THE government has declared a nation-wide war on illegal chainsaw operators, with a warning that persons caught with illegal lumber face severe punishment, while their vehicles will be confiscated to the state.
Additionally, security around the country’s forest reserves and on routes to the timber areas is to be tightened to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of offenders.
The measures, according to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, were part of a comprehensive plan to halt deforestation and the alarming rate at which “the country’s forest resources are being destroyed by illegal timber operators”.
The government’s action was announced after a visit to one of the country’s most treasured forest reserves in the Brong Ahafo Region which is said to be disappearing due to the activities of illegal operators.
It became clear during the visit that operators had encroached on the Tinte Bepo Forest Reserve in the Nkawie District of the Brong Ahafo Region and depleted it of almost all its precious wood cover.
Prime species of wood destroyed by the illegal timber operators in the 115.5 square-kilometre reserve include Ofram, Mahogany, Wawa and Dahoma.
The degraded state of the forest came to light when some state officials and environmentalists, led by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, visited the reserve on Monday.
The minister cautioned the chainsaw operators to desist from their nefarious activities because his ministry had declared a relentless war to clamp them down.
Alhaji Dauda expressed grave concern over the wanton destruction of the Tinte Bepo Forest Reserve, saying it was disheartening and alarming to enter the forest only to find the illegal timber operators felling trees of all sizes.
He was accompanied by the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, the Executive Director of the Forest Services Division (FSD) of the Forestry Commission (FC), Mr Raphael Yeboah, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Tano South, Mr Bukari Zakari Anaba, and the Tano South District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) W. Y. Avornu.
Alhaji Dauda’s visit followed a tip-off that some people were illegally causing extensive damage to the portion of the forest near Bechem and off the Bechem-Tepa main road.
Since the Tinte Bepo Forest Reserve stretches into the Tano South District, the minister directed that with immediate effect the Forestry Commission should cede it to the Bechem office of the FSD for effective and efficient supervision, management and monitoring.
He appealed to all Ghanaians, especially Nananom and opinion leaders in the various communities, to assist the ministry and the Forestry Commission in their resolve to flush out all illegal chainsaw operators in the country.
“That is what I have started and I will follow them wherever they are going and whichever forest they enter until they stop their inimical activities. They can’t hide because I will move from forest to forest to deal with them,” the minister said.
He observed that looking at the way the country’s forest resources were being destroyed, if appropriate measures were not put in place, there would come a time when Ghanaians would have to import wood to undertake projects.
The regional minister, who was equally outraged, pointed out that the destruction of forests in the region and security issues were the main problems in the region.
He gave the assurance that the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) would deal decisively with all illegal matters, in collaboration with other stakeholders.
Mr Yeboah said the destruction of forests was a national menace and indicated that the exercise embarked upon by the minister would be sustained until the phenomenon was stopped to save the environment from total destruction.
Mr Anaba disclosed that a truckload of sawn timber had been impounded for investigation.
The minister later directed the DCE and officials of the FSD to ensure that all the pieces of sawn timber left in the forest were conveyed and auctioned.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
ARSENAL BEAT CHELSEA AGAIN (BACK PAGE)
Berekum Arsenal registered a back-to-back victory over regional rivals, Bechem Chelsea, with a 1-0 win at the Sunyani Stadium yesterday
It was the same scoreline they posted in their ninth week clash at the Golden City Park.
A powerful 40-yard shot by Kwaku Sarpong on the 30th minute gave the visitors the sweet victory.
The Berekum lads had earlier on the sixth minute wasted a golden opportunity, with striker Francis Aggrey wasting several others later.
The game became balanced with Arsenal slightly on top until the 52nd minute when Chelsea’s marksman, Isaka Ibrahim hit the crossbar to the displeasure of the fans.
It was the same scoreline they posted in their ninth week clash at the Golden City Park.
A powerful 40-yard shot by Kwaku Sarpong on the 30th minute gave the visitors the sweet victory.
The Berekum lads had earlier on the sixth minute wasted a golden opportunity, with striker Francis Aggrey wasting several others later.
