Assembly to honour proven virgins
Kufuor
to commission major road project
Civil
servants give government ultimatum
Entice
investors to motor-bike manufacturing sector
Infertility
rate high in developing countries due to STD
National
Executive of NDC advised against taking sides
Minister
worried about numerous litigations in region
Assembly
assures public of security
Cape Coast (Central
Region) 16 December 2002- The Chaplain General of the Police Service, the
Reverend Denies Quansah, on Sunday said Ghana needed righteous people to
transform the country.
He was preaching at
the 40th anniversary thanksgiving service of the University of Cape Coast (UCC)
at Cape Coast. Rev Quansah charged Ghanaians especially the Christians to be
faithful to push the nation forward, adding, "Remember that the lazy and
unproductive are not worthy in the sight of God".
He charged lectures
of the University to show love to their students "to rescue them from
their laxity and idleness". We should emphasise on holistic training that
will benefit them and the nation, Rev Quansah added.
He said students, as
future leaders should be serious with their studies and to desist from taking
narcotics and indiscriminate sex to avoid the HIV/AIDS. The Reverend Professor
Emmanuel Adow Obeng, Vice-Chancellor called for sober reflection to enhance academic
work. He gave the assurance that the authorities would continue to enforce
discipline.
Meanwhile an amount
of about forty million cedis made up of cheques, pledges and cash was realised
at a dinner dance held on Saturday, in aid of an alumni complex project as part
of the activities marking the celebration. The Central Regional Minister, Mr
Isaac Edumadze, promised to contribute 20 bags of cement monthly towards the
project.
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Apam (Central Region)
16 December 2002- The Gomoa District Assembly is to institute an annual award
to honour 20 girls with proven virginity at the age of 19. In addition, 20
communities that practice puberty rites for girls at the same age would also be
rewarded.
Madam Joyce Aidoo,
District Chief Executive, who gave the hint in an interview with GNA, said
these were some of measures put in place by the District Response Initiative
(DRI) to help reduce the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Commenting on the
theme for this year's AIDS awareness week, "reducing stigmatisation and
discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS," she said
stigmatisation and discrimination against people with the disease hindered
preventive measures, voluntary testing and the provision of care and support
for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Stigmatisation and
discrimination are the major obstacles to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and
care she said, adding that, they deter people with the disease from seeking
treatment and acknowledging their HIV/AIDS status publicly.
Madam Aidoo called on
the public to create an enabling environment for people with the disease to
lead normal lives and to show them love. The DCE called for programmes that
would involve more men in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Eric Akobeng,
District Budget Analyst and Monitoring Focal Person on HIV/AIDS, stated that
from 1992 to 2001, the District recorded 447 cases at the Apam Catholic
Hospital, adding that, 61 had been recorded this year.
He said prevalence
rate of three per cent in the district could be reduced to one per cent by
December 2005, through a medium term strategic plan put in place by the DRI.
Akobeng said the HIV/AIDS pandemic was real and urged stakeholders to educate
the people to prevent it through sex abstinence or the use of condoms.
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Kufuor
to commission major road project
Accra (Greater Accra)
16 December 2002- President John Agyekum Kufuor would on 16 January cut the sod
for commencement of work on the 210 billion cedis Kwame Nkrumah Circle-Achimota
Road.
A statement by the
Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs said the commencement of the
project was in fulfilment of the promise made by the President in his Sessional
Address this year.
The seven-kilometre
six-lane road forms part of the Accra-Kumasi road network being constructed by
Taysec Limited and is scheduled for completion in 32 months.
"The road from
the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Neoplan Depot at Achimota would help ease the
perennial traffic within the corridor, cut down on traveling time between Accra
and Kumasi and enhance the aesthetic beauty of the capital city," the
statement said.
Diversions are to be
created at various points along the corridor to ease any inconvenience during
construction.
The statement said
apart from the six-lane carriageway, the project involved the creation of a new
access route to the Industrial Area from the north and the grade separation of
the railway line at Alajo Junction and the Junction at Achimota.
Two pedestrian
footbridges would be provided at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Avenor and
several junctions to be controlled by traffic lights would be created while
walkways and cycle ways, among others, would also be provided.
The statement said
tro-tros and taxis would be relocated to a new transport terminal to be
constructed at the Achimota School.
It said the
government had paid 106.44 million cedis in "Supplemental Assistance"
to 104 people whose kiosks and containers would be affected by the project. In
all about 130 million cedis would be paid as "Supplemental Allowance"
to 131 people whose kiosks and containers would be displaced by the project.
