BAKERS in the Ashanti Region have adopted the use of sawdust briquette as fuel in the bakery industry.
The technology, which is the brainchild of Energy Pool (EPL) Limited, a company in Kumasi that manufactures superior charcoal and allied carbon products, had been tested by the Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) and found to be of high quality for use in the bakery industry and households.
The technology is expected to reduce the overreliance on wood as the source of fuel in the industry.
The Ashanti Regional Chairperson of the Flour Users Association, Mrs Comfort Akotua, told the Daily Graphic after a meeting last Friday that the technology was good for the industry.
“We have tested it for some time and found it to be good in terms of heating capacity,” she said.
When burning, the sawdust briquette is smokeless. Mrs Akotua believed it was good for the health of its members who, over the years, had had to endure the hazards of inhaling smoke from the use of firewood in their businesses.
She said their fear was the cost of the briquette, but added that with the assurance from the company that the price would continue to be within their reach, the leadership of the association would encourage its members to continue to use the new technology.
In Ghana, forests provide many products on which the local population subsists.
However, these resources are depleting due to a variety of factors, including the overdependence on firewood as fuel for both domestic and commercial uses.
Since 1981, the annual rate of deforestation in Ghana has been two per cent per year or 750 hectares each year.
Mrs Akotua commended the company for the introduction of the briquette, and expressed the hope that it would not increase the cost arbitrarily.
Explaining how the technology emerged, the Managing Director of EPL Limited, Mr E. Osafo Kuffour, said it was the result of research.
He said for a long time, sawdust from the timber companies had been destroyed, creating environmental problems but with the current situation, the waste product had become a commercial product.
Mr Kuffour said the product was being introduced to other parts of the country, adding that as demand for the product increased, the company would expand production to meet demand.
Friday, October 30, 2009
ZOOMLION INAUGURATES ECO-BRIGADE (PAGE 20, OCT 30)
ZOIL Services, a subsidiary of Zoomlion, a waste management company, has inaugurated a 60-member eco-brigade unit at Donkokrom, capital of the Kwahu North District (Afram Plains) to protect the banks of lakes and rivers in the district.
The unit formed part of a 10,000 labour force being engaged by Zoomlion throughout the country to clean beaches of the country’s coastline, lakes and banks of rivers to preserve the ecosystem.
The inauguration of the unit, which coincided with the visit to the district by President John Evans Atta Mills last week, is expected to go a long way in protecting the shoreline of the Afram and Volta Lakes in the district.
President Mills in his address to the gathering said his administration had put in the necessary measures to boost sectors such as agriculture, education, health, transportation and the environment in the area.
The President also gave the assurance that pontoon services, the only means by which all types of vehicles and passengers from other parts of the country could cross the Afram Lake to the area, would be improved with all the safety measures.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said fodder banks would be established in the district for Fulani herds so that the cattle would no longer destroy foodstuffs.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said his outfit would give the necessary assistance to the district assembly to properly cater for the communities, and therefore, called on the people to cooperate with members of the eco-brigade.
The unit formed part of a 10,000 labour force being engaged by Zoomlion throughout the country to clean beaches of the country’s coastline, lakes and banks of rivers to preserve the ecosystem.
The inauguration of the unit, which coincided with the visit to the district by President John Evans Atta Mills last week, is expected to go a long way in protecting the shoreline of the Afram and Volta Lakes in the district.
President Mills in his address to the gathering said his administration had put in the necessary measures to boost sectors such as agriculture, education, health, transportation and the environment in the area.
The President also gave the assurance that pontoon services, the only means by which all types of vehicles and passengers from other parts of the country could cross the Afram Lake to the area, would be improved with all the safety measures.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said fodder banks would be established in the district for Fulani herds so that the cattle would no longer destroy foodstuffs.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said his outfit would give the necessary assistance to the district assembly to properly cater for the communities, and therefore, called on the people to cooperate with members of the eco-brigade.
