Thursday, May 29, 2008

DVLA SANCTIONS TESTING CENTRE FOR TWO REGIONS (PAGE 54)

The Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) in Takoradi has licensed Paa Tom Company Limited, a private company, to construct a vehicle testing station at Assorko Essaman in the Shama District to serve the Western and Central regions.
The project, estimated to cost GH ¢600,000, is to be completed within three months and start operation by the end of this year.
The station, which has been privatised, will be managed by the company on behalf of the DVLA.
The Managing Director of Paa Tom Company Limited, Mr Frank Tom Ackon, who led the Daily Graphic to inspect the project, said the DVLA had privatised the vehicle testing station, because it did not have enough equipment for testing vehicles.
He said modern equipment such as testers, exhaust gas analysers and suspension would be used for testing the vehicles, adding that “we are going to do the testing”.
According to Mr Ackon, the company would give the approval after vehicles had passed the test.
He said the vehicle owner would then go to the DVLA for the roadworthiness sticker.

GOLDEN STAR MINES DEWORM 1,000 PUPILS (PAGE 55)

Golden Star (Wassa Mine) Limited, a mining company in the Mpohor Wassa East District of the Western Region, has organised a programme to deworm 1,000 school pupils from communities in its catchment area.
The company has also organised a clean-up and tree planting exercises in the communities.
The communities are Akyempim, Nsadweso, Old Subri and Kubekro.
The activities formed part of the 80th anniversary celebration of the Ghana Chamber of Mines.
Speaking during the deworming exercise, the Mining Manager of Golden Star, Mr Henry Andoh, said the company could have celebrated the occasion in the mines but had to extend it to members of the communities as a result of the cordial relationship between them.
He said the company had initiated the deworming exercise and that the pupils and the teachers should send the message to the parents to deworm their children every three months.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

HOUSE TO INITIATE DEBATE ON AMENDMENTS (PAGE 31)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

Parliament plans to provoke a national debate on the necessary constitutional reforms to deepen and entrench the country’s democracy.
The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidoo, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic after the opening of a one-day workshop in Takoradi for Members of Parliament (MPs) and metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) from the Western and Central regions.
He said the debate would cover areas such as the number of Supreme Court judges, the fusion of Executive and Legislative positions, the legislative powers of Parliament, as well as the nature of the relationship between MPs and MMDCEs.
Opening the workshop, which was on the theme, “Effective Co-operation”, Mr Ossei-Aidoo said the prevailing situation of increasing hostilities, mutual suspicion and lack of co-operation between MPs and chief executives had been a source of grave concern to all well-meaning Ghanaians because of the enormous challenges it posed to the country’s democratic dispensation.
He said for the past two years his ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, had organised workshops in five regions aimed at finding solutions to the tension and apparent mistrust between MPs and MMDCEs,” he said.
Mr Ossei-Aidoo said the workshop in Takoradi was to provide the two key governance actors a single platform to dispassionately discuss the problem and collectively identify the way forward.
He said the major functions of MMDCEs, as provided for in the Local Government Act, (462), essentially made them the chief representatives of the government in the metropolises, municipalities and districts and also responsible for the day-to-day running of the assemblies.
The MMDCEs, he explained, were thus entrusted with enormous powers which must be exercised with a great deal of circumspection.
He said MPs on the other hand, were elected representatives of their constituents in the national legislature and that by virtue of Section 5 (1) (c) of the Local Government Act, MPs were ex-officio members of the district assemblies in whose their jurisdiction fell.
“The provision does not only position the MP as a link between the assembly and Parliament but also affords him or her the opportunity to understand the problems of his or her constituents so that he or she can effectively play his or her advocacy role in Parliament on their behalf,” he explained.
Apart from that, he said the MP, being a national figure, equally played a crucial role in the development of the country, saying, “Thus, in one breath he can champion the aspirations of his constituents, his or her district and the nation at large. The MP and the DCE are thus partners in development.”
The Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, Mr Joshua Magnus Nicol, noted that the monitoring and evaluation, as well as purchasing, aspects of the fund were creating a problem between MPs and MMDCEs.
He said now MPs could source their share of the fund directly from the Office of the Administrator of the common fund.
Mr Nicol also said his office would have discussions with the Procurement Board on whether MPs could purchase items for their projects by themselves.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr A.E. Amoah. said it was important for MPs and MMDCEs to come together and look at things that would move them forward, adding, “The management of part of a state is team work.”
“It is the unified hope that we are thinking about. No part of the whole is greater than the whole,” he emphasised, adding, “Let us use this opportunity to remind ourselves of the task ahead of us, that we may be in a position to play the role we are expected to play.”

