From Samuel Duodu, Sunyani
The Atebubu-Amantin District Director of Education, Lucas Nsekisi-Nim and his messenger, John Akwesi Hinneh, who were alleged to have extorted money from newly recruited untrained teachers (pupil teachers) in the district have been granted bail in the sum of Gh¢2,000 each and a surety each to be justified by a Sunyani Circuit Court.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges of extortion and abetment of crime and would re-appear before the court, presided over by Mr Justice Kwame Ohene Essel, on September 21, 2009.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Kingsley Baafi said on August 5, 2009 the director allegedly invited 18 pupil teachers who had received their pay arrears for the months of February and March to his office and demanded Gh¢140 each from them.
The prosecutor said he also threatened to terminate their appointment if they failed to meet his demand.
Chief Inspector Baafi said the teachers out of fear paid the money amounting to GH¢2,500 to the messenger who was asked by the director to collect the money on his behalf.
Not happy about the issue, some of the victims informed the district chief executive, who reported it to the police.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
SCREEN FOOD VENDORS — ANKOMAH (MIRROR, PAGE 35)
From Samuel Duodu, Sunyani
The Brong Ahafo Regional Environmental Health Officer, Mr Slyvester Ankomah, has called for periodic medical screening of food vendors to ensure that they do not infect their customers with communicable diseases.
Apart from giving them a clean bill of health, he said food vendors, waitress and waitresses serving at restaurants and ‘chop bars’ must also ensure that they kept to good personal hygiene by cutting their nails, covering their hair-dos and wearing aprons to ensure that foods served to consumers were not contaminated.
Mr. Ankomah made the call when he spoke on ‘Food Safety’ at a day’s national policy dialogue on sanitation in Sunyani.
The meeting was organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) and sponsored by Water Aid, Ghana on the theme “Improved Sanitation for A Better Ghana.”
It brought together stakeholders in water and sanitation to dialogue with other partners on how to improve sanitation in the Brong Ahafo Region and Ghana as a whole.
Mr Ankomah also expressed concern about food production, especially the way vegetables and meat were handled, saying if vegetables, for instance, were not washed well before eating them, it could lead to food poisoning, intestinal disorders and even deaths.
The Regional Environmental Officer cited a recent case of food poisoning in the Berekum Municipality which resulted in the death of six people who ate from the same ‘chop bar’ to buttress his point.
He, therefore, called on the various municipal and district assemblies in the region to provide the needed logistics to staff of the unit to ensure that food vendors were medically fit to protect the public from health risks.
Mr Ankomah said the unit was understaffed, hampering effective monitoring, adding that about 250 environmental officers who had completed their training for almost a year now had not received their appointment letters and so were at home.
A water and sanitation engineer at the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in Sunyani, Mr. Divine D. Dugbartey, said many households in the region did not have latrines and therefore, use the bush.
He, therefore, called on the assemblies to enforce their bye-laws on building to ensure that every household had a latrine.
Mr Dugbartey said the CWSA would provide latrines to 5,000 households in rural communities and small towns under the French and Ghana governments project for the provision of water and sanitation facilities in the region by 2010.
He also called on stakeholders in the water and sanitation sectors to come up with local technologies that were affordable to provide decent places of convenience for rural communities to increase access to household latrines.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, expressed concern about the conversion of lavatories and bathrooms into rooms for renting by some landlords in the region and called on the assemblies to strictly enforce their byelaws on building to ensure that every household had these facilities.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Environmental Health Officer, Mr Slyvester Ankomah, has called for periodic medical screening of food vendors to ensure that they do not infect their customers with communicable diseases.
Apart from giving them a clean bill of health, he said food vendors, waitress and waitresses serving at restaurants and ‘chop bars’ must also ensure that they kept to good personal hygiene by cutting their nails, covering their hair-dos and wearing aprons to ensure that foods served to consumers were not contaminated.
Mr. Ankomah made the call when he spoke on ‘Food Safety’ at a day’s national policy dialogue on sanitation in Sunyani.
The meeting was organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) and sponsored by Water Aid, Ghana on the theme “Improved Sanitation for A Better Ghana.”
It brought together stakeholders in water and sanitation to dialogue with other partners on how to improve sanitation in the Brong Ahafo Region and Ghana as a whole.
Mr Ankomah also expressed concern about food production, especially the way vegetables and meat were handled, saying if vegetables, for instance, were not washed well before eating them, it could lead to food poisoning, intestinal disorders and even deaths.
The Regional Environmental Officer cited a recent case of food poisoning in the Berekum Municipality which resulted in the death of six people who ate from the same ‘chop bar’ to buttress his point.
He, therefore, called on the various municipal and district assemblies in the region to provide the needed logistics to staff of the unit to ensure that food vendors were medically fit to protect the public from health risks.
Mr Ankomah said the unit was understaffed, hampering effective monitoring, adding that about 250 environmental officers who had completed their training for almost a year now had not received their appointment letters and so were at home.
A water and sanitation engineer at the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in Sunyani, Mr. Divine D. Dugbartey, said many households in the region did not have latrines and therefore, use the bush.
He, therefore, called on the assemblies to enforce their bye-laws on building to ensure that every household had a latrine.
Mr Dugbartey said the CWSA would provide latrines to 5,000 households in rural communities and small towns under the French and Ghana governments project for the provision of water and sanitation facilities in the region by 2010.
He also called on stakeholders in the water and sanitation sectors to come up with local technologies that were affordable to provide decent places of convenience for rural communities to increase access to household latrines.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, expressed concern about the conversion of lavatories and bathrooms into rooms for renting by some landlords in the region and called on the assemblies to strictly enforce their byelaws on building to ensure that every household had these facilities.
REV FATHER SWINDLER NABBED (MIRROR, LEAD STORY)
From Samuel Duodu, Sunyani
The self-styled Roman Catholic Priest, “Father” Alfred Yeboah wanted for allegedly defrauding an orphanage, has been nabbed by the Akomadan Police when he attempted to swindle the managing director of a hotel at Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region.
“Father” Yeboah, identified by the • Continued from page 1
police as Peter Dadzi, defrauded the executive director of the Mum’s Love Rural Orphanage Foundation based at Duayaw Nkwanta, when he posed as a priest sent by a benefactor to deliver some clothing and cash of GH¢5,000 to the orphanage.
