Wednesday, April 28, 2010

COMMISSION SOLICITS PARLIAMENTARY SUPPORT (PAGE 54, APRIL 28, 2010)

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has called for support from Parliament to enable it to operate the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) to mobilise more resources for national development.
According to the SEC, although the GSE was performing quite well, it still faced some major challenges that needed parliamentary support for better performance .
One of the major challenges the SEC cited was its placement under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, which empowers the sector minister to give operational instructions.
The Director-General of the SEC, Dr Nii Kwaku Sowa, made the appeal at a seminar organised by the SEC for members of the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Finance at Koforidua.
Speakers at the forum were Mr Frank Adu, GSE Council chairman, Professor E.V.O Dankwa, SEC chairman, Dr Sam Mensa, GSE Council member, Mr K. S. Yamoah and Mr Ekow Afedzie, managing director and deputy managing director respectively of the GSE, as well as Dr Sowa, who took the MPs through some topics on the stock exchange system.
Topics treated included Capital Markets: A Strategic Partner in Ghana’s Development, Legislative issues and the development of the capital markets, The Securities and Exchange Commission-its Relevance and Operations, Developments on the stock market, Partnering for growth and divestiture and bond issuance, incentives and local content.
According to Dr Sowa, some sections of the country’s securities laws, such as section 140 of the PNDC Law 333, did not ensure SEC’s operational independence because it gave the Minister of Finance powers to operate it by placing it under the ministry.
He said such a directive which was not in consonance with the practices of the International Organisation of Securities Regulators (IOSCO), of which Ghana is a member, was also a disincentive for the growth of the GSE.
Dr Sowa who stated that the best international practice of the stock exchange, as contained in the IOSCO objectives, was to protect investors, ensure fair, efficient and transparent market and reduce risk, called for parliamentary support to deal with the issue.
“We need parliamentary support to strengthen the GSE because the securities market offers the best opportunity for Ghana to harness and utilise long-term resources for growth and development”, Dr Sowah stated.
The speakers also called for more public education on the activities of the GSE which, according to them, had been perceived as elitist.
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Finance, Mr James Klutse Avedi, was grateful to the SEC for organising the seminar which would put the MPs in a better position to deal with the issue in Parliament.
Earlier, the GSE Chairman, Mr Frank Adu, in his welcome speech said his outfit would continue to organise similar seminars for the MPs, especially new members, every four years.
That, he said, had become necessary because as law makers, they needed to fully understand the stock exchange system to enable them deliberate on it and its related issues, for the well-being of the country.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

DON'T LET CRITICISMS DAMPEN SPIRITS (PAGE 22, APRIL 24, 2010)

THE President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, has urged metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives not to let criticisms dampen their spirits.
Rather, he said, they must regard the criticisms as a challenge that would motivate them to work harder to achieve set goals.
"We have been appointed to the positions to improve upon the living conditions of our people," Mr Aidoo-Mensah said.
Mr Aidoo-Mensah who is also the District Chief Executive for Gomoa West stated that helping to improve upon the living conditions of the people could not be done without facing criticisms.
"Let the criticisms strengthen us to focus but not to discourage us to depart from our set goals," he stressed.
Mr Aidoo-Mensah advised his colleagues not to make themselves armchair executives but go out to make personal contacts and lobby donor agencies, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help their people.
"With the limited national resources, the government alone cannot do everything for our people, therefore we must seek support from elsewhere," he said.
The NALAG President expressed concern about the agitation of some youth for the removal of some chief executives from office, and appealed to the youth to exercise restraint and allow the chief executives time to put things right.
He appealed to his colleagues to handle such issues with tact, and that they should not regard the agitators as enemies.
"We must give them a hearing when they approach us (DCEs)," he said.— GNA

Thursday, April 22, 2010

PRESIDENT SUPPORTS 91 NEEDY BECE STUDENTS (PAGE 11, APRIL 21, 2010)

