Monday, March 30, 2009

KEEP US ON OUR TOES (SPREAD)

GHANAIANS have been called upon to draw the government’s attention to deficiencies in the numerous initiatives it has designed to revamp the economy and improve their material conditions.
President John Evans Atta Mills, who made the call, said since members of the government were mortals and had shortcomings, it was proper for the electorate to subject their policies to serious critique and provide concrete alternatives which would bring about dramatic transformation in all sectors of the economy.
Addressing the Oguaaman Traditional Council in Cape Coast as part of his maiden visit to the Central Region after his electoral victory and installation as the Head of State, President Mills said his government was always prepared to consult Ghanaians on the way forward to address the litany of problems confronting the economy.
He said since no political party in the country could lay claim to wisdom and scholarship, it was proper and fitting for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration to sample the opinions of the people and factor them into the formulation of national policies for the benefit of the broad masses of the people.
President Mills pointed out that the management of the economy was an arduous task, which called for broader consultations among the various stakeholders in order to arrive at logical conclusions which would lead to a qualitative improvement in the well-being of the people.
He said he was also aware that the electorate had mounted a constant surveillance on the lifestyles of all appointees of the government from the district to the national.
This act, President Mills said, was in the right direction as it would go a long way to check abuse and excesses among government functionaries and also make them more accountable to the people who entrusted political power to them.
He gave the assurance that his administration would strive at all times to be exemplary in its conduct and character since there was widespread poverty in the country.
“ My tour of the entire country gave me an idea of how poverty had become endemic in some regions for which reason I have decided to make sure that the country’s resources are not squandered but used for the eradication of the menace, which is threatening the lives of millions in the country,” President Mills said.
He said the government had prioritised its programmes of development and would, as a matter of urgency, tackle first the problems bedevilling the poverty-stricken regions in the country.
President Mills explained that the pattern of development in the past had, to a reasonable extent, been concentrated in the southern belt at the expense of the northern regions, making the north lack any meaningful development.
He said it was for that reason that there had been massive influx of people from those areas, especially the youth, to the southern regions, thereby putting pressure on available infrastructure and amenities there.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, said the government was committed to the development of the region’s economic and human potential and would not renege on it.
For his part, the Omanhene of the Oguaa Traditional Council, Osabarima Kwesi Atta, commended President Mills for his leadership qualities and impressed upon him to remember his campaign pledge to provide employment for the people.

PREZ ROUNDS OFF VISIT TO CAPE COAST (SPREAD)

THE President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, has rounded off his three-day visit to Cape Coast by attending a thanksgiving service organised in his honour by the Church of Pentecost, Cape Coast South.
Addressing the congregation, Prof. Mills, who was accompanied by the Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwah-Doe, called on Ghanaians to join hands in giving thanks to God for granting them His mercies for a peaceful, free and fair elections.
He further asked Ghanaians to continue to pray for peace and development, adding that “countries that have developed have relied on the bountiful mercies of God”.
He commended the church for its immense contribution and prayers for peace before, during and after the elections and urged them to continue to pray for the country’s development.
He also asked Ghanaians to cultivate love for one another and the country and do what would attract God’s blessings.
In a sermon, Apostle Dr Opoku Onyinah, Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, thanked God for guiding Ghanaians through five successive and successful elections under the Fourth Republic.
Apostle Onyinah reminded the congregation of the presence of God and asked them to be steadfast and continue to attract God's blessings for the country.
He said success attracted fame, test, pressure, new foes and new friends and, therefore, urged Ghanaians and the country’s leaders to remain focused and unshaken, as well as to rely on the principles that guided them through success for greater achievements.
On the recent rising rate of carnage on the roads, Apostle Onyinah asked drivers to exercise extreme caution and observe road traffic regulations and be disciplined to help reduce them.
The Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Mr S. V. Akyianu, commended the church, Christians, Muslims and all those who prayed for peace and Prof. Mills's victory.

