TICO AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO 100 STUDENTS (PAGE 11)

THE Takoradi International Company (TICo) has awarded a scholarship package of US$ 20,000 to 100 brilliant needy students.
The scheme, which is the seventh under its Kramer Scholarship Awards, is for 2008-2009 and forms part of the company’s corporate social responsibility.
The students were selected from the company’s operational communities in the Shama-Aboadze-Abuesi area of the Shama District.
The beneficiaries are pursuing programmes in first and second cycle schools as well as in tertiary institutions in the country.
Last year, the company spent about US$7,500 on 68 pupils and students from the area.
The scheme was introduced seven years ago with a personal donation of US$1,000 by the then General Manager of TICo, Mr Lawrence Kramer, who was then going on retirement.
The General Manager of TICo, Nana Osafo Kantanka, said the awards had come a long way in supporting the beneficiaries in the company’s catchment area.
“From a very humble beginning, we now have a well-structured process for the awards and we will ensure that it serves the purpose for which it was instituted,’’ he stated.
He expressed the company’s confidence in the beneficiaries using the opportunity to excel wherever they found themselves.
Nana Kantanka emphasised that the company was committed to the development and welfare of the communities located in its operational area.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Mrs Angelina Baiden-Amissah, said the company had exhibited corporate social responsibility in the provision of library facilities, the institution of a scholarship scheme as well as the construction of drains for the communities.
Mrs Baiden-Amissah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Shama Constituency, commended the management of TICo for its support to the community.
She reminded the people that the educational reform made it mandatory for all children of school age to be in school by the year 2015.
The acting Director, Thermal Generation of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Mr Richard N. A. Badger, said over the years, the two companies had sought to improve the social and economic lives of the people in the surrounding communities.
"With the Kramer scholarship programme, TICo has consistently displayed that it holds in high esteem the value of education of the youth in the communities", he said, adding that "it is the youth who will provide leadership in these communities as well as develop them".
He said VRA recognised that education was key to the development of any group of people and support in this area needed encouragement from all quarters.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr A. E. Amoah, commended the management of TICo for institutionalising the scholarship scheme.
He advised the beneficiaries to study hard to justify that they really deserved the awards.
Present at the ceremony was the President and Chief Executive of TAQA Energy, Mr Peter Barker-Homek.

NGO DONATES LEARNING MATERIALS TO SCHOOL (PAGE 20)

ONE Small Step-Ghana Project, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has donated assorted learning materials worth US$1,000 to the Adjumako District Council basic school in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region.
A transcriptionist at the Virginia Hospital Centre in the United States of America, Ms Loretta McDaniel, founded the NGO.
The donor explained to the Daily Graphic before the presentation that it was an on-going project and that she would continue to solicit for teaching and learning aids for the school on a regular basis.
"We are trying to supply this school more learning supplies," she said, adding: "We are asking some families and friends in America to purchase some items that would be shipped to the school".
Ms McDaniel said she would gather information on the needs of the school as well as the learning areas in relation to the school’s curriculum to be able to provide its actual needs.
A co-worker of Ms McDaniel and a native of Adjumako, Madam Mary Andoh, explained that about two years ago, Ms McDaniel accompanied her to the village during which some of the schoolchildren requested learning materials such as pencils, books and pens from her.
She further stated that Ms McDaniel took pictures of the pupils and that when she returned home, she showed them to her friends in America who were touched and decided to contribute to purchase the materials for the school through the project.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the Deputy Director of Education in charge of second cycle schools in the Ahanta West District, Mr Benjamin Ofori, said the government, the district assembly and the community which were the major stakeholders in education, were to ensure that teachers were decently accommodated, while all children who were of school age were enrolled.
He also urged parents to provide the school with the needs of their children and ensure their orderly growth and development.
Mr Ofori said it was the duty of parents and members of the community to monitor the teaching activities of teachers by reporting them to their heads.
The Presiding Member of the Ahanta West District Assembly, Madam Georgina Sarah Yankey, expressed her appreciation at the donation and appealed to the benefactor to continue to help the school by donating more teaching and learning materials to the school.
She called on parents to ensure the proper education of their children.
The Head teacher of the Adjumako District Council basic school, Mr Edward Bordes, appealed to Ms McDaniel to provide the school with computers to help introduce the pupils to Information and Communication Technology.
The Assembly Member for the Adjumako-Mpatase Electoral Area, Mr Moses Andoh, commended Ms McDaniel for the gesture and said that she would be furnished with the needs of the school to enable her to contribute effectively towards the education of the pupils.

MINING COMPANY, NGO PROVIDE FREE MEDICAL CLINICS (PAGE 20)

GOLDEN Star Resources (GSR), a mining company, in collaboration with Project Cure, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) has organised free medical clinics for people in 11 communities in the operational areas of its two subsidiary companies in the Western Region.
The subsidiary companies are the Golden Star (Wassa Mines) Limited at Akyempim and Golden Star (Bogoso/Prestea Mines) at Bogoso.
A total of 9,280 people, including schoolchildren and infants from Subri, Togbekrom, Ningo, Akyempim, Kubekro, Old Subri, Mbease Nsuta, Bondaye, Heman and Dumase benefited from the clinics, which were held for two weeks.
A medical team comprising 10 doctors from Project Cure in the United States of America who undertook the clinics, screened and conducted medical examinations on those who attended the clinics after which they were given free drugs.
Some of the diseases diagnosed were skin rashes, bodily pains, upper respiratory tract infections, malaria, eye problems and itching.
Those who attended were given drugs such as dewormers, multivite, antibiotics, anti-histamines, cough syrups, analgesics for pains and wound dressing packs.
The leader of the medical team, Dr Maurice Ankrah told the Daily Graphic during the last of the clinics at Togbekrom, located in the Wassa Mines that almost everybody, both old and young, complained of bodily pains, noting that "this may be due to the type of work they do, which is farming".
He said many people in the area, especially Old Subri, a farming community, also complained of eye problems and were advised to contact eye specialists at the hospitals.
Dr Ankrah suggested that the mining company should build a standard health facility for the communities within its operational areas to cater for their health needs, since the communities were far from the hospitals and other health facilities.
"Since the mining company is benefiting from the communities, they must also benefit from the mines," he said.
According to Dr Ankrah, the clinics would go a long way to improve the quality of life of the people in the beneficiary communities.
He explained that the viability and sustainability of the clinics, which were organised annually, would depend on the host mining company.
"We are willing to offer the services, if the host company will co-operate. What we need is a host which is co-operative," he stressed, adding that the project had targeted deprived communities.
The General Manager of Golden Star (Wassa Mines), Mr Richard Gray, commended the people who contributed to the success of the clinics, especially Project Cure and the medical team from the United States of America.
A representative of the Denver Office of Project Cure, Ms Judith Schwartz, explained that the project was instituted to support hospitals and clinics without adequate medical supplies and equipment.
She said the project collected medical supplies and equipment from 120 companies across the world and supplied them to needy hospitals and clinics.
The Human Resource and Administrative Manager of Golden Star (Wassa Mines) Limited, Mr Paul Essah, said it was the responsibility of the mining company to provide some facilities such as schools, potable water, electricity and roads for the communities within its operational areas.
He said the company would continue to support the organisation of the clinics annually to ensure that the people in the mining communities had good health and to enable them to increase productivity.