The statement said 22
properties whose walls would be affected by the project have been reconstructed
at proposed positions and the old walls demolished with the full cooperation of
the affected landlords.
It said the
government had also instructed the Ministry of Finance to arrange for the
prompt payment of 1,239,314,000 cedis to eight people whose properties would be
substantially affected by the project.
The properties
included the Ghana Railway Corporation Quarters at Alajo, Alhaji Sinare's
building at Avenor Junction, Habib Adam's building at Achimota and the Kum
Furniture Shop at Avenor Junction.
The rest are Enoch
Ago Quartey at Avenor Junction, Mary Thompson at Abeka Junction, Abdulai
Lamptey at Abeka Junction and the Aams Hotel at Kwame Nrkumah Circle.
Meanwhile, assessment
of frontage for about 60 others estimated at 8,870,380,000 by the Land
Valuation Board is ongoing.
It said this,
however, is not likely to affect access to the site for construction, as the
use of the affected properties has not been compromised in any way.
"The government
wishes to state that the compulsory acquisition of land based on Act 25 of 1962
is standard practice in road projects and compensation is paid to the person or
persons who can demonstrate uncontested interest in the land or property."
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Civil
servants give government ultimatum
Cape Coast (Central
Region) 16 December 2002 - The leadership of the Civil Servants Association
(CSA) on Friday called on the government to take steps to restore the CAP 30
pension scheme, without further delay, instead of resorting to promises that it
was working towards it.
It resolved that if
nothing concrete had been done by the end of January 2003, its national
executive council would meet to take a decisive stance on the issue.
The Association gave
the ultimatum at a press conference at Cape Coast, addressed jointly by the
National President, Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu and Mr Smart Chigabatiah, the
Executive Secretary, at the end of its national executive council meeting.
The conference
discussed issues concerning the Association, especially those pertaining to the
restoration of CAP 30, disparities in the Ghana Universal Salary Structure
(GUSS), and the need for a civil service college.
At the opening of the
meeting on Thursday, the Central Regional Minister, Mr Isaac Edumadze, told the
Association that the government was working towards the restoration of the
pension scheme.
However, the
leadership of the Association claimed the government "was only throwing
dust into their eyes", because it was yet to set up any forum to
facilitate a dialogue with the Association as to the type of pension scheme its
members could opt for.
They said the service
was led to believe that the CAP 30 was to be replaced by the SSNIT pension
scheme, but later, realised to their dismay that other services such as the
police and audit services, were still enjoying it.
They expressed
further dismay about what they described as gross disparities in the salaries
of the civil service and other public service institutions, in spite of the
institution of the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS), and accused the
government of "resorting to a piecemeal approach to salary administration
and of picking out some institutions for higher salaries".
It said the situation
had resulted in the civil service lagging behind other parastatals with regards
to salary structures and said it was a great injustice to the Service.
They also expressed
concern about the lack of a training college for the service, to enable civil
servants to upgrade themselves, and regretted that GIMPA, which was initially
set up to train civil servants, had become an expensive commercial entity, charging
high fees for its training programmes.
They were therefore,
of the view that there was an urgent need for the government to consider the
establishment of a civil service training college to provide highly trained and
motivated civil servants, who would be imbued with a sense of national mission,
to contribute to national development.
The Association's
leadership, reminded the government that it had resorted to peaceful means of
seeking redress for its grievances because they recognised the central role the
civil service plays in the machinery of state, but noted that they had been
pushed to the wall, after exhausting all avenues to seek redress, hence, the ultimatum.
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Entice
investors to motor-bike manufacturing sector
Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 16 December 2002- The Government has been urged to institute more
pragmatic measures that would entice local and foreign companies to invest in
the motor-bike and bicycle manufacturing industrial sector of the economy.
Mr. Opoku-Agyemang
Prempeh, Managing Director of Lakayana Company, a Construction and Engineering
consortium, said mass production and supply of motor-bikes as well as bicycles
at affordable prices, could help workers and farmers have their own means of
transport to enable them to get to their workplaces on time.
Mr. Prempeh was
addressing an emergency meeting of drug-free and virgin club members, drawn
from the Kumasi Metropolitan Area in Kumasi on Saturday. The meeting was
organised by the Centre for Moral Education (CEMED), a Non- Governmental
Organisation (NGO), concerned with promotion of sound moral values.
