Tuesday, April 27, 2010

MORE ACTION ON ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR (PAGE 19, APRIL 27, 2010)

The Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare (MOESW) has developed a National Plan of Action (NPA) towards the elimination of worse forms of child labour in the country through an integrated framework and a more co-ordinated and sustained basis.
The NPA, which was drawn up in consultation with all other stakeholders concerned with children’s issues, has already been adopted and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to incorporate elimination of worse forms of child labour in their programmes.
The Deputy Minister of MOESW, Mr Antwi Boasiako Sekyere, announced this at this year’s Easter school for children across the country in Sunyani, which was held on the theme: ‘‘Child Protection is a Human Right: Bridging the Gap Between Rights and Reality’’.
The five-day Easter school for selected children from basic, junior and senior high schools, is an annual event organised by Child’s Rights International (CRI) in co-operation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide a dynamic forum for children to actively participate in an open discussion about critical issues that affect their welfare and their enjoyment of children’s rights.
The active, voluntary and informed participation of the children, who also included refugees from other African countries, is at the core of the school’s agenda.
The event also celebrates and promotes children’s unique contribution as citizens of the world and values their voices and subjective experiences.
Mr Sekyere pointed out that the government considered the elimination of the worse forms of child labour as a priority for the enhancement of the living standards of its people and the sustainable development of the country.
He noted that since the year 2000, when Ghana ratified the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No 182, dealing with the elimination of worse forms of child labour, the ILO, together with other organisations, had collaborated with the MOESW to implement child labour interventions in the areas of national policy and legal framework development, awareness creation and social mobilisation.
Under the time-bound programme, he said, 25,000 children were withdrawn and prevented from engaging in child labour, adding that the national programme for the elimination of worst forms of child labour in cocoa (NPECLC) was instituted to eliminate the problem in the cocoa sector.
The programme, Mr Sekyere noted, had supported 1,300 children in 11 cocoa-growing districts to access formal education and acquire employable skills, and that showed the government’s commitment to protect children from abuse and exploitation.
The Deputy Minister also disclosed that a Hazardous Child Labour Activity Framework (HAF), that provided a list of activities that could be termed as ‘‘hazardous’’, and conditions under which various cocoa-growing processes could become hazardous for children, had been developed and validated by stakeholders.
Additionally, he said, Child’s Rights Clubs had been formed in several communities and that the programme was currently being scaled up to cover the remaining 21 cocoa-growing areas in the country.
Mr Sekyere emphasised that protection of children in the country remained a major concern to the government and indeed all well-meaning Ghanaians, given the fact that children represented the future and the backbone of the nation.
Therefore, he reiterated that it was mandatory for society to respect, promote and protect children’s rights, irrespective of any factors, stressing that the legal and constitutional framework, had well been laid for the protection of the child in the country.
The Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), Mrs Juliana Azumah Mensah, in a speech read on her behalf, pointed out that institutional reforms had been pursued vigorously to improve child protection and administration of all issues affecting women and children.
She said child protection was the central component in ensuring that children’s rights were respected and fulfilled and that it was apparently essential for children to effectively participate in addressing issues that affected them.
The Executive Director of CRI, Mr Bright Appiah, in a welcoming address, said: ‘‘When we do not properly care for children in this world, when they are denied their childhood, when their innocence is stolen, when they are subjected to exploitation, abuse, neglect and violence, humanity has been degraded and humanity has lost its moral compass.”
According to Mr Appiah, it was unconscionable, outrageous and deeply tragic when institutions and individuals who were meant to protect children were the very ones perpetrating violations against them.
He added that when children lost their trust and faith in people and the institutions they represented, lasting harm had been inflicted on the young citizens of a country.

Monday, April 26, 2010

GNAT URGES GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT (PAGE 11, APRIL 26, 2010)

Members of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regional Council of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) have reminded the government about the negotiated collective agreement signed between the two parties on December 31, 2009, regarding the payment of some allowances to members of the association.
According to the council members, the government had cheated them for far too long but said they neither wanted any disruption of the academic calendar nor any disturbance of the national agenda of development.
The Vice Chairman of the council, Mr Johnson Addae- Poku, who read a brief statement at a press conference at the GNAT Hall in Sunyani declared, ‘‘it is our conviction that, should the government fail to implement those negotiated agreements, it would lead to the adoption of a decision that would mar the peaceful industrial atmosphere we are all enjoying’’.
The council members explained that, the Standing Joint Negotiating Committee of the Ghana Education Service (GES), representing GNAT / the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), signed an agreement to the effect that, professional allowance for all certificate teachers, constituting 15 per cent of their monthly gross salary, would be paid to deserving teachers ,with effect from January, in April this year.
Mr Addae- Poku said the parties agreed that, difficult / deprived area allowance of 20 per cent of monthly gross salary would be paid, while an agreement was again reached for the payment of 10 per cent of gross monthly salary to teachers who are trained and were teaching Mathematics, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), as well as Technical and Vocational and Science, but pointed out that, nothing concrete had come out so far.
‘‘Looking at the mood of teachers, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to restrain them from taking any action to get what is due them once the date expires without getting their demands being met, and we note with dissatisfaction, the fact that issues affecting teachers have been swept under the carpet for far too long’’, he observed.

