RETIRED TEACHERS ADVISED TO FORM GUILDS (PAGE 11, DEC 23)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr Kwaku Asante Nketiah, has advised retired teachers in the various districts to come together and form “Retired Teachers Guilds” to serve as a medium for socialisation.
He observed that when some teachers went on retirement, they became miserable, a situation that, he said, caused their untimely and avoidable deaths.
However, he pointed out that if retired teachers could group themselves and organise periodic meetings and entertainment sessions, health matters and other educational programmes, they could forget about their problems and live longer.
Mr Nketiah gave the advice at an end-of-year get-together of the Sunyani Municipal Retired Teachers Guild, pointing out that with such a grouping in place, the members could come to the aid of a member who had a problem.
“It is in this vein that I decided to nurture the idea of bringing together all retired teachers, including former regional and district directors of education, education officers and other category of teachers’, to form the guild in the municipality,” he disclosed.
From a humble beginning of 12, he said, the guild could now boast 132 members, who met every month, paid monthly dues and discussed matters of mutual interest, adding that the association had been duly registered and was governed by a constitution.
He said the guild invited experts on health, who talked to members on important topics such as Hepatitis B, Diabetes and cancer, while the police also briefed them on crime and its prevention.
Mr Nketiah said since its formation, bereaved members had been assisted to organise befitting funerals for their departed family members, saying that when members met annually to wine and dine, they felt enthused about their meeting and hearty as they shared jokes and their retirement experiences.
He noted with satisfaction that the teaching profession was a noble one and a lucrative venture, saying that, “even Jesus was a teacher and so we are blessed as teachers and that is why teachers live long, even during their retirement”.
According to Mr Nketiah, because young people of today wanted to be rich overnight, they refused to enter the teaching profession, but rather opted for other job areas, forgetting that it was the teacher who taught them to achieve whatever position they now held.
He urged members of the guild to attend meetings regularly so that they could continue to share ideas and even discuss matters of national concern.
On the decision by the government to revert the duration of the senior high school from four years to three years, the Regional GNAT Secretary said it had always been the position of GNAT that students spend four years for their second cycle education since the three-year duration was not enough.
He, however, pointed out that since the government was the policy maker, it deemed it fit to choose three years, “so the government should ensure that materials, logistics and the needed infrastructure were provided for the smooth running of the three-year programme”.
He said a critical analysis would show that students did not spend exactly three years for the SHS course, and explained that they normally reported late October and wrote their examinations in April, stressing further that such a situation had given rise to extra classes to further burden parents and guardians.
According to him, education did not only mean teaching and learning but “it is also spiced with co-curricula activities which are also relevant. Therefore, the three-year period is not enough for senior high education”.

CHELSEA, ADUANA DRAW (BACK PAGE, DEC 21)

The Glo Premier League encounter between local Bechem Chelsea and Aduana FC failed to produce a goal at the Sunyani Coronation Park yesterday.
Both sides played rather cautiously right from kick-off in a bid to prevent their opponent from catching them on the wrong foot and were therefore less adventurous in attack in the first half.
The pattern continued after recess with Chelsea lifting their game slightly but a determined Aduana FC managed to hold their own to win a valuable away point.

SUNYANI POLICE ARREST SUSPECTED HEMP DEALERS (PAGE 15 DEC 19)

THIRTEEN persons were on Thursday arrested by the police in a dawn swoop at Bethel, a suburb of Sunyani, for allegedly possessing dried leaves suspected to be Indian Hemp.
Four of them, described as key suspects, were named as Kwadwo Moaba, Lucy Amisangah, Francis Eklu and Kwabena Tawiah. The names of the nine others are, however, being withheld.
Moaba, unemployed, who was first arrested with a quantity of the dried leaves, named Lucy as his source of supply and led the police to her house at Sunyani Zongo, where a search by the police uncovered eight bags of the dried substances in a corridor.
A press release signed by Chief Inspector Yaw Nketia-Yeboah, the Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, said police personnel drawn from Berekum, Sunyani and Wenchi Divisions who were led by the Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Charles Domanban, successfully undertook the swoop.
The release said the Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Seth Charles Oteng, commended them for the success of the assignment which did not result in any injury and assured the general public that the exercise would be sustained in the region to apprehend criminals.
It said the commander also appealed to the public to volunteer information about suspected criminals to the police and gave the assurance that the police would not expose those informants.

STOP PLAYING POLITICS WITH EDUCATION ...Ghanaians advised (PAGE 11, DEC 18)

THE Rector of the Sunyani Polytechnic (S-Poly), Professor Kwasi Nsiah-Gyabaah, has advised Ghanaians to desist from playing politics with education in the country, since it is key to the socio-economic development of every nation.
“If for political expediency, wrong decisions are taken on education, all sectors of the economy suffer,” he maintained.
He questioned why we should waste time and resources to debate the duration of the senior high school (SHS) system instead of finding strategies to adequately finance science-based education to reduce poverty and promote industrial transformation and the socio-economic development of the country.
Prof. Nsiah-Gyabaah gave the advice when he presented his report at the 4th Congregation of S-Poly, during which a total of 635 students who undertook various programmes received their respective Higher National Diplomas (HND), with Miss Esther Owusuwaa Deborah of the Electronics/Electrical Department emerging the overall best student.
The rector also sought to find out why the universities and polytechnics should be blamed for running business and arts-related programmes when the JHS and SHSs were non-science based.
He again declared, “If we do not pay attention to Science and technology education at the basic and secondary levels, we should forget about the rhetoric of achieving a middle-income status by 2015 or even a decade after.”
Furthermore, the rector pointed out that there was the need to focus on technical/vocational education and provide adequate resources to improve the practical content of technical education or else the resources of the country, including the oil finds, would be run by foreign technicians who he said came into the country as experts and repatriated their money to their countries of origin.
Prof. Nsiah-Gyabaah suggested that in a country beset with the challenge of high graduate un-employment, small business credit assistance was one thing which would help the graduates from polytechnics to start their own businesses.
The rector also pointed out that since the formal sector was not expanding enough to employ the young graduates, the government ought to set up what he termed a Small Business Administration (SBA) agency to help young entrepreneurs from the polytechnics to start their own enterprises.
He announced that S-Poly was not only involved in teaching but was also building capacities for applied science research and development, adding that the polytechnic had an Assurance Unit and a Research Department to improve quality of teaching and promote applied science and technology research.
“Our biggest achievement in this area is a two-million Canadian Dollar collaborative research grant provided by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada, which we won through hard work,” the rector stressed
In an address read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, noted with satisfaction that from a very humble beginning, S-poly was now developing a number of programmes in science and technology, in line with the government’s policy of emphasising those areas of study, as well as technical/vocational education and training (TVET).
He said apart from providing full-time course in the field of manufacturing, commerce, science and technology at the tertiary level, polytechnics were expected to provide opportunities for development, research and publication of research findings.
Nana (Dr) Justice Owusu-Ansah, the Chairman of S-poly Council, in his welcoming address, pointed out that the poor salaries and unattractive conditions of service for staff, had been a big challenge for the polytechnics, and suggested that improvement in the salaries and conditions of service would enable the polytechnics to recruit and retain qualified and seasoned staff for the demanding tasks ahead.
He observed that it was disheartening that each year most of the polytechnic staff left to take up appointments in the universities and other analogous institutions due to the unattractive conditions of service in the polytechnics.

BRONG AHAFO GJA CONDEMNS ATTACK (SPREAD, DEC 15)

The Brong Ahafo Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has condemned the attack on some of its members by persons believed to be supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the Golden Jubilee Awards Ceremony to climax the Brong Ahafo@50 celebrations in Sunyani last Saturday.
The association has also resolved to boycott all official functions of the RCC, the municipal and district assemblies, as well as the NDC, until the culprits are arrested and brought to book.
A press release signed by the Regional Chairman of the GJA, Mr Ian Motey, and the Secretary, Mr Larry Paa Kwesi Moses, and issued in Sunyani yesterday, pointed out that the assault on Messrs Dennis Peprah, a reporter of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Paa Kwesi, the Regional Correspondent of TV Africa, Michael Boateng, the Regional Correspondent of the Ghanaian Chronicle, Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, the Regional Correspondent of the Daily Graphic, and Motey was “unwarranted and should be condemned in no uncertain terms”.
According to the release, the GJA’s own investigations had revealed that the assault happened in the full glare of ex-President Flt Lt. J. J. Rawlings, who is also the founder of the NDC; a Member of the Council of State, Mrs Cecilia Johnson, ministers of state, as well as some municipal and district chief executives in the region.
The release pointed out that the GJA had identified some of the culprits, including drivers of some of the cheif executives, but said for security reasons it wanted to withhold those names.
It alleged that the attackers snatched two mobile phones and a wristwatch from Messrs Ampratwum-Mensah and Paa Kwesi while the wallet of Mr Peprah and a reporter’s notebook were forcibly taken from Mr Motey.

BA HONOURS CITIZENS, OTHERS (SPREAD, NOV 14)

Former President J.J. Rawlings has called on Ghanaians to support President J. E. A. Mills in his quest to deliver on his electoral promises.
He said President Mills had good intentions for the country but achieving them would demand the support of the entire citizenry.
Former President Rawlings made the call at the Golden Jubilee awards ceremony organised by the Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) in Sunyani on Saturday to honour citizens of the region for their immense contribution towards the development of the region.
The ceremony, which climaxed activities marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Brong Ahafo Region, was attended by a large number of people.
Former President Rawlings, who was the guest of honour, stated that his criticism of President Mills should not be misconstrued as an attempt to wash the NDC's dirty linen in public. Rather, it should be seen as a self assessment to enable the President to deliver to the expectation of Ghanaians.
In all, 104 individuals and corporate institutions were honoured at the ceremony for their meritorious services to the Brong Ahafo Region.
Prominent among the awardees were former President Rawlings; Mr Ernest Apraku, the Managing Director of Asuo Bosomadu Timbers and Sawmills Limited; Nana Kwasi Gyau Gyan, aka Agyemang Gyau; Mr Maxwell Oti Yeboah, the Managing Director of Oti Yeboa Complex Limited; the late Catholic Bishop of Sunyani, the Rt Revd James Owusu; Mr James Baah, Senior Photographer, Graphic Communications Group Limited, Sunyani, and Mr Kwame Asare Boadu, the Ashanti Regional Editor of the Daily Graphic.
Others were the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda; the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Alex Asum Ahensan; Mrs Cecilia Johnson, a member of the Council of State, and the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo.
The ceremony was chaired by Pemampem Yaw Kagbrese, the Yejihene and Vice-President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs.