PREZ AT PROJECT SITES (PAGE 3)

PRESIDENT John Evans Atta Mills last Saturday visited a number of government-funded educational projects and facilities in the Cape Coast Municipality.
He gave the assurance that all viable projects initiated by the erstwhile Kufuor administration would be continued by his administration, since they were being financed with the taxpayer’s money.
He said Ghana would have witnessed rapid development, especially in the areas of education, agriculture and industry, if successive governments after the overthrow of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) government had continued with the numerous viable projects initiated by the First President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
President Mills made these remarks after touring ongoing GETFund projects at the Cape Coast Polytechnic and the University of Cape Coast and the 15,000-seater stadium being constructed in the municipality.
He said Ghana had been robbed of massive manpower development, which had affected her strides in industry and manufacturing, as educational institutions, especially tertiary ones, had seen not much improvement after the exit of the CPP government.
President Mills said since he had sentimental attachment to education, which, he said was the key to the development and progress of any society, the government would ensure that funds were made available for the completion of ongoing projects in educational institutions.
He explained that with the increase in populations and changes in the global scientific and technological scene, there was the need for the country to maintain existing facilities and establish new ones to accommodate the emerging realities such as the additions to the country’s population.
He said polytechnic education could provide graduates with value-added skills to fill vacancies in several industries and manufacturing concerns.
The President called on the educational authorities to take good care of the projects to prolong their lifespan for the benefit of future generations.
Addressing students of the polytechnic, President Mills advised them to study seriously to become productive citizens.
He also implored them to do away with all forms of social vices, which could threaten their education, stressing that they must justify the huge investment made in them by their parents.

AGRIC WILL BE KEY ...In govt;s economic policy — Prez Mills (LEAD STORY)

PRESIDENT John Atta Mills has declared that his government will make agriculture the fulcrum of its economic policy.
This is because a beggar nation has no respect in the comity of nations.
He said the country’s ability to feed itself would, therefore, constitute a defining moment in its quest to build a self-reliant economy.
He said the country’s continuous over-dependence on outside support and intervention in the area of food aid created a subservient culture which affected the national psyche and mentality.
Addressing a gathering of the Central Regional House of Chiefs in Cape Coast last Saturday, President Mills said it continued to nag away at him that Ghana, a country endowed with fertile lands and massive waterbodies, could not produce adequate food to feed itself.
He said the first major step that the country should take to wean itself off food handouts from the developed economies was to produce food items in large quantities and at reasonable prices.
He said 50 years down the line, it was unfortunate that “Ghana is still eating in the kitchen of the colonialists,” by receiving food handouts and at the same time spending scarce foreign exchange to import food, which could be cultivated in the country.
President Mills explained that the country spent on an annual basis millions of dollars to import rice and maize, food staples which, he said, could be grown locally.
He further said such huge sums of money used to import rice could be re-channelled into other viable sectors of the economy to create jobs for the teeming masses of the people.
President Mills gave the assurance that the government would support the country’s farmers and fishermen with inputs and credit facilities to encourage them to maximise food production throughout the country.
In addition, he said, his administration would also introduce incentive packages to make agriculture and fishing attractive to the country’s youth, majority of whom had migrated to the urban centres to search for non-existent white collar jobs.
President Mills said by so doing, food would be available to the people all year round and the country would also be in the position to generate surplus for export to other countries in the West African sub-region.
He called on the gathering to exercise restraint, while the government instituted concrete measures, to address the numerous challenges confronting the economy and improve the living standards of the people.
“ I have been in office for almost three months and I reiterate my appeal to the good people of Ghana to have patience, while the government adequately prepares itself to address the problems of the country,” President Mills said.
The President of the Central Region House of Chiefs, Dasebre Kwebu Ewusi VII, commended President Mills for honouring the invitation of the house and enjoined him to work hard to fulfil the campaign promises of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He said members of the house were confounded at the degree of humility which the President continued to show in his interaction with the people, irrespective of their religious, financial or political standing.
The house later on conferred on him the title “ Okunyin”, meaning the “Great and Unyielding One”, in recognition of his humility and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

