Medical Doctor Enstooled as Manwerehene of Owirekyiman Traditional Area

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Medical Doctor Enstooled as Manwerehene of Owirekyiman Traditional Area Assin Kushea (C/R), Jan 25, GNA – Nana Prah Agyensem VI, Omanhene of the Owirenkyiman Traditional Area, has advised the youth to desist from violence acts, especially before, during and after the December general elections.

He also cautioned them to be weary of politicians, who would deceive them into causing mayhem and asked them not to allow party politics to divide their ranks but to forge ahead with the development of the community.

Nana Prah Agyensem gave the advice when he enstooled Dr Nicholas DeHeer a Medical Practitioner based in Accra as Manwerehene of the Gyase Division of Owirenkyiman Traditional Area at Assin Kushea in the Central Region on Tuesday.

Dr deHeer, who is the first son of the late Odeefuo Sir Tsibu Darko IX of the Assin Atandensu traditional area was given the stool name Nana Ofori Amissah I.

As the first son of the stool, the Manwerehene is supposed to be the consoler of the people as well as to be by the Omanhene at all times.

Nana Prah Agyensem described the Manwerehene as a committed and dedicated person who is trustworthy and was proud to have such a prominent person coming from his traditional area and was therefore happy to bestow the honours of Manwerehene on him.

He, however, expressed concern about the fact that the people usually confuses traditionalism with idol worshiping stressed that “our culture as Africans is the spine that holds us together and that a nation without a culture is worthless”.

He described the chieftaincy institution as dynamic and very important and should therefore be accorded the need recognition and respect in the society.

He advised the new Manwerehene to endeavour to pay regular visits to the area and share his expertise and experiences with the youth in the area. 

Dr DeHeer thanked the chiefs and people of Owirenkyiman Traditional Area for the honour bestowed on him and promised to perform his duties with all the diligence and commitment expected of him.

Dr deHeer has held several position including Medical Adviser to the Shropshire County in England; Eight years as the Director of the Commonwealth West African Health Seerefarcat in Lagos Nigeria and consultant on School Health Education to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service.

GNA

GNAT signs MoU with stakeholders on salary

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GNAT signs MoU with stakeholders on salary Accra, Jan. 25, GNA – The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) at a meeting with other stakeholders have agreed to put in place measures that will ensure that newly recruited teachers, who have not been paid since 2010, receive their salaries at the end of March 2012.

In addition, teachers who have been promoted to various grades in the Service, will be captured by the Controller and Accountant General on the April, 2012 pay roll.

This was contained in a statement jointly issued by Mr Awotwe Nkansah, Deputy General Secretary of GNAT and Mr Samuel Manteaw, Human Resource Director, Ghana Education Service (GES) in Accra on Tuesday.

It said a Memorandum of Understanding was signed at a meeting between GNAT, Ministry of Education (MoE), Ghana Education Service (GES), Controller and Accountant General’s Department and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) on Monday, January 23, and Tuesday 24, 2012.

The statement said “All outstanding issues related to the conditions of employment of teachers, including delayed promotion and pay of transport and travelling allowances (T & T) and transfer grants would be addressed by the GES and MoE.

Meanwhile, the MoE will procure a server to facilitate prompt processing of payroll of staff of GES.

A Technical Committee made up of the parties had been constituted to speedily address other outstanding issues such as delayed promotions, delayed salaries, problems relating to transfers of teachers, sale of application forms for promotions, extortion of IPPD units in district offices, growing delinquency in schools, unavailability of collective agreement to teachers, recognition of teachers who read various degree programmes with study leave with pay, or without pay and extended working hours.

“The parties agreed to meet within the next two weeks to address all outstanding issues,” the statement added.

GNA

UCC Still committed to the training to people – Prof Yankson

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UCC Still committed to the training to people - Prof Yankson Cape Coast, Jan. 25, GNA – Professor Kobina Yankson, Chairman of the University of Cape Coast Anniversary Celebration Committee, has said the university would remain committed to the training of qualified teachers to meet the needs of the nation.

