Kamis, 21 Maret 2013

JANDEL LAUNCHES MOBILE WASHROOM

Jandel Limited, an events and management service company, has launched its mobile air-conditioned washroom trailer to meet the needs of its clients.

The mobile restroom runs on electricity and is also equipped with a 12-hour standby battery to provide constant power for its users.

Speaking at the inauguration of its events centre, Events Haven, in Accra, the Executive Director of Jandel Limited, Ms Delanyo Amewode, said the mobile washroom was the first of its kind in Africa.

She said the mobile washroom was designed by the company to meet the sanitary needs of clients during events in a hygienic and comfortable environment.

The Events Haven, formerly The Place Event Centre, is an all-purpose events venue that seats about 1,500 patrons at a time.

The centre, which has been in existence for more than a year, has been set up to host all events for corporate, private and for the general public.

Ms Delanyo said the parent company, Jandel Ltd, was positioned to support event coordinators with the requisite equipment and accessories to ensure real value for money for their clients.

“The search for venues, sounds, lighting, décor and catering services, among other logistics, can be very daunting and frustrating for organisers. This is the void that Events Haven is poised to fill,” she explained.

A consultant to Jandel Limited, Mr Larry Heckaman, who took the press on a tour of the trailer, said the seven-seater facility can accommodate about 300 people an hour.

He added that the facility needed minimal maintenance due to its design, adding that the trailer was built with stainless steel, real wood and fibre glass and was a durable trailer that could meet the demands of any upscale event.

GETFUND FACILITIES FOR SCHOOLS ABANDONED...

 Majority of the science laboratories and library facilities provided by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has been abandoned.

This was revealed in a survey conducted in 200 educational institutions in five regions which revealed that 13 per cent of computer laboratories and 17 per cent of libraries provided by the GETFund were not in use.
Also, half of the urinals and 60 per cent of the toilet facilities provided were also not in use at the time of the survey.
Reasons gathered from school authorities at the time of the survey were that they were still waiting for the Minister of Education to formally inaugurate the facilities.

The regions were Greater Accra, Eastern, Ashanti, Northern and Brong Ahafo.
Again, 47 per cent of the schools did not have water supply, while water supply in 30 per cent of the schools was rated very poor .

On the issue of disability, 44 per cent of the single structure classrooms were not accessible by pupils with disability because the structures were not disability friendly.

This was contained in the findings of a research report on school infrastructure in public primary schools and its relationship with access for girls and children with disability conducted by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD)-Ghana.

The research, funded by STAR-Ghana, was in collaboration with the Ghana Society for the Physically Disabled and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association.
  
It was aimed at investigating the extent to which the use of District Assemblies’ Common Fund had helped solve the issue of infrastructure in schools and also highlight priority areas which needed immediate attention.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The survey indicated that 87 per cent out of the 200 schools had single structure classrooms, seven per cent had administrative blocks, 62 per cent had urinals and 70 per cent had toilet facilities.

In terms of the availability of emergency systems, majority of the schools showed no sign of emergency systems available in the school.

Addressing the gathering at a validation workshop in Accra yesterday, the Senior Research Fellow at CDD-Ghana, Ambassador Francis Tsegah, said in 2012 the Ministry of Education reported indicated that annually the country spent approximately 6.3 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which was equivalent to 25.8 per cent of total government expenditure, on education.

Despite that investment, he said, the educational sector was still fraught with several inefficiencies, citing the fact that public schools continued to suffer infrastructure shortage and challenges.

Also, the lack of toilet facilities and potable water, identified as a major barrier to retention at the primary and junior high school level, continued to plague the educational system.

“In rural areas, learning time is often lost when pupils, especially girls, have to travel long distances to fetch water during school hours,” he added.

Subsequently, the report made some recommendations, including the need to develop and enforce norms and standards for basic school infrastructure in the country.

It also suggested that the Ministry of Education strengthen and if possible review the mandate of the Infrastructure Coordination Unit for it to be able to adopt a common basic educational infrastructure policy for the country.

RURAL WOMEN SPEND MORE TIME ON UNPAID DOMESTIC WORK-FAO REPORT

 A Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report concerning gender inequalities in rural employment in Ghana has established that rural women spend more time on unpaid domestic work and non-agricultural activities than men.

In addition, women are more often self employed than men, an employment status that is often linked to lower earnings and in rural Ghana, while men are five times more likely to take part in paid employment than women.

This was contained in the 2012 World Food Programme (WFP) Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis which highlighted the socio-economic circumstances that make female-headed households more food insecure.

The report, which was collected in April to May, 2012 was put together with the support of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana Statistical Service and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Australian Government.

The report further revealed that about 62 per cent of female-headed households fall into the poorest wealth quintile compared to 39 per cent of male-headed households.

Similarly, only 11 per cent of female-headed households reach the wealthiest quintile in comparison with 21 per cent of male-headed households.

Also, the majority of  female heads of which 64 per cent are widows were rising to 80 per cent in the Upper East Region, making the region record the highest percentage of female headed-households.

The report said households headed by widows were likely to experience particular difficulties in accessing food because they lacked access to income earning  sources, such as agricultural labour.

The livelihoods with the largest representation of female headed households were food processing, representing 39 per cent, artisans, 19 per cent, and traders 15 per cent.

The report said although agricultural activities were mostly reflected in male headed households, 56 per cent of female headed households were either agriculturalists or agro-pastoralists.

“It is well documented in many countries that rural women have less access than men to important resources and agricultural inputs such as land, livestock, labour, education, fertilizer and improved seeds,” the report added.

It cited that 74 per cent of female-headed households own livestock compared to 85 per cent male-headed households.

Furthermore, in Ghana, women have previously been found to achieve lower yields compared to men due to a lack of inputs.

Female-headed households also have access to land for farming and they were also more likely to be smallholder farmers with five acres of land or less.

Overall, female-headed households made up 8 per cent of all households across the three regions of northern Ghana, rising to 15 per cent in the Upper East Region.

In the Upper West Region, seven per cent of households were headed by a woman and in the Northern Region, the figure came down to five per cent.

Also, across the three northern regions, 30 per cent of female-headed households were food insecure compared to 15 per cent of male-headed households.

The report said female-headed households in the Upper East Region had the highest prevalence of food insecurity with 38 per cent of the households headed by women facing food insecurity.

OVER 600,000 WITHOUT ADEQUATE FOOD IN THREE REGIONS

More than 680,000 people in the three northern regions are either severely or moderately food insecure, a 2012 World Food Programme (WFP) comprehensive food security and vulnerability analysis has revealed.

