ISSUES concerning security and the need for a new voters register dominated a three-day Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting which opened at Akosombo in the Eastern Region yesterday.
The meeting involves the Electoral Commission (EC) and all the political parties in the country and although the opening ceremony was held in camera, some of the participants the Daily Graphic spoke to expressed various views on the last general election.
Mr Huudu Yahaya, one of the representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), suggested that since the EC had admitted that the register for the 2008 elections had been bloated and the figures were more than what was statistically acceptable, it must be replaced with a new one.
That, he said, would make future elections more credible.
He also said the NDC was of the view that during general elections, representatives of political parties must be strategically placed at polling stations to observe the process, especially the counting of votes.
He also suggested that the EC must furnish the political parties on the movement of electoral materials to the voting centres.
Nana Ohene Ntow of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) suggested the setting up of an IPAC security task force to complement the work of the state security apparatus to monitor future general elections, adding that such an initiative would not make it possible for macho men engaged by political parties to intimidate voters at the polling stations on voting day.
He also said the counting of votes must be done at selected centres, instead of at the polling stations, to make it impossible for people to interrupt the counting process.
For his part, Mr Bernard Monarh of the People’s National Convention (PNC) suggested that voting in future elections must start from 6 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. to make it possible for the counting of the votes to be done before nightfall.
That, he stated, would prevent the snatching of ballot boxes which normally occurred in the night.
The Democratic People’s Party’s (DPP’s) Mr Thomas Ward-Brew called for a constitutional review to make it mandatory for the state to sponsor political parties, while Mr Ivor Greenstreet of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) proposed the streamlining of the process for the replacement of lost voter identity cards.
The political parties being represented are the ruling NDC, the NPP, the CPP, the PNC, the Great Consolidated People’s Party (GCPP), the National Reform Party (NRP), the New Vision Party (NVP), the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and the Reform Patriotic Democrats (RPD).
The event, on the theme, “Safeguarding the Integrity of the Ballot”, is to review the 2008 elections with the view to ensuring the integrity of future general elections so that their results will be acceptable to all participating parties.
It is being organised by the EC, in collaboration with the CAB Governance Consult, with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
The NDC is being represented by Messrs Yahaya and Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the party’s National Vice-Chairman and the National Organiser, respectively, while Nana Ohene Ntow, the General Secretary of the NPP, is leading his party’s team, with the CPP being represented by Mr Greenstreet, the party’s General Secretary.
The PNC is led by Mr Monarh, its General Secretary, with the DPP being represented by its leader and founder, Mr Ward-Brew.
All the other political parties are being represented by some of their national executives.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
NDC READY TO FORGE NEW RELATIONSHIPS — BABA JAMAL (PAGE 13)
THE Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Muhamed Ahmed Baba Jamal, has said the NDC government is ready to forge a new relationship with religious organisations for the total development of the country.
He therefore stressed the need for all religious institutions to take up the new challenge in that respect.
He made these remarks when he addressed the 30th annual Synod of the Koforidua Diocese of the Methodist Church at Koforidua in the Eastern Region last Thursday.
The event, which brought together delegates from all parts of the diocese, was to take stock of the diocese’s activities and to strategise for the future.
According to Baba Jamal, the government considered churches, especially the Methodist Church, as partners in development and had extended its hands to them to play a more proactive role in supporting it for the provision of the much needed development for the various communities.
Baba Jamal who commended the Methodist Church for its significant contributions in education and social services expressed the hope that it would continue with such contributions to enable the people to enjoy a high standard of living as well as ensuring high moral, ethical and social values for the fulfilment of the nation’s spiritual and physical obligations.
To help fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Baba Jamal pleaded with the churches to make HIV/AIDS lessons part of their regular preaching and Bible classes to create awareness within the various congregations.
In his address, the Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese, Rt Rev Frederick Nnuro, outlined a number of projects that were being undertaken within the diocese to improve both the physical and material well-being of the people.
These, he said included a piggery and a school complex ranging from the KG to junior high at Maame Krobo as well as land for the establishment of another school at Ntonaboma, all in the Kwahu North District (Afram Plains).
Other projects, he stated, were a clinic at Hweehwee in the Kwahu West District while the same project was being considered for Abomosarefo and Supom in the Kwahu North District as well as a hostel for the Kukurantumi Campus of the Methodist University.
