Professor calls for
investment in infrastructure
Gomoa Abaasa
(Central Region) 07 April 2003- Vice President Aliu Mahama has asked
traditional authorities to release land for their people to engage in farming
and other income generating activities to stop their
migration to urban areas in search of jobs.
He said the government was
determined to stop the high incidence of rural-urban drift by providing quality
education, good road networks, clinics, electricity, potable water and other
basic infrastructure in line with its policy of Urban Renewal.
Vice President Mahama was
addressing the chief and people of Gomoa Abaasa in the Gomoa District as
part of his tour of Central Region, which he described as an Outreach Programme
to explain the government's policies to those at the grassroots level.
It was also to inspect projects
and elicit their feedback to be able to address their needs in the formulation
of development programmes in line with the policy of good governance. He said
the Special Presidential Initiatives on cassava; salt, oil palm and other
commercial projects were aimed at providing jobs at the grassroots level and,
consequently, urged the chiefs to make land available so that their people
would take advantage of them to improve their standard of living.
He said when their incomes are
raised they would be able to give quality education to their children to break
the cycle of poverty in families since education was the key to personal
development, prosperity and sustainable national development.
"The government has,
therefore, prioritised education and developed a programme to improve the
structure and learning facilities of schools, provide furniture for every
pupil, give incentives to teachers, among other facilities, to ensure that
quality education is provided at the lowest level of the community," he
said.
Vice President Mahama also
addressed similar durbars at Gomoa Lome, Gomoa Obuase,
Gomoa Afransi and other
communities, and urged the people to support the government's agenda to lead
the nation to prosperity.
He also met members of Muslim
communities and prayed with some of them. The communities received the Vice President
Mahama and his entourage with great enthusiasm as their chiefs explained that
it was the first time they had been visited by a sitting Vice President.
The chiefs commended the government
for the programmes, so far initiated in their communities to renovate old
schools or build new ones, rehabilitate roads, provide clinics and other
infrastructure, saying these were indications that the government was
interested in improving their welfare.
However, most of them still had
a long list of requests, which were common in nature, particularly the complaint
about the poor quality of transformers of those with electricity, which they
said had destroyed their electrical gadgets.
The Vice President assured them
that some of their problems would be addressed immediately, while others would
be met in due course. Professor Dominic Fobih,
Minister of Lands and Forestry, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health, K.T. Hammond, Deputy Minster
of Energy, Dr Majeed Haroun,
Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Alex Sofo,
Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Central Regional Minister Isaac Edumadze
and other government officials, accompanied the Vice President. The three-day
visit ended on Friday.
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo)
He was addressing the opening of
a first scientific research presentation of Cuban doctors in Brong Ahafo and
some parts of Ashanti Region. "We shall encourage our Cuban brothers and
sisters to avail themselves of the opportunity for their own self-advancement,
capacity building and appreciation of international health," the regional
Director said.
Alhaj Dr Ibrahim commended the Cuban doctors
for their dedication to duty and their ability to adapt fast to the Ghanaian
environment and appreciated their efforts to be proficient in the English
Language for better communication with their clients.
He, however noted that the
two-year duty tour of the Cubans had been found to be too short and suggested
that their stay be extended to three or four years in view of their sterling
performance. "We, the Brong Ahafo Regional Health Directorate shall ensure
the sustainability of such scientific research presentation seminars," Alhaj Dr Ibrahim added.
Dr Daniel Asare,
Senior Medical Officer in charge of the
He commended
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Accra (Greater Accra) 07 April 2003-
President John Agyekum Kufuor narrowly escaped death on his return from Sekondi on Sunday when a Taxi Cab crossed the presidential
convoy a few miles from the Budumburam Refugee Camp.
One person died on the spot with
two others later at the
The President is however safe
and has returned to his residence. A Ministry of Information statement issued
in
Three of the President's security
personnel and the President's Archivist, Ernest Youngman also suffered injuries
and have since been treated at the 37 Military Hospital.
The statement explained that a taxi cab travelling from the opposite direction
of the convoy, which appeared to had slowed down, after the dispatch riders and
the two Police Escorts had passed it; suddenly turned sharply onto the path of
the convoy.
