this court. I will therefore politely acquit and discharge the accused”.
The prosecutor told the court that, Amoah was the Supervising Manager of the Tano Rural Bank from 2000 to 2006 and in the course of his stewardship, he opened a savings account No 0426 in the name of one Yaw Badu and deposited a total of GH¢11,820 into the account against the bank’s practices.
According to the prosecution, he then invented a signature for the said Badu and again signed his own signature as the Manager to confirm the genuineness of the transactions.
The prosecution indicated that in March 2006, an audit team discovered the account and transaction and accordingly interrogated the accused and subsequently referred him to the Serious Fraud Office for further investigations.
In the course of it, the prosecution said the accused admitted opening the account and stated that he created it for his sibling who was very young and that he managed it on his behalf but he could not produce the said Yaw Badu to the investigators.
The investigators, therefore classified the account as a “ ghost” one and that operating accounts in the name of non-existing persons was against the bank’s regulations and had therefore, led to a huge financial loss to the bank and so after investigations he was charged with the offences.
Sunyani
For the failure of the prosecution to establish a case of forgery of document, altering forged document and stealing against Nana George Amoah, the former Supervising Manager of the Tano Rural Bank at Ntotroso in the Asutifi District of the Brong Ahafo Region, the Sunyani Circuit Court “A” has acquitted and discharged the accused person .
The presiding Judge Mr G.H.K Debrah in his ruling, stated that, “In line with the position of the law, I am not convinced that the accused committed any of the offences for which he was brought to this court. I will therefore politely acquit and discharge the accused”.
The prosecutor told the court that, Amoah was the Supervising Manager of the Tano Rural Bank from 2000 to 2006 and in the course of his stewardship, he opened a savings account No 0426 in the name of one Yaw Badu and deposited a total of GH¢11,820 into the account against the bank’s practices.
According to the prosecution, he then invented a signature for the said Badu and again signed his own signature as the Manager to confirm the genuineness of the transactions.
The prosecution indicated that in March 2006, an audit team discovered the account and transaction and accordingly interrogated the accused and subsequently referred him to the Serious Fraud Office for further investigations.
In the course of it, the prosecution said the accused admitted opening the account and stated that he created it for his sibling who was very young and that he managed it on his behalf but he could not produce the said Yaw Badu to the investigators.
The investigators, therefore classified the account as a “ ghost” one and that operating accounts in the name of non-existing persons was against the bank’s regulations and had therefore, led to a huge financial loss to the bank and so after investigations he was charged with the offences.
ROAD SAFETY MUST BE ON AGENDA OF PARTIES (PAGE 42)
By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah
The Brong Ahafo office of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has organised a forum in Kumasi for representatives of the various political parties on road safety codes, as the parties gear themselves up for their political campaigns in the run-up to the December elections.
The NRSC observed that as the date for the elections drew near and the political parties were using vehicles in touring the country to vigorously campaign, it was the responsibility of the commission to sensitise them to the inherent dangers and to appeal to them to be extra careful while embarking on those trips.
The parties included, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Peoples National Convention (PNC), Convention Peoples Party (CPP), National Reform Party (NRP) and the Ghana National Party (GNP).
Making a presentation on “Road Safety Situation in Ghana”, the Regional Coordinator of the NRSC, Mr Daniel H. Wuaku, noted that “as Ghanaians, we seem to have reached a stage where road accidents and fatalities that result fail to appeal to us , an attitude which contrasts strongly with our reactions to other forms of disasters, such as the one which recently occurred in the north.
However, he pointed out that road traffic accidents had become major public health issues, developmental, human resource and welfare issues as well as an issue for the political parties too because “every single life lost through road accidents was one vote lost to a party”.
The problem, he said, therefore, required every conceivable measure, effort and will to bring it under control and that the way forward was to meet political parties, presidential aspirants and their campaign teams.
He disclosed that the vision for road safety, which is “to make Ghana’s transportation system the safest in Africa” while the national road safety strategic objective is “to reduce road accident fatalities on a year-on-year basis and achieve a total of less than 1000 by the year 2015”.
Quoting a report by the Building and Road Reserach Institute (BRRI) for 2006 on the estimation of cost of road traffic accident in Ghana, Mr Wuaku further disclosed that, road traffic crashes cost the nation 1.6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which translated to $165 million in 2006.
The Regional Co-ordinator indicated that about 1,600 people died annually in Ghana through road traffic crashes and that at least, four persons were reported killed in road traffic accidents daily while 42 per cent of the fatalities involved were pedestrians.
He again revealed that 23 per cent of pedestrian fatalities involved children below age 16 and 60 per cent of accidents were caused by speeding. Bus and mini-buses account for 35 per cent of fatal accidents and car occupants, 32 per cent.
The Brong Ahafo office of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has organised a forum in Kumasi for representatives of the various political parties on road safety codes, as the parties gear themselves up for their political campaigns in the run-up to the December elections.
The NRSC observed that as the date for the elections drew near and the political parties were using vehicles in touring the country to vigorously campaign, it was the responsibility of the commission to sensitise them to the inherent dangers and to appeal to them to be extra careful while embarking on those trips.
The parties included, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Peoples National Convention (PNC), Convention Peoples Party (CPP), National Reform Party (NRP) and the Ghana National Party (GNP).
Making a presentation on “Road Safety Situation in Ghana”, the Regional Coordinator of the NRSC, Mr Daniel H. Wuaku, noted that “as Ghanaians, we seem to have reached a stage where road accidents and fatalities that result fail to appeal to us , an attitude which contrasts strongly with our reactions to other forms of disasters, such as the one which recently occurred in the north.
However, he pointed out that road traffic accidents had become major public health issues, developmental, human resource and welfare issues as well as an issue for the political parties too because “every single life lost through road accidents was one vote lost to a party”.
The problem, he said, therefore, required every conceivable measure, effort and will to bring it under control and that the way forward was to meet political parties, presidential aspirants and their campaign teams.
He disclosed that the vision for road safety, which is “to make Ghana’s transportation system the safest in Africa” while the national road safety strategic objective is “to reduce road accident fatalities on a year-on-year basis and achieve a total of less than 1000 by the year 2015”.
Quoting a report by the Building and Road Reserach Institute (BRRI) for 2006 on the estimation of cost of road traffic accident in Ghana, Mr Wuaku further disclosed that, road traffic crashes cost the nation 1.6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which translated to $165 million in 2006.
The Regional Co-ordinator indicated that about 1,600 people died annually in Ghana through road traffic crashes and that at least, four persons were reported killed in road traffic accidents daily while 42 per cent of the fatalities involved were pedestrians.
He again revealed that 23 per cent of pedestrian fatalities involved children below age 16 and 60 per cent of accidents were caused by speeding. Bus and mini-buses account for 35 per cent of fatal accidents and car occupants, 32 per cent.
Friday, June 27, 2008
DCES ATTEND MID-TERM REVIEW MEETING (PAGE 31)
More than GH¢800,000 has been disbursed as credit funds to enable about 25,000 people who have learnt various trades and skills to expand their businesses under the Rural Enterprises Project (REP)
The beneficiaries of the facility, mostly the youth, who were hitherto unemployed, learnt baking and confectionery, fish processing, beauty care, palm oil processing, food hygiene, cassava processing, as well as traditional skills such as batik and tie-dye, soap making, grasscutter rearing and bee keeping.
Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, disclosed this in an address read on his behalf at a post Mid-Term Review (MTR) meeting for 66 district chief executives (DCEs) whose areas are benefiting from the REP, which is aimed at assisting the youth, especially those in deprived communities, to improve upon their living standards.
The REP, which is in its second phase, is jointly financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB). The Government of Ghana and the implementation of the REP II began in the last quarter of 2003 and reached its mid-term in September 2007.
In accordance with Article IV, Section 4.03 of the IFAD Loan Agreement, the government and IFAD are obliged to jointly carry out a mid-term review of the project implementation not later than the 4th Project year, to provide all the stakeholders information for improving project performance.
According to the regional minister, after four years of project implementation, a review of the project was undertaken in November/December 2007 and the main objective was to provide the government, the IFAD and the AfDB and other interested stakeholders with an analysis of the performance and initial impact of the REP that could be used for improving project performance and re-orienting it to better achieve the set development objectives.
He said it was also to contribute to lessons learnt and the best practices for improving Medium and Small-Scale Enterprises (MSE) policies and programmes in the country and beyond.
Accordingly, Mr Baffour-Awuah indicated that the review meeting was expected to consider, among other things, the achievements of the project objectives and the constraints thereon and recommend such adjustments and orientations as might be required to achieve such objectives and remove those constraints.
Thereafter, he pointed out, the government shall ensure implementation of the recommendations of the MTR within a specified time to ensure more effective implementation of the project and the achievement of the set development objectives.
According to Mr Baffour-Awuah, on his visits to some districts in the region, he had personally witnessed the change in the lives of beneficiaries of the REP and “I, therefore, wish to encourage you DCEs to play your required roles to ensure that the project is successfully implemented in your respective areas for the benefit of the poor in society”.
The regional minister noted that by the design of the REP, the level of resource flow into any particular district was a function of the willingness of the district to make the required commitments on a timely basis.
Mr Kwasi Attah-Antwi, the Project Co-ordinator, explained that the purpose of the meeting was for the project management to inform the stakeholders of the final key recommendations of the MTR as the various approaches and strategies for implementation were being put in place.
He said it was critical that the DCEs should endeavour to follow the discussions at the meeting so that they would be in a good position to provide the appropriate leadership and direction for the new project.
The beneficiaries of the facility, mostly the youth, who were hitherto unemployed, learnt baking and confectionery, fish processing, beauty care, palm oil processing, food hygiene, cassava processing, as well as traditional skills such as batik and tie-dye, soap making, grasscutter rearing and bee keeping.
Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, disclosed this in an address read on his behalf at a post Mid-Term Review (MTR) meeting for 66 district chief executives (DCEs) whose areas are benefiting from the REP, which is aimed at assisting the youth, especially those in deprived communities, to improve upon their living standards.
The REP, which is in its second phase, is jointly financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB). The Government of Ghana and the implementation of the REP II began in the last quarter of 2003 and reached its mid-term in September 2007.
In accordance with Article IV, Section 4.03 of the IFAD Loan Agreement, the government and IFAD are obliged to jointly carry out a mid-term review of the project implementation not later than the 4th Project year, to provide all the stakeholders information for improving project performance.
According to the regional minister, after four years of project implementation, a review of the project was undertaken in November/December 2007 and the main objective was to provide the government, the IFAD and the AfDB and other interested stakeholders with an analysis of the performance and initial impact of the REP that could be used for improving project performance and re-orienting it to better achieve the set development objectives.
He said it was also to contribute to lessons learnt and the best practices for improving Medium and Small-Scale Enterprises (MSE) policies and programmes in the country and beyond.
Accordingly, Mr Baffour-Awuah indicated that the review meeting was expected to consider, among other things, the achievements of the project objectives and the constraints thereon and recommend such adjustments and orientations as might be required to achieve such objectives and remove those constraints.
Thereafter, he pointed out, the government shall ensure implementation of the recommendations of the MTR within a specified time to ensure more effective implementation of the project and the achievement of the set development objectives.
According to Mr Baffour-Awuah, on his visits to some districts in the region, he had personally witnessed the change in the lives of beneficiaries of the REP and “I, therefore, wish to encourage you DCEs to play your required roles to ensure that the project is successfully implemented in your respective areas for the benefit of the poor in society”.
The regional minister noted that by the design of the REP, the level of resource flow into any particular district was a function of the willingness of the district to make the required commitments on a timely basis.
Mr Kwasi Attah-Antwi, the Project Co-ordinator, explained that the purpose of the meeting was for the project management to inform the stakeholders of the final key recommendations of the MTR as the various approaches and strategies for implementation were being put in place.
He said it was critical that the DCEs should endeavour to follow the discussions at the meeting so that they would be in a good position to provide the appropriate leadership and direction for the new project.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
TECHIMAN-KINTAMPO PROJECT STRATEGIC ..President declares (PAGE 29)
THE President, Mr J.A. Kufuor, has performed two separate sodcutting ceremonies at Kintampo and Aworowa, near Wenchi, in the Brong Ahafo Region to mark the commencement of the reconstruction of the 60-kilometre Techiman-Kintampo trunk road and the 30-kilometre Techiman-Wenchi stretch.
The Techiman- Kintampo project, which forms an integral part of the national route linking the northern and southern parts of the country and also provides a transit corridor for Ghana’s landlocked neighbours would be a two- lane single carriage way with asphaltic concrete finish at the cost of $36.1 million, and is expected to be completed in 30 months.
The project, being funded jointly by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the government of Ghana is being executed by Messrs Shinsung Engineering and Construction Corporation of South Korea, with the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) as the supervising agency and Messrs Conterra limited as the consultant.
When the project is successfully completed, it will increase economic activities, facilitate the marketing of agricultural produce, generate employment and subsequently reduce poverty in the project area.
It is also expected that the improved quality of the road will significantly reduce travelling time and the consequent reduction of the cost of the transport of goods.The improved facility would generate higher transit traffic and thereby encourage increased economic activity in the local service industry.
The Techiman-Wenchi road project, which is being financed by the government at the cost of GH¢15.3million, is expected to be completed in 18 months and it is being undertaken by Messrs P.W. Ghanem, a local contractor.
Before the arrival of the President and his entourage at the Kintampo function at about 4.30p.m, the people had sung and danced to brass band music and traditional songs, apparently to express their delight and appreciation for the take off of the project which they had long anticipated.