With regard to evangelism, he told the gathering that the diocese which won the coveted Presiding Bishop’s Special Evangelism Award had intensified its drive for that purpose, and that some of the circuits had already planted new churches at various places such as Ahwerease, near Aburi, Tei Nkwanta and Asuoyaa, near Adweso.
The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, the Most Rev. Robert Aboagye- Mensah, who also addressed the synod said the church had made a headway in income generating activities, and that the revenue accrued was being ploughed back to improve the fortune of the church, its members and society at large.
The Presiding Bishop who would soon be stepping down from his position stated that the church’s 10-Year Strategic Plan was in progress and allayed the fears of some members who were of the view that the plan would be discontinued as soon as he passed the mantle to his successor.
The Presiding Bishop whose speech sounded like a farewell message thanked members of the church for supporting him for the past six years as head of the church.
The Lay Chairperson of the diocese, Madam Frieda Bediako Asare, expressed her happiness about Rt. Rev. Nnuro’s address which according to her had the potential of improving the status of the diocese.
In a fraternal message, the Deputy Eastern Regional Police Commander, ACP Ampah Benning, praised the church for engaging the youth in a number of activities that had helped in reducing crime in the region.
He therefore stressed the need for all religious institutions to take up the new challenge in that respect.
He made these remarks when he addressed the 30th annual Synod of the Koforidua Diocese of the Methodist Church at Koforidua in the Eastern Region last Thursday.
The event, which brought together delegates from all parts of the diocese, was to take stock of the diocese’s activities and to strategise for the future.
According to Baba Jamal, the government considered churches, especially the Methodist Church, as partners in development and had extended its hands to them to play a more proactive role in supporting it for the provision of the much needed development for the various communities.
Baba Jamal who commended the Methodist Church for its significant contributions in education and social services expressed the hope that it would continue with such contributions to enable the people to enjoy a high standard of living as well as ensuring high moral, ethical and social values for the fulfilment of the nation’s spiritual and physical obligations.
To help fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Baba Jamal pleaded with the churches to make HIV/AIDS lessons part of their regular preaching and Bible classes to create awareness within the various congregations.
In his address, the Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese, Rt Rev Frederick Nnuro, outlined a number of projects that were being undertaken within the diocese to improve both the physical and material well-being of the people.
These, he said included a piggery and a school complex ranging from the KG to junior high at Maame Krobo as well as land for the establishment of another school at Ntonaboma, all in the Kwahu North District (Afram Plains).
Other projects, he stated, were a clinic at Hweehwee in the Kwahu West District while the same project was being considered for Abomosarefo and Supom in the Kwahu North District as well as a hostel for the Kukurantumi Campus of the Methodist University.
With regard to evangelism, he told the gathering that the diocese which won the coveted Presiding Bishop’s Special Evangelism Award had intensified its drive for that purpose, and that some of the circuits had already planted new churches at various places such as Ahwerease, near Aburi, Tei Nkwanta and Asuoyaa, near Adweso.
The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, the Most Rev. Robert Aboagye- Mensah, who also addressed the synod said the church had made a headway in income generating activities, and that the revenue accrued was being ploughed back to improve the fortune of the church, its members and society at large.
The Presiding Bishop who would soon be stepping down from his position stated that the church’s 10-Year Strategic Plan was in progress and allayed the fears of some members who were of the view that the plan would be discontinued as soon as he passed the mantle to his successor.
The Presiding Bishop whose speech sounded like a farewell message thanked members of the church for supporting him for the past six years as head of the church.
The Lay Chairperson of the diocese, Madam Frieda Bediako Asare, expressed her happiness about Rt. Rev. Nnuro’s address which according to her had the potential of improving the status of the diocese.
In a fraternal message, the Deputy Eastern Regional Police Commander, ACP Ampah Benning, praised the church for engaging the youth in a number of activities that had helped in reducing crime in the region.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
4 DIE IN ACCIDENT (PAGE 22)
FOUR persons, including three members of the same family, died instantly while two others sustained injury when a vehicle on which they were travelling plunged into the River Kobina near Somanya in the Eastern Region last Thursday.
