THE Ministry of Transport is to purchase additional engines for the Volta Lake Transport Company (VLTC), to ensure efficient and safe transportation of goods and passengers on the lake..
Mr Mike Hammah, the Minister of Transport, who made this known at a durbar to launch the inland water transport safety education campaign at Yeji, said $2 million out of a $3 million World Bank funding would be used for the exercise.
Mr Hammah said the decision by the ministry to purchase the new engines was a clear demonstration of how the ministry and the government attached great importance to transportation on the Volta Lake and for that matter other inland waterways.
The inland water transport safety campaign, which is an initiative of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) in conjunction with the ministry, is to educate all stakeholders on the lake, especially boat operators and passengers, on safety and other related issues to help minimise accidents on the lake.
Mr Hammah announced that the ministry intended to introduce the first batch of fibre glass boats into the system as soon as arrangements for the necessary funding materialised, in view of the scarcity of hard woods such as Kusia and Odum for the construction of boats.
He gave the assurance that the ministry was working around the clock to ensure that the removal of tree stumps in the Volta Lake, which has also been identified as one of the causes of accidents on the lake, begins by the end of April, this year.
Mr Issaka Peter Azuma, the Director-General of the GMA, said since its establishment in 2007, the authority had undertaken several measures to improve safety on the lake and had also helped to reduce the rampant spate of fatal boat accidents.
He added that his outfit, in conjunction with the ministry, had also launched an inland Water Safety Code, since part of the problem was lack of safety awareness among boat owners, operators and the travelling public.
He stated further that the authority had signed an agreement with the Regional Maritime University to run training programmes for boat operators and outboard motor mechanics and so far over 690 people from six boat centres including Yeji had benefited from the programme.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pru Constituency, Alhaji Masoud Baba Abdul-Rahman, for their part lauded the ministry for the swift response to repair the broken-down engine of the only pontoon that serves as a means of transport on the lake between Yeji and the northern part of the country.
Mr Yussif Appeh Apetrogbor, a representative of Yeji Boat Owners and Operators Association, appealed to the government to help remove the tree stumps in the lake to prevent accidents.
Pemampem Yaw Kagbrese V, Omanhene of Yeji Traditional Area and Vice-President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, who chaired the durbar, appealed to the government to provide the naval task force team stationed at Yeji with speed boats to enforce safety measures on the lake.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
ATEBUBU-AMANTIN DISTRICT WORRIED ABOUT LAND SALE (PAGE 16, MARCH 29, 2010)
Members of the Atebubu-Amantin District Assembly in the Brong Ahafo Region have urged the management of the assembly to take steps to protect all public lands within its jurisdiction.
This is to halt the indiscriminate sale of these lands by traditional authorities and their agents in the district.
The Assembly members, who were so passionate about the issue ,cited the sale of a parcel of public land along the main Atebubu-Yeji road by some chiefs and their agents to a private developer who had also written to the assembly to demolish structures on the land to make way for a new building.
According to the assembly members, the land in question was the government’s transit quarters which was currently housing government workers and national service persons posted to the district.
They said this was just one of the classical examples of the way some chiefs and their agents were disposing of public lands and there was, therefore, the need for the assembly to act now to nip such a practice in the bud.
The assembly members also served notice to some of their colleagues who were in league with the traditional authorities to sell public lands to desist from such unhealthy and unpatriotic acts or else they would be made to face the consequences.
The issue of alleged indiscriminate sale of public lands by chiefs and their agents in the district, especially in the district capital, Atebubu, came up for discussion on the floor of the assembly during the first ordinary meeting of the Atebubu-Amantin District Assembly at Atebubu.
The members said if the assembly did not take immediate steps to protect government lands, the situation would degenerate to what was happening in Accra and other parts of the country where indiscriminate sale of land had led to the loss of lives and property.
They said it would also lead to the formation of land guards, since many of these lands had been sold to two or more people at a time.
The assembly members cited the lead story of the Wednesday, March 24 edition of the Daily Graphic to buttress their point.
They quoted the story which said in part that "chieftaincy and land disputes in two villages in the Northern and Greater Accra regions exploded into violent clashes and mayhem when a group of irate youth decided to take the law into their own hands".
"If the assembly, which is seen as the local body for legislation and good governance, does not take immediate steps to halt this unhealthy development in our district, we would be experiencing such culture of impunity in the near future and posterity would not forgive us," they noted.
