THE Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, has said the key to the rapid socio-economic development of the country lies in the full education of the girl-child.
Citing data from 100 countries, he said no country could compete favourably in the global economy without a well- educated women population and urged policy makers and parents who already knew that to help spread the message that women had a crucial role to play in our national development.
He was speaking at the annual speech and prize-giving day of the Accra Girls’ Senior High School at the weekend. It was on the theme, "Girls education, a key to national development."
Mr Bannerman-Mensah said that better educated women were, the more likely they were, in comparison with their peers, to delay marriage and child bearing, have stronger decision-making and negotiation skills, as well as higher self esteem and avoid commercial sex.
He asserted that studies documenting the benefits of female education mentioned reduced infant and maternal mortality, enhanced family health and welfare and increased economic productivity.
Mr Bannerman-Mensah said in recognition of the indispensable contribution of women to national development, the GES had a unit responsible for girl-child education.
He said given the same opportunity of access to education, boys always outnumbered girls as they passed through primary school to JHS, saying that by the time they reached SHS, more girls would have dropped out.
He noted that for most girls, poverty, poor attitude of parents and community members, particularly those who held the conservative notion that ‘the place of the woman is the kitchen’ affected access to school and education.
He explained that there had been instances when girls had excelled and outclassed boys and added that in 2008 the best West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) candidate and runner-up were both girls.
Mr Bannerman-Mensah cited some renowned women such as the late Dr Mrs Esther Ocloo who started the Nkulenu Industries in 1942 and whose passion for assisting indigenous female industrialists of Africa won her international affection and participation in the first United Nations (UN) conference in Mexico in 1975.
He said another renowned woman, Mrs Leticia Osafo-Addo, was the first to think of the commercialisation of 'shito" (hot pepper sauce) in Ghana.
He said education was generally a key factor in promoting social well-being and poverty reduction because it directly affected national productivity, which in turn determined living standards and a country's ability to compete in the global economy.
He said investment in education was vital because it promoted the achievement of six of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), that is, reducing poverty, achieving universal primary education, improving gender equality, reducing infant and child mortality, improving maternal health and lowering the prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
He charged the girls to take advantage of opportunities to develop themselves and exhibit their endowed potential for their own good and that of the society as a whole.
The Headmistress of the school, Ms Veronica Akapame, said currently the student population stood at 1,005, with about 670 in the boarding house and the rest as day students.
She said due to the high population, the school faced some problems such as accommodation and insufficient water supply.
She said the inadequate dormitory facility had been made worse since the inception of the computerised school selection and placement system.
The headmistress said a small part of the administration block had been used for a school library which could hardly take 40 students.
According to the headmistress, there had been particularly gratifying improvement in science results, with particular reference to Biology and Physics.
She, therefore, encouraged the students to take their lessons seriously in order to make good grades and become responsible women in the future.
About 40 students were rewarded for good academic performance, while two past students were rewarded for excelling in the 2008 WASSCE.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Trasaco Estates constructs classroom block
TRASACCO Estates Development Company (TEDC) Limited has started constructing a three-classroom block worth GH¢70,000 for Ashaley-Botwe Primary and Junior High School (JHS) at Nmaidjor, a suburb of Accra.
The Chief of Nmaidjor, Nii Sowah Okpolor, performed the sod-cutting ceremony for the project, which is expected to be completed in June this year.
He appealed to estate developers to be socially responsible by addressing the needs of the communities in which they operate and not leave problems or projects in those areas on the people alone.
The Chief Accountant of TEDC, Mr James Frempong, said the project included an office for the headmistress, a store and toilet facilities for the management, staff and pupils.
He said further that TEDC would ensure that water closets were provided in order to protect the children from sanitation-related ailments.
According to him, the company had long decided on the construction of a classroom block for the school but due to circumstances beyond their control the project was suspended.
Mr Frempong expressed his profound gratitude to the chief and elders of the community for providing them with the land and expressed the hope that the project would be of great benefit to the children in the community.
The Headmistress of the School, Mrs Kate Adjei, noted that due to the increasing population of pupils, the school authorities had no alternative but to run shift.
Mrs Adjei indicated that the morning and afternoon sessions each had a population of about 260 pupils which, she said, was alarming, particularly when they did not have adequate classrooms.
The assembly woman for the community, Mrs Gladys G.Tetteh, commended the TEDC for its support to the community and appealed to parents and the general public to support the school with the needed facilities.
“We believe that this project will produce good future leaders from this country and we hope that they are going to be of great benefit to society and the country as a whole”, she stated.
Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO
The Chief of Nmaidjor, Nii Sowah Okpolor (with shovel), cutteing the sod to comence work on the classroom block. With him include The Chief Accountant of Trasacco estates Development Company, Mr James Frimpong (in suit) and the Chief Executive Officer of Kall Lenluk Limited, Mrs Katumi Adams (right), during the ceremony.
The Chief of Nmaidjor, Nii Sowah Okpolor, performed the sod-cutting ceremony for the project, which is expected to be completed in June this year.
He appealed to estate developers to be socially responsible by addressing the needs of the communities in which they operate and not leave problems or projects in those areas on the people alone.
The Chief Accountant of TEDC, Mr James Frempong, said the project included an office for the headmistress, a store and toilet facilities for the management, staff and pupils.
He said further that TEDC would ensure that water closets were provided in order to protect the children from sanitation-related ailments.
According to him, the company had long decided on the construction of a classroom block for the school but due to circumstances beyond their control the project was suspended.
Mr Frempong expressed his profound gratitude to the chief and elders of the community for providing them with the land and expressed the hope that the project would be of great benefit to the children in the community.
The Headmistress of the School, Mrs Kate Adjei, noted that due to the increasing population of pupils, the school authorities had no alternative but to run shift.
Mrs Adjei indicated that the morning and afternoon sessions each had a population of about 260 pupils which, she said, was alarming, particularly when they did not have adequate classrooms.
The assembly woman for the community, Mrs Gladys G.Tetteh, commended the TEDC for its support to the community and appealed to parents and the general public to support the school with the needed facilities.
“We believe that this project will produce good future leaders from this country and we hope that they are going to be of great benefit to society and the country as a whole”, she stated.
Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO
The Chief of Nmaidjor, Nii Sowah Okpolor (with shovel), cutteing the sod to comence work on the classroom block. With him include The Chief Accountant of Trasacco estates Development Company, Mr James Frimpong (in suit) and the Chief Executive Officer of Kall Lenluk Limited, Mrs Katumi Adams (right), during the ceremony.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Workshop on addressing gender concerns into energy ends
A five-day training workshop with the theme, “Mainstreaming Gender Concerns into Energy Projects” has taken place at Dodowa.
The workshop which was organised by ENERGIA Africa, the international network on gender and sustainable energy, brought together the Ghana Regional Appropriate Technology Industrial Service (GRATIS) Foundation, Gender and Energy Network Ghana, the National Focal Point for the Gender and Energy Network of Ghana (GEDA, Gh) and the Ministry of Energy.
The workshop was aimed at exposing the participants to the importance of gender issues in energy planning and policy formulation.
Addressing the ceremony, the National Focal Person for Gender and Energy Network Ghana, Mrs Sabiana Anokye Mensah, said the objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of project developers and managers to integrate gender into the design and implementation of energy projects.
She said the process would involve training and equipping practitioners with analytical and conceptual skills to enable them understand the gender and energy link, as well as providing them with practical tools to use during various stages of the project.
She indicated that the training would involve participants coming back to the workshop with information on the energy projects that they were working on.
