President accepts Hawa Yakubu's resignation
One billion cedis for Kumasi streetlights - Minister
President Kufuor extends condolence to Mozambique
Brave grandmother saves four children from fire
Bishop Mensah elected into Pontifical Council
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 May 2002 - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Sunday accepted the resignation of Madam Hawa Yakubu as Minister of Tourism. A statement signed by Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Minister for Information and Presidential Affairs, said the President expressed regret over the ex-minister's decision to resign and noted with appreciation her assurance to remain committed to the cause of the government and nation building.
The statement indicated that Mr Kwamena Bartels, Minister for Private Sector Development has been directed to assume additional temporary responsibility for the Ministry of Tourism. President Kufuor wished Madam Yakubu the best in her endeavours.
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 27 May 2002 - The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Ghana Education Service (GES) Career Training Consult (CTC), would launch the Ghana Educational Directory, the first of its kind in Africa, in October this year. The Directory would contain information on all educational institutions in Ghana, from pre-school to the tertiary and professional bodies.
Mr Fiifi Odooni, Managing Consultant of CTC, announced this at a seminar in Sunyani for education workers at the weekend. The Directory would provide a unique medium for educational institutions and professional bodies to advertise their products and services at home and abroad. Mr. Odooni said it would be an authoritative reference source for institutions, the Ministry of Education, GES, Foreign Missions, Parents, Students and the general public.
He added that the concept was researched and developed by CTC, which had the contract for its implementation. It would cost an institution 50,000 cedis to be listed and the Directory would be renewed every year at no cost for those already listed.
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Bongo (Upper East) 27 May 2002 - A Girl Child Education Fund, jointly set up by the Bongo District Assembly and the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) was launched at Bongo in the Upper East Region at the weekend.
The fund, among other things is to support the development of education among girls, who have been identified to be brilliant but poor and needy. As part of the agreement a memorandum of understanding was signed between ISODEC and the assembly, where the former takes about 70 per cent of the running cost of the scheme while the later takes the remaining 30 per cent.
In an address to launch the fund, the Bongo District Co-ordinating Director, Mr John Atogiba condemned the practice where some parents took their children from school to give them out for early marriage. He said parents should rather play key advisory roles by encouraging their girls to go to school and to ensure that they were given equal opportunities like their male counterparts to enable them to attain the ultimate level in education.
Mr Atogiba said the assembly ranked education high among its priorities with the hope of enhancing the human resource base of the assembly and to achieve the necessary development the people so much desired. He said the assembly had spent a total of 55 million cedis to give financial assistance to 82 student teachers. It had also sponsored 28 needy but brilliant students at the senior secondary school level.
The Northern Sector Co-ordinator of ISODEC, Mr Emmanuel Kuyole said the primary objective of the fund was to ensure that more girls were enrolled and sustained in schools. He expressed regret that most parents gave priority attention to boys education at the expense of girls and only trained the girl to manage the kitchen for the family, adding that ISODEC would spearhead programmes to encourage girl's education.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Return) 27 May 2002 - Work on a one billion cedis contract for the installation of street lights from the Santasi round-about through Santasi to Anyinam in the Kumasi Metropolis would soon start, following the approval and release of funds by the government for the project.
Dr Richard Winfred Anane, Minister of Roads and Transport, said all was set for the project to take off and that the relevant funds have already been released to the Ministry of Energy to ensure implementation of the project.
Dr Anane made the announcement at a durbar of chiefs and people of Santasi in Kumasi on Sunday to discuss strategies for the mobilisation of funds in support of development projects in the area. The durbar was also to create a platform for Dr Anane, who is the Member of Parliament for Bantama, to brief the constituents on national issues and efforts he had so far made to address their developmental needs and problems.
The Minister also announced that the Pankrono to Suame Roundabout, Tanoso-Prempeh College and the Bekwai Roundabout-Santasi roads were among the roads to be converted into dual carriages. Dr Anane said in addition, the railway overhead bridge stretching from Adum area to the Asafo roundabout would be replaced with an interchange this year.
