Monday, June 30, 2008

SOUTH AKIM RURAL BANK RANKED FIRST IN ER (PAGE 47)

THE South Akim Rural Bank headquartered at Nankese in the Eastern Region has now taken the first position among the 21 rural banks in the region in terms of deposits of which the bank recorded GH¢5,425,739 last year.
The figure constituted a growth of 28 per cent over the GH¢4,304,498.00 it recorded in 2006.
Its total assets, which also grew by 26 per cent from GH¢5,272,288.00 in 2006 to GH¢6,646,673.00 last year, also placed the bank at the second position.
These remarkable achievements of the bank were announced at the 23rd annual general meeting of the bank at Nankese on last Saturday.
According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr William Kwadwo Boateng, the bank recorded pre-tax profit of GH¢190,386.00 in 2007 as against GH¢102,076.00 made in 2006.
He said the credible performance of the bank made it possible to give out GH¢2,450,744.00 as loans last year as against GH¢1,879,856.00 the previous year, an increase of 30 per cent.
With regard to the bank’s social responsibility, Mr Boateng announced that within the period, it awarded scholarships to 14 students in senior high schools, bringing the total number of such beneficiaries to 55 since the scheme was established in 2003.
The bank, he said, had also completed a process of land acquisition for a proposed senior high school for Nankese.
Other initiatives that the bank carried out for the communities within the period included the rehabilitation of the Suhum District Police barracks and a donation of a gas lamp and refrigerator to the Nankese Clinic.
The Deputy Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank, Mr Duke Osam-Duodu, explained the numerous benefits of the e-zwich system of payments at the bank and other business transactions and advised the shareholders and customers to embrace it.
The Nankesehene, Nana Annor Marfo II who was appreciative of the bank’s contribution towards poverty reduction in its catchment areas, however appealed to it to provide a library for Nankese.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

PARDON TSIKATA, PLEADS DEBRAH (PAGE 15)

THE Eastern Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Julius Debrah, has appealed to President Kufuor to pardon Tsatsu Tsikata.
Tsatsu Tsikata, the former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), was last Wednesday jailed for five years on charges of wilfully causing financial loss to the state.
The NDC regional boss made the appeal in an interview after addressing a workshop for the party’s constituency organisers in the region in Koforidua at the weekend.
According to Mr Debrah, the presidential pardon would be appreciated, since Tsikata had played a significant role in the development of the country, especially in the area of oil exploration.
“We are not law experts on the issue but on moral grounds we believe it will be in the interest of the state to grant Tsikata a presidential pardon in view of his tremendous contribution to the national economy, especially the oil sector,” he stated.
Mr Debrah was hopeful that President Kufuor would consider the immense contributions of the former GNPC boss to the economy and grant him the pardon.
At the workshop, which was on the theme, “The Role of the Organisers for 2008 Elections”, and which was attended by participants from all the 26 constituencies in the region, the regional chairman told the participants not to be complacent of their achievements so far but work hard to advance the fortunes of the NDC.
The Eastern Regional Secretary of the NDC, Mr Anthony Gyampoh, said although the party would unseat the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December general election, there was the need for the NDC constituency organisers to redouble their efforts to draw more people to the party to vote massively to defeat the NPP.
“The NPP has not only woefully failed to address the woes of the country but it has also added more problems which are making it difficult for the people to make a living. Although it is clear that the people will support the NDC to win the elections, you as constituency organisers should work hard for a resounding victory,” he stated.
On the five-year jail term for Tsikata, Mr Gyampoh described it as selective justice and cited instances such as the non-prosecution of the former chief executive of the Volta River Authority who imported a strategic reserve power generating plant at a huge cost, only for it not to generate a kilowatt of energy.
“If the former VRA boss and another ministers in the Kufuor regime who also imported mango seedlings worth GH¢200,000 (¢2 billion) during the dry season which were wasted were not tried at the law courts, then what is the justification in sending Tsikata to court and jailing him?” Mr Gyampoh asked.
Earlier in his welcoming address, the Eastern Regional Organiser of the NDC, Mr Tawiah Boateng, had called on the rank and file of the party, especially the constituency organisers, to go to the grass roots to educate the people on the current economic difficulties and the need for them to register en masse when the voters register was re-opened.
That, he said, would rope in more people to vote massively for the NDC in the December elections to take over from the NPP to bring relief to them.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