"A key priority for the training workshop is getting the right participants who are defined as practitioners from government, non-governmental organisations and the private sector, working on energy projects that recognise the need to address gender issues in their work and want to know how to do this", she said.
Mrs Anokye Mensah explained that upon completion, at least 30 project developers and managers would have been trained in the integration of gender in energy projects and would have finalised action plans tailored to suit their own energy projects.
The Deputy Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr Rose Emma Mamaa Entsua-Mensah, stated that the key challenge facing the African energy sector was the provision of modern energy services to over 60 per cent of its population to facilitate economic development and poverty reduction.
According to her, a significant proportion of the African population lived in rural and peri-urban areas, where access to modern energy was lowest and its improvement most costly.
Dr Entsua-Mensah said this form of energy poverty was becoming common among the rapidly growing proportion of the urban population and that the poor bore the brunt of energy poverty due to their limited flexibility in adapting to changing modern energy provision service conditions, since they lacked purchasing power.
“Most of these people rely predominantly on traditional biomass fuels, whereby wood fuel still accounts for about 65 per cent of the total primary energy consumption in the region which are, generally increasingly difficult to access”, she noted.
She was optimistic that the workshop would help to develop instruments, methodologies, tools and guidelines for mainstreaming gender into energy planning programmes and policies.
The President of Gender and Energy Network, Ghana, Mr Kwame Asamoah, said the workshop was designed to organise and train women to become energy technicians and make them capable of operating and maintaining equipment.
He encouraged Ghanaian women to link with up international agencies to improve themselves economically and technically, and also build their confidence and improve their marketing strategies.
Mr Asamoah commended ENERGIA for extending the programme to Ghana, and GRATIS Foundation for its productive collaboration in organising the workshop.
“The work ahead of us is enormous and we would encourage more professionals to join the network to enhance gender and energy networking in Ghana”, he said.
Picture: The National Focal Person for Gender and Energy Network, Mrs Sabina Anokye Mensah, talking to some of the participants during a break.
The workshop which was organised by ENERGIA Africa, the international network on gender and sustainable energy, brought together the Ghana Regional Appropriate Technology Industrial Service (GRATIS) Foundation, Gender and Energy Network Ghana, the National Focal Point for the Gender and Energy Network of Ghana (GEDA, Gh) and the Ministry of Energy.
The workshop was aimed at exposing the participants to the importance of gender issues in energy planning and policy formulation.
Addressing the ceremony, the National Focal Person for Gender and Energy Network Ghana, Mrs Sabiana Anokye Mensah, said the objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of project developers and managers to integrate gender into the design and implementation of energy projects.
She said the process would involve training and equipping practitioners with analytical and conceptual skills to enable them understand the gender and energy link, as well as providing them with practical tools to use during various stages of the project.
She indicated that the training would involve participants coming back to the workshop with information on the energy projects that they were working on.
"A key priority for the training workshop is getting the right participants who are defined as practitioners from government, non-governmental organisations and the private sector, working on energy projects that recognise the need to address gender issues in their work and want to know how to do this", she said.
Mrs Anokye Mensah explained that upon completion, at least 30 project developers and managers would have been trained in the integration of gender in energy projects and would have finalised action plans tailored to suit their own energy projects.
The Deputy Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr Rose Emma Mamaa Entsua-Mensah, stated that the key challenge facing the African energy sector was the provision of modern energy services to over 60 per cent of its population to facilitate economic development and poverty reduction.
According to her, a significant proportion of the African population lived in rural and peri-urban areas, where access to modern energy was lowest and its improvement most costly.
Dr Entsua-Mensah said this form of energy poverty was becoming common among the rapidly growing proportion of the urban population and that the poor bore the brunt of energy poverty due to their limited flexibility in adapting to changing modern energy provision service conditions, since they lacked purchasing power.
“Most of these people rely predominantly on traditional biomass fuels, whereby wood fuel still accounts for about 65 per cent of the total primary energy consumption in the region which are, generally increasingly difficult to access”, she noted.
She was optimistic that the workshop would help to develop instruments, methodologies, tools and guidelines for mainstreaming gender into energy planning programmes and policies.
The President of Gender and Energy Network, Ghana, Mr Kwame Asamoah, said the workshop was designed to organise and train women to become energy technicians and make them capable of operating and maintaining equipment.
He encouraged Ghanaian women to link with up international agencies to improve themselves economically and technically, and also build their confidence and improve their marketing strategies.
Mr Asamoah commended ENERGIA for extending the programme to Ghana, and GRATIS Foundation for its productive collaboration in organising the workshop.
“The work ahead of us is enormous and we would encourage more professionals to join the network to enhance gender and energy networking in Ghana”, he said.
Picture: The National Focal Person for Gender and Energy Network, Mrs Sabina Anokye Mensah, talking to some of the participants during a break.
'Engage in Volunteerism'
Story: Leticia Ohene-Asiedu & Cara Fanning
THE Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs, Akua Sena Dansua, has urged the youth to engage in volunteerism and community service to prevent them from engaging in social vices.
She said because children were vulnerable to societal influences, “social engagements such as volunteering and community service, which allowed peer interaction under the guidance of experienced hands, should be encouraged”.
Ms Dansua made this call at the launch of the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting in Accra.
She also asked for a collaborative effort in addressing children’s issues and achieving their goals, saying that “my door is always open” and appealed to Children and Youth In Broadcasting (CYIB) activists to promote that understanding.
Madam Sena Dansua said due to the outstanding performance of CYIB a member of the group would be invited to New York to attend the Commission of the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York.
The group won the Global International Children’s Day of the Broadcasting Award, Radio Division in New York last year.
Mrs Sena Dansua highly commended the CYIB for its hard work, saying “we know the sky will be your beginning, not the limit”.
She observed that because children absorbed very quickly the positive and negative influences around them, social engagements such as volunteering and community service, which allowed peer interaction under the guidance of experienced hands, should be encouraged as this would assist the youth.
She also asked for a collaborative effort in addressing children’s issues and achieving their goals, saying that “my door is always opened” and appealed to CYIB activists to promote that understanding.
The representative from the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, said in 2007 UNICEF in collaboration with Curious Minds held a workshop with young people where issues that concerned them were discussed by the children.
She urged broadcasters to advance overall child development by producing programme contents that detailed the plight of children, as well as organise dramas that would help break down gender stereotypes and reduce discrimination.
Dr Ali Haque noted that television and radio could become meaningful positive media experiences for children and young people and CYIB had achieved that.
She commended CYIB for winning the international award and encouraged them to strive for the ultimate.
The UNICEF representative said the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting was created so that young people could have on airwaves educational content that they could understand and contribute.
CYIB is a subsidiary of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, which actively involves children in the discussion of children’s issues on radio.
THE Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs, Akua Sena Dansua, has urged the youth to engage in volunteerism and community service to prevent them from engaging in social vices.
She said because children were vulnerable to societal influences, “social engagements such as volunteering and community service, which allowed peer interaction under the guidance of experienced hands, should be encouraged”.
Ms Dansua made this call at the launch of the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting in Accra.
She also asked for a collaborative effort in addressing children’s issues and achieving their goals, saying that “my door is always open” and appealed to Children and Youth In Broadcasting (CYIB) activists to promote that understanding.
Madam Sena Dansua said due to the outstanding performance of CYIB a member of the group would be invited to New York to attend the Commission of the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York.
The group won the Global International Children’s Day of the Broadcasting Award, Radio Division in New York last year.
Mrs Sena Dansua highly commended the CYIB for its hard work, saying “we know the sky will be your beginning, not the limit”.