Monday, May 26, 2008

LAP RECORDS 1,333 LAND TRANSACTIONS (PAGE 23)

STORY: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

THE Customary Land Secretariat (CLS) established under the Land Administration Project (LAP) at Wassa Akropong in the Wassa Amenfi East District in the Western Region,recorded a total of 1,333 land transactions last year.
The secretariat has also enumerated 15,000 farmers in the area and undertaken digitisation of manual data on land transactions.
It is now collaborating with Samartex Timber and Plywood Company Limited located at Samreboi in the Wassa Amenfi West District and the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) to enumerate about 200 tree grower farms.
A Thematic Facilitator of the Customary Land Administration, Mr George Nti, announced this at a sensitisation workshop on the establishment of the CLS for chiefs and land owners in the Western Region in Takoradi.
He said the secretariat was undertaking spatial data capture on land transactions as well as the resolution of land related conflicts pertaining to farm boundaries, indigenes and settler/migrant farmers.
Mr Nti said the chiefs and people in the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area had been very supportive of the activities of the secretariat. He said land documentation, especially among tenant farmers, had been improving, while there had been public-private support for the activities of the CLS.
Mr Nti added that there was a provision of databank on lands for investment in farming.
He mentioned some of the challenges confronting the existing secretariats as meeting recurrent cost of the secretariat staff salaries, maintenance of equipment and funding of activities.
Others, he said, were the commitment of the land owners , ownership and the sustainability of the secretariats.
Touching on the way forward, Mr Nti said the Customary Land Administration would undertake sensitisation and educational programmes in existing and potential Customary Land Secretariats and also identify viable as well as sustainable sources of funding for the secretariats.
According to him, it would re-strategise the process of support to land owners in setting up land secretariats in the future.
Mr Nti explained that the secretariats were simple structures for local land management and were community owned and locally manned. He stressed that their survival depended largely on land owners and key stakeholders in the land industry. Mr Nti further stated that the CLS were vital structures for the implementation of the Land Administration Project’s support for customary authorities in the management of their lands.
He mentioned the key functions as record keeping and management, linking landowners to land administrators and users.
Mr Nti pointed out that the overall benefits to the communities included peace building and promotion of community development.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

GT SUPPORTS T-POLY LIGHTING PROJECT (PAGE 30)

STORY: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

Ghana Telecom (GT) has donated 35 electricity poles worth GH¢7,000 to the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Takoradi Polytechnic.
The gesture is in support of its lighting project in the school, estimated to cost GH¢10,000.
The Western Regional Manager of GT, Mr Emmanuel Adusei-Essel, who made the donation on behalf of the company, explained that the company had been assisting the communities in which it operated.
He said the company always supported projects that benefited the entire community.
Mr Adusei-Essel said the SRC of the polytechnic approached the company to support it install lights at certain points where there were no lights, a situation that enabled some social deviants to attack students in such areas.
He said the gesture was a token one but the students should use them for the purpose for which they were donated for the benefit of the whole community.
The SRC Welfare Officer, Mr Elvis Nukporpe, thanked the company for the kind gesture.
He said criminals had been snatching mobile phones from students in such areas where there were no lights.
He said that was the reason why the SRC had embarked on the lighting project, estimated to cost GH¢10,000, to save them from such attacks.

ZOOMLION LAUNCHES SANITATION EDUCATION PROJECT (PAGE 30)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a waste management company, has launched a waste collection and public education project in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis to enhance the effective management of solid waste in the metropolitan area.
As part of the project the company has provided the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly with a refuse collection truck mounted with a public address system at a cost of $19,500.
The truck will be used for door-to-door collection of refuse, while the public address system will be used to educate the general public on the need to keep the environment clean and other sanitation-related issues.
The programme will be extended to other metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the Western Region, as well as other parts of the country.
At the launch of the project in Sekondi, the Western Regional Operations Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Felix Boankrah, said the assembly would pay GH¢325 a month for five years to defray the cost.
He explained that the company would carry out maintenance work on the trucks, while the assemblies would bear the cost of fuel.
Mr Boankrah said the health of the people was of concern to the company and that it would help the people and the government to ensure the effective management of solid waste in the country.
The Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director, Mr Clement Danduri, noted that everybody generated waste but it was nobody’s responsibility to ensure the disposal of the waste.
He said sanitation affected the health of the people, as well as productivity, and that “if the people were sick there would be no productivity”.

Monday, May 19, 2008

MOVES BY TO MINIMISE LAND DISPUTES (PAGE 32)

