CONSTRUCTION works have commenced on the 1.4 kilometres of town roads in Asesewa, the capital of Upper Manya District in the Eastern Region.
The project involves reshaping of the 0.57-kilometre Akateng Junction-Presbyterian School Road, the 0.57-kilometre Water Works Road and the 0.09-kilometre Pentecost Church Road, all of which have been in very deplorable state for sometime now.
When completed, the project would transform the ancient town into one of the finest district capitals in the region.
The District Chief Executive, Mr Joseph Tetteh Angmor, who disclosed this while addressing the assembly last Friday, said the project would be completed within 12 months.
He further stated that since most of the roads in the district were in equally bad state, the assembly had acquired a grader from Germany at a cost of GH¢229,310 to reconstruct those roads.
According to Mr Angmor, shortly after assuming office, he toured the area and identified a number of very deprived communities facing problems such as poor roads, dilapidated school buildings and lack of proper places of convenience.
The DCE, who named some of the communities as Poliwa, Ternguanya, Sutapong, Osonson, Sekesua, Akatawia, Anyaboni, Apimso, Fantem and Resettlement Quarters, indicated that the assembly had taken steps to meet the challenges and called for support from the assembly members.
The DCE said a clinic at Samlesi, which was funded by the European Union, had been completed and inaugurated.
The assembly, he said, would be tackling other projects and programmes in different sectors in the district, including water and sanitation, congestion, particularly at Asesewa, dismantling of unauthorised speed humps, security and the enhancement of internally generated revenue.
The presiding member, Mr Joseph K. Numo, appealed to the assembly members to put aside their political differences and unite to develop their communities.
He expressed his appreciation to the DCE for his ability to procure the grader for the assembly to improve the conditions of roads in the area.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
REVENUE SERVICES ORGANISE WALK (PAGE 20)
THE three revenue agencies, the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Value Added Tax (VAT) Service, at the weekend, organised a two-hour health walk for their staff within the Koforidua municipality.
As part of the exercise, dubbed: “The health of the worker is the worth of the organisation”, 50 of the workers went through voluntary counselling and testing for HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis, sponsored by the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ ).
The event, which lasted for two and a half hours, took the workers through the centre of the town to the summit of the Obuotabri Mountains overlooking the New Juaben municipality.
Addressing the participants after the exercise, the National Focal Person of HIV and AIDS and Tuberculosis Project for the revenue agencies, Mr Yusuf Quainoo, said it was the desire of the Revenue Agencies Board to ensure that workers under its umbrella were healthy at all times to give their best at their workplaces.
He said that would enhance revenue mobilisation.
Prominent among the participants were Ms Judith Kollan, Ms Emelia Ofori, Nana Gyamfi and Ms Benedicta Amegavie, all HIV and AIDS focal persons of the revenue services.
As part of the exercise, dubbed: “The health of the worker is the worth of the organisation”, 50 of the workers went through voluntary counselling and testing for HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis, sponsored by the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ ).
The event, which lasted for two and a half hours, took the workers through the centre of the town to the summit of the Obuotabri Mountains overlooking the New Juaben municipality.
Addressing the participants after the exercise, the National Focal Person of HIV and AIDS and Tuberculosis Project for the revenue agencies, Mr Yusuf Quainoo, said it was the desire of the Revenue Agencies Board to ensure that workers under its umbrella were healthy at all times to give their best at their workplaces.
He said that would enhance revenue mobilisation.
Prominent among the participants were Ms Judith Kollan, Ms Emelia Ofori, Nana Gyamfi and Ms Benedicta Amegavie, all HIV and AIDS focal persons of the revenue services.
CRIG EDUCATES COCOA FARMERS (PAGE 20)
THE Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) at Akyem Tafo in the Eastern Region has embarked on an educational drive to make its research findings available to cocoa farmers in the region and other parts of the country.
Under the programme, which is aimed at increasing cocoa production to enable the country to meet a million tonne target in 2012, a number of radio stations have been engaged for a phone-in programme to educate cocoa farmers on modern farming techniques to enhance increased production.