She observed that because children absorbed very quickly the positive and negative influences around them, social engagements such as volunteering and community service, which allowed peer interaction under the guidance of experienced hands, should be encouraged as this would assist the youth.
She also asked for a collaborative effort in addressing children’s issues and achieving their goals, saying that “my door is always opened” and appealed to CYIB activists to promote that understanding.
The representative from the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, said in 2007 UNICEF in collaboration with Curious Minds held a workshop with young people where issues that concerned them were discussed by the children.
She urged broadcasters to advance overall child development by producing programme contents that detailed the plight of children, as well as organise dramas that would help break down gender stereotypes and reduce discrimination.
Dr Ali Haque noted that television and radio could become meaningful positive media experiences for children and young people and CYIB had achieved that.
She commended CYIB for winning the international award and encouraged them to strive for the ultimate.
The UNICEF representative said the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting was created so that young people could have on airwaves educational content that they could understand and contribute.
CYIB is a subsidiary of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, which actively involves children in the discussion of children’s issues on radio.
Salaga SHS to build boys dormitory block
THE government of Japan has provided a grant of GH¢94,923 ($79,7687) to the Salaga Senior High School for the construction of a boys’ dormitory block.
The initiative, which is being carried out under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGHSP), is expected to house 300 students in a four-room dormitory block.
Speaking at a signing ceremony, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Keiichi Katakami, who signed on behalf of his government, expressed the hope that the new facility would lead to excellent academic results from the students.
“When students are forced by necessity to sleep in overcrowded dormitories or on verandas, or travel up to six kilometres daily to school, the result is to deprive them of much-needed rest and to severely limit their ability to absorb and retain knowledge. Well-rested students have been proven to be brighter and more productive in class,” he said.
He said it was for this reason that 17 out of the 110 educational projects funded by the GGHSP had been student accommodation projects, which had gone a long way to complement the efforts of the schools.
Mr Katakami said in spite of the challenges facing the school, it still remained one of the best secondary schools in the Northern Region.
He believed that the new facility would lead to excellent academic results from the students, who would devote themselves to the service of the community and the development of Ghana as a whole.
“Salaga School is also blessed with a highly supportive parent-teacher association (PTA), which has pledged to provide water for the construction and to supply beds for the dormitory once it is completed. With such spirit backing this project, I have no doubt that it will be a great success,” he said.
The Headmaster of the school, Mr Issah B. Yahaya, said the school was established in 1976 on the premises of a middle boarding school.
Mr Yahaya said the school had become the choice of many basic school leavers within and beyond its catchment area.
According to him, no single dormitory had been added to the old middle school and as a result, about 200 students, mainly boys, had to daily commute on bicycles over distances ranging from six kilometres to 12 kilometres to school.
“Some of these students live in villages that do not have electricity to enable them to study effectively at home. This situation has consequently put so much pressure on the school’s administration,” he complained.
He expressed his profound gratitude to the Japanese Embassy for its tremendous support to the school.
The initiative, which is being carried out under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGHSP), is expected to house 300 students in a four-room dormitory block.
Speaking at a signing ceremony, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Keiichi Katakami, who signed on behalf of his government, expressed the hope that the new facility would lead to excellent academic results from the students.
“When students are forced by necessity to sleep in overcrowded dormitories or on verandas, or travel up to six kilometres daily to school, the result is to deprive them of much-needed rest and to severely limit their ability to absorb and retain knowledge. Well-rested students have been proven to be brighter and more productive in class,” he said.
He said it was for this reason that 17 out of the 110 educational projects funded by the GGHSP had been student accommodation projects, which had gone a long way to complement the efforts of the schools.
Mr Katakami said in spite of the challenges facing the school, it still remained one of the best secondary schools in the Northern Region.
He believed that the new facility would lead to excellent academic results from the students, who would devote themselves to the service of the community and the development of Ghana as a whole.
“Salaga School is also blessed with a highly supportive parent-teacher association (PTA), which has pledged to provide water for the construction and to supply beds for the dormitory once it is completed. With such spirit backing this project, I have no doubt that it will be a great success,” he said.
The Headmaster of the school, Mr Issah B. Yahaya, said the school was established in 1976 on the premises of a middle boarding school.
Mr Yahaya said the school had become the choice of many basic school leavers within and beyond its catchment area.
According to him, no single dormitory had been added to the old middle school and as a result, about 200 students, mainly boys, had to daily commute on bicycles over distances ranging from six kilometres to 12 kilometres to school.
“Some of these students live in villages that do not have electricity to enable them to study effectively at home. This situation has consequently put so much pressure on the school’s administration,” he complained.
He expressed his profound gratitude to the Japanese Embassy for its tremendous support to the school.
Fertiliser distributors attend workshop
AS part of measures aimed at achieving some level of food security and improving access to the appropriate fertiliser application, Yara Ghana has organised a workshop for 1,500 fertiliser distributors in the country.
The workshop, which was held in Asankrangwa in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region, attracted fertiliser distributors and retailers from all the 10 regions.
The Technical and Sales Support Manager of YARA, Mr Henry Otoo-Mensah, said food sufficiency and security were no longer achieved through the expansion of the land area under cultivation but the proper and efficient use of mineral fertilisers.
He said many countries were able to feed their growing populations not by the expansion of the area under cultivation but through the appropriate application of mineral fertilisers.
According to him, developed countries such as the United States of America (USA) applied a maximum of 190kg of fertiliser per hectare, whereas in Africa the application rate was about 8kg per hectare.
"Matters are made worse by the method of application, to the extent that a large portion of the fertilisers applied cannot be accessed by the plants," he said.
Mr Otoo-Mensah noted that Yara had designed fertiliser formulas made for the production of specific crops.
He noted that the country had also been divided into four zones — northern, middle, south-western and the south-eastern — with each zone headed by a senior agronomist who had deep knowledge of the crops grown in the area.
He explained that the rate of fertiliser consumption as it stood now could not guarantee us food security, adding that at 5kg per hectare, the country would continue to experience food deficit in the production of major food items such as maize, rice, sorghum and vegetables.
He observed that until the country was able to increase the present fertiliser consumption rate from about 1.5 million bags to an average of about three million bags, crops would not be able to yield as expected.
He encouraged farmers to use the appropriate fertiliser for the different crops they cultivated.
The Sales Agronomist in charge of South-western Ghana, Mr Joseph Evans Ocran, said the workshop would be replicated throughout the 10 regions.
The workshop, which was held in Asankrangwa in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region, attracted fertiliser distributors and retailers from all the 10 regions.
The Technical and Sales Support Manager of YARA, Mr Henry Otoo-Mensah, said food sufficiency and security were no longer achieved through the expansion of the land area under cultivation but the proper and efficient use of mineral fertilisers.
He said many countries were able to feed their growing populations not by the expansion of the area under cultivation but through the appropriate application of mineral fertilisers.
According to him, developed countries such as the United States of America (USA) applied a maximum of 190kg of fertiliser per hectare, whereas in Africa the application rate was about 8kg per hectare.
"Matters are made worse by the method of application, to the extent that a large portion of the fertilisers applied cannot be accessed by the plants," he said.
Mr Otoo-Mensah noted that Yara had designed fertiliser formulas made for the production of specific crops.
He noted that the country had also been divided into four zones — northern, middle, south-western and the south-eastern — with each zone headed by a senior agronomist who had deep knowledge of the crops grown in the area.
He explained that the rate of fertiliser consumption as it stood now could not guarantee us food security, adding that at 5kg per hectare, the country would continue to experience food deficit in the production of major food items such as maize, rice, sorghum and vegetables.
