EXPECT BETTER DAYS AHEAD ...Says President Mills (BACK PAGE)

The President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, has asked Ghanaians not to lose hope but to expect better days ahead.
President Mills said while the Government would ensure judicious use of resources, it would also not feast on the people’s money.
Addressing separate durbars at Gomoa Assin and Esuehyia in the Central Region, President Mills said the Government would neither countenance corruption nor shield anyone found to have misappropriated state funds.
He, therefore, asked the people to stand by the truth and hold public officials accountable.
He said his administration would remain focus on its efforts to set the economy on a sound footing, adding that he came to serve the people of Ghana.
President Mills reiterated that the Government inherited a weak economic base and a huge debt at the Tema Oil Refinery which called for pragmatic measures to handle.
He said within the few months, the Government had succeeded in making the necessary arrangements for the supply of crude oil.
He commended the people for their loyalty and support and asked them to unite for the development of the country.
Both Obenefo Ahumako Ahor Ankobea II, the Omanhen of Akyempem Traditional Area, and Nana Imprem VII, the acting President of the Ekumfi Traditional Area, appealed to the Government to rehabilitate roads in their areas.
Obenefo Ankobea also appealed to President Mills to ensure that the Gomoa East Assembly got a chief executive.
At a meeting with chief fishermen and fishmongers later at the Residency, fishermen called for the increase of allocation of premix fuel to the region. They also called for the early supply of fishing inputs such as outboard motors before the peak season.
The fishermen expressed concern about unorthodox fishing practices by some fishermen and called on the Government to act swiftly to stop the culprits.
They also appealed to the Government to build landing sites and cold storage facilities for fishing communities in the region.
Reacting to their concerns, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said the Government was sourcing funds from the Italian and the Indian governments to build landing sites and cold stores in 14 fishing communities.
Mr Ahwoi said already the Government had secured seven million euros for the construction of cold stores in six communities along the coastline.
He said two of the cold stores would be sited at Nyanyano and Kormanste in the Central Region with the rest being established in the Volta, Eastern and Greater Accra regions.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, said the cold storage facilities built at Apam would be reactivated to prevent post-harvest losses.

19 PERISH IN ACCIDENT (1B)

Story: Joe Okyere, Cape Coast

A NASTY dawn accident in which 19 passengers were killed occurred at Aduagyei, near Elmina, when a 38-seater Mercedes Benz bus was involved in a head-on collision with an articulated truck on the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway.
The incident was said to have occurred at between 12 midnight and 1 a.m. yesterday and 16 of the passengers died instantly, while three others also reportedly died later at the Central Regional Hospital in Cape Coast.
Fourteen other passengers are on admission at the same hospital for various injuries they sustained.
A one-year-old boy who survived the accident is yet to be identified. None of the survivors had claimed the boy, thus raising the suspicion that whoever was travelling with him might have perished.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue in the hospital and are yet to be identified.
According to the driver of the articulated truck, with registration number AS 6091 N, Yusif might have perished.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue in the hospital and are yet to be identified.
According to the driver of the articulated truck, with registration number AS 6091 N, Yusif Tanko, the driver of the Mercedes Benz bus, with registration number GR 8612 E and loaded with passengers from Takoradi, might have burst a tyre and veered into his lane.
The driver of the bus is believed to be among the dead.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, visited the injured at the hospital and donated GH¢5,000 for their upkeep.
She expressed her condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured speedy recovery.

BEAR WITH GOVT...As it takes steps to fix economy (SPREAD)