JOURNALISTS ASSAULTED IN SUNYANI (PAGE 47, DEC 14)

A REPORTER at the Sunyani Office of the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Denis Peprah, was last Saturday assaulted by some unidentified people during the Golden Jubilee awards ceremony in Sunyani.
The ceremony was organised by the Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) to honour individual citizens from the region for their immense contributions towards the development of Brong Ahafo.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Ian Motey of the Ghanaian Times; Messrs Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, the Regional Correspondent of the Daily Graphic; Michael Boateng, the Regional Correspondent of the Ghanaian Chronicle, and Larry Paa Kwesi Moses, the Regional Correspondent of TV Africa, who attempted to cool down tempers in the confusion that broke out at the end of the ceremony, were also manhandled.
In the resultant commotion, Messrs Ampratwum-Mensah and Moses lost their mobile phones and wristwatches, while Peprah and Motey lost their wallets and reporters' notebooks.
According to some female journalists and Mr Boateng, who were seated with Mr Peprah at the function, a young man whose identity could not be established allegedly carried Mr Peprah from his seat and dropped him to the ground.
He then allegedly started stepping on Peprah’s belly while some women also assaulted him.
They said in the course of an address by former President J.J. Rawlings, the Regional Cameraman of Ghana Television, Mr David Agbezuge, picked his microphone for an interview with some of the recipients of the awards.
According to an eyewitness, former President Rawlings questioned whether Mr Agbezuge was afraid of his frank statements.
The eyewitness said some women who were seated nearby added their voice to that of former President Rawlings and told the reporters to write and publish the words of the former President accurately.
According to the eyewitness, one female journalist questioned whether the women were better placed to report the event.
Suddenly, the young man came around to carry Mr Peprah and dropped him to the ground, a situation which paved the way for some angry women to pounce on him.
But for the timely intervention of the security personnel around, Mr Peprah could have been lynched.
According to the eyewitness, while a taxicab, with registration number BA 944 Q, was trying to whisk away Mr Peprah to the Sunyani Municipal Police Station, the irate mob repeatedly banged on the roof of the taxi and in the process damaged the left side glass of the cab.
The eyewitness said when Mr Peprah was being escorted to safety by the police, some colleague journalists who were seated somewhere else saw him and quickly went to find out what had happened.
He said in the event, the angry mob, who were still bent on punishing Mr Peprah, vented their spleen on the those reporters.

TWIN SISTERS GRANTED BAIL (PAGE 27, MIRROR, DEC 12)

From Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Sunyani

THE Sunyani Magistrate Court A in the Brong Ahafo Region, has granted bail in the sum of GH¢3,000 with two sureties each to be justified to the twin-sisters, Patricia Konadu, alias Ataa Panin and Ataa Kakra, both 25, who were alleged to have severely beaten Mr Yaw Boadan, alias Ata Kuma, the husband of Ataa Panin, resulting in his death at Nsoatre in the Sunyani West District.
The court, presided over by Mr Frank Yaw Gbeddy, has still not taken the plea of the accused persons, who have been charged on two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and murder, contrary to Sections 23 and 46 of Act 29 of 1960 of the criminal code.
In granting the bail, Mr Gbeddy took into consideration an interim autopsy report, which indicated that, the deceased took in some chemical substance and the fact that both accused persons were nursing mothers and the children should not suffer while their mothers were in prison custody.
The court also said, it was waiting for the outcome of an examination of certain organs of the deceased which had been sent to Accra as well as the final autopsy report from the Regional Hospital, Sunyani, before any further action is taken. The accused are to reappear on December 21, 2009.
However, at the time of filing this report, the accused had still not been able to meet the bail term and so were in custody.
The fact of the case as presented by the prosecution were that, the twin sisters and the deceased lived at Nsoatre and that, the first accused person was married to the 42-year-old Boadan who is also a twin, and has a one-and-a-half-year-old boy while Ataa Kakra also has two male twins.
The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Baafi indicated that, on Friday, November 12, 2009, the deceased went to his wife’s house and while there a misunderstanding ensued between them, forcing him to leave for his own house.
The prosecutor indicated that, not quite long after the deceased had left, Ataa Panin rushed to his house with a drink to end the marriage, and that after presenting it, she returned to her house.
He said, the husband who was not happy about the dissolution of the marriage returned to his wife’s house to seek reconciliation and alleged that, the first accused not happy with the presence of her husband, called her twin sister and the two then subjected him to severe beating.
The prosecutor said since the police strongly believed that Boadan died as a result of the assault by the twins, the prosecution would pray the court to remand them into custody to enable the police to conduct thorough investigations into the case.
The Mirror in its November 21, 2009 edition reported that twin sisters have been remanded in prison custody by the Sunyani Magistrate Court for allegedly beating a farmer, the husband of one of the twins to death.

CHELSEA WIN 2-1 (BACK PAGE, NOV 30)

Two second half spot-kicks awarded Chelsea by Kumasi-based class one referee, G.K. Manu, gave them a 2-1 triumph over visiting Hasaacas in their Glo Premiership pairing at the Sunyani Coronation Park yesterday.
Hasaacas snatched the opener against the run of play on the 38th minute through Joe Agyemang who was put through by his midfield partner, Edwin Gyimah, who dribbled his way from the defence into the Chelsea 18-yard box.
On resumption, the Bechem lads, led in attack by Obed Owusu, fought hard and eventually earned two quick penalties which were converted by Owusu and right back, Eric Agyeman, on the 51st and 59th minutes respectively.
Displeased with referee Manu’s second penalty decision, the Hasaacas bench charged on him on the field but the timely intervention of the policemen on duty saved the situation.

15 TRAINED UNEMPLOYED YOUTH RECEIVE KITS (PAGE 20, NOV 25)

SIXTY selected unemployed youth, including 15 women from Dormaa East District and Dormaa West Municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region who have undergone management training courses in various vocations, have been presented with start-up kits worth GH¢18,000.
A total of 450 graduate apprentices have so far received such training in the area since the project started in September, 2003.
They learnt hairdressing, tailoring, dressmaking, auto mechanics, welding, bicycle repairs, blacksmithing, carpentry, masonry, leather works, shoemaking, electricals and electronics.
The Rural Enterprises Project (REP) of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), organised and financed the programme through the Business Advisory Centre (BAC) of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and supported by the Dormaa Municipal Assembly.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony at Dormaa Ahenkro, the Head of the BAC in the area, Mr I.A. Antiri said the objective of the project was to reduce poverty and empower the rural unemployed youth, especially women, adding that the project was demand-driven.
He stated that as part of their training, the beneficiaries were also taken through records keeping, banking culture, group formation and credit management.
Mr Antiri gave the assurance that BAC was well positioned to provide technical and managerial advice on whatever business anyone thought of engaging in free-of-charge, adding that there were many advantages as far as the centre was concerned.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Dormaa, Mr Vincent Obeng Asamoah cautioned the beneficiaries not to sell the kits they had been given but use them for the purpose for which they were provided.
He said since the basic aim of the project was to reduce poverty, they should also offer similar training to other unemployed youth in the area so that they could also address their poverty challenges.
Mr Asamoah added it was the aim of the Government to assist the unemployed youth in the country.
The assembly member for Nkrankwanta Electoral Area, Mr Charles Adomah expressed his appreciation to the benefactors for the gesture, saying the items would go a long way to solve their poverty problem.
The Secretary of the Dormaa branch of the Tailors and Dressmakers Association, Mr Charles Yeboah, gave the assurance that the beneficiaries would make good use of the items they had received and also provide training for others.
A beneficiary, Ms Anna Appiah on behalf of her colleagues, thanked REP and BAC for the offer and pledged they would make good use of the machines to improve on their poverty levels.                                                   

PARAMOUNT CHIEFS FROM 3 REGIONS ATTEND WORKSHOP (PAGE 29, NOV 25

A NUMBER of paramount chiefs and their elders from 14 traditional councils in the Brong Ahafo Region and their counterparts from the Tepa Traditional Area in Ashanti as well as those from Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region, have attended a workshop on Customary Boundary Demarcation (CBD) under the on-going Ghana Land Administration Project (LAP).
The CBD is to ensure that there was peaceful co-existence of traditional neighbours, ensure orderly development and to form the basis for efficient and effective land registration system in the country.
The demarcation process has become necessary because 80 per cent of land in Ghana is in the custody of chiefs who are in charge of stool/skin lands and that the lands of traditional authorities, such as the paramountcies, are large tracts from which other lesser lands or ownership derive.
Again, the CBD is necessary since the boundaries of most stools/skins have been found to be indeterminate.
In a presentation, Mr W.K. Opoku, an expert of CBD stated that the benefits to be derived from the exercise included security of tenure, minimisation of external land disputes, enhancement value of land, effective management of other natural resources for wealth creation, improvement of investment opportunities as well as efficient and effective land administration and management.
He said to derive those benefits, it required effective collaboration, co-operation and participation from the traditional councils, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, represented by officials of LAP while the district assemblies, Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs) and all stakeholders, lend their support.
“With this we expect to see the traditional councils derive maximum benefits from their stool lands," he said.
Giving an overview of the Ghana LAP, Mr Kofi Abaka Blankson of the Planning Unit stated that the long term objective of the project was to reduce poverty and enhance socio-economic growth, through improving security of tenure, simplifying the management practices, developing the land market and establishing an efficient and sustainable system of land administration, both state and customary.
He said the objective of the phase one of the project which started in 2003 and expected to end in 2010, was to undertake land policy and institutional reforms and key land administration pilots for laying the foundation for a sustainable decentralised land administration system that was fair, efficient, cost effective and ensured land tenure security.
Mr Blankson stated that CBD in the Ejisu area in the Ashanti Region had been completed while the draft final reports of the phase one of the CBD exercise in Wassa had been submitted for a review.
He added that sensitisation exercise for six additional areas were on-going while revaluation of properties in five district assemblies had also been completed.
According to him, the full co-operation and assistance of all stakeholders were required to make the exercise a success.

