UN International Day for older Persons
Churches want to run radio
stations
Accra (Greater Accra)
01 October 2002- Ghana and SONITRA, a construction firm based in Israel have
signed a contract of about 14 million dollars for the construction of the
Anyinam-Konongo strip of the Accra-Kumasi road.
The Minister for Roads
and Transport, Dr Richard Anane signed for Ghana and Mr Jesse Kaifa, Managing
Director of SONITRA Construction Firm, signed for his company.
A statement from the
Roads and Transport Ministry issued in Accra and signed by Mr Emmanuel Asempa,
Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, said the contract, which was worth
13,907.217.86 dollars, was expected to be completed within 24 months.
Signing the document,
the release said Dr Anane reiterated Government's policy to make the
Accra-Kumasi road a dual one and added that the signing of the contract was to
harmonise the contract for the parties involved to understand each other and
work in harmony to achieve the Government's objective.
Dr Anane said the
project was dear to the government and advised the contractor to expedite work
on the project. He said Government and the local people would co-operate and
support the contractor for the project to be completed on schedule.
Mr Kaifa said SONITRA
would start work as soon as it got an acceptance letter from the Ministry. He
said the company had already mobilised equipment and could start work
immediately when approval was granted.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
01 October 2002- The Foreign and Defence Ministers, Mr Hackman Owusu Agyemang
and Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor and their Nigerian and Togolese counterparts left
Accra for Abidjan, La Cote d'lvoire, to hold talks with the Government and
mutineers in the Ivorian conflict in the bid to broker peace
Ghana, Nigeria and
Togo are members of the six nation contact group mandated by the Economic
Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) leaders at their recent meeting in Accra
to mediate and find a lasting solution to the conflict.
The other members of
the contact group who are also expected in Abidjan are Mali, Niger and Guinea
Bissau Ghana's foreign Minister Mr Owusu-Agyemang told newsmen that the contact
group would try and identify the leaders of the mutineers for discussion and
that work had already began to contact them and also find an amicable solution.
Dr Ibn Chambas
Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, who accompanied the delegation said they hoped
to hold discussions with the leaders to prepare the ground for the summit of
the contact group in the next few days, adding that "we want to end the
conflict as swiftly as possible."
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Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 01 October 2002- A total of 39.561 registered voters are eligible to
vote on Tuesday, 1 October to elect a parliamentary candidate for the Kumawu
constituency.
The seat became vacant
following the death of Mr Reo Addai Basoah, NPP Member of Parliament for the
Constituency. Five political parties - Peoples National Convention (PNC),
Democratic People's Party (DPP), New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic
Congress (NDC) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), have filed
nominations to contest the vacant seat.
The candidates are Mr
James Yaw Owusu, 51, farmer (PNC), Madam Rose Aboagye, 48, farmer (DPP), Mr Yaw
Baah, 43, lawyer (NPP), Mr Richard Martin Osei, 55, Teacher (NDC) and Mr Yaw
Opoku Mensah, 40, farmer (GCPP).
A handbook on the
conduct of the Parliamentary by-elections in the Kumawu Constituency released
by the Ashanti Regional office of the Electoral Commission (EC), said for
operational purposes, the Constituency has been divided into three zones.
They are Bira/Odwam
with 23 Polling Stations, Kumawu/Bodomase, which houses 34 Polling Stations,
and Afram Plains covering 35 Polling Sations. In all, Kumawu Cnstituency has 26
electoral areas and 92 Polling Stations.
According to the
handbook, apart from pick-ups and buses to be used in conveying the bulk of the
election officials and materials, boats, tractors and bicycles have been made available
for the Afram Plains. It said all other logistics and materials for smooth
conduct of the elections had been secured under the logistic plan. These
include fuel and lubricants, ballot papers and boxes, election forms and lists.
On security, the
handbook said Kumawu Constituency is known to be relatively peaceful with no
recent record of chieftaincy and political dispute. In spite of this impressive
record, adequate provision has been made for joint Police and Military security
operation.