The President, Professor J. E. Atta Mills, joined the people of Oguaa Traditional Area to celebrate their annual “Fetu Afahye" last Saturday and asked Ghanaians to bear with the government as it took measures to fix the economy.
He said the government inherited an ailing economic situation which would need sometime to turn around.
Addressing the durbar of chiefs and people to climax the annual festivities in Cape Coast, President Mills said the previous government spent eight years in office but his administration had been in office for only eight months of its four-year mandate.
He said the period so far spent in office by his administration was too short to be used as a yardstick to measure the performance of the government.
Giving the assurance that the government would not renege on its promises and responsibilities to deliver on its campaign promises and party manifesto, President Mills said what the government needed was patience and the support of the people to take the necessary steps to solve the economic problems confronting the country.
Professor Mills also called on the people to be patient, stand by the truth at all times and rely on their time-tested wisdom and intelligence to discern the truth from falsehood.
He called on the people of the Central Region to unite for the region to reclaim its past glory and image.
He recalled the nasty and ugly incident which took place at last year’s durbar during which one of his security personnel was allegedly assaulted by former President Kufuor’s bodyguards.
The President described this year’s celebration as peaceful and warm, an indication that the people cherished peace and development.
He said steps were being taken to restore the Fosu Lagoon, rehabilitate the bridge across it and complete the new stadium to befit the status of the metropolis where football began in the country. Additionally, he said, efforts would also be made to reconstruct the Kotokuraba Market.
President Mills expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome accorded him and the wonderful display by the asafo companies at the durbar grounds.
Earlier in his welcoming address, the Omanhen of Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, said the visit of United States President Barack Obama to Cape Coast had positioned the municipality on the international scene as a tourist and investment destination.
He advised the people to take advantage of the visit and help to improve the tourism industry and the general outlook of the town.
Touching on the theme for this year’s celebration, “Convergence between Christianity and Tradition,” Osabarima Atta explained that it was chosen with the realisation that there was misunderstanding among Christians, Muslims and traditionalists and expressed the hope that the occasion would bring them together for the betterment of Oguaa.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, who had presented items and cash on behalf of President Mills to the chiefs, asked them to continue to maintain the closer links between the Central Regional Co-ordinating Council and the House of Chiefs.
The Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress and Ambassador designate for Serbia, Mr S.V. Akyianu, later expressed the hope that the cohesion that had been witnessed within the metropolis recently would be maintained for its development.

MFANTSEMAN ASSEMBLY OWES 5 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS, COLLEGES (PAGE 13)

The Mfantseman Municipal Assembly owes five senior high schools and colleges of education GH¢57,546.35 being fees for students who were awarded scholarships by the assembly last academic year.
The schools are Kwegyir Aggrey, Mankessim Secondary Technical, T.I. Ahmadiyya Secondary, Biriwa NVTI, Methodist High, as well as teacher training colleges.
This was contained in an address by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Henry Kweku Hayfron, at the second ordinary meeting of the third session of the fifth assembly.
According to Mr Hayfron, almost all students who gained admissions to the senior high schools in the municipality last academic year were awarded the scholarship without recourse to the laid-down procedures for the award, resulting in the huge debt to the schools.
He described the situation as not sustainable and proposed that the assembly partially weaned itself off the fund and established an independent seven-member scholarship board with representation from the assembly, a private sector and some public-spirited people in the society.
He said the board would come up with modalities for the award, and urged all and sundry to endeavour to furnish the administration with inputs on the matter to facilitate its speedy take-off.
The MCE also proposed for the establishment of Mfantseman EducationS Fund with sponsorship from corporate bodies, philanthropists and other prominent citizens of the municipality.
He outlined a number of ongoing projects, including reshaping of roads, accommodation for nurses and teachers and measures to improve upon education, as well as a way to tackle teenage pregnancy and the HIV and AIDS menace in the municipality.
The Presiding Member, Mr Kofi Aikins, said a committee had been set up to investigate an allegation that some members of the assembly collected various sums of money from the Ghana Highway Authority as a compensation due the assembly for damages caused to its property during the construction of the Kasoa-Yamoransa road, but failed to pay them to the assembly.
The Member of Parliament for the Mfantseman West, Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, commended the members for their sacrifices, and asked them to maintain links with him to find solutions to the challenges confronting the municipality.

SOCIETY EMPOWERS VULNERABLE GROUPS (PAGE 20)

THE Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA)-Ghana, is currently working in two districts of the Central Region to empower vulnerable groups such as women and children on child labour and HIV and AIDS.
The beneficiaries are the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam (AEE) District and the Mfantseman Municipality where the two problems are prevalent.
While the AEE has a high rate of child labour, the Mfantseman municipality has been identified as one of the areas in the region with the highest prevalent cases of HIV and AIDS.
HIV and AIDS cases in the Mfantseman Municipality went up from 80 cases last year to 200, this year, according estimated figures.
At a workshop for volunteers in Saltpond to sensitise them to its programme expected to start in October, this year, the President of SWAA-Ghana, Ms Cecilia Senoo, said SWAA in partnership with the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) had already undertaken the exercise in the AEE District which involved voluntary testing and counselling.
Ms Senoo said during the programme, SWAA established 120 condom outlets in the district.
She said SWAA used interactive theatre method in the district.
 Ms Senoo said the programme in the Mfantseman Municipality, which was expected to start in October, would be undertaken in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
She called on all stakeholders, especially the assemblies, to support the SWAA in achieving the desired results.
In a related development, the SWAA has undertaken a free, voluntary health screening exercise for the general public at the Jubilee Park (Victoria Park) in Cape Coast in connection with Panafest and Emancipation Day.

