Monday, May 26, 2008

ASSEMBLY, OPINION LEADERS DISCUSS KWABENG WATER PROBLEM (PAGE 22)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Kwabeng

THE chiefs and people of Kwabeng, capital of the Atiwa District in the Eastern Region, as well as the assembly, have met to discuss the factors militating against the delay in the provision of good drinking water for the town and its surrounding villages.
The meeting became imperative because X-tra Gold, a gold mining company in the area, whose operations were said to have polluted the river that is the only source of drinking water for the people, which had agreed to assist in the drilling of a mechanised borehole, seems not to have done anything about the project, ever since the company gave that assurance about three months ago.
At the meeting, which was attended by the Chief of Kwabeng, Osabarima Dakwa Woe, an opinion leader of the town, Alhaji Mustapha Boateng, other elders of the town and officials of the Atiwa District Assembly, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kwasi Osei Agyepong, said the assembly was concerned about the issue.
He said it was, therefore, doing its best to ensure that at least a mechanised borehole was provided for the people at the shortest possible time.
According to Mr Agyepong, that could not, however, be accomplished due to the technicalities involved.
He, therefore, appealed to the people to be patient to enable him to personally tackle the issue with the Ghana Water and Sanitation Agency (GWSA), which was also working tirelessly on the issue.
“Water from the river is not the best, but there are a lot of technicalities involved that will take some time so I have to personally contact the GWSC as soon as possible to speed up the process and I hope good-drinking water will soon be available for the people,” Mr Agyepong stated.
Alhaji Mustapha Boateng, for his part, wondered why X’tra Gold could not provide the borehole as agreed upon about three months ago.
He called on the assembly to ensure that the company had honoured its own commitment.
With regard to the town’s street lights, Alhaji Mustapha, who donated some of the bulbs for the project, appealed to the assembly to see to the proper functioning of the system.
Osabarima Darkwa Woe said as the chief of the town, he would not sit aloof for his people to depend on contaminated water.
He, therefore, implored the DCE to do everything within his means to address the problem without delay.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

NFED REWARDS FACILITATORS IN 3 DISTRICTS (PAGE 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

A NUMBER of facilitators engaged by the Non-Formal Education Division (NFED) of the Ministry of education in the Suhum, West Akyem and the East Akyem districts who have for over a year taught illiterates to read and write, particularly the English language, without being offered any payment, were at the weekend given incentive packages.
The volunteers, who also educated the adult learners aged between 12 and 60 on government policies and equipped them with vocational skills to enable them to generate income for their livelihood, were presented with sewing machines, roofing sheets and ghetto blasters.
At Suhum where a total of 901 learners passed out after undergoing the exercise, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Michael Kofi Mensah, praised the 32 facilitators for their volunteerism.
He said their efforts had helped not only to make it possible for the illiterate learners to read and write, but also enabled them to be abreast of government policies.
The Eastern Regional Director of the NFED, Mr Lawrence Saka, said the government was committed to the education of adult illiterates, who for some reasons could not benefit from formal education.
He appealed to the illiterates in the region to take advantage of the opportunity to upgrade themselves.
The Suhum District Director of the NFED, Baafuor Akrofi, said his outfit would be organising competitions on reading to add the interest to the programme.
At Asamankese where the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for West Akyem, Mr Kwabena Sintim Aboagye, distributed the items to the beneficiaries, he said the assembly would always support any initiative to educate illiterates in the area.
He advised the facilitators to make good use of the items.
The East Akyem MCE, Mr Emmanuel Victor Asihene, who also handed over the items to the beneficiaries in the district at Asiakwa, appealed to the facilitators to educate the adult learners on government policies.