The assembly members noted that this was the time for the assembly to act to secure all public lands so as to ensure orderly development in the district and also to prevent the incidence of land guards.
The assembly members said their investigations into the indiscriminate sale of public lands in the district had revealed that some chiefs and their agents in the business were claiming that there were no documents covering these lands.
According to the members, there was, therefore, the need for urgent steps by the management of the assembly to ensure proper documentation to halt the sale of the lands.
Mr. Sanja Nanja, the Atebubu-Amantin District Chief Executive (DCE), in his response to the issue said the problem was within the assembly’s purview and steps were being taken to halt this unhealthy development.
He said plans were also underway to engage chiefs on the issue, since they were the custodians of the land.
Mr Nanja added that the assembly had also contacted the Lands Commission to come to its aid to enable it to properly demarcate and document all public lands in the district to prevent encroachment, as well as protect them for posterity.
This is to halt the indiscriminate sale of these lands by traditional authorities and their agents in the district.
The Assembly members, who were so passionate about the issue ,cited the sale of a parcel of public land along the main Atebubu-Yeji road by some chiefs and their agents to a private developer who had also written to the assembly to demolish structures on the land to make way for a new building.
According to the assembly members, the land in question was the government’s transit quarters which was currently housing government workers and national service persons posted to the district.
They said this was just one of the classical examples of the way some chiefs and their agents were disposing of public lands and there was, therefore, the need for the assembly to act now to nip such a practice in the bud.
The assembly members also served notice to some of their colleagues who were in league with the traditional authorities to sell public lands to desist from such unhealthy and unpatriotic acts or else they would be made to face the consequences.
The issue of alleged indiscriminate sale of public lands by chiefs and their agents in the district, especially in the district capital, Atebubu, came up for discussion on the floor of the assembly during the first ordinary meeting of the Atebubu-Amantin District Assembly at Atebubu.
The members said if the assembly did not take immediate steps to protect government lands, the situation would degenerate to what was happening in Accra and other parts of the country where indiscriminate sale of land had led to the loss of lives and property.
They said it would also lead to the formation of land guards, since many of these lands had been sold to two or more people at a time.
The assembly members cited the lead story of the Wednesday, March 24 edition of the Daily Graphic to buttress their point.
They quoted the story which said in part that "chieftaincy and land disputes in two villages in the Northern and Greater Accra regions exploded into violent clashes and mayhem when a group of irate youth decided to take the law into their own hands".
"If the assembly, which is seen as the local body for legislation and good governance, does not take immediate steps to halt this unhealthy development in our district, we would be experiencing such culture of impunity in the near future and posterity would not forgive us," they noted.
The assembly members noted that this was the time for the assembly to act to secure all public lands so as to ensure orderly development in the district and also to prevent the incidence of land guards.
The assembly members said their investigations into the indiscriminate sale of public lands in the district had revealed that some chiefs and their agents in the business were claiming that there were no documents covering these lands.
According to the members, there was, therefore, the need for urgent steps by the management of the assembly to ensure proper documentation to halt the sale of the lands.
Mr. Sanja Nanja, the Atebubu-Amantin District Chief Executive (DCE), in his response to the issue said the problem was within the assembly’s purview and steps were being taken to halt this unhealthy development.
He said plans were also underway to engage chiefs on the issue, since they were the custodians of the land.
Mr Nanja added that the assembly had also contacted the Lands Commission to come to its aid to enable it to properly demarcate and document all public lands in the district to prevent encroachment, as well as protect them for posterity.
GOT/AGI COLLABORATION WILL ENHANCE INDUSTRIAL GROWTH (PAGE 39, MARCH 31, 2010)
THE Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, has given the assurance that the government will continue to engage the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) to help remove all bottlenecks militating against the growth of local industries.
He stated that the government recognised the AGI as a partner in development and would, therefore, continue to listen to their suggestions and recommendations to help the government in its effort to use industrialisation as a catalyst for the country’s socio-economic development.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo gave the assurance when the executive council members of the AGI led by the President, Nana Owusu Afari called on him at his office in Sunyani last weekend.
The visit was part of their familiarisation tour to interact with stakeholders in the industrial sector of the economy in the region.
Other members of the AGI delegation were Mr Samuel Appenteng, vice-president; Mr Joe Hyde, National Treasurer; Rev. Lincoln Donkor, Council Member; Mr Cletus Kosiba and executive director of the AGI.