He observed that until the country was able to increase the present fertiliser consumption rate from about 1.5 million bags to an average of about three million bags, crops would not be able to yield as expected.
He encouraged farmers to use the appropriate fertiliser for the different crops they cultivated.
The Sales Agronomist in charge of South-western Ghana, Mr Joseph Evans Ocran, said the workshop would be replicated throughout the 10 regions.
AMA mounts event billboards
THE Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is to mount more event billboards in various parts of the city to prevent the indiscriminate pasting of posters at unauthorised places.
The Director in charge of Development Planning at the AMA, Mr Timothy T. Oman, who disclosed this the Daily Graphic, said the move was to ensure that the city was kept clean.
He said the AMA had so far mounted 16 event boards at some parts of the capital. They are the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, the Awudome Cemetery, Accra Polytechnic, La T-Junction, La, Achimota, 37 Military Hospital, Osu Cemetery and the Police Headquarters.
The rest are the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, the Korle-Bu traffic lights, the Shangrila Hotel and the Ann's Preparatory School at North Kaneshie.
Mr Oman said the AMA would need money to remove the adverts pasted on walls, metallic poles and zinc structures because of the adhesive glue used in posting the adverts.
He said the AMA, in collaboration with the Ghana Fire Service, was working to remove posters from unauthorised places, explaining that the zinc structures and metallic poles had to be sprayed with water before the posters could be removed.
He said the assembly had directed the various sub-metros to remove posters pasted at unauthorised places.
Mr Oman said currently the team was removing posters from walls and other places and advised the pubic to desist from pasting posters at unauthorised places.
He advised the public to keep the city clean and help the AMA to discharge its duties effectively.
Picture: Some of the removed banners and posters.
The Director in charge of Development Planning at the AMA, Mr Timothy T. Oman, who disclosed this the Daily Graphic, said the move was to ensure that the city was kept clean.
He said the AMA had so far mounted 16 event boards at some parts of the capital. They are the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, the Awudome Cemetery, Accra Polytechnic, La T-Junction, La, Achimota, 37 Military Hospital, Osu Cemetery and the Police Headquarters.
The rest are the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, the Korle-Bu traffic lights, the Shangrila Hotel and the Ann's Preparatory School at North Kaneshie.
Mr Oman said the AMA would need money to remove the adverts pasted on walls, metallic poles and zinc structures because of the adhesive glue used in posting the adverts.
He said the AMA, in collaboration with the Ghana Fire Service, was working to remove posters from unauthorised places, explaining that the zinc structures and metallic poles had to be sprayed with water before the posters could be removed.
He said the assembly had directed the various sub-metros to remove posters pasted at unauthorised places.
Mr Oman said currently the team was removing posters from walls and other places and advised the pubic to desist from pasting posters at unauthorised places.
He advised the public to keep the city clean and help the AMA to discharge its duties effectively.
Picture: Some of the removed banners and posters.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Managers of places of convenience call for support
SOME managers of public places of convenience and bath facilities at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra are living in fear of attacks and thefts after a group of ‘macho’ men stormed the place early this month and attempted to take over the management of the facilities.
The managers have, therefore, appealed to the police to provide them with adequate security to enable them to work effectively and serve the public without fear of being harmed or assaulted.
On Thursday, February 8, 2009, a group of 'macho' men believed to be residents of Alajo attacked public toilet managers at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and attempted to take over the management of the facilities.
Recounting his ordeal at the hands of the ‘macho’ men to the Daily Graphic, the Manager of the Omandoh Company Public Toilet at Obra Spot, Mr Akwesi Adjei, said as early as 8 a.m. on that fateful day the group, numbering about 100, stormed the place and ordered him to leave.
He said he was so terrified that he could not utter a word and that a young boy who was with him was so terrified that he quickly dashed into one of the toilets and locked himself up.
"At a point in time I thought they were going to kill me. They took all the sales we had made, our mobile phones and packets of cigarettes which we sold and smoked them in our presence," he said.
Mr Adjei said after the men had been satisfied with their actions, they left and had since not returned.
He added that information reaching him indicated that the men were planning to return.
The manager of the public place of convenience at the Holy Gardens, Mr Seth Twum, said his place had been attacked by the same group of men who attacked the facility at the Obra Spot.
He said after he had been ordered to leave the place, the unidentified men operated the place for some hours and took the money away.
Mr Twum said four cartons of cigarettes, worth GH¢88, and GH¢150 belonging to the management of the facility were also taken away by the assailants.
At the Pedestrian Shopping Mall, the story was no different, but the manager of the place pleaded anonymity for fear of being harassed.
He declined to comment, with the excuse that the matter was being handled by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
The story was, however, different at Nima and Mamobi where residents said they had not witnessed any such incidents.
The managers have, therefore, appealed to the police to provide them with adequate security to enable them to work effectively and serve the public without fear of being harmed or assaulted.
On Thursday, February 8, 2009, a group of 'macho' men believed to be residents of Alajo attacked public toilet managers at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and attempted to take over the management of the facilities.
Recounting his ordeal at the hands of the ‘macho’ men to the Daily Graphic, the Manager of the Omandoh Company Public Toilet at Obra Spot, Mr Akwesi Adjei, said as early as 8 a.m. on that fateful day the group, numbering about 100, stormed the place and ordered him to leave.
He said he was so terrified that he could not utter a word and that a young boy who was with him was so terrified that he quickly dashed into one of the toilets and locked himself up.
"At a point in time I thought they were going to kill me. They took all the sales we had made, our mobile phones and packets of cigarettes which we sold and smoked them in our presence," he said.
Mr Adjei said after the men had been satisfied with their actions, they left and had since not returned.
He added that information reaching him indicated that the men were planning to return.
The manager of the public place of convenience at the Holy Gardens, Mr Seth Twum, said his place had been attacked by the same group of men who attacked the facility at the Obra Spot.
He said after he had been ordered to leave the place, the unidentified men operated the place for some hours and took the money away.
Mr Twum said four cartons of cigarettes, worth GH¢88, and GH¢150 belonging to the management of the facility were also taken away by the assailants.
At the Pedestrian Shopping Mall, the story was no different, but the manager of the place pleaded anonymity for fear of being harassed.
He declined to comment, with the excuse that the matter was being handled by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
The story was, however, different at Nima and Mamobi where residents said they had not witnessed any such incidents.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Nii Boi Town residents dumping garbage into gutters
Some residents of Nii Boi Town, a suburb of Accra, have expressed concern about the wanton dumping of garbage into gutters in the area.
They said despite efforts to tidy the area, some unscrupulous persons, under the cover of darkness, dumped refuse into the gutters, although there were garbage containers around.
They complained to the Daily Graphic that some unknown persons particularly children intentionally dumped garbage into the gutters when they had been given money by their parents to dispose them into refuse containers placed at vantage points in the area.
When the Daily Graphic visited the site the gutters were choked with so much rubbish that it was impossible for water to run through.
A resident, Madam Joyce Appiah, said some people including children it easier to dump rubbish into the gutters because they were not covered.
An elderly woman said she had lived in the area for years and had witnessed a lot of these bad practices but was overwhelmed to see so much rubbish this time around.
“We always clean the gutters when this happens but we are fed up because we cannot continue doing this for the rest of our lives. I think it is better if the gutters are covered to put an end to this,” she said.
She appealed to the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mrs Elizabeth Sackey, to ensure that the gutters were covered to prevent people from using them as refuse dumps.
Some of the residents who pleaded anonymity said they funded the construction of the gutters and appealed to ZoomLion Company Limited to come to their aid in dealing with the issue of waste management.
