PARTICIPANTS at a consultative forum on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) have called for the review of the GETFund Act (Act 581) to take into account the current dynamics in the nation’s education system.
In the short term, they said, a Legislative Instrument (LI) that would give effect to the law should be promulgated to guide institutional relationships, fund-raising and management, project implementation and spending priorities.
The recommendation was made in view of the fact that over the last nine years, fund disbursement had suffered from disparities in resource allocation, undefined allocation formula, lack of focus and direction of spending, lack of prudence and frugality in spending and poor spending outcomes.
Others were the disproportionate large allocation to the tertiary level that had undermined the policy of providing quality and accessible basic education, the unacceptable high number of schools under trees and the absence of appropriate LIs to empower the operations under the GETFund.
Others included the issue of non-existent projects, standardising the infrastructure designs of schools and the artificial disjunctures between the government educational policies and fund disbursement, resulting in disparities and fiscal redress.
Key issues that were identified in group presentations included over-reliance on limited funding sources like the Value Added Tax (VAT) and returns on investment, institutional rivalry between the Ministry of Education and the GETFund due to different interpretations of the provisions of pieces of legislations and policy instruments.
Unlimited discretionary spending authority located outside the control of the fund management authority, making the fund the payment centre for projects, and the inability to pay contractors on schedule, which leads to delays in project implementation, were also identified as problems in the past nine years.
It came to light that there were 50 non-existent projects allegedly awarded throughout the country and the GETFund was indebted to the tune of GH¢ 166, 341,979. These projects included Brong-Ahafo Region (15), Eastern Region (2), Northern Region (21), Upper West Region (3) and the Volta Region (8) which were under the pre-tertiary project status.
The GETFund however awarded a total of 3,389 projects between 2001 and 2009 with 1,869 completed, 1, 126 ongoing, 286 abandoned, 157 not started and 50 non-existing ones at a total cost of GH¢1,075,575,880.12.
The Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Mr Paul Victor Obeng, stressed the need for a prudential policy to guide the management of the people’s fund, adding that fund managers had erred in the disbursement of the fund.
He called for best practices in fund management and that there should be incentives for institutions to contribute to the GETFund aside of VAT sources because demand for projects will grow uncontrollably with unnecessary appetite for GETFund.
Mr Obeng called for a facelift and re-branding of the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) and regretted that lip-service to that sector over the years had resulted in the use of “prehistoric” equipment available even at the engineering departments of universities in the 21st century.
A staffer at the office of the President, who chaired the plenary session, Mrs Christine Amoako-Nuamah, commended participants for their inputs adding that it would inform policy evolution to redefine necessary support to various departments and agencies.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, said the forum was timely and was the best opportunity for clearing all ambiguities relating to the fund.
The GETFund Administrator, Mr Sam Garbah, expressed relief that following the review workshop a disbursement formula could now be formulated to guide the use of funds more judiciously and to avoid waste in the future.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
DECENTRALISATION REVIEW REVEALS CONCERNS — YILEH CHIREH (PAGE 13, FEB 20, 2010)
The recent decentralisation review exercise has revealed that there are widespread concerns about the ability of the district assemblies to manage resources, deliver expected resources and generally execute local development.
They were also found wanting in the delivery of expected services, undertaking consistent consultation and the provision of timely and adequate feedback on issues pertaining to local government.
This was made known by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Mr Joseph Yieleh-Chireh, when he delivered the key note address at a two-day workshop on capacity building, training and education responsibilities in the local government sector in Ho.
Participants were drawn from Councils of the Local Government Service (LGS) and the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS).
Mr Yieleh-Chireh said the findings posed a great challenge to the local government sector and they must chart a way forward to ensure coherence, consistency and sustainability.
He charged the participants to use the workshop to come out with ways on how best to optimise the strengths of respective organisations and other stakeholders in local governance.
He stressed the need for a common agenda in ensuring that local authorities had competent technical and administrative staff to implement the decisions of assemblies.
He also stressed the need to support assemblies to make good decisions by making sure that citizens and their representatives — assembly members — were aware of and understood the issues and possibilities in government policy and programmes.
In an address, the Chairman of LGS, Professor F.M Andam, expressed the desire that the MLGRD could go beyond training to provide more infrastructure in remote areas, and that the task facing the sector should be seen as a shared responsibility.
He also advocated a common fund, development partner funds and ancillary funds to buttress the essence of capacity building for a common goal.
For his part, the Chairman of ILGS, Professor S.M Quartey, commended the MLGRD for taking the initiative to fill the void because inspite of all duplications there had not been any forum to iron out conflicts between the mandates of ILS and ILGS as far back as 1999.
In a welcoming address, the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Colonel Cyril Necku (rtd), said the workshop was relevant in view of its role in the restructuring of the local government system, adding that capacity building was an essential component of institutional service delivery, and that, “ a system that refuses to build the capacity of or train and educate its work force is definitely bound to fail in achieving its objectives”.
The former chairman of the Public Services Commission, Professor S.N. Wood, who chaired the function expressed the optimism that at the end of it all matters of duplication would be resolved to drive the decentralisation initiatives forward.
They were also found wanting in the delivery of expected services, undertaking consistent consultation and the provision of timely and adequate feedback on issues pertaining to local government.
This was made known by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Mr Joseph Yieleh-Chireh, when he delivered the key note address at a two-day workshop on capacity building, training and education responsibilities in the local government sector in Ho.
Participants were drawn from Councils of the Local Government Service (LGS) and the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS).
Mr Yieleh-Chireh said the findings posed a great challenge to the local government sector and they must chart a way forward to ensure coherence, consistency and sustainability.
He charged the participants to use the workshop to come out with ways on how best to optimise the strengths of respective organisations and other stakeholders in local governance.
He stressed the need for a common agenda in ensuring that local authorities had competent technical and administrative staff to implement the decisions of assemblies.
He also stressed the need to support assemblies to make good decisions by making sure that citizens and their representatives — assembly members — were aware of and understood the issues and possibilities in government policy and programmes.
In an address, the Chairman of LGS, Professor F.M Andam, expressed the desire that the MLGRD could go beyond training to provide more infrastructure in remote areas, and that the task facing the sector should be seen as a shared responsibility.
He also advocated a common fund, development partner funds and ancillary funds to buttress the essence of capacity building for a common goal.
For his part, the Chairman of ILGS, Professor S.M Quartey, commended the MLGRD for taking the initiative to fill the void because inspite of all duplications there had not been any forum to iron out conflicts between the mandates of ILS and ILGS as far back as 1999.
In a welcoming address, the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Colonel Cyril Necku (rtd), said the workshop was relevant in view of its role in the restructuring of the local government system, adding that capacity building was an essential component of institutional service delivery, and that, “ a system that refuses to build the capacity of or train and educate its work force is definitely bound to fail in achieving its objectives”.
The former chairman of the Public Services Commission, Professor S.N. Wood, who chaired the function expressed the optimism that at the end of it all matters of duplication would be resolved to drive the decentralisation initiatives forward.
MORE OFFER LAND FOR VARSITY IN VR (BACK PAGE, FEB 13, 2010)
THE Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council (VRCC) has been inundated with offers of land towards the establishment of the proposed University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in the region.
According to the council, the offers had come from Ziavi, Sokode GreenValley, Adaklu, all in the Ho Municipality, for the central campus in Ho and an external one at Hohoe.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, made this known when members of the national task force on the establishment of public-funded universities in the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions paid a familiarisation tour of the sites in Ho yesterday.
He said efforts were underway to make the lands in Ho surveyed while over 1000 acres of land had already been surveyed and designed at Hohoe.
He said the region had one of the best regional hospitals in the country that could easily serve as a teaching hospital, adding that there were equally a number of tertiary health institutions already established in Ho for the university.
“We are prepared even today for the start of the university,” he said, stating that the rest bordered on the goodwill of the task force to make it take-off by September, this year.
“My case is that the Volta Region is prepared for the University Health and Allied Sciences,” he said.
The regional minister said the visit of the task force was opportune because every one in the region was now conscious that there would be a state-funded university in the region.
The Chairman of the task force, Professor Samuel Sefa-Dede, said it was crucial that the ground work was done properly.
He said more consultations would be held with the view to submitting a cogent report to the government by June, this year.
Prof. Sefa-Dede assured the people of the region that the task force would not do anything that would unduly delay the take-off of the university.
