The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has embarked on a nation-wide capacity-building exercise on planning guidelines for all the 170 metropolitan/municipal and district assemblies.
The programme is to enable the assemblies to translate national policies into implementable activities that can reduce poverty in the various districts.
It is also aimed at sensitising the assemblies to national planning strategies.
The first training workshop has taken place in the Central Region. It attracted four participants each from the 17 districts in the region, made up of MMDCs, district co-ordinating directors, planning officers and district budget analysts.
The two-day workshop, which was funded by the NDPC, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund was also attended by representatives from the regional coordinating directors, regional economic planning officers and their assistants.
The Central Regional Planning Officer, Mr Frank Obeng-Dapaah, in his opening remarks, emphasised the importance of the workshop and asked the MMDCEs and staff of the assemblies to involve all stakeholders in the planning process.
Mr Kobina Okyere, a Deputy Director of the NDPC and a resource person, said the Government was pursuing the Vision 2020 Development Agenda, the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategies (GPRS) one and two, all aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He said those programmes targeted poverty reduction, job and wealth creation to enable the country attain middle-income status.
Mr Okyere said the medium-term national development policy framework which would replace the GPRS two would address the economic imbalances, restabilise the economy and place it on a path of sustained growth and poverty reduction.
The Cape Coast Metropolitan Planning Officer, Mr Justice Amoah, said since planning was a collective responsibility of all those who worked with the assemblies, it behoved them to make the necessary inputs for effective planning.
Mr Amoah called on chief executives to support planning officers with the necessary resources to enable them to discharge their duties efficiently.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Effutu, Nii Ephraim, said the workshop had made them understand the challenges facing planning officers and budget analysts and expressed the hope that the assemblies would assist them with the needed logistics to enable them work efficiently.
Friday, November 27, 2009
CONTENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION CRUMBLING (PAGE 17, NOV 27)
THE Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, has stated that in spite of the expense and expansion in infrastructure by policy makers, secondary education seems to be crumbling in content.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said until Ghanaians of all political persuasions regarded secondary education as vital to nation building, questions of the quality of secondary education would continue to haunt the nation.
These were contained in an address read on his behalf by Mr Emmanuel Owusu Ansah-Asare, Deputy Director, Teacher Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES) at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Assin Nsuta Senior High School at Assin Nsuta in the Assin South District in the Central Region.
Mr Tettey- Enyo said that was why the Government was encouraging private-sector development, and was also partnering religious bodies, communities and other private educationists in establishing schools, colleges and universities in a bid to ensure total enrolment of children in both basic and secondary schools to progress to tertiary levels.
He said it was also in line with this that the community of Assin Nsuta and its surrounding neighbours co-ordinated their efforts to establish the Assin Nsuta Senior High School under the patronage of the then PNDC Secretary, the late Richard Kojo Ampomah, and others, and nurtured it into a fully-fledged school.
He asked them to use the occasion to reflect on the idea and the circumstance that prompted them to come out with the laudable idea of establishing the school and identify its shortcomings and provide solutions.
The minister also urged all stakeholders to support the Government in the struggle to liberate “our minds of ignorance and poverty”.
In his report, the Headmaster of the school, Reverend Franklin K. Boadu, said the school, which started as a community day school in 1984 with its core mission as an agricultural school, with seven students and three masters, now had a population of 800.
Since its inception, Rev. Boadu said not much had changed as the school continued “to languish in the borrowed walls of its birth”.
He, therefore, appealed to the Government to assist in providing accommodation at the new site to ease the plight of both staff and students.
He commended the founding fathers, namely Nana Brefuor Apenten II (Chief of Assin Nsuta), Mr Vincent Pinkrah, the late Mr Philip Afrane Gaisie, Mr D. N. Enin and Professor Dominic K. Fobih for their invaluable contribution to the school.
The Chief of Nsuta, Nana (Dr) Ohemeng Awere V, expressed his appreciation for the achievements of the school, despite its challenges, and promised to explore more avenues to assist in providing the necessary infrastructure to enhance teaching and learning.
Mr Augustine Abankwa, who chaired the function, commended all those whose contributions had brought the school to its current level.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said until Ghanaians of all political persuasions regarded secondary education as vital to nation building, questions of the quality of secondary education would continue to haunt the nation.
These were contained in an address read on his behalf by Mr Emmanuel Owusu Ansah-Asare, Deputy Director, Teacher Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES) at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Assin Nsuta Senior High School at Assin Nsuta in the Assin South District in the Central Region.
Mr Tettey- Enyo said that was why the Government was encouraging private-sector development, and was also partnering religious bodies, communities and other private educationists in establishing schools, colleges and universities in a bid to ensure total enrolment of children in both basic and secondary schools to progress to tertiary levels.
He said it was also in line with this that the community of Assin Nsuta and its surrounding neighbours co-ordinated their efforts to establish the Assin Nsuta Senior High School under the patronage of the then PNDC Secretary, the late Richard Kojo Ampomah, and others, and nurtured it into a fully-fledged school.
He asked them to use the occasion to reflect on the idea and the circumstance that prompted them to come out with the laudable idea of establishing the school and identify its shortcomings and provide solutions.
The minister also urged all stakeholders to support the Government in the struggle to liberate “our minds of ignorance and poverty”.
In his report, the Headmaster of the school, Reverend Franklin K. Boadu, said the school, which started as a community day school in 1984 with its core mission as an agricultural school, with seven students and three masters, now had a population of 800.