The Senior Public Affairs Officer of CRIG, Mr Bishop Kabutey, who led a number of scientists from CRIG in the exercise, stated that it had become necessary to educate the farmers because most of them did not know the institute’s research findings that would boost the production of cocoa.
“CRIG is undertaking this exercise because a lot of the cocoa farmers are not aware of our research findings and how to implement them to boost cocoa production; we hope with this method of phone-in programme, during which farmers can speak directly to us on the issue, they will learn a lot to increase their yield”, Mr Kabutey stated.
Meanwhile, the management of SIDALCO Limited, a Tema-based agro-chemical manufacturing and distribution company, has donated a 15-seater Toyota mini bus to CRIG to support its cocoa farmer education drive.
Making the presentation, the Managing Director of the company, Mrs Gifty Lamptey, lauded CRIG’s pioneering role in finding lasting solutions to the numerous problems of the cocoa industry.
She said it was in that respect that SIDALCO had decided to acquire the bus with its profit to support CRIG to improve the cocoa industry.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SIDALCO, Mr David Lamptey, pledged more support for CRIG and advised its management not to relent in its efforts in conducting additional researches into the production of cocoa and other crops.
The acting Executive Director of CRIG, Dr Frank Manu, expressed his outfit’s gratitude to the management of SIDALCO for the gesture, and gave the assurance that the bus would be put to good use.
Under the programme, which is aimed at increasing cocoa production to enable the country to meet a million tonne target in 2012, a number of radio stations have been engaged for a phone-in programme to educate cocoa farmers on modern farming techniques to enhance increased production.
The Senior Public Affairs Officer of CRIG, Mr Bishop Kabutey, who led a number of scientists from CRIG in the exercise, stated that it had become necessary to educate the farmers because most of them did not know the institute’s research findings that would boost the production of cocoa.
“CRIG is undertaking this exercise because a lot of the cocoa farmers are not aware of our research findings and how to implement them to boost cocoa production; we hope with this method of phone-in programme, during which farmers can speak directly to us on the issue, they will learn a lot to increase their yield”, Mr Kabutey stated.
Meanwhile, the management of SIDALCO Limited, a Tema-based agro-chemical manufacturing and distribution company, has donated a 15-seater Toyota mini bus to CRIG to support its cocoa farmer education drive.
Making the presentation, the Managing Director of the company, Mrs Gifty Lamptey, lauded CRIG’s pioneering role in finding lasting solutions to the numerous problems of the cocoa industry.
She said it was in that respect that SIDALCO had decided to acquire the bus with its profit to support CRIG to improve the cocoa industry.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SIDALCO, Mr David Lamptey, pledged more support for CRIG and advised its management not to relent in its efforts in conducting additional researches into the production of cocoa and other crops.
The acting Executive Director of CRIG, Dr Frank Manu, expressed his outfit’s gratitude to the management of SIDALCO for the gesture, and gave the assurance that the bus would be put to good use.
APOSTOLIC CHURCH WOMEN HOLD CONVENTION AT KOFORIDUA (PAGE 20)
THE Southern Sector National Women’s Convention of the Apostolic Church of Ghana has ended at Koforidua.
The gathering, one of the largest to be assembled by the church in recent times, drew female members of the church in its administrative areas within the Greater Accra, Central, Volta, Western and Eastern regions.
The event also coincided with the elevation of two pastors, Abraham Ofori Kuragu and Daniel Agbeteye to Apostles and the ordination of three others, namely Kofi Addison, Samuel Kwao Padi and Emmanuel Akonor as Pastors.
Addressing the convention on the theme: “Jesus the Son of God”, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Muhamed Ahmed Baba Jamal called on the country’s religious leaders, especially Christians to pray for God’s intercession to uproot all forms of negative tendencies, which he stated, had engulfed the Ghanaian society.
