ACCRA MAYOR INSPECTS PROJECT SITES IN ACCRA

THE MAYOR INPECTING THE LEGON PUMP SITE

 Work on the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on the Graphic Road expected to be opened to motorists in August, this year, has been delayed due to  problems with relocating cables belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The BRT is a bus-based mass transit system expected to deliver fast, comfortable and cost-effective urban mobility, through the provision of exclusive right-of-way lanes.

“We needed to relocate the ECG cables to a more suitable place in order not to interrupt the construction and the finishing process of the road and this took a while,” the Resident Engineer, Mr Michael Lear, explained.

THE MAYOR SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA

He made this remark when the Accra Mayor, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, together with some staff of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), yesterday inspected work on the BRT and the Legon Treatment Plant and Pump Station in Accra.

The visit was to inspect the work done on the projects and to also know when it would be appropriate to open the sites for public use.

SOME OF THE PROJECTS ALREADY BEING USED

Mr Lear, however, said work on the BRT was 94 per cent complete and was expected to be opened by October, this year.

“The only thing left for us to do now is to erect street lights, complete the drainage systems and pedestrian walkway, fix rails to support the edges of the road and lay the asphalt,” he said.

 Mr Vanderpuije in his remarks urged them to quicken the process of construction and also put in place some management activities to help control the traffic on the road.

At the Legon Treatment Plant, work was 94 per cent complete and was being used to collect sewage from the University of Ghana (UG), Legon.

The Project Director, Mr Oben Nyarko, expressed optimism that the plant would be opened and handed over to the AMA by the end of September this year to serve other communities in the area.

“We are now left with the planting of grasses along the sewage in order to contain the odour and also produce fresh air around the area,” he added.

HOW UNWANTED WASTE ARE TREATED AT THE LRP.

Mr Vanderpuije for his part said he was impressed with the progress of the plant and urged the workers to do well to put the finishing equipment in place so as to implement its full usage in other communities.

PATEINTS APPEAL TO GOVERNMENT TO CALL OF PHARMACIST STRIKE

STORY: ZAINABU ISSAH

THE RIDGE PHARMACY CLOSED TO PATIENTS

The ongoing strike by government hospital pharmacists in the country has brought activities to a halt as patients are left stranded following the closure of dispensaries.

The strike which began last Monday and has lasted for about a week has rendered the delivery of health care services incomplete as patients do not have access to prescribed drugs from the hospitals.

During a visit to the Ridge Hospital in Accra today, Daily Graphic discovered that notices were pasted on the entrance to the pharmacy to inform patients about the ongoing strike.

The notice read, “ Please Note: Due to the ongoing strike by the Government and Hospital Pharmacist, we regret to inform you  that our services  has been suspended until further notice, We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.”

The hospital pharmacy was also locked to prevent access by any means into it.
Some patients told the Daily Graphic that their only access to medications was to visit the nearby pharmacies like the Asylum Down pharmacy in order to buy medications for treatment.

THE LA HOSPITAL PHARMACY CLOSED

“I had to go to the asylum down pharmacy  today in order to get some medications prescribed by the doctor for the treatment of my sick sister who is being admitted here for sever malaria,” Madam Okyere, a sister of a sick patient  at the Ridge Hospital  said.

She said, the current access to medications at the government hospitals was very poor and pleaded on the government to do well in resolving the situation before it gets out of hand.

The government pharmacists abandoned their post last monday for an indefinite nationwide strike over their migration onto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).

According to the executives of the Government and Hospital Pharmacists’ Association (GHOSPA), they were the only medical professionals yet to be moved onto the new salary structure.

A similar scene was observed at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as two patients returned from the hospital’s pharmarcy dissappointed after being told that there were no drugs available as the pharmacists were on strike.

THE KORLE-BU PHARMACY CLOSED.

The door of the pharmacy  was locked with chairs arranged infornt of it  to sho no sign of work. A notice was also boldly pasted on the door  of the pharmacy to inform patients of the ongoing strike.

At the La General Hospital, patients were  seen holding their prescriptions, not knowing where to get drugs from. Some of the patients who had come for treatment sat on the corridors in the hope that something would be done about the situation.

Both the in-patient and out-patient pharmacy were also  locked.

In an interview with Daily Graphic, the Medical Superintendent of the La General Hospital, Dr Patrick Frimpong expressed his dissappointment in seeing patients stranded on the corridors in the hospital.