He managed to collect GH¢350 as part payment of GH¢860 being the cost of transporting the items from Accra and left a suitcase, supposed to contain the clothes and the GH¢5,000 but which turned out to be saw dust and fled in a taxi.
Employing the same modus operandi, Dadzi, this time with an accomplice, Atta Brobbey, called the managing director of Dery Hotel that one “Father” Alfred Yeboah, a Roman Catholic Priest based in England had sent some items and money through them to be given to him.
They also claimed that the benefactor had promised to provide more support to the hotel later and asked the hotel manager to meet them at Akomadan in the Offinso District of the Ashanti Region to collect the items and the money since they did not know the way to Techiman.
According to the police, the duo, believed to be in their 20s, also demanded that the hotel manager came along with Gh¢760 and his voter’s identification card for identification and collection of the parcel.
The police said the hotel manager became suspicious and informed the Techiman Police who gave him two plain clothed policemen to accompany him to Akomadan.
When they got to the venue, the duo were ready with a suitcase similar to the one given to the orphanage also loaded with saw dust and were arrested and handed over to the Akomadan Police.
The Director of the orphanage, Mr Imoro Adams, who called at the Graphic Communications Group Limited Office in Sunyani, confirmed that it was Dadzi who defrauded him at Techiman.
They have since been remanded by a Magistrate Court at Offinso in the Ashanti Region.
The self-styled Roman Catholic Priest, “Father” Alfred Yeboah wanted for allegedly defrauding an orphanage, has been nabbed by the Akomadan Police when he attempted to swindle the managing director of a hotel at Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region.
“Father” Yeboah, identified by the • Continued from page 1
police as Peter Dadzi, defrauded the executive director of the Mum’s Love Rural Orphanage Foundation based at Duayaw Nkwanta, when he posed as a priest sent by a benefactor to deliver some clothing and cash of GH¢5,000 to the orphanage.
He managed to collect GH¢350 as part payment of GH¢860 being the cost of transporting the items from Accra and left a suitcase, supposed to contain the clothes and the GH¢5,000 but which turned out to be saw dust and fled in a taxi.
Employing the same modus operandi, Dadzi, this time with an accomplice, Atta Brobbey, called the managing director of Dery Hotel that one “Father” Alfred Yeboah, a Roman Catholic Priest based in England had sent some items and money through them to be given to him.
They also claimed that the benefactor had promised to provide more support to the hotel later and asked the hotel manager to meet them at Akomadan in the Offinso District of the Ashanti Region to collect the items and the money since they did not know the way to Techiman.
According to the police, the duo, believed to be in their 20s, also demanded that the hotel manager came along with Gh¢760 and his voter’s identification card for identification and collection of the parcel.
The police said the hotel manager became suspicious and informed the Techiman Police who gave him two plain clothed policemen to accompany him to Akomadan.
When they got to the venue, the duo were ready with a suitcase similar to the one given to the orphanage also loaded with saw dust and were arrested and handed over to the Akomadan Police.
The Director of the orphanage, Mr Imoro Adams, who called at the Graphic Communications Group Limited Office in Sunyani, confirmed that it was Dadzi who defrauded him at Techiman.
They have since been remanded by a Magistrate Court at Offinso in the Ashanti Region.
Monday, September 7, 2009
TANO SOUTH TO FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL CHAINSAW OPERATION (PAGE 14, GRAPHIC NSEMPA)
By Samuel Duodu, Bechem
The Tano South District Assembly with its district capital at Bechem in the Brong Ahafo Region has committed 10 per cent out of its budget for this year, to fight illegal chainsaw operation that is on the increase in the various forest reserves, especially the Tintain Beposo forest reserve in the district.
Part of the amount would also be used to fight against the annual bushfire outbreaks that often occur during the dry season every year, which also destroyed the vegetative cover of the district, thereby affecting agricultural production in the area.
As a short term measure to deal with the indiscriminate felling of trees in the various forest reserves, the District Security Committee (DISEC) with the assistance of the military, the Brong Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council (BARCC) and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, have launched a massive operation to prevent the forests from further depletion and destruction.
Mr Bukari Zakari Anaba, the Tano South District Chief Executive (DCE) who disclosed this in an interview with Graphic Nsempa at Bechem, therefore, called on the communities living around the forest and their assembly members, to assist in protecting the forests from further destruction, by providing informing to the security agencies on those illegal activities.
According to him, the activities of the illegal chainsaw operators if not checked would lead to further destruction of the forest reserves in the district and that “the area experiences a lot of rain fall even in the dry season, but now the whether pattern has changed as a result of these bad environmental practices”.
He disclosed that Techimentia and Dermaa in the district were reputed to be the leading producers of tomatoes in the country, but as a result of lack of markets, storage facilities and access roads to these towns, most of the tomatoes produced during the major season were left to rot thereby discouraging farmers and the youth from going into its production.
Mr Anaba said as a measure to reduce the annual glut experienced by farmers in these areas, the assembly had decided to reshape and tar the road connecting the two towns to the marketing centers and had also committed 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent of the assembly’s budget for the year, for research into storage and irrigation sites respectively, to help address the situation so as to encourage farmers to produce more as well as the youth to go into its production.
He stated that the assembly had also been selected to be part of the Ministry of Manpower and Employment’s national programme for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in cocoa growing areas in the country.
As a result a series of workshops have been organised to build the capacity of some officials of the assembly, traditional leaders and other stakeholders towards the implementation of the programme in the district, and added that a District Child Protection Committee had been formed, while 10 communities in the district have been selected for the pilot programme.
He said the assembly had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ministry, and that the assembly was to provide a counterpart funding of Gh¢10,480 to support the project to ensure its sustainability while the ministry had already given a computer and its accessories, a motorbike, ten bicycles and GH¢3,200 for the project.
Mr Anaba disclosed further that the assembly had earmarked for completion for this year a HIPC maternity block at the Bechem Government Hospital that had been abandoned to help ease the overcrowding at the maternity ward, where some of the mothers sleep on the bare floor and also support the education on HIV/AIDS in the district.
He said the hospital had no resident doctor and, therefore, the assembly had also decided to put up two three-bedroom bungalows to house a resident doctor to attend to emergencies.
