Fathia Nkrumah is dead
Accra, May 31, GNA - Madam Fathia Nkrumah, the First First Lady of Ghana is dead. She died this evening at the Badrawy Hospital in Cairo.
Funeral service would be held for her at the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo on Friday, June 1, 2007.
According to usually reliable source the Government of Ghana would ask for the body to be buried in Ghana.
President John Agyekum Kufuor visited Madam Fathia during his recent visit to Egypt.
President Kufuor, who was at the bedside of Madam Fathia at the Hospital, said his visit was to confirm his commitment and that of his Government to support and accord her the dignity of a Former First Lady.
Source:
GNA
|
Man gets 14 years for defiling two boys
Rehabilitation of Tono Dam to Begin by September
Ghana Road Transport agrees freeze on transport fares
Japanese Govt presents IT equipment to Foreign Ministry
Man gets 14 years for defiling two boys
Agona Swedru, May 31, GNA- A circuit court at Agona Swedru has sentenced a 25-year-old barber from Kasoa CP in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District of the Central Region to 14 years imprisonment in hard labour for defiling two school boys, aged 9 and 12 years respectively. Akwasi Amofa pleaded guilty with an explanation to the charge of defilement.
DSP Raymond Martey, prosecuting told the court presided over by Mr. Charles A. Wilson that the victims are brothers leaving with their parents at Kasoa CP while the accused who was a friend to the boys' parents, also lived in the same neighbourhood.
The prosecution told the court that about four months ago, Amofa went to the school of the boys and invited them to his house and had sex with them through their anus in turns.
According to DSP Martey, the accused person after the act threatened to kill the boys if they disclose the ordeal to any one. The prosecution told the court that the accused was having other defilement cases against him at Kasoa Police station. DSP Martey also said the accused was convicted at Awutu Bereku Magistrate's Court presided over by Mr. C.A. Wilson for defiling two primary school girls.
DSP Martey said Amofa was made to pay a compensation of three million cedis to the victims and 2 million cedis fined was imposed on him.
Source:
GNA
Rehabilitation of Tono Dam to Begin by September
Tono (U/E), May 31, GNA - The long awaited rehabilitation of the Tono irrigation facility near Navrongo in the Upper East Region would begin by September.
The government has made available funds for the project and advertisements have been placed in the national dailies inviting bids from contractors.
"Tenders would be opened around July and those contractors who would be selected would be expected to mobilise and get to site by September," Alhaji Issah Bukari, the Managing Director of the Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR), said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Tono.
Alhaji Bukari said the facility had not seen any rehabilitation since its construction in 1975 and described its present state as "near collapse."
"The entire system would not have lasted beyond the next five years if government had not intervened now. Some of the canals have begun to give way, causing a lot of water leakage. This has in turn affected dam use as we have had to reduce the number of acreage put under cultivation," he said.
Alhaji Bukari said news about the impending rehabilitation works had brought relief to ICOUR staff and farming communities in the area. About 4,000 farm families from nine villages stretching from Navrongo Central to Builsa South depend on the Tono irrigation facility for their livelihood.
They engage in both rain-fed and dry season farming, cultivating maize, rice, soya bean, sorghum and groundnuts as well as tomato, onion, cabbage, carrots and pepper. Fish farming is also carried on a small scale.
The Managing Director said the revamping of the Tono facility would contribute significantly to poverty reduction, food security and job creation in the Upper East Region.
31 May 07
Source:
GNA
Ghana Road Transport agrees freeze on transport fares
Accra, May 31, GNA - The Ghana Transport Co-ordinating Council (GRTCC) on Thursday said transport fares would not go up because the National Petroleum Authority would not increase petroleum prices by more than six per cent.
A statement signed by Mr. Kojo Adom Moses, Chairman of the Council, said they decided unanimously to maintain current transport fares should price increases of petroleum products stay under six per cent. "It is now certain that the National Petroleum Authority will keep its word," the Council said, adding that all members of the Council should not increase fares.
Source:
GNA
Japanese Govt presents IT equipment to Foreign Ministry
Accra, May 31, GNA - The Japanese Government on Thursday handed over IT equipment valued at about 1.5 million dollars to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regional Integration and NEPAD to assist in setting up a data centre.