Sstory: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

The Land Administration Project (LAP) is to establish 30 pilot Customary Land secretariats in the country by the end of June this year to promote the peaceful development of local communities and minimise land-related disputes and conflicts.
The secretariats will also provide accurate land records at the local level that can be accessed by the communities, as well as clarify ownership and land use rights.
Already, 10 of the secretariats have been established. They are the Okyenhene Secretariat at Kyebi in the Eastern Region; the Wassa Amenfi Secretariat at Wassa Akropong in the Western Region; the Gbawe-Kwatey Family Secretariat in the Greater Accra Region; the Asantehene’s Secretariat in the Ashanti Region and the Tabiase Secretariat in the Upper West Region.
The rest are the Sandema Builsa Secretariat in the Upper East Region; the Kete–Krachi Secretariat in the Volta Region; the Gulkpegu Secretariat in the Northern Region and the Odupong-Kpehe Secretariat in the Central Region.
Ten more of the secretariats are to be inaugurated by the end of June this year at Ejisu, Juaben, Nkawie, Toase, Bekwai, Agogo and Asante Mampong, all in the Ashanti Region, Wa in the Upper West Region, Bole in the Northern Region and Beyin in the Western Region.
The remaining 10 will be opened later this year.
The National Facilitator of the Customary Land Administration, Mr Mark Kakraba-Ampeh, announced this in Takoradi at a day’s sensitisation workshop on the establishment of Customary Land secretariats for chiefs and landowners in the Western Region.
He explained that the Asantehene’s Land Secretariat, the Okyenhene Secretariat and the Gbawe-Kwatey Family Secretariat had been established long ago but the project had strengthened them by providing them with equipment and sensitising the chiefs and people in those areas.
Mr Kakraba-Ampeh stressed that the establishment of the Customary Land secretariats did not change any custom or tradition of the traditional areas where they were established.
“It does not change the relationship between sub-chiefs and their overlords,” he stated, adding, “The customs and traditions remain the same.”
He added that the secretariats were only to keep records on customary lands at the local level, saying, “It is an intervention to assist Nananom on the effective administration of stool lands.”
Mr Kakraba-Ampeh said it was expected that the secretariats would improve the quality of records and accessibility of information at the local level on land use and holdings, land transactions and availability.
He said the Customary Land Administration had started the demarcation of the traditional boundaries of seven traditional areas on a pilot basis.
He said it was also taking inventory of all government acquired and occupied lands and had almost completed the exercise in the Central Region.
The Western Regional Stool Lands Officer and Regional LAP Co-ordinator, Mr Patrick Amoah, explained that the project was implemented to rectify various problems and anomalies in land administration in the country.
He said the sustainability of the secretariats would highly depend on the chiefs.
The President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Awulae Atiburukusu III, urged the chiefs to embrace the establishment of the secretariats, since it would help them in the effective administration of their lands.
The Paramount Chief of the Western Nzema Traditional Area, Awulae Annor Adjaye, suggested that the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies should be compelled to support the establishment of the secretariats.
He also said paramount chiefs should have authority or control over the secretariats so that the authority of the chiefs would not be usurped.

Friday, May 16, 2008

NORTHERN PART OF WR TO ENJOY TELEPHONE FACILITY (PAGE 20)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

THE Ghana Telecom (GT) is to extend its services to the northern part of the Western Region, where there are no services.
The project, which starts within the next two months, will cover Aowin, Wassa and Sefwi areas which have been described as virgin areas.
Those areas will be provided with both voice and data services. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year or early next year.
The Western Regional Manager of GT, Mr Emmanuel Adusei-Essel, announced this at a media interaction as part of activities marking the “World Telecommunications Day” in Takoradi.
He said plans had been drawn to extend services close to customer service points to give customers value for money.
“We want to give them quality service,” he said.
According to Mr Adusei-Essel, extension and expansion of the company’s services had been the biggest challenge, especially the extension of services to the northern part of the Western Region.
He said telephone equipment at Enchi and Axim, which had become outmoded, would be modernised to be able to provide services to customers’ requirements.
“There are certain areas we have services, which cannot serve the customers properly,” Mr Adusei-Essel stated, adding “we are moving from service providers to solution providers.”
“In doing all these, we face opposition from criminals destroying our service by cutting our cables indiscriminately,” he stressed.
Mr Adusei-Essel said six cable thefts were recorded within two months, covering 1.5 kilometres on the Ketan and Bakado area near Sekondi.
He said the irony of the situation was that cables and other materials meant for the expansion programme were used to replace the stolen cables.
The Commercial Manager of GT for the Western Region, Mr Joseph Kwasi Kyei, said the region now had 19,000 fixed telephone lines.
He said a lot of customers in the region were coming back to fixed lines, adding “interest in the fixed lines is growing.”

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

13 WORKERS HONOURED BY WR CO-ORDINATING COUNCIL (PAGE 20)

STORY: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Sekondi

THE Western Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) has awarded 13 members of its staff for their dedicated and meritorious services to the council for the past year.
They were presented with ghetto blasters, DVD/VCD video sets, different kinds of fridges, gas cookers and ovens as well as different sizes of colour television sets.
Mr J.K. Achim was adjudged the best worker in the senior staff category and was presented with a deep freezer, while Mr Kwabena Darkwah, a driver was the best worker in the junior staff category and received a double door fridge.
Speaking at the workers award day in Sekondi, the Western Regional Minister, Mr A.E. Amoah commended the staff for the support they had given him and his deputy since they were appointed 22 months ago.
He said the ministers had learnt a lot from the staff, and called for more suggestions and ideas, which would move the region forward.
Mr Amoah also called for concerted efforts from all and sundry towards the development of the region.
The Deputy Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Blay, advised the civil servants to be conscious of time as most of them came to work very late in the morning, adding “change for the better in the years ahead.“
 

HAIRDRESSES ATTEND WORKSHOP AT ENCHI (PAGE 20)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Enchi