The game became balanced with Arsenal slightly on top until the 52nd minute when Chelsea’s marksman, Isaka Ibrahim hit the crossbar to the displeasure of the fans.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
VEEP LAUNCHES WATER, SANITATION PROJECT ...In Brong Ahafo (SPREAD)
THE Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, has launched a €17 million peri-urban, rural and small town water and sanitation project to provide potable water and improved sanitation infrastructure for people in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The project, which is being jointly financed by the government and the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), will provide 112 hand-dug wells with pumps, 621 boreholes with pumps, 18 small town and three multi-village water supply systems, 5,000 household latrines, 161 institutional toilets, among others, for the various communities in the regions.
It is envisaged that the project, which is expected to be completed in 2011, will improve access to safe water and sanitation in the participating communities, improve the health and economic status of the beneficiary areas, as well as provide institutional capacity building for sustainability.
The project, which is being implemented by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), will also contribute to the provision of potable water and good sanitation facilities for over 300,000 people living in the region.
In the Brong Ahafo Region, only 53.51 per cent of the population have access to safe water, but it is estimated that by the end of the project the coverage for rural water in the region would have increased by 13.47 per cent to bring the regional coverage to about 67 per cent.
Launching the project, Mr Mahama expressed appreciation to the French government for providing funds for it.
He recalled that the French government also provided funds for the rural water and sanitation project in the Northern Region which was completed in December 2007 and expressed the hope that the good relationship that existed between the two countries would be strengthened.
He said the provision of potable water was one of the priority areas of the government, adding that as part of measures to accelerate the provision of that essential service for the people, especially those living in deprived communities, the government had allocated GH¢30 million in this year’s budget as an investment in the water and sanitation sub-sector.
The Vice-President stressed that as part of the government’s commitment to ensuring that there was greater acceleration in the delivery of water and sanitation facilities to rural communities, it had reviewed the policy of community contribution to capital cost of water supply facilities by rural communities.
“We do not want a situation where communities will be left out of projects because of their inability to contribute towards capital cost of facilities,” Mr Mahama declared.
He said in line with the transparent administration promised by the government, all stakeholders in the project were to ensure that the right procedures were followed and competitive tendering used in the award of contracts.
He cautioned the contractors and consultants to ensure that quality work was done to enhance the sustainability of the facilities that would be provided, adding, “Contractors and consultants should discard the erroneous impression that our people living in the rural areas are ignorant and lack understanding of development issues.”
He recognised the efforts the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government made to secure the funding for the project and promised that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration would continue any good project initiated by the past regime..
The French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Francis Hurtut, noted that the project was consistent with the Ghana Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II), which states, “Improving access to potable water and sanitation is critical to achieving favourable health outcomes, which, in turn, facilitate economic growth and sustained poverty reduction.”
He disclosed that the presence of the AFD in the water and sanitation sector dated back to 1989 and that the AFD was now willing to develop new water and sanitation projects in the country in the coming years.
Mr Hurtut said in strict compliance with the Paris declaration on the efficiency and harmonisation of aid, the institutional and financial design of the project was aligned with national procedures.
The Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Hanna Louisa Bisiw, disclosed that an estimated $78 million would be required for the CWSA, according to the projections of the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP), to enable the sub-sector to achieve its set targets for the year.
The Chief Executive Officer of the CWSA, Mr Philip Gyau-Boakye, pointed out that as a facilitating agency, the prime goal of the agency was to ensure that there was an increase in the number of people who had access to potable water and good sanitation services.
The acting Managing Director of the GWCL, Mr Andrew Barber, in a speech read on his behalf, admitted that the Brong Ahafo Region had a low level access to potable water supply and sanitation, for which reasons interventions were needed to improve those two sectors, hence the new project.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, in his welcoming address, noted that owing to the perennial water shortage that hit most of the farming communities in the region, some of the farming settlements were abandoned by the farmers, who left for the major towns and villages where they could get potable water to drink and also for other domestic uses.
The project, which is being jointly financed by the government and the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), will provide 112 hand-dug wells with pumps, 621 boreholes with pumps, 18 small town and three multi-village water supply systems, 5,000 household latrines, 161 institutional toilets, among others, for the various communities in the regions.
It is envisaged that the project, which is expected to be completed in 2011, will improve access to safe water and sanitation in the participating communities, improve the health and economic status of the beneficiary areas, as well as provide institutional capacity building for sustainability.
The project, which is being implemented by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), will also contribute to the provision of potable water and good sanitation facilities for over 300,000 people living in the region.
In the Brong Ahafo Region, only 53.51 per cent of the population have access to safe water, but it is estimated that by the end of the project the coverage for rural water in the region would have increased by 13.47 per cent to bring the regional coverage to about 67 per cent.