Of the number, 140,000 are classified as severely food insecure, which means that they have very poor diet consisting of just staples, mainly maize and millet, few vegetables and oil.

The report also reveals that Wa West is the most food insecure district in the three northern regions, with close to half of its households, representing 42 per cent, severely or moderately food insecure.

Other most food insecure districts are Central Gonja, Talensi/Nabdam, Kassena/Nankana West, Kassena/Nankana East and Garu/Tempane.

Speaking at the launch of the report in Accra, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Clement Kofi Humado, said it was imperative to understand the dynamics of food insecurity in order to ensure that although the country in its entity had attained the Millennium Development Goal  (MDG) on poverty and hunger, there was still the need to eradicate the numerous pockets of food insecurity which existed.

He said currently the ministry was undertaking several interventions to improve food security nationwide, saying that in the Northern Region, the Northern Rural Growth Programme had been developed to increase household income on a sustainable basis.

Mr Humado said the programme would have a positive impact on rural households and contribute to achieve the objectives of the MDGs and the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

He, therefore, called on stakeholders in the food security and nutrition sector to find creative ways of improving the circumstances of food insecure people and empower them to become food secure, even during the lean season when food was expensive and often inaccessible to poor households.

He expressed optimism that more partners would join hands with the WFP to enable it to mobilise resources for further studies, so that nationwide district level interventions would be extremely beneficial to the vulnerable and food insecure.

The Country Director of the WFP, Mr Ismail Omer, for his part, said the main challenges of food insecurity in Ghana revolved around issues of inequitable distribution, as opposed to unavailability of food.

“Available statistics record low national prevalence rates, but disaggregation by regions shows a high prevalence in the three northern regions,” he added.

PRESBY MODERATOR 'IGNORANT' OF HAJJ PROCESS-GROUP

A group calling itself Citizens Governance Network (CGN) has expressed disagreement with the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Reverend Professor Emmanuel Martey, who is alleged to have suggested that the government should stop the sponsoring the Hajj of Muslims.

The group said the Hajj was one of the five pillars of Islam and, therefore, “purely an Islamic Business”.
This was contained in a  press statement issued by the Executive Director of the CGN, Mr Osumanu Guarantee, in Accra on Wednesday.

The group said it was unfortunate that the Moderator would talk about an issue which clearly doesn’t concern him or have anything to do with his office or his domain.

It therefore called on him to retract his statement or face the necessary response from the group.

“We are calling upon the Presbyterian Church of Ghana to disassociate itself from such offensive comments and the Christian Council of Ghana to call him to order to withdraw the unfortunate comment within 48 hours,” it said.

“Though we know that every Muslim all over that country have shown their displeasure on this issue and are frustrated, we wish to plead with ... everyone to stay away from any activity that is likely to cause violence,” it added.

It further instructed any aggrieved Muslim body not to take the law into their own hands but rather channel its grievances  through the CGN.

Selasa, 19 Maret 2013

SEXUALLY ABUSED PERSONS NARRATE THEIR ORDEALS

SHE was just 13 years old when her brother-in-law took advantage of her innocence. It happened one afternoon when her sister was out and she was alone with him.

She was resting comfortably in her room when her brother-in-law sneaked in and began to approach her. She didn’t know what to do and, because she was young, he had his way with her and threatened her never to whisper a word about her ordeal.

Her sister was a busy person who was hardly around to have a friendly chat with her, so she never got to know what happened to her. She only realised it later when the victim was on admission at the hospital, but to protect the image of the family and her marriage, the issue was never discussed.

Shy, scared, and angry at the world for the fate that had befallen her, she left her sister’s house to stay with her parents. As if that was not enough, she was years later again raped by her uncle whom she trusted and respected so much in the family.

Now she is 18 and has completed her senior high school with hopes for the future, but her past still haunts her  and she is unable to think clearly. Hatred clouds her judgement anytime she recollects her past and she has disassociated herself from any family gathering.

This is the story told by a raped victim to a presenter on an Accra-based radio station during a phone in session that offered rape victims an opportunity to tell their stories.

Another victim, who called in to the programme, narrated how she was raped by a man who was a member of their church. It has been almost 30 years since the incident happened but she recalls it as if it happened yesterday.

Her ordeal began one afternoon when the man asked her to come to his house to collect some money to pay his tithe for him since he was not going to be available the following Sunday.

Who wouldn’t want to help a brother, especially when it is a matter concerning God? She, therefore, paid him a visit in his house and hours after she had been there, she decided to take her leave home.

That was when she saw him remove his clothes. He pushed her into his bedroom, forced her to lie on his bed and forcibly had sex with her.

Months after the incident, she got pregnant and had no option but to abort the pregnancy for fear of being expelled from the church. She also thought that no one would believe her story.

As if that was not enough, she was again raped by her uncle at the age of 17; and he did that several times too. “Who will believe me if I say a word? So I kept quiet until today,” she said.

Now, what would be your reaction if a lady tells you she has been raped by a policeman? What!!! Exactly my expression when this caller narrated that she was tortured and shocked with a stun gun to weaken her so he could have sex with her.

This happened six years ago, and like the other callers, she recalled every minute and second of that day as if it was happening all over again.

First, he pushed her. Her head hit the refrigerator and she fell on the ground. She fought back with all her might.  Knowing that he might not succeed on his mission, the policeman used his stun gun on her until she could fight no more.

This caller could also not tell anyone because her rapist was a policeman and it was her word against his. She still remembers his face and detests the uniform which is worn by other policemen with pride to protect the vulnerable in society. To her, one nut spoils all.

Now, in my neighbourhood, Maamobi, a suburb of Accra, a 13-year-old-girl was fingered by an old drunkard when she was just three years old.

She bled, with bruises around her vagina wall. Her mother was blamed because she was alone playing when the incident happened and was also not wearing any panties.

The case was later rubbished and warm water was used to heal the bruises. She is now 13 and a 45-year-old ex-convict, who was jailed for rape and released about seven years ago, recently had his way with her in a public toilet when the lights were out.

Yes, in a public toilet. A passerby who heard some awkward movements in the toilet raised an alarm and when she did, the rapist, who collects rubbish at the Maamobi Market, ran away.

The case was immediately reported to the Police and her mother was asked to take her to the hospital. Ignorant of the danger that had befallen her daughter, the mother brought her home and used some warm water to wash her.

She complained of abdominal pains days after and was given some pain killers.  Till date, the rapist walks freely in the neighbourhood. He has still not been arrested and as usual, the poor mother has left everything in the hands of God.