The occasion was graced by the President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Okatakyie Agyeman Kudom IV, who is also the Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area and other chiefs and queens, Ministers of State, District Chief Executives, among other dignitaries.
Speaking at the function, President Kufuor acknowledged the strategic position of Kintampo as occupying the central position of Ghana, for which reason he said, people had suggested that Kintampo be made the national capital in the future if need be.
The President also gave the assurance that once the area had been upgraded as a municipality, it was significant that Kintampo received massive infrastructural development, adding that the existence of many tourist sites such as the Kintampo Waterfalls there was the need to develop the area to attract more tourists.
Upon a request made by the Nkoranzahene, who is also the overlord of the Kintampo area, the President directed that, the Kintampo township road be made a dual-carriage way to accommodate the many fleet of vehicles that transit in the town either on their way down south or up north.
On another request by Okatakyie, the President gave the assurance that the Jema-Nkwanta-Nkoranza road would be tackled as well as others in the area.
Acknowledging the fact that the previous government had undertaken the Paga to Kintampo road, it was the resolve of his administration to complete the remaining section and indeed all major trunk roads in the country as well as the execution of feeder roads to allow for free transportation of foodstuffs to the marketing centres.
President Kufuor said it was the intention of the government to transform the Accra-Kumasi trunk road into a motorway, saying that people who were currently plying that route could attest to the fact that the road was in good shape.
He appealed to the people to co-operate with the contractors to enable them to execute the project and complete it on schedule, and cautioned other road users to be careful.
The President expressed his delight and satisfaction to hear from the President of the Regional House of Chiefs that preparations were far advanced to organise a fitting burial and funeral for the Chief of the Mo traditional area, Nana Kwaku Dimpo, after which some widows would enjoy their traditional freedom.
President Kufuor also did not mince words when he told the people that, since the area was now a municipality, they needed to keep the Kintampo township and its environs very tidy, saying that as a tourist centre, people would come around to observe things for themselves.
He also admonished the municipal assembly to ensure that the revenue they generated locally was judiciously utilised to complement what the government was doing but not to use the people’s taxes for their selfish ends.
The President again urged the Nkoranzahene to endeavour to settle the boundary issue that existed between the Kintampo and Yagbon traditional area, adding that killing one another because of land matters did not augur well for the country, especially now that there was an oil find and all Ghanaians were soon to reap the benefits.
President Kufuor pointed out that under the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) the people had enjoyed an absolute rule of law, their properties had not been forcibly taken away from them and that everyone was enjoying the freedom they deserved, a visible legacy he was leaving behind for Ghanaians.
He further pointed out that the policies of the School Feeding Programme, the Capitation Grant, the Free, Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) and the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to replace the obnoxious cash and carry system, were ample evidence of his government’s good stewardship, which the people ought not to ignore.
The President repeated his recent pronouncement that with the oil find, there would be an extension of free education at the second cycle a statement some critics had doubted.
The Minister of Transportation, Dr Richard Anane, gave the assurance that the necessary environmental, safety and traffic management measures were implemented to minimise the expected inconveniences.
He indicated that when the project started motorists and travellers would experience some inconveniences, and therefore, appealed to them as well as the local inhabitants, pedestrians and commuters to exercise care and caution on the road and follow safety measures that will be put in place during the construction period.
“With the commencement of this project, in addition to others that are in progress all over the country, your government is steadily actualising but commitment to the provision of first class all weather roads to facilitate socio-economic development of our dear nation.
“I wish to assure you of our commitment to ensure that all planned and approved projects are executed to specification and this will serve as a legacy of your remarkable contribution to the development of this nation’s”, he stressed.
Dr Alieu Jence, the Country Director of the AfDB, Ghana Office, pointed out that the bank was committed to contributing to the infrastructural development in Ghana as well as other socio-economic developments and “we promise to work hard with our Ghanaian colleagues to ensure that the programme is implemented in a timely manner”.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, in a brief welcoming remarks noted that the long-standing dream of the people of Kintampo would come to pass with the sodcutting ceremony for work to begin on the road, and more importantly for the fact that the township roads were going to be constructed and expanded.
The Techiman- Kintampo project, which forms an integral part of the national route linking the northern and southern parts of the country and also provides a transit corridor for Ghana’s landlocked neighbours would be a two- lane single carriage way with asphaltic concrete finish at the cost of $36.1 million, and is expected to be completed in 30 months.
The project, being funded jointly by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the government of Ghana is being executed by Messrs Shinsung Engineering and Construction Corporation of South Korea, with the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) as the supervising agency and Messrs Conterra limited as the consultant.
When the project is successfully completed, it will increase economic activities, facilitate the marketing of agricultural produce, generate employment and subsequently reduce poverty in the project area.
It is also expected that the improved quality of the road will significantly reduce travelling time and the consequent reduction of the cost of the transport of goods.The improved facility would generate higher transit traffic and thereby encourage increased economic activity in the local service industry.
The Techiman-Wenchi road project, which is being financed by the government at the cost of GH¢15.3million, is expected to be completed in 18 months and it is being undertaken by Messrs P.W. Ghanem, a local contractor.
Before the arrival of the President and his entourage at the Kintampo function at about 4.30p.m, the people had sung and danced to brass band music and traditional songs, apparently to express their delight and appreciation for the take off of the project which they had long anticipated.
The occasion was graced by the President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Okatakyie Agyeman Kudom IV, who is also the Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area and other chiefs and queens, Ministers of State, District Chief Executives, among other dignitaries.
Speaking at the function, President Kufuor acknowledged the strategic position of Kintampo as occupying the central position of Ghana, for which reason he said, people had suggested that Kintampo be made the national capital in the future if need be.
The President also gave the assurance that once the area had been upgraded as a municipality, it was significant that Kintampo received massive infrastructural development, adding that the existence of many tourist sites such as the Kintampo Waterfalls there was the need to develop the area to attract more tourists.
Upon a request made by the Nkoranzahene, who is also the overlord of the Kintampo area, the President directed that, the Kintampo township road be made a dual-carriage way to accommodate the many fleet of vehicles that transit in the town either on their way down south or up north.
On another request by Okatakyie, the President gave the assurance that the Jema-Nkwanta-Nkoranza road would be tackled as well as others in the area.
Acknowledging the fact that the previous government had undertaken the Paga to Kintampo road, it was the resolve of his administration to complete the remaining section and indeed all major trunk roads in the country as well as the execution of feeder roads to allow for free transportation of foodstuffs to the marketing centres.
President Kufuor said it was the intention of the government to transform the Accra-Kumasi trunk road into a motorway, saying that people who were currently plying that route could attest to the fact that the road was in good shape.
He appealed to the people to co-operate with the contractors to enable them to execute the project and complete it on schedule, and cautioned other road users to be careful.
The President expressed his delight and satisfaction to hear from the President of the Regional House of Chiefs that preparations were far advanced to organise a fitting burial and funeral for the Chief of the Mo traditional area, Nana Kwaku Dimpo, after which some widows would enjoy their traditional freedom.
President Kufuor also did not mince words when he told the people that, since the area was now a municipality, they needed to keep the Kintampo township and its environs very tidy, saying that as a tourist centre, people would come around to observe things for themselves.
He also admonished the municipal assembly to ensure that the revenue they generated locally was judiciously utilised to complement what the government was doing but not to use the people’s taxes for their selfish ends.
The President again urged the Nkoranzahene to endeavour to settle the boundary issue that existed between the Kintampo and Yagbon traditional area, adding that killing one another because of land matters did not augur well for the country, especially now that there was an oil find and all Ghanaians were soon to reap the benefits.
President Kufuor pointed out that under the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) the people had enjoyed an absolute rule of law, their properties had not been forcibly taken away from them and that everyone was enjoying the freedom they deserved, a visible legacy he was leaving behind for Ghanaians.
He further pointed out that the policies of the School Feeding Programme, the Capitation Grant, the Free, Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) and the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to replace the obnoxious cash and carry system, were ample evidence of his government’s good stewardship, which the people ought not to ignore.
The President repeated his recent pronouncement that with the oil find, there would be an extension of free education at the second cycle a statement some critics had doubted.
The Minister of Transportation, Dr Richard Anane, gave the assurance that the necessary environmental, safety and traffic management measures were implemented to minimise the expected inconveniences.
He indicated that when the project started motorists and travellers would experience some inconveniences, and therefore, appealed to them as well as the local inhabitants, pedestrians and commuters to exercise care and caution on the road and follow safety measures that will be put in place during the construction period.
“With the commencement of this project, in addition to others that are in progress all over the country, your government is steadily actualising but commitment to the provision of first class all weather roads to facilitate socio-economic development of our dear nation.
“I wish to assure you of our commitment to ensure that all planned and approved projects are executed to specification and this will serve as a legacy of your remarkable contribution to the development of this nation’s”, he stressed.
Dr Alieu Jence, the Country Director of the AfDB, Ghana Office, pointed out that the bank was committed to contributing to the infrastructural development in Ghana as well as other socio-economic developments and “we promise to work hard with our Ghanaian colleagues to ensure that the programme is implemented in a timely manner”.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, in a brief welcoming remarks noted that the long-standing dream of the people of Kintampo would come to pass with the sodcutting ceremony for work to begin on the road, and more importantly for the fact that the township roads were going to be constructed and expanded.
Monday, June 23, 2008
REP SUPPORTS GRADUATE APPRENTICES (NSEMPA, PAGE 21)
By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Bechem.
THE Rural Enterprises Project (REP) has presented workshop kits valued at GH¢12,000 to 30 apprentices, who underwent skills training in various traditional trades in the Tano South District of the Brong Ahafo Region.
In 2006, the REP initiated the Technology Promotion and Support Apprenticeship Training Component to serve as a catalyst for the creation of employment avenues for people especially the youth and thereby improve their living conditions.
The graduate apprentice support scheme of the REP covers a wide range of trades including auto repairs, blacksmithing, shoemaking, tailoring and dressmaking, barbering, hairdressing and beauty care, carpentry, vulcanizing and masonry.
For the first half of this year, the REP, which is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Ghana (GOG), has supplied items worth about GH¢220,000 to 30 districts in the country, including Tano South.
Mr Kwasi Attah-Antwi, the National Project Coordinator of the REP, who made the presentation at a ceremony at Bechem, disclosed that, over the last two years, over 1,700 youth in the country who had successfully completed their apprenticeship training on their own or with the support of their parents, had benefited from the scheme.
In all, he said, the project planned to assist about 6,000 youth in traditional apprenticeship training to establish their various enterprises after graduation.
According to Mr Attah-Antwi, the opportunity to support more graduate apprentices with workshop kits was still available for the next three years.
On every occasion, a minimum of GH¢9,000 was earmarked annually for the graduate apprentices for each district and what was required was the commitment of the district assemblies to identify the right beneficiaries and also contribute their portion of the cost of items in time each year.
“We wish to encourage all districts to take advantage of this facility to enable the entrepreneurial graduate apprentices become self-employed and we appeal to the recipients of these items to take good care of them and make good use of the opportunity”, the project co-ordinator advised.
He again urged the assemblies and the Business Advisory Centres (BACs) of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) to constantly monitor and counsel the beneficiaries to ensure that their newly established businesses thrive to contribute to improvements in their standard of living as well as the economy of the entire district.
Mr Attah-Antwi noted that, traditional apprenticeship training schemes were usually faced with a number of challenges, one of which was unavailability of start-up capital for the graduate apprentices to establish their own businesses.
Naturally, he pointed out that, most banks and credit sources were unwilling to lend to such apprentices because they were considered to be high-risk borrowers.
“From our experience in the field, we estimate that only 23 percent of graduate apprentices are able to establish their own businesses after successfully completing apprenticeship training and the remaining 77 per cent are unable to do so mainly due to lack of start-up capital”, he observed.
Mr Attah-Antwi explained that, through the scheme, the project provided various types of start-up kits, made up of basic tools and equipment to selected graduate apprentices who had the potential to transform their lives and provide support to their families through their own enterprises.
The District Chief Execute (DCE) for Tano South, Mr Osei Sekyere Bota, expressed his gratitude to the beneficiaries and urged them to take good care of the tools and equipment which he said, were meant to improve upon their livelihood.
THE Rural Enterprises Project (REP) has presented workshop kits valued at GH¢12,000 to 30 apprentices, who underwent skills training in various traditional trades in the Tano South District of the Brong Ahafo Region.
In 2006, the REP initiated the Technology Promotion and Support Apprenticeship Training Component to serve as a catalyst for the creation of employment avenues for people especially the youth and thereby improve their living conditions.
The graduate apprentice support scheme of the REP covers a wide range of trades including auto repairs, blacksmithing, shoemaking, tailoring and dressmaking, barbering, hairdressing and beauty care, carpentry, vulcanizing and masonry.
For the first half of this year, the REP, which is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Ghana (GOG), has supplied items worth about GH¢220,000 to 30 districts in the country, including Tano South.
Mr Kwasi Attah-Antwi, the National Project Coordinator of the REP, who made the presentation at a ceremony at Bechem, disclosed that, over the last two years, over 1,700 youth in the country who had successfully completed their apprenticeship training on their own or with the support of their parents, had benefited from the scheme.
In all, he said, the project planned to assist about 6,000 youth in traditional apprenticeship training to establish their various enterprises after graduation.
According to Mr Attah-Antwi, the opportunity to support more graduate apprentices with workshop kits was still available for the next three years.