HUNGER PROJECT ACTIVITIES HELD IN K'DUA (PAGE 39)

THE Hunger Project (THP), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has organised a day’s seminar at Koforidua to review its activities.
THP is dedicated to the improvement of the standard of living of Ghana’s rural poor through various interventions, such as women empowerment and micro-finance schemes.
The seminar was attended by more than 40 participants made up of Municipal/District Chief Executives, District Co-ordinating Directors, budget and planning officers in a number of political entities in the Volta, Eastern, Ashanti and the Central regions, as well as THP’s project officers in the operational areas.
It was aimed at addressing the challenges of the beneficiary communities with a view of making life worth living for them.
Addressing the participants, the Country Director of THP, Dr Naana Agyeman-Mensah, said her outfit, which started work in 19 communities in the country in 1996, had by the end of 2007, entered 332 communities in 18 districts in five regions working with 254,510 people.
She said for the people to enjoy the full benefits of the NGO’s initiatives, which included empowerment of women, micro-finance schemes and other development programmes, THP had adopted four main strategies namely, mobilisation and concretisation of the people, partnership creation, unity and the spirit of self-reliance within the beneficiary communities.
According to Dr Naana Agyeman, her outfit was of the view that poor people had the innate potential to improve their lot, and there was, therefore, the need to build their capacity to empower them at the local level to take up the responsibility.
She expressed the hope that the participants would come up with useful suggestions to address the challenges militating against the well-being of people in THP’s catchment areas.
Dr Naana Agyeman gave the assurance that her outfit would continue to assist poor communities for a better life.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, who also addressed the participants, said since the greatest assets of a nation were its citizens, the government had come out with a number of development plans and programmes geared towards the provision of food, shelter, health and educational facilities among others, to reduce poverty in the communities.
Mr Affram Asiedu, however, stated that due to limited resources, the government could not do all that was expected in that regard.
He expressed his gratitude to THP for the role it was playing to improve the lot of the people in its operational areas.
The regional minister called for more collaboration between the THP and the Municipal and District Assemblies to ensure that more people in the rural areas benefited from the NGO’s activities.
The project officers of THP in the beneficiary districts, such as Kwahu North (Afram Plains), Atiwa, Nkawkaw Municipality and Manya Krobo, took turns to brief the gathering on their activities, which they said were going a long way to improve the lot of the people.

Monday, June 16, 2008

CONFUSION AT SUHUM NPP PRIMARY (PAGE 13)

