ADUANA STILL RULE AT HOME (BACK PAGE, NOV 30)

New entrants Dormaa Ahenkro-based Aduana Stars yesterday established their supremacy at home when they beat New Edubiase 1-0.
It was substitute Joseph Doe who got the winner for the homesters as he headed home a cross from the right flank from Godfred Saka on the 82nd minute.
Both teams made incursions into each other’s vital area right from the blast of the whistle of Tamale-based class one referee, Mohammed Awal, but a first goal by the visitors scored by Asiedu Atobrah on the 32nd minute of the first half was ruled offside.
Back from recess, both teams exhausted their substitutions as Aduana Stars brought on Emmanuel Allan, Joseph Doe and Papa Kwame for Osei Boakye, Francis Aduhene and George Ampofoh respectively, while New Edubiase substituted Peter Tabila, Polo Darkey and Eric Fordjour, but it was the homesters who benefited from the substitutions as Doe’s powerful header gave his side the goal to clinch the maximum three points at stake.

DRIVERS URGED TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL ON THE ROADS (PAGE 20, NOV 25)

THE Jaman South District Police Commander, Superintendent P.I.K. Asante has warned drivers in the area to be extra careful to reduce accidents, especially during the Christmas season.
He urged them to value the lives of passengers by avoiding acts that would put their lives at risk, mentioning speeding, overloading and wrongful overtaking as some of the major causes of road accidents.
Supt Asante was launching this year’s road safety campaign at the Drobo in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He advised the drivers to obey traffic regulations and regularly maintain their vehicles to avoid road accidents.
The district commander warned them against alcohol intake when driving and urged them to give respect to passengers who patronised their services.
Supt Asante further warned drivers to stop using mobile phones when driving, as it was among the main causes of road accidents, stressing, “Any driver found guilty of such an offence would be dealt with according to the laws of the land”.
In a speech read on behalf of the Chairman of the Drobo Branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, Mr F.R. Ansu Gyeabour, he stressed the importance of road signs and implored the drivers to let that to be their priority.
“Without road signs, one cannot called himself a good driver,” he added.
Mr Gyeabour urged motorbike riders to be extra careful on the roads to avoid accidents.
He advised members of the union to remain united and work as a team to build a stronger union.
Inspector W.K. Mensah in charge of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) also advised motorbike riders to use helmet when riding to escape head injuries and death whenever they were involved in accidents.
He cautioned that any rider who failed to use a helmet would be arrested and put before court, stressing they and drivers should renew their vehicle papers as soon as they expired.
The Chairman of Drobo branch of Taxi Drivers Union, Mr Kwasi Takyi made a passionate appeal to vehicle owners to buy quality tyres for their commercial vehicles to prevent accidents.
He also advised drivers to be disciplined and respect police personnel on road checks.

BRONG AHAFO GETS ICT CENTRE (PAGE 20, NOV 25)

BRONG Ahafo is the first region in the country to benefit from the community based Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) centre project initiated by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications.
The ICT centre equipped with 50 computers and accessories is located at Penkwase Low Cost, a suburb of Sunyani, near the Medical Village. The facility which is hooked up to the Internet was single-handedly sponsored by the GETFund.
The project which is a gift for the people of Brong Ahafo as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the creation of the region, falls under one of GETFund activities aimed at promoting and improving ICT education at the community level.
According to the GETFund Administrator, Mr Sam Garbah, the ICT centre was a community based project but was consistent with the GETFund mandate of Act 581 of 2000 to support anything that would promote education.
He said the facility forming part of activities of GETFund in promoting Science and Mathematics, ICT, Technical and Vocational education in the country, would be replicated in other parts of the nation.
Mr Garbah emphasised that the GETFund was now focusing on ICT education, adding that the Sunyani ICT centre was a demonstration to that commitment of providing access to ICT education in the country. 
 He stated that since the establishment of the fund, only 1.87 per cent of the total expenditure of GH¢473,569,157.15 for the pre-tertiary sub-sector of education went to support the promotion of the study and propagation of ICT.
He said the allocation of resources for the construction of facilities to expand access for propagation and diffusion of ICT was strategic for the attainment of the Better Ghana promised by the Government.
In that regard, Mr Garbah said the GETFund Board of Trustees had made a firm commitment to significantly scale-up resource allocations for the promotion of productive computer knowledge and usage, as well as for the advancement of Technical and Vocational Education.  
That, he said, would be done in close collaboration and co-operation with the Ministry of Communications.  
“To ensure its sustainability, a management team has been set up to manage the facility under the auspices of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), and patrons have to pay a token to help run the place,” Mr Garbah stated.
The Board Chairman of the GETFund, Dr Kwabena Adjei, inaugurating the ICT centre and a students’ hostel at the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Sunyani Campus, recently to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the region, gave the assurance that the GETFund would be managed prudently.
He pledged that the GETFund would not only be judicious and equitable in the distribution of projects and resources, but would also be accountable to the people.             

WANGARAS CELEBRATE ANNUAL KURUBI FESTIVAL (NSEMPA, NOV 23, PAGE 15)

By Akwasi Ampratwum Mensah & Samuel Duodu, Kintampo.

Wangaras from all parts of the country last Saturday converged at the Kintampo Presbyterian School Park for a grand durbar to climax the celebrations of their annual Kurubi festival.
As early as 6 a.m. last Saturday, Wangaras across the country began to arrive at Kintampo, which is the traditional authority of Wangaras and paid homage to their Paramount Chief, Nana Fanyinama III, who is also the President of the Council of Wangara Chiefs in Ghana at his palace in Kintampo.
The celebrants, who were in a joyous mood, sang to hail their King at the palace and later followed him in a procession from the palace amidst brass band music to the durbar ground. The Council of Wangara Chiefs under the leadership of Nana Fanyinama III, revived the celebration of the festival though very ancient, in 1999.
It was a celebration by the Wangaras in honour of their ancestors who were indigenes of Bambaras Madingo and Djula from the ancient kingdoms of Mali and Songhai. They migrated to Kintampo, which happened to be a slave market at that time. After the collapse of Samori’s network and the abolishing of slavery, the enslaved at the Kintampo market were adopted by the Wangaras and together, formed the ancestry nucleus of the present day Wangara communities.
Taking solace in the fertile land, trade route and the natural protective landscape, they became farmers and traders and formed the core of the Gold Coast regiment now Ghana Army in 1852.
In later years, as a result of economic adventures, the Wangaras migrated to many parts of the country to pursue wealth through trading and cash crop farming and also worked in Gold and Diamond Mining establishments, as well as the security services.
The Kurubi Festival begins on the 27th night of the month of Ramadan a period of fasting on the Islamic calendar. The night is regarded as a revelation night among Muslims and the Wangaras as a period when Allah sends blessing to his people.
The festival also portray the pride of female virgins before marriage who dance on a wooden platform, mounted at the durbar grounds to the admiration of the large crowd who had gathered at the park.
A representative of the YabonWura, King of Gonjaland and his elders who are the kinsmen of the Wangaras always grace the grand durbar of chiefs with a large entourage to signify the ties established between his ancestors and the Wangaras.
The National Association of Wangara Communities known as “Benkadi”, which literally means “togetherness brings happiness”, is responsible for the organisation of the annual Kurubi Festival in Kintampo, regarded as the spiritual home of the Wangaras under the leadership of Nana Fanyinama III, President of the Council of Wangara Chiefs who is also Know as the Wangara Wura.
The festival was single-handedly sponsored by Sidalco Limited, an Agro-chemical company and according to Mr David Lamptey, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Osu Klottey in the Greater Accra Region and his wife, Mrs Gifty Lamptey, congratulated the chiefs and people on the celebration and pledged their continuous support of the company to the annual festival.
The Vice-President, Mr John Mahama Dramani who was the guest of honour at the durbar gave the assurance that the Government had put in place many interventions aimed at creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the country.
He, therefore, urged the youth to take advantage of the various interventions, especially the Youth in Agriculture Programme to improve their lot.
Mr Dramani also in a response to an appeal made by the Wangara Wura, Nana Fanyinama to construct the Kintampo town road said the Government would ask the contractor currently working on the Techiman-Kintampo-Tamale road to add their request to it.
Nana Fanyinama said the previous Government had tackled the principal streets in Kintampo and therefore, appealed to the current administration to tackle the road network with dispatch or else in the event of any torrential rains, disaster could strike, which would result in the use of huge government resources on the resettlement of the victims.
The Wangara Wura also appealed to intellectuals and enlightened Wangaras to reach out to their less privileged brothers and sisters through the Benkadi Association and share their thoughts and ideas that could totally transform “our communities to play important roles in nation building”.
Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, for his part urged the people to take part in the national identification exercise by registering when it got to their communities.

TRADER FINED FOR FRAUD (MIRROR, PAGE 27, NOV 21)

A 28-year-old trader of Babato in the Kintampo North Municipality, who collected GH¢3,150.00 from five persons under the pretext of sending them to Libya, has been sentenced to a fine of GH¢240.00.
The convict, Fuseini Kassim, would serve a nine-month prison term if he failed to pay the fine.
After collecting the amount, Kassim travelled with the five people by road to Niger and abandoned them.
He pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced by the Kintampo magistrate court on his own plea.
The presiding judge, Mr Zoogah in his judgement, said he took into consideration the fact that the convict was a first offender who pleaded for leniency and also promised not to send people to Libya through illegal means.
The convict told the court that he had stayed in Libya for 18 months but because things were difficult, he decided to return to Ghana.
However, when the magistrate enquired from him why he decided to recruit people to Libya, while he knew that the place was not good, the convict said he thought it would be good for others and that he wanted the five people to try their luck.
On the Gh¢3,150.00, the court asked the complainants to take civil action to retrieve their money. The convict has so far refunded Gh¢1,500.00 of the total amount.
The facts of the case as presented in court by Sergeant Wisdom Ahiekpor were that the complainants, Zakari Adam and Mustapha Abubakari are farmer and student respectively, while the accused is a trader and they all lived at Babato.
He said in September 2009, the convict collected GH¢1,350.00 from the complainants and GH¢1,800 from three others with the pretext of sending them to Libya.
Sergeant Ahiekpor further told the court that Kasim travelled with the five by road to Niger but abandoned them at a town called Agadas, with the explanation that he was going to bring another group to join them.
He said after two weeks when the accused was not showing up, the five travelled back home and saw him going about his normal business as if nothing had happened.
Sergeant Ahiekpor said the complainants reported the matter to the police and Kasim was arrested.
Before passing judgement, Mr Zoogah advised people who wanted to embark on irregular migration through the desert to Libya to desist from such mode of travelling for the sake of their lives and also for the good name of Ghana.