DESIST FROM GIVING OUT LAND FOR GALAMSEY — ASSEMBLY (PAGE 20, OCT 30)
THE West Akyem Municipal Assembly has called on the Okyeman Lands Secretariat and the Asamankese Stool Lands Secretariat to desist from giving out land to any individual, groups of people or companies for illegal mining (galamsey).
It said it was only the Lands Commission, the Administrator of Stool Lands and the Mineral, Forestry or the Fisheries Commissions that had been mandated to handle land matters in the country.
Addressing a news conference at Asamankese last Tuesday, Mr Seth Otchere, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said the release of lands by the Okyeman Lands Secretariat and the Asamankese Stool Lands Secretariat to individuals and companies for "galamsey" purposes, apart from degrading the environment and polluting sources of drinking water, was also depriving the country, especially the municipality of revenue generation.
The MCE said it had been the objective of the assembly to regularise illegal mining operations in the area with a view to controlling land use and also generating more revenue for development.
Mr Otchere said such a noble objective could, however, not be accomplished because of the activities of the illegal miners, who had been given the lands by either the Okyeman Lands Secretariat or the Asamankese Stool Lands Secretariat.
He, therefore, called on the two traditional authorities to desist from such acts to help save the environment and also enable the country to generate revenue from regularised mining operations for development.
"In our attempt to regularise illegal mining, it has come to our notice that most of the illegal activities on the lands in the area, including seizure of lands have been perpetrated by the Okyeman Lands Secretariat and the Asamankese Stool Lands Secretariat, which have been allocating lands to corporate bodies and individuals alike without due recourse to the bodies duly set up by the constitution to handle land matters,” the DCE stated.
Mr Otchere said "As a matter of urgency and in the name of development, we call on the Okyeman Lands Secretariat and the Asamankese Stool Lands Secretariat to take immediate steps to consult with the Administrator of Stool Lands and the Minerals Commission or the Forestry Commission to enable them to play the proper roles in land administration in the West Akyem Municipality".
It said it was only the Lands Commission, the Administrator of Stool Lands and the Mineral, Forestry or the Fisheries Commissions that had been mandated to handle land matters in the country.
Addressing a news conference at Asamankese last Tuesday, Mr Seth Otchere, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said the release of lands by the Okyeman Lands Secretariat and the Asamankese Stool Lands Secretariat to individuals and companies for "galamsey" purposes, apart from degrading the environment and polluting sources of drinking water, was also depriving the country, especially the municipality of revenue generation.
The MCE said it had been the objective of the assembly to regularise illegal mining operations in the area with a view to controlling land use and also generating more revenue for development.
Mr Otchere said such a noble objective could, however, not be accomplished because of the activities of the illegal miners, who had been given the lands by either the Okyeman Lands Secretariat or the Asamankese Stool Lands Secretariat.
He, therefore, called on the two traditional authorities to desist from such acts to help save the environment and also enable the country to generate revenue from regularised mining operations for development.
"In our attempt to regularise illegal mining, it has come to our notice that most of the illegal activities on the lands in the area, including seizure of lands have been perpetrated by the Okyeman Lands Secretariat and the Asamankese Stool Lands Secretariat, which have been allocating lands to corporate bodies and individuals alike without due recourse to the bodies duly set up by the constitution to handle land matters,” the DCE stated.
Mr Otchere said "As a matter of urgency and in the name of development, we call on the Okyeman Lands Secretariat and the Asamankese Stool Lands Secretariat to take immediate steps to consult with the Administrator of Stool Lands and the Minerals Commission or the Forestry Commission to enable them to play the proper roles in land administration in the West Akyem Municipality".
PARTY AFFILIATION NOT BASIS FOR PROVISIONOF AMENITIES (PAGE 16, OCT 30)
THE Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr David Tetteh Assumeng, has stated that the provision of potable water and sanitation facilities for the communities was not based on political party affiliation.
He said it was in that direction that membership of the committee had been drawn from all the political parties in Parliament to ensure that every community or area without water and sanitation facilities would be catered for, irrespective of its party leanings.