MANYA BANK, DANIDA ASSIST MARKET WOMEN (PAGE 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Manya Krobo Rural Bank in collaboration with the Danish Development Agency (DANIDA) has provided a small-scale credit ranging between GH¢100 and GH¢1,000 to market women and operators of small-scale industries in the catchment areas of the bank.
The loans were to enable the beneficiaries to improve on their trading and business enterprises, to generate income for their sustenance and to reduce poverty.
To ensure that the beneficiaries make good use of the facility, the bank has undertaken an outreach programme on the issue at the Agormanya Market and at Kpong where a considerable number of the women were schooled on the facility.
The programme coincided with the visit to the area by the Chairman of DANIDA, Mr Klaus Bustrup, who took the opportunity to assure the beneficiaries of DANIDA’s continued support.
Addressing the women at Kpong just before he visited a commercial mango farm, near Juapong, one of the catchment areas of the bank where a number of people had benefited from the micro-credit scheme, Mr Bustrup expressed his satisfaction at the manner the Manya Krobo Rural Bank was handling the scheme.
He expressed the hope that it would go a long way to improve the lot of the people.
The leader of the group of beneficiaries at Kpong, Madam Manye Maku, said over the past two years, the Manya Krobo Rural Bank had supported the 500-member group with GH¢70,000.
She indicated that the financial assistance had enabled them to improve their businesses to support their families, especially the education of their children.
Madam Maku said the association would be roping in 3,000 women and appealed to DANIDA to give them more loans to enable them to come out of poverty.
Throwing more light on the micro-small scale (MSE’s) credit scheme, the Managing Director of the Manya Krobo Rural Bank, Mr Emmanuel Antwi, said the bank in collaboration with the Support Programme for Enterprise and Empowerment (SPEED), an initiative funded jointly by DANIDA, the government and German Technical Co-operation (GTZ), had provided funds for the scheme through the bank.
He said about GH¢1 million would be disbursed to the MSEs and that the bank had also proposed to partner DANIDA and other companies in Denmark to go into mango processing and related businesses in the bank’s catchment areas.

OFOSU ASAMOAH COMMENDS SIF MANAGERS (PAGE 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Ofosu Asamoah, has commended managers of the Social Investment Fund (SIF) for their efforts at mobilising funds to develop communities in the various districts in the region.
Available records indicate that the SIF has spent GH¢2,106,740.06 on the construction of 45 primary schools, 15 junior high schools, 16 clinics in the rural areas, nine nurses’ quarters, one library and four water and sanitation facilities in the region.
Mr Asamoah made the commendation at the national launch of the 10th anniversary of the SIF at Mfranta in the Suhum/Kraboa Coaltar District.
The event, which was attended by top government and SIF officials, was to drum home the benefits of the SIF to the people.
According to Mr Ofosu Asamoah, the concept of the SIF had resulted in the mobilisation of GH¢361,000 from 14 district assemblies in the region, as well as GH¢212,000 from the local beneficiaries as their social and direct investment in the development of their communities in terms of social amenities and other initiatives that would improve the lot of the people.
He added that the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) would continue to co-operate with the region’s development partners to accelerate its progress.
The deputy regional minister said that would increase access of the poor to basic and social necessities so as to reduce and ultimately eliminate poverty in the region and Ghana as a whole.
Mr Ofosu Asamoah, therefore, advised communities that had benefited from social amenities funded by the SIF to ensure that the facilities were properly maintained for the benefit of succeeding generations.
A Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor Gyan Baffour whose speech was read by a director of the ministry, Mr Kobina Amoah, said Ghana had since 1957, been making efforts to reduce poverty.
He said the Ghana Living Standard Survey had indicated that the country had cut poverty levels from 51.7 per cent in 1991 to 39.5 per cent in 1999 and 28.5 per cent in 2005.
Prof. Gyan Baffour said although the poverty level had been falling, it was still undesirable and that had necessitated the NPP Administration to opt for the HIPC initiative.
He added that it had gone a long way to reduce poverty and improved the living standard of the people.
Throwing more light on the SIF, the deputy minister, said the fund, which was in existence two years before the NPP took over the administration of the country, was not performing well due to management problems that had stalled its projects.
He said for that reason, the fund had to be revitalised to respond to the needs of more than 1,000 communities and 1.1 million people that accounted for 16 per cent of the poor.
Prof. Gyan Buffour stated that up to date, the SIF had provided 1,046 sub projects mainly classroom blocks, teachers’ quarters, rural clinics, and potable water to directly benefit poor people living in about 108 districts in the country.
Such an initiative, he said, had gone a long way to improve the lot of the people thereby reducing poverty in the communities.
Earlier on, the Executive Director of the SIF, Ms Ama Serwaa, had traced the history of the SIF and said it was founded in 1998 with an initial fund of US$18.5 million out of which 81 per cent was from the African Development Fund while the rest was made available by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) She stated that the fund had three objectives.
They are facilitating access by the poor to basic economic and social infrastructure and service through direct investment to improve their sustainability; enhancing access of the poor to financial service and strengthening community-based organisation, non-governmental organisations, indigenous micro-finance institutions and local government administrations in support of the overall goal of poverty alleviation.