Since its inception, Rev. Boadu said not much had changed as the school continued “to languish in the borrowed walls of its birth”.
He, therefore, appealed to the Government to assist in providing accommodation at the new site to ease the plight of both staff and students.
He commended the founding fathers, namely Nana Brefuor Apenten II (Chief of Assin Nsuta), Mr Vincent Pinkrah, the late Mr Philip Afrane Gaisie, Mr D. N. Enin and Professor Dominic K. Fobih for their invaluable contribution to the school.
The Chief of Nsuta, Nana (Dr) Ohemeng Awere V, expressed his appreciation for the achievements of the school, despite its challenges, and promised to explore more avenues to assist in providing the necessary infrastructure to enhance teaching and learning.
Mr Augustine Abankwa, who chaired the function, commended all those whose contributions had brought the school to its current level.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN CR CONTRADICT POVERTY LEVEL (PAGE 40, NOV 26)
THE immense investment opportunities in the Central Region contradict its poverty level.
Apart from its comparative advantage in tourism, the agricultural front offers major crops such as oil palm, citrus, pineapple, cassava and fish.
Other potential includes Information Communication Technology, real estate development, salt mining, quarrying, gold mining and education.
The region’s strategic location — proximity to Accra-Tema, Takoradi and Kumasi has made it accessible to the nation’s only two international seaports, the only international airport and the hinterland.
Opening a day’s investment forum in Cape Coast, the Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, said with those potential and many others, it was only logical that the region maximised the benefits of the potential.
The forum, organised by the Central Region Development Commission (CEDECOM), was aimed at providing a platform for a dialogue among public and private sector operators to promote trade and investment in the region.
Dubbed, “Making Central Region the preferred investment destination — prospects and challenges,” the forum was to identify and determine interventions that would stimulate investments in the key sectors of the region’s economy.
It is also aimed at exposing investors and entrepreneurs to various financing options and other support programmes, as well as bringing to the knowledge of investors and entrepreneurs the various incentive packages and investment guarantees made available by the government to prospective investors.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe, however, stated that the potential had been hampered by challenges such as multiple sale of lands, high cost of utilities, inadequate infrastructure, inadequate human resources, weak market access, high cost of financing and chieftaincy disputes.
She said those challenges were being attended to through a number of interventions, and gave the assurance that the Regional Co-ordinating Council would give the necessary support to enable CEDECOM to play its expected role in the development of the region.
In his welcoming remarks, the acting Executive Director of CEDECOM, Mr Spencer Taylor expressed the hope that the forum would address the challenges to create more jobs, enhanced incomes and the overall improvement in the standard of living of the people in the region.
Apart from its comparative advantage in tourism, the agricultural front offers major crops such as oil palm, citrus, pineapple, cassava and fish.
Other potential includes Information Communication Technology, real estate development, salt mining, quarrying, gold mining and education.
The region’s strategic location — proximity to Accra-Tema, Takoradi and Kumasi has made it accessible to the nation’s only two international seaports, the only international airport and the hinterland.
Opening a day’s investment forum in Cape Coast, the Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, said with those potential and many others, it was only logical that the region maximised the benefits of the potential.
The forum, organised by the Central Region Development Commission (CEDECOM), was aimed at providing a platform for a dialogue among public and private sector operators to promote trade and investment in the region.
Dubbed, “Making Central Region the preferred investment destination — prospects and challenges,” the forum was to identify and determine interventions that would stimulate investments in the key sectors of the region’s economy.
It is also aimed at exposing investors and entrepreneurs to various financing options and other support programmes, as well as bringing to the knowledge of investors and entrepreneurs the various incentive packages and investment guarantees made available by the government to prospective investors.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe, however, stated that the potential had been hampered by challenges such as multiple sale of lands, high cost of utilities, inadequate infrastructure, inadequate human resources, weak market access, high cost of financing and chieftaincy disputes.
She said those challenges were being attended to through a number of interventions, and gave the assurance that the Regional Co-ordinating Council would give the necessary support to enable CEDECOM to play its expected role in the development of the region.
In his welcoming remarks, the acting Executive Director of CEDECOM, Mr Spencer Taylor expressed the hope that the forum would address the challenges to create more jobs, enhanced incomes and the overall improvement in the standard of living of the people in the region.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
AGRIC MINISTRY TAKES STEPS TO BOOST ACQUACULTURE (BACK PAGE, NOV 14)
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is to establish a farming chain development to boost aquaculture to address the shortfall in the production of fish in the country.
It will soon meet all stakeholders within the fish chain as a sequel to the move aimed at adding value to fish production and enhance aquaculture.
The acting Central Regional Director of the Fisheries Commission, Mr George Anti, made this known at the closing of a four-day sensitisation and training workshop in non-traditional farming businesses for farmers and fishermen in the Central Region at the Craft Production Centre at Abrafo-Odumase last Thursday.
The workshop, which was organised by the Central Regional Development Commission (CEDECOM), attracted 135 participants from the 11 districts in the region.
It was on the theme, “Inducing high economic growth in the Central Region through farmer’s capacity development in the non-traditional farming businesses”.
Participants were taken through pond construction and management, fish preservation, fish farm marketing and financing, snail farming, business planning, strategies and record keeping.
Mr Anti said the government had prioritised the promotion of aquaculture to solve the shortfall in fish production in the country.
About 300,000 metric tonnes of fish is imported annually to meet the fish requirement of about 700,000 metric tonnes.