The bodies of the deceased who were identified as Gerald Abduramani, the driver; Augustine Adjei, and his two children, Dorothy Adjei and Emmanuel Adjei ,have been deposited at the Atua Government Hospital near Odumase-Krobo which also treated and discharged the injured persons.
The vehicle, a Nissan VD Pickup with registration number GT 7935 Y belonging to the Tema Office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), was on its way from Tema to Nkawkaw through Somanya when the accident occurred.
According to the Eastern Regional Commander of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, the accident occurred at about 5 p.m. when the vehicle hit the edge of the bridge spanning the river after which it plunged into the water.
He said the bodies of the deceased and the injured persons were sent to the Atua Government Hospital where the injured were treated.
Supt Peprah said although the cause of the accident had not yet been determined, speeding could not be ruled out.
He cautioned drivers to adhere to traffic regulations to prevent fatal accidents.
The bodies of the deceased who were identified as Gerald Abduramani, the driver; Augustine Adjei, and his two children, Dorothy Adjei and Emmanuel Adjei ,have been deposited at the Atua Government Hospital near Odumase-Krobo which also treated and discharged the injured persons.
The vehicle, a Nissan VD Pickup with registration number GT 7935 Y belonging to the Tema Office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), was on its way from Tema to Nkawkaw through Somanya when the accident occurred.
According to the Eastern Regional Commander of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, the accident occurred at about 5 p.m. when the vehicle hit the edge of the bridge spanning the river after which it plunged into the water.
He said the bodies of the deceased and the injured persons were sent to the Atua Government Hospital where the injured were treated.
Supt Peprah said although the cause of the accident had not yet been determined, speeding could not be ruled out.
He cautioned drivers to adhere to traffic regulations to prevent fatal accidents.
Friday, May 8, 2009
ASAMOAH CONFIRMED MCE FOR NEW JUABEN (PAGE 13)
MR Alex Asamoah, a development consultant who occupied the position of Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for New Juaben for only four months (October 2000-January 2001) when the National Democratic Congress (NDC relinquished power to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is now the new political head of the municipality.
Mr Asamoah whose nomination by President John Evans Atta Mills sparked protests from some members of the NDC in the municipality, surprisingly got the nod when all the 66 assembly members present voted for him on Monday.
Mr Asamoah who until his nomination was referred to as an ‘injury time MCE’, pledged with the membership of the NDC as well as the people of New Juaben to unite in order to accelerate its development to the status of a metropolis.
“Let us forget about the past, unite and forge ahead to raise the status of the municipality to that of a metropolis,” Mr Asamoah told the gathering which included business tycoons in the area as well as traditional rulers such as Nana Kodua Kese, Chief of Oyoko who is also the Adontenhene of New Juaben.
According to the new MCE, New Juaben deserved to be given the status of a metropolis so he would work assiduously to provide the necessary infrastructure and called on the assembly members to support him.
The Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, had in an earlier speech called on the assembly to vote for Mr Asamoah who he described as a technocrat, capable of administering the area to improve the lot of the people.
“Mr Asamoah who has already tasted the office of an MCE has all the capabilities to transform the area and you should all support him to carry the day and improve the infrastructure of the area,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo pleaded with the assembly.
Earlier in the day, there was jubilation on the premises of the Lower Manya Krobo District Assembly, office at Odumase-Krobo, the district capital, when a 31-year- old chemistry tutor of the Adisadel College, Cape Coast, Mr Tetteh Agbo, was confirmed as District Chief Executive (DCE) for Lower Manya.
He secured 21 out of the 30 votes when the assembly members decided his fate in a ballot at Odumase Krobo.
Mr Agbo who, was hailed by the assembly members as a ‘young father’ of the district, in his acceptance speech also called for unity and support to enable him to administer the area.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo advised the young DCE not to be swollen headed with his new position but to be humble, firm and bold in taking decisions that would improve the lot of the people.
The regional minister also appealed to the people, especially the assembly members and traditional rulers to guide the new DCE when necessary.
Mr Asamoah whose nomination by President John Evans Atta Mills sparked protests from some members of the NDC in the municipality, surprisingly got the nod when all the 66 assembly members present voted for him on Monday.
Mr Asamoah who until his nomination was referred to as an ‘injury time MCE’, pledged with the membership of the NDC as well as the people of New Juaben to unite in order to accelerate its development to the status of a metropolis.