About 75 police
officers have been deployed at the Polling Stations, while the Military would
mount two mobile patrol teams. The EC said the final constituency results would
be announced at the dining hall of Tweneboah Kodua Secondary School at Kumawu.
The EC also said that
it is anticipated that the collation team would start receiving polling station
results at about 8.30 pm. According to the EC, arrangements have been made to
reduce the period of submission of results from Afram Plains and list the
anticipated time for submission of results from the Afram Plains as follows:
Anyinofi sector 7.30
a.m, Drobonso sector 6.30 am, Dawia sector, 6.30 am and Fumsua sector 8.30 am, all
on 2 October. Mr. Samuel Yorke Aidoo, Ashanti Regional Director of the EC, at a
meeting with the political parties, EC officials and the media in Kumasi last
Thursday, said the mission of the EC is to advance the course of democracy,
good governance for enhanced national development of Ghana by
institutionalising free, fair and transparent elections to the acceptance of
all stakeholders.
"In the Ashanti
Region, we are committed to achieving the mission of the EC by innovative
strategies and in co-operation with stakeholders deliver elections to public
satisfaction irrespective of the circumstance."
He said, in line with
the mission of the EC, there has been consensus on all the various aspects of
the preparations for the by-election, adding that contesting parties have been
given copies of the list of polling staff.
So far, the two major
political parties - the ruling NPP and the opposition NDC - have intensified
their campaign at Kumawu, which has been set agog as the area has been
decorated with posters, flags and banners of the parties.
The NDC has accused
the NPP of smear campaign against its candidate, Mr Richard Martin Osei, former
presiding member of the Sekyere East District Assembly, who was accused of
having sold electric poles meant for electrification project and also
organising the youth to hoot and boo at the NDC candidate in his campaign.
The NPP has denied the
allegations saying the reports of impropriety against Mr Osei was contained in
an Auditor-General's report on the financial administration of the Sekyere East
District Assembly.
The NPP rounded-off
its campaign at Kumawu on Sunday at a rally in which Vice President Aliu Mahama
said the greatest honour the Constituency could bestowed on the late Mr. Basoah
was for the party to retain the parliamentary seat. The NDC is to round off its
campaign in the constituency with a rally at Kumawu on Monday.
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Kumawu (Ashanti
Region) 01 October 2002- Vice President Aliu Mahama, has stated that the
greatest honour the Kumawu constituency could bestow on Mr Reo Addai Basoah,
the late Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency is to retain the seat
for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tuesday's by-elections.
Keeping the seat for
the NPP, he said, would enable Mr. Yaw Baah, the party's parliamentary
candidate to continue with the good work started by the late MP. Addressing an
NPP rally to round off the party's campaign for the election at Kumawu on
Sunday, Alhaji Aliu said the constituency was noted for its agricultural
potential, which needed to be tapped.
He said it was in
recognition of this that it was imperative that they voted for the NPP to open
up the district for the development of its vast agricultural potential. Alhaji
Aliu said the NPP would never lie to Ghanaians since the party would be seeking
their mandate in 2004, but pleaded for patience to enable the government to
fulfil its campaign promise.
To the teeming
supporters of the party, particularly the youth, who he said, constituted its
support base, the Vice President said government was mindful of their problems
and that employable programmes were being put in lace for them.
Papa Owusu Ankomah,
Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, commended the people of
Kumawu for their unflinching support for he party. He noted that it was typical
of the electorate to castigate government in the middle of its rule but said he
found the support at Kumawu overwhelming, which indicated that the party still
enjoyed a lot of support and goodwill and therefore, asked the people to vote
massively for Mr. Baah.
Hajia Alima Mahama,
Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, told the people that
the NPP does not make promises it could not fulfil. That was why, she said, the
government had started opening up the Afram Plains with the construction of the
road from Drobonso to the Plains, adding that it was in fulfilment of its
campaign promise.