Mr D.D.A. Pambour, Assemblyman for Santasi, said the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) had released building materials to the tune of about 12 million cedis in support of the completion of a kindergarten project which is currently at the lintel level and initiated by the community. He said Santasi was being provided with a block of three classrooms, an office and store for its junior secondary school under the European Union Micro Projects.
Mr Frederick F. Antoh, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) said the capacity of the NPP government to bring down inflation within its short period in office was a laudable achievement worthy commendation and not condemnation.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 27 May 2002 -President John Agyekum Kufuor on Sunday sent a message of condolence to President Joaquim Alberto Chissano of the Republic of Mozambique for the loss of lives of 200 passengers in the Maputo train disaster on Saturday.
A press statement sent through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said President Kufuor "have learnt with shock and sadness the news of the train disaster in South Mozambique with the loss of hundreds of lives."
It said, "on behalf of the government and people of Ghana and on my own behalf, I wish to extend to you, the government and people of Mozambique, especially the bereaved families our heartfelt sympathies and condolences. May the souls of those who lost their lives in this national tragedy rest in peace." President Kufuor said, " please accept, once again, your Excellency and dear brother, my deepest condolences and assurances of my highest consideration."
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Brakwa (Central Region) 27 May 2002 - Four children escaped unhurt when the house, in which they were sleeping, caught fire last night while their mother was away to fetch water.
Property worth over three million cedis was destroyed. Items the fire gutted included two sacks of sugar, two sacks of groundnuts, three bags of rice, one bag of gari, four boxes of biscuits, five packets of confectionery and roofing sheets.
The Ghana National Fire Service attributed the cause of the fire to a hurricane lamp being used in the room coming into contact with inflammable items such as plastic bowls and robber containers.
Madam Yaa Dansowaa, the grandmother of the children, who lived in a nearby house, said at about 3am she was awakened by the scent of a smoke and noticed that it was coming out of her daughter's room. ''I groped through the thick smoke and picked the children, who were fast asleep, one after the other.''
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Obuasi (Ashanti Region) 27 May 2002 - Pope John Paul II has appointed the Most Reverend Thomas Kwaku Mensah, the Catholic Bishop of Obuasi as a member of the Pontifical Council in charge of health in Africa.
The Most Rev. George Kocherry, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana and Togo announced this at a pontifical high mass at the St. Thomas Cathedral at Obuasi on Sunday. According to the Apostolic Nuncio who is on a pastoral visit to the Obuasi Diocese, the Bishop is expected to inform and report on health situation in Africa to the Pope.
The Most Rev. Kocherry added that by his appointment, Bishop Mensah was expected to attend an international conference on health on 9 June, this year at
Nairobi, Kenya.
The Minister of State in charge of Basic, Secondary and Girl-Child Education, Mrs Christine Churcher who was present at the mass on behalf of president J.A. Kufuor and the government congratulated Bishop Mensah for the honour done to the nation. She said by his appointment, Ghana is in the spiritual realm of leading the crusade against HIV/AIDS.
Bishop Mensah later told the Ghana News Agency that he would ensure an effective partnership between the Church and the government on health issues. He promised to establish good relationship with the Ministry of Health to achieve his objective.
Most Rev. Mensah said his new role was challenging and called on the Church to pray for him to work efficiently. "We will continue to promote the health of all devoid of HIV/AIDS", he said, adding that, "condom will not solve the problem but self-discipline."
Bishop Thomas K. Mensah, who was ordained into the priesthood in 3 June, 1973 become the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in 1992 before he was installed the Bishop of the Obuasi Diocese in 1995. Since 1997, Bishop Mensah has been Chairman, Department of Health of the Catholic Bishops' Conference and has since been attending both local and international conferences on health.
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