The visit was also to interact with members of the AGI in the region and to know at first-hand their challenges and how best it could be addressed to ensure growth in the industrial sector of the economy.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo further gave the assurance that the government was working around the clock to put in place measures to protect local industries from unfair trade competition and also against the dumping of inferior goods on the nation.
He called for a vigorous campaign for the patronage of Made-in-Ghana goods to boost industrial growth.
The regional minister urged the planning authorities of the various Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) to protect areas that had been zoned for industrial purposes in the region from being encroached upon.
He urged the MDAs to engage Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMSEs) in their fee-fixing resolution in order to come out with realistic fees to ensure the growth of industries in their areas of jurisdiction since SMSEs played an important role in the local economy.
In response to an appeal for office accommodation for the regional branch of the AGI, the regional minister said since the growth of industries was dear to the heart of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), the council was ready to grant the request of the association.
Nana Afari had earlier in his remarks, said the cost of doing business in Ghana was too high.
He said for that matter, the association would impress upon the government to address the situation to promote growth and expansion in the industrial sector of the economy.
Nana Afari, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afari Group of Companies, called on the government to review the country’s trade policies that were inimical to the growth of local industries.
He urged the government to put in place measures to curtail the importation of inferior goods especially products that are already being manufactured in the country to protect local industries from collapsing.
Nana Afari said it was the desire of the AGI to have offices in all the 10 regions of the country and the Brong Ahafo Region would be the first to have such facility, this year, to help champion the cause of industries in the region.
On behalf of the council, Nana Afari presented some publications of the association to the minister.
Members of the AGI delegation also visited the Oti Yeboah Complex Limited, an indigenous wood processing company at Abesim, near Sunyani, to acquaint themselves with the operations of the company.
He stated that the government recognised the AGI as a partner in development and would, therefore, continue to listen to their suggestions and recommendations to help the government in its effort to use industrialisation as a catalyst for the country’s socio-economic development.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo gave the assurance when the executive council members of the AGI led by the President, Nana Owusu Afari called on him at his office in Sunyani last weekend.
The visit was part of their familiarisation tour to interact with stakeholders in the industrial sector of the economy in the region.
Other members of the AGI delegation were Mr Samuel Appenteng, vice-president; Mr Joe Hyde, National Treasurer; Rev. Lincoln Donkor, Council Member; Mr Cletus Kosiba and executive director of the AGI.
The visit was also to interact with members of the AGI in the region and to know at first-hand their challenges and how best it could be addressed to ensure growth in the industrial sector of the economy.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo further gave the assurance that the government was working around the clock to put in place measures to protect local industries from unfair trade competition and also against the dumping of inferior goods on the nation.
He called for a vigorous campaign for the patronage of Made-in-Ghana goods to boost industrial growth.
The regional minister urged the planning authorities of the various Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) to protect areas that had been zoned for industrial purposes in the region from being encroached upon.
He urged the MDAs to engage Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMSEs) in their fee-fixing resolution in order to come out with realistic fees to ensure the growth of industries in their areas of jurisdiction since SMSEs played an important role in the local economy.
In response to an appeal for office accommodation for the regional branch of the AGI, the regional minister said since the growth of industries was dear to the heart of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), the council was ready to grant the request of the association.
Nana Afari had earlier in his remarks, said the cost of doing business in Ghana was too high.
He said for that matter, the association would impress upon the government to address the situation to promote growth and expansion in the industrial sector of the economy.
Nana Afari, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afari Group of Companies, called on the government to review the country’s trade policies that were inimical to the growth of local industries.
He urged the government to put in place measures to curtail the importation of inferior goods especially products that are already being manufactured in the country to protect local industries from collapsing.
Nana Afari said it was the desire of the AGI to have offices in all the 10 regions of the country and the Brong Ahafo Region would be the first to have such facility, this year, to help champion the cause of industries in the region.
On behalf of the council, Nana Afari presented some publications of the association to the minister.
Members of the AGI delegation also visited the Oti Yeboah Complex Limited, an indigenous wood processing company at Abesim, near Sunyani, to acquaint themselves with the operations of the company.
Monday, March 29, 2010
TECHIMANHENE SPEAKS ON TUOBODOM ISSUE (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 5, MARCH 29, 2010)
By Samuel Duodu, Techiman.