The e-consul and e-administration centre, when completed would contribute to the efficient administration of the Ministry and improve good governance of the government of Ghana.
Mr. Wi Keyei Chul, Korean Ambassador, said the support demonstrated the extent of friendship and co-operation, saying it would further deepen the bilateral and diplomatic ties that had existed between the two countries for the past 30 years.
He mentioned the reciprocal visits of high-ranking officials, including Foreign Ministers of both countries last year, which was highlighted, by President John Agyekum Kufuor's visit to Korea, saying the exchange further strengthened the existing relationship. Mr. Wi expressed the hope that the equipment would contribute to the efficient administration of the Ministry. Mr. Kwesi Osei-Adjei, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs who received the donation on behalf of the Government of Ghana, thanked the Government and people of Korea for the constant support and the interest in the development of the nation.
He explained that the e-consul and e-administration project was initiated by the two countries last year and was expected to improve the information technology capacity of officers in the Ministry and assist it to streamline its activities in a more efficient and cost effective manner.
He said the project would also transform the present mode of conducting business in the Ministry saying, "we owe the Korean government a big debt of gratitude for collaborating with the Ministry in undertaking this project."
Source:
GNA
Three-year-old road is already "Kaput"
DANGER! Western Corridor Road Damaged
THE Bibiani-Ahwiaso-Awaso road, a major artery in the western corridor network, commissioned barely three years ago, may not reach half of its designated life span due to the haulage of heavy cargo such as bauxite, timber and cocoa along the route.
The road, which according to engineering experts at the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) was to last 20 years, would become unmotorable by 2010 and will require about ¢200 billion to rehabilitate if the situation is not addressed.
This development prompted the Ministries of Transportation; Harbours and Railways to hold a meeting last November. Present at the meeting were representatives from the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRC); the Ghana Bauxite Company Limited (GBC) and two haulage companies.
Times learnt that at the meeting the GBC was directed to stop hauling its bauxite by road due to the devastating impact on the road.
However, Times investigations show that contrary to the directives, the company is still using the two haulage companies, Eastern Alloy Company Limited (EACO) and Excel Haulage Company Limited to transport bauxite to the Takoradi port for further export.
Even though the Times learnt that at the meeting, that GBC had agreed to desist from using the newly constructed route to haul bauxite, they resumed the practice two weeks after the meeting.
Until five years ago, the GBC was using the rail network, at Awaso, which has been in existence since colonial times, to transport the bauxite, when according to the management of the company it realised that GRC was unable to cart their estimated output of 900,000 tonnes.
Sources told the Times that GBC had refused to pay realistic tariffs to the GRC, which has also been facing extreme financial difficulties, to enable it render effective services to the GBC. Times learnt that GRC was demanding US $11.5 per tonne while the GBC pays US $14 to the two haulage companies for the same amount of bauxite that is transported.
The Times learnt that at the said meeting, a representative of GBC said it was not the intention of the company to destroy the country’s roads, particularly the Awaso-Bibiani road through its operations, saying that it was much cheaper to haul the bauxite by rail but expressed concern about GRC’s inability to haul the minimum tonnage.
He is reported to have said that the company started carting its bauxite by road 2002 but stopped and resumed in 2004. According to him, GRC could only cart 250,000 tonnes while the trucks carried 450,000 tonnes, but promised to cooperate with the Ministries to resolve the problem.
The recourse to a more expensive means of transporting the bauxite has led to wild speculation in official corridors that there were some GBC officials who have stakes in those companies.
Sources also told the Times that the trucks drivers were paid bonuses depending on the number of extra tonnage they carry, which apparently might be the cause of overloading.
When the Times visited the area last week there were huge potholes along portions of the road, some of which have so far been patched. Times also observed that the trucks from the haulage companies loaded with bauxite plied the route at night.
Apart from the damage of the road through overloading, other dangers presented by the hauling of bauxite on the roads are accidents, over speeding, environmental pollution and high demands of national fuel. Experts say it will require about ¢25 billion to rehabilitate a kilometre of the road if the deterioration does not stop.
GHA sources told the Times that donor partners such as the European Union (EU) and DANIDA have expressed misgivings about the impact of overloading of vehicles on the road and to curtail this situation, the EU went a step further to provide weighbridges which have been installed at strategic points on the roads to control axle loads.