NKORANZA TEACHERS CREDIT UNION DECLARES PROFIT (PAGE 21, NOV 20)

MEMBERS of the Nkoranza Area Teachers Co-operative Credit Union in the Brong Ahafo Region, have held their 34th annual general meeting (AGM) at Nkoranza and declared a net surplus of GH¢94,473.30.
The profit which was recorded last year, represented an increase of 110.3 per cent over the GH¢44,926.09 declared by the union in 2007.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the union, Mr Seth Badu who announced this, said the ordinary savings of the union increased from GH¢476,113.09 to GH¢604,914.36.
Mr Badu stated that the special savings registered a growth of 23.9 per cent, that was GH¢85,872.58 in 2008 as against GH¢54,075.34 recorded the previous year.
He said the union’s total outstanding loans increased from GH¢456,849.97 to GH¢634,645.58 which represented 38.9 per cent increase.
Mr Badu said the total assets of the union stood at GH¢978,223.55 as against last year’s figure of GH¢719,741.71, representing about 36.0 per cent increase.
The share capitalisation of the union as of June, 2009 was GH¢57,253.86 while the investment figure for the same period was GH¢315,524.05 being 33.1 per cent increase over last year’s figure.
The board chairman disclosed that the union offered some financial assistance to 10 brilliant, needy students selected from the Nkoranza Senior High School (SHS), Nkoranza Technical Institute, Busunya SHS, Kwabre SHS and Yefriman SHS, with each beneficiary student being supported with GH¢1,000.
The Nkoranza Area Teachers Co-operative Credit Union has a total membership of 1,354 comprising 758 males and 574 females in 22 groups.
Mr Badu mentioned the major challenges facing the union as irregular savings on the part of shareholders, loan default and low shares of the people.
The Manager of the union, Mr Philip Asante-Kudom, advised the members to save regularly with the union and also purchase more shares to improve upon the financial base which could also enable them to enjoy bigger loans from the facility.
Mr Asante-Kudom urged members who guaranteed loans for their favourites to monitor the beneficiaries in order to recover them on schedule for others to benefit from the facility.
The manager stressed on the need for the people who sent others to transact business on their behalf to check their passbooks after every transaction.
That, he said, would ensure that accurate statements had been recorded for them.
The Regional Manager of the Ghana Credit Union Association (CUA), Mr Joseph Arko Incoom, commended the management of the union for its hard work which enabled the union to achieve grade ‘A’ status with CUA classification.
Mr Incoom also praised the union for increasing its total assets and urged the members to maintain the standard.                                                                   

HEARTS FALL TO ADUANA (BACK PAGE, NOV 19)

Newcomers, Aduana Stars, kept their unbeaten home record intact when they defeated champion club, Hearts of Oak, by a lone goal in their Glo Premier League match at the Nana Agyeman Badu Stadium at Dormaa Ahenkro yesterday.
The only goal was scored through a spot kick on the 52nd minute by Emmanuel Allan.
Cape Coast-based Class One referee, Joseph McCarthy, did not only award Aduana the penalty but also showed Hearts goalie, Philemon McCarthy, the yellow card for fouling Nureeden Ali inside the Hearts vital area.
Hearts failed to impress and hardly made any incursions into the vital area of the homesters who were motivated by the special winning bonus promised them by the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II.
Both teams, determined to snatch the maximum three points, exhausted their substitutions in the second half with Aduana Stars bringing on Joseph Aduma, George Ampofo and Ernest Osei Boakye for Gabriel Opoku, Samuel Asiedu and William Adu, respectively, while Hearts also substituted Bernard Don Bortey, Obed Ansah and Alhaji Alhassan with Douglas Nkrumah, Tawrick Djibril and Hamza Abdulai, respectively.
But it was the homesters who benefited from it to clinch victory.

NHIS MANAGERS URGED TO WORK HARD (PAGE 40, NOV 18)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Manager for the National Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr Foster Adjei Korang, has called on scheme managers to work harder than before to supplement the efforts of the Government at achieving the aims and objectives of the scheme.
He urged service providers, field agents and scheme managers to work as a team to build a stronger scheme for their various districts.
Mr Adjei Korang was addressing a meeting of healthcare service providers, field officers and staff of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) at Drobo in the Jaman South District during his maiden visit to the district.
He urged them to continue the good work they had been doing over the years.
The regional manager advised all banks in the region to speed up the transfer of funds from one bank to another.
That, he said, would help the providers to receive their monies in order to pay their suppliers.
Mr Korang entreated the providers to be content with any amount that would be made available to them, since “little drops of water makes a mighty ocean”.
He commended Mr Nicholas Nsrawudi, the Scheme Manager for Jaman South District, for the good job  done, and urged him to maintain the good record of being one of the best managers in the region in particular and in Ghana as a whole.
Mr Korang warned the agents against keeping monies collected at home.
He gave an assurance that his doors were open for good advice, promising that there would be more of such interactions.
Mr Nsrawudi, on behalf of the management and staff, thanked the regional manager for the visit.
He assured the regional manager that they would work harder in the interest of the clients.

BRONG AHAFO ROADS TO BE REPAIRED ...To improve food production (PAGE 40, NOV 19)

The government is to rehabilitate all roads leading to food production centres in the Brong Ahafo Region, Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, has disclosed.
He said road maintenance would not only enhance the free movement of the people, but would enable farmers to cart their produce to the marketing centres.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo gave on assurance when he unveiled a GH¢400,000 grader for the Dormaa West Municipal Assembly at a brief ceremony at Dormaa Ahenkro. The grader was bought on hire purchase from J.A. Plant Pool Limited.
The regional minister stressed that since roads were a lifeline to buoyant economic activities, the assemblies should not wait for the central government to reshape roads leading to food production centres.
He said only four assemblies in the region — namely Sunyani West, Nkoranza North District, Sunyani East and Dormaa West Municipal assemblies, had so far purchased graders.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, therefore, urged the assemblies which had not bought any of the vehicles to do so in order to fulfil the Government’s promise of ensuring that all feeder roads in the region were in good shape all year round.
He said accountability, good governance and transparency were the hallmarks of the Government, and therefore, called on the people to closely monitor the use of the grader, since the money used by the assembly to purchase it belonged to all of them.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo assured the people that they could request for the services of the grader at any time without paying any money, adding, “the only thing you need to do is to buy diesel whenever you need the machine”.
He called on the assembly to observe good maintenance culture to prolong its lifespan.
The Dormaa West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Vincent Oppong-Asamoah, said the municipality, a cash-and-food-crop-producing area in the region, had the largest number of villages in the country.
He said the assembly approved money for the purchase of the grader in 2007/2008, but it could not buy it until this year.
The Aduanahene of Dormaa Traditional Area, Nana Yeboah Kodea, who deputised for the Omanhene of Dormaa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, expressed hope that all communities in the municipality would benefit from the grader.

DORMAAHENE COMMITTED TO STADIUM PROJECT (GRAPHIC SPORTS, PAGE 11, NOV 17)

THE Omanhene of Dormaa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, has stated that the chiefs and people of Dormaa Traditional Area will continue to use part of the resources of the municipal assembly every year for the development of the Nana Agyeman Badu Sports Stadium at Dormaa Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He said until the stadium was fully developed to an international standard, there was no way that the assembly would stop using part of its resources for that purpose, since that was where the heart of the people was.
Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu said this in reaction to reports by a section of the media that the construction of a dressing room at the stadium did not go through the tendering process and was also fraught with an alleged malfeasance in the award of the contract.
The dressing room at the stadium, which was an emergency, comprises two dressing rooms for the home and visiting teams, six bathrooms and six toilets each for both rooms, offices for match officials and match commissioners, among others, is comparable to the dressing room of any modern stadium in the country.
The stadium, constructed at a cost of GH¢86,000, took six weeks to complete as a result of the qualification of Dormaa-based Aduana Stars Football Club to participate in the Premier League; to enable the team to use the facility for its home matches.
Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu reiterated that the resources of the assembly were for the people of Dormaa and, therefore, where the people’s heart was, was where the assembly would put its resources for their benefit.
“As a matter of fact, the chiefs and people of Dormaa are satisfied with the decision by the assembly to develop the stadium and the construction of the dressing room received the blessings of Nananom,” he stated.
“The edifice (dressing room) matches the value, and so far as I am concerned, the Municipal Chief Executive had not done anything wrong for constructing the dressing room,” the Dormaahene stressed.
He stated further that Nananom gave their consent for the construction of the dressing room as part of the development process of the stadium in view of the people reaping the economic benefits that came with football. 
Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu stated that as a result of the urgent need for the dressing room for the team to use the stadium, the assembly and Nananom gave the approval for the construction, which had already been ratified. 
He, therefore, used the opportunity to appeal to citizens of the area who were behind such publications just to tarnish the image of the area and cause unrest to put a stop to it, since it did not promote the peace and unity of the area.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Dormaa West, Mr Vincent Oppong Asamoah, who conducted newsmen round the dressing room, said the stadium project was begun by his predecessor and, therefore, it was not a new project that the assembly had embarked upon.
He added that the construction of the dressing room became necessary following the qualification of Aduana Stars to the Premiership as it was one of the requirements if the team was to use the stadium for its home matches.
Mr Asamoah said construction of the dressing room was pre-financed by the contractor which had the Architectural Engineering Services Limited (AESL) as the consultants for the project.
He added that the cost of the project was GH¢86,000, but the assembly would retain GH¢9,000 which would reduce the cost to GH¢77,000.
He said so far, the assembly had paid the contractor a part payment of GH¢25,000.
“I have, therefore, not embezzled any funds as the publication by the Daily Guide newspaper sought to portray. I, therefore, see the allegations as frivolous which have no merit, and my doors are open to any form of investigations,” the MCE said.
Mr Oppong stated that the people were happy with the project since it had brought immense economic benefits to them, as restaurants kept on springing up in the area, thereby creating jobs for the people.
 ”Besides, the assembly has also raked in over GH¢2,000 revenue for the two matches played at the stadium,” he said.
Mr Oppong added that apart from Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko which had a large following, and are also traditional clubs, the other traditional team in the Premiership was Aduana, which also had a large following, so the economic benefits that came with football must be reaped by the people. 
 