THREE ON TRIAL FOR DEATH OF DRIVER (BACK PAGE)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

TWO soldiers and a policeman who were alleged to have beaten a bus driver, one George Atua, alias Maclean, to death at Suhum in August last year, yesterday appeared before a Koforidua High Court.
The three — Lance Corporal Kwasi Dagadu, the policeman, Corporal Ibrahim Bukari and Staff Sergeant Robert Adama, the soldiers — who have been charged with conspiracy and murder, pleaded not guilty and have been remanded in custody to re-appear before the court today.
Another policeman, General Constable David Darko, said to have taken part in assaulting Atua, is currently on the run.
The three were earlier arraigned before a Koforidua Magistrate’s Court, which committed them for trial at the High Court.
Presenting the facts of the case before the court, presided over by Mr Justice Francis Mieza Anyimiah, a Chief State Attorney, Mr Anthony Gyambiby, said on August 3, 2007 at about 7 p.m. the three, together with four others, were on a joint military/police patrol driving in a police vehicle from Kyebi.
He said on reaching Suhum, the police patrol vehicle was carelessly overtaken by a Hyundai bus with registration number GR 3690 M, being driven by the late Atua.
He said when the patrol team signalled Atua to stop, he declined and drove away after which the patrol team chased him and managed to arrest him at Ayekotse, a suburb of Suhum, where they severely beat him up, hitting him several times with their guns.
According to Mr Gyambiby, the accused first sent Atua, who was very weak, to the Suhum Police Station and then to the Suhum Government Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
He said a doctor’s report indicated that Atua died from the severe beatings.
Mr Gyambiby told the court that the prosecution would in the course of the trial prove that Atua actually died from unlawful harm at the hands of the accused persons who acted intentionally.
Giving evidence to what happened on that fateful day, August 3, 2007, Mr Kwame Okanta, a driver’s mate, said he was in the bus being driven by Atua and that after Atua had driven past the police patrol vehicle at Suhum, the patrol vehicle pursued them to Ayekotse, where the deceased abandoned the bus and fled.
Mr Okanta, who said one of the policeman gave him devastating slaps, indicated that Atua was later arrested by the patrol team including the accused persons who took Atua back to the Hyundai bus very weak with his legs dangling in the air.
He said Atua, who could not sit down in the bus and was lying down in the vehicle, was then sent to the Suhum Police Station where the accused persons told the policeman on duty that he (Atua ) was having stomach ache but he (Okanta) refuted that allegation and explained that Atua had driven the bus continuously throughout the day.