KOTOKO BOW TO ARSENAL (BACK PAGE, APRIL 26, 2010)

Kumasi Asante Kotoko fell flat at the Berekum Golden City Park yesterday, where they were whipped 2-0 by Berekum Arsenals in their Glo-Premier League pairing.
Two classic goals, one in each half, fetched by Arsenals’ intelligent midfielder, Hadj Abubakhar Sadiq, were all that were needed to consolidate the invicibility of Alhaji Yakubu Moro’s boys at the Golden-City Park. The win enhances Arsenals’ chance of playing in the Top Four competition.
The homesters reduced the fabulous boys to mere minnows in the game, especially during the second half. Arsenal fetched the first goal on the stroke of half-time, and the 47th minute netting by Sadiq was enough to seal an emphatic win.
As the going became tougher and tougher for the visitors, half-back Isacc Owusu was matched off by Koforidua-based class one referee, John Atikesi, for striking Arsenal’s midfielder, Francis Aggrey aka Mboma.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

CHIEFS SET UP COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW (PAGE 22, APRIL 24, 2010)

THE National House of Chiefs (NHC) has constituted a subcommittee to receive and collate inputs from the various Regional Houses of Chiefs in the country on the government’s decision to review the 1992 Constitution.
Already, circulars have been sent out to Nananom to submit their suggestions on the subject matter for onward submission to the NHC.
The President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Osahene Kwaku Aterkyi II, who disclosed this at the first general meeting of the house in Sunyani, however stated that there had been no response from Nananom on such an important matter.
He, therefore, appealed to members of the house who wished to make some inputs to direct them to a subcommittee constituted by the house at the shortest possible time to enable the committee to submit its report by the end of this month.
Osahene Aterkyi, who is also the Omanhene of the Kukuom Traditional Area, said it was unfortunate that only a few months after the region celebrated its 50th anniversary of its creation, it had been confronted with some delicate challenges.
He mentioned the Techiman-Tuobodom-Asanteman problem as a classical example.
Osahene Aterkyi said the chiefs were aware of the historical background of that problem, which dated back to events that took place in the 18th century.
He added that recent developments stretching from 1996 to date had been very challenging to the house and of late, assumed national dimension.
Osahene Aterkyi expressed the wish that the matter would be resolved peacefully through regulars contacts and negotiations, which had already started to ensure that lasting peace was reached within the Tano Subin areas, Techiman and Asanteman.
He informed the house that the dispute that engulfed the Goaso Traditional Area following the abdication of Krotwiamansa Agyei Ampofo had finally been resolved and that a new Omanhene had been installed, in the person of Nana Akwasi Bosompra.
According to him, the chieftaincy declaration forms of the new Omanhene had been approved by the NHC and that his name had been entered in the National Register of Chiefs.
Osahene Aterkyi stated that the new chief would be admitted to the membership of the house shortly.
He expressed the hope that other vacant stools in the region would be filled within the shortest possible time so that their occupants would also take their seats in the house.
Osahene Aterkyi also informed the house that the regional caucus of the Council of State had, through the Regional Minister, donated a new Mahindra Bolero Turbo vehicle to the house.
The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, appealed to the chiefs to do everything within their power to stem the escalation of chieftaincy and land disputes in the region.
He stressed that the continued existence of those disputes would not only dent the image of the region as a peaceful place for investment and tourism promotion, but would also retard the general development as had been the case in other conflict areas.
‘‘We have full confidence in the capacity and experience of Nananom to resolve the various disputes before they get out of hand,’’ Mr Opoku said.
The deputy regional minister urged the various traditional councils to prepare their medium and long-term development plans to guide them in the judicious utilisation of funds from stool lands, as well as revenue from other sources for development projects, which would benefit the generality of the people.