JUABOSO ASSEMBLY DEVELOPS WATER AND SANITATION PLAN (PAGE 21)

THE Juaboso District Assembly in the Western Region has developed a comprehensive five-year community water and sanitation development plan to provide water and sanitation facilities for schools and communities in the district.
The plan, which covers the period 2008 to 2012, will be sponsored by the World Bank, the International Development Agency (IDA) and the European Union. It was submitted to the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in Takoradi.
The Juaboso District Planning Officer, Mr Richard-Nixon Ziork, made this known to the Daily Graphic at Juaboso.
He said most educational institutions and six markets in the district which did not have toilet facilities and markets would be provided with the facilities.
Mr Ziork said household toilet facilities would also be provided, adding that the assembly was sensitising the people to the facilities to enable them to embrace the construction of the facilities in their houses.
According to Mr Ziork, water supply was a problem in some of the communities and so most of the rural communities depended on streams for their source of drinking water which had necessitated the provision of boreholes for the communities.
He said small town water systems, under which ground water would be pumped through mechanised boreholes, would also be provided for the communities.
The planning officer stated that any non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the district which wanted to assist in environmental issues had to consult the sanitation development plan.

2 FIRE OFFICERS TO START PEACE WALK (PAGE 20)

TWO fire officers from the Western Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) will embark on “2008 Election Peaceful Walk” throughout the country to spread the message of peace before, during and after the December 7 general election.
Fireman John Dominic Dadzie, who is the main walker, is being supported by Station Officer Joseph C. Ampiah and will begin the walk on Saturday, October 25, 2008 from Wa in the Upper West Region through Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region to Tamale in the Northern Region to end the northern sector walk.
The Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and the Western regions will follow suit respectively while the walker will pass through the Central Region up to Agona Swedru, enter the Eastern and Volta regions and finally end up in Accra at the offices of the Electoral Commission in the Greater Accra Region on November 28, 2008.
Speaking at a press briefing on the peace walk at the regional headquarters of the GNFS, the Western Regional Commander of the service, Nana Ekow Abban, explained that the regional security task forces were taking the initiative to spread the message of peace before, during and after the general election.
"We believe that should there be any adversity, the security task forces may be called upon and it is in this purview that we are taking the first step to reach out to all, especially the general public and politicians, to educate their supporters to eschew bitterness and fighting," he stressed.
He emphasised that Ghana was for all of us, so there was the need for all and sundry to protect it, stressing, "we as a people must endeavour to hold our motherland together in trust for generations unborn".
Nana Abban prayed for God’s guidance throughout the walk and that the message might impact positively on all the people.
The Garrison Commander and Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command, Commodore Frank Daley, called on all Ghanaians to support the election to be peaceful and tranquil for the development of the country.
"Our wish and prayer are not only for the successful election in the Western Region alone, but throughout the length and breadth of Ghana," he emphasised, adding, "We shall overcome if we work at it diligently".
The Catholic Bishop of the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese, Most Rev John Martin Darko, noted that peace had always been the principle guiding authentic religion and that it was not just a question of live and let live.
He explained that peace was the active and positive expression of goodwill towards others.
According to Bishop Darko, Ghanaians needed goodwill in abundance because of growing selfishness and indiscipline in spite of the call in the past to make the necessary sacrifices for the nation.
He stated that there were people who pretended to be fighting for the development of the nation, but actually had their own hidden agenda.
Bishop Darko noted that greed had swamped the society and that the clergy were not spared the infection, adding "this leads to violence".
"All the evils surrounding us, notably armed robbery, drug trafficking, terrorism and violence either by individuals or groups, or state organs, indiscipline by officials, individuals, gangs, bad and reckless drivers on the roads, are all caused by people who have no goodwill,” he said.
According to him, "the only driving force that motivates them is selfishness, misplaced pride and ‘bad will’ ".
Bishop Darko said the end result was suffering for all and stated that but all that we looked forward to was peace.
The walker, Fireman Dadzie, noted that the country had gone through a number of successful elections, be them unit committee, district, parliamentary or presidential.
He said it was a fact that democracy had come to stay in the country and stressed the need for all and sundry to diligently guide and guard the democracy.
"Our walk for peace before, during and after the general election is meant to educate all Ghanaians, including political parties, on the need to be tolerant and co-exist without rancour and bitterness," Fireman Dadzie stressed.

90 CANDIDATES FILE IN WESTERN REGION (PAGE 15)

NINETY parliamentary candidates, including eleven females, have filed their nominations to contest in the 22 constituencies of the Western Region in this year’s general election.
Two of the females each are contesting in the Jomoro and the Sekondi constituencies, while each of the remaining is contesting in the Evalue Gwira, Ahanta West, Shama, Mpohor Wassa East, Tarkwa Nsuaem, Amenfi West, and Bibiani Anhiawso Bekwai constituencies.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is contesting in all the 22 constituencies in the region, while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has filed nominations to contest in 21 of the constituencies with the exception of Ellembele.
With the exception of Sefwi Akontombra, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) is contesting in all the other 21 constituencies in the region, while the People’s National Convention (PNC) has filed nominations to contest in eight constituencies, with the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) contesting in two constituencies.
The Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) is contesting in six constituencies, while eight people have filed their nominations to contest as independent candidates, with the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) contesting in two constituencies in the region.
The Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Steve Opoku-Mensah, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview, said an aspiring parliamentary candidate of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) for the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Constituency could not process his nomination forms at the close of nominations.
He said with the completion of nominations, the parliamentary candidates and the party agents would be trained, after which the EC would train its election officials in the region.
Meanwhile, at the Evalue-Gwira Constituency in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Mrs Catherine Abelema Afeku, officially filed her nomination with the EC at Axim to contest the 2008 general election.
The CPP and NDC parliamentary candidates for the constituency, Mr Kojo Armah and Mr Peter Arde Kodwo respectively, also filed their nominations to contest the polls. They were followed by their party executives and supporters.

