Monday, May 31, 2010

MP HANDS OVER SCHOOLS AFTER RENOVATION (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 15, MAY 31, 2010)

By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah and James K. Baah, Sunyani.

Renovation work has been completed on the 10-unit Penkwase Junior High and Urban Council Junior High Schools in the Sunyani Municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region at a total cost of GH¢ I5, 000.
The project, which was financed by Mr Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East, from his share of the GETFund, involved work on the floor, changing of windows and doors, ceilings and roofing, as well as painting and was undertaken by Ofei Brothers Construction Works Limited based in Sunyani.
Speaking at the inauguration of the renovated structure at a brief ceremony, Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh debunked the notion that attending public schools was a hindrance to students passing their end-of-year examinations, adding that, he had been able to rise to his present position even though he attended such a school in his youth.
“It is what you are but not where you are. Once you have will power and determination, you can beat all the odds to achieve your aim. Do not ever downplay what the products of public schools can do”, he advised.
The MP pointed out that, it was incumbent on him to contribute his quota to his alma mater, stressing that there were multi- stakeholders in the development of education in the country, and predicted that some of the current students in both schools could become lawyers, doctors, engineers or nurses.
Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh observed that the best investment parents could make for their children was to ensure that they had the best education.
He also advised teachers to direct students on how to answer questions, since according to him, most of them failed their final examination because of the way they tackled questions.
The Sunyani Municipal Director of Education, Rev. Fr Timothy Kankam-Dwumfour, emphasised that if the rural child also got the opportunity to study under hygienic conditions and had good classrooms to use, then the country would be heading towards achieving the Millenium Development Goals.
He explained that, the introduction of the Capitation Grant, the School Feeding Programme, free exercise books and the supply of free uniforms were all social interventions aimed at making education more attractive. He added that, teachers need to complement the government’s efforts. 

Thursday, May 27, 2010

3 INJURED IN GAS EXPLOSION (1B, MAY 27, 2010)

Story: Akwai Ampratwum-Mensah, Sunyani

AN explosion at the Louis Gas Filling Station, near the State Transport Company (STC) Yard on the Sunyani-Abesim road, on Tuesday caused injury to three persons and completely burnt two vehicles.
The explosion also affected parts of a guest house belonging to the Electoral Commission in Sunyani.
An attendant at the station, Abdul Baba, who suffered severe burns, has been referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, after initial treatment at the Regional Hospital in Sunyani.
Two others, identified as Prince Adams, a sub-officer of the Sunyani Fire Service station, and K.B. Ofei, an assistant station officer of the Berekum Station, were treated and discharged at the regional hospital.
The accident also caused extensive damage to other private property, including two vehicles, which were burnt beyond repairs, while the windscreen of a third got broken.
Ironically, the explosion occurred when there was a power outage in the vicinity. In spite of that, hundreds of sympathisers and onlookers were attracted to the place.
When this reporter arrived at the scene about 7:30 p.m., some of the onlookers were seen standing very close to the burning fire while firemen went about their work.
On another visit to the scene around 8 a.m. yesterday, this reporter saw scores of people gathered in groups and discussing the incident.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Fire Officer, Mr Paul Opoku, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, said his office received a report about 6:33 p.m. on Tuesday and immediately dispatched a fire engine to the scene.
He indicated that when the team arrived there, it was realised that the situation was critical and, therefore, it called for reinforcement from the Berekum Fire Station.
Mr Opoku condemned the attitude of the crowd in thronging the area, pointing out that it was dangerous for people to move to scenes of fire outbreaks because some of them could lose their lives in the process.
He alleged that some of those who rushed to the scene openly stole items from the stores and shops they managed to break into and commended personnel of the Ghana Police Service and the military who went in to assist in controlling the crowd.
Mr Opoku said his outfit was still investigating the cause of the fire, adding, however, that initial investigation had revealed that there was a leakage on the gas container which the owner was said to have rectified without any assistance from the Ghana National Fire Service.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

NADMO HOLDS WORKSHOP IN SUNYANI (MIRROR, PAGE 25, MAY 22, 2010)

From Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Sunyani

A Workshop for Municipal and District Co-ordinators of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the Brong Ahafo Region has been organised in Sunyani with the view to enhancing the capacity of the participants for preventive and effective response to emergencies.
The co-ordinators are expected to return to their various locations and sensitise other stakeholders who would then be able to contribute meaningfully towards the prevention of disasters.
The theme for the workshop was “Prevention Pays”.
Mr Eric Opoku, the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, who opened the function, suggested that educational authorities should introduce a course on disaster management for schools.
He stressed that if education was meant to prepare people for life, then it ought to take into account issues such as natural and man-made hazards, adding that “every community is vulnerable to a greater extent or lesser extent to the threat of loss of life and property as a result of a disaster”.
“In our quest to contain and curb natural and man-made disasters in our communities and the nation at large, new ideas should be imbibed by the citizenry to give them a high sense of responsibility. Both young and old, should adhere to preventive measures when it comes to disaster issues,” Mr Opoku said.
Mr. J.B. Nyarko, Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinator of NADMO, said the staff strength of the organisation in the region stood at 225 but gave the assurance that his outfit had intensified public education at all levels to create more awareness of disaster-related issues.

QUEENS, KINGMAKAERS ATTEND CAPACITY WORKSHOP (PAGE 13, MAY 22, 2010)

Queens and other kingmakers from the various paramountcies in the Brong Ahafo Region have attended a two-day capacity-building workshop on the prevention and management of succession-to-stool disputes in the region.
The conflict management workshop was organised by the Regional Peace Council to define chieftaincy succession disputes and understand the importance of utilising appropriate personnel management skills to deal with chieftaincy succession conflicts.
The workshop, sponsored by the UNDP, was also to let the participants become familiar with the Chieftaincy Act of 2008 (Act 759) and examine some necessary skills required in resolving those succession disputes.
Currently, there are about 56 chieftaincy disputes, some of them long-standing, being adjudicated at the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs and the High courts in the region.
The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, who opened the workshop, pointed out that queens occupied a central position when it came to succession to stools in most traditional areas of the country.
He said their roles as managers of the procedure of nomination, acceptance and enstoolment of a candidate as chief could not be down-played and so it was incumbent on them to live up to the expectation of their people during the whole process by showing their neutrality towards all the contending parties.
The deputy regional minister observed that not all the people from the royal lineage were qualified to occupy a vacant stool and, therefore, kingmakers must look out for someone with unquestionable character when it came to choosing a chief.
He said it was an undeniable fact that queens produced royals and by the matrilineal inheritance in the Akan tradition, those royals were selected, nominated and enstooled when a stool became vacant, noting, however, that before anything was done, the queen had to be consulted.
Mr Opoku pointed out that there were instances when a sitting chief and the queen might not be on good terms, in which case, some people took undue advantage of the situation to foment trouble whenever a stool became vacant and there was the need for a successor.
He deplored the attitude of some chiefs who were noted for their ‘winner-takes-all’ attitude and who did not take proper care of the queen and other family members, stressing that those things never happened in the past.
He gave the assurance that the government would continue to uphold the integrity, sacredness and sanctity of the chieftaincy institution and would not, by any act of commission or omission, disturb the tried and tested institution, adding, “The government will not dabble in any disputes”.
Mr Opoku, however, said the government would not look on unconcerned when lives and property were being destroyed in chieftaincy conflicts, since it owed the people a duty to maintain a peaceful country where all would have the freedom to live and work.
The Peace Promotion Officer of the Peace Council, Nana Adjei Ababio, in his welcoming address, said members of the council had been collaborating with Nananom to find ways to stem the tide of increasing chieftaincy disputes in the region.
He noted that conflicts were a part of human nature but when they arose, there was the need to find amicable solutions to them, saying that the region was bedevilled with so many threats to peace and human security arising out of chieftaincy and land disputes, unemployment, disunity and other forms of social conflicts.
Nana Ababio noted that one of the relatively peaceful regions in the country was Brong Ahafo because it did not experience violent conflicts but said that was not to say that there were no threats to peace and human security in the region.

Friday, May 21, 2010

SUPPLY CONSTITUTIONS TO SHS STUDENTS (PAGE 13, MAY 21, 2010)

