A Circulation van of the Graphic Communications Group Limited on itinerary to deliver newspapers in the Volta Region and parts of the Eastern Region was attacked by armed robbers at about 2:30 a.m. yesterday.
The dark blue vehicle was part of more than 10 vehicles intercepted between Ayikuma and Agomeda in the Eastern Region by the armed robbers numbering about 15.
According to the driver of the circulation van, Mr Eric Misiamenu, the robbers took away his GH¢120 and vandalised parcels of newspapers in the vehicle, which they had apparently mistaken for a bullion van loaded with cash.
He said the road clerk with whom he was travelling was beaten while a mobile phone and a bag were taken away from him.
Mr Misiamenu said he rushed Mr Arhin to the Dodowa Hospital for treatment and also reported the incident at the Dodowa Police Station.
The incident led to the late arrival of Daily Graphic in Ho and subsequently a delay in the distribution of the newspaper in the northern part of the Volta Region.
When the circulation vehicle finally arrived in Ho at about 9:30 a.m. instead of the anticipated time of 4 a.m, parcels of five agents were missing while parcels of two vendors and two agents had been tampered with.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
REGISTRATION OF SIM CARDS NOT FETISH — Essamuah (PAGE 23, OCT 23, 2010)
THE Deputy Manager of Consumer and Corporate Affairs of the National Communication Authority (NCA), Mr John Benyarku Essamuah, has said the registration of SIM cards is not fetish but is in line with emerging trend of biometric values in the society.
He said registration indices could match with those of a passport, driving licenses, national identity for health insurance, voters’ identity card, among others, which had become relevant in the current regime of biometrism in the country, as well as safeguarding the security of users.
Mr Essamuah said this at a sensitisation workshop for district information officers and allied staff of the Ministry of Information in Ho in the Volta Region last Thursday.
It came to light at the forum that some agents of telecommunication companies were charging fees from mobile phone owners whereas it was against the directives of the NCA because the NCA and operators had borne some cost to make the registration exercise free.
Mr Essamuah warned against fake registration on behalf of others, adding that agents of operators should ensure that they dealt with only genuine identity cards.
He said the registration offered safety of choice against hackers but without registration, it could not be possible.
Mr Essamuah stated that all new SIM cards registered before July 1, this year, had been blocked and hinted that handsets would be registered next year.
The deputy manager said revenue leakage had been blocked with the introduction of the registration exercise and asked information officers to sensitise the public on the challenges of the project.
The Regional Director of the Information Services Department (ISD), Mr Bennet Dzogbelu, tasked information officers to deliver accurate messages to the people.
He said registration indices could match with those of a passport, driving licenses, national identity for health insurance, voters’ identity card, among others, which had become relevant in the current regime of biometrism in the country, as well as safeguarding the security of users.
Mr Essamuah said this at a sensitisation workshop for district information officers and allied staff of the Ministry of Information in Ho in the Volta Region last Thursday.
It came to light at the forum that some agents of telecommunication companies were charging fees from mobile phone owners whereas it was against the directives of the NCA because the NCA and operators had borne some cost to make the registration exercise free.
Mr Essamuah warned against fake registration on behalf of others, adding that agents of operators should ensure that they dealt with only genuine identity cards.
He said the registration offered safety of choice against hackers but without registration, it could not be possible.
Mr Essamuah stated that all new SIM cards registered before July 1, this year, had been blocked and hinted that handsets would be registered next year.
The deputy manager said revenue leakage had been blocked with the introduction of the registration exercise and asked information officers to sensitise the public on the challenges of the project.
The Regional Director of the Information Services Department (ISD), Mr Bennet Dzogbelu, tasked information officers to deliver accurate messages to the people.
MOB ON RAMPAGE AT AFLAO BORDER (1B, OCT 23, 2010)
AN irate mob at Aflao went on rampage yesterday and caused extensive damage to the offices of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) at the border post.
The slide windows there were vandalised by stones from the mob.
Consequently, the border was temporarily closed, causing frustration to the travelling public.
But as of the time the Daily Graphic got to the scene, things had returned to normalcy.
A combined security team, led by the Volta Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Reverend David Ampah-Benin, had already positioned themselves to bring sanity to the border for the free movement of people and goods.
According to information gathered by the Daily Graphic, a clash had ensued between some immigration officials and a taxi driver at a border point known as “Beat Nine”.
The source said when an immigration official signalled the driver, who was entering from the Republic of Togo, to stop, he refused.
It said the officer, with one other security official in plain clothes, chased the car on a motorbike, which later bumped into the taxi and in the ensuing melee a gun went off, injuring one of the passengers on board the taxi.
The source of the gunshot could not be identified because, according to sources, the officers on the motorbike were both armed.
The victim was rushed to the Ketu District Hospital at Aflao.
During the rampage, lorry tyres were set ablaze at 10 spots, starting from the Ketu District Hospital Junction, while stones were used to block the gateway to Togo.
As of the time of going to press, the military had arrived to help policemen bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, the two security men have been placed in police custody pending further investigations.
The slide windows there were vandalised by stones from the mob.
Consequently, the border was temporarily closed, causing frustration to the travelling public.
But as of the time the Daily Graphic got to the scene, things had returned to normalcy.
A combined security team, led by the Volta Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Reverend David Ampah-Benin, had already positioned themselves to bring sanity to the border for the free movement of people and goods.
According to information gathered by the Daily Graphic, a clash had ensued between some immigration officials and a taxi driver at a border point known as “Beat Nine”.
The source said when an immigration official signalled the driver, who was entering from the Republic of Togo, to stop, he refused.
It said the officer, with one other security official in plain clothes, chased the car on a motorbike, which later bumped into the taxi and in the ensuing melee a gun went off, injuring one of the passengers on board the taxi.
The source of the gunshot could not be identified because, according to sources, the officers on the motorbike were both armed.
The victim was rushed to the Ketu District Hospital at Aflao.
During the rampage, lorry tyres were set ablaze at 10 spots, starting from the Ketu District Hospital Junction, while stones were used to block the gateway to Togo.
As of the time of going to press, the military had arrived to help policemen bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, the two security men have been placed in police custody pending further investigations.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
UNITY RURAL BANK DECLARES GHC167,992 PROFIT (PAGE 35, OCT 20, 2010)
THE Unity Rural Bank at Ziope, the sole banking institution in the Adaklu-Anyigbe District in the Volta Region, declared profit after tax of GH¢167,992 last year as against GH¢99,614 it made in 2008.
