Sodom & Gomorrah squatters sue AMA
¢300 million more for Stadium Disaster Fund
Yendi Commission tours conflict area
Health workers urges action on incentive package
Technology should be driving force in national development.
Review rate and mode of payment of compensation
Encourage children to develop their potential - Honner-Sam
Twenty billion cedis to go into vocational/technical education
Bartels urges the Church to contribute to wealth creation
US company to produce wheelchairs in Ghana
Hepatitis B identified as public health
problem
54% Of Land In Danger
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 June 2002 - Accra Research carried out
over a six-year period has revealed that about 54 per cent of lands in Ghana
are covered by plinthite, a substance under the soil that degrades the
environment. The substance, found in all the agricultural ecological zones of
the country, degrades the environment permanently and therefore, kills food and
cash crops.
The
Director of the Soil Research Institute (SRI), Dr. R.D. Asiamah, who did the
research, attributed the destruction of cocoa in areas such as Asante Mampong
and Kumawu to the presence of plinthite in the soils.
He
said Afram Plains and the Savanna zones were the most prone areas and warned
that the Afram Plains might be degraded in the next 20 years by plinthite if
care was not taken in the use of the land.
Dr
Asiamah said plinthite is not found only in Ghana but in tropical regions and
attributed its presence to the exposure of the soil to constant degradation,
including bush fires. “The best thing to do to avoid the hardening of the
substance is to keep the soil covered all the time.” He said soil degradation
was getting very serious in Ghana and therefore, appealed for change in
agronomic practices. JoyOnline
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Accra (Greater Accra)
04 June 2002 - Squaters at Sodom and Gomorrah in Accra have filed a suit at an Accra
High Court seeking an injunction to restrain the Accra Metropolitan Assembly
(AMA) from carrying out its intended plan to evict them from the area.
The suit was filed on
behalf of the squatters by the Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL), a legal aid
and human rights non-governmental organisation, last Friday. The plaintiffs are
also seeking an order that the defendants resettle or relocate the people of
Sodom and Gomorrah.
In their statement of
claim, 11 plaintiffs declared that the intended action of the AMA will violate
their fundamental human rights under the Constitution. They are Issah Iddi
Abass, Mahama Liro Maligu-Naa, Aisha Alhassan, Thomas Yaw Asare, Ramatu
Mohammed, Efo Appiah and Esi Jabar. The rest are Charles Kojo, Isiffu Mohammed,
Sammy Cudjoe and Abdulai Wumbei.
The plaintiffs said
that they have settled and have been occupying the land along the bank of the
Korle Lagoon, referred to as Sodom and Gomorrah, since 1994. They contended
that the Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project (KLERP) is a Government of
Ghana project, being implemented by the Ministry of Works and Housing and the
Accra Metropolitan Assembly, and funded by the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic
Development, the Arab Bank for International Economic Development in Africa and
the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International
Development.
The plaintiffs
maintained that further to the commencement of the project, and as required by
law, an environmental and social assessment statement of the project was
prepared as a prerequisite for the grant of a permit by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to commence work on the project.
On the environmental
and social impact assessment, the plaintiffs said mitigation and enhancement
measures have been proposed, and that the measures proposed, among others,
include the resettlement or relocation of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The plaintiffs also
said that the defendants have not complied with the said social impact
assessment and have failed or refused to resettle or relocate the people of
Sodom and Gomorrah. The plaintiffs averred further that having failed to comply
with the social impact assessment, the defendants held a press conference on
May 28, 2002, giving the people of Sodom and Gomorrah a two-week ultimatum to
vacate the area.
This, the plaintiffs
said, will violate their right to human dignity, social and economic dignity
and also their right to due process of law in respect of governmental conduct
that impact directly on their lives. The plaintiffs said further that the
defendant, having failed to relocate or settle them in accordance with the
social impact assessment of the project, great hardship will be caused them if
the defendant is not restrained from carrying out the intended ejection.