Sources at the Bibiani District Assembly said over the past five years, GBC had paid only ¢150 million as royalties to the Bibiani District Assembly, 10 percent of which has to be paid to government. The source said the paltery sum paid by GBC cannot be used as a justification to destroy the road.
The situation has led the youth and some chiefs in the district to complain about the operations of GBC relating to the damage to the roads and the recklessness of drivers that has led to accidents on the road.
When contacted, Eric Oduro-Konadu, Chief Executive of GHA, said periodically the Authority undertakes axle load control exercises on the Bibiani-Awaso road in addition to the permanent weighbridge installed at Asuoyeboa-Kumasi.
He noted that it was during one of such spot check exercises on vehicles on the road during the latter part of last year, the team discovered several abuses of the roads.
Mr. Oduro-Konadu said during the exercise, it discovered that loading on axles on the road was as high as 24.3 tonnes instead of the legal and permissible limit of 11.5 tonnes. During the exercise, it was noted that EACO recorded maximum axle load of 24.3 tonnes, while EXCEL recorded 17.8 tonnes. EACO carries higher loads than EXCEL and the loads exceed the 100 tonne capacity of the weighbridge.
He mentioned that other overloaded haulage trucks plying the route are timber trucks with the highest axle tonnage of 21.8 on fourth axle and cocoa trucks four-six axles with the highest tonnage as 22.2 on second axle.
The Chief Executive mentioned that some of the problems being encountered by the Authority with as the refusal of drivers to stop at checkpoints for their vehicles to be weighed, using of alternate routes which have not been designed to carry such loads to avoid the checkpoints, and truckers taking advantage of the off-checking periods to embark on their journey.
Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister for Harbours and Railways, who expressed concern about the fast rate at which the road network was deteriorating, told the Times that it was good for the public to become aware of the extent at which the roads have been damaged through the transportation of bauxite by road.
He said it was unacceptable for government to allow roads that have been constructed through the assistance of donor partners to be destroyed in the name of economic activities particularly the haulage of bauxite by road.
He noted that the issue of rail tariffs had been a thorny one for years, noting that refusing to increase rail tariffs, the GBC also stopped talking to the Ministry when it decided to haul its bauxite by road.
Source:
Ghanaian Times
100 Inmates On Death Row at Nsawam
The Condemned Cells at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons are currently holding 113 inmates awaiting execution.
The prisoners, all men aged between 20 and 65 are on death row following convictions of murder and armed robbery with the longest serving convict having been in the cells for 10 years.
But the Chief Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prison Service, Augustine Bopam suggested that the prisoners on death row might not be executed, basing his conclusion on the fact since 1993 Ghana had not invoked the death penalty on any prisoner on death row.
His optimism coincides with an intervention from the human rights body, Amnesty International (Ghana) Group 22 of Suhum for Ghana to join other countries in the abolition of capital punishment.
In a letter to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Joe Ghartey, the group said it had observed for several years, a trend in favor of the abolition of the death penalty in Africa and West Africa with Senegal and Liberia following suit since 2004.
"Ghana seems to fit in the movement and we are very pleased to learn that in 2005 you (Mr Ghartey) publicly stated your position on the death penalty," it noted.
The letter urged the Attorney General and Minister of Justice "to take all the necessary measures to ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights".
It asked Mr Ghartey to do everything in his power to adopt a moratorium on all executions and urged him to appeal to President Kufuor to use his prerogative of mercy, as he did in 2003 to commute all death sentences.
On the situation in the prisons at the moment, Bopam said it was only the President of the Republic who could exercise the prerogative of mercy under Article 72 of the Constitution to commute the death sentence on the 113 prisoners to life imprisonment by way of amnesty.
He said on the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Ghana's Independence, President Kufuor on the recommendation of the Prison Service Council and in consultation with the Council of State commuted the death sentence on 36 prisoners on death row to life imprisonment.
He said commuting death sentence to life imprisonment was not rare in the country with the last but one being carried out in 2003.
Source:
Graphic
Four top hotels face closure
A joint task force of the Police and Ghana National Fire Service personnel on Tuesday, May 29, 2007, embarked on an exercise to close down hotels and public buildings in Accra that did not have fire certificates.