The asset base of the bank also grew from GH¢2,954,583 in 2008 to GH¢4,266,689 in 2009.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Togbe Binah Lawluvi VI announced this at the 15th annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders of the bank at Ziope last weekend.
He disclosed that the directors had proposed a dividend of GH¢0.016 per share totalling GH61,191 to be paid to shareholders, rated as a yield per share of 32 per cent, which is far in excess of the interest on treasury bills of the Government of Ghana.
Togbe Lawluvi said the growing profit and interest margins of the bank should encourage more investments in the bank.
He, however, stated that the achievements were against new challenges in the banking sector where the influx of banks and other financial institutions had created more floating customers with no loyalty into the system.
Togbe Lawluvi said the deposits of floating customers were highly unstable and that credit extended to them became extremely difficult to recover.
The board chairman underscored the need for capitalisation to enable the bank to absorb more risks and underwrite more businesses, adding that as an emerging oil economy, business opportunities were likely to increase and it would take higher capital levels to do such businesses.
He also said if the bank was able to increase stated capital to GH¢1,000,000 by the close of 2011, it might be spared regulatory sanctions and the necessity to merge with or to be acquired by any rural or community bank.
The manager in charge of risk and business development of the ARB Apex Bank Limited, Mr Newton S. Mati, said notwithstanding the achievements, rural banks still had a lot more to do in respect of organisational and operational restructuring, especially in the area of migration from manual operations to embracing Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He said effective deposit mobilisation and credit administration, cost control and reduction were salient to meet the challenges of the changing competitive and turbulent business environment.
Mr Mati advised rural and community banks to consider setting up desks on ICT, share registry management, accounts and transactions reconciliation, internal audit, research and marketing as well as administration.
He stated that those units would further strengthen the rural banking system and enhance public confidence in their operations.
Mr Mati disclosed that the ARB Apex Bank would soon handle an insurance business for the rural banks.
On the proposed merger of rural banks, he said two applications had been received from the Western and Central Regions, explaining that the merger concept was aimed at fighting the competition and improving on service delivery in view of capital constraints in the financial market. The Adaklu-Anyigbe District Chief Executive, Mr Michael Kobla Adjaho commended the bank for playing a utility role in the provision of banking services to a typical rural setting.
He urged all beneficiaries of the bank to endeavour to be faithful by paying back their loans to enable it to expand its services.
The asset base of the bank also grew from GH¢2,954,583 in 2008 to GH¢4,266,689 in 2009.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Togbe Binah Lawluvi VI announced this at the 15th annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders of the bank at Ziope last weekend.
He disclosed that the directors had proposed a dividend of GH¢0.016 per share totalling GH61,191 to be paid to shareholders, rated as a yield per share of 32 per cent, which is far in excess of the interest on treasury bills of the Government of Ghana.
Togbe Lawluvi said the growing profit and interest margins of the bank should encourage more investments in the bank.
He, however, stated that the achievements were against new challenges in the banking sector where the influx of banks and other financial institutions had created more floating customers with no loyalty into the system.
Togbe Lawluvi said the deposits of floating customers were highly unstable and that credit extended to them became extremely difficult to recover.
The board chairman underscored the need for capitalisation to enable the bank to absorb more risks and underwrite more businesses, adding that as an emerging oil economy, business opportunities were likely to increase and it would take higher capital levels to do such businesses.
He also said if the bank was able to increase stated capital to GH¢1,000,000 by the close of 2011, it might be spared regulatory sanctions and the necessity to merge with or to be acquired by any rural or community bank.
The manager in charge of risk and business development of the ARB Apex Bank Limited, Mr Newton S. Mati, said notwithstanding the achievements, rural banks still had a lot more to do in respect of organisational and operational restructuring, especially in the area of migration from manual operations to embracing Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He said effective deposit mobilisation and credit administration, cost control and reduction were salient to meet the challenges of the changing competitive and turbulent business environment.
Mr Mati advised rural and community banks to consider setting up desks on ICT, share registry management, accounts and transactions reconciliation, internal audit, research and marketing as well as administration.
He stated that those units would further strengthen the rural banking system and enhance public confidence in their operations.
Mr Mati disclosed that the ARB Apex Bank would soon handle an insurance business for the rural banks.
On the proposed merger of rural banks, he said two applications had been received from the Western and Central Regions, explaining that the merger concept was aimed at fighting the competition and improving on service delivery in view of capital constraints in the financial market. The Adaklu-Anyigbe District Chief Executive, Mr Michael Kobla Adjaho commended the bank for playing a utility role in the provision of banking services to a typical rural setting.
He urged all beneficiaries of the bank to endeavour to be faithful by paying back their loans to enable it to expand its services.
UNITY RURAL BANK DECLARES GHC167,992 PROFIT (PAGE 35, OCT 20, 2010)
THE Unity Rural Bank at Ziope, the sole banking institution in the Adaklu-Anyigbe District in the Volta Region, declared profit after tax of GH¢167,992 last year as against GH¢99,614 it made in 2008.
The asset base of the bank also grew from GH¢2,954,583 in 2008 to GH¢4,266,689 in 2009.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Togbe Binah Lawluvi VI announced this at the 15th annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders of the bank at Ziope last weekend.
He disclosed that the directors had proposed a dividend of GH¢0.016 per share totalling GH61,191 to be paid to shareholders, rated as a yield per share of 32 per cent, which is far in excess of the interest on treasury bills of the Government of Ghana.
Togbe Lawluvi said the growing profit and interest margins of the bank should encourage more investments in the bank.
He, however, stated that the achievements were against new challenges in the banking sector where the influx of banks and other financial institutions had created more floating customers with no loyalty into the system.
Togbe Lawluvi said the deposits of floating customers were highly unstable and that credit extended to them became extremely difficult to recover.
The board chairman underscored the need for capitalisation to enable the bank to absorb more risks and underwrite more businesses, adding that as an emerging oil economy, business opportunities were likely to increase and it would take higher capital levels to do such businesses.
He also said if the bank was able to increase stated capital to GH¢1,000,000 by the close of 2011, it might be spared regulatory sanctions and the necessity to merge with or to be acquired by any rural or community bank.
The manager in charge of risk and business development of the ARB Apex Bank Limited, Mr Newton S. Mati, said notwithstanding the achievements, rural banks still had a lot more to do in respect of organisational and operational restructuring, especially in the area of migration from manual operations to embracing Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He said effective deposit mobilisation and credit administration, cost control and reduction were salient to meet the challenges of the changing competitive and turbulent business environment.
Mr Mati advised rural and community banks to consider setting up desks on ICT, share registry management, accounts and transactions reconciliation, internal audit, research and marketing as well as administration.