THE Omanhene of Techiman Traditional Area, Oseadeeyo Akumfi Ameyaw II has debunked claims in the media that he was present at his palace when the Omanhene of Tuobodom Nana Asare Baffour was arrested at Wenchi and sent there.
Techimanhene, who is also a banker, said he was at his office in Sunyani when he was informed that the Omanhene of Tuobodom had been sent to his palace at Techiman and therefore quickly called the police to pick him up and further instructed other members of the Techiman Traditional Council to contact the Techiman Municipal Police Commander to ensure that the right thing was done.
He stated further that he also informed the Regional Police Commander of the unfolding scenario, but before his team reached Techiman, the Municipal Police Commander had already put the Omanhene of Tuobodom behind bars.
“Therefore, there was nothing like a rescue operation or kidnapping as being misrepresented by the media. Even through I am not a lawyer by profession, I am aware that according to the Criminal Code, citizens have the right to arrest any suspect.
“This was exactly what those he conspired to murder did,” the Techimanhene stated.
Addressing a press conference at his palace in Techiman last Tuesday, Oseadeeyo Ameyaw said when the Omanhene of Tuobodom was detained by the Police, his lawyer, Nana Obiri Boahen, a former Minister of State, allegedly went on radio stations to incite a section of the people of Tuobodom who eventually took arms, attacked and killed Kwasi Takyi, a nephew of the rival chief of Tuobodomhene, Nana Obeng Ameyaw, who owes allegiance to Techiman.
He added that the unfortunate situation sparked the current conflict and noted that all the confusion were tactics employed by the lawyer to cover up the actual crime by the Paramount Chief in Tuobodom.
“As for the statement of Asantehene, the least said about it, the better. On second thought, some of us would like to believe that the Asantehene had been misinformed about the whole issue and decided to swallow whatever he heard, hook line and sinker. That is why he has been insulting me,” the Techimanhene stated.
“We have decided to watch him from the sidelines with sadness, because he has allowed himself to be misled,” he said.
Oseadeeyo Ameyaw observed that leadership in whatever sphere of life must be used to uplift society to bring about progress, to help colleagues, peers, friends and, indeed, everybody to achieve their life goals and objectives to ensure peaceful co-existence.
“Our duty as citizens is to assist the police to enforce the law. If the Asantehene is stating that he will catch me, I leave everything to the security services to decide, because I am a law-abiding citizen and the last thing I will do is to threaten the life of an innocent citizen,” Oseadeeyo Ameyaw added.
The Techimanhene also appealed to the media to be circumspect in any reportage about the Tuobodom stand-off and allow reasoning and the truth to prevail.
He added that the chiefs and people of Techiman believed in ‘jaw jaw’ rather than ‘war war’, that was why they had always resorted to the law court to seek redress in matters of the Tuobodom issue.
THE Omanhene of Techiman Traditional Area, Oseadeeyo Akumfi Ameyaw II has debunked claims in the media that he was present at his palace when the Omanhene of Tuobodom Nana Asare Baffour was arrested at Wenchi and sent there.
Techimanhene, who is also a banker, said he was at his office in Sunyani when he was informed that the Omanhene of Tuobodom had been sent to his palace at Techiman and therefore quickly called the police to pick him up and further instructed other members of the Techiman Traditional Council to contact the Techiman Municipal Police Commander to ensure that the right thing was done.
He stated further that he also informed the Regional Police Commander of the unfolding scenario, but before his team reached Techiman, the Municipal Police Commander had already put the Omanhene of Tuobodom behind bars.
“Therefore, there was nothing like a rescue operation or kidnapping as being misrepresented by the media. Even through I am not a lawyer by profession, I am aware that according to the Criminal Code, citizens have the right to arrest any suspect.
“This was exactly what those he conspired to murder did,” the Techimanhene stated.
Addressing a press conference at his palace in Techiman last Tuesday, Oseadeeyo Ameyaw said when the Omanhene of Tuobodom was detained by the Police, his lawyer, Nana Obiri Boahen, a former Minister of State, allegedly went on radio stations to incite a section of the people of Tuobodom who eventually took arms, attacked and killed Kwasi Takyi, a nephew of the rival chief of Tuobodomhene, Nana Obeng Ameyaw, who owes allegiance to Techiman.