The team numbering over 20 defied the morning down pour to conduct the operation.
As a result, four hotels, M-Plaza at Roman Ridge, Alisa, Mariset and Babloys hotels, all at Osu have been given a 15 day ultimatum to acquire fire certificates or face legal action.
Briefing the press, Philip Aheng- Mensah, Director in charge of Fire Safety, Ghana National Fire Service said the move was a pro-active one to prevent the recurrence of fire out breaks particularly in public places.
He said the Legislative Instrument (LI 1724) stipulates that all buildings or facilities that accommodates people are supposed to have fire hydrants, fire certificate which guarantees that the facilities have fire hydrants, fire exists, alarm bells or early warning systems.
“This means all hotels, schools, discotheques, financial institutions and offices are required to have fire certificate before they can operate,” he said.
Mr Aheng- Mensah said that the team decided to move into action in order to save lives and property.
He bemoaned the spate of fire outbreaks in the country and implored owners of the facilities outlined by the law to acquire the certificates before the law catches up with them.
Paa Kwesi Adutwum, Divisional Fire Officer who led the operation said the exercise will continue and warned that “we will not spare any organisation, agency or institution that would flout the regulation.
Source:
Ghanaian Times
NPP to rule Ghana for 30 years -Manu
The National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Peter Mac Manu, has reiterated that the party will rule Ghana for the next 30 years.
Describing the party as a dominant one in Africa in his speech at the opening of a three-day workshop for selected constituency executives of NPP in the Central Region at Elmina on Friday, Mac Manu said some parties in the world had ruled for more than 30 years citing Mexico as an example and claimed that NPP could also do same.
He said the NPP government had delivered on its promises and would continue to develop the country as a way of building confidence in the electorate to consolidate the gains made so far.
Touching on the importance of the workshop for Central Regional executives of the party, Mr. Mac Manu explained that the Central Region delivered sweet victory for the NPP in 2004 and that the workshop was meant to strategise on how to maintain the gains and improve on them in 2008.
He said although the NPP had not elected a flag bearer, it was necessary for the party to develop communication and campaign strategies to counter that of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the region.
He said the party moved from three Parliamentary seats in 1996 to eight in 2000 and 16 in 2004 leaving only three seats for NDC and CPP to share.
Mr. Mac Manu bemoaned the assertion of some party activists that they had not benefited from the work they did in bringing the party to power. He therefore implored them to halt such claims which turned to hold the party to ransom and referred them to inquire from NDC activists whose party ruled for almost 20 years whether they benefited from NDC or not.
In response to a question posed to him by The Chronicle as to whether the workshop was meant for selecting delegates for the party's impending National Delegates Congress, he said it had no bearing since the NP.P national executives had no right to influence the selection of delegates. Five persons each from 18 constituencies were selected for the Workshop except Agona West where there was a court case pending.
As to whether the NPP will field a candidate for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) parliamentary seat in 2008, which is currently occupied by CPP's Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, he intimated that no decision has been taken on the seat and that the party was ready to enter into agreement with any party that shares its views.
Nana Ohene Ntow, NPP General Secretary, said the workshop was crucial to the NPP because the party will not sit down for the gains made in the region to fly away from their hands.
"We struggled together and brought NPP to power in 2000 so don’t let internal wrangling divide us so that we retain power in 2008," Ntow told the 90 constituency executives who had gathered in the plush Elmina Beach Resort to strategise on how to lay ambush for NDC in 2008.
Lord Commey, the party’s National Organiser, said the party in the region gave NPP 57.6 percent in the 2004 presidential elections while in parliamentary, the party scored 85 percent against a target of 100 percent.
Central Region NPP Chairman, Mr. Dankwa Bootey Smith, said the party was going to record 100 percent win in the region by claiming the other two seats from NDC as the party decides on the KEEA seat.
One person that attracted large attention during a self-introduction session was Paul Collins Appiah Ofori, MP for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa. He received a thunderous ovation from the delegates signifying his acceptance from them as a true fighter for his dogged resistance to bullying and corruption.
Institute of Economic Affairs (lEA) sponsored the workshop.
Source:
Chronicle
Adomi Bridge Damaged
PART of the Adomi Bridge at Atimpoku in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region damaged by a taxi cab, which veered its lane and hit the rails of the bridge.