The forum was to
create a platform for the clubs to map out more effective strategies for
reaching out to remote areas with messages on the dangers of drug addiction and
indiscipline.
Mr. Prempeh observed
that besides helping workers and farmers to also own their personal means of
transport, the mass production of motor-bikes could also help ease the
congestion and traffic jams currently being experienced on the country's
streets as a result of the numerous vehicles plying the streets.
He said Government
efforts at encouraging investments in the manufacture of motor-bikes and
bicycles could however, come to naught if employers and management also fail in
their duty to encourage their employees to make use of the bikes.
"Motor-bikes are
more economical to run and maintain and will enhance the ability of workers to
avoid lateness, thereby increasing production levels of organisations",
Mr. Prempeh stressed.
Mr. Prempeh denounced
the attitude of some workers, who perceived motor-bikes as inferior, stating,
"There is no means of transport that is inferior nor superior to the
other, what is important is the capacity of such a machine to facilitate your
movement from one place to the other safely and in good time".
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Infertility
rate high in developing countries due to STD
Tema (Greater Accra)
16 December 2002- Infertility rate among women in developing countries is higher
than that of developed countries due to Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), Dr
(Mrs) Henrietta Odoi- Agyarko, Deputy Director of Public Health in charge of
Family Health, Ghana Health Services has disclosed.
In developing
countries the rate stands at 15 percent as against between six and ten percent
in developed countries.
She was speaking at
the commissioning of a 191-million cedi Electronic Foetal Equipment used in
determining the condition of unborn babies at the Tema Women's Hospital (TWH)
which also organised a party dubbed: "Baby Home Coming" for 708
babies who were delivered at the hospital since it begun operating five years
ago.
In order to reduce
the STD infection, Dr ((Mrs) Odoi-Agyarko called on people who fall victim to
the infection to seek early treatment, saying that if STDs are treated well in
Ghana, HIV could be reduced by 40 percent.
She called on men who
get treated for STD to send their partners for treatment since the disease
keeps long on women before detection, saying that her outfit does its best to
discuss STD issues with women and also screen them.
Dr. 0doi-Agyarko
commended the Medical Director of the TWH, Dr Paul Owusu-Baah, for his
foresight and assistance to help save the lives of mothers and babies to reduce
the mortality rate in the country.
She considered the
"Baby Home Coming'' as a continuation of the safe motherhood celebration
launched by the government.
Mrs. Gladys Asmah,
Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, who was the guest speaker expressed
government's concern to make the cost of health delivery affordable to all
Ghanaians, which is demonstrated "by its efforts to convert the Cash and
Carry System to the National Health Insurance System".
She therefore,
appealed to health service providers and professionals to show high levels of
commitment for the benefit of the people, who must also reciprocate the efforts
with strict observance to health advice.
Mrs Asmah commended
the TWH for bringing happiness to most couples and homes and advised them to
put a stop to superstitious beliefs about their inability to bear children. Dr
Baah said since the TWH was opened five years ago 708 children have been
delivered with most of them delivered through the Invitro Fertilisation.
The hospital has also
performed 2,000 major operations on women and has not recorded any death, he
said, adding that the surgeries were conducted without blood transfusion and
undertaken with a special technique.
Dr Baah said the
hospital is capable of performing Invitro Fertilisation, Intra Cytoplasmic
Sperm Injection, Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer and Embryo Transfer.
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National
Executive of NDC advised against taking sides
Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 16 December 2002-Members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of
the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have been advised against taking sides
or aligning themselves openly with any of the two candidates contesting the party's
flagbearer slot.
Mr. Alex Sawyer
Attivor, NDC Chairman for the Asokwa-West constituency, who gave the advice
observed that there is the likelihood that if NEC members openly side with any
of the candidates, the NDC could disintegrate after the national congress.
Mr. Attivor gave the
advice in a briefing with the GNA in Kumasi on Sunday on developments regarding
the campaign for the party's flagbearership. He said NEC members being party
leaders at the various levels have a moral duty to remain neutral in such
issues in order to enhance the unity of NDC members at all levels.
Mr. Attivor reminded
members and supporters of the NDC that the party was not formed to encourage
acrimony or petty squabbles amongst its membership, but rather crave for winning
political power, which it could use as a weapon to enhance peace and
development of Ghana.
He said in this
regard, it was imperative for members to begin to perceive themselves as one
big family, "and mobilise all their energies and resources to fight and
win the ultimate battle, which is the general elections in 2004".