Participants at a forum organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Sunyani West District of the Brong Ahafo Region have suggested that abridged copies of the 1992 Constitution be produced and supplied to senior high school students free of charge.
That, they said, would equip the students to grasp the provisions of the Constitution right from school.
They argued that knowing the Constitution, which is a vital national document, at an early stage in their lives would provide a lot of advantages for the students.
The participants also suggested that the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education add the study of the Constitution to the curricula of schools.
The forum, which was organised as part of activities marking the Constitution Week, was attended by a large number of students, assembly members, teachers, traditional authorities and some heads of departments of the district assembly.
According to the participants, it would be very useful if officials of the NCCE were invited to the meetings of the various parent/teacher associations (PTAs) in the country to explain important national issues to students and teachers alike.
They maintained that the situation where only students who studied government as a subject came to know something about governance was not helpful to the teeming student population, who are considered the future leaders of the country.
The forum also agreed that the government should resource the NCCE very well to enable it to embark on its mandate to educate the public on government policies, programmes and all other governance-related issues across the length and breadth of the country.
It was the view of the participants that the situation where people lost their jobs whenever there was a change of government was a disincentive to prospective employees who would have been trained at a huge cost.
The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Director of the NCCE, Mr Michael Amponsah, stressed the importance of the people to participate fully in all local level decision-making processes at all times and not wait until there were elections before they showed their enthusiasm and zeal, only to recoil after the exercise was over.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

MIM MODEL SCHOOLS TOP THEM ALL (JUNIOR GRAPHIC, PAGE 6, MAY 19, 2010)

The Mim Model Junior High School (JHS) and its primary division emerged champions at the grand finale of quiz and spelling bee competitions for JHSs and primary schools respectively in the Asunafo North Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr Robert Sarfo-Mensah, sponsored the events to promote effective and good quality education in the constituency.
Mim Model JHS scored 63 points to beat Goaso Ahafoman JHS, which obtained 57 points to place second while Goaso Bright Star JHS and Goaso Methodist JHS, took the third and fourth positions with 33 and 27 points respectively.
For their prizes, Mim Model JHS was presented with a brand new computer and a multi-purpose printer, assorted textbooks, GH¢100.00 and a trophy while Ahafoman JHS received a computer and a printer, assorted textbooks and a cash of GH¢50.00.
Bright Star JHS had a 21-inch colour television (TV) set, GH¢30.00 and assorted textbooks while Goaso Methodist JHS also received a 21-inch  colour TV set and GH¢ 20.00.
Two contestants each from the participating schools were also presented with assorted textbooks and cash prizes.
In the Spelling Bee contest  Akrodie R. C. Primary School scored 79 marks to place second to Mim Model Primary which secured 83 points while Goaso Henry Hugen Preparatory School came third with 69 points followed by Mim Scanstyle Primary with 50 points.
The first school received a colour TV set, assorted textbooks, plastic chairs, GH¢ 100.00 and a trophy while the school which placed second was presented with a colour TV set, textbooks and GH¢50.00.  The third and fourth schools got sets of football jerseys, textbooks and cash prizes.
The individual contestants were also presented with exercise books, textbooks and cash prizes.
Earlier, Mr Sarfo-Mensah advised parents to take keen interest in the education of their children since they were the future leaders of the country and also appealed to the teachers to observe subject areas their pupils and students fell short so as to be able to provide the necessary attention to remedy the situation.
The Omanhene of the Goaso Traditional Area, Nana Baffour Kwasi Bosomprah, who chaired the function, expressed concern about children spending more time watching television rather than reading their books.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

UT FINANCIAL SERVICES GOES TO SUNYANI (PAGE 29, MAY 18, 2010)

UT Financial Services has opened its seventh regional branch in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The Sunyani branch is located opposite the Sunyani Coronation Park.
The move is in line with the company’s objective of bringing its services to the doorstep of its customers as it resolves to cover the entire country.
The Sunyani Branch Manager of UT, Mr Daniel Sablah, told the Daily Graphic that since its arrival in the municipality, about 140 clients were so far doing business with the company and described it as encouraging.
‘‘I am happy to say that most of our clients have proven to be good business partners who also understand what we do and are ready to have a stake in our operations,” Mr Sablah said.
According to the branch manager, the decision to open branches throughout the country followed persistent requests by many of its business partners elsewhere in the country, and the realisation that Sunyani was a booming municipality with a conducive business climate.
He, therefore, appealed to individuals, organisations and the business community to join UT and enjoy the numerous products it provided.
‘‘We are at their service to help them with loans to boost their businesses,” he said.
Mr Sablah said apart from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions, the company was providing financial services in the seven regional capitals and some selected towns such as Tarkwa in the Western Region and Obuasi in the Ashanti Region
He gave an assurance that the company would soon reach out to the remaining three northern regions and all other towns across the country, where business was seen to thrive.