The vehicle nearly fell into the Volta Lake.
Briefing the Times, the Akosombo District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police Stephen A.B. Tetteh, said on May 6, the driver, Bright Adibo driving from Akpafo to Accra on reaching the bridge, was attracted by some tourist cruising on the Volta River. He therefore lost control and hit the rail of the bridge.
He described the accident as very serious which could have been recorded on the bridge.
ASP Tetteh said owing to the danger that the damaged portion poses to both passengers and pedestrians, police personnel have been detailed there to ward off pedestrians since the warning signs there were not enough.
He said some residents of Atimpoku, Mami Water, Small London, Akwamufie and towns around Juapong crossed the bridge daily by foot to either transact businesses or to farm, saying that the damaged area could pose danger to them.
He has therefore appealed to the Ghana Highway Authority and the Ministry of Transport to expediate action to repair the damaged portion beforeany catastrophe occurs.
ASP Tetteh appealed to drivers to be cautions on the roads and also adhere to road signs.
He described as very sad, the number of lives that were lost in recent times through road accidents.
Source:
GHANAIAN Times
> BACK to TOP <
German NGO funds health project in Northern Ghana
Tamale, May 29, GNA - SIMAVI, a German non-governmental organisation (NGO) in collaboration with the Integrated Social Development Centre ( ISODEC ) is undertaking a two-year Family Reproductive Health Project (FRHP) at the cost of 100,000 euros in some vulnerable communities in Northern Ghana.
The Project is to among other things collaborate with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other stakeholders within the communities to improve sexual and reproductive health of the disadvantaged groups, through knowledge sharing, service delivery and advocacy. Communities will benefit from the Project through local NGOs collaborating with ISODEC in the Bawku and Bongo districts in the Upper East Region, East and West Mamprusi, Saboba districts and the Tamale Metropolis all in the Northern Region.
Mrs Rosemond Kumah, Programmes Coordinator of ISODEC in-charge of Northern Ghana announced this at the inception meeting of the ISODEC/SIMAVI Family Reproductive Health Project (FRHP) in Tamale on Monday.
She said the Project would also seek to strengthen existing local groups of people living with HIV/AIDS and facilitate the formation of coalitions to advocate the provision of Anti-retroviral drugs in Northern Ghana.
It also seeks to improve the organizational capacity of ISODEC and its partners as well as other stakeholders for effective sexual and reproductive health programme implementation.
Mrs Kumah said ISODEC would place particular emphasis on advocacy around harmful traditional practices that were peculiar to communities and cited examples like Female Genital Mutilation and drugs and herbs used to hasten labour and "dry sex".
Dr Kofi Issah, District Director of Health for Savelugu/Nanton in a presentation made on his behalf said stillbirths were highest in the Northern Region in 2005 with 4.2 per cent of deliveries. In 2006 this reduced to 2 per cent.
In the year 2006, he said, a total of 200 neonatal deaths were recorded (made up of 148 dying within one week of birth and 52 dying between 8-28 days of age).
He said some activities carried out in reproductive and child health in the year 2006 included 45 cases of fistula repairs, 35 midwives trained in neonatal resuscitation, 45 midwives trained in safe motherhood clinical skills and 27 service providers trained on domestic violence.
Mr Emmanuel Kuyole, ISODEC Director of Programmes, said the Centre was strategizing and forming alliances with like-minded organisations to try to influence policy making in favour of women and the vulnerable in society.
Mr Erik van de Giessen, Senior Project Officer of SIMAVI in-charge of Ghana and Zambia said his organisation was interested in improving on the health conditions of the rural people and in the provision of sanitation facilities.
He said his organisation would continue to partner and give assistance to ISODEC to enable it achieve its objective as long as it utilized the funds for the benefit of the people.
Source:
GNA
$4 million for development in Northern Region
Tamale, May 29, GNA - Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister on Monday said Government had released four million dollars towards development projects in the Northern Region.
He said the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council in consultation with the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) had decided to use the money to complete the multi billion-market complex at Aboabo, a suburb of Tamale that had been abandoned.
Alhaji Idris announced this at a sod cutting ceremony for the construction of a 20.3 billion cedis road project at Aboabo as part of the phase II of Urban Environmental Project to improve drainage system in Tamale.