Launching the project, Mr Mahama expressed appreciation to the French government for providing funds for it.
He recalled that the French government also provided funds for the rural water and sanitation project in the Northern Region which was completed in December 2007 and expressed the hope that the good relationship that existed between the two countries would be strengthened.
He said the provision of potable water was one of the priority areas of the government, adding that as part of measures to accelerate the provision of that essential service for the people, especially those living in deprived communities, the government had allocated GH¢30 million in this year’s budget as an investment in the water and sanitation sub-sector.
The Vice-President stressed that as part of the government’s commitment to ensuring that there was greater acceleration in the delivery of water and sanitation facilities to rural communities, it had reviewed the policy of community contribution to capital cost of water supply facilities by rural communities.
“We do not want a situation where communities will be left out of projects because of their inability to contribute towards capital cost of facilities,” Mr Mahama declared.
He said in line with the transparent administration promised by the government, all stakeholders in the project were to ensure that the right procedures were followed and competitive tendering used in the award of contracts.
He cautioned the contractors and consultants to ensure that quality work was done to enhance the sustainability of the facilities that would be provided, adding, “Contractors and consultants should discard the erroneous impression that our people living in the rural areas are ignorant and lack understanding of development issues.”
He recognised the efforts the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government made to secure the funding for the project and promised that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration would continue any good project initiated by the past regime..
The French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Francis Hurtut, noted that the project was consistent with the Ghana Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II), which states, “Improving access to potable water and sanitation is critical to achieving favourable health outcomes, which, in turn, facilitate economic growth and sustained poverty reduction.”
He disclosed that the presence of the AFD in the water and sanitation sector dated back to 1989 and that the AFD was now willing to develop new water and sanitation projects in the country in the coming years.
Mr Hurtut said in strict compliance with the Paris declaration on the efficiency and harmonisation of aid, the institutional and financial design of the project was aligned with national procedures.
The Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Hanna Louisa Bisiw, disclosed that an estimated $78 million would be required for the CWSA, according to the projections of the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP), to enable the sub-sector to achieve its set targets for the year.
The Chief Executive Officer of the CWSA, Mr Philip Gyau-Boakye, pointed out that as a facilitating agency, the prime goal of the agency was to ensure that there was an increase in the number of people who had access to potable water and good sanitation services.
The acting Managing Director of the GWCL, Mr Andrew Barber, in a speech read on his behalf, admitted that the Brong Ahafo Region had a low level access to potable water supply and sanitation, for which reasons interventions were needed to improve those two sectors, hence the new project.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, in his welcoming address, noted that owing to the perennial water shortage that hit most of the farming communities in the region, some of the farming settlements were abandoned by the farmers, who left for the major towns and villages where they could get potable water to drink and also for other domestic uses.
VEEP PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR LOCAL INDUSTRIES (PAGE 13)
The Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated the policy of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to provide the necessary support to private companies which add value to the country’s natural resources.
He said since such enterprises provided employment to the youth, especially the rural dwellers, the government would take a critical look at the problems confronting them and assist in finding solutions to their challenges.
Mr Mahama gave the assurance when he inaugurated a quarry at Papaso, near Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo Region at the weekend.
The project, which is known as the J.A. Quarry, is owned by the Zoomlion Company Limited, a private waste management enterprise. Its objective is to support the construction industry with quality products and excellent service.
It has a production capacity of 400,000 metric tonnes of quarry products per year.
Established in 2007 and believed to be the biggest in the country, the project currently employs about 100 workers, with various skills, and the figure is expected to increase as production goes on.
The Vice President noted that a major problem facing the country now was the rural-urban migration by the youth, and that the government would, therefore, encourage both local and foreign investors who would decide to establish companies in the rural areas with incentives such as tax rebates to provide jobs for the people.
He observed that apart from the negative effects of the rural-urban drift on agriculture in particular, the cities and other urban areas were becoming choked with people who were mostly unemployed or under-employed.
Mr Mahama said quarrying was a capital intensive venture and that the survival of the company would depend on efficient management, the effective maintenance culture and the adoption of the best practices in order to stay in business for a long time.
He expressed the hope that with the opening of the quarry in that part of the country, the availability of chipping would no longer be a problem for road contractors.