Dr Kwaku Afriyie,
Minister of Health, debunked the accusations being levelled against President
Kufuor that he was slow and said he was a "deep thinking man" and
that the government used the two years it had been in office as years of
assessment and consolidation.
Alhaji Fusseini Maiga
of the Nasara Club said the two years rule of the NPP had clearly exposed the
lies of the NDC in the last general elections that an NPP government would
expel aliens and Muslims from the country.
He therefore, asked
Muslims to be wary of the false propaganda of the NDC and vote the NPP candidate
to Parliament. Mr. Lord Commey, National Organiser of the NPP, cautioned the
supporters not to let their superiority in the constituency delude them into
thinking that it was going to be an easy win, but they should be on the alert
for any tricks, fraud or cheating.
Mr. Haruna Esseku,
National Chairman of the party, who presented Mr Yaw Baah to the supporters,
asked him to tell them whether he could continue with the good work of the late
Basoah to which he replied in the affirmative.
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Cape Coast (Central
Region) 01 October 2002-Dr Sam Amoo, UNDP Senior Regional Advisor on Peace
Building Initiatives in Africa, at the weekend stressed the need for political
elites to accept moderation and circumspection in the struggle for dominance to
enable fledgling democracy to survive and consolidated in Africa.
He said,
"intemperate and inflammatory language that might incite the military to
unconstitutional action should be avoided," pointing out, that it did not
pay to give the impression that civilians were incapable of governing.
Dr. Amoo, gave the
advice when he delivered a paper on "Democratic practice, conflict and
national stability: Politics in a fragile environment," at a workshop for
members of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Interior, at Cape Coast.
The two-day workshop,
had the theme; "Coalition building; Enhancing oversight responsibility of
Parliamentarians," aimed at equipping members with the requisite skills to
enable them to discharge their responsibilities in handling issues of defence
and internal security, effectively, and to facilitate the consolidation of the
nation's democratic process.
It was organised by
the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), a
Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Accra and sponsored by the
Senegal-based Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA).
Dr. Amoo said it was
sad that even parties in Africa's traditional structures, were now resorting to
intimidating one another with "threats of chaos and Armageddon." He
noted that the position and role of the military in the consolidation of
fragile democracies was crucial, as it was excluded from the governing process
that it used to dominate.
He cautioned that
experiences in the sub-region and elsewhere, made it imperative to ensure that
the capacity and proclivity of the military to undermine, obstruct or roll back
efforts to consolidate democracy.
Dr Amoo said to
curtail any such situation, there was the need for a systematic strategy to
inculcate in the military, a sense and culture to uphold the constitution, and
must include the restoration and the upgrading of professionalism in the
military.
This, he said, was
essential since according to him, "a lousy military is an expensive danger
and an instrument of public abuse." On reconciliatory efforts, Dr. Amoo
advocated the infusion of African traditional values and norms of conflict
management into modern politics and that principles to be emphasized should
include reconciliation to sustain the harmony and integrity of the state.
He said justice, which
was fundamental to reconciliation, should be seen as a compensation for loss,
and not as a retribution for offence or atrocities, and that the
"two-sided recognition" in the issue of atonement, which was the
acceptance of reconciliation by the victims of atrocities, and the acceptance
of wrong doing and show of remorse by the perpetrators, must be paramount.
"Arrogant
defiance will not cut it. In this sense, the quest for accountability with the
view to heal societal and individual trauma without any notion of punishment
cannot be witch-hunting," he declared.
According to him,
"there might not be punishment for perpetrators of atrocities, but the
'catharsis' of baring the truth with remorse for justice and reconciliation,
would go a long way to purge the culture of impunity for atrocious abuses by
the powerful."
Speaking on "A
road map of conflicts in Ghana and National/Regional security implications, the
Associate Director of FOSDA, Ms Afi Yakubu noted that conflicts were cancerous
and could not be confined to one location once they erupted.