AJUMAKO-ENYAN-ESSIAM ASSEMBLY HOLDS MEETING (PAGE 20)

THE Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District Assembly in the Central Region is indebted to the tune of GH¢460,000 in outstanding expenditure.
The debts, which were incurred by the previous administration, include uncompleted projects, procurements, an expired overdraft facility from the Enyan Denkyira Rural Bank, the Rahama Loan Facility, the Bisease Land Issue, consultancy fees payable to the Public Works Department at Cape Coast, among others.
The District Chief Executive, Mr Light Koomson made this known at the second ordinary meeting of the third session of the fourth sitting of the assembly at Ajumako.
The occasion was also used to inaugurate a GH¢380,000 grader machine procured with funds from the assembly and which is payable within two years.
Mr Koomson, therefore, recommended that efforts must be made to streamline the assembly’s management and also take appropriate steps to address the issue of the indebtedness.
He said despite the challenges , the assembly had planned to construct a doctor’s bungalow and initiate work on one semi-detached building to house some senior staff members as well as the completion of a three-unit classroom block each at Akotogua, Osedzi and Bisease.
The DCE said projects which were awarded on contract in October, last year, and did not followed due process, were to be reviewed, and re-awarded.

OIL MARKETING COMPANY DONATES TO CANOE FISHERMEN ...In two districts (PAGE 20)

AN Oil marketing company, Oando Ghana, has donated computers and other office equipment to the Central Regional Canoe Fishermen Association for the effective management and co-ordination of premix fuel transaction in the region.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Nii Amassah Namoale, expressed gratitude to Oando for the gesture.
He said the biggest problem associated with the delivery of premix fuel was the lack of proper documentation on the part of the fishermen.
Nii Namoale said the donation would go a long way to solve the problem since the National Premix Fuel Secretariat would communicate with the fishermen as soon as a tanker was sent with the product through email and fax.
He added that with the measures the Government had put in place and the acquisition of a new office and equipment, the problem would be a thing of the past.
The Chief Fisherman of Elmina, Mr Tsuwa Thompson expressed his gratitude to the donor.
He said at a stakeholders’ meeting with the fishermen, they were happy about the establishment of a new secretariat to facilitate their day-to-day activities.
Mr Thompson said the company procured the computer and its accessories, the fax machine, printer, photocopier and other ICT equipment at a cost of GH¢3,200 to enhance the activities of the fishermen.
He, therefore, advised the fishermen to handle the equipment with care.
The President of the Central Regional Fishermen Association, Nana Joojo Solomon, thanked the oil company for the gesture.

MFANTSEMAN ASSEMBLY TO CREATE JOBS FOR THE YOUTH (PAGE 20)

THE Mfantseman Municipal Assembly is bracing itself to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Ghana Decent Work Project and the National Youth Employment Programme (NEAP), to create jobs for the youth and reduce poverty in the municipality.
 Apart from inaugurating the special committee to see to the successful implementation of the ILO project, the assembly has also set up another task force for the smooth implementation of the NYEP.
The Municipal Employment Task Force (MELTF) is to play a supervisory role over the NYEP by identifying the shortfalls within the programme for redress at the national level.
 The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Benjamin Kweku Hayfron, who inaugurated the MELTF at Saltpond, cautioned those engaged under the NYEP against acts of truancy.
Mr Hayfron advised the youth to desist from acts that could impact negatively on the smooth implementation of the programme.
He said so far, the assembly had implemented six modules under the NYEP.
According to him, 389 out of the 500 youth engaged under the six modules of the NYEP were at post.
 Mr Hayfron expressed the hope that the programme would achieve the desired results if it was given the necessary patronage by the youth.
The National Project Officer, Youth Employment and Women’s Entrepreneurship, Mr Patrice A. Caesar-Sowah, explained that the NYEP was not a permanent avenue for employment, but a transitional arrangement to engage the youth while organising themselves for their real career.
He said Africa needed strong institutions to enhance its development.
Mr Caesar-Sowah added that the ILO would help strengthen institutions through capacity building and empowering of the youth and the vulnerable such as women, since development depended on productive youth with skills and gainful employment.
He said apart from making the youth responsible, it would also ensure security and stability.
The Omanhen of the Mankesim Traditional Area, Osagyefo Amanfo Edu VI who chaired the function, called on the Government to give legal backing to the NYEP to give meaning to its establishment.