THE POLICE had to apply minimum force and diplomacy to avert a clash between two factions of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the party’s primary to elect a parliamentary candidate for the Suhum Constituency in the Eastern Region in Koforidua on Saturday, June 14, 2008.
The factions were led by the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) and the Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr Frederick Opare Ansah, and Mr Bryn Acheampong respectively, who were the only candidates vying to contest the seat.
In the midst of the confusion, which lasted for over 20 minutes and was characterised by stone throwing on the YMCA premises, the venue of the event, two regional executive members of the party, Alhaji Omar Bodinga, the Second Vice Chairman and Mr Seth Otchere, the Organiser, as well as the electoral officers conducting affairs had to run for their lives through the backdoor.
The primary, which was first slated for Adidiso, a village near Suhum, the constituency headquarters, about three weeks ago had earlier been called off as it ended in confusion over the eligibility of eight polling station chairmen from Nankese, the second largest town in the constituency.
While Mr Opare Ansah’s faction wanted the eight polling station chairmen to vote because they qualified to do so , Mr Acheampong’s group disagreed, with the excuse that they had not been elected to do so, and that under no circumstance should they be allowed to vote.
To avert a possible clash between the two groups, it was therefore decided to hold the congress at a neutral ground but before most of the delegates would arrive, the Second Vice Regional Chairman of the party, Sub Lt. Christian Kofi Tettey, told newsmen that the national headquarters of the NPP had directed that the event should be called off.
In spite of that the delegates assembled together with Alhaji Bodinga, Mr Seth Octhere and Mr Opare Ansah for the commencement of the event.
As soon as the Suhum NPP Constituency Chairman, Mr A.Y. Adu, had delivered his speech and called for calm for the event to proceed, Mr Acheampong and some NPP members forced their way through the police cordon into the hall.
While Mr Acheampong banged on the table in the hall and questioned the legitimacy of the event, some members of the party who were kept at bay by the police outside the hall started throwing stones into the yard, forcing those inside, including journalists covering the event, to take cover in the cubicles.
The New Juaben Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent John Naami, and his counterpart from the Suhum District, Superintendent Stephen Amoako, who led armed policemen to maintain order had a hectic time controlling the crowd.
He later conferred with Mr Opare Ansah and Mr Acheampong behind closed doors, after which the event was called off.
A fuming Mr Acheampong, later told journalists that he had earlier been told that the primary had been called off and so he did not make himself available. However, he said, he was prepared to take part in the event if that could be done the same day he had confronted the organisers.
For his part, Mr Opare Ansah told the Daily Graphic that he was shocked at the outcome of the event because he was given two letters, one signed by the Suhum NPP Constituency Chairman, Mr J. Larweh, and the Regional Secretary, Mr Alecs Agobo, indicating that the primary would come off in Koforidua on June 14, 2008.
Mr Opare Ansah, who showed copies of the letters to the Daily Graphic, indicated that a pre-congress meeting was organised at the Oyinka Hotel, also in Koforidua on June 13, and wondered why it should be disrupted.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

RESCIND DECISION...Okyere polling station chairmen appeal to Dan Botwe (PAGE 17)

ABOUT 70 New Patriotic Party (NPP) polling station chairmen in the Okere Constituency in the Eastern Region have made a passionate appeal to Mr Dan Botwe, a former General Secretary of the party, to make himself available for vetting to become the party’s parliamentary candidate for the December parliamentary elections.
This, according to the group, had become necessary due to the disqualification of the three candidates who put themselves up.
Two of the candidates, Messrs Paul Larbi and Clement Ofori were disqualified because their membership of the party had not been up to two years while the other candidate, Mr Charles Okraku Budu, a polling station chairman, did not resign from his position before filing his papers, all of which are contrary to the NPP Constitution.
At a press conference at Apirade at the weekend, the group described as baseless an allegation by 14 polling station chairmen that the three aspirants were intentionally disqualified to pave the way for Mr Dan Botwe.
A spokesman for the group, Mr Samuel Larbi, who read the press statement, quoted Article 11 clause 4 (I) of the NPP Constitution which stipulates that “no member shall be entitled to apply for nomination as the party’s parliamentary candidate for any constituency unless he or she is an active member for at least two years.”
He stated that this clearly disqualified Messrs Larbi and Ofori while Okraku, who resigned his position only on March 3, this year, should have done so on or before February 29, this year.
“If these candidates have been disqualified and the National Executive Committee, by its discretion, has taken a final decision it considers to be in the best interest of the larger party, then what is the problem?” Mr Samuel Larbi asked.
He said to allow sanity to prevail in the party in the area, the constituency executive invited the Regional Second Vice-Chairman to explain the reasons for the disqualification of the three to the members of the party, which was done on the first day of this month.
Mr Samuel Larbi stated that despite the explanation, a few polling station chairmen refused to accept it and indicated that the petition with the signatures of some of the dissenting polling station chairmen that was sent to the party’s headquarters, pleading that none of the contestants should be disqualified was fraudulent.
He stated that although Mr Dan Botwe had decided not to contest the primaries, the majority of them wanted him to rescind his decision to enable him to be voted for and continue the good work of the present MP, Mr B.K. Adu.
Earlier, a large group of NPP members in the constituency besieged the Methodist Park, the venue of the press conference, holding placards and dancing to brass band music. They called on Mr Dan Botwe to contest the parliamentary seat on the ticket of the party.
Some of the placards read “Dan Botwe All the Way”, Dan Botwe, Okere Needs You” and Dan Botwe, Yehia Wo”( meaning “Dan Botwe, we need you” in Akuapem Twi).