WANGARAS CELEBRATE ANNUAL KURUBI FESTIVAL (NSEMPA, NOV 23, PAGE 15)

By Akwasi Ampratwum Mensah & Samuel Duodu, Kintampo.

Wangaras from all parts of the country last Saturday converged at the Kintampo Presbyterian School Park for a grand durbar to climax the celebrations of their annual Kurubi festival.
As early as 6 a.m. last Saturday, Wangaras across the country began to arrive at Kintampo, which is the traditional authority of Wangaras and paid homage to their Paramount Chief, Nana Fanyinama III, who is also the President of the Council of Wangara Chiefs in Ghana at his palace in Kintampo.
The celebrants, who were in a joyous mood, sang to hail their King at the palace and later followed him in a procession from the palace amidst brass band music to the durbar ground. The Council of Wangara Chiefs under the leadership of Nana Fanyinama III, revived the celebration of the festival though very ancient, in 1999.
It was a celebration by the Wangaras in honour of their ancestors who were indigenes of Bambaras Madingo and Djula from the ancient kingdoms of Mali and Songhai. They migrated to Kintampo, which happened to be a slave market at that time. After the collapse of Samori’s network and the abolishing of slavery, the enslaved at the Kintampo market were adopted by the Wangaras and together, formed the ancestry nucleus of the present day Wangara communities.
Taking solace in the fertile land, trade route and the natural protective landscape, they became farmers and traders and formed the core of the Gold Coast regiment now Ghana Army in 1852.
In later years, as a result of economic adventures, the Wangaras migrated to many parts of the country to pursue wealth through trading and cash crop farming and also worked in Gold and Diamond Mining establishments, as well as the security services.
The Kurubi Festival begins on the 27th night of the month of Ramadan a period of fasting on the Islamic calendar. The night is regarded as a revelation night among Muslims and the Wangaras as a period when Allah sends blessing to his people.
The festival also portray the pride of female virgins before marriage who dance on a wooden platform, mounted at the durbar grounds to the admiration of the large crowd who had gathered at the park.
A representative of the YabonWura, King of Gonjaland and his elders who are the kinsmen of the Wangaras always grace the grand durbar of chiefs with a large entourage to signify the ties established between his ancestors and the Wangaras.
The National Association of Wangara Communities known as “Benkadi”, which literally means “togetherness brings happiness”, is responsible for the organisation of the annual Kurubi Festival in Kintampo, regarded as the spiritual home of the Wangaras under the leadership of Nana Fanyinama III, President of the Council of Wangara Chiefs who is also Know as the Wangara Wura.
The festival was single-handedly sponsored by Sidalco Limited, an Agro-chemical company and according to Mr David Lamptey, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Osu Klottey in the Greater Accra Region and his wife, Mrs Gifty Lamptey, congratulated the chiefs and people on the celebration and pledged their continuous support of the company to the annual festival.
The Vice-President, Mr John Mahama Dramani who was the guest of honour at the durbar gave the assurance that the Government had put in place many interventions aimed at creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the country.
He, therefore, urged the youth to take advantage of the various interventions, especially the Youth in Agriculture Programme to improve their lot.
Mr Dramani also in a response to an appeal made by the Wangara Wura, Nana Fanyinama to construct the Kintampo town road said the Government would ask the contractor currently working on the Techiman-Kintampo-Tamale road to add their request to it.
Nana Fanyinama said the previous Government had tackled the principal streets in Kintampo and therefore, appealed to the current administration to tackle the road network with dispatch or else in the event of any torrential rains, disaster could strike, which would result in the use of huge government resources on the resettlement of the victims.
The Wangara Wura also appealed to intellectuals and enlightened Wangaras to reach out to their less privileged brothers and sisters through the Benkadi Association and share their thoughts and ideas that could totally transform “our communities to play important roles in nation building”.
Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, for his part urged the people to take part in the national identification exercise by registering when it got to their communities.

AGGREY POWERS ARSENAL TO VICTORY (BACK PAGE, NOV 23)

Good-old Francis Aggrey hit the back of the net twice in the second half, once through a spot kick, to secure a 2-1 victory for Berekum Arsenal over visiting Ashantigold in their Glo Premier League encounter at the Golden City Park in Kumasi yesterday.
Even with their numerical strength reduced to 10 men after Accra-based Class 1 referee, Sellas Okine, red-carded Ashantigold midfielder Alhaji Sanni for a second bookable offence, the Obuasi side shot into the lead in the 51st minute through Eugene Owusu Prempeh who headed home a beautiful cross by winger Addoquaye Addo.
Arsenal quickly reorganised themselves and cancelled the lead six minutes later through Aggrey whose header from a cross by half-back Salu Yakubu beat Ashantigold Fatau Dauda for a deserved equaliser.
Strongman Yakubu was the same architect of Arsenal’s match winner after he moved dangerously into the visitors’ penalty box but was brought down by an Ashantigold defender for which referee Okine awarded a penalty in the 81st minute. Aggrey expertly converted it to score a brace and earn his side victory.

CHELSEA BEAT FAISAL (BACK PAGE, NOV 19)

Bechem Chelsea collected the maximum points at stake by beating King Faisal 1-0 in their mid-week Glo Premier League encounter at the Sunyani Coronation Park yesterday.
The match had travelled 58 minutes when the homesters’ midfielder, Owusu Obed, broke the deadlock as he finished off Danjuma Jafaru’s pass in the opponent’s box to beat goalkeeper Sam Okyere in the Faisal post.
Right from the blast of the whistle, Chelsea probed for the opener which never materialised until the second half. Faisal were undaunted as they lifted their game in search of the equaliser, but luck eluded them.

FORDJOUR TO CONTEST NPP CHAIR IN BA (PAGE 17, NOV 17)

A former Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Kwadwo Yeboah Fordjour, has declared his intention once again to contest the highest executive position of the party in the region, with a vision to ensure that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) goes back into opposition after the 2012 general election.
He expressed optimism that with his nine years’ experience as a past regional chairman of the NPP, and having led the party to win the national elections in 2000 and 2004, he had what it took to spearhead the NPP to wrest power from the ruling NDC in the next elections.
He intimated that when he assumed the chairmanship position of the party, he worked tirelessly and the outcome was that the NPP won four of the 21 constituencies in the 1996 elections and again strategised to increase its seats to 14 in 2000 and maintained them in 2004.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Sunyani, Mr Fordjour explained that he and his campaign team at the time focused their attention on winning votes in the villages, since votes in the rural areas were significant for any party winning of a national election.
According to him, he later stepped aside to pave the way for Nana Obiri Boahen, who also stepped down in the course of time when he (Nana Boahen) intended to contest the Sunyani East parliamentary seat and relinquished the position to the current Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Adu Gyan.
The aspiring NPP regional chairman, who is a product of Dormaa Senior High School, recalled that the Gyan-led executive never organised a single rally in the big towns in the region, let alone campaigning in the villages, insisting that because he (Fordjour) had already laid the foundation in the villages, the NPP still won 51 per cent of the votes and that enabled Nana Akufo-Addo to beat Professor J. E. A. Mills in the first round of the 2008 elections but failed to obtain the overall 50+1 votes, hence the second round ballot, which the NDC won.
Mr Fordjour observed that the dismal performance of the NPP in the Brong Ahafo Region led to the flop of the party in the national elections, stressing that the region had so far proved to be the decider of elections in the country and that if the regional executive had worked harder, the NDC would not have obtained the 23,055 vote difference to win the last election.  
“I have brooded over our unfortunate situation and decided that in the supreme interest of the NPP, I have to come back again to overturn the unfortunate situation and I am confident that whoever saw what I did in the past will vote for me to become the new regional chairman of our great party,” he added.
He named his would-be team as Mr Kwame Owusu, Regional Organiser; Mr Yaw Dabie, Treasurer; Mr Alfred Annyeh, Secretary; Madam Felicia Adomah, Women’s Organiser, and Mr Paa Clement, saying, “With this team, I am sure to overturn the tables.”
According to Mr Fordjour, he and his team would not run the business of the party from a hotel, explaining that he would ensure that the party’s office was filled with what he described as “responsible personalities and not ‘Lalasula’ elements”.     
Asked about his thoughts on the selection of a future running mate for the presidential candidate, Mr Fordjour suggested that the party hierarchy should start thinking about choosing someone from the Brong Ahafo Region, since the region was a deciding factor in national elections.
He maintained that his suggestion was without prejudice to the regular practice of selecting running mates from the north.