Squatters at Sodom
and Gomorrah, a suburb of Accra, last week appealed to the government to stay
action on its ejection programme until it has relocated them. They contended
that they were compelled by the circumstances of the 1994 Kokomba/Nanumba war,
which led to the destruction of their houses and other property, to migrate to
Accra.
Mr Mahama Lilo,
Welfare Chief of the area, expressed these sentiments in an interview in
reaction to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly's (AMA) directive that they should
vacate the area within a fortnight.
In the May 29, 2002
issue of the Daily Graphic, the AMA was reported to have given a two-week
ultimatum to the squatters to vacate the area. The directive followed
recommendations by a committee set up seven months ago to investigate the
effects of the activities of the squatters on the Korle-Lagoon Restoration
Project. Mr Solomon Ofei Darko, AMA Chief Executive, gave the directive at a
news conference.
He explained that the first phase of the project ended more than three months ago but due to the continued occupation of the squatters, there has been an undue delay in the completion of the project. "The government loses $74,000 a day due to the delay and it has become necessary to eject all squatters who are occupying the space earmarked for the project,” Mr Darko stated. – Daily Graphic
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¢300
million more for Stadium Disaster Fund
Accra (Greater Accra) 04 June 2002 - The government has
decided to contribute an additional ¢300 million to the May 9 Accra Stadium
Disaster Fund for disbursement to the bereaved families and victims of the
disaster.
Already, the government has spent ¢1 billion on the medical
expenses of those who were injured, as well as for the burial of those who lost
their lives. Part of the amount was also used to renovate the North Stand of
the Accra Stadium, which was damaged. It was expended on the implementation of
the recommendations of the Okudzeto Commission which investigated the
circumstances surrounding the incident.
The fulfilment of the government’s pledge will bring to ¢3.6
billion the amount which has so far accrued to the fund. Mr Ferdinand Ayim,
Special Assistant to the Minister for Information and Presidential Affairs,
said in an interview in Accra yesterday that the government will formally hand
over its donation and the money accrued to the fund to the board of trustees
which has been set up to disburse and manage the fund.
Mr Ayim said the donation by government is in fulfilment of
its social responsibility to the victims and bereaved families. The special
assistant declined to give the names of the five-member board trustees and said
they will be made known this week at a special session at which the government
will formally thank all individuals and institutions who made various donations
to the fund for their exemplary spirit of benevolence.
He said the government is preparing the trust deed to empower
the board of trustees to begin work as soon as possible. Mr Ayim said the board
of trustees will be registered at the Registrar-General's Department and a
secretariat will be set up for the trustees at the Ministry of Education, not
only to manage the fund but also administer the scholarship package for the
children of the victims.
He said the government has taken these measures in view of
the fact that the trustees will have to work for a period covering the time
that the children of the victims will complete their tertiary education. He
said the government has already underwritten the medical bills of the 95
football fans who were injured and announced a scholarship package for the 130
children of the 127 fans who lost their lives during the tragedy.
He appealed to the victims and the bereaved families to bear
with the government as it takes measures towards the disbursement of the funds.
On May 9, last year, 127 soccer fans died and several others were injured as a
result of a stampede at the Accra Stadium after a league match between Hearts
of Oak and Asante Kotoko.
The government set up the fund to mobilise resources to
provide relief to the victims and ameliorate the effects of the disaster on the
bereaved families.
As of last month, the fund had mobilised a total of ¢3.3 billion. – Daily
Graphic
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Yendi (Northern Region) 03 June 2002- Members of the commission of inquiry into the Yendi crisis visited Yendi on Thursday to see the extend of damage during the attack on the Ya-Na's palace between 25 and 27 March in which Ya-Na Yakubu Andani was killed.
The commission, led by its chairman, retired Supreme Court Judge Mr Justice Isaac Newton Wuaku, saw the body of the Ya-Na at the Yendi Hospital mortuary, the destroyed palace and graves of those who died during the conflict. They also visited "Kating Duu", the sacred place where new chiefs are enskinned and the mausoleum of Dagbon Kings.