THE Rural Enterprise Project (REP) has organised a 10-day technical workshop in pedicure, manicure and hairstyles for 27 hairdressers of the Enchi branch of the Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association at Enchi in the Aowin Suaman District of the Western Region.
The workshop, organised with the support of the Aowin-Suaman District Assembly and the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), was aimed at equipping the hairdressers in the district with modern hair and nail techniques to increase sales and also understand the importance of customer care in their operations.
At the closing ceremony, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Aowin-Suaman, Mr Kingsley Ofori Asante, congratulated the participants on their commitment to seek knowledge rather than money,which was exhaustive.
He said the Business Advisory Centre (BAC), which is the business wing of the assembly, helped small-scale businesses to grow by giving them training and advice.
The DCE, therefore, advised other artisans in the informal sector to unite and form associations to enable the assembly to assist them in the acquisition of the necessary tools to enhance their work.
Mr Ofori Asante urged them to maintain good customer relationship with their clients since without them, their businesses would not grow.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Aowin,Mr Samuel Adu-Gyamfi, said the government’s programme of helping people, who could not achieve higher education after the basic level to acquire skills, was still on course.
He said under the programme, such people would be made to begin apprenticeship to acquire skills that would enable them to be self –reliant.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi asked the participants to monitor apprentices they had trained to ensure quality output since poor output could have a bad effect on them.
The Head of the Business Advisory Centre, Mr Godwin Amoakohene, emphasised the need for the hairdressers to use the knowledge acquired in their business and to treat all customers with respect whenever they patronised their services.
He advised them on the need to keep regular records of all their business transactions and cultivate the habit of saving with the banks since that was the only way of securing funding for their businesses.                      
        

MINING COMPANY ASSISTS FOUR HEALTH FACILITIES (PAGE 20)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Akyempim

GOLDEN STAR (Wassa Mines) Limited, in collaboration with Project Cure, an international non-governmental organisation, has donated surgical equipment valued at thousands of Ghana cedis to four health facilities in the Western and Central regions towards the improvement of health care delivery in those facilities.
The beneficiaries were the Twifo Praso District Hospital in the Central Region and the Tarkwa Government Hospital, Atieku and Nsadweso clinics, all in the Western Region.
Making the presentation at Akyempim in the Mpohor Wassa East District, the General Manager of Golden Star (Wassa Mines), Mr Richard Gray, said the donation was the result of the good relationship between the mining company and the Project Cure which dated back to many years.
He said during the past years, essential hospital equipment, which could not be used by clinics in the company’s catchment area, were imported and had to be donated to big hospitals in the country.
Mr Gray said the company would now import consumable items which could be used by clinics in its operational area.
“We are doing all these as good corporate citizens to develop and improve the conditions in the communities in our catchment area,” he stated.
The Medical Superintendent of Twifo Praso District Hospital, Dr J.B. Annan, expressed his gratitude to the Golden Star and the Project Cure for the gesture.
He also expressed the hope that health workers in the beneficiary hospitals and clinics would put the surgical equipment to good use.
Nana Damoah advised people who had not registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme to do so for them to also have equal access to good health care.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

ASSEMBLY ASSISTS THE DISABLED (PAGE 30)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo & Juliet Aguair, Sekondi

THE Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has supported 34 persons, including the physically disabled, with cash, sewing machines, wheelchairs, palm kernel cracking machine, as well as corn milling machine to the tune of GH¢11,924.
The items and the cash are to support them to set up small businesses that will help them to be self-employed and to take care of themselves financially.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of STMA, Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, pointed out that if a person had a disability, it did not mean that they would not be important in life.
He said the contribution of every individual to the development of the country could not be underestimated.
Therefore, he called on persons with disability to see themselves as people capable of contributing their quota to improving their lives.
He urged them to take good care of what was given to them.
“Let this make a difference in your life, so that the assembly will be able to support others,” he advised.
He also asked them to consult with the Department of Social Welfare any- time they had problems.
The Metro Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Mrs Deborah Daisy Kwabia, said the family had the responsibility to take good care of people with disability.
She said the disabled must be encouraged to appreciate the fact that they could also do something meaningful in life, adding that the government was ready to support them.
She added that the department would, from time to time, visit their homes or workplaces to find out if there was any improvement in their lives.
She also advised those who had not registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme to do so, and also ensure that their children who were of school age were equally enrolled in school.
A beneficiary of the Sekondi branch of the Ghana Society of the Physicaly Disabled, Madam Martha Esi Ainooson, encouraged those not members of the association to join it.
“Joining the association has made me feel that I am part of society,” she said, adding: “I was always in my room feeling neglected, but when I came out, I have known that I can do most of the things that able-bodied people do.”
She, therefore, encouraged them to accept that that was the situation in which they found themselves.
This, she said, would help them develop themselves and contribute their quota to the community in which they found themselves.

