Accra (Greater Accra) 14 February 2002 - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday said Ghana would continue to wage a campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS and to make the necessary impact, anti-retroviral drugs should be made accessible and affordable to infected patients.
Speaking when Dr Michel Manon, Vice President (Africa) of Bristol-Meyers-Squibb Pharmaceutical Company, led a four-man delegation to pay a courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu, President Kufuor appealed to pharmaceutical companies involved in the manufacture of the anti-retroviral drugs to balance their profit margins to the benefit of humanity.
He said when the company established its base in Ghana in the fight against the disease it would have a market in the sub-region which had some 250 million people. President Kufuor said government would provide the needed assistance and not allow any red-tapeism in their partnership with local companies to produce the drug.
Dr Manon said the Company had established a relationship with the United Nations on a plan to accelerate an access programme for HIV/AIDS patients on drugs they manufactured.
He said it was the aim of the Company to extend and enhance the lifespan of infected patients not only in developed countries but developing countries as well, adding that Ghana had been their destination in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 14 February 2002 - More than 200,000 children drop out of school every year at the junior and senior secondary school level, Mr Ernest Akubuor Debrah, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister said on Monday. He said the consequences were the increases in social vices such as teenage pregnancy, child labour and the phenomenon of street children.
The Regional Minister was speaking at the launch of the 13th annual week celebration of Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) in Sunyani. The week is being celebrated under the theme: "Ghana in search of relevant quality education, a second look at the reform programme."
Mr Debrah noted with concern that "after one and a half decades of implementing educational reforms meant to improve the quality of education, the performance of pupils in basic schools have reached an alarming level with an appreciable number scoring zero per cent in the BECE (Basic Education Certificate Examinations)."
This was not very encouraging, he said, noting that though some gains had been made, the failures and bottlenecks seemed to affect the proper functioning of the system.
Mr Debrah commended owners of private schools for their bold efforts at founding and funding such institutions and emphasised that it was the government's strong belief in private sector development that made it to set up Private School Unit at Ministry of Education to ensure effectiveness in the handling of such schools.
The Regional Minister noted that the excellent results obtained by private schools in the BECE showed the commitment and dedication to duty on the part of the teachers. "I would, however, advise you to avoid complacency and work harder than before to maintain the high standards you have set for yourselves", he said.
Mr Debrah exhorted the school heads to continue to check bad behaviour among the children "since academic excellence coupled with discipline will earn a private school not only a good name but a handsome reward in the end".
Mrs Akua Debrah, Acting Regional Director of Education, advised private schools to develop a code of ethics to be able to weed out those that were not conforming to the Ghana Education Service guidelines.
Mrs Debrah deplored the practice by some private schools to sack academically poor students because they did not want them to fail the BECE in their schools. "Every child is capable of performing well academically so if we realise that the performance of our pupils is not good, let us try and come out with measures to rectify the situation", she said. "Let us as a group of educators find antidotes to these problems and advise the government for appropriate actions to be taken".
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 14 February 2002 - The University of Cape Coast (UCC), would by next academic year, accommodate about 600 non-residential students at its new hostel facilities which are nearing completion.
This would enable the university to raise the number of residential students from 40 to 60 per cent, the Director of Development of the University, Mr George Tetteh told the
Minister of Education, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, who was in the university to commission a multi-purpose two billion-cedis building complex to house the Institute of Education of the UCC on Wednesday.
They included the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETfund) sponsored block of flats, which would house 160 students, four cluster of blocks being sponsored by SSNIT to accommodate 250 students and a VALCO sponsored block for 200 post-graduate students.
Mr Tetteh said the university had opened its doors to estate developers to invest in hostel facilities on campus to help accommodate the remaining 40 per cent of students, who are living in the "Diaspora".
Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi was also shown round a new auditorium being sponsored by the GETfund, which has the capacity of accommodating 1,500 people to replace the old one, which only takes 600.
At the Science block, parts of walkways had been turned into offices and laboratories due to lack of space, the Minister was informed. Professor Ameyaw- Akumfi expressed satisfaction about the stages of the projects, which he said on completion would give the university a facelift.
Commissioning the building, Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi called on all to support the " In- In-Out" policy of the Ministry, under which teacher trainees stay in the classroom for two years and move to the field for a year.
He said it was a laudable policy that would enable the trainees to gain more experience on the field. "The Ministry will give teacher education the necessary support in the country" adding that the Institute should also work hard to propel it into a field of "excellence".
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Accra (Greater Accra) 14 February 2002 - The Ministry of Finance on Wednesday asked all vendors and contractors who were still owed payments by the government for goods and services as at December 31, 2000 to supply details by February 28.
In a statement signed by Mr S. B. Nyantekyi, Chairman of the Audit of Non-Roads Arrears, said these, however, excluded all road sector arrears. It said arrears that had no documented claims would not be paid.
The statement said the government in collaboration with the European Union was carrying out an audit of accumulated commercial arrears as at the end of the previous government.
"This is a nationwide call to all vendors and contractors, who are still owed payments by the Government of Ghana for goods supplied, services rendered or construction works provided to submit information pertaining to their companies and the unpaid commercial transaction with the government provided such arrear were accumulated before 31st December 2000."
Such companies should collect forms from Annex C, Room 2 at the Ministry of Finance and return them completed before February 28. Copies of the forms would also be printed in the Daily Graphic, it said.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 14 February 2002 - A two-day national conference on the mining industry, will be held at Tarkwa on February 21 and 22, to sensitise all stake-holders on how responsible mining is being undertaken in the country, what regulations are in place and how these are being enforced.