He said the farming chain development project would provide a link among hatcheries, aquaculturalists, processors, users and distributors to enhance and strengthen their associations and make them viable.
Dr Fischen Prempeh of the University of Cape Coast advised snail and fish farmers to set standards to meet international requirements.
He further called on them to change their attitude towards their customers and package their products to make them more attractive.
He also called for collaboration between MoFA and the universities for information and technology, since the universities were engaged in research and had the relevant data on most of the challenges that confronted farmers.
Mr Atta Boakye, who gave an overview of the workshop, called on the participants to form associations and networking to facilitate their activities and boost their growth.
Mr E.N. Erskine, on behalf of the participants, urged the government to give non-traditional farming businesses the needed support to enable them to contribute their quota towards the economic growth of the country.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Mr Spencer Taylor, the acting Executive Director of CEDECOM, had said his outfit would continue to offer the needed technological know-how to those engaged in non-traditional businesses to enable them to create wealth and reduce poverty in the region.
It will soon meet all stakeholders within the fish chain as a sequel to the move aimed at adding value to fish production and enhance aquaculture.
The acting Central Regional Director of the Fisheries Commission, Mr George Anti, made this known at the closing of a four-day sensitisation and training workshop in non-traditional farming businesses for farmers and fishermen in the Central Region at the Craft Production Centre at Abrafo-Odumase last Thursday.
The workshop, which was organised by the Central Regional Development Commission (CEDECOM), attracted 135 participants from the 11 districts in the region.
It was on the theme, “Inducing high economic growth in the Central Region through farmer’s capacity development in the non-traditional farming businesses”.
Participants were taken through pond construction and management, fish preservation, fish farm marketing and financing, snail farming, business planning, strategies and record keeping.
Mr Anti said the government had prioritised the promotion of aquaculture to solve the shortfall in fish production in the country.
About 300,000 metric tonnes of fish is imported annually to meet the fish requirement of about 700,000 metric tonnes.
He said the farming chain development project would provide a link among hatcheries, aquaculturalists, processors, users and distributors to enhance and strengthen their associations and make them viable.
Dr Fischen Prempeh of the University of Cape Coast advised snail and fish farmers to set standards to meet international requirements.
He further called on them to change their attitude towards their customers and package their products to make them more attractive.
He also called for collaboration between MoFA and the universities for information and technology, since the universities were engaged in research and had the relevant data on most of the challenges that confronted farmers.
Mr Atta Boakye, who gave an overview of the workshop, called on the participants to form associations and networking to facilitate their activities and boost their growth.
Mr E.N. Erskine, on behalf of the participants, urged the government to give non-traditional farming businesses the needed support to enable them to contribute their quota towards the economic growth of the country.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Mr Spencer Taylor, the acting Executive Director of CEDECOM, had said his outfit would continue to offer the needed technological know-how to those engaged in non-traditional businesses to enable them to create wealth and reduce poverty in the region.
Friday, November 13, 2009
BOAARDS OF DIRECTORS OF CEDECOM INAUGURATED (PAG 21, NOV 13)
THE Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh, has inaugurated a 15-member Board of Directors for the Central Regional Development Commission (CEDECOM) with a call on members to tap the abundant advantages of the region for its development.
Ms Tetteh said the region had the potential to use its rich cultural heritage to boost tourism so as to create jobs and wealth to reduce the poverty level it found itself in.
Addressing members of the board, she said the fort and castles which had been declared as international heritage sites, offered one of the best advantages to be tapped.
She said as a cradle of education, it also had the potential for human resource training to take advantage of private schools which were springing up, adding that with the oil find in the neighbouring Western Region, it could equip people with skills for the industry.
The minister said CEDECOM, as a catalyst for development, should have the leverage to spearhead the drive to galvanise the needed resources and attract investment to the region.
She stressed the need for foresight and industry on the part of the members, and expressed the hope that they would live up to the task.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, said the Regional Co-ordinating Council had the mandate to provide technical support for the region’s development.
She, however, expressed regret that even though the region was the citadel of education, it had not reflected in the level of development and poverty reduction.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe urged the members to use the occasion as a springboard for reinvigorating the mission and vision of CEDECOM for the region’s accelerated development.
A member of the board, Nana Sam Brew Butler, on behalf of the members, promised to accept the challenge to ensure that the faith reposed in them was accomplished.
The 15-member board has Mrs Benyiwa-Doe as its chairman, with the other members as Mr Spencer Taylor, the acting Executive Director of CEDECOM, Mr Frank Obeng Dapaah, the Regional Planning Officer, Mr Sintim Barimah, of the Ministry of Trade, Mr Ato Forson, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, Dr J.V. Mensah of the University Cape Coast and Madam Veronica Essuman Nelson, the Municipal Chief Executive for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem.
The rest are Nana Kwamina Ansah IV, the Omanhen of the Eguafo Traditional Area, Mr Gustav Addington, Legal Practitioner, Mr Joe Appeah, Private Consultant, Dr Joseph Teye Nuertey, Clergy, Nana Sam Brew Butler, an Opinion Leader, Dr Mrs Entsua Mensah and Mr Abraham Fokuo, both opinion leaders, and Mr Kwame Oppong, a Co-ordinating Director.
Ms Tetteh said the region had the potential to use its rich cultural heritage to boost tourism so as to create jobs and wealth to reduce the poverty level it found itself in.
Addressing members of the board, she said the fort and castles which had been declared as international heritage sites, offered one of the best advantages to be tapped.