A presidential advisor and head of policy co-ordination and implementation, Dr Christine Amoako-Nuamah, reiterated that the promise of the government on the proposed university was real and would be fulfilled before its mandate for the first term in office ends in 2012.
She said the government was mindful that it required a lot of resources and would live to that challenge and expectation.
Dr Amoako-Nuamah was happy that deliberations so far were going on at such a fast pace that she was personally overwhelmed about the enthusiasm.
According to the council, the offers had come from Ziavi, Sokode GreenValley, Adaklu, all in the Ho Municipality, for the central campus in Ho and an external one at Hohoe.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, made this known when members of the national task force on the establishment of public-funded universities in the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions paid a familiarisation tour of the sites in Ho yesterday.
He said efforts were underway to make the lands in Ho surveyed while over 1000 acres of land had already been surveyed and designed at Hohoe.
He said the region had one of the best regional hospitals in the country that could easily serve as a teaching hospital, adding that there were equally a number of tertiary health institutions already established in Ho for the university.
“We are prepared even today for the start of the university,” he said, stating that the rest bordered on the goodwill of the task force to make it take-off by September, this year.
“My case is that the Volta Region is prepared for the University Health and Allied Sciences,” he said.
The regional minister said the visit of the task force was opportune because every one in the region was now conscious that there would be a state-funded university in the region.
The Chairman of the task force, Professor Samuel Sefa-Dede, said it was crucial that the ground work was done properly.
He said more consultations would be held with the view to submitting a cogent report to the government by June, this year.
Prof. Sefa-Dede assured the people of the region that the task force would not do anything that would unduly delay the take-off of the university.
A presidential advisor and head of policy co-ordination and implementation, Dr Christine Amoako-Nuamah, reiterated that the promise of the government on the proposed university was real and would be fulfilled before its mandate for the first term in office ends in 2012.
She said the government was mindful that it required a lot of resources and would live to that challenge and expectation.
Dr Amoako-Nuamah was happy that deliberations so far were going on at such a fast pace that she was personally overwhelmed about the enthusiasm.
Friday, February 26, 2010
NKONYA, ALAVANYO WOMEN HOLD PEACE RALLY (PAGE 11, FEB 6, 2010)
For more than 80 years the people of Nkonya and Alavanyo have engaged in violence and killings that resulted in insecurity and occasional tension as a result of protracted dispute over a parcel of land. The problem hampered socio-economic development because the citizens of the two areas could not go about their socio-economic activities.
Although Alavanyo and Nkonya are just about four kilometres apart they could not attend funerals of relatives. They could not go to schools located in either side, teachers refused transfers to the area, there was no trade between them as close neighbours and they could not worship together in churches.
I remember that during a monitoring tour during the 2004 general election in the area, I attempted to drive through Nkonya-Ahenkro towards Alavanyo-Kpeme but had to retreat because the road had become dangerous and inaccessible because of the conflict.
But today the people of the two areas have stopped all animosities and antagonism through the mediation of eminent persons from the Volta Region, led by the former Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Very Reverend Dr Livingstone Buamah, and Catholic Bishop of the Ho Diocese, Most Reverend Francis Anani Lodonu.
And to consolidate that the women of the area decided to embark on a peace rally to say no to war and conflict because they were found most vulnerable when there was any unrest in the communities.
Their enthusiasm and commitment was depicted on placards they held during the peace rally. Some of the placards read, “ Peace is the answer”, “ Peace is good”, “Government give us the jubilee peace road now”, “ We are moving forward in peace”, “ We want peace”, “ Unity is strength”, among others.
The peace rally was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ghana Office, the Ho Diocesan Department of Pastoral/ Social Communications, Gender and Development, and Peace and Justice offices of the diocese, as a follow-up to a series of workshops aimed at addressing the needs of women affected by the conflict.
The Director of communications of the Catholic Church in the Ho Diocese, Sister Rejoice E. A. Sedegah, said the UNDP had embarked on a programme aimed at empowering the women to promote their socio-economic status and alleviate poverty on the theme, “Integrated Support Programme for the Women of Nkonya and Alavanyo”.
She said a number of women had been trained in business management, agronomic practices and advocacy skills under the project and that had created a lot of awareness, leading to the peace rally, while some had been supplied with agro-processing equipment.
Sister Sedegah said the people of Alavanyo and Nkonya had become a beacon of peace because people in conflict elsewhere always referred to them for guidance in the application of non-violence to the resolution of conflict.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, said conflicts and disputes were the causes of insecurity and brought untold hardship and wanton waste of scarce resources which could have been used to improve the living standards of citizens.
“ In the long run the most vulnerable and less privileged who are women and children are the worst hit by such disputes and the resultant consequences,” he lamented.
The regional minister advised them to commit themselves to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) method of conflict resolution instead of resorting to the law courts and security intervention that resulted in appeals and counter appeals against judgement, that rather heightened tension.
The Chairman of the consultative committee, Mr William Kpende, said the peace rally of the women underlined the declaration of the youth in 2005, never again to allow themselves to be used as tools for conflict.
He announced that a team of surveyors had completed and identified the overlapping areas which apparently was the bone of contention and would soon be resolved by the two sides to advance the peace process.
In their peace messages, the paramount queens of Alavanyo and Nkonya, Mamaga Ametor II and Nana Otubia II respectively, stated that they had resolved never to allow misunderstanding between the people to result in the use of the gun as an instrument for a solution.
They declared that “we the women of Nkonya and Alavanyo want to say with one accord that never again shall we sit down to allow our people to go to war. War between Nkonya and Alavanyo should belong to the past. It has done us no good”.
Peace messages were also delivered by the Regional Director of the Department of Women, Ms Lena Alai, the Regional Youth Co-ordinator, Mr Ransford L. Ocloo, the senior linguist of Nkonya-Tayi, Mr Joseph Atuobi, and the youth group.
Although Alavanyo and Nkonya are just about four kilometres apart they could not attend funerals of relatives. They could not go to schools located in either side, teachers refused transfers to the area, there was no trade between them as close neighbours and they could not worship together in churches.
I remember that during a monitoring tour during the 2004 general election in the area, I attempted to drive through Nkonya-Ahenkro towards Alavanyo-Kpeme but had to retreat because the road had become dangerous and inaccessible because of the conflict.
But today the people of the two areas have stopped all animosities and antagonism through the mediation of eminent persons from the Volta Region, led by the former Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Very Reverend Dr Livingstone Buamah, and Catholic Bishop of the Ho Diocese, Most Reverend Francis Anani Lodonu.
And to consolidate that the women of the area decided to embark on a peace rally to say no to war and conflict because they were found most vulnerable when there was any unrest in the communities.
Their enthusiasm and commitment was depicted on placards they held during the peace rally. Some of the placards read, “ Peace is the answer”, “ Peace is good”, “Government give us the jubilee peace road now”, “ We are moving forward in peace”, “ We want peace”, “ Unity is strength”, among others.
The peace rally was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ghana Office, the Ho Diocesan Department of Pastoral/ Social Communications, Gender and Development, and Peace and Justice offices of the diocese, as a follow-up to a series of workshops aimed at addressing the needs of women affected by the conflict.
The Director of communications of the Catholic Church in the Ho Diocese, Sister Rejoice E. A. Sedegah, said the UNDP had embarked on a programme aimed at empowering the women to promote their socio-economic status and alleviate poverty on the theme, “Integrated Support Programme for the Women of Nkonya and Alavanyo”.
She said a number of women had been trained in business management, agronomic practices and advocacy skills under the project and that had created a lot of awareness, leading to the peace rally, while some had been supplied with agro-processing equipment.
Sister Sedegah said the people of Alavanyo and Nkonya had become a beacon of peace because people in conflict elsewhere always referred to them for guidance in the application of non-violence to the resolution of conflict.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, said conflicts and disputes were the causes of insecurity and brought untold hardship and wanton waste of scarce resources which could have been used to improve the living standards of citizens.
“ In the long run the most vulnerable and less privileged who are women and children are the worst hit by such disputes and the resultant consequences,” he lamented.
The regional minister advised them to commit themselves to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) method of conflict resolution instead of resorting to the law courts and security intervention that resulted in appeals and counter appeals against judgement, that rather heightened tension.
The Chairman of the consultative committee, Mr William Kpende, said the peace rally of the women underlined the declaration of the youth in 2005, never again to allow themselves to be used as tools for conflict.