On every occasion, a minimum of GH¢9,000 was earmarked annually for the graduate apprentices for each district and what was required was the commitment of the district assemblies to identify the right beneficiaries and also contribute their portion of the cost of items in time each year.
“We wish to encourage all districts to take advantage of this facility to enable the entrepreneurial graduate apprentices become self-employed and we appeal to the recipients of these items to take good care of them and make good use of the opportunity”, the project co-ordinator advised.
He again urged the assemblies and the Business Advisory Centres (BACs) of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) to constantly monitor and counsel the beneficiaries to ensure that their newly established businesses thrive to contribute to improvements in their standard of living as well as the economy of the entire district.
Mr Attah-Antwi noted that, traditional apprenticeship training schemes were usually faced with a number of challenges, one of which was unavailability of start-up capital for the graduate apprentices to establish their own businesses.
Naturally, he pointed out that, most banks and credit sources were unwilling to lend to such apprentices because they were considered to be high-risk borrowers.
“From our experience in the field, we estimate that only 23 percent of graduate apprentices are able to establish their own businesses after successfully completing apprenticeship training and the remaining 77 per cent are unable to do so mainly due to lack of start-up capital”, he observed.
Mr Attah-Antwi explained that, through the scheme, the project provided various types of start-up kits, made up of basic tools and equipment to selected graduate apprentices who had the potential to transform their lives and provide support to their families through their own enterprises.
The District Chief Execute (DCE) for Tano South, Mr Osei Sekyere Bota, expressed his gratitude to the beneficiaries and urged them to take good care of the tools and equipment which he said, were meant to improve upon their livelihood.
GREATER-ACCRA WINS AMATEUR BOXING TOURNEY (NSEMPA, BACK PAGE)
By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Sunyani
A TWO-DAY inter-regional amateur boxing championship organised by the National Sports Council has ended at Sunyani, with the Greater Accra Region running away with seven gold medals to emerge winners.
Raphael Mensah, Isaac Sackey, Michael Offei Dodoo, Ben Lamptey, Ebenezer Sowah, Charles Azumah and Maxwell Amponsah, collected the gold medals for the winning team.
The Upper East Region took the second position with one gold through the efforts of Timothy Kumbono
Jessie Lartey from the Eastern Region won silver at bantamweight (54 kg) and in the featherweight (57kg), Nana Yaw Ofori from Eastern Region also won silver.
For the lightweight (60kg), Nathaniel Nukpe took silver with Kwadwo Yeboah from the Brong Ahafo Region picking up silver in that lightweight.
In the welterweight division (69kg), Ekor Vincent from the Volta Region took silver while Pin Vincent from the Ashanti Region also won silver in the middleweight division (75kg) with his colleague, Awudu Tampo collecting silver in the light heavyweight division (81kg).
Kofi Besse from the Brong Ahafo Region won silver in the 91kg heavyweight division.
In all, 16 participants in the tournament were presented with bronze medals.
They included Mustapha Mbebasi and Mohammed Issahako from the Upper West Region, Sampson Sulley, Ernest Kuruga and Paake Awe from the Western Region, Suleimana Mohammed and Fuseini Sadic from Northern Region and Kwasi Seribour, Abdul Majid Lawal and Stephen Mensah from the Eastern Region.
The rest were Anthony Mensah and Kwesi Annobil from the Central Region, Emmanuel Bonoweh, Klinza Womowomke and Moses Kaba from Upper East Region, Mohammed Issahako from the Upper West Region and Atiso Commando from the Volta Region.
The tournament, which was the second in a series, was organized to unearth boxing talents in various parts of the country and was also aimed at bringing sporting events of all types to the doorstep of the people. The first contest was held at Winneba in the Central Region last year.
A TWO-DAY inter-regional amateur boxing championship organised by the National Sports Council has ended at Sunyani, with the Greater Accra Region running away with seven gold medals to emerge winners.
Raphael Mensah, Isaac Sackey, Michael Offei Dodoo, Ben Lamptey, Ebenezer Sowah, Charles Azumah and Maxwell Amponsah, collected the gold medals for the winning team.
The Upper East Region took the second position with one gold through the efforts of Timothy Kumbono
Jessie Lartey from the Eastern Region won silver at bantamweight (54 kg) and in the featherweight (57kg), Nana Yaw Ofori from Eastern Region also won silver.
For the lightweight (60kg), Nathaniel Nukpe took silver with Kwadwo Yeboah from the Brong Ahafo Region picking up silver in that lightweight.
In the welterweight division (69kg), Ekor Vincent from the Volta Region took silver while Pin Vincent from the Ashanti Region also won silver in the middleweight division (75kg) with his colleague, Awudu Tampo collecting silver in the light heavyweight division (81kg).
Kofi Besse from the Brong Ahafo Region won silver in the 91kg heavyweight division.
In all, 16 participants in the tournament were presented with bronze medals.
They included Mustapha Mbebasi and Mohammed Issahako from the Upper West Region, Sampson Sulley, Ernest Kuruga and Paake Awe from the Western Region, Suleimana Mohammed and Fuseini Sadic from Northern Region and Kwasi Seribour, Abdul Majid Lawal and Stephen Mensah from the Eastern Region.
The rest were Anthony Mensah and Kwesi Annobil from the Central Region, Emmanuel Bonoweh, Klinza Womowomke and Moses Kaba from Upper East Region, Mohammed Issahako from the Upper West Region and Atiso Commando from the Volta Region.
The tournament, which was the second in a series, was organized to unearth boxing talents in various parts of the country and was also aimed at bringing sporting events of all types to the doorstep of the people. The first contest was held at Winneba in the Central Region last year.
CONGESTION AT SUNYANI PRISONS (PAGE 20)
THE Sunyani Central Prisons Yard, which was originally designed to accommodate between 350 and 400 inmates, now houses more than 800, including remand prisoners.
Some of those on remand have been in custody for about eight years now.
The current number of inmates at the yard represents over 100 per cent of the total number that the premises was built to contain, thereby creating a lot of congestion.
A Deputy Director of the Ghana Prisons Service in charge of the Brong Ahafo Region, Mr Jacob Agambire, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in Sunyani, indicated that there were about 499 other prisoners, made up of 18 females at a separate yard in Sunyani, 147 males at the Duayaw Nkwanta Camp Prisons, 161 at Kenyasi and 173 at the Yeji Camp Prisons.
Mr Agambire, who is also the Regional Commander of the Prisons Service, noted that in view of the unbearable situation, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey, visited the premises on May 30, 2008 to inaugurate a programme dubbed “Justice for All”, which seeks to look into the cases of prisoners who have overstayed and also to dispose of petty cases that have delayed.
He said as part of the programme, the Attorney-General’s (A-G’s) Office was liaising with the Legal Aid Board in Sunyani to handle some of the cases, while the police had also been directed to produce dockets on some of the remand prisoners for their speedy trial.
Mr Agambire said the A-G’s Office was looking at options for the granting of bail to some of the prisoners, since their offences, including stealing, were “bailable cases”, adding that it was only cases in respect of narcotics, murder and armed robbery which did not warrant the granting of bail.
Asked about the feeding of the inmates, the deputy director quoted the rate per head as 60Gp, vis-Ã -vis the high cost of food items, and which was meant for three square meals for a prisoner a day.
However, Mr Agambire was quick to point out that there had not been any serious outcry because the “prisoners are reasoning with the situation and are making do with what we provide”.
On general health conditions at the prison, the deputy director disclosed that currently there was a credit facility at the Sunyani Regional Hospital, where indisposed inmates went for treatment and later a bill was submitted for payment.
Mr Agambire, therefore, suggested that the government vote money under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), towards the registration of prisoners who were serving longer sentences instead of always requesting for money from the government to pay hospital bills as and when they were presented by the hospital authorities.
The deputy director, however, said that in the case of those serving short sentences, they could be treated by the hospital and the bills which were submitted could be settled, adding that “the idea is only to reduce cost”.
Asked whether some of the inmates were treated preferentially, especially high-profile persons who had fallen foul of the law, Mr Agambire pointed out that there was nothing like preferential treatment for any category of people in the prisons.
He explained, however, that it was incumbent on the service to provide certain items like mattresses, blankets and soap, but if for one reason or another those things were not forthcoming and a relation of a prisoner decided to provide them, “it will be inhuman to deny him or her that and this does not necessarily mean preferential treatment”.
On training for inmates, Mr Agambire said the service provided skills training for long-serving prisoners in trades such as carpentry, tailoring, dressmaking and blacksmithing so that after their release they could engage themselves to earn a living.
Some of those on remand have been in custody for about eight years now.
The current number of inmates at the yard represents over 100 per cent of the total number that the premises was built to contain, thereby creating a lot of congestion.
A Deputy Director of the Ghana Prisons Service in charge of the Brong Ahafo Region, Mr Jacob Agambire, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in Sunyani, indicated that there were about 499 other prisoners, made up of 18 females at a separate yard in Sunyani, 147 males at the Duayaw Nkwanta Camp Prisons, 161 at Kenyasi and 173 at the Yeji Camp Prisons.
Mr Agambire, who is also the Regional Commander of the Prisons Service, noted that in view of the unbearable situation, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey, visited the premises on May 30, 2008 to inaugurate a programme dubbed “Justice for All”, which seeks to look into the cases of prisoners who have overstayed and also to dispose of petty cases that have delayed.
He said as part of the programme, the Attorney-General’s (A-G’s) Office was liaising with the Legal Aid Board in Sunyani to handle some of the cases, while the police had also been directed to produce dockets on some of the remand prisoners for their speedy trial.
Mr Agambire said the A-G’s Office was looking at options for the granting of bail to some of the prisoners, since their offences, including stealing, were “bailable cases”, adding that it was only cases in respect of narcotics, murder and armed robbery which did not warrant the granting of bail.
Asked about the feeding of the inmates, the deputy director quoted the rate per head as 60Gp, vis-Ã -vis the high cost of food items, and which was meant for three square meals for a prisoner a day.
However, Mr Agambire was quick to point out that there had not been any serious outcry because the “prisoners are reasoning with the situation and are making do with what we provide”.
On general health conditions at the prison, the deputy director disclosed that currently there was a credit facility at the Sunyani Regional Hospital, where indisposed inmates went for treatment and later a bill was submitted for payment.
Mr Agambire, therefore, suggested that the government vote money under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), towards the registration of prisoners who were serving longer sentences instead of always requesting for money from the government to pay hospital bills as and when they were presented by the hospital authorities.
The deputy director, however, said that in the case of those serving short sentences, they could be treated by the hospital and the bills which were submitted could be settled, adding that “the idea is only to reduce cost”.
Asked whether some of the inmates were treated preferentially, especially high-profile persons who had fallen foul of the law, Mr Agambire pointed out that there was nothing like preferential treatment for any category of people in the prisons.
He explained, however, that it was incumbent on the service to provide certain items like mattresses, blankets and soap, but if for one reason or another those things were not forthcoming and a relation of a prisoner decided to provide them, “it will be inhuman to deny him or her that and this does not necessarily mean preferential treatment”.
On training for inmates, Mr Agambire said the service provided skills training for long-serving prisoners in trades such as carpentry, tailoring, dressmaking and blacksmithing so that after their release they could engage themselves to earn a living.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY EMBARKS ON SOLAR LANTERN PROJECT (PAGE 21)
THE Catholic University College of Ghana (CUCG) at Fiapre, near Sunyani, has embarked on a solar lantern project with the view to curtailing the frequent disruption of academic and administrative work, owing to the persistent power outages by the Volta River Authority (VRA).
With the support of the Jacob–Christian –Adam Stiftung of Meckenheim in Germany, which agreed to establish and equip an assembling workshop at the university, 100 pieces of solar lanterns have so far been produced and are being used as an experiment before they are produced on commercial basis.
The assembling of the solar lanterns was conceived as a self-sustaining project, and the proceeds from their sale would be used to replenish stocks of the required components to ensure continued production.
At the launch of the project at the St James Seminary Senior High School in Sunyani, Professor Ebo Mensah, the Project Co-ordinator, stated that the massive load-shedding by the VRA and the frequent and prolonged interruptions in the supply of electricity were felt all over the country.
He said there was, therefore, a general slow-down of work in the various sectors of the economy, adding that there was a fall in productivity, all of which combined to produce an adverse effect on the national economy.
According to Prof Mensah, who is also the Dean of Economics and Business Administration of the university, students of the university were currently accommodated in rented private houses in different parts of Sunyani.
Consequently, he said, during periods of power outages between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m, they could not do any meaningful reading or course assignments, either in the university’s library, which is on campus, or even in their respective residences.
Prof Mensah stressed that the idea of producing the solar lanterns constituted the first step in that initiative and offered the university an appropriate solution to one of the problems in its present circumstances.
The Vice-Chancellor of CUCG, Prof. J.H. Ephraim, stressed that energy supply was a key component in development, but said that access to it was becoming a number one problem in the country’s development efforts, saying without energy there was nothing one could do.
He expressed his deepest appreciation and gratitude to the German partners for responding quickly to the request by the university authorities and their willingness to train some local people to take over the project after they had left.
With the support of the Jacob–Christian –Adam Stiftung of Meckenheim in Germany, which agreed to establish and equip an assembling workshop at the university, 100 pieces of solar lanterns have so far been produced and are being used as an experiment before they are produced on commercial basis.
The assembling of the solar lanterns was conceived as a self-sustaining project, and the proceeds from their sale would be used to replenish stocks of the required components to ensure continued production.