The Tano South District Assembly with its district capital at Bechem in the Brong Ahafo Region has committed 10 per cent out of its budget for this year, to fight illegal chainsaw operation that is on the increase in the various forest reserves, especially the Tintain Beposo forest reserve in the district.
Part of the amount would also be used to fight against the annual bushfire outbreaks that often occur during the dry season every year, which also destroyed the vegetative cover of the district, thereby affecting agricultural production in the area.
As a short term measure to deal with the indiscriminate felling of trees in the various forest reserves, the District Security Committee (DISEC) with the assistance of the military, the Brong Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council (BARCC) and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, have launched a massive operation to prevent the forests from further depletion and destruction.
Mr Bukari Zakari Anaba, the Tano South District Chief Executive (DCE) who disclosed this in an interview with Graphic Nsempa at Bechem, therefore, called on the communities living around the forest and their assembly members, to assist in protecting the forests from further destruction, by providing informing to the security agencies on those illegal activities.
According to him, the activities of the illegal chainsaw operators if not checked would lead to further destruction of the forest reserves in the district and that “the area experiences a lot of rain fall even in the dry season, but now the whether pattern has changed as a result of these bad environmental practices”.
He disclosed that Techimentia and Dermaa in the district were reputed to be the leading producers of tomatoes in the country, but as a result of lack of markets, storage facilities and access roads to these towns, most of the tomatoes produced during the major season were left to rot thereby discouraging farmers and the youth from going into its production.
Mr Anaba said as a measure to reduce the annual glut experienced by farmers in these areas, the assembly had decided to reshape and tar the road connecting the two towns to the marketing centers and had also committed 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent of the assembly’s budget for the year, for research into storage and irrigation sites respectively, to help address the situation so as to encourage farmers to produce more as well as the youth to go into its production.
He stated that the assembly had also been selected to be part of the Ministry of Manpower and Employment’s national programme for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in cocoa growing areas in the country.
As a result a series of workshops have been organised to build the capacity of some officials of the assembly, traditional leaders and other stakeholders towards the implementation of the programme in the district, and added that a District Child Protection Committee had been formed, while 10 communities in the district have been selected for the pilot programme.
He said the assembly had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ministry, and that the assembly was to provide a counterpart funding of Gh¢10,480 to support the project to ensure its sustainability while the ministry had already given a computer and its accessories, a motorbike, ten bicycles and GH¢3,200 for the project.
Mr Anaba disclosed further that the assembly had earmarked for completion for this year a HIPC maternity block at the Bechem Government Hospital that had been abandoned to help ease the overcrowding at the maternity ward, where some of the mothers sleep on the bare floor and also support the education on HIV/AIDS in the district.
He said the hospital had no resident doctor and, therefore, the assembly had also decided to put up two three-bedroom bungalows to house a resident doctor to attend to emergencies.
RESETTLE US...Farmers call on Newmont (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 14)
By Samuel Duodu, Sunyani
Fifty representatives from Manu-Shed, a farming community and its evirons in the Asutifi District of the Brong Ahafo Region, have called on Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), operators of the Ahafo mine, to resettle them as a matter of urgency.
Their call for the resettlement has been necessitated by the numerous problems that mining activities by Newmont in the area had imposed on their livelihood, health and the environment.
According to them, following the onset of the activities of gold mining at Manu-Shed and its surrounding communities in the Asutifi District, they have been experiencing water pollution from waste materials of mine, cracks in their buildings as a result of blasting, dust and noise, the prevalence of mosquitoes, and other safety concerns from the company’s vehicular movements.
Resettlement
“While we anticipate early response to our demand for resettlement, we call on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Newmont, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Minerals Commission and the Asutifi District Assembly to take immediate steps to address the perennial water pollution, blasting, mosquitoes, noise and dust pollution in the communities”, they demanded.
The call was made in a demand statement after a two-day community-training workshop organised by the Livehood and Environment Ghana (LEG) in collaboration with Both Ends, Global Greengrants Fund and Third Network-Africa in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Regional capital.
Other participants who attended the workshop were from these communities; Tailorkrom, Amankonakrom, Akorekrom, Akurekrom, Tanoso, Afrisipa, TechIre, Yamfo, Bisi, Kenyasi, Hwidiem and Ntotroso.
The workshop was aimed at discussing the problems of mining, community rights and strategies for addressing the environmental and social challenges of mining.
The group stated further that the colour, smell and loads of sediments even in the water from the bore-hole provided by Newmont, raised serious concerns about the quality of drinking water for the people living in those communities, especially Manu-Shed and its environs.
Problems
They said the indiscriminate blasting by Newmont was creating cracks in their buildings as well as causing sickness, anxiety, fear and trauma, especially among children in the communities, adding that the incidence of child convulsions resulting from blasting-related fear had been on the increase.
“Mosquitoes used to be a seasonal problem in the area. However, nowadays mosquitoes are prevalent throughout the year. It is no longer possible for people in the communities to sleep with their doors opened as it was the case, prior to the commencement of gold mining activities”, they said.
“We have lost most of our fresh vegetables and green leaves to dust pollution. During the year, they are often coloured with red dust resulting from activities of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited”, they added.
According to the participants at the workshop, they were also concerned about the safety of community members who had been exposed constantly to the risk of accidents from speeding vehicles of the company.
Concerns
They mentioned that they had made these concerns known to Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who had turned deaf ears to their complaints and they found it difficult as citizens of Ghana to continue to live under such inhuman conditions in the name of foreign direct investment.
“We are therefore calling on Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and the relevant government institutions to take immediate steps to address our concerns and resettle us in areas that give us hope for survival and better quality of life”, they said.
The group added that they were united in their determination to defend their rights and to expose those problems until they got solutions to them and called for solidarity from like-minded individuals and organisations, especially the media to articulate their concerns and echo their voices.
A visit by this reporter to the communities confirmed the concerns raised by the communities affected by the mining activities.
Officials at the Envornmental Department of Newmont, told this reporter that the communities had been provided with boreholes and water tanks and efforts were being made to address the other concerns.
Fifty representatives from Manu-Shed, a farming community and its evirons in the Asutifi District of the Brong Ahafo Region, have called on Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), operators of the Ahafo mine, to resettle them as a matter of urgency.
Their call for the resettlement has been necessitated by the numerous problems that mining activities by Newmont in the area had imposed on their livelihood, health and the environment.