The conference, which is being organised jointly by the Minerals Commission and the Ghana Chamber of Mines, is under the theme "Mining, the Environment and Sustainable Development" and would take place at the Western University College (formerly KNUST School Mines).
Mr Ahmed Nantugma, a senior official of the Chamber of Mines said on Thursday that the authorities realised the need for the conference "because of the many negative views about how mining affects the environment".
The cyanide spill for example was not deliberate and needed to be explained, he said, adding that the conference would, therefore, offer a platform for people to express themselves and get educated on pertinent issues.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 14 February 2002 - Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama left Accra on Wednesday for Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj. Vice President Mahama was at the head of a six-member government delegation that included the National Chief Imam Sheik Nuhu Sharabutu and Mr Rashid Bawa, Deputy Minister of Education.
Speaking to newsmen at the Airport, Mr Andrews Awuni of the office of the Vice President, said Alhaji Mahama would take the opportunity of his presence in that country to discuss bilateral issues with the Saudi authorities and officials of the Islamic Development Bank.
He would also interact with other leaders, who would be on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. At the airport to see off the Vice President were the Minister of the Interior, Alhaji Malik Al-Hassan Yakubu, National Security Adviser Lieutenant General Joshua Hamidu (rtd), Saudi Arabian Ambassador, Mohamed Abu Al-Hamayel and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 14 February 2002 - Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, on Wednesday said government was desirous of ensuring that the people of Ghana were well informed.
This would enhance public participation in the democratic advancement of the country, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said at the end of a five-day seminar on; "Media Relations" for Regional Information Officers and Government Public Relations Officers held at GIMPA in Accra.
The Minister said one cardinal principle of the Ministry was to ensure accurate and free flow of information about government policies and programme to the people and at the same time express the concerns of the people to the government.
He said was consolidated when people expressed their opinions freely on issues of national interest. Mrs Phyllis Oakley, Media Relations Consultant, who is also the first woman spokesperson for the American State Department, told the PROs that the role of the media in democracy was paramount.
This, she noted, was because people had the right to information and the media was the most reliable way of reaching people with information. Mr Kwaku Sekyi-Addo, Freelance Journalist, who spoke on "Understanding Journalists' Needs", said the days when government spokesmen insisted on written questionnaire or synopsis should be a thing of the past.
He recommended that Ministries must provide Internet facilities and mobile phones for PROs so that they could provide quick information for journalists when the need arose.
The Public Affairs section of the United States Embassy sponsored the seminar, which formed part of the Ministry's training programme for Government Public Relations Officers.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 14 February 2002 - Government is to release 100 million cedis from the Ghana Emergency Social Relief Programme (GESRP) to the Nanumba District Assembly for farmers and traders in the area.
This is in addition to their share of 500 million cedis from the District Assemblies' Common Fund allocated to the Assembly this year. President John Agyekum Kufuor announced this on Wednesday when a delegation from the Nanumba Traditional Area paid a courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu.
The delegation was to show their appreciation to the government in the nomination and election of Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, MP for the area, as the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS.
President Kufuor, however, appealed to the assembly to ensure that defaulters of the Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) estimated at about 470 million cedis paid back to enable others to benefit.
He said the upgrading of the only health centre in the district to a hospital status was a duty the government had to perform and reiterated the government's commitment not to discriminate in the provision of social amenities to all parts of the country since power actually belonged to the people and not the government.
President Kufuor said the government would endeavour to provide every part of the country with its share of development and commended the district for its contribution to the national economy, especially yam production and told them that their deplorable road network would be tackled.
He commended them for the peace, which had existed in the area for sometime now, adding: "Ghana is a happy country, it has no extremes in anything. We should be able to live and work together as citizens of one country and not allow pettiness, ethnicity and religion to reduce us into warfare".
President Kufuor said the nomination of Dr Chambas was the result of his good upbringing by the people. He is not only well educated but a moderate and a responsible person fit to represent the country outside.
"We expect him to discharge his duties well in the envisaged West African Union (WAU). Dr Chambas is our number one servant and a huge responsibility rests on him not only to bring honour to Ghana but to unite the entire sub-region," he added.
On the envisaged bye-election in the area following the appointment of Dr Chambas, President Kufuor gave the assurance that government would ensure it was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere for all the political parties that would contest.
Vice President Aliu Mahama expressed his appreciation to the people for the peace prevailing in the area. "Our prayers are that peace would continue to prevail in the area. Continue to maintain the peace and promote good neighbourliness among yourselves."
Alhaji Malik Al-Hassan, Minister of the Interior, said nomination of Dr Chambas was a clear manifestation of the government's policy to make use of available talents in the country no matter the political, ethnic or religious background of the person involved.
"We need to be united and make our contribution to the government to succeed." The Minister appealed to the people to ensure that the existing peace prevailed and they showed maturity during the enskinment of a new Paramount Chief for the Nanumbas.
He announced that Gushiegu, Zabzugu and Bimbilla would soon be provided with permanent police stations when security personnel involved in "Operation Gong Gong" were withdrawn.
Alhaji Saani Iddi, District Chief Executive of Nanumba, who read an address on behalf of the Vo-Naa Abarika Attah, Regent to the Bimbilla Naa Skin, who led the delegation, appealed to government for the creation of another district in the area. He said work on the buildings for a new police station at Bimbilla should be speeded up and appealed for the establishment of a court in the area.
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