Picture: The choked gutters at Nii Boi Town.
They said despite efforts to tidy the area, some unscrupulous persons, under the cover of darkness, dumped refuse into the gutters, although there were garbage containers around.
They complained to the Daily Graphic that some unknown persons particularly children intentionally dumped garbage into the gutters when they had been given money by their parents to dispose them into refuse containers placed at vantage points in the area.
When the Daily Graphic visited the site the gutters were choked with so much rubbish that it was impossible for water to run through.
A resident, Madam Joyce Appiah, said some people including children it easier to dump rubbish into the gutters because they were not covered.
An elderly woman said she had lived in the area for years and had witnessed a lot of these bad practices but was overwhelmed to see so much rubbish this time around.
“We always clean the gutters when this happens but we are fed up because we cannot continue doing this for the rest of our lives. I think it is better if the gutters are covered to put an end to this,” she said.
She appealed to the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mrs Elizabeth Sackey, to ensure that the gutters were covered to prevent people from using them as refuse dumps.
Some of the residents who pleaded anonymity said they funded the construction of the gutters and appealed to ZoomLion Company Limited to come to their aid in dealing with the issue of waste management.
Picture: The choked gutters at Nii Boi Town.
“Indulging in sex for Valentine’s sake is wrong”
The Advocacy Co-ordinator of the Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE), Mrs Lydia Stephens, has advised the youth against indulging in sexual activities for the purpose of expressing love during the Valentine’s Day celebration.
She said most of the youth held the notion that the expression of love for their partners was to have sex with them. “Females in particular are often made to believe that sex solidifies love in a relationship”.
Mrs Stephens made this remark when she addressed students of the Sacred Heart Technical Institute in Accra.
“A lot of boys boast about the number of girls they have had an affair with. On Valentine’s Day boys seek pleasure whiles girls seek emotional attachment”, she noted.
She further explained that Valentine’s Day generally was meant to show love and appreciation to friends and loved ones and not indulgence in sexual activities.
Mrs Stephens, therefore, advised students to be cautious during the Valentine’s Day celebrations by avoiding particularly bad friends who would lure them into participating in immoral acts.
The co-ordinator stressed the need for the students, particularly girls, to avoid strangers who engaged them in unnecessary conversations.
Such strangers, she said, often lured innocent girls into obscure places where the girls were given juicy promises and then finally abused sexually.
She indicated that sexual abuse could lead to the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis, gonorrhoea, HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancy.
Mrs Stephen charged the students to study hard in order to obtain good grades.
She said most of the youth held the notion that the expression of love for their partners was to have sex with them. “Females in particular are often made to believe that sex solidifies love in a relationship”.
Mrs Stephens made this remark when she addressed students of the Sacred Heart Technical Institute in Accra.
“A lot of boys boast about the number of girls they have had an affair with. On Valentine’s Day boys seek pleasure whiles girls seek emotional attachment”, she noted.
She further explained that Valentine’s Day generally was meant to show love and appreciation to friends and loved ones and not indulgence in sexual activities.
Mrs Stephens, therefore, advised students to be cautious during the Valentine’s Day celebrations by avoiding particularly bad friends who would lure them into participating in immoral acts.
The co-ordinator stressed the need for the students, particularly girls, to avoid strangers who engaged them in unnecessary conversations.
Such strangers, she said, often lured innocent girls into obscure places where the girls were given juicy promises and then finally abused sexually.
She indicated that sexual abuse could lead to the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis, gonorrhoea, HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancy.
Mrs Stephen charged the students to study hard in order to obtain good grades.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Managing depression in women
LIFE is full of emotional ups and downs. But when the "down" times are long-lasting or interfere with an individual's ability to function, that person may be suffering from a common, but serious psychological problem - depression
Clinical depression affects one’s physical well-being, resulting in chronic fatigue, sleep problems, and changes in appetite. It affects one’s mood resulting in feelings of sadness, emptiness, hopelessness and dysphoria. It also affects the way a person thinks, interfering with their concentration and decision-making, behaviour, increases irritability and loss of temper, social withdrawal, and a reduction in a person’s desire to engage in pleasurable activities.
Information Online indicates that women are more likely to become depressed than men and this assertion was buttressed by the Deputy Director of Nursing Services and Quality Assurance Co-ordinator at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Mr David H. Macauley.
According to him, depression among women topped admissions at the hospital in 2008.
He said of the 1,676 women who were admitted to the hospital, 355 suffered from depression while 43 suffered from alcohol and drug abuse-related cases.
He said most of the women who were responding positively to treatment needed to be monitored because they often attempted suicide, particularly when they were about to be discharged and pointed out that the hospital needed adequate facilities for the upkeep of such women.
Mr Macauley observed that women needed love and attention and thus had to be pampered always, stressing that women who were frequently visited by their husbands and children recovered quickly.
“In situations whereby the men are the cause the women feel so loved when the men visit”, he said.
He commended men whose wives were on admission for the responsibility they showed by visiting and encouraged them to do better especially when they (women) were going through such difficult times.
According to him, the most disturbing situation was when women with babies had to be separated.
He said due to the tender nature of women it became very difficult for the nurses to take the babies away from their mothers.
He said this was done to prevent mothers who were suffering from very strong ailment from killing their babies.
He recalled an incident last year when a woman who was suffering from mental ailment was spotted on the streets with a baby at her back.
“I saw her drinking water from a very dirty tap. What excited me the most was that after she had quenched her thirst she bought a sachet of water for her baby who was crying at her back.
“When I got to the office I told the Medical Director and we went for her because we realised that it was better if we treated her. When we brought her to the hospital she refused to give the baby to us”, he said.
The Deputy Director said the hospital recorded a higher number of depression among women traders who were ejected from the streets, since the exercise came as a shock to the traders, particularly the women who had no support from their husbands.
He said the situation put the hospital under so much stress in terms of infrastructure and food and called on the government and families to help support women who were suffering from mental ailment.
Mr Macauley said there was a thin line between normality and abnormality and therefore advised the public to desist from shunning women who had been treated for mental illness and discharged.
“When they are brought home let us allow them to play their motherly roles again by allowing them to cook and take care of their families. But we should not overwork them. At least eight hours rest a day is enough”, he said.
He entreated men to handle women with love and attention and encouraged them to cultivate the habit of buying beautiful and attractive presents like flowers for their women.
“Women are very sensitive; all they need from men is love and nothing else”, he said.
The Technical Officer of the hospital, Mrs Agnes Tawiah, said facilities at all the mental hospitals in the country were outmoded.
“Some of these patients sometimes become very wild to the extent that they bump into us unexpectedly, creating all sorts of dangers for us but with our training we manage to keep them”, she said.
She appealed to the government and the public to help provide the hospital with the needed infrastructure to enable them provide patients with quality health treatment.
Clinical depression affects one’s physical well-being, resulting in chronic fatigue, sleep problems, and changes in appetite. It affects one’s mood resulting in feelings of sadness, emptiness, hopelessness and dysphoria. It also affects the way a person thinks, interfering with their concentration and decision-making, behaviour, increases irritability and loss of temper, social withdrawal, and a reduction in a person’s desire to engage in pleasurable activities.
Information Online indicates that women are more likely to become depressed than men and this assertion was buttressed by the Deputy Director of Nursing Services and Quality Assurance Co-ordinator at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Mr David H. Macauley.
According to him, depression among women topped admissions at the hospital in 2008.
He said of the 1,676 women who were admitted to the hospital, 355 suffered from depression while 43 suffered from alcohol and drug abuse-related cases.