According to them, following the onset of the activities of gold mining at Manu-Shed and its surrounding communities in the Asutifi District, they have been experiencing water pollution from waste materials of mine, cracks in their buildings as a result of blasting, dust and noise, the prevalence of mosquitoes, and other safety concerns from the company’s vehicular movements.
Resettlement
“While we anticipate early response to our demand for resettlement, we call on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Newmont, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Minerals Commission and the Asutifi District Assembly to take immediate steps to address the perennial water pollution, blasting, mosquitoes, noise and dust pollution in the communities”, they demanded.
The call was made in a demand statement after a two-day community-training workshop organised by the Livehood and Environment Ghana (LEG) in collaboration with Both Ends, Global Greengrants Fund and Third Network-Africa in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Regional capital.
Other participants who attended the workshop were from these communities; Tailorkrom, Amankonakrom, Akorekrom, Akurekrom, Tanoso, Afrisipa, TechIre, Yamfo, Bisi, Kenyasi, Hwidiem and Ntotroso.
The workshop was aimed at discussing the problems of mining, community rights and strategies for addressing the environmental and social challenges of mining.
The group stated further that the colour, smell and loads of sediments even in the water from the bore-hole provided by Newmont, raised serious concerns about the quality of drinking water for the people living in those communities, especially Manu-Shed and its environs.
Problems
They said the indiscriminate blasting by Newmont was creating cracks in their buildings as well as causing sickness, anxiety, fear and trauma, especially among children in the communities, adding that the incidence of child convulsions resulting from blasting-related fear had been on the increase.
“Mosquitoes used to be a seasonal problem in the area. However, nowadays mosquitoes are prevalent throughout the year. It is no longer possible for people in the communities to sleep with their doors opened as it was the case, prior to the commencement of gold mining activities”, they said.
“We have lost most of our fresh vegetables and green leaves to dust pollution. During the year, they are often coloured with red dust resulting from activities of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited”, they added.
According to the participants at the workshop, they were also concerned about the safety of community members who had been exposed constantly to the risk of accidents from speeding vehicles of the company.
Concerns
They mentioned that they had made these concerns known to Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who had turned deaf ears to their complaints and they found it difficult as citizens of Ghana to continue to live under such inhuman conditions in the name of foreign direct investment.
“We are therefore calling on Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and the relevant government institutions to take immediate steps to address our concerns and resettle us in areas that give us hope for survival and better quality of life”, they said.
The group added that they were united in their determination to defend their rights and to expose those problems until they got solutions to them and called for solidarity from like-minded individuals and organisations, especially the media to articulate their concerns and echo their voices.
A visit by this reporter to the communities confirmed the concerns raised by the communities affected by the mining activities.
Officials at the Envornmental Department of Newmont, told this reporter that the communities had been provided with boreholes and water tanks and efforts were being made to address the other concerns.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
ASSEMBLY TO FIGHT ILLEGAL CHAINSAW OPERATORS (PAGE 22)
THE Tano South District Assembly in the Brong Ahafo Region has committed 10 per cent of its budget to fight illegal chainsaw operation which is on the increase in the various forest reserves, especially the Tintain Beposo forest reserve.
Part of the amount would also be used for the fight against the annual bushfire outbreaks that often occur during the dry season of every year, resulting in the destruction of the vegetative cover of the district, thereby affecting agricultural production in the area.
As a short-term measure to deal with the indiscriminate felling of trees in the various forest reserves, the District Security Committee (DISEC) with the assistance of the military, the Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (BARCC) and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, has launched a massive operation to prevent the forests from further depletion.
The Tano South District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Bukari Zakari Anaba, made this known to the Daily Graphic at Bechem.
He called on the communities living around the forests and their assembly members to assist in protecting the forests from further destruction by providing information to the security agencies on the illegal activities.
According to him, if the activities of the illegal chainsaw operators were not check, they would lead to the further destruction of the forest reserves in the district.
Mr Anaba said the effect of the depletion of the forests had resulted in the change of the climatic conditions of the area, adding. “The area used to experience much rainfall even in the dry season that help in food production, but now, the whether pattern has changed as a result of these bad environmental practices.”
He stated that Techimantia and Dermaa in the district were reputed as some of the leading producers of tomatoes in the country but as a result of the lack of market, storage facilities and access roads to those towns, most of the tomatoes produced during the major season were left to rot, a situation that discouraged farmers and the youth from going into that venture.
Mr Anaba said as a measure of reducing the annual glut experienced by farmers in those communities, the assembly had decided to reshape and tar the road connecting the two towns to the marketing centres.
He added that the assembly would also commit 0.5 per cent and one per cent of its budget for the year to research into storage and irrigation sites to help address the situation and to encourage farmers, especially the youth, to go into tomato production.
The DCE stated that the assembly had been selected to be part of the Ministry of Manpower and Employment’s national programme for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in cocoa-growing areas in the country.
In that regard, he said, a series of workshops had been organised to build the capacity of some officials of the assembly, traditional leaders and other stakeholders for the implementation of the programme in the district.
According to Mr Anaba, a District Child Protection Committee had been formed while 10 communities in the district had been selected for the pilot programme.
He said the assembly had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ministry under which the assembly was to provide a counterpart funding of GH¢10,480.00 to support the project to ensure its sustainability while the ministry had already provided a computer and accessories, a motorbike, 10 bicycles and cash of GH¢3,200 towards the project.
Mr Anaba further stated that the assembly had earmarked for completion for this year, a HIPC-funded maternity block at the Bechem Government Hospital which had been abandoned, to help ease overcrowding at the maternity ward.
He said the hospital had no resident doctor and, therefore, the assembly had also decided to put up two three-bedroom bungalows to house a resident doctor.
Part of the amount would also be used for the fight against the annual bushfire outbreaks that often occur during the dry season of every year, resulting in the destruction of the vegetative cover of the district, thereby affecting agricultural production in the area.
As a short-term measure to deal with the indiscriminate felling of trees in the various forest reserves, the District Security Committee (DISEC) with the assistance of the military, the Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (BARCC) and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, has launched a massive operation to prevent the forests from further depletion.
The Tano South District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Bukari Zakari Anaba, made this known to the Daily Graphic at Bechem.
He called on the communities living around the forests and their assembly members to assist in protecting the forests from further destruction by providing information to the security agencies on the illegal activities.