Monday, May 19, 2008

ER MINISTER SUFFERS DEFEAT AT PRIMARIES (PAGE 15)

 
Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Mpraeso

THE desire of the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, to enter Parliament in January, next year, could not materialise when he suffered defeat at the primaries held at Mpraeso on Saturday.
The soft-spoken Affram Asiedu who willingly stepped down four years ago in favour of the incumbent, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, who did not compete last Saturday, had 16 votes as against 37 secured by a virtually unknown 37-year-old construction engineer, Seth Acheampong.
Three other contestants, Madam Suzie Mensah had 31 votes, Mr Owoana Asante, District Chief Executive for Kwahu South, 10 votes, and Madam Grace Atefa, the immediate past Eastern Regional Organiser of the New Patriotic Party, two votes.
The four, in conceding defeat, pledged to support Mr Acheampong to retain the constituency seat and also obtain majority votes in the presidential elections.
Mr Acheampong gave the assurance that he would drink from the fountain of wisdom from the experienced elders of the party and mobilise resources to enable the party to convincingly win both the constituency seat and that of the presidency.
In another development, the Minister of Lands, Mines and Forestry, Madam Esther Obeng Dapaah, secured 41 votes to be retained to contest the Abirem Constituency seat on the ticket of the NPP.
Madam Dapaah, beat two other contestants, Messrs Osei Frimpong who had 24 votes, and Samuel Henry Dwamena Yeboah who secured four votes when the ballot was cast at New Abirem on Saturday.
Prior to the elections, some supporters of the party besieged the Birim North Assembly Hall, the venue of the event, shouting slogans against Madam Dapaah and attempted to prevent her from entering the place but the police aborted that act.
She was therefore taken away in a different direction after the voting.
Before the ballots were cast at the two places, the Eastern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mr Yaw Gyekye Amoabeng, asked the rank and file of the party, especially the unsuccessful candidates, to put aside their differences and redouble their efforts for a landslide victory in the December elections.

Friday, May 16, 2008

PUBERTY RITES TURN BLOODY AT SOMANYA (PAGE 3)

Story: A. Kofoya Tetteh

THE Dipo puberty rites of the Krobos which are normally associated with merry-making turned sour last Sunday when two persons were accidentally shot dead at a shrine at Somanya, the traditional headquarters of the Yilo Krobo paramountcy in the Eastern Region.
The deceased, Dede Terkpernor Teiko, 16, and Tetteh Nyade, 42, who were among a large crowd gathered at the shrine for the rites, died on the spot when a bullet from one of the guns being fired as part of the rites hit them.
The unknown gunman bolted soon after the fatality and the police are searching for him.
The traditional priestess of the shrine, Dede Ayepon, has, however, been arrested and is assisting the police in their investigations.
In an interview, the Eastern Regional Public Affairs Director of the Police Service, Chief Inspector Christopher Tawia, said about 5.00 p.m. on that fateful day, many people assembled at the shrine to observe the puberty rites being performed for some young girls.
He said as part of the rites, a musket had to be fired to signal the initiation of the girls into womanhood.
Chief Inspector Tawia stated that when the gun was fired, the bullet hit the two and they died instantly.
He said in the midst of the confusion, all those assembled at the shrine, including the unidentified gunman, fled the scene.
The police, he said, had intensified their efforts to apprehend the gunman.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

ASAMOAH RETAINED AS KADE NPP CANDIDATE (PAGE 17)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Kade

THE Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Ofosu Asamoah, was at the weekend retained to contest the Kade Constituency seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The 38-year-old Ofosu Asamoah, who has been the MP for the area for the past seven years, secured 72 votes to beat three other contestants, Messrs Collins Offei Mintah, George Aboagye and Dr Ankomah Kwakye, who had 53, one and 10 votes respectively.
Mr Ofosu Asamoah called for unity among the rank and file of the party in the constituency, adding that it was only such that would make it possible for the NPP to massively win the December Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
The three defeated candidates pledged their support for Mr Ofosu Asamoah to retain the constituency seat.
The party later in the day held primaries in the Lower West Akyem and Ajwatua constituencies.
At Asamankese where the ballot was cast to elect a candidate for the Lower West Akyem Constituency, Mr James Appiatu Ankrah, the incumbent lost by 23 votes to 63 to Madam Gifty Klenam, a businessman, while at Akwatia, a relatively unknown medical administrator, Dr Kofi Asare, the Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, was elected to contest the constituency seat.
He beat Mr Philip Owusu Ankamah, an electrical contractor, by 65 votes to 33
Addressing the rank and file of the party before the voting at the respective places, the Eastern Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Yaw Gyekye Amoabeng, said although it was obvious that the NPP would retain all the said constituency seats, as well as obtaining majority votes in the presidential election in December, there was the need for hard work for a convincing victory.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