BUSINESSES RUSH TO CAPITALISE ON OIL BOOM (PAGE 29)

The Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has received more than 20 applications from companies and businesses to construct ultra-modern office complexes within the metropolis to position themselves for the oil business.
The assembly is yet to approve the applications.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, announced this in an address read on his behalf by the Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr Edwin Philips, at the launch of the e-zwich smart card national roadshow campaign in Takoradi.
Mr Nkrumah said Sekondi-Takoradi had been experiencing unprecedented influx of businesses since the announcement of the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in the Western Region.
"As a result, new office complexes and warehouses are being built, existing buildings are being refurbished and converted into offices, warehouses and stores," he said.
This development, he said, posed a great challenge to the banking and financial institutions in the metropolis and required of them to design a wide-range of products and services to meet the specific needs of the emerging businesses in the metropolis.
"The assembly has positioned itself to play the leading role in facilitating the provision of infrastructure in various sectors to further improve the investment climate within the metropolis," he said.
Mr Nkrumah gave the assurance that the assembly was ready to offer any possible assistance to all existing and new businesses.
He said the government had recognised the need to modernise the banking and financial sector as major catalysts to attract the needed foreign direct investment for rapid economic growth.
Before the introduction of the new currency, he explained, the economy was significantly over burdened with a note regime.
"The re-denomination has undoubtedly enhanced the way we do business today," he said.
He further explained that the re-denomination of the cedi had helped to reduce the burden of carrying large volumes of money, reduced time in transactions, made easy entries into accounting books and eased statistical records.
The metro chief executive said the launch of the e-zwich smart card was another innovative product from the Bank of Ghana.
Mr Nkrumah said the e-zwich smart card provided a common platform for various banking and retail functions such as cash withdrawals, payment for goods and services, money transfers and the payment of salary and wages.
"The e-zwich enables the public to benefit from a more convenient, safer and easier way to spend and receive money by using a smart card," he added.
He said it was the expectation of the government that the introduction of the e-zwich smart card would result in the transformation of the predominantly cash payment systems in the country and bring monetary transactions up to international standards.
Also, he said, it would bring major improvements in the financial and payment systems of the country with the domination of electronic transactions.

GH¢250,000 FOR STARS (GRAPHIC SPORTS, PAGE 17)

MTN has promised the national football team, the Black Stars a winning bonus of GH¢250,000 when they qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The support is to boost their morale for the world cup qualifiers.
The Chief Marketing Officer of MTN, Mr George Andah announced this in a speech read for him when the company presented MTN souvenirs and talktime worth GH¢4,000 to the Black Stars at the end of their training session at the Sekondi Stadium before their crucial encounter with their Lesotho counterparts.
He said the 2010 World Cup was set to make Africa proud and as the shinning stars of the continent , they had already been seen playing on that field.
Mr Andah, therefore called on Ghanaians to rally behind the Black Stars in their qualifying campaign.
"MTN encourages the Black Stars to continue doing what they do best and demonstrate the can-do spirit in order to emerge victorious in the qualifiers to the World Cup 2010", he said.
He noted that the Black Stars put up a sterling performance during the Africa Cup of Nations, adding "However our expectation of the Black Stars was for them to win the trophy and this expectation has now been transferred to the 2010 FIFA World Cup".
Mr Andah pointed out that it would be the greatest pleasure to see an African team win the world cup, saying "and for us the team is the Black Stars".
The Captain of the Black Stars, Stephen Appiah thanked the management of MTN for the kind gesture and their immense support for the team.

EXHIBIT PROFESSIONALISM TO REASSURE VOTERS — ALHASSAN (PAGE 13)

THE Western Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, has tasked all security personnel to exhibit the highest level of professionalism to reassure voters, officials and the public that their safety and security are guaranteed.
He said "The Police and indeed all national security personnel have a crucial responsibility to ensure peace and security during the December election.”
DCOP Alhassan was speaking at the opening session of a two-day seminar on ‘Election monitoring and policing’ for key police commanders and members of the national, regional and district election security task force from the Western and Central regions in Takoradi.
He said "the protection of human life, voters, electoral materials and officials, and the preservation of lawful and orderly electoral processes are necessary for free and fair elections."
In his view, the success of the forthcoming elections, to a large extent, would be dependent on the conduct of the police officers as well as security personnel before, during and after the elections.
DCOP Alhassan was confident that the police officers would come out of the seminar better equipped and informed to be able to make more positive and appreciable contributions to support the electoral process as a whole.
"I find this seminar very crucial” he said, and therefore entreated the police personnel to make the best out of the seminar.
The Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Mr Stephen Opoku-Mensah, urged the police to be conversant with the electoral laws to be able to play their role effectively.
He said it was an offence for a voter to put any other material rather than the validated ballot paper supplied by the commission in the ballot box.
Speaking on the topics "Electoral law and electoral offences" and "Democracy, election and human rights", Mr Opoku-Mensah said the secret ballot prevented intimidation, since nobody would know which party or candidate one voted for.
Also, he said the counting of the ballot papers openly at the polling stations showed the transparency of the country’s electoral process.
The regional director said the polling station executive of the various political parties were expected to witness the collation of the election results at the constituency capital.
He explained that when a voter in the process of voting spoiled a ballot paper; he or she could send it back to the presiding officer at the polling station to be changed for him or her.
Mr Opoku-Mensah further explained that when a voter cast a spoilt ballot paper without sending it back to be changed, that vote would be rejected during counting.

EFFIA-NKWANTA HOSPITAL LACKS EQUIPMENT FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT (PAGE 25)