He said the Hospital had to purchase medications from the open market to make basic drugs available to patients who could not afford private pharmacies.

He however stressed that the hospital had little money and so purchasing drugs from the open market was not a good idea.

SOME OF THE NOTICES PLACED AT THE PHARMACY.

He therefore appealed to pharmacists to reconsider their decision and also urged the necessary authorities to engage pharmacists in a dialogue to agree on how things could be made better.

CONFERENCE ON CHALLENGES OF WOMEN OF FAITH OPENS IN ACCRA.

STORY: ZAINABU ISSAH
THERESIAN International, a contemporary organisation for women in the Catholic Church, has opened its annual conference in Accra.

The conference is designed to offer a holistic education for women who seek to balance complex challenges of contemporary living with their gospel values in order to achieve their set goals.

It is also to provide an opportunity for lay women in the Catholic church and other Christan women to come together as one community in order to experience total growth and enrichment of other women.

The four-day conference is on the theme: “Challenges of Women of Faith in the 21st Century”.

Speaking at the conference, the President of Theresian International, Mrs Ellen Moreaux, said with the advancement in modern technology, some women were tempted to fall for material and worldly things which makes it difficult for them to secure their faith in God.

She said there was the need for women to muster the strength to resist the distraction of the attraction.
“As we live in the midst of this modern culture, the sweet deceit of secular humanism attracts us with an ever-increasing intensity and you need to fight it,” she said.

Mrs Moreaux, however, called on the women to explore new avenues to communicate the gospel values in ways that would demonstrate the relevance of Catholicism to the modern lifestyle.

In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Women and Children Affairs, Madam Juliana Azumah-Mensah, lauded the organisation for reaching out with gospel values to women who are into prostitution, sexually abused and ravaged as instruments of sexual torture.

She said women continued to be marginalised and abused; their fundamental human rights were also frowned upon even though there were laws which frowned on the negative practices.

She, however, urged the delegates to always bring Christian values and principle to whatever they do in their homes, community and society.

The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Reverend Joseph Osei Bonsu, who was the guest speaker for the occasion, advised the women to achieve spirituality at all times no matter the circumstances.

He said even though some women in Ghana were faced with so many problems which were found in their cultural and religious beliefs, there was the need for them to rise above them at all times in order to achieve victory.

He listed some of the problems which included Female Genetal Mutilation (FGM), widowhood rites, trokosi, sexual harassment, domestic violence among others.

“Some of these problems are ongoing and others will take a while to fade away but you need to be strong in the Lord and fight it away at all times”, he encouraged.

Adding his voice, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Most Reverend Leon Kalenga, urged the women to rise above their challenges  so as to thrive despite them.

The opening ceremony was preceded with a mass which was officiated by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle.

Other dignitaries present included the Executive Director of TI, Madam Victoria Schmidt, President of the National Council of Catholic Women, Rev Fr Andrew Campbell, Mrs Afua Amo-Adare and Professor Brigid Sackey, who was the Chairperson for the occasion.

The Theresian Ministry is a contemporary women’s organisation in the Catholic Church and was founded by Monsignor Elwood C. Voss in Pueblo, Colorado in 1961.

Msgr Voss founded Theresians because “there were few organisations, if any, that existed for women themselves.  Women were very accustomed to giving themselves in church and society, but were not often provided with in-depth opportunities for self-enrichment leading to personal growth."  He envisioned an organisation that would provide an opportunity for lay women in the church to come together in the community to experience intellectual and spiritual enrichment.

The group is under the patronage of St Therese of Lisieux.

The Theresian membership of Catholic and Christian lay women and Catholic sisters has now expanded to eight countries namely Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Philippines, Thailand and the United States of America with nearly 2,000 members.

This year’s conference comprised 34 members from Brazil, Philippines, Thailand and the United States participating. The host country, Ghana, has about 150 members participating.

The Theresians pledged their support by prayerfully nurturing, affirming and empowering one another to become the women God wanted them to be by living according to five dimension — Spirituality; Education; Community; Vocation and Ministry to grow in gospel values.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES GALAXY 10.1 IN ACCRA-GHANA

MR RYAN NAH DISPLAYING THE NEW GALAXY TAB

Samsung Electronics in Ghana has launched the latest extension of the Galaxy Note category, Galaxy Note 10.1 to the Ghanaian market.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 is outfitted with the functionality and precision of a pen and paper on a 10.1-inch large display, providing possibilities to elevate a user’s creativity, productivity and learning abilities.