According to him, if the activities of the illegal chainsaw operators were not check, they would lead to the further destruction of the forest reserves in the district.
Mr Anaba said the effect of the depletion of the forests had resulted in the change of the climatic conditions of the area, adding. “The area used to experience much rainfall even in the dry season that help in food production, but now, the whether pattern has changed as a result of these bad environmental practices.”
He stated that Techimantia and Dermaa in the district were reputed as some of the leading producers of tomatoes in the country but as a result of the lack of market, storage facilities and access roads to those towns, most of the tomatoes produced during the major season were left to rot, a situation that discouraged farmers and the youth from going into that venture.
Mr Anaba said as a measure of reducing the annual glut experienced by farmers in those communities, the assembly had decided to reshape and tar the road connecting the two towns to the marketing centres.
He added that the assembly would also commit 0.5 per cent and one per cent of its budget for the year to research into storage and irrigation sites to help address the situation and to encourage farmers, especially the youth, to go into tomato production.
The DCE stated that the assembly had been selected to be part of the Ministry of Manpower and Employment’s national programme for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in cocoa-growing areas in the country.
In that regard, he said, a series of workshops had been organised to build the capacity of some officials of the assembly, traditional leaders and other stakeholders for the implementation of the programme in the district.
According to Mr Anaba, a District Child Protection Committee had been formed while 10 communities in the district had been selected for the pilot programme.
He said the assembly had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ministry under which the assembly was to provide a counterpart funding of GH¢10,480.00 to support the project to ensure its sustainability while the ministry had already provided a computer and accessories, a motorbike, 10 bicycles and cash of GH¢3,200 towards the project.
Mr Anaba further stated that the assembly had earmarked for completion for this year, a HIPC-funded maternity block at the Bechem Government Hospital which had been abandoned, to help ease overcrowding at the maternity ward.
He said the hospital had no resident doctor and, therefore, the assembly had also decided to put up two three-bedroom bungalows to house a resident doctor.
COUNTERPART FUNDING ON WATER FACILITIES WAIVED (PAGE 23)
THE Government has waived the five per cent counterpart funding which beneficiary communities in the Brong Ahafo Region contribute for the execution of an 18-million euro project for water and sanitation facilities in the region.
The decision is to enable more poor and rural communities in the region have access to water and sanitation facilities.
The Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, said this at the opening of a day’s national policy dialogue on sanitation in Sunyani.
The meeting, organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), under the auspices of the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), was sponsored by Water Aid, Ghana on the theme: “Improved sanitation for a better Ghana”.
It brought together stakeholders in water and sanitation to dialogue with other partners to see how best sanitation could be improved in the region and Ghana as a whole.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stated further that the decision was also to demonstrate the Government’s commitment towards provision of affordable, safe and potable water for all, as part of the “Better Ghana” agenda.
He reiterated the Government’s commitment to find a lasting solution to the numerous challenges confronting water and sanitation sectors of the country.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo observed that the Government alone could not shoulder the responsibility, especially in the provision of sanitation facilities.
He called for the revival of the self-help spirit which had died down in recent times, stressing “if we are to progress as a nation, then people must learn how to take responsibility, especially when it came to the issue of keeping a clean and safe environment”.
The regional minister stated that most houses in the Sunyani municipality and other parts of the region did not have sanitary facilities because most landlords had turned them into bedrooms for people to rent.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, therefore, called on the various municipal and district assemblies to strictly enforce their bye-laws on buildings to ensure that all households had the necessary sanitary facilities.
The Regional Environmental Health Officer, Mr Sylvester Ankomah, said apart from the Sunyani and Techiman Municipal Assemblies which had proper final disposal sites for both liquid and solid wastes, the rest of the assemblies lacked those facilities, compelling those assemblies to indulge in crude dumping methods.
He, therefore, appealed to local authorities to release land to the various assemblies to enable them to create permanent final waste disposal sites for effective waste management.
A Water and Sanitation Engineer at the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in Sunyani, Mr Divine D. Dugbartey, reiterated the call on the assemblies to enforce their bye-laws on building to ensure that every household had a latrine.
He also suggested that the assemblies should establish credit schemes, for which poor households in rural communities could access to put up latrines in their homes instead of attending to the call of nature in the bush.
The decision is to enable more poor and rural communities in the region have access to water and sanitation facilities.
The Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, said this at the opening of a day’s national policy dialogue on sanitation in Sunyani.
The meeting, organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), under the auspices of the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), was sponsored by Water Aid, Ghana on the theme: “Improved sanitation for a better Ghana”.
It brought together stakeholders in water and sanitation to dialogue with other partners to see how best sanitation could be improved in the region and Ghana as a whole.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stated further that the decision was also to demonstrate the Government’s commitment towards provision of affordable, safe and potable water for all, as part of the “Better Ghana” agenda.
He reiterated the Government’s commitment to find a lasting solution to the numerous challenges confronting water and sanitation sectors of the country.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo observed that the Government alone could not shoulder the responsibility, especially in the provision of sanitation facilities.
He called for the revival of the self-help spirit which had died down in recent times, stressing “if we are to progress as a nation, then people must learn how to take responsibility, especially when it came to the issue of keeping a clean and safe environment”.
The regional minister stated that most houses in the Sunyani municipality and other parts of the region did not have sanitary facilities because most landlords had turned them into bedrooms for people to rent.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, therefore, called on the various municipal and district assemblies to strictly enforce their bye-laws on buildings to ensure that all households had the necessary sanitary facilities.
The Regional Environmental Health Officer, Mr Sylvester Ankomah, said apart from the Sunyani and Techiman Municipal Assemblies which had proper final disposal sites for both liquid and solid wastes, the rest of the assemblies lacked those facilities, compelling those assemblies to indulge in crude dumping methods.
He, therefore, appealed to local authorities to release land to the various assemblies to enable them to create permanent final waste disposal sites for effective waste management.
A Water and Sanitation Engineer at the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in Sunyani, Mr Divine D. Dugbartey, reiterated the call on the assemblies to enforce their bye-laws on building to ensure that every household had a latrine.
He also suggested that the assemblies should establish credit schemes, for which poor households in rural communities could access to put up latrines in their homes instead of attending to the call of nature in the bush.