The Effia-Nkwanta Hospital in Takoradi will be found wanting in the event of a major disaster, since the hospital lacks the necessary equipment, logistics, structures and monitors for proper and effective management of disasters and emergencies.
Besides, the location of the hospital itself, which is situated on a hilly landscape, has also rendered it incapable of dealing effectively with any major disaster as it is difficult for one to get easy access to the hospital’s facilities.
The Deputy Western Regional Director of Clinical Care, Dr Robert Sagoe, announced this at a press briefing and the launch of this year’s World Disaster Reduction Day in Sekondi, which was held on the theme: "Hospitals safe from disaster".
He has, therefore, called for the construction of a new and modern hospital to replace the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital, since it would go a long way to facilitate the effective and proper health delivery and management of emergencies.
"Visit the hospital to enable you to appreciate the need for new structures and equipment to meet the modern-day disaster management," he told the Regional Disaster Management Committee, saying "we have the personnel, but lack the structures and equipment".
Dr Sagoe also urged them to take measures to secure the lives of people in times of emergencies, adding that "to save lives we are seriously handicapped".
He explained that with the oil find in the Western Region, there would be an influx of people to the region, since there would be an increase in economic activities and that people may be taking a lot of risks.
He further explained that the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital, the third largest hospital in the country, after the Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching hospitals, was constructed as a centre for the screening of military personnel for the Second World War and was later converted into a hospital with various structures added to it.
Dr Sagoe suggested that if a new hospital was constructed, the old structures could be used as a district hospital to support the Takoradi and Kwesimintsim hospitals.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister and Chairman of the Regional Disaster Management Committee, Mr Kwasi Blay, explained that the theme for this year’s celebration was to create awareness about what needed to be done to protect the lives of patients and health personnel by ensuring the structural resilience of health facilities.
"There is the need to look at existing hospital structures and ask ourselves whether they were put up taking into consideration natural disaster occurrences. Let’s ask ourselves whether our hospitals, as they are now, can withstand any of the known natural hazards," he said.
He further explained that the celebration was to ensure that health facilities and services were able to function in the aftermath of emergencies and disasters when they were most needed, adding, "Disasters, both natural and man-made, strike without giving any warning signals and their effects, especially to human life, could be very devastating."
Therefore, he stressed that it was very important to take measures to sustain the hospitals, so that they could function during and after emergencies.
Also, he said, it was to create awareness of the need to improve the risk reduction capacity of health workers and institutions, especially during emergency management periods.
"We cannot talk of effective handling of disasters when the health workers and the institutions themselves do not have the capacity to withstand disasters or to reduce their impact," he said.
Mr Blay said as major stakeholders, the health workers and institutions needed to increase their risk reduction capacity in order to be able to withstand the impact of any major disaster.
The Western Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Kofi Yonkopah Arthur, said the focus of all energies and attention would be on the occurences and impact of disasters, and called for concerted efforts towards disaster awareness.

FOOD AND DRUGS BOARD IMPOUNDS UNWHOLESOME FLOUR (PAGE 25)

The Takoradi Zonal Office of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has impounded 338 bags of unwholesome flour that are being sold to the general public at a reduced price at a warehouse located along the Axim Road in Takoradi.
The consignment will be destroyed after thorough investigation by the board.
The flour, branded ‘Selected Hard-Spring Wheat Flour’, milled by G.M.G in Tema, is being kept at the Royal Bow Company Limited, a Lebanese warehouse, and are being sold to the public at a reduced price of GH¢55 per bag instead of the original price of about GH¢63.25.
Officers from the Takoradi Zonal office of the board who went to the warehouse following a tip-off have taken inventory of the caked flour and issued a notice of detention/seizure to the management of the warehouse.
The board also found other bad products at the warehouse.
Some of the products are bags of rice and sugar, edible oil, Lele laundry soap, Saba soap, Soft Silk beauty soap, margarine, as well as assorted plastic products.
The FDB has ordered the management of the warehouse to take inventory of the other spoiled products and submit it to the zonal office in Takoradi for destruction.
The Zonal Officer of the FDB in charge of the Western and Central regions, Mr George Pentsil, who led the team, said the board had to do a little more investigation, since the management said they collected them from the factory in Tema.
"They are completely caked and not good for human consumption,” he said, adding that they could be recycled at the factory.
"Quality flour must maintain its quality, otherwise it compromises the quality and safety of the product," he emphasised.
He said the board had been calling on consumers to notify them of the kind of products they bought from the market for onward investigations.
Mr Pentsil said the board had been doing regular inspections of bad products at the market, saying, "We inspect and check. Inspections are procedural, we inspect them periodically."
He also said the warehouse was not properly kept to the rule and it was also not well ventilated, adding that "the items are packed close to the wall and the flour can absorb moisture".
The Manager of the warehouse, Mr Ahmed Termos, who was furious with the reporter and the cameraman, earlier said the spoilt flour was being kept in the warehouse for three weeks but had caked as a result of heat.

MICE BESIEGE HOSPITAL (PAGE 25)

MICE have besieged the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital as a result of poor environmental sanitation.
This has become a nuisance to the hospital’s administration, the staff and the patients who visit the facility for medical treatment.
Also, the hospital’s administration is worried about the breeding of mosquitoes at the facility, which is likely to militate against effective health care delivery at the hospital.
The Medical Director of the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital, Dr Paul Ntodi, made this known at the launch of a sanitation campaign programme on the theme: "Preventing diseases through improved environmental sanitation in Ghana" at the hospital.
The Zoomlion Ghana Limited, waste management experts, launched the programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment, the Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Authority.
Under the programme, personnel of Zoomlion will undertake clean-up exercises at the health facilities in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis and its environs after which the company will manage sanitation at the facilities over a period of time.
Dr Ntodi said it was not proper for a sick person who visited the hospital to go away with another ailment as a result of poor environment.
Therefore, he said, the sanitation programme was very important to the hospital’s administration, since it would keep the premises of the hospital clean at all times.
He stressed that cleanliness was needed everywhere, but more important at the health facilities.
He mentioned some of the environmentally related diseases as malaria, typhoid and worm infections.
The acting Western Regional Director of Health, Dr (Mrs) Linda Vanotoo, deplored a situation in the markets where traders sold items in the midst of filth.
She urged parents to teach their children how to wash their hands after visiting a place of convenience and also to ensure that the children used footwear always, since worm infections militated against their growth and development.
Dr Vanotoo said this would protect the children against cholera, which could kill many people within a short period.
She said many children on admission at the children’s ward at the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital needed blood.
Also, she said anaemic pregnant women experienced pre-mature labour, light birth, low weight and still birth.
Therefore, she said the need to keep the environment clean could not be over emphasised.
Dr Vanotoo commended Zoomlion for the good work it was doing, and urged it to intensify its public education on public health.
The Western Regional Co-ordinator of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Felix Boankrah, said about 4,000 sanitary guards would be employed for the programme throughout the country to complement the work of the environmental health officers of the various district assemblies as part of efforts to keep the communities clean.
He said the main task of the sanitary guards was to improve sanitary conditions in the country through weeding, cleaning, sweeping of streets and open spaces, vector control, provision of dust bins and waste collection services.
Mr Boankrah said the campaign would be in the form of public education, which would be done in collaboration with the regional and district environmental health officers as well as communication co-ordinators at the district health directorates.
The Western Regional Manager of the National Health Insurance Authority, Mr Emmanuel Reinfred Okyere, said unregulated keeping of livestock and the indiscriminate disposal of empty cans further aggravated the breeding of mosquitoes.
He said with the provision of pipe borne water, many old hand-dug wells were left open, which subsequently became the breeding sites for insects.
Mr Okyere said the result of these environmental problems was that people continued to suffer from many environmentally related diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid.
"Today, malaria continues to occupy the top spot on the table of the top 10 diseases in most of our communities," he said, adding, "Malaria also continues to take a significant portion of the medical claims paid by the district mutual health insurance schemes in the country."