THE timely intervention by the President, Prof. J.E.A. Mills has made it possible for 91 final year junior high school (JHS) students, who were facing financial difficulties, to take part in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
President Mills, provided GH¢300 for the feeding of the children who are from poor backgrounds for the five-day period of the examination. The amount was presented on behalf of the President by the District Chief Executive for Kwahu South, Mr Joseph Omari.
The students are from schools in very deprived areas of the Kwahu South District, namely Asubone-Odumase, Adawso Nkwanta, New Oworobong and Kwahu Amanfrom which had been provided with an examination centre at Kwahu Tafo in the Kwahu South District. They needed to be transported to the nearest examination centre at Kwahu Tafo, which is about 10 kilometres away.
Although their parents managed to pay for their transport to the centre and their teachers also secured a place in a school where they would sleep, their parents were not able to give them money for their upkeep.
Realising their unfortunate situation, the students were initially given GH¢300 and provisions with the hope that they would receive additional supplies to enable them to write the examinations.
Making the presentation to the students at the examination centre after writing their first paper, Mr Omari said poverty should not prevent the students from writing the examinations and that was why the President had to come to their aid.
He expressed the hope that the students would do well in the examinations to climb the academic ladder to become professionals and help develop the area.
The DCE later visited some of the examination centres to encourage the students and advised them, their teachers and invigilators not to engage in examination malpractices since that would mar the future of the students.
The students were grateful to President Mills for coming to their rescue and said they would do well in the examinations to justify the assistance given to them.
The Kwahu South District Director of Education, Mr Abraham Adjetey Sowa, who accompanied the DCE during the tour said in all 2,131 students were taking part in the examination in 11 centres and that everything was going on as planned.

Monday, April 19, 2010

HELP FIGHT CORRUPTION, OTHER CANKER (SPREAD, APRIL 19, 2010)

PRESIDENT John Evans Atta Mills has asked the Catholic Church to help in a sustained crusade against corruption and other negative practices that have retarded the country’s development.
That, he stated, had become necessary, since moral persuasion and religious appeal could better deal with the canker at times than the justice system.
The President made these remarks in an address read on his behalf by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, at the consecration of the Most Rev Gabriel Edoe Kumordji as the first Bishop and Apostolic Vicar of the Catholic Church of a newly created vicariate at Donkokrom in the Kwahu North District (Afram Plains).
The impressive ceremony, which was attended by a number of dignitaries including top Catholic priests from both the country and abroad, was also used to raise funds for the construction of a cathedral in the vicariate.
The Eastern Regional Minister, on behalf of the President, donated GH¢1000 and 200 bags of cement towards the project.
President Mills stated that although his administration would not embark on a campaign of witch-hunting of innocent Ghanaians, it would not also countenance corruption, mismanagement and fraudulent practices.
The President called on Ghanaians to eschew negative partisan politics and put Ghana first in its development endeavours.
President Mills advised the people to serve any government in power and said his administration was open to suggestions and criticism in good faith.
With regard to the development of the Kwahu North District, President Mills said the government would continue with a number of projects and programmes initiated for the rapid development of the district.
He mentioned some of the projects as the rehabilitation of the existing roads and the construction of new ones such as the Mame Krobo-Agogo road that would link the area with the Ashanti Region, provision of two additional pontoons on the Volta Lake and several other initiatives under the Millennium Challenge Account (MDA) and the Afram Plains District Agricultural Development Project (APDADP).
President Mills commended the Catholic Church for partnering the government to provide educational and other social amenities for the people and expressed the hope that the creation of the vicariate in the Kwahu North District would further enhance the development of the area.
He also congratulated the new bishop on his elevation.
In a homily, the Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese, Most Rev Joseph Afrifa Agyekum, dwelt on negative practices such as abortion, murder, same sex marriage and corruption and asked Bishop Gabriel Edoe Kumordji to be courageous in dealing with them.
“Your elevation has come at a time when we have all these negative and sinful practices such as abortion, murder, same sex marriages and corruption and you must speak the truth and be bold in dealing with them”, Bishop Joseph Afrifa Agyekum exhorted the new bishop.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

BABA JAMAL DONATES TO ORPHANAGE (PAGE 32, APRIL 19, 2010)

IN line with his commitment to the welfare of the less privileged in society, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal Muhamed Ahmed, has presented assorted food items including beverages to the children of ‘My Shepherd Home’, an orphanage at Akwatia.
The presentation of the items formed part of the Deputy Minister's activities during the Easter to make the occasion a memorable one for the children.
Baba Jamal, who has decided to adopt the orphanage, asked the founder, Madam Philomena Adjei, to take good care of the children.
Madam Adjei thanked Baba Jamal for the gesture.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

AKUAPEM PRESBYTERY GETS NEW OFFICES (PAGE 39, APRIL 15, 2010)