Friday, April 23, 2010

ROBBERY, MURDER CASES REDUCE IN BRONG AHAFO (PAGE 35, APRIL 24, 2010)

Story: Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Sunyani

Recorded cases of armed robbery, murder and narcotics reduced in the Brong Ahafo Region at the end of 2009, according to the Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Seth Charles Oteng.
The region recorded 58 cases of armed robbery in 2009, as against 77 in 2008, and out of these 21 suspects were apprehended by the police, with 20 of them currently on remand, while one person has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
DCOP Oteng, who was addressing the end-of-year get-together for personnel of the Ghana Police Service in the region, also indicated that 34 murder cases were recorded last year, as against 47 in 2008.
He indicated that in 2009, 35 narcotic cases were reported, as against 48 recorded the previous year, pointing out, however, that the reduction was achieved with challenges.
He explained that the region lost 75 policemen through death, retirement and transfer, adding that the number of policemen in the region was woefully inadequate, owing primarily to lack of residential accommodation for them.
Besides, DCOP Oteng said some districts and units lacked logistics such as vehicles to enable them to effectively perform their duties, while fuel supply to the service was also not regular.
In spite of those and other associated challenges and constraints, he stressed that the police worked assiduously to achieve the desired results and entreated the personnel to continue to work with more zeal and enthusiasm than they did the previous year in order to substantially reduce all manner of crime this year.
DCOP Oteng said policing today was not the sole preserve of men and women of the service but a partnership between the police and the public and reminded the public to embrace the neighbourhood watch concept to help protect lives and property in the communities.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

NEW CLASSROOM BLOCK FOR SDA JHS IN BA (JUNIOR GRAPHIC, PAGE 6, APRIL 21, 2010)

A Sunyani based businessman, Mr Kwasi Asante, has single-handedly constructed a new classroom block with office and store at a cost of GH¢90,000 to replace the dilapidated structure of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Junior High School in the Sunyani West District of the Brong Ahafo Region.
For almost nine years now, students of the school have been attending classes in the dilapidated structure which suffered extensive damage as a result of a severe rainstorm that hit the area.
In view of the dilapidated nature of the classroom block, some of the students are either reluctant to attend classes, especially whenever it threatened to rain, while others have dropped out entirely, a situation which adversely affected teaching and learning at the school.
However, thanks to the benevolence of Mr Kwasi Asante, aka Assize Ban, the students now study in  a congenial atmosphere.
The decision by Mr Asante, who is the Managing Director of Original Asaase Aban Company Limited in Sunyani to put up the block, followed an appeal made by the leadership of the SDA church in the town, when he attended one of the church’s annual conferences.
The inauguration of the project last Wednesday was a delight to watch as both students and parents danced to brass band and guitar music.
In a short address, Mr Asante said it was the will of God that he undertook the project, and that he was deeply touched by the dangerous state of the previous classroom block and therefore did not hesitate to support the community.
He urged parents and the general public to show concern about the welfare of their children, adding that the overall development of the town ought to be the responsibility of every member of the community.
Mr Asante, who is not a member of the SDA church but a Presbyterian, then advised that, the maintenance of the block should not be the task of the SDA church alone but all the people in the area, since the students attending the school came from different religious backgrounds
The President of the Midwest Ghana Conference of the SDA church, Pastor Fred Adjei, commended Mr Asante for the kind gesture, and assured that adequate maintenance would be provided to prolong its lifespan.
Mr Kwadwo Osei Asibey, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sunyani West, advised the children against ‘wee’ smoking and the abuse of other  hard drugs as well as the drinking of alcoholic beverages.

ONE-TIME NHIS PREMIUM FEASIBLE (PAGE 19, APRIL 20, 2010)