Speaking at the launch in Accra yesterday, the Senior Manager of Marketing Sales at Samsung Electronics in Ghana, Mr Ryan Nah explained that the new Galaxy Note 10.1 featured an intuitive user experience.

He said the device was armed with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM for enhanced performance, and was designed to simplify idea capture, information access, and multi-tasking, making each easier and faster.

“Galaxy Note 10.1 further demonstrates Samsung’s dedication to delivering products that offer a complete mobile experience for creating personalised and expressive content,”

“History has shown that taking notes, capturing ideas immediately, and sketching to realise them is the most personal and natural way to be more productive and creative. The advanced technology and features included in Galaxy Note 10.1 give users the power to produce, create and customise communications,” he explained.

Mr Nah, further said, several other features have been added to Galaxy Note 10.1 including Smart Stay, which tracks the user’s eyes to ensure that the screen is always on while being looked at, and a Pop Up Play, which allows the user to watch a video anywhere on their screen while simultaneously running other tasks.

Additionally, with AllShare Play, users can share content with a large group in real-time by connecting Galaxy Note 10.1 to Samsung HD TVs, mobile tablets, laptops, and other consumer electronic devices on the same network.

“With AllShare Group Cast, users can also share and collaborate on documents, presentations, or images without loading the files separately”, he said.

ROLAND AGAMBIRE WINS MARKETING MAN OF THE YEAR 2011

STORY: ZAINABU ISSAH

THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of rlg Communications, Mr Roland Agambire, has been adjudged the Marketing Man of the Year 2011.

The award, which was conferred on him last Saturday at the 23rd Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) Awards Night held at the Banquet Hall, State House in Accra, was in recognition of his untiring efforts to build a business empire in information and communication technology (ICT).

The CEO of L’aine Services, Mrs Ellen Hagan, was also selected as the Marketing Woman of the Year 2011 in recognition of her efforts to nurture a human resource company with a staff strength of about 3,000 to provide jobs for unemployed graduates. 

The prestigious Marketing Man of the Year and Marketing Woman of the Year awards are conferred on persons who distinguish themselves in the field of marketing.

The awards event seeks among other things, to promote high professional standards in the marketing fraternity and encourage excellence among marketing practitioners.
It also aims to promote awareness of the marketing concept and its importance to the success of businesses.

This year’s event was on the theme: “The Role of Marketing for Sustainable Multiparty Politics” and it highlighted the institute’s ability to promote the sustainability of party politics in the country.

Mr Agambire, who is currently the youngest person to receive the prestigious award, has provided over 5,000 jobs for the youth of the country.
 He received a plaque, a citation, a sketch photo of himself and a certificate.

The Commercial Director of PZ Cussons Ghana, Mr  Kwame A. B. Asante, was also handed the CIMG Marketing Practitioner of the Year Award for successfully  re-branding some of the top products  of the company.

The Commercial Training Manager of Crown Agents Ghana Limited, Mr Victor Nii Tettey Mac-Cathy, received the Marketing Student of the Year Award while  the Executive Director and Founder of  New Horizon Special School, Mrs Salome Francois, received the Special CIMG award  for providing support and care to children with autism in society.

Addressing the gathering, the National President of CIMG, Mrs Shola Safo-Duodu, explained that politics just like marketing was an integrated system in which sets of activities interacted and worked with each other in order to achieve an ultimate goal.

She noted with concern that political parties in recent times had adopted marketing methods and techniques to promote their candidates and sway public opinion.

She said there was the need for politicians to focus on the emerging needs of Ghanaians, develop products and services to meet their needs, inform citizens about the product and also make the products and services easily assessable to the public.

“We have come to a point where we should apply marketing concepts to the strategic process of politicians and their parties selling themselves and ideas to voters,” she said.

Additionally, appealing to people and winning their votes  should be achieved  not by coercion  but by the ability to convince  them about the candidate’s character, his/her leadership potentials, and his/her passion for work for the common good of the country and not for his or her selfish interests.

“As we approach the national elections, we need to conduct our affairs with politicking with the outmost care and with deep respect for each other,” she added.