Friday, May 9, 2008

AKUFFO-ADDO PROMISES 'NEW GHANA' (PAGE 16)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo & Juliet Aguair, Takoradi

The flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that when he is elected to form the next government, there will be a new Ghana which will move from raw material production to fully become an industrialised country.
He has, therefore, urged Ghanaians to prepare themselves for this new Ghana, since "we are going to need new expertise in developing the country".
Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing the Takoradi Polytechnic Chapter of the Tertiary Students Confederacy of the NPP in Takoradi.
He said President J.A. Kufuor had laid a strong foundation for the future of the country, saying, "We are at the crossroad and ready to take off and make sure that our bright future before us is sustained."
"Election 2008 is about the future of the country, which is yours," he told the students, asking, "What Ghana are we going to inherit?"
According to Nana Akufo-Addo, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was trying to put old wine in a new bottle, stressing that "we are not going back to authoritarian government in Ghana".
"We are not going back to the old Ghana. It is finished," he emphasised.
Mr John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, whose introduction almost brought down the filled-to-capacity auditorium, emphasised that the party stood by its positive change and development in freedom slogans.
He, therefore, urged the people to vote massively for the party to win this year’s election to continue its development agenda.
Mr Dan Kwaku Botwe said the students were seen as very important part of the NPP’s political campaign, since they could reach most of the electorate with the party’s message.
"Nana will only win when all of us take part in the campaign," he said.
The Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, said, "We are looking into the future and Nana will lead us into the future and build on the foundation laid by President Kufuor,” adding that Nana Akufo-Addo was going to make the impossible possible.
He said this year’s elections were very important in the political history of the country, adding, "We are moving forward and you represent the hope of this country."
The National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Peter Mac Manu, said the government was business focused and business oriented and that it was not going to give back the administration of the country to any other political party.
The Campaign Director of the NPP, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, urged the NDC to understand that there was no need for the country to go back, since the NDC gave Ghanaians a raw deal.
He said Ghanaians experienced over 40 per cent inflation and 50 per cent interest rate during the NDC regime.
"We have managed our economy in such a way that we have been able to contain all the shocks and still going forward," he said.
Dr Apraku emphasised that no matter what, the NDC could not be a credible alternative government to the NPP.
"There is a new dawn and the prospects are better for you," he told the students.
He said the elections were the future of Ghanaians and urged the students to go out there and influence the voters that the NPP had proved beyond that its was capable of developing the country.
Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo noted that elections were special, since the NDC won in 1992 and 1996, while the NPP had won the 2000 and 2004 elections and, therefore, there had been two major wins each.
He said the NPP was going to win on the balance sheet of the NDC.
"Tell the people what the NDC did in their days and what the NPP has done," he urged the students.
Mr Osafo-Maafo said the NPP government had invested in education more than the previous regime, adding that the NPP had chosen a leader who understood politics, the transformation of the country and democracy.

NPP ON COURSE, SAYS ALAN (1b)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

THE runner-up in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2008 presidential race, Mr John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has given the assurance that the party will forge ahead with a united front and intensively contest and win this year’s elections.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Takoradi on Wednesday, he said, “As an incumbent government, we believe we have executed very successfully our development agenda over the last seven to eight years and we are confident of victory.”
Mr Kyerematen, who joined the party’s flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on his campaign tour of the Western Region at Aiyinase in the newly created Ellembelle District, emphasised that the successful execution of NPP’s development agenda provided justification for continuity to enable it to realise its vision of transforming the country into a middle-income one.
He also joined the flag bearer to address the Takoradi Polytechnic Chapter of the Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) of the NPP.
Mr Kyerematen noted that a change in the administration of the country at this critical juncture in its history had the potential to derail the significant gains so far achieved by the government over the last few years.
He explained that a new government would have the propensity to want to start new programmes and projects, adding, “This provides a justification for continuity to enable us to fully realise the vision of transforming Ghana into a middle-income country within the shortest possible time.”
"So let the NPP finish its development agenda for positive change and development," he stated.
It would be recalled that Mr Kyerematen resigned from the party on April 17, 2008 citing the failure of the leadership to take concrete action to address fundamental issues within the party which undermined its strength.
The chairman and elders of the NPP on the advice of President John Agyekum Kufuor and the party’s flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, engaged in a series of consultations to deliberate over the complaints arising out of the resignation of Mr Kyerematen.
Following the consultations, the national chairman of the NPP responded to the letter of resignation of Mr Kyerematen after which Mr Kyerematen rescinded his resignation.
In his letter rescinding his resignation, Mr Kyerematen wrote, “Following your appeal to me to consider my decision to resign from the party, and with the personal assurances you have given in your letter to address, in a timely manner, the concerns I have raised on various matters and also in consideration of the passionate appeal from His Excellency the President, the flag bearer, the elders as well as the rank and file of the party, I write to rescind my earlier decision to resign my membership of the NPP.”
The letter added that, “I hope this decision will contribute to the further strengthening of the party.”

Thursday, May 8, 2008

WR POLICE COMMAND MEETS POLITICAL PARTIES (PAGE 47)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo & Juliet Aguair, Takoradi