He announced that a team of surveyors had completed and identified the overlapping areas which apparently was the bone of contention and would soon be resolved by the two sides to advance the peace process.
In their peace messages, the paramount queens of Alavanyo and Nkonya, Mamaga Ametor II and Nana Otubia II respectively, stated that they had resolved never to allow misunderstanding between the people to result in the use of the gun as an instrument for a solution.
They declared that “we the women of Nkonya and Alavanyo want to say with one accord that never again shall we sit down to allow our people to go to war. War between Nkonya and Alavanyo should belong to the past. It has done us no good”.
Peace messages were also delivered by the Regional Director of the Department of Women, Ms Lena Alai, the Regional Youth Co-ordinator, Mr Ransford L. Ocloo, the senior linguist of Nkonya-Tayi, Mr Joseph Atuobi, and the youth group.
ASSEMBLY PROVIDES MOTORBIKES TO 4 INSTITUTIONS (PAGE 20, FEB 5, 2010)
THE Kpando District Assembly has provided 10 motorbikes to four institutions with the view to strengthening their capacity to deliver their mandatory services to the people in the fields of education, decentralisation and revenue.
Seven of the motorbikes were given to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and one each to the Kpando Urban Council, Aveme Area Council and the revenue office of the district assembly.
Making the presentation, the Kpando District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Francis Komla Ganyaglo, said the assembly decided to provide the motorbikes through its district development facility to ensure that supervision,as well as monitoring of schools, would be effective.
He said hitherto poor supervision had contributed to poor performance by pupils of junior high schools (JHS) at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Mr Ganyaglo expressed the hope that the huge investment would not be in vain.
The DCE said the donation to urban and area councils was aimed at strengthening the substructures of the district assembly in consonance with the policy to devolve power to the grass roots for effective administration at the local level.
He, therefore, said the motorbikes would enable the two substructures to carry out their daily administrative duties without much difficulty, adding that the effective use of the motorbikes would encourage the assembly to replicate the gesture to other sub-structures.
On revenue collection, the DCE said inadequate logistics for the revenue office for effective and random supervision of revenue collectors was a source of worry to the assembly.
He expressed the hope that the negative trend would end after the presentation of a motor-bike to the revenue office.
“May I entreat you to justify this investment by increasing our local revenue base for development projects to be implemented for the benefit of our people,” Mr Ganyaglo said.
He charged the beneficiaries to take proper care of them so that they would serve as an incentive to the assembly to seriously scale-up the donation of that magnitude to other institutions in the district.
Seven of the motorbikes were given to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and one each to the Kpando Urban Council, Aveme Area Council and the revenue office of the district assembly.
Making the presentation, the Kpando District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Francis Komla Ganyaglo, said the assembly decided to provide the motorbikes through its district development facility to ensure that supervision,as well as monitoring of schools, would be effective.
He said hitherto poor supervision had contributed to poor performance by pupils of junior high schools (JHS) at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Mr Ganyaglo expressed the hope that the huge investment would not be in vain.
The DCE said the donation to urban and area councils was aimed at strengthening the substructures of the district assembly in consonance with the policy to devolve power to the grass roots for effective administration at the local level.
He, therefore, said the motorbikes would enable the two substructures to carry out their daily administrative duties without much difficulty, adding that the effective use of the motorbikes would encourage the assembly to replicate the gesture to other sub-structures.
On revenue collection, the DCE said inadequate logistics for the revenue office for effective and random supervision of revenue collectors was a source of worry to the assembly.
He expressed the hope that the negative trend would end after the presentation of a motor-bike to the revenue office.
“May I entreat you to justify this investment by increasing our local revenue base for development projects to be implemented for the benefit of our people,” Mr Ganyaglo said.
He charged the beneficiaries to take proper care of them so that they would serve as an incentive to the assembly to seriously scale-up the donation of that magnitude to other institutions in the district.
THRILLS AT FIRST EVER GHAPSA GAMES (PAGE 63, FEB 4, 2010)
The 22nd edition of the Ghana Polytechnic Sports Association (GHAPSA) games has opened at Ho on the theme, “Uniting Polytechnics Through Sports for National Development”.
The week-long games have brought together sportsmen and women from the 10 polytechnics in the country to compete for trophies and medals in soccer, volleyball, basketball, handball, table tennis, tennis, badminton, judo, taekwondo, track and field athletics to be participated by both men and women except chess for only men.
In an opening address, the rector of Ho Polytechnic, Dr Komla Agbeko Dzisi, announced that the government had voted GH¢ 70,000 towards the games and that it demonstrated the full recognition accorded the GHAPSA games by the National Sports Council.
He said two volleyball and basketball courts were to be constructed at the polytechnic and expressed the hope they would go a long way to engage students in fruitful sporting activities.
Opening the games, the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, said the Academicals in tertiary institutions which once served as a platform for grooming sports men for national teams would be revived and supported to enable sports to develop effectively for the country’s benefit.
He said the achievements of the Satellites and the splendid performance of the Black Stars at the recently held African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola should inspire the youth and all Ghanaians to achieve honour and good names for themselves and the state.
Mr Amenowode advised participants to take care of themselves in order to overcome temptations on experimenting with drugs, casual sex, occultism and other vices that might come their way.
“ Let us use this opportunity to break new grounds by making new friends. Sports is essentially about togetherness and oneness. Let us therefore make new friends and establish positive relationships that would eventually work to our mutual benefit,” he said.
The president of GHAPSA, Dr Ben E. Kwesi Prah, announced that Ghana was to host the West Africa Polytechnics Games this year and asked stakeholders in polytechnic sports to streamline their budgets to promote sports to the highest level.
Dr Prah, who is the Rector of Kumasi polytechnic, advised the participants to play the games diligently to become role models in the country and to gain inclusion into various national teams.
The Secretary General of the WAPOGA based in Nigeria, Mr Femi Abdul Rahim, reaffirmed the staging of the West Africa games in the country this year and said countries involved were Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Mali.
The Chairman of the GHAPSA technical committee, Mr Ebenezer Mensah advised that nobody should do anything to mar the beauty of the games because the cardinal aim was to compete in a friendly atmosphere.
The Paramount chief of Ziavi Traditional Area, Togbe Kwaku Ayim chaired the function
Present was the Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Council, Mr Worlanyo Agrah.
Ho Polytechnic women beat Accra Polytechnic women in the first round of the women’s volleyball while their male counterparts beat Wa Polytechnic in the first round of the men’s volleyball division.
The lads from Accra Polytechnic had beaten their counterparts from Ho Polytechnic in the men’s basketball division at the time of going to press.
The week-long games have brought together sportsmen and women from the 10 polytechnics in the country to compete for trophies and medals in soccer, volleyball, basketball, handball, table tennis, tennis, badminton, judo, taekwondo, track and field athletics to be participated by both men and women except chess for only men.
In an opening address, the rector of Ho Polytechnic, Dr Komla Agbeko Dzisi, announced that the government had voted GH¢ 70,000 towards the games and that it demonstrated the full recognition accorded the GHAPSA games by the National Sports Council.
He said two volleyball and basketball courts were to be constructed at the polytechnic and expressed the hope they would go a long way to engage students in fruitful sporting activities.
Opening the games, the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, said the Academicals in tertiary institutions which once served as a platform for grooming sports men for national teams would be revived and supported to enable sports to develop effectively for the country’s benefit.
He said the achievements of the Satellites and the splendid performance of the Black Stars at the recently held African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola should inspire the youth and all Ghanaians to achieve honour and good names for themselves and the state.
Mr Amenowode advised participants to take care of themselves in order to overcome temptations on experimenting with drugs, casual sex, occultism and other vices that might come their way.
“ Let us use this opportunity to break new grounds by making new friends. Sports is essentially about togetherness and oneness. Let us therefore make new friends and establish positive relationships that would eventually work to our mutual benefit,” he said.
The president of GHAPSA, Dr Ben E. Kwesi Prah, announced that Ghana was to host the West Africa Polytechnics Games this year and asked stakeholders in polytechnic sports to streamline their budgets to promote sports to the highest level.
Dr Prah, who is the Rector of Kumasi polytechnic, advised the participants to play the games diligently to become role models in the country and to gain inclusion into various national teams.
The Secretary General of the WAPOGA based in Nigeria, Mr Femi Abdul Rahim, reaffirmed the staging of the West Africa games in the country this year and said countries involved were Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Mali.