“I urge road contractors to effectively use the products to do a good job and building contractors, especially those doing state projects to also utilise the chipping’s from quarries in order to ensure quality work for the nation,”, Mr Mahama appealed.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, said it was the vision and mission of the ministry to ensure the sustainable management and utilisation of the country’s natural resources for accelerated national socio-economic growth and development.
That, he said, could be achieved through effective formulation, implementation, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes of the sector.
Alhaji Dauda, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi South, stressed that the ministry had a duty to create an enabling environment for effective private sector participation in the management and utilisation of the country’s natural resources.
He said the quarry industry was of vital importance to the socio-economic development of the country in the areas of construction of houses, roads, railways, waterways, dams and many other physical structures.
The minister, however said, he was mindful of the legitimate concerns of the surrounding communities, especially the potential impact usually associated with quarry operations, such as blast vibrations, noise, flying rocks and dust, which if not properly managed, could result in cracks in buildings.
Nonetheless, Alhaji Dauda said those potential impacts could be mitigated through the effective enforcement of the health and safety provisions in the mining, explosive and environmental regulations as well as the observance of proper mining practices.
He urged the management of the company to live up to its social responsibilities by being responsive to the needs of the host community and must also be transparent in their engagement with all the stakeholders to promote social harmony with its host communities.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, said the region was blessed with a lot of natural resources, such as gold, timber, quarrying materials and large tracts of fertile farm land but pointed out that, those resources could not be harnessed effectively without investors, both local and foreign.
He said since such enterprises provided employment to the youth, especially the rural dwellers, the government would take a critical look at the problems confronting them and assist in finding solutions to their challenges.
Mr Mahama gave the assurance when he inaugurated a quarry at Papaso, near Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo Region at the weekend.
The project, which is known as the J.A. Quarry, is owned by the Zoomlion Company Limited, a private waste management enterprise. Its objective is to support the construction industry with quality products and excellent service.
It has a production capacity of 400,000 metric tonnes of quarry products per year.
Established in 2007 and believed to be the biggest in the country, the project currently employs about 100 workers, with various skills, and the figure is expected to increase as production goes on.
The Vice President noted that a major problem facing the country now was the rural-urban migration by the youth, and that the government would, therefore, encourage both local and foreign investors who would decide to establish companies in the rural areas with incentives such as tax rebates to provide jobs for the people.
He observed that apart from the negative effects of the rural-urban drift on agriculture in particular, the cities and other urban areas were becoming choked with people who were mostly unemployed or under-employed.
Mr Mahama said quarrying was a capital intensive venture and that the survival of the company would depend on efficient management, the effective maintenance culture and the adoption of the best practices in order to stay in business for a long time.
He expressed the hope that with the opening of the quarry in that part of the country, the availability of chipping would no longer be a problem for road contractors.
“I urge road contractors to effectively use the products to do a good job and building contractors, especially those doing state projects to also utilise the chipping’s from quarries in order to ensure quality work for the nation,”, Mr Mahama appealed.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, said it was the vision and mission of the ministry to ensure the sustainable management and utilisation of the country’s natural resources for accelerated national socio-economic growth and development.
That, he said, could be achieved through effective formulation, implementation, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes of the sector.
Alhaji Dauda, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi South, stressed that the ministry had a duty to create an enabling environment for effective private sector participation in the management and utilisation of the country’s natural resources.
He said the quarry industry was of vital importance to the socio-economic development of the country in the areas of construction of houses, roads, railways, waterways, dams and many other physical structures.
The minister, however said, he was mindful of the legitimate concerns of the surrounding communities, especially the potential impact usually associated with quarry operations, such as blast vibrations, noise, flying rocks and dust, which if not properly managed, could result in cracks in buildings.
Nonetheless, Alhaji Dauda said those potential impacts could be mitigated through the effective enforcement of the health and safety provisions in the mining, explosive and environmental regulations as well as the observance of proper mining practices.
He urged the management of the company to live up to its social responsibilities by being responsive to the needs of the host community and must also be transparent in their engagement with all the stakeholders to promote social harmony with its host communities.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, said the region was blessed with a lot of natural resources, such as gold, timber, quarrying materials and large tracts of fertile farm land but pointed out that, those resources could not be harnessed effectively without investors, both local and foreign.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Death of Goaso Hospital Administrator..11 TO OPEN DEFENCE (PAGE 34)
The Sunyani High Court has established a prima facie case against eleven accused persons whose alleged roles led to the death of Mr Anthony Yeboah-Boateng, a former Administrator of the Goaso Government Hospital, at Atronie in the Brong Ahafo Region two years ago.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice Godwin Gabor, arrived at the decision following the closure of the case by the prosecution on Tuesday, May 11, 2009.