 

LET'S CO-OPERATE TO BRING PEACE TO BAWKU — CDS (PAGE 31, NOV 17)

THE Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Major General Peter Augustine Blay, has appealed to the media to co-operate with the government, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and all other stakeholders to help bring peace to Bawku and other conflict areas in the country.
The CDS debunked a recent media report that troops in Bawku in the Upper East Region had paraded some suspected gunmen naked in public.
He said investigations had revealed that the reportage had been exaggerated and that it was factually incorrect.
“Inflammatory reportage that can undermine efforts at resolving the conflict must be avoided. In this regard, we need to emphasise collective effort as our guiding principle,” he stressed.
Maj Gen Blay made the appeal at the closing ceremony of the five-day GAF inter-service shooting competition code-named, “Exercise Fireblast”, held at the Yawhima Military Shooting Range near Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The bi-annual shooting competition was to intensify training and improve upon weapon handling within the GAF, exchange training ideas and foster co-operation and friendship among the GAF.
It was also to promote the competitive spirit within the GAF and also encourage all ranks, especially young officers, as well as female soldiers, to improve on their shooting skills.
Personnel from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force competed in the M16 rifle shooting, small machine gun (SMG) shooting, Pistol Norinco shooting and falling plates.
The Army was adjudged the overall best team in the competition with 2,128 points and it was presented with a trophy and a certificate.
It was followed by the Air Force with 1,883 points and the Navy with 1,658 points in that order.
Lt Col Michael Ayisi Amoah, the outgoing Commanding Officer of the Three Garrison in Sunyani, won the best individual award in pistol shooting and was presented with a coin and a certificate, while Staff Sergeant A. Habib and Lance Corporal Sarah Darkwah, both of the Army, were adjudged the overall best individual male and female shooters, respectively, in the competition.
Major Gen Blay, in his address, urged personnel of the GAF not to be frustrated by such unfair reportage and rather be encouraged to continue to discharge their duties diligently as they had sworn to do.
He gave the assurance that the GAF would continue to explore opportunities for joint and combined training for effective mission accomplishment, as well as stand by to co-operate with civil society groups and other agencies to combat security ills plaguing the country.
The CDS called on officers and men of the GAF to continue to vigorously confront and eradicate the menace of armed robbery in the country and, in collaboration with the police, also keep the peace in conflict areas in support of civil authority, in addition to their normal functions.
Maj Gen Blay said apart from being an interesting exercise, the competition was entertaining and indicated the level of preparedness of the GAF to fulfil its constitutional mandate of defending the State.
Later at a reception at the Three Garrison Officers Mess, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, commended the personnel for their efforts at sustaining the peace and stability of the country, saying that their efforts had made Ghana an oasis of peace in the West African sub-region.
He also expressed the gratitude of the Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) to the personnel of the GAF for their continuous engagement in the maintenance of peace in the region, adding that any time the personnel were called upon, they were ever ready to respond.
Among the dignitaries who witnessed the closing ceremony were the Chief of Army Staff, Major Gen Joseph Narh Adinkrah; the Chief of Navy Staff, Rear Admiral Quarshie; a representative of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Commodore Ajimoaning Awusima; Brigadier Gen Chris K. Ocran, the General Officer Commanding the Northern Command; Rear Admiral Tahiru Munir, the Commandant of the Military Academy and Training School (MATS), and Brigadier Gen Ishmael Ben Quartey, the Commander of the Support Services.

BLOODY WEEKEND...Boy, 6, beheaded at Abesim, Woman, 30, killed at Okorase, 4 Robbers gunned down in Ksi (LEAD STORY, NOV 16)

Story; Akwasi Ampratwum Mensah & Samuel Duodu at Abesim, Nana Konadu Agyeman at Okorase & Kwame Asare Boadu in Kumasi

THE grisly murder of a famous business woman, 30, near Koforidua, the gruesome beheading of a six-year-old boy near Sunyani and the gunning down of four armed robbers in Kumasi in a shootout with the police marked a weekend of blood and horror for some residents of those parts of the country.
At Abesim, near Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, hundreds of residents besieged the crime scene, eager to catch a glimpse of Ernest Kwame Awuah, alias President, who was on display with the mutilated body of his six-year-old nephew, Charles Sey.
Awuah allegedly pierced Charles’s right eye and ear and then slashed his throat.
The victim was the son of the suspect’s younger brother.
Briefing the Daily Graphic after the bizarre incident which happened about 11 a.m. on Saturday, the Sunyani Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Charles Botwe, said following a report from a resident, he dispatched a team of policemen to the deceased’s grandmother’s house where the little boy lived and the team found the suspect carrying the body of the boy on his lap in a room where he had allegedly committed the crime.
Charles’s body has been deposited at the Regional Hospital in Sunyani for autopsy.
According to Mr Botwe, the police had found it difficult to take a statement from the suspect, since he was behaving abnormally, but noted that a caution statement had been taken from the suspect’s father, while the police were yet to take another one from Charles’s grandmother, after which Awuah would be put before court.
An uncle of the boy’s, Mr Kwasi Ollu, a farmer, told the Daily Graphic that Charles’s mother, who is staying in Techiman, was yet to be informed about her son’s death, saying that she separated with the boy’s father about five years ago when they were staying together at Tanoano, a farming community near Abesim.
At Okorase in the New Juaben municipality of the Eastern Region, news of the Sunday morning murder of Rita Baah, affectionately called Afia Atta, allegedly by a fetish priest, spread like bush fire throughout the town.
The deceased, a resident of Effiduase in Koforidua who operates a cosmetics shop and a boutique at the Daasebre Roundabout in Koforidua, was said to have been hit several times on the forehead with a hammer by the fetish priest at his shrine at Okorase about 12.30 a.m.
After the crime, Joseph Tetteh, the 35-year-old traditional priest, popularly known as Mallam, was reported to have tied the victim’s hands and legs, covered it with a cloth and placed it on his motorbike in an attempt to dump it at a spot far away from Okorase and create the impression that she had been knocked down by a vehicle.
However, luck eluded him when he was spotted by some passengers travelling along the Okorase-Mamfe road about 1.30 a.m. with the body of the deceased strewn across the motorbike.
He was reported to have swerved to the left of the road where he abandoned both the body and the motorbike and fled into a nearby bush at Tei Nkwanta near Okorase.
That was after the passengers in the vehicle travelling from Aburi to Koforidua attempted to question him over where he was taking the body to.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Koforidua, the New Juaben Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent John A. Naami, said about 12.30 a.m. the police received a distress call from some travellers at Tei Nkwanta that they had spotted a man conveying a dead body on a motorbike.
He said the passengers told the police that the fetish priest had been seen driving from Okorase to dump the body by the roadside to create the impression that the deceased had been knocked and killed by a vehicle.
When the passengers attempted to question him as to where he was taking the body, the fetish priest was said to have fled into the bush.
Supt Naami said a team of police investigators was immediately dispatched to the scene where they found Rita’s tied body covered in a cloth and strewn across the motorbike, with registration number GN 8843 Z.
He said the police traced the motorbike to the fetish priest’s house but they never found him. However, some of the youth of Okorase and Tei Nkwanta, two neighbouring communities, mounted an intensive search and arrested Tetteh in a bush at Tei Nkwanta where he was hiding about 1 a.m. on Sunday.
The timely intervention of the police saved him from being lynched.
During interrogation, Tetteh was reported to have told the police that some unknown people had killed Rita but that he had only attempted taking it to dump it somewhere.
The New Juaben Municipal Police Commander, who indicated that the police were carrying out further investigation into the murder, commended the residents of Okorase and Tei Nkwanta for helping to arrest the fetish priest.
Meanwhile, when the Daily Graphic visited the New Juaben Central Police Station, a large gathering of residents, including the family of the business woman and her boyfriend, was seen in utter shock and tears over Rita’s death.
In the Ashanti Region, the regional Police Command took the fight against armed robbery to another level at the weekend when they shot dead four suspected armed robbers, all believed to be in their late 30s, during a gun battle at Konkromase, a suburb of Kumasi.
Friday night’s operation was the second biggest police offensive against armed robbery in Ashanti this year and the dead suspects brought to 26 the number of armed robbers killed by the police in the region this year.
One of the four robbers was identified as Abdul Razak Ibrahim, alias Fante-Fante.
Razak, described as a hardened criminal, had earlier been arrested in a robbery case but he was granted bail by a Kumasi High Court in November 2006 but had since failed to appear before court.
Two others were identified only as Fiifi and Rashid, both ex-convicts, with the fourth one yet to be identified.
They were among a group of seven armed robbers who had gone on a robbery spree on the rainy night. They were actually in the process of attacking their fourth victim when men from the Police Buffalo Unit encountered them.
According to the police, those who managed to escape bolted with cash of GH¢95,000 believed to have been taken from victims of the robbery operations.
A number of offensive weapons, including four pump action guns, three locally manufactured pistols, 21 live ammunition, eight spent cartridges, one heavy-duty cutter and two mobile phones, were retrieved by the police from the scene of the shooting.
A KIA taxi, which the robbers had snatched from its driver, and a Nissan Pathfinder, which they took from its female owner after shooting her in the right shoulder, were later found abandoned at various locations in the city.
The woman was treated and discharged at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Briefing journalists, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Patrick Timbillah, said it all started about 6 p.m. when the robbers snatched the KIA taxi from its driver at gunpoint at Buokrom, a Kumasi suburb.
They then used the taxi in the second operation in which they attacked a woman about 7 p.m. at Atonsu, also in Kumasi, and snatched her Nissan Pathfinder from her.
DCOP Timbillah said the robbers shot the woman, who was returning from work, before taking her vehicle away.
They abandoned the taxi and used the Nissan Pathfinder to attack a man who had just arrived in Kumasi from Accra at Asokwa and took away his bag containing GH¢95,000.
DCOP Timbillah it was when the robbers went on the fourth operation at Konkromase that the police pounced on them. About 8.30 p.m., they attacked a house at Konkromase and when the police reached there, the robbers opened fire on them.
He said the police returned fire, killing the four, while the three others escaped.
The Nissan Pathfinder was later found abandoned at Buokrom, together with the bag which contained the GH¢95,000.