He stated that those units would further strengthen the rural banking system and enhance public confidence in their operations.
Mr Mati disclosed that the ARB Apex Bank would soon handle an insurance business for the rural banks.
On the proposed merger of rural banks, he said two applications had been received from the Western and Central Regions, explaining that the merger concept was aimed at fighting the competition and improving on service delivery in view of capital constraints in the financial market. The Adaklu-Anyigbe District Chief Executive, Mr Michael Kobla Adjaho commended the bank for playing a utility role in the provision of banking services to a typical rural setting.
He urged all beneficiaries of the bank to endeavour to be faithful by paying back their loans to enable it to expand its services.
The asset base of the bank also grew from GH¢2,954,583 in 2008 to GH¢4,266,689 in 2009.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Togbe Binah Lawluvi VI announced this at the 15th annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders of the bank at Ziope last weekend.
He disclosed that the directors had proposed a dividend of GH¢0.016 per share totalling GH61,191 to be paid to shareholders, rated as a yield per share of 32 per cent, which is far in excess of the interest on treasury bills of the Government of Ghana.
Togbe Lawluvi said the growing profit and interest margins of the bank should encourage more investments in the bank.
He, however, stated that the achievements were against new challenges in the banking sector where the influx of banks and other financial institutions had created more floating customers with no loyalty into the system.
Togbe Lawluvi said the deposits of floating customers were highly unstable and that credit extended to them became extremely difficult to recover.
The board chairman underscored the need for capitalisation to enable the bank to absorb more risks and underwrite more businesses, adding that as an emerging oil economy, business opportunities were likely to increase and it would take higher capital levels to do such businesses.
He also said if the bank was able to increase stated capital to GH¢1,000,000 by the close of 2011, it might be spared regulatory sanctions and the necessity to merge with or to be acquired by any rural or community bank.
The manager in charge of risk and business development of the ARB Apex Bank Limited, Mr Newton S. Mati, said notwithstanding the achievements, rural banks still had a lot more to do in respect of organisational and operational restructuring, especially in the area of migration from manual operations to embracing Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He said effective deposit mobilisation and credit administration, cost control and reduction were salient to meet the challenges of the changing competitive and turbulent business environment.
Mr Mati advised rural and community banks to consider setting up desks on ICT, share registry management, accounts and transactions reconciliation, internal audit, research and marketing as well as administration.
He stated that those units would further strengthen the rural banking system and enhance public confidence in their operations.
Mr Mati disclosed that the ARB Apex Bank would soon handle an insurance business for the rural banks.
On the proposed merger of rural banks, he said two applications had been received from the Western and Central Regions, explaining that the merger concept was aimed at fighting the competition and improving on service delivery in view of capital constraints in the financial market. The Adaklu-Anyigbe District Chief Executive, Mr Michael Kobla Adjaho commended the bank for playing a utility role in the provision of banking services to a typical rural setting.
He urged all beneficiaries of the bank to endeavour to be faithful by paying back their loans to enable it to expand its services.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
NGO ASSITS HOHOE CHILDREN TO KNOW THEIR RIGHTS (PAGE 42, OCT 18, 2010)
A PROJECT aimed at empowering children to know their rights and report abuses to the appropriate quarters has started in 10 communities in the Hohoe Municipality in the Volta Region.
The project is being implemented by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), CareNET (Ghana), with funding from Plan Ghana.
The beneficiary communities are Likpe-Abrani, Likpe-Mate, Santrokofi- Bume, Fodome-Amle, Fodome-Kodzeto, Alavanyo-Abehenase, Ve-Wudome, Liati-Wote, Nyagbo-Odumase and Kpeve-Tornu.
Briefing the Daily Graphic at Ho, the Country Director of CareNet (Ghana), Mr Patrick Ahumah, said Rights of the Child (ROC) clubs had been formed in the communities.
He stated that a special logo had been designed for posting at vantage points in the communities to direct children to where they could report their stories of abuses.
Mr Ahumah said trained counsellors were at the vantage points to receive complaints from abused children and help them to make their grievances known to the police and other law enforcement agencies such as the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVSSU).
Mr Ahumah said it was expected that in the long term, the counsellors would be able to track down cases of abuse to make cases more authentic and documented to inform stakeholders on action and necessary deterrents.
The project is being implemented by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), CareNET (Ghana), with funding from Plan Ghana.
The beneficiary communities are Likpe-Abrani, Likpe-Mate, Santrokofi- Bume, Fodome-Amle, Fodome-Kodzeto, Alavanyo-Abehenase, Ve-Wudome, Liati-Wote, Nyagbo-Odumase and Kpeve-Tornu.
Briefing the Daily Graphic at Ho, the Country Director of CareNet (Ghana), Mr Patrick Ahumah, said Rights of the Child (ROC) clubs had been formed in the communities.
He stated that a special logo had been designed for posting at vantage points in the communities to direct children to where they could report their stories of abuses.
Mr Ahumah said trained counsellors were at the vantage points to receive complaints from abused children and help them to make their grievances known to the police and other law enforcement agencies such as the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVSSU).
Mr Ahumah said it was expected that in the long term, the counsellors would be able to track down cases of abuse to make cases more authentic and documented to inform stakeholders on action and necessary deterrents.
NGO TO THE RESCUE OF TRAFFICKED CHILDREN (PAGE 42, OCT 18, 2010)
A NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisation (NGO), Community Development Concern (CDC), in partnership with Madamfo Ghana Foundation, has embarked on a programme to rescue trafficked children in Awate-Tornu and Wusuta-Kpebe in the Kpando District of the Volta Region.
The Executive Director of CDC, Mrs Joycelyn Akorfa Dotse-Ochlich, lamented that those children were asked by fishermen to dive to disentangle fishing nets that got stuck onto tree stumps in the Volta Lake, noting that sometimes some of the children got drowned.
According to her, because most of the children did not attend school, they were maltreated by their slave masters, adding that some of them were even used in fish processing and smoking.
Mrs Dotse-Ochlich said the rescued children had been placed in temporary homes while investigations were being carried out to trace their real parents.
She said the identified parents would be counselled, supported with basic economic empowerment and encouraged to take their children home.
She stated that the children had been enrolled in schools and that their school fees and needs were being paid for by Madamfo Ghana Foundation.
She said apart from the rescue activities, some fishermen had been trained by the Ministry of Fisheries in Ho to undertake controlled fish farming in the lake as an alternative source of livelihood.