Monday, June 9, 2008

MDU HOLDS CONFERENCE AT BUNSO (PAGE 43)

THE 10th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Maritime and Dockworkers Union (MDU) has ended at the Cocoa College at Bunso in the Eastern Region.
The five-day conference, on the theme "Consolidating Trade Union Solidarity in a Fast Changing Global Transport Industry", was to take stock of the union's activities and address inherent problems.
In a keynote address which was read on his behalf by Mr I.P. Azuma, Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Academy, the Minister for Harbour and Railways, Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi, asked maritime labour unions to pursue strategies that would foster increased job opportunities for their members.
This, he said, had become necessary due to loss of jobs in the maritime sector as a result of several factors arising out of globalisation.
Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi also stated that within the context of the tripartite relationship between the government, employers and labour in the maritime industry, the Ministry of Harbours and Railways was encouraging and supporting the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority to transform the ports.
The initiative, according to Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi, would, among others, create jobs for dock and other maritime workers.
The minister further asked the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) to oversee the activities of both public agency and private sector operators in cargo handling at both the quayside and the terminal to enhance private sector participation for increased job opportunities for maritime workers.
Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi, who also announced a number of measures to improve the maritime industry, advised indigenous operators in industry to pool resources to be able to develop the needed capacity to compete with their foreign counterparts.
The Deputy Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Mr Ken-Wood Nuworsu, said available statistics indicated that Ghana, which currently had 90 per cent of its international trade being sea-borne and had become the gateway to the West African sub-region, could maintain that position, if workers of the Union could ensure efficiency and high sense of integrity.
For his part, the acting Secretary-General of the Ghana Trade Unions Congress (GTUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, called on the government to reduce tariffs on water to relieve the people of economic hardship.
This, according to him, had become necessary since the recent tax relief packages announced by the government such as the removal of import duty on food products, excise duties and debt recovery levy on premix and gas oil had yet not been felt by the people.
"While welcoming the measures announced by the government, we are also appealing to it to go the extra mile to reduce tariffs on water and remove taxes on all petroleum products, including petrol and LPC gas, to cushion the people from the current economic crisis," Mr Asamoah said.
Mr Asamoah, who dwelt extensively on various aspects of trade unionism, advised union leaders to always ensure that negotiations of workers' salaries and other emoluments with the government would be beneficial to the workers.
Earlier, the Secretary-General of the MDU, Mr Kwabena Owusu Afriyie, in his welcoming address, stressed the need for workers in the maritime industry to be protected.
Mr Afriyie further stated that due to the important role being played by the maritime industry in the economy, the MDU would not deliberately engage in actions that would undermine industrial peace, adding that the union would continue to work hard to enhance industrial harmony.

Friday, June 6, 2008

YILO NFED REWARDS FACILITATORS (PAGE 39)

SEVENTY facilitators of the Non-Formal Education Division (NFED) who voluntarily spent 21 months to teach illiterate adults in the Yilo Krobo District how to read and write have been rewarded.
The facilitators, who formed the 11th batch of the facilitators, engaged by the NFED, also taught the adult learners various vocational skills to help them generate income for themselves and their dependants.
They were each presented with a packet of roofing sheets.
Presenting the items to them at Somanya at the weekend, the Yilo Krobo District Director of the NFED, Mr Nicholas Addai, said the facilitators, together with 95 others who were engaged last year, were able to “transform 2,279 adult illiterates in the district into semi-literates who can read, write and understand government policies.”
He said apart from that, the adult learners were also taken through some income generating ventures, such as poultry, grass cutter and snail rearing.
Mr Addai thanked the facilitators for their services and appealed to them to continue to offer such services anytime they were needed to do so.
Mr Addai also expressed his profound gratitude to the Yilo Krobo District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Joseph Adu Tawiah for his support of the programme.
Mr Adu Tawiah for his part, urged the facilitators to properly educate the adult learners on government policies so that they would not be misled by anyone.
“There is the need for you to let our unfortunate brothers and sisters, who through no fault of theirs could not benefit from formal education, to know of government policies and general economic trends so that they would not out of ignorance, blame the government for the economic hardships, which is not peculiar to Ghana.
“Now the prices of petroleum products are high as well as food items all over the world, which the learners must know so that they do not blame the government for the soaring prices and this I hope will be done,” Mr Adu Tawiah stressed.
The DCE, who was satisfied with the general conduct of the facilitators, however, appealed to those with shortcomings to live up to expectation.
He gave the assurance that the assembly would continue to support the NFED in the education of the people in the area since such an initiative would help to reduce poverty and ignorance in the district.
The Asafoatse of Plao, a suburb of Somanya, Nene Teye Kwao, who chaired the function, gave the assurance that chiefs in the area would continue to support any initiative that would broaden the horizon of the uneducated in the area.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