“Let us forget about the past, unite and forge ahead to raise the status of the municipality to that of a metropolis,” Mr Asamoah told the gathering which included business tycoons in the area as well as traditional rulers such as Nana Kodua Kese, Chief of Oyoko who is also the Adontenhene of New Juaben.
According to the new MCE, New Juaben deserved to be given the status of a metropolis so he would work assiduously to provide the necessary infrastructure and called on the assembly members to support him.
The Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, had in an earlier speech called on the assembly to vote for Mr Asamoah who he described as a technocrat, capable of administering the area to improve the lot of the people.
“Mr Asamoah who has already tasted the office of an MCE has all the capabilities to transform the area and you should all support him to carry the day and improve the infrastructure of the area,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo pleaded with the assembly.
Earlier in the day, there was jubilation on the premises of the Lower Manya Krobo District Assembly, office at Odumase-Krobo, the district capital, when a 31-year- old chemistry tutor of the Adisadel College, Cape Coast, Mr Tetteh Agbo, was confirmed as District Chief Executive (DCE) for Lower Manya.
He secured 21 out of the 30 votes when the assembly members decided his fate in a ballot at Odumase Krobo.
Mr Agbo who, was hailed by the assembly members as a ‘young father’ of the district, in his acceptance speech also called for unity and support to enable him to administer the area.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo advised the young DCE not to be swollen headed with his new position but to be humble, firm and bold in taking decisions that would improve the lot of the people.
The regional minister also appealed to the people, especially the assembly members and traditional rulers to guide the new DCE when necessary.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
'CLAB GARDEN' MAKES DEBUT (PAGE 20)
OKORASE, a suburb of Koforidua, now has a place to cater for visitors.
A new hospitality facility, christened Clab Garden, the initiative of a 35-year-old man, started operating last week.
According to the proprietor of the 14-room edifice, Mr Jonathan Kwadwo Asante, he decided to put up the modern facility at this small semi-urban community to enable the dwellers to also have a feel of the hospitality industry.
He said the community, which is about three kilometres from Koforidua, had for a long time been without such a facility, making it impossible for visitors, especially mourners, to spend the night in the town.
Mr Asante stated that he had planned to upgrade the hotel to a two-star edifice in the future, adding that such an initiative would provide jobs for some of the unemployed people in the area.
A new hospitality facility, christened Clab Garden, the initiative of a 35-year-old man, started operating last week.
According to the proprietor of the 14-room edifice, Mr Jonathan Kwadwo Asante, he decided to put up the modern facility at this small semi-urban community to enable the dwellers to also have a feel of the hospitality industry.
He said the community, which is about three kilometres from Koforidua, had for a long time been without such a facility, making it impossible for visitors, especially mourners, to spend the night in the town.
Mr Asante stated that he had planned to upgrade the hotel to a two-star edifice in the future, adding that such an initiative would provide jobs for some of the unemployed people in the area.
CURBING ACCIDENTS ON NKAWKAW-APEDWA ROAD (PAGE 20)
THE Accra-Kumasi highway, which links the two largest and most populous metropolises, Accra and Kumasi, is the busiest road in the country.
It is also the most important artery that links Ghana with its northern neighbours, Burkina Faso and Niger, as well as La Cote d’ Ivoire on the north-western corridor.
In view of its importance as a trans-West African highway, previous governments took steps to recondition its portion in Ghana to conform to international standards to make it easier and safer for the numerous motorbikes, tricycles and different types of vehicles ranging from saloon cars to articulated trucks that ply the routes.
One of such highways starts from the northern border post of Hamile through Tamale, Kumasi down to Accra and Tema, Ghana’s industrial hub and port city that deals with heavy cargo, some of which go to the landlocked countries.
Owing to its importance, previous governments took steps to recondition the long route, as a result of which certain portions on the highway have been rehabilitated to be among the best in the country.
The Nkawkaw-Apedwa stretch of the highway, which is among the best reconditioned roads, under normal circumstances, should have been free from the vehicular accidents normally associated with bad roads.
However, that stretch of the road has now become one of the graveyards in the country because of the frequency with which accidents occur on that portion, causing the death and maiming of many people, including important personalities such as Professor Quartey, Ghana’s best known neurologist, and three of his colleagues, about four years ago.