He said as the first university established to train teachers, about 50 percent of its student population was in the Faculty of Education and that the requisite facilities and programmes have been put in place to enhance the training of students.

Prof Yankson said this during a pre-launch cocktail held for the media and other partners of the UCC to share ideas on how to successfully celebrate the anniversary. 

The Year long celebration would be officially launched on February 18 and there would be a number of programmes including press conferences, regional alumni activities, sporting activities, inaugural lectures and alumni homecoming.

The others are the naming of streets and structures on campus after prominent personalities, construction of an anniversary park where busts of past Vice Chancellors would be built and a banquet would be organized where deserving personalities would be honoured.

Prof Yankson said one activity during the celebration of the anniversary would be the inauguration of an ICT centre which would be used as a training centre for students as well as a research centre for lecturers.

He said UCC was key to the education of teachers, agricultural extension officers and business administrators and that the university’s medical school (UCCSMS) would start graduating doctors next year.

Prof Yankson said the Medical School was using problem based learning method to train the doctors and that the school was a pace setter helping to meet the needs of the rural communities.

He said the university was running nine faculties and that the Faculty of Law would be introduced in August, adding that the university was leading in terms of student numbers with a total of 68,000 regular students 24,000 distance learning students and 2,000 sandwiched students.

GNA

Let us prevent non-Ghanaians from enlist on electoral roll-Gbedemah

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Let us prevent non-Ghanaians from enlist on electoral roll-Gbedemah Ho, Jan 25, GNA-Mr Kofi Tenasu Gbedemah, a Public Rights Worker, has called for more purposeful inter-agency efforts to prevent non-Ghanaians from registering as voters.

He said birth certificates and other evidences of nationality and naturalizations could be demanded before registration.

Mr Gbedemah was speaking at the inauguration of the Ho Municipal Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) in Ho on Tuesday.

Mr Ohene Frimpong, Ho-Central Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), said it was  important to stop  non-Ghanaians from registering as voters but made it clear that it was difficult to determine who is a non-Ghanaian at the registration centres and that procedures for protest were elaborate and frustrating.

Mr Emmanuel Abeam Danso, the Ho Municipal Director of the Electoral Commission, said   political parties often keep quite over registration of unqualified people and other misdeeds when considered favourable to them but would rant if not in their favour.

He said there were procedures to stop non-Ghanaians from registering by registering protest at polling stations and providing proof before a committee.

Mr Kenneth Kponor, Ho Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) under whose aegis the IPDC would work said it was important peace prevailed in the country, before, during and after the elect ions.

He appealed to politicians, their supporters and party activists against mudslinging and destructive criticism and the media against tendentious stories.

 “Let us safeguard the image of the country in the eyes of the international community as the haven of peace,” Mr Kponor said.

He said power must not be won through intimidation and that national interest must supersede all other interests.

An Executive Committee out of the 25-member larger committee was selected with Togbe Atsridom V, Paramount Chief of Kpedze Traditional Area as Chairman with and Mr Gbedemah as his vice.

Mr Stanley Glate, Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Ho-Central Constituency is Secretary while Mr Paul Aba, Electoral and Research Officer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ho-Central Constituency, is Organizer.    

Mr Glate said rivalry between the NPP and the NDC was the main cause of problems in the nation’s political landscape and that if the two parties could champion peace “half of the work is done”.

The committee which would operate from now until early January next year went into session soon after inauguration to draw a first quarter action plan to permeate coverage area with its message of peace.

The coverage area spans the Ho-West and Ho-Central constituencies.

Mr Prosper Afealete, NCCE Ho Municipal Area Programmes Officer in a paper listed distribution of money and gifts, declaration of election results by political parties, superimposing of posters, defacing of posters and biased media reportage as among violations to be monitored by the committee.