BA RECORDS 66.8 PER CENT NHIS REGISTRATION (BACK PAGE, MAY 18, 2010)

THE Brong Ahafo Region has so far registered 1,479,370 subscribers under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The figure represents 66.8 per cent of the region’s population of 2,213,318.
Notwithstanding the achievement, the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the regional office of the NHIS are evolving strategies to educate more people to join onto the scheme.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Quad Nyamekye-Marfo, who made this known, indicated that between January and December 2009, the government paid GH¢27,623,193.05 as subsidies and re-insurance claims to all the 19 schemes in the region.
The amount, he said, was a significant improvement over the GH¢15,820,016.30 paid for the same period in 2008.
The regional minister, who was addressing the regional “Meet-the-Press” programme at the auditorium of the Sunyani Polytechnic, said it was even more gratifying to note that from January to May 2010, the government had paid GH¢22,049,989.10 to all the 19 schemes in the region.
According to him, Guinea worm infections reduced from 11 cases to two, representing a significant decrease of 78 per cent.
He expressed the hope that by the end of this year, the region would record no case of Guinea worm infection.
On maternal deaths, Mr Nyamekye-Marfo said 94 cases were recorded in 2009, compared to 81 in the previous year, saying that the situation could be attributed largely to delays in sending expectant mothers to health facilities.
Making reference to the 2009 HIV Sentinel Survey Report, he said the region ranked seventh among the 10 regions in the country.
That, he explained, was an increase of 0.3 per cent over the 2008 rate and attributed the increase to complacency.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo pointed out that in fulfilment of the government’s promise to continue with high-level support for the HIV/AIDS initiative, the 22 municipal and district assemblies received funding of between GH¢2,500 and GH¢2,650 each, while the RCC sourced GH¢4,000 mainly for co-ordination and management, as well as monitoring and evaluation of decentralised responses in 2009.
Besides, he said, four civil society organisations (CSOs) received GH¢25,000 each for HIV/AIDS projects in the region, adding that the major challenges facing the health sector in the region included inadequate health personnel, especially doctors and nurses.
The regional minister said despite the human resource and logistic constraints, health workers in the region had delivered to the expectation of the citizenry and that the RCC appreciated the relentless efforts of the health workers.
On education, Mr Nyamekye-Marfo indicated that significant gains were made in respect of the enrolment of pupils and students between 2008 and 2009, adding that in 2008, 61 per cent of candidates in the region who sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) passed, with the percentage increasing to 64.7 per cent in 2009.
He said the proposal to establish a university of Energy and Natural Resources in the region was enshrined in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) “Better Ghana” manifesto, pointing out that a lot of effort had been made, both at the national and the regional levels, to ensure that the region was on track to achieving that dream.
The regional minister again said the region took delivery of and distributed 160,000 school uniforms to basic school pupils in deprived communities, in fulfilment of the NDC manifesto. The region also took delivery of the first tranche of 717,864 exercise books, comprising 669,203 Note 1 types and 48,661 graph books for distribution.
He further indicated that since January 2009, the GETFund and the Ministry of Education had provided funding to complete educational projects in some schools which were either abandoned or left uncompleted for several years.
On agriculture, he said generally, food crop production significantly increased during the year 2009, and that maize, for instance, recorded a 26.93 per cent increase yield while rice production increased by over 400 per cent. “Food crops generally recorded relatively stable prices throughout the year, “ he said.
The regional minister also spoke on gains made in the other sectors in the region, namely road, tourism/industry, energy, water and sanitation as well as security.

GETFUND TO SHIFT FOCUS ON BASIC EDUCATION (SPREAD, MAY 17, 2010)