PREZ MILLS THANKS PEOPLE OF CENTRAL REGION (SPREAD)

President John Evans Atta Mills arrived in Cape-Coast yesterday for a three-day visit to thank the people for their support during the 2008 electioneering.
Prof. Mills was met on arrival at the Moree Junction by the Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, officials of the Regional Co-ordinating Council and party officials including Mr S. V. Akyianu, the Regional Chairman, and supporters clad in National Democratic Congress paraphernalia amid drumming and dancing.
From the Moree Junction Prof. Mills drove through some of the principal streets of Cape-Coast to Siwdo, where he got down to wave to the people and receive cheers from the teeming supporters who lined the streets to welcome him.
He then continued through Kotokuraba to Kingsway and the castle routes to the Oguaa Traditional Council where he interacted with the chiefs.
Prof. Mills reiterated his promise to be president for all Ghanaians.
He called for unity among the people in the region to ensure its development and said his vision as the President was to develop Ghana and prayed for God’s wisdom and humility to accomplish that task.
He said the resources of the country should be used to create opportunities for people to develop and expressed his appreciation to the people for the rousing welcome they gave him on his arrival.
In his welcoming address, the President of the Oguaa Traditional Council and Paramount Chief of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, described the visit as a great occasion for the region to celebrate.
He said this was the first time in the history of the nation that a son of the region had risen to the Presidency.
He called for the upgrading of the ongoing 15,000-seater capacity Cape-Coast Stadium to at least 25,000.
He also called for the construction of a new market to replace the Kotokuraba market.
President Mills is expected to address a durbar of chiefs at the Jubilee Park today and attend a thanksgiving service at the Church of Pentecost at Adisadel tomorrow.

COURT COMPLEX FOR ASSIN FOSU (PAGE 22)

THE Assin Fosu District Magistrate’s Court in collaboration with the Assin North Municipal Assembly, traditional councils in the two Assin districts and some prominent persons are constructing a court complex at Assin Fosu.
The court complex, which will house district magistrate and circuit courts,14 offices, a conference room, a canteen, a clinic, a gymnasium, a library and an information and communication (ICT) technology centre, an office for the police and cells for male and female.
The District Magistrate, Mr Joseph Blay, briefed the Daily Graphic during a tour of the site.
He said response from prominent persons and chiefs to the project, which started in May, 2007, had been encouraging.Currently,work is at the roofing level.
Mr Blay said so far contributions had been received from the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, Mr Kennedy Agyepong, who had donated 1,000 bags of cement, four tonnes of iron rods, GH¢1,000 for the purchase of wood, and also promised to provide roofing sheets.
He said other donations had come from Nana Prah Agyensem, the Paramount Chief of Esienkyiem; Barima Kwame Nkyi II, the Omanhene of Assin Apimanim, Nana Tsibu Asare II, the Omanhene of the Assin Atandanso; the chiefs of Endwa and Akonfode.
Mr Blay stated that the chiefs had also mobilised their people to offer communal labour for the project while the Assin North Municipal Assembly was providing technical support as well as bearing the wages of the workers on the project.
He said he was personally supervising the project with his engineering background.
Mr Blay commended all the people who had in diverse ways contributed towards the project.
He appealed to citizens of the area, both home and abroad, the Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General’s Department and the Chief Justice to assist in the completion of the project.