A MODERN GH¢820,000 office complex for the Akuapem Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) has been inaugurated by the Moderator of the church, Rt. Reverend Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso.
The complex, consisting of 15 offices and stores, was funded solely through contributions by members in the presbytery.
Giving the rationale for the construction of the magnificent edifice, the Chairman of the Presbytery, Rev J.O.Y. Mantey, said since the establishment of the presbytery in 1923, it had been administered from classroom structures, which were not suitable for the presbytery with 65,000 members and numerous schools ranging from kindergarten, primary, junior and senior high schools, colleges of education and a university.
He said a hospitality edifice, which is being constructed nearby, would be completed within six months, and thanked members for their contributions towards the execution of the two projects.
Inaugurating the edifice Rt Revd Dr Frimpong-Manso asked the members to maintain the building well.
He also urged the various congregations within the presbytery to uphold the proverbial Presbyterian discipline, which had contributed immensely in moulding the character of the people, especially the youth, for national development.
For his part, Mr Ofosu Ampofo commended the Akuapem Presbytery for making giant strides in both spiritual and physical development.
He was not happy about certain people, including Christians, indulging in all sorts of negative acts to be rich overnight and called for a change of such bad habits.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo called on Ghanaians to sacrifice for their families, communities and the country as a whole.
The ceremony was attended by dignitaries such as the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, some traditional rulers of Akuapem, the clergy, as well as some members from the various congregations of the Presbytery,

RURAL BANK RENOVATES HQRS (PAGE 20, APRIL 14, 2010)

THE renovated headquarters building of the Akuapem Rural Bank at Mamfe has been inaugurated.
According to the Vice Chairman of the bank’s board of directors, Mr Amishadai Owusu Amoah, the renovation of the building and that of its branches, as well as the completion of another building to house its Aburi branch, would further improve its image.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony attended by members of its board of directors, he said the bank, which was established 30 years ago and had initially operated from rented premises, had over the years witnessed tremendous growth in all aspects, especially assets, deposits and profits, making it one of the best five rural banks in the country currently .
Mr Amoah lauded the board, management, staff, shareholders and customers for their support, which had also made it possible for the bank to honour its social responsibility to the people and communities in its catchment areas.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Akuapem North, Mr George Opare Addo, reiterated the government’s commitment to the creation of a congenial atmosphere for businesses in the country to grow.
He commended the bank for its assistance to the people and communities in the area.
The deputy Managing Director of ARB Apex Bank, Mr Duke Osam Duodu, commended the bank for making giant strides.
He, however, asked the management to institute a policy for regular maintenance of the building.
Earlier, the bank handed over a mechanised borehole valued at GH¢10,000 to the Methodist Girls Senior High School at Mamfe.
Speaking at the ceremony, which was attended by a Director of the bank, Mr Asare Buakyi, the General Manager of the bank, Mr K. Anane Kyereme, was hopeful that the borehole would improve the water supply at the school and avert the situation where students had to spend so much time searching for water.
Mr Kyereme said two mechanised boreholes would also be provided each year for the next five years in communities in its catchment areas.
The Headmistress of the school, Madam Janet F. Bediako, expressed the school’s appreciation to the bank for its timely intervention and said the school would take good care of the facility.
In another development, the bank donated GH¢1,000 towards an ongoing anti-rabies vaccination exercise in the Akuapem North District.
The Akuapem North District Director of Health Services, Dr J.K.L. Opare, who received the money, said over the last three months, 30 persons were bitten by dogs, out of which three died from rabies.
He thanked the bank for the assistance.

BAD ROADS HINDER AKYEAMMANSA DEVT (PAGE 20, APRIL 14, 2010)