ASSEMBLY MEMBERS MUST BE RESOURCED — MINISTER (PAGE 16, NOV 17)

The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, has observed that not until assembly members are resourced and rewarded, the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies cannot play the role that will accelerate development in the country.
According to Mr Opoku, he found it difficult to understand why assembly members who represented the legislative arm of government in their respective areas, “have been asked to wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ before they were rewarded for their contributions to national development.
The Deputy Regional Minister made the observation when he addressed the Brong Ahafo Regional Consultative forum for the acceleration of decentralisation in Ghana, which was attended by stakeholders in local governance and rural development in Sunyani.
It was aimed at soliciting views and concerns for consolidation, acceleration and deepening of decentralisation in Ghana.
The participants included District Chief Executives (DCEs), District Co-ordinating Directors, heads of departments, representatives of political parties, heads of tertiary institutions, religious leaders, presiding members, nananom, representatives of women and youth groups as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
Mr Opoku noted that the effective and impressive performance by the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) was contingent upon the assembly members who provided the link between the people at the grassroot and the assembly.
He explained that at the local level, “All those who work for the executive arm of government are well resourced and catered for. Those in the judiciary are also given what should be given them and therefore, they are able to perform well”.
The Deputy Regional Minister pointed out that decentralisation policies aimed at enhancing local government administration in Ghana had been a central part of public policy-making.
However, he said, unlike past policies, the current district assemblies’ concept, which was established by PNDCL 207, expanded the frontiers through the creation of 110 district assemblies, and that further progress was made with the enactment of the Local Government Act of 1993, Act 462.
He said it was an undisputable fact that there had been seminars, workshops, retreats, focused group discussions, brainstorming, sensitisations, orientations, consultations, expert and technical advice on decentralisation policies in Ghana.
“This is a desired platform for views and concerns expressed, co-ordinated and compiled, to be factored into the policy review process,” he explained.
According to Mr Opoku, the inability of the present process to fully meet the expectation of most stakeholders had brought about the relevance of the regional fora to fill the inadequacies, and therefore, commended the MLGRD for undertaking the bold initiative to take a second look at the decentralisation process after it had been practised for the past 20 years.
The Deputy Regional Minister also observed that Ghana’s decentralisation policy had been hailed as one of the best initiatives to deepen grassroot participation in the decision-making process, adding that at the onset of the programme the basis for the policy was devolution of power to the door steps of the people.
He emphasised that the interest in the policy was more of economic emancipation for the districts to become self-reliant in determining their development agenda but noted that for some reasons, politics took the better side of the implementation of what had been described as “ one of the best political systems at the local level”.
Therefore, he said, the decision to review the programme after 20 years of implementation was laudable, saying however that, “Our worry is that, any time there is talk about the review of the decentralisation policy, what immediately comes to mind is the election of DCEs”.
Mr Opoku indicated that the core problems associated with the policy went far beyond the election of DCEs, and that the decentralisation process attempted to focus on the bottom-up approach rather than a top-down exercise to development.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Yieleh Chereh, said the review process was to ensure that resources were judiciously used.
He said decentralisation basically meant that the various communities had access to education, health, cleaner environment, potable water, sanitation, among other social amenities, adding that, those countries, such as Malawi and Uganda, which came down to study Ghana’s decentralisation policy had gone past the country.
He said, it was therefore, imperative that the government made a wider consultation with all stakeholders towards a review of the process, saying that political parties, the national house of chiefs, NGOs, CBOs and private individuals were all to be contacted to make their inputs.

BLOODY WEEKEND...Boy, 6, beheaded at Abesim, Woman, 30, killed at Okorase, 4 Robbers gunned down in Ksi (LEAD STORY, NOV 16)

Story; Akwasi Ampratwum Mensah & Samuel Duodu at Abesim, Nana Konadu Agyeman at Okorase & Kwame Asare Boadu in Kumasi

THE grisly murder of a famous business woman, 30, near Koforidua, the gruesome beheading of a six-year-old boy near Sunyani and the gunning down of four armed robbers in Kumasi in a shootout with the police marked a weekend of blood and horror for some residents of those parts of the country.
At Abesim, near Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, hundreds of residents besieged the crime scene, eager to catch a glimpse of Ernest Kwame Awuah, alias President, who was on display with the mutilated body of his six-year-old nephew, Charles Sey.
Awuah allegedly pierced Charles’s right eye and ear and then slashed his throat.
The victim was the son of the suspect’s younger brother.
Briefing the Daily Graphic after the bizarre incident which happened about 11 a.m. on Saturday, the Sunyani Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Charles Botwe, said following a report from a resident, he dispatched a team of policemen to the deceased’s grandmother’s house where the little boy lived and the team found the suspect carrying the body of the boy on his lap in a room where he had allegedly committed the crime.
Charles’s body has been deposited at the Regional Hospital in Sunyani for autopsy.
According to Mr Botwe, the police had found it difficult to take a statement from the suspect, since he was behaving abnormally, but noted that a caution statement had been taken from the suspect’s father, while the police were yet to take another one from Charles’s grandmother, after which Awuah would be put before court.
An uncle of the boy’s, Mr Kwasi Ollu, a farmer, told the Daily Graphic that Charles’s mother, who is staying in Techiman, was yet to be informed about her son’s death, saying that she separated with the boy’s father about five years ago when they were staying together at Tanoano, a farming community near Abesim.
At Okorase in the New Juaben municipality of the Eastern Region, news of the Sunday morning murder of Rita Baah, affectionately called Afia Atta, allegedly by a fetish priest, spread like bush fire throughout the town.
The deceased, a resident of Effiduase in Koforidua who operates a cosmetics shop and a boutique at the Daasebre Roundabout in Koforidua, was said to have been hit several times on the forehead with a hammer by the fetish priest at his shrine at Okorase about 12.30 a.m.
After the crime, Joseph Tetteh, the 35-year-old traditional priest, popularly known as Mallam, was reported to have tied the victim’s hands and legs, covered it with a cloth and placed it on his motorbike in an attempt to dump it at a spot far away from Okorase and create the impression that she had been knocked down by a vehicle.
However, luck eluded him when he was spotted by some passengers travelling along the Okorase-Mamfe road about 1.30 a.m. with the body of the deceased strewn across the motorbike.
He was reported to have swerved to the left of the road where he abandoned both the body and the motorbike and fled into a nearby bush at Tei Nkwanta near Okorase.
That was after the passengers in the vehicle travelling from Aburi to Koforidua attempted to question him over where he was taking the body to.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Koforidua, the New Juaben Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent John A. Naami, said about 12.30 a.m. the police received a distress call from some travellers at Tei Nkwanta that they had spotted a man conveying a dead body on a motorbike.
He said the passengers told the police that the fetish priest had been seen driving from Okorase to dump the body by the roadside to create the impression that the deceased had been knocked and killed by a vehicle.
When the passengers attempted to question him as to where he was taking the body, the fetish priest was said to have fled into the bush.
Supt Naami said a team of police investigators was immediately dispatched to the scene where they found Rita’s tied body covered in a cloth and strewn across the motorbike, with registration number GN 8843 Z.
He said the police traced the motorbike to the fetish priest’s house but they never found him. However, some of the youth of Okorase and Tei Nkwanta, two neighbouring communities, mounted an intensive search and arrested Tetteh in a bush at Tei Nkwanta where he was hiding about 1 a.m. on Sunday.
The timely intervention of the police saved him from being lynched.
During interrogation, Tetteh was reported to have told the police that some unknown people had killed Rita but that he had only attempted taking it to dump it somewhere.
The New Juaben Municipal Police Commander, who indicated that the police were carrying out further investigation into the murder, commended the residents of Okorase and Tei Nkwanta for helping to arrest the fetish priest.
Meanwhile, when the Daily Graphic visited the New Juaben Central Police Station, a large gathering of residents, including the family of the business woman and her boyfriend, was seen in utter shock and tears over Rita’s death.
In the Ashanti Region, the regional Police Command took the fight against armed robbery to another level at the weekend when they shot dead four suspected armed robbers, all believed to be in their late 30s, during a gun battle at Konkromase, a suburb of Kumasi.
Friday night’s operation was the second biggest police offensive against armed robbery in Ashanti this year and the dead suspects brought to 26 the number of armed robbers killed by the police in the region this year.
One of the four robbers was identified as Abdul Razak Ibrahim, alias Fante-Fante.
Razak, described as a hardened criminal, had earlier been arrested in a robbery case but he was granted bail by a Kumasi High Court in November 2006 but had since failed to appear before court.
Two others were identified only as Fiifi and Rashid, both ex-convicts, with the fourth one yet to be identified.
They were among a group of seven armed robbers who had gone on a robbery spree on the rainy night. They were actually in the process of attacking their fourth victim when men from the Police Buffalo Unit encountered them.
According to the police, those who managed to escape bolted with cash of GH¢95,000 believed to have been taken from victims of the robbery operations.
A number of offensive weapons, including four pump action guns, three locally manufactured pistols, 21 live ammunition, eight spent cartridges, one heavy-duty cutter and two mobile phones, were retrieved by the police from the scene of the shooting.
A KIA taxi, which the robbers had snatched from its driver, and a Nissan Pathfinder, which they took from its female owner after shooting her in the right shoulder, were later found abandoned at various locations in the city.
The woman was treated and discharged at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Briefing journalists, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Patrick Timbillah, said it all started about 6 p.m. when the robbers snatched the KIA taxi from its driver at gunpoint at Buokrom, a Kumasi suburb.
They then used the taxi in the second operation in which they attacked a woman about 7 p.m. at Atonsu, also in Kumasi, and snatched her Nissan Pathfinder from her.
DCOP Timbillah said the robbers shot the woman, who was returning from work, before taking her vehicle away.
They abandoned the taxi and used the Nissan Pathfinder to attack a man who had just arrived in Kumasi from Accra at Asokwa and took away his bag containing GH¢95,000.
DCOP Timbillah it was when the robbers went on the fourth operation at Konkromase that the police pounced on them. About 8.30 p.m., they attacked a house at Konkromase and when the police reached there, the robbers opened fire on them.
He said the police returned fire, killing the four, while the three others escaped.
The Nissan Pathfinder was later found abandoned at Buokrom, together with the bag which contained the GH¢95,000.