Although many factors such as drunkenness, faulty vehicles and non-adherence to traffic regulations account for motor accidents on the stretch, fatigue on the part of the drivers is the main cause.
The distance involved, particularly from Hamile to Accra, is very long (approximately 600 kilometres) and under normal circumstances, the vehicles, mostly articulated trucks, each of which should be manned by two drivers, have only one driver in control.
Instead of resting after being behind the steering wheel for more than four hours as stipulated by road safety regulations, such drivers ignore the regulations and drive non-stop to Accra, and some of them end up in accidents, especially on the Nkawkaw-Apedwa stretch of the road, due to fatigue.
To avert such disastrous accidents, the Regional Commander of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) of the Police, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, has come out with a panacea, that is, two drivers per long distance vehicle.
Superintendent Peprah, who has been in the region for less than six months, after a thorough study, has realised that most of the accidents that occurred at night on the stretch involved vehicles from the Kumasi direction.
“Some of these long distance drivers from Hamile do not rest so on reaching the Nkawkaw-Apedwa stretch in the night, they start dozing off and collide their vehicles with oncoming or stationary ones, leading to fatal accidents”.
One of such accidents involving a Mercedes Benz bus with registration number GR 1521 Z being driven by one Kwasi Kwale, bumped into a parked articulated truck with registration number AS 2021 X at Akyem Asafo, in which three persons died during the Easter period.
“A lot of lives are being lost due to fatigue on the part of drivers who also use the headlights wrongly when approaching oncoming vehicles and can you believe that 38 accidents occurred in the night between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. on the stretch and other parts of the region during the Easter period (April 10-14) out of which 12 persons died?” Supt Peprah asked.
The regional MTTU boss said his men had been positioned at vantage points, particularly near disaster-prone areas.
He cautioned drivers about the dangers associated with their recklessness while behind the steering wheel and conform to road safety regulations.
The Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, also expressed concern about the carnage on the stretch of the road and has supported the idea of two drivers per a long distance vehicle.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo, who was an eyewitness to one of such fatal accidents during the Easter festivities, has also suggested the use of log books indicating the departure and arrival time of long distance vehicles with traffic officers being stationed along the route to ensure its compliance.
“It must also be mandatory for vehicles that set off from the northern regions for Kumasi and further down south to change drivers at either Techiman or Kintampo because no single driver can cover the journey without being tired,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo stated.
“So many accidents occurred at the dangerous curve at Potroase on the main Accra-Kumasi highway and that led to the diversion of the road from that spot but we are recording the same rate of accidents on this well-constructed road so the police must do their best in checking drivers on traffic regulations such as speed limit and driver fatigue,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo stressed.
He called for the provision of facilities that would enable drivers to rest and park their vehicles along the stretch, since that would go a long way to minimise the high rate of motor accidents.
The regional office of the Road Safety Commission has also come in to deal with the issue and has planned to form a traffic management team that would operate on the stretch to deal with all issues associated with road safety.
According to Mr Stephen Anokye, the Regional Co-ordinator of the commission, vehicles, especially the long distance ones, would be periodically stopped to ensure that both the vehicles and their drivers were in “good shape”, and called on passengers to co-operate with officials assigned with that responsibility.
With such measures, it is expected that the rampant motor accidents occurring along the stretch of the road of late resulting in the loss of human lives and property, would be drastically reduced.
It is also the most important artery that links Ghana with its northern neighbours, Burkina Faso and Niger, as well as La Cote d’ Ivoire on the north-western corridor.
In view of its importance as a trans-West African highway, previous governments took steps to recondition its portion in Ghana to conform to international standards to make it easier and safer for the numerous motorbikes, tricycles and different types of vehicles ranging from saloon cars to articulated trucks that ply the routes.
One of such highways starts from the northern border post of Hamile through Tamale, Kumasi down to Accra and Tema, Ghana’s industrial hub and port city that deals with heavy cargo, some of which go to the landlocked countries.
Owing to its importance, previous governments took steps to recondition the long route, as a result of which certain portions on the highway have been rehabilitated to be among the best in the country.
The Nkawkaw-Apedwa stretch of the highway, which is among the best reconditioned roads, under normal circumstances, should have been free from the vehicular accidents normally associated with bad roads.