PASTOR, WIFE ARRESTED FOR DUMPING BABY (PAGE 3)

A 30-YEAR-OLD pastor and his wife have been arrested by the Assin Fosu Police for allegedly dumping their newly born baby boy in the bush.
While Pastor James Osei Kwame of the Gentle Ministry at Assin Fosu is in the custody of the police, his 19-year-old wife and the baby are recuperating at the Assin Fosu St. Francis Xavier Catholic Hospital.
The baby was rescued by a good Samaritan in the neighbourhood, who took him to the hospital where the mother had reported for having a miscarriage.
Medical officers who examined her detected that she had indeed given birth and it was during that time that the good Samaritan reported to the hospital with the abandoned baby.
When medical officers got to know of the case of the abandoned baby boy, they confronted the woman, who broke down upon seeing the baby and confessed having committed the offence.
Narrating the incident to the Daily Graphic, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Akwasi Kankam-Boadu, District Commander of the Assin Fosu Police, said the couple met about a year ago and got married about three months ago.
DSP Kankam-Boadu said Osei told the police during interrogation that even though his wife told him she was pregnant, she was still having her menstrual periods.
He said Osei claimed he first took his wife to a clinic at Assin Fosu and a medical examination on her indicated that she was not pregnant.
He said notwithstanding that, Osei took the lady to a herbalist at Pentoase, near Assin Fosu, for treatment.
DSP Kankam-Boadu indicated that Osei told the police that around 3p.m. on March 23, 2009, his wife complained of labour pains and asked the husband to send her to hospital.
He said just a few metres away from their house, his wife gave birth to the baby boy and wrapped him together with the placenta and the umbilical cord in the plastic bag and dumped it in the bush.
He said since the woman was bleeding profusely, Pastor Osei decided to send her to the hospital for treatment.
The baby and mother have since been on admission at the hospital.
The police said even though they wanted to grant bail to Pastor Osei, no one had shown up to stand surety and that the Head Pastor of the church in Kumasi had been notified.
He said Osei would be put before court, while further investigations continue.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

CAPE COAST HOSPITAL TO BE MADE TEACHING HOSPITAL (PAGE 44)

The Central Regional Hospital in Cape Coast is to be transformed into a teaching hospital in order to meet the needs of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) Medical School.
Consequently, the Medical and Dental Council has assessed facilities at the hospital with a view to giving it accreditation to operate as such.
The Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Mc Damien Dedze made this known during a visit to the hospital by the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey and the Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe.
Dr Dedze said the hospital needed ophthalmologists to man the eye care unit and those specialised units that would be needed to meet the needs of the UCC Medical School.
Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe said President John Evans Atta Mills would see to it that the hospital played a lead role in the health delivery system in the country since he played a key role in its establishment during his tenure as Vice-President.
For his part, Dr Yankey promised to immediately assign two ophthalmologists to the hospital to facilitate work at the unit and also upgrade the health facility into a tertiary institution equipped with the necessary tools.
Dr Yankey said health facilities in the region would be improved to enable the people to receive their fair share of the health delivery system and indicated that the GHS had been engaged in talks with insurance companies to improve the country’s health care system.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

GRAHAM SUPPORTS 4-YEAR SHS (PAGE 11)

THE Headmaster of the Adisadel College (ADISCO), Mr H. K. K. Graham, has added his voice to those supporting the four-year senior high school concept.
Speaking at the 99th speech and prize-giving day of the school, Mr Graham said the four-year senior high school could improve the country’s education system better than the three years being proposed.
Mr Graham said all that the government needed to do was to provide the necessary infrastructure such as classrooms and hostels for the schools to meet the demands of the expanded programme.
He said the four-year system had the potential to help improve the educational system as envisaged under the educational reform.
On performance of the school, Mr Graham said there had been a remarkable improvement in its results due to measures and high sense of discipline on the part of the entire staff and students.
He said a student of the school, Master David Kofi Nyarkoh, who scored grade “A” in eight subjects, was adjudged the second runner-up in the 2008 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
The school, which was established in January 1910, would celebrate its centenary in July next year and the programme for the celebration was expected to be launched during the year.
He expressed regret that the school’s lands were being encroached upon and therefore called on the authorities to construct a fence round it to prevent further encroachment.
The Managing Director of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Mr Yaw Opoku Atuahene, called for a purposeful and deliberate strategic plan for the development of the school.
Mr Atuahene said this called for the prioritisation of the needs of the school and a road map, as well as periodic reviews of the road map to achieve the desired target.
He advised the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to continue to play its role in the development of the school.
The Adontenhene of Ashanti, Nana Adu Gyamfi, also known as Dr Edward Osei Tutu Prempeh, reminded the students of the need for discipline and hard work, which were the hallmark of excellence.