Mrs Dotse-Ochlich added that 21 fish cages, each containing 5,000 fingerlings, were to be supplied to the fishermen in groups.
Three boreholes had also been constructed for the two communities.
The Executive Director of CDC, Mrs Joycelyn Akorfa Dotse-Ochlich, lamented that those children were asked by fishermen to dive to disentangle fishing nets that got stuck onto tree stumps in the Volta Lake, noting that sometimes some of the children got drowned.
According to her, because most of the children did not attend school, they were maltreated by their slave masters, adding that some of them were even used in fish processing and smoking.
Mrs Dotse-Ochlich said the rescued children had been placed in temporary homes while investigations were being carried out to trace their real parents.
She said the identified parents would be counselled, supported with basic economic empowerment and encouraged to take their children home.
She stated that the children had been enrolled in schools and that their school fees and needs were being paid for by Madamfo Ghana Foundation.
She said apart from the rescue activities, some fishermen had been trained by the Ministry of Fisheries in Ho to undertake controlled fish farming in the lake as an alternative source of livelihood.
Mrs Dotse-Ochlich added that 21 fish cages, each containing 5,000 fingerlings, were to be supplied to the fishermen in groups.
Three boreholes had also been constructed for the two communities.
NEW HOPE FOR EASTER CORRIDOR ROAD (PAGE 42, OCT 18, 2010)
ACCORDING to the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) classification of roads in the country, the eastern corridor road stretches from the Tema Roundabout through Kpong, Atimpoku, Asikuma Junction, Peki, Kpeve, Have, Hohoe, Jasikan, Kadjebi, Nkwanta, Damanko to Yendi and beyond in the Northern Region.
A survey conducted by the GHA has revealed that the route from Tamale through Yendi, Nkwanta, Kadjebi, Jasikan and Hohoe to Accra is shorter by 70 kilometres than using the route that passes through Kumasi to Accra.
In fact, it is a major road network which is closer to the eastern border of the country and has overwhelming influence on the political and socio-economic lives regarding the movement of people in Ghana, Togo, Mali and Burkina Faso.
Over the years, the construction of this important road has been used as a propaganda tool to win votes by political parties but nothing fruitful has come out of it.
Ad hoc measures have been applied on road rehabilitation and construction, with the excuse that there is no money.
The road from Kpeve through Hohoe to Kadjebi is almost impassable because of big potholes that have developed on it.
From Kadjebi up north is a nightmare because majority of vehicles travelling on the route get stuck in the mud of the untarred road during the rainy season. It is still happening today because nothing has changed. If anything at all, the old pains still persist.
Landlocked countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso desire to convey their domestic and industrial cargo through this route but that cannot be.
Some years ago, the government mounted a big signpost at the junction opposite the residence of the Nkwanta District Chief Executive that the road had been awarded to a foreign contractor for development, but after the end of that regime and subsequent ones, nothing has happened and the people have been left to continue wallowing in poverty and political deceit.
In fact, the condition of life in the northern sector of the Volta Region, which is the major gateway to northern Ghana and the food basket of the nation, cannot be taken for granted because the suffering there is real.
The area is the forest zone of the Volta Region which produces cocoa, timber and other valued forest products, but it is a pity that the people have been neglected, despite their immense contribution to the national economy over the years.
The recent visit by President John Atta Mills to strike the deal on road construction from “Hohoe to Kunlungugu” made a good reading when it was published in the Daily Graphic of September 30, this year.
The story stated that the project would be executed under a Japanese grant and not a loan. According to the basics of political economy, a grant is not a loan which the beneficiary is expected to pay back with interest over some years. It is believed to be “free money” sourced from international magnanimity.
The question, then, is, “When is the grant going to take effect because the people along the eastern corridor are facing the worst form of poverty following the collapse of the cocoa industry?”
They have not been able to diversify the rural economy, a situation that has led to the migration of settler farmers, with its attendant capital flight, leaving a lot of communities to decay.
A survey conducted by the GHA has revealed that the route from Tamale through Yendi, Nkwanta, Kadjebi, Jasikan and Hohoe to Accra is shorter by 70 kilometres than using the route that passes through Kumasi to Accra.
In fact, it is a major road network which is closer to the eastern border of the country and has overwhelming influence on the political and socio-economic lives regarding the movement of people in Ghana, Togo, Mali and Burkina Faso.
Over the years, the construction of this important road has been used as a propaganda tool to win votes by political parties but nothing fruitful has come out of it.
Ad hoc measures have been applied on road rehabilitation and construction, with the excuse that there is no money.
The road from Kpeve through Hohoe to Kadjebi is almost impassable because of big potholes that have developed on it.
From Kadjebi up north is a nightmare because majority of vehicles travelling on the route get stuck in the mud of the untarred road during the rainy season. It is still happening today because nothing has changed. If anything at all, the old pains still persist.
Landlocked countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso desire to convey their domestic and industrial cargo through this route but that cannot be.
Some years ago, the government mounted a big signpost at the junction opposite the residence of the Nkwanta District Chief Executive that the road had been awarded to a foreign contractor for development, but after the end of that regime and subsequent ones, nothing has happened and the people have been left to continue wallowing in poverty and political deceit.
In fact, the condition of life in the northern sector of the Volta Region, which is the major gateway to northern Ghana and the food basket of the nation, cannot be taken for granted because the suffering there is real.
The area is the forest zone of the Volta Region which produces cocoa, timber and other valued forest products, but it is a pity that the people have been neglected, despite their immense contribution to the national economy over the years.
The recent visit by President John Atta Mills to strike the deal on road construction from “Hohoe to Kunlungugu” made a good reading when it was published in the Daily Graphic of September 30, this year.
The story stated that the project would be executed under a Japanese grant and not a loan. According to the basics of political economy, a grant is not a loan which the beneficiary is expected to pay back with interest over some years. It is believed to be “free money” sourced from international magnanimity.
The question, then, is, “When is the grant going to take effect because the people along the eastern corridor are facing the worst form of poverty following the collapse of the cocoa industry?”
They have not been able to diversify the rural economy, a situation that has led to the migration of settler farmers, with its attendant capital flight, leaving a lot of communities to decay.
GONIKOPE ELECTORAL AREA LAUDS MP (PAGE 13, OCT 16, 20100
THE Chiefs and people, Assemblymembers and Stakeholders of the Gonikope electoral area in the Akatsi district have expressed their appreciation to their Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Doe Adjaho, on efforts to provide them with a new dam.
The new dam, according to the incumbent Assembly Woman, Ms Comfort Goni, will facilitate the cultivation of okra, garden eggs and other vegetables all year round.