REWIRE 18-YEAR-OLD PUBLIC BUILDINGS (PAGE 22, NOV 14)

THE Ghana Electrical Contractors Association (GECA) has called on the Ghana National Fire Service to recommend to the government to rewire all public buildings in the country which are more than 18 years old to prevent such structures from catching fire.
According to them, the call had become necessary to prevent such buildings from catching fire as in the case of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other public buildings which were destroyed by fire.
Members of the association made the call at a day’s workshop in Sunyani organised by Nexans Kabelmetal Ghana Limited, manufacturers of high quality building, energy, industrial and telecommunications cables, in collaboration with the GECA.
They said any renovation carried out on any public building in the country must also go hand-in-hand with its rewiring, especially when the building had been in existence for over 18 years.
The workshop, held on the theme: “Selection of cables, the workman’s safety,” was to update the knowledge of users of cables, especially on the need to choose the right and quality cable for wiring to ensure their safety and that of property owners.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Commercial Manager of Nexans’ Kabelmetal Ghana Limited, Mr Aaron Sagoe, said the aim of the workshop was to step up public education for property owners and electrical contractors to use the right cables for wiring to prevent fire outbreaks.
He said another objective of the workshop was to ensure the safety of all users of cables.
He enjoined all property owners to change their wiring systems at least every 20 years to ensure efficiency in the use of the systems.
Mr Sagoe, therefore, urged electrical contractors to insist on using the right cables to work for their clients, adding that property owners should also patronise quality cables instead of the inferior ones which often led to fire outbreaks.
He said Nexans Kabelmetal Ghana Limited was the leading manufacturer of quality cables for wiring of buildings, energy, industrial and telecommunication purposes, as their products had stood the test of time for the past 40 years.
Mr Sagoe gave the assurance that Kabelmetal would continue to satisfy the needs of its customers by supplying them with products of high quality .
Station Officer Moses Blay of the Ghana National Fire Service in Sunyani called on electrical contractors to impress upon their clients to buy quality cables for their house wiring.
According to him, most of the fire outbreaks were caused by electrical faults due to the usage of inferior cables.
The National President of GECA, Mr Joseph B. Walker, said the workshop was a nationwide one aimed at educating their members on the need to select the right cables for their work to ensure their safety and that of others.

 

COUNCIL GRATEFUL TO GETFUND (PAGE 23, NOV 14)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), the Regional House of Chiefs and the Brong Ahafo (BA) @ 50 Secretariat have expressed their appreciation to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for single-handedly sponsoring the construction of the Brong Ahafo @ 50 Information Communication and Technology (ICT) centre, which they described as a befitting legacy for posterity.
The BA@50 ICT centre, which is equipped with 50 computers and its accessories, all of which are hooked up to the Internet, was constructed at a cost of GH¢300,000.
The Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, made the commendation at a news conference organised by the RCC and the BA@50 Secretariat to officially acknowledge and thank all those who contributed in diverse ways to make the celebration of the Golden Jubilee anniversary successful.
“We are sincerely grateful to the GETFund Board Chairman and Administrator for their personal commitment,” he said.
The regional minister announced that the BA@50 planning committee had instituted an awards day celebration for December 5, 2009 to honour illustrious sons and daughters of the region, as well as rewarding indigenes who had contributed in diverse ways towards the socio-economic and political development of the region over the past 50 years.
He, on behalf of the RCC expressed gratitude to the President, Prof. J.E.A. Mills, and his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama, for accepting to grace the occasion, which would always be remembered by the chiefs and people of the region.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo further expressed appreciation to the Members of the Council of State, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ministers of State, the Australian High Commissioner and other distinguished personalities who made time off their busy schedule to attend the grand durbar.
The regional minister also commended and congratulated Nananom on the notable role they played in the successful organisation and execution of activities of the celebration, adding that Nananom actively participated to add pump and pageantry to climax the occasion.
He was grateful to the RCC, Nananom and the secretariat, the sponsors and donors whose various contributions helped to ensure successful celebration.

ARMED FORCES SHOOTING COMPETITION OPENS AT YAWHIMA (PAGE 20, NOV 13)

THE General Officer Commanding the Northern Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General Chris K. Ocran, has called on officers and men of the three services, namely the Army, the Navy and the Air Force to improve upon their weapon handling skills in order to deal professionally with the security challenges facing the country and the world at large.
He made the call at the opening ceremony of the bi-annual Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) shooting competition, code-named: “Exercise Fireblast” at the Yawhima Military Shooting Range in the Sunyani Municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The inter-services shooting competition which opened last Wednesday ends today.
The aim of the competition is to intensify training and improve upon weapon handling within the GAF, exchange training ideas and foster co-operation and friendship among the Armed Forces.
It also promotes competitive spirit and esprit de corps within the GAF, and also encourages all ranks, especially the young officers, as well as female soldiers, to improve on their shooting skills.
Personnel from the three services of the GAF would compete in the M16 rifle shooting, small machine gun (SMG) shooting, pistol Norinco shooting and falling plates.
Brigadier General Ocran stressed the need for a high level of professionalism as personnel of the GAF were constantly engaged in internal security and international operations.
He said it was, therefore, imperative for personnel of the GAF to improve on their weapon handling skills in order to achieve results and at the same time reduce accidents in the face of the challenges of armed robberies, communal violence and cross-border crimes.
Touching on the competition, Brigadier General Ocran said the competition was necessary as it doubled as training for the GAF to enable the service to perform its constitutional roles effectively and professionally.
“This event is also important to the GAF because it facilitates joint training. We get the opportunity to acquaint ourselves with the workings, processes and procedures of the other services. We make good friends and develop healthy rivalry,” he added.
Brigadier General Ocran advised the competitors that it was not a do-or-die issue which should generate enmity since it was meant to test their skills as men at arms in a healthy atmosphere, adding that the competition should be conducted in a fair manner devoid of any acrimony and underhand dealings or cheating.
He observed that the competition was not to test only their skills but also their moral and ethical values of fairness, good sportsmanship and brotherliness, and expressed the hope that records would be broken and set.
Among the dignitaries who witnessed the opening ceremony were Brigadier General Ishmael Ben Quartey, the Commander of the Support Services, members of the Regional Security Council and Oboaman Dr Bofotia Boa-Amponsem II, the Krontihene of the Sunyani Traditional Area.

BRONG AHAFO MARKS 50TH BIRTHDAY (SHOWBIZ, SPREAD, NOV 4)

By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah & Samuel Duodu

Hundreds of resident and non-resident citizens as well as friends and well wishers of the Brong Ahafo region, last Saturday, converged at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani to participate in a grand durbar of chiefs that climaxed the activities marking the 50 years anniversary celebration of the creation of the region.
As early as 5am, the people had started making their way to the durbar grounds from their homes and it was a delight to watch the retinue of paramount chiefs dressed in their rich kente and other expensive clothes and riding in their palanquins.
It was a beautiful sight as chiefs and queenmothers with their large followers, danced to fontonfrom and kete music even as they sat gorgeously in their palanquins while riding at a snail pace to take their respective seats at the durbar grounds.
Apart from the accompanying kete and fontomfrom performers of the chiefs and queens, the Tanokrom Agromma at the Sunyani Centre for National Culture performed traditional dances while the All Saints Choir of the Catholic Church and the Abesim Brass Band, also provided music to the admiration of some of the people who could not contain their emotions and feelings to dance.
Food vendors of all kinds had also pitched their temporary tents to take advantage of the market provided by hungry revellers.
Among the large number of guests were Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Members of the Council of State, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Heads of Departments, Assembly members, and the Clergy.
The President and his entourage arrived at about 2:45p.m and in accordance with tradition, went round to exchange pleasantries with the chiefs, an item on the programme which lasted for almost one and a half hours.
In a short address, he announced that, the government would establish a University of Energy and Natural Resources in the Brong Ahafo Region, and that a committee had already been set up to work on the project, saying, “Very soon, you will see signs of that”.
Speaker after speaker called for unity among the people to ensure an effective development of the area.
The Brong Ahafo Region, which was formerly called Western Ashanti, was created by an Act of Parliament on April 4, 1959, as a result of a sustained agitation mounted by the Brong Kyempim Council.
The chiefs who fought for the creation of the region are Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Dr. Agyeman Badu of Dormaa, Nana Akumfi Ameyaw III of Techiman, Nana Kofi Bosea Gyinantwi II of Drobo, Nana Yaw Frimpong of Kukuom, Nana Fosu Gyeabour of Bechem, Nana Kwasi Apraku of Odumase No. 1 and Nana Kwame Agyeman II, Abeasehene. They are all deceased.