Present at the ceremony was Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Environment (MLGRDE), who is on a five-day official visit to the Northern Region. Alhaji Idris said, "The Government has the people in the region at heart and released the money to undertake development projects to improve their living standards."
He said completion of the project was in line with Government's development agenda to provide each region with a well-resourced market with modern facilities.
Mr Mohammed Amin Adam, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) said Government was determined to develop every sector of the country to justify the confidence Ghanaians reposed in it. He said construction of the road at Aboabo would solve the sanitation problems in the area since the assembly spent more than two billion cedis on sanitation related problems every quarter in the metropolis.
Mr Adam said despite the difficulties involved in maintaining sanity within the metropolis, Tamale was adjudged the most clean area in Ghana and commended management of Zoom Lion Company Limited (ZLCL) for maintaining sanity in the metropolis.
He said in addition to improvement in the road network the assembly would construct 49 places of convenience in the metropolis to improve sanitation.
Mr Asamoah Boateng, who cut the sod for work to commence on the project appealed to people within the community to serve as watchdogs to ensure the materials were not diverted.
Mr Asamoah Boateng also cut the sod for the construction of a 50,000-dollar satellite market complex for the people of Kukuo under the Community Based Rural Development Project (CBRDP).
Addressing members and staff of the assembly, he told them to be agents of change to transform their communities. Mr Asamoah Boateng also addressed members and staff of Savelugu/Nanton District Assembly.
He advised them to work as a team to develop their communities to win confidence from the people who voted them to the assembly. Mr Asamoah Boateng also inspected and inaugurated a 24-bed ward built for the Savelugu Hospital by the assembly at about 1.3 billion cedis.
Source:
GNA
Driver's crave for bush meat results in accident
Akyem Asuboa, May 29, GNA - A driver's crave for bush meat resulted in an accident at Akyem Asuboa in the Birim South District last Monday that resulted in 15 passengers sustaining injuries.
Two of the passengers are on admission at the Akyem Oda Government hospital while the rest were treated and discharged.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Sampson Agbeko, the Akyem Oda Divisional Crime Officer, told the GNA that Acheampong Larbi, the driver a bus traveling from Akyem Oda to Accra, spotted an animal on the road and killed it.
He reversed the vehicle to pick the carcass, leaving the bus' headlights on.
Mr Agbeko said Mr Mohammed Dibrah, who was driving another vehicle from the opposite direction, grazed its side and Larbi's vehicle somersaulted several times and fell into a ditch. The crime officer said the accident was being investigated for the appropriate charge to be preferred against Larbi.
Source:
GNA
Affordable Housing Project In Trouble?
... 600 Billion Cedi MOU with CHURCH?
...Nigerian Pastor to provide affordable housing? READ MORE R U B B I S H >
> BACK to TOP <
270 schoolgirls pregnant in Mfantseman in four years - Survey
Saltpond (C/R), May 28, GNA - A total of 270 girls in Primary and Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) in the Mfantseman District got pregnant in the past four years.
A survey by the Ghana Education Service in 30 schools in the District revealed that the Ekumfi Traditional Area with 165 in the 15 schools covered by the survey got pregnant with an average of 11 to lead in the canker.
The Mankessim and Nkusukum Traditional Areas recorded 44 pregnancies in the six schools covered with an average of eight to follow Ekumfi.
The two schools surveyed in the Abeadze Traditional Area had 14 with an average of seven while the two schools covered in the Anomabo Traditional area had three cases and an average of two. The survey indicated that girls within the 16-year-old group recorded 76 pregnancies with the 17 and 15-year-old groups having 54 and 48 cases respectively.
JSS Form One girls topped the list with 58 followed closely by Primary Class Six pupils with 57.
There were 25 pregnancies at Ekumfi Asaafa, 24 at Narkwa while Otuam recorded 20 cases.
Miss Vivian Etroo, District Director of Education, attributed the problem to irresponsible parenting, misplaced priorities leading to poverty, parents migrating to seek greener pastures leaving children with their aged grand-parents and guardians without regular remittances. She noted that because most of the victims were themselves products of teenage pregnancy they did not get counseling and guidance and called for an intensified sex education in schools.
The government and District Assemblies should source funds for micro credit support for people in rural communities, she said and called on traditional authorities to enact by-laws to regulate the conduct of school children during wake keepings and festivals.