He said most of the women who were responding positively to treatment needed to be monitored because they often attempted suicide, particularly when they were about to be discharged and pointed out that the hospital needed adequate facilities for the upkeep of such women.
Mr Macauley observed that women needed love and attention and thus had to be pampered always, stressing that women who were frequently visited by their husbands and children recovered quickly.
“In situations whereby the men are the cause the women feel so loved when the men visit”, he said.
He commended men whose wives were on admission for the responsibility they showed by visiting and encouraged them to do better especially when they (women) were going through such difficult times.
According to him, the most disturbing situation was when women with babies had to be separated.
He said due to the tender nature of women it became very difficult for the nurses to take the babies away from their mothers.
He said this was done to prevent mothers who were suffering from very strong ailment from killing their babies.
He recalled an incident last year when a woman who was suffering from mental ailment was spotted on the streets with a baby at her back.
“I saw her drinking water from a very dirty tap. What excited me the most was that after she had quenched her thirst she bought a sachet of water for her baby who was crying at her back.
“When I got to the office I told the Medical Director and we went for her because we realised that it was better if we treated her. When we brought her to the hospital she refused to give the baby to us”, he said.
The Deputy Director said the hospital recorded a higher number of depression among women traders who were ejected from the streets, since the exercise came as a shock to the traders, particularly the women who had no support from their husbands.
He said the situation put the hospital under so much stress in terms of infrastructure and food and called on the government and families to help support women who were suffering from mental ailment.
Mr Macauley said there was a thin line between normality and abnormality and therefore advised the public to desist from shunning women who had been treated for mental illness and discharged.
“When they are brought home let us allow them to play their motherly roles again by allowing them to cook and take care of their families. But we should not overwork them. At least eight hours rest a day is enough”, he said.
He entreated men to handle women with love and attention and encouraged them to cultivate the habit of buying beautiful and attractive presents like flowers for their women.
“Women are very sensitive; all they need from men is love and nothing else”, he said.
The Technical Officer of the hospital, Mrs Agnes Tawiah, said facilities at all the mental hospitals in the country were outmoded.
“Some of these patients sometimes become very wild to the extent that they bump into us unexpectedly, creating all sorts of dangers for us but with our training we manage to keep them”, she said.
She appealed to the government and the public to help provide the hospital with the needed infrastructure to enable them provide patients with quality health treatment.
Monday, February 2, 2009
‘Declare Nkrumah’s birthday, national holiday’
Friday January 30 2009 Page 9
Story: Daniel Nkrumah & Leticia Ohene Asiedu
THE Kwame Nkrumah Foundation has appealed to President J.E.A. Mills to initiate steps towards making the birthday of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, September 21, a national holiday.
At the launch of the centenary celebrations of the birth of the country’s first President in Accra last Wednesday, the President of the foundation, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, extolled the virtues and achievements of Dr Nkrumah in a 20-page speech and declared that his legacy still lived on.
Born in Nkroful in the Western Region on September 21, 1909, Dr Kwame Nkrumah is considered as the main icon of Africa’s liberation struggle and was voted the Black personality of the Millennium by the BBC at the turn of the century.
“The time has come for Ghana to honour its greatest patriot . . . We are confident that HE, the President, will in 2009, the centenary year of his birth, pay Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah this well-earned tribute,” Prof. Akosa told a packed hall, which included Nkrumaists such as K.S.P. Jantuah, Edward Mahama, Ladi Nylander, Dr Abu Sakara and Sekou Nkrumah.
Prof. Akosa said Nkrumah’s dream of a developed Ghana in which the welfare of the people was the benchmark for determining the quality of governance had not yet been attained.
He defined Nkrumaism as scientific socialism in the African context, of which equal opportunities and social justice, self-determination and pan Africanism were the three pillars.
Prof. Akosa described Dr Nkrumah as a man who believed so much in parliamentary democracy and dismissed assertions that the country’s first President was a dictator and an autocrat.
He said Dr Nkrumah was instrumental in bringing together disparate opposition groupings of 1954 and 1956 and even suggested the name, United Party, which was adopted by the opposition. “This is not a mark of a dictator,” he averred.
He argued that the fact that Nkrumah believed in educating his people suggested that he was determined to empower his people intellectually to be able to challenge him.
Prof. Akosa said one of Kwame Nkrumah’s greatest achievements was in the area of education and added that “almost all Ghanaians alive today benefited from the free and compulsory education”.
He described as “legitimate and justified” the Prevention Detention Act (PDA) that was passed in July, 1958 and remarked that Dr Nkrumah’s government would have been irresponsible if it had not passed that Act.
Prof. Akosa also said any claim that Nkrumah was corrupt represented one of the greatest lies ever told, stressing that the man worked for the development of all and not himself.
Activities planned to commemorate the 100 anniversary of the birth of Dr Kwame Nkrumah include a candle light vigil on the eve of February 24, the day he was overthrown.
On March 5, there shall be the re-enactment of the declaration of independence while on April 27, there shall be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum.
On June 11, the eve of the founding of the CPP, there shall be a candle-light vigil while a press conference has been scheduled for Republic Day, 1st July, on Republicanism.
On August 1, there shall be the commemoration of the Kulungugu bomb while in September, there is expected to be the 2009 edition of the three-day annual Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Public lectures.
Also, on the night of September 20, there shall be a candle-light vigil at Nkroful and on the morning of September 21, the foundation shall attend a mass at the Roman Catholic Church, Nkroful.
According to Prof. Akosa, after the mass, the procession shall move to the original mausoleum in Nkroful for prayers and libation and a birthday cake shall be cut.
That same day there shall be a party at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra at 7 pm.
In December, there shall be reflections on the life of Dr Nkrumah and individuals who knew and worked with him are expected to give their accounts of the country’s first President.
Story: Daniel Nkrumah & Leticia Ohene Asiedu
THE Kwame Nkrumah Foundation has appealed to President J.E.A. Mills to initiate steps towards making the birthday of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, September 21, a national holiday.
At the launch of the centenary celebrations of the birth of the country’s first President in Accra last Wednesday, the President of the foundation, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, extolled the virtues and achievements of Dr Nkrumah in a 20-page speech and declared that his legacy still lived on.
Born in Nkroful in the Western Region on September 21, 1909, Dr Kwame Nkrumah is considered as the main icon of Africa’s liberation struggle and was voted the Black personality of the Millennium by the BBC at the turn of the century.
“The time has come for Ghana to honour its greatest patriot . . . We are confident that HE, the President, will in 2009, the centenary year of his birth, pay Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah this well-earned tribute,” Prof. Akosa told a packed hall, which included Nkrumaists such as K.S.P. Jantuah, Edward Mahama, Ladi Nylander, Dr Abu Sakara and Sekou Nkrumah.
Prof. Akosa said Nkrumah’s dream of a developed Ghana in which the welfare of the people was the benchmark for determining the quality of governance had not yet been attained.
He defined Nkrumaism as scientific socialism in the African context, of which equal opportunities and social justice, self-determination and pan Africanism were the three pillars.
Prof. Akosa described Dr Nkrumah as a man who believed so much in parliamentary democracy and dismissed assertions that the country’s first President was a dictator and an autocrat.
He said Dr Nkrumah was instrumental in bringing together disparate opposition groupings of 1954 and 1956 and even suggested the name, United Party, which was adopted by the opposition. “This is not a mark of a dictator,” he averred.
He argued that the fact that Nkrumah believed in educating his people suggested that he was determined to empower his people intellectually to be able to challenge him.
Prof. Akosa said one of Kwame Nkrumah’s greatest achievements was in the area of education and added that “almost all Ghanaians alive today benefited from the free and compulsory education”.