The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, says the government is still convinced that a one-time premium payment to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is feasible.
The government, he said, would, therefore, implement the policy before the end of its first four-year term.
Addressing the maiden graduation of the Community Health Nurses Training School at Tanoso near Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region yesterday, the Vice-President said the government was also in the process of restructuring the scheme to make it beneficial to patients.
That was because the NHIS had been beset with fraud and corruption in the collection of claims from clients in the past.
The Vice-President said in pursuit of the “Better Ghana” Agenda, the government was committed to providing the needed infrastructure to ensure increased access to healthcare services, especially in the rural areas.
He said the nation had reached a critical stage where quality healthcare delivery could not be compromised.
The Vice-President said it was in that light that the government had put in place various measures to ensure that healthcare delivery in the country was improved.
To be able to successfully achieve that objective however, "I wish to call on all stakeholders in the health sector to play their roles effectively and efficiently”.
The Vice-President emphasised that the role of community health services, as primary health care delivery personnel, was a very important segment of the healthcare delivery system, saying, "As graduates of this institution, your duties would be very vital in the areas of preventive health care," he stated.
He noted that the rise in maternal mortality cases in the country was the result of unsupervised deliveries, which he said was a major challenge in the healthcare delivery system.
According to Mr Mahama, a clean environment was the bedrock of community health, stressing that dirty environment created the conditions necessary for the breeding of various insects which transmitted a lost of diseases.
Available statistic, he said, indicated that over 80 per cent of preventable diseases were contracted from unclean environment.
The Vice-President advised the graduates to render services with a smile, pointing out that the patient was not an irritant but he or she was the reason why they were nurses and that they should not take out their domestic stress on them to their workplaces.
Mr Mahama stated that as front-line personnel in the healthcare delivery system, the nurse was expected to demonstrate leadership qualities in his or her duties and to assist in the implementation of the healthcare segment of the "Better Ghana" agenda.
He gave the assurance that the new midwifery training school planned for girls in the Asunafo North Municipality would take off this year.
He donated a 33-seater Nissan bus to the school.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamakye-Marfo, said 81 cases of maternal death were rewarded in 2008, but the figure shot up in 2009 and explained that the high incidence of maternal mortality was as a result of the difficulty in mothers in labour accessing immediate medical attention.
In that connection, he disclosed that the Regional Health Directorate had signed a memorandum of understanding with some transport unions under which drivers were not to hesitate to pick women in labour to the nearest hospital before any payment was made.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

NAFANA RURAL BANK UNABLE TO RAISE STATED CAPITAL (PAGE 29, APRIL 17, 2010)

THE Nafana Rural Bank Limited in the Jaman North District of the Brong Ahafo Region is grappling with the challenge of raising GH¢150,000, which is the capital requirement set out by the Central Bank for all rural banks in the country.
As of last year, the bank’s stated capital stood at GH¢34,228, which falls short of the Bank of Ghana’s (BoG) requirement by about GH¢116,000. In 2008, the stated capital of the bank was GH¢ 31,236, while in 2007, it was GH¢ 29,817.
Out of the 19 rural banks in the Brong Ahafo Region, Nafana placed 18th in the league of rural bank mobilisation, according to the Efficient Monitoring Unit (EMU) report of the Apex Bank.
The Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Mr Pascal Essieh, at the Seventh Annual General Meeting of shareholders of the bank at Sampa said that the board had negotiated with other banks for the possibility of a merger but ‘‘Our attempt with Suma Rural Bank was a non- starter. The only alternative now is for the bank to raise the remaining capital’’.
The Vice chairman emphasised that several consultations had been made but it still seemed difficult for the shareholders and prospective ones to buy more shares in the bank, adding ‘‘I must say we are in a crises period with regard to the share mobilisation. We need to take a decisive action’’.
Mr Essieh again disclosed that the operations of the bank in 2008 led to a net loss of GH¢32,152, after considering all expenses and depreciation, admitting that 2008 was one of the difficult years for the bank, and that the loss came as a result of high operation cost and a huge provision against doubtful loans and advances.
He however, indicated the bank made a modest profit of GH¢20,258 in 2009, while its total assets grew by 7.4 per cent from GH¢746,714 in 2007 to GH¢ 802,075 in 2008 and further increased to GH¢1,166,562 in 2009, representing 45 per cent.
The Vice chairman pointed out that as part of the penalties for the non-attainment of the GH¢150,000 share capital requirement of the BoG, the bank would not be allowed to pay dividend to its shareholders, explaining that the board would recommend that part of the accumulated reserves be transferred to the stated capital.
The Vice-President of the Brong Ahafo Regional Chapter of the Association of Rural Banks, Mr Kofi Bonsu Boakye- Boateng, stated that rural banks that could not raise the stated capital of GH¢150, 000 could arrange to merge with other rural banks.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