THE acting Western Regional Police Commander, Mr Robert Mark Azu, has noted that this year’s elections provide a landmark in the annals of Ghanaian politicking.
He said it was therefore necessary that everything should be done to promote and sustain the democratic environment that the country was currently enjoying.
“Election 2008 poses a big challenge to all stakeholders basically due to the fact that for the first time in the political history of this country, two successively elected governments would be competing with other political parties to determine who forms the next government,” he said.
Mr Azu was speaking at a stakeholders meeting on Election 2008 with registered political parties in Takoradi.
The meeting, which was organised by the Western Regional Police Command, was attended by representatives of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Mr Azu said Ghanaians owed it a collective duty to ensure that the campaigns were held in an atmosphere devoid of insults and rancour and that they should be guided by the fact that in all competitions, there was only one winner.
He said the legal framework governing electioneering, the Public Order Act, 1994 Act 491, should be respected, explaining that “the Act seeks to regulate the conduct of public events with the sole objective that such events are held without incident”.
“I wish to assure you all that the police would apply the Act without any doubt,” he said adding that “in addition, we have resolved to provide protection to all political parties without discrimination”.
In this regard, Mr Azu appealed to all parties not to hesitate to request police assistance when the need arose.
He urged political parties to educate their teeming supporters and sympathisers to refrain from acts that were likely to provoke others and to always bear in mind that political opponents were not enemies.
On the media, he pointed out that the use of inflammatory language must be avoided, saying that “sensationalism must not be tolerated but be guided by the truth and accuracy”.
The Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Stephen Opoku-Mensah, explained that a polling station was a public place and that it was opened to everybody so far as that person did not commit an electoral offence during elections.
He further explained that candidates and party agents could be at the polling stations during the elections, if they did not commit an offence.
“We are expecting a level playing field and that the power of incumbency should not be used to the disadvantage of other political parties,” he stressed.
The Takoradi Constituency Chairman of the NPP, Abdul-Munin Issah, assured the police that the party would organise its activities within the confines of the law.
He urged the media to be accurate and report issues as they happen and avoid sensationalism, which could bring problems.
The Western Regional Secretary of the NDC, Mr Joe R. D. Kobinah, said the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) should be adequately resourced to effectively educate the public on what they were expected to do during the political campaigns and  elections.
The Western Regional Security Co-ordinator, Mr Moses Leo Blay, said this year’s election was a major challenge not only to the political parties, but also the electorate.
He therefore urged all stakeholders to rise up to the occasion, saying that “it is crucial that 2008 elections come and go without any incident”.
The Western Regional Director of the NCCE, Mr Nti Berko, said the commission would intensify its public education to sensitise the electorate on the need to effectively take part in the forthcoming elections. 

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

CHRISTIANS MUST COMPORT THEMSELVES DURING ELECTIONS (PAGE 29)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

THE Bishop of the Sekondi Diocese of the Methodist Church, the Rt Rev John Harvey-Ewusi, has urged all Christians and for that matter all Methodists to comport themselves, use decent language and exercise their franchise in a manner that will be approved by God, during and after this year’s elections.
“Beloved, we need to remind ourselves that for us as Ghanaians and as Methodists, this year is special,” he said, adding that “it is a year of elections for both the Methodist Church and also for the nation”.
Addressing the 47th annual synod of the Sekondi Diocese at the Freeman Memorial Chapel at Kwesimintsim, Rt Rev Harvey–Ewusi said the Methodist Church would elect nine bishops for nine respective dioceses, while the Methodist Conference would elect a new presiding bishop and a new lay president in August this year.
“In December, the  entire nation will go to the polls to decide on who should take the mantle from the incumbent head of state and new members of parliament,” he stressed.
 “You and I know that such important events cannot go on smoothly and successfully without God’s guidance and vision to make the right choices,” he said, adding, “The prayers of the entire diocese are therefore urgently needed at this synod and hereafter for a successful elections for both the church and the state.”
He, therefore, urged them to make time at the various societies and organisations to pray for God’s direction to make the right choices.

Monday, May 5, 2008

PARLIAMENT COMMITTED TO DEEPENING DEMOCRACY — SPEAKER (PAGE 47)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo & Juliet Aguair, Takoradi

Regional Parliamentary Centres are to be established across the country to serve as points for collaboration and dissemination of information on the work of Parliament.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, who disclosed this, said the centres would also provide the opportunity for all Ghanaians to participate in its work.
Mr Hughes was speaking at the opening session of a parliamentary forum on “Strengthening the Legislature through Public Engagement” in Takoradi.
The forum, the last of a series of Regional Parliamentary Outreach programmes, was sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and attended by the leadership of Parliament, some Members of Parliament, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, students, civil society organisations, as well as the general public.
Mr Hughes said since the inception of the Parliament of the Fourth Republic in January 1993, various efforts had been made at strengthening both Parliament and parliamentary services to enable the House to effectively discharge its duties under the constitution.
He said Parliament had developed an Enhanced Strategic Plan that laid the foundation to address priorities critical for an effective parliamentary institution for the nation.
“Parliament is an institution of and for the people and provides opportunity for the voices of the silent majority to be heard in its representational role,” he said.
Among the three arms of government, the Speaker said, Parliament served as the body with the responsibility of ensuring that through the Members of Parliament, views of all Ghanaians found expression in the bodypolitic.
Mr Hughes noted that the creation of a forum in which Parliament and the people that it represented, came together to have close interaction was an important step in forging a close bond between the House and the electorate and that this would greatly help in advancing the cause of meaningful democracy.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr A. E. Amoah noted that democracy was a good thing and that the government would do all within its power to sustain it.
He pointed out that as a people, we were partly responsible for the action and inaction of those who were voted into office.
“We need to be interested in what they do and to ensure that they serve our interest,” he said, adding that “this we can do by constantly keeping in touch with our parliamentarians”.
He said it was important that people knew what went on in Parliament so that they could make informed choices in the exercise of their democratic rights.
“This parliament outreach programme is indeed a very useful exercise and should be sustained as a means of enlightening the Ghanaian about the responsibilities and privileges of a parliamentarian” he said.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prapram, Mr E. T. Mensah, who represented the Minority Leader, noted that the demands of the people from the MPs were many.
He explained that the Executive arm of government at the local level were the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies whose functions had been explained in the law establishing them.
“There is nowhere in the law that MPs are assigned these responsibilities,” he stressed.
He said the development role MPs played was the consideration of the budget by Parliament.
The Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Osei Aidoo, said Parliament had made progress in the development of the state.
He urged Ghanaians to take an interest in the activities of parliamentarians in their areas, especially during election, adding that “we are going to be judged by what we are doing in the elections”.
Therefore, he advised all to assess candidates during this election before they were voted into power.
The Programmes Coordinator of Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Mr Samuel Opoku-Agyakwa, pointed out that the forum had brought Parliament as an institution closer to the electorate hence promoting good governance.
He said such interactions demonstrated how well-informed the Ghanaian population was in the governance of the country, adding that “the foundation will continue to support the growth and development of Parliament”.