THE government has directed the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to change its focus on second-cycle and tertiary institutions towards the development of basic education.
The change in focus has become necessary because an evaluation of the disbursement of the fund by the government has shown that priority has been given to the development of second-cycle and tertiary institutions, to the neglect of basic education.
The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, who made this known in Sunyani, referred to a recent meeting at Sogakope in the Volta Region which took stock of the application of the GETFund, among other issues.
Addressing the fifth annual national conference of the Islamic Education Unit Council at the Teachers Hall on Saturday, the Vice-President said the evaluation exercise revealed that the GETFund had focused more of its resources on the development of infrastructure in second-cycle and tertiary institutions.
The theme for the conference was: "Islam and Education in the Globalised World — Challenges and the Way Forward”.
Mr Mahama said from the evaluation, the government had decided that much attention should now be placed on deprived basic schools, including Islamic institutions.
He was of the view that with the provision of a solid basic education, the children could then qualify to second-cycle and tertiary institutions and help in the effective development of the country.
Underlying the fact that advanced countries have been able to make it to where they are now because they put premium on education at the basic level, he said placing premium on second-cycle and tertiary institutions was not the answer to achieving development goals by 2015 or 2020.
He observed that teaching and learning in Islamic schools could not be said to be satisfactory, as they had a negative impact on the quality of education for Muslim children, and asked proprietors of Islamic primary schools to be more proactive in the management of those schools.
“What we need in the Islamic Education Unit schools is the setting of performance targets or indicators, while paying attention to supervision and monitoring. It is only through these mechanisms that quality education is assured,” the Vice-President said.
“There must be a collaborated effort between the government and all stakeholders at providing quality basic education for Muslim children because only then will it provide a springboard for these children to acquire higher academic and professional qualifications,” Mr Mahama declared.
By so doing, he said, the children could achieve greater laurels in the pursuit of knowledge and ultimately minimise early girl-child marriage, reduce the school drop out rate and eventually decrease social vices in our communities.
In the past, he said, Muslims refused to send their children to school because they had the fear that the children would depart from the cause of Islam.
They, therefore, established Arabic schools, popularly referred to as Makaranta, in the private homes of learned Muslims called Mallams to educate their children.
The Vice-President gave the assurance that the government would provide support to enhance the quality of education in Islamic schools.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Manager of the Islamic Education Unit, Mr Mahama Imoru, said the unit started with less than 10 basic schools in the country but currently it could boast 1,160 units, with total enrolment of 268,200.
He said the number of pupils who had completed Islamic junior high schools since 1987 was quite great and that a good number of them were in higher institutions of learning, while many products were on the job market rendering invaluable services to the nation.
He said the biggest challenge was that 22 years since the establishment of the unit, Arabic Studies, which featured prominently in the curricular, was still not examinable at the Basic Education Certificate Examination level.
The Vice-President later in the day paid a courtesy call on the Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area, Okatakyie Agyeman Kudom IV, at his palace in Nkoranza and later joined the Queen of Anyima, Nana Saa Gyamfua II, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of her enstoolment.
He was accompanied by the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, and the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Alex Asuma Ahensah.

POLITICAL LEADERS URGED TO SUPPORT SAFETY CAMPAIGNS (PAGE 14, MAY 17, 2010)

THE Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), Mr Noble J. Appiah, has appealed to political leaders to support the commission in its nation-wide campaign.
He said the NRSC was determined to educate all road users, especially drivers and pedestrians, to strictly observe all road traffic rules and regulations to stem the tide of rampant road accidents that claimed several lives in the country.
He said it was doing its best in educating road users on the need to be extra careful while on the road but there was the urgent need for politicians to play their part in that all-important national exercise.
‘‘We need the commitment and passion of our political leaders to use their authority in their various jurisdictions to impress upon their people to avoid the use of mobile phones while driving, advise them on the benefits of wearing seat belts and crash helmets when driving their vehicles and riding on motorbikes for their own safety,” he appealed.
Mr Appiah, who made the appeal when he paid a courtesy call on the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye–Marfo, in his office in Sunyani, observed that about 42 per cent of pedestrians died in road accidents in the country.
He emphasised that his outfit had put in place several interventions to ensure that there was safety on the roads but pointed out that it was incumbent on everyone, especially officials of the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Urban Roads and all other concerned institutions and organisations, to come on board in the sensitisation drive by the commission to save the vulnerable from losing their precious lives through road accidents.
He disclosed that the government had given approval for the towing of any vehicle that broke down on the road if the owner failed to move his or her vehicle away within some hours of the breakdown, saying that the offending driver would be made to bear the cost of that service.
According to Mr Appiah, under the new arrangement, more private individuals were to be provided with licences to effect the towing of all break-down vehicles on the roads and expressed the hope that that drastic measure would bring sanity on the roads.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo noted that recklessness, unnecessary overtaking in sharp curves, speeding and parking of faulty vehicles right in the middle of the roads were the main causes of road accidents, adding that the strict application of the law would help prevent some of those accidents.
According to the regional minister, most of the drivers were unable to read, understand and observe road signs and, therefore, called for an intensification of education by the NRSC and all those concerned.
He also observed that the non-maintenance of vehicles accounted for many of the accidents and impressed upon the various transport unions to advise their members to regularly service their vehicles in their own interest, as well as in the interest of their passengers.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo urged the NRSC to include the media, especially,
the FM stations, in its sensitisation of the public, arguing that many people listened to programmes in the local languages and would, therefore, understand whatever message they hear on radio with regard to the prevention of road accidents.
He gave the assurance that the Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council would provide the necessary support for whatever programmes were drawn by the Regional Road Safety Committee towards the prevention of road accidents in the region.