He said of late, negative social vices such as fornication, incest, rape, armed robbery, occultism, ritual murders, contract killings, drug abuse, corruption, cyberfraud (sakawa) and unnecessary show of spiritual powers, had been associated with a number of people, including Christians.
Mr Baba Jamal said since such bad traits were having negative effects on society, religious leaders must lead a crusade to eradicate them.
He stated that the time to do that was now, and therefore, appealed to religious leaders to pray for God’s intercession in that respect.
“We are all witnessing the upsurge of criminality and immorality in the society in the form of incest, rape, sakawa, drug abuse, ritual murder, contract killings and you as religious leaders must call for God’s intercession to eradicate them,” the deputy regional minister stated.
He praised the Apostolic Church of Ghana for undertaking a school project at Mile 5 in Adweso near Koforidua.
Mr Baba Jamal advised the female members of the church to help nurture their children into good citizens.
In his sermon based on John Chapter 1, the President of the Church, Apostle John Annan Adotey urged Christians to be witnesses of Jesus Christ by following His footsteps.
Apostle Adotey stated that it was only in that direction that members of the church could also preserve the church’s sanctity to win more souls for Christ.
Earlier, the Leader of the Women’s Movement of the church, Deaconess Naana Tagoe told the gathering that the movement aimed at mobilising its members for their spiritual and physical well-being.
He added that as women, it was their responsibility to help move society forward in a Godly manner.
The gathering, one of the largest to be assembled by the church in recent times, drew female members of the church in its administrative areas within the Greater Accra, Central, Volta, Western and Eastern regions.
The event also coincided with the elevation of two pastors, Abraham Ofori Kuragu and Daniel Agbeteye to Apostles and the ordination of three others, namely Kofi Addison, Samuel Kwao Padi and Emmanuel Akonor as Pastors.
Addressing the convention on the theme: “Jesus the Son of God”, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Muhamed Ahmed Baba Jamal called on the country’s religious leaders, especially Christians to pray for God’s intercession to uproot all forms of negative tendencies, which he stated, had engulfed the Ghanaian society.
He said of late, negative social vices such as fornication, incest, rape, armed robbery, occultism, ritual murders, contract killings, drug abuse, corruption, cyberfraud (sakawa) and unnecessary show of spiritual powers, had been associated with a number of people, including Christians.
Mr Baba Jamal said since such bad traits were having negative effects on society, religious leaders must lead a crusade to eradicate them.
He stated that the time to do that was now, and therefore, appealed to religious leaders to pray for God’s intercession in that respect.
“We are all witnessing the upsurge of criminality and immorality in the society in the form of incest, rape, sakawa, drug abuse, ritual murder, contract killings and you as religious leaders must call for God’s intercession to eradicate them,” the deputy regional minister stated.
He praised the Apostolic Church of Ghana for undertaking a school project at Mile 5 in Adweso near Koforidua.
Mr Baba Jamal advised the female members of the church to help nurture their children into good citizens.
In his sermon based on John Chapter 1, the President of the Church, Apostle John Annan Adotey urged Christians to be witnesses of Jesus Christ by following His footsteps.
Apostle Adotey stated that it was only in that direction that members of the church could also preserve the church’s sanctity to win more souls for Christ.
Earlier, the Leader of the Women’s Movement of the church, Deaconess Naana Tagoe told the gathering that the movement aimed at mobilising its members for their spiritual and physical well-being.
He added that as women, it was their responsibility to help move society forward in a Godly manner.
ASAMANKESE HOSPITAL CRIES FOR HELP (PAGE 20)
IN the early fifties, Asamankese, currently the capital of the West Akyem Municipality, was a very small town composed mainly of farmers.
Its strategic position, between the diamond mining towns of Akyem Oda and Akwatia as well as trading centres of Suhum and Nsawam and the cultivation of cocoa and other food crops in its outlying areas over the years, have attracted many people to the town to engage in farming and trading in all sorts of merchandise.
The town initially lacked a hospital or clinic to cater for the health needs of the people. For that reason its inhabitants had to travel long distances to places like Koforidua and Accra where such facilities were available. That was a risky venture for those who were seriously ill.