At the launch of the project at the St James Seminary Senior High School in Sunyani, Professor Ebo Mensah, the Project Co-ordinator, stated that the massive load-shedding by the VRA and the frequent and prolonged interruptions in the supply of electricity were felt all over the country.
He said there was, therefore, a general slow-down of work in the various sectors of the economy, adding that there was a fall in productivity, all of which combined to produce an adverse effect on the national economy.
According to Prof Mensah, who is also the Dean of Economics and Business Administration of the university, students of the university were currently accommodated in rented private houses in different parts of Sunyani.
Consequently, he said, during periods of power outages between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m, they could not do any meaningful reading or course assignments, either in the university’s library, which is on campus, or even in their respective residences.
Prof Mensah stressed that the idea of producing the solar lanterns constituted the first step in that initiative and offered the university an appropriate solution to one of the problems in its present circumstances.
The Vice-Chancellor of CUCG, Prof. J.H. Ephraim, stressed that energy supply was a key component in development, but said that access to it was becoming a number one problem in the country’s development efforts, saying without energy there was nothing one could do.
He expressed his deepest appreciation and gratitude to the German partners for responding quickly to the request by the university authorities and their willingness to train some local people to take over the project after they had left.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
2 SUNYANI DRIVERS TO BE PROSECUTED (PAGE 31)
THE Attorney-General’s Office in Sunyani has directed the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service to prosecute two drivers at the Sunyani circuit court on charges of careless and inconsiderate driving and negligently causing harm, resulting in the death of two pedestrians in the Sunyani Municipality.
The drivers are Kwame Yeboah, who was driving a Mitsubishi mini bus, and William Kpobi, who was driving a Toyota Corolla, while the victims are 12-year-old Emmanuel Atiemo and Sarfo Bekoe, 40.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ansu Frimpong, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in Sunyani at the weekend, noted that careless and inconsiderate driving was contrary to Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), while negligently causing harm was in contravention of Section 72 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Mr Frimpong, who is the Brong Ahafo Regional Commander of the MTTU, gave the causes of Atiemo’s death as “haemorrhage shock” and head injury, while Bekoe died from “traumatic shock” and “multiple soft tissue injuries with wound in the right hand”, quoting a post mortem report.
Giving brief facts on both cases, the MTTU Commander said on March 9, 2003, Yeboah was driving his bus from Sunyani towards Atronie and when he reached a section of the road at Estate, opposite the UAS Restaurant, he knocked Atiemo, who attempted to cross the road from the inside lane to the outer lane.
He said shortly on arrival at the Sunyani Regional Hospital, the boy died, adding that “the driver had been careless and inconsiderate to other road users and had also been negligent in driving his bus”, as the A-G’s office pointed out.
In the case of Kpobi, ASP Frimpong said about 7.30 p.m. on December 8, 2006, the suspect was driving his taxi with four passengers on board from Sunyani to Tanoso in the Sunyani Municipality.
He said on reaching a section of the road near the Oti Yeboah Complex Limited at Abesim, the driver knocked Bekoe, who attempted to cross the road.
According to ASP Frimpong, the victim sustained injuries and was quickly rushed to the Sunyani Regional Hospital where he died while on admission.
The drivers are Kwame Yeboah, who was driving a Mitsubishi mini bus, and William Kpobi, who was driving a Toyota Corolla, while the victims are 12-year-old Emmanuel Atiemo and Sarfo Bekoe, 40.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ansu Frimpong, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in Sunyani at the weekend, noted that careless and inconsiderate driving was contrary to Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), while negligently causing harm was in contravention of Section 72 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Mr Frimpong, who is the Brong Ahafo Regional Commander of the MTTU, gave the causes of Atiemo’s death as “haemorrhage shock” and head injury, while Bekoe died from “traumatic shock” and “multiple soft tissue injuries with wound in the right hand”, quoting a post mortem report.
Giving brief facts on both cases, the MTTU Commander said on March 9, 2003, Yeboah was driving his bus from Sunyani towards Atronie and when he reached a section of the road at Estate, opposite the UAS Restaurant, he knocked Atiemo, who attempted to cross the road from the inside lane to the outer lane.
He said shortly on arrival at the Sunyani Regional Hospital, the boy died, adding that “the driver had been careless and inconsiderate to other road users and had also been negligent in driving his bus”, as the A-G’s office pointed out.
In the case of Kpobi, ASP Frimpong said about 7.30 p.m. on December 8, 2006, the suspect was driving his taxi with four passengers on board from Sunyani to Tanoso in the Sunyani Municipality.
He said on reaching a section of the road near the Oti Yeboah Complex Limited at Abesim, the driver knocked Bekoe, who attempted to cross the road.
According to ASP Frimpong, the victim sustained injuries and was quickly rushed to the Sunyani Regional Hospital where he died while on admission.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
PAY ATTENTION TO PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ...President Kufuor ( PAGE 36)
THE President, Mr J.A. Kufuor, has admonished teachers in the country to pay particular attention to their physical appearance by dressing decently at all times, since they are considered as role models in society.
‘‘The fact that you have been posted to a deprived area in the country does not mean that the teacher should be drab and so I urge you to maintain a clean outlook all the time, since you are role models to the students and pupils you teach.
President Kufuor further advised teachers to avoid absenteeism, being rapists and desist from dodging classes, especially during market days in order to sell goods at the expense of the poor children.
The President gave the admonition in an address read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Angelina Baiden–Amissah, at the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the St Joseph’s Training College ( JOSCO) at Bechem in the Tano South District in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The theme for the celebration was: ‘‘JOSCO @ 60 : Developing the Human Resource for Successful Educational Reform’’.
Among the dignitaries who graced the occasion were the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Stephen Asamoah–Boateng; the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah; the Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Mr Andrews Adjei–Yeboah; the District Chief Executive for Tano South, Mr Osei Sekyere Bota, directors of education, heads of educational institutions, the clergy, as well as the Omanhene of the Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, who chaired the function.
President Kufuor noted that some teachers failed to improve upon themselves academically and were always stuck at one place.
He, therefore, impressed upon such teachers to take advantage of the Distance Learning Programme to upgrade themselves, since it formed part of the government’s human resource development.
According to the President, certain teachers tended to forget themselves and go to the extent of entering into polygamous marriages, which, he said, affected their finances in the end.
He again advised teachers to avoid misappropriation of funds of any particular school they would be posted to and reminded them of the recent sitting of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament which exposed certain heads of some educational institutions for not providing proper accounts.
President Kufuor also urged them to accept postings to any deprived area in the country and also prepare adequately for classes by preparing their lesson notes so that they would not be found wanting in their delivery of topics.
He stated that the introduction of the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding Programme was a challenge to teacher trainees to accept postings to rural areas so as to bring education to their less fortunate brothers and sisters.
The government, he said, was optimistic that the new educational reform would succeed so ‘‘we count on the commitment of teachers, transparent partnership with religious bodies and the co-operation of parents and all stakeholders of education for the successful implementation of the reform.
In his report, the Principal of JOSCO, Mr Charles David Bannerman–Mensah, stated that 6,000 different categories of teachers had been trained for basic schools in the country.
He said out of 303 students who passed out of the maiden Diploma in Basic Education last year, only eight of them were referred internally in teaching practice and project work, but added that all of them passed the external examination conducted by the University of Cape Coast.
Prizes were awarded to deserving trainee teachers and staff of the college.
‘‘The fact that you have been posted to a deprived area in the country does not mean that the teacher should be drab and so I urge you to maintain a clean outlook all the time, since you are role models to the students and pupils you teach.
President Kufuor further advised teachers to avoid absenteeism, being rapists and desist from dodging classes, especially during market days in order to sell goods at the expense of the poor children.
The President gave the admonition in an address read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Angelina Baiden–Amissah, at the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the St Joseph’s Training College ( JOSCO) at Bechem in the Tano South District in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The theme for the celebration was: ‘‘JOSCO @ 60 : Developing the Human Resource for Successful Educational Reform’’.
Among the dignitaries who graced the occasion were the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Stephen Asamoah–Boateng; the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah; the Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Mr Andrews Adjei–Yeboah; the District Chief Executive for Tano South, Mr Osei Sekyere Bota, directors of education, heads of educational institutions, the clergy, as well as the Omanhene of the Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, who chaired the function.
President Kufuor noted that some teachers failed to improve upon themselves academically and were always stuck at one place.
He, therefore, impressed upon such teachers to take advantage of the Distance Learning Programme to upgrade themselves, since it formed part of the government’s human resource development.
According to the President, certain teachers tended to forget themselves and go to the extent of entering into polygamous marriages, which, he said, affected their finances in the end.
He again advised teachers to avoid misappropriation of funds of any particular school they would be posted to and reminded them of the recent sitting of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament which exposed certain heads of some educational institutions for not providing proper accounts.
President Kufuor also urged them to accept postings to any deprived area in the country and also prepare adequately for classes by preparing their lesson notes so that they would not be found wanting in their delivery of topics.
He stated that the introduction of the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding Programme was a challenge to teacher trainees to accept postings to rural areas so as to bring education to their less fortunate brothers and sisters.
The government, he said, was optimistic that the new educational reform would succeed so ‘‘we count on the commitment of teachers, transparent partnership with religious bodies and the co-operation of parents and all stakeholders of education for the successful implementation of the reform.
In his report, the Principal of JOSCO, Mr Charles David Bannerman–Mensah, stated that 6,000 different categories of teachers had been trained for basic schools in the country.
He said out of 303 students who passed out of the maiden Diploma in Basic Education last year, only eight of them were referred internally in teaching practice and project work, but added that all of them passed the external examination conducted by the University of Cape Coast.
Prizes were awarded to deserving trainee teachers and staff of the college.
HEALTH INSURANCE AUTHORITY WARNS HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS (PAGE 36)
THE Brong Ahafo Regional Manager of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr William Selby, has cautioned that the authority would deal ruthlessly with any health care provider who collects money from insured clients of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
He alleged that even though people who had enrolled with the scheme were not supposed to pay for health care, some healthcare providers still went ahead to collect money from insured clients, an act he described as illegal.
Mr Selby gave the warning at Goaso in the Asunafo North Municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He also stated that monitoring teams had been established in all the regional capitals and they had been charged with the responsibility to closely monitor both the scheme and healthcare providers to ensure that they followed the laid down procedures and policies of the NHIS.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the Asunafo North Municipal Health Insurance Scheme, the regional manager again stated that accreditation teams would also move around to assess the available infrastructure of all health facilities, their equipment and quality of service.
According to him, any hospital, health centre or clinic whose services did not merit the required standard would be advised to improve upon their services or the NHIA would review its status.
In his report, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the scheme, Mr Ignatius Kwabena Addai, stated that as of December, 2007, the scheme had registered 55,345 clients, representing 54.06 per cent of the district’s population of 102,374.
He gave the breakdown as indigents, 107; pensioners, 156; people over 70 years, 3,083; SSNIT contributors, 3,454; informal, 18,474 and under 18 years, 30,071.
According to Mr Addai, the scheme collected a total premium of GH¢728,205.00, made up of GH¢96,684 from internally generated funds and GH¢631,521.00 from the NHIA.
He added that total attendance at the various health facilities stood at 116,647 with an average expenditure of GH¢7 per client.
Recounting the achievements of the scheme, the chairman noted that the scheme targeted 52 per cent enrolment for the year under review, but it managed to secure 54 per cent coverage.
He gave the assurance that the scheme would work harder to ensure that 61,031 clients, representing 58 per cent of the total population, were registered.
According to Mr Addai, the scheme was able to settle all claims that had been received and vetted, adding that it had never been in distress.
He, however, mentioned the lack of spacious office accommodation, inadequate staff, difficulty in getting old clients to register, clients’ abuse of the system by multiple visits to clinics, as well as non-compliance to the gatekeeper system, as some of the challenges of the scheme.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Asunafo North, Alhaji Ishak A. Bonsu, stated that about 57 per cent of the population in the municipality had still not registered with the scheme. He said since insurance thrived on numbers, there was the need to intensify efforts at mobilising a lot more people to join the scheme.
“While campaigning for more people to register, we also appeal to the hospital authorities and their staff to pay the needed attention to patients who visit their facilities, as it would be unfortunate for a registered member to be discriminated against because he or she holds a national insurance card,” he declared.
The Asunafo North Scheme Manager, Mr Jephthah Appiah, said the scheme would institute fraud control measures for stakeholders to have functional and administrative control systems, that is, policies and procedures, undertake periodic monitoring and evaluation exercise on the activities of stakeholders and also to ensure that over 70 per cent of members whose cards were about to expire, renewed their membership.
He stated that the scheme embarked on promotional activities, such as community durbars and mass public education in the communities, and also gave talks to organised bodies like churches and hairdressers at Akrodie, Kasapin, Asumura and Dominase.
He alleged that even though people who had enrolled with the scheme were not supposed to pay for health care, some healthcare providers still went ahead to collect money from insured clients, an act he described as illegal.
Mr Selby gave the warning at Goaso in the Asunafo North Municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He also stated that monitoring teams had been established in all the regional capitals and they had been charged with the responsibility to closely monitor both the scheme and healthcare providers to ensure that they followed the laid down procedures and policies of the NHIS.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the Asunafo North Municipal Health Insurance Scheme, the regional manager again stated that accreditation teams would also move around to assess the available infrastructure of all health facilities, their equipment and quality of service.