NKRUMAH'S STATUE TO BE ERECTED AT SUNYANI JUBILEE PARK (NOV 10)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the Brong Ahafo @50 Secretariat is to erect the statue of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana and the busts of the seven gallant chiefs who fought for the creation of the region, in addition to the statue of Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, which is currently located at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani, the regional capital.
The erection of the statue and busts is to honour the memory of Dr Nkrumah and the chiefs, whose  sustained agitation led to the creation of the region on April 4,1959, through an Act of Parliament.
They would also form part of some of the monuments to be built to commemorate the year-long celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the creation of the region scheduled to end in April, 2010.
Apart from the erection of the statue and busts, an arch would also be built at the Sunyani Senior High School (SHS) junction across the Sunyani-Kumasi highway which also serves as the entry point to the regional capital.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, announced this when J. Adom Limited, a Sunyani- based construction firm and MTN, a telecommunications network operator, presented cheques for GH¢5,000 and GH¢3,500 respectively, to him at his office towards the Golden Jubilee celebration. 
He debunked an assertion going round that there were plans to remove the statue of Dr Busia which was currently located at the jubilee park, saying, “It is not true and it is rumour just to cause mischief. “Rather, what we are going to do is to erect the statue of Dr Nkrumah and the busts of the seven chiefs in addition to that of Dr Busia which is already standing at the park,” Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stated.
He reiterated that the decision to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the region was to rekindle the sense of unity and tenacity of purpose among citizens of the region.
That, he said, could propel the socio-economic development of the region to greater heights to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of the people.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo said the celebration was also to “pay befitting tribute to the lives and bravery of our gallant chiefs who fought to achieve autonomy and self-determination for us and to reflect on their good works to serve as a guide and unifying force in our forward-match into the future in order to achieve the development that we cherish for ourselves”.
He thanked the two institutions for the gesture, which he said would go a long way to support the committee to meet some of the commitments for the year-long anniversary.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo appealed to other institutions in the region that had not responded to support the anniversary, to emulate the two companies since the anniversary, which is a year-long one, was still ongoing. 
Mr John Cobbina, the Project Accountant of J. Adom Limited, and Mrs  Eleanor Adzaho Sarpong, the Senior Manager in charge of Government and Regulatory Relations of MTN, who made the presentation on behalf of their respective companies said they were happy to be associated with the year-long celebration.

NEWMONT GIVES PACKAGE TO ASUTIFI FARMERS (BACK PAGE, NOV 10)

FARMERS in the Asutifi District in the Brong Ahafo Region who were directly affected by the Ahafo Mine project, have received a total of GH¢2.7million under the Agricultural Improvement and Land Access Programme of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL).
The package was under the Agricultural Improvement and Land Access Programme and the Ahafo Agribusiness Growth Initiative (AILAP/AAGI).
Mr Dan Michaelson, NGGL General Manager, Environment and Social Responsibility (ESR), said this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Agbeko Azumah, the NGGL Communications Manager, at the AILAP/AAGI Open Day in Kenyasi.
The open day, on the theme; “Increased Agricultural Production and Productivity in Asutifi”, was to provide information on coverage and achievements of the programme since its inception.
The open day also afforded beneficiaries of the programmes the opportunity to showcase and exhibit their produce and be acknowledged for their efforts and hard work.
Mr Michaelson gave the breakdown of the amount spent as GH¢1,014,950 for 3,000 farmers under the first phase of AILAP in Ahafo South, GH¢1.5Million on AAGI and GH¢116,425.75 on farm inputs and their distribution, as well as land access, clearance and maintenance fees for the second phase of AILAP.
The AILAP/AAGI , a post-resettlement programme initiated in 2006 and targeted at farmers who had been paid their crop or building compensation, is designed to improve the economic livelihoods of farmers in the district by helping them to improve both productivity and profitability.
The project is also intended to encourage them to think like businessmen and women to ensure that they produce to market specifications and link their productivity to market demands.
Mr Michaelson, in his address, said Newmont had been collaborating with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Opportunities Industrialisation Centre (OIC) International , the Asutifi District Assembly and African Connections Ghana Limited to implement the AILAP/AAGI.
He gave the assurance that Newmont and its collaborators under the AILAP/AAGI, would continue to work together for the development of the communities within its Ahafo Mine catchment to improve their well-being.
Dr Ayesha Hakeem, the Managing Director of African Connections Ghana Limited, said beneficiaries of the AILAP were making significant progress in their agricultural activities as they had been marketing their produce to local, regional and international buyers, processors and exporters.

GOVT TO PROBE RELEASE OF FUNDS FOR HOUSING UNITS ...For Sunyani Regional Hospital Staff (NOV 9, PAGE 20)

THE government has initiated investigations into a case in which a part payment of 1,750,000 pounds was released to a United Kingdom-based contractor in 2003, for the construction of 221 housing units for staff of the Regional Hospital in Sunyani.
The project, which was to be completed within 10 months, was to cost a total of 3,494,120.00 pounds, but was later reviewed downwards to 3,303,883.00 pounds, for which the part payment was released by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to the contractor, Messrs International Hospitals Group (IHG).
“Unfortunately, the project was never undertaken and the part payment to the contractor has not been recovered. Government is investigating the issue and would ensure that the housing units are constructed so as to facilitate the provision of residential accommodation for all categories of health personnel working at the hospital”.
The Vice-President Mr John Dramani Mahama disclosed this when he officially inaugurated the Regional Hospital in Sunyani last Friday as part of activities marking the Brong Ahafo@50 celebrations.
The Project, which was completed in 2000 comprises 13 specialised units, including eight operating theatres, Radiology Department, three X-ray units, Automatic Processing Unit, Image Trans-intensifier, Ultra-Sound Scan among others.
However, Mr Mahama said when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government assumed the mantle of leadership in 2001, the hospital, even though completed, was never inaugurateded during their eight years’ tenure and was not also put to use until 2003, for reasons that were considered largely paroachail by many.
The Vice-President said during the first National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime, a policy was outlined to provide a hospital in every regional capital.
The first phase involved the commencement of work on the construction of three modern regional hospitals for Cape Coast, Ho and Sunyani.
Consequently, the Vice-President said a contract was awarded to Messrs International Hospitals Group to construct a 300-bed Regional Hospital in Sunyani, which had become inadequate to sufficeintly cater for the increase in population.
“When I was informed that the hospital was to be officially commissioned as apart of the celebration of the Brong Ahafo@50, I wondered why a hospital would have to be officially commissioned after almost six years of use”, the Vice-President asked.
“The commissioning of the hospital today, is a clear manifestation of our policy to promote and extend free access to good quality and affordable basic primary healthcare delivery services to all Ghanaians.
“Phase two of the programme will continue with new modern hospitals in Wa, Bolgatanga and Koforidua”, he said.
The Vice-President disclosed further that the government was committed to the implementation of the one-time health insurance premium payment as a further improvement on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), as well as undertaking the necessary review in order to streamline the current system which was beset with many challenges including fraud and theft at both the facility level and in the administration of the scheme.
Mr Mahama, added that actuarial studies for the one-time premium were being undertaken and the government expected to implement this promise in its current term of the NDC administration.
The Vice-President said the government was also concerned about the various challenges facing health workers, and would do everything possible to make work and remuneration, attractive for health professionals as a means of motivating them to curb the brain drain in the sector.
Mr Mahama also used the opportunity to appeal to medical personnel, including doctors, nurses, and other paramedical staff to accept to work in rural areas where their services were most needed, saying the government was considering a restructuring of remumeration packages to give incentives and rewards to health workers who accept postings to the rural areas.
Dr Elias Sory, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) urged health workers to be centred and disciplined, saying that “whatever be our differences, we should ensure that our patients get the necessary support and attention”.
He called on the chiefs and people of the region to play their part to ensure that the government’s goal to ensuring health delivery was achieved.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, gave the assurance that the government would do everything within its power to ensure that the old equipment which were not functioning properly were replaced with new ones to ensure quality healthcare delivery to the people.
Earlier in his welcoming address, Dr Aaron Offie, the Regional Director of Health Services, said the hospital could match with any other health facility in the sub-region.
He said apart from being a referral hospital in the region, it also provides training for doctors on housemanship. He commended the management and staff of the hospital for their hard work and for ensuring quality healthcare for the people in the face of the numerous challenges.

NO DIRECTIVE FOR REMOVAL OF BUSIA'S STATUE (NOV 9, PAGE 16)

The Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) has not given any directive to the effect that the statue of Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, which is currently standing at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, should be demolished.
The Regional House of Chiefs has also not instructed the BA@50 Planning Committee to remove the statue and neither has the committee itself taken any categorical decision to carry out such an action contrary to public speculation.
The Omanhene of Prang Traditional Area, Nana Kwadwo Nyarko III, who is also the Chairman of the BA@50 Planning Committee, dispelled the notion at a grand durbar of the chiefs and people of the Brong Ahafo Region to climax the year-long Golden Jubilee celebration of the creation of the region on Saturday.
He declared: "We, therefore, plead with all parties to exercise restraint on this matter since those propagating such unfounded allegations are only playing the devil’s advocate and are probably up to some mischief".
He said: "Let us rather concentrate on the things that bind us together as one people since in unity we find strength".
According to the chairman of the anniversary planning committee, the decision to celebrate the creation of the region, was a clear demonstration to the current generation that the region was worth dying for.
Secondly, he pointed out that, it was to rekindle the sense of unity and tenacity of purpose of the Brong Ahafo citizens, and that with togetherness, "we would be able to propel the socio-economic development of the region to greater heights to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of our people".
The theme for the celebration was: "Brong Ahafo @ 50: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects".
According to the chairman, among the benefits to be derived from the celebration of the Golden Jubilee are the planting of 30,000 tree seedlings, made up of cassia and teak species, in all the district capitals.
“It is our belief that we have supported the Government’s policy and drive towards making Ghana green".
He also said the organisation of various sporting activities was considered a catalyst to improve the physical health and fitness of the citizenry.
He said 600 schoolchildren, 20 of whom were drawn from each district, were offered the opportunity to have lunch and interact with accomplished personalities, role models and nananom in the region.
In addition, he noted that the trade and investment fair/exhibition, which was dubbed: "Dwa Kessie 2009", attracted both local and foreign participation, which not only showcased the region’s immense potential but also resulted in the marketing and sale of products.
Furthermore, Nana Nyarko pointed out that the Congress of Brong Ahafo Citizens served as a rallying point for regional consensus building, forged unity among citizens and also invigorated the people to revisit those laudable principles of the gallant chiefs, especially, those in leadership to serve the people better.
The chairman of the planning committee, however, admitted that the committee faced a lot of challenges in its work but nevertheless, with hard work, selfless commitment, tenacity of purpose and focus, its members were able to deliver their assigned tasks successfully.
The President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Osahene Kwaku Aterkyi II, and the Omanhene of the Kukuom Traditional Area, expressed his appreciation to the government for the unique contribution it made towards the overall development of the region, in respect of education, health, road network, electricity supply, telecommunications and the provision of other social services, including potable water supply.
He, however, said the region still faced several challenges in respect of the development of infrastructure generally, inadequate health facilities, water supply and education facilities.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, paid glowing tribute to all nananom of blessed memory and other distinguished personalities, who fought for the creation of the region as well as all previous governments for their contributions towards infrastructure development of the region.
He expressed his appreciation to the Government and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETfund) for the construction of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre for chiefs and people of the region on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebration, which would go a long way to enhance the use of ICT among schoolchildren in the region.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, on behalf of the RCC and planning committee, thanked the President J.E.A. Mills and his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama, ministers and all other personalities who made the celebration a success.

ARSENAL PIP OLY (NOV 9, BACK PAGE)

Berekum Arsenal yesterday survived a scare before beating Wonder Club Accra Great Olympics 2-1 in the Glo Premier League match at the Golden City Park in Berekum.
The game was heading for a 1-1 draw when Arsenal’s Francis Aggrey got the winner on the 90th minute when he struck a grounder to beat goalkeeper Muntari Tagoe.
Arsenal scored the opener through Ernest Obeng’s header following a rebound. But Olympics, determined to repeat a 2001 feat when they beat Arsenal at the same venue, cancelled the lead on the 75th minute through Emmanuel Lartey.
However, that feat by Olympics could not be repeated as Arsenal, with their strength at home always towering, lifted their game in the final 10 minutes which paid off on the 90th minute through Aggrey’s goal.

SUNYANI TO BENEFIT FROM STREETLIGHT PROJECT (PAGE 22)

THE Sunyani municipality has been selected among six regional capitals in the country to benefit from the Government’s electrification programme aimed at improving security and visibility at night.
The project is to give the municipality which is fast developing into a conference hub/destination in the country a face-lift.
The project which has been already awarded on contract, would cover a distance of 34.02 kilometres.
The areas to be covered are the Sunyani-Chiraa road, that is, from the Tata Hotel traffic light to the Liberation Barracks, the Sunyani-Kumasi road, from the Sunyani Senior High School junction to the Ghana Water Company Headworks at Abesim, Ring-Road from the Seventh Day Adventist Church Educational Unit through Penkwase to the last stop; residential area behind the Catholic Church on the Chiraa road and from the Post Office roundabout through Baakoniaba to ASEC School.
The rest are from the electoral commission through to the Volta River Authority (VRA) Estate to the final waste disposal site of the municipal assembly; from Rex Cinema Hall through the stadium to Sunyani Zongo; from Tata Restaurant through Catering roundabout to Sunyani West District capital at Odumasi; from Sunyani Newtown to Tonsuom Estate.
Most of the areas to be covered by the streetlighting project did not have streetlights which made the places dangerous for residents at night.
The Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Kwasi Oppong Ababio, announced this at the second ordinary meeting of the Sunyani Municipal Assembly at Sunyani.
He stated that the streetlight project would begin from November 7, this year, to coincide with the visit of the President J.E.A. Mills to Sunyani as the special guest of honour at a grand durbar of the chiefs and people of the region to climax the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the creation of the region.
Mr Ababio said the assembly had also earmarked a number of projects for either rehabilitation or construction.
He mentioned the projects as the rehabilitation of the Boahenkorkor Presbyterian ‘B’ Junior High School, reroofing of a four-unit classroom block for the Ghana Muslim Mission School and Municipal Assembly Primary School in Sunyani, renovation of a six-unit classroom block for the Atronie Methodist Primary School, construction of a three-unit classroom block each for Yawhima Municipal Assembly, Abesim Methodist and Presbyterian ‘A’ Primary Schools.
Mr Ababio mentioned other projects also earmarked for completion by the assembly as a court building, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) office complex, clinics for Nkrankrom, Atronie and Wawasua, while plans were far advanced to set up an education endowment fund to assist brilliant needy students in the municipality.
The MCE commended the three-member task force set up to assist in revenue mobilisation for raking in Gh¢8,328 within the short period that it operated.
He said the assembly had taken realistic measures of improving revenue mobilisation, which included the creation of a billing section to deal with the issues of preparation of bills to property owners to ensure effective collection of rates and data.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo bemoaned the springing up of unauthorised structures in the municipality which was impeding pedestrian and vehicular movements, especially in the central business district area, which had created congestion.
He, therefore, called on the assembly to embark on decongestion exercise to rid the city of the unauthorised structures which were destroying the beauty of the once most planned municipality in the country.
The regional minister also called for rigidly enforcement of its building regulations to halt the situation “otherwise posterity would not forgive us”.

NYAMEKYE-MARFO INVITES INVESTORS TO BRONG AHAFO (PAGE 22, NOV 7)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo has called on the Australian Government and private enterprises to invest in the Brong Ahafo Region to add value to the region’s abundant agricultural produce to create jobs for the unemployed youth.
The investment, he said, could also help stem irregular migration among the youth in the region who often risked their lives through the desert enroute to Europe in search of greener pastures.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo made the call when the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr William Williams and his wife, Mrs Williams paid a courtesy call on him at his office at Sunyani.
Mr Williams and his wife are in the region at the invitation of the regional minister to attend the grand durbar of the chiefs and people of the Brong Ahafo Region to climax the year-long 50th anniversary celebration of the creation of the region.
President J.E.A. Mills is scheduled to address the durbar as the special guest of honour today.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stated that the region had untapped natural resources, including mineral and clay deposits which the Australian investor community could take advantage of.
Apart from the natural resources, the regional minister said the people of Brong Ahafo were noted for their hospitality, coupled with the serene and peaceful environment which were pre-requisite for investment.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo gave the assurance that “any investment made in the region would be worthwhile and the investor would not regret”.
He said the region was once the leading producer of cocoa but as a result of indiscriminate bushfires, cocoa production had gone down, stressing that efforts were being made to reverse the trend.
Mr Williams said he would take time off his schedule to inspect solar power projects being undertaken by the Australian Government in 20 communities in Nkoranza and Techiman areas.
He congratulated the chiefs and people of Brong Ahafo on the occasion of their 50th anniversary and wished them the best.
Mr Williams also gave the assurance that the Business Development Desk of the Australian High Commission would follow up on the request made by Mr Nyamekye-Marfo.
The High Commissioner later decorated Mr Nyamekye-Marfo with an Australian-Ghana friendship badge to further strengthen the bond of friendship between the two countries.

GHANA TO LOSE ALL FOREST COVER BY 2025 (BACK PAGE, NOV 7)

THE Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has cautioned that Ghana would have no prime forest left within the next 23 years, if nothing is done to reverse the trend of rapid deforestation.
He said available information indicated that the devastating effects of forest degradation, especially during the past two decades, was beginning to manifest in the extinction of the country’s premium timber species such as ‘Odum’, ‘Mahogany’ and ‘Sapele’, which had also led to the drastic reduction in the raw material base of the timber industry.
The minister was speaking at the 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) in Sunyani.
The AGM, which was on the theme; “Forest law enforcement in Ghana, impact on forest degradation and climate change,” also discussed how to improve law enforcement and forest governance to eliminate illegal chainsaw milling and illegal farming that had often created serious conflicts between forest communities and forest sector institutions.
Alhaji Dauda stated that recent scientific evidence had highlighted that deforestation accounted for approximately 20 per cent of annual carbon emissions, adding that forests were an essential repository of biological diversity and key to the livelihoods and rights of many people.
He said it was against this background that the government and, particularly the ministry, had commenced engagement with all stakeholders in seeking the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
Alhaji Dauda added that the other supporting efforts from the ministry to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation included combating illegal logging and promoting sustainable management of forests and enhancement.
Dr Kwame Asamoah Adam, President of GIF, bemoaned the increasing trends in illegal logging and forest encroachment, which were exacerbating forest degradation and the changing climatic conditions.
To help address some of these challenges, Dr Adam said the GIF had put in place a code of ethics that was zero tolerant for corruption, which also insisted on best practices in all professional activities.
He added that the GIF Council had initiated a process to get its code of ethics adapted by the Forestry Commission as an integral part of the commission’s code of discipline for foresters.
The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, appealed to the public to desist from negative practices such as illegal logging, indiscriminate felling of tress and illegal mining in forest reserves, among other things.