However, that stretch of the road has now become one of the graveyards in the country because of the frequency with which accidents occur on that portion, causing the death and maiming of many people, including important personalities such as Professor Quartey, Ghana’s best known neurologist, and three of his colleagues, about four years ago.
Although many factors such as drunkenness, faulty vehicles and non-adherence to traffic regulations account for motor accidents on the stretch, fatigue on the part of the drivers is the main cause.
The distance involved, particularly from Hamile to Accra, is very long (approximately 600 kilometres) and under normal circumstances, the vehicles, mostly articulated trucks, each of which should be manned by two drivers, have only one driver in control.
Instead of resting after being behind the steering wheel for more than four hours as stipulated by road safety regulations, such drivers ignore the regulations and drive non-stop to Accra, and some of them end up in accidents, especially on the Nkawkaw-Apedwa stretch of the road, due to fatigue.
To avert such disastrous accidents, the Regional Commander of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) of the Police, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, has come out with a panacea, that is, two drivers per long distance vehicle.
Superintendent Peprah, who has been in the region for less than six months, after a thorough study, has realised that most of the accidents that occurred at night on the stretch involved vehicles from the Kumasi direction.
“Some of these long distance drivers from Hamile do not rest so on reaching the Nkawkaw-Apedwa stretch in the night, they start dozing off and collide their vehicles with oncoming or stationary ones, leading to fatal accidents”.
One of such accidents involving a Mercedes Benz bus with registration number GR 1521 Z being driven by one Kwasi Kwale, bumped into a parked articulated truck with registration number AS 2021 X at Akyem Asafo, in which three persons died during the Easter period.
“A lot of lives are being lost due to fatigue on the part of drivers who also use the headlights wrongly when approaching oncoming vehicles and can you believe that 38 accidents occurred in the night between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. on the stretch and other parts of the region during the Easter period (April 10-14) out of which 12 persons died?” Supt Peprah asked.
The regional MTTU boss said his men had been positioned at vantage points, particularly near disaster-prone areas.
He cautioned drivers about the dangers associated with their recklessness while behind the steering wheel and conform to road safety regulations.
The Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, also expressed concern about the carnage on the stretch of the road and has supported the idea of two drivers per a long distance vehicle.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo, who was an eyewitness to one of such fatal accidents during the Easter festivities, has also suggested the use of log books indicating the departure and arrival time of long distance vehicles with traffic officers being stationed along the route to ensure its compliance.
“It must also be mandatory for vehicles that set off from the northern regions for Kumasi and further down south to change drivers at either Techiman or Kintampo because no single driver can cover the journey without being tired,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo stated.
“So many accidents occurred at the dangerous curve at Potroase on the main Accra-Kumasi highway and that led to the diversion of the road from that spot but we are recording the same rate of accidents on this well-constructed road so the police must do their best in checking drivers on traffic regulations such as speed limit and driver fatigue,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo stressed.
He called for the provision of facilities that would enable drivers to rest and park their vehicles along the stretch, since that would go a long way to minimise the high rate of motor accidents.
The regional office of the Road Safety Commission has also come in to deal with the issue and has planned to form a traffic management team that would operate on the stretch to deal with all issues associated with road safety.
According to Mr Stephen Anokye, the Regional Co-ordinator of the commission, vehicles, especially the long distance ones, would be periodically stopped to ensure that both the vehicles and their drivers were in “good shape”, and called on passengers to co-operate with officials assigned with that responsibility.
With such measures, it is expected that the rampant motor accidents occurring along the stretch of the road of late resulting in the loss of human lives and property, would be drastically reduced.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
FIVE DCE NOMINEES FOR ER APPROVED (PAGE 17)
FIVE Presidential nominees for the positions of district and municipal chief executives in the Eastern Region were last week given the approval by their respective assemblies.
They were Dr Godfred Twum, for the Akuapem South Municipality, Mr Simon Asirifi, East Akyem Municipality, Mr Joseph Tetteh Angmor, Upper Manya Krobo District, Mr Samuel Asamoah, Kwahu East and Mr Alex Obeng, Kwahu West.