Members of the commission declined to be briefed by the Yendi District Chief Executives, Mr Habib Tiyani and also insisted that only members of the commission, security personnel and the press should follow them during their tour of Yendi. They also refused to take lunch provided by the Yendi District Assembly.
The commission measured the distance between the police station and the palace and the military barracks and the palace. The Northern Regional Police Commander, Kwaku Vincent Dzakpata, showed the commission places where dead bodies were found including the place where the body of the Ya-Na was burnt.
At the palace, which is riddled with bullets holes, the commanding officer of the Sixth Battalion of Infantry, Lt-Col Dela Sakyi, said both automatic rifles and shot guns were used during the attack.
Briefing the press later in Tamale, Justice Wuaku appealed to the media not to hurt the sensibility of the parties involved in their reportage. On the petition by the Dagbon Traditional Council and the Andani family to the President to change the venue of the sitting of the commission, Justice Wuaku said the commission would meet representatives of the Andani family and the Dagbon Traditional Council to settle on the venue. He said the issue of the venue would be sorted out before the commission resumes it sitting.
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Wa (Western Region) 03 June 2002 -Students of the Saint Francis Girls Secondary School at Jirapa in the Upper West Region were on Sunday temporarily sent home following a fire outbreak at two of the school's dormitories on Saturday night.
It took the combined efforts of both the students and personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service several hours to bring the situation under control. Mr. Ernest A. Aklamah, the Regional Fire Officer, who confirmed this said at Wa, that the cause of the fire was being investigated.
Mr. Aklamah intimated that the school's authorities decided to send the students home for a brief period, apparently to recover from any possible trauma they might have experienced.
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Wa (Western Region) 03 June 2002 - District Directors of Health (DDH) have appealed to the government to expedite action on the incentive package for all categories of health workers to attract personnel to accept postings to the rural and deprived areas of the country.
They have also called for the expansion of health training institutions in the country to turn out more community health personnel to man the numerous health centres throughout the country. The Directors made these appeals in their 10-point communiqué issued at the end of their one-week annual conference at Wa.
The communiqué which was signed by Dr Fulgence Sangber-Dery and Rosina Yenli, Chairman and Secretary of District Directors of Health Service Group respectively, called on the government to release funds on quarterly basis ensure regular and adequate supply of logistics such as vaccines, road to health cards and antenatal cards to improve upon service delivery.
The communiqué also urged the Minister of Health to put in place a training programme for DDH, who have not had the basic training and to strengthen their capacity to enable them to meet the challenges of the job.
The District Directors also appealed to the government to ensure the implementation of the Ministry of Health Transport Policy in line with agreed transport norms enshrined in the Ho communiqué in 2000, especially replacing vehicles over years old with stronger ones. The conference afforded the Directors the opportunity to compare notes and share ideas on how they have been meeting challenge and make their problems known to the government.
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Technology should be driving force in
national development.
Odumase-Krobo (Eastern Region) 03 June 2002 - The Chairperson of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Dr (Mrs) Sylvia Boye has stressed the need for promoting science and technology in the development of the country, noting, that without accelerated science education, Ghana's development drive would come to nought.
Mrs Boye noted that the failure to make science education paramount in the ordering of national priority would be "tantamount to disqualifying oneself from the company of the captains of industry and civilisation".
Dr Boye was delivering the keynote address on the theme: "Quality Education in the Twenty-first Century: The Place Of The Girl-Child In The Development Of The Country" at a grand durbar to round off activities marking the 75th anniversary of the Krobo Girls' Secondary School at Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region at the weekend.
She said it was because of the central role science played in the economy of every nation that the 1992 Ghanaian Constitution made provisions mandating that technical and vocational education and training be made accessible and progressively free.
Dr Boye, who is a former Registrar of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), emphasised the need to pursue with vigour science education so that the required experts could be trained in the areas of agriculture, medicine, pharmacy and engineering to help move the nation forward.
She commended the Ministry of Education on its strategic plan to restructure enrolment and output of the tertiary institutions to achieve a science-arts ratio of 60 to 40 in relation to national needs.