Ms Goni who was speaking to the Daily Graphic said the people lauded the MP who is also the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, adding that her re-election to the District Assembly will add more vigour to the efforts of the MP to make the construction of the new dam a big success.
The Assemblywoman, who is a businesswoman and a past student of Keta Senior High School, reaffirmed her commitment to the development of the electoral area and called on the electorate to renew her mandate to enable her fulfil their aspirations on development.
The new dam, according to the incumbent Assembly Woman, Ms Comfort Goni, will facilitate the cultivation of okra, garden eggs and other vegetables all year round.
Ms Goni who was speaking to the Daily Graphic said the people lauded the MP who is also the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, adding that her re-election to the District Assembly will add more vigour to the efforts of the MP to make the construction of the new dam a big success.
The Assemblywoman, who is a businesswoman and a past student of Keta Senior High School, reaffirmed her commitment to the development of the electoral area and called on the electorate to renew her mandate to enable her fulfil their aspirations on development.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
MEET FEMALE ASPIRANTS FROM VOLTA REGION (PAGE 11, OCT 14, 2010)
Ms Dorcas Felicia Ackuaku who is a 54-year old teacher and co-ordinator for higher education in the Adaklu-Anyigbe District office of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Volta Region intends to contest the assembly elections in the Loboli electoral area, which covers the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) flats area in Ho.
She said her aim was to help motivate the youth by engaging them in clean-up exercises to keep the area clean. She said gutters were often choked and environmental conditions deplorable.
She said if given the nod, she would institute a special levy to promote cleanliness and mobilised the youth to clean streets, gutters and bushy surroundings and be paid from the special levy.
Ms Ackuaku stated that although the residents lived in the community as brothers and sisters with a common destiny, they did not communicate very well among themselves, which was not the best. She said she would work to promote harmony, friendliness through the organisation of social gatherings among the people.
She said she would provide functional leadership skills to fill the communication gap by improving on channels of communication among the people at various levels. “We don’t have a chief so my leadership skills will fill the gap” she said.
Ms Ackuaku appealed to the people to vote for her to enable her to make significant contributions to the assembly’s deliberations and work in partnership with other organisations to protect the rights of all citizens.
Madam Josephine Asigbetse, a 52-year-old day care centre attendant at Alavanyo-Kpeme who is contesting the assembly’s elections in the Alavanyo-Kpeme Electoral Area in the Hohoe District has promised to attend to problems confronting the community, especially school children, youth, elders and women.
She said with support from family members, philanthropists and other organisations, she intends to provide a water closet system for the area adding that she would lobby for the extension of potable water to the secondary and technical schools, especially the Evangelical Presbyterian Technical Training Centre in the area.
If given the nod, she would also solicit the support of the district assembly and non-governmental organisations to create more job opportunities for the unemployed youth in the electoral area.
According to the aspirant, she has helped in the construction of a market for the community and had served on the Alavanyo/ Nkonya peace building committee, stressing that her election to the assembly will re-inforce the bid to campaign for peace on a sustainable basis.
Madam Asigbetse promises to fulfil these promises with the unflinching support of community and opinion leaders, related organisations and individuals, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, and the all members of the electoral area.
Madam Rose Kwao is a 54- year old businesswoman aspiring to contest the assembly’s elections in the Kpassa Electoral Area in the Nkwanta- North District of the Volta Region. She is an incumbent assemblywoman serving as a government appointee and she intends to contest the district assembly elections to retain her membership in the assembly.
She said her major concern was to provide support for victims of teenage pregnancy and young girls who are pushed into early marriages stressing that, if given the nod, she would launch a vigorous campaign against early marriages and encourage the youth to take their education seriously and stay away from pre-marital sex to curb the incidence of teenage pregnancy.
She said she would also lobby the appropriate agencies and institutions to extend telecommunication facilities to the area adding that she would work in collaboration with the assembly and lobby the local authority for the provision of public places of convenience in the area to address the poor sanitation condition of the electoral area.
Madam Kwao appealed to the electorate and all Ghanaians to vote for other female contestants in the upcoming assembly elections to improve on the low representation of women in the district assemblies .
Ms Isabella Akpeta, the Aspirant for the Tapa-Alavanyo Supawkese Electoral Area in the Biakoye District, is a 50 -year old teacher, who intends to contest in the district assembly elections. She said if given the nod she would lobby the assembly to extend potable water to various communities in the electoral area in support of the fight against the spread of water-borne diseases.
She said she would help improve on transportation in the area to enhance the haulage of foodstuffs from the rural communities to marketing centres. She would also provide farmers with a sustainable market for their farm produce.
According to her she had organised various campaigns against child trafficking and child labour with the support of non-governmental organisations. She stressed that since women constituted more than half of the country’s population, it was important to involve more women in decision-making to ensure balanced development.
She said there was the need to elect very active members to serve in the newly created Biakoye District to ensure the development of the area and appealed to the electorate to vote for her to serve their needs.
She said her aim was to help motivate the youth by engaging them in clean-up exercises to keep the area clean. She said gutters were often choked and environmental conditions deplorable.
She said if given the nod, she would institute a special levy to promote cleanliness and mobilised the youth to clean streets, gutters and bushy surroundings and be paid from the special levy.
Ms Ackuaku stated that although the residents lived in the community as brothers and sisters with a common destiny, they did not communicate very well among themselves, which was not the best. She said she would work to promote harmony, friendliness through the organisation of social gatherings among the people.
She said she would provide functional leadership skills to fill the communication gap by improving on channels of communication among the people at various levels. “We don’t have a chief so my leadership skills will fill the gap” she said.
Ms Ackuaku appealed to the people to vote for her to enable her to make significant contributions to the assembly’s deliberations and work in partnership with other organisations to protect the rights of all citizens.
Madam Josephine Asigbetse, a 52-year-old day care centre attendant at Alavanyo-Kpeme who is contesting the assembly’s elections in the Alavanyo-Kpeme Electoral Area in the Hohoe District has promised to attend to problems confronting the community, especially school children, youth, elders and women.
She said with support from family members, philanthropists and other organisations, she intends to provide a water closet system for the area adding that she would lobby for the extension of potable water to the secondary and technical schools, especially the Evangelical Presbyterian Technical Training Centre in the area.
If given the nod, she would also solicit the support of the district assembly and non-governmental organisations to create more job opportunities for the unemployed youth in the electoral area.
According to the aspirant, she has helped in the construction of a market for the community and had served on the Alavanyo/ Nkonya peace building committee, stressing that her election to the assembly will re-inforce the bid to campaign for peace on a sustainable basis.