ADUANA CROWNED LEAGUE CHAMPS... Beat Arsenal 2-0 in coronation match (BACK PAGE, MAY 17, 2010)

Aduana Stars were officially crowned 2009/10 League Champions yesterday at a colourful coronation ceremony at Dormaa Ahenkro where the new champions beat Arsenal 2-0 in a special match to climax the event.
Aduana made history last Wednesday when they became the first club in the 54-year-old competition to win the League in their first year of participation.
For their historic feat, Aduana took home a TATA Xenon 4x4 five-seater pick-up donated by TATA Africa Holding Ghana Limited in addition to a cheque for GH¢10,000 as the prize for winning the League.
The event was celebrated in style, with the distinguished presence of Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II the Omanhene of Dormaa and Life Patron of the club, as well as Nana Bosea Gyinantwi, Drobomanhene, and Osagyefo Ameyaw Akumfi, the Techimanhene.
Thousands of ecstatic Dormaa football fans who had virtually choked the venue erupted with joy after the skipper of Aduana, Samuel Asiedu, received the 2009 Glo League trophy from Mr Abra-Appiah, chairman of the Premier League Board, and the spillover celebrations stretched deep into the night.
It was a proud moment for Coach Herbert Addo, the man who masterminded the landmark achievement by a team that incidentally won the competition scoring the least number of goals, and also on record as the side that conceded the least number of goals too.
And when the referee’s final whistle went for the end of the match, his players, literally in a show of appreciation for his tactical output during the season, threw him into the air and gave him a kingly ride.
The newly-crowned league champions had earlier established their territorial superiority when they reduced visiting Arsenal to a pedestrian challenge, when just four minutes after kick-off Kwame Richard struck through a crowded goal mouth for the opener.
Arsenal, who remained on the defensive for the greater part of the game, were lucky to escape havoc as Kwame Richard and Richard Addae proved wasteful in front of goal. Indeed Frimpong from close range blasted off on the 16th minute.
Arsenal’s attempt to break the dominance of Aduana led to midfielder Emmanuel Allen becoming a victim of a crude challenge, forcing the Aduana bench to pull him out for George Ampofo to take his place.
But Aduana maintained their dominance in the second half, and barely a minute after recess striker Francis Larbi slotted the second goal with grace after threading a path in a cowded goal area.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

ADUANA MAKE HISTORY...Win league in first season (BACK PAGE, MAY 13, 2010)

The high hopes of Obuasi Ashgold of winning the Premier League after a 14-year lull was shattered following a 10-man Bechem Chelsea’s 90th minute lone goal against the Miners at the Berekum Golden City Park.
With the defeat, premiership debutants, Aduana, were crowned champions after beating fellow Brong Ahafo opponents, Arsenal, 1-0 at the Agyemang Badu Park at Dormaa Ahenkro in the final round of matches of this season’s Glo Premier League matches.
Aduana, who finished on the same 53 points with Ashgold, but with inferior goal difference, won the league on account of the head-to-head rule having beaten the Miners in their second meeting at Dormaa Ahenkro.
They thus make history as the first team to have come from Division One to win the premiership on their debut.
Aduana will be presented with a TATA Xenon 4x4 five-capacity pick-up donated by TATA Africa Holding Ghana Limited during a coronation match at Dormaa Ahenkro on Sunday between them and a yet-to-be-named team.
First runner-up, Ashgold, will be presented with a cheque for GH¢10,000 while Hearts will take GH¢8,000 for placing third.
Ashgold, who needed a draw to lift the trophy, were on the defensive much of time as Coach David Duncan’s defensive system failed to work. Chelsea capitalised on the Miners defensive play to inflict the painful loss on them to completely shatter their dream.
Chelsea’s lone-goal was scored by Eric Opoku from a corner kick effected by Eric Agyemang. Not even a 50th minute red card shown to Abdul-Basit Mohammed of Chelsea could stop them from carrying the day.
The entire Dormaa town was thrown into great joy while the teeming Ashgold fans became visibly shaken and could not believe their eyes.
The players were in tears and could hardly leave the pitch.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

MIM SCHOOLS WIN QUIZ, SPELLING COMPETITIONS (PAGE 42, MAY 13, 2010)