EAST AKYEM COLLECTS MORE REVENUE (PAGE 25)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Kyebi

THE East Akyem Municipal Assembly in the Eastern Region generated total revenue of GH¢150,937.29 from its internal sources last year.
The amount represented a 10.32 per cent rise over its targeted revenue of GH¢136,823.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Emmanuel Victor Asihene, made this known at the assembly’s first ordinary meeting this year at Kyebi.
He said the significant increase in revenue mobilisation was due to the stringent measures instituted by the assembly.
Mr Asihene commended the Finance and Administration Sub-committee of the assembly for a good work done.
On the provision of social amenities, he said a lot had been provided in almost all the rural communities, with funding from the European Union, the District Assemblies Common Fund, the HIPC funds, the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA), the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, and the MPs common fund.
The MCE mentioned some of the projects as a three-classroom block at Tontro, which is 90 per cent complete; residential facilities for teachers at Bonponso; a six-seater KVIP place of convenience for the Akooko Presbyterian Primary School; a community durbar ground at Sokode-Juaso; the renovation of the Kyebi Police Station and a school block for Wirenkyiren Amanfrom.
Touching on roads, the MCE stated that a number of them had been awarded on contract for rehabilitation, mentioning in particular the 6.6 kilometre Maase-Asafo road, the six-kilometre Anyinasin-Old Tafo road, the 4.3 kilometre Odumase-Okanta road and the 4.4 kilometre Agyapomaa-Boateh road.
On employment, Mr Asihene said 60 young men and women had been engaged under the National Youth Employment Programme and placed under the Waste and Sanitation Management module.
The MCE cautioned the people against HIV/AIDS and also advised parents to take advantage of the government’s educational initiatives, such as the Capitation Grant, to enrol their children, particularly the girls, in school.
During the ensuing debate, the assembly members called for prudent measures to tackle sanitation, especially waste management, and the falling standard of education in the municipality.
Earlier on, the Presiding Member, Mr Seth Asante, had called for co-operation among the assembly members to enable the assembly to effectively handle problems facing the communities.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

MINISTER COMMENDS APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF GHANA (PAGE 20)

story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, has commended the Apostolic Church of Ghana for its initiative to establish a senior high school (SHS) in the New Juaben Municipality.
The school, which would be located at Mile 50 along the Koforidua-Mamfe Road, and being funded by the church, when completed, would go a long way in addressing higher educational needs not only within the church, but the municipality as a whole.
Mr Asiedu made the commendation in an address read on his behalf by Miss Gloria Asante, a director of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), at the closing ceremony of a four-day ascension prayer convention of the Koforidua Area of the church at Koforidua last Sunday.
Thousands of members of the church who attended the convention were thoroughly schooled on Christian principles and the tenets of the church.
They also used the occasion to offer special prayers for peaceful elections in December, this year.
A number of pastors under the leadership of Apostle J.K. Addey, the Koforidua Area head of the church, addressed the function.
The regional minister stressed that the government had recognised the role education played in national development, that was why it had reformed the sector to harness and upgrade human resource to assist in building the country.
He, therefore, praised the Apostolic Church of Ghana, for taking the initiative to set up its own SHS, adding that the venture would go a long way to complement the government’s efforts in providing educational infrastructure for the people.
With regard to the December general election, Mr Afram Asiedu said the government would ensure that it came off peacefully, and called on Christians to offer prayers in that respect.
He also cautioned the congregation against negative vices and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
In a sermon, Apostle J.K. Addey asked members of the congregation to rededicate themselves to God.
He urged them to eschew all negative traits that would serve as hindrances between them and their creator, adding that those tainted with the work of Satan had no place in heaven.
Dwelling on Acts of Apostles Chapter 11, Apostle Addey said the bad and unholy deeds of Christians served as barriers to eternal life with God.
He stressed that unless Christians did away with such traits, there was no way for them to ascend to heaven.
Apostle Addey enjoined Christians to be regular at church services to be fully groomed for good life and also pay regular visits to their home towns to help develop those places.