He added that the unfortunate situation sparked the current conflict and noted that all the confusion were tactics employed by the lawyer to cover up the actual crime by the Paramount Chief in Tuobodom.
“As for the statement of Asantehene, the least said about it, the better. On second thought, some of us would like to believe that the Asantehene had been misinformed about the whole issue and decided to swallow whatever he heard, hook line and sinker. That is why he has been insulting me,” the Techimanhene stated.
“We have decided to watch him from the sidelines with sadness, because he has allowed himself to be misled,” he said.
Oseadeeyo Ameyaw observed that leadership in whatever sphere of life must be used to uplift society to bring about progress, to help colleagues, peers, friends and, indeed, everybody to achieve their life goals and objectives to ensure peaceful co-existence.
“Our duty as citizens is to assist the police to enforce the law. If the Asantehene is stating that he will catch me, I leave everything to the security services to decide, because I am a law-abiding citizen and the last thing I will do is to threaten the life of an innocent citizen,” Oseadeeyo Ameyaw added.
The Techimanhene also appealed to the media to be circumspect in any reportage about the Tuobodom stand-off and allow reasoning and the truth to prevail.
He added that the chiefs and people of Techiman believed in ‘jaw jaw’ rather than ‘war war’, that was why they had always resorted to the law court to seek redress in matters of the Tuobodom issue.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
WOMEN URGED TO RESPOND POSITIELY TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (PAGE 11, MARCH 27, 2010)
The Brong Ahafo Regional Director of the Department of Women, Ms Malonin Asibi, has urged women, especially those in the rural areas, to be more responsive to the challenges of the environment in order to help improve on their health status and that of their families.
She said most activities and livelihoods of women were dependent on the environment, and there was, therefore, the need for women to always ensure a clean and a healthy environment to help address environmental concerns that led to the spread of diseases like malaria and diarrhoea.
Ms Asibi made the statement when she addressed some market women and traders at the Techiman Central Market and the main lorry park after a five-hour clean-up exercise in the Techiman Municipality as part of activities marking the regional celebrations of this year’s International Women’s Day.
The exercise was organised by the Regional Directorate of the Department of Women in collaboration with Zoomlion Company Limited, a waste management company, and the Techiman Municipal Assembly.
She advised women to observe good personal hygiene, in addition to keeping their environment clean and also join hands with their male counterparts so that together “we would build a healthy and a prosperous nation”.
Speaking on the theme for the celebration: “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity, Progress for All”, Mrs Mercy Larbi, a legal practitioner at the Brong Ahafo office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), stated that a lot of interventions were also put in place after the Beijing Conference, to promote the welfare of women and also to eliminate all forms of negative cultural practices that militated against the rights of women.
She said through the efforts of civil society groups and other governmental agencies, the rights of women and children had been entrenched in national legislation and many women were being encouraged to go into public life.
She noted that since women were agents of change, there was the need for them to lead the crusade for environmental cleanliness and desist from littering, as well as indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
Mrs Larbi commended all stakeholders who helped to ensure the passage of the Domestic Violence Bill into law in 2007, to give more meaning to the right and protection of all, especially the vulnerable in society.
In another development, the Assistant Programme Officer of the Department of Women in the Volta Region, Mrs Thywill Eyra Kpe-Boni, has stated that the low representation of women in parliament and other levels of decision-making did not give them the needed platform to articulate their views on issues affecting them, reports Tim Dzamboe.
Mrs Kpe-Boni said it was unfortunate that out of 230 parliamentarians in the country only 19 were women and that out of the 18 District Chief Executives (DCEs) in the Volta Region, none was a woman.
She said the tide could only change, if young women would identify their own areas of competence and develop them and also develop leadership potential and actively participate in leadership activities while in school.
Speaking at the launch of the Women’s Week celebration of the Ho Polytechnic, on the theme, “Equipping Today’s Woman to Become an Asset for National Development” she said the 2000 World’s Population Monitoring Report indicated that that sex was the price expected to be paid by millions of women across the world, for many life opportunities.
It mentioned that the opportunities range from gaining admission to overcrowded classrooms, to passing examinations and securing employment.
She also said women should learn to assert themselves as young females and take advantage of opportunities available to them to develop their academic potential, as well as having a role model to look up to.
Mrs Kpe-Boni advised women, especially female students, not to compromise their integrity for short-term favours and advised them to set achievable goals at each stage of their lives and strive to excel in their jobs.