METHODIST CHURCH HONOURS OSAFO-MAAFO JNR (PAGE 21)

THE congregation of the Adweso Calvary Methodist Church in the New Juaben Municipality, at the weekend, honoured Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo Jnr, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microtechnical, an Accra-based civil engineering and landscaping company.
The company has pre-financed the construction of the first phase of the church building at a cost of GH¢90,000, which the church would repay within two years under a flexible term.
Preaching the sermon at a service attended by a large congregation, including Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Member of Parliament (MP) for Akyem Oda and father of Osafo-Maafo Jnr, the Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese of the Methodist Church, Rt Rev. Frederick Nnuro, urged those in government not to be discouraged by destructive criticisms, but to remain focused and continue with their good work in the interest of the country.
The bishop said administering a country was a difficult task. He, therefore, assured those in political leadership positions of the church of continued prayers for them, so that they would be able to execute their duties in the best interest of the people.
He advised people who had worked tirelessly without recognition not to be discouraged, but should continue to serve the people, adding that God would recognise their efforts and accord them the necessary reward.
Mr Osafo-Maafo, for his part, expressed his appreciation to the church for recognising the contribution of his son on the construction of the chapel and honouring him, saying that had reflected on the Osafo-Maafo family.
Ghana, according to Osafo-Maafo, had reached a stage where praises must be given to those who deserved it.
He, however, disagreed with people, who had expressed reservations about the recent government intervention to bring relief to the people in the wake of soaring prices of food items and petroleum products.

ANUC-SPONSORED STUDENTS BACK HOME (PAGE 20)

EIGHT graduates of All Nations University College (ANUC) who were sponsored by their alma mater to undertake postgraduate degree programmes in various disciplines at the Karunya University in India have returned home.
The eight, Judith Serwaa Adjei, Vera Anane, William Asiedu, Samuel Osei Banning, Eleazer Fiako Ofei, Isaac Acheampong, Edward Asumadu and Edward Ansong, who were also attached to various establishments in India to study the Indian system, would be engaged as lecturers of the ANUC.
Welcoming the group to the ANUC in Koforidua at the weekend, the Vice-President of the university in charge of Academic Affairs, Professor Rose Joshua, said the institution had decided to adopt a staff development programme, focusing on training and strengthening the knowledge base of its students for the benefit of ANUC and Ghana as a whole.
Prof. Joshua stated that the university had, therefore, been investing in faculty training.
She indicated that nine more graduates of the ANUC were currently undergoing similar academic programmes at the SRM University, also in India, to which the ANUC had been affiliated.
Prof. Joshua said the students, who had returned home together with others who also went to India, would be added to the faculties in the ANUC to enable it offer quality education.
On behalf of the students, Vera Anane and Eleazer Fianko Ofei said their training had been very beneficial, since they had learnt a lot, not only in academics, but also in the Indian culture.
They gave the assurance that they would put the knowledge and experience gained in India at the disposal of the ANUC.
They thanked their alma mater for its assistance to them.

Picture 2: Prof. Rose Joshua (left), the Vice President in charge of Academic Affairs at the ANUC, assisting Ms Geraldene E. Massey (second left), the Vice-President in charge of Business, Finance and Administration, to welcome the students back to the university. With them is Ms Adreiana Ion, the Secretary to the President of ANUC.

Picture: Nana Konadu Agyeman.