Ms Yakubu identified
chieftaincy, land disputes, environmental issues and armed robbery as potential
threat of conflict in the country. She also noted low level of human
development, weak governance at the district levels, and religious intolerance
as causes of conflict.
The FOSDA Director
called for effective early warning mechanism, which would monitor the pace of
conflict barometer. She explained that the mechanism should be used to collect,
store and analyse information for the purpose of anticipating the source,
nature and escalation of violent conflict.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
01 October 2002- Prof John Evans Atta Mills, the former Vice President, has
called for transparency, civility and fairness in dealing with issues within
the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He has also welcomed
every party member who is available to come home and contribute to the
revitalisation of the party. Prof Mills said these when he met with the
Executive and members of the UK and Ireland Branches of the NDC during a recent
visit to the United Kingdom.
A statement signed by
Mr Lawrence Akwetey, Public Relations Officer of the NDC, UK, and Ireland
Branch said Prof Mills reiterated his intention to run for the flag-bearership
at the National Congress in December 2002
He urged the branch
members to continue with the good work they have done over the years and asked
them to be ready to fight for the victory of the party in the next elections in
2004.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
01 October 2002- Mr Moses Mokasa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Resident Representative on Monday urged the media to target HIV/AIDS campaigns
at the youth with messages that would influence reproductive health issues.
He identified young
people as more vulnerable to the HIV/AIDS scourge and yet they were to blossom
into healthy adults to carry on the mantle of development on the African
continent.
Speaking at the
inauguration of the African Youth Alliance (AYA) Youth Advisory Board and the
AYA Media and Communication Advocacy Network (MCAN) in Accra, Mr Mokasa advised
the media to target audiences with effective messages.
Mr Moksasa said,
"Advise us, lead us, educate us; we do not claim to have all the answers
to the public health aspects of the youth. Do not think for the people you want
to serve; take ideas from the target groups and with their little support, we
would be able to bridge the gap".
The nine-member YAB
Board, chaired by Ms. Edna Aryee, a student of the University of Ghana, Legon
would offer advice on youth matters to the Inter-Country Partners Council
(ICPC) in the designing, implementation and monitoring of AIDS control
programmes.
The 29-member media
and communication network, is a core group of journalists in both the electronic
and print media that would design, co-ordinate and implement media messages on
HIV/AIDS with emphasis on the youth.
Now in its second
year, and funded with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the
five-year AYA initiative is to improve adolescent reproductive health and
reduce the spread of HIV/AID in Botswana, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania.
Mr Mokasa stressed the
role of the media as agents of change and thanked journalists for accepting to
offer themselves in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. He told the
journalists that by their training, they were better placed to communicate
effectively on HIV/AIDS and asked them not to glorify themselves in just being
members of the network but to actively support the work of the Alliance.
Mr Mokasa, who is a
member of the three-member ICPC, appealed to them to tap ideas from young
people and make proposal that reflect youth needs and be bold to point out
mistakes of the ICPC.
He advised the youth
against the rush to the cities, saying there are no ready-made solutions to the
problems of young people there. Responding, Ms Rosemary Ardayfio of the Daily
Graphic, and Spokesperson of the MCAN, gave the assurance that the Journalists
would work together with the AYA.
She said though the
network was a small group, co-ordinated work and frequent interactions are the
means of combating the HIV/AIDS. The YAB Chairperson, Ms Aryee, said an
estimated 1.6 billion people in Africa were adolescents and the opportunities
for safe reproductive health to them was an overwhelming challenge.
She pointed out that
by 18 years, over 80 percent of all young people would have experienced their
first sexual intercourse and there was need to urgently expand access to
appropriate adolescent reproductive health information, services, life and
leadership training skills and character development programmes. Professor
Andrew Arkutu, a Gynaecologist and obstetrician and a member of the ICPC
inaugurated the two bodies.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
01 October 2002- Ghana is to start production of three off-patent
antiretroviral drugs for the management of HIV/AIDS in March next year. The
drugs, which are not over-the-counter drugs, would be available at specific
treatment centres such as the Korle Bu and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital
(KATH).