Mr Assumeng made the statement at two separate mini durbars at Asiakwa and Akooko, both farming communities in the East Akyem municipality.
That was when he led members of the committee to inspect water and sanitation facilities in the two communities.
They were accompanied by officials of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), led by its Eastern Regional Director, Mr Phillip Amanor.
The CWSA has, through donor funding, provided the two communities with mechanised boreholes which have been handed over to the people to manage.
Mr Assumeng expressed the committee’s satisfaction with the manner in which the boreholes were being managed and called on beneficiaries of such facilities to do likewise.
Two members of the committee, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah and Mr Abu Bonsra, expressed concern over the pollution of rivers and other water bodies by activities of illegal miners (galamsey) and gave the assurance that the committee would see how best to address the problem.
They also thanked DANIDA and KFW of Germany for their assistance in providing social amenities for the communities.
The chairmen of the board on water for Asiakwa and Akooko, Messrs Atta Boadi and S. B. Kwapong, respectively, rendered account of their stewardship to members of the committee, who commended them for the good job done.
At Akooko, the committee tasked the beneficiaries of a modern place of convenience which had been provided in the town to keep it clean at all times.
The Kontihene of Asiakwa, Nana Okyere Gyau, and the Akookohene, Nana Adedewa Pavitang, expressed their appreciation to the government for providing them with potable water.
Earlier, the East Akyem Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Peter Simon Asirifi, had given the assurance that other communities which had not yet benefited from such facilities would have their turn in due course.
He said it was in that direction that membership of the committee had been drawn from all the political parties in Parliament to ensure that every community or area without water and sanitation facilities would be catered for, irrespective of its party leanings.
Mr Assumeng made the statement at two separate mini durbars at Asiakwa and Akooko, both farming communities in the East Akyem municipality.
That was when he led members of the committee to inspect water and sanitation facilities in the two communities.
They were accompanied by officials of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), led by its Eastern Regional Director, Mr Phillip Amanor.
The CWSA has, through donor funding, provided the two communities with mechanised boreholes which have been handed over to the people to manage.
Mr Assumeng expressed the committee’s satisfaction with the manner in which the boreholes were being managed and called on beneficiaries of such facilities to do likewise.
Two members of the committee, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah and Mr Abu Bonsra, expressed concern over the pollution of rivers and other water bodies by activities of illegal miners (galamsey) and gave the assurance that the committee would see how best to address the problem.
They also thanked DANIDA and KFW of Germany for their assistance in providing social amenities for the communities.
The chairmen of the board on water for Asiakwa and Akooko, Messrs Atta Boadi and S. B. Kwapong, respectively, rendered account of their stewardship to members of the committee, who commended them for the good job done.
At Akooko, the committee tasked the beneficiaries of a modern place of convenience which had been provided in the town to keep it clean at all times.
The Kontihene of Asiakwa, Nana Okyere Gyau, and the Akookohene, Nana Adedewa Pavitang, expressed their appreciation to the government for providing them with potable water.
Earlier, the East Akyem Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Peter Simon Asirifi, had given the assurance that other communities which had not yet benefited from such facilities would have their turn in due course.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
HYDRO CREDIT UNION GIVES MORE LOANS (PAGE 20, OCT 28)
THE Hydro Employee Co-operative Credit Union of the Volta River Authority (VRA) has given GH¢2,654,750 as loans to its members.
Out of the amount, GH¢1,832.24 has been repaid.
The immediate past chairman of the union, Mr Henry Tetteh Ahorlu, made this known at the ninth annual general meeting of the union at Akosombo last Saturday.
The event also witnessed the unveiling of a GH¢44,900 Toyota Hilux vehicle purchased by the local union to be used for its activities and the election of Mr Ralph Punamane of the Health Services Department of the VRA as the new chairman of the union’s board..
Mr Ahorlu stated that the union was able to give out a significant sum as loans as a result of significant improvement in its fortune.
He cited the instance where the union’s total savings rose from GH¢2,594,545.86 at the beginning of the 2008/09 financial year to GH¢3,220,577.58.