The Chairman of the GHAPSA technical committee, Mr Ebenezer Mensah advised that nobody should do anything to mar the beauty of the games because the cardinal aim was to compete in a friendly atmosphere.
The Paramount chief of Ziavi Traditional Area, Togbe Kwaku Ayim chaired the function
Present was the Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Council, Mr Worlanyo Agrah.
Ho Polytechnic women beat Accra Polytechnic women in the first round of the women’s volleyball while their male counterparts beat Wa Polytechnic in the first round of the men’s volleyball division.
The lads from Accra Polytechnic had beaten their counterparts from Ho Polytechnic in the men’s basketball division at the time of going to press.
CHIEFS MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR BUSH FIRES (PAGE 15, FEB 3, 2010)
The assembly member for Kpetoe in the Ho-East Constituency of the Adaklu-Anyigbe District, Mr James Agbemavi, has suggested that chiefs must be held accountable for deforestation and the outbreak of bush fires in their areas.
He said that would make them effectively monitor environmental issues in order to save the environment from degradation.
He said chiefs had the power to marshal the necessary forces to fight the growing canker of bush fires and deforestation.
Mr Agbemavi made the suggestion at a workshop on the theme, “Mainstreaming Climate Resilient Policies and Measures in the Restoration of the Tordzie River Basin in Adaklu-Anyigbe District” at Agotime-Kpetoe last weekend.
It was organised by an environmental non-governmental organisation, Actions for the Integrated Development of Deprived Communities(ADICODE), with joint sponsorship from United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), and United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) under the small grants environment fund.
According to the assembly member it should be possible to amend prevailing legislation on forestry and the environment to empower chiefs to police the environment at the local level because everything that happened there was almost known to them.
Speaking at the function, the Volta Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Torgbui Akliku Ahorney II, said excessive human exploitation of the environment had led to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and consequently global warming.
He said it was becoming more difficult to predict the weather these days because the pattern of dry and rainy seasons had shifted.
Torgbui Ahorney therefore called for concerted efforts to monitor climate change.
The Volta Regional Director of Forestry Services, Mr Winfred Bimah, said the nation had lost seven million hectares of forest between 1900 and 2000, and warned that if the trend was not reversed there would be no forest again and some species would go extinct.
He said the nation had only 1.6 million hectares remaining at 2000 out of 8.6 million hectares that existed at 1900.
Mr Bimah therefore announced an aggressive afforestation project aimed at regeneration of forests in the country, adding that the national plantation programme enjoined all district assemblies to acquire 300 hectares for tree growing projects.
He cited that more than GH¢3 million was generated from the Volta Region through the harvesting of forest products, and said they should take the national programme seriously, since it would serve as a big avenue for wealth generation for individuals and landowners.
In an address, the regional coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Henry Ametefe, urged district assemblies to enact bye-laws relevant to the protection of rivers and natural assets in their areas.
He said that would make them effectively monitor environmental issues in order to save the environment from degradation.
He said chiefs had the power to marshal the necessary forces to fight the growing canker of bush fires and deforestation.
Mr Agbemavi made the suggestion at a workshop on the theme, “Mainstreaming Climate Resilient Policies and Measures in the Restoration of the Tordzie River Basin in Adaklu-Anyigbe District” at Agotime-Kpetoe last weekend.
It was organised by an environmental non-governmental organisation, Actions for the Integrated Development of Deprived Communities(ADICODE), with joint sponsorship from United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), and United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) under the small grants environment fund.
According to the assembly member it should be possible to amend prevailing legislation on forestry and the environment to empower chiefs to police the environment at the local level because everything that happened there was almost known to them.
Speaking at the function, the Volta Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Torgbui Akliku Ahorney II, said excessive human exploitation of the environment had led to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and consequently global warming.
He said it was becoming more difficult to predict the weather these days because the pattern of dry and rainy seasons had shifted.
Torgbui Ahorney therefore called for concerted efforts to monitor climate change.
The Volta Regional Director of Forestry Services, Mr Winfred Bimah, said the nation had lost seven million hectares of forest between 1900 and 2000, and warned that if the trend was not reversed there would be no forest again and some species would go extinct.
He said the nation had only 1.6 million hectares remaining at 2000 out of 8.6 million hectares that existed at 1900.
Mr Bimah therefore announced an aggressive afforestation project aimed at regeneration of forests in the country, adding that the national plantation programme enjoined all district assemblies to acquire 300 hectares for tree growing projects.
He cited that more than GH¢3 million was generated from the Volta Region through the harvesting of forest products, and said they should take the national programme seriously, since it would serve as a big avenue for wealth generation for individuals and landowners.
In an address, the regional coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Henry Ametefe, urged district assemblies to enact bye-laws relevant to the protection of rivers and natural assets in their areas.
CEDAS WIN U-17 CHAMPIONSHIP (PAGE 63, FEB 1, 2010)
The Volta Region edition of the Coca-Cola Under-17 football championships has ended in Ho with West Cedars of Aflao football club winning the regional championship by defeating Fire Football club also of Aflao by 2-0.
Both goals in the final match were scored in the second half by skipper Bright Alorbu through a penalty kick in the 30th minute and Gilbert Lumorvi during injury time. For their awards, Cedars received a trophy, a certificate, a plaque, a set of jerseys, a dummy cheque for GH¢400 and Coca-Cola products, while Fire F/C received a certificate, a plaque, a dummy cheque for GH¢350, a set of jerseys and Coca-Cola products.
Selion Academy F/C placed third by defeating Asogli F/C by 8-7 on penalties after a goalless game and took homeGH¢300, a certificate, a plaque, a set of jerseys and Cola-Cola products.
The over all best player award went to Alidza Makafui, fair play trophy was won by Selion Academy, best coach to Promise Anaba of West Cedars, while the discovery of the tournament went to Evans Akoto of Selion with golden boot award going to Julius Ankoma.
Four players, Daniel Akanu, Alidza, Selorm Adjetey and Kobla Tsika were adjudged best players of the tournament and awarded a football each. In an address read on his behalf, the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, asked trainers and coaches to use such sporting events to instil the virtues of confidence, discipline, hard work determination and the spirit of excellence in the players.
He said these virtues could in addition to their skills in football build them strongly in whichever vocation or profession they may decide to pursue in the future.
Mr Amenowode cautioned that there is no room for illiterates in today’s world of sports because there were issues such as contract signing, issuing of press statements and many engagements that required academic excellence and said that it was not true that when one took part in sporting activities in school, he or she may not progress academically, but rather strengthened the resolve to pursue academic goals to higher heights and to achieve results.
The operations marketing manager of Coca-Coca, Mr Anthony Chinebuah, said the tournament will be revised annually with the view to strengthening it to critically assess the performance of players.
The national Chairman of juvenile football, Mr Jordan Anagba, advised players and the technical team not to be complacent, but use the tournament to cultivate the spirit of hardwork to win more laurels.
For his part, Volta Regional Chairman of the regional football association, Mr Francis Dogbatse, commended the organisers and appealed to them to increase the number of participating teams in future tournaments.
Both goals in the final match were scored in the second half by skipper Bright Alorbu through a penalty kick in the 30th minute and Gilbert Lumorvi during injury time. For their awards, Cedars received a trophy, a certificate, a plaque, a set of jerseys, a dummy cheque for GH¢400 and Coca-Cola products, while Fire F/C received a certificate, a plaque, a dummy cheque for GH¢350, a set of jerseys and Coca-Cola products.
Selion Academy F/C placed third by defeating Asogli F/C by 8-7 on penalties after a goalless game and took homeGH¢300, a certificate, a plaque, a set of jerseys and Cola-Cola products.
The over all best player award went to Alidza Makafui, fair play trophy was won by Selion Academy, best coach to Promise Anaba of West Cedars, while the discovery of the tournament went to Evans Akoto of Selion with golden boot award going to Julius Ankoma.
Four players, Daniel Akanu, Alidza, Selorm Adjetey and Kobla Tsika were adjudged best players of the tournament and awarded a football each. In an address read on his behalf, the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, asked trainers and coaches to use such sporting events to instil the virtues of confidence, discipline, hard work determination and the spirit of excellence in the players.
He said these virtues could in addition to their skills in football build them strongly in whichever vocation or profession they may decide to pursue in the future.
