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17.03.2007 Restore Dr Nkrumah's dignity ProCredit introduces ProKid accounts Women gather at state house to give thanks Government urged to review the national language policy Tema records six fire incidents in a day JICA supports guinea worm eradication in Northern Region
Restore Dr Nkrumah's dignity
Accra, March 17, GNA -
Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, immediate past Director General, Ghana Health Services, on Friday called on Nkrumahists to restore the dignity of Dr Kwame Nkrumah through intellectual discourses from the unbridle vilification by some political opponents.
Prof Akosa alleged that some political opponents have, over the years tried without success to associate Dr Nkrumah with ruthlessness and draconian laws adding "let us give credit where it is due."
Speaking in Accra at the 5th International Conference on Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Prof Akosa said the Preventive Detention Act (PDA) introduced by Nkrumah was legitimate and necessary considering the scale of destructive nature of the opposition who were at that time burnt on assassinating him.
He said Dr Nkrumah created jobs for the youth and in the history of the country, there was a shortfall of workers to take up one million jobs during 1964 and 1965 and wondered whether the same could be said of today adding "no wonder we are creating a third generation of street children" He said those who were determined to distort history were the very people who benefited from Dr Nkrumah's policies on education and wondered why they had not put those policies for the present generation to enjoy.
Dr Dee Otibu-Asare, Chief Executive Officer, West Africa International Magazine said after the overthrow of Dr Nkrumah, series of calculated calumnies were published by his opponents and their intellectual allies in an effort to demonize and ridicule him.
Dr Otibu-Asare said at the time of Nkrumah's overthrow, he established 68 viable state-owned factories to meet the needs of Ghanaians.
"Dr Nkrumah put all the needed structures in place for successive goverments to build on, instead of building on those structures, they dismantled them", he said.
He said 41 years after his overthrow, Ghana was still gasping for breath for survival, with their leaders travelling over the world with cup in hand begging for aid.
Dr Otibu-Asare observed that the Economic Community of West African states (ECOWAS) had chalked little progress while the African Union "is just a toothless bulldog with their heads of state attending yearly jamborees in the name of conferences."
Source:
GNA
| < BACK NEXT > 16.03.2007 Tema records six fire incidents in a day
Tema, March 17, GNA -
Tema, the industrial hub of the nation, on Thursday recorded six fire incidents, destroying property worth millions of cedis.
Mr Paul Tamakloe, the Tema Municipal Fire Officer, told newsmen that the fire outbreaks occurred between mid-night and morning and affected houses in Communities 5, 11, 12, Klagon, Tema New Town and off the Spintex road.
The causes of the incidents are not yet known and are being investigated.
Mr Tamakloe advised residents to inform the Fire Service on time and to give correct directions in the event of fire outbreak to enable personnel to easily locate the scene.Source:
GNA
Government urged to review the national language policy
Kumasi, March 17, GNA -
Government and all stakeholders in the education sector have been urged to have a second look at the national language policy which makes it compulsory for teachers to use English language as a medium of instruction at the basic education level. Mrs. Aba Brew-Hammond, a lecturer at the Publishing Studies Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who made the call, explained that children could learn better with the local language which their parents transmit to them right after birth, saying children grasp other cultural and moral values from their local language.
The seminar was organized by the College of Arts and Social Sciences of KNUST dubbed 93Intra-College Seminar" for the students of the university.
She said this at a seminar on the theme: 93Projecting Monolinqual Ideologies in Multilinqual Classrooms in Ghana: A Critical Look at the English 96 only language in Education Policy". She stated that, it was not fair to use only English language to teach since it created problems for children in understanding whatever they were taught, adding that teaching children with bi-lingual however could pave way for easy understanding before being introduced to English language as a medium of instruction.
Professor Daniel Buor, Provost of College of Art and Social Sciences, who chaired the seminar commended the lecturer for her research into the languages in the country and said any attempt at using only one local language as our lingua franca could generate into chaos but the local languages should be used at school during the child's formative period before introducing them to English language. Rev Dr Nathan Samwini, a lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies at the KNUST, on his part said there was the need for a national formula for development and make sure any government who would come and meet it could continue its implementation.
He stated that the development of the nation depended on continuity of planning and effective implementation of good policies instead of changing policies by every government who come to power. Source:
GNA
| Women gather at state house to give thanks
Accra, March 17, GNA-
Mrs. Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, Member of the Council of State on Saturday led thousands of women in a non-denominational prayer and thanksgiving service at the forecourts of the State House.
The service, mainly attended by members of the Women Aglow Ministry from all over the ten regions of Ghana was in appreciation to God for a successful jubilee celebration and also to ask God to continue to bless and protect all the people of the land throughout the rest of the year and in the coming.
Mrs. Affenyi-Dadzie, who is also the National Prayer Director of the Aglow Ministry, entreated all women to continue to pray to God for him to appoint the next President for Ghana in the upcoming 2008 general elections.