Governments in succession, since 1957, have tried their best to eliminate violence against women in all forms, especially rape and defilement.

During the last State of the Nation Address, the President expressed concern over increasing cases of rape and defilement in the country.

He was particularly disturbed that family members, religious leaders, traditional rulers and sometimes public officials connived to cover up cases of defilement and rape.

"I wish to emphasise that rape and defilement are criminal and must be handled by the criminal justice system. We must bring to book paedophiles and rapists who prey on our women and rob them of their dignity," he said.

He also instructed the Inspector-General of Police, the Domestic Violence and Victims' Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service (DOVVSU) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to work together to ensure that persons who defile innocent children and rape women are brought to justice.

However, even though a number of these criminal acts are being reported to the DOVVSU and the Ghana Police Service, a greater number of them remain unreported, as a result of victimisation and the fear of being further traumatised.

It is, therefore, important for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to make issues of rape and defilement a number one priority and also ensure that maximum sentences are imposed on offenders to deter others from committing such crimes.

Also, awareness should be created in order to encourage parents and victims not to deal with rape and defilement cases at home, but to seek legal advice and instantly report cases to the police.

FIRE DESTROYS NIIT OFFICE IN ACCRA

 FIRE, today, gutted the office of the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT), a computer training school in Accra, destroying property worth thousands of cedis.


The office, located on the third floor ‘Abena Ateaa’ Towers, also houses several businesses and other academic institutions which have currently been closed due to the impact of the fire.


The ground floor of the seven-storey building, said to be the property of the mother of Ghanaian football international, Mr Samuel Osei Kufuor, also houses Access Bank.


Eye witnesses told the Daily Grapic that the fire started at about 6:30 am with smoke coming from the third floor of the building.

Attempts to  quench the fire proved futile as the fire extinguishers available could not put out the flames.

A call was then made to the Fire Service, who, on their arrival, took an hour to put out the fire completely in order to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the building.



The Sikkim Manipal University, a sister institution to NIIT, which shares the third and fourth floor with NIIT was also affected.




In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Managing Director of Sikkim Manipal University, Mr Kapil Gopta, said classes for the students have currently been suspended.

“We will be having exams in April and until then, we have suspended classes for the students. We hope to find alternative classrooms should investigations on the fire delay,” he said.



On the source of the fire, Mr Gopta could not immediately confirm but expressed confidence in the GNFS to help identify the source.


A source close to the family of Mr Osei Kufuor,  blamed the current load shedding exercise as the cause of the fire outbreak.


“We are lucky it did not happen during working hours. The current load shedding exercise is not helping us at all,” he said.


He, therefore, pleaded with the government to speed up measures that would help rectify the situation in order to prevent other fire outbreaks in the future.have currently been shut down due to the impact of the fire.

 

36 PARTICIPATE IN MENTORING WALK GHANA

THIRTY-SIX young women are participating in the fifth edition of Mentoring Walk Ghana (MWG), a forum which brings together women leaders to inspire girls and build up their leadership potentials in order to make a difference in their communities.

This year’s event, on the theme: “The Ghanaian Woman in a Man’s World,” has brought together young women from the various tertiary institutions across the country, during which the mentors will impact life-changing experiences on the mentees in various work places within a 10-day period.


Addressing the gathering at a welcome reception in Accra on Wednesday, the Founder of MWG, Ms Brigitte Dzogbenuku, explained that the programme was an annual event that paired young women with accomplished women to form a mentoring relationship.

She said since February 2009, the programme had benefitted about 200 young women at the tertiary level. Also, the Annual Global Mentoring Walk has since 2009 been held around the world in different countries including Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

“Through these walks, we demonstrate a belief in the importance of women’s leadership and participation in society,” Ms Dzogbenuku explained.

She said the walk also promoted the values of mentoring in rising leaders who could share their experiences with future generations and provide aspiring professional women with the support and guidance they need to fulfil their goals.

“Ultimately, these walks unify the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network and send a clear message that we value women’s participation in society and recognise the importance of giving back to others in society,” she added.

Additionally, these walks support and exemplify the transformative impact women have when they act in solidarity and raise their voices to promote positive change on a global scale.

Ms Dzogbenuku urged the young women to open up and be ready to learn from their mentors within the short period of the programme.

“Often, when you are being mentored, the wise words we hear don’t resound till years after. You may not realise it, but whatever relation you build with your mentor will come in handy in future,” she advised.

She also appealed to individuals and organisations to come to the aid of MWG in order to increase the number of girls being mentored annually.

“At the moment, we have mentees from Kumasi, Winneba, Sunyani and Tamale who were given priority in the selection process but we have to pay for their accommodation for the 10-day period and we need a lot of funds to help us accommodate more from the regions in the coming years,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, the Director of the Gender Unit of the Ministry, Mrs Dorothy Onny, lauded the initiative of MWG and their commitment to empower young girls in the country.

She said mentoring was a strategy that the ministry had adopted for the promotion of gender equity and women’s empowerment.

“If every professional leader makes it his or her responsibility to identify a girl or boy, teenager, youth to mentor and guide in his or her growth process, the goal of the ministry would be effectively achieved,” she said, adding that “it is time we shirked the modesty and dismantled the concrete ceiling we have built around ourselves to enable us aspire for the highest position and occupation.”

That, she said, was the only way through which women could become empowered socially, economically and politically and also have a distinct voice that would enable them to make a difference in their various communities.

She also urged MWG to include discussions and themes on reproductive health issues and child nutrition to assist in reducing the rate of maternal mortality, child mortality and morbidity in the country.

In a brief remark, the Head of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of the Domestic Violence Secretariat, Mrs Catherine Adu-Boadi, urged the girls to make it a point to excel in all their endeavours and practise self discipline at all times.

She called on gender advocates, individuals and organisations engaged in women empowerment to emulate MWG and also come together to develop strategies to promote women’s empowerment and development in the country.

The Chief Justice of the Labour Court Division, Mrs Gifty Dekyem, advised the girls to develop a clear sense of direction and have courage to face their fears.

“The number of times you fall does not matter but how you get up helps to define who you truly are,” she added.









 

Senin, 11 Maret 2013

LIONS CLUB LAUNCHES SILVER JUBLIEE CELEBRATIONS

THE Lions Clubs International (LCI) Ghana has launched the silver jubilee celebrations of the formation of the club in the country.

The celebrations are also intended to recognise and appreciate the dedicated service rendered to the less privileged and needy in society.

Addressing the media at a ceremony in Accra, the Lion District Governor, Madam Gloria Esi Lassey, said during the 25-year period, the club embarked on serveral projects which included the construction of an eye care centre at the Tema General Hospital and a hearing aid assessment centre for the Cape Coast School of the Deaf.