Mr Amenowode cautioned that there is no room for illiterates in today’s world of sports because there were issues such as contract signing, issuing of press statements and many engagements that required academic excellence and said that it was not true that when one took part in sporting activities in school, he or she may not progress academically, but rather strengthened the resolve to pursue academic goals to higher heights and to achieve results.
The operations marketing manager of Coca-Coca, Mr Anthony Chinebuah, said the tournament will be revised annually with the view to strengthening it to critically assess the performance of players.
The national Chairman of juvenile football, Mr Jordan Anagba, advised players and the technical team not to be complacent, but use the tournament to cultivate the spirit of hardwork to win more laurels.
For his part, Volta Regional Chairman of the regional football association, Mr Francis Dogbatse, commended the organisers and appealed to them to increase the number of participating teams in future tournaments.
BUSHFIRES AND CLIMATE CHANGE (PAGE 7, JAN 27, 2010)
The world is going through turbulent times with regard to climate change and its effect on humanity, plants and animals because the linkages for environmental equilibrium as ordained by God had been dismembered by excessive human activity.
Man’s excessive exploitation of water bodies and their contents, plants and animals in the forest has resulted in several phenomena such as extinction, migration, dislocation, climate-related disasters causing general impoverishment.
Every year, there are bush fires in the dry season has been of no shame to members of society. To set fire to the bush without recourse to fundamental laws and morality causes extensive environmental pollution.
This has endangered many species including human beings, the soil and its nutrients and the atmosphere and eventually distorted logical cycles and patterns for regular rainfall and natural phenomenon for normal living.
For example, the processes of photosynthesis in plants and respiration in animals which were intricately linked to the survival of man have become most unreliable in the event of bush fires because carbon dioxide released from respiration by man cannot be totally absorbed by plants for synthesising their food hence the excess left in the atmosphere to cause global or planet warming.
Today when we talk of global warming we hear of effects such as melting ice from the north and south poles, rising sea levels causing low lying oceanic nations to submerge, floods, coastal erosion, general discomfort caused by excessive heat and a barrage of many scientific and unscientific evidences.
It has been proven that the excess carbon dioxide trapped in the atmosphere also combines with rain to form acid which fall into the sea and rivers to endanger fishes.
According to the World Bank, “nobody is immune to climate change regardless of where they live or whether they contributed to it”. It continued that, ”In fact climate change is nothing short of a crisis of the commons and tackling it effectively will require all the ingenuity and collaborative spirit of the human race”.
Every year several campaigns are mounted to educate the public on the negative causes of bush fires but they rather recur.
Since the advent of the first Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, to be followed by the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in South Africa in 2002 and in December last year, the conscience of humanity seems to be inert because negative tendencies towards environmental degradation are becoming rather more sustainable.
Society must be conscious that the beginning of desertification could begin from razing down forests to savannah through annual bush fires and the effect on climate change is obvious.
After the Earth Summit and subsequent ones, a commission on sustainable development has identified nine groups that could work closely to ensure that the blueprint to attain sustainable development in the 21st century is effective.
They are business and industry, children and youth, farmers, indigenous people, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, scientific and technological community, women and workers and trade unions.
Indeed if these identifiable groups are able to play their roles well, the environmental crisis that faced the world could be averted because they could even play it better under the new paradigm on Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) that aims at stabilising greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere.
Under REDD+ several interventions will be carried out in forest zone countries with the view to reducing the carbon dioxide emissions from the present level of 20 per cent in support of a favourable climate change in the world.
Man’s excessive exploitation of water bodies and their contents, plants and animals in the forest has resulted in several phenomena such as extinction, migration, dislocation, climate-related disasters causing general impoverishment.
Every year, there are bush fires in the dry season has been of no shame to members of society. To set fire to the bush without recourse to fundamental laws and morality causes extensive environmental pollution.
This has endangered many species including human beings, the soil and its nutrients and the atmosphere and eventually distorted logical cycles and patterns for regular rainfall and natural phenomenon for normal living.
For example, the processes of photosynthesis in plants and respiration in animals which were intricately linked to the survival of man have become most unreliable in the event of bush fires because carbon dioxide released from respiration by man cannot be totally absorbed by plants for synthesising their food hence the excess left in the atmosphere to cause global or planet warming.
Today when we talk of global warming we hear of effects such as melting ice from the north and south poles, rising sea levels causing low lying oceanic nations to submerge, floods, coastal erosion, general discomfort caused by excessive heat and a barrage of many scientific and unscientific evidences.
It has been proven that the excess carbon dioxide trapped in the atmosphere also combines with rain to form acid which fall into the sea and rivers to endanger fishes.
According to the World Bank, “nobody is immune to climate change regardless of where they live or whether they contributed to it”. It continued that, ”In fact climate change is nothing short of a crisis of the commons and tackling it effectively will require all the ingenuity and collaborative spirit of the human race”.
Every year several campaigns are mounted to educate the public on the negative causes of bush fires but they rather recur.
Since the advent of the first Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, to be followed by the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in South Africa in 2002 and in December last year, the conscience of humanity seems to be inert because negative tendencies towards environmental degradation are becoming rather more sustainable.
Society must be conscious that the beginning of desertification could begin from razing down forests to savannah through annual bush fires and the effect on climate change is obvious.
After the Earth Summit and subsequent ones, a commission on sustainable development has identified nine groups that could work closely to ensure that the blueprint to attain sustainable development in the 21st century is effective.
They are business and industry, children and youth, farmers, indigenous people, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, scientific and technological community, women and workers and trade unions.
Indeed if these identifiable groups are able to play their roles well, the environmental crisis that faced the world could be averted because they could even play it better under the new paradigm on Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) that aims at stabilising greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere.
Under REDD+ several interventions will be carried out in forest zone countries with the view to reducing the carbon dioxide emissions from the present level of 20 per cent in support of a favourable climate change in the world.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
MODEL KINDERGATEN FOR SOVIE-KANDA (PAGE 11, JAN 25, 2010)
A model kindergarten building, constructed at an estimated cost of GH¢60,000 has been inaugurated at Sovie-Konda in the Kpando municipality of the Volta Region.
The project was sponsored by a German philanthropist, Ms Cornelia Woolfing, on behalf of a German who had worked for several years in Ghana.
Ms Woolfing, who has been named Mamaga Akosua I, said children were the foundation of the society so they must be taught by good teachers. She added that moral and ethical values, patience and honesty would enable them to grow into better adults.
She underscored the essence of self-help, adding that “we can’t wait for the government to solve all our problems for us”.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, who cut the tape to inaugurate the building, said the construction of the facility was a clear expression of the determination by the people to see to the development of the town and ensure the welfare of the children who were the future leaders.
He assured the people that the government would respond swiftly and appropriately by providing the necessary facilities that would ensure that they achieved their objectives.
The regional minister announced that the government had made provision for the construction and furnishing of 165 school buildings to accommodate primary and junior high schools that held classes under trees and 250 permanent structures for kindergartens.
He said since kindergartens were the starting point of formal education, all necessary facilities including the availability of trained teachers, school infrastructure, teaching and learning aids would be provided by government.
“I urge our parents to ensure that they enrol their children of age four in the kindergartens in their respective communities so the children could have sound foundation of the basic level of their educational career”, he stressed.
In an address read on his behalf, the Kpando District Chief Executive, Mr Francis Ganyaglo said five kindergarten blocks would be constructed in the district in addition to 1,000 monodesks to be supplied to the schools.
He commended the people for their initiatives aimed at supporting development, although they were subsistence farmers with low incomes.
Mr Ganyaglo disclosed that all Capitation Grant arrears had been paid and added that free school uniforms and exercise books were currently being distributed to schools.
A Kpando District Circuit Supervisor of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Madam Mary Fleku, said the new kindergarten building was a great relief because hitherto, pupils were crowded in a dilapidated bungalow infested with bats.
She commended the German philanthropist for executing the change to ensure a conducive environment for academic learning.
The Paramount Chief of Sovie, Togbe Nyaku VII, said without education a nation could not develop and that it was appropriate for the government to lay emphasis on child education, adding that with the right orientation the Sovie Kindergarten could excel and become one of the best in the region and country.
For his part, the Paramount Chief of the Alavanyo Traditional Area, Togbe Tsedze Atakora III, called for greater unity among SASADU communities because nobody would develop the area for them.
He said they should ensure innovative ideas such as the formation of SASADU Ladies or SASADU Teachers Union to champion the development interest of the people.
A German businessman, Mr Axel Schultz, donated GH¢ 2,000 towards the furnishing of the kindergarten.