On the provision of quality education in the nation's schools and colleges, the former WAEC Chief stated; "it should be comprehensive, skill facilitating, value enhancing, sustainable and affordable and offered in a conducive environment."
She said quality education should enable the child to receive and retain all the relevant principles, information and knowledge about itself and the world so as to make the right choices and decisions in promoting and advancing the common good of society. Dr Boye said the best kind of education that the girl required at present should be the kind that "exposes her to the sciences and morality".
"One that would prevent her from being marginalised whereas the other will give her the foundation which will make her not only a true, knowledgeable mother but also a bread winner", she said adding, "therefore, any attempt to marginalize and deny her the right education will not only destroy her but also impede the development of the entire society".
On morality, Mrs Boye explained that without moral education, a society, no matter how technologically advanced it might be, could not sustain its development because " the lack of right moral values will ultimately set the people against one another in a bid to control the resources of society."
"Crime", she said, "will take a leap for the worst, the poor and the weak will be ignored and trampled upon and the rich will flaunt their strength and wealth to the detriment of the rest of the society." She, therefore, suggested that moral education be instituted at two fronts - the home and the school - to offer the girl the right guidance and counselling on how to handle the various temptations that would come her way.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 03 June 2002 - Mr Samuel Appiah Kusi Agyemang, Project Manager of Bogoso Goldfields Limited, has recommended the frequent review of rates and mode of payment of compensation by mining companies to communities.
For instance, the Land Valuation Board's rates seemed to be outmoded to communities who complain of not getting the right value for their property, Mr Agyemang told the ninth of the series of the Gold Jubilee Inter-Faculty Lectures of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi on Friday. His topic was "Social risk in mining investment: A community perspective".
He noted that in most mining companies, modalities for assessment of compensation was a direct negotiation between the companies and the farmers, and the rates arrived at were normally higher than the stipulated government rates, yet the communities seemed not satisfied.
Another mode, Mr Agyemang said, was to invite the Land Valuation Board to undertake the assessment and valuation but pointed out, however, that problems associated with this was that when the farmers received their money, other family members after sometime, normally came back to cultivate the land, in anticipation of another compensation.
When this is not forthcoming, then they complain that only crops were involved in the earlier compensation but not the land, he said, adding that it was not only the farmers who had this notion but even some well placed people in society had the same perception.
Mr. Agyemang named social risk elements in mining as water quality, air quality, ground vibration resulting from blasting and tracking of heavy equipment, resettlement and re-location, pressure from NGOs, illegal small-scale mining operators, destruction of flora and fauna and quality of local labour employment.
Mr Agyemang noted that the frustrations of the indigenous people in mining communities find expressions in numerous forms of conflicts, thus creating social problems for the management of mining ventures.
In the midst of these frustrations, opinion leaders in most mining communities have questioned the relevance of admitting mining projects into their localities, he pointed out, adding that their negative perceptions of mining projects as enclave operations seemed to be on the up-rise.
He said, however, that mining companies could alleviate the fears of the communities by taking measures to integrate their operations into local economics and encourage government to take the lead in continued regional and district development with the mining companies taking a supportive and transparent role.
Mr Agyemang said the management of social risk, the main focus therefore, must be the adoption of actions that directly address the obvious hardship in the local communities.
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Takoradi (Western Region) 03 June 2002 - Madam Sophia Horner-Sam, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, on Saturday, stressed the need for children to be allowed the right to take part in decisions that affect their development.
Speaking at the launch of "The Ordeal of Efua," a book, at Takoradi, she said this was the surest way that the nation could ensure the proper development of children. Madam Horner-Sam said it is in the light of this that the United Nations recently organised a summit for children from all over the world to come together, discuss and share ideas with stakeholders on issues that affect their development.
Madam Horner-Sam commended the author, Mr. Willie Rufus Quansah, for adding is voice to the clarion call to parents, guardians and all stakeholders to respect the rights of children.
She was happy that the book emphasised the right of the child and the right to opinion. "As parents we need to see our children as partners to complement our development and always give them the opportunity to contribute to issues that affect their lives ", she said.