"Whilst we may be looking out for a Presidential Candidate who is ruddy and handsome, God could help us find someone with the right policies, principles and approach to lead Ghana to become the state that he desires it to be," she told the congregation, amidst shouted and the raising of miniatures national flags in agreement. Some members laid prostate on the floor in reverence to the Lord Almighty. Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Fisheries urged the women to cultivate the habit of nurturing their children, especially the females to dress modestly, adding, "it is a mother's duty to ensure that her child is dressed modestly for every occasion".
"If we continue to allow are daughters to go about half naked, what would happen to their children since they would be required to teach them? They may end up being totally naked," she said Mrs Asmah urged all women to help raise the standard of morality in the nation.
She also urged the to pray to God to give the nation rains so that the Volta Dam could be filled for the production of electricity at full capacity, so that all industries would operate at full capacity for employment generation for the youth. Ms Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State, appealed to the women to ensure that all children of school-going age were in school, adding, "It is our duty to ensure that our children, the children of our relations and friends were all in school between the ages of four and 16, to reduce the illiteracy rate in Ghana.
Mama Dorothy Danso, Aglow National President said like Dr Kwame Nkrumah who stated that, "the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of Africa," likewise, Aglow women needed to affirm that their salvation was meaningless unless it was linked with total liberation of all women. She urged the women to show love to one another, especially by helping people who were less privileged.
"Our vocational school complex is still under construction and I encourage you to be led and solicit for funds to come to our aid to make our vision of helping the 'Kaya yo' and less privileged girls acquire skill and give them economic empowerment become a reality," she said. Mama Danso thanked the over 10,000 women throughout the country who gathered on a monthly basis to intercede on behalf of the nation. "Your labour indeed have not been in vain but yielded good results, because we have already started to experience some of the blessings of Jubilee," she added. 17 March 07Source:
GNA
ProCredit introduces ProKid accounts
Accra, 17, March, GNA -
ProCredit Saving and Loans Company Limited has introduced a new savings account dubbed: "ProKid Account", for children up to 18 years.
Launching the product at Kids Open Day on Saturday, Mrs. Mary Odong, Managing Director of ProCredit said the ProKid Account was to promote savings culture in children and the Ghanaian public as whole. "We like to begin at the very basis -our children.
If they learn about how to save properly for the future and clinches to the habit of saving at a very early age, it is an inestimable value for them, their families and also the future of the country." she said. Mrs. Odong said the bank wants to make it possible for everyone to save; therefore the ProKid Account can be opened with any amount that one chooses.
"Anybody can save, irrespective of what their monthly earnings are. Savings is a value not reserved for the privileged in society," she added.
She said, above all the activities and fun around the launch of the new account and Kids Open Day, the culture of savings shall mature long lastingly in the children's and adult's minds and result in an intelligent exposure of their financial resources. Prior to the launch and the Kids Open Day, trained ProCredit staff visited schools in the neighbourhood of each branch to hold classroom presentation to educate the children on the importance of savings. During the launch, children from various schools went on a facility visit at the banking hall and prizes were given to kids who were able to draw what they would want to save for in a drawing competition. 17 March 2007 Source:
GNA JICA supports guinea worm eradication in Northern Region
Tamale, March 17, GNA-
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Friday, presented motorcycles valued at 200 million cedis to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, to support guinea worm eradication in the Northern Region. The five beneficiary districts are Savelugu/Nanton, Tolon/Kumbungu, Tamale, East Gonja, and Yendi, all guinea worm endemic areas.
Dr. Seidu Korkor, National Coordinator of the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme, presented the motorcycles through the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, in Tamale. The National Coordinator of the programme said guinea worm disease had become a focal problem and limited mostly to the Region, which recorded almost 90 per cent of all cases with the five districts accounting for nearly 80 per cent of reported cases.
He said guinea worm cases was on the decline in the region, citing that in 2006, the disease was reported in 604 communities as compared to 1,017 communities in 2004 but added that "Most of the cases reported were unfortunately in the Tamale area."
Dr.Korkor said from January to February this year, a report indicated that while 1,754 cases were recorded countrywide 1,199 cases, representing 68 per cent, came from Savelugu/Nanton District, with Savelugu township alone accounting for over 35 per cent of the cases. He said as part of efforts to stem the spread of the disease, government, through the District Assemblies, had engagement 'dam guards,' under the National Youth Employment programme, to police all dams in the endemic areas.
Dr.Korkor also said the Assemblies have also enacted by-laws to control human activities that militated against guinea worm control programme.
He announced that the Information Service Department and the Department of Community Development would soon begin tours of guinea worm prone districts to sensitise the people about the disease and the National Disaster Management Organisation offices in the five districts had also been asked to ensure the enforcement of the by-laws. Alhaji Idris said President John Agyekum Kufuor had taken the resurgence of the guinea worm disease in the country very seriously, and he would soon appoint a Special Assistant in charge of guinea worm eradication who would be directly responsible to the President. He said President Kufuor wanted the disease to be eradicated from the country before the end of his tenure as President and therefore urged all stakeholders in the eradication exercise to be more pro-active.
The Regional Minister urged the officers who would be using the motorcycles to handle them properly and ensure that they were used for the intended purpose. 17 March 07Source:
GNA
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