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Minister
worried about numerous litigations in region
Akim-Achiase (Eastern
Region) 16December 2002- The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr
Francis Osafo-Mensah
has expressed concern about numerous chieftaincies, land, ethnic, communal and
religious conflicts in the region, which, he said, is hampering the smooth
development of the region.
"Obviously these
destructive occurrences are counter-productive and have contributed to the mass
poverty, which have engulfed the people of the region", he said.
Dr Osafo-Mensah
expressed these sentiments at a durbar of the chiefs and people of Akim-Achiase
in the Birim South District on Saturday to climax their week-long Ahontan
festival.
He appealed to both
chiefs and people of Akim Achiase to embrace some of the President's Special
Initiative such as the cassava and palm oil initiatives to create employment
for the youth and also accelerate development in the area.
On the HIV/Aids
pandemic, the Regional Minister called for concerted efforts to fight the
deadly disease, which he said, has now become a developmental problem.
In an address read on
his behalf, Mr. Felix Owusu-Agyapong, Minister of Communication and Technology
and MP for Akim Swedru, assured the people that telecommunication services
would be improved in the area to facilitate the promotion of viable economic
ventures.
"In this
connection, the Akim Oda telephone exchange would be commissioned to enable the
facilities to be extended to Akim Achiase and the Jungle Warfare Training
School", he said.
Mr Owusu Agyapong
said government is determined to complement the efforts of farmers by making
agro-processing equipment affordable to them.
In a welcome address,
the Chief of Akim-Achiase, Osabarima Darko Frempong, II, said even though
pipelines have been laid and a water reservoir constructed, no water has
flowed, for sometime now and appealed to the Minister for Works and Housing to
come to their aid.
He also appealed to
the District Assembly to assist them to extend electricity to the newly
developed areas of the town and also to complete their outstanding construction
works on the bungalows for the medical officers. Osabarima Frempong appealed to
the Valco Trust Fund to donate a bus/truck to the Akim Senior Secondary School.
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Assembly
assures public of security
Accra (Greater Accra)
16 December 2002- The Accra Metropolitan Assembly on Sunday assured the public
of security in the metropolis and said it is collaborating with the police to
step up security, especially at crime-prone areas and other flash points.
A statement signed by
Mr Solomon Ofei Darko, Metro Chief Executive, said concern had been raised by
the public about the need for security and safety of residents and visitors to
the city, especially during the Christmas periods.
It said AMA is
assuring residents of Accra and the general public that their safety and
security are guaranteed. "The AMA wishes to take this opportunity to wish
all and sundry a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year."
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Assembly
officials interdicted
Accra (Greater Accra)
16 December 2002- The Minister of Local Government and Rural
Development, Mr Kwadwo
Baah-Wiredu, has ordered the interdiction of all officials directly responsible
for the inspection of buildings in the area in Accra where a building collapsed
on Thursday.
He has also ordered
an immediate investigation into the circumstances leading to the collapse of
the building at Swalaba and another one at East Legon. A statement issued in
Accra by Nana Ohene-Ntow, Government Spokesman, said the report of the
investigation is to reach the Minister by 2pm on Friday, 20 December.
In a letter to the Metropolitan
Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Solomon Ofei Darko last
Friday, the Minister also instructed that the contractor and/or consultants
handling the said projects should not be allowed to undertake any work for the
AMA until further notice.
Mr Baah-Wiredu also
ordered a city-wide inspection of similar building projects under construction
with effect from Thursday, 12 December. "The Ministry of Local Government
and Rural development, meanwhile, wishes to reassure the general public that it
is moving to enforce strictly all existing rules, regulations and by-laws on
safe development of all towns and cities in the country.
"It therefore
calls on members of the public to promptly report to the relevant town, urban
or municipal authorities and the law enforcement agencies, any apparent or
actual violation of development planning regulations."
Meanwhile, the Chief
Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) on Sunday announced the
setting up of a five-member committee to investigate the causes of the collapse
of two new buildings in the Metropolis.
A statement signed by
the Metro Chief Executive, Mr Solomon Ofei Darko said the investigation is to
find out the causes of these incidents and forestall any future occurrence.
Members of the
Committee from the AMA are the Structural Engineer, Quantity Surveyor,
Architect/Planner, Metro Disaster Coordinator and Assistant Metro Solicitor,
who is Member/Secretary. The Committee has one week to submit its report.
The Committee would also
identify any acts of negligence an those responsible, recommend appropriate
disciplinary action to be taken against any officer or officers found culpable
and recommend measures to forestall future occurrence.
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