Friday, September 4, 2009
PRESBY MODERATOR BEMOANS MORAL DECADENCE (PAGE 25)
THE Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rt Revd, Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, has bemoaned the rate of indiscipline, criminality and moral decadence in the Ghanaian society, despite the proliferation of churches in the country.
He said while the number of churches was growing every day, the rate of crime was increasing and wondered where the nation heading to.
Rt Revd Frimpong-Manso, therefore, called for prayers from all people of God for the Lord to transform the lives of the wicked and for all Ghanaians to eschew things that divide us as a people.
The moderator was delivering a sermon on the theme: “Let us rise up and build; With hope and in truth and holiness”, during the inauguration of the West Brong Presbytery at Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region. This brings to 15 the number of presbyteries of the church nationwide.
Rt Revd Frimpong-Manso urged Ghanaians to do away with all negative tendencies such as corruption, tribalism, selfishness, greediness, backbiting and the “pull him down” syndrome which were creating disunity and tearing the nation apart.
The West Brong Presbytery which was created from the Brong Ahafo Presbytery, consists of 11 districts of the church, namely Berekum, Sampa, Nkrankwanta, Japekrom, Dwenem, Jinijini, Dormaa Ahenkro, Wamfie, Suma Kwantwoma, Drobo and Seikwa.
The presbytery is, however, under the political administration of four districts, namely Berekum Municipal and Jaman North, Jaman South and Tain districts.
Rev. Dr Kofi Effa Ababio is the Chairman-elect of the new presbytery with Rev. Emmanuel Osafo and Mr Paul Amo Owusu Budu as the Clerk-elect and Lay Representative-elect, respectively.
They will be inducted into office on October 11, this year.
Rt Revd Frimpong-Manso further observed that the country’s quest to attain a middle-income status by the year 2015 could only become a reality when Ghanaians pool their resources together and unite as one people for the healthy development of the nation.
“Let us rise up and build healthy, positive values that will help us to develop as a people and a nation,” he stressed.
The moderator also urged Ghanaians not to allow their differences of opinion or diversities of thought to separate them as a people or to be the cause of dispute, hatred and strife, but rather search diligently for peace and unity and healthy dialogue that would lead to development, progress and prosperity.
He observed that there was the urgent need for unity and cohesiveness in the country because the signals were not too good, adding that many Ghanaians had gone astray and were taking things for granted.
Rt Revd Frimpong-Manso stated that in order to build a strong, credible and vibrant presbytery, the church members must work as a team.
The Omanhene of Berekum Traditional Area, Daasebre (Dr) Amankona Diawuo II, enjoined religious bodies in the country, especially the PCG to set up endowment funds to cater for the poor, the vulnerable and physically challenged persons in society.
The Berekum Municipal Chief Executive Mr Lord Stephen Oppong, who represented the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamkekye-Marfo, commended the church for its contributions in the delivery of quality education and health care in the country.
He called on the church to continue to complement the efforts of the government to bring an improvement in the living conditions of the people.
The Member of Parliament for Berekum, Mr Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng, also commended the church for its role in education and health care.
He called on Ghanaians to bury their differences in order to move the nation forward.
He said while the number of churches was growing every day, the rate of crime was increasing and wondered where the nation heading to.
Rt Revd Frimpong-Manso, therefore, called for prayers from all people of God for the Lord to transform the lives of the wicked and for all Ghanaians to eschew things that divide us as a people.
The moderator was delivering a sermon on the theme: “Let us rise up and build; With hope and in truth and holiness”, during the inauguration of the West Brong Presbytery at Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region. This brings to 15 the number of presbyteries of the church nationwide.
Rt Revd Frimpong-Manso urged Ghanaians to do away with all negative tendencies such as corruption, tribalism, selfishness, greediness, backbiting and the “pull him down” syndrome which were creating disunity and tearing the nation apart.
The West Brong Presbytery which was created from the Brong Ahafo Presbytery, consists of 11 districts of the church, namely Berekum, Sampa, Nkrankwanta, Japekrom, Dwenem, Jinijini, Dormaa Ahenkro, Wamfie, Suma Kwantwoma, Drobo and Seikwa.
The presbytery is, however, under the political administration of four districts, namely Berekum Municipal and Jaman North, Jaman South and Tain districts.
Rev. Dr Kofi Effa Ababio is the Chairman-elect of the new presbytery with Rev. Emmanuel Osafo and Mr Paul Amo Owusu Budu as the Clerk-elect and Lay Representative-elect, respectively.
They will be inducted into office on October 11, this year.
Rt Revd Frimpong-Manso further observed that the country’s quest to attain a middle-income status by the year 2015 could only become a reality when Ghanaians pool their resources together and unite as one people for the healthy development of the nation.
“Let us rise up and build healthy, positive values that will help us to develop as a people and a nation,” he stressed.
The moderator also urged Ghanaians not to allow their differences of opinion or diversities of thought to separate them as a people or to be the cause of dispute, hatred and strife, but rather search diligently for peace and unity and healthy dialogue that would lead to development, progress and prosperity.
He observed that there was the urgent need for unity and cohesiveness in the country because the signals were not too good, adding that many Ghanaians had gone astray and were taking things for granted.
Rt Revd Frimpong-Manso stated that in order to build a strong, credible and vibrant presbytery, the church members must work as a team.
The Omanhene of Berekum Traditional Area, Daasebre (Dr) Amankona Diawuo II, enjoined religious bodies in the country, especially the PCG to set up endowment funds to cater for the poor, the vulnerable and physically challenged persons in society.
The Berekum Municipal Chief Executive Mr Lord Stephen Oppong, who represented the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamkekye-Marfo, commended the church for its contributions in the delivery of quality education and health care in the country.
He called on the church to continue to complement the efforts of the government to bring an improvement in the living conditions of the people.
The Member of Parliament for Berekum, Mr Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng, also commended the church for its role in education and health care.
He called on Ghanaians to bury their differences in order to move the nation forward.
ATEBUBU-AMANTIN DISTRICT DIRECTOR GRANTED BAIL (PAGE 26)
THE Atebubu-Amantin District Director of Education, Lucas Nsekisi-Nim, and his messenger, John Akwesi Hinneh, who allegedly extorted money from newly recruited untrained teachers (pupil teachers) in the district have been granted bail in the sum of GH¢2,000 and a surety each to be justified by a Sunyani Circuit Court.