GNA

Atwima-Mponua appeals for more health professionals

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Atwima-Mponua appeals for more health professionals Nyinahin (Ash), Jan 25, GNA – The Atwima-Mponua District Director of Health Service, Madam Elizabeth Danso Abentwi, has appealed for the posting of more health professionals to the area.She said inadequate midwives, community health nurses and medical assistants was a major challenge that needed to be tackled head-on to enhance health care delivery to the people.She also complained about the lack of residential accommodation and encroachment on lands belonging to health facilities by developers.This was at an annual review meeting held at Nyinahin to assess performance during the past year and discuss ways of improving performance.Madam Danso Abentwi said the district saw significant rise in the cases of malaria, diarrhoea, anaemia, intestinal worm infestation, ulcers and skin diseases at the Out-Patients Department (OPD).Available statistics showed malaria went up to 48,939 cases from the 2010 figure of 43,718.During the same period, patients who reported to the facilities with diarrhoea stood at 3,777 as against the previous year’s total of 2,360.Madam Danso Abentwi praised the health workers for their hard work, dedication and professionalism and said this should be sustained.GNA

NGOs on Health discuss strategies to achieve MDG goals

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NGOs on Health discuss strategies to achieve MDG goals Wa, Jan. 25, GNA – The Coalition of Non Governmental Agencies (NGO) in Health in the Upper West Region is repositioning itself to become more relevant in health service delivery in the region.The coalition, with the collaboration of the International Medical Monitoring Committee a Danish NGO has started networking and pooling their resources to support the government to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on Health which relates to maternal and child health.Members of the Coalition are currently brainstorming to find ways of strengthening public-private collaboration for improved sexual and reproductive health service in the Upper West Region at a four-day workshop in Wa.Mr. Osman Kanton, regional chairman of the Coalition, told the participants to build their capacities in their areas of work and improve upon the credibility of their organizations in order to remain relevant.He noted that the country was not doing well in maternal and child health and therefore achieving MDG Four and Five was therefore a task which called for the support of everyone including Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Alhaji Issaku Saliah, the Upper West regional Minister, called for a new outlook to health care delivery in the region so as to achieve the MDG four and five.GNA

NDC demonstrates to compel NPP to cooperate with EOCO

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NDC demonstrates to compel NPP to cooperate with EOCO Accra, Jan. 24, GNA – The Concerned Members of National Democratic Congress on Tuesday embarked on a demonstration to ask government to compel the Cabinet of 2005 and 2006 to cooperate with Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) to scrutinize the Woyome judgement debt saga.

The demonstration staged in Accra aimed to drum home the call for Former President John Agyekum Kuffour and others to account for their roles in events that led to the payment of one the biggest judgment debts in the country’s history.

The protestors who wore red and white T-Shirts, urged President John Evans Atta Mills to urgently investigate the controversial GHS 58 million judgment debts paid to Alfred Agbesi Woyome, a businessman.

Made up of sympathisers of the ruling National Democratic Congress, they started the protest march from Kwame Nkrumah Circle through Kwame Nkrumah Avenue Station and later converged at the Independence Square.

They carried placards some of which read: “Akuffo Addo Corruption Na Daily Bread”, “Why is Kuffour afraid of investigation, “NPP can run but can’t hide”, “NPP you can’t dictate to Ghanaians”, “EOCO arrest them” and “Go to EOCO, Kuffour”.

Mr Paul Semey, Spokesperson for the Group, said the recent Court judgements compelling the state to pay huge amounts of money to many institutions and individuals articulate the extent to how the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government was corrupt, reckless during the time in office.

He described “attempts by the NPP functionaries to use the media to cover up their crimes by attacking the Courts for doing its job as shameful”.

“In our view, this is a deliberate attempt to bastardize the real facts, especially when the NPP is privy to the administrative negligence and professional ineptitude of the government in that matter”, he said.