NCCE INTENSIFIES EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN IN ER (PAGE 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Eastern Regional Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has intensified its educational programme to school the people in the region on their civic responsibilities, especially on constitutional issues.
Under the programme, which coincided with the celebrations of the eighth National Constitution Week that started at the weekend, durbars are being held with various organisations, such as the security services, during which the various aspects of the Constitution would be discussed and explained.
Also being discussed are the December elections, the participation of the people and how to make the elections violence free.
Addressing two separate gatherings on the issues at Koforidua attended by a cross-section of the people, as well as officers and men of the security services, at the weekend, the Regional Director of the NCCE, Mr Emmanuel Quaye-Sowah, called on Ghanaians to defend the constitution against all forms of abuse and violations.
Speaking on the theme: “The Sovereign Will of the People and the Elections”, he said Ghanaians should not only be active during voting period, but all times during which they should demand transparency and accountability from all those who held power in their trust.
Mr Quaye Sowah said the constitution enjoined every citizen of voting age to exercise his or her franchise, adding that any person who suppressed or attempted to suppress the lawful political activity of another person commits an offence punishable by a fine of GH¢200 or to imprisonment for a term of five years or both.
He also spelt out the role of members of the security services during the elections, which, he said, included vigilance, professionalism, non-partisanship, firmness, fairness and resoluteness.
Mr Quaye-Sowah gave the assurance that the NCCE would collaborate with the police in educating the public, especially on the Public Order Law, to prevent or minimise the incidence of violations during the elections.
A Chief State Attorney, Mr Anthony Gyambiby, took the gathering through the electoral process.
He stressed the need for peaceful elections to avoid mayhem before, during and after the elections.
Ghana, he stressed, could not afford to replicate the recent unfortunate electoral catastrophe (carnage and political upheaval) experienced in other countries in Africa.

FREE MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR THE POOR (PAGE 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Asamankese

A total of 3,686 people considered to be very poor in the West Akyem Municipality, have been registered with the Municipal Health Insurance Scheme without paying anything.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Kwabena Sintim-Aboagye, made this known at the assembly’s ordinary meeting at Asamankese.
He said the assembly was compelled to undertake that initiative to enable such unfortunate persons to also benefit from quality health care.
Mr Sintim-Aboagye said the assembly would not sit aloof why a large number of people wallowing in poverty, were denied quality health care.
He appealed to the not-too-poor people in the area to register with the scheme to make it possible to cater for the very poor.
According to Mr Sintim-Aboagye, 64,873 people had so far registered with the scheme as of the end of March, this year, who paid a total premium of GH¢251,589.
With regard to internally generated revenue, he said last year, GH¢238,112.55 representing 132 per cent of the estimated GH¢180,417 was collected, adding that GH¢222,004.70 had been targeted for 2008.
The MCE stated that the significant increase in internal revenue together with an amount of GH¢728,172.47, which the assembly received as its share of the common fund, had made it possible to provide social amenities, such as school blocks, water and sanitation facilities and the rehabilitation of roads in the area.
The projects, he said, were either funded by the assembly from its own resources or in collaboration with its development partners such as the European Union.
Mr Sintim-Aboagye stated that the Japanese International co-operation Agency (JICA) was funding the extension of electricity from the national grid to a number of communities, such as Brekumanso, Anoma Kwadwo, Kakoase, Nyankoma and Amaako.
He stressed that all those facilities together with poverty alleviation programmes initiated by the government, were helping to improve the living standard of the people.
Mr Sintim-Aboagye expressed his appreciation to President J.A. Kufuor for donating GH¢30,000 and GH¢20,000, respectively to the Asamankese and Adeiso senior high schools, for the construction of girls’ dormitories in those educational institutions.
He said the completion of the two projects would improve learning in the schools.
Earlier on, the Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr Daniel Saforo, had called on the assembly members to endeavour to identify the needs of the people in their communities, to be addressed.