Consequently, the court has ordered the accused persons to open their defence today.
A source close to the court told the Daily Graphic in Sunyani that the prosecution had called 11 witnesses since the beginning of the trial on January 1, 2008.
It said the witnesses included the wife of the deceased and his sister, who were both in the company of the deceased at the time of the incident.
Until their indictment, the 11 were among 30 suspects who had been standing trial at the Sunyani Magistrate's Court 'B' for their alleged involvement in the murder of Mr Yeboah-Boateng on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007. Mr Yeboah-Boateng was also the Presiding Member of the Asunafo North District Assembly.
According to the source, all the accused persons were represented by defence counsel with six of them given lawyers by the Legal Aid Board because of their difficulty in engaging lawyers.
The accused, who are still in prison custody, are facing three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, contrary to Section 23 (1) and 46 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29); murder, contrary to Section 46; and causing unlawful damage, contrary to Section 172 (3) of the act.
They are Douglas Afriyie, alias Dougie, a chemical seller; Stephen Donkor, alias Kofi Ankamah, an undertaker; Kwadwo Awuah, alias Koowua or “I see”, shoe shine boy; Kwasi Nyantakyi, alias Nana Kusi, barber; Kwaku Agyeman Badu, alias Wakuu, driver; Adama Hamidu, mason; James Dankwa, mason; Kwame Yeboah Addae, alias Akolo, farmer; Emmanuel Kwaku Lartey, alias Adjetey, farmer, and Kwame Krah, alias Koo Krah, farmer.
The court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of 14 other suspects who are now at large.
On April 8, 2007, Mr Yeboah-Boateng, in the company of his wife and two other women, was conveying a corpse of his relative in his car from the Sunyani Regional Hospital to the Goaso Hospital mortuary.
When he got to Atroni the accused persons, together with others, blocked the road with rocks and cement blocks, forcing Yeboah-Boateng to stop.
The accused persons, together with the others, then rushed on Mr Yeboah-Boateng and accused him of being a ritual murderer because he was carrying a corpse in his car.
Before the deceased could offer any explanation, the accused and others pulled him out of the vehicle, clubbed him to death and attempted to set his body and car ablaze.
The accused persons and the others then vandalised his car and the corpse and bolted from the town.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice Godwin Gabor, arrived at the decision following the closure of the case by the prosecution on Tuesday, May 11, 2009.
Consequently, the court has ordered the accused persons to open their defence today.
A source close to the court told the Daily Graphic in Sunyani that the prosecution had called 11 witnesses since the beginning of the trial on January 1, 2008.
It said the witnesses included the wife of the deceased and his sister, who were both in the company of the deceased at the time of the incident.
Until their indictment, the 11 were among 30 suspects who had been standing trial at the Sunyani Magistrate's Court 'B' for their alleged involvement in the murder of Mr Yeboah-Boateng on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007. Mr Yeboah-Boateng was also the Presiding Member of the Asunafo North District Assembly.
According to the source, all the accused persons were represented by defence counsel with six of them given lawyers by the Legal Aid Board because of their difficulty in engaging lawyers.
The accused, who are still in prison custody, are facing three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, contrary to Section 23 (1) and 46 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29); murder, contrary to Section 46; and causing unlawful damage, contrary to Section 172 (3) of the act.
They are Douglas Afriyie, alias Dougie, a chemical seller; Stephen Donkor, alias Kofi Ankamah, an undertaker; Kwadwo Awuah, alias Koowua or “I see”, shoe shine boy; Kwasi Nyantakyi, alias Nana Kusi, barber; Kwaku Agyeman Badu, alias Wakuu, driver; Adama Hamidu, mason; James Dankwa, mason; Kwame Yeboah Addae, alias Akolo, farmer; Emmanuel Kwaku Lartey, alias Adjetey, farmer, and Kwame Krah, alias Koo Krah, farmer.
The court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of 14 other suspects who are now at large.