According to him, any hospital, health centre or clinic whose services did not merit the required standard would be advised to improve upon their services or the NHIA would review its status.
In his report, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the scheme, Mr Ignatius Kwabena Addai, stated that as of December, 2007, the scheme had registered 55,345 clients, representing 54.06 per cent of the district’s population of 102,374.
He gave the breakdown as indigents, 107; pensioners, 156; people over 70 years, 3,083; SSNIT contributors, 3,454; informal, 18,474 and under 18 years, 30,071.
According to Mr Addai, the scheme collected a total premium of GH¢728,205.00, made up of GH¢96,684 from internally generated funds and GH¢631,521.00 from the NHIA.
He added that total attendance at the various health facilities stood at 116,647 with an average expenditure of GH¢7 per client.
Recounting the achievements of the scheme, the chairman noted that the scheme targeted 52 per cent enrolment for the year under review, but it managed to secure 54 per cent coverage.
He gave the assurance that the scheme would work harder to ensure that 61,031 clients, representing 58 per cent of the total population, were registered.
According to Mr Addai, the scheme was able to settle all claims that had been received and vetted, adding that it had never been in distress.
He, however, mentioned the lack of spacious office accommodation, inadequate staff, difficulty in getting old clients to register, clients’ abuse of the system by multiple visits to clinics, as well as non-compliance to the gatekeeper system, as some of the challenges of the scheme.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Asunafo North, Alhaji Ishak A. Bonsu, stated that about 57 per cent of the population in the municipality had still not registered with the scheme. He said since insurance thrived on numbers, there was the need to intensify efforts at mobilising a lot more people to join the scheme.
“While campaigning for more people to register, we also appeal to the hospital authorities and their staff to pay the needed attention to patients who visit their facilities, as it would be unfortunate for a registered member to be discriminated against because he or she holds a national insurance card,” he declared.
The Asunafo North Scheme Manager, Mr Jephthah Appiah, said the scheme would institute fraud control measures for stakeholders to have functional and administrative control systems, that is, policies and procedures, undertake periodic monitoring and evaluation exercise on the activities of stakeholders and also to ensure that over 70 per cent of members whose cards were about to expire, renewed their membership.
He stated that the scheme embarked on promotional activities, such as community durbars and mass public education in the communities, and also gave talks to organised bodies like churches and hairdressers at Akrodie, Kasapin, Asumura and Dominase.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
MAN, 28, IN COURT FOR STEALING (PAGE 43)
A 28-year-old man, Agyemang Prempeh, has appeared before the Circuit Court at Fiapre, near Sunyani, on a provisional charge of stealing GH¢29,000 belonging to Capital Rural Bank, a private financial institution with branches at Abesim and Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The court, presided over by Mr Owusu Gyamfi, did not take his plea and remanded him into police custody to reappear on Friday, June 13, 2008.
A source close to the court, which disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in Sunyani, said the suspect was employed by the bank about six months ago as Programmes and Appraisal Administrator for both the Abesim and Sunyani branches in charge of disbursing loans to successful applicants.
It alleged that because of Prempeh’s ability in the use of computers, the suspect was able to manipulate the system and single-handedly approved the amount as loans to about 14 people, without receiving any applications.
It said Prempeh then opened new accounts for the loan beneficiaries without the necessary documentation and procedure, as required by the bank, and succeeded in disbursing the amount to those customers.
According to the source, the suspect then attempted to manipulate the entire network of computers so that all the available information would be lost, including the GH¢29,000 self-approved loan.
However, the source said, a staff member of the bank suspected the deal and, therefore, alerted the management which, after a thorough check, detected the deal and subsequently handed Prempeh over to the Sunyani Municipal Police for further investigations.
During investigations, the source alleged that some of the names the suspect gave out as beneficiaries of the loan could not be traced.
It said the police were still conducting investigations into the case, after which the proper charge would be preferred against him.
The court, presided over by Mr Owusu Gyamfi, did not take his plea and remanded him into police custody to reappear on Friday, June 13, 2008.
A source close to the court, which disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in Sunyani, said the suspect was employed by the bank about six months ago as Programmes and Appraisal Administrator for both the Abesim and Sunyani branches in charge of disbursing loans to successful applicants.
It alleged that because of Prempeh’s ability in the use of computers, the suspect was able to manipulate the system and single-handedly approved the amount as loans to about 14 people, without receiving any applications.
It said Prempeh then opened new accounts for the loan beneficiaries without the necessary documentation and procedure, as required by the bank, and succeeded in disbursing the amount to those customers.
According to the source, the suspect then attempted to manipulate the entire network of computers so that all the available information would be lost, including the GH¢29,000 self-approved loan.
However, the source said, a staff member of the bank suspected the deal and, therefore, alerted the management which, after a thorough check, detected the deal and subsequently handed Prempeh over to the Sunyani Municipal Police for further investigations.
During investigations, the source alleged that some of the names the suspect gave out as beneficiaries of the loan could not be traced.
It said the police were still conducting investigations into the case, after which the proper charge would be preferred against him.
GOVT HANDS OVER VEHICLES TO GES (BACK PAGE)
Ninety-three municipal and district directors of education or their representatives, including 53 deprived ones from across the country, converged at the Sunyani Jubilee Park in the Brong Ahafo Region to receive the keys to brand new Mahindra Double Cabin four wheel drive vehicles for their respective directorates of education.
The presentation of the vehicles, which are to facilitate the effective supervision of schools under their control, was part of a $2.519 million package the government is providing for about 140 districts in the country.
Ms Elizabeth Ohene, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports who made the presentation noted that lack of strict supervision of public educational institutions had led to the downward trend of education in the country.
Among those present at the ceremony were Mr Ato Essuman, a Member of the Council of Stateand Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr Bannerman Mensah, Director General of the GES and the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah.
The presentation of the vehicles, which are to facilitate the effective supervision of schools under their control, was part of a $2.519 million package the government is providing for about 140 districts in the country.
Ms Elizabeth Ohene, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports who made the presentation noted that lack of strict supervision of public educational institutions had led to the downward trend of education in the country.
Among those present at the ceremony were Mr Ato Essuman, a Member of the Council of Stateand Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr Bannerman Mensah, Director General of the GES and the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
WOO INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE TO DFP — ZIEDENG (PAGE 17)
THE General Secretary of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Mr Bede Ziedeng, has advised the leadership of the various constituencies of the party to strive to woo influential people in their areas to join the party.
He explained that teachers, chiefs, pastors, local businessmen and women, big time farmers, among other opinion leaders, had the capacity to influence the thinking of the ordinary people to embrace the virtues of the DFP.
“Beyond yourselves, you need to increase our numbers in order to win the upcoming general election,” he stressed.
Addressing a DFP delegates congress in Sunyani, the general secretary said even though the DFP was a young party, “we know what it takes to organise and win elections as we are capable people of doing”.
“Go down to the people at the grass roots, because the grass roots are the main branch of the DFP and make sure that every branch is very effective in the organisation of the party,” he declared, adding “you don’t need money to campaign, but your ideas could do the trick for the DFP”.
Mr Zeideng also urged the leadership at the constituencies, as a matter of urgency, to organise their parliamentary primaries to elect candidates who would lead the party in the campaign.
He stated that 50 per cent of the constituencies in the region were ready to hold their primaries and also confirm their executives at their respective constituency congresses.
The general secretary gave the assurance that after the primaries, the leadership of the party would provide seed money for political rallies that would be organised at the various constituencies, noting that the party’s leadership was working towards the provision of logistics.
The Patron of the party, Dr Obed Asamoah, explained that the DFP was formed to call for a paradigm shift from the old ways politics was being practised in the country, especially insults by political serial callers, which, he said, did not augur well for the people of the country.
He stated that such calls at the various FM stations had the potential to ignite violence, adding that the DFP wanted to shift from the culture of political violence, which some of the political parties were noted for.
According Mr Asamoah, the future of the country rested with the youth and that explained why the DFP had chosen the youngest flag bearer, who is 43 years of age, and expressed delight at the large number of the youth at the congress.
For his part, the flag bearer of DFP, Mr Emmanuel Ansah Antwi, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the delegates who elected him to lead the party in the December elections at the party’s recent congress in Accra.
He advised the party supporters and sympathisers to register in their numbers when the Electoral Commission (EC) reopened the register in the course of the year.
Mr Antwi explained that the star, as the symbol of the party, depicted a bright future of the country, which, he said, rested with the DFP, saying that various governments had come and gone, but there had not been any drastic change in the lives of the people.
According to Mr Antwi, neither the New Patriotic Party (NPP) nor the National Democratic Congress (NDC) could solve the problems facing the country, but when given the mandate, the DFP would change the fortunes of the people for posterity to appreciate, adding, “We need to fight for the transformation of the country”.
The National Organiser of the DFP, Mr Anto Piesie, urged the supporters of the party to pool their resources in order to campaign effectively to wrest power in the December elections, saying that they should not wait for the national executive to send down money before embarking on campaigns.
He explained that teachers, chiefs, pastors, local businessmen and women, big time farmers, among other opinion leaders, had the capacity to influence the thinking of the ordinary people to embrace the virtues of the DFP.
“Beyond yourselves, you need to increase our numbers in order to win the upcoming general election,” he stressed.
Addressing a DFP delegates congress in Sunyani, the general secretary said even though the DFP was a young party, “we know what it takes to organise and win elections as we are capable people of doing”.
“Go down to the people at the grass roots, because the grass roots are the main branch of the DFP and make sure that every branch is very effective in the organisation of the party,” he declared, adding “you don’t need money to campaign, but your ideas could do the trick for the DFP”.
Mr Zeideng also urged the leadership at the constituencies, as a matter of urgency, to organise their parliamentary primaries to elect candidates who would lead the party in the campaign.
He stated that 50 per cent of the constituencies in the region were ready to hold their primaries and also confirm their executives at their respective constituency congresses.
The general secretary gave the assurance that after the primaries, the leadership of the party would provide seed money for political rallies that would be organised at the various constituencies, noting that the party’s leadership was working towards the provision of logistics.
The Patron of the party, Dr Obed Asamoah, explained that the DFP was formed to call for a paradigm shift from the old ways politics was being practised in the country, especially insults by political serial callers, which, he said, did not augur well for the people of the country.
He stated that such calls at the various FM stations had the potential to ignite violence, adding that the DFP wanted to shift from the culture of political violence, which some of the political parties were noted for.
According Mr Asamoah, the future of the country rested with the youth and that explained why the DFP had chosen the youngest flag bearer, who is 43 years of age, and expressed delight at the large number of the youth at the congress.
For his part, the flag bearer of DFP, Mr Emmanuel Ansah Antwi, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the delegates who elected him to lead the party in the December elections at the party’s recent congress in Accra.
He advised the party supporters and sympathisers to register in their numbers when the Electoral Commission (EC) reopened the register in the course of the year.
Mr Antwi explained that the star, as the symbol of the party, depicted a bright future of the country, which, he said, rested with the DFP, saying that various governments had come and gone, but there had not been any drastic change in the lives of the people.
According to Mr Antwi, neither the New Patriotic Party (NPP) nor the National Democratic Congress (NDC) could solve the problems facing the country, but when given the mandate, the DFP would change the fortunes of the people for posterity to appreciate, adding, “We need to fight for the transformation of the country”.
The National Organiser of the DFP, Mr Anto Piesie, urged the supporters of the party to pool their resources in order to campaign effectively to wrest power in the December elections, saying that they should not wait for the national executive to send down money before embarking on campaigns.
Monday, June 9, 2008
2-DAY BOXING TOURNEY AT SUNYANI (PAGE 63)
The National Sports Council (NSC) will organise a two-day Amateur Boxing Tournament at the Sunyani Coronation Park from Thursday to Saturday.
The tournament, which is the second in the series, will be organised in all the regions to help discover boxing talents.
Briefing the media about the championship at the Coronation Park yesterday, the Brong Ahafo Regional Sports Development Officer (RSDO), Mr Edward E. Wilson, explained that the NSC aims at taking sports to every corner of the country.
According to him, the NSC is currently concentrating on creating awareness in boxing which has brought the nation world recognition.
Mr Wilson said the competition would be held between 4p.m. and 9p.m. each day, adding that all arrangements in terms of security, lighting and accommodation had been made.
He said Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Western, Volta, Northern and Upper West regions were to present six boxers each, while Greater Accra, Upper East and Ashanti regions will present eight boxers each, with the Central Region presenting four.
Mr Wilson explained that the quota was based on the performance of each region during the last championship in Winneba last year.
The RSDO said all boxers would undergo medical tests before being allowed to fight in their respective weight categories.
He also urged his colleague RSDOs to ensure that quality boxers took part in the event.
According to Mr Wilson, prizes including medals, cash and certificates will be given to deserving competitors.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatuis Baffour-Awuah, and the Chief Executive of the National Sports Council will grace the occasion.
The tournament, which is the second in the series, will be organised in all the regions to help discover boxing talents.
Briefing the media about the championship at the Coronation Park yesterday, the Brong Ahafo Regional Sports Development Officer (RSDO), Mr Edward E. Wilson, explained that the NSC aims at taking sports to every corner of the country.
According to him, the NSC is currently concentrating on creating awareness in boxing which has brought the nation world recognition.
Mr Wilson said the competition would be held between 4p.m. and 9p.m. each day, adding that all arrangements in terms of security, lighting and accommodation had been made.
He said Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Western, Volta, Northern and Upper West regions were to present six boxers each, while Greater Accra, Upper East and Ashanti regions will present eight boxers each, with the Central Region presenting four.