ELECTRICITY PROGRAMME FO 6 REGIONAL CAPITALS (PAGE 29, MIRROR, NOV 7)

From Samuel Duodu, Sunyani.
The Sunyani municipality has been selected as one of the six regional capitals in the country to benefit from the Government’s electrification programme.
The project, which has already been awarded on contract, would cover a distance of 34.02 Kilometres and involves the provision of street lights.
The areas to be covered are the Sunyani- Chiraa road from the Tata Hotel traffic light to the Liberation Barrack, Sunyani-Kumasi road from the Sunyani Senior High School junction to the Abesim Ghana Water Company Headworks, Ring-Road from the Seventh Day Adventist Church Educational Unit through Penkwasi to last stop, Residential area behind Catholic Church on Chiraa road and from the Post Office Roundabout through Baakoniaba to ASEC School.
The rest are from Electoral Commission through to the Volta River Authority (VRA) Estate to the final waste disposal site of the assembly, from Rex Cinema Hall through Stadium to Sunyani Zongo, Odumasi road- from Tata Restaurant through Catering Round-about to Sunyani West District Assembly, Zongo one way, Newtown to Tonsuom Estate.
Most of the areas to be covered by the streetlighting project did not have street lights which made it dangerous for residents to walk in the night and also provided a field day for criminals to operate.
Mr Kwasi Oppong Ababio, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), who said this during the second ordinary meeting of the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, stated that the street light project would begin from November 7, this year.
It said it would also coincide with the visit of the President, Prof. J.E.A. Mills, as the special guest of honour to the grand durbar of the chiefs and people of the region to climax the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the creation of the region.
On revenue mobilisation, the Sunyani MCE commended a three- member taskforce that was set up to assist in revenue mobilisation for raking in Gh¢8,328.00 within the short period that it operated.
He said management has instituted measures which included the creation of a billing section to deal with the issues of preparation of bills to property owners to ensure effective collection of rates and data among others.
Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, bemoaned the springing up of unauthorised structures in the municipality which was impeding pedestrians and vehicle movement, especially in the Central Business District area, saying now people have taken over pavements which has created a lot of congestion.
He noted that as a result of this unhealthy development in the municipality, it has affected one of the most orderly and planned cities in the country, which has also been adjudged as the most cleanest cities in the country in recent times.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, therefore, called on the management of the assembly to embark on a decongestion exercise to rid the city of all unauthorised structures that were destroying the beauty of the once most planned city’s in the country.

DON'T CHARGE EXHORBITANT FEES...Minister urges Community Water Boards (PAGE 35, NOV 5)

THE Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Albert Abongo, has called on the various Community Water Boards across the country not to charge exorbitant fees since the Government’s decision to provide rural communities with clean and potable water was not for profit purposes.
According to him, water is a basic necessity of life which must be accessible and affordable to all.
“Anything short of that would let the people, especially rural dwellers to resort to unhygienic sources which have implications for their health and also affect the government’s resolve to eradicate guineaworm in the country,” he stressed.
Mr Abongo made the call when he met with Nananom and members of the Community Water Boards at Nchiraa and Aworowa in the Wenchi and Techiman municipalities as part of his working visit to inspect ongoing water supply systems and facilities in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He stated that the fees to be collected by the boards were for the effective management and maintenance of the water supply systems in their communities and not for profit making.
The minister also inspected the ongoing construction works on the Nchiraa, Nwoase and Aworowa-Akrofoum water supply systems under the Government’s Small Town Water Supply System Project for rural communities in the region, which is being executed by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA).
Nchiaa and Nwoase all in the Wenchi Municipality are to benefit from the construction of 33,000 and 22,000 gallons capacities overhead and underground surface water tanks, respectively, while Aworowa-Akrofoum in the Techiman municipality would also enjoy the same facility which were all scheduled for completion by end of the year.
Mr Abongo said he chose the Brong Ahafo region for the tour to inspect projects under the water sector of the ministry because the region had the most organised Community Water Boards in the country as well as the largest beneficiary of CWSA projects in the water and sanitation sectors since 1994.
During his interaction with Nananom and the water boards, Mr Abongo stated that the government had made available Gh¢30 million for the provision of clean and potable water in rural communities across the country this year as a means of reducing the health bill of the nation and also other water borne related diseases.
The amount, he said, was to support the CWSA to provide 1,010 boreholes in rural communities nationwide by the close of the year.
Mr Abongo stated that water was basic and therefore, the Government found it crucial to provide water to all, especially rural communities where people drank from unhygienic sources.
He expressed his satisfaction at the pace of work on the various projects and urged the contractors to complete them on schedule.
The minister further advised the water boards to always account for their stewardship to Nananom and the people any time they made such request since those facilities were owned by the entire community and the chiefs were there to ensure their effective management.
In response to an appeal by the Akwamuhene of Nchiraa, Nana Kwesi Wuna and the Techiman Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Alex Kyeremeh that the beneficiary communities were made to provide 10 per cent funding, Mr Abongo said the Government had ordered the abolition of the counterpart funding paid by the communities for the execution of the projects, because it had been a burden on the people.
He stressed that as water was basic necessity of life, nobody should play politics with it.
Mr Abongo, however, gave the assurance that the Government would ensure that all communities in the country were provided with clean water to improve the health status of the people.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Engineer of the CWSA, Mr Francis Kwasi Enu, who accompanied the minister on the tour, said the total cost of the project for the two communities, namely Nchiraa and Nwoase, involving the construction of 33,000 gallons and 22,000 gallons overhead and underground surface tanks, respectively with three boreholes at Nchiraa to pump the water to Nwoase, was Gh¢2 million.
He said the projects were scheduled to be completed by December, this year.
Mr Enu added that 22 standpipes would be provided and other lines for private extension and the two projects would serve a total population of 11, 000.
Earlier in the day, Mr Abongo addressed a durbar of management and staff of the Ghana Water Company at Sunyani where he gave the assurance that the Government was accessing funds to improve the systems for water delivery in the urban areas.

OFFICE COMPLEX FOR TEACHERS' CREDIT UNION (PAGE 35, NOV 5)

A Gh¢2.5million one-storey office complex for the Berekum Area Teachers’ Co-operative Credit Union (BATCUU) has jointly been inaugurated by the Omanhene of Berekum Traditional Area, Daasebre (Dr) Amankona Diawuo and the General Manager of the Ghana Co-operative Credit Union Association (CUA), Mr Emmanuel Oduro Darko at a ceremony at Berekum.
The office complex was financed with contributions from members through buying of more shares and part of the union’s net surplus declared at the end of every financial year.
The inauguration of the project coincided with the 12th annual general meeting (AGM) of the union.
Delivering his report at the ceremony, Mr Yaw Assuah-Yeboah, the Board Chairman of BATCCU, called for the passage of the Credit Union Bill that had been in Parliament for more than a decade.
He stated that when the bill was passed into law, it would protect credit unions and facilitate their operations as well, adding “the passage of the bill would further strengthen the operations of credit unions in the country in their resolve to reduce poverty among the populace.
Mr Assuah-Yeboah said during the year under review, the union embarked on an educational drive to rope in more members both teachers and the community at large, resulting in an increase of its membership from 1,500 as of June, 2008 to 2,500 as of June, 2009.
He stated that the members’ total savings also increased from Gh¢551,103 to Gh¢767,025 during the same period while the total assets grew from Gh¢800,395.54 to Gh¢1,060,424.17, representing an increase of 32.48 per cent.
The BATCCU Board Chairman said the total shares of the union grew from Gh¢62,897.64 to Gh¢74,722.
He, however, stated that the Gh¢50 worth of shares per member was woefully inadequate to serve as a capital base for such a big society, which was undertaking an economically viable project.
According to Mr Assuah-Yeboah, during the year under review, a total of Gh¢882,425 was advanced to members to meet their financial needs which included education, business, agriculture, housing and medical expenses.
He, however, noted with concern that despite the affordable interest rates and the most flexible terms of payment the clients got from the union, some individuals who benefited from the loans had refused to pay, and therefore, advised such people to reconsider their stand.
Mr Darko, the General Manager of CUA, commended the union for its foresight to construct a permanent office complex for its operations.
He stated that credit unions were co-operative financial institutions established to offer people the opportunity to have access to financial services in a self-determined manner.