“The 11 lions clubs in the country have rehabilitated the Weija Leprosarium, built classroom blocks for schools, distributed text and exercise books, donated spectacles, eye drugs, insecticide treated mosquito nets and medication for treating diabetes,” she explained.

Also, as part of the its social responsibility, the clubs undertook educational programmes on the preservation of eyesight and the prevention of blindness, as well as career guidance and counselling sessions in schools.

“They also organised club, zonal and regional meetings, where they invited personnel from various sectors of the economy to talk on selected themes, and participated in district and international conventions,” she added.

Madam Lassey added that serveral activities had been outlined to mark the anniversary celebrations.
The activities include eye screening exercises at some selected organisations, radio and television discussions on Lionism, blood donation activities, and the donation of assorted items to needy institutions such as the homes for lepers.

She said the year-long programme would come to its climax on December 21, 2013 with an anniversary fundraising and dinner dance which would include a journey for sight and the distribution of books under the name “Reading Action Programme” and a photo exhibition.

She, therefore, called on members to participate fully for the success of the celebrations and invited Ghanaians to come and join the club in order to help serve the needy in society.

MTN PRESENTS MODEMS TO HIPS CHARITY SCHOOL

Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN), has presented 15 modems to the Hips Charity School in the Ga South Municipality.

The GH¢1,500 worth of modems, which came with 5.5 data SIM cards for the first month and an additional one gigabyte data for the next five months, formed part of the organisation’ss efforts to bridge the gap in the provision of internet service to deprived communities in the country.

The presentation of the modems was a follow up to the presentation of a number of computers to the school by Interplast Ghana Limited.

In his address, the Innovations Manager of MTN, Mr Abdul Latif Issahaku, said the presentation of the modems is to help improve education in schools with the help of quality internet access.

With the provision of the modems, he said, the students would be able to access news and other pieces of information from various internet sources.

He, therefore, urged the teachers to make good use of the internet while improving teaching and learning in the school.

Receiving the modems, the headmaster of the school, Mr Richard Allotey, thanked MTN for their support and called on other benevolent organisations to provide equal services to deprived schools in the country.
   

DONT SECURE ADMISSION WITH FRAUDULENT RESULT SLIPS


The Vice Chancellor of the Valley View University (VVU) College, Professor Dr Dr Daniel Buor, has warned that students found to have secured admission with fraudulent result slips would be dismissed and handed over to the law enforcement agencies.

He was speaking at the 18th Matriculation Ceremony of the college in Accra last Tuesday to initiate fresh students to the university to pursue various academic programmes.

“We do not only educate our students to succeed in their academic aspiration; we educate them to position them to effect a positive transformation in society which will lead to academic, as well as moral and spiritual development,” he said.

Out of 2,087 applicants, the university admitted 1,426 made up of 880 males and 537 females.The number exceeded last year’s enrolment of 936, representing an increase of 52.3 per cent.

The students will pursue courses in Business, Computer Science, Development Studies, Education and Health sciences, and Theology and Missions. The Bachelor of Education (Sandwich) programme made the highest enrolment of 782, representing 54.8 per cent of the total enrolment.

Professor Buor charged the matriculants to uphold discipline in all that they do and urged them to “show respect for lecturers, staff, fellow students, and adhere to all rules and regulations of the college.”

He said the college was collaborating with the Ghana Employers Association to introduce a Postgraduate Diploma programme in Industrial Relations next year.

He, however, indicated that the expansion of the academic programmes calls for massive infrastructure, adding that seven projects; three student’s hostels, three blocks of flats for faculty and staff and a 2000 seat lecture complex building were under construction and would be inaugurated in May 2013.

“A part of our responsibility to train you morally and spiritually, and for the sake of social decorum and uniformity, we expect you to attend our religious gatherings because it is part of your training process,” he said .

Professor Buor urged the students to attach all seriousness to their  studies, saying” tertiary education is very expensive so we expect you to avoid  unproductive activities and concentrate on your studies  in order not to jeopardise  your future.”

He also urged the faculties to continue to search for current information on their various areas of speciality and new methodologies that will help train students.

NEXANS KABLEMENTAL HONOURS DISTRIBUTORS

 Nexans Kablemental Ghana Limited, a Tema- based company that manufactures electrical cables, has honoured their distributors for promoting and marketing the company’s product over the past years.

Six of the distributors, who performed exceptionally well in 2012, were given cash prizes worth GHC 26,500 to help support and grow their businesses.

The distributors included; Zion Electricals, GHC12,000, Cable Link Limited, GHC5,000, Serboat Electricals GHC4,000, Beckland Ventures GHC2,500, Lawdan Enterprise GHC1,500 and Lydlyn Enterprise GHC 1,500.

Other distributors which include Tip Top Electricals, Aggressu Electricals, Buela Ventures, Modisco, Irafa, Classic Rahna, Clipsel, Bruruku and Fiesta Royal each received gift packages for their efforts.

Speaking at the thanksgiving ceremony in Accra, the Commercial Manager of the company, Mr Aaron Segoe, said the company was appreciative of the contributions of the distributors.

He said the ceremony was also intended to provide a platform for the distributors to interact with management of the company and discuss how best they could move the company forward.

 He observed that the distributors were the backbone of the company’s success adding that,”We at Nexans are committed to ensuring that our distributors are given the best of service,”

He further called on them to put in their best at all times in order to be able to deliver the company’s product to the door steps of the final consumer.

The Assistant Marketing Manager of the company, Mr Mahama Dollah, also reaffirmed their commitment to providing quality products and services to the people.

He said the company was a responsible industrial company that regarded sustainable development as integral to its global and operational strategy.

“Continuous innovation in products, solutions and services, employee development and commitment, customer orientation and the introduction of safe industrial processes with limited environmental impact are among the key initiatives that place Nexans at the core of a future,” he said.

He, however, urged the distributors to continue to work with the company for the benefit of all.
Speaking on behalf of the distributors, Mr Ebenezer Amanor Dautey of Zion Electricals, thanked the company for recognising their efforts over the past years.

He advised the other distributors to work hard and show commitment in everything they do for the benefit of the company and themselves.

PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY-GOV'T URGED

THE General Manager of the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Mr Ralph Aryitey, has called on government to pay more attention to the tourism and hospitality industry in the country.

That, he said, would help generate more revenue for national development, as the sector brings in more foreign exchange every year.

“If someone gives us a listening ear, we will be able to do a lot more for the economy. We will create more jobs and brand the country as one of the best in West Africa,” he said.