Mr Wilson explained that the quota was based on the performance of each region during the last championship in Winneba last year.
The RSDO said all boxers would undergo medical tests before being allowed to fight in their respective weight categories.
He also urged his colleague RSDOs to ensure that quality boxers took part in the event.
According to Mr Wilson, prizes including medals, cash and certificates will be given to deserving competitors.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatuis Baffour-Awuah, and the Chief Executive of the National Sports Council will grace the occasion.
Monday, June 2, 2008
NEWMONT SUPPORTS AHAFO COMMUNITIES (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 10)
By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Sunyani
Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) operating the Ahafo Mine site in the Brong Ahafo Region, has initiated a partnership with five of its stakeholder communities in Ahafo to fund specific projects. Each community will receive $7,000 for its project.
Currently five communities near the mine site, Kenyasi No.One, Kenyasi No. Two, Ntotroso, Gyedu and Wamahinso, all in the Asutifi District are discussing with NGGL, and with the support of the district assembly, how the partnership arrangement will work.
Under the initiative, the community identifies a particular project and NGGL offers material support while the community and the assembly offers labour and technical support respectively.
Already the communities have identified projects for which planning wok has been done and work will begin soon.
Mr Randy Barnes, the External Affairs Manager of NGGL, who disclosed this at a press soiree in Sunyani, indicated that the company intended to start similar discussions with other communities in the Tano North and South districts on the partnership approach to community development.
According to Mr Barnes, the Ahafo linkages programme, initiated by NGGL and other organisations, was aimed at building the capacity of local businesses, maximise the business opportunities of local Micro/ Small/Medium Enterprises (MSMES) and seeking ways to increase the incomes of the communities around the mine in ways that do not necessarily depend on employment with Newmont.
Furthermore, the External Affairs Manager intimated that the programme was to support the development of local non-mining businesses to help develop a diversified local economy outside of the mining sector.
He again disclosed that in 2006, 25 local MSMFS executed 121 contracts or transactions amounting to $1,718,949.00 while in 2007, 52 local MSMFS executed 282 contracts amounting to $4,182,653.80.
Mr Barnes also indicated that, mentoring and capacity building programmes were ongoing to further develop the local businesses and that more than 200 businesses had been registered for the mentoring programme and being screened for participation over the next three years.
On illegal mining operations (Galamsey), the External Affairs Manager said his company saw it as an “industry-wide and Ghana-wide problem and does not support things done outside the law”.
Mr Barnes said, the NGGL constantly monitored the situation and where necessary, alerted the security agencies and that the company had put in place programmes to improve on agriculture in the area so that the youth could gainfully engage in that sector for a living.
He disclosed that an Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum (ASRF) had been established to enable NGGL’s operational communities to participate in and also jointly own with the company the process of discussing and implementing sustainable community development initiatives.
According to Mr Barnes, in December 2005, the company decided that $1per an ounce of gold sold and one per cent of net profit from the Ahafo Mine, would be set aside and put into a Community Development Fund (CDF) for sustainable community development.
The External Affairs Manager pointed out that the forum, formed in early 2006, discussed how the money accruing into the fund should be utilised and that the funds had been set aside in a special bank account pending the signing of the agreement and establishment of the foundation, adding, “Right now, more than $647,000 is in this fund”.
Mr Barnes and other officers of NGGL took turns to answer some questions posed by journalists.
Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) operating the Ahafo Mine site in the Brong Ahafo Region, has initiated a partnership with five of its stakeholder communities in Ahafo to fund specific projects. Each community will receive $7,000 for its project.
Currently five communities near the mine site, Kenyasi No.One, Kenyasi No. Two, Ntotroso, Gyedu and Wamahinso, all in the Asutifi District are discussing with NGGL, and with the support of the district assembly, how the partnership arrangement will work.
Under the initiative, the community identifies a particular project and NGGL offers material support while the community and the assembly offers labour and technical support respectively.
Already the communities have identified projects for which planning wok has been done and work will begin soon.
Mr Randy Barnes, the External Affairs Manager of NGGL, who disclosed this at a press soiree in Sunyani, indicated that the company intended to start similar discussions with other communities in the Tano North and South districts on the partnership approach to community development.
According to Mr Barnes, the Ahafo linkages programme, initiated by NGGL and other organisations, was aimed at building the capacity of local businesses, maximise the business opportunities of local Micro/ Small/Medium Enterprises (MSMES) and seeking ways to increase the incomes of the communities around the mine in ways that do not necessarily depend on employment with Newmont.
Furthermore, the External Affairs Manager intimated that the programme was to support the development of local non-mining businesses to help develop a diversified local economy outside of the mining sector.
He again disclosed that in 2006, 25 local MSMFS executed 121 contracts or transactions amounting to $1,718,949.00 while in 2007, 52 local MSMFS executed 282 contracts amounting to $4,182,653.80.
Mr Barnes also indicated that, mentoring and capacity building programmes were ongoing to further develop the local businesses and that more than 200 businesses had been registered for the mentoring programme and being screened for participation over the next three years.
On illegal mining operations (Galamsey), the External Affairs Manager said his company saw it as an “industry-wide and Ghana-wide problem and does not support things done outside the law”.
Mr Barnes said, the NGGL constantly monitored the situation and where necessary, alerted the security agencies and that the company had put in place programmes to improve on agriculture in the area so that the youth could gainfully engage in that sector for a living.
He disclosed that an Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum (ASRF) had been established to enable NGGL’s operational communities to participate in and also jointly own with the company the process of discussing and implementing sustainable community development initiatives.
According to Mr Barnes, in December 2005, the company decided that $1per an ounce of gold sold and one per cent of net profit from the Ahafo Mine, would be set aside and put into a Community Development Fund (CDF) for sustainable community development.
The External Affairs Manager pointed out that the forum, formed in early 2006, discussed how the money accruing into the fund should be utilised and that the funds had been set aside in a special bank account pending the signing of the agreement and establishment of the foundation, adding, “Right now, more than $647,000 is in this fund”.
Mr Barnes and other officers of NGGL took turns to answer some questions posed by journalists.
NEWMONT SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH MINING COMPANIES (GRAPHIC ASEMPA, PAGE 22)
By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Yamfo
An agreement, known as the Ahafo Social Responsibility Agreement (ASRA) has been signed between Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), operating the Ahafo Mine in the Asutifi and Tano North Districts of the Brong Ahafo Region and representatives of 10 communities where the mining company is currently doing business.
ASRA was borne out of a forum known as the Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum (ASRF) in response to Newmont’s Commitment to the sustainable development of its areas of operation.
It comprises three parts namely, the Relationship Agreement, Employment Agreement and the Foundation Agreement.
In December 2005, Newmont made a commitment that, $1 per an ounce of gold sold and one per cent of the net profit from the Ahafo Mine, would be set aside in a community Development Fund for sustainable community development projects.
Following that commitment, the chiefs in the two districts and Newmont agreed to establish ASR, which was aimed at providing Newmont’s Ahafo host communities with the opportunity to participate in the company’s decisions and plans that affect them and their environs, deliberate on issues of mutual interest, help build strong communication and decide on how the community development would be allocated.
The ASRA sets out key principles and directions on how the company and the communities, would work together for their mutual benefit.
Signatories to the agreement, which took place at a historic ceremony at the Yamfo Roman Catholic School Park at the weekend included the chiefs in Newmont’s mine communities, the Tano North and Asutifi District Assemblies and representatives of groups in the 10 Ahafo mining communities.
The communities are, Terchiere, Adrobaa, Yamfo, Susuanso and Afrisipakrom all in the Tano North District, and Kenyasi No. 1, Kenyasi No.2, Wamahinso, Ntotroso and Gyedu in the Asutifi district.
ASRA consists of 53 individuals and representation of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), farmer’s representatives, women and Youth representative as well as chiefs, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the two District Chief Executives (DCEs), and other opinion leaders as well as representatives of NGGL, with Professor Daniel Mireku-Gyimah, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines at Tarkwa as the Moderator and Mr Kwame Saarah Mensah, a former Brong Ahafo Regional Minister as a Co-Moderator.
Professor Mireku-Gyimah, in his welcoming address, noted that, it was the first time in the history of Ghana that a mining company and the community members had come together to discuss the means to live together harmoniously and also discuss measures to develop the communities where the mine was located.
He said the signing of the agreement was very significant as it would go a long way to strengthen the relationship between the company and the community members and that it would serve as a reference when the history of mining operations in the country was being written.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister called for peace and tranquility between the two parties and expressed the hope that all the players in the agreement had settled any previous disagreements in misunderstanding before arriving at the final document.
Mr Baffour-Awuah urged the two parties to respect and co-operate with each other, adding that, it was incumbent on the NGGL to operate while abiding by the rules and regulations regarding mining operations in the country.
The Regional Minister used the occasion to dispel the notion that the government only takes 10 per cent as net profit from Newmont but explained that the total percentage was between 40-45 per cent.
Dr Chris Anderson, the Director for Environment and Social Responsibility, pointed out that, contemporary business practice places a moral responsibility on companies to improve the quality of life of local communities and society at large, a fact he said, had gained acceptance throughout the world.
An agreement, known as the Ahafo Social Responsibility Agreement (ASRA) has been signed between Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), operating the Ahafo Mine in the Asutifi and Tano North Districts of the Brong Ahafo Region and representatives of 10 communities where the mining company is currently doing business.
ASRA was borne out of a forum known as the Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum (ASRF) in response to Newmont’s Commitment to the sustainable development of its areas of operation.
It comprises three parts namely, the Relationship Agreement, Employment Agreement and the Foundation Agreement.
In December 2005, Newmont made a commitment that, $1 per an ounce of gold sold and one per cent of the net profit from the Ahafo Mine, would be set aside in a community Development Fund for sustainable community development projects.
Following that commitment, the chiefs in the two districts and Newmont agreed to establish ASR, which was aimed at providing Newmont’s Ahafo host communities with the opportunity to participate in the company’s decisions and plans that affect them and their environs, deliberate on issues of mutual interest, help build strong communication and decide on how the community development would be allocated.
The ASRA sets out key principles and directions on how the company and the communities, would work together for their mutual benefit.
Signatories to the agreement, which took place at a historic ceremony at the Yamfo Roman Catholic School Park at the weekend included the chiefs in Newmont’s mine communities, the Tano North and Asutifi District Assemblies and representatives of groups in the 10 Ahafo mining communities.
The communities are, Terchiere, Adrobaa, Yamfo, Susuanso and Afrisipakrom all in the Tano North District, and Kenyasi No. 1, Kenyasi No.2, Wamahinso, Ntotroso and Gyedu in the Asutifi district.
ASRA consists of 53 individuals and representation of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), farmer’s representatives, women and Youth representative as well as chiefs, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the two District Chief Executives (DCEs), and other opinion leaders as well as representatives of NGGL, with Professor Daniel Mireku-Gyimah, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines at Tarkwa as the Moderator and Mr Kwame Saarah Mensah, a former Brong Ahafo Regional Minister as a Co-Moderator.
Professor Mireku-Gyimah, in his welcoming address, noted that, it was the first time in the history of Ghana that a mining company and the community members had come together to discuss the means to live together harmoniously and also discuss measures to develop the communities where the mine was located.
He said the signing of the agreement was very significant as it would go a long way to strengthen the relationship between the company and the community members and that it would serve as a reference when the history of mining operations in the country was being written.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister called for peace and tranquility between the two parties and expressed the hope that all the players in the agreement had settled any previous disagreements in misunderstanding before arriving at the final document.
Mr Baffour-Awuah urged the two parties to respect and co-operate with each other, adding that, it was incumbent on the NGGL to operate while abiding by the rules and regulations regarding mining operations in the country.
The Regional Minister used the occasion to dispel the notion that the government only takes 10 per cent as net profit from Newmont but explained that the total percentage was between 40-45 per cent.
Dr Chris Anderson, the Director for Environment and Social Responsibility, pointed out that, contemporary business practice places a moral responsibility on companies to improve the quality of life of local communities and society at large, a fact he said, had gained acceptance throughout the world.
GOOD SANITATION IS RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL — DCE (PAGE 40)
THE District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asutifi, Mr Opoku Peprah, has observed that it is the responsibility of individual citizens, communities, private sector enterprises, non-governmental organisations and institutions of government to ensure good sanitation at all times, in order to avoid contracting communicable diseases.
He stressed that proper sanitation was important for the good health of the people, adding that improper waste disposal by one individual could affect an entire community.
“All these sectors, therefore, have an essential role to play in maintaining a high standard of environmental sanitation to complement the efforts of government and the district assemblies in ensuring a healthy citizenry,” the DCE said.
Mr Peprah made the observation during the inauguration and handing over ceremony of aqua privy sanitation facilities for four communities in the Asutifi District at Kenyasi Number One in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The beneficiary communities were Hwidiem, Kenyasi Number One, Ntotroso and Kenyasi Number Two.
Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) funded the projects at a total cost of $130,000, in response to a request by the traditional authorities of the respective traditional areas and the district assembly.
The DCE noted that the inauguration of the facilities could not have come at a more opportune time than now, as the world was celebrating the 2008 sanitation year.
“We must all gear up our energies to provide good and healthy sanitation since a healthy people make a healthy nation,” he added.
Mr Peprah, however, stated that the provision of those facilities would not be beneficial to the people if the projects were not well maintained by those who would be entrusted with the responsibility to do so, in order to ensure their longer life span.