She, therefore, called on Ghanaians to not only look inward, but focus on the political frontier and offer the necessary help that would guarantee a successful election process.

In his keynote address, the Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, Rev Professor Emmanuel Asante, lauded the institute’s ability to use the expertise of members to promote the sustainability of party politics in the country.

He urged the institute to  make available and push for implementation marketing concepts that were relevant for promoting democracy.

“When we adopt such acceptable professional and transparent means of engagements in our politics, we will be promoting understanding and trust in the process,” he said.
Reverend Asante called on Ghanaians especially the elite class to continue working for peace through engagement and the practice of their vocations.

“Let us make dedicated sacrifices to help in the process of peace building and progressing our democratic institution building,” he added.

Other categories of the awards included the CIMG Hall of Fame Retainers, which was categorised into the Insurance Company of the Year received by the SIC Insurance Company Limited; the Motor Firm of the Year taken by Toyota Ghana Company Limited; and the Retail Outlet of the Year, which went to the Melcom Group of Companies.

The Media Awards Category include the Outdoor Advert of the Year taken by Dalex Finance (Pampering), Print Advert of the Year  awarded to L’aine Services (Bending Over), Television Advert of the Year received by the Ghana Aids Commission Aids Campaign (Azonto), and Radio Advert of the Year won by Devtraco - Master Planned Gated Communal Living.

The rest are the Television Programme of the Year 2011 awarded to Vodafone Health Line, the Radio Programme of the Year  2011 won by Citi FM’s Eye Witness News, and Brand Activation of the Year 2011 received by Lifebuoy Hand wash by Unilever.

The Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC FUND) took the Non for Profit Organisation of the Year 2011 under the Community category.

Under the Business Category, Enterprise Life Insurance Company, Metropolitan Insurance Company, Golden Tulip, Kumasi, and Global Media Alliance took the Insurance Company - Life of Year 2011, Insurance Company - General of the Year 2011, Hospitality Facility of the Year 2011, and Media Organisation of the Year 2011 respectively.

Others are Auto Plaza Limited, Agricultural Development Bank, Busy Internet, Vodafone Ghana, Tobinco Pharmacy, and KLM, which received the Motor Firm of the Year 2011, Bank of the Year 2011, Internet Service Provider of the Year 2011, Telecom Company of the Year 2011, Marketing-Oriented Organisation of the Year 2011 and Airline of the Year 2011 respectively.

The rest are Somovision Ghana Limited, Asadtek Group Limited,  Akate Farms and Yaa Serwa, Kumasi, which were awarded with Retail Outlet of the Year 2011, Manufacturing Company of the Year 2011, Agro-Based Product of the Year 2011 and Indigenous Catering Facility of the Year 2011 respectively.

Rlg phones and Bel-Aqua received the Product of the Year 2011 and Emerging Brand of the Year 2011 respectively under the Product category of the CIMG awards.

BABY DIES IN FIRE OUTBREAK AT PIG FARM IN ACCRA

STORY AND PICTURE: ZAINABU ISSAH

THE ROOM IN WHICH ZAKIYA DIED

A FOURTEEN-MONTH old baby was yesterday burnt to death in a fire outbreak that engulfed a compound house at Pig Farm, an Accra suburb.

The charred body of Zakiya Anaba, had since been deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary.

SOME OF THE ITEMS BURNT IN THE FIRE

A male tenant of the house, who went to the rescue of his daughter from the inferno, sustained severe burns and is currently on admission at the 37 Military Hospital.

The fire, which started around 5 a.m., was suspected to have been caused by a water heater being used by Zakiya’s aunt in the room where the baby was sleeping.

At the time Daily Graphic got to the scene, fire personnel had managed to control the fire from spreading to the other parts of the house, with a number of onlookers watching the debris left.

CLOTHING BURNT TO THE GROUND

 Narrating the incident to the Daily Graphic, the aunt of the deceased, Madam Hajara Mohammed, said she got up at dawn to prepare food when she felt cold and asked her husband to heat some water for her.

She said the husband heeded to her request and subsequently informed her that the water was being heated and that she, Hajara, should check on it when it isready.

ON OF THE BUILDING WALLS IN THE HOUSE BURNT

During this time, the victim’s mother who was also awake to help with the chores laid the deceased in the room to go and offer prayers at the mosque.