THE Mim Model Junior High School and its primary school emerged champions of a quiz and spelling competition organised for primary and junior high schools in the Asunafo North Municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr Robert Sarfo-Mensah, sponsored the event as his contribution towards the promotion of quality education in the constituency.
Mim Model JHS scored 63 points to beat Goaso Ahafoman JHS, which obtained 57 points to place second, while Goaso Bright Star JHS and Goaso Methodist JHS took the third and fourth positions, with 33 and 27 points respectively.
For their prizes, Mim Model JHS was presented with a brand new computer and a multi-purpose printer, assorted textbooks, GH¢100 cash and a trophy, while Ahafoman JHS received a computer and a printer, assorted textbooks and cash of GH¢50.
Bright Star JHS had a 21-inch colour television set, GH¢30 cash and assorted textbooks, while Goaso Methodist JHS also received a 21-inch  colour television set and GH¢20 cash.
Two contestants each from the participating schools were also presented with assorted textbooks and cash prizes.
At the Spelling contest, Akrodie Roman Catholic Primary School scored 79 points to place second to Mim Model which secured 83 points, while Goaso Henry Hugen Preparatory School came third with 69 points followed by Mim Scanstyle Primary school with 50 points.
The school which came first received a colour television set, assorted textbooks, plastic chairs, GH¢100 cash and a trophy, while the second-placed school was presented with a colour television set, textbooks and GH¢50 cash. 
The third and fourth placed schools had sets of football jerseys, textbooks and a cash prize.
The individual contestants were also presented with exercise books, textbooks and cash prizes.
In an address, Mr Sarfo-Mensah advised parents to take a keen interest in the education of their children since they were the future leaders of the country.
He also appealed to the teachers to study the subject areas that their pupils fell short in and provide the necessary assistance.
The Omanhene of the Goaso Traditional Area, Nana Baffour Kwasi Bosomprah, who chaired the function, observed that children these days spent more time watching television programmes than studying their books.

GHANAIANS MUST PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE — NCCE (PAGE 13, MAY 12, 2010)

The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Michael Amponsah, has appealed to Ghanaians to participate in local governance, especially in the upcoming district assembly elections.
He said the apathetic attitude of a section of the citizenry towards matters affecting themselves and the state was a serious setback in the consolidation of the country’s democracy and achievement of good governance.
He has, therefore, urged Ghanaians to get involved in the decision-making process, especially at the local government level.
Mr Amponsah said this when he addressed a forum at Wamfie in the Dormaa East District of the Brong Ahafo Region, as part of activities that marked the 10th Annual Constitution Week Celebration organised by the NCCE.
The theme for the celebration was: ‘‘Enhancing Constitutionalism through Effective Citizens’ Participation for Good Governance’’.
He emphasised that the active participation of citizens at the district assembly, town/area council and unit committee levels would promote a vibrant civil society, transparency, accountability, predictability and consequently help in poverty reduction, which had been a canker in the rural communities.
Nana Ampaabeng Kyeremeh, the Gyasehene of Dormaa Akwamu, advised Ghanaians to be law-abiding and live by the principles of the 1992 Constitution, adding that the local government system should be devoid of partisan politics.
He also urged the NCCE and all other public education organisations to intensify civic education in the rural areas so as to reduce unnecessary tension, intolerance and suspicion, since those elements undermined development in rural communities.
In his welcoming remarks, Mr Emmanuel Hinneh, the District Director of the NCCE, encouraged Ghanaians to defend the constitution at all times and explained that, the NCCE in its bid to meet its constitutional mandate, had formulated programmes such as the Constitution Week, Project Citizen, Constitution Game and Civic Education Clubs, all aimed at inculcating in Ghanaians, civic virtues that would make them effective and good citizens.
The Deputy Regional Director of the Commission and other resource persons addressed a similar forum organised by the NCCE at the Sunyani Municipal Assembly Hall.

8 PERISH IN ACCIDENT (BACK PAGE, MAY 12 2010)

Eight people died, seven on the spot and one later at the Kintampo Municipal Hospital in the Brong Ahafo Region, when a Toyota mini bus and a 207 Benz bus on which they were travelling from opposite directions collided at Kawumpe, near Kintampo.
The accident, in which other passengers were said to be seriously injured, occurred at about 11p.m. on Monday, when the Toyota bus with passengers on board from Burkina Faso to southern Ghana collided with the 207 vehicle also loaded with passengers from Ejura in the Ashanti Region en route to Tamale.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police in-charge of Kintampo District Police, DSP K. Boampong, who briefed the Daily Graphic via telephone in Sunyani yesterday, gave the registration number of the Toyota bus as 11G88BF and the 207, AS5831Q.
He alleged that the two vehicles, from opposite directions, were speeding when suddenly the Toyota bus driver, who also died, lost control of the steering wheel and drove into the lane of the Tamale-bound 207 vehicle which resulted in the accident.
The DSP indicated that the injured were currently at the Kintampo Hospital.
He quoted hospital sources as saying that they would be transferred to the Techiman Holy Family Hospital, the Regional Hospital in Sunyani or the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi for treatment, depending on the degree or seriousness of their injury.
According to Mr Boampong, both the hospital authorities and the police were waiting for the relations of the deceased to come over to identify their bodies or else they would be transported to the Sunyani Regional Hospital mortuary because conditions at the Kintampo hospital mortuary were not the best.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