Dr Kwaku Yeboah,
Manager of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), disclosed this in an
interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Monday, said the drugs
were not curative, but would only manage symptoms and opportunistic diseases to
prolong the patient's life.
He said the government
was also holding discussions on the procurement of antiretroviral drugs into
the country and guidelines on importation involving quality, delivery and
storage of these drugs were being finalised.
According to the
Programmer Manager, there were some AIDS drugs already on the market through
the private sector, while some HIV patients who had relatives outside may also
have access to some of these drugs.
He said guidelines to
rationalise and regulate the production or procurement of AIDS drugs both in
the private and public sector was being finalised to ensure order and safety.
Dr Yeboah said there was the need to also work on laws and guidelines to avoid
the infringement of patent rights.
On prices, he said,
yet, there was no policy on cost recovery or subsidies of HIV drugs, which the
government was making available in the country, but it was expected that it
would be affordable.
Some African countries
such as Nigeria and Cote d' Ivoire have made some progress in making available
AIDS drugs in their countries. In September 2001, Nigeria initiated a programme
under which it procured a quantity of drugs at a cost of 350 dollars a year per
a person for some 15,000 persons.
As at, 31 March 2002,
six treatment centres were providing antiretroviral drugs in Abidjan at reduced
cost under UNAIDS/Ministry of Health HIV Drug Access Initiative.
Dr Yeboah explained
that national strategies on HIV/AIDS were geared towards prevention and
support, involving both institutional and home-based care. He said there was
the need to first establish certain structures and facilities to manage the
pandemic, which included procuring consumables, test kits, drugs and train the
human resource base in both clinical and medial care and counselling services.
He said a pilot
programme on management of the disease was currently being implemented with
support from the Family Health International (FHI) in the Manya-Krobo in the
Eastern Region involving the drug therapy and home-based care scheme.
Dr Yeboah said
home-based volunteers were being given guidelines on how to care for patients
and look out for some serious signs and symptoms. He explained that the
introduction of antiretroviral to a patient was for life and once started, the
administration should be continued.
He said failure to
keep to the drug regimen had serious implications for both patients and the
nation because of drug resistant, which could worsen matters.
"There is
therefore, the need for community mobilisation to help people feel comfortable
taking their drugs without stigma." "They also need community support
to take their follow-ups seriously for test monitoring and viral load among other
issues.”
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Bolgatanga (Upper
East) 01 October 2002- Mr Rockson Bukari, Bolgatanga District Chief Executive
(DCE) on Sunday urged United States Peace Corps volunteers to assist to government's
efforts towards awareness creation among the people on the AIDS pandemic.
He said by the nature
of their work, Peace Corps volunteers are in constant touch with the people at
the grassroots and are therefore, in a unique position to advance the anti-AIDS
campaign.
The DCE was delivering
a keynote address at a welcoming ceremony in Bolgatanga for 19 US Peace Corps
Trainees, who were about to commence a nine-week pre-service induction
programme.
He called the immense
contributions Peace Corps volunteers have made over the years towards the
socio-economic development of the Upper East and the nation as a whole. He said
Peace Corps involvement in the three Northern Regions had moved from the
education sector to cover other fields such as health, water and sanitation,
the environment, HIV/AIDS campaign, small enterprises development gender and
youth development.
Mr Bukari urged Peace
Corps volunteers to take advantage of their stay in the region to visit the
Paga crocodile ponds, the Tongo Hills, the slave route in Builsa District, the
Gbewaa shrine at Pusiga and other attractive tourist sites.
He said there was
absolute peace and security in the Bolgatanga District, and gave the assurance
that the volunteers would enjoy total hospitality from both the district
assembly and the local populace.