UNTIL April 2008, the Akyemmansa District formed part of the vast Birim North political entity.
Despite its rich natural resources such as arable land for the cultivation of food crops such as maize, all types of tubers, oil palm, citrus, cash crops including cocoa and also containing timber and gold, the mother district is the least developed in the region.
Its huge size with numerous communities made it difficult to administer, particularly in respect of the provision of social amenities such as roads, school buildings, clinics and potable water.
Although the previous administration did its best to ensure that the partitioning of the area would accelerate its development, most of the towns and communities in the new district are yet to benefit from the necessary social amenities and other poverty-alleviation programmes.
In reality, the new district, with big towns such as Akyem Ofoase and Akyem Ayirebi and numerous big and small communities such as Akokoaso, Otwereso, Adubiase, Breku and Nyamebekyere, lack the necessary infrastructure and social amenities.
For instance, Ofoase, the District Capital, is located on the untarred Ayirebi-Ofoase-Nkawkaw road; the main artery to the area is also the only district headquarters in the region with all of its streets not tarred.
While visitors to the capital are greeted with dust during the harmattan, the rainy season also made it difficult for vehicles to ply on the roads as almost all the roads linking the various communities are not tarred.
Another worrying factor is that almost two years after its creation, the assembly is still operating from a classroom-like structure.
The residential facilities for the District Chief Executive (DCE), the District Co-ordinating Director (DCD) and other top personnel who are to direct the development of the district, are not yet completed so they have to make do with unsuitable rented premises elsewhere.
To address these hydra-headed challenges, the district assembly under the leadership of Mr Tom Budu, the DCE, shortly on assumption of office about a year ago, has put in an elaborated programme to address such challenges.
Prominent among the projects are the provision of the vital social amenities for the very deprived communities, as well as the institution of poverty-alleviation measures for the people, especially the physically challenged.
Some of the projects entailed in the programme, which are progressing steadily, include market sheds at Bontodiase and Adjobue on which GH¢5,041.17 has so far been spent, continuation of a six-unit classroom block at Ayirebi on which ¢15,190.04 has been expensed, bungalows for the DCE, and the District Co-ordinating Director (DCD), re-shaping and clearing of feeder roads at a cost of GH¢12,576 and a the construction of a court building.
In respect of the programmes, paltry sums such as GH¢400 has been made available for HIVAIDS campaigns, GH¢500 for the District Health Management team for its activities and GH¢3,600 support for the physically challenged persons.
To ensure that more communities are provided with the necessary infrastructure this year, the district tender committee has given approval for the execution of 15 Common Fund-sponsored projects at a total cost of GH¢750,000 and two Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund)-assisted projects at a cost of GH¢180,000 in the various communities, especially the very deprived ones.
Some of the common fund projects are the rehabilitation of the Krania Islamic Primary School at Akyem-Ofoase, a three-unit classroom block at Nyame-Bekyere Number Three, the Akokoaso District Assembly Junior High School (JHS) and Adubiase Primary ‘B’, cladding of primary schools at Breku and Otabil and the construction of a six-unit classroom block with an office, a store, a staff common room and a library, and a four-seater KVIP public place of convenience at Boso Villa.
Plans are also being made to hook some of the communities to the national grid.
Addressing the assembly at its ordinary meeting at Ofoase recently, the DCE, Mr Tom Budu, said although the assembly had focused school buildings, the provision of safe drinking water had also been placed on the agenda, under which 10 communities would soon be provided with boreholes.
The communities are Ofoase Kuma, Apertey, Breku, Ayeboafo, Otwereso Camp, Bokor, Bereku, Kantamanto and Techiman.
“We are on course despite the challenges. The assembly is impressing upon the government to repair the deplorable roads in the district, especially the main Ayirebi-Ofoase-New Abirem road, which makes it difficult for people to come here to transact business” Mr Budu told the house.
The DCE said the assembly could not rehabilitate the main road due to the heavy financial capital involved.
He was thankful to the chiefs in the area who took up the issue with the government and expressed the hope that the road would be given the necessary attention as soon as possible.
“This is our main concern because coming to the district capital through such a bad road is not the best because it has the tendency of driving away investors to such an area rich in natural resources,” Mr Budu added.
In view of the commitment of the DCE, who is being supported by the District co-ordinating Director, Mr E. Ashalley, a technocrat well versed in rural community initiatives, and the assembly members all of whom are making the necessary contributions towards the development of the communities, it will not be long for the numerous communities to have their fair share of the national cake in terms of social amenities.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Another galamsey horror...10 BURIED ALIVE (LEAD STORY, APRIL 9, 2010)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Noyem