Some few minutes later, the entire room caught fire stretching almost immediately to the other rooms in the house burning items worth hundreds of Ghana cedis to the ground.

THE ROOM WHERE LITTLE ZAKIYA DIED

Tenants in the house could not immediately tell whether the baby was with the mother or not until she came back from the mosque to confirm that the baby was left in the room.

SOME ITEMS ARE OF NO USE NOW

Four other rooms in the house got burnt totally beyond repair while some other two rooms had parts of their items burnt.

THE ROOM OF ONE OF THE TENANTS IN THE HOUSE BURNT TO THE GROUND

A tenant in the house, Mr Sampson Antwi, whose room was also burnt, said the fire spread so fast that he could not retrieve any of his items.

“I am now left with nothing but my shorts and slippers. The dress I am wearing now was borrowed from a friend. I have lost everything,” he said sobbing.
He, however, lauded the timely intervention of the Fire Service saying, “If not for the Fire Service, the whole compound house would have been burnt.”

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) Coordinator, Mr Emmanuel Dogbe, who was at the scene said the extent of damage was being assessed in order to bring in relief items to support the victims.

ZONGO FOR MAHAMA LAUNCHED

Story and Picture :Zainabu Issah

A GROUP calling itself Zongo For Mahama (ZFM) has been launched in Nima with the objective to ensure that President John Dramani Mahama secures an overwhelming mandate from the people of Ghana, come December 7, 2012.

The group draws its membership from 338 Zongo communities across the country who share in the vision of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its agenda for the coming years.

SOME OF THE NDC SUPPORTERS AT THE GATHERING

Launching the group, the leading member of ZFM, Mr Yussif Jajah, said the group was formed in response to the clarion call by compatriots across the length and breadth of the country to demonstrate their appreciation to the NDC.

He  recalled that the party over the years  had proven beyond reasonable doubt , through the numerous social interventions in the Zongo Communities, infrastructural developments, improved health care delivery among other things that it was a party for all and not for a few.

He said the group would ensure an effective mobilisation of the rank and file of its members and also educate them on matters relating to the elections.

This, he said, would help market NDC candidates both in the presidential and parliamentary elections. He added that when the Parliamentary candidates do well in the polls, it would naturally catapult the flag bearer to victory.

SOME DIGNITRIES PRESENT AT THE LAUNCH

“Key to our campaign is to tell our story as it is. The story of the NDC is an undisputed fact of history, as far as the welfare of the Zongo and the Muslim community is concerned”, he added.

Mr Jajah further recalled that  it was the NDC, under the leadership of the Former President Rawlings, that amended the Public holiday Act to legislate two public holidays for Muslims in the country.

“We cannot forget the tireless effort that the NDC government has made to smoothen the operations of the annual Hajj program, which at best could be described as a mess during the NPP era,” he explained.

Additionally, the Hajj village which was out up by the NDC government has provided comfort and dignity  to would be pilgrims over the past three years as they wait for their flight.

THE YOUTH AT THE GATHERING

He further lauded the effort of the NDC government to introduce circular education into the Arabic schools in order to provide education to the teeming youth which was earlier not available.

Furthermore, for the first time in the history of the country, the government of the NDC has put in place a guarantee price for shea nuts as is done for cocoa hence expected to improve the livelihood of the women who are into the shea nut business.

ALHAJI SOFO JAJAH.

“These laudable achievements have resonated with our people, lifted thousands of people out of poverty, and we can only say thank you to the NDC government,” he said.

Mr Jajah, however, urged the members of the Zongo communities to be committed to peace and ensure that the community would not be cowed into any diabolical agenda of any cheap and war mongering politician during the upcoming elections.

Present at the launch of the group was the Ghana Ambassador to Egypt, Alhaji Saeed Sinare, the Special Aide to the President, Alhaji Baba Laami, the Member of Parliament of Ayawaso East, Dr Ahmed Mustapha, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Collins Dawuda, the Chairman of ZFM, Alhaji  Sofo Jaja and the Executives of the NDC Zongo Caucus.

He, however, urged all Ghanaians especially those in the Zongo communities to come out in their numbers and vote during the upcoming elections.

“The victory of the NDC would help create jobs for the youth, promote the welfare of Muslims, strengthen the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cope with the high demand of patronage with a view of providing quality health care to the people,” he added.