She said when these problems were addressed, then one could talk about women’s empowerment and equipping women with skills for national development, stressing that “empowerment is not something that could be taken for granted but a person needs to aspire to attain the level of empowerment he or she desires”.
Quoting from a 2003 report on population programmes by the UN Economic and Social Council, she talked about the importance of girls’ education and said that was the first step to equipping women for national development.
Launching the week, the Headmistress of the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Mawuko Girls Senior High School, Madam Janet Kwasi, asked the students to be focussed and assertive and explore opportunities in motivational talks and others relating to the use of the Internet to enhance their public status.
In a welcoming address, the women’s commissioner, Miss Mavis Yawa Dusu, urged female students to participate actively in all programmes slated for the week. They are Health Talk, Crowning of African Queen, Cooking and eating competition for gentlemen only, Music and Dance, clean-up exercises, Love in the air — Ladies and Gents Nite and a thanksgiving service.
She said most activities and livelihoods of women were dependent on the environment, and there was, therefore, the need for women to always ensure a clean and a healthy environment to help address environmental concerns that led to the spread of diseases like malaria and diarrhoea.
Ms Asibi made the statement when she addressed some market women and traders at the Techiman Central Market and the main lorry park after a five-hour clean-up exercise in the Techiman Municipality as part of activities marking the regional celebrations of this year’s International Women’s Day.
The exercise was organised by the Regional Directorate of the Department of Women in collaboration with Zoomlion Company Limited, a waste management company, and the Techiman Municipal Assembly.
She advised women to observe good personal hygiene, in addition to keeping their environment clean and also join hands with their male counterparts so that together “we would build a healthy and a prosperous nation”.
Speaking on the theme for the celebration: “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity, Progress for All”, Mrs Mercy Larbi, a legal practitioner at the Brong Ahafo office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), stated that a lot of interventions were also put in place after the Beijing Conference, to promote the welfare of women and also to eliminate all forms of negative cultural practices that militated against the rights of women.
She said through the efforts of civil society groups and other governmental agencies, the rights of women and children had been entrenched in national legislation and many women were being encouraged to go into public life.
She noted that since women were agents of change, there was the need for them to lead the crusade for environmental cleanliness and desist from littering, as well as indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
Mrs Larbi commended all stakeholders who helped to ensure the passage of the Domestic Violence Bill into law in 2007, to give more meaning to the right and protection of all, especially the vulnerable in society.
In another development, the Assistant Programme Officer of the Department of Women in the Volta Region, Mrs Thywill Eyra Kpe-Boni, has stated that the low representation of women in parliament and other levels of decision-making did not give them the needed platform to articulate their views on issues affecting them, reports Tim Dzamboe.
Mrs Kpe-Boni said it was unfortunate that out of 230 parliamentarians in the country only 19 were women and that out of the 18 District Chief Executives (DCEs) in the Volta Region, none was a woman.
She said the tide could only change, if young women would identify their own areas of competence and develop them and also develop leadership potential and actively participate in leadership activities while in school.
Speaking at the launch of the Women’s Week celebration of the Ho Polytechnic, on the theme, “Equipping Today’s Woman to Become an Asset for National Development” she said the 2000 World’s Population Monitoring Report indicated that that sex was the price expected to be paid by millions of women across the world, for many life opportunities.
It mentioned that the opportunities range from gaining admission to overcrowded classrooms, to passing examinations and securing employment.
She also said women should learn to assert themselves as young females and take advantage of opportunities available to them to develop their academic potential, as well as having a role model to look up to.
Mrs Kpe-Boni advised women, especially female students, not to compromise their integrity for short-term favours and advised them to set achievable goals at each stage of their lives and strive to excel in their jobs.
She said when these problems were addressed, then one could talk about women’s empowerment and equipping women with skills for national development, stressing that “empowerment is not something that could be taken for granted but a person needs to aspire to attain the level of empowerment he or she desires”.
Quoting from a 2003 report on population programmes by the UN Economic and Social Council, she talked about the importance of girls’ education and said that was the first step to equipping women for national development.
Launching the week, the Headmistress of the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Mawuko Girls Senior High School, Madam Janet Kwasi, asked the students to be focussed and assertive and explore opportunities in motivational talks and others relating to the use of the Internet to enhance their public status.