Mr Aryitey said this at the annual end of year dinner and awards night for the staff of the hotel and added that challenges such as the irregular supply of electricity, water and other basic amenities for clients sometimes hindered the quality of service in the sector.

He, therefore, called for an immediate solution from government in order to maintain the hospitality industry.
He further commended the staff of the hotel for their constant support and hard work, which has made the hotel one of the best in the country.

Mr Aryitey said the hotel had one of the uniquely packaged best customer service strategies to meet the needs of its clients.

“We do our best to offer our clients memories worth repeating,” he said.

The Vice President of Group Nduom, Mr. Chiefy Nduom, in his remarks, lauded the staff for keeping the philosophy of the hotel alive.

He urged them to aspire to be greater than they were now and work together as a team in order to face the challenges that they may encounter their line of work.

“Face the challenges together as they come and work hard to support one another,” he added.
Some of the staff who exhibited exceptional loyalty and hard work throughout the year were awarded.

ENCOURAGE MORE GHANAIANS TO USE BANKING SERVICES

Mr Millision Narh

 THE Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Mr Millison Narh, has encouraged banks in the country to  encourage more Ghanaians to use banking services.


He said there were a lot of Ghanaians who were keeping significant percentage of money outside the banking sector.

Those people, he said, were engaged in the productive sectors of the economy such as commerce, farming and the provision of services in the informal sector.

“They charge for their services and receive payment but income generated is held outside the banking sector,” he explained.

Mr Narh was speaking at the launch of the Bank of Africa (BoA) first business centre in Accra yesterday.
The centre would provide services such as trade facilitation, transactions, trade finance, loans and advances, investment services among other banking needs with the view to providing  its customers with an integrated channel for better service delivery.

Mr Narh said it was important that those individuals outside the banking sector were roped into the formal economy saying, “It is only when this is achieved that they can be accounted for in the larger economy.”

“We owe it a duty, as regulators, to protect the interest of players in the informal sector as well as encourage them to take advantage of the obvious gains in using the banking system,” he added.

Mr Narh, therefore, urged banks to design and offer product propositions and solutions that resonate well with the informal sector.

He, however, lauded the initiative of BoA for their renewed focus on segmentation and technology while providing quality services to its customers.

The Managing Director of BoA, Mr  Kobby Andah said the centre was ready to help customers  and also to provide them with regular updates of information from the bank.

“We will also work with speed and accuracy to always ensure that we meet and exceed any customer deadlines we set,” he said.

The Group Chair and Chief Executive Officer of BoA, Mr Mohammed Bennani, said the bank’s passion for doing business in Africa was driven by the desire to contribute to the long term development of African economies.

“We believe that we have identified an approach to doing business on the continent that creates substantial and long term opportunities,” he said.

VODAFONE LAUNCHES BLACKBERRY Z10 IN GHANA

As part of efforts to prove its leadership in innovation in the country, Vodafone Ghana Limited on Tuesday launched the Blackberry Z10 in Accra, a week after its global launch.

Customers of Vodafone would, therefore, be the first to own the latest handset which has created consumer frenzy all over the world, along with 1.5 GB of data.

The new Blackberry Z10 is a complete re-design from the traditional ‘BB’ and introduces new user friendly features.

For the first time, users will not have to subscribe to the Blackberry service before experiencing the full capabilities of the handset.

The Blackberry Messenger service has also been revamped with added features such as video calling and screen share which allows users to share their handset screen and camera view with their friends.

Another innovative feature is the ‘Blackberry Hub’, where users can customise their handsets so their favourite applications are on one page. The enhanced security features also make the phone an invaluable business tool.

Addressing the media at the launch in Accra, the Chief Marketing Officer at Vodafone, Mr Uche Ofodile, said Vodafone was committed to bringing the most innovative devices to their customers.

“We know our customers are driven by innovation and like to set the pace for others to follow. They expected Vodafone to be the first to deliver one of the most sought after handsets in the world and we have not disappointed,” he said.

He said customers could pre-order the new Blackberry Z10, which was available exclusively on the Vodafone network .

ZFM LAUNCHES HEADQUARTERS


The Chairman of Zongo for Mahama, Alhaji Mohammed Sofo Jajah, has urged its members to disregard all negative comments that tend to hinder the progress of the club.

“Our mission is to preserve and protect the sanctity of our dear party, the National Democratic Congress, and the President John Dramani Mahama,” he said.

He also urged the members to work hard to achieve the objectives of the club and bring developments to the various zongo communities throughout the country.

Alhaji Jajah made these remarks during the commissioning of ZFM headquarters in Accra on Saturday. The commissioning of the headquarters would be used to coordinate campaign activities as well as ensure another smooth victory for the NDC in 2016.

Present at the launch were some chiefs and Imams of the various Zongo communities, some NDC constituency executives, assembly members and members of the NDC.

Alhaji Jajah also urged the youth in the Zongo communities to take advantage of the numerous youth initiatives that had been earmarked by the government for national development.

“Take advantage of the laudable opportunities that have been provided by the government including the National Youth Employment Programme and enroll for job opportunities and for your benefit,” he added.

Commissioning the headquarters, the Chairman of the Council of Zongo Chiefs, Alhaji Moro Baba Issah, lauded the achievements of the movements adding that they had a responsibility to be accountable to the people of the Zongo community.

He also urged them to make good use of their available resources in order to bring socio economic development in the area.


GIVE EC THE POWER TO CREATE NEW CONSTITUENCIES- PROF AHWOI

Professor  Kwamina Ahowi
A FORUM held to discuss the Draft Consolidated Local Government Bill has proposed that the authority to create new district assemblies must be vested in the Electoral Commission (EC).

Currently, it is the President who has the mandate to create new district assemblies.
This proposal is to reduce, if not eliminate completely, the suspicions that have attended the creation of new districts in the country in 2003, 2007, and 2012.

A cross section of Ghanaians, since the creation of these districts, have perceived it to be politically motivated by the government in power in order to win more Parliamentary seats during national elections.

Also, the President’s power to dissolve or suspend a District Assemblies (DA) by an Executive Instrument was now restricted to a year only.

However, if the President wants to extend the period beyond one year, he must renew the Executive Instrument, and this is to prevent Presidents from abusing the power or using it to punish DA’s they consider to be “hostile.”

The draft also moved the basis for the creation of districts from the predominantly political consideration to mainly technical consideration such as planning, economic viability and service delivery to make the districts sustainable for the future.