WENCHI TOMATO FACTORY TO BE REACTIVATED (PAGE 20, NOV 13)

AN Agronomist from South Africa, Mr Heinz Swat, has been engagedon contract by the Management of the Wenchi Tomato Cannery (TOMACAN) in the Brong Ahafo Region to assist in revamping the company, with its new name Afrique Link.
Mr Swat assumed duty at the factory about three months ago on a three-year contract, and has given assurance that at the end of his contract, he would have changed the face of the company into a vibrant one.
"If I am not able to do so in three years, I will then have to stay on to see to it that all is well for everybody to see before I finally leave," he assured.
This came to light when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs paid a familiarisation visit to the factory as part of its one-day working visit to the Brong Ahafo Region.
The Wenchi tomato factory, which was under the defunct GIHOC, was divested in 1996 and started operation in 2003, but the place was shut down in 2007, due primarily to the inadequate supply of the raw materials by the farmers who had been provided with the necessary assistance to do so.
According to the South African agronomist, he was putting together a 10-year development plan that would ensure that the factory was actually transformed and operated without any hitches.
Mr Swat, who briefed the committee members, with Dr Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mion as its chairman, said as part of the programme, other experts would be brought in to develop high quality seedlings, which he said, had been the main driving challenge towards production of quality tomatoes to feed the factory.
According to the agronomist, he was currently concentrating on the nursing of tomato seeds, and that by the year 2011, the factory would be in full operation, expressing the hope that about 600 unemployed youth in the area would now be engaged.
He stated that there were quality machines lying idle at the factory, and that when it started full operations, about 100 metric tonnes of tomatoes would be needed daily to get the factory running, adding “what is needed most is to encourage the farmers to produce more for the factory to run effectively”.
Mr Swat said Ghana imported 180,000 metric tonnes of tomato from Burkina Faso last year, telling the committee members that, "We need to re-strategise and I can assure you that you will come back here again to see the place running".
The Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel Krobea Asante, disclosed that the ministry and other development partners, including GTZ, assisted tomato farmers with inputs to increase their production, but said the farmers failed to deliver, hence the collapse of the factory in 2007.
The chairman of the Select Committee gave an assurance that members of his committee would do all they could to contribute meaningfully towards revamping the factory.
Earlier, the committee inspected the former Food District Facility at Wenchi which MoFA had now taken over for storage, drying and cleaning of maize.
Mr Osei Adade, the Wenchi Municipal Director of MoFA, told them that the modern warehouse could contain 30,000 mini bags of maize.

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE COMMENDS GNL (PAGE 17, NOV 13)

THE Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs has commended the management of Ghana Nuts Limited (GNL), a private agro-processing company based in Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, for assisting farmers in the Brong Ahafo and Northern regions with farming inputs and providing ready market for their produce.
By this intervention, the committee was of the view that the company was putting money in the pockets of the poor farmers who had been cheated by other companies for far too long.
The Chairman of the Committee, Dr Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, who made the commendation after a familiarisation visit to the company, also observed that apart from the GNL’s commitment to assist the farmers financially, the management was also concerned about the health and nutrition of the people by producing high quality edible "Akoma" cooking oil, which was fat-free.
The committee’s visit to the GNL, formed part of its one-day working visit to the Brong Ahafo Region.
Dr Alhassan, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mion, pointed out that by establishing the agro-processing plant in Techiman, the company was linking agriculture to industry, which he said, had been a big challenge in the country.
He, therefore, urged the management not to relent in their efforts at contributing towards the socio-economic development of the country, adding that, the management should endeavour to put behind them, whatever challenged they faced and move ahead.
According to Dr Alhassan, by the visit of the committee members, they were now in a better position to play their legislative function through a meaningful debate on the floor of the House, adding that, the members would ensure they got whatever support they needed from the Government.



























The chairman urged the management to include research activities in their programme and also advised that, they did not renege on their social responsibilities to the community in which the company operates.
"We decided to get out of the Chamber of Parliament to see and feel and to inform ourselves of your strategic investment and we are indeed impressed about what we have seen here," Dr Alhassan stressed.
The Deputy Managing Director of GNL, Mr Prince Obeng Asante, who briefed the committee members about the operations of the company, said the company had embarked on an expansion programme and was in need of land to begin the commercial production of Soya bean.
From the GNL, the committee members also inspected the yet to be completed Tomato factory also at Techiman, where they were briefed by the Plant Manager, Mr Eric Asamanin who indicated that the factory need to be fenced to ward off animals.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel Krobea Asante also said about Gh¢200,000 was needed to complete the factory, pointing out however that, the ministry cannot own it.
The chairman of the committee gave the assurance that because of its strategic importance, members would ensure that the project was completed and to start operations.

BRONG AHAFO MARKS 50TH BIRTHDAY (SHOWBIZ, SPREAD, NOV 4)

By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah & Samuel Duodu

Hundreds of resident and non-resident citizens as well as friends and well wishers of the Brong Ahafo region, last Saturday, converged at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani to participate in a grand durbar of chiefs that climaxed the activities marking the 50 years anniversary celebration of the creation of the region.
As early as 5am, the people had started making their way to the durbar grounds from their homes and it was a delight to watch the retinue of paramount chiefs dressed in their rich kente and other expensive clothes and riding in their palanquins.
It was a beautiful sight as chiefs and queenmothers with their large followers, danced to fontonfrom and kete music even as they sat gorgeously in their palanquins while riding at a snail pace to take their respective seats at the durbar grounds.
Apart from the accompanying kete and fontomfrom performers of the chiefs and queens, the Tanokrom Agromma at the Sunyani Centre for National Culture performed traditional dances while the All Saints Choir of the Catholic Church and the Abesim Brass Band, also provided music to the admiration of some of the people who could not contain their emotions and feelings to dance.
Food vendors of all kinds had also pitched their temporary tents to take advantage of the market provided by hungry revellers.
Among the large number of guests were Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Members of the Council of State, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Heads of Departments, Assembly members, and the Clergy.
The President and his entourage arrived at about 2:45p.m and in accordance with tradition, went round to exchange pleasantries with the chiefs, an item on the programme which lasted for almost one and a half hours.
In a short address, he announced that, the government would establish a University of Energy and Natural Resources in the Brong Ahafo Region, and that a committee had already been set up to work on the project, saying, “Very soon, you will see signs of that”.
Speaker after speaker called for unity among the people to ensure an effective development of the area.
The Brong Ahafo Region, which was formerly called Western Ashanti, was created by an Act of Parliament on April 4, 1959, as a result of a sustained agitation mounted by the Brong Kyempim Council.
The chiefs who fought for the creation of the region are Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Dr. Agyeman Badu of Dormaa, Nana Akumfi Ameyaw III of Techiman, Nana Kofi Bosea Gyinantwi II of Drobo, Nana Yaw Frimpong of Kukuom, Nana Fosu Gyeabour of Bechem, Nana Kwasi Apraku of Odumase No. 1 and Nana Kwame Agyeman II, Abeasehene. They are all deceased.

NEW DIRECTIVE FOR REMOVAL OF BUSIA'S STATUE (NOV 9, PAGE 16)

The Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) has not given any directive to the effect that the statue of Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, which is currently standing at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, should be demolished.
The Regional House of Chiefs has also not instructed the BA@50 Planning Committee to remove the statue and neither has the committee itself taken any categorical decision to carry out such an action contrary to public speculation.
The Omanhene of Prang Traditional Area, Nana Kwadwo Nyarko III, who is also the Chairman of the BA@50 Planning Committee, dispelled the notion at a grand durbar of the chiefs and people of the Brong Ahafo Region to climax the year-long Golden Jubilee celebration of the creation of the region on Saturday.
He declared: "We, therefore, plead with all parties to exercise restraint on this matter since those propagating such unfounded allegations are only playing the devil’s advocate and are probably up to some mischief".
He said: "Let us rather concentrate on the things that bind us together as one people since in unity we find strength".
According to the chairman of the anniversary planning committee, the decision to celebrate the creation of the region, was a clear demonstration to the current generation that the region was worth dying for.
Secondly, he pointed out that, it was to rekindle the sense of unity and tenacity of purpose of the Brong Ahafo citizens, and that with togetherness, "we would be able to propel the socio-economic development of the region to greater heights to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of our people".
The theme for the celebration was: "Brong Ahafo @ 50: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects".
According to the chairman, among the benefits to be derived from the celebration of the Golden Jubilee are the planting of 30,000 tree seedlings, made up of cassia and teak species, in all the district capitals.
“It is our belief that we have supported the Government’s policy and drive towards making Ghana green".
He also said the organisation of various sporting activities was considered a catalyst to improve the physical health and fitness of the citizenry.
He said 600 schoolchildren, 20 of whom were drawn from each district, were offered the opportunity to have lunch and interact with accomplished personalities, role models and nananom in the region.
In addition, he noted that the trade and investment fair/exhibition, which was dubbed: "Dwa Kessie 2009", attracted both local and foreign participation, which not only showcased the region’s immense potential but also resulted in the marketing and sale of products.
Furthermore, Nana Nyarko pointed out that the Congress of Brong Ahafo Citizens served as a rallying point for regional consensus building, forged unity among citizens and also invigorated the people to revisit those laudable principles of the gallant chiefs, especially, those in leadership to serve the people better.
The chairman of the planning committee, however, admitted that the committee faced a lot of challenges in its work but nevertheless, with hard work, selfless commitment, tenacity of purpose and focus, its members were able to deliver their assigned tasks successfully.
The President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Osahene Kwaku Aterkyi II, and the Omanhene of the Kukuom Traditional Area, expressed his appreciation to the government for the unique contribution it made towards the overall development of the region, in respect of education, health, road network, electricity supply, telecommunications and the provision of other social services, including potable water supply.
He, however, said the region still faced several challenges in respect of the development of infrastructure generally, inadequate health facilities, water supply and education facilities.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, paid glowing tribute to all nananom of blessed memory and other distinguished personalities, who fought for the creation of the region as well as all previous governments for their contributions towards infrastructure development of the region.
He expressed his appreciation to the Government and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETfund) for the construction of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre for chiefs and people of the region on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebration, which would go a long way to enhance the use of ICT among schoolchildren in the region.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, on behalf of the RCC and planning committee, thanked the President J.E.A. Mills and his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama, ministers and all other personalities who made the celebration a success.