CHIEF APPEALS FOR ROAD REHABILITATION (PAGE 20)

THE Chief of Ellenda in the Jomoro District of the Western Region, Nana Kyeku Anyimiah IV, has made an appeal to the Jomoro District Assembly to rehabilitate the road from Tikobo Number 1 to Ellenda, as a matter of urgency, to facilitate the movement of people and haulage of goods and farm produce in the area.
Nana Anyimiah also called on the assembly to provide the Ellenda community with potable water and Public toilets and help complete teachers’ quarters being constructed in the town to solve the accommodation problems facing teachers posted to the town.
Nana Anyimiah made the appeal when the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Jomoro, Mr Martin Yamekeh Ackah, visited Ellenda and New Nzulezo to interact with the people, identify their problems and educate them on government policies and programmes.
He further requested the assembly to extend electricity from Ellenda to Ellenda Wharf to boost economic activities there.
On behalf of the district assembly, Mr Ackah presented a palm oil processing machine, 260 energy-saving bulbs and 150 exercise books to the Ellenda community.
He promised that the assembly would provide the community with their needs as soon as funds became available.
The DCE urged the people to appreciate the numerous development projects the assembly was undertaking in the community, some of which had already been completed, to improve their living conditions.
Mr Ackah mentioned some of the projects as potable water, electricity supply, construction of roads, classroom blocks, teachers quarters, cocoa and market sheds.
At New Nzulezo, the Safohene, Mr John Ackah Ellonye, on behalf of the chiefs and the people, appealed to the Jomoro District Assembly to provide the town with street lights and also extend electricity from the town to the Samenye Barrier, a new settlement where auto mechanics, artisans and other tradesmen were operating.
In another development, the Minister of Energy, Mr Felix Owusu Adjepong, paid a day’s working visit to Half Assini, Mangyea and Effaso to interact with the chiefs and people in the three towns in the Jomoro District.
Most of the interactions centred on the Osagyefo Barge, an electricity generating facility located at Effaso/Mangyea, as well as on the oil find in the region.
The youth of the three towns, especially those from Effaso/Mangyea, where the barge is located, complained that people employed at the site were mostly from outside the catchment area, adding that the few from the two towns who were employed, had been laid off.
The chiefs and the people of Mangyea and Effaso wanted to know from the Energy Minister when electricity would be extended to the two towns.
Mr Owusu Adjepong assured them that they would enjoy power before the end of the year.
He assured them further that revenue from the oil would be well managed to benefit the Jomoro District, the rest of the Western Region and the country at large.
The minister told the youth in the towns that following the discussions he and his team had with the management of the Balkan Energy Company working on the Osagyefo Barge, it was agreed that the youth from the area who had learnt some trade, such as carpentry, masonry, painting would be considered first, ahead of all others, when employing people.

JUABOSO ASSEMBLY UNDERTAKES MORE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (PAGE 20)

THE Juaboso District Assembly in the Western Region has embarked on many development projects to improve the living standards of the people in the area.
The projects, which cover education, water and sanitation, roads, markets and electricity, are at various stages of construction.
The district assembly is financing the projects with its share of the District Assemblies Common Fund and other interventions from the HIPC Fund, the European Union, the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA), the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), DFID, the International Development Agency and the African Development fund (AFD).
The projects include the renovation of doctors’ bungalows at Juaboso at a cost of GH¢41,469 as well as the assembly’s bungalows worth GH¢65,464.00, the construction of a six-unit classroom and other ancillary facilities, each at Kofikrom, Asoredando and Juaboso at a total cost of GH¢255,155.30.
Others are supply of furniture for schools at Juaboso at a contract sum of GH¢73,740 and the construction of a three-unit classroom block at Antobia at a cost of GH¢44,841, construction of a Jubilee Primary School, a kindergarten block and ancillary facilities at Juaboso, the construction of three-unit classroom block and ancillary facilities, each at Africa and Elluibo at a total cost of GH¢73,545.14 and the upgrading of the Juaboso Senior High School, estimated at GH¢600,000.
The rest are the construction of teachers quarters each at Dokukrom, Attaboka, Kwawkrom, Kwasikrom and Yayaso at a total cost of GH¢212,369.65, the construction of a 12-seater aqua privy facility at Bonsu Nkwanta at a cost of GH¢35,448, the construction of market stores at Juaboso at an estimated cost of GH¢335,429 as well as the construction of U-drains and the extension of electricity to the new market at Juaboso at the cost of GH¢26,754.
The assembly decided to extend electricity, being financed by the European Union, to Datano, Agyemandiew and Elluibo, while 17 rural communities in the district will be connected to the national grid under the Self-Help Electrification Project.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic at Juaboso, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Asiedu-Mensah Abrompah, stated that the assembly had provided 16,000 pieces of furniture to basic schools in the district at a cost of GH¢900 million.
He said the assembly had spent also GH¢1.2 million to provide 500 low-tension electric poles to some communities for their electrification projects.
According to Mr Asiedu-Mensah, the mass spraying exercise, the application of fertiliser and the increase in the producer price of cocoa had increased production of the crop in the district, which was the second leading producer in the country.
He said some of the roads in the district, including the one linking Juaboso Nkwanta with Juato, were being tarred.
He stated that six principal communities in the district, namely Attaboka, Denkyemuasie, Patakro, Besease, Manhyia and Eteso would be provided with electricity.
The DCE said any other community that was near the national grid would be connected to the grid.
He said Pro-Net, a non-governmental organisation, had provided 25 hand-dug wells fitted with hand pumps for some communities in the district, while the Ghana Cocoa Board had sunk two solar powered mechanised boreholes for the people of Kwawkrom and Obeng Shed.
Mr Asiedu Mensah said small water systems were also being provided for the people of Bodi, Afari, Bonsu Nkwanta and Amoaya.