The project was sponsored by a German philanthropist, Ms Cornelia Woolfing, on behalf of a German who had worked for several years in Ghana.
Ms Woolfing, who has been named Mamaga Akosua I, said children were the foundation of the society so they must be taught by good teachers. She added that moral and ethical values, patience and honesty would enable them to grow into better adults.
She underscored the essence of self-help, adding that “we can’t wait for the government to solve all our problems for us”.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, who cut the tape to inaugurate the building, said the construction of the facility was a clear expression of the determination by the people to see to the development of the town and ensure the welfare of the children who were the future leaders.
He assured the people that the government would respond swiftly and appropriately by providing the necessary facilities that would ensure that they achieved their objectives.
The regional minister announced that the government had made provision for the construction and furnishing of 165 school buildings to accommodate primary and junior high schools that held classes under trees and 250 permanent structures for kindergartens.
He said since kindergartens were the starting point of formal education, all necessary facilities including the availability of trained teachers, school infrastructure, teaching and learning aids would be provided by government.
“I urge our parents to ensure that they enrol their children of age four in the kindergartens in their respective communities so the children could have sound foundation of the basic level of their educational career”, he stressed.
In an address read on his behalf, the Kpando District Chief Executive, Mr Francis Ganyaglo said five kindergarten blocks would be constructed in the district in addition to 1,000 monodesks to be supplied to the schools.
He commended the people for their initiatives aimed at supporting development, although they were subsistence farmers with low incomes.
Mr Ganyaglo disclosed that all Capitation Grant arrears had been paid and added that free school uniforms and exercise books were currently being distributed to schools.
A Kpando District Circuit Supervisor of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Madam Mary Fleku, said the new kindergarten building was a great relief because hitherto, pupils were crowded in a dilapidated bungalow infested with bats.
She commended the German philanthropist for executing the change to ensure a conducive environment for academic learning.
The Paramount Chief of Sovie, Togbe Nyaku VII, said without education a nation could not develop and that it was appropriate for the government to lay emphasis on child education, adding that with the right orientation the Sovie Kindergarten could excel and become one of the best in the region and country.
For his part, the Paramount Chief of the Alavanyo Traditional Area, Togbe Tsedze Atakora III, called for greater unity among SASADU communities because nobody would develop the area for them.
He said they should ensure innovative ideas such as the formation of SASADU Ladies or SASADU Teachers Union to champion the development interest of the people.
A German businessman, Mr Axel Schultz, donated GH¢ 2,000 towards the furnishing of the kindergarten.
HO CENTRAL MP FETES 600 PRISON INMATES (PAGE 22, JAN 23, 2010)
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho-Central, Captain George Nfojoh (retd), has organised a buffet dinner for 600 inmates of the Ho Central Prisons.
He also presented an industrial sewing machine and a colour television set for use by the inmates.
Capt. Nfodjo further promised to donate 100 bags of cement to support a housing project under construction at the prisons in addition to band instruments.
Making the presentation last weekend, the MP said he appreciated the fact that the prison was built for a lower number of inmates but now congested, adding that it was pertinent to keep the prisons under good environment as anybody could find himself there at any time.
He said it was the first time that female inmates had interacted with their male counterparts whom they did not hitherto know that were there.
The acting Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS), Mr Kofi Bansah, said diagnostic centres were to be set up in all prisons in the country with the view of helping the inmates to know their ailments at any time to help them receive the necessary treatment.
He said some industrial equipment had arrived at the Tema Port to enhance vocational training for inmates.
Mr Bansah, therefore, advised the inmates to take vocational training seriously to enable them to reintegrate easily into society after serving their sentences.
He urged them to take advantage of the proposed distance education programme which had already started at the Nsawam and Kumasi prisons in order to build their resourcefulness to ensure that their life was not wasted.
Mr Bansah urged the public to visit the prisons, stressing that they should not shirk their social responsibility towards prisoners.
He commended Capt. Nfojoh for his gesture.
The Volta Regional Commander of Prisons, Mr Alhassan Legibo, was also grateful to Capt. Nfojoh and urged them to emulate him.
The MP for Ho West, Mr Emmanuel Bedzrah, told the inmates that their time in prison was a period of reformation.
He impressed upon them to exhibit the spirit of reformation outside after they had been released so that society would be able to accept them back.
He also presented an industrial sewing machine and a colour television set for use by the inmates.
Capt. Nfodjo further promised to donate 100 bags of cement to support a housing project under construction at the prisons in addition to band instruments.
Making the presentation last weekend, the MP said he appreciated the fact that the prison was built for a lower number of inmates but now congested, adding that it was pertinent to keep the prisons under good environment as anybody could find himself there at any time.
He said it was the first time that female inmates had interacted with their male counterparts whom they did not hitherto know that were there.
The acting Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS), Mr Kofi Bansah, said diagnostic centres were to be set up in all prisons in the country with the view of helping the inmates to know their ailments at any time to help them receive the necessary treatment.
He said some industrial equipment had arrived at the Tema Port to enhance vocational training for inmates.
Mr Bansah, therefore, advised the inmates to take vocational training seriously to enable them to reintegrate easily into society after serving their sentences.
He urged them to take advantage of the proposed distance education programme which had already started at the Nsawam and Kumasi prisons in order to build their resourcefulness to ensure that their life was not wasted.
Mr Bansah urged the public to visit the prisons, stressing that they should not shirk their social responsibility towards prisoners.
He commended Capt. Nfojoh for his gesture.
The Volta Regional Commander of Prisons, Mr Alhassan Legibo, was also grateful to Capt. Nfojoh and urged them to emulate him.
The MP for Ho West, Mr Emmanuel Bedzrah, told the inmates that their time in prison was a period of reformation.
He impressed upon them to exhibit the spirit of reformation outside after they had been released so that society would be able to accept them back.
HOLY SPIRIT NOT FOR MONETARY GAIN — PROF ANSRE (PAGE 22, JAN 23, 2010)
An eminent theologian, Reverend Professor G.K. Ansre, has said the gift of the Holy Spirit is not for monetary gain or for grandiose lifestyles and pomposity.
The Holy Spirit, he said, is a precious gift that gives direction to what is right or wrong and helps to foresee temptations before they come.
According to him, the Holy Spirit encourages hard work, good moral uprightness and virtues of life, adding that people put in leadership positions should pursue the Holy Spirit to enable them to deliver effectively to their subjects.
Prof. Ansre was delivering a sermon at a special thanksgiving service during the elevation of Right Reverend Francis Kwame Amenu to the status of Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana at Wegbe-Kpalime in the South-Dayi District in the Volta Region.
He prayed for righteousness and peace to prevail under the stewardship of the moderator, adding that he should regularly seek spiritual cleansing as the best option, as Jesus Christ did in his lifetime.
In a special message, a former Moderator of the church, the Very Reverend Japhet Yao Ledo, who was the guest of honour, said leaders were chosen by God and that those who struggled unnecessarily to attain heights often fumbled in office.
He said after one year in office, the new moderator had by now acquainted himself with the challenges to make him steadfast to meet emerging ones.
The Very Rev. Ledo underscored the role of society in moulding good leaders and said it was a task for parents to ensure that their children were brought up in a disciplined environment, else the anticlimax could be the breeding of criminals like armed robbers and people with deviant characters.
He made a clarion call to all communities to be careful about bush fires during the dry season to reduce the negative effects on the environment.
In an acknowledgement, Rt Revd Amenu thanked the joint congregations for the honour done him, adding that the occasion had come about after almost 25 years of joining the ministry of Christ.
He extended felicitations to his parents, the community, all teachers who taught him, chiefs and past parishes where he had worked, adding that they had all contributed to the development of his personality.
Rt Revd Amenu issued a cheque for GH¢1,000 for the procurement of roofing sheets for a new chapel to serve as a monument for the centenary celebration of the church in the town in 2012.
At the function, a native of the town, Dr Amenuve Bekui, who is a medical doctor in the United States of America (USA), presented medical equipment comprising foetal stethoscopes, a delivery bed, scissors, a weighing scale, drip stand and bed pans valued at GH¢2,736 to the local health centre.
The equipment, which was presented by his brother, Mr Mawuli Bekui, was received by the South Dayi District Director of Health Services, Dr Akosua Owusu who handed them over to the local health centre.
The Holy Spirit, he said, is a precious gift that gives direction to what is right or wrong and helps to foresee temptations before they come.