CREATION OF B/A IS TO PROMOTE UNITY AMONG THE PEOPLE (PAGE 35, NOV 5)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo has stated that the decision to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the region is to rekindle the sense of unity and tenacity of purpose among citizens.
That, he said, could propel the socio-economic development of the region to greater heights to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of the people.
 The regional minister, therefore, urged citizens of the region to use the celebration to portray the investment potential of the region in relation to agricultural production and tourism, where the region possessed great strengths and comparative advantage.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo said this when he presented a paper on the topic: “The essence of the 50th anniversary celebration of the creation of the Brong Ahafo Region” at the congress of Brong Ahafo citizens at the Sunyani Polytechnic Auditorium.
 The congress which formed part of activities to mark the anniversary on the broader theme: “Brong Ahafo @50: Achievements, challenges and prospects,” was to promote the common culture of the people, bring them together as a united front, and create the opportunity for citizens to renew their commitment to the ideals and vision of the region.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo further stated that the decision to celebrate the Golden Jubilee received an overwhelming regional acclamation and enthusiastic support as expected of any epic event of that nature which was also based on the intrinsic and inherent benefits to be derived from it.
 “It is hoped that, the celebration would be used to reverberate the original vision and aspirations of the founding fathers of the region, so that we can rekindle the self-confidence and the spirit of self-reliance as a people to take our destiny into our own hands,” he stressed. 
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo expressed the hope that citizens of the region would used the celebration to epitomise the aspiration of the Government, whose overriding policies centred on social development, active public-private sector engagement, human resource development and good governance.
He said the chronology of events depicted that the creation of the region stemmed out of the sustained agitation mounted by some prominent and gallant chiefs in the earnest quest for self-determination of the Brong Ahafo people in the wake of alleged neglect, discrimination and deprivation.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo said the unyielding stand-off by the determined chiefs, eventually led to the creation of the region by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory, on April 4, 1959.
According to the regional minister, some of the celebrated chiefs who agitated for the creation of the region were the late Nana Akumfi Ameyaw III of Techiman, Osagyefo Oseadeayo Nana (Dr) Agyeman Badu of Dormaa, Nana Bosea Gyinantwi of Drobo, Nana Yaw Frimpong of Kukuom, Nana Fosu Gyeabour of Bechem and Nana Kwasi Apraku of Odumasi Number One.
“It is very important to state that, these chiefs had to sacrifice their personal liberties and lives to secure for us an independent region whose benefits we are enjoying today. We, therefore, owe them invaluable gratitude and there is the need to give them the right recognition and reward on the 50th birthday of the region, for, it is said that, a nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for,” he stated.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo said, “It is, therefore, appropriate to celebrate this day and pay befitting tribute to the lives and bravery of our gallant chiefs who fought to achieve autonomy and self-determination for us”, he added.
Mr James Boateng, the Managing Director of Cadbury Ghana Limited and a citizen of the region, said as it was the Government’s vision of making the country an agribusiness economy in the medium-term, Brong Ahafo stood to benefit since the region was most advantaged in those sectors.
He spoke on the topic: “ Branding Brong Ahafo as an investment destination in Ghana: The role of agriculture and agribusiness investment”.
Mr Boateng said, “It is, therefore, critical to design strategies to attract more agricultural and agribusiness or agricultural processing and marketing investment to help address some of the underdevelopment challenges of the region.
“So for us in Brong Ahafo, it is not optional but imperative or a necessity to brand our region well to attract the expected investments,” he said.
Mr Boateng, therefore, called on the leaders of the region to take up the branding of the region as an investment destination for agriculture and agribusiness seriously, because it was a key pillar which could propel the region’s development agenda forward.
Nana (Prof.) Agyewodin Adu Gyamfi Ampem, the Omanhene of Acheresua Traditional Area, who spoke on the topic: “50 Years as a region: Lessons, challenges and achievements,” stated that Brong Ahafo as a region was a microcosm of Ghana as the agitation for political change and social reforms were similar.
He stated that without the creation of the region, there would not have been any meaningful development, adding that the creation had done a lot of good and called for unity among citizens to move the region forward.
Other speakers at the congress were Dr Mrs Lucy Acheampong, an educationist and a lecturer at the Catholic University College of Ghana, Fiapre and Rev. Monsignor Dr George Kwame Kumi, the Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Sunyani who spoke on the topics: “Achieving quality education in Brong Ahafo :The way forward” and “Championing tolerance and peaceful co-existence in Brong Ahafo: The role of the chieftaincy institution and the youth”, respectively.
Osahene Kwaku Aterkyi, the President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs and Omanhene of Kukuom Traditional Area, who chaired the function, urged citizens of the region to use the anniversary as a rallying point for unity and to seek its socio-economic advancement.

DORMAA WEST NEEDS TO IMPROVE REVENUE GENERATION (PAGE 17, NOV 4)

The Dormaa West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Vincent Oppong-Asamoah, has announced that his assembly has been able to collect Gh¢131,250,58 out of its target of GH¢268.785.12 at the end of September.
This represents about 48.82 per cent of the projection for the year 2009.
During the same period the assembly incurred a total expenditure of GH¢125,564.17 out of the estimated target of GH¢268,135.82.
Mr Oppong-Asamoah announced this at the first ordinary general meeting of the assembly at Dormaa Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region.
He said although they were making strenuous efforts to improve on revenue generation, they could not meet the target due to the shortage of revenue collectors in some communities.
He urged the Assembly members to assist the revenue collectors to redouble their efforts to generate more revenue for the development of the district.
Mr Oppong-Asamoah said the district assembly received GH¢129,964.75 in the last quarter of 2008 and GH¢151,325.51 in the first quarter of 2009, as part of its share of District Assemblies Common Fund and was yet to receive its allocation for the second quarter of 2009.
The MCE said four new projects which were to be awarded on contract had been advertised for prospective contractors to bid.
They are the construction of a three unit classroom block, office and store at Kwame Dwomokrom, three unit classroom block, office and store each at Dormaa Ahenkro and Yaakrom, as well as a 20-seater aqua privy sanitary facility at Dormaa Ahenkro.
Construction works on dressing rooms at the Dormaa Sports Stadium, fence wall and extension block at Municipal Chief Executive’s residence, three unit classroom block, office and store at Antwirifo, 16-seater aqua privy sanitary facility at Tweapease and 18-seater aqua privy sanitary facility at Kofiasua were ongoing.
Mr Oppong- Asamoah said self-help electrification projects were in progress in six communities in the municipality.
These were Nkyenkyenkye, Sawaba, Zongo, Antwirifo, Krakrom, Nkrankwanta Secondary School and Tronang.
The MCE for Dormaa West further announced that under the French Development Agency and the Ghana of Government Rural Water Supply Systems, 39 boreholes had been approved for the municipal assembly.
He said the beneficiary communities would not pay any counterpart funding towards the project.
Mr Oppong -Asamoah expressed his profound gratitude to President J.E.A. Mills for nominating him as MCE, and extended his heartfelt appreciation to all Assembly members for confirming his nomination to become the MCE.
The Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr Kofi Beneabesi, advised the assembly members to be non-partisan and work as a team to move the municipality forward.
He said now that the general election was over, there was the need to unite and ensure transparency in the discharge of their duties.

DON'T SHIRK RESPONSIBILITIES (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, NOV 2, PAGE 3)

By Samuel Duodu,Nsawkaw

The Chief of Bui, Nana Kwadwo Wuo II, has appealed to parents and guardians not to view the School Feeding Programme and Capitation Grant as substitutes for their parental duties.
He stated that the intention of the government was to lighten the huge burden that parents and guardians throughout the country had.
Nana Wuo II, who is an educationist at the Tain District Education Directorate, made the appeal at a forum organised by Action Aid Ghana in collaboration with SODIA, an education-oriented non-governmental organisation (NGO) for the executive members of the parent teacher associations (PTA) and school management committees (SMCs) in the district at Nsawkaw.
He cited an instance when a parent from the district in the Brong Ahafo Region recently had a confrontation with a head teacher because the head teacher had refused to release his child’s share of the Capitation Grant to him, adding that the parent’s reaction was triggered by the wrong impression that the government had the absolute duty of enhancing education and had also taken upon itself the responsibility of parents.
The Chief of Bui noted that parents had an obligation towards the maintenance of their children and the intervention by the government was to assist parents to enrol their children in school as well as to lighten the burden on them.
Nana Wuo further stated that the delivery of quality education was a shared responsibility between government, teachers, parents and the students, adding, “Our educational system will improve tremendously if every party plays their part well”.
 He challenged the PTAs and SMCs to adhere to their core functions as mandated by law to ensure improvement in the education sector “It is unfortunate that most PTAs and SMCs in our district have become dormant. This is your wake-up call”, the chief said.
He commended the organisers for their contribution towards education and urged them to continue with their good work.
The participants at the forum also complained about how most head teachers did not involve them in matters relating to the disbursement of the Capitation Grant. they therefore appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to address such problems and the need for the GES to hold regular meetings with them to broaden their knowledge on the subject.
In a related development, the Tain District Director of Education, Mr Francis Dongbetigre, has appealed to teachers to avoid viewing transfers as a form of punishment. He said the GES transferred teachers where their services were urgently needed.
He warned that any teacher who refused to accept any posting would be sanctioned according to the service’s code of conduct.
Mr Dongbetigre, therefore, appealed to stakeholders in various communities who often flocked to GES offices to plead on behalf of transferred teachers to agree that it was in the interest of quality education that transfers were initiated.

TAIN HOMOURS AGYEMAN BADU (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, NOV 2, BACK PAGE)

By Samuel Duodu, Seikwa.

Seikwa in the Tain district of Brong Ahafo, last Wednesday became a centre of merriment when the chiefs and people of the area decided to use the day to honour one of its illustrious youth, Emmanuel Agyeman Badu, a member of the Black Satellites that won the youth FIFA World Cup Championship held in Egypt recently.
In a heroic fashion, Agyeman Badu, a citizen of Seikwa, was ushered into the town amidst drumming and dancing “Owen” as he is popularly called in the community, became the chant of the day as people followed him shouting, “Owen, Owen”.
In spite of the limited publicity of the event, people from within and outside the Tain district were there to cheer their hero. To the people, the event was a dual feast as it also coincided with “Punuwonfojo”, the annual yam festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Seikwa.
Addressing the people at the palace, the Omanhene of the area, Nana Kwaku Dwuma Ankoana II described the youngster as a true son of the land, who exemplified the appellation of the Seikwa stool known as ‘Bekoe’, which literally means “the one who came to fight”.
“Agyeman did not hide his mission from us, he was obedient enough to consult Nananom before leaving, and we also gave him our blessings,” he said and added that, no amount of words could describe the honour done Seikwa and the Tain district by the footballer who was nurtured by the community, adding that, the community was equally showing its appreciation.
Nana Dwumah urged other young people in the area to emulate the virtues of Agyeman-Badu, which are, hard work, dedication, respect and commitment in all their fields of endeavour.
He promised the support of the stool to any of its sons and daughters who made the effort to distinguish themselves in their chosen disciplines. Agyeman Badu was honoured with a ram, yams and a smock. He was also offered a plot of land.
Agyeman Badu who was overwhelmed with joy in his speech, said, “I knew you were all with me in spirit, therefore, I was never afraid,” he emphasised. Badu expressed his appreciation to the chiefs and people for the honour done him and his family, and added that the honour was a wakeup call to work harder to achieve more laurels for the community and the entire country.
He appealed to the people to be relentless in their prayers and advice as he explored his destiny.
The DCE for Tain, Mr Jones Samuel Tawiah, in his words of commendation, advised the youngster to be watchful of his lifestyle as he had achieved stardom and urged him to continue to be humble and also conveyed the well-wishes of Mr Asiedu Nketiah, the NDC General Secretary, another illustrious son of Seikwa to the youngster, urging him to live up to his dreams.
Mr Tawiah, who is also a native of Seikwa, disclosed that the Tain district assembly would also honour Agyeman-Badu for making the district proud.
Agyeman, doubles as the first person to achieve such honour in the Tain district as well as the first to play at the national level.