NPP RETAINS MP FOR AKROPONG (PAGE 17)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Akropong

THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Akropong in the Eastern Region, Mr William Ofori Boafo, has been retained to contest the December parliamentary election on the ticket of the party.
Mr Boafo, who is also the Deputy Minister of Defence, was the only candidate who filed his nomination to contest the primary in the constituency by the close of nominations on March 13.
He, therefore, had his confirmation on a silver platter when all the 97 polling station chairmen retained him by acclamation at Mamfe.
The highly elated MP thanked the polling station chairmen for the trust reposed in him and gave the assurance that he would retain the seat at all cost with a massive 95 per cent of the votes.
That, he said, was because of his personal achievements, as well as those of the NPP administration, which had improved the lives of the people, not only in the constituency but the country as a whole.
“The NPP has done a lot so the people will vote for my retention,” he said.

NPP TO REACH OUT TO ALL ELECTORATE — BOTWE (PAGE 17)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Electoral Affairs Committee of the National Campaign Team, Mr Dan Botwe, has stated that the team has taken the necessary steps to reach out to all those who have just reached the voting age, to enable them register and vote for the party in the December elections.
That, he said, would position the NPP to convincingly win the elections.
Mr Dan Botwe made this known at a press briefing at Koforidua after a training programme to educate the party’s polling station executives on the forthcoming registration exercise, particularly on how best to get to those who had just turned 18.
In all 2,300 NPP polling station chairmen and other executives drawn from all the 230 constituencies have been trained and would in turn educate 100,000 others to man the existing 20,000 polling stations in the country during the upcoming registration exercise and general elections.
Mr Dan Botwe stated that the polling station chairmen and other operatives of the party who would be educated on the ‘dos and don’ts’ of the registration exercise, would have to direct the electorates to polling stations in their areas to make it easier for them to register and vote.
That, he said, had become necessary because some potential voters did not know where to register and vote.
“Although we won the last two elections, no two elections are the same so we are not complacent and will, therefore, reach out to hundreds of thousands of people who have just reached the voting age to position the party to win the December elections”, Mr Dan Botwe stated.
Mr Dan Botwe, therefore, called on all those who had reached the voting age of 18 as well as the party’s supporters to register en-masse and support the party to win the elections.