TEN illegal miners (galamsey operators) were buried alive in separate incidents at Noyem in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region and Manso-Fawotrikye in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region last Wednesday when the pits in which they were digging for gold caved in.
While six miners perished in the incident at Noyem, near New Abirem, four were trapped to death at Manso-Fawotrikye.
The scene of the accident at Noyem is near the spot where about eight other illegal miners were killed in a pit in 2006.
The bodies of the six miners in the Noyem incident were identified as Yaw Dankwah, Philip Kwame, Kwame Opoku, Daniel Attah, one Asamoah, all from Noyem, and another person known only as Heavy Dee believed to have come from Achiase.
Their bodies have been deposited at the Holy Family Hospital morgue in Nkawkaw.
Two others, Forster Akomea and one Ernest, both from Noyem, who survived the tragedy were said to have been treated and discharged at the same hospital.
The victims of the Manso-Fawotrikye incident were identified as Akwasi Appiagyei, Clement Abanga, Charles Appiah and Akwasi Ascona.
Their bodies have been retrieved by the police and deposited at the Agroyesum Saint Martin’s Catholic Hospital mortuary.
Three others who were injured were identified as Afua Mansah, 32, Akua Kobi, 28, and Kwabena Ofori, 14. They are receiving treatment at the same hospital.
In the incident at Noyem, the illegal miners were operating on a concession belonging to Space Rock-Star Mining Company, a registered and licensed small-scale mining concern.
Workers of the company, on March 20, this year, suspended their activities at the spot after realising that it was too dangerous to be in the pit.
According to Mr Appiah Dankwah, the Board Chairman of the mining company, the management ordered its miners to suspend activities at the spot for fear that the walls could cave in.
He said the company was waiting for some special mining equipment to remove the top layers of the rocks at the spot but the illegal miners, who did not know the nature of the pit, sneaked in to operate, during which the walls of the pit caved in, burying them alive.
Mr Dankwa said it took workers of the company and others in the town about eight hours to rescue the survivors and retrieve the bodies of the victims.
A Senior Mines Inspector in charge of Small Scale Mining at the Minerals Commission, Mr John Yankey, who was on site to access the situation, explained that the illegal miners operated at a very dangerous spot by undercutting the rocks referred to as “lotiloti” in local mining parlance.
He said any miner who engaged in “lotiloti” did not normally survive.
When the Daily Graphic team visited the scene yesterday, the Kwahu West Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Thomas Osei, and some of his men were there to access the situation.
Also at the scene were the Chief of Noyem, Nana Adofo Abayie, and the Assembly Member for the area, Mr Joseph Akonotey.
They told the Daily Graphic that efforts were being made to bury the victims.
A visit to Noyem revealed absolute quietness in the town. Some of the people who spoke to the Daily Graphic said it was normal for a miner to die and likened the tragedy to falling dead on the battlefield.
According to a Ghana News Agency report, the four illegal miners at Manso-Fawotrikye lost their lives, while the three others suffered cuts and broken bones, when a 26-foot deep pit collapsed on them.
The Amansie West District Chief Executive, Mr Charles Oti-Prempeh, accompanied by the District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police Stephen Kwakye, has visited the community to express his condolence to the bereaved families and inspect the disaster scene.
Addressing the people, the DCE called on illegal miners to regularise their activities by applying for licences to engage in small-scale mining.
Mr Oti-Prempeh urged the youth not to allow the lust for money to drive them into potentially risky ventures.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

GOVT WILL DISTRIBUTE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FAIRLY — BABA JAMAL (PAGE 16, APRIL 8, 2010)

THE Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Baba Jamal Mohamed Ahmed, has said that the government would continue to provide infrastructure and social amenities to communities irrespective of their political affiliation.
That, according to him, would ensure even distribution of the national cake.
Baba Jamal made the remark last Monday when he handed over relief items to be distributed to people in about 150 houses whose roofs were ripped off or totally destroyed by a rainstorm at Akyem Gyadam, near Akyem Oda, on March 27, 2010.
The items included 1,000 pieces of sleeping mats, 30 bags of rice, 30 bags of maize, 30 packets of roofing sheets and a large consignment of washing bowls.
Akyem Gyadam is a stronghold of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), so many of the victims did not believe that the government would come to their aid after the disaster.
According to Baba Jamal, members and supporters of all political parties, especially the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NPP, were one people who must be treated equally and as such the government would not discriminate against any political opponents.
That, he said, would not only ensure harmony but would also go a long way to accelerate the development of the communities.
The Deputy Regional Minister therefore, called on all political opponents, especially the NPP, to join hands with the NDC in its development programme for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
“We are one people with a common destiny to build a prosperous country. It is only that we belong to different political camps and that should not divide us or make us enemies but rather we should be each other’s keeper because the rainstorm did not discriminate when it struck the town,” Baba Jamal stated.
The Eastern Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Ransford Owusu Boakye, asked members of a committee set up to distribute the items to give priority to the very poor, who under the normal circumstance, would not be able to rebuild or re-roof their buildings.
He also advised the people to plant trees to serve as windbreaks to prevent any such disaster in the future.
The Gyasehene of Gyadam, Nana Boakye Yiadom, who received the items on behalf of the victims, expressed his appreciation to the government for the timely intervention.
He appealed to the government to rehabilitate the access roads to the town, which had been in a deplorable state for years.
The Gyasehene also urged NADMO to undertake a mosquito spraying exercise in the town to get rid of the insects.