Source:
GNA
GNA Malaria tops cases at Herbal Clinic - Dr. Normashie
Akim-Oworam (E/R), May 28, GNA - A total of 1,067 malaria cases were recorded at the Health For All Herbal Clinic at Akim-Oworam in the Central Region between January and May, this year. There were 953 Typhoid Fever and 406953 Rheumatism cases while Hypertension recorded 89, with nine dog and i4 snake bites within the same period.
These were contained in a half-yearly report issued by the Medical Director of the Clinic, Dr. Anthony Normashie, at Akim-Oworam on Friday. Addressing a group of farmers, he advised them to place a premium on preventive health to avoid malaria and typhoid and announced plans to conduct house-to-house education on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Dr. Normashie appealed to opinion leaders in the West Akim District to encourage the people to embrace the NHIS to save them from the payment of huge medical bills.
Source:
GNA
Sexual education does not expose children to promiscuous lifestyle
Akropong (ER), May 28, GNA- A Specialist Microbiologist and Volunteer with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), Dr. (Mrs) Cecilia Bentsi has expressed concern about equating sexual education to promiscuity thereby denying many children the opportunity to be exposed to a vital part of their development process.
Dr Bentsi said sexual education has a social relevance in the fact that it is a proven method for promoting good health using time-tested educational methods which have no connection with deliberately feeding young persons with promiscuous information.
She was addressing the teachers and pupils of Akropong School of the Blind at Akropong-Akuapem at the weekend as part of activities planned to mark the 40th anniversary of PPAG in Ghana. Dr Bentsi said through family life education, some Ghanaian children for the first time learn something about their reproductive cycle despite the fact that reproduction is an event that affected all human beings.
She said in the face of mounting statistics about the impact of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, people cannot continue to be denied information on them and that it was incumbent on all to avail the youth of sensitive information on their sexual processes. Dr Bentsi was also critical about the exclusion of children with special needs such as the blind from national projects on HIV/AIDS and demanded for their involvement.
She said it was in recognition of that compelling fact that, the PPAG, in collaboration with the leadership of special schools such as the Akropong School for the Blind was trying to equip their students to face reproductive challenges that lay ahead of them. Volunteers of the association from far away as Cape Coast, Tema, Koforidua and the University of Ghana all converged at the special school for the day's event that included counseling students per their age or other social indicators.
Instead of a one-sided lecture on reproductive health, the students and their visitors engaged in other programmes, including a musical session, a football match and playing of cards.
The blind students blazed the hilltop with local high-life renditions that left the visitors, especially the first timers awed about the prowess and dexterity in handling musical equipment. The Senior Housemaster of the School, Mr Sam Appiah Larteh, appealed for Braille materials for the over 300 students. He also commended the PPAG for the productive relationship it has initiated with students of the school and appealed to the organization to sustain the momentum for the mutual benefit of the two organizations.
Source:
GNA
Black Star City to accommodate 50,000
Winneba(C/R), May 28, GNA - A 400-million US dollar modern township to be known as the "Black Star" is to be constructed around Gomoa-Okyereko in the Central Region to accommodate over 50,000 people. Mr. Emanuel Markin, a Development Engineer and initiator of the programme, speaking at Winneba on Friday, said the idea to locate the township in the area was to provide better affordable houses for people in rural communities.
He said the city would have health, educational, recreational and other social facilities for the people, adding that, land for the project had been acquired. Meanwhile, Mr. Baiden Emissah, Managing Director of the Lagoon Hotel at Winneba has appealed to the government for a solution to the energy problem confronting the nation. He noted that the energy crisis was having what he called "A heavy toll on industry including the hospitality sector". Mr. Baiden Emissah also urged public utility services especially Ghana Telecom and the Volta River Authority (VRA) to strive to be proactive to render excellent services to boost business and commercial activities. 28 May 07
Source:
GNA
Rural banks to computerise operations in three years
Awutu-Beraku (C/R), May 28, GNA - All Rural Banks are to computerize their operations within the next three years under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) programme.