Mr Joseph Kufuor,
Peace Corps Site Director, explained that during the nine-week training
programme, the volunteers would be attached to selected local families who
would teach them the Ghanaian way of life.
He appealed to the
home-stay families to provide the needed comfort to make the volunteers' stay a
memorable one. On behalf of her colleagues, Miss Evelyn Marie Gosyleon, thanked
the District Chief Executive and people of Bolgatanga District for the cordial
welcome accorded the group. She said the volunteers are looking forward to
learn about Ghana and to share the American experience with the people of
Ghana.
At the end of the
nine-week induction, the Peace Corps volunteers would be posted to various parts
of the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions to commence service.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
01 October 2002- Help Age Ghana (HAG) on Monday said myths and customs, which
are often serious barriers to their participation in development and assertion
of the right of older persons should be done away with.
A statement issued in
Accra and signed by Mr. Ebenezer Adjetey-Sorsey, Executive Director of HAG in
commemoration of the 12th UN International Day of Older Person which falls on
Tuesday 1 October said Older persons have a right to: independence,
participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity.
It is on the theme
"Planning Ahead for a Better Old Age.” He noted that Government, in close
collaboration with HAG and other stakeholders had almost completed the process
of developing a National policy on ageing and that HAG sees it as a positive
step in preparing the country to tackle issues of ageing.
He however, urged
Government to speed up the process to get the Ageing policy for the country as
soon as practicable, adding that no policy, irrespective of how comprehensive
it may be could completely ensure a better old age in the country without the
individual's own preparation.
He therefore, called
on the youth to start preparing towards their old age because ageing starts
from birth, adding, "the earlier one begins preparation the better it
would be". It also urged them to offer whatever support they could to the
present generation of older persons, especially those in their families.
Mr. Adjetey-Sorsey
said the world population of persons over 60 years is increasing more rapidly
and is even greater in developing countries where the older population is
expected to quadruple in the next fifty years, from the current estimate of
slightly over 38 million to 212 million by the year 2050.
In 1970, 381,000 (5.3
percent) of Ghana population were older persons (60 years and above), this he
said increased to 719,135 (5.8) in 1984.By the year 2000 the number had tripled
he added.
The statement said HAG
takes the opportunity to salute all older persons in the country and expressed
gratitude to them for their immense contributions towards the development of
their family, communities and the country, especially the poor and
disadvantaged elderly.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
01 October 20020- Professor George Benneh, former Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Ghana (UG), Legon, on Monday said the "Golden Age of
Business" in Ghana could only be achieved through the harnessing of
available and the creation of new knowledge that will enable the country to be
competitive in the global market.
He said "it is
not the financiers and industrialists, nor the nation's natural and mineral
resources that can usher Ghana into a golden age but a combination of all these
with a highly trained, disciplined, motivated and creative human capital."
"In the 21st
century, it is indeed true that properly applied knowledge is power and wealth
and it is the golden key to development." Prof. Benneh was speaking at a
special congregation of the UG to confer an honorary degree of Doctor of
Letters on him for his immense contribution to the development of the
University academia and socio-economic development in Ghana.
He was among 10
distinguished persons selected for the honorary degrees this year by the UG.
Eight of the honourees, including a renowned Kenyan Historian, Prof. Ali Mazrui
were honoured on 15 March 2002.
The ninth was Former
South African President Nelson Mandela who was honoured with Doctor of Laws on
23 April 2002 at a ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prof. Benneh,
Vice-Chancellor of UG from 1992 to 1996 and once Head of Geography Department,
Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies and Pro-Vice Chancellor, was the 10th and
last to be honoured this year.
He received a
citation, a robe and a scroll. Prof. Benneh, who could hardly walk due to poor
health, noted that in this society of knowledge, the challenge on university
teachers and researchers is more demanding, saying the task will be to make a
difference in the lives of the increasing poor majority through effective
harnessing of knowledge.