Monday, April 5, 2010

KWAHUS ON THE MOVE...To celebrate Easter (SPREAD, APRIL 1, 2010)

ONCE again, thousands of Kwahus throughout the country and those domiciled abroad will be undertaking journey back to the various towns in the Kwahu Traditional Area to celebrate Easter.
The “exodus”, which started last week, is expected to reach its peak today when most of the towns in the picturesque Odwen Anoma Mountain, such as Obomeng, Obo, Mpraeso, Nkwatia, Twenedurase, Asakraka, Ntesu and Kwahu Tafo, will be full of people, including visitors from other parts of the country, as well as foreign tourists.
The event, which is purely a Christian affair to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ some 20 centuries ago, has long become the biggest annual ritual of a mixture of Christian activities and social events to raise funds for development projects on the Kwahu Ridge.
The activities and events include church services, family meetings, jamborees, street jams, dances and parties, with paragliding on top of the Odwen Anoma Mountain, one of the highest points in the country, overlooking Nkawkaw, the most populous and commercial centre of the area, as the side attraction.
The paragliding event, in which gliders from countries such as South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada and France have arrived to take part, takes off from the Odwen Anoma Mountain, flying over towns such as Atibie and Mpraeso before landing at Nkawkaw.
The event, which for about five years put Ghana on the tourism map of the world, was not held last year due to a number of reasons.
Ghana is one of the only two countries in Africa where paragliding takes place, thanks to the late Ferdinand Ayim, a former Special Assistant at the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, whose initiative led to the adoption of the sport in Ghana.
This year, about 20 gliders of different nationalities have already pitched camp in a hotel in Nkawkaw, waiting for the event to take off tomorrow.
To ensure an incident-free celebration, the Kwahu South District Assembly, under the direction of Mr Joseph Omari, the District Chief Executive (DCE), has put in place a committee to institute measures to ensure that the event comes off devoid of criminal acts.
Some of the measures include the deployment of about 253 policemen to serve as a rapid intervention force at vantage points to instantly deal with criminal acts such as snatching of bags and vehicles and also arrest people whose activities will disturb public peace.
A medical team, under the supervision of Dr Eric Odei, the District Director of Medical Services, with support from another medical officer, Dr Isaac Osabutey, is also on the alert to deal with issues such as H1N1 (swine flu).
To create public awareness of the swine flu and HIV/AIDS, the team, with the support of the Information Services Department, is currently engaged in a campaign in most of the towns noted for large gatherings during the Easter festivities.
Steps have also been taken for the regular supply of electricity and water, while tents with very low rates that will accommodate hundreds of visitors have been erected at strategic places such as the forecourt of the Mpraeso Senior High School.
Some of the hotels which are expected to be fully booked are the Royal Modak at Pepease, Mt Sinai at Bepong, Awo Gyaa, Wags and Katson, all at Obomeng, Ecowas and Rojo at Nkawkaw and Ohene Nana Classics at Mpraeso.
To ensure a smooth ride for motorists, potholes on almost all the roads, including the one linking Nkawkaw, Atibie and Mpraeso, the main gateway, have been filled and sealed.
A number of commercial drivers without vehicles are on stand-by to offer their services to drivers who are not familiar with the “meandering road” from Nkawkaw to Atibie, Obomeng and Mpraeso on top of the mountain overlooking a deep valley.
According to Mr Omari, the assembly had taken all these measures to make the event a lively one.
“We want this year’s event to be joyous for every person who will set foot here and also to enable us to generate some income from the tourist attractions, especially the paragliding,” he stated.
Some of the tourist attractions are the caves at Brukuruwa and Abene, said to be the home of the early settlers, a beautiful rock formation at Kotoso, the Bruku Shrine at Kwahu Tafo, the waterfalls at Oworobong Atifi and Kwahu Amanfrom and numerous mountains containing rocks of different formations.