According to him, the Holy Spirit encourages hard work, good moral uprightness and virtues of life, adding that people put in leadership positions should pursue the Holy Spirit to enable them to deliver effectively to their subjects.
Prof. Ansre was delivering a sermon at a special thanksgiving service during the elevation of Right Reverend Francis Kwame Amenu to the status of Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana at Wegbe-Kpalime in the South-Dayi District in the Volta Region.
He prayed for righteousness and peace to prevail under the stewardship of the moderator, adding that he should regularly seek spiritual cleansing as the best option, as Jesus Christ did in his lifetime.
In a special message, a former Moderator of the church, the Very Reverend Japhet Yao Ledo, who was the guest of honour, said leaders were chosen by God and that those who struggled unnecessarily to attain heights often fumbled in office.
He said after one year in office, the new moderator had by now acquainted himself with the challenges to make him steadfast to meet emerging ones.
The Very Rev. Ledo underscored the role of society in moulding good leaders and said it was a task for parents to ensure that their children were brought up in a disciplined environment, else the anticlimax could be the breeding of criminals like armed robbers and people with deviant characters.
He made a clarion call to all communities to be careful about bush fires during the dry season to reduce the negative effects on the environment.
In an acknowledgement, Rt Revd Amenu thanked the joint congregations for the honour done him, adding that the occasion had come about after almost 25 years of joining the ministry of Christ.
He extended felicitations to his parents, the community, all teachers who taught him, chiefs and past parishes where he had worked, adding that they had all contributed to the development of his personality.
Rt Revd Amenu issued a cheque for GH¢1,000 for the procurement of roofing sheets for a new chapel to serve as a monument for the centenary celebration of the church in the town in 2012.
At the function, a native of the town, Dr Amenuve Bekui, who is a medical doctor in the United States of America (USA), presented medical equipment comprising foetal stethoscopes, a delivery bed, scissors, a weighing scale, drip stand and bed pans valued at GH¢2,736 to the local health centre.
The equipment, which was presented by his brother, Mr Mawuli Bekui, was received by the South Dayi District Director of Health Services, Dr Akosua Owusu who handed them over to the local health centre.
ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT FOR LIKPE SCHOOLS... To facilitate study of ICT in the area (PAGE 11, JAN 20, 2010)
THE people of Likpe Traditional Area have embarked on an electrification project for all basic education schools with the view to facilitating the study of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the area.
Under the project, nursery, primary and junior high schools will be wired and connected to the national grid at an estimated cost of GH¢ 95,000.
The Chairman of the Lekoryi Festival Planning Committee, Dr Kwame A.Q. Aboagye, announced this at a meeting to discuss issues pertaining to the celebration of the festival, which is scheduled for April 3, this year.
He said the project was the target for the celebration of this year’s festival at Likpe-Mate.
The necessary surveys had been completed, he noted, adding that more than 15 schools were earmarked to benefit from the project to be undertaken by a competent electrical contractor in 10 communities.
The communities are Mate, Abrani, Bala, Kukurantumi, Agbosome, Koforidua, Avedzeme, Bakwa, Todome and Nkwanta.
Dr Aboagye appealed to all prominent citizens of Likpe and corporate entities to support the project since it would bridge the gap between education delivery in the urban and rural areas.
“Our schools should be ready for the digital age”, he declared, and said a special fund- raising session would be held on the durbar day and urged all citizens of the area to take part in the festivities.
He said the festival had the theme, “ Tourism in Likpe” and was a signal of the intention of the traditional council to promote Likpe as a major tourism destination in the country.
Some identified tourist sites are the ancestral caves at Todome, Likpeto, Wajakli Waterfalls, Umekoko, the Togo-Atakora Mountain Range and River Dayi.
Another attraction is the culture of the people such as rites of passage, puberty rites and food fairs.
Under the project, nursery, primary and junior high schools will be wired and connected to the national grid at an estimated cost of GH¢ 95,000.
The Chairman of the Lekoryi Festival Planning Committee, Dr Kwame A.Q. Aboagye, announced this at a meeting to discuss issues pertaining to the celebration of the festival, which is scheduled for April 3, this year.
He said the project was the target for the celebration of this year’s festival at Likpe-Mate.
The necessary surveys had been completed, he noted, adding that more than 15 schools were earmarked to benefit from the project to be undertaken by a competent electrical contractor in 10 communities.
The communities are Mate, Abrani, Bala, Kukurantumi, Agbosome, Koforidua, Avedzeme, Bakwa, Todome and Nkwanta.
Dr Aboagye appealed to all prominent citizens of Likpe and corporate entities to support the project since it would bridge the gap between education delivery in the urban and rural areas.
“Our schools should be ready for the digital age”, he declared, and said a special fund- raising session would be held on the durbar day and urged all citizens of the area to take part in the festivities.
He said the festival had the theme, “ Tourism in Likpe” and was a signal of the intention of the traditional council to promote Likpe as a major tourism destination in the country.
Some identified tourist sites are the ancestral caves at Todome, Likpeto, Wajakli Waterfalls, Umekoko, the Togo-Atakora Mountain Range and River Dayi.
Another attraction is the culture of the people such as rites of passage, puberty rites and food fairs.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
HO CENTRAL MP FETES PRISONERS (PAGE 23, JAN 16, 2010)
The Member of Parliament (MP), for Ho Central , Captain George Nfojoh (rtd), has organised a dinner for 600 inmates of the Ho Central Prisons and also donated an industrial sewing machine and a colour television set for their use.
The MP also promised to provide musical instruments and 100 bags of cement to support a housing project at the prisons.
Capt. Nfojoh, who made the promises last weekend, said he appreciated the fact that the prison was built for only a few number of inmates, but was now congested.
Stressing that anybody could find himself at the prisons at any time, he called for the maintenance of a healthy environment there.
He said for the first time, female inmates had interacted with their male counterparts who hitherto did not know that they were there.
The MP advocated provision of uniforms for the male inmates, adding that consideration should be given to the introduction of community service as a way of decongesting the prisons.
Capt. Nfojoh told the inmates not to see the prison officers as being inhuman because of the circumstances under which they found themselves, including not being fed well and rather put the blame on the low financial allocation from the Central Government.
The acting Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS), Mr Kofi Bansah, said diagnostic centres were to be set up in all prisons in the country, with a view to helping the inmates to receive necessary treatment.
He said some industrial equipment had arrived at the Tema Port which enhance vocational training for inmates and urged the inmates, to take vocational training seriously whenever the programme started to enable them to reintegrate easily into society after serving their sentences.
He advised the inmates to take advantage of the proposed distance education programme which had already started at the Nsawam and Kumasi prisons in order to develop themselves to prepare them to meet future challenges.
Mr Bansah urged the public to visit the prisons to interact with the inmates and make them feel part of the society and not abandon them to their fate. He commended Capt. Nfojoh for his gesture.
In an address, the Volta Regional Prisons Commander, Mr Alhassan Legibo, also thanked Capt. Nfojoh for the gesture and urged others to emulate his example.
The MP for Ho West, Mr Emmanuel Bedzrah, told the inmates to see their time in prison as a period of reformation and that they should exhibit the spirit of reformation after they had served their terms and went back home, so that they would be accepted and integrated into the society.
The MP also promised to provide musical instruments and 100 bags of cement to support a housing project at the prisons.
Capt. Nfojoh, who made the promises last weekend, said he appreciated the fact that the prison was built for only a few number of inmates, but was now congested.
Stressing that anybody could find himself at the prisons at any time, he called for the maintenance of a healthy environment there.
He said for the first time, female inmates had interacted with their male counterparts who hitherto did not know that they were there.
The MP advocated provision of uniforms for the male inmates, adding that consideration should be given to the introduction of community service as a way of decongesting the prisons.
Capt. Nfojoh told the inmates not to see the prison officers as being inhuman because of the circumstances under which they found themselves, including not being fed well and rather put the blame on the low financial allocation from the Central Government.
The acting Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS), Mr Kofi Bansah, said diagnostic centres were to be set up in all prisons in the country, with a view to helping the inmates to receive necessary treatment.
He said some industrial equipment had arrived at the Tema Port which enhance vocational training for inmates and urged the inmates, to take vocational training seriously whenever the programme started to enable them to reintegrate easily into society after serving their sentences.