He said it was
important sometimes to fish for ideas in the ancestral pool of knowledge to
build on in the fields of politics, arts and culture, medicine, architecture,
agriculture and industry.
"Our ancestors
were creative enough to survive in this environment," he said. Prof.
Benneh called for a national forum of Ghanaian scientists, technologists and
researchers to work out a national strategy for harnessing research, science
and technology for the sustainable development of this country.
He said as
pacesetters, Ghana cannot afford to wait too long before moving, adding that
this country has to move forward to be with the league of developed nations of
the world. "That is where we belong, not among the poor."
Nana Wereko Ampem II,
Chancellor of the UG congratulated Prof. Benneh for his immense contribution to
the University and Ghana in his various capacities as a teacher, leader,
researcher and administrator as well as a one-time Minister of Finance and
Economic Planning, Fuel and Power and of Lands and Natural Resources.
"As
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Benneh did move the UG forward in very significant ways
by initiating several projects and programs all of which have borne
fruits," he said. Prof. Ivan Addae-Mensah, out-going Vice Chancellor of
the UG said Prof. Benneh's achievements include a Golden Jubilee Hall, the
ecology laboratory and the remote censor project of the University.
Members of the Council
of State, parliamentarians, the diplomatic corps, the faculties of the UG,
classmates, students, family members and members of the Berekum Traditional
Council attended the ceremony.
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Nkoranza (Brong Ahafo)
01 October 2002- Mr Enoch Osei-Sarfo, Assistant Director in-charge of the
Inspectorate Division of the Nkoranza Education District, has called on the
District Assembly to enact laws to deal with parents who deny their children
formal education.
He was addressing a
forum for stakeholders in education in the district to discuss problems
militating against primary education at Nkoranza. The programme followed the
conduct of a Performance Monitoring Test (PMT) in all the 111 primary schools
in the district held last year at which selected pupils from primary 'level
two' to 'level six' were examined in English Language and Mathematics.
Mr Osei-Sarfo
expressed regret about the fallen standard of education in the area and the
reluctance of some parents to assist in rectifying the situation. "Every
child is an asset to the nation and if he or she is denied the needed training
and education, he or she becomes a burden on the society.
Mr A.K. Dorzie,
District Coordinating Director, announced that the District Assembly had placed
premium on the promotion of education in the area and that a number of
classroom blocks were being constructed to promote teaching and learning.
Teachers' bungalows
are also being provided to ease accommodation problems of teachers. He appealed
to other stakeholders in education in the area to assist in improving the
fallen standard of education in the district.
Mr Adjei Yeboah,
Presiding Member of the Assembly who presided, urged parents to invest in the
education of their children, as that was the only valuable legacy they could
bequeath to them.
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Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 01 October 2002- Reverend Joseph K. Gyimah, Founder of the True Light
of Christ Church, has appealed to the government to allow churches to own and
run radio stations. Rev Gyimah said the present situation whereby social groups
and individuals are allowed to establish radio stations while religious bodies
are denied such an opportunity was unfair.
Rev Gyimah made the
appeal at a one-day workshop the church organized for the various fellowships
and groupings in the church at Abrepo-Kuma in Kumasi. The workshop discussed
strategies that the groups could use to educate their members more effectively
on the dangers of indiscipline and immorality.
Rev Gyimah, a former
President of the Pentecostal Association of Ghana, said "if given the nod
by the government to establish such FM radio stations it will enhance our
involvement as churches in the propagation against indiscipline.''
He said even though
churches were already in the forefront of the crusade using the pulpits their
efforts at checking the negative trend could be faster and better enhanced if
they own FM radio stations.
Rev Gyimah disagreed
with the notion that the churches could use their radio station to bring about
religious conflicts. "Churches have a mission of enhancing social development
while seeking salvation for mankind and under no circumstances will they depart
from such a noble mission" he added.
GRi…/
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