It narrowly missed the Director
of State Protocol's car and then crashed into the lead security vehicle, which
went off the road. The lead security vehicle normally rides right in front of
the President's car and had security personnel and the President's Archivist in
it.
The statement said "it was
with great skill and presence of mind that the President's driver managed to
keep his car on the road without hitting other oncoming vehicles." Superintendent
Boama Mensah, the medical officer attached to the
VVIPU medical detail quickly gave first aid and took the injured persons to
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 07 April
2003-Muslims have been advised to invest a large percentage of their resources
into their children's education rather than the current practice where they
channel virtually all their funds into the running of business enterprises.
Sheikh Ishaaq
Nuamah, an Islamic theologian and scholar, said education
was a vital ingredient for the development of all sectors of social and
economic life and should therefore not be down-played in favour of business
concerns.
Sheikh Nuamah
gave the advice at an open forum held by the Sakafia Islamic
School at Sawaba in
He said Muslim parents should
not be content with just seeing their children through the junior secondary
school, but rather they should also assist them acquire professional skills and
training at the tertiary levels to ensure that their education have a more
positive impact on society.
Sheikh Nuamah
stressed the need for Muslim parents to also avoid any form of discrimination
against the girl-child when it comes to issues of education, and instead create
equal opportunities for their children in the acquisition of formal education.
Sheikh Sumaila
Ismail, proprietor of the school, expressed concern
that even though Muslims formed a large part of the
Ghanaian manpower, very little attention had been paid to the progress of the
Muslim communities.
He said it is in acknowledgement
of the social problems facing the Muslim communities that the school authorities
deemed it prudent to establish a senior secondary school to "turn out more
educated and enlightened people to help turn the fortunes of the communities round".
An amount of 6.5 million cedis was mobilised at the forum to support preparatory
works for the proposed SSS.
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Agona Swedru (Central Region) 07
April 2003- The National Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Lord Commey has said the party would not abuse its incumbency in
order to stay long in power.
He said the party was learning
from the mistakes the National Democratic Congress (NDC) committed when it was
in power ''so that the NPP does not repeat them''. Commey
was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview after touring the Gomoa East Constituency as part of the campaign towards the
8 April by-election.
He said the NPP was working hard
to build an effective and efficient party that would be accepted by the people,
especially those in the rural areas. ''The people of this country voted for the
NDC for two consecutive times but unfortunately decided to reject the party. Perhaps the NDC failed to use the power to
serve them.''
Commey said the NPP would win the April
8 by-election at Gomoa East because the people of Gomoa East are aware that there were many projects their
Member of Parliament initiated such as electricity, water, schools, clinics and
roads and they wanted these projects to be completed.
He said the NPP was not using
projects to influence the electorates to vote for the party during
by-elections. ''The construction of a four-unit classroom block should not come
to a halt because of a by-election.''
Richard Sam Quarm,
NPP candidate contesting the by-election, appealed to the people of Gomoa East to give him their mandate on the 8 April so that
he would continue the good job the former MP Emmanuel Acheampong did for them
before his death.
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Twifo Praso
(Central Region)
They are Twifo-Heman-Lower-Denkyira,
Francis Achemdey,
Chief Executive of the company, said the Internet connection would afford the
assemblies the opportunity to get information faster and to generate revenue
for development.
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Professor
calls for investment in infrastructure
Professor Kwasi
Kwafo Adarkwa, Pro-Vice
Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST),
who made the call, warned that without substantial investment in roads and
transport, especially in the feeder roads sector, the country's economy would
grind to a halt and poverty would continue to persist in the Ghanaian society.
Prof. Adarkwa
was giving a lecture at the KNUST in
Prof. Adarkwa
observed that as an agrarian economy, improvement of rural roads infrastructure
were crucial for agricultural investment and production in the country, adding
that, such an investment would help reduce transportation cost and thereby
bring down the prices of goods and foodstuff in urban centres.
He observed that it was
regrettable to note that about 41 percent of the country's feeder roads were in
very deplorable conditions and said it was unjustifiable for
He emphasised that,
"investment in roads could be regarded as a common thread, which could
lead to the attainment of all the objectives in the Ghana Poverty Reduction
Strategy".