She said as a cradle of education, it also had the potential for human resource training to take advantage of private schools which were springing up, adding that with the oil find in the neighbouring Western Region, it could equip people with skills for the industry.
The minister said CEDECOM, as a catalyst for development, should have the leverage to spearhead the drive to galvanise the needed resources and attract investment to the region.
She stressed the need for foresight and industry on the part of the members, and expressed the hope that they would live up to the task.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, said the Regional Co-ordinating Council had the mandate to provide technical support for the region’s development.
She, however, expressed regret that even though the region was the citadel of education, it had not reflected in the level of development and poverty reduction.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe urged the members to use the occasion as a springboard for reinvigorating the mission and vision of CEDECOM for the region’s accelerated development.
A member of the board, Nana Sam Brew Butler, on behalf of the members, promised to accept the challenge to ensure that the faith reposed in them was accomplished.
The 15-member board has Mrs Benyiwa-Doe as its chairman, with the other members as Mr Spencer Taylor, the acting Executive Director of CEDECOM, Mr Frank Obeng Dapaah, the Regional Planning Officer, Mr Sintim Barimah, of the Ministry of Trade, Mr Ato Forson, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam, Dr J.V. Mensah of the University Cape Coast and Madam Veronica Essuman Nelson, the Municipal Chief Executive for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem.
The rest are Nana Kwamina Ansah IV, the Omanhen of the Eguafo Traditional Area, Mr Gustav Addington, Legal Practitioner, Mr Joe Appeah, Private Consultant, Dr Joseph Teye Nuertey, Clergy, Nana Sam Brew Butler, an Opinion Leader, Dr Mrs Entsua Mensah and Mr Abraham Fokuo, both opinion leaders, and Mr Kwame Oppong, a Co-ordinating Director.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
ASSEMBLY DONATES BRAILLE TO BLIND STUDENT (PAGE 40, NOV 12)
THE Assin South District Assembly has donated a Braille valued at GH¢840 to Mr Albert Nartey, a visually impaired student at the Akropong School for the Blind.
Making the presentation at Nsuaem, the District Chief Executive, Ms Sabina Appiah-Kubi, said the donation was in response to Mr Nartey’s appeal for support towards his education.
She said the assembly also took into consideration Mr Nartey’s quest for education, despite his predicament.
Ms Appiah-Kubi expressed the hope that the Braille would assist him to achieve his desire.
Mr Nartey thanked the assembly for coming to his aid and said he would use it to enhance his education.
Making the presentation at Nsuaem, the District Chief Executive, Ms Sabina Appiah-Kubi, said the donation was in response to Mr Nartey’s appeal for support towards his education.
She said the assembly also took into consideration Mr Nartey’s quest for education, despite his predicament.
Ms Appiah-Kubi expressed the hope that the Braille would assist him to achieve his desire.
Mr Nartey thanked the assembly for coming to his aid and said he would use it to enhance his education.
ILO ORGANISES FORUM FOR TAILORS AND DRESSMAKERS (PAGE 40, NOV 12)
THE International Labour Organisation (ILO) has organised a day’s forum for stakeholders from the districts in the Central Region engaged in the Ghana Decent Work Project to prepare them for the use of local tailors and dressmakers in the provision of free school uniforms to children in basic schools in the country.
At a forum at Agona Swedru, International Project Consultant on Local Economic Development (LED) of the Ghana Decent Work Project, Dr Nii Moi Thompson, said the government’s decision to provide free uniforms presented an opportunity for micro, small and medium enterprises in the garment and textile industry in the participating project districts to expand their work and improve their competitiveness.
Dr Thompson said the workshop selected the ILO project-participating districts to enable them to develop their local enterprises to increase productivity and create employment as well as increase income.
He said the workshop was to create awareness for the tailors and dressmakers to take advantage of the programme, adding that the technical preparation would be followed later.
According to Dr Thompson, should they perform well, they might be given the chance in the provision of uniforms for institutions such as nurses, the police and military since those uniforms were procured outside the country.
The participants were of the view that the award of contracts under the uniform policy should be transparent and devoid of partisanship.
The National Project Officer for Local Economic Development (LED), Mr Emmauel Baisie, advised members of the Ghana National Traders Association to formalise their businesses to enable them to benefit from the programme.
In a related development, the District Chief Executive for Gomoa West, Mr Theophilus Adioo-Mensah inaugurated the sub-committee on Product and Gainful Employment, an International Labour Organisation (ILO) programme under the Decent Work-Ghana Project at Apam in the Central Region.
In an address, Mr Adioo-Mensah said the committee would play a vital role in poverty reduction in the district. He said as a public and private interface at the local level, it would serve as an institution for social and economic dialogue.
The DCE said the fundamental role of the committee was to identify local economic potential and formulate strategies for realisation of the potential for inclusion in the development plans and mobilise both local and other resources in support of the plan.
He said the government had the desire to create decent employment for the teeming unemployed youth because job creation was one of the pillars that held the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto.
Mr Aidoo-Mensah, therefore, expressed the hope that the partnership with the ILO would be able to create gainful employment.
He charged the committee members to be innovative in their quest to facilitate employment creation.
An International Project Expert with the ILO, Mr Nii Moi Thompson, said the sub-committee in Gomoa West was the eighth to be inaugurated in the region, and promised to train the members on how to assess funds to support small scale businesses in the district.