The chairman stated that the union’s total income also hiked by 51 per cent, that is, from GH¢325,902.12 in 2008 to GH¢509,187.17 in 2009, and added that it also registered a net surplus of GH¢171,749.9 at the end of the 2008/2009 financial year.
According to Mr Ahorlu, the union which currently admits non-VRA staff and had a membership of 2,929, had become one of the best credit unions in the country.
He said to ensure the effective management of the union, its staff had on two occasions this year been trained on operational policy and customer care.
The Deputy General Manager of the Credit Union Association (CUA) in charge of Technical Services, Mr B.B. Fidelis, traced the history of credit unions in the country, saying the first one was established in Ghana 54 years ago.
He said the total membership nation-wide stood at 260,000 with total deposits amounting to GH¢120,634,000 out of which GH¢87,000 had been dispensed as loans.
Mr Fidelis asked workers to embrace the credit union concept due to its benefits and congratulated the Hydro Employees Credit Union for its significant achievements.
Out of the amount, GH¢1,832.24 has been repaid.
The immediate past chairman of the union, Mr Henry Tetteh Ahorlu, made this known at the ninth annual general meeting of the union at Akosombo last Saturday.
The event also witnessed the unveiling of a GH¢44,900 Toyota Hilux vehicle purchased by the local union to be used for its activities and the election of Mr Ralph Punamane of the Health Services Department of the VRA as the new chairman of the union’s board..
Mr Ahorlu stated that the union was able to give out a significant sum as loans as a result of significant improvement in its fortune.
He cited the instance where the union’s total savings rose from GH¢2,594,545.86 at the beginning of the 2008/09 financial year to GH¢3,220,577.58.
The chairman stated that the union’s total income also hiked by 51 per cent, that is, from GH¢325,902.12 in 2008 to GH¢509,187.17 in 2009, and added that it also registered a net surplus of GH¢171,749.9 at the end of the 2008/2009 financial year.
According to Mr Ahorlu, the union which currently admits non-VRA staff and had a membership of 2,929, had become one of the best credit unions in the country.
He said to ensure the effective management of the union, its staff had on two occasions this year been trained on operational policy and customer care.
The Deputy General Manager of the Credit Union Association (CUA) in charge of Technical Services, Mr B.B. Fidelis, traced the history of credit unions in the country, saying the first one was established in Ghana 54 years ago.
He said the total membership nation-wide stood at 260,000 with total deposits amounting to GH¢120,634,000 out of which GH¢87,000 had been dispensed as loans.
Mr Fidelis asked workers to embrace the credit union concept due to its benefits and congratulated the Hydro Employees Credit Union for its significant achievements.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
MANYA KROBO RURAL BANK GIVES MORE LOANS (PAGE 35, OCT 26)
IN line with its objective to develop its catchment areas, the Manya Krobo Rural Bank with its headquarters at Odumase-Krobo, last year gave out GH¢3,918,712 as loans, compared with GH¢3,371,657 made available for that purpose in 2007, showing an increase of 16.22 per cent.
An amount of GH¢820,450 out of the figure went to traders and other self-employed persons.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Mr B.T. Apo, made this known at the annual general meeting of the bank at Odumase over the weekend.
He, however, stated that refusal of many beneficiaries to repay loans, had seriously affected the bank and had therefore, urged the defaulters to pay back, otherwise legal action would be taken against them.
“We gave out the loans to you, but some of you have refused to pay back and we have no option than sending you to court to get the monies back, so that others would also benefit from the facility”, Mr Apo stressed.
Mr Apo said despite the low loan recovery, the bank increased savings through its “susu” programme, adding that the amount mobilised last year totalled GH¢551,083.74.
He said the bank had also made gains in some areas, including total income, which rose from GH¢1,079,110 in 2007 to GH¢1,168,947 in 2008, deposits from GH¢4,306,671 to GH¢4,761,429, total assets from GH¢6,433,216 to GH¢6,916,714, all within the same period.