He described as “legitimate and justified” the Prevention Detention Act (PDA) that was passed in July, 1958 and remarked that Dr Nkrumah’s government would have been irresponsible if it had not passed that Act.
Prof. Akosa also said any claim that Nkrumah was corrupt represented one of the greatest lies ever told, stressing that the man worked for the development of all and not himself.
Activities planned to commemorate the 100 anniversary of the birth of Dr Kwame Nkrumah include a candle light vigil on the eve of February 24, the day he was overthrown.
On March 5, there shall be the re-enactment of the declaration of independence while on April 27, there shall be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum.
On June 11, the eve of the founding of the CPP, there shall be a candle-light vigil while a press conference has been scheduled for Republic Day, 1st July, on Republicanism.
On August 1, there shall be the commemoration of the Kulungugu bomb while in September, there is expected to be the 2009 edition of the three-day annual Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Public lectures.
Also, on the night of September 20, there shall be a candle-light vigil at Nkroful and on the morning of September 21, the foundation shall attend a mass at the Roman Catholic Church, Nkroful.
According to Prof. Akosa, after the mass, the procession shall move to the original mausoleum in Nkroful for prayers and libation and a birthday cake shall be cut.
That same day there shall be a party at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra at 7 pm.
In December, there shall be reflections on the life of Dr Nkrumah and individuals who knew and worked with him are expected to give their accounts of the country’s first President.
Army recruitment suspended
Monday February 2 2009 page 41
Story: Michael Donkor & Leticia Ohene Asiedu
Four hundred and twenty military recruits who had been selected across the country for a six-month training at the Shai Hills were disappointed last Saturday, when they were told at the El Wak Stadium that the exercise had been called off.
The recruits had gathered at the El Wak Stadium to be conveyed to the Military Training School at Shai Hills near Accra, when the news of the suspension of the programme was broken to them.
They had come from all the 10 regions where they passed body selection and medical examinations organised by the Ghana Armed Forces in May, 2008.
As early as 5 a.m., the would-be soldiers started arriving at the El Wak Stadium with their luggage. Some of them had arrived a day earlier because of the long journey to Accra, some accompanied by their parents.
All was set by 8 a.m. but 30 minutes later, a deputy director at the Records Department of the GAF, Major J. Vander-Pallen, pulled up in his military pick-up vehicle to announce to the candidates that the training exercise had been suspended until further notice and that each of them should provide him with their telephone numbers.
Major Vander-Pallen explained that it was an instruction from above and that he could not say more.
The candidates whose mood changed immediately could not hide their frustration and disappointment and started discussing the issue among themselves
They said in view of the instructions in the letter they had and the assurances of feeding and other things, they did not carry enough money on them to take them back to their destinations.
Some of them said their parents had to borrow money from the bank to be able to purchase the items listed on the prospectus for them while others said they had to empty their accounts and borrow money from their friends before they could acquire the items on the list.
Others also said they were in employment but when the GAF wrote to them that they were successful in the recruitment exercise they resigned in preference of the army.
After all efforts by the candidates to get the military to arrange for their transport back to their destinations failed others started offering for sale some of the items they had bought for the training exercise at half the price on the streets along the El Wak Sports Stadium.
When military sources were contacted on why the training exercise was suspended, they said it was due to alleged malpractices during the selection process in 2008.
It said the selection of the 420 candidates for the army category of the Ghana Armed Forces, which formed the first batch, was, therefore, suspended for the process to be investigated.
It said the whole exercise would be thoroughly reviewed before the next line of action would be taken.
Story: Michael Donkor & Leticia Ohene Asiedu
Four hundred and twenty military recruits who had been selected across the country for a six-month training at the Shai Hills were disappointed last Saturday, when they were told at the El Wak Stadium that the exercise had been called off.
The recruits had gathered at the El Wak Stadium to be conveyed to the Military Training School at Shai Hills near Accra, when the news of the suspension of the programme was broken to them.
They had come from all the 10 regions where they passed body selection and medical examinations organised by the Ghana Armed Forces in May, 2008.
As early as 5 a.m., the would-be soldiers started arriving at the El Wak Stadium with their luggage. Some of them had arrived a day earlier because of the long journey to Accra, some accompanied by their parents.
All was set by 8 a.m. but 30 minutes later, a deputy director at the Records Department of the GAF, Major J. Vander-Pallen, pulled up in his military pick-up vehicle to announce to the candidates that the training exercise had been suspended until further notice and that each of them should provide him with their telephone numbers.
Major Vander-Pallen explained that it was an instruction from above and that he could not say more.
The candidates whose mood changed immediately could not hide their frustration and disappointment and started discussing the issue among themselves
They said in view of the instructions in the letter they had and the assurances of feeding and other things, they did not carry enough money on them to take them back to their destinations.
Some of them said their parents had to borrow money from the bank to be able to purchase the items listed on the prospectus for them while others said they had to empty their accounts and borrow money from their friends before they could acquire the items on the list.
Others also said they were in employment but when the GAF wrote to them that they were successful in the recruitment exercise they resigned in preference of the army.
After all efforts by the candidates to get the military to arrange for their transport back to their destinations failed others started offering for sale some of the items they had bought for the training exercise at half the price on the streets along the El Wak Sports Stadium.
When military sources were contacted on why the training exercise was suspended, they said it was due to alleged malpractices during the selection process in 2008.
It said the selection of the 420 candidates for the army category of the Ghana Armed Forces, which formed the first batch, was, therefore, suspended for the process to be investigated.
It said the whole exercise would be thoroughly reviewed before the next line of action would be taken.
CSIR launches Golden Jubilee quiz
Saturday January 31 2009 page31
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has launched a Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) Competition to mark its Golden Jubilee Celebrations.
The competition which seeks to stimulate interest in and promote science, technology and innovation among the general public, has been designed for a fairly wide range of participants, including students and researchers and requires works to be made in Ghana.
Innovations may be submitted for agricultural machinery, engineering devices, electronic equipment, new crop varieties and ICT products.
At the launch, the Director-General of the CSIR, Dr A.B. Salifu, said it was unfortunate that services to science, technology and innovation as a national policy after the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, had not been particularly significant.
That, he indicated, had resulted in the drift of many scientists into other areas of professional endeavour.
“Indeed, many promising and potential scientists among the youth and students have been dissuaded by the lack of recognition and very poor remuneration to pursue other careers”, he said.
According to Dr Salifu, during the December 2008 presidential elections, presidential candidates participated in what was dubbed the “CSIR Presidential Candidate Interaction Programme”, under which the candidates spelt out their respective visions for the promotion of science and technology for national development.
He said that was in tune with the institution’s theme for the Golden Jubilee Celebration which is “Championing Science and Technology for National Development”.
The Director-General expressed confidence in the administration of President J. E. A. Mills, following the reinstatement of the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, which for unexplained reasons was abolished by the previous administration.
He said the institution was highly expectant that the government would prioritise science and technology and give it a place in its developmental agenda.
The Chairman of the competition committee, Dr G. O. Essegbey said the competition was not only to mark the anniversary of the institute, but also to begin the process of awakening the nation to the urgency of creating the innovative capacity to drive national development.
Dr Essegbey said he believed that that step was an important process in stimulating the vital innovative spirit in Ghanaians, which would go a long way to achieve the long term vision of developing Ghana on the basis of science, technology and innovation.
He was optimistic that the youth and students in particular, would take keen interest in participating in the competition and not just for the prizes, but also for the fact that they were seizing the opportunity to showcase their scientific abilities.