The 15-member committee is being chaired by Mr Ekow Eyanful, who also promised on behalf of the other committee members to work hard to justify the confidence reposed in them.
At a forum at Agona Swedru, International Project Consultant on Local Economic Development (LED) of the Ghana Decent Work Project, Dr Nii Moi Thompson, said the government’s decision to provide free uniforms presented an opportunity for micro, small and medium enterprises in the garment and textile industry in the participating project districts to expand their work and improve their competitiveness.
Dr Thompson said the workshop selected the ILO project-participating districts to enable them to develop their local enterprises to increase productivity and create employment as well as increase income.
He said the workshop was to create awareness for the tailors and dressmakers to take advantage of the programme, adding that the technical preparation would be followed later.
According to Dr Thompson, should they perform well, they might be given the chance in the provision of uniforms for institutions such as nurses, the police and military since those uniforms were procured outside the country.
The participants were of the view that the award of contracts under the uniform policy should be transparent and devoid of partisanship.
The National Project Officer for Local Economic Development (LED), Mr Emmauel Baisie, advised members of the Ghana National Traders Association to formalise their businesses to enable them to benefit from the programme.
In a related development, the District Chief Executive for Gomoa West, Mr Theophilus Adioo-Mensah inaugurated the sub-committee on Product and Gainful Employment, an International Labour Organisation (ILO) programme under the Decent Work-Ghana Project at Apam in the Central Region.
In an address, Mr Adioo-Mensah said the committee would play a vital role in poverty reduction in the district. He said as a public and private interface at the local level, it would serve as an institution for social and economic dialogue.
The DCE said the fundamental role of the committee was to identify local economic potential and formulate strategies for realisation of the potential for inclusion in the development plans and mobilise both local and other resources in support of the plan.
He said the government had the desire to create decent employment for the teeming unemployed youth because job creation was one of the pillars that held the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto.
Mr Aidoo-Mensah, therefore, expressed the hope that the partnership with the ILO would be able to create gainful employment.
He charged the committee members to be innovative in their quest to facilitate employment creation.
An International Project Expert with the ILO, Mr Nii Moi Thompson, said the sub-committee in Gomoa West was the eighth to be inaugurated in the region, and promised to train the members on how to assess funds to support small scale businesses in the district.
The 15-member committee is being chaired by Mr Ekow Eyanful, who also promised on behalf of the other committee members to work hard to justify the confidence reposed in them.
30 HEADMASTERS ATTEND PROFESSIONAL DEV COURSE (PAGE 40, NOV 12)
THIRTY headmasters from basic schools within the Cape Coast metropolis and the Elmina Municipality have benefited from a two-day professional development and leadership training programme under the British Council’s “Connecting Classroom” project.
The “Connecting Classroom” project, run by the British Council in 18 African countries, is aimed at forging sustainable partnership between Ghanaian teachers and their United Kingdom counterparts.
It provides young learners the opportunity to engage one another to provide international communication skills for learners and impart to them knowledge as agents of positive change in society.
The project is being executed by the British Council in conjunction with the Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The Project Co-ordinator, Ms Ivy Apreku, told the Daily Graphic in Cape Coast that the project was also based on the principles of diversity, curiosity, respect, mutuality and dialogue.
She said the programme had run since 2006 in Ghana and about 75 schools had been involved.
Ms Apreku said 16 teachers from the United Kingdom on a study tour joined their counterparts in the programme, dubbed: “Leadership in Learning and Community Cohesion”.
The Director of the IEPA of the UCC, Dr George K.T. Oduro, said research by the IEPA indicated that most headmasters at the basic school level did not know how to promote learning.
He said the IEPA entered into collaboration with the University of Cambridge to design a project to strengthen the capacity of headmasters in learning and leadership skills.
Dr Oduro said the Ghana Education Service (GES) mandated the IEPA to prepare headmasters in basic schools in learning and leadership skills.
That, he said, was to provide means of making schools benefit from the programme.
He said by institutionalising the programme, the IEPA had provided a monitoring and supervision system for the benefit of people.
Dr Oduro said there were also a number of training programmes by different bodies and non-governmental organisations in building the capacity of school heads but the methodology and focus used were different and often confused teachers.
He, therefore, appealed to the GES to co-ordinate to know which direction the programme should go.
Dr Oduro called on the GES to come up with an agenda that clearly defined the philosophy underlying headmaster preparation in the country and the methodology that it deemed appropriate for achieving such a philosophy.
The “Connecting Classroom” project, run by the British Council in 18 African countries, is aimed at forging sustainable partnership between Ghanaian teachers and their United Kingdom counterparts.
It provides young learners the opportunity to engage one another to provide international communication skills for learners and impart to them knowledge as agents of positive change in society.
The project is being executed by the British Council in conjunction with the Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The Project Co-ordinator, Ms Ivy Apreku, told the Daily Graphic in Cape Coast that the project was also based on the principles of diversity, curiosity, respect, mutuality and dialogue.
She said the programme had run since 2006 in Ghana and about 75 schools had been involved.
Ms Apreku said 16 teachers from the United Kingdom on a study tour joined their counterparts in the programme, dubbed: “Leadership in Learning and Community Cohesion”.
The Director of the IEPA of the UCC, Dr George K.T. Oduro, said research by the IEPA indicated that most headmasters at the basic school level did not know how to promote learning.
He said the IEPA entered into collaboration with the University of Cambridge to design a project to strengthen the capacity of headmasters in learning and leadership skills.