NEW MUSIC SCHOOL BY CATHOLIC DIOCESE (SHOWBIZ, PAGE 15, MAY 6, 2010

By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah

To enrich their worship in church, the Catholic Diocese of Sunyani has established a music academy to help train choirmasters and choir leaders. The academy was founded by Franciscans’ Friars with the Sacred Heart Parish at Penkwase, a suburb of Sunyani, in consultation with the Diocesan Bishop, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi.
Known as the Gilberto Music Academy, work on the GHC 920,000 beautiful edifice, was completed last year and immediately after, a total of 48 students, made up of
44 males and four females, have enrolled.
The Academy, which runs four departments, namely Applied Music, Composition/ Theory of Music, Technology and African Music Departments, is equipped with musical instruments both Western and African. It can also boast of a reputable and well equipped recording studio.
Speaking at the official inauguration of the Academy last Thursday, Bishop Gyamfi said, considering the significant role music plays in the church, it was interesting to note that, it was only the Sunyani Diocese that had made an attempt to formally train, not only choirmasters but also choristers in the art of singing and also teaching interested parishioners to learn music in all its forms.
‘‘That is not to say that Gilbert Academy is meant for only Christians or for Catholics only. No. we have intended it for all who love music and want to improve on their skills. It is meant for all music lovers to come and learn and even make a living out of music’’, he explained.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo acknowledged the enormous role the Catholic Church continues to play in the development of the country in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation, poverty reduction as well as the spiritual upbringing of the youth.
He, however, expressed concern about the creeping moral decadence and indiscipline on the part of the youth in the society, and therefore, stressed the need for the church to redouble its efforts in the training of the youth on moral values, through religious education and preaching in the church.
Mr. Paul Vitus Obosu, the Principal of the Academy also observed that, the weapon to overcome every anxiety was music, saying that, music feeds the soul, releases its stress and heals its wounds.
He explained that, the courses designed at the Academy covered the areas of vocal music and instrumental music, adding that, the Academy had modernized the system of
technology of reducing the stress of students from manual or hand-written compositions.

EMPOWER WOMEN TO GET INVOLVED IN ASSEMBLY POLLS (PAGE 14, MAY 6, 2010)

The Brong Ahafo Regional Women’s Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Adwoa Takyiwaa, has called on the various women wing organisers of the party to embark on an education drive, aimed at empowering more women to get actively involved in the forthcoming district assembly elections.
She said this would also enable many more women to offer themselves to be elected as members of the assembly, as well as participate meaningfully in the decision-making process at the local level.
She added that no development could take place without the active involvement of women, who she noted, formed about 51 per cent of the population.
Nana Takyiwaa made the call when she addressed separate political fora with NDC women organisers at Fententaa, Dormaa Ahenkro and Drobo, as part of her familiarisation tour of the region to explain the policies and programmes of the government in respect of women.

ARSENAL, CHELSEA BATTLE TO A DRAW (BACK PAGE, MAY 6, 2010)

A last-minute tussle which ensued between officials of Berekum Arsenal and Bechem Chelsea F/C in their penultimate Glo Premier League derby at the Golden City Park yesterday nearly marred the beauty of the match.
Just as Suhum-based FIFA Referee William Agbovi was about to end the game, which ended 1-1, a die-hard supporter of Arsenal and an official of Chelsea openly decided to test their strength in the full glare of the security officials.
It would have turned bloody but for the timely intervention of the security.
At one stage a supporter of Arsenal and an official of Chelsea engaged in a serious brawl on the grounds. The Chairman of Arsenal, Alhaji Yakubu Moro, was prevented by security personnel from taking part in the brawl.
In the match itself, which was full of action and exciting exchanges, Chelsea took the lead on the 30th minute through winger Abdul Mohammed Basit before Nana Poku equalised for the home team during injury time of the first half.