On April 8, 2007, Mr Yeboah-Boateng, in the company of his wife and two other women, was conveying a corpse of his relative in his car from the Sunyani Regional Hospital to the Goaso Hospital mortuary.
When he got to Atroni the accused persons, together with others, blocked the road with rocks and cement blocks, forcing Yeboah-Boateng to stop.
The accused persons, together with the others, then rushed on Mr Yeboah-Boateng and accused him of being a ritual murderer because he was carrying a corpse in his car.
Before the deceased could offer any explanation, the accused and others pulled him out of the vehicle, clubbed him to death and attempted to set his body and car ablaze.
The accused persons and the others then vandalised his car and the corpse and bolted from the town.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
NEWMONT BUILDS SCHOOL FOR DOKYIKROM (JUNIOR GRAPHIC, PAGE 3)
Newmont Ghana Gold Limited has built and furnished a six-classroom block, an office, a store, a staff common room and a library at a cost of GH¢250,000 for pupils of Dokyikrom near Kenyasi in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Prior to the construction of the new building, the pupils were accommodated in a three-unit classroom block which has also been renovated to serve as a junior high school (JHS) for the community.
The non-existence of a JHS in the community in the past had compelled pupils who completed primary six in the town to attend JHS at Yawusukrom, a community which is quite far from Dokyikrom. The company has also provided a toilet and a urinal for the school.
Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), operators of the Ahafo Mine also plans to construct a four-unit teachers’ quarters estimated at $60,000 in the town before the academic year ends.
Mr Randy Barnes, the External Affairs Manager of NGGL, who handed the completed projects over to the Ghana Education Service (GES) at a ceremony at Dokyikrom last Wednesday, said that the company was committed to improving the lives of those within its operational area by adding value to enhance social development.
The Asutifi District Director of the GES, Mr. Amanor Kyeremeh, who received the keys to the building, expressed his appreciation to NGGL for putting up the classroom block as its contribution towards quality teaching and learning in the area.
The NGGL also presented two footballs and sets of jersey to the school.
In a related development, the company handed over another renovated three unit-classroom block, financed at a cost of GH¢ 23,000 to the people of Wamahinso also in the district.
The project was a collaboration among the community members, NGGL and the district assembly.
Prior to the construction of the new building, the pupils were accommodated in a three-unit classroom block which has also been renovated to serve as a junior high school (JHS) for the community.
The non-existence of a JHS in the community in the past had compelled pupils who completed primary six in the town to attend JHS at Yawusukrom, a community which is quite far from Dokyikrom. The company has also provided a toilet and a urinal for the school.
Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), operators of the Ahafo Mine also plans to construct a four-unit teachers’ quarters estimated at $60,000 in the town before the academic year ends.
Mr Randy Barnes, the External Affairs Manager of NGGL, who handed the completed projects over to the Ghana Education Service (GES) at a ceremony at Dokyikrom last Wednesday, said that the company was committed to improving the lives of those within its operational area by adding value to enhance social development.
The Asutifi District Director of the GES, Mr. Amanor Kyeremeh, who received the keys to the building, expressed his appreciation to NGGL for putting up the classroom block as its contribution towards quality teaching and learning in the area.
The NGGL also presented two footballs and sets of jersey to the school.
In a related development, the company handed over another renovated three unit-classroom block, financed at a cost of GH¢ 23,000 to the people of Wamahinso also in the district.
The project was a collaboration among the community members, NGGL and the district assembly.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
GOVT URGED TO PROVIDE FREE FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES (PAGE 20)
THE government has been called upon to consider providing free family planning (FP) services under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Participants at a seminar at Sunyani on dissemination of a road map to repositioning family planning in Ghana, who made the call said, that would enable married couples to make informed choices and avoid unwanted pregnancies.
The participants also appealed to the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to assume ownership of FP and other population related concerns by allocating more resources as a complement to the dwindling donor funding for such areas.
The participants’ concerns were part of a number of recommendations they made at the end of the seminar organised by the Brong Ahafo Regional Secretariat of the National Population Council (NPC) with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The participants led by Mr Sylvester A. Agangmikre, the Regional Population Officer, resolved that they would reach out to traditional authorities, religious and youth leaders, among other groups, to rekindle their interest in FP campaigns as well as the implementation of sustainable plans.
They commended the government’s efforts to bring down maternal deaths through the provision of free health services for pregnant women under the NHIS, but cautioned that if FP adoption was not promoted, there was the possibility of increased child-bearing.