Dr Oduro said the Ghana Education Service (GES) mandated the IEPA to prepare headmasters in basic schools in learning and leadership skills.
That, he said, was to provide means of making schools benefit from the programme.
He said by institutionalising the programme, the IEPA had provided a monitoring and supervision system for the benefit of people.
Dr Oduro said there were also a number of training programmes by different bodies and non-governmental organisations in building the capacity of school heads but the methodology and focus used were different and often confused teachers.
He, therefore, appealed to the GES to co-ordinate to know which direction the programme should go.
Dr Oduro called on the GES to come up with an agenda that clearly defined the philosophy underlying headmaster preparation in the country and the methodology that it deemed appropriate for achieving such a philosophy.
ASIKUMA HOLDS CONFERENCE TO ATTRACT INVESTORS (PAGE 40, NOV 12)
DESPITE being endowed with vast fertile land, which supports the cultivation of varied cash crops such as cocoa, oil palm, maize, cashew, chilly (black pepper), coconut and cassava, the Asikuma Traditional Area lacks the needed investment to accelerate the development of the area.
It is for this reason that the Omanhene of the area, Nana Amoakwa Boudu VIII, has left no stone unturned since his installation to attract investors to the area.
For a start, under his leadership and with the active collaboration of the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District Assembly and the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr P.C. Appiah-Ofori, a stakeholders conference has been organised at Breman Asikuma to find ways of attracting investment to the area to speed up its development.
The Breman Development Conference, which attracted prominent citizens from the area, was on the theme: “Uniting for accelerated development,” and brought together stakeholders within and outside the area, to deliberate on a number of issues affecting the development of the area.
The forum offered the participants an opportunity to provide information leading to a resolution for a five-year strategic plan for the district.
It was aimed at establishing partnership with the district assembly to implement decisions of the forum.
The forum also afforded the participants the chance to market the district’s available investment opportunities.
At the ceremony, Nana Amoakwa Boadu thanked the people for rallying behind to his peaceful installation.
He said he was prepared to lead the people to undertake projects to create jobs and reduce poverty in the area.
Nana Amoakwa Boadu said his other priority would be to improve upon education and the health delivery in the area, and therefore, advised the people to avoid disputes because they retarded development.
He urged the chiefs and land owners to be prepared to release land to investors to undertake investments.
Nana Amoakwa Boadu entreated the people to unite, live in peace and harmony for the progress of their communities.
The MP, Mr Appiah-Ofori, said he welcomed the moves by the Omanhene to mobilise the people and resources for the development of the area.
He said since the government alone could not develop the country, it behoved chiefs to mobilise their people to complement the efforts of the government.
Mr Appiah-Ofori stated that he would support efforts to revive the chilly project he initiated to generate revenue and employment for the people in the area.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Ms Georgina Aboah Nkrumah, pledged the assembly’s support for the Omanhene.
The participants in the forum called for the establishment of business and technical schools, a college of education and a nurses’ training college in the district.
It is for this reason that the Omanhene of the area, Nana Amoakwa Boudu VIII, has left no stone unturned since his installation to attract investors to the area.
For a start, under his leadership and with the active collaboration of the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District Assembly and the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr P.C. Appiah-Ofori, a stakeholders conference has been organised at Breman Asikuma to find ways of attracting investment to the area to speed up its development.
The Breman Development Conference, which attracted prominent citizens from the area, was on the theme: “Uniting for accelerated development,” and brought together stakeholders within and outside the area, to deliberate on a number of issues affecting the development of the area.
The forum offered the participants an opportunity to provide information leading to a resolution for a five-year strategic plan for the district.
It was aimed at establishing partnership with the district assembly to implement decisions of the forum.
The forum also afforded the participants the chance to market the district’s available investment opportunities.
At the ceremony, Nana Amoakwa Boadu thanked the people for rallying behind to his peaceful installation.
He said he was prepared to lead the people to undertake projects to create jobs and reduce poverty in the area.
Nana Amoakwa Boadu said his other priority would be to improve upon education and the health delivery in the area, and therefore, advised the people to avoid disputes because they retarded development.
He urged the chiefs and land owners to be prepared to release land to investors to undertake investments.
Nana Amoakwa Boadu entreated the people to unite, live in peace and harmony for the progress of their communities.
The MP, Mr Appiah-Ofori, said he welcomed the moves by the Omanhene to mobilise the people and resources for the development of the area.
He said since the government alone could not develop the country, it behoved chiefs to mobilise their people to complement the efforts of the government.
Mr Appiah-Ofori stated that he would support efforts to revive the chilly project he initiated to generate revenue and employment for the people in the area.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Ms Georgina Aboah Nkrumah, pledged the assembly’s support for the Omanhene.
The participants in the forum called for the establishment of business and technical schools, a college of education and a nurses’ training college in the district.
AJUMAKO TO SERVE AS UEW CAMPUS (PAGE 21, NOV 12)
THE decision of the government to hand over the Ghana Education Service Development Institute (GESDI) at Ajumako to serve as a campus of the University of Education, Winneba(UEW), is irrevocable.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, who made the declaration, said his ministry would, therefore, speed up the process for the benefit of the UEW, adding that the government had set up a committee that was working on the final process.
That was a personal assurance before he read a speech on behalf of the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, at the 14th congregation of the UEW in Winneba, during which 5,439 graduates were awarded diploma and degree.
President Mills said the government would support the UEW and other universities to expand their distance education programmes to address the problem of limited access to tertiary education.