He disclosed that the assembly had drawn up a programme to provide more of such facilities for other areas in the district.
In a speech read on his behalf, the External Affairs Manager of NGGL, Mr Randy Barnes, emphasised that his company remained genuinely committed to the sustainable development of the Ahafo Community that was why it continued to put in resources towards the improvement in the quality of the life of the people in the various communities.
According to Mr Barnes, a more concrete expression of that commitment was the setting aside of $1 per ounce of gold sold and one per cent of the company’s net profit, which had been deposited in a fund known as the “Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation.”
He stressed that proper sanitation was important for the good health of the people, adding that improper waste disposal by one individual could affect an entire community.
“All these sectors, therefore, have an essential role to play in maintaining a high standard of environmental sanitation to complement the efforts of government and the district assemblies in ensuring a healthy citizenry,” the DCE said.
Mr Peprah made the observation during the inauguration and handing over ceremony of aqua privy sanitation facilities for four communities in the Asutifi District at Kenyasi Number One in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The beneficiary communities were Hwidiem, Kenyasi Number One, Ntotroso and Kenyasi Number Two.
Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) funded the projects at a total cost of $130,000, in response to a request by the traditional authorities of the respective traditional areas and the district assembly.
The DCE noted that the inauguration of the facilities could not have come at a more opportune time than now, as the world was celebrating the 2008 sanitation year.
“We must all gear up our energies to provide good and healthy sanitation since a healthy people make a healthy nation,” he added.
Mr Peprah, however, stated that the provision of those facilities would not be beneficial to the people if the projects were not well maintained by those who would be entrusted with the responsibility to do so, in order to ensure their longer life span.
He disclosed that the assembly had drawn up a programme to provide more of such facilities for other areas in the district.
In a speech read on his behalf, the External Affairs Manager of NGGL, Mr Randy Barnes, emphasised that his company remained genuinely committed to the sustainable development of the Ahafo Community that was why it continued to put in resources towards the improvement in the quality of the life of the people in the various communities.
According to Mr Barnes, a more concrete expression of that commitment was the setting aside of $1 per ounce of gold sold and one per cent of the company’s net profit, which had been deposited in a fund known as the “Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation.”
TWENE AMANFO MARKS SILVER JUBILEE (PAGE 40)
THE Twene Amanfo Senior High Technical School (TASTECH) in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region has celebrated its 25th anniversary and Speech and Prize-giving day in Sunyani, with a call on the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, non-governmental organisations and individuals to mobilise resources to establish scholarship schemes for talented brilliant, needy children.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, who made the call, also urged the various communities to provide incentives to teachers to boost their morale for them to give their best.
The occasion was also used to unveil a bust of Nana Twene Amanfo, after whom the Twene Amanfo Senior High Technical School was named.
Mr Baffour-Awuah further observed that the formation of old boys and girls associations had been a potent source of assistance in the development of schools across the country.
He, therefore, urged old students associations to strengthen their activities for the effective development of their respective alma mater.
The theme for the Silver Jubilee celebration was “Enhancing Technical/Vocational Education for National Development”.
The regional minister noted with satisfaction that as a purely day school sited right in the centre of the Sunyani township, the school had afforded many students whose parents could not have paid high school fees the opportunity to access secondary and technical education.
“I, therefore, urge Nananom, parents, the churches and the various assemblies to continue to explore more fruitful ways of improving the standard of education at TASTECH,” he stressed.
Mr Baffour-Awuah stressed that not too long ago, the nation’s wealth was defined in terms of its natural resources, such as timber, gold and fertile lands, and by that measure the country was considered rich.
He, however, pointed out that “we have moved into an era where the progress of a nation, communities and societies, was no longer measured in terms of the abundance of their natural resources only, but the availability of trained manpower”.
The Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Mr Akwasi Mensah Fosuaba Banahene, who was the guest speaker for the ceremony, disclosed that from 2001 to date, the GETFund had on behalf of the government, spent GH¢12,446,644 on the development of 20 technical institutes in the country.
He gave the assurance that the GETFund would support the Ghana Education Service (GES) with adequate financial resources to expand the training scope of all technical schools, adding that those funds would also be made available for the training of teachers and instructors in those institutions.
The Headmistress of TASTECH, Ms Georgina Boakye, disclosed that the school had been able to put up Visual Arts and Building Construction workshops through its own initiative with its meagre resources, to facilitate teaching and learning.
She stated that there had been a tremendous improvement in the academic performance of the institute over the years.
According to her, between 2005 and 2007, the school chalked up resounding successes in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), recording 100 per cent passes each year with many of the students entering tertiary educational institutions throughout the country.
The Senior Prefect, Master Enoch Osei, catalogued a number of problems confronting the school, such as lack of adequate infrastructure, transport and staff accommodation.
Prizes were awarded to deserving students and staff.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, who made the call, also urged the various communities to provide incentives to teachers to boost their morale for them to give their best.
The occasion was also used to unveil a bust of Nana Twene Amanfo, after whom the Twene Amanfo Senior High Technical School was named.
Mr Baffour-Awuah further observed that the formation of old boys and girls associations had been a potent source of assistance in the development of schools across the country.
He, therefore, urged old students associations to strengthen their activities for the effective development of their respective alma mater.
The theme for the Silver Jubilee celebration was “Enhancing Technical/Vocational Education for National Development”.
The regional minister noted with satisfaction that as a purely day school sited right in the centre of the Sunyani township, the school had afforded many students whose parents could not have paid high school fees the opportunity to access secondary and technical education.
“I, therefore, urge Nananom, parents, the churches and the various assemblies to continue to explore more fruitful ways of improving the standard of education at TASTECH,” he stressed.
Mr Baffour-Awuah stressed that not too long ago, the nation’s wealth was defined in terms of its natural resources, such as timber, gold and fertile lands, and by that measure the country was considered rich.
He, however, pointed out that “we have moved into an era where the progress of a nation, communities and societies, was no longer measured in terms of the abundance of their natural resources only, but the availability of trained manpower”.
The Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Mr Akwasi Mensah Fosuaba Banahene, who was the guest speaker for the ceremony, disclosed that from 2001 to date, the GETFund had on behalf of the government, spent GH¢12,446,644 on the development of 20 technical institutes in the country.
He gave the assurance that the GETFund would support the Ghana Education Service (GES) with adequate financial resources to expand the training scope of all technical schools, adding that those funds would also be made available for the training of teachers and instructors in those institutions.
The Headmistress of TASTECH, Ms Georgina Boakye, disclosed that the school had been able to put up Visual Arts and Building Construction workshops through its own initiative with its meagre resources, to facilitate teaching and learning.
She stated that there had been a tremendous improvement in the academic performance of the institute over the years.
According to her, between 2005 and 2007, the school chalked up resounding successes in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), recording 100 per cent passes each year with many of the students entering tertiary educational institutions throughout the country.
The Senior Prefect, Master Enoch Osei, catalogued a number of problems confronting the school, such as lack of adequate infrastructure, transport and staff accommodation.
Prizes were awarded to deserving students and staff.
ASSEMBLIES URGED TO INVOLVE CHIEFS IN PROJECT PLANNING (PAGE 32)
THE Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, has urged metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to regard traditional rulers as their major stakeholders in their development process and actively involve them in areas of planning and implementation of projects.
He said traditional rulers should not be relegated to perform only ceremonial functions, noting that some district assembly officials thought that the assemblies had created sufficient opportunities for traditional authorities to participate in their programmes through community forums and frequent consultations, adding that there was the need to create acceptable collaborative functions between the assemblies and the traditional authorities.
Mr Boafo made the appeal in a speech read on his behalf at a validation workshop on the study, “The Role of Traditional Authorities In Local Governance”, in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The study was conducted in the Brong Ahafo and Central regions, and among high-profile chiefs who attended the workshop were the President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Okatakyie Agyeman Kudom VI, who is also the Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area; Nana Kobina Nketsia, the Omanhene of the Esikado Traditional Area, and Agyewodin Adu-Gyamfi Ampem, the Omanhene of the Acherensua Traditional Area
The workshop was a collaborative effort between the German Development Co-operation (GTZ) and the Decentralisation Secretariat of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment.
The study was conducted by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development, in collaboration with the Centre for Development Studies of the University of Cape Coast.
“Nananom are major stakeholders in our governance process at all levels. They successfully partnered the colonial administrators to effectively govern this country and they played a significant role in mobilising their communities to fight for self government,” he noted.
He said it was in that respect that strategies needed to be formulated to facilitate the integration of traditional authorities and strengthen their roles to effectively partner the government in the development of the nation.
Mr Boafo emphasised that in view of the fact that Ghana was still essentially a rural country, with majority of the people believing in traditional values and systems, the people continued to owe some form of allegiance to traditional authorities and that, therefore, made the role of chiefs unique in the governance process.
He indicated that although the ministry and the various houses of chiefs were the institutions charged with the responsibility of integrating traditional knowledge into national policy, there were no legal mechanisms for interaction with other government institutions, except what he described as “token” representation on the Council of State, the regional co-ordinating councils and some state commissions, pointing out that an acceptable legal framework needed to be formulated in that regard.
The minister announced that the National House of Chiefs and the Law Reform Commission, with support from the GTZ, was conducting research on the codification of customary law relating to lands and families in Ghana and said it was expected that the outcome of the study would put an end to the various chieftaincy conflicts that arose out of land issues.
The Programme Manager of the GTZ and Support for Development Reform, Mr Nikolas Beckmann, observed that owing to the recognition of the institution of chieftaincy in the Constitution, the integration of indigenous governance cultures and practices into the modern governance system was a constitutional obligation.
Presenting a report on the findings of the study, Dr Bernard Y. Guri noted that the establishment of new decentralised local government systems had brought into sharp focus the problems associated with a dual governance system, comprising state institutions that dealt with the general development of communities and a traditional system which was constitutionally limited to matters of traditional rule and customary law but which was, in actual fact, very much present in the development arena.
He said traditional rulers should not be relegated to perform only ceremonial functions, noting that some district assembly officials thought that the assemblies had created sufficient opportunities for traditional authorities to participate in their programmes through community forums and frequent consultations, adding that there was the need to create acceptable collaborative functions between the assemblies and the traditional authorities.
Mr Boafo made the appeal in a speech read on his behalf at a validation workshop on the study, “The Role of Traditional Authorities In Local Governance”, in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The study was conducted in the Brong Ahafo and Central regions, and among high-profile chiefs who attended the workshop were the President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Okatakyie Agyeman Kudom VI, who is also the Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area; Nana Kobina Nketsia, the Omanhene of the Esikado Traditional Area, and Agyewodin Adu-Gyamfi Ampem, the Omanhene of the Acherensua Traditional Area
The workshop was a collaborative effort between the German Development Co-operation (GTZ) and the Decentralisation Secretariat of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment.
The study was conducted by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development, in collaboration with the Centre for Development Studies of the University of Cape Coast.
“Nananom are major stakeholders in our governance process at all levels. They successfully partnered the colonial administrators to effectively govern this country and they played a significant role in mobilising their communities to fight for self government,” he noted.
He said it was in that respect that strategies needed to be formulated to facilitate the integration of traditional authorities and strengthen their roles to effectively partner the government in the development of the nation.
Mr Boafo emphasised that in view of the fact that Ghana was still essentially a rural country, with majority of the people believing in traditional values and systems, the people continued to owe some form of allegiance to traditional authorities and that, therefore, made the role of chiefs unique in the governance process.
He indicated that although the ministry and the various houses of chiefs were the institutions charged with the responsibility of integrating traditional knowledge into national policy, there were no legal mechanisms for interaction with other government institutions, except what he described as “token” representation on the Council of State, the regional co-ordinating councils and some state commissions, pointing out that an acceptable legal framework needed to be formulated in that regard.
The minister announced that the National House of Chiefs and the Law Reform Commission, with support from the GTZ, was conducting research on the codification of customary law relating to lands and families in Ghana and said it was expected that the outcome of the study would put an end to the various chieftaincy conflicts that arose out of land issues.
The Programme Manager of the GTZ and Support for Development Reform, Mr Nikolas Beckmann, observed that owing to the recognition of the institution of chieftaincy in the Constitution, the integration of indigenous governance cultures and practices into the modern governance system was a constitutional obligation.
Presenting a report on the findings of the study, Dr Bernard Y. Guri noted that the establishment of new decentralised local government systems had brought into sharp focus the problems associated with a dual governance system, comprising state institutions that dealt with the general development of communities and a traditional system which was constitutionally limited to matters of traditional rule and customary law but which was, in actual fact, very much present in the development arena.
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Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, which operates the Ahafo Mine in the Brong Ahafo Region, has presented a cheque for $875,000 for the effective development of 10 communities within the operational area of the company.
The cheque was presented at a ceremony at Ntotroso in the Asutifi District and the amount was an accumulation of $1 per ounce of gold sold by the company and one per cent of the net profit from the Ahafo Mine, which had been set aside following a commitment made by the company a couple of years ago for sustainable development projects in those communities.
Before the presentation of the cheque by the Vice President of Newmont, Mr. Jeff Huspeni, who is in charge of the company's Africa Operations, an agreement, known as the "Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation Agreement", was signed between representatives of the communities and those of Newmont.
The communities in the operational area of the company are Terchire, Adrobaa, Yamfo, Susuanso and Afrisipakrom, all in the Tano North District, as well as Kenyasi No.1, Kenyasi No.2, Wamahinso, Ntotroso and Gyedu in the Asutifi District.