Dr Twum, a medical practitioner, polled 60 out of 62 votes to carry the day when the ballot was cast on him at Nsawam while Mr Asirifi, an accountant secured 32 out of 40 votes in what initially seemed to be a herculean task for the nominee when the assembly members decided his fate in the ballot at Kyebi, the municipal capital.
At Abetifi, where the Kwahu East Assembly members voted on Mr Asamoah, he had 20 out of the 25 votes while at Nkawkaw, capital of the Kwahu West Municipality where the event took place, all the 25 assembly members voted for Mr Obeng.
Before the ballots were cast, the Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu- Ampofo appealed to the assembly members to vote for the nominees who he said had the capability to administer their respective areas.
He said with their appointments endorsed, it would therefore be possible for such municipalities and districts to implement their development projects and programmes to improve the lot of the people.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo cautioned the new appointees to be honest, humble but firm in dealing with all matters affecting their areas.
The appointees in turn assured the people that they would not do anything that would negatively affect them, adding that they would serve but not lord over them.
At Asesewa, Caroline Boateng reports that the President’s Nominee for the Upper Manya Krobo District, Mr Joseph Angmor, has been confirmed.
Mr Angmor a public servant, was confirmed with 32 out of the 36 votes cast.
He told the Daily Graphic that with his confirmation, he would be focusing on infrastructure development in the area.
A predominantly farming area, he said good road infrastructure was important to ensure the sustainable transportation of food stuffs from the district to marketing areas and that would be one of his priorities for the area.
Mr Joseph Nomo, a tutor at the Manya Krobo Senior High School, was also chosen as Presiding Member of the Assembly. Mr Nomo is the assembly member for the Sawa electoral area.
The Member of Parliament of the Area, Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao expressed his satisfaction with the confirmation, saying that with the confirmation over, the focus of all will be for the development of the area.
He said he had formerly worked with district chief executives of different parties for three consecutive terms.
That had come with some hurdles, however, some gains had also been made.
He was of the view that with a DCE of the same political persuasion, there would be concerted efforts to develop the area.
They were Dr Godfred Twum, for the Akuapem South Municipality, Mr Simon Asirifi, East Akyem Municipality, Mr Joseph Tetteh Angmor, Upper Manya Krobo District, Mr Samuel Asamoah, Kwahu East and Mr Alex Obeng, Kwahu West.
Dr Twum, a medical practitioner, polled 60 out of 62 votes to carry the day when the ballot was cast on him at Nsawam while Mr Asirifi, an accountant secured 32 out of 40 votes in what initially seemed to be a herculean task for the nominee when the assembly members decided his fate in the ballot at Kyebi, the municipal capital.
At Abetifi, where the Kwahu East Assembly members voted on Mr Asamoah, he had 20 out of the 25 votes while at Nkawkaw, capital of the Kwahu West Municipality where the event took place, all the 25 assembly members voted for Mr Obeng.
Before the ballots were cast, the Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu- Ampofo appealed to the assembly members to vote for the nominees who he said had the capability to administer their respective areas.
He said with their appointments endorsed, it would therefore be possible for such municipalities and districts to implement their development projects and programmes to improve the lot of the people.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo cautioned the new appointees to be honest, humble but firm in dealing with all matters affecting their areas.
The appointees in turn assured the people that they would not do anything that would negatively affect them, adding that they would serve but not lord over them.
At Asesewa, Caroline Boateng reports that the President’s Nominee for the Upper Manya Krobo District, Mr Joseph Angmor, has been confirmed.
Mr Angmor a public servant, was confirmed with 32 out of the 36 votes cast.
He told the Daily Graphic that with his confirmation, he would be focusing on infrastructure development in the area.
A predominantly farming area, he said good road infrastructure was important to ensure the sustainable transportation of food stuffs from the district to marketing areas and that would be one of his priorities for the area.
Mr Joseph Nomo, a tutor at the Manya Krobo Senior High School, was also chosen as Presiding Member of the Assembly. Mr Nomo is the assembly member for the Sawa electoral area.
The Member of Parliament of the Area, Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao expressed his satisfaction with the confirmation, saying that with the confirmation over, the focus of all will be for the development of the area.
He said he had formerly worked with district chief executives of different parties for three consecutive terms.
That had come with some hurdles, however, some gains had also been made.
He was of the view that with a DCE of the same political persuasion, there would be concerted efforts to develop the area.
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