“The NPP must stop hiding behind the media and account for its stewardship to Ghanaians, including their role in how the state lost huge sums of money in judgement debt”, he added.

Mr Semey said the sponsored media attacks on Mr. Woyome, who had a court judgement and was cooperating fully with the EOCO investigations demonstrated that the NPP was afraid of accountability and had a lot to hide.

In a petition received by Mr Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, a Presidential Aid, they called on Nana Akuffo Addo to immediately resign as the NPP Flag bearer to help EOCO know his role in the abrogation of a legitimate contract which had been approved by the Central Tender Review Board through the procurement process.

They also demanded Former President Kuffour to stop running away from accounting for his eight year stewardship in government and explain to EOCO the process under which he awarded the construction and rehabilitation of the stadia for CAN 2008 to the Shangai Construction Group.

They expressed shock about the silence of decent Ghanaians and civil society groups like the Media Commission, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Ghana Bar Association and the Trade Union Congress who have turned a blind eye as the NPP hide behind the media and politics to destroy the court verdict.

 According, the protestors expressed hope that EOCO had the legal mandate and the professional competence to solve the mystery surrounding the biggest organised crime which involved the entire cabinet of Former President Kuffour in 2005 and 2006.

GNA

NLA to ensure that revenue is not compromised

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NLA to ensure that revenue is not compromised Accra, Jan.24, GNA – The National Lottery Authority (NLA) on Tuesday said it would continue to work assiduously to ensure that the security of its generated revenue was not compromised and ceded to institutions or persons.

Mr Kojo Andah, Director General of NLA, who gave the assurance, said “The NLA with the assistance of the Police shall exercise in full, its powers of entry and seizure in respect of any article or object, which has been or is being used to commit an offence connected to lotto and lottery”.

Reacting to a recent court decision, Mr Andah said in the case between the authority and Millicom Ghana Limited, operators of TIGO, the court declined jurisdiction to determine the matter because in its opinion the NLA lacked the capacity to enforce civil action against TIGO.

The court last week restrained the NLA from further prosecuting businesses that engaged in lottery.

It said any business that had fallen short of the lottery act, should instead be impeached by the Attorney General because it constituted a criminal offence.

Mr Andah said “The Judgment further stated that since a breach of the mandatory prohibition creates a criminal offence, only the Attorney General can prosecute on behalf of the NLA, unless the Attorney General has by Executive Instrument granted the NLA powers to prosecute its own cases”.

“All the court said was that the Attorney General should have constituted the action on behalf of the NLA since the breach of the mandatory prohibition was criminal in nature.”

Mr Andah said the NLA would appeal against the judgment as the court did not determine the substantive matter, which boarded on whether or not the activities of TIGO constituted a lottery.

He pointed out that the judgment had not changed the mandate of the NLA as enshrined in the National lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722).

“All it means is that if any institution or person is engaged in lotto or lottery, the NLA with the assistance of the Police would have to arrest the directors of the institution and with the assistance of the Attorney General prepare a docket on the company and its directors or person for prosecution,” he added.

Mr Andah said the NLA would continue to enforce ACT 722 and would not cede its mandate to any individual or institution.

Based on that, Mr Andah said the NLA had engaged the A-G’s Department, which had indicated its willingness and capacity to work with the authority in ensuring that ACT 722 remained an effective law.

Pursuant to ACT 722, the NLA commenced legal action against institutions engaged in lottery disguised as marketing or consumer promotions and secured injunctions to curb their activities.

Last year, the NLA secured an injunction to restrain mobile operator, TIGO from running its “TIGO House Promotion” since it was illegal.

GNA

16 Burnt To Ashes

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The burnt bus with the trapped passengers

A TECHIMAN-bound commercial Ford bus and a Daewoo taxi heading towards Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region yesterday collided, resulting in the death of 16 people including a baby boy on the spot.