Madam Asigbetse promises to fulfil these promises with the unflinching support of community and opinion leaders, related organisations and individuals, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, and the all members of the electoral area.
Madam Rose Kwao is a 54- year old businesswoman aspiring to contest the assembly’s elections in the Kpassa Electoral Area in the Nkwanta- North District of the Volta Region. She is an incumbent assemblywoman serving as a government appointee and she intends to contest the district assembly elections to retain her membership in the assembly.
She said her major concern was to provide support for victims of teenage pregnancy and young girls who are pushed into early marriages stressing that, if given the nod, she would launch a vigorous campaign against early marriages and encourage the youth to take their education seriously and stay away from pre-marital sex to curb the incidence of teenage pregnancy.
She said she would also lobby the appropriate agencies and institutions to extend telecommunication facilities to the area adding that she would work in collaboration with the assembly and lobby the local authority for the provision of public places of convenience in the area to address the poor sanitation condition of the electoral area.
Madam Kwao appealed to the electorate and all Ghanaians to vote for other female contestants in the upcoming assembly elections to improve on the low representation of women in the district assemblies .
Ms Isabella Akpeta, the Aspirant for the Tapa-Alavanyo Supawkese Electoral Area in the Biakoye District, is a 50 -year old teacher, who intends to contest in the district assembly elections. She said if given the nod she would lobby the assembly to extend potable water to various communities in the electoral area in support of the fight against the spread of water-borne diseases.
She said she would help improve on transportation in the area to enhance the haulage of foodstuffs from the rural communities to marketing centres. She would also provide farmers with a sustainable market for their farm produce.
According to her she had organised various campaigns against child trafficking and child labour with the support of non-governmental organisations. She stressed that since women constituted more than half of the country’s population, it was important to involve more women in decision-making to ensure balanced development.
She said there was the need to elect very active members to serve in the newly created Biakoye District to ensure the development of the area and appealed to the electorate to vote for her to serve their needs.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
60,000 FARMERS GET TRAINING IN AGRIC PRODUCTION (BACK PAGE, OCT 9, 2010)
SIXTY thousand farmers in the country have benefited from various training programmes initiated by the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) for increased agricultural production.
Additionally, each of the farmers received a starter package of $230 for the cultivation of an acre of farmland.
According to an official of the MiDA, Nana Owusu Ofori, the package also included free clearance of land that had led to increased productivity by more than 50 per cent.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of a regional workshop for stakeholders from seven participating districts in the MiDA project in Ho last Thursday, Nana Ofori, who works at the community and public outreach department of MiDA, said the mindset of farmers had changed from subsistence to commercial and business farming methods.
He said farmers had found real value in the linkages existing between agricultural credit, cultivation, transportation and rural development with the application of irrigation, information and communication technology (ICT), first-class roads modern infrastructure, among others.
Nana Ofori mentioned a floating dock at Akosombo and two new ferries at Ekye Amanfrom and Adeiso and the uprooting of tree stumps from the Volta Lake to expand the water way for navigation and the construction of a-75 km first-class road from Donkorkrom to Asante-Akyem as some of the achievements under the transportation component of the project .
“The interventions were all aimed at opening up the area for trade”, he emphasised, adding that the authority will work with established institutions at the district and institutional levels to perform their mandate.
Opening the workshop, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLRD), Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, said the project was crucial to achieving the aims of the decentralisation programme.
In an address, the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr Vincent Adzato-Ntem, said the workshop was an opportunity for participants to make the MiDA interventions impact positively on their lives.
He asked them to reposition themselves to ensure that the objectives were achieved and sustained after the project, adding that what was essential was that the beneficiaries must be able to embrace and own the projects.
Additionally, each of the farmers received a starter package of $230 for the cultivation of an acre of farmland.
According to an official of the MiDA, Nana Owusu Ofori, the package also included free clearance of land that had led to increased productivity by more than 50 per cent.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of a regional workshop for stakeholders from seven participating districts in the MiDA project in Ho last Thursday, Nana Ofori, who works at the community and public outreach department of MiDA, said the mindset of farmers had changed from subsistence to commercial and business farming methods.
He said farmers had found real value in the linkages existing between agricultural credit, cultivation, transportation and rural development with the application of irrigation, information and communication technology (ICT), first-class roads modern infrastructure, among others.
Nana Ofori mentioned a floating dock at Akosombo and two new ferries at Ekye Amanfrom and Adeiso and the uprooting of tree stumps from the Volta Lake to expand the water way for navigation and the construction of a-75 km first-class road from Donkorkrom to Asante-Akyem as some of the achievements under the transportation component of the project .
“The interventions were all aimed at opening up the area for trade”, he emphasised, adding that the authority will work with established institutions at the district and institutional levels to perform their mandate.
Opening the workshop, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLRD), Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, said the project was crucial to achieving the aims of the decentralisation programme.
In an address, the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr Vincent Adzato-Ntem, said the workshop was an opportunity for participants to make the MiDA interventions impact positively on their lives.
He asked them to reposition themselves to ensure that the objectives were achieved and sustained after the project, adding that what was essential was that the beneficiaries must be able to embrace and own the projects.
Friday, October 8, 2010
SCHOOL UNIFORMS FOR PUPILS IN SOUTH DAYI (MIRROR, PAGE 31, OCT 9, 2010)
From Tim Dzamboe, Peki-Agbateh
THE promise to provide free school uniforms to pupils of basic education schools was fulfilled in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region when more than 200 pupils in three deprived schools were given their share last Wednesday.
The schools were the Peki –Agbateh Local Authority (LA) primary school, Sanga primary school and the Kpeyibome Primary School.
The Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Colonel Cyril Necku (rtd), led a team from the South-Dayi District Assembly and the district office of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to distribute the uniforms at the various schools.
Addressing the pupils, Col. Necku said they should be grateful to the President for keeping faith with the people adding that it was the turn of the pupils to utilise the gesture to enable them get to the highest level of the educational ladder.
The South- Dayi District Chief Executive, Mr Kafui Bekui said the supply of school uniforms was in line with the tenets of investing in people through relevant support to increase the human resource capacity for development.
He, therefore, advised the pupils to adopt good morals to be part of their schooling career and that parents should not renege on their responsibilities towards child care because of government interventions.
The District Director of GES, Mrs Veronica Adzato-Ntem, said pupils with regular attendance to school were likely to enjoy the facility.
She appealed to the district assembly to help to renovate the school which was constructed in 1973 and had not seen any renovation since then.