He called on entrepreneurs and the investing public to take their innovations to the next level and commercialise them.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has launched a Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) Competition to mark its Golden Jubilee Celebrations.
The competition which seeks to stimulate interest in and promote science, technology and innovation among the general public, has been designed for a fairly wide range of participants, including students and researchers and requires works to be made in Ghana.
Innovations may be submitted for agricultural machinery, engineering devices, electronic equipment, new crop varieties and ICT products.
At the launch, the Director-General of the CSIR, Dr A.B. Salifu, said it was unfortunate that services to science, technology and innovation as a national policy after the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, had not been particularly significant.
That, he indicated, had resulted in the drift of many scientists into other areas of professional endeavour.
“Indeed, many promising and potential scientists among the youth and students have been dissuaded by the lack of recognition and very poor remuneration to pursue other careers”, he said.
According to Dr Salifu, during the December 2008 presidential elections, presidential candidates participated in what was dubbed the “CSIR Presidential Candidate Interaction Programme”, under which the candidates spelt out their respective visions for the promotion of science and technology for national development.
He said that was in tune with the institution’s theme for the Golden Jubilee Celebration which is “Championing Science and Technology for National Development”.
The Director-General expressed confidence in the administration of President J. E. A. Mills, following the reinstatement of the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, which for unexplained reasons was abolished by the previous administration.
He said the institution was highly expectant that the government would prioritise science and technology and give it a place in its developmental agenda.
The Chairman of the competition committee, Dr G. O. Essegbey said the competition was not only to mark the anniversary of the institute, but also to begin the process of awakening the nation to the urgency of creating the innovative capacity to drive national development.
Dr Essegbey said he believed that that step was an important process in stimulating the vital innovative spirit in Ghanaians, which would go a long way to achieve the long term vision of developing Ghana on the basis of science, technology and innovation.
He was optimistic that the youth and students in particular, would take keen interest in participating in the competition and not just for the prizes, but also for the fact that they were seizing the opportunity to showcase their scientific abilities.
He called on entrepreneurs and the investing public to take their innovations to the next level and commercialise them.
CSIR out to improve food sufficiency
Monday February 2 2009 page 3
As part of measures aimed at making Ghana achieve some level of food sufficiency and improve access to seed, fertiliser and training on the best cultural practices in rice production, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) yesterday began a workshop on rice production in the country.
The Director-General of CSIR, Dr A.B. Salifu, said the development of different varieties of various staples such as maize, rice, sorghum, groundnuts, soya beans, yam, and plantain had been from the efforts of researchers of CSIR and that those developed crops met specific requirements of industry in brewery, food processing and exports.
Dr Salifu asserted that rice was almost a staple food in Ghana but the local production levels still left a demand-supply gap that was being filled through importation.
According to him, several efforts had been made in the past to boost production yet little level had been achieved in terms of the quality and quantity of rice production.
He indicated that local rice farmers produced 30 per cent of the country’s requirement and that the remaining two thirds, worth $500 million, was imported.
The Director-General said the figure was alarming when it was juxtaposed against the situation in 1999-2000 when the rice import bill was $100 million.
“Barely a week ago, a private company, Finatrade, reported that they have contracted a number of local farms to supply 4,000 tonnes of locally produced rice as part of strategy to promote the commercialisation and consumption of locally produced rice.
“The Ghana Rice Inter-Professional Body (GRIB) has also proposed the setting up of a Rice Development Fund to provide credit for rice farmers in order to resuscitate what has been described as an ailing rice industry,” he said.
Dr Salifu was optimistic that the choice of implementing partners — the CSIR-Savanna Agriculture Research Institute (SARI), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) — was strategic because the organisations were truly on the ground in the catchment area that the project would be implemented.
He noted that SARI’s involvement in similar projects and establishments in some parts of the Northern Region and its direct relationship with the rice farmers and input dealers would create a harmonious working relationship that could mitigate the numerous rice production problems of multiple and often mixed production varieties, inadequate fertiliser supply, poor milling facilities and low farmer extension services coupled with high dependence on rainfall.
A representative from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr Richard Twumasi-Ankrah, said the ministry attached great importance to rice as a staple food in view of the steady increase in demand and its growing importance in Ghanaian dishes.
He said Ghana’s inability to produce rice to self-sufficiency levels was indicative of the presence of major constraints in the industry, adding that currently the country’s self-sufficiency level was at about 36 per cent, and as a result large quantities of rice were imported to meet demands at huge expenses in terms of hard currency.
Mr Twumasi-Ankrah said the ministry was currently in league with a number of development partners trying to tackle the vision of the project at all levels of the industry.
He expressed concern about the low yields in the production of rice and uneven quality and impurities characteristic of local rice as some of the main challenges facing local rice production and said there was the need to make producers responsive to the requirements of the consumer.
He appealed to all partners within the implementation framework of the initiative to put in the needed effort to successfully achieve the objectives of the initiative.
As part of measures aimed at making Ghana achieve some level of food sufficiency and improve access to seed, fertiliser and training on the best cultural practices in rice production, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) yesterday began a workshop on rice production in the country.
The Director-General of CSIR, Dr A.B. Salifu, said the development of different varieties of various staples such as maize, rice, sorghum, groundnuts, soya beans, yam, and plantain had been from the efforts of researchers of CSIR and that those developed crops met specific requirements of industry in brewery, food processing and exports.
Dr Salifu asserted that rice was almost a staple food in Ghana but the local production levels still left a demand-supply gap that was being filled through importation.
According to him, several efforts had been made in the past to boost production yet little level had been achieved in terms of the quality and quantity of rice production.
He indicated that local rice farmers produced 30 per cent of the country’s requirement and that the remaining two thirds, worth $500 million, was imported.
The Director-General said the figure was alarming when it was juxtaposed against the situation in 1999-2000 when the rice import bill was $100 million.
“Barely a week ago, a private company, Finatrade, reported that they have contracted a number of local farms to supply 4,000 tonnes of locally produced rice as part of strategy to promote the commercialisation and consumption of locally produced rice.
“The Ghana Rice Inter-Professional Body (GRIB) has also proposed the setting up of a Rice Development Fund to provide credit for rice farmers in order to resuscitate what has been described as an ailing rice industry,” he said.
Dr Salifu was optimistic that the choice of implementing partners — the CSIR-Savanna Agriculture Research Institute (SARI), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) — was strategic because the organisations were truly on the ground in the catchment area that the project would be implemented.
He noted that SARI’s involvement in similar projects and establishments in some parts of the Northern Region and its direct relationship with the rice farmers and input dealers would create a harmonious working relationship that could mitigate the numerous rice production problems of multiple and often mixed production varieties, inadequate fertiliser supply, poor milling facilities and low farmer extension services coupled with high dependence on rainfall.
A representative from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr Richard Twumasi-Ankrah, said the ministry attached great importance to rice as a staple food in view of the steady increase in demand and its growing importance in Ghanaian dishes.
He said Ghana’s inability to produce rice to self-sufficiency levels was indicative of the presence of major constraints in the industry, adding that currently the country’s self-sufficiency level was at about 36 per cent, and as a result large quantities of rice were imported to meet demands at huge expenses in terms of hard currency.
Mr Twumasi-Ankrah said the ministry was currently in league with a number of development partners trying to tackle the vision of the project at all levels of the industry.
He expressed concern about the low yields in the production of rice and uneven quality and impurities characteristic of local rice as some of the main challenges facing local rice production and said there was the need to make producers responsive to the requirements of the consumer.
He appealed to all partners within the implementation framework of the initiative to put in the needed effort to successfully achieve the objectives of the initiative.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)