Monday, May 5, 2008

ONLY EC CAN DECLARE RESULTS — KANTANKA (PAGE 16)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) in charge of Operations, Mr Kwadwo Sarfo Kantanka, has stated that it is only the EC which has the constitutional mandate to declare the results of the elections.
"The EC is the only body allowed by the Constitution to declare the results of the elections and this we will do as a credible referee and come out with results that would be acceptable by all political parties to help maintain peace after the elections", he said.
Mr Sarfo Kantanka, who made the appeal at a round-table discussion held by the EC, leaders of political parties and media practitioners in the Eastern Region in Koforidua last weekend, appealed to leaders of political parties to refrain from declaring the results of this year's parliamentary and presidential elections, since that could plunge the country into chaos.
The event, which was attended by representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) and the People's National Convention (PNC) as well as media practitioners in the region, was to build stakeholders’ confidence in the outcome of this year’s elections.
It was organised by the EC with funding from Friedrich Ebert-Stiftung in collaboration with KAB Governance Consult.
Mr Sarfo Kantanka also appealed to the media not to announce the results of the elections, especially at the constituency level, since that would also heighten tension in such areas.
He said political party agents had to be at the polling stations to witness the collation of the results but appealed to leaders of the various political parties to be patient and allow the EC to perform its constitutional function of declaring the results.
That, he said, would help prevent the country from plunging into anarchy as pertained in countries such as Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Mr Sarfo Kantanka talked about various aspects of the elections and asked any political party with grievances to refer such issues to the EC or the law courts.
The acting Director of Public Affairs at the EC, Mr Christian Parry, cautioned political parties and individuals against preventing others from registering and appealed to the media, non-governmental organisations, the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), the security services, as well as the political parties to help to make the elections successful.
The Deputy Chairman in charge of Finance of the EC, Mr David Kangah, gave the assurance that the necessary logistics would be procured to ensure successful elections.
To ensure free and fair elections, he said although the EC had the mechanism to check malpractices, political parties should also keep an eagle eye on each other.
The Eastern Regional Secretary of the NDC, Mr Anthony Gyampoh, wondered why agents of political parties were kept far from polling stations during the previous elections and called on the EC to ensure that they would be at the spot to observe voting. A representative of the PNC, Mr Godwin Tay, called for financial support for political parties with financial problems to enable them to maintain agents at the polling stations during the elections.
Mr Alex Agobo, the Regional Secretary of the NPP, suggested to the EC to acquire the necessary logistics to ensure that adequate ballot papers would be available at all polling stations during the elections.
The Representative of Friedrich Ebert-Stiftung, Mr Ibrahim Tahiru, said his outfit, which had been resourcing political parties to function effectively, would continue to do so to strengthen democracy in the country.
Earlier in his welcoming address, the Eastern Region Director of the EC, Mr Paul Boateng, said 36,000 applicants were catered for during the voter identity cards replacement exercise in the region, despite the challenges they faced.

ANUC STUDENTS AGAINST EXAMS IN TOTAL PERSONALITY DEVT (PAGE 11)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

STUDENTS of the All Nations University College (AUNC) in Koforidua last Friday embarked on a peaceful protest against the decision of the university authorities to conduct an examination in Total Personality Development (TPD), a course which is based on Christian ethics.
TPD, which involves topics on stress management, selection of one’s life partner and general character building and carries five per cent of the marks in every discipline, was hitherto a bonus for all those who attended morning devotion.
That, however, changed when the ANUC was affiliated to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), which directed that students must be examined in TPD.
The students who converged on the campus at about 8 a.m., ended their protest after the Vice-President in charge of Academic Affairs, Professor Rose Joshua, and Mr Emmanuel Aware, the Registrar, asked their leaders to persuade them to go back to the lecture halls to enable the authorities to address the issue.
Throwing light on the issue, Prof. Rose Joshua said the university, which was being sponsored by the All Nations International Development Agency, an affiliate of the All Nations Full Gospel Church based in Toronto, was a Christian institution and that all its students were required to be equipped with Christian ethics that would enable them to be good professionals.
She said TPD was not an elaborate academic programme with course contents and that students only had to answer questions on what they heard at morning devotion.
“We were awarding the 5 per cent marks to students who attended morning devotion freely until the KNUST asked us to examine them and this is exactly what we are doing”, she said.
“Most of the students have already taken the examination and although all of them have gone back to their lecture halls, the authorities would do their best to resolve the issue”, she said.
Prof. Rose Joshua, however, indicated that TPD would not be withdrawn because parents and guardians had given it their blessing.
On the allegation that the period for taking their examination papers was too short, she said students only took one paper a day which, according to her, was normal.
She, however, said that the university had to reduce the semester by two weeks due to the organisation of the Africa Cup of Nations held in the country at the beginning of the year but that affected all the universities.
When contacted, executive of the Students Representative Council declined to comment.