VARSITY OF BA (1B, NOV 9)

PREPARATIONS are underway for the establishment of a public university in the Brong-Ahafo Region.
The President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, who dropped the hint at a durbar in Sunyani to climax the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the region at the weekend, said the government had set up a committee to work out the technical details for the establishment of the university which would run major courses in Energy and Natural Resources.
President Mills also hinted that a number of chiefs had pledged to release plots of land to be used for the construction of facilities which would accommodate the staff and students of the university.
The durbar attracted chiefs of the various paramountcies in the region, as well as high-ranking government functionaries.
According to President Mills, the government considered education as the key to the nation's present and future development.
He said the well-being of the country would be dependent on the existence of a standing corps of skilled workers in various disciplines especially the sciences, who would be inventive and innovative.
President Mills said the government was aware that the higher challenges of tomorrow could be dealt with to a reasonable extent by well trained and educated workforce drawn from all parts of the country.
He said the world was undergoing rapid transformation in the fields of science and technology and the only way the country could catch up with the rest of the world was for the government to provide educational facilities for the benefit of the people, especially the youth.
President Mills implored the chiefs and people of the region to use the occasion to take stock of their achievements ,the tasks and challenges which still undermined its total development.
He said anniversaries were normally used by people to draw a balance sheet for their lives in order to ascertain whether their achievements were more than their shortcomings or vice-versa.
President Mills said the region had come a long way since its establishment by the first President of Ghana by way of producing some of the most finest and astounding personalities in the country.
For his part, the Bring Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo chronicled the feats that the region had chalked up in the various sectors since its creation.
He, however, conceded that there were still some formidable challenges to be overcome.
The regional minister said he was hopeful that the region, which boasted of several brilliant personalities who could be found in reputable institutions in the country and elsewhere in the world would be
mobilised to adequately address the challenges.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo said the region was endowed with massive natural resources which would be harnessed to generate income to be channelled into other sectors as well as offer employment opportunities for the people, especially the youth.
Other speakers at the function were the President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Osahene Kwaku Aterkyi 11, Mrs Cecilia Johnson, a member of the Council and Nana Kwadwo Nyarko, chairman of the Anniversary Planning Committee.

Students have individual responsibility for their actions (PAGE 11, NOV 6)

A MATRICULATION ceremony has been organised for 108 fresh students, including 16 females, to undertake undergraduate courses at the Faculty of Forest Resources Technology (FFRT) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), at the Sunyani Campus in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The Pro Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Professor William Otoo Ellis, who performed the function, stated that it was always a sad thing to dismiss a student and therefore, urged the freshmen and women to be of good behaviour, law abiding and serious with their studies.
“Never give us the opportunity to either rusticate or dismiss you. With this attitude, you will not have any problems with anybody. In all your endeavours, my dear students, be guided by the anxiom that, anything that is a breach of common sense, also constitutes a breach of university regulation for which you will face appropriate sanctions which could include dismissal from the university”, Prof. Ellis cautioned.
He said, there were many other important issues that they needed to know which had all been stipulated in the Student’s Guide and so, “Be familiar with those provisions and be guided by the tenets of the provisions”.
The Pro Vice Chancellor added, “Get to know the KNUST, its philosophy, ideology, vision, mission and be good ambassadors of the university every where you go from now on and remember that, you have come to the university and, therefore, use this opportunity to attain universal education. Make a conscious effort to get to know so many other things other than what you are supposed to study in your chosen programme or area of specialisation”.
Prof. Ellis reminded them of the fact that all of them had entered the university as individuals and, therefore, had the individual responsibility for any action or inaction on their part, stressing that, the university was governed by rules which served as margins of everybody’s freedom, and that, “Hiding under the umbrella of groups and misconducting yourself can cause your withdrawal, rustication or prosecution”.
He emphasised that, their admission to the university, was a rare privilege for them to add value to themselves in their attempt to become more useful citizens to Ghana in particular and Africa at large.
“I, therefore, congratulate you all for making one of the best and strategic decisions of your life. I am very hopeful that you will make maximum use of this opportunity offered you to attain tertiary education so that, following the completion of your programme, you will go and positively impact lives of ordinary citizens in Ghana and Africa, especially, in your chosen area of study which is Forest Resource Technology,” he added.
Prof. Ellis further cautioned, “You must remember that, henceforth, you are responsible for the planning or scheduling of your time and you must know that, the university is not like a high school, where you have the privilege of a senior housemaster to wake you up from your sleep, prompt you on your time for prep and so on”.
He said, everything was now up to them, and that their success or otherwise would depend on their ability to utilise that freedom to their advantage, saying, “Be cautiously adventurous and make sure you explore your talent to the full”.

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ADMITS 839 STUDENTS (NOV 4, PAGE 11)

THE Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Catholic University College of Ghana (CUCG), Fiapre, near Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu, has advised students, especially those at the CUCG, to be concerned about issues of social justice and be prepared to champion the cause of the downtrodden and oppressed in the society.
The education that you are receiving must make you work for integral human development. This means that you must be concerned about social, economic and political dimensions of human existence and speak out when necessary,” he stressed.
The Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu, who is also the Bishop of the Konongo-Mampong Diocese of the Catholic Church, gave the advice when he addressed the 9th matriculation of the CUCG, where 839 students were officially admitted to the university to pursue Religious Studies, Education, Economics and Business Administration, as well as Information, Communication and Science Technology (ICST) programmes.
From a total of 50 students in 2003, the total student population of the CUCG now stands at 2,200.
The Catholic Bishop pointed out that, from the beginning the Catholic Church saw its evangelising mission as having both spiritual and material dimensions, and that in line with promoting the material dimension of the evangelisation mission, the church had through all the ages put premium on education.
He explained that, from the earliest times, the church, at great cost and sacrifice, established schools which he noted had enriched humankind and responded to the needs of every time and place, adding, “The Church did all this in order to provide education to the people.”
Bishop Osei-Bonsu, therefore, advised that, as students in a Catholic institution, they must place God at the centre of their lives and realise that they cannot do without Christ and should also seek the understanding of their faith, whether it is Christian or non-Christian.
He said a major characteristic of Catholic academic institutions, was the premium that they placed on discipline and morality, and that, they attempt to inculcate a high standard of morality and discipline in students, and that was why many non-Catholics and even non-Christians send their children to Catholic schools.
Professor James Hawkins Ephraim, the Vice Chancellor of the CUCG, said, the university was marching the significant increases in the student numbers with commensurate academic staff increase and infrastructural development projects with the support of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, adding that the university was also grateful to the National Investment Bank (NIB) and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for being trustworthy and dependable partners.
He pointed out that, having been chosen by the university among the lot, the CUCG had already placed value on the fresh men and women and so they were to be transformed into what he described as, “A royal priesthood, a people set apart to do greater things for God”.
Prof. Ephraim reminded the students that, they came to the university alone and at the end of their respective programmes they would leave alone but added that “If you behave yourselves properly, you may even find your life partner at the end of your programmes,” he stated.

GOVT URGED TO EXPEDITE ACTION ON RIGHT TO INFORMATION BILL (PAGE 16, NOV 3)

The Brong Ahafo Network of non-governmental organisations (BANGO), has called on the Government to expedite action on the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) bill.
The coalition said passing the Right to Information Bill was a fundamental human right guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution and recognised as a right by the International Convention on human rights.
BANGO, which is also a member of the coalition on the RTI, argued that the bill, which was drafted in 2003 and reviewed in 2003 and 2005, had unnecessarily delayed and so it was high time the Government gave serious consideration to the passage of the bill into law.
The network of NGOs further pointed out that the passage of the RTI bill would establish a major legal instrument and political mechanism for the opening of the process of good governance, promotion of transparency, probity and accountability in public affairs as well as ensuring greater and popular participation in governance.
Addressing a press conference in Sunyani, the capital of the Brong Ahafo Region, the group reminded the current Government of its 2008 election manifesto which stated that “The new NDC Government shall enact into law, the freedom of information bill to facilitate access to official information, buttressing our commitment to disclosures”.
A member of the Steering Committee of the coalition on the RTI, Dr F.K. Biney, observed that in his maiden state of the nation address, the President urged the passage of the bill which in his view, deserved serious consideration by Parliament but nothing concrete had since been done.
“Our democracy shall undergo metamorphosis, if consistent best international practices are adopted, since they will certainly produce a radical qualitative advancement in the desire for freedom, justice and good governance,” Dr Biney noted.
He further declared that “we are entreating all stakeholders and well-meaning Ghanaians to generate abundant public interest and pressure for the bill to be placed before Parliament for its consideration into law to meet international standards”.
Dr Biney added that civil society and the coalition desired to ensure the implementation of the RTI legislation.
The Secretary to BANGO, Mr Joseph Kwaku Yeboah, who also addressed the conference, pointed out that the choice of democratic governance entailed the active participation of every one in the country, stressing that in participatory democracy the right to information was particularly relevant.
Mr Yeboah, who is also the Programme Officer of the Brong Ahafo Regional Office of the National Commission on Civil Education (NCCE), emphasised that it was essential to ensure good governance and that it was only when those who were to participate in the process were informed that they could contribute meaningfully to governance.
He pointed out that the importance of the RTI and the desire to ensure that there was transparency in governance, constituted the foundation of empowering the citizenry to contribute to good governance and rapid development of the country.
The Co-ordinator of the Brong Ahafo Chapter of the Coalition, Mr Peter Subaare, in his opening remarks, urged all other stakeholders to come on board and ensure the passage of the RTI bill into law because accessing information in Ghana was very difficult.