MEASLES CASES GO DOWN IN W. REGION (BACK PAGE)

Measles cases in the Western Region dropped from 434 in 2005 to 28 in 2007.
Dr (Mrs) Linda Vanotoo, the acting Western Regional Director of Health, who disclosed this, also stated that there had been no measles death in the country since 2002.
Dr (Mrs) Vanotoo made this statement when she briefed the press on this year’s integrated maternal and child health ( IMCH) campaign in the region, on the theme; "Healthy mothers and children make a better Ghana".
She said since September, 2003, there had not been any reported case of wild polio virus and this had been attributed mainly to the successful and improved routine immunisation in the country.
Dr Vanotoo said the region had reactivated its intersectoral committees to plan, organise and monitor the implementation of the IMCH.
The committees, she said, would be involved in social mobilisation, publicity, financial and logistics management, transport mobilisation and assessment of implementation.
She said during the period of the campaign, vitamin A capsules would be given to children aged six months to five years and breastfeeding mothers with children less than two months to make them strong and healthy.
In addition, polio immunisation would be administered to children aged zero to five years, while de-worming tablets would be given to children aged two years and above for good health, Dr Vanotoo said.
She advised mothers to immunise their children to protect them against childhood diseases.
She entreated pregnant women to attend ante-natal clinic regularly to benefit from all services required for a healthy pregnancy and added that they should also ensure that they deliver at a health facility.
Dr Vanotoo urged the mothers to start breastfeeding within 30 minutes after delivery and give the child only breast milk till six months, after which they could add other foods.

TWIN-CITY BUSINESSES SCHOOLED ON QUALITY PRODUCTION (PAGE 25)

THE Sekondi/Takoradi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ghana Quality Organisation have jointly organised a one-day seminar on quality and productivity improvement for 102 people drawn from the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis.
The seminar was aimed at promoting quality management and corporate best practices in the country.
The seminar, which was attended by managing directors, business owners, managers and supervisors of manufacturing, hospitality, health care, agro-business and service industries, also addressed the issue of a lack of quality management training and practices, which were said to be major reasons for poor profitability and slow business growth in the country.
It was organised to help participants to utilise quality management strategies to improve their business performance and increase their companies’ profitability.
Also, it was to enable them to understand and appreciate how quality management strategy could help their companies to compete successfully on the domestic and international markets.
In addition, it was to provide them with the leverage quality technology to grow their businesses through continuous quality improvement and innovation.
The Chairman of Ghana Quality Organisation, Mr Kofi Akuoko, in his presentation, stressed that the desire for quality products and services was universal, regardless of whether the consumer was a company, an individual or an organisation. "Everybody demands quality," he said.
He said quality was also about achieving excellence and perfection and, therefore, quality strategy could help the companies to move faster.
"Quality does not stand still, it changes.
"If we are going to hide behind traditional definition of quality, we will not move fast," he said, adding that "traditional quality approaches focus more on conformity assessment and conformance to standards, regardless of whether or not the product actually creates value for the customer. Meeting standards alone will not guarantee that your product is the best, if it does not promote continuous improvement."
Mr Akuoko said the traditional definition of quality had not helped the local industries to grow to become world-class companies, since the rate at which the local companies were improving was very slow, urging them to embrace quality and speed up national development.
Speaking on the topic, "Using quality management strategy to achieve customer satisfaction, productivity, profitability and business growth," Mr Akuoko said modern quality focused on designing into products, services and processes.
"It is also designed to promote the pursuit of excellence in products and services," he said, explaining that "21st century quality is focused on reducing variations in key characteristics of products and services if variations in key characteristics decrease and quality increases."
Quality, he emphasised, was the least capital intensive to achieve productivity, and if the participants wanted their industries to grow, then quality approach was very important. "Always, there is an opportunity to improve on what one is doing," he said.
Mr Akuoko said the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) played an important role in ensuring quality, but that was not what quality was all about.
He said if one started thinking about meeting standards, the quality of his/her products and services would not improve.
The Chairman of the Sekondi-Takoradi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Ato Van-Ess, said the chamber was to become a leading trading organisation in the country.
He said the chamber had designed programmes that would enable its members to work hard to improve the quality of their products and services, since if they did not provide quality services and remained where they were, those who provided quality services would definitely overtake them.
"We want you to raise the level of your professionalism," he said.

PAY US OUR OUTSTANDING ALLOWANCES (PAGE 25)

THIRTY sanitation guards of the Environmental Health module of the National Youth and Employment Programme (NYEP) of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) have appealed to the authorities to pay them their outstanding allowances that have been in arrears for six months.
They have also urged the authorities to regularise their appointments by issuing them with appointment letters, since they have worked for 15 months without any appointment letter.
This, they explained, would enable them to be paid salaries, instead of allowances, since personnel under other modules who had been given appointment letters were being paid salaries and not allowances.
Some of the affected personnel, led by their spokesperson, Mr Frederick Mensah, told the Daily Graphic that when they were recruited, they were made to understand that they would be paid monthly allowances of GH¢70, but this had not been regular.
According to Mr Mensah, the sanitation guards wanted their salaries to be paid through the banks.
"Some of the personnel under other modules of the programme are receiving salaries and not allowances," he said.
The spokesperson explained that they knew that they were employed under the NYEP, but when the problem of non-payment of the allowances started and they contacted their respective Sekondi Sub-metro and Takoradi Sub-metro Co-ordinators of the NYEP, they were told that they were no more under the NYEP, but were rather under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment.
"So, we do not know where we belong, whether our allowances are coming from the ministry or from the NYEP," he said, adding that "so as we speak now, we don’t know our fate".

FLOATING OF SHARES GAINS GROUNDS IN TWIN-CITY (PAGE 25)