The two accused persons, who pleaded not guilty to the offences of extortion and abetment of crime, would reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Justice Kwame Ohene Essel on September 21, this year.
The facts of the case as presented in court by Chief Inspector Kingsley Baafi were that, on August 5, 2009, the district director invited 18 pupil teachers who had received their pay arrears for the months of February and March to his office and demanded GH¢140 each from them.
The prosecutor said on reaching his office,Mr Nsekis-Nim threatened the teachers that if they failed to pay the amount, their appointments would be terminated.
Chief Inspector Baafi stated that out of fear, the teachers paid the monies to the messenger who was appointed by Nsekisi-Nim to collect the monies for him.
He said a total amount of GH¢25,000 was collected in the process.
It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic in its August 8, 2009 issue of this paper published the story with the headline: “Extortion: Police hunt for Director of Education”.
The story in part read that the Atebubu-Amantin District Police Command had launched a man-hunt for the District Director of Education, Lucas Nsekisi-Nim for allegedly extorting monies from newly recruited untrained teachers in the district.
According to the story, Nsekisi-Nim left his duty post when the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Sanja Nanja made a report on the alleged extortion to the police. THE Atebubu-Amantin District Director of Education, Lucas Nsekisi-Nim, and his messenger, John Akwesi Hinneh, who allegedly extorted money from newly recruited untrained teachers (pupil teachers) in the district have been granted bail in the sum of GH¢2,000 and a surety each to be justified by a Sunyani Circuit Court.
The two accused persons, who pleaded not guilty to the offences of extortion and abetment of crime, would reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Justice Kwame Ohene Essel on September 21, this year.
The facts of the case as presented in court by Chief Inspector Kingsley Baafi were that, on August 5, 2009, the district director invited 18 pupil teachers who had received their pay arrears for the months of February and March to his office and demanded GH¢140 each from them.
The prosecutor said on reaching his office,Mr Nsekis-Nim threatened the teachers that if they failed to pay the amount, their appointments would be terminated.
Chief Inspector Baafi stated that out of fear, the teachers paid the monies to the messenger who was appointed by Nsekisi-Nim to collect the monies for him.
He said a total amount of GH¢25,000 was collected in the process.
It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic in its August 8, 2009 issue of this paper published the story with the headline: “Extortion: Police hunt for Director of Education”.
The story in part read that the Atebubu-Amantin District Police Command had launched a man-hunt for the District Director of Education, Lucas Nsekisi-Nim for allegedly extorting monies from newly recruited untrained teachers in the district.
According to the story, Nsekisi-Nim left his duty post when the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Sanja Nanja made a report on the alleged extortion to the police.
The two accused persons, who pleaded not guilty to the offences of extortion and abetment of crime, would reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Justice Kwame Ohene Essel on September 21, this year.
The facts of the case as presented in court by Chief Inspector Kingsley Baafi were that, on August 5, 2009, the district director invited 18 pupil teachers who had received their pay arrears for the months of February and March to his office and demanded GH¢140 each from them.
The prosecutor said on reaching his office,Mr Nsekis-Nim threatened the teachers that if they failed to pay the amount, their appointments would be terminated.
Chief Inspector Baafi stated that out of fear, the teachers paid the monies to the messenger who was appointed by Nsekisi-Nim to collect the monies for him.
He said a total amount of GH¢25,000 was collected in the process.
It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic in its August 8, 2009 issue of this paper published the story with the headline: “Extortion: Police hunt for Director of Education”.
The story in part read that the Atebubu-Amantin District Police Command had launched a man-hunt for the District Director of Education, Lucas Nsekisi-Nim for allegedly extorting monies from newly recruited untrained teachers in the district.
According to the story, Nsekisi-Nim left his duty post when the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Sanja Nanja made a report on the alleged extortion to the police. THE Atebubu-Amantin District Director of Education, Lucas Nsekisi-Nim, and his messenger, John Akwesi Hinneh, who allegedly extorted money from newly recruited untrained teachers (pupil teachers) in the district have been granted bail in the sum of GH¢2,000 and a surety each to be justified by a Sunyani Circuit Court.
The two accused persons, who pleaded not guilty to the offences of extortion and abetment of crime, would reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Justice Kwame Ohene Essel on September 21, this year.
The facts of the case as presented in court by Chief Inspector Kingsley Baafi were that, on August 5, 2009, the district director invited 18 pupil teachers who had received their pay arrears for the months of February and March to his office and demanded GH¢140 each from them.
The prosecutor said on reaching his office,Mr Nsekis-Nim threatened the teachers that if they failed to pay the amount, their appointments would be terminated.
Chief Inspector Baafi stated that out of fear, the teachers paid the monies to the messenger who was appointed by Nsekisi-Nim to collect the monies for him.
He said a total amount of GH¢25,000 was collected in the process.
It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic in its August 8, 2009 issue of this paper published the story with the headline: “Extortion: Police hunt for Director of Education”.
The story in part read that the Atebubu-Amantin District Police Command had launched a man-hunt for the District Director of Education, Lucas Nsekisi-Nim for allegedly extorting monies from newly recruited untrained teachers in the district.
According to the story, Nsekisi-Nim left his duty post when the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Sanja Nanja made a report on the alleged extortion to the police.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
GOVT TO SUPPORT GARAGES (PAGE35)
THE Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Techiman, Mr Alex Kyeremeh, has given an assurance that the assembly, together with the Government, would support the local garages associations for the training of apprentices in the Techiman Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region.
He further assured workers at the Techiman Magazine that his office would do everything possible to improve upon facilities such as water, electricity and other social amenities at the site.
Mr Kyeremeh gave the assurance during a familiarisation tour of the Techiman site of the Eurika Garages Association to acquaint himself with their activities and also have first-hand information of their challenges.
According to the MCE, the private sector played a pivotal role in the nation’s development, so there was the need to take a critical look at it.
He, therefore, appealed to workers to upgrade their knowledge to enable them to be relevant in this era of technological advancement.
Mr Kyeremeh, on behalf of German Technical Co-operation (GTZ), a German development organisation, donated 20 sets of streetlight bulbs and other electrical gadgets to the association.
The MCE appealed to the youth to take advantage of the Government’s interventions aimed at training more youth to become responsible citizens in future, since ‘the devil finds work for the idle hand’.