COCOA SMUGGLERS ARRESTED IN WR (BACK PAGE, NOV 3)

TWO persons who allegedly attempted to smuggle 44 bags of dried cocoa beans valued at GH¢5,520 to neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire have been arrested at the Osu Checkpoint in the Bia District of the Western Region.
It took the vigilance of an Assistant Collector of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Mr Edem P. Amega, assisted by Mr Francis Kotto, the Bia District Chief Executive (DCE), who emerged at the scene, to apprehend the suspects.
The suspects, Foster Karikari, 28, a purchasing clerk, and Awudu Abudu, alias Abu, 28, a driver, were handed over to the Debiso Police.
The suspects were put before the Debiso Magistrate’s Court on October 10, 2009 and they were remanded in prison custody. But when they re-appeared before the court, presided over by Mr Lawrence Buer, on October 28, 2009, they were granted bail in the sum of GH¢5,000 with one surety each to be justified.
They were charged on two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and attempting to smuggle cocoa without authority, contrary to Section 317 (1) of Act 29 of 1960, and are to appear before the court again on November 11, 2009.
By the order of the court, the cocoa beans are to be sold to any accredited licensed buying company and the proceeds given to the police for safe-keeping until the final determination of the case.
The court ordered that the vehicle which was used for the crime should be released to the owner, who should keep it within the vicinity so that it could be traced at any given time it was needed.
Police Chief Inspector Daniel Ahedemola Ogidigidi of the Debiso Station, who briefed newsmen on Saturday, said about 5 p.m. on October 10, 2009, the CEPS official sent the accused persons to the police station and reported that they were carrying cocoa in a Mercedes Benz truck with registration number WR 9256 C.
According to Chief Inspector Ogidigidi, the customs officer indicated that he was on duty at the Osu Checkpoint of CEPS when the vehicle emerged and, upon inspection, he detected that it was loaded with cocoa beans.
He said when Mr Amega demanded the waybill covering the luggage, the suspects could not produce any satisfactory one, adding that just as the customs officer was questioning the suspects, the DCE arrived on the scene and the suspects were arrested and handed over to the police.
In a related development, a team from National Security, led by Inspector James Tampuri, has arrested and handed over to the Debiso Police four persons who were allegedly smuggling 68 bags of dry cocoa beans to Cote d’Ivoire.
They are Seth Aidoo, a driver; David Asum, James Donkor and Kofi Doryor who were conveying the cocoa beans in a KIA truck, with registration number AS 858-09, on October 19, 2009.
Briefing newsmen, Chief Inspector Ogidigidi said the team, which was on a special exercise, intercepted the suspects but when they were asked to produce a waybill, they could not satisfy the group, who then arrested them.

POLICE TO PROBE ALLEGATION OF MILITARY BRUTALITY (BACK PAGE, NOV 3)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Police are investigating a case in which five military men, led by one Major Mezu, allegedly subjected three civilians to severe beatings at the Sunyani Magazine.
The victims were said to be undertaking a building project contracted to them when the incident occurred.
The soldiers, whose names are yet to be ascertained, allegedly stormed the project site in a military vehicle, while the said Major Mezu went there with his own saloon car, with registration number GT 7213-09.
They were also alleged to have ordered the victims, Philip Ofosu, a mason; Kwaku Adjei, supervisor, and Benjamin Kusi, the contractor, to lie down on their backs and look at the sun at about 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2009, while the military men continually kicked them mercilessly, resulting in bleeding from parts of the bodies of the victims.
A source close to the police who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in Sunyani said the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Brong Ahafo Regional Police had officially written to the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion of Infantry (3BN) to release the suspects for questioning.
According to the source, the military authorities had given the assurance that the suspects would be released today to assist in investigations.
The victims, who called at the Daily Graphic office in Sunyani to narrate their ordeal, indicated that they had been contracted to undertake a fence project around a building plot belonging to one Mr Charles Oduro about a month ago.
According to them, while they were at the site, one Mr Larweh, who was believed to be a relative of Major Mezu, approached them and ordered them to stop work immediately or he would call in the military to beat them up.
They alleged that when the said military officer and his men arrived, he also ordered them to stop work, but they refused and asked him to show a legal document backing his order.
The victims alleged that the soldiers then pounced on them and assaulted them mercilessly.
According to them, after they had satisfied themselves, the soldiers left in their vehicles, while they (the victims) called the land owner, who then reported the matter to the police.
The owner of the said plot told the Daily Graphic that the lease and other documents covering the acquisition of the plot were with him for the perusal of whoever wanted to do so.
Attempts to get the Commanding Officer at the Liberation Barracks, Lt Col Michael Amoah Ayisi, on his mobile phone proved futile.

GHANA NUTS ACQQUIRES HARVESTER TO BOOST SOYA PRODUCTION (PAGE 47, OCT 26)

Ghana Nuts Limited (GNL), a private agro-processing company based in Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, has taken delivery of three combine harvesters to encourage about 6,000 soya bean outgrowers in the Brong Ahafo and Northern regions to increase their production.
The Chinese-made equipment, which cost the company $80,000, have an engine capacity of 73 horse power each and are able to harvest two metric tonnes of soya bean an hour.
The importation of the machines will, therefore, encourage the farmers in the two regions to expand their farms from the current one acre per head to about five acres, since they will have no harvesting problems.
The Deputy Managing Director of GNL, Mr Prince Obeng Asante, who took newsmen to inspect the harvesters on the company’s premises in Techiman, later told the Daily Graphic that the harvesting of soya bean had been a very big challenge to farmers, noting that it was the first time in the history of soya bean cultivation in the country that combine harvesters would be used to harvest the legume.
According to him, the company started the processing and export of soya been oil and other commodities about three years ago with its 100 metric tonne processing plant but due to the growth in market penetration of its products, management decided to instal another 200 metric tonne plant in June this year.
He said with the current total capacity of 300 metric tonnes, the company needed about 3,000 maxi cocoa sacks of soya bean a day to feed the plant, hence the decision to support the farmers in the two regions to cultivate more soya bean for sale to the company.
Mr Asante pointed out that in order to encourage farmers to expand their operations, the company decided to bring in the combine harvesters and locally manufactured soya bean shellers to boost production.
“The dream of the company is to put about $30 million in the pockets of farmers through the cultivation of soya beans and also enhance the health status of the average Ghanaian through the production of high quality soya cooking oil,” the deputy managing director said.
According to him, healthy living went with healthy eating and for the company’s products the message was simply “love your heart”.

NEWMOUNT REVIEWS OPERATING PROCEDURE TO PREVENT CHEMICAL OVERFLOW (PAGE 23, OCT 24)

NEWMONT Ghana has stated that even though the minor chemical overflow that occurred at its Ahafo Mines did not pose any threat to human beings, it had reviewed its operating procedure to prevent a recurrence.
“While we deeply regret the spill, at no time did it pose a health risk to human beings, but we have learnt from it and reviewed our operating system to prevent any recurrence,” said Mr Daniel Michaelsen, the General Manager (Environment and Social Responsibility) of the company.
He gave the assurance when journalists drawn from Accra and the Brong-Ahafo Region toured the Ahafo Mines where the incident occurred.
About a week ago, Newmont reported a minor overflow of a processing solution containing low levels of cyanide (21 part per million or 0.00021 per cent) from its event pond into a stream leading to its environmental control pond number four (ECD4).
The people of Gyakokrom and Bourkrom, two communities along the stream, who do not use water from the stream, found six dead fishes floating on the stream a day after it was contaminated.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) later confirmed that the chemical did not pose danger to humans because Newmont’s ECD4, which was created with quality specifications from the EPA, would have prevented the contaminated water from entering into River Subri, which is used by people in that community.
The EPA, however, faulted Newmont for negligence and urged the company to manually man the ponds besides the computer level indicator.
Following the discovery of the contamination in the stream, samples of the water was tested in a commercial laboratory at Tema and was found to contain only five part per million (ppm) or 0.00005 per cent cyanide, which the fishes could not survive, but was too low to harm humans, as up to 50ppm of cyanide is generally accepted as safe for humans.
Mr Michaelsen said days after overflow fishes had been found swimming safely in the stream, indicating that the water was now safe, but added that Newmont would still go ahead to review its operating system to ensure complete prevention.
He noted that for starters, Newmont had heeded the EPA’s advice and had placed a staff member by the processing pond and the event pond to check the water levels in case the computerised level indicator failed.
Mr Paul Sowley, Newmont’s Regional Manager for Environmental Affairs, also hinted that the company was weighing a number of options, which included re-channelling water from the event pond through another path to a different ECD instead of through the Subri tributary to ECD4.
“The other option is to create another ECD along the stream in which the dead fishes were found but closer to the Process Plant and further away from where the hamlets are,” he said.
Meanwhile, Newmont has submitted a report of its findings after investigations into the incident to the leadership of the community and regulatory bodies.
“We will continue to co-operate with regulatory authorities and will inform communities on our doorstep of findings,” Mr Michaelsen said.
Newmont also continues to supply residents of the area with an alternative source of drinking water and said the supply would continue until the people were fully satisfied with the findings.
Mr Johan Van Huyssteen, who conducted journalists round parts of the process plant, where the incident occurred, stated that cyanide occurred naturally and was not toxic in all forms and concentrations.
He said safe levels of cyanide are commonly found in cassava, corn/maize, bamboo, air (16ppm), almonds (1000ppm), beans (310ppm), coffee (6ppm), salt (130ppm), cigarette (1,600ppm) and in smoke from bush fires.