To solve that problem, a health centre was, therefore, constructed for the town in 1956, at a time when its population and that of the adjoining villages was about 15,000.
Since the population kept on growing each passing year, it became necessary to upgrade the status of the health centre to a full hospital to cope with the increasing number of people.
However, it is sad to note that the facility, which started operating as a hospital in December, 1995 by offering services such as medicine, surgery, eye care, in-patient admissions and anti-retroviral therapy for HIV and AIDS patients and a centre for tuberculosis, is faced with serious challenges, especially inadequate infrastructure.
This is because most of the facilities provided in the early fifties have not been expanded to cater for the growing number of patients, especially at a time when the district has beeen upgraded to a municipality with about 172,297 inhabitants (according to the 2008 population estimates).
The only additional facility, a new 80-bed maternity ward, whose construction started 10 years ago, is at a standstill with no hope of completion because the contractor has packed away from the site.
The situation has put pressure on the very small improvised structure being used as maternity ward as women being prepared for delivery and newly-born babies have to sleep on the floor due to the limited number of beds and space.
There is also no residential accommodation for key health personnel, except the two medical doctors and a few others while most of the medical equipment too are very old.
Furthermore, health workers and patients live in fear because the hospital has not been fenced, making all manner of people visit the place unhindered.
Another big challenge is the erratic reimbursement of health insurance claims, periodically depriving the hospital the needed funds for its day-to-day running, especially for the payment of its 40 casual workers.
On the whole, the staff position of the hospital cannot be described as the best because it has two medical doctors, namely Dr Martin Klutse and Dr V.A. Mensah, with a medical assistant, Mr Edward Atiso, and 36 professional nurses and a few others, offering assistance.
However, with the co-operation of the Hospital Administrator, Mr Kwame Ampadu Adjei, the facility has been able to provide proper medical care for patients who patronise the facility, averaging 150 per day.
“Despite the difficulties we are facing, we are able to cater for about 150 patients who report at the Out-Patient Department every day. This year, 22,437 patients out of which 85 per cent were covered by the health insurance scheme came here with different diseases of which 2,467 were admitted,” he stated.
Mr Adjei said “The facility is in a peculiar situation because it is the only hospital in the area which also serves as a referral point for health centres at Osenase and Adeiso as well as other private clinics”.
“Although the number of patients keeps on increasing each passing day, we are able to serve everybody to their satisfaction”, he stated.
Some of the diseases and medical cases are malaria, hernia, pneumonia, anaemia, skin diseases, pregnancy and related complications, mental disorders as well as accident victims, especially motor accidents.
A significant aspect of the hospital is that it has been recording low maternal and neo-natal deaths.
For instance, it registered three maternal deaths in 2005, one in 2006, four in 2007, four more in 2008 and two so far this year while three neo-natal deaths occurred in 2005, two each in 2006 and 2007 and three each in 2008 and 2009.
With such a credible performance of the hospital in the midst of such difficulties, it is expected that the Ministry of Health would endeavour to find a lasting solution to its numerous challenges, especially the early completion of the maternity ward, to ensure that the facility, the only one in a fast growing municipality, would be well equipped.
Its strategic position, between the diamond mining towns of Akyem Oda and Akwatia as well as trading centres of Suhum and Nsawam and the cultivation of cocoa and other food crops in its outlying areas over the years, have attracted many people to the town to engage in farming and trading in all sorts of merchandise.
The town initially lacked a hospital or clinic to cater for the health needs of the people. For that reason its inhabitants had to travel long distances to places like Koforidua and Accra where such facilities were available. That was a risky venture for those who were seriously ill.
To solve that problem, a health centre was, therefore, constructed for the town in 1956, at a time when its population and that of the adjoining villages was about 15,000.
Since the population kept on growing each passing year, it became necessary to upgrade the status of the health centre to a full hospital to cope with the increasing number of people.