All the passengers on the Ford were burnt beyond recognition, except one person who was occupying the front passenger’s seat who managed to escape.

Two other people in the taxi were also burnt, according to an eyewitness.

The Ford passengers were trapped as the door was automatically locked following the head-on collision.

The taxi driver was also trapped by his seat-belt.

The accident occurred around 3pm when the two drivers were travelling on a section of the road which had been engulfed in thick smoke due to bush fires.

According to Kwadwo Nimo, an eyewitness, he had alighted from the Daewoo taxi cab before the accident occurred.

He said soon after getting off at the Kwagyasco farms junction where there was a raging bushfire, he saw the taxi taking off but it soon crashed into the oncoming Ford due to poor visibility in the thickly wafting smoke.

Nimo said following the collision, the taxi veered off the road and fell into the nearby fire and caught fire instantly as it was filled with gas.

Two passengers on board the taxi escaped while one was able to escape from the Ford.  

He stated that by the time the Fire Service vehicle got to the scene, the two vehicles and the 16 people were burnt beyond recognition.

Most of the horrified drivers who arrived at the scene attributed the tragedy to the rampant bushfire in the area.

As at the time of filing this story, the police were collecting the remains of the victims to be deposited at the Sunyani Regional Hospital morgue.

The police personnel on the ground were not ready to talk as they said they needed permission from their superiors.

From Vivianna Mensah, Anyakamaso

Atomic Workers Freed

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The freed Atomic Energy security men at the Cocoa Affairs Court yesterday

The over 30 security and senior officers of the Atomic Energy Commission who were grabbed by the police for allegedly setting a sales point belonging to a Chinese investor at Dome-Kwabenya on fire, were yesterday given a hero’s welcome to the 28th February Road Courts  as their colleague workers cheered them when they arrived in pick-up vehicles.

The workers, who arrived at the court in their hundreds in anticipation that their arrested colleagues would be brought to court for trial, were pleasantly surprised as the suspects were transported from police custody and let off the hook at the court. They sang and chanted, calling the security men and their boss, Felix Adeku, and one Major Samuel Kuleke heroes who had risked their lives to ensure that the right thing was done.

More workers who heard that their colleagues had been released without being tried rushed to the court to show solidarity, openly jubilating that the plans of the Chinese investor had come to naught.

All this while, some of the senior officers including the Director-General, Prof. Edward Akaho and Prof. Francis Allotey, a board member of the commission who were with the workers, said they were informed that the arrested workers would not be charged.

Prof. Akaho did not say much, except that they were waiting for the other workers as some of them were taken to other courts at Osu.  

Prof. Allottey, in an interview with the media, urged the government to protect the commission from encroachers as failure to do so would taint the image of Ghana on the international scene.

He said the workers were threatened with guns so they had to defend themselves and ensure that the interest of the organization was protected.

Prof Edward Akaho at the court yesterday

According to him, the International Atomic Agency was holding a meeting on the development in Ghana and said the decision to prosecute the workers could affect the way the international community perceived Ghana.

He said the action by the commission was to protect lives and property in case of any eventuality, noting that the commission would not want to be held responsible for anything unpleasant happening to any citizen.

Explaining further, he stated that the land in question belonged to the commission.

It would be recalled that on Monday, Professor Edward E. Akaho, together with 35 other security and senior officers of the commission, were arrested by the police for allegedly setting ablaze a sales point office structure belonging to a Chinese investor at Dome-Kwabenya in Accra.

The office structure belonging to Anaiana International Company Limited, the Chinese company, was razed down by fire following an attack by the men in the early hours on Monday

The commission and the Chinese company are both laying claim to a 164-acre piece of land in the area.

According to the police information, the Atomic Energy Commission officials arrested included Professor Akaho, Major Samuel Kuleke, Chief Security, and Felix Adeku, Administrator.

A police source said the security officers attacked the company on the orders of Professor Akaho.

By Fidelia Achama