CHELSEA BEAT ARSON 2-0 (BACK PAGE, OCT 22)

Two second half goals secured Bechem Chelsea the maximum three points at the expense of visiting Berekum Arsenal in their midweek Glo Premier League duel at their adopted Sunyani Coronation Park yesterday.
Striker Ernest Amoah scored the opener for his side on the 53rd minute, while substitute Kankani Salifu fetched the second goal inside added time.
The hosts dominated the game right from kick-off and never looked back, but could not find the net in the first half.

NGO ORGANISES WORKSHOP FOR PEER EDUCATORS (PAGE 23, OCT 17)

HEALTH Foundation of Ghana (HFG), which has been selected by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) to implement its Multi-Sectoral HIV and AIDS prevention programme (MSHAP)-2009 in the Brong Ahafo Region, has held a workshop for 50 selected peer educators and 10 community condom distributors at Kukuom.
The workshop was aimed at empowering the participants with skills and knowledge for the promotion of positive behavioural change and the prevention of the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
 The HFG is currently implementing the programme in five districts in the region, namely, Asutifi, Tanoso North, Tanoso South, Asunafo North and Asunafo South.
 The MSHAP-2009 Behaviour Change Communication and Preventive for HIV/AIDS, is a component of the GAC’s decentralised responses to address the HIV pandemic in the country and is aimed at reducing the number of new infections and preventing the spread of HIV in the Brong Ahafo Region.
According to the Programmes Co-ordinator, Mr Charles Ampontuah Yeboah, the specific objectives of the workshop were to introduce the participants to all aspects of the MSHAP 2009 programme and to train them on the need to educate the youth and the general population on behavioural change.
  The Country Director of HFG, Mrs Linda Arthur, explained that in all the five target districts, the HFG was partnering with the local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), field-based organisations (FBOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), the District Health Directorates, the District Education Directorates, the District and Municipal Assemblies and other organised stakeholder groups to implement the MSHAP 2009 sub-project.
She added that a participatory approach had been adopted from the planning stage through to the implementing and monitoring stages in each district to ensure stakeholder commitment, sustainability and success.
  Mrs Arthur said the other activity was the use of mass media behaviour change communication messages for the promotion of positive behavioural change, the distribution of T-shirts, brochures and posters, and conducting mobile outreach counselling and testing services.
 She said HIV and AIDS were unprecedented global development challenges that had already caused so many hardships, illnesses and deaths, stressing that the pandemic not only affected individuals but also devastated households and communities, as well as threatened entire nations.
 According to Mrs Arthur, reports indicated that out of the 33.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide in 2007, 22.5 million were from Sub-Saharan Africa, describing the statistics as alarming.
 She emphasised that behaviours that spread HIV were fuelled by social, cultural, economic and legal factors, which made it more difficult for people to protect themselves and which worsened the consequences of the epidemic.
  The Project Co-ordinator of Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana in Sunyani, Mr Captain Amos Adu Okyere, said even though carrying condoms by someone did not mean he or she was sexually active, learning about condoms should also not encourage the youth to be displaying them at any given time.

COMPANY BUILDS QUARTERS FOR NKWANTA TEACHERS (PAGE 20)

THE District Chief Executive (DCE) for Tain District, Mr Jones Samuel Tawiah, has inaugurated a GH¢25,000 one-unit teachers’ quarters at Nkwanta, a predominantly farming community near Seikwa in the Tain District in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The project which was single-handedly undertaken by Jen & Nyarko Company Limited, an Accra-based Sewerage/Liquid Waste Management and Energy firm, is to encourage teachers posted to the town to stay and teach at the local primary school.
In 1995, the company constructed a six-unit primary classroom block at a cost of GH¢50,000 for the school and in February, this year, it presented computers, printers, mobile phones and accessories to three state institutions in Accra.
The beneficiary institutions were the Accra District Police Command, the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit and the district office of the Driver, Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA).
Presenting the keys of the teachers’ quarters, Mr Joseph Mekobi Nyarko, the Managing Director of the company, who is also a native of the district, gave the assurance that his outfit would donate a bicycle to any teacher who accepted posting to the town and work there for three years.
He noted with regret that owing to lack of accommodation for teachers in the town, teachers posted to the area reported and later left thereby leaving the pupils to their fate.
Mr Nyarko appealed to all citizens of Tain to contribute their quota in diverse ways towards the development of the district.
The DCE for Tain, Mr Tawiah who received the keys, expressed gratitude to the benefactor and expressed the hope that the gesture would motivate teachers posted to the town to stay on.
He later presented the keys to the chief of the town, Nana Emmanuel Tano, who also thanked Mr Nyarko for his contribution towards effective teaching and learning in the area.
In another development, the company with the support of a Canada-based company, EUTELSAT 907, has established a modern Internet café at Seikwa, also in the Tain District to link the town and its environs with the outside world.
The café with a number of computers and other gadgets, and is believed to be the first of its kind in the region, would benefit students of the Nkoraman Senior High School in the town, the Tain District Assembly and other state and private institutions in the area.
Inaugurating the centre, the DCE for Tain said the establishment of the café would enable students in the area to compete with the endowed schools in the country.
Mr Tawiah described the establishment of the centre by Mr Nyarko as a surprise to him in particular and the entire people in the area at large.
He thanked the company for the intervention, adding that it had been the intention of the government to establish a similar café at the Nkoraman SHS.
 The DCE cautioned the students not to use the café as an excuse to run away from school to engage in social vices, stressing, “Do not visit the café with any bad motives but use it to brighten your horizon because it is not where you are but what you are and can do”.
The chief of Oyoko, near Seikwa, Nana Twum Barima, who is also the Vice President of the Tain Traditional Council, expressed gratitude to the company for providing the facility.
 The Managing Director of the company urged students, banking institutions, among others, to patronise the café.
 Mr Nyarko expressed concern about the deplorable nature of roads in the district, especially from Seikwa to Berekum and Nsawkaw, the district capital to Seikwa and other stretches, and appealed to the government to repair them.                
 

ZOOMLION , ASSEMBLIES EMBARK ON CLEAN-UP EXERCISES (PAGE 20)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional office of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a waste management company, in collaboration with the various municipal and district assemblies in the region, has embarked on massive clean-up exercises in the region as it prepares feverishly for its 50th anniversary celebration in November, this year.
The company has also stepped up its sensitisation and awareness campaigns in schools, lorry stations, mosques, churches and market places to educate the general public on the need to rid the communities in the region of filth before, during and after the celebration of the golden jubilee.
As part of the campaign, the company’s employees and its collaborators spend at least two hours every morning to clear choked gutters and drains and also clear bushy areas as well as sweep all the principal streets.
The company has already embarked on larvaeciding of active and potential mosquito breeding sites and the spraying of sanitary areas within the communities.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Sunyani on its activities, the Regional Operations Manager of Zoomlion, Mr Kofi Sekyere Boateng, stated that the company was committed to the maintenance of a beautiful environment which once earned Sunyani the cleanest town in Ghana.
According to him, the company’s Vector Control Unit had embarked on a mosquito control exercise in all the 22 municipal and district assemblies in the region as a measure of reducing malaria infection.
The officer in-charge of the unit, Mr Ernest Brenya, also gave the assurance that by the close of October, this year, the company’s disinfestation exercise would have been completed.
He said currently, his outfit was spraying toilets, swampy areas and drains, among other filthy locations.

FIVE DISTRICTS SELECTED FOR HIV/AIDS PROGRAMME (PAGE 15, GRAPHIC NSEMPA

By Akwasi Ampratwu-Mensah, Kukuom

Five districts in the Brong Ahafo Region have been selected by the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) for the implementation of the commission’s Multi-Sectoral HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme (MSHAP) 2009, under which in-school and out-of-school peer educators are to be empowered with knowledge and the requisite skills to promote positive behavioral change and prevention of the pandemic.
The Health Foundation of Ghana (HFG) is one of the 31 umbrella civic society organisations selected by the GAC and tasked to implement the programme in the Asutifi, Tano North, Tano South, Asunafo North and Asunafo South districts.
The HFG’s work in reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention began in 2002, and the foundation has since remained committed to the cause of working towards an HIV-free generation in Ghana and Africa.
The MSHAP 2009 Behaviour Change Communication and Prevention for HIV/AIDS, is a component of the GAC’s decentralised response to addressing the HIV pandemic in the country and aimed at reducing the number of new infections and preventing its spread of in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Fifty selected schoolchildren and out-of-school peer educators as well as 10 community condom distributors, in the Asunafo South district have already attended a six-day workshop, on the programme at Kukuom, the district capital.
The target segmentation for the In-school-youth are 10-14 years and 15-24 years, while that for the out-of-school youth are 10-14 years and 15-24 years with the general population for adults pegged at 25 years and above.
Total target for the in-school-youth under the programme is 2000, with a minimum of 400 per district, while the total for those out-of-school youth is 17,000 with a minimum of 3,500 per district. For the general public, 210,000 people are targeted with a minimum of 42,000 per district to be achieved.
The HFG is also to ensure that 300,000 condoms are distributed in the region with a minimum of 60,000 per district, and 5,000 people to be counselled and tested for HIV with a minimum of 1,000 per district.
Stakeholders who are collaborating with the HFG are the various district assemblies, the district health authorities, the district education directorate, faith-based organisations such as churches and mosques, the Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), organised groups, such as tailors, hairdressers, drivers, market women, traditional authorities and community volunteers.
The Country Director of HFG, Mrs Lynda Arthur who presented a paper at the workshop, disclosed that the demographic variations in 2008 for HIV prevalence in the country was estimated at 1.7 per cent while the regional variations ranged from 1.1 per cent in the Northern Region to 4.5 per cent in the Eastern Region.