FOR the past few years, Takoradi has witnessed a profileration of banks, as well as non-bank financial institutions, to assist the people in the city to access credit facilities to grow and expand their businesses.
This has significantly contributed to many business activities flourishing in the city.
But the new trend of business activity that has not been the characteristic of Takoradi and other regional capitals in the country is now snowballing into business activities in the twin city. This is the launch of public share offers for people to purchase shares from government and private companies, as well as bank and non-bank institutions in the country, to become shareholders of the companies and the financial institutions.
Many years ago, companies and financial institutions, that wanted to go public launched their share offers in Accra, but on limited occasions in Kumasi.
But of late, the management of these companies and the financial institutions that want to float shares have deemed it very prudent to go outside Accra so far as the launch of their shares are concerned.
Last month, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated launched its US$2.5billion share offer at the Shippers Council offices at the Takoradi Harbour to increase the shareholders’ funds.
On Thursday, October 2, 2008 the UT Financial Services Limited, an indigenous company, also launched its public share offer at the Raybow Hotel in Takoradi for the sale of 90,293,000 ordinary shares of no par value at 30Gp per share. UT hopes to raise about GH¢27million, and it is expected that more companies and financial institutions that want to float shares would take a cue from the two companies that have launched their offers in Takoradi.
Speaking at the launch of the UT share offer, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UT Financial Services Limited, Mr Prince Kofi Amoabeng, said the company had come a long way in its business operations in the country.
He said the company was trying to help those who were not being helped by the commercial banks to obtain credit facilities to do their businesses.
Mr Amoabeng pointed out that the company owed its successes to the general public and wanted Ghanaians to share in its joy and success.
According to the CEO, there was absolutely no risk in purchasing the shares, adding that, "I want your money to create more jobs and put food on people’s tables."
The Anglican Bishop of the Sekondi/Takoradi Diocese, the Rt Rev. Col. Kwamina Otoo (retd), who launched the share offer, said the seed that was sown by the company was not neglected, but was rather nurtured to bear fruits.
He said the company did not want to be selfish and, therefore, advised the public to sow through the purchase of the shares, since what they would buy would not go waste.
The Director of Operations of the company, Captain Budu Koomson (retd), explained that the management of the company was trying to understand the environment within which they operated to enable them to develop the processes that would help them to deliver. "Once we have the speed and the trust, we can deliver," he said.
He said the management was seriously thinking about expanding the activities of the company to other regional capitals and towns in the country.
"We intend to open nine branches outside Accra in the year 2010 in Sunyani, Ho, Nkawkaw and others."
He said if the company was able to grow its capital base, it would be able to provide bigger loan facilities.
Capt Koomson said there was an influx of financial institutions in the country, and that had heightened competition that would bring the best out of them.
He said the company needed to go further and do more than the granting of loans.
The Director of Finance and Administration of UT Financial Services, Mrs Pearl Esua-Mensah, explained that the company had not grown in a vacuum, but within the stable economic growth of the country.
She said there had been stability in the interest and the exchange rates, as well as in politics of the country, which had gone a long way to facilitate the operations of the company.
"We are consistent in our delivery and we use capital invested in the company efficiently and profitably," she said.
The Takoradimanhene, Osahene Katakyi Busumakura III, said UT Financial Services was an example of what an indigenous company could do, and expressed optimism that the company could expand to other countries in Africa.
He said the company had come to Takoradi at the time there was an oil find in the Western Region, advising the company to position itself well for the oil business.

NPP ROAD CONSTRUCTION EFFORTS UNPRECEDENTED — AKUFO-ADDO (PAGE 16)

THE flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has emphasised that no government has undertaken more massive road infrastructural development in the annals of the country than that of the NPP.
He said for the NPP government to have constructed between 25,000 and 27,000 kilometres of roads throughout the country during its tenure was unprecedented.
Nana Akufo-Addo said this when he addressed a rally at Mumuni Camp in the Wassa Amenfi West District as part of a one-week campaign tour of the northern part of the Western Region.
He addressed similar rallies at Debiso in the Bia District, Asempanaye, Bonsu Nkwanta and Bodi in the Juaboso District, Asawinso, Wiawso, Nsawora and Akontombra in the Sefwi Wiawso District, Karlo, Dadieso and Enchi in the Aowin-Suaman District and Asankragwa and Anakom in the Wassa Amenfi West District.
The flag bearer led those who attended the rallies to observe a one-minute silence in memory of the late Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, the former Minister of Finance and Economic Planning. He also introduced aspiring NPP Members of Parliament in the region.
Nana Akufo-Addo said when voted to power, he would complete all the development projects initiated under President Kufuor but which could not be completed and also add more to them.
He said all roads in cocoa-growing areas would be tarred to facilitate the carting of cocoa to the harbour and foodstuffs to the market centres.
Also, he said he intended to set up a cocoa processing factory in a cocoa-growing area to locally process 70 per cent of cocoa produced in the country to add value to cocoa beans that were exported in the raw state.
He was of the view that poverty should not be a barrier to education, since most Ghanaians came from poor homes, saying for that reason when voted to power he would make secondary education free.
The presidential aspirant noted that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was peddling falsehood to the effect that he would find it difficult to fulfil his promise to make secondary education free, noting that the same NDC was sceptical about the NPP making basic education free.
Nana Akufo-Addo stressed that the NPP would use the same means it employed to make basic education free to make secondary education free.
"We don’t want to hear anyone saying that he/she did not go to school because his/her father or uncle did not have money to sponsor his/her education," he stressed.

UNIVERSITY OF MINES AND TECHNOLOGY MAKES POSITIVE IMPACT (PAGE 40)

ONE educational institution that has made a positive impact in the Western Region is the Tarkwa School of Mines.
It started in November 1952 as the Tarkwa Technical Institute (TTI). In 1957, through the initiative of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the institute was restructured to become the Tarkwa School of Mines and in 1976, the institution was affiliated as a faculty to the then University of Science and Technology (UST), now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
In October 2001, it was upgraded to become the Western University College of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology at Tarkwa.
In November 2004, the Western University College gave way to the establishment of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) by an Act of Parliament (Act 667). The Western University College which was given a full-fledged autonomous university status by Act 667 in November 2004 was renamed the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa.
The fast-growing university has a mission to provide higher education with speciality in mining and related fields to promote knowledge through research as well as provide professional services to the national and international communities.
The university’s vision is to become a Centre of Excellence in Ghana and indeed Africa by producing world-class professionals in the fields of geo-science, mining technology and related disciplines.
The University of Mines and Technology, the only public university in the Western Region, has three faculties and a school. The Faculty of Mineral Resources Technology offers academic programmes such as BSc in Geomatic Engineering, Geological Engineering, Mining Engineering and Mineral Engineering.
The Faculty of Engineering is offering BSc in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Mathematics as well as BSc in Computer Engineering, while the Faculty of Integrated Management Sciences offers BSc in Administration (Banking and Finance), Administration (Human Resources Management), Administration (Management Information Systems).
The School of Postgraduate Studies of the university co-ordinates all postgraduate programmes leading to the award of MSc, MPhil and PhD degrees, which are offered by the university.
The University of Mines and Technology has a good library and computing facilities for research work in mining and related disciplines.
The institution can boast modern and well-equipped laboratories in Geomatic Geological, Soil and Rock Mechanics, Mineral Processing, Mine Environmental and Safety, Explosives, Mechanical Engineering as well as workshops and light and heavy current laboratories.
Over the last four years, the university has been developing at a fast rate to the admiration of the people. While new infrastructural and learning facilities are being provided, the existing ones are also being improved and expanded.
The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has provided a total amount of GH¢9,171,446.06 to finance five projects at the university, including the provision of furniture.
The projects which are at various stages of execution include an auditorium which is being constructed at a cost of GH¢1,835,950.97; the Vice Chancellor’s lodge valued at GH¢1,104,001.40; students hostel worth GH¢3,580,026.09, and bungalows which are being provided at a total cost of GH¢452,329.14 as well as the construction of the campus road network at a cost of GH¢1,500,000.
The Wassa Fiase Traditional Council at Tarkwa has donated 26 square kilometres of land to the university to expand its facilities, since the present location is not large enough, causing congestion to the large number of students admitted every year.
A renowned architect, Mr Ekow Sam, who is also a member of the University Council, has offered to design the university’s guest house in Accra in addition to an ultra modern UMaT campus to be constructed on the new 26-kilometre land of the university.
He has already completed the design of the guest house and has also completed building of the new model of the university.
Speaking at a recent matriculation ceremony at the university, the Vice Chancellor of UMaT, Professor Daniel Mireku-Gyimah, commended the university’s benefactors for their positive contribution to the development of the university.
He seized the opportunity to encourage all other stakeholders, especially mining and related companies as well as the alumni of the university, to join them to develop the university further.
There are employment opportunities for graduates of the university in the large- and small-scale mining and allied companies, the Mines Department and Minerals Commission, the Geological and Survey Department, the financial institutions as well as the construction and manufacturing companies.
The graduates also have job opportunities in the electrical and electronic companies, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Energy Board, the Volta River Authority, the universities and other educational and research institutions as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations.