Among the dignitaries who witnessed the occasion were the former Senior Minister, Mr. J.H. Mensah, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East, Mr Joe Ghartey, the Minister of Justice and Attomey General, Madam Rita Tani Iddi, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines and the Omanhene of the Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as well as paramount chiefs and queens in the area.
A 10-member Board of Trustees, chaired by Mr Kwame Saarah-Mensah, a Principal Consultant of SM Property Services in Accra and former Secretary for Youth and Sport in the Provisional National Defence Council(PNDC) regime, was sworn in by the District Magistrate for Kenyasi, Mr. Ackom Quayson, to oversee the smooth operation of the Foundation, while a logo for the Foundation was also unveiled by the former Senior Minister.
In an address, Madam Iddi, who is also the MP for Gushegu in the Northern Region, disclosed that export revenue from the minerals sector amounted to $2.5 billion, adding that the sector currently contributed about five per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 12 per cent of government revenue, seven per cent of Ghana's total corporate tax earnings and 41 per cent of total export earnings.
The deputy minister also indicated that the sector offered employment to about 20,000 people in large commercial scale mining, as well as 4,000 people in companies providing the mines support services.
She said besides the exploitation of the four main minerals, namely gold, diamond, bauxite and manganese, the country was also endowed with a variety of industrial mineral resources, such as limestone, silica, granite, clay and kaolin.
Those minerals, Madam Iddi noted, were essential for the manufacture of various industrial and consumer goods, adding that cement, glass, ceramics, cosmetics and many other products were entirely or partially made up of minerals.
The deputy minister observed that Newmont's operations in the Ahafo area had so far been satisfactory and expressed the hope that the company would continue to build on that achievement and also ensure that its operations were beneficial to both the management and the country as a whole.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice noted that the signing of the agreement with the host community in a united and collaborative effort was good for a sustainable development that would enhance the relationship between the company and the community.
Mr IIuspeni, in his welcoming address, pointed out that despite being the second largest contributor to the country's foreign exchange reserves for many years, mining companies had been blamed for the poor state of development in most mining communities.
"Nevertheless, before we began operations in Ghana, we were very convinced and determined that our maiden operation would create a different course", the Vice-President stressed.
The cheque was presented at a ceremony at Ntotroso in the Asutifi District and the amount was an accumulation of $1 per ounce of gold sold by the company and one per cent of the net profit from the Ahafo Mine, which had been set aside following a commitment made by the company a couple of years ago for sustainable development projects in those communities.
Before the presentation of the cheque by the Vice President of Newmont, Mr. Jeff Huspeni, who is in charge of the company's Africa Operations, an agreement, known as the "Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation Agreement", was signed between representatives of the communities and those of Newmont.
The communities in the operational area of the company are Terchire, Adrobaa, Yamfo, Susuanso and Afrisipakrom, all in the Tano North District, as well as Kenyasi No.1, Kenyasi No.2, Wamahinso, Ntotroso and Gyedu in the Asutifi District.
Among the dignitaries who witnessed the occasion were the former Senior Minister, Mr. J.H. Mensah, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East, Mr Joe Ghartey, the Minister of Justice and Attomey General, Madam Rita Tani Iddi, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines and the Omanhene of the Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as well as paramount chiefs and queens in the area.
A 10-member Board of Trustees, chaired by Mr Kwame Saarah-Mensah, a Principal Consultant of SM Property Services in Accra and former Secretary for Youth and Sport in the Provisional National Defence Council(PNDC) regime, was sworn in by the District Magistrate for Kenyasi, Mr. Ackom Quayson, to oversee the smooth operation of the Foundation, while a logo for the Foundation was also unveiled by the former Senior Minister.
In an address, Madam Iddi, who is also the MP for Gushegu in the Northern Region, disclosed that export revenue from the minerals sector amounted to $2.5 billion, adding that the sector currently contributed about five per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 12 per cent of government revenue, seven per cent of Ghana's total corporate tax earnings and 41 per cent of total export earnings.
The deputy minister also indicated that the sector offered employment to about 20,000 people in large commercial scale mining, as well as 4,000 people in companies providing the mines support services.
She said besides the exploitation of the four main minerals, namely gold, diamond, bauxite and manganese, the country was also endowed with a variety of industrial mineral resources, such as limestone, silica, granite, clay and kaolin.
Those minerals, Madam Iddi noted, were essential for the manufacture of various industrial and consumer goods, adding that cement, glass, ceramics, cosmetics and many other products were entirely or partially made up of minerals.
The deputy minister observed that Newmont's operations in the Ahafo area had so far been satisfactory and expressed the hope that the company would continue to build on that achievement and also ensure that its operations were beneficial to both the management and the country as a whole.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice noted that the signing of the agreement with the host community in a united and collaborative effort was good for a sustainable development that would enhance the relationship between the company and the community.
Mr IIuspeni, in his welcoming address, pointed out that despite being the second largest contributor to the country's foreign exchange reserves for many years, mining companies had been blamed for the poor state of development in most mining communities.
"Nevertheless, before we began operations in Ghana, we were very convinced and determined that our maiden operation would create a different course", the Vice-President stressed.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
BRONG AHAFO RECORDS SIGNIFICANT LOSES IN VOTER ID CARDS (PAGE 39, MIRROR)
Story: Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah Sunyani
The Brong Ahafo Regional office of the Electoral Commission (EC) recorded a total of 39,021 applications for the replacement of voters lost identification (ID) cards with 36,424 being resident applicants while 2,594 were non-resident ones, at the end of the recent exercise.
The resident applicants were registered voters who lived in the electoral areas where the replacement centre was located while the non-resident applicants were registered voters who did not stay in the electoral area where the centre was sited but had come there just to apply for the replacement of their lost ID cards.
Mr Mark Kojo Anyimadu, the Brong Ahafo Regional Director of the EC who disclosed this in Sunyani, also indicated that the Sunyani municipality recorded the largest number of applications for lost ID cards with a total of 3,802, followed by the Dormaa, Berekum, Asutifi and Techiman areas with 3,442, 3,109; 3,071 and 3,047 respectively.
Speaking on the topic, “Results and Challenges of the Replacement of lost ID cards”, at a special Regional Inter-Party Advisory Committee Forum, Mr Anyimadu further indicated that the low number of applications were recorded in Kintampo South (1,200), Pru (1,205) Atebubu- Amantin (1,077) and Sene (1,088).
The forum which was also attended by media personnel was held on the theme, “Building Stakeholders Confidence in the Outcome of the 2008 Elections” and was jointly organised by the EC, the Frederick Ebert Stiftung (FES) and KAB Governance Consult.
According to the Regional EC Director, male applications for replacement of their cards far outnumbered those of females and explained that the situation was due to the fact that women took better care of their ID cards than their male counterparts.
Mr Anyimadu said that the replacement exercise was fraught with the problem of inadequate personnel for centres since only one registration officer was engaged at a centre instead of two, a situation, which he said affected the rate of work, especially at those centres where there were as many as six or more registers from which an officer was to check on applicants’ particulars.
Another major problem the director observed was that the replacement officers had to contend with the unwieldy nature of some electoral areas, and that some additional replacement centres were created but said these were inadequate to cater for all prospective applicants.
Again, Mr Anyimadu pointed out that the huge geographical sizes of some of the electoral areas and long distances from replacement centres tended to discourage some registered voters whose ID Cards were lost and needed replacement.
According to the director, publicity on the national media to kick-start the exercise in the regions was low and discouraging from the beginning, adding that another challenge the EC faced was the low participation of the major stakeholders, that is the political parties in the exercise.
The Director of Human Resource and General Services, Mr Samuel Yorke-Aidoo, who also spoke on the topic, “The Forthcoming Voters’ Registration Exercise – Expectations and Challenges”, took the participants through the various provisions in the Constitution that dealt with the conduct of elections in the country, adding that those laws carry penalties.
He urged the political parties not to be only interested in finding faults with the registration exercise when it was opened later in the year but rather provide solutions to the faults they identified.
Mr Yorke-Aidoo further advised that the media should also not turn their houses, especially the air waves into “courts of law”, where they become judges prosecuting officials of the EC.
A representative of FES, Mrs Rosetta Nutsugah, noted that inter-party dialogue and co-operation had the greatest potential of eliminating cynicism, mistrust, rancour and bitterness among members of the political divide and contributed to increased level of trust amongst them.
Mr Ebenezer Aggrey-Fynn, a member of the commission, in handling his topic, “The Inbuilt Integrity of Ghana’s Electoral process”, pointed out that conducting elections was a complex process and that if one of the components was destroyed, the whole mechanism would collapse.
Nana Amba Eyiaba, who is also a member of the EC and spoke on, “Towards Credible Elections – Our Expectations of Political Parties”, called on the various political parties to educate their followers to behave well in the run-up to the December elections adding that they should respect the rights and freedoms of their opponents.
Nana Eyiaba, who again chaired the function, further urged the parties not to induce their members to engage in multiple registration and voting as well as discourage minors from registering and voting.
Mr John Owusu Agyeman, the Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), suggested during an open forum that results declared at the end of the ballot at the various polling stations, should be posted on public notice boards and at the precincts of the stations as a measure to avoid disputes.
Other representatives at the meeting who contributed to the discussion were the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Conventional People’s Party (CPP), People’s National Convention (PNC), the Ghana National Party (GNP), Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) and the Democratic People’s Party (DPP).
The Brong Ahafo Regional office of the Electoral Commission (EC) recorded a total of 39,021 applications for the replacement of voters lost identification (ID) cards with 36,424 being resident applicants while 2,594 were non-resident ones, at the end of the recent exercise.
The resident applicants were registered voters who lived in the electoral areas where the replacement centre was located while the non-resident applicants were registered voters who did not stay in the electoral area where the centre was sited but had come there just to apply for the replacement of their lost ID cards.
Mr Mark Kojo Anyimadu, the Brong Ahafo Regional Director of the EC who disclosed this in Sunyani, also indicated that the Sunyani municipality recorded the largest number of applications for lost ID cards with a total of 3,802, followed by the Dormaa, Berekum, Asutifi and Techiman areas with 3,442, 3,109; 3,071 and 3,047 respectively.
Speaking on the topic, “Results and Challenges of the Replacement of lost ID cards”, at a special Regional Inter-Party Advisory Committee Forum, Mr Anyimadu further indicated that the low number of applications were recorded in Kintampo South (1,200), Pru (1,205) Atebubu- Amantin (1,077) and Sene (1,088).
The forum which was also attended by media personnel was held on the theme, “Building Stakeholders Confidence in the Outcome of the 2008 Elections” and was jointly organised by the EC, the Frederick Ebert Stiftung (FES) and KAB Governance Consult.
According to the Regional EC Director, male applications for replacement of their cards far outnumbered those of females and explained that the situation was due to the fact that women took better care of their ID cards than their male counterparts.
Mr Anyimadu said that the replacement exercise was fraught with the problem of inadequate personnel for centres since only one registration officer was engaged at a centre instead of two, a situation, which he said affected the rate of work, especially at those centres where there were as many as six or more registers from which an officer was to check on applicants’ particulars.
Another major problem the director observed was that the replacement officers had to contend with the unwieldy nature of some electoral areas, and that some additional replacement centres were created but said these were inadequate to cater for all prospective applicants.
Again, Mr Anyimadu pointed out that the huge geographical sizes of some of the electoral areas and long distances from replacement centres tended to discourage some registered voters whose ID Cards were lost and needed replacement.
According to the director, publicity on the national media to kick-start the exercise in the regions was low and discouraging from the beginning, adding that another challenge the EC faced was the low participation of the major stakeholders, that is the political parties in the exercise.
The Director of Human Resource and General Services, Mr Samuel Yorke-Aidoo, who also spoke on the topic, “The Forthcoming Voters’ Registration Exercise – Expectations and Challenges”, took the participants through the various provisions in the Constitution that dealt with the conduct of elections in the country, adding that those laws carry penalties.
He urged the political parties not to be only interested in finding faults with the registration exercise when it was opened later in the year but rather provide solutions to the faults they identified.
Mr Yorke-Aidoo further advised that the media should also not turn their houses, especially the air waves into “courts of law”, where they become judges prosecuting officials of the EC.
A representative of FES, Mrs Rosetta Nutsugah, noted that inter-party dialogue and co-operation had the greatest potential of eliminating cynicism, mistrust, rancour and bitterness among members of the political divide and contributed to increased level of trust amongst them.
Mr Ebenezer Aggrey-Fynn, a member of the commission, in handling his topic, “The Inbuilt Integrity of Ghana’s Electoral process”, pointed out that conducting elections was a complex process and that if one of the components was destroyed, the whole mechanism would collapse.
Nana Amba Eyiaba, who is also a member of the EC and spoke on, “Towards Credible Elections – Our Expectations of Political Parties”, called on the various political parties to educate their followers to behave well in the run-up to the December elections adding that they should respect the rights and freedoms of their opponents.
Nana Eyiaba, who again chaired the function, further urged the parties not to induce their members to engage in multiple registration and voting as well as discourage minors from registering and voting.
Mr John Owusu Agyeman, the Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), suggested during an open forum that results declared at the end of the ballot at the various polling stations, should be posted on public notice boards and at the precincts of the stations as a measure to avoid disputes.
Other representatives at the meeting who contributed to the discussion were the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Conventional People’s Party (CPP), People’s National Convention (PNC), the Ghana National Party (GNP), Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) and the Democratic People’s Party (DPP).
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