Launching the book, Awulae Annor Adjaye, Omanhene of the Western Nzema Traditional Area, advised parents not to force their children into any career. They should rather discuss the issue with their children and assist them to develop their talents in their chosen career, he said.
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Wa (Western Region) 03 June 2002 - The government would this year spend a 20 billion cedis in completing 20 Vocational/Technical Education Centres (VOTEC) that are under construction throughout the country, Alhaji Rashid Bawa, Deputy Minister of Education has said.
A total of 3,000 basic schools throughout the country would also be rehabilitated with funds that would accrue from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, Alhaji Bawa announced at Wa on Saturday when he addressed the first speech and prize-giving day of the Islamic Secondary School.
He said the completion of the vocational and technical schools would facilitate the training of the numerous unemployed youth. The Deputy Minister said 6.2 billion cedis had been earmarked for the rehabilitation and construction of facilities in 80 secondary schools throughout the country. He said as a way of motivating teachers, the Ministry of Education was constructing 227 unit bungalows for teachers throughout the country.
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Odumase-Krobo (Eastern Region) 03 June 2002 - The Minister for Basic, Secondary and Girl-Child Education, Miss Christine Churcher has declared that the quest to give girls sound and quality education was "non-negotiable".
She said no one nor group of persons would be allowed to impede the policy until the purpose of ensuring full and equal access to education by women at all levels of the educational ladder was achieved.
Miss Churcher was addressing a grand durbar of students and former students of the Krobo Girls' Secondary School (KROGISS) to round off activities marking the diamond jubilee of the school at Odumase Krobo in the Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region at the weekend.
The school began as an elementary school in 1927 later became a Teacher Training College before attaining its current status on a piece of land donated by the former Konor of Manya, Sir Nene Mate Korle, who asked the Scottish Missionaries to help to start a school for women of Manya.
Miss Churcher said government remained fully focused on the education of girls and would ensure that all obstacles that impeded the progress and status of women were dealt with dispatch. She urged women especially, queenmothers to be at the forefront in the crusade to drum up public support for the education of girls.
Miss Churcher said it was the failure of women themselves to embrace education, coupled with the prejudices foisted on them, that they were "less intellectually endowed" that was responsible for the low enrolment of girls in schools.
She said contrary to the wishes of Sir Mate Korle in establishing the KROGISS, for instance, less than 50 Krobo citizens were currently enrolled in the school with a population of 600. Miss Churcher, also MP for Cape Coast, stated that failure to reverse such trends would defeat the purpose of ensuring that women became active partners in development, whose inputs should be factored into all national policies.
She attributed the under-development challenges facing many nations, including Ghana to their failure to actively engage women in the running of the state, adding, however, that this could only happen when women themselves, through education, prepared themselves for the task.
The Minister, therefore, charged the students to apply themselves diligently to their studies so as to become useful citizens for the nation. The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Mrs Sylvia Awo Boye said considerable progress had been made in championing the rights of women and noted much still needed to be done.
She stressed the need to make it a crime for anybody "to a deny woman the opportunity to explore, discover, develop and deploy her traits for the betterment of society". This, she explained, was in view of the fact that "no society could develop and do so at the right pace if the education of its citizens is skewed against any group within it".
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, the Right Reverend Dr Sam Prempeh said efforts were being made by the church to provide the school with a vehicle.
He commended the founding fathers of the school for their foresight and pledged the readiness of the church to help to solve some of the problems of the school. The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Gladys Appiah appealed to the Ministry of Education to help find a solution to the problem of encroachment on the school's lands.
She appealed to the Ministry to construct additional bungalows for the staff and complete a number of projects, some which were started 28 years ago. They include a dormitory and dining hall complex. The School Prefect, Janet Quarshie, said 99.4 per cent of students, who graduated last year qualified for the universities and other tertiary institutions.
The Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Miss Gloria Akuffo, an old girl, who chaired the function, urged the past students to assist the school to overcome some of its difficulties. Prizes were awarded to deserving students.