Explaining further the details of the draft, the former Minister for Local Government, Professor  Kwamina Ahwoi, said for effective performance of district assemblies, all Presiding Members (PM) and Assembly Members should be paid emoluments chargeable on the Consolidated Fund.

“It is a price we have to pay for effective and efficient decentralisation which we have all agreed is the way to go,” he added.

Also, PM’s can now be elected by at least two-thirds majority of the members of the assembly present,  adding that the cumbersome requirements for the election of the PM by two-thirds of all the members of the assembly with its attendant delays, costs and stalemates would become a thing of the past.

Professor Ahwoi said the restriction placed on the tenure of office of the District Chief Executive (DCE) has also been lifted, as recommended by the regional fora that led to the Decentralisation Policy Framework.

“The DCE term of office is now being left open instead of the restrictive two term succession. This should remove the desire of DCE’s to become  Members of Parliament (MP’s) in order to ensure their security  of political office  and should contribute to the reduction in the conflicts between DCEs and MPs,” he explained.

Furthermore, the Head of the Local Government Service is now the Secretary to the Local Government Council instead of the situation under the Local Government Service Act in which the Secretary was appointed by the Minister of Local Government.

Additionally, the appointment of the Staff of the Local Government Service and the Departments of the District Assemblies was to be done by the Head of the Local Government Service as an interim measure. Ultimately, the DA’s would have the power to “hire and fire” their staff.

Professor Ahwoi said , bye-laws of DA’s were now to be submitted to the various Regional Coordinating Councils (RCC), for them to ensure their consistency with national legislation instead of submitting it to the Minister of Local Government for approval.

He explained that  the  requirements for bye-laws had to be gazetted before becoming valid, which many DA’s were not doing because of the very high cost of publication and, therefore, could not be enforced by the courts because it was relaxed.

BOARD CHAIR OF PLAN INTERNATIONAL VISIT PROJECT AREAS

THE Board Chair of Plan International, Ms Ellen Margrethe Loj has visited some Plan Ghana project communities in the Upper Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region on Tuesday.

The purpose of the visit was to interact with the project community members and discuss issues confronting them and provide solutions for their problems.

Some of the places she visited included the Akotoe Tsrebuana community and the Asesewa Senior High School (ASSEC) in the district.

She was accompanied by the Country Director of Plan Ghana, Mr Prem Shukla; the Care-taker District Chief Executive, Mr Joseph Angmo and some project coordinators of Plan Ghana International.

At the Akotoe Tsrebuana community, Ms Loj inspected a five-acre farm project close to the Volta Lake, which was initiated by Plan Ghana to introduce the people to irrigation system of farming.

Most of the workers lauded the initiative, explaining that work on the farmland has provided jobs for them and introduced them to new farming methods which they use on their own farmland.

“Working on the farm has helped me a lot. I am now able of take care of my children because it provides an alternate source of livelihood for me and I also learn more about some farming methods too,” Ms Joyce Opata, a charcoal seller, said.

Others, however, suggested that a storage facility should be constructed to enable them store their produce to address the issue of post-harvest losses.

Some of the items cultivated on the farmland include carrots, okra, cabbage, pepper, tomatoes, garden eggs and maize.
Speaking on behalf of the people of Akotoe, Mr  Micheal Akpengble, a member of the community, called for the  construction of the road that linked the community to the main town.

He said the community lacked electricity, health facility as well as pipe-borne water. The main sources of water for the community include the Volta Lake, four boreholes, a stream and a hand-dug well.

“Water from the boreholes is salty and as such the people do not use it. The hand-dug well and stream serve as the only sources of water for the entire community in the dry season and we have to walk a distance between five to 10 kilometres to fetch water from the Volta Lake,” he explained.

 In response, Ms Loj assured the people of the community of Plan Ghana’s commitment to reach out to the poor in society at all times by supporting them with their basic needs.

“Plan Ghana has started working with the community and this is a relationship we intend to nurture. We would continue to do our best to provide you with the social amenities that you need for your development.”

At ASSEC, Ms Loj interacted with the girls football club as well as the journalism club in the school, “Girls Making Media,” to experience at first-hand what the girls have achieved since Plan Ghana established the clubs in the school.

She stressed the need to provide equal opportunities for girls to access quality education and advised the girls to continue to pursue their dreams and work hard towards achieving their personal goals, adding that “you can make it if you put your hearts and minds to it.”

She also encouraged them to do their best to avoid vices such as teenage pregnancy, drug abuse ,among other deviant behaviour, that might hinder their progress in school.

“Always aim at the future. Put all your efforts in achieving your dream by studying hard. Be active in all activities and let your voice be heard at all times,” she added.

In his remarks, Mr Angmo lauded the humanitarian work of Plan Ghana and called on other non-governmental organisations to show such humanitarian efforts.

MENTORING WOMEN GHANA LAUNCHES PROGRAMME

Mentoring Women Ghana (MWG), a non profit organisation, dedicated to enriching lives of young women, has launched its fifth edition of mentoring programme dubbed “Mentoring Walk”, in Accra

The programme themed, “ The Ghanaian Woman in a Man’s World’ also seeks to inspire young girls to build up their leadership potentials in order to make a difference in their communities through sports and mentoring programmes, through collaboration with more accomplished women.

Addressing the media at the launch of the programme in Accra, the Founder of MWG, Ms Brigitte Dzogbenuku, explained that the programme was an annual event that paired young ladies with accomplished women to form a mentoring relationship.

She said the relationship further helped girls to get close to their mentors and have a feel of what they do so that they could incorporate it into their lives.

She further explained that the programme, undertaken over a 10-day mentorship period, gives an opportunity to the girls to spend a number of working days understudying their mentors at work, saying“This helps the mentees to have a feel of what their mentors do so that they could learn and also have first hand experience from them”.

Also, the mentees are exposed to various aspects of the lives of women in leadership, business and politics.
Ms Dzogbenuku further noted that group networking sessions during the period gave both mentors and mentees an opportunity to assess the programme for themselves and also give feedback and affirm what they had achieved during the mentorship period.

“This in turn provides solutions that are innovative, motivational, enlightening and functional to the concept of mentoring in Ghana,” she added.

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA WOMEN'S COMMISSION LAUNCHES CELEBRATIONS

Ms Antionette Makafui Ashiadey
 The Women’s Commission of the University of Ghana on Wednesday launched the 18th annual week-long celebrations of the commission to rekindle students’ lives on campus.

The event, themed, “Strategising for the Future: The Woman and Her Environment”, was part of activities to enable the commission to identify the challenges confronting the students, especially, the females and find solutions to these problems.