26,300 BENEFIT FROM MASLOC LOANS IN WR (PAGE 40)

The Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) has disbursed GH¢4.5 million as loans to 26,300 beneficiaries in the Western Region.
The scheme has so far given out GH¢31 million to more than 95,300 beneficiaries across the country.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MASLOC, Mr Lawrence Akwasi Prempeh, made this known at Juaboso at the relaunch of the loans scheme at Juaboso, Bia, Akontombra, Sefwi Wiawso, Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai, Aowin/Suaman, Tarkwa/Nsuaem, Prestea/Huni Valley, Wassa Amenfi East, West Amenfi West, Mpohor Wassa East, Ellembelle, Nzema East, Jomoro, and Ahanta West Districts, all in the Western Region.
During the launch, a total of 11,000 beneficiaries were presented with their cheques for the loans totalling GH¢1.5 million at separate ceremonies at Juaboso, Tarkwa and Nkroful.
It is expected that the loans will enable the beneficiaries to improve on their economic activities which include petty trading and farming, and assist women in entrepreneurship, alternative livelihoods, handicraft production, fishing and small-scale mining.
Qualification for MASLOC loans is based entirely on the economic viability and projected profitability of the activity involved and it is open to all Ghanaians of sound mind and between the ages of 18 and 65.
As a social protection programme of the government to bring micro credit to the doorstep of the marginalised productive poor, the loans scheme attracts concessionary rate of 10 per cent and prime rate plus two per cent per annum.
The MASLOC was established by Administrative Directive of the government to serve as the fiduciary agency of government for the prudent and judicious management of government/development partners, microfinance funds to promote the emergence, development and growth of a sustainable and decentralised microfinance sector in the country.
The establishment of MASLOC was therefore in response to the perennial lack of finance for micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector.
As an integral component of the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, the government established the centre to serve as the focal point agency for using micro and small-scale credit programmes to support the development of a sustainable MSME sector as an important growth pillar of the national economy.
The long-term objective of the loan scheme is to promote the emergence, development and growth of a sustainable and decentralised micro-financial sector with grass-roots participation in ownership, management and control.
Speaking at the launch of the loan scheme at Juaboso, the CEO of MASLOC, Mr Prempeh, explained that the decision to set up MASLOC underscored the government’s recognition of microfinance as one of the most effective and sustainable strategies for poverty reduction by way of bringing financial services to the productive poor.
“In pursuit of this mandate, the targets for MASLOC’s facilities are principally the marginalised productive poor who fall mostly within the micro, small and medium enterprises sector,” he stated, adding that “programmes for women, youth and people with disability receive priority attention within the operations of MASLOC”.
Mr Prempeh also announced that his outfit had additionally disbursed a total of GH¢6.7 million to support 42,069 beneficiaries through pro-poor schemes of 16 ministries, departments and agencies as well as some private microfinance groups.
The activities that had been covered under those schemes, he said, included women in entrepreneurship, micro credit enterprise, youth credit schemes, guinea fowl rearing, agro-processing, fish mongering, alternative livelihood vocations, handicraft production agro-marketing, women in poultry, jatropha production and small-scale mining as well as ICT training under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).
“For many of the beneficiaries, this gesture by the government must be seen as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to access critically needed finance to improve their economic activities and enhance the quality of their lives and that of their families,” he emphasised.
According to Mr Prempeh, the loans centre and the government expected the beneficiaries to seize the opportunity with both hands and ensure that they used the loans for the purposes for which they were granted.
“It is expected also that beneficiaries will take their loan repayment obligation seriously to support the sustainability of the scheme and thereby ensure that more people benefit from the MASLOC loans,” he stressed.
Mr Prempeh said the loans scheme was committed to its mandate of making affordable finance accessible to the productive poor who have been marginalised by the traditional banking system.
“In seeking to do this, the centre will count on the active collaboration of all stakeholders, especially the metropolitan, municipal and the district assemblies and other like-minded segments of our society to ensure that we mainstream micro finance into regular funding arrangements for our private sector,” he stated.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Blay, noted that people initially did not believe that the micro finance loan scheme could be a reality.
He said all those who had submitted their applications for the loans would benefit from the facility, since it had been institutionalised.
He, however, stressed that the credit facility was a loan and that it had its added responsibility, that is, the repayment of the loan to ensure that it would continue to revolve for the benefit of others.

NPP TO FINANCE PROGRAMMES IN MANIFESTO — AGYARKO (PAGE 16)

A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Manifesto Committee, Mr Boakye Agyarko, has said that revenue accrued from the national economy, the national budget itself and that from the oil find will be used to finance development programmes outlined in the party’s manifesto.
He explained that there was an expected growth in the economy, and a corresponding growth in revenue which would be used to finance the programmes in the party’s manifesto, adding “There are revenue opportunities within the budget itself”.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic at Enchi on how the NPP was going to finance programmes outlined in the party’s Election 2008 Manifesto, he said “the revenue from the oil find will be used to help diversify the economy in terms of its current structural component”.
Mr Agyarko, who is also a member of the NPP National Campaign Team, was among some members of the team who were on a one-week campaign tour in the northern part of the Western Region.
“The strategy is to use government funding to leverage private capital in partnership with government in achieving this agenda”, Mr Agyarko said, adding “we have tested the numbers and feel absolutely confident that all of them are achievable”.
According to Mr Agyarko, anyone who asked where the money to finance the manifesto programmes would come from did not understand the nature of money.