28 PERISH IN 2 ACCIDENTS (1B, APRIL 12, 2010)

Story: A. Ampratwum-Mensah, Sunyani & Nana Konadu Agyeman, Asenema

TWENTY-EIGHT people died in two separate accidents at Attakrom, near Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region, and Asenema, near Adukrom in the Eastern Region, last Saturday.
At Attakrom, a village between Babatokuma and Dawadawa, 16 people, including a child under one year, died on the spot and seven others later at the Kintampo Government Hospital.
The accident occurred when two 207 Benz buses on which they were travelling from opposite directions collided on the main Kintampo-Tamale trunk road.
The bodies of the 16 were deposited at the Sunyani Regional Hospital mortuary for autopsy, while the remaining five were kept at the Kintampo Hospital mortuary.
Those who sustained various degrees of injury are on admission at the same hospital.
The Kintampo District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Desmond Owusu-Boampong, who briefed the Daily Graphic yesterday, indicated that while the bus with registration number AW 2370 Q was moving from Tamale to Techiman, the other, with number AS 472 V, was on its way from Techiman to Tamale.
According to him, the accident occurred about 7.30 p.m. on Saturday when the Techiman-bound vehicle was overtaking a tractor, in the process of which it collided with the other vehicle.
He explained that the decision to transport the 16 bodies to the Sunyani Hospital was due to the bad state of the Kintampo Hospital mortuary, adding that the five bodies being kept there were to be embalmed immediately.
When the Daily Graphic visited the Sunyani Hospital mortuary, this reporter counted about nine bodies out of the 16, including a female, lying on the floor, while the mortuary attendants were in the process of preparing them for autopsy.
Scores of people believed to be relatives of the deceased were identifying the bodies of their relations, while some sympathisers had grouped in front of the hospital gate.
A young lady this reporter met wailing uncontrollably claimed that her mother had been involved in the accident.
A medical officer who declined to mention his name indicated that the bodies had been brought in at dawn yesterday.
In the second accident, five people were killed in a grisly accident when a Daewoo bus belonging to the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCO) ran into a Nissan Urvan bus at Asenema, near Adukrom in the Akuapem North District on Saturday.
Two persons died on the spot, while three others later passed away at the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua.
Ten out of the 38 injured people on board both buses who were rushed to the hospital were admitted and are responding to treatment, while the others were treated and discharged.
The 10 on admission, including a 16-year-old mother, Flora Nyarko, and her 13-month-old baby, were among the 12 passengers on board the Nissan mini bus, with registration number ER 435 S, travelling from Koforidua to Adukrom.
Those whose bodies have so far been identified at the morgue of the Eastern Regional Hospital include Kingsley Annor, the driver of the Nissan mini bus, Yaw Kono and Dorinda Kono.
The accident occurred about 3.30 p.m. on Saturday when the GRIDCO bus, which was travelling from Larteh to Prestea in the Western Region with about 25 mourners, veered into the lane of the oncoming Nissan mini bus.
The driver of the GRIDCO bus, who was allegedly said to be descending the curvy and hilly road in a high gear, veered into the lane of the mini bus in a bid to avoid running into a trench along the road but ended up running into the oncoming vehicle.
The GRIDCO bus, with registration number GW 5613 T, pushed the mini bus about 10 metres into a trench in the curve, mangling the Nissan bus in the process.
The passengers on board the GRIDCO bus, comprising workers of the company and some Jehovah’s Witnesses of Prestea, had attended the funeral of the late father of a staff member at Larteh and were returning to Prestea when the accident occurred.
Briefing the press on the accident, the Eastern Regional Director of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Mr Stephen Anokye, said preliminary investigations into the cause of the accident revealed that the driver of the GRIDCO bus had been descending the steep road in a high gear.
"In his bid to avoid running off the road, the driver of the GRIDCO bus possibly lost control of the bus and, therefore, went into the lane of the oncoming Nissan bus, resulting in a head-on collision," he stated.
"This tragic accident could have been avoided if the driver of the GRIDCO bus had exercised extreme caution and observed the road signs while descending the hill," he added.
Mr Anokye advised motorists who used the mountainous Koforidua-Adukrom road not to ignore the various road signs erected along the road, saying that "strictly abiding by these signs can help reduce accidents on the road".
For his part, the Akuapem North District Chief Executive, Mr George Opare-Addo, who visited the scene of the accident, appealed to motorists to avoid speeding and drink driving in order to save lives on the road.

Monday, April 5, 2010

HEARTS DRAW WITH CHELSEA (BACK PAGE, APRIL 1, 2010)

An injury time goal scored by Accra Hearts of Oak’s prolific scorer, Samuel Affum, enabled the defending champions to split points with Bechem Chelsea in their 24th midweek Glo Premier League fixture at the Berekum Golden City Park yesterday.
The homesters came back from recess with well-rehearsed notes after a first half deadlock to score the opener through their rasta-haired midfielder, Isaka Ibrahim, on the 48th minute.
Chelsea continued to pile pressure on Hearts but Ibrahim failed to find the net on a number of occassions. Chelsea’s defence, pivoted around Lee Addy of the local Black Stars fame, and with briliant saves by their keeper, Maxwell Banahene, the Phobians could not break through.
However, with determination, the Phobians moved in threateningly during the final stages of the game and finally clinched the equaliser.