However, it is sad to note that the facility, which started operating as a hospital in December, 1995 by offering services such as medicine, surgery, eye care, in-patient admissions and anti-retroviral therapy for HIV and AIDS patients and a centre for tuberculosis, is faced with serious challenges, especially inadequate infrastructure.
This is because most of the facilities provided in the early fifties have not been expanded to cater for the growing number of patients, especially at a time when the district has beeen upgraded to a municipality with about 172,297 inhabitants (according to the 2008 population estimates).
The only additional facility, a new 80-bed maternity ward, whose construction started 10 years ago, is at a standstill with no hope of completion because the contractor has packed away from the site.
The situation has put pressure on the very small improvised structure being used as maternity ward as women being prepared for delivery and newly-born babies have to sleep on the floor due to the limited number of beds and space.
There is also no residential accommodation for key health personnel, except the two medical doctors and a few others while most of the medical equipment too are very old.
Furthermore, health workers and patients live in fear because the hospital has not been fenced, making all manner of people visit the place unhindered.
Another big challenge is the erratic reimbursement of health insurance claims, periodically depriving the hospital the needed funds for its day-to-day running, especially for the payment of its 40 casual workers.
On the whole, the staff position of the hospital cannot be described as the best because it has two medical doctors, namely Dr Martin Klutse and Dr V.A. Mensah, with a medical assistant, Mr Edward Atiso, and 36 professional nurses and a few others, offering assistance.
However, with the co-operation of the Hospital Administrator, Mr Kwame Ampadu Adjei, the facility has been able to provide proper medical care for patients who patronise the facility, averaging 150 per day.
“Despite the difficulties we are facing, we are able to cater for about 150 patients who report at the Out-Patient Department every day. This year, 22,437 patients out of which 85 per cent were covered by the health insurance scheme came here with different diseases of which 2,467 were admitted,” he stated.
Mr Adjei said “The facility is in a peculiar situation because it is the only hospital in the area which also serves as a referral point for health centres at Osenase and Adeiso as well as other private clinics”.
“Although the number of patients keeps on increasing each passing day, we are able to serve everybody to their satisfaction”, he stated.
Some of the diseases and medical cases are malaria, hernia, pneumonia, anaemia, skin diseases, pregnancy and related complications, mental disorders as well as accident victims, especially motor accidents.
A significant aspect of the hospital is that it has been recording low maternal and neo-natal deaths.
For instance, it registered three maternal deaths in 2005, one in 2006, four in 2007, four more in 2008 and two so far this year while three neo-natal deaths occurred in 2005, two each in 2006 and 2007 and three each in 2008 and 2009.
With such a credible performance of the hospital in the midst of such difficulties, it is expected that the Ministry of Health would endeavour to find a lasting solution to its numerous challenges, especially the early completion of the maternity ward, to ensure that the facility, the only one in a fast growing municipality, would be well equipped.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
ZOOMLION PROVIDERS BIKES TO SANITATION GUARDS (PAGE 21)
ZOOMLION Ghana Limited, a waste management company, has provided 260 bicycles to all the 260 sanitation guards it has engaged in the Eastern Region.
The bicycles are to facilitate the movement of the sanitation guards from their homes to their workplaces.
The presentation was made at a periodic review meeting on the performance of the guards, during which matters affecting their performance were discussed to address inherent challenges.
In an address to the guards, who were drawn from all the 21 municipal and district assemblies in the region in Koforidua at the weekend, Zoomlion’s National Co-ordinator for Sanitation Guards, Mrs Beatrice Amponsah, said the company was committed to the welfare of the sanitation guards.
In that regard, he said the company would do its best to equip them to promptly and effectively discharge their duties.
Mrs Amponsah advised the sanitation guards to make good use of their allowances to academically upgrade themselves for better positions, either within the company or elsewhere.
The Operational Director of Zoomlion in the Eastern Region, Mr Ernest Kusi, said good performance of the sanitation guards in the various communities had rendered such communities clean at all times, and expressed the hope that the guards would continue with such performances.