In a welcoming address, the women’s commissioner, Miss Mavis Yawa Dusu, urged female students to participate actively in all programmes slated for the week. They are Health Talk, Crowning of African Queen, Cooking and eating competition for gentlemen only, Music and Dance, clean-up exercises, Love in the air — Ladies and Gents Nite and a thanksgiving service.
CAPITAL RURAL BANK MAKES SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS (PAAGE 23, MARCH 2010)
DESPITE the rapid depreciation of the cedi, high inflation rate in the first half of 2009, coupled with a decline in financial inflows and remittances from abroad as a result of the world economic downturn, the Capital Rural Bank at Abesim, near Sunyani, made significant progress in 2009.
The bank was able to record a net profit of GH¢245,610 in 2009 as against GH¢106,286 in 2008.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, Dr E. Yaw Peprah-Agyemang, announced this at the bank’s fifth annual general meeting (AGM) at Abesim.
He said shareholders’ funds rose from GH¢363,064 in 2008 to GH¢542,085 in 2009, while the bank’s total assets in 2009 amounted to GH¢4,511,425 as against GH¢2,964,828 in 2008, with the total deposits growing to GH¢3,365,542 as against GH¢2,273,765 during the same period.
Dr Peprah-Agyemang stated that the total investments of the bank also amounted to GH¢905,540 in the year under review compared with GH¢452,978 recorded in 2008.
He said the bank’s total income jumped from GH¢670,685 in 2008 to GH¢245,610 in 2009, while the total credits amounted to GH¢2,361,926 as against GH¢1,872,536 in 2008.
Dr Peprah-Agyemang said the bank would continue with the implementation of its scholarship scheme for needy but academically promising and deserving students for the pursuit of tertiary education programmes.
He said the scheme, which was in its third year, was taking care of seven university students in public institutions in the country, adding that in the 2010/2011 academic year, three more scholarships would be offered since the bank attached serious importance to education.
The board chairman said the scholarship scheme was opened to the children and wards of all shareholders and customers of the bank.
He, therefore, urged all parents and guardians to have suitable accounts for their children and wards so that they would be in a good stead to enjoy the bank’s scholarship scheme.
Dr Peprah-Agyemang stated further that the bank’s affordable housing project was still in force, using innovative mortgages to finance the development of beautiful and affordable homes for many families at Capital Premier Estates, just off the Abesim-Tanoso road.
He added that the first batch of beneficiaries had taken up residence and many more were under construction, saying the high quality and eco-friendly homes that the bank had supported were the first of their kind in the region.
Dr Peprah-Agyemang said the bank had also put in place a financial literacy education programme to help customers to plan and manage their finances better now and in the future.
He gave the assurance that the bank would continue to provide easy access to credit at attractive interest rates for customers to expand their businesses.
The bank was able to record a net profit of GH¢245,610 in 2009 as against GH¢106,286 in 2008.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, Dr E. Yaw Peprah-Agyemang, announced this at the bank’s fifth annual general meeting (AGM) at Abesim.
He said shareholders’ funds rose from GH¢363,064 in 2008 to GH¢542,085 in 2009, while the bank’s total assets in 2009 amounted to GH¢4,511,425 as against GH¢2,964,828 in 2008, with the total deposits growing to GH¢3,365,542 as against GH¢2,273,765 during the same period.
Dr Peprah-Agyemang stated that the total investments of the bank also amounted to GH¢905,540 in the year under review compared with GH¢452,978 recorded in 2008.
He said the bank’s total income jumped from GH¢670,685 in 2008 to GH¢245,610 in 2009, while the total credits amounted to GH¢2,361,926 as against GH¢1,872,536 in 2008.
Dr Peprah-Agyemang said the bank would continue with the implementation of its scholarship scheme for needy but academically promising and deserving students for the pursuit of tertiary education programmes.
He said the scheme, which was in its third year, was taking care of seven university students in public institutions in the country, adding that in the 2010/2011 academic year, three more scholarships would be offered since the bank attached serious importance to education.
The board chairman said the scholarship scheme was opened to the children and wards of all shareholders and customers of the bank.
He, therefore, urged all parents and guardians to have suitable accounts for their children and wards so that they would be in a good stead to enjoy the bank’s scholarship scheme.
Dr Peprah-Agyemang stated further that the bank’s affordable housing project was still in force, using innovative mortgages to finance the development of beautiful and affordable homes for many families at Capital Premier Estates, just off the Abesim-Tanoso road.