He commended the universities for using the medium of distance education to expand access to tertiary education.
He, however, expressed the need for them to co-ordinate their activities in that area to achieve maximum results.
The President said considerable efforts were being made to create congenial conditions for effective and efficient education delivery across the country, adding that the government was committed to rectifying all salary distortions to give teachers their due by applying the single spine salary structure.
The Vice-Chancellor of the UEW, Professor Akwasi Asabre-Ameyaw, said currently the student population stood at 33,271, noting that both students and staff lacked the requisite residential and office accommodation, and asked the government for massive financial support to improve facilities to facilitate the training of quality teachers.
He commended the staff, donors and individuals whose support had immensely sustained the university.
The Chairman of the University Council, Dr Emmanuel Kenneth Andoh, also known as Okofo Amoako Bondam III, the Omanhene of the Enyan-Maim Traditional Area, advised the new graduates to lead lives worthy of emulation.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, who made the declaration, said his ministry would, therefore, speed up the process for the benefit of the UEW, adding that the government had set up a committee that was working on the final process.
That was a personal assurance before he read a speech on behalf of the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, at the 14th congregation of the UEW in Winneba, during which 5,439 graduates were awarded diploma and degree.
President Mills said the government would support the UEW and other universities to expand their distance education programmes to address the problem of limited access to tertiary education.
He commended the universities for using the medium of distance education to expand access to tertiary education.
He, however, expressed the need for them to co-ordinate their activities in that area to achieve maximum results.
The President said considerable efforts were being made to create congenial conditions for effective and efficient education delivery across the country, adding that the government was committed to rectifying all salary distortions to give teachers their due by applying the single spine salary structure.
The Vice-Chancellor of the UEW, Professor Akwasi Asabre-Ameyaw, said currently the student population stood at 33,271, noting that both students and staff lacked the requisite residential and office accommodation, and asked the government for massive financial support to improve facilities to facilitate the training of quality teachers.
He commended the staff, donors and individuals whose support had immensely sustained the university.
The Chairman of the University Council, Dr Emmanuel Kenneth Andoh, also known as Okofo Amoako Bondam III, the Omanhene of the Enyan-Maim Traditional Area, advised the new graduates to lead lives worthy of emulation.
Monday, November 2, 2009
I'LL HELP BRING PEACE, JUSTICE TO MANKIND — CARDINAL TURKSON (SPREAD, NOV 2)
Archbishop Peter Cardinal Kodwo Appiah Turkson says even though his new appointment as the President of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace is a daunting task, he would live up to the challenge to bring peace, unity and justice to mankind.
Speaking to the faithful at the Saint Francis de Sales Cathedral last Friday after his return from the Vatican, where he received the award, Cardinal Turkson said he accepted his elevation with humility, and expressed the hope that with God’s guidance and the support of the church and Ghanaians, he would live up to the task.
Cardinal Turkson told the congregation, which included the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana Leon Kalenga, Archbishop Emeritus of Kumasi, His Grace, Akwasi Sarpong, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Gabriel Charles Palmer Buckle, Bishop Daniel Cannon Allotey, the Anglican Bishop of the Cape Coast and the Bishops of Obuasi, Goaso and Techiman, that his appointment underscored his deep quest for peace and justice for mankind.
Cardinal Turkson serves as the Chairman of the National Peace Council in Ghana and as a member of the Eminent Persons Mediating for peace in the Dagbon crisis.
He said he had foreknowledge of his appointment and was not surprised when it was made at the Vatican Summit in Rome before he made a presentation at the conference.
He said what dawned on him most about the challenge were the approaches made by the Archbishops of Congo, Rwanda and Somalia to him to assist them in solving their crises soon after his appointment was announced.
Fraternal messages were read by the Catholic Bishops Conference and the Archdiocesan Priests Association.
Earlier, Cardinal Turkson had arrived to a rousing welcome by faithful at the Holy Child Senior High School Junction, near Ekon, from where he was driven in an open-top vehicle through the Savoy Street to the London Bridge road to the Emintsimadze Palace of the Oguaamanhen.
The Oguaamanhen, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, who poured powder into the palm of Cardinal Turkson, also presented him with a palm branch to signify his triumph return to Cape Coast with another feather in his cap.
Osabarima Kwesi Atta commended Cardinal Turkson for his humility, which, he said, had brought honour and glory to Cape Coast, the Central Region, Ghana and Africa.
He said the Oguaa Traditional Council would support him in all his endeavours to achieve higher and greater laurels in the hierarchy of the Church.
Cardinal Turkson said even though he would be out of the country, he would continue to keep in touch with his people for their mutual benefit.
Bishop Allotey later told the press that he would not be surprised to see the first black Pope in the person of Cardinal Turkson.
Speaking to the faithful at the Saint Francis de Sales Cathedral last Friday after his return from the Vatican, where he received the award, Cardinal Turkson said he accepted his elevation with humility, and expressed the hope that with God’s guidance and the support of the church and Ghanaians, he would live up to the task.
Cardinal Turkson told the congregation, which included the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana Leon Kalenga, Archbishop Emeritus of Kumasi, His Grace, Akwasi Sarpong, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Gabriel Charles Palmer Buckle, Bishop Daniel Cannon Allotey, the Anglican Bishop of the Cape Coast and the Bishops of Obuasi, Goaso and Techiman, that his appointment underscored his deep quest for peace and justice for mankind.