“Since we are not going to spend all our lives in school, we will have to strategise for the future,” the Women’s Commissioner, Ms Antoinette Makafui Ashiadey, told the Daily Graphic.

She said the selection of the theme was intended to assist the women to learn to adapt in the field of business, family and religion.

The celebration was launched with a fashion show dubbed, “Aketesia Fashion Show”, to encourage female students to dress appropriately.

Ms  Ashiadey expressed optimism that the show would help to define fashion in the African context since  students would learn from seasoned designers like Tony Black Couture, Kama By Kilson and Qwami Wear.
Also, there will be a women’s summit with inspirational speakers who will inspire students to reach greater heights in society and overcome all obstacles.

Among the speakers expected to address the summit are: the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FC Perfumery, Madam Grace Amey-Obeng, who will talk about living healthily and skin care; the Director of Counselling and Placement Centre of the university, Dr John Egyir Croffet, and the Corporate Relations Manager of Guinness Ghana Limited, Madam Rita Rockson.

Other activities outlined include; the renovation and painting of a deprived school, Da Awatul Islamic School  in Kaneshie, in collaboration with social groups such as: Pass A Book On (PABO) and Share Your Launch (SYL).

Ms Ashiadey also said the activities would be climaxed with a dinner and awards night to appreciate the efforts of the students.
The Aketesia Fashion Show

 The commission will also award companies and individuals who have supported them. These include: RLG, Coca Cola, Kasapreko, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Voltic and MVP.

Speaking at the launch, the Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Mr Emmanuel Agyarko, advised the women to always take leadership roles that would give them the opportunity to explore their potentials.

“Your efforts as women cannot be underestimated, but it is also up to you to be available at all times to take up leadership positions so that you can contribute your quota to the society,” he said.
He, therefore, urged the students to work hard in order to be successful and impact the society.

HELP THE VILLAGE OF AKOTOE

some of members of the village going about their farming buisness
AKOTOE, a small farming village in the Upper Manya Krobo District in the Eastern Region, needs social amenities urgently.

Located about 21 kilometres from Asesewa, the district capital, the village shares common boundaries with communities such as Akateng, Manya, Asekeso, Sisiamang sisi, Akrusu Yiti and the Volta Lake.
The common language spoken by the people is Dangme.

The history of Akotoe is closely linked to the history of Manya Krobo. Oral tradition has it that by 1861, the Krobo who resided in the Krobo Mountains started purchasing land outright from the Akyems and the Akwamus.

The earlier settlers of Akotoe then purchased a land from the Akyems and the Akwamus who were the original owners of the land and this happened many years before the Akosombo Dam was built.

Akotoe was then a densely populated community and a closely knit society which was actively involved in the cultivation of maize, plantain, oil palm, vegetables and some cash crops such as cocoa and oranges, among others.

some of the vegetables grown in the village.
Through communal labour, the community put up a local church, primary and some middle schools in 1941. In collaboration with other communities, the people also constructed a road that linked the community to Asesewa, a market centre which is now the capital of the Upper Manya Krobo District.

In the early 1960s, the construction of the hydroelectric dam drastically changed the life of the people to the extent that a number of elders died from shock.

More especially, the youth migrated to other farming areas and a large track of land was swamped. The dam changed the climatic conditions of the area and the village intermittently experienced prolonged drought.

Farming activities were no longer lucrative and the people’s standard of living declined.

While the dilemma lasted, the few people that remained in the community decided to take up fishing and the cultivation of food crops, especially vegetables, along the banks of the Volta Lake.

They were also engaged in the rearing of animals and with time business started booming for the people and this attracted people from Ningo, Ada and the Ewes to Akotoe.

Most of the youth who left  the community in search of greener pastures due to the flooding of the fertile land by the Volta Lake heard of the new success story and came back to settle in their own homes.

Akotoe now has a population of about 2,000 people and is one of the major fishing, animal rearing and vegetable producing communities in the Upper Manya Krobo District under the Lower Brepaw Electoral area.

The Volta Lake 
WATER AND SANITATION
The main sources of water for the community include the Volta Lake, four boreholes, a stream and a hand-dug well.

Water from all the boreholes is salty and as such the people do not patronise it as expected. The hand-dug well and stream serve as the only sources of water for the entire community.

During the dry season, the people of Akotoe walk a distance between five to 10 kilometres to fetch water from the Volta Lake.

Some of the people, especially women, are bitten by snakes as they walk through the bush to the lake to fetch water while some drown in their attempt to fetch the water.


The only traditional midwife in the village

 HEALTH
Unfortunately, the people of Akotoe cannot boast of any health facility. The nearest facility to the community is about 21 kilometres away and accessing health care is not only difficult but also time consuming.

Some community members are forced to rely on herbal medicine while some also die on their way to the hospital in the main town because the road is very bad and drivers feel reluctant to ply the road.

Some pregnant woman are forced to stay in the main town anytime they are due, while others who cannot afford extra accommodation are left to give birth in the village with the help of a traditional midwife.





INTERVENTIONS
 Between 1994 and 1996, Plan Ghana International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), assisted the community to construct a six-unit classroom block, an office, teachers accommodation, a Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit (KVIP) latrine and a library.

The organisation also assisted the youth in the community to undertake irrigation projects which would enable them to farm all year round since rainfall during the rainy season is not reliable.

This prevented the youth from migrating to the urban centres for greener pastures and non-existing jobs.
Board Chair of Plan Ghana interracting with the people.
The project has, therefore, led to economic empowerment and prosperity of the youth, which is making life better and helping the youth to meet their social and economic responsibilities to the community and their families.

Members of the community have since come together to form an association dubbed: “Akotoe Millennium Farmers Association” and other cooperative groups in order to get credit from financial institutions to expand their businesses.

The government has also used the Millennium Challenge Account to build a kindergarten block and drill two boreholes for the community.

However, these interventions are not enough as the village also lacks electricity. For this reason, people in the community cannot preserve their farm produce. They are, therefore, forced to sell at cheaper prices during market days in order to avoid  carrying the goods back home.

It is, therefore, important that the government channels its resources in revamping farming communities like Akotoe with the necessary social amenities in order to boost economic activities in the community.

The youth could also be trained in financial management, farm management, record keeping, and other farming methods in order to sustain economic growth in the village.

ASSEMBLY MEMBERS DENY MEDIA REPORT

 Members of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) have disassociated themselves from media reports that seek to describe the Accra Mayor, Mr Alfred Okoi Vanderpuije, as a dictator.

It had recently been reported in the media that the assembly members have given the Mayor up to the end of March 28, 2013 to implement the decisions of the general assembly or face sanctions.