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Twenty-five suspected drug dealers arrested
in Kumasi
Kumasi (Greater Accra) 03 June 2002 - Abdulia Salinu 55, said to be a notorious narcotic drug dealer who has been on the run for the past four years was at the weekend arrested together with 24 others in a special joint operation mounted by the Narcotic Control Board and the Ashanti Regional Narcotic Unit in Kumasi.
Salinu already have drug cases pending against him in both Kumasi and Accra and at the time of his arrest was carrying 11 large parcels of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis. The other suspected drug peddlers among those arrested included Michael Asamoah alias Rasta, Kwadwo Owusu alias Frank Kwateng, who had on them 60 and 91 silver foils containing powdered substance suspected to be cocaine, respectively.
The rest were Bashilu Mohammed, Mohammed Awal, Kofi Asante, Kwadwo Agyeman, Samuel Kwaku Nii Anum, Simon Koliga and Kwadwo Mensah. Inspector Kwesi Yeboah of the Regional Police Narcotic Unit told the GNA that the 17-hour operation was carried out at "Tinker Inland" a popular drug peddling and India hemp smoking spot at Bantama, and New Tafo, Asafo and Anloga.
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Takoradi (Western Region) 03 June 2002 - Papa Owusu Ankomah, the Majority Leader in Parliament on Saturday urged students to avail themselves with modern technological devices to enhance their knowledge and skills.
He said modern information technology had broadened the scope and access to information that must be taken advantage of to narrow the gap between the developed and developing world. Papa Ankomah, who was launching the Takoradi Polytechnic Internet cafe, challenged tertiary students to move from the conventional system of studying from textbooks to use modern technological devices.
He said; "our ability to build resourceful manpower required for industrial and economic development of the country depends on how the youth acquire knowledge and its utilisation in the world system". The Majority Leader, who is the Member of Parliament for Sekondi, commended the Students Representative Council (SRC) and the School's Administrators for their initiative.
Ms Sophia Honer-Sam, Deputy Western Regional Minister, described the event as significant in the history of the Polytechnic and lauded the effort of the SRC for establishing the facility considering the role of information technology in educational development.
She urged the student to put the facility into maximum use to help them improve upon their academic performance and also advised them to ensure its efficient management. Mr Godwill Kofi Annan, SRC President, expressed his gratitude to the 2001/2002 SRC Executive for their support in making the project a reality.
He urged the subsequent SRC administrations to treasure the project, improve upon the initiative and sustain it to the fullest. The Cafe has eight computers valued at 49 million cedis and is open to students and the general public.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 03 June 2002 - Mr Kwamena Bartels, Minister for Private Sector Development, on Sunday said the church should not have any reservations concerning wealth generation nor consider it as a non-church activity.
Just as Churches had established some of the best hospitals and educational institutions in the country, wealth generation was one area that they needed to tackle, Mr Bartels said at the closing ceremony of a weeklong business seminar on wealth creation in Accra.
The seminar was organised by the Nkrumah Circle branch of the Word Miracle Church in collaboration with the Leadership Development Institute (LDI). It was under the theme; "Wealth creation through entrepreneurial skills development".
He said there was the need for all those in the private sector including those in the church to join forces with the government "to rescue Ghana from the quagmire of economic under-development and poverty". The Minister said with an estimated 30 per cent of Ghana's population living below the poverty line, the church did not need much further plodding to get involved in poverty eradication and wealth creation.
He said the church could play a very effective role in partnering the government to push the agenda of wealth creation. "Bearing fruit must not be limited to bearing the fruit of the spirit only. Christians can and should bear the fruit of entrepreneurial success."
Mr Bartels urged the church to join in the fight against corruption and said any good intentions to create wealth in the country could be undermined by corruption. He expressed the hope for a time when Ghana's own fortune list of the richest people would be published and noted that so far as every one contributed his quota to the nation through tax payment rich individuals and organisations go a long way to make a nation rich.
Mr Bartels said there was the need for Ghanaians to recognise and reward merit and excellence saying, "we must celebrate honest success." Dr Spencer Duncan, President and Founder of LDI, spoke on: "The vision for breaking new grounds" and said a person's ability to progress was limited by his knowledge, adding that knowledge was a basic requirement for a great vision.
