Thursday, August 27, 2009

UCC GOVERNING COUNCIL INAUGURATED (PAGE 11)

THE Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, has inaugurated the Governing Council of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) with a call on the council to ensure that the vision, mission and the management of the university to produce quality teachers for quality education is achieved.
The 13-member council has Mr Justice A.K.B. Ampiah as its Chairman. Other members are the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Nana Sam Brew Butler, Ms Araba Bentsil-Enchill, Dr Mawuli Adjei, Professor D.D Kuupole and Dr E. A. Obodai.
The rest are Reverend Paa Solomon Grant Essilfie, Mr E.A. Abole, Nana Kusi-Appiah, Mr Peter Aboadwe, Mr George Maxwell Essel and Mr Richard Asumah Kyere.
Mr Tettey-Enyo reminded them of their role in the effective management of the university, which was initially established to train the core of teachers required for all levels of educational system, particularly the pre-tertiary levels.
He commended the UCC for expanding its mandate in response to the diverse manpower needs of the economy and for the international frontiers, and cited the establishment of the School of Medicine at the university as an example of its response to the manpower needs of the health sector.
The minister called on the university to mentor colleges of education in order to meet tertiary status, whilst upgrading the staff, improving educational management of the colleges and continuously reviewing the curriculum to meet challenges of tertiary education.
Mr Tettey-Enyo advised the university to ensure that its primary focus was not compromised within the diversification of its programmes.
He pledged the ministry’s continued support for the university to meet its mandate to the education sector and other manpower needs of the economy.
Earlier in her welcoming address, Professor Opoku-Agyemang had commended the Government for the support it continued to give to the university in enhancing its growth.
On behalf of his colleagues, the Chairman of the Council, Mr Justice Ampiah promised to uphold the confidence reposed in them by working assiduously towards the achievement of the vision and mission of the university.
He called for the co-operation and support of all stakeholders to move the university to greater heights.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

GHANA RED CROSS ASSISTS FLOOD VICTIMS IN C. REGION (AUGUST 15)

THE Ghana Red Cross (GRC) has started supplying relief items to 1,500 households in the Central Region who were affected by the recent floods, to assuage their plight.
So far, the GRC has supplied items made up of plastic buckets, rice, blankets, soap and treated mosquito nets to some of the displaced people in the Upper Denkyira Municipality,Abura in the Cape Coast Metropolis and Semew and Ankaful in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) and the Mfantseman Municipalities, respectively.
The Secretary-General of the GRC, Mr Andrew Frimpong, accompanied by the acting Central Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Tony Arkorful, presented the items to 208 affected households at Semew in the KEEA Municipality.   
Mr Frimpong said lack of logistics was affecting the GRC in providing emergency response to disasters in the country.
He stated that the items worth US$150,000, were donated by the Swiss Red Cross.
Mr Frimpong said even though the presentation of the items was belated, it would go a long way to help the victims in the interim while they were in the process of reconstructing their houses.
The Municipal Chief Executive for the KEEA, Reverend Mrs Veronica Essuman-Nelson, later told reporters at Semew where floods from the Surowi River destroyed several houses, that the Municipal Assembly would talk to the people over the possibility of resettlement as a lasting solution to the problem.
The Country Representative of the Swiss Red Cross, Mr Seth Addae Kyerematen advised the people not to build in water courses to prevent future occurrences.
In a related development, the Assin North District Coordinator of NADMO, Mr Patrick Danso has called on the people in the district neither to settle nor farm closer to river banks to avoid perennial floods.

Monday, August 10, 2009

IGP EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT DISCIPLINE (PAGE 20)

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Quaye, has expressed concern about the enforcement and maintenance of discipline among the rank and file of the service.
Mr Quaye said reports reaching his office indicate cases of reckless handling of weapons and the indiscriminate resort to the use of firearms, especially, by subordinate officers tending to suggest that some officers in command positions have woefully neglected their supervisory responsibilities.
Addressing officers and men in Cape Coast last Friday during a day’s visit to the Central Region, Mr Quaye described the state of affairs as unacceptable, and that any act of indiscipline reported to the administration would be swiftly met with appropriate sanctions in the context of the relevant disciplinary code.
He tasked the police commanders to ensure that their policing methods and techniques were human rights-friendly.
Mr. Quaye said the country’s constitutional democracy makes it imperative that they should not engage in activities that were incompatible with the principles of the rule of law and the tenets of democratic policing.
He, therefore, warned that the police administration would not countenance any unprofessional practices on the part of police officers which undermine the respect for human rights protection and which tend to distance the police from the public they serve.
The IGP said it was also unacceptable for any policeman or police woman to abuse the powers that the law conferred on him or her to facilitate the performance of legitimate official duties at the expense of individual citizens.
He said such untoward behaviours could only create mistrust and suspicion between the citizen and the police.
He further reminded them of the need for cooperation between the police and the public for effective policing and that the police should act as public relations officers and ambassadors of image repair.
He asked the police to be vigilant at all times even though the Central Region has a low crime rate and asked them not to dabble in land and chieftaincy disputes which is a challenge to region.
The IGP urged the police to intensify their patrols to curb crimes such as armed robberies and accidents on the highways, and condemned taking the law into their own hands by lynching of suspects and vandalising police stations.
Mr Quaye said the doors of the police were open to the public and that we should see ourselves as partners in the crusade and quest to create a society devoid of unnecessary violence, disorder and lawlessness, adding that everyone was a stakeholder and beneficiary in a society where law and order reigned supreme”.
The Central Regional Commander , Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Patrick Kampara commended the people and the chiefs for their warm attitude towards the police in their duties, but cautioned against instant justice which was becoming common in the region these days.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

FISHERMEN ASSURED OF PREMIX SUPPLY (BACK PAGE)

THE Chairman of the National Premix Committee, Mr Kweku Nicole, has assured fishermen of regular and adequate supply of premix fuel to enable them to reap maximum benefits from this fishing season.
Shortage of premix fuel has been a source of worry to the fishermen along the coastline as a bumper catch is anticipated this fishing season.
With the development, most of them, especially those in the Central Region, have resorted to buying super fuel, which they described as expensive and uneconomical.
For instance, a fisherman who wanted to remain anonymous told the Daily Graphic that whereas he could spend about GH¢170 for a fishing expedition with premix fuel, he now had to buy about GH¢300 before he could undertake an expedition.
Mr Nicole said the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) had enough stock of premix fuel for supply to fishermen and advised them not to panic.
He entreated them not to sell the fuel to unauthorised users such as chainsaw operators, divert or hoard it, since it would not be in their interest.
He asked them to reconstitute their local premix committees to ensure regular supply.
Mr Nicole, who was on a tour of some fishing communities in the Mfantsiman Municipality, also advised premix committees to be transparent and accountable.
He said some premix committees collected fuel from companies, but refused to pay them after sales and shifted to other companies.
Premix committees in 11 communities within the Mfantsiman Municipality were inaugurated during the tour.
The communities are Ekuampuono, Arkra, Immuna, Otuam, Narkwa, Biriwa, Abandze, Anomabo, Kormantse, Nankese and Ankaful.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Mfantsiman, Mr Benjamin Kweku Hayfron, advised members of the committees to show commitment and use profits from the sale of the fuel for community development projects.
He announced that the district had decided to deal with Star Oil company for its supplies.