The report went further to state that at the last General Assembly Meeting of the AMA on February 5, 2013, all members present at the meeting resolved that all decisions taken by the General Assembly from the year 2010 to 2013, which have not been implemented, should be implemented before the next General Assembly meeting scheduled for March 27,2013.

The memorandum, which was signed by the Presiding Member, Mr Desmond Nii Addo-Binney, was copied to the Chief of Staff, the Director of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Greater Accra Regional Minister.

The ultimatum stated in part; “According to members, your actions and inactions for the four years in office have retarded the progress and development of the city,hence the resolution.”

It further stated that some members have recognised that all decisions of the assembly have been ignored by the Mayor,Dr Vanderpuije,who rather goes about demolishing properties which do not affect any planned development in the city of Accra.

“The members mentioned your action in the city as a dictator and a one-man show and members are not happy with your actions in the city. They see you as only causing financial loss to the AMA with your demolishing acts,” the statement added.

Mr Addo-Binney wrote in conclusion, “I have, therefore, been directed by the General Assembly to draw your attention to the resolution because they realised that you intentionally absent yourself from the meetings to avoid embarrassment by the members.”

“I therefore want to draw your attention to the resolution and then advise that you take action on the decisions before the next meeting to avoid any sanction against you by the General Assembly.”

However, Mr Adjebu Lamptey, who spoke on behalf of the assembly members at press conference on Monday March 4, 2013, denied giving an ultimatum to the Mayor on the said date, adding he, Mr Addo-Binney, should not allow his ambition to contest the Metro Chief Executive this year to cloud his judgement.

He,however, found the actions of the presiding member as irresponsible and uncalled for, adding he, the presiding member, should render an apology to members.

“We also find your assertion that the MCE has acted as a dictator, very gratuitous, unappreciative, and without merit, since the MCE has from the onset of his Assembly implemented all policies, programmes, activities with the concurrent approval and authority of the assembly,” he explained.

ACCRA TO PHASE OUT THE USE OF PAN LATRINES

By the end of June this year, the use of pan latrines will be completely eliminated in the national capital, Accra, the Mayor of Accra, Mr Alfred Okoi Vanderpuji, has said.

He said by the end of December last year, 12,000 toilet facilities had been constructed in Accra  and in the process,the assembly had been successful in reducing the use of pan latrines from 7000 to less than 200.
The Mayor,accompanied by some members of the assembly, made this known when he inspected some project sites in Accra.

The project sites included the Lavender Hill project and the construction of the Millennium City Schools.
At the Lavender Hill, the Mayor expressed satisfaction at the extent of work done and encouraged the contractors to speed up work on the project.

“This is going to help dispose off waste and keep a cleaner ocean for a cleaner environment,” he added.
The Lavender Hill Project sought to solve the sewerage problems in Accra. It is being financed by the African Development Bank and the Government of Ghana.

Six anaerobic digesters would be built at the Lavender Hill to treat the waste into organic waste.
The digesters, which are only marginally effective, would help to treat problems such as odours, pathogens and greenhouse gas emissions from animal waste or sewerage.

It would also be used to transform sewerage treatment plants and animal waste on farms into manure, while the liquid waste would be used for fish farming and irrigation purpose.

The Chief Executive Officer of Slamson Ghana Limited, Mr Fredrik Sunesson, who is the engineer on the project, explained that the digesters would operate under a 24 hour cycle, using less energy.

“Less than two gallons of diesel is to be used a day to keep the digesters running, hence it is extremely energy efficient,” he said.

Work was, however, 70 per cent complete during the visit to some of the millennium city schools under construction.

The include the Salvation Army Cluster of Schools, now the President Evans Atta Mills Educational Centre of Excellence, Dansoman 1 and 2 Primary School and the Kotobabi Cluster of Schools.

Mr Vanderpujie , however, urged them to speed up work in order to complete the school building by the close of the month.

“We want to be able to accommodate the rest of the children in these classrooms by the first week of April in order to put a total end to the shift system,” he said.

NGO RECEIVES JAPANESE GRANT TO BUILD MATERNITY WARD

Mr. Nikai (seated right) signing the grant  at a ceremony in Accra.
THE Japanese government has provided a US$217,641 grant to the Maata-N-Tudu (Women of the North) Association, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), to support the construction of a maternity ward in the Bunkpurugu Yunyoo District in the Northern Region.

The maternity ward, which is expected to be completed in eight months, will enhance maternal health care in the district.

Pregnancy related cases will no longer be overwhelming for the centre since the grant was also providing essential equipment needed for the usage by health staff.

It will also provide a conducive environment for both staff and patients, thereby improving ante-natal and neo-natal care in the district.

The Bunkpurugu Health Centre, the only health centre in the district, is unable to meet the diverse needs of its inhabitants as it is challenged by inadequate equipment and low bed capacity.

The centre is challenged by inadequate equipment and low bed capacity.In emergency cases, patients have to travel about 60 kilometres from Bunkpurugu to seek health care in the nearest district.

This gave situation could result in severe complications for women in labour and other patients who require immediate attention.

It is to help address some of these challenges, especially in the provision of maternal healthcare, that the Japanese government decided to support the NGO with the grant to build a maternity ward.

Speaking at a grant signing ceremony in Accra, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Naoto Nikai, said the grant was sourced from the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGHSP) of the embassy.

 The scheme so far has funded a total of 246 projects of which 57 were for the health sector alone.
He said, the construction of the maternal health centre was in line with the embassy’s effort in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 and 5 which were concerned with maternal and child care.

Additionally, the project fits with the District’s Assembly and Health Directorate’s projection of upgrading the health centre into a district hospital to serve a wider scope of patients.

“Indeed, I am confident that the completion of the maternity ward by the association will provide the desired health service deserving of inhabitants of the Bunkpurugu Yunyoo district,” Mr Nikai said.

Also, as partners in development, the embassy was committed to promoting the development of the nation through improved healthcare delivery.

He, however, urged the association to effectively utilise the grant for the benefit of the district.

Receiving the grant, the Executive Secretary of the Maata-N-Tudu association, Mr Konlan Jabong, said the district was one of the most deprived districts in the country so far as health delivery was concerned.

He said, the several competing demands on the part of the Government has made it impossible for the district to have its fair share of the national cake.

He recalled that in the first quarter of 2012, the people of Bunkprugu made a several clarion calls to different organisations and agencies which proved futile.

Mr Jabong , pledged that the funds shall be used solely for the project and its approved purposes and would supervise the project effectively to ensure its sustainability for the benefit of several generations to come.