He advised the inmates to take advantage of the proposed distance education programme which had already started at the Nsawam and Kumasi prisons in order to develop themselves to prepare them to meet future challenges.
Mr Bansah urged the public to visit the prisons to interact with the inmates and make them feel part of the society and not abandon them to their fate. He commended Capt. Nfojoh for his gesture.
In an address, the Volta Regional Prisons Commander, Mr Alhassan Legibo, also thanked Capt. Nfojoh for the gesture and urged others to emulate his example.
The MP for Ho West, Mr Emmanuel Bedzrah, told the inmates to see their time in prison as a period of reformation and that they should exhibit the spirit of reformation after they had served their terms and went back home, so that they would be accepted and integrated into the society.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
URBAN DWELLERS URGED TO HELP DEVELOP LOCAL COMMUNITIES (PAGE 21, JAN 12, 2010)
The Ngoryifia of the Tanyigbe Traditional Area, Major-General Henry Anyidoho, has called on urban dwellers to give back to communities in which they were born and nurtured, by offering certain vital social services to them.
He said it would be fair to provide standard education facilities to children in the villages similar to those enjoyed by children in urban areas.
Major- General Anyidoho, who is also the Deputy Joint Special Representative of Africa Union United Nations Hybrid Operations in Darfur made the call during the inauguration of new executives of the Tanyigbe Youth Association at Ho at the weekend.
Maj-Gen Anyidoho described the association as a front-line organ, championing the development of the area and urged the child, parent and teachers to work harmoniously to put education on course.
The Chairman of the association, Mr Winfred Kofi Bimah, expressed concern about lateness to functions and advised people to manage their time very well in order not to be overtaken by circumstances.
He said the function was expected to start at 2.30 p.m. but rather commenced at 4 p.m. which was not good at all.
Mr Bimah said the executives of the association had entered into several social contracts aimed at establishing good relationship between teachers and the community and had also toured schools in the area to motivate teachers to work harder.
He announced that a children’s home would be built at Tanyigbe with the support of an American lady in April.
He said the association would create the platform to educate communities on government policies and other programmes on the health of the people.
Other members of the executive are Mr Sampson Tigoe, vice-chairman; Mr Amorin Kotoh, secretary; Mr John Akoto, assistant secretary; Miss Dorcas Ackuaku, financial secretary; Mrs Peace Anku, treasurer; Mr Teddy Prempeh, organiser and publicity secretary with Elder Emmanuel Tide, Mr Dan Anku and Mrs Anani Dargbey as trustees.
He said it would be fair to provide standard education facilities to children in the villages similar to those enjoyed by children in urban areas.
Major- General Anyidoho, who is also the Deputy Joint Special Representative of Africa Union United Nations Hybrid Operations in Darfur made the call during the inauguration of new executives of the Tanyigbe Youth Association at Ho at the weekend.
Maj-Gen Anyidoho described the association as a front-line organ, championing the development of the area and urged the child, parent and teachers to work harmoniously to put education on course.
The Chairman of the association, Mr Winfred Kofi Bimah, expressed concern about lateness to functions and advised people to manage their time very well in order not to be overtaken by circumstances.
He said the function was expected to start at 2.30 p.m. but rather commenced at 4 p.m. which was not good at all.
Mr Bimah said the executives of the association had entered into several social contracts aimed at establishing good relationship between teachers and the community and had also toured schools in the area to motivate teachers to work harder.
He announced that a children’s home would be built at Tanyigbe with the support of an American lady in April.
He said the association would create the platform to educate communities on government policies and other programmes on the health of the people.
Other members of the executive are Mr Sampson Tigoe, vice-chairman; Mr Amorin Kotoh, secretary; Mr John Akoto, assistant secretary; Miss Dorcas Ackuaku, financial secretary; Mrs Peace Anku, treasurer; Mr Teddy Prempeh, organiser and publicity secretary with Elder Emmanuel Tide, Mr Dan Anku and Mrs Anani Dargbey as trustees.
INAUGURATE AGUMATSA AREA COUNCIL — HIGH COURT (PAGE 13, JAN 9, 2010)
A Ho High court presided over by Mr Justice Kofi Essel Mensah has given the Hohoe Municipal Assembly an order to inaugurate the Agumatsa Area Council at Fodome-Helu on or before February 26, 2010.
The order, followed a motion on notice for judicial review filed by the Fiaga of Fodome Traditional area, Togbe Gbedegbleme Honu III, praying the court to compel the Hohoe Municipal Assembly to inaugurate the Agumatsa Area Council at Fodome-Helu with immediate effect.
In an affidavit supporting the motion, Togbe Gbedegbleme stated that the area council was supposed to have been inaugurated on January 29, 2007 but a petition by a section of the community agitating for the siting of the area council office at Fodome-Ahor obstructed the inauguration.
He added that on the said day, whilst the chiefs, elders and the entire community had gathered and were waiting for the arrival of an officer of the assembly for the inauguration, the presiding member of the Hohoe municipal assembly came to inform them that the assembly had received a petition from other communities within the Agumatsa Area Council objecting to the siting of the headquarters at Fodome-Helu.
The affidavit said as a result, the inauguration was called off and ever since all appeals to the assembly, had failed to inaugurate the Agumatsa Area Council, adding that the Hohoe Municipal Assembly had no mandate to change the capital of the area council and must comply with the provisions of LI 1462 which stipulated that the said Agumatsa Area Council headquarters should be sited at Fodome-Helu and not Fodome-Ahor.
It stated that the inability or refusal of the Hohoe Municipal Assembly to inaugurate the Agumatsa Area Council at Fodome-Helu had brought a lot of hardship to the communities comprising the Agumatsa area as levies and other rates were not being paid by the citizens for the development of the area.
Led by a legal counsel, Mr Ernest Gaewu, they filed an order of Mandamus to compel the municipal assembly to send its officers to inaugurate the Agumatsa Area Council at Fodome-Helu without any further delay on the part of the municipal assembly.
On December 13, 2000 a Ho High Court presided over by His Lordship Justice A. Asare-Korang granted an application for the orders of Certiorari and Mandamus and quashed the decision by the Hohoe municipal assembly to change the capital from Helu to Ahor and upheld the application that the municipal assembly had no mandate or power to unilaterally change, alter and deviate from the decisions taken and embodied in LI 1462 for which reason he had to compel the respondent to carry out the directives in LI1462.
The order, followed a motion on notice for judicial review filed by the Fiaga of Fodome Traditional area, Togbe Gbedegbleme Honu III, praying the court to compel the Hohoe Municipal Assembly to inaugurate the Agumatsa Area Council at Fodome-Helu with immediate effect.
In an affidavit supporting the motion, Togbe Gbedegbleme stated that the area council was supposed to have been inaugurated on January 29, 2007 but a petition by a section of the community agitating for the siting of the area council office at Fodome-Ahor obstructed the inauguration.
He added that on the said day, whilst the chiefs, elders and the entire community had gathered and were waiting for the arrival of an officer of the assembly for the inauguration, the presiding member of the Hohoe municipal assembly came to inform them that the assembly had received a petition from other communities within the Agumatsa Area Council objecting to the siting of the headquarters at Fodome-Helu.
The affidavit said as a result, the inauguration was called off and ever since all appeals to the assembly, had failed to inaugurate the Agumatsa Area Council, adding that the Hohoe Municipal Assembly had no mandate to change the capital of the area council and must comply with the provisions of LI 1462 which stipulated that the said Agumatsa Area Council headquarters should be sited at Fodome-Helu and not Fodome-Ahor.
It stated that the inability or refusal of the Hohoe Municipal Assembly to inaugurate the Agumatsa Area Council at Fodome-Helu had brought a lot of hardship to the communities comprising the Agumatsa area as levies and other rates were not being paid by the citizens for the development of the area.
Led by a legal counsel, Mr Ernest Gaewu, they filed an order of Mandamus to compel the municipal assembly to send its officers to inaugurate the Agumatsa Area Council at Fodome-Helu without any further delay on the part of the municipal assembly.
On December 13, 2000 a Ho High Court presided over by His Lordship Justice A. Asare-Korang granted an application for the orders of Certiorari and Mandamus and quashed the decision by the Hohoe municipal assembly to change the capital from Helu to Ahor and upheld the application that the municipal assembly had no mandate or power to unilaterally change, alter and deviate from the decisions taken and embodied in LI 1462 for which reason he had to compel the respondent to carry out the directives in LI1462.
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