The participants expressed worry about the waning attention to FP issues in recent times, with emphasis being shifted to HIV/AIDS, stressing that stakeholders in FP must revive public interest on the subject as was the situation in the past.
A specialist in public health, Dr David A. Opare, who presented a paper on “Repositioning FP”, stated that “If birth intervals increased to 36 months in Ghana, infant mortality rate would drop by 27 per cent, under five mortality rate would drop by 23 per cent, deaths to children under five years of age would fall by 21,700 annually while fulfilling unmet need for FP, will avert 4,419 maternal deaths between 2000 and 2015”.
He explained that unmet need refers to fecund (fertile) women who do not want to get pregnant for the next two to three years (spacing) or women who do not want to have any more children (limiting) but are not using any method.
Dr Opare, who is also the Sunyani Municipal Director of Health Services, said FP coverage in the municipality increased from 36.1 per cent in 2006 to 38 per cent in 2007 and shot up to 40 per cent in 2008 as compared to the national target of 28 per cent for those periods, and described the achievement as “good”.
According to him, “Emergency contraception shall not be promoted as a regular FP method while abortion is not and shall not be used as a FP method”.
Dr Opare maintained that repositioning FP in Ghana would involve advocacy at all levels to translate commitment and political will into concrete action, partnership with district assemblies in funding to integrate FP services through a revised Community-based Health Planning and Services (CPS) programmes.
He said it would also involve national health insurance coverage, rebuild wider network of stakeholders, such as traditional leaders, religious groups, the media as well as the ministries, departments and agencies (Midas), among others.
Dr Opare said as a strategy for the repositioning of FP, there was the need for increased awareness of and commitment to the integration of FP as an essential tool of national health and development goals.
Participants at a seminar at Sunyani on dissemination of a road map to repositioning family planning in Ghana, who made the call said, that would enable married couples to make informed choices and avoid unwanted pregnancies.
The participants also appealed to the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to assume ownership of FP and other population related concerns by allocating more resources as a complement to the dwindling donor funding for such areas.
The participants’ concerns were part of a number of recommendations they made at the end of the seminar organised by the Brong Ahafo Regional Secretariat of the National Population Council (NPC) with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The participants led by Mr Sylvester A. Agangmikre, the Regional Population Officer, resolved that they would reach out to traditional authorities, religious and youth leaders, among other groups, to rekindle their interest in FP campaigns as well as the implementation of sustainable plans.
They commended the government’s efforts to bring down maternal deaths through the provision of free health services for pregnant women under the NHIS, but cautioned that if FP adoption was not promoted, there was the possibility of increased child-bearing.
The participants expressed worry about the waning attention to FP issues in recent times, with emphasis being shifted to HIV/AIDS, stressing that stakeholders in FP must revive public interest on the subject as was the situation in the past.
A specialist in public health, Dr David A. Opare, who presented a paper on “Repositioning FP”, stated that “If birth intervals increased to 36 months in Ghana, infant mortality rate would drop by 27 per cent, under five mortality rate would drop by 23 per cent, deaths to children under five years of age would fall by 21,700 annually while fulfilling unmet need for FP, will avert 4,419 maternal deaths between 2000 and 2015”.
He explained that unmet need refers to fecund (fertile) women who do not want to get pregnant for the next two to three years (spacing) or women who do not want to have any more children (limiting) but are not using any method.
Dr Opare, who is also the Sunyani Municipal Director of Health Services, said FP coverage in the municipality increased from 36.1 per cent in 2006 to 38 per cent in 2007 and shot up to 40 per cent in 2008 as compared to the national target of 28 per cent for those periods, and described the achievement as “good”.
According to him, “Emergency contraception shall not be promoted as a regular FP method while abortion is not and shall not be used as a FP method”.
Dr Opare maintained that repositioning FP in Ghana would involve advocacy at all levels to translate commitment and political will into concrete action, partnership with district assemblies in funding to integrate FP services through a revised Community-based Health Planning and Services (CPS) programmes.
He said it would also involve national health insurance coverage, rebuild wider network of stakeholders, such as traditional leaders, religious groups, the media as well as the ministries, departments and agencies (Midas), among others.
Dr Opare said as a strategy for the repositioning of FP, there was the need for increased awareness of and commitment to the integration of FP as an essential tool of national health and development goals.
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