The Regional Environmental Officer, Mr Francis Korwu Quist, advised those in charge of Zoomlion’s activities in the various assemblies to always consult the officials, since the two bodies had to work in concert for the benefit of the people in those areas.
The bicycles are to facilitate the movement of the sanitation guards from their homes to their workplaces.
The presentation was made at a periodic review meeting on the performance of the guards, during which matters affecting their performance were discussed to address inherent challenges.
In an address to the guards, who were drawn from all the 21 municipal and district assemblies in the region in Koforidua at the weekend, Zoomlion’s National Co-ordinator for Sanitation Guards, Mrs Beatrice Amponsah, said the company was committed to the welfare of the sanitation guards.
In that regard, he said the company would do its best to equip them to promptly and effectively discharge their duties.
Mrs Amponsah advised the sanitation guards to make good use of their allowances to academically upgrade themselves for better positions, either within the company or elsewhere.
The Operational Director of Zoomlion in the Eastern Region, Mr Ernest Kusi, said good performance of the sanitation guards in the various communities had rendered such communities clean at all times, and expressed the hope that the guards would continue with such performances.
The Regional Environmental Officer, Mr Francis Korwu Quist, advised those in charge of Zoomlion’s activities in the various assemblies to always consult the officials, since the two bodies had to work in concert for the benefit of the people in those areas.
Friday, September 4, 2009
BABA JAMAL CALLS FOR JUDICIOUS USE OF FUNDS (PAGE 13)
THE Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, has called for prudent measures to ensure the judicious use of public funds.
This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by a Deputy Director of the Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Council, Mr James Asante Baffoe, at a one-day workshop on public financing and management in Koforidua.
The event, which was organised by the Eastern Regional Office of the Audit Service, was attended by co-ordinating directors, finance officers, district directors and directors of ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) in the Eastern Region.
According to Baba Jamal, the country’s public financing and management systems had been fraught with malfeasance, embezzlement, misappropriation, under and over invoicing, forgery and falsification of documents, and that unless such malpractices were stopped, there was no way the Government could reduce its overreliance on external sources of funding the national budget.
He said it was regrettable that some personnel and accounting records in various offices could not be traced, making those patronising the services in the system to lose confidence in it.
Baba Jamal, who also expressed disgust at irregularities in the management of contracts in the MDAs as a result of which some of the contracts had to be abandoned, said revelations at the Ghana@50 probe should serve as a reminder to public officers to follow laid-down regulations.
“The public financial management system of this country is suffering from financial glaucoma; the system is very deficient and bleak as a result of many challenges, so you should follow laid-down regulations in whatever you do,” Baba Jamal advised the participants.
In his welcoming address, the Eastern Regional Auditor, Mr Philip K. Ofori, said an auditing firm, Messrs Ernst and Young, which carried out audits in selected MDAs as well as the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, came out with a lot of issues, including improper maintenance of official documents and records, and expressed hope that the seminar would fully equip the participants with what to face the challenges.
This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by a Deputy Director of the Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Council, Mr James Asante Baffoe, at a one-day workshop on public financing and management in Koforidua.
The event, which was organised by the Eastern Regional Office of the Audit Service, was attended by co-ordinating directors, finance officers, district directors and directors of ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) in the Eastern Region.
According to Baba Jamal, the country’s public financing and management systems had been fraught with malfeasance, embezzlement, misappropriation, under and over invoicing, forgery and falsification of documents, and that unless such malpractices were stopped, there was no way the Government could reduce its overreliance on external sources of funding the national budget.
He said it was regrettable that some personnel and accounting records in various offices could not be traced, making those patronising the services in the system to lose confidence in it.
Baba Jamal, who also expressed disgust at irregularities in the management of contracts in the MDAs as a result of which some of the contracts had to be abandoned, said revelations at the Ghana@50 probe should serve as a reminder to public officers to follow laid-down regulations.
“The public financial management system of this country is suffering from financial glaucoma; the system is very deficient and bleak as a result of many challenges, so you should follow laid-down regulations in whatever you do,” Baba Jamal advised the participants.