DARKO-MENSAH REPLACES GLADYS ASMAH AS NPP CANDIDATE (PAGE 17)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

A 34-year-old man, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has been elected as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Takoradi, in a primary which was supervised by the Electoral Commission (EC) officials.
Mr Darko-Mensah, who is the Chairman of the Finance and Administration Sub-committee of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), polled 35 votes as against 25 by Madam Jane Edna Nyame, the Western Regional Director of the Department of Women, which is under the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs.
Mr David Okruw, Special Assistant to the Minister of Fisheries, Mrs Gladys Asmah, obtained 15 votes; Mr Patrick Amoateng, a public servant, also got one vote, while Mrs Ellen Sweetie Sowa had two votes.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

OVER 40,000 LOSE THEIR VOTER ID CARES IN WR (PAGE 18)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo Takoradi

THE Western Region recorded a total of 40,895 applications during the replacement of lost voter identity (ID) cards.
Out of the figure, 680 applicants, constituting 1.7 per cent of the total figure, had their ID cards defaced or badly damaged, while 40,215 applicants had lost their voter ID cards.
Also, 37,797 applicants representing 92 per cent were resident voters , whilst the remaining 3,098 or eight per cent were non-resident applicants.
The Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Stephen Opoku-Mensah, announced this at a Special Regional Inter-Party Advisory Committee forum in Takoradi. It was on “Building stakeholder confidence in the outcome of the 2008 elections”.
He said the Wassa West recorded the highest number of applications in the region with 14 per cent, followed by Takoradi-Effia Sub-Metro with  11 per cent.
He said Ahanta West, Mpohor Wassa East and Wassa Amenfi East recorded four per cent each, while Shama recorded the least number of applications with three per cent
Mr Opoku-Mensah regretted that the participation of  major stakeholders, such as the political parties, was very low, adding that the registered political parties did not show as much interest as they did during registration and elections.
He said the political parties, which were found present at most centres, were the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Party.
He contended that the media had been generally supportive of the efforts of the commission and had been contributing positively in sensitising the public to exercises undertaken by the commission.
“It was, however, unfortunate that some sections of the media carried a wrong impression that the turn-out for the replacement exercise was very low”, he said, adding, “I want to place on record that the EC did not expect a high turn-out because the exercise was done for only voters who had lost their ID cards and those who had their ID cards badly damaged”.
In some cases, he said, it was difficult to process the replacement for non resident applicants especially where the applicants could not provide certain vital information to enable our officials to locate where they registered.
Mr Opoku-Mensah recommended that the political parties should show interest in all activities in connection with elections by sending their agents to all centres to avoid mudslinging, suspicion and speculation.
Also, he said, the media should exercise objectivity, discretion and circumspection in their reportage and that they should check any facts on electoral issues before going public.
He explained that the replacement of the lost ID cards was intended to give opportunity to voters whose ID cards were lost to replace them ahead of the revision of the voters register to avert a situation where such voters would attempt to re-register during the limited registration exercise period.
According to Mr Opoku-Mensah, this was the first time the commission had embarked on the replacement of lost ID cards as a major exercise.

NEW GIRLS' DORMITORY FOR NKROFUL AGRIC SHS (PAGE 22)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Half Assini

THE Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) is providing a two-storey girls’ dormitory for the Nkroful Agricultural Senior High School (SHS) in the Ellembelle District in the Western Region at a cost of GH¢300,000.
The project, which is at the foundation level and has a contract period of 12 months, is being executed by Messrs Pegos Ghana Limited with consultants from the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwesi Blay, in the company of the Regional Director of Education, Mrs Rebecca Efiba Dadzie and the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Mr Saeed Abdul-Rahman-Yankey, has inspected the project.
Mr Blay noted that the provision of the dormitory block was in the interest of girl child education, since it would help increase enrolment of girls in the school. The deputy regional minister advised the contractor to finish the project within the contract period, stressing that he should also do quality work.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