Mr Kyeremeh also charged the apprentices to be committed to their work, and pledged to expand and train more youth.
He added that poverty reduction could be attained if the youth were given the requisite skills needed on the job market.
For his part, the Chairman of the Eurika Garages Association, Mr John Nkrumah, announced that the association had secured about 300 acres for the members to establish their workshops for the training of more apprentices.
Mr Nkrumah added that the association, which was founded about 15 years ago, had trained many youths in various fields of the mechanic (artisan) business.
He, therefore, called on the municipal assembly to provide the association with a computer laboratory to train their members to enable them to service modern vehicles, which were mostly electronic.
Mr Nkrumah also appealed to the Government to help them access adequate loans to train more people to help reduce the unemployment rate among the youth in the country.
He further assured workers at the Techiman Magazine that his office would do everything possible to improve upon facilities such as water, electricity and other social amenities at the site.
Mr Kyeremeh gave the assurance during a familiarisation tour of the Techiman site of the Eurika Garages Association to acquaint himself with their activities and also have first-hand information of their challenges.
According to the MCE, the private sector played a pivotal role in the nation’s development, so there was the need to take a critical look at it.
He, therefore, appealed to workers to upgrade their knowledge to enable them to be relevant in this era of technological advancement.
Mr Kyeremeh, on behalf of German Technical Co-operation (GTZ), a German development organisation, donated 20 sets of streetlight bulbs and other electrical gadgets to the association.
The MCE appealed to the youth to take advantage of the Government’s interventions aimed at training more youth to become responsible citizens in future, since ‘the devil finds work for the idle hand’.
Mr Kyeremeh also charged the apprentices to be committed to their work, and pledged to expand and train more youth.
He added that poverty reduction could be attained if the youth were given the requisite skills needed on the job market.
For his part, the Chairman of the Eurika Garages Association, Mr John Nkrumah, announced that the association had secured about 300 acres for the members to establish their workshops for the training of more apprentices.
Mr Nkrumah added that the association, which was founded about 15 years ago, had trained many youths in various fields of the mechanic (artisan) business.
He, therefore, called on the municipal assembly to provide the association with a computer laboratory to train their members to enable them to service modern vehicles, which were mostly electronic.
Mr Nkrumah also appealed to the Government to help them access adequate loans to train more people to help reduce the unemployment rate among the youth in the country.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
BE VIGILANT AT BORDERS (PAGE 31)
Personnel of security agencies stationed at the various border posts and frontiers of the country in the Brong Ahafo Region, have been urged by the Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, to be vigilant in order to halt the smuggling of cocoa and petroleum products to neighbouring La Cote d’Ivoire.
He noted that if such unpatriotic activities were not halted immediately, it would deny the state the needed revenue to pursue its socio-economic development agenda.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo said this when he addressed the first ordinary assembly meeting of the Jaman South District Assembly at Drobo, the district capital.
He called on the people living along the country’s frontiers to also assist the security agencies by providing them with useful information that would lead to the arrest of these ‘economy saboteurs’ who were bent on derailing the Government’s development agenda.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo noted that the district was endowed with a lot of resources and if well harnessed, they would put the district on the same level with others whose development efforts had helped raise the living standards of the people.
He called on the assembly-members to forge ahead in unity by burying their political differences and working hard towards bringing a remarkable improvement in the living conditions of the people.
The Jaman South District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Julius Atta Bediako, in his sessional address, said the assembly had about 47 uncompleted projects and the stages of completion of some of these projects fell below the contract sums left for the contractors to complete the works.
He disclosed that the total debt of the assembly stood at about GH¢688,000.00, which represented outstanding payment certificate and cost of ongoing projects.
Touching on the budget allocation, Mr Atta Bediako said the assembly had budgeted for GH¢1,336,984.05 for the year, out of which GH¢89,395.51 was to be used in servicing outstanding debts, while GH¢259,163.51 would be used to push the ongoing projects towards completion and GH¢415,152.35 would be used to initiate new projects.
The Member of Parliament (MP) Jaman South Constituency Mr Mama Afful, for his part, explained some of the Government’s policies to the assembly members and urged them to bury their political affiliations so as to work as a team to ensure the total development of the district.
He said he had used his share of the MP’s Common Fund of GH¢5000.00 to support needy students in the Constituency.
The Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr Gabriel Kofi Kyereme, bemoaned low internal revenue generation in the assembly and entreated all assembly members to assist in the revenue generation to tackle the development needs of the district.
He noted that if such unpatriotic activities were not halted immediately, it would deny the state the needed revenue to pursue its socio-economic development agenda.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo said this when he addressed the first ordinary assembly meeting of the Jaman South District Assembly at Drobo, the district capital.
He called on the people living along the country’s frontiers to also assist the security agencies by providing them with useful information that would lead to the arrest of these ‘economy saboteurs’ who were bent on derailing the Government’s development agenda.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo noted that the district was endowed with a lot of resources and if well harnessed, they would put the district on the same level with others whose development efforts had helped raise the living standards of the people.
He called on the assembly-members to forge ahead in unity by burying their political differences and working hard towards bringing a remarkable improvement in the living conditions of the people.
The Jaman South District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Julius Atta Bediako, in his sessional address, said the assembly had about 47 uncompleted projects and the stages of completion of some of these projects fell below the contract sums left for the contractors to complete the works.
He disclosed that the total debt of the assembly stood at about GH¢688,000.00, which represented outstanding payment certificate and cost of ongoing projects.
Touching on the budget allocation, Mr Atta Bediako said the assembly had budgeted for GH¢1,336,984.05 for the year, out of which GH¢89,395.51 was to be used in servicing outstanding debts, while GH¢259,163.51 would be used to push the ongoing projects towards completion and GH¢415,152.35 would be used to initiate new projects.
The Member of Parliament (MP) Jaman South Constituency Mr Mama Afful, for his part, explained some of the Government’s policies to the assembly members and urged them to bury their political affiliations so as to work as a team to ensure the total development of the district.
He said he had used his share of the MP’s Common Fund of GH¢5000.00 to support needy students in the Constituency.
The Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr Gabriel Kofi Kyereme, bemoaned low internal revenue generation in the assembly and entreated all assembly members to assist in the revenue generation to tackle the development needs of the district.
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