For his part the District Co-ordinating Director, Mr David Kanyi, urged the pupils to be motivated with the supply of the uniforms to study hard and that they should not misuse them.
THE promise to provide free school uniforms to pupils of basic education schools was fulfilled in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region when more than 200 pupils in three deprived schools were given their share last Wednesday.
The schools were the Peki –Agbateh Local Authority (LA) primary school, Sanga primary school and the Kpeyibome Primary School.
The Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Colonel Cyril Necku (rtd), led a team from the South-Dayi District Assembly and the district office of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to distribute the uniforms at the various schools.
Addressing the pupils, Col. Necku said they should be grateful to the President for keeping faith with the people adding that it was the turn of the pupils to utilise the gesture to enable them get to the highest level of the educational ladder.
The South- Dayi District Chief Executive, Mr Kafui Bekui said the supply of school uniforms was in line with the tenets of investing in people through relevant support to increase the human resource capacity for development.
He, therefore, advised the pupils to adopt good morals to be part of their schooling career and that parents should not renege on their responsibilities towards child care because of government interventions.
The District Director of GES, Mrs Veronica Adzato-Ntem, said pupils with regular attendance to school were likely to enjoy the facility.
She appealed to the district assembly to help to renovate the school which was constructed in 1973 and had not seen any renovation since then.
For his part the District Co-ordinating Director, Mr David Kanyi, urged the pupils to be motivated with the supply of the uniforms to study hard and that they should not misuse them.
REFRAIN FROM CHIEFTAINCY, LAND DISPUTES — NEECKU (PAGE 13, OCT 7, 2010)
The Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Colonel Cyril Necku (retd), has asked traditional authorities to refrain from chieftaincy and land disputes because they impede national development.
He urged them to rather adopt virtues that would engender the harmonious relationship needed for development.
He also asked them to continue giving prime consideration to their festivals in order to protect rich cultural values associated with these festivals.
He said festivals would enhance the tourism potential of their areas and enable them to depart from mere flamboyant celebrations.
Col. Necku said this when he addressed a rally of the chiefs and people of Dzodze to commemorate the ninth edition of the “Deza” or Oil Palm Festival at Dzodze last weekend.
It was held on the theme, “ Urban Council Status, Benefits to the Community?”
He advised the chiefs to use each festive occasion to reflect on themes set for the previous festival in order to chart a consistent path in building a good heritage for the youth.
In an address, the Ketu-North District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kofi Lawson, underscored the relevance of a strong urban council. He said the council played a pivotal role in decentralisation and the overall development of the district assembly concept. He indicated that the sub–district structures were inundated with operational problems that needed bold measures in their solution.
Mr Lawson asked chiefs and assembly members to bury their differences to enable them to nominate representatives to the Water and Sanitation Board since their people did not have adequate water facilities.
The DCE for Ketu-South, Mr Frank Bernard Amable, disclosed that five districts in the Southern Volta were brainstorming on how to extend pipe-borne water from the Sogakope headworks to communities in Ketu-North, Ketu-South, Akatsi, Keta and Sogakope districts.
He asked them to revive the communal spirit using the platforms of religious bodies and added that chiefs should spearhead development in their communities.
In a welcoming address, the vice-chairman of the festival planning committee, Mr Moses Azaglo, said the festival had revived enthusiasm and reawakened their zeal to cultivate oil palm as their source of livelihood.
He appealed for more oil palm seedlings to meet the high interest in oil palm cultivation.
He urged them to rather adopt virtues that would engender the harmonious relationship needed for development.
He also asked them to continue giving prime consideration to their festivals in order to protect rich cultural values associated with these festivals.
He said festivals would enhance the tourism potential of their areas and enable them to depart from mere flamboyant celebrations.
Col. Necku said this when he addressed a rally of the chiefs and people of Dzodze to commemorate the ninth edition of the “Deza” or Oil Palm Festival at Dzodze last weekend.
It was held on the theme, “ Urban Council Status, Benefits to the Community?”
He advised the chiefs to use each festive occasion to reflect on themes set for the previous festival in order to chart a consistent path in building a good heritage for the youth.
In an address, the Ketu-North District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kofi Lawson, underscored the relevance of a strong urban council. He said the council played a pivotal role in decentralisation and the overall development of the district assembly concept. He indicated that the sub–district structures were inundated with operational problems that needed bold measures in their solution.
Mr Lawson asked chiefs and assembly members to bury their differences to enable them to nominate representatives to the Water and Sanitation Board since their people did not have adequate water facilities.
The DCE for Ketu-South, Mr Frank Bernard Amable, disclosed that five districts in the Southern Volta were brainstorming on how to extend pipe-borne water from the Sogakope headworks to communities in Ketu-North, Ketu-South, Akatsi, Keta and Sogakope districts.
He asked them to revive the communal spirit using the platforms of religious bodies and added that chiefs should spearhead development in their communities.
In a welcoming address, the vice-chairman of the festival planning committee, Mr Moses Azaglo, said the festival had revived enthusiasm and reawakened their zeal to cultivate oil palm as their source of livelihood.
He appealed for more oil palm seedlings to meet the high interest in oil palm cultivation.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
PARENTS, CHILDREN MUST HAVE MUTUAL RELATIONS (PAGE 35, OCT 7, 2010)
THE South Dayi District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kafui Bekui, has advocated sound and mutual relationships between aged parents and their children in order to ward off the imaginary attitude of irresponsibility towards aged parents in the communities.
He said some aged parents ridiculed and cursed their children for non-remittances because the children were regarded as the parents’ front-line caretakers who had failed, adding that, that situation led to the collapse of the extended family system.
Mr Bekui said the youth should rather be motivated to make them less suspicious of the aged and be made more responsible.
The DCE was addressing a rally of the aged drawn from six communities in the South Dayi and Hohoe districts in the Volta Region in connection with the celebration of the United Nations Day of older persons.
The event was under the auspices of HelpAge Ghana.
Mr Bekui pledged the support of the district assembly in considering the grievances of the aged to enhance their living standards.
The Volta Regional Co-ordinator of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, Ms Emelia Menorkpor, said the programme was being implemented in the Ho and Keta municipalities, the Jasikan, Krachi East, Ketu South, Nkwanta North, Nkwanta South, North Tongu and South Tongu districts.
She said it would be expanded to cover communities in the South Dayi District and urged the aged not to despair but encourage the younger ones to prepare for their old age, which was inevitable unless one died before then.
The Volta Regional Co-ordinator of the Older Citizens Project Management Committee, Madam Agnes Broni, said HelpAge Ghana had helped in training 24 paralegals to deal with legal issues in the communities.