ELECTORAL SYSTEM HAS ENOUGH CHECKS, BALANCES (PAGE 44)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has emphasised that there is a lot of integrity in the country’s electoral system.
He said all the electoral processes — the demarcation of constituencies, registration of voters, nomination of candidates, conduct of elections, collation and declaration of results — were important parts of the electoral system.
Those processes, he stressed, led to incontrovertible outcomes and made the results genuine and credible.
Dr Afari-Gyan was speaking at a special regional Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) forum in Takoradi.
The forum, which was on the theme:, “Building stakeholders’ confidence in the outcome of the 2008 elections”, was attended by representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC) and the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP).
“There is a lot of integrity in the system but integrity calls on you to be vigilant and take advantage of the opportunity given you,” Dr Afari-Gyan emphasised.
He explained that there was a formula for the demarcation of constituencies, taking into consideration the land mass and population of an area.
He said if anyone was aggrieved about a demarcation, that person could petition a tribunal that would be set up by the Chief Justice.
Touching on the registration of voters, he explained that there was an opportunity for representatives of the political parties to be at the registration centres during the exercise every day.
“Most political parties could not afford representatives,” he said, explaining that “if you do not want to take the opportunity, that is a different matter”.
On the nomination of candidates, he pointed out that as far as the EC was concerned, there were no presidential candidates.
He explained that there could only be presidential candidates when there had been nominations in September this year, adding, “Then after a statutory declaration one becomes a presidential candidate.”
Dr Afari-Gyan said political parties were allowed to send representatives to the printing houses when ballot papers were printed for them to know what was happening.
Also, he said political parties and candidates had agents at the polling stations to take care of their interests.
“Being an agent is very important and not a job for the boys or machomen. Agents have very important work to do at the polling stations so they must be knowledgeable and know what is happening there,” he said, saying, “Nobody is too big to be an agent”.
Dr Afari-Gyan advised the political parties not to recruit riffraff as their representatives, adding, “Find qualified people to be your agents.”
A member of the EC, Ms Eunice Roberts, said the commission recognised political parties as major stakeholders and that they had a crucial role to play in the electoral system.
He urged the political parties to study the legal framework for the election and educate their supporters on the law.
Ms Roberts emphasised that the success of the election was a shared responsibility of the EC, the political parties, as well as the media, adding, “This year’s election is an important one and we do not want to make mistakes.”
The Director of Elections at the EC, Mr Albert Arhin, said the revision of the voters register would be a limited exercise at the electoral area level.
He said there would be 2,500 working stations, one each for an electoral area.

EC WANTS GH¢41m ...And an additional GH¢7m in the event of a run-off (LEAD STORY)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

THE Electoral Commission (EC) has budgeted for GH¢41 million for this year’s general election, excluding the possibility of a run-off.
The Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, who announced this, said an additional GH¢7 million would be required should there be a run-off.
He was responding to questions at a special regional Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) forum in Takoradi.
He said the ballot papers were being re-designed based on some findings of the commission which showed that many ballot papers got rejected as a result of ignorance on the part of voters.
He advised people not to play politics with the said bloated voters register in 13 constituencies in the Ashanti Region, pointing out that “it is the collective responsibility of all of us to ensure that the voters register is clean”.
Dr Afari-Gyan stressed that the commission would faithfully declare the results of the elections if any party other than the ruling party won the elections.
“I cannot imagine a situation where the commission will not declare the results,” he said, adding, “It will be a dereliction of duty.”
“We will faithfully declare the results according to how Ghanaians see it.” he noted, stressing, “It is our right to declare the results and the media should help us to uphold the law.”
Dr Afari-Gyan, therefore, emphasised that it would be stupid for anybody else to declare the results, adding that that would bring about chaos.
Touching on the Representation of the People’s (Amendment) Law (ROPAL), the chairman said the EC had done a lot of work on it.
“We cannot use it in the 2008 elections since we have not done enough,” he added.
He said it was the obligation of the EC to implement the law gradually, saying, “When we reach the right stage we will implement the law.”
In another development, the EC has explained that the postponement of the re-opening of the voters register is the result of a delay in the delivery of a new work station and not because of lack of funds, reports Donald Ato Dapatem.
According to the Director of Elections at the EC, Mr Albert Kofi Arhin, the new work station, which would replace the Polaroid instant camera for the registration of voters, was expected in the country in June this year.
The work station is a new digital equipment comprising a camera, a printer and a set of batteries which will enable the EC to instantly deliver identity cards to voters who register and also facilitate the processing of data.
Last Monday, the commission issued a statement that it had postponed the May 8 to 17 re-opening of the voters registration exercise indefinitely.
Mr Arhin noted that the EC had had assurances from the providers of the equipment that it would be in by June.
He explained that although the EC had held up the registration of new voters, that would not affect its electoral calendar for the year, especially the filing of presidential nominations in September and the general election in December.
He added that the EC had no problem as far as resources for the registration were concerned and gave the assurance that it would work within the calendar to ensure smooth elections.
Mr Arhin urged political parties and Ghanaians in general to see it as their civic duty to encourage those who had attained 18 to register and ensure that they expose those who had already registered and still wanted to register again and those who had not attained the adult suffrage age but wanted to register.
He said the EC, as usual, would put in place appropriate measures, including adequate training of personnel, to man all the registration centres.