With regard to the bank’s social responsibility to the communities in its catchment area, Mr Apo stated that it gave out GH¢4,175 in support of social and community projects such as schools, social groupings and religious organisations, while GH¢6,850 was spent on needy students.
Mr Apo said to expand and improve its activities, two branches were opened last year at Madina and Ashiyie, both suburbs of Accra, while all the branches of the bank had been computerised and linked to the head office.
The District Chief Executive for Lower Manya Krobo, Mr Isaac Agbo-Tetteh appealed to the loan defaulters to pay back.
Mrs Elsie Sowah, the brain behind the establishment of the bank, who was also the immediate past Chairman of the board, called on management to make available more loans to the people who had paid back.
An amount of GH¢820,450 out of the figure went to traders and other self-employed persons.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Mr B.T. Apo, made this known at the annual general meeting of the bank at Odumase over the weekend.
He, however, stated that refusal of many beneficiaries to repay loans, had seriously affected the bank and had therefore, urged the defaulters to pay back, otherwise legal action would be taken against them.
“We gave out the loans to you, but some of you have refused to pay back and we have no option than sending you to court to get the monies back, so that others would also benefit from the facility”, Mr Apo stressed.
Mr Apo said despite the low loan recovery, the bank increased savings through its “susu” programme, adding that the amount mobilised last year totalled GH¢551,083.74.
He said the bank had also made gains in some areas, including total income, which rose from GH¢1,079,110 in 2007 to GH¢1,168,947 in 2008, deposits from GH¢4,306,671 to GH¢4,761,429, total assets from GH¢6,433,216 to GH¢6,916,714, all within the same period.
With regard to the bank’s social responsibility to the communities in its catchment area, Mr Apo stated that it gave out GH¢4,175 in support of social and community projects such as schools, social groupings and religious organisations, while GH¢6,850 was spent on needy students.
Mr Apo said to expand and improve its activities, two branches were opened last year at Madina and Ashiyie, both suburbs of Accra, while all the branches of the bank had been computerised and linked to the head office.
The District Chief Executive for Lower Manya Krobo, Mr Isaac Agbo-Tetteh appealed to the loan defaulters to pay back.
Mrs Elsie Sowah, the brain behind the establishment of the bank, who was also the immediate past Chairman of the board, called on management to make available more loans to the people who had paid back.
GOPDC DONATES VEHICLE TO KWABIBIREM ASSEMBLY (PAGE 23, OCT 24)
THE Ghana Oil Palm Development Company (GOPDC), an oil palm plantation and processing company at Kwae in the Eastern Region, has donated a double-cabin Nissan Pick-Up vehicle valued at GH¢35,000 to the Kwaebibirem District Assembly.
The donation is in line with the company’s social responsibility for the welfare of the people in its catchment area.
Making the presentation at Kwae on Thursday, the Managing Director of GOPDC, Mr J.C.E. Inkumsah, said the donation was in line with the company’s social responsibility initiatives for the welfare of people in its operational areas.
He said the vehicle which was to be used specifically for revenue mobilisation, would go a long way to financially position the assembly to provide more social amenities and services to the people in the communities.
Mr Inkumsah called for a collaboration between his outfit and the assembly for the total development of the area.
The Kwaebibirem District Chief Executive, Mr George Agyemang Duah expressed gratitude to the assembly for the donation, and gave the assurance that the vehicle would be used for its intended purpose.
The donation is in line with the company’s social responsibility for the welfare of the people in its catchment area.
Making the presentation at Kwae on Thursday, the Managing Director of GOPDC, Mr J.C.E. Inkumsah, said the donation was in line with the company’s social responsibility initiatives for the welfare of people in its operational areas.
He said the vehicle which was to be used specifically for revenue mobilisation, would go a long way to financially position the assembly to provide more social amenities and services to the people in the communities.
Mr Inkumsah called for a collaboration between his outfit and the assembly for the total development of the area.
The Kwaebibirem District Chief Executive, Mr George Agyemang Duah expressed gratitude to the assembly for the donation, and gave the assurance that the vehicle would be used for its intended purpose.
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