In his welcoming address, the Eastern Regional Auditor, Mr Philip K. Ofori, said an auditing firm, Messrs Ernst and Young, which carried out audits in selected MDAs as well as the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, came out with a lot of issues, including improper maintenance of official documents and records, and expressed hope that the seminar would fully equip the participants with what to face the challenges.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
DISPUTE BETWEEN TWO MUSLIM LEADERS IN KOFORIDUA SESOLVED (PAGE 21)
THE LONG standing dispute between the Eastern Regional Chief Imam, Alhaji Yusuf Hamdani Suleman and the Spiritual Leader, Sheikh Ahmed Tijani, has been finally settled.
The dispute virtually divided the Muslim community at Koforidua into two factions, making it impossible for them to pray together at the Central Mosque for nearly two years.
The dispute was resolved through the joint effort of Chief Alhaji Abu Dagomba, the Chairman of the Eastern Regional Council of Moslem Chiefs who is also the chief of the Dagomba Community of Koforidua, Alhaji Ahmed Zakaria popularly known as Samson Kwakwa, the Chairman of the Zongo Peace Council and the Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Council led by the Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and his deputy, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Baba Jamal.
To seal the reconciliation, Alhaji Hamdani, the Chief Imam and the Spiritual Leader, Sheikh Ahmed Tijani together with their followers and the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Baba Jamal, were at the Central Mosque together for the Spiritual Leader to perform his duty of reading the Koran in connection with this year’s Ramadan.
They also prayed for President John Evans Atta Mills, the Government and people of Ghana.
Addressing the Moslems, Baba Jamal expressed his gratitude to the two prominent Moslem personalities in the region for reconciling, stressing that their coming together would help accelerate the development of the Moslem community in the area which had stalled due to the confusion.
“I am happy that both of you have decided to forget about the past and come together for the development of the Moslem community which was not possible as a result of the division; I hope that never again will such an unfortunate incidence occur”, Baba Jamal told the Muslims.
Some of the Muslim youths who spoke to the Daily Graphic after the function, expressed their happiness about the reconciliation, saying that it had united all Muslims in the New Juaben Municipality.
It would be recalled that two years ago, the Chief Imam and his followers had to gather at the Central Mosque for prayers for the Ramadan under heavy police guard while the Spiritual leader and his group had theirs in another location due to the dispute.
The dispute virtually divided the Muslim community at Koforidua into two factions, making it impossible for them to pray together at the Central Mosque for nearly two years.
The dispute was resolved through the joint effort of Chief Alhaji Abu Dagomba, the Chairman of the Eastern Regional Council of Moslem Chiefs who is also the chief of the Dagomba Community of Koforidua, Alhaji Ahmed Zakaria popularly known as Samson Kwakwa, the Chairman of the Zongo Peace Council and the Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Council led by the Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and his deputy, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Baba Jamal.
To seal the reconciliation, Alhaji Hamdani, the Chief Imam and the Spiritual Leader, Sheikh Ahmed Tijani together with their followers and the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Baba Jamal, were at the Central Mosque together for the Spiritual Leader to perform his duty of reading the Koran in connection with this year’s Ramadan.
They also prayed for President John Evans Atta Mills, the Government and people of Ghana.
Addressing the Moslems, Baba Jamal expressed his gratitude to the two prominent Moslem personalities in the region for reconciling, stressing that their coming together would help accelerate the development of the Moslem community in the area which had stalled due to the confusion.
“I am happy that both of you have decided to forget about the past and come together for the development of the Moslem community which was not possible as a result of the division; I hope that never again will such an unfortunate incidence occur”, Baba Jamal told the Muslims.
Some of the Muslim youths who spoke to the Daily Graphic after the function, expressed their happiness about the reconciliation, saying that it had united all Muslims in the New Juaben Municipality.
It would be recalled that two years ago, the Chief Imam and his followers had to gather at the Central Mosque for prayers for the Ramadan under heavy police guard while the Spiritual leader and his group had theirs in another location due to the dispute.
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