Mr. Emmanuel K. Kwapong, Managing Director of the ARB APEX BANK, announced this at the 18th annual general meeting of the Awutu Emasa Rural Bank at Awutu Beraku at the weekend. He further stated that they would also be connected to the APEX BANK and the Bank of Ghana through the installation of a Wide Area Network (WAN) under the programme.
He said the project had been started in some of the banks that had welcomed the network since it would make their work easier when completed.
Mr. Kwapong noted that the benefits of the banks from the MCA were enormous and said they included an improvement to their operational efficiency and ensure the full integration of Rural Banks into the national payment system.
Source:
GNA
Elders of Chinto deny Chief is a robber
Chinto (E/R), May 28, GNA - The Elders of Chinto near Nsawam in the Akwapim South District have denied that the Chief of the community, Nana Kofi Mankattah, 45 years old, is in league with armed robbers as reported in a national daily.
Speaking on behalf of the elders to newsmen at Papase, the Stool Secretary, Mr Samuel Addo, explained that there had been a land dispute between the people of Chinto and one Kwashie Obgabo Nertey and his children from Papase who claim ownership of a parcel of land near the boundary of the two communities.
He said the Chief of Chinto and his elders leased a portion of the land to a contractor to win sand, which he said Kwashie Nertey and children claimed belonged to them.
According to the Stool Secretary, realizing encroachment on the land belonging to the Chiefs and people of Chinto, Nana Mankattah, sent a team of about 12 youth for inspection without any incident.
Mr Addo stated that information they had was that there had been a group at Papase in a dispute with the Kwashie Nertey family adding that, when some people attacked and damaged their houses with reports of theft of their property they reported to the Amasaman Police that Nana Mankatteah had sent the culprits leading to his arrest and appearance the next day before a court, which granted him bail to report to the Police every Monday.
According to the Stool Secretary the Chief appeared before the court on two occasions but when as directed he reported to the Police on Monday, 14th of May this year, Nana Mankattah was detained that he was wanted by the Accra Central Police.
He said when he was sent to Accra that day he was charged that an arrested armed robber had alleged that he supplied him weapon for his operation.
The chief was detained for 48 hours and arraigned in court. Mr Addo said a warrant obtained to detain him further at the Ministries Police station, adding that, no charges were preferred against the Chief and his plea was not taken.
The Stool Secretary said that even though the Chief had given his weapon to the Chinto Safohene Yaw Bredu with a group to inspect lands under the stool, he had never supplied arms to a robber as alleged, adding that, in a search of the Chief's house the Police took away Nana Mankattah's two weapons, which had been duly registered with the documents on them.
The national newspaper on Saturday 19th May 2007, reported a story headed "Chief grabbed. He supplied weapons to robbers" that the Chief had been arraigned in court for abetment of crime, conspiracy and robbery, adding that collectively they hatched a plan to undertake robbery.
Source:
GNA
President Kufuor in Egypt
...will visit Fathia Nkrumah
President Kufuor arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo on Sunday for a two day state visit at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart, Hosani Mubarak.
The President during his tour is scheduled to visit Fathia Nkrumah; wife of Ghana’s First President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, at the Nile Badrawy Hospital in Cairo, where Mrs Nkrumah who reportedly suffered a stroke last year has since been hospitalized.
The President, who is being accompanied by Foreign Minister, Nana Akuffo Addo and other top government officials was met on arrival by the Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, Mrs Fayza Abul Naga and the Ghana Ambassador to Egypt, Akiliya Olufemi Akiwimi.
The President’s visit would enable the two leaders to review the bilateral relations between them and map out strategies for the way forward.
On arrival at the Cairo International Airport, President Kufuor was taken to the Presidency where he was welcomed by President Mubarak before inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the Egyptian Army.
The two leaders later went into a closed door meeting.
According to a programme issued by the Ghana Embassy, President Kufuor will visit the Cairo Citadel and the museum before meeting African Ambassadors to Egypt and members of the Egyptian business community.
Today, President Kufuor will visit the monument of an unknown solider at the city of Nasr, where he will lay a wreath. He will lay another wreath on the tomb of the former Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat.
President Kufuor is also expected to meet the Egyptian Prime Minister, Dr Ahmed Nazif and Amr Moura, Secretary General of the League of Arab States.
He will also visit the Pyramid Site before meeting with the Ghanaian community there.
Source:
Ghanaian Times
> BACK to TOP <