Cardinal Turkson serves as the Chairman of the National Peace Council in Ghana and as a member of the Eminent Persons Mediating for peace in the Dagbon crisis.
He said he had foreknowledge of his appointment and was not surprised when it was made at the Vatican Summit in Rome before he made a presentation at the conference.
He said what dawned on him most about the challenge were the approaches made by the Archbishops of Congo, Rwanda and Somalia to him to assist them in solving their crises soon after his appointment was announced.
Fraternal messages were read by the Catholic Bishops Conference and the Archdiocesan Priests Association.
Earlier, Cardinal Turkson had arrived to a rousing welcome by faithful at the Holy Child Senior High School Junction, near Ekon, from where he was driven in an open-top vehicle through the Savoy Street to the London Bridge road to the Emintsimadze Palace of the Oguaamanhen.
The Oguaamanhen, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, who poured powder into the palm of Cardinal Turkson, also presented him with a palm branch to signify his triumph return to Cape Coast with another feather in his cap.
Osabarima Kwesi Atta commended Cardinal Turkson for his humility, which, he said, had brought honour and glory to Cape Coast, the Central Region, Ghana and Africa.
He said the Oguaa Traditional Council would support him in all his endeavours to achieve higher and greater laurels in the hierarchy of the Church.
Cardinal Turkson said even though he would be out of the country, he would continue to keep in touch with his people for their mutual benefit.
Bishop Allotey later told the press that he would not be surprised to see the first black Pope in the person of Cardinal Turkson.
BOARDS OF FIVE HEALTH INSTITUTIONS INAUGURATED (PAGE 15, NOV 2)
THE Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, has inaugurated advisory boards for five health training institutions in the region, admonishing them to help address challenges facing the institutions.
Each of the five training schools has a seven-member board with representatives from the regional co-ordinating council, regional health directorate, traditional councils, communities, Ministry of Education, religious bodies and the training institutions themselves.
The five health training institutions in the region are the Nurses and Midwives Training College in Cape Coast, the Nurses Training College at Ankaful, the Community Health Nurses Training College in Winneba and the Health Assistants (Clinical) Training schools at Twifo Praso and Dunkwa-on-Offin.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe advised the board members to be proactive and dedicated to their work and help the institutions to meet internationally accepted standards.
She reminded them of such challenges as poor staffing, inadequate learning and teaching materials, lack of classrooms and hostels for students and accommodation for staff, tasking them to come up with constructive ideas for improving conditions in the institutions.
The regional minister said the government was quite aware of the challenges enumerated above and was making efforts to address them.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe, however, implored the board members to be charitable and realistic in their demands and requests in the face of the limited resources at the disposal of the Government.
The acting Central Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Samuel T. Kwashie, said all misfits who sneaked into the noble profession would be smoked out.
He said two students who were caught with Indian hemp were handed over to the security agencies for investigations, whilst a third one practically dismissed himself when rolls of Indian hemp were found on him whilst on admission at the psychiatric hospital.
He said a case of stealing was also being investigated, adding that two final year students who gained admission with fake certificates had also been handed over to the police about two weeks ago, when the school authorities were alerted by the West African Examinations Council, after verifying their results.
He said the Central Regional Health Directorate had empowered the principals of the training institutions and continued to offer them strong support to ensure discipline in order to continue to produce disciplined, high performing and committed nurses.
A representative of the boards, Nana K. Owusu-Boampong, Deputy Regional Health Director (Administration) and member of the board for the Health Assistants (Clinical) Training School, on behalf of the members, promised that they would work with commitment, dedication and diligence to enhance smooth running of the institutions.
Each of the five training schools has a seven-member board with representatives from the regional co-ordinating council, regional health directorate, traditional councils, communities, Ministry of Education, religious bodies and the training institutions themselves.
The five health training institutions in the region are the Nurses and Midwives Training College in Cape Coast, the Nurses Training College at Ankaful, the Community Health Nurses Training College in Winneba and the Health Assistants (Clinical) Training schools at Twifo Praso and Dunkwa-on-Offin.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe advised the board members to be proactive and dedicated to their work and help the institutions to meet internationally accepted standards.
She reminded them of such challenges as poor staffing, inadequate learning and teaching materials, lack of classrooms and hostels for students and accommodation for staff, tasking them to come up with constructive ideas for improving conditions in the institutions.
The regional minister said the government was quite aware of the challenges enumerated above and was making efforts to address them.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe, however, implored the board members to be charitable and realistic in their demands and requests in the face of the limited resources at the disposal of the Government.
The acting Central Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Samuel T. Kwashie, said all misfits who sneaked into the noble profession would be smoked out.
He said two students who were caught with Indian hemp were handed over to the security agencies for investigations, whilst a third one practically dismissed himself when rolls of Indian hemp were found on him whilst on admission at the psychiatric hospital.
He said a case of stealing was also being investigated, adding that two final year students who gained admission with fake certificates had also been handed over to the police about two weeks ago, when the school authorities were alerted by the West African Examinations Council, after verifying their results.
He said the Central Regional Health Directorate had empowered the principals of the training institutions and continued to offer them strong support to ensure discipline in order to continue to produce disciplined, high performing and committed nurses.
A representative of the boards, Nana K. Owusu-Boampong, Deputy Regional Health Director (Administration) and member of the board for the Health Assistants (Clinical) Training School, on behalf of the members, promised that they would work with commitment, dedication and diligence to enhance smooth running of the institutions.
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