She also said 180 older people had been trained to monitor the health and pension issues of their fellow older people in six communities under a campaign code-named “Action demands action” which operated across many different countries.
Madam Broni said the campaign had the vision of bringing older people together to decide on issues that were most pressing to them as a group.
A representative of the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Cosmos Yeboah, said old people were misconstrued as being witches and wizards, stressing that the youth who labelled the aged as such could equally be labelled as descendants of those witches and wizards.
He said some aged parents ridiculed and cursed their children for non-remittances because the children were regarded as the parents’ front-line caretakers who had failed, adding that, that situation led to the collapse of the extended family system.
Mr Bekui said the youth should rather be motivated to make them less suspicious of the aged and be made more responsible.
The DCE was addressing a rally of the aged drawn from six communities in the South Dayi and Hohoe districts in the Volta Region in connection with the celebration of the United Nations Day of older persons.
The event was under the auspices of HelpAge Ghana.
Mr Bekui pledged the support of the district assembly in considering the grievances of the aged to enhance their living standards.
The Volta Regional Co-ordinator of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, Ms Emelia Menorkpor, said the programme was being implemented in the Ho and Keta municipalities, the Jasikan, Krachi East, Ketu South, Nkwanta North, Nkwanta South, North Tongu and South Tongu districts.
She said it would be expanded to cover communities in the South Dayi District and urged the aged not to despair but encourage the younger ones to prepare for their old age, which was inevitable unless one died before then.
The Volta Regional Co-ordinator of the Older Citizens Project Management Committee, Madam Agnes Broni, said HelpAge Ghana had helped in training 24 paralegals to deal with legal issues in the communities.
She also said 180 older people had been trained to monitor the health and pension issues of their fellow older people in six communities under a campaign code-named “Action demands action” which operated across many different countries.
Madam Broni said the campaign had the vision of bringing older people together to decide on issues that were most pressing to them as a group.
A representative of the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Cosmos Yeboah, said old people were misconstrued as being witches and wizards, stressing that the youth who labelled the aged as such could equally be labelled as descendants of those witches and wizards.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
CURED LEPERS AT HO GET CLINIC (PAGE 35, OCT 5, 2010)
A CLINIC to cater for the health needs of cured lepers discharged from the Ho Leprosarium has been inaugurated at Ho.
The facility, constructed at the cost of GH¢65,000 and christened the Bonita Cured Lepers Clinic, was provided under the auspices of a non-governmental organisation, Cured Lepers Foundation, with joint sponsorship from the Bonita Foundation and Madamfo Ghana Foundations of Germany.
In an inaugural address, a director of the Cured Lepers Foundation, Mrs Joycelyn Akorfa Dotse-Ochlich, expressed gratitude to the sponsors for coming to the aid of the extremely deprived in the society.
She said there was the need to construct a skill training centre for economic empowerment of cured lepers and their children so that they could afford to feed and support themselves and stop relying on social donations for survival.
Mrs Dotse-Ochlich also appealed for the installation of solar panels at their settlement since they could not afford the payment of electricity bills.
She advocated support to ensure that the children of cured lepers accessed quality education or went into apprenticeship.
The president of Madamfo Ghana Foundation, Ms Bettina Landgrafe, said she was happy to support the lepers and promised to build eight more unit houses for the homeless lepers.
A director of Cured Lepers Foundation from Holland, Mr Jan Meerkerk, presented a motorbike to the caretaker at the Cured Lepers village.
The facility, constructed at the cost of GH¢65,000 and christened the Bonita Cured Lepers Clinic, was provided under the auspices of a non-governmental organisation, Cured Lepers Foundation, with joint sponsorship from the Bonita Foundation and Madamfo Ghana Foundations of Germany.
In an inaugural address, a director of the Cured Lepers Foundation, Mrs Joycelyn Akorfa Dotse-Ochlich, expressed gratitude to the sponsors for coming to the aid of the extremely deprived in the society.
She said there was the need to construct a skill training centre for economic empowerment of cured lepers and their children so that they could afford to feed and support themselves and stop relying on social donations for survival.
Mrs Dotse-Ochlich also appealed for the installation of solar panels at their settlement since they could not afford the payment of electricity bills.
She advocated support to ensure that the children of cured lepers accessed quality education or went into apprenticeship.
The president of Madamfo Ghana Foundation, Ms Bettina Landgrafe, said she was happy to support the lepers and promised to build eight more unit houses for the homeless lepers.
A director of Cured Lepers Foundation from Holland, Mr Jan Meerkerk, presented a motorbike to the caretaker at the Cured Lepers village.
TANYIGBE-ANYIGBE GETS YOUTH CHIEF (PAGE 43, OCT 5, 2010)
THE people of Tanyigbe-Anyigbe in the Ho Municipality in the Volta Region have installed a youth chief, “Sorhefiaga” to be responsible for the mobilisation of the youth to spearhead the development of the four communities in the traditional area.
The chief is Mr Frank Oliver Komla Kpodo, 35, of the purchasing and supply unit of the Ministry of Health in Accra.
In a maiden speech delivered at the introduction ceremony at the court of the Paramount Chief of Tanyigbe Traditional Area, Togbe Kwasi Adiko V, Sorhefiaga Kpodo pledged to unite the people for them to work hard towards the accelerated development of the area.
He called on the youth to reciprocate his pledge by rallying behind him to help develop the area.
The Paramount Chief, Togbe Adiko, advised the new chief to respond promptly to calls and wished him God’s blessings in his leadership adventure.
The chief of Tanyigbe –Etoe, Togbe Komla Danku said the installation of the new chief was a great leap in the governance of the traditional area.
He prayed that his role would be functional to bring the development of the area to a higher pedestal.
The chief is Mr Frank Oliver Komla Kpodo, 35, of the purchasing and supply unit of the Ministry of Health in Accra.
In a maiden speech delivered at the introduction ceremony at the court of the Paramount Chief of Tanyigbe Traditional Area, Togbe Kwasi Adiko V, Sorhefiaga Kpodo pledged to unite the people for them to work hard towards the accelerated development of the area.
He called on the youth to reciprocate his pledge by rallying behind him to help develop the area.
The Paramount Chief, Togbe Adiko, advised the new chief to respond promptly to calls and wished him God’s blessings in his leadership adventure.
The chief of Tanyigbe –Etoe, Togbe Komla Danku said the installation of the new chief was a great leap in the governance of the traditional area.
He prayed that his role would be functional to bring the development of the area to a higher pedestal.
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