He said Ghana and Africa as a whole needed leaders of great vision that could induce progress and noted that for real progress to be made in the country it was important for selfless leaders to arise, who had the well-being of the country at heart and not their own selfish interests or that of their political parties.
"Ghana needs a sense of direction. What the nation is looking for is reaching a consensus of what is good for the nation." Certificates were given to 10 individuals and organisations that took part in the seminar.
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US company to produce wheelchairs in Ghana.
Ogbojo (Greater Accra) 03 June 2002 - The Echoing Hills Village, a Christian Ministry, is negotiating with Joni and Friends Ministries of United State to set up a multi billion-cedi plant to produce wheelchairs in Ghana. Mr Willian D. Agbeti, Executive Administrator, told Mr Samuel Evans Ashong Narh, Tema Municipal Chief Executive, who went there to interact with the disabled in the village at the weekend.
The wheelchairs that would be produced could be used on all terrains in Ghana unlike the imported ones that were made for the good roads in their countries of manufacture. "What we are planning to come out with from the plant to be set up, will be suitable for all types of roads", he said.
Mr Agbeti said Mrs Joni Eareckson, the Quadriplegic (no use of her limbs of both legs and hands), who is a leading advocate on disability and founded Joni and Friends Ministries, had agreed to assist the village to establish the plant.
Mrs Eareckson was in Ghana in 1995 and met the then President of Ghana, and had since then, made Ghana the permanent location in Africa where wheelchairs were brought in large quantities for distribution to the needy.
Mr Agbeti said the two thousandth wheelchair was donated to a cripple at the Baptist Bible Church in Koforidua last April. "While we have 690 wheelchairs at the Tema Port and we are preparing the necessary papers to clear on exemption, there are another 600 of them on the high seas, which will arrive within the next few months to be distributed to the needy."
The Executive Administrator said the Village has had 1,000 wheelchairs all donated from various sources and individuals from the United States, adding they started receiving wheelchairs for distribution in 1994.
Mr Narh who was accompanied by Alhaji Ibrahim Husseini, Co-ordinating Director, appealed to the Administrator to assist some cripples at Tema Manhean, who did not benefit from the recent presentation of wheelchairs by Mr Ishmael Ashietey, MP for Tema East. Mr Narh donated 10 each of foam mattresses and blankets to the village.
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Hepatitis B identified as public health
problem.
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 June 2002 - Hepatitis B, a liver disease, has been identified as a serious public health problem in Ghana, Dr Delfin Chaveco Bautista, a member of the Cuban Medical Brigade working in the country, said on Saturday.
He said out of a total of 17, 048 patients that members of the Brigade attended to within a two-year period in six regions, over 4,000 were found to be infected with the disease. Speaking at the third scientific workshop of the Medical Brigade in Accra on Saturday, he said 63 per cent of the cases were found among males, with more cases occurring within the 15 to 30 years group.
Globally, Dr Bautista said there were some 300 million chronic carriers of the disease, which was common among Africans, Asians and Oceanians. He mentioned liver failure and cancer as some complications associated with the disease.
Dr Geovanis Delisle Cobas, Head of the Medical Brigade, said currently, 154 Cuban doctors were offering various medical services including surgery, anaesthesia and microbiology in all 10 regions. Dr Cobas explained that 89 of the doctors were working in district hospitals while the rest were the in regional hospitals, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Military Hospitals.
Apart from the field work that the Brigade carried out throughout the year in some villages, three days were always set aside in the year to carry out a nation-wide medical outreach programme to coincide with the beginning of the struggle for the final independence of Cuba, the national day of the Cuban Armed Forces and Ghana's Independence day.
He said the Cuban medical team was able to bring down considerably the death rates for maternal, under-fives and infants in various cases handled. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, Deputy Health Minister, Moses Dani Baah and some Members of Parliament attended the scientific conference that aimed at promoting the friendship between Ghana and Cuba.
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