He added that the first batch of beneficiaries had taken up residence and many more were under construction, saying the high quality and eco-friendly homes that the bank had supported were the first of their kind in the region.
Dr Peprah-Agyemang said the bank had also put in place a financial literacy education programme to help customers to plan and manage their finances better now and in the future.
He gave the assurance that the bank would continue to provide easy access to credit at attractive interest rates for customers to expand their businesses.
Friday, March 26, 2010
ADUANA WANT FA TO PUNISH EDUBIASE (PAGE 11, GRAPHIC SPORTS, MARCH 26, 2010)
The Board and Management of Dormaa-based Aduana Football Club (FC) have called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Professional League Board (PLB) to sanction New Edubiase for assaulting some board and management members as well as some fans of the club at the Obuasi Len Clay Sports Stadium last Sunday.
Mr. Yaw Boatey Agyekum a.k.a Yaw BA, a Board Member of Club, who made the call when he called at the Graphic Office in Sunyani said the board and management members and fans of the club that accompanied the team to Obuasi for the Premier League match against New Edubiase were subjected to intimidation and assaulted by supporters of the home team.The match ended 0-1 in favour of New Edubiase.
According to Yaw BA, if the GFA and the PLB did not step in and institute punitive action against New Edubiase, then intimidation and assault would become the order of the day in Ghana Football and for that matter in the elite division.
He said the worst affected was Sulemana Ibrahim, a supporter of the team who was admitted at the Obuasi Government Hospital as a result of the attack on the supporters of Aduana Stars.
Yaw BA who showed copies of the Police medical forms issued to some of the Aduana supporters who were beaten, said such barbaric acts in Ghanaian football should be condemned and the perpetrators be brought to book to ensure sanity in the game.
The Board Member stated that the playing body including some board and management members on board the club’s bus arrived at the Len Clay Stadium at 1.45pm and subsequently entered the Stadium at 2.05.
He said after the team entered the stadium and the Porter of the team and himself were attacked by some mob who claimed they were looking for Kofi Manu a.k.a Bule Boy ,the Accra Representative of Aduana, but since he was not on the bus they were used as the sacrificial lamb until, they were rescued by the police.
"After our rescue, myself and the team’s porter have to seek refuge at the Obuasi Central Police station to secure our dear lives as the fans had sworn to teach us a lesson", Yaw BA added.
The board member stated that about 65 supporters of Aduana who also paid their gate fees and entered the stadium were chased out by the fans of New Edubiase and they have to listen to radio commentary at the Obuasi Central Police Station.
Mr. Yaw Boatey Agyekum a.k.a Yaw BA, a Board Member of Club, who made the call when he called at the Graphic Office in Sunyani said the board and management members and fans of the club that accompanied the team to Obuasi for the Premier League match against New Edubiase were subjected to intimidation and assaulted by supporters of the home team.The match ended 0-1 in favour of New Edubiase.
According to Yaw BA, if the GFA and the PLB did not step in and institute punitive action against New Edubiase, then intimidation and assault would become the order of the day in Ghana Football and for that matter in the elite division.
He said the worst affected was Sulemana Ibrahim, a supporter of the team who was admitted at the Obuasi Government Hospital as a result of the attack on the supporters of Aduana Stars.
Yaw BA who showed copies of the Police medical forms issued to some of the Aduana supporters who were beaten, said such barbaric acts in Ghanaian football should be condemned and the perpetrators be brought to book to ensure sanity in the game.
The Board Member stated that the playing body including some board and management members on board the club’s bus arrived at the Len Clay Stadium at 1.45pm and subsequently entered the Stadium at 2.05.
He said after the team entered the stadium and the Porter of the team and himself were attacked by some mob who claimed they were looking for Kofi Manu a.k.a Bule Boy ,the Accra Representative of Aduana, but since he was not on the bus they were used as the sacrificial lamb until, they were rescued by the police.
"After our rescue, myself and the team’s porter have to seek refuge at the Obuasi Central Police station to secure our dear lives as the fans had sworn to teach us a lesson", Yaw BA added.
The board member stated that about 65 supporters of Aduana who also paid their gate fees and entered the stadium were chased out by the fans of New Edubiase and they have to listen to radio commentary at the Obuasi Central Police Station.
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