LIBRAY FOR EKUMFI NANABEN CHILDREN (PAGE 11)

CHILDREN from Ekumfi Nanaben and its environs will benefit from a US$60,000.00 library being funded by the African Trust Tokyo, Japan in honour of the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills.
The library, with a seating capacity of 150 and an Information and Communication (ICT) centre capable of seating 40 people, was a donation from the Trust in memory of Professor Mills as an accomplished academician, technocrat and a humble politician.
It was also to honour the Mills’s for the proper nurturing and the good parenting of Professor Mills.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, who cut the sod for construction works to begin on the library at Ekumfi Nanaben, where Professor Mills’s father comes from, commended the African Trust Tokyo, Japan for thinking about children of the area.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe described the project as timely as it would go a long way to help address the decline in education in the area by inculcating the habit of reading in children.
She advised parents to encourage their children to make use of the library to justify the donation.
The regional minister reiterated that some of the teachers who were posted to the region took advantage of the tertiary institutions in the region to improve their own educational standards to the detriment of the children they were supposed to impart knowledge to.
Reverend Eldad Bonney, a lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba said the project was to be executed with communal labour from the people, with Kwame Danso of Winneba as the architect, and that it is expected to be completed within three months.
Reverend Bonney said Nanaben was selected since it was the hometown of the President’s father and expressed the hope that it would serve the community and its surrounding areas in their pursuit of higher learning.
The Chief of Nanaben, Okofo Gyasi IV, commended the African Trust Tokyo, Japan for its immense contribution by donating the library to improve education in the area.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

CR TO BENEFIT FROM 7 EU PROJECTS (PAGE 23)

THE Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) Municipal Assembly in the Central Region is to benefit from seven projects valued at GH¢121,800 which were aimed at poverty reduction under the European Union (EU) sponsored programme.
The programme is a joint effort of the government, the EU, the assembly and the communities within the municipal assembly to promote the development agenda of the rural communities.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, made this known when she inaugurated a GH¢44,470 three-classroom block for the Ayensudo Primary School at Ayensudo, under the EU programme.
The EU contributed GH¢35,576, while the KEEA and the community contributed GH¢8,894.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe commended the EU for its assistance under the programme which provided social infrastructural development, under which a large array of schools, clinics and day care centres were provided in the rural communities.
She said in the area of income generation, many people, especially, women had been assisted in one form or the other to start different projects to help them find life comfortable.
The regional minister cited that various sums of money had been given to the vulnerable in society to undertake projects such as gari processing, bee-keeping, honey processing, vegetable gardening, agro processing and fish farming.
She commended the EU for its efforts to enhance the quality of life of the people under the programme.
The Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the EU, Mr Filiburto Ceriani-Sebregondi, said the EU would continue to partner the government in the execution of projects aimed at poverty reduction in the country.
The Municipal Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Dramani Saaka, who chaired the function, was full of praise to the EU for its contribution towards poverty reduction in the area.
In a related development, the EU has handed over 1,600 copies of a book entitled “Building on the past to create a better future” to the KEEA Municipal Assembly to promote tourism in the area.
The book, sponsored with two million euros from the EU, forms part of the Elmina “2015 Strategy crafted by the EU, in collaboration with the assembly between 2004 and 2006.
Both the former Central Regional Minister, Nana Ato Arthur and the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr George Frank Asmah, thanked the EU for its support for the assembly to promote tourism in the area.
The minister gave the assurance that her administration would support the collaboration between the EU and the assembly to enhance tourism in the area.