Professor Adarkwa
stated that effective transportation system was a pre-requisite and facilitator
of development, stressing that substantial growth and expansion of the
country's economy were dependent on the road and transport sector.
He mentioned road tolls, road
maintenance levy from petroleum sales and Build Operate and Transfer (BOT)
system, as some of the sources where funds could be generated to undertake road
and transport infrastructure development in the country.
Prof. Adarkwa
expressed about conflicts between the technocrat and the politician or public
officials, who often characterised the selection of feeder roads for
development and said such conflicts of interest affected the smooth
implementation of projects. He said transport infrastructure development should
be socially, economically and environmentally sustainable to alleviate and
reduce some of the poverty levels among the people.
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Sheikh Nuama
was delivering a lecture on the topic: "Islamic Sharia
(law), the most misconceived universal law of humanity, the requisite panacea
to the challenges of humanity", at a seminar in
It was organised by the Ghana
Muslim Students Association (GMSA) and attended by over 300 Muslim students
from the tertiary and secondary levels of education, Muslim youth groups and
organisations.
Sheikh Nuama
indicated that Islamic laws are God-fearing, just and people are afraid to
break them, adding that, the laws help the down-trodden and promote the
socio-economic, political and religious development of society.
The Islamic theologian explained
that, "Islamic laws are meant to protect human souls, protection of human
dignity, human intellect, Islamic religion and resources". On morality, he
said, the gap between the youth and the old, religious intolerance, sanitation
and illiteracy as well as marriage and family building, as come of the problems
facing modernity and stressed that solutions to all these problems are
contained in Islamic laws and that there was the need for Muslims to know them
and apply them in their daily lives.
Sheikh Nuama
urged the students to be truthful, humble, hardworking and time-conscious,
adding, "the noise people make about us is all about our behaviour and
attitudes". Inusah Fuseini,
a legal practitioner, said the main problem confronting the Islamic religion
was a strong leadership to move the religion forward.
"Until individuals and
groups rise up to challenges of the status quo, nothing is going to change in
connexion with the Muslim leadership. Through our deeds and actions, we can
move the religion forward", he said.
Dawuda Mohammed Alawi,
President of GMSA, called on the authorities of the Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science and Technology (KNUST) to review their decision to take from the
Association a parcel of land which it has demarcated to it for the construction
of a mosque.
He stressed the need for the
members of the Association to be serious with their studies and comport
themselves in all their endeavours so that they could become good ambassadors
of the religion.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 07 April 2003-
Bush fires have destroyed more than 20.2 hectares of cocoa and foodstuff farms
at Gyatokurom, Adowa, Koteneso and Daban, near Jacobu, in the Amansie East
District of the Ashanti Region.
Samuel Nkrumah-Gyimah, Member of
Parliament for Odotobri Constituency, has, therefore,
appealed to the government, non-governmental organisations and philanthropists
to assist the farmers with cash, seedlings and farming implements to rejuvenate
their burnt farms.
He also advised the people to
refrain from careless handling of naked light during the harmattan
season and to also desist from dumping refuse and other waste materials in
gutters and other unauthorised places especially during the rainy season.
Nkrumah-Gyimah was briefing
newsmen in
Nkrumah-Gyimah, therefore,
entreated citizens of the constituency, who are mostly farmers to be wary of the
dangers posed by bushfire and floods, explaining that most disasters and communicable
diseases that cause havoc in the society could be avoided if they paid
attention to their environment.
He reminded the people that
disasters often brought about untold hardships and they must, therefore,
refrain from careless handling of naked light. The Member of Parliament appealed
to the Ministry of Roads and Transport to expedite action on improving the poor
road network in the area, especially the Afoako - Jacobu- Abuakwaa and Huu - Atabrakoso roads and re-construct
the bridge over river Adaasu, which was abandoned
about a decade ago. The Odikro of Gyatokurom,
Nana Wireko Ampem thanked
the MP for his timely visit